Hey, sorry it takes me so long to update chapters! I am going to finish this story, so don't worry! Maybe now that it's summer I can be a bit faster on the updating...

And So It Begins

He dreamed about her again. Lucas sat up in his bed and shoved the hair out of his eyes. It had been a few months since he had tried to kiss Amelia. For the first week or so it had been awkward between them. But she was such a good person; she forgave him. He tried to be a better friend and push his feelings aside, he really did. But he dreamed about her for what felt like almost every night.

Lucas looked out of the window across the room. The sky was a deep purple; the sun would rise in half an hour. He could hear his father stirring in the room next to his. He stood stiffly from his bed and lit the few gas lamps in his room. Lucas shivered; it was early spring and still cold in the mornings. The fire had died in the night and now the fireplace only held dim embers. He changed from his nightclothes to his trousers and a fresh shirt.

There was a small mirror on his wall and he walked over to it. His auburn hair was messy and hung in his eyes. Lucas ran his fingers through it and pushed it out of his face. He looked at his face in the mirror. Who was that staring back at him? This is not what he looked like four months ago. His eyes were slightly bloodshot and there were bluish circles under them. Ever since he realized he could not have Amelia, Lucas had difficulty sleeping. And when he did sleep, he only dreamed about her.

And that is where his problem began. He couldn't have her. Although she didn't know it, she held two hearts in the palm of her hand: his and Erik Destler's. What Amelia saw in him, Lucas didn't know. He was a strange, gawky boy who wore a mask. Well, maybe he wasn't so gawky any more. Throughout the past few months, Erik must have been having a growth spurt. He became taller and grew into his long limbs. Lucas found himself despising her teacher every day.

But hating him would not make Lucas more appealing. He wasn't sure what to do. Every morning Amelia came to the mail room to do her job. His father was kind and friendly to her, and Lucas was oddly jealous. He wanted to greet her or possibly help her with the rounds. Every morning he found himself hiding in the back, wishing that he had enough courage to say something to her. Lucas wanted to hit himself. Courage? He needed courage to talk to a girl who was two years younger than him? Sitting down on his bed, he sighed in frustration.

"Lucas?" his father knocked on his door.

"I'm up," he called.

"We'll leave in five minutes."

He didn't respond. There was something building in the pit of his stomach. It was a strange feeling and it took a moment for him to realize what it was. Determination. Lucas was going to become more appealing to Amelia. He was going to be a better friend and perhaps he would drop a few hints here and there. But maybe, just maybe, she would fall for him and forget all about her teacher.

The previous evening, Amelia and Erik had stayed up to write another song. Within the past few months, they had brainstormed enough ideas to come up with a rough storyline for the opera. Erik could feel that he and Amelia were getting closer, but he still couldn't rush things. He didn't want to ruin what they had slowly built up.

It was midnight and they were sitting in a practice room. Both were rather tired and it was a dead moment. Amelia stared blankly at the music in front of her. Her chin was resting in her palm and her elbow sat on the piano keys. Erik sat straddling the piano bench, leaned back against her shoulder. His head rested very lightly on the side of hers.

Over the time that had passed, they had become comfortable with each other. Amelia had taken to playfully nudging him when he said something funny. At her lessons, Erik found himself touching her elbow while she played – even just to alter her posture minutely. He took any chance he could get to sniff her hair. It was pathetic, he knew, but he couldn't help it.

And so there they sat, half-thinking and half asleep. Amelia yawned and moved her hand to her forehead. There was something missing from the music, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She was too tired to think about music. The fact that Erik's body was leaning against hers was completely consuming her mind. She felt his hair on her shoulder. Unable to control herself, Amelia let her head rest on top of his. Erik sighed. Each relished in the feeling of the other.

"You know what I've been wondering?" Amelia asked.

"What?" Erik replied without moving.

"Why did you choose the piano? I mean, was there a reason, or did it just happen?"

Erik suddenly felt depressed – an emotion he hadn't felt in a while. Amelia had helped him choose the piano. She helped him find one in the Opera House and sat with him as he played. She had first kissed him while sitting on a piano bench.

When he didn't answer for a few moments, Amelia felt like she had hit a nerve. "You – you don't have to tell me..."

"No. It's alright. I – I guess I wanted to use my hands for something productive. My fingers are just so long." Well, at least that is partially true.

He lifted his hands and looked at them. His fingers were really long. And his hands were so pale. Just as he began to place them back in his lap, Amelia took his wrist. He turned his head toward her, surprised. She gently pulled his wrist to her so he would sit next to her. Her index finger caressed each of his fingers. Amelia gazed at his large hands as if they were a heavenly gift. She took his first finger and gently stroked the callus on it. She repeated this on each finger.

