Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Phantom characters or anything that was from Kay's book or anything else pertaining to the Phantom of the Opera. Sigh…
Chapter 3As if in instinct to seeing light through closed eyelids I slowly opened my eyes to a blurred light around me. It took me a few times to adjust my eyes before I finally was able to fully see where I was. I found myself inside a somewhat large bedroom. A fire was started in a rather large and finely decorated fireplace on the opposite side of the room and candles were lit all around me. There were bookshelves filled with books on the side of the walls and a darkly, rich painted wooden wardrobe near the shelves. There was a balcony window on the left side of where I was laying, but it was shut and covered by dark red silk curtains. I couldn't see much else for I was lying in a canopy bed strung around by more red silk curtains. I began to lift myself up, but as soon as the pain struck my side like an electric jolt, I moaned and lay back down on the bed.
Making me jump, the door to my right suddenly opened and a figure stepped into the room. It was a house servant! A woman, perhaps in her mid fifties, walked into the room and set a small case on the table next to the bed. She turned around and moved the curtain to the side and then jumped in surprise as if she didn't know I was even there.
" Oh! You're awake! Forgive me my dear I hope I didn't startle you." The servant woman said and sat down in a chair next to my bed. She was wearing a simple servant dress and her brown and gray hair was put up in a tight bun. She opened up the case and pulled out a jar with a liquid substance and a roll of bandages and cotton. " Oh, you can call me Cathy by the way. I don't care much to be addressed by Miss or Misses." She said smiling down at me.
At first I didn't know what to say. It took me a minute to realize where I even was and I assumed that I was back at Martique's house just in a different bed and a servant I had yet to meet. But then I remembered. I was still in that house in the woods! I began to remember everything. Ellis daring me to come up and knock on the door, the cat, entering the house, that strange music…the chamber of mirrors.
I once again felt bile rise in my throat, but I held it down. I thought about what had happened in that chamber and a shiver ran down my spine. I slowly tried to lift myself up so I wouldn't hurt myself again, but it was very difficult.
" Careful now! You nearly almost broke a rib when you fell. I'd say that was a mighty big fall you took too! I'm surprised you got off as well as you did." Cathy proclaimed.
I began to laugh and winced when the pain jolted once again through my body. Getting off as well as I did! Look at me! I'm a total mess. I didn't say this to Cathy though for I thought it would be impolite.
Cathy, although, seemed to know exactly what I was thinking. "Well, I suppose your not that well off are you?" she laughed. " But don't worry you'll heal in good time. You sprained your leg, but not bad enough to where you cant walk. Sprained your arm real good too. Other then those two things you got a couple of bruises and scratches, but it really isn't so bad. It could be much worse! I mean if Erik hadn't have found you…"
I looked up at her and I winced once again as I tried to sit up. " Erik?" I whispered. I once again went through my mind to remember what had happened before I blacked out.
I remember now…there was a man, dressed in black satin robes and wearing a white mask. I remember him looking like some avenged angel of death when he stood in front of me inside that chamber of mirrors. I remember being so scared and thinking I was going to die. But I didn't. This man, Erik, had saved my life when I was so sure he was going to take it.
My heart began to beat very fast just thinking of that memory and each time I inhaled and exhaled my body shook. I crossed my arms and began to rub the sides of my shoulders. Cathy seemed to notice my fear and put a hand on my shoulder.
" Don't think so hard on it dear." Cathy said and she took the cap off the jar of the liquid substance. "Now, if you don't mind, im going to put new bandages on you. You've been out cold for a couple of hours so you must be hungry. Ill get you something after im finished."
"A couple of hours!" I said astonished. It was really hard for me to calm down then. What happened to Marie and the others? Are they worried about how long ive been gone? Are they trying to find me now? What if they're in the house? I began to sit up once again and forgot about most of my pain. I have to find them! They don't even know what has happened to me!
