Proposition

"What, may I ask, is the reason why you are smiling?" Marie asked in a voice that showed that she didn't like it when someone knew something she didn't. Caitlin smiled that smile of hers.

"I'll tell you why," she said mischievously. "Amelia doesn't remember how to play the violin well, right?"

"Right…"

"So she'll need a teacher."

"Probably; what's your point?"

"Who would make a better teacher, than Erik?"

"Oh, God."

"Now, listen, Marie. If Erik would take lessons from someone in the orchestra, or perhaps even Monsieur Reyer, he could get good enough to teach Amelia. Then he could be a mysterious teacher and make her fall in love with him again. Oh, it would be so perfect!"

"That's your plan? That could take years!" Marie exclaimed.

"You can't rush true love, Marie, especially when someone has an injury," Caitlin told her thoughtfully.

Marie breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. Just ask him, and see what he wants to do. It's not like the world will come to an end…

Only, it felt that way. Erik and Amelia were the perfect couple, and Marie didn't think that Erik would be able to find another companion like her. She couldn't imagine one without the other. They always seemed to be together the past year.

She almost wished that she and her boyfriend, Peter, had a relationship like that; just based on smiling at each other, and holding hands. She sighed softly. She loved Peter, but their relationship was rather awkward. They never held hands. Their relationship seemed to be as proper as possible. That's how she wanted it, but she also wanted to have a childish urge to kiss him on the nose. But if she did that, Peter would just stare at her like she was crazy, and even if he didn't, she would feel crazy.

All of this was going through her head as she walked down the many flights of stairs to what used to be Erik and Amelia's home. Now it was just Erik's. Her footsteps echoed as she descended the stairs. Finally they ended and she came to the water. Surprisingly, there was a gondola waiting for her. Marie raised her eyebrows and got into the boat. She rowed herself, with a little difficulty, to the shore.

As she neared the shore, Marie heard him playing the piano. She smiled, recognizing the song. It was the Moonlight Sonata. For some reason, it reminded her of him and Amelia together. Marie imagined them dancing to this song, and smiled distantly. The song was nearing the end of the first movement as she got out of the gondola. Erik must have heard her coming and stopped playing.

"How is she?" he asked once she stepped onto the cool stone floor.

Marie looked at him with pity. She could tell how depressed he was. He was sitting on the piano bench, looking down at something in his hands. It was a small velvet box; the box that held the present he had bought for Amelia. Marie felt her throat tighten.

"She had a concussion, you know that much. But she only remembers after she escaped to when she fell asleep under a tent." Erik's hands went from his lap to his face. Marie looked down at her shoes; she hated seeing him upset like this.

"That was before she met you, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Erik sighed.

"W – Would you like to come up and eat with Caitlin and me?" she asked.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry," he told her truthfully.

Marie nodded knowingly. She was about to leave, but then remembered why she went all the way down there in the first place.

"Okay, I know that Amelia doesn't remember you, but would you like to get her to know you again?"

Erik looked up at her tiredly, yet there was intrigue in his eyes. "Perhaps…"

"Amelia said that she doesn't remember how to play the violin as well as she did. Well, she remembers how, but she said she wasn't very good. So she'll need a teacher." Marie took a breath as Erik nodded. "I have a proposition for you."

"I'm listening…"

Amelia was thrown and locked into a room. She looked frantically around, trying to find a way out. But then she heard screams coming from the other side of the door. As she put her ear to it, Amelia heard the cracking of a whip. There were screams and cruel laughter. "Look at the Devil's Child!" a man shouted. The words 'Devil's Child' echoed through her mind. Devil's Child…Come and see the Devil's Child. He's the Living Corpse! "Only those who pay can see the Devil's Child…"

Amelia sat up in her bed. There was cold sweat trickling down her forehead, and she was breathing hard. What a terrible nightmare! Though she never actuallysaw what was on the other side of the door, she knew whatever was, wasn't a pretty sight.