After a few moments, Amelia let go of his hand, embarrassed. What had come over her? Why did she touch him like that? Erik uncertainly, and reluctantly, pulled his hand back once she let go. Although she turned away from him, he saw the light blush that played on her cheeks. He looked down at his hands again. Why was she so intrigued by them? Knowing that she was embarrassed, he tried resuming their conversation.

"What made you choose the violin?" He really had wondered that in the past.

Amelia glanced over at her violin sitting atop its case and then back to Erik's face. She appeared to be in deep thought.

"Quite frankly, I don't know why my mother bought me one," she sounded like she was musing aloud rather than speaking to him. Her eyes became glassy as she relived some distant memory. She looked up, as if hoping gravity would pull the tears down, away from the surface.

"But I remember her saying something about my father. It was the only thing I ever heard about him from my mother. Or perhaps it was just selective hearing." She took a few breaths before continuing: "I never knew my father. Actually, none of my siblings knew who their fathers were. My mother was a… a whore. But – the only thing I heard her say about him was that he was a violinist. And, I guess I wanted to be more like my father than my mother."

Erik gazed at her. He saw her cheeks becoming slightly pink again and there were tears in her eyes. She looked radiant. Amelia looked away as she wiped her tears. She stood from the bench and walked over to her violin case. Erik also stood once she did.

"What are you doing?" he asked gently.
"I need to go," she softly replied.

He looked up at the clock on the wall: a quarter past midnight. They both should have gone to bed quite a while ago. He helped her pack up her things and handed her the music. Amelia held it in her hands and looked down at it. Erik seized the moment and kissed her cheek. Her beautiful sea-like eyes gazed up at him. He swallowed as he looked back down at her. Her lips curled slightly and without a single word, she left the practice room. However, Amelia took one last glance behind her as she exited.

At about ten o'clock in the morning, the usual group sat together for breakfast. Amelia vaguely noticed that Peter and Marie sat next to each other this morning. They held hands and whispered lovingly to one another. It was cute, but something else consumed her mind at the moment. Erik Destler.

She looked up from her breakfast to peek at him and saw that he was doing the same. She smiled and looked back down again.

Caitlin noticed.

"Well, I'm going to the mail room," Amelia said once she finished her oatmeal.

"Might I assist you?" Erik stood up as she did.

"Sure," she smiled at him.

Just as they began to leave the table, Caitlin grabbed Amelia's arm. "Do you mind if I speak to you for a moment?" she asked.

"Fine," Amelia sighed. "Just a moment, Erik," she said, looking up at him.

Caitlin's eyes held a mischievous look. Once out of Erik's ear shot, she whispered, "What's going on between you two?" The smile on her pale face gave away her excitement and hopefulness.

Amelia felt her face heat up. "What do you mean?"

"What do you think of him?" Caitlin asked softly.

"I think I–" she glanced over at Erik and stopped short.

The look on Amelia's face made Caitlin curious. The expression appeared to be… jealousy? She'd never seen that look on her friend's face before. Amelia's eyes flashed dangerously and reminded Caitlin of a raging ocean. Wondering what on earth could make her look like that, Caitlin turned to find the culprit. She found it almost immediately, for it was standing ten feet away from her.

Giselle. She was walking by Erik – actually, it was more like sauntering – and her green eyes burned into his. Her lips held an inviting smirk and there was a sway in her hips. Caitlin recognized at once the way she was looking at him. It was the signal she gave to a man that meant she was available and wanted him. This look never failed and usually ended in the man following her out of the room. Caitlin watched the scene unfold before her.

Erik looked up at Giselle as her walk lingered next to him. Their eyes locked for a moment, but he turned his head deliberately to observe Amelia. His chin fell into his palm, showing that he was perfectly content with watching her. An insulted Giselle watched as he walked away from her. Amelia, who had surveyed this scene as well, was surprised and confused as Erik walked toward her. A man who received such a look from Giselle would not walk away from her. But Erik did.

"Shall we go?" he asked, holding out his arm.

Amelia looked up at him. His dark eyes suddenly gave her butterflies. "Yes," she managed to get out. And she took his arm.

Giselle stood in the same spot, frozen. Did he just reject her invitation to be with her? She turned her head and watched the couple leave. The whole concept baffled her. She had never been turned down before. Erik was obviously preoccupied with some insignificant girl. But why would he choose a girl over her? Giselle was a beautiful woman who could give him what he wanted.

