I have no time to explain, but so sorry this update took so long! To try and make up for it, I'll upload another chapter tomorrow or the day after, but I have to go now, enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own PotO.
"Finally!" Alyssa exclaimed once Erik had concealed the passageway behind them and led her out into the streets of Paris. "The light at the end of the tunnel!" She laughed joyfully and stepped into the sunlight, relishing in its warming glow. "I was beginning to think we would never get out!"
"Oh, for goodness sake," Erik scoffed playfully. "My home isn't really that bad, is it?"
Alyssa pretended to consider it for a second, then giggled at the incredulous look on Erik's face at her silence. "No, it isn't," she admitted at last. "It's actually very beautiful. But those tunnels and corridors are freakin' dark! Kinda creepy sometimes."
"Maybe for someone like you, I suppose, but you shall soon become very accustomed to them. The dark, too. There's nothing to fear about it. It is merely the absence of light. I personally think it's quite lovely, but that may be only because I'm a creature of the night."
Suddenly realizing that Alyssa was looking at him with a very odd expression, Erik quickly changed the subject. He looked around and saw an elegant clothing store on the corner of the street on the opposite side. Clearing his throat, he pointed it out to Alyssa. "Would you like to begin there, my dear?" he asked. Alyssa shrugged slightly, her eyes wide as she took in the sights before her.
After waiting for a couple horse-drawn stagecoaches to pass by, Erik took Alyssa's arm and carefully escorted her across the street. He noticed how silent she was as they approached the shop, and was tempted to ask her what was bothering her. Fortunately for him, he decided to let the matter go, and merely opened the door to the shop and let her pass him to get inside. Alyssa merely nodded to thank him.
"Bonjour monsieur!" a woman behind the ecounter greeted enthusiasctically. "...And... mademoiselle, too. How may I help you?" Her eyes surveyed Alyssa in a way that the teenager detested. She'd gotten that look many times before while at school back in 2005, and was not about to tolerate it from someone in 1871.
"Mademoiselle," Erik began, gesturing to Alyssa to make it clear that she was the one the woman should focus on, "would like some new clothes. I think you'll agree when I say that the ones she is currently wearing are hardly suitable, non?" He turned toward Alyssa and gave her a smile with both his eyes and lips, and she gave him a half-grin in return.
The woman nodded once, slightly caught off guard by the tone in Erik's voice, then pointed to a chair by the door. "You may wait there if you'd like monsieur. We have today's newspaper, if you'd care to read it."
"That would be lovely, mademoiselle. Thank you." Erik took a seat and picked up the yellow-ish paper.
"Now," the woman muttered, facing Alyssa, "What kinds of clothes were you looking to buy? ...Of course, if you don't mind my saying, anything would be an improvement to what you're wearing now..."
Alyssa shrugged, not acknowledging the insult. "I'm not sure. What do you think would look good?"
The woman looked her up and down, mumbling quietly to herself. Alyssa stood perfectly still as she was appraised, but she internally wished the woman would hurry up.
At last the shopkeeper straightened up. "I would say either a dark blue, maybe, or perhaps a light pink." That said, she walked through the aisles of clothes, not looking back as Alyssa followed.
"Here we have our dark blue attire. What size are you, now?" Catching the confused expression on Alyssa's face, the woman rolled her eyes ever so slightly and tried to estimate. She grabbed two different dresses from the rack and held one in each hand.
"Which do you like better?" she asked, hoping that Alyssa could at least answer that simple question.
After a moment's hesitation, Alyssa pointed to the one in the shopkeeper's left hand. "Uh... that one, I suppose."
The woman looked at the one she had picked. "Excellent choice," she nodded after a second, nodding with approval. "Now, let's go try this on, shall we?"
Erik listened to the conversation from his seat in the front of the shop. Hmm... dark blue. That would look nice on her, he thought. Satisfied with the fact that he at least knew what color Alyssa would be wearing, Erik leaned back and opened the newspaper. Almost immediately a particular headline caught his attention.
Opera Ghost Still Missing
After following the leads of many anonymous sources,there has still been no sign of the Opera Ghost who haunted the Opera Populaire and nearly destroyed the theater only a month ago. He was pursued by the police to his home in the catacombs of the opera house, but then disappeared from there without a trace. Authorities are still...
Erik sighed and put the newspaper down. He had hoped that people would be gradually be able to forget about him and what he'd done. Reflecting back on that, though, he knew that it was a lot to hope for, that they would forget him. In fact, it might never happen. He had created too much of a uproar in his attempt to get Christine.
I shall have to be more careful today. Hopefully no one will spare a passing glance, Erik thought to himself. He stared into space for a second, then straightened up in his seat as the shopkeeper stepped into view.