She looked around the dormitory. There were other girls sleeping in their beds; it must have been night now. Amelia sighed softly. She had been shaken by this dream. The things she heard couldn't have been made up by her mind. She tried to go back to sleep, but the noises kept on haunting her. Sitting up again, Amelia made sure nobody was awake. Silently, she slipped out of her bed and left the dormitory. She wanted to see the Opera House. Well, technically, she had already seen it, but she didn't actually remember seeing it.

Amelia closed the door quietly behind her, and looked down the hall. There were gas lamps dimly lighting the corridor, making an eerie glow. She walked in silence, looking at the ceiling and walls around her. Even though this was just the wing where the ballerinas, orchestra members, and chorus slept, it was still beautiful. Amelia couldn't wait to see what the rest of the Opera House looked like.

After a while, she reached the main foyer. Her blue-green eyes widened as she examined the gold statues and marble floor. This place was like heaven! Taking a breath, Amelia slowly walked up the grand staircase.

Once she reached the top, a smile graced her lips. The view of the entrance hall was breathtaking. Curiosity took over once more, and Amelia started exploring another hall, hoping that she wouldn't get lost. She passed two grand doors, most likely leading to a theater. She was going to just admire the work on the doors, but she heard something. It sounded like someone was playing a piano. Amelia looked from side to side making sure no one was near. Then she quietly opened one of the doors.

She immediately got distracted by the vast theater. Even with the little light provided, Amelia could make out the stunning gold details on the walls, and the beautiful crimson seats and curtains. Without realizing it, her head turned slowly towards the stage. She was still admiring the ceiling, when she heard a clashing chord. Amelia's eyes descended from the ceiling to the stage and found a young man sitting at the piano.

"Damn," he said, not angrily, but most definitely not happily. He seemed frustrated. Amelia stood in the back of the theater watching him. What was hedoing? It was probably at least 2 in the morning, and he was playing the piano? She lifted an eye brow at her own hypocrisy. What would one think if they saw her gazing aimlessly at the ceiling? A loud sigh, nearly a groan, came from her lips; she immediately regretted it.

"Who's there?" the man said, standing from the piano bench.

Not knowing what else to do, Amelia let herself fall to the ground so he couldn't see her. A thud followed after she hit the floor. What a foolish thing to do. Not only did it draw more attention to her, it also hurt. Maybe when she hit her head, she lost some of her common sense, too. Well, she might as well just stay there on the ground like an idiot; perhaps he would walk past her. Like that will happen.

Amelia heard him walk off the stage, but he didn't come looking for her. The young man just walked out of the theater. She rolled onto her back and thought for a moment. Perhaps he felt the same way as she did, and didn't want anyone to see him. Sighing, Amelia stood up. Her head pounded and she saw spots for a moment. I should go back to bed, she thought. Taking one last glance at the theater, she tried to find her way back to the dormitory.

The next morning, Marie told Amelia to stay in bed until she got back from dance rehearsals. So, she sat in her bed and waited for something interesting to happen within two hours. Caitlin came in to see her after practicing with the orchestra.

"I guess Marie just wants you to recover this week," she told her.

"But, what will I do once I recover?"

"Well, until we can get you a violin teacher, you might just have to do whatever Marie says. Terrifying, I know." Amelia chuckled a little.

The two girls just talked until Marie got back. Once she did, she pulled Caitlin outside of the dormitory door.

"I talked to Erik yesterday evening," she whispered.

"Well? What did he say?"

"He agreed. I asked Monsieur Reyer about teaching him before I left rehearsals. It took a little persuasion, but he agreed, too. The down side to this is that it will be a while until Amelia gets a violin teacher."

"Can't you find a job for her?"

"I'll find one sometime this week while she's still recovering. It seems as though the tables have turned on them. Now Erik has something to do, and Amelia doesn't."

Marie and Caitlin went back into the dormitory and found Amelia lying down, looking up at the ceiling. She yawned and looked across the room at them. Raising her eyebrows quizzically, she asked, "Well?"