She looked over at her friend Colette. Well, she used the term 'friend' lightly with her roommate. They were more like allies. Yes, Colette was her comrade. Giselle smiled to herself. They were allies because Colette didn't pose as a threat. Giselle didn't consider her an opponent in this game she played. And yes, this was a game to her – just with great perks for the winner. And she always was the winner. Excluding this incident. Giselle frowned slightly.

"What's wrong?" Colette asked, only moderately concerned.

Giselle bit the inside of her cheek for a moment. "Nothing." She began walking out of the dining hall toward their room, knowing that Colette would follow without a word.

This battle was won, but the war was not over.

Amelia's arm was still slung through Erik's once they reached the mailroom. They had been silent the whole walk there; both were thinking of the situation that they had walked out of. She was so happy that he hadn't even acknowledged Giselle. His eyes had only been on her. A new wave of butterflies flew across her stomach. Maybe something could finally happen between them. Amelia looked up at him when she thought this. His unmasked side was facing her and she couldn't imagine anything more handsome. Erik must have sensed her staring at him – he looked back down at her.

Erik felt his breath catch in his throat. Amelia was gazing at him. But it wasn't the kind of stare that he had rudely received so many times before. It wasn't an open-mouthed gape, eyes wide in fear and disgust. This stare was one of adoration. Her eyes sparkled and her lips were slightly parted. It suddenly felt like there was a magnet in his lips and an opposite pole in hers. She was leaning toward him as well. His eyes closed slightly as he looked down at her lips, aching to kiss them. It had been so long since he had a taste…

"Amelia!"

They sprang apart in surprise. The magical feeling between them was now lost. Erik felt his jaw clenching as his eyes searched for the culprit. He looked over to the mailroom desk and saw an anxious-looking Lucas. The young man took quick strides around to the front, waiting for Amelia to meet him there. Amelia looked at Lucas and then to Erik. She tightened her grip on his arm and proceeded to walk over to Lucas.

As the two of them talked, Erik said nothing. He gazed into space and thought about what Amelia had just done. Then he looked over at her, not hearing a single word she was saying. Her hair was getting so long. It was in the middle of her back; a beautiful caramel color. He just watched her talk to Lucas, enjoying the view of her profile. Her eyes looked bluer in this light. Perhaps the color changed along with her mood as well. It seemed like whenever she looked at him, green was the dominant color.

Finally, there obviously was nothing more to say; an awkward silence filled the void. Erik took the moment to place his hand on the small of Amelia's back. The action had a protective feeling to it. All three of them could sense it.

"Shall we get started?" he asked.

Amelia looked up at him and her cheeks flushed faintly. He noticed that her eyes suddenly looked green and smiled slightly.

"Yes," she practically whispered.

To Erik's delight, Lucas didn't accompany them. He had rather grudgingly handed over the day's stack of mail and said nothing. The couple split up the envelopes and put them in the correct order. The route didn't seem to take long; perhaps there just wasn't as much mail today. But Erik felt like it didn't last long enough. He was trying to think of ways to prolong their time together. Before he could think of any, Amelia took a hold of his free hand. She laced her fingers with his and looked straight ahead. Erik glanced over at her. He could tell that she was trying to keep her face emotionless. It was strained. And cute.

Erik lifted her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips along the back of it. Amelia's heart and stomach leapt simultaneously. She knew her breathing had to be incredibly loud and obvious. A surge of heat spread through her whole body, and an extensive amount halted at her cheeks. But she tried to keep a straight face and continued to look forward.

"It's noon," Erik stated.

"I'm not really hungry," Amelia replied, glancing at him.

"Nor am I. To the usual practice room?"

Amelia smiled. "Yes."

Hands still grasped, fingers still laced, the couple went into the practice room that they always worked in.

"Oh, I don't have my violin," Amelia stated, but sat down on the piano bench anyways.

"Well, you can think of the notes, and I will play them," Erik poised his hands to play.

Amelia stared at the keys, thinking of their opera. They really didn't have very many songs; just one full one and a few pieces of others. She wanted to start a new song, a completely different one.

"Alright, so Little Lotte has fallen in love with her angel of music. How about a song that she sings alone, musing over her feelings for him?"

Erik nodded. "It could be more… intimate. Perhaps she could be daydreaming of being together with him."

"Yes! That's perfect!" Amelia agreed.

They started with her emotions and worked their way to the score. It was a bit darker than the other songs they wrote together – or, started to write. It had almost a sensual sound to it. The couple decided that there should be some type of instrument solo in the middle of the song. Amelia suggested that a piano should have the solo. But Erik shook his head a little, thinking.

"Actually, I think a violin solo would be perfect," he said.

