Chapter 17

Christine wrapped her arms around her body while sitting on her dorm room bed. She'd just returned to her room after having left her angel. My angel? She shook her head. No, he wasn't an angel. He was-... She didn't even know what he was or who he was. All she knew was that the lies were now leading to a great deal of pain. She felt cold and her heart was aching.

If I hadn't left when I did, he was going to leave me. He was going to leave me standing there in that practice room all alone, as if our bond meant nothing. And... he didn't stop me from leaving. He didn't even care..

It was too much. It was just too much. He'd been her angel, her mentor, her friend.. He'd been the one thing she could count on. He'd promised so many things. But, he'd deceived her. All of the trust she had placed in him was meaningless.

And now, she didn't have Phantom either, for he too had deceived her. He'd also been her mentor and friend. They'd gotten so close over the past several months...

It was embarrassing, that's what it was. I'm so stupid. To have actually believed in such a thing as an angel, and to have actually trusted some random person Online. I'm too gullible.

But, not anymore. I'll never be so naïve. Never again.

–

Erik rapidly paced the basement floor of the music building with his arms crossed and his head down. She left.. She left! I let her leave.. Of course, there were reasons for not intervening. I tricked her. I deceived her. I have lied to her for months. And now, I no longer deserve to be in her presence.. Not that I ever deserved her, but... Being around her felt so good...

I got to know her, I befriended her, and I fell in love with her.

Tears came to his eyes as he continued to think about it. I had no right. To have caused such a disaster is completely unforgivable. I shall rot in hell for what I have done.

He paused as the inevitable thought came to his mind. She deserves to know the truth.

But, the truth would cause more pain, more confusion. And, the last thing he deserved was to speak to her again. Not to mention, she most certainly wouldn't even listen to anything he had to say. He had more than ruined all chances of that. Her 'angel' had deceived her and so had 'Phantom'. She held no more trust for either of them.

So, that was that. She would continue living. She would forget both 'Erik' and 'Phantom'.

And, I will leave Ballad. Today. I will go far, far away. I will cease to exist.

–

Christine pulled into the parking lot of a grocery store and turned off her car's ignition once she was in a parking place. She just couldn't take being at school anymore. Being on campus reminded her too much of Erik, and being in her dorm room near her lap top reminded her too much of Phantom. She just couldn't take it. Of course, she would have to return eventually, but for now, she would sit in a grocery store parking lot. It didn't seem like a very good place to be, but she had to go somewhere.

The more she thought about everything, the more she knew she couldn't tell anyone, not Meg and not her dad. Explaining everything, which she would have to do in order to get her point across, would only worry them. And hearing about their worries would increase her own worry.

As it was, Christine's continuous thoughts on the matter had begun to make her worry. She now knew that there were two men, neither of which she'd seen before, that knew a lot about her. They both knew where she went to school, they both knew what she looked like, and they both knew everything about her personal life. She wasn't safe.

How could I have gotten myself into such a mess? The question was plaguing her. She'd been raised to know that talking to strangers was wrong. And yet, she'd gone and done it. They'd both been so convincing, though, from their identities to what they did and said. They saw that I'm a dumb, gullible daydreamer, and they took advantage of that.

Now, she could be in danger. Just great... The wise thing to do would be to tell someone, but Christine was currently too ashamed of herself to do it.

She let out a tired sigh and leaned her head against the steering wheel. Well, unless they're stalking me thoroughly enough to be following my every move, then I'm safe here. Lack of sleep was beginning to catch up to her. Her eyes shut unwillingly, and before long, she was fast asleep.

–

Erik walked the secret passageways of the music building looking at everything he would soon be leaving. He'd been a resident of Ballad Conservatory for so long. It was odd to think that he'd soon be away from all of it. Leaving the Conservatory was nothing next to leaving the woman he loved, though. But, he couldn't bear to be near Christine any longer. She would soon forget him, and while her life continued to progress, he couldn't very well watch. That would be torture.

No, he would just have to be content knowing that their voice lessons had paved the way for her future vocal success. She would be a shining star, and if he was lucky, he'd be able to hear about her fame someday, by reading about her, or by listening to one of the many albums she would surely make. He wouldn't watch it happen, though.

He would love her, of course. Oh, he would always love her, and that would serve as his well-deserved form of suffering- to love her, but to not be near her. Yes, he would live in agony.

Suddenly, he passed by Antoinette Giry's office. Taking a few steps back, he looked through one of his cleverly designed mirrors and saw her to be sitting at her desk. Working on a Saturday. How typical. He didn't have time to dwell on it. He needed to leave.

She deserves to know you are leaving, a voice in his head said. After all she has done for you, the least you can do is say goodbye. Erik couldn't deny that she did deserve that much. He would make it quick.

Opening the mirror, he stepped inside her office and made sure to lock her office door before turning to face her.

"Good afternoon, Erik," Madame Giry greeted, though most of her focus was on some paperwork on her desk.

"I am here to say goodbye, Madame," Erik announced, getting to the point.

Madame Giry blinked and looked up at him with a puzzled expression. "What are you talking about?"

Erik made sure to keep any emotion from his tone. "I am leaving Ballad Conservatory, and I am not coming back."

There was a pause before she asked, "Why?"

"That is none of your concern," he replied without hesitation.

"Erik, you have lived here for fifteen years. Of course it is my concern as to why you are leaving."

