DISCLAIMER: Erik is not mine. However, the dvd, cd, book…..ITS ALL MINE. –laughs manically- errr. –Ahem- right.
A/N: Wow. I got a lot of really positive reviews for the last chapter. –bows- I hope this one is as good..hehheh… It was a bit less difficult to write, and only the one section was really hard. Not bad…lol. Okay, I'd now like to thank my AWESOME reviewers..who mean the world to me…Miss Ewelina, HDK, OperaStar4Life, dark-hearted rose, Operatastic SuperSop, Angelicerik12, speedy56, KyrieofAccender, and Froogle Boogle. I hope I got everyone…Don't hesitate to drop me a PM if I missed you.
This was a really fun chapter to write, and personally, my favorite bit is at the end where…we'll you'll see! Haha.
Okay Happy Reading!! And REVIEW PLEASEEE? Lol.
Xxx
No shadows haunt the realms of darkness, for there can be no shadows if there is no light…
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A tall, cloaked figure swiftly made its way though dusky Paris streets. By the dim lamps, the scarce passerby would only recognize another rushed man like himself, eager to return to a warm fire and lighted home…
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Upon approaching the magnificent building quite commonly recognized as the Paris Opera House, I ducked around the young, wandering, nighttime couples as they gazed adoringly at each other, no doubt oblivious to all—save their lover's eyes. There was not a performance scheduled for the evening, and I was able to make my way around toward the grand entrance unnoticed.
I reached my home—if you dared call it such, for most men do not dwell in the cellars of an Opera House!—at a relatively quick pace and was eager to set about a task that I had been yearning to start since dawn. I could swear that the raging curiosity I had so ardently kept at bay was burning its way through my soul…
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Such a little book…Yet, within the bound pages, lays the key to three hearts…
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Erik settled himself comfortably into an ornate chair and drew a quick breath—simultaneously with a small diary from the gentle folds of his cloak. The contours were all too familiar, for they had been meticulously produced by his own hand. It was a small—made to fit snugly between dainty palms, and bound with the finest black leather. A single word was embroidered painstakingly upon the cover in thin, gold thread. 'Diary', it read, accompanied by a delicately sewn rose underneath.
A faint sigh escaped Erik's lips as he reverently opened the gilt trimmed cover, preparing himself to read words that were undoubtedly never meant to be read. As he began to engulf himself in the contents, he shockingly realized that he was very well acquainted with the story—for it was his own.
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My name is Christine Daae, and I am to be married with the rise of the sun. I write this for what reason I cannot seem to comprehend, but the sleep that I so desire will not grant me its shelter. It has been this way for three weeks now; three weeks of torment and restlessness. Sleep being ever elusive, I have finally set out to do what I had promised myself I would not: Reveal my secrets in this diary.
For you see, so long as my secrets are sheltered within my breast, no living mortal may find them. It is the lone place of hiding that the rest of the world may never hope to touch. To write is to reveal, and to reveal may mean to end all, for no secret is as great or as dark as the one I carry.
Yet I continue to write, my hand seemingly guided by an unknown force. I suppose the reason I do not tear this page out and throw to the fire—as I should, is the reprise that I hope to find with the completion of my story. I suppose, however, that it is unjust to selfishly claim this tale as mine alone, for countless other souls have had their lives inevitably entwined as well…
I feel as though I have shouldered this burden for far too long, and it is seeking blessed release. I can contain it no longer, for it will drive me mad. Perhaps if I let it live freely within the bound pages of this little black book the memories will cease to haunt me. Perhaps, I can finally lock away the past and start my future that inevitably will come with the new dawn.
The part of my past that I am about to disclose has never haunted me before; on the contrary, whist I was living it, I daresay that it was the most joyous period of my brief seventeen years—in fact, I still believe so! Yet now that those moments have deserted me, I am bound to a cold and bleak future that holds no warmth...
I must stop prattling on, for otherwise I shall squander away the few hours that yet remain dear to me!
So it begins…
I shall attempt to relate to you the greatest tale there ever was...there will be no lies, for the truth is far more extraordinary than any tale that the mind can spin...and to think that I had the privilege to hear these words for my very own…
Though the horrors great, and tears many, I hold this as one of my most treasured memories… for it was only through this tale that I began to understand…truly begin to see…
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Erik's vision blurred as he turned the page. He knew now what this would ultimately amount to...reliving of a lifetime of unwanted memories. His mind screamed—to halt the torture, yet within his mind was firm acknowledgement that there was no turning back now…
Oh! Why was he accursed with such powers of memory! Every moment since he had drawn breath remained a shard of glass—perfectly clear. Each shard was forever piercing his mind, body, and soul in torturous agony…
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Christine pressed her forehead to the cool glass as she gazed at the blanket of twinkling stars. Each star grew in magnification as she felt familiar pools gather in her eyes. Feeling the streaming overflow upon her cheeks, she whispered softly…
Once upon a time…
A man with moonlight in his eyes…
Put his hand in mine and said he loved me so…
He spun me a fantasy, wove me a palace of dreams…
But that was once upon a time…so very long ago…
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And in a palace of darkness, the lone prince of night relives his journey…unaware that he had begun to seal his own fate.
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Whew. I actually got this chapter done sooner than I thought I would. –happy dance- I hope this was up to par with the last one. –bites nails nervously- and please Review! I love reviews…almost as much as Phantom…
Oh, and the Christine bit… I was inspired by a song we're doing in chorale…woot.