Amelia made a reluctant face. "Really? I'm not sure…"

"Trust me. I can hear it in my head already." Erik closed his eyes. "A higher emotional solo, I think." His lids remained over his eyes, concealing the beautiful darkness underneath. Amelia stared at his masked face. His skin tone was a few shades darker than hers. He had very angular features; she loved his jaw line especially. His lips held just the right amount of fullness: not too thin, but not too big, either. They looked very – her stomach leapt at this realization – kissable.

"Yes," she whispered.

Erik opened his eyes, revealing his russet irises. Amelia had inched very close to him while she had viewed his visage. She pulled away quickly, embarrassed for him to see how close she had gotten. And they started writing the solo. It was more of a rough draft because they were using a piano instead of a violin, but they had the feeling of it.

It had been hours since they started and almost simultaneously, two stomachs growled with hunger. Erik looked the music in front of him – the music they wrote. He chewed at the callus on his right index finger. Amelia's hand took his right and lowered it from his mouth. He looked over at her and smiled.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

She kept her hand in his. "Yes."

"Do you want to come back?"

"I'll bring my violin so you can tell me how the high emotional solo should be played," Amelia smiled.

They walked to the dining hall hand in hand.

Giselle and Colette sat in their shared room. It had been silent for quite a while and Colette was getting bored. But she knew she shouldn't say a thing until Giselle started a conversation. She would talk when she was ready. Not that Colette really cared. They were just friends because Colette knew that Giselle was a very influential woman.

Their relationship was strange. It seemed to be an 'I'll-help-you-if-you-help-me' affiliation. Colette wasn't sure how she really 'helped' Giselle, but Giselle didn't ostracize her like other females. She, however, helped Colette. If a man wanted Giselle, but she didn't want him, Colette got to be with him. But here lied the problem. There had never been a situation where Giselle wanted a man and he didn't want her. Never. This was quite the dilemma.

"What is his problem?" Giselle finally asked. Colette wasn't sure if the question was rhetorical or not, so she didn't answer.

"I – I just don't get it."

"Well," Colette started, eyeing her friend to see if it was alright for her to speak, "it seems as though they really like each other. I've seen them together a lot lately. You probably just came into the picture at the wrong time…"

"I don't care when I come into the picture! A man never turns me down!"

Colette became silent.

Giselle fell onto her pillow. She began thinking about this girl that Erik liked. What was her name? Emily? No… Amelia. Yes, that's her name. Giselle evaluated her mental picture of this girl. Her hair was nice – long, caramel colored. She was sure that Erik was attracted to her eyes as well. But… that was all that stood out to her. Amelia had no fascinating assets; nothing about her was quite so stunning.

She sighed. It was interesting how she could not be so biased while appraising her competition. She assessed her current rivalries the way a man would; finding her beauties and her flaws. But what was so enthralling about Amelia that Erik wouldn't even look at Giselle? This question bothered her to her core.

"What should I do?" Giselle turned on her side, facing Colette.

Her friend looked up in surprise. This was the first time Giselle had ever asked for her advice.

"Well…Do you still want him? Is it worth it?"

Giselle made a noise. "How can you ask that? Of course it's worth it!"

"Alright. Have you thought of making him jealous?"

"How can I make him jealous if he won't even look at me?"

Colette said nothing and thought. Giselle seemed to really like him. It was strange; she rarely loved the men she was with. She was usually attracted to their money, looks, or their power. But Erik Destler really didn't have any of those traits. Well, maybe he was a little handsome, but half his face was covered by a mask for heaven's sake!

"Why do you like him so much?" Colette was genuinely curious.

"He's… unique. And he's the first to not throw himself at me. And I – I've been wondering what's under that mask of his…"

"Have you thought about breaking them up?" The thought went through Colette's head and came out of her mouth before she realized what had happened.

Giselle suddenly sat up and stared at her friend. Her mouth was slightly open, as if astonished that Colette could come up with something so deceitful. And then her face twisted into a devious smile.

"I know exactly what to do."

Erik and Amelia sat side by side, eating their dinner. The feelings each harbored for the other seemed to be seeping out. Everyone at the table could sense their emotions. Caitlin especially noticed these changes. She could barely contain her excitement. They had finally gotten back together! Well, in Amelia's case it wasn't necessarily back together. But that was beside the point. Amelia was falling for him all over again and Caitlin found that extremely romantic and passionate of Erik. She smiled at the two of them.

Amelia looked up from her food. "What?" she asked of Caitlin's expression.

"Nothing," she looked away and smiled.