"Ah, monsieur, it is c'est magnifique! Mademoiselle looks wonderful!" the woman boasted. She reached out and dragged Alyssa from behind a rack, ignoring her feeble protests.
At last Alyssa gave up. The barest hit of a blush crept into her cheeks as she shyly stood for Erik to see.
"That color truly compliments her skin!" the shopkeeper exclaimed, obviously very pleased with her own judgement, and Erik had to agree with her. The dark blue material went perfectly with the tone of Alyssa's flesh. The sleeves rested comfortably on the edge of her shoulders, and the skirt fell neatly to the ground in a shape that went flawlessly with her figure.
"Um, can I go back and hide now?" Alyssa jokingly asked, nervously smiling and trying not to look any more pink than she did. The shopkeeper still had two dresses in her arms (ones that had not fit), so she hurried away to put them back.
Erik stood up slowly once the woman was gone. "Why do you want to hide?" he questioned in a low voice. "You look so lovely."
It was such an innocent bit of praise, and Alyssa looked up in surprise as he began to walk toward her. There was some kind of gleam in his eyes, some kind of desire... One that Alyssa hadn't seen in a very long time. She anxiously hid her face in the palms of her hands, not knowing what else to do. Her face was burning now, and she could do nothing to stop it. After a few seconds she peeked between her fingers.
"Is something wrong, Alyssa?" Erik asked. He was standing there, looking slightly puzzled, and Alyssa braved lowering her hands. "Are you feeling ill?"
Looking fearfully into his eyes, Alyssa saw that the gleam was gone, and she sighed in relief. It had been so tiny, so inconspicuous, and yet there was something about it that frightened her. She had seen it before, at a time she would rather not have remembered.
She shook her head. "I'm... okay. Thanks." It was at that moment that the shopkeeper returned, now holding two light pink dresses in her arms.
"Monsieur, why don't you decide?" she asked, displaying one in each hand. "Which would you prefer to see mademoiselle in?"
"Quite frankly, mademoiselle, I think Alyssa should decide. She's the one who will be wearing them. Although I would not object to seeing her in that one." The woman smiled again and looked at the one Erik had picked.
A tiny bit of pink colored her face. "A wonderful opinion, monsieur." She turned to Alyssa. "Come along, then, mademoiselle. You can try these on." Once again Alyssa was dragged to the changing room.
It didn't take long for Alyssa to slip the dress on now that she knew which buttons went where, and when she straightened up to appraise herself in the mirror, she almost had to do a double take. Her reflection almost scared her, it was so unfamiliar. Unable to believe what she was seeing, Alyssa reached out and touched the reflactive glass with the tips of her fingers.
Whoa... I never thought I could look like this, she thought. It's so... pretty. Way better than that ridiculous junk grandmother dressed me in. Alyssa gathered her hair together and twisted it into an elegant bun, then looked at herself again. For one of the first times in her life, she liked what she saw. A small smile crossed her face as she moved her head from side to side, trying to admire herself from all angles. She tilted her head to the left, and as she did so her hair fell off of her right shoulder, revealing the tiny image of a rose tatooed on the back of her neck.
"Mademoiselle, are you all right?" the shopkeeper spoke up suddenly, knocking softly on the door. Instantly Alyssa came back to her senses.
"Yes, I'm... fine," she murmured, opening the door and stepping out.
The shopkeeper smiled and nodded. "Very nice," she commented.
"Yes, indeed. Very nice," Erik spoke, emerging suddenly from behind a rack. This time Alyssa conquered her shyness and smiled at him
Erik grinned back slightly, then questioned, "Alyssa, I hope you don't mind me asking, but did you need a chemise or something?"
Alyssa, who shad just been proud of herself for not blushing, felt her face begin to burn again. She cursed her embarrassment, and silently cursed Erik (though not as intensely) for saying what he did. After a couple seconds, she nodded, wishing already that the day was over.
At last she and Erik left the shop. Erik had been kind enough to buy the two dresses for her, plus one more and a few undergarments that Alyssa had stowed at the bottom of the bag.
"Thank you again, Erik," she whispered as they sat together outside a small cafe. "I owe you."
Erik laughed slightly and sipped his coffee. "Not at all, Alyssa. I glad that I could help you in the first place."
Alyssa grined and turned her gaze to the ground. She took the small mug in front of her in hand and took a drink of the amber liquid inside it. It was a while before she looked up again, and she only did so because Erik addressed her.
"If you don't mind," he muttered, "there was just one shop I would like to visit. It's not far at all- just down the street, in fact- and it should only take a minute."
"Of course I wouldn't mind," Alyssa answered, giving him a bight smile. Erik could have sworn that her grin gave off an aura of light that always forced him to smile along with her. It was a nice feeling, being in the way of that aura.
