Dreams of You

"Wonderful job. I think you can move on to another piece now."

It had been months since Erik began taking violin lessons. He was improving twice as fast as other students. Charles knew this was happening because his student wanted to become the teacher. But he still wasn't completely ready, no matter how much he wanted to give him the permission.

Monsieur Reyer pulled out some sheet music and set it on the stand. Erik studied the music for a while, taking in all of the elements. Grace notes, dynamics, accidentals, bowings. Once he was ready, he began to play. He stumbled only a few times over a difficult cadenza, and overall, Charles was impressed. He stopped his student as he neared the middle of the piece.

"Your sight reading is becoming more and more astounding. Great work today, Erik. I'll see you next lesson."

"Thank you, Monsieur."

"Where are you?" she asked quietly, meekly.

"I'm right here," he said just as softly.

Her ocean-like eyes looked past him and became sad. Slowly she stood up and walked by him, looking around.

"Mia, where are you going?"

Silence.

They were outside, wearing simple clothing. It was probably like what Amelia would have worn before she came to the Opera Populaire. He followed her until she stopped at a creek. She sat down at the bank and pulled her dress up to her knees. The gentle waves of the water licked her toes. After a few moments, Erik sat next to her. She didn't acknowledge him, but her head tilted sideways and rested on his shoulder. He put his arm around her.

It seemed like old times. The way they sat felt so natural. Amelia moved her head from his shoulder and looked up at him. Erik looked down at her. They kissed so softly it felt like the first time all over again.

Erik laid down on his back and looked up at the sky. Gray clouds were slowly covering the endless blue atmosphere. A little while later, Amelia leisurely stood up and raised her arms upwards. Erik stared at her, confused.

"What are you doing, Mia?"

She didn't answer him for a while. Then, "It's raining."

That's when he realized that he was completely wet. His thin shirt clung to his skin and his pants stuck to his legs. Lightning flashed and thunder followed. It was like a summer shower. Erik wasn't too fond of rain and made his way toward the shelter of a tree. The lightning became more and more wicked and he began to get worried about Amelia.

"Mia, please get out of the rain," Erik called to her.

She looked over at him and obliged, smiling. Amelia joined him under the tree and took his hand. Erik put his other hand on the back of her wet head. They kissed again. As they pulled away, Erik noticed that it had gotten considerably darker. He looked around as lightning flared in the dark sky.

Amelia let go of his hand. Erik looked back down at her. She was staring at him as if she'd never seen him before. Her usually beautiful eyes looked at him with fear. It seemed like she thought that he was going to kill her. She began to back away and her breathing became ragged, terrified.

"Mia –"

He was cut off by a shrill scream.

"Monster!"

"What?" He began to walk towards her, but she screamed again. The look on her face… it scared him; it hurt him.

"Amelia, what are you talking –" He stopped speaking when he felt rain drip down his cheek… his right cheek.

Erik sat up. His mask was on a small table next to his bed, where it usually stayed during the night. There was a tear on his right cheek. He sighed and lit a candle that was sitting on the table. For the past couple of weeks he'd been having dreams like this. He and Amelia were together somewhere, and she'd end up running away from him, scream and fear him, or be with another.

What did these dreams mean? They always started out peaceful and content, but the ending never worked out for him. Was this what his life was doomed to imitate? He certainly hoped not.

This nightmare had disturbed him. In his dreams, Amelia had never called him a monster, nor had she reacted so horribly to his face. Sleep became more and more scarce when dreams turned into nightmares, especially like this one. After his third bad dream, Erik began to journal them. So far, he'd written about six. That was far too many than any normal sleeper. But who could he talk to?

Her job was great. She had good pay, she enjoyed running around and doing errands, and sometimes Erik would help her. Amelia dropped her chin into her palm. What was it about him that made him so interesting? It wasn't just the mask. She bit her lip thoughtfully.

"Daydreaming again?"

Amelia looked up, snapping out of her reverie. Richard, the man in charge of mail, returned from the back room, a few parcels in his hands. While she had been waiting for him to return, she rested her elbows on the counter and placed her chin in her hand. After removing her elbows, Amelia said, "I suppose so."

Richard smiled lightheartedly and handed the parcels to her. He was in his mid-forties with slightly graying auburn hair. Richard was very kind to her and hadn't judged her when he first met her unlike many of the other workers around the Opera House. Amelia was about to deliver the packages when she heard a young man's voice call her name. She turned around to see Richard's son, Lucas, coming out of the back room. Lucas looked a lot like his father with auburn hair and hazel eyes. He was seventeen.

"I just wanted to catch you before you left," he said, eyes glancing away when he realized how abject he sounded. Richard rolled his eyes, smiling.

