Erik's POV

I wasn't prepared for my first day of work. If there was anything I didn't want to do, it was show off my face to paying customers. It has taken me years to get some of the most horrific events of my gypsy days out of my head, and most nights, my master and the cruel people still haunt my dreams. I was so depressed. I laid there well into the next morning, praying to God to end my life, but like usual, he wasn't listening.

"Erik?" there was a pounding at my bedroom door, Meg's voice pleading my name. Oh, what did she want?

"Erik? Erik, answer me!"

I rolled over to bury my head deeper into my pillow, but I heard my door being pushed open.

"Erik, get out of bed and get dressed. Your friend is downstairs waiting for you." she pulled the blankets from off my body, something that angered me greatly.

I reached out for the blankets, but there was nothing there. The vermin stole them from me!

"She's not my friend!" I snapped. "Now let me go back to sleep."

"You're going to be late on your first day if you don't get up!"

This girl was acting like my mother! How dare she come up here and tell me what to do!

"Erik," her voice was kind and much softer now, as if she were trying to keep others from hearing. "My mother is betting me that you won't get up."

"Betting?"

"Yes. Now, if you don't get up and make some money for yourself to get out of here, you know where you'll be headed."

Meg was right. The last thing I wanted was to be living in a horrible room all alone, and being beaten.

"Here, let me help you."

She handed me my clothes before attempting to undress me. I stopped her, however, remembering what happened when Christine saw me naked. No, my body was for Christine's eyes only.

"No, Meg." I gently grabbed her hand when it went for my shirt. "I'll dress myself. Go downstairs and tell Miss Fleck that I'm sorry for not being ready and shall be down in a few moments."

When the door closed again, I quickly hopped to getting changed. It was beginning to get easier for me, but changing myself still frustrated me beyond anything else. Once dressed, I grabbed my staff, and began counting the stairs as I descended to the bottom.

"There you are." I heard Miss Fleck reply. "I thought you quitted already."

"No, just over slept." I lied.

I felt her arm interlock with my own, something that I still wasn't used to.

"All right. I'll lead the way, you just count the steps."

And I did just that. I counted every step until every turn, mapped out the route in my brain. Being blind wasn't easy, but with all this information stored in my head, it would be like walking a familiar route in the dark. If I could walk around my lair with no lights on, I could eventually do the same with my routes around Coney Island. Along the way, Miss Fleck pointed out landmarks such as a bakery and a few stores.

"Ah, there's my money making corpse." monsieur De'Loof said upon our arrival.

I wasn't sure what was in store for me, but I was escorted to a wooden box-one that I assumed was the coffin.

"Here you are." he replied. "Now sit in there and draw me crowds."

The bastard grabbed my mask, but I grabbed back. He wasn't going to take away my mask! It was my only one! If he lost it, I'd be eternally screwed.

"I'll take it off." I growled.

Soon I could hear the gasps and horrible things being said to me by passing customers. Yes, I couldn't see their faces, but just hearing what they had to say was like a stake to the heart.

"So ugly!"

"It's a monster!"

"He shouldn't be allowed to walk among men!"

The money. That was all I thought about as the verbal abuse went on. The freak show held harsh conditions. I was forced to sit in that coffin for five hours before I was able to get a fifteen minute break. I would have gone for something to eat, but I wasn't familiar with the area and so I just laid there in the coffin with my back turned. I missed Paris, I missed Christine…I even missed being the opera ghost. I never thought I'd be limited to doing nothing more than showing off my face.

"Erik? Erik, are you here?"

I heard Miss. Fleck's voice, but I didn't answer her.

"Oh, there you are." I sensed that she was leaning over the side of the coffin, but I didn't care. "What's wrong?"

"Just leave me be." I sighed. "I don't feel very well at the moment."

"Do you want to get something to eat?"

How badly I wanted to cry. I was fighting back the burning tears, fighting them back and keeping Christine off my mind. If I thought about her, I know I would burst into a sob.

"Erik?"

"Go away! Just please leave me alone."

"Are you not happy with your job?"

Oh, why wouldn't she just go away? Couldn't she tell that I just wanted to be left alone? I felt her hand rubbing my shoulder-was she trying to make me feel better?

"I heard what the crowds were saying to you, Erik. You shouldn't let it get to you. People say horrible things to me as well. At the end of the day you just let it go and collect your pay."

"Yes, perhaps you're right, but it still hurts."

"Hey, I know something that would make you feel better." Oh, this girl. She was always trying to lighten my mood, and yet, nothing would make me happy besides Christine. "There's a place I go to some nights after working. My friend Dr. Gangle owns a little pub for freaks. It's a great time-all the freaks go there. You should come tonight."