"Madame, I have been a bother to you for long enough. It is time for me to get on with my life."

He is serious, Madame Giry realized. She wondered what on earth had caused this. This Erik was not the same Erik she used to know. He hadn't come to her office in a very long time, he'd stolen her car twice over the past few months for some sort of business, and he always seemed to be busy. Now, he was claiming to want to leave. "Erik, what is going on? You have changed.."

He turned away from her and walked towards the mirrors on the far wall without looking at his reflection. "Perhaps I have changed. That is all you need to know."

He was just so frustrating! It was time to bring a few facts to the surface. "I brought you here. I took you in when you had no one. I have cared for you. And this is how you treat me when I have done so much for you?"

"I came to tell you goodbye," he pointed out, as if that proved his appreciation for all she had done for him.

She let out a sigh. "Look, Erik.. I feel that I am closer to you than anyone else-"

"Why do you assume that?" he interrupted sharply. "You assume that I, the monster, know no one other than you? Well, Antoinette, you are wrong."

That took her by complete surprise. Not that she was surprised by his abrupt sharp tone, but she was surprised by what he said. Also, she felt bad for her assumption. "Forgive me, Erik, I didn't know. You have never...taken well to others."

Erik frowned but couldn't deny it. "Yes, well, most others are annoying."

"But, some are not?" She was silently pressing him for more information. If she could just get to the bottom of why he was leaving, then perhaps she could talk him out of it.

"No, some are not," he softly repeated.

"Do I know the people you are associating with?" she asked nonchalantly.

Erik turned to her and studied her face for a moment. That was the face of a good person, someone who did not judge others by outward appearances. That was the face of someone Erik had always been able to trust. And, he would never see that face again, so what did it matter if he did reveal his relationship with Christine? "Actually, it is only one person, Antoinette." He paused before asking, "Do you remember the girl I told you about when vocal auditions were underway last February? Her name was Christine." Madame Giry nodded. "Well, I have gotten to know her."

She could see that he wasn't going to elaborate. "Yes, she is my daughter's roommate."

"Yes," Erik nodded.

"From what Meg has told me, Christine is a good person. She's very kind. How did you get to know her?"

What he was about to reveal truly didn't matter, for it'd all be behind him soon enough. "Well, that is where things become more complicated. I have gotten to know Christine through Internet conversations, through voice lessons, and through meetings at the park."

"My, you must know her well." Madame Giry was shocked that Erik would show himself to someone.

"Yes.."

"I imagine she knows you well, too."

Erik shook his head and looked down. "To Christine, I am three different people. I am her invisible Internet companion, her voice teacher who she cannot see, and her friend from the park. She does not know who I really am."

Madame Giry took off her glasses then and rubbed her forehead. "Erik, I-..." She hardly knew what to say. "It must be difficult to keep the three identities separate."

"It was," he murmured.

"'Was'?" Madame Giry repeated. Then, it dawned on her. "Is it because of Christine that you are leaving?"

He glared. "It is not because of her! She has done nothing wrong! It is because of me. I have lied to her. I have deceived her, and the deceit has brought her pain. She no longer trusts 'Phantom' or 'Erik'. Today, she left me during a voice lesson. I can never see her again."

Madame Giry could hardly believe all she was hearing. She could only assume 'Phantom' and 'Erik' were the names he used for two of his identities. She wouldn't question that. She needed to get through to him. "Erik, you must realize something. Christine is hurting, yes, but the pain and confusion can easily be mended. You must tell her the truth."

"Do you not think I have thought of that? Of course I have. It is not so simple, though. If you recall, Christine no longer trusts me. There is no way she would listen to what I have to say."

Crossing her arms, Madame Giry asked, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but she doesn't trust two of your identities, right? She still trusts the person she meets at the park. You can tell her the truth using that identity."

Erik blinked. Then, he blinked again. Honestly, he hadn't thought of that. There had been too many other things to think about concerning 'Erik' and 'Phantom'. He hadn't considered 'Derik'. But... "She would then hate 'Derik', too. I do not want that."

"Yes, but according to you, you are leaving and never coming back. Therefore, she will never see you or your three identities again. Believe me, Erik, you will regret not speaking to her," Madame Giry said in a low voice.

Deep down, he knew she was right about that. It was easy to currently be acting as if leaving would end all the trouble he'd caused... But, would leaving truly erase it? No. Erik was aware of the impact he'd made on Christine's life. It was going to take time for her to recover from the pain he'd caused. She would recover in time, yes, but would it not help to actually receive some sort of explanation?

"You agree with me, don't you?" she asked.

Erik nodded reluctantly. "I suppose you are right. And, perhaps this is what I deserve- to approach her, tell her the truth, and receive her wrath." He distantly added, "It would be worth it to see her one more time."

Madame Giry was beginning to notice that Erik cared very deeply for this girl. "How will you go about telling her the truth?" she asked curiously.

Becoming formal once more, he said, "Well, I am not entirely sure. I shall have to think about it. Good day, Madame." With that, he unlocked her office door and left through one of the mirrors. One thought was on his mind. Indeed, how will I go about telling her the truth?

Hello! Sorry it's been a while since the last update. I've been busy with school, school, and more school. I know this chapter was short, but I hope it was enjoyable. I have some big plans for future chapters, so I hope you'll stick around.

Thank you so much for the reviews! I really, really appreciate them! You all are amazing!

Be sure to leave a review :)

-Lauren