Amelia sighed and continued eating. But a pleasant surprise slid itself into her left hand: Erik's hand. She felt like she was going to float away from all of the butterflies in her stomach. Feeling the blush on her cheeks, she glanced at him. The mask hid his face from her in this view. She didn't like that. However, one glorious dark eye was staring at her. That she liked.

Something caught Amelia's eye that she hadn't noticed before. Erik's right hand was preoccupied with holding hers. He was eating with his left hand. Did he write with his left hand also? She couldn't remember which hand he wrote music with. She paid attention to… other things.

"Are you left-handed?" Amelia asked between bites.

"I'm ambidextrous," Erik replied, thinking it to be unimportant.

"Really? That's very interesting. So, you can write with both hands equally well?"

Erik stopped eating. "Well, both are at the same level, although that level is quite low. I have horrible handwriting. But you knew–" he cut himself off.

He was about to say that she knew why he didn't have good handwriting. He never went to school because he was in the traveling fair; which she had forgotten about. Amelia gave him a strange look.

"You knew that because… of my music, right?"

"I actually never thought your written music looked too bad," she shrugged.

Amelia resumed eating, but Erik didn't feel hungry any more. He let her finish her dinner, but still held onto her hand. When the food had disappeared from her plate, he stood, bringing her along. They said their goodbyes to their friends and headed to the practice room. Both were eager to work on their song.

So eager, in fact, that Amelia forgot to retrieve her violin from her room. Once they reached the practice room, she sighed in frustration.

"I can't believe I forgot it again! I have to get it; I really want to play this solo."

As she stood up to leave, Erik gently grabbed her arm.

"When you return, I want to play something for you," he tried to make his eyes convey a subliminal message to her. A message that said 'a song declaring my love for you.' He had decided that he wanted to play the song he wrote for her, to her.

For Amelia, his eyes conveyed no message. They simply burned into hers and she found herself going weak in the knees. She inched forward, closer to his face. Her eyelids drooped shut, afraid to see what would happen. With sight gone, every other sense was heightened; especially touch. Erik's perfect lips ever so lightly brushed hers. The act occurred much faster and was surprisingly softer than she had anticipated.

There was a loud and curt knock at the door. Amelia's body jerked slightly from the sudden noise, and she gently pulled away from Erik. Two sets of eyes glanced over at the door. There was a small window on it, but neither could see anyone outside the room. Erik stood and opened the door to reveal an empty hallway. He sighed in frustration and returned to Amelia.

"Well, I should go get my violin," she said softly.

"I'll be here," he smiled.

She left and Erik sat on the piano bench by himself. He took a few deep breaths, trying to stop the adrenaline. Finally he had tasted her luscious lips! It had been so long since the last time, and he was very angry that they were interrupted yet again. It was strange how that worked out; every time something started to happen between them, some other event would spoil it.

Was that an omen? Erik's brow furrowed at that thought. No, it did not mean that they weren't meant to be together. It only meant that they had to overcome a few obstacles to get where they wanted to be. Where he wanted to be. Amelia did want this, too, didn't she? An unfamiliar knot twisted inside his stomach. Why was he suddenly having doubts about this whole thing? Of course Amelia wanted this, wanted him. She had just kissed him, didn't she?

He shook his head and faced the piano. He began playing the first few measures of his song for Amelia. His heart gave a few irregular palpitations and he smiled to himself. That was more like it. He became so consumed with his music that he did not hear someone enter the room. Well, he had barely sensed the person in the back of his mind. But the only person who would come in that room while he was playing was Amelia, so he didn't stop.

He sang all of the lyrics while playing. God, he hoped Amelia was there and it wasn't just his imagination. When the song came to its end, Erik didn't turn around to see if she was there. He was slightly embarrassed that he just played it for her. What would she think? Before he could turn around, a hand reached in front of the left side of his face. The fingers gently moved his eyelid down and he did the same with his right. Her hands pulled his shoulders so he would turn around.

His eyes remained closed. And then she kissed him. Her lips felt slightly cooler than he remembered. But he returned the kiss just as fervently as she. His lips parted and her cool tongue slid into his mouth. He hesitated. Had Amelia always been this forward? Before he had a chance to think further, he heard a cry outside of the door.

Erik opened his eyes and looked in that direction. The door was ajar. Who…? His gaze returned to the woman he was kissing. It was not Amelia. Erik jerked backward, pushing her away as well. The woman stood upright and gazed at him, a small smirk on her now swollen lips.

It was Giselle.

Juicy! Please, please review!!

By the way, the song that Erik and Amelia are writing now is Dark Waltz by Hayley Westenra. Sorry I am not creative to come up with songs on my own. I think it's better anyways because you all can listen to it on your own and know what I'm talking about!