"I'd rather not."

"Oh, come on, Erik. You could get to know the rest of the gang. Besides, didn't you say how much you despised going home?"

She was right. The last thing I wanted to do at closing time was face Madame Giry. No, it was better to wait it out and sneak back to my room after she had gone to bed.

"All right." I said. "Maybe for a little while."

"Good. We'll collect our pay and be off at closing."

I still wasn't sure why Miss Fleck was being so kind, but I went along with my day, tolerating the horrible things being said to me, and the ache of having to sit there in that coffin. When it was closing time, I crawled out and placed my mask back on. I wasn't sure where I was supposed to go to pick up my day's pay, but Miss Fleck was there to guide me.

"Ah, my little money making corpse." monsieur D'Loofe sneered. "Wanting your pay ey? Here…."

The man placed a few dollars into my hand, but as I began counting it, I noticed that it wasn't the right amount. Twenty! That's what he promised!

"This isn't the correct amount!" I argued.

"What? Are ye mad? Twenty, that's what I promised!"

"This isn't twenty!"

Monsieur D'Loofe laughed. "Oh, I see- you expect me to pay you in singles."

"How else am I going to know what I have?"

"I'm not running around the city scrounging for singles, corpse."

"Then you're cheating me!"

"Cheating you?"

Miss Fleck pulled me aside, cutting in our argument.

"It's all right, monsieur D'Loofe, I'll take care of it."

"That bastard-"

"Erik, calm down." Miss Fleck argued. "I'll make sure you get twenty singles."

I wasn't sure how she expected to do that, but once we arrived at the pub she was talking about, I was sat down, and I heard her walking about, asking anyone to trade my bills for singles. Christine was like my angel, but Miss Fleck was my savior. Without her, I probably wouldn't be as active as I was.

"Here you are, Erik."

She placed a wad of money into my hand, and I counted every bill. There was indeed twenty dollars here.

"Thank you." I said, sticking the wad into my jacket. "You don't know how much I appreciate this."

"Anything to make your life a little easier."

The pub we were in was extremely loud from people talking, along with a band playing some sort of classical music.

"Erik, relax." she told me. "You've had a long day at work. What do you want to drink? I'll order you something."

I wasn't much of a people person, but I couldn't keep turning Miss Fleck away. She might not have been a friend, but she was the closest thing I had to one at the moment.

"Tea." I said. "Cream and sugar."

"Coming right up."

"I was wondering when you were going to be back." came an unfamiliar voice. It was of a man, one with a high pitched voice.

"Oh, Dr. Gangle, I'd like you to meet my friend, Erik."

Was this Dr. Gangle? I wasn't sure, but the man was very friendly.

"Erik?" he questioned. "He looks new."

"I am." I said. "Just got here not too long ago."

"He's working in the freak show with me." Miss Fleck assured.

"Well, Erik, any friend of Fleck's is a friend of mine. Nice to meet you."

"Two cups of tea, Gangle."

"Coming right up."

When the man walked away, I felt Fleck's hand touch my own. Her hand was soft like Christine's touch and gentle. Made me remember how much I missed my angel.

"So, did you write Christine?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yes, but I couldn't send the letter."

"Why not?"

"Because….because she was happy before I ever came into the picture. There was another man that she was seeing. If they are together now, who am I to ruin it for her? Last night, the girl I live with told me that she's probably happier without me."

"And you believe her?"

I didn't want to nod, but I knew the truth. If Christine wanted to see me, she would have been here. She wouldn't have left me alone that morning.

"In some sense, yes."

"You really are in love with her?"

"I think about Christine ten seconds out of every minute. I would give anything, just to see her again."

"What did she look like?"

I pictured my angel like I remembered her. Just having her image in my head sent shivers down my spine. Then, remembering her smile only brought burning tears rushing to my eyes.

"She was beautiful, Fleck, simply beautiful. Her skin was like pure snow, her eyes shun like diamonds, her chocolate curls danced off her shoulders. She was a little shorter than me, but not by much-and her voice-Oh, her voice was like hearing an angel sing."

"You're a wonderful person, Erik. Surely she will return to you."

I shook my head. "If only that were true. As much as I want her to come back, I know she won't."

"What makes you believe it?"

"We-" Oh, how was I to tell her this without sounding like a fool? "We were separated."

"Separated how? In a crowd?"

"No-um…we were on our way to Calais and stopped for the night. She told me she was going to see me off in the morning, and return to me as soon as she could. I believed her, believed that she would come here to meet me. I didn't argue, and that night we-um…she-"

"Yes?"