" Whoa! Hold on dear! Relax! Every things going to be fine! Mr. Hanson, another servant, took the liberty of informing your friends that you're here. He asked them not to be worried and that we'll have you back home in no time." Cathy said holding me down.
This made me relax a bit, but I was still somewhat uneasy. Remembering my manners towards strangers I slowly laid back down and thanked Cathy for her service.
" No problem at all, believe me I have a lot of time on my hands." She smiled once again unwrapping the bandages.
" By the way…my name is Christine." I told her. It would probably be nice if she knew my name after everything she did for me.
Cathy stopped unwrapping the bandages. " Well, its nice to meet you Christine." She said taking my hand in hers and shaking it. I smiled at her. I suppose this wasn't so bad. It was nice to meet someone new for once which I rarely did unless it was one of my family's friends. But they were never so easy to talk to.
Unwrapping the bandages from my arms and torso, drenching my scars in the liquid substance and then putting new bandages on, Cathy put everything back in the case and got up from where she was sitting.
" I'll be right back to get you something to eat." She started toward the door then stopped and looked back at me. " Oh, and I think it be best if you stay the night. It's a bit late and I think you should just rest here for a bit longer. I hope that's not to much trouble."
I shook my head " No, its not to much trouble…its probably for the best".
She smiled at me and went out through the door closing it behind her. Truthfully, I wanted to stay here. I was still curious about the house, though I wasn't about to go down any stairways any time soon. I felt somewhat brave for wanting to stay in this house after what happened to me. But it shouldn't be that bad, if the servants can walk around with no trouble why couldn't I?
Cathy came back into the room with a tray of food and set it down next to my bed. I thanked her, but did not touch the food. I wasn't really hungry, but I might be later on. Cathy was about to leave once again, but I didn't want her to go. I wanted to know more about where I was and how she had come to be a servant here. When I asked her if she would stay she seemed quite ok with the idea as if she were in no hurry what so ever. With a heavy sigh, she made herself comfortable on the chair next to my bed as if she knew I was about to ask her many questions.
This didn't bother me though. I had to know something. Like who was this Erik person? And why did the house seem abandoned if it really wasn't? I didn't know how far I would get with Cathy with questions such as these, but I was willing to try in order to find out what I wanted.
I sat up a little on the bed. The pain had lessened a bit making it less irritable to be in the position I was in. " Cathy…" I hesitated trying to figure out where I should begin. But Cathy already seemed to know how to respond.
" I know that you are curious Christine…" She began. " I will tell you as much as I know, but I can't guarantee that I'll be able to tell you much. I suppose I should begin in telling you a bit about this house…" Cathy crossed her legs and laid back against the chair. " It all started with a man named Mr. Brocks. He was a very rich man, but also very old. He had been living with his daughter and three grand children for some time because they lived near the town where he was holding much of his stocks that were shipped out to London every month."
"But soon after becoming very ill, Mr. Brocks decided he wanted to live out the rest of his life in solitude and that's when he decided to build this house…" Cathy hesitated a second as if to figure out what exactly to say next. " There are of course…rumors saying he was trying to get away from his own family, but I've never known of this to be true. Anyways… I happened to be one of his very loyal servants back when he was still alive, a very good friend too. I was the one who took care of him here when he lay dieing."
I looked down at my hands, thinking hard. " So then…if Mr. Brocks is dead…why doesn't his family live here?"
Cathy sighed "well…that's a very long story, Christine, and one that I unfortunately wont be able to tell you enough about. But I can tell you that his family is not to be toyed with. They are very strict and forceful people, very powerful. Even his grandchildren have control in the family. A bunch of obsessive brats if you ask me…they always get there way it seems. Mr. Brocks was the only one who seemed to be able to keep them in check. And now it seems Erik has the burden of keeping them out of his way and from…having certain things." Cathy stopped hesitantly. She looked about the room rubbing the side of her neck.