"It might be a while before you can have a violin teacher," Marie said.

"What about Monsieur Reyer?" Marie and Caitlin looked at each other.

"He's a little full on students at the moment," Caitlin said. Amelia made a frustrated noise and let her head fall back onto her pillow.

"While you're recuperating this week, I will find a job for you," Marie said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself, more than Amelia.

"Well, we should be off to lunch," Caitlin said.

"Can I come too? Please!"

Caitlin and Marie looked at each other. Amelia had been in bed all day today, and yesterday. She was probably bored out of her mind. But Marie immediately remembered that Erik was supposed to sit with them. She didn't know whether to be excited or nervous. Amelia could meet him and talk to him, but then he wouldn't be mysterious or new once he was her teacher.

"You get ready, I need to speak with Caitlin," Marie told her. Amelia grinned and slowly stepped out of her bed. The two older girls stepped outside of the dormitory door again. "What's wrong?"

"Erik is supposed to sit with us."

"Well, why can't Amelia meet him?"

"Wasn't it you who wanted everything to be a secret? Don't you want to keep him from her until their first lesson so he can be the mysterious teacher?" Marie asked, exasperated.

"Good point. But we can't just send him away…"

"You stay and walk with Amelia to the eating quarters, and I'll go now and talk with Erik. Stall for a few minutes if you must."

Marie walked swiftly down the corridor towards the eating quarters. Caitlin opened the door to the dormitory and waited for Amelia to finish getting ready. Once she was dressed, the two girls headed to the cafeteria. Since Amelia didn't know where it was, Caitlin decided to take a detour that made the trip about three minutes longer. Hopefully that would be long enough for Marie and Erik to work something out.

Marie came through the cafeteria doors and searched for Erik. She saw him sitting at the spot they usually sat. She walked swiftly over to him. He stood when he saw her, and he looked confused because Caitlin wasn't with her.

"What's wrong?"

"Amelia's coming. What do you want to do?"

Erik became silent. Even though he saw her the day before, it seemed like an eternity. He wanted to see her again. But he was afraid of how things would work out for them in the future. Erik longed to meet her once more, to show himself to her. He knew that it would be months before he could be her teacher, but he couldn't wait that long.

"I'll meet her."

Marie blinked. "What?"

"You can introduce us, and I'll leave. I just need to see her again," Erik's eyes dropped once he realized how pathetic he sounded.

Now she smiled. "Alright. You can sit with Peter over there," Marie pointed toward a further corner. "You'll be able to see her perfectly."

Erik nodded gratefully and the two sat down at the table.

A few moments later, the door opened again, and Caitlin and Amelia walked through them. Erik couldn't help staring at Amelia. She was wearing a simple day dress and her hair was down with a gentle curl on the bottom; the simplicity is what made her enchanting. He noticed her ocean-like eyes swam over the entire room, looking for Marie. He loved her eyes. Then, they slowly came in his direction. Amelia murmured something to Caitlin, and she muttered something back. Their eyes met for a moment, then hers averted to glance at his mask, then to look at Marie. Erik stood up once the girls were standing in front of their seat.

"Amelia, this is Erik Destler. He's a friend of Peter's."

"Erik, this is Amelia Simon, you know, the violinist I was telling you about?"

He played along and pretended to think for a moment, then nodded. Finally, Erik laid his eyes on her up close while she was conscious. He gently took her hand and kissed the top of it. A light blush danced on her cheeks. Obviously not very many young men did that to her back at home. Erik smiled slightly.

"Well, I shall go back to my seat. It was a pleasure to meet you, Amelia," Erik said kindly. He turned and walked towards Peter's seat and sat down with him. Amelia's neck stuck out a little, watching Erik turn a corner. Caitlin and Marie glanced at each other and smiled. Perhaps letting them meet was a good idea.

"Shall we eat, then? That was what we came down here for," Caitlin said, still smiling.