Amelia smiled at him and said, "Well, you did." They spoke for a little, but Amelia had to finish her job and left. She smiled to herself once she was sure they couldn't see her.

As Amelia walked down a corridor, she thought about her situation. Every day I wonder if I'll get to start violin lessons. And with every day I become more and more discouraged. It was her passion to play the violin. She loved it and wished to excel. But she couldn't if she didn't have a teacher. Amelia loved her job, but she didn't want to do this forever. Every once and a while, she'd get her violin out and play a few simple solos that she had learned previously. Amelia even went to operas that the Populaire performed and took notes on the orchestra.

She stopped at a large oak door. It was the stage set manager's office. Amelia looked down at her last parcel. Caroline Dubois was written on the top. After knocking on the door, it was opened by a woman in her mid-thirties. She had light blonde hair that was tied up in a loose bun, dull blue eyes and wrinkles that had barely began to crease her light face.

"May I help you?" she asked softly.

"I have a package for Caroline Dubois," Amelia said, holding it up. The woman's eyes glanced at the small box and then looked back up to Amelia.

"That is me."

After allotting the last parcel, Amelia made her way towards the dining hall for lunch. She sat down by Caitlin and ate, conversing now and then. Caitlin watched Amelia's eyes travel from her to the main entrance and saw them light up, just a little. She turned around to see what had made her friend's eyes illuminate. A small smile appeared on her lips when she saw Erik and Peter walking in. This, she thought, is what I like to see. Erik sat across from Amelia, and Peter next to him.

"Where's Marie?" Peter asked.

"Oh, dance rehearsal went over today. I think that they needed to work on a certain section. Madame Moreau and Monsieur Reyer only needed about half of the orchestra to practice with. I was not part of that half." Caitlin actually sounded rather relieved that she didn't have to stay.

"How have your lessons been going, Erik?" Amelia asked, after a moment or so of silence. He looked at her for a moment. Her freckles blended in more with her skin now, because she wasn't outside near as much as she used to. Her hair had also gotten darker. He could remember when he first saw her. She had light, sandy blonde hair then. Now it was a light brown. Amelia's eyes were the same, nonetheless. They moved like the sea, changing slightly in the light. He loved that.

"Very well, actually. Monsieur Reyer says that I'm playing at a three year student's level."

"That's amazing," Amelia said softly. She smiled slightly and began eating again. Caitlin and Peter exchanged glances.

She was sitting on the floor, her back against the door. Amelia pulled her knees to her chest. Her lip was trembling, and tears began to fall down her cheeks. Something terrible just happened, she knew, but she just couldn't remember. After trying to make her breath steady, Amelia stood up. It was then she realized that she was wearing only a slip.

"There you are," a voice murmured lustfully.

Her eyes widened as her head whipped around. There was a dark-skinned man sitting in a corner. The man slowly got up and began walking towards her. Amelia didn't move for a few moments, frozen. Then she ran over to the door she had been leaning against and tried to open it…locked.

Once she turned around, the man was standing in front of her. Amelia stepped backwards, but her back hit the door. The gypsy's hands ran down her bare arms and she shuddered. He kissed her cheek and caressed the exposed part of her chest. Amelia turned her head away and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was sitting in a cage. There was someone sitting across from her, but she couldn't see them.

"Mia…" someone whispered. The sound made her flesh rise in goose pimples. She recognized that voice from somewhere…

Somewhere.

It was incredibly early, perhaps about four in the morning. But Amelia couldn't fall back asleep. The dream that her mind had conjured was eating at her. The first part had left her feeling scared and vulnerable, but the latter made her feel like she was home. It didn't make any sense. She had been in a cage with someone unknown, yet she felt safe. Amelia quietly got out of her bed and pulled out a dress from the chest at the foot of her bed. She got dressed in the darkness.

After running her fingers through her hair, Amelia slipped out of the dormitory into the dim corridor. She walked until she came to a set of double doors. Remembering that this was the theater she first saw after falling, she went inside. Amelia almost expected to see someone playing the piano, but no one was there. She thought herself to be foolish for feeling disappointed.

Erik decided to get up because he had another dream. This one, however, was different from the rest. He couldn't shake the images that his mind had fabricated. After this dream, Erik couldn't fall back asleep. He got dressed and picked up his violin case, along with his new solo music. He chose to go up to one of the practice rooms and play until he forgot everything. He sighed; that would never happen.

Still, Erik trudged up the numerous stairs and weaved around the dim corridors until he found a practice room. There he unpacked his violin with shaking hands. After taking a deep breath, Erik began playing. His fingers, still a little stiff from sleeping, slowly began to warm up and the song sounded better than it had before.

