Lessons and Meetings

Rain tapped on the window, and Erik turned his head to look out of it. He was sitting at a table by himself in L'automne Café. It had been a little over a week since he was 'introduced' to Amelia, and he wanted to see her again. However, he knew he couldn't. It might spoil everything they had planned.

Erik took a sip of his now lukewarm tea. As he did, he noticed an older woman sitting at a table next to his gaping at him. She was on his right; a perfect view of his masked side. He chose to ignore her stare, like he had of many other people that day. This was his time to think about was to be done. In a couple of hours, Monsieur Reyer was to give him his first violin lesson. Erik hoped he would treat him like a normal person.

A rumble of thunder interrupted his thoughts. He glanced out of the window a second time. A few passersby walked swiftly from one side of the cobble stoned street to the other. The clouds looked gray and heavy as drops fell from them. Rain was consoling to him right now; the sound, the smell, and the feeling of it kept him calm.

The waitress came by and filled his cup with hot tea. He looked up and gave her quiet thanks. She smiled nervously and went along to other tables. His dark eyes were drawn back out of the window. How long would it be before he could teach Amelia? How long would it take for him to learn? A sigh escaped his lips and he drank his tea.

Marie had asked her to stay in one area of the Opera House, but she just couldn't. It was nearly impossible to sit still in such a magnificent place. Amelia couldn't get enough of the structure of the building and she kept on staring at the walls and ceiling. She smiled to herself as she walked down a hallway. She had been so bored sitting in her bed all day. Marie still hadn't found her a job to do until she got violin lessons. Nobody seemed to think that she would get them any time soon, so she hoped she could do something.

Her head didn't really hurt at all any more. So why was Marie insisting on acting like her mother? Well, perhaps not her mother, but a caring mother. Maybe this is what most girls felt like: overprotected. Amelia had never felt like that…ever. The feeling made her somewhat happier, knowing that people loved her.

By now, she had memorized the corridors and where they led. Amelia decided to go watch the dance rehearsal and possibly the orchestra, too. She turned down a hall, taking a short cut to the theater. In this route, she passed the central foyer and looked down the staircase at the main entrance. Someone was coming inside out of the rain. Amelia stopped and rested her elbows on the marble ledge, chin resting in her palms. She loved observing people; they were so interesting.

Her ocean colored eyes squinted at the figure walking in. It was a young man, she could tell that. He was dressed almost in all black: black pants, white shirt, black coat, and black cloak. The hood of his cloak was up, so she couldn't see his face. He seemed to be waiting for someone.

Perhaps a friend…

She heard footsteps coming from another direction on the lower level and turned her head to see who it was. Amelia looked this older man over. He had dark hair, slightly graying, and he looked rather thin. Maybe this man was the other's father…

The younger man held out his hand, "Thank you for your time, Monsieur Reyer." That name sounded familiar. Where had she heard it before?

"Not a problem, Monsieur Destler. Now, if you please, we must begin." The two gentlemen walked away, leaving Amelia baffled. She scratched her head.

So that was Monsieur Reyer…Now I remember. Both Caitlin and Marie had talked about him, but she never saw him. And Destler…Oh yes, Erik Destler.She smiled as she remembered meeting him. But why would he be meeting Monsieur Reyer? She sighed softly. Why was she making such a fuss about this? It wasn't any of her business.

Amelia leisurely made her way back to the theater, thoughts slowing her down. True, it wasn't any of her business, but she couldn't help wondering something. What did Erik Destler do at the Opera House? Anyone had to be a part of something if they ate in the cafeteria and met with the main music director. Perhaps he did something involving music. She didn't remember seeing him playing in the orchestra when she observed them practice before.

When Marie was doing a pirouette, she vaguely noticed Amelia entering the theater and sitting down. Well, at least she knew where she was; she didn't half of the time. Once the ballerinas got a break, she went out to talk to Amelia. Marie noticed that she seemed lost in thought.

"What have you been doing all afternoon?"

"You know me, just walking around. You looked great up on stage."

Marie smiled, "Thank you. Caitlin will be practicing with the entire orchestra soon."

"Where is Monsieur Reyer?"

"I– I think he had a student to give lessons to, or something like that."

"Do you know who he's teaching?"

Marie's pale face grew slightly pink. "Um, no, I don't. Oh, I have to go back to practice. See you this evening," she called, walking swiftly back to the stage.

Amelia sighed, bored. Then a thought popped into her mind. Was Monsieur Reyer giving Erik Destler music lessons?

Once Erik entered the Opera House, he waited for Monsieur Reyer to meet him. He made sure to leave his hood up to avoid stares; it was getting irritating. Whilst waiting in the foyer, he glanced up at the staircase and immediately looked away. Amelia was standing up there. Did she know it was him? His heart began to race, and he didn't know if he was happy or worried. All thoughts of her slowly faded once he saw Monsieur Reyer. Now, all he had to worry about was being treated justly.

He tried the polite approach and held out his hand. "Thank you for your time, Monsieur Reyer." The older man looked at him with kind eyes and shook his hand. "Not a problem, Monsieur Destler. Now, if you please, we must begin." Erik nodded and glanced back up the stairs to see if Amelia was still there. She was; she didn't even seem to notice that he looked up there twice.

After following his new teacher to a large practice room, Erik found a violin waiting for him there. A minuscule smile appeared on his lips as he took off his cloak. He didn't even think of bringing a violin. Hopefully he would be able to keep this one; they were rather expensive.

Once Erik was ready to begin, Monsieur Reyer asked, "Now, before we start, I would like to know how much you know about music and violin."