"I didn't know what came over her, but we made love."

"Really?" she gasped. "That has to be about the most romantic thing I've ever heard. I mean, it's very rare that a normal human being chooses to be with someone like us."

"The romance didn't last long. Believe me, I thought the same thing, but when I awoke the next morning, she was gone. The only possible answer I can give myself was that she saw my face, saw the monster she made love to. It probably scared her so much that she couldn't stomach another moment with me. Not a day goes by that I don't think about it being something else, but how can I dwell on it? What's done is done."

"What makes you think that it was your face? What if it was something else?"

"How could it not be my face?" I cried. "I would run too if I woke to such a monstrous sight."

"But if Christine knew about your face beforehand, why would she have made love to you if she didn't feel something other than fear?"

"I don't know if we were in the dark or not, but all I know is that when I was maskless, I brought her nothing but fear."

It hurt to know that I was a single man. I couldn't stomach another moment in this pub. There were cheerful people dancing about with their lovers, laughter and happiness. I couldn't be surrounded by such nonsense when I myself couldn't be happy. I was at the brink of sobbing, sobbing over the only woman I ever loved. She should have been here with me, should have been dancing with me, and yet, I had no idea on her whereabouts. If only I could cry out to her and have her answer me. If she told me she hated my guts, I would never worry about her again, but I couldn't, not when I didn't know why she left me.

"Erik? Are you all right?"

Miss Fleck's concern dragged me from my daydream. I couldn't stay here, and I wouldn't linger another moment.

"I…I feel ill." I said, standing to my feet. "I'm going to go home and lay down."

"Are you sure? I could take you."

"No, I'll be all right on my own." I said. "I know the way, I memorized it."

"Well, all right-I'll see you tomorrow then."

I didn't say another word as I stumbled to get outside. Only then did I allow myself to break down and cry. I leaned up against a nearby building and sobbed into my arm as memories of my angel flashed through my mind.

"I love you…" I cried it out over and over again into my arm, thinking that she would appear before my own very eyes if I cried loud enough. But no one was listening. I found my way back home, arriving when everyone was asleep. I was glad, because I wasn't in the mood to confront Madame Giry. I placed my pay into a jar that was sitting on my desk, and undressed. By the time I was in my night attire, Ayesha was already circling me, begging to be picked up. For what seemed like hours, I continued to cry into my pillow, until the tears burned my eyes and put me to sleep.

"Erik?"

I heard my name being called later that night, only to roll over and sigh into my pillow.

"Erik? Wake up."

I groaned, and reached out for the lamp on my night table. When I turned it on and opened my eyes, I saw Meg's figure standing at the side of my bed.

"What are you doing in my room?" I growled. "It's late."

"Erik, it's Christine." she frantically gasped. "Raoul's beaten her."

My heart instantly stopped. Raoul? How could he? Why would he? Oh, he must have found out about what my angel did to me…Why else would she have been beaten?

"She wrote me a letter, Erik."

I felt Meg sitting down at the side of my bed as she began to read it.

"Meg,

I know it has been a long time since we have spoken, but I have written to tell you that Raoul and I are no longer together. I returned to him, only to find that he has changed. For what reasons, I'm not sure of, but as of last night he has began beating me. It started with a slap to the face, and turned into me being thrown across the room. I have left the estate and Paris. In my heart, I still love him, in my heart I still love Raoul. Perhaps I shall return to him one day, but until he is back to being himself, I simply cannot stomach the thought of being around him. Yes, I have made many mistakes in my life-"

"Stop!" I demanded. "Just stop!"

I was a mistake! I was one of the mistakes Christine was talking about. She didn't love me, she loved Raoul! I wanted to die now! I wanted to take a knife and thrust it deep into my heart.

"Erik, I'm not finished with the letter."

"I don't care about the rest of it. I got my answer…."

I felt Meg get up from the bed and heard her heading to the door.

"She's coming to stay for a while." she said.

"How soon?"

"She should be arriving by the end of the month."

"Then I will be sure to be out of here by then."

That was a promise I was going to be sure to keep. If Christine were coming here to visit Meg, I knew it would be awkward for the both of us. I was a mistake! The cruel words burned through my heart! I had loved this woman like no other, and yet, she couldn't love me back-no, she had the nerve to call what she did with me a mistake! By the end of the month I would no longer be in the presence of Madame Giry or Meg, and I would be sure to stay clear of Christine. Seeing her now would only break my heart, so I would do what I did best; disappear forevermore.

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