I looked up at her. What did this man named Erik have to do with Mr. Brocks and his family? I know I was only a stranger here and probably had no right to know as much as I did, but I was still willing to try to find out as much as I could before I had to leave this house and probably never come back…and anyways, I think I should at least know something about the man who rescued me from that chamber. I sat up a little more. "Cathy…who is Erik?"
At first I thought she wasn't going to tell me. Her face turned a little white and her eyes became very somber. I looked at her worried, wondering if it really was right of me to ask. But she seemed to be thinking hard and finally she spoke.
" Erik…is the master of this house." She smiled at me. Her eyes still grave looking. " To tell you the truth, I don't know a lot about him myself. I do know that he was a great friend of Mr. Brocks. The first time I met him was when this house was first being built. I only had a couple of encounters with him at the time. When Mr. Brocks died I decided to stay here with the house as a caretaker. Then I found out that Erik was staying as well, not as a servant, which he never was to begin with, but as the new owner of the house. He came to us and told us that we could leave if we wished. To tell you the truth, I thought about leaving and many of us did. Erik wasn't exactly normal. Of course I don't think anyone who wears a mask would be. But my fear faded and I decided to stay, one of the few…but other then that, Christine, that really is all I know. He really doesn't depend on us a lot anyways. He spends most of his time in his rooms down stairs somewhere." Cathy quietly laughed, then becoming serious once again. " I don't know how he was able to have ownership of this house. I was most certain that Mr. Brocks would give it up to his family but…" Cathy shrugged.
I sat there silent. I was quite astonished at what she was able to tell me, even though it wasn't much. It wasn't really surprising though that she didn't know much about her own master. He seemed the type that held many secrets…
" I must warn you though Christine" Cathy continued. " I know that you are curious, you have a right to be. What you've asked of me is fine, but don't let your curiosity go out of control as it did when you entered this house…I ask you to stay in this room and to not go wondering off alone. Erik is someone you do not want to get entangled with. He is a very powerful person and is friends with many powerful people, including Mr. Brock's family. I may not know him very well, but I know that he is very dangerous and if you are ever to come across his path unlike you did in that chamber, you will be sucked down into his world and believe Christine, you do not want that. He is dangerous, not someone you want to toy with. I have had encounters with him and being with him for so long I still am not use to his ways. I can even see in Mr. Brock's family, even though they are just as dangerous, fear in there eyes each time they come to visit here…"
Cathy put her hand on top of mine. " Trust me Christine, these are people that you do not want to get to know. I know we are new acquaintances, but as an older woman who has more understanding in these kind of affairs I ask that when you are in better shape to go back to where you are from…that you never come back here. There is nothing, but trouble if you stay here. Do you understand? You've already been put through a horrible event when you fell into that chamber and do not ask me of it!"
She noticed that I was about to ask about that chamber. Cathy was right. When I first stepped into this house, I knew nothing about it nor its inhabitants and look what had happened to me. I could have died and I already was greatly injured.
I sighed and looked about the room. I wanted to know how there could be such a chamber in a house like this, but I knew there was no way in getting Cathy to tell me. She wanted to protect me and I respected her for that. But still, I wanted to know more.
" I'm sorry Cathy…your right in not telling me, it's probably for the best. When I am well I will leave as you have asked."
Cathy patted my hand. " Thank you Christine…I'm sorry we will not be able to get to know each other more, but believe me this is for the best. Now get some more rest." She smiled. " I'll come back to see you later." She got up from the chair and slowly walked to the door. Giving me one last smiling glance she walked out the door into the hallway beyond.
I sighed deeply and laid back down on the bed. I badly wanted to go with what Cathy wished, but somewhere deep inside me still wanted to know more. I badly wanted to just get up from where I was laying and go out from this room and explore once more. I thought about what Cathy said for a long time and considered what she told me. The urge of wanting to explore had left me and soon I let myself, once again, slowly drift into darkness.
An: yes, I know, this was a boring chapter. But if I had put anymore from the next chapter in this chapter, this chapter would be to long and then next would be to short and blah so yea…But the next chapter will be better I swear!
Once again thanks for the reviews!