Amelia had been sitting in the theater for a while. She felt somewhat exposed after having her dream. Her fingernails caressed the soft crimson velvet of the chair arm. A light echoing sound broke the comfortable silence she was sitting in. It sounded like… a violin. Who else would be up at this hour?

Amelia hesitated for a moment, then stood up and sought out the sound. She found herself in the hallway full of practice rooms. The corridor was lit by only a few gas lamps, so the light from the used room seeped out from the window and under the door. She closed her eyes and listened to the music for a moment. It was romantic; she liked it. Amelia took a step closer to the door and peeked through the window.

She could only see the left side of the man's head. He had dark hair, almost black, and he was wearing a plain white shirt. She noticed that his black jacket was lying across a chair. Her eyes watched his body as he moved it with the music. Then she saw a glimpse of the mask. Erik? Amelia looked closer and realized that it was him. Her head tilted to the side as she watched him. I wonder why he is practicing now? But she didn't question it further and just observed.

Erik only missed a few notes and he had played the entire piece with his eyes closed, she noticed. Amelia stifled a yawn then looked around. She must have been watching him play for nearly an hour. It was amazing that she could study someone for so long without getting bored.

He sat down on the chair on which his coat was draped over. Erik's head slowly dropped into his palms and he sighed deeply. Amelia's brow furrowed in confusion. Why did he seem so upset, so bothered? She suddenly had an urge to comfort him, but inwardly laughed at herself for feeling that way. After a few moments, Erik stood and began packing up his violin. Amelia didn't need any other signals: that was her cue to leave. As quietly as possible, she made her way towards the dormitory.

Amelia didn't make it very far down the corridor when she heard the door open. She turned the corner just as the door closed. Maybe he didn't see me. It'd be embarrassing if he knew that I had been watching him… She kept on walking, rather quickly, towards the dormitory, hoping that she'd be able to get back before anyone noticed that she was gone.

Hoping doesn't always work.

"Where were you this morning?" Caitlin asked at breakfast. She, Amelia, Erik, and Peter were sitting in their usual seats. Marie was at an extended rehearsal due to the date of the performance, which was in a few days. Both Erik and Amelia looked up from their food. When he realized that Caitlin wasn't speaking to him, he tried not to look so guilty.

"I took a walk because I couldn't fall back asleep," Amelia said simply.

Erik swallowed as he felt his heartbeat quicken. He looked up at Amelia every once and a while, thinking about his dream. Everything came back to him every time he looked at her. Luckily, she didn't notice his constant staring. After a little, Erik stood and excused himself, asking Peter to come with. Amelia and Caitlin said goodbye to them and continued to eat their breakfast.

As the two young men stepped into the hallway, Peter looked at Erik, a confused look on his face. They never really talked to each other much, and he was surprised when Erik asked if he could speak with him.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked unsurely.

"I need to tell you something about Amelia," Erik said. "But we need to go somewhere private. I can't say it in public."

They walked quickly down a few corridors and once he was sure there was no one around, Erik began to tell Peter about his dream.

In his dream, he and Amelia had kissed…a lot. He knew that something had happened, but he never actually saw or heard it. He just knew. But what happened after is what stuck in his mind most…

They were both lying on their sides, facing each other. He gently kissed her on the lips and she rested her hand on his cheek. Her fingers made random patterns along his face. Soon, he realized, she fell asleep with her hand on his right cheek. Then he saw himself. He had a perfect face. Perfect

"It was perfect. My face was normal. I wasn't wearing a mask, and I didn't need it…" Erik's head slowly began to hang, hands embracing his face.

Peter knew that his face was not normal, but he'd never seen it. He didn't really want to see it, either. But he understood why this was so important to Erik. What was he to say?

"Erik, I don't know what to tell you. Have you had dreams like this before?"

He shook his head. "Not like this. In all of the dreams I've had about Amelia, she's always ended up shunning me…"

"You'll get her back," Peter said surely.

Erik looked up at him. "What?"

"You'll get her back," he repeated. "You love her too much to ever let her go. I admire you for that, Erik." Peter smiled. He and Erik get along just fine.

After a few moments, Erik stood and said, "Oh, no."

"What?"

"I'm going to be late for violin. Thanks for listening."

"No problem."

Erik had left his violin in the practice room that he had been playing in this morning. He walked swiftly down the corridor and grabbed his case. Once he entered the larger practice room that he had lessons in, he saw his teacher.

"Sorry I'm late, Monsieur Reyer," he said.

"That's quite alright, Erik. Besides, I have great news," Charles said, almost excitedly.

"What is it?"

Monsieur Reyer took a deep breath. "I've decided that you are ready to become a teacher."

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