He thought for a moment. "I can read notes and key signatures."

"That's a start." Perhaps Monsieur Reyer had dealt with an amateur before.

"And I know the strings, too. Amelia explained it to me once."

"Alright, then. I think I know where to begin."

He took out some sheet music and placed it on a stand. Erik lifted up the instrument after he motioned for him to do so. Slowly, he played a C Major scale. He sounded terrible compared to Amelia! Well, what did you expect; to be better than her?

"Not too bad for a first time," Monsieur Reyer said, smiling. Erik wasn't so sure if he was being truthful. Was he just being nice to him…?

"Monsieur Re–"

"Please, call me Charles."

"Charles, I'm not sure if this is how you treat all of your students, but–"

Charles Reyer held up his hand and sighed.

"I wanted to be as kind as possible…I know a little of what you've been through. And Amelia was such a great member…"

"That is very kind of you sir, but I would just like to be treated the same as any of your other students." Erik tried to sound as polite as possible.

"You are right," Charles said softly. "Well, now that that is out of the way, you could've done better."

Erik smiled slightly.

Monsieur Reyer assisted him with his posture. There were so many things he could do wrong! He needed to keep his back and wrist straight, fingers on their tips, and there was even a proper way to hold the bow. Once all of that was figured out, Charles helped the tone of the scale sound better and made sure Erik's fingers were in the right place for intonation. Just an hour later, the lesson was over.

"I will see you this Thursday for our next lesson," Monsieur Reyer said, putting music away. He was to have two one hour lessons a week. Erik nodded, and shook his hand one more time, then left.

He felt strangely happy as he walked down a corridor. This feeling was odd to have when Amelia wasn't around, and he somewhat liked it. But the thought of Amelia made his stride waver. It was still going to take a while before he could teach her. Erik decided that he was going to practice as long and hard as he could every day, to improve faster. All of these thoughts blocked out most sound, and it took him a moment to realize that someone had called his name.

"Erik Destler?" it repeated.

He froze when he realized that it was Amelia's voice. Should I talk to her? Everything I do now could ruin what we might have later…There was no escaping her now; she had turned around and walked over to him. He shifted towards her, to look a little inviting. She stopped in front of him and smiled. Oh, how he loved her smile! Her eyes flicked over his mask for a moment, then back into his eyes.

"I'm not sure if you remember me. I'm Amelia."

"Oh yes, I remember you." How could I ever forget?

After some silence, the thought in both of their minds was 'Um, now what?' Amelia averted her eyes to glance behind him, and Erik altered his weight between feet.

"Sorry if I seem to be nosy or rude, but what do you do here?"

"I– well…" Part of the truth couldn't hurt. "I am currently taking violin lessons. I would really like to become a teacher."

Amelia smiled again. "That is so neat! I'm in need of a violin teacher."

"You play?" Erik needed to pretend that he knew nothing of her.

"Yes. Well, I did when I was younger but," she sighed, "you don't want to hear it. It's a long story."

Erik decided not to pry; they were practically strangers to her. He simply nodded, and said, "Well, I should be going."

"Wait, um, wh– who are you taking from?" She touched his shoulder to get his attention.

"Monsieur Reyer, the head music director."

Something sparkled in her eyes. It almost seemed as though she had known. "Oh, well, I'm sure you'll get your money's worth. See you around." Amelia waved slightly and went back down the corridor in the direction she was originally going.

Erik was taken aback when she mentioned money. He didn't have any, and Monsieur Reyer hadn't mentioned it. Was Marie paying for it? A slight taste of guilt was washed away when he told himself: it was she who came up with the plan, not me. It's not like I'm taking money from her or anything.

He didn't know how, but some way or another, he managed to talk with Marie alone. They were standing in a hallway that wasn't used as much during that time of day. She was still wearing her dancing uniform and he had been able to catch her before she went off to the dormitory.

"Well, how did everything go today?" she asked.

"I learned quite a bit. I'm going to practice after dinner." She smiled and nodded. After looking at him for a moment, the smile faded. "What's wrong?"

He hesitated. "Well, I talked to Amelia."

Her eyes widened and her mouth opened to speak.

"Before you say anything, just know that there was no way I could've avoided talking to her. She saw me walking and said my name. She remembered me, Erik Destler."

Marie didn't say anything and looked at him. He was genuinely happy that she had talked to him. He really must love her.

"We only talked for a few minutes. I told her that I was taking lessons and I wanted to become a teacher. She smiled and said that she played, too. When I mentioned that Monsieur Reyer was teaching me, she said 'I'm sure you'll get your money's worth.' And it made me think."

Marie bit her lip. "Listen, Erik, I'm paying for it, because you need it. Hell, weall need it. Everyone's rooting for you," the last sentence sounded sad, but inspiring. A smile spread across his face that was bigger than any he had in a long time. Marie awkwardly pulled him into a hug and heard him whisper, "Thank you for everything."

Once they had let go of each other, they began to walk down the hall. He told her more about his lesson and she explained how he could get into the orchestra. As they were about to go separate ways, Erik to the dining hall, Marie to her dormitory, Caitlin stopped them both.

"Guess what!" she said in an excited, gossipy sounding voice.

"What?" the two asked in unison monotone.

"Guess who got Amelia a job?"

Both Erik and Marie's eyes widened.

"How did you–"

"What is it–?"

Caitlin smiled, loving how she knew things before them. Erik gave her a glare after she didn't say anything for a while, and she sighed.

"You two take the fun out of everything."