A couple minutes later, both Erik and Alyssa agreed to be on their way. Erik left a few coins on the table, then began to lead Alyssa down the street. For some reason, he was a little tempted to take her arm as they walked, but he quickly dismissed the thought of doing so.
"This is it," he spoke at last , indicating the plain-looking wooden door of a small, rather old-fashioned shop. Alyssa glanced at the sign above her head and smiled. Of course. A music store.
"What're you getting?" she asked Erik, her eyes sweeping the shop as they went inside. It was much bigger (and more lavish) on the inside, what with the various instruments and music books everywhere she looked.
Erik headed instantly to a rack. "Music paper," he muttered, "for composing."
A slight nod met his words. "Yeah. I forgot you did that. Cool." Alyssa moved from his side to look at a few finely decorated silver flutes displayed in their velvet-lined cases. Erik saw two men inch slightly in her direction, but thought nothing of it as he searched through the sheets of paper to find the kind he wanted.
One of the men bumped softly into Alyssa, and she turned her head toward him in mild surprise.
"Excusez-moi, mademoiselle. I can be so absentminded sometimes," the man apologized. Alyssa saw that he was rather young, though the other man by his side surely wasn't. She nodded and looked away, but suddenly the young man asked, "Are you new to Paris?"
Alyssa, stunned again at his question, hesitated and gave a cautious nod. The man smiled at her.
"I thought you might be. There's always some kind of look in the eyes of foreigners. ...Then again, it may just be a look that all pretty girls have. Where are you staying, mademoiselle?"
"Why do you want to know?" Alyssa questioned, not liking where the conversation was going and at the same time raising her eyebrows at the crummy pickup line.
The stranger shrugged. "Oh, I was simply... curious. You're very pretty, you know, like I said before. Perhaps, if you don't have anywhere to stay, I could offer you a room." The man gave Alyssa a sly grin, his eyes flashing and glancing every few seconds at places that made her want to slap him. "Mine."
Now the other man at his shoulder spoke. "Such thoughts so early in the day, William?" he mused. "True, she's very pretty, but still..." he playfully slapped William on the back.
"Are you envious?" William smirked. "Goodness, Charlie, just because you can't get a fine girl like this one, that's not reason to trouble me about it."
Alyssa froze, unsure of what to do. The men continued to insult and mock each other in a such a carefree way that she knew they had not yet noticed her fear. Unfortunately, William had reached out and grasped her wrist tightly, so slipping away unnoticed was not an option.
Erik, who had just finished paying for his paper, turned and glanced at Alyssa. He was surprised to find her looking the way she was, with her eyes wide in fear and her body rigid. Frowning slighty, he moved closer to the men to try and hear what they were talking about.
"I already told you, Charlie, I'm going to take mademoiselle back home with me. You can pick up your own girl."
Suddenly Erik understood. This man meant to make Alyssa... his whore. That why she was obviously so scared. Although, if she's so frightened, why doesn't she do anything? Oh well, it looks like either way I must help her.
"Oh, Alyssa, my love," he spoke up loudly, striding past the men and hooking her arm with his. "I think it's time to be leaving now, if you're ready."
Stunned, Alyssa looked up into Erik's eyes. The message she read there told her what he was doing, and she nearly sighed in relief. Just in time she remembered that the men were still there, and she began to play along with Erik's act.
"I'm quite ready, love," she murmured. All for the sake of fooling the men, she adjusted her hold on Erik's arm and leaned lightly against him.
"Are these friends of yours, dear?" Erik asked, seeming as though he had only just then noticed William and Charlie. The former looked as though he had been slapped hard in the face, while the latter was staring at Erik with an unfathomable expression on his face.
"Of a sort," Alyssa replied, her tone cold. She and Erik nodded curtly to the men, then walked out of the store together. As Alyssa turned, her hair caught for a second on the back of her dress on the left side, and the tatoo on the back of her neck was revealed. Charlie's eyes widened in surprise, for he'd never seen such a thing, but before he could say anything Alyssa and Erik had already disappeared.
Once they were out of both sight and earshot, Alyssa let out a great breath. "Oh god... thank you, Erik. Thank you so much. I... oh my god..."
"I figured you were in trouble of some sort. ...Those men..." Erik growled softly, disgusted, "...searching for one thing only, and trying to find it in you. Revolting." He paused suddenly and turned to her. "Were you truly as scared as you looked, Alyssa?"
It was a long time before he got an answer, but at last Alyssa nodded and muttered an extremely brief, "Yes." She was silent for a time, and then laughed softly (more out of anxiety than amusement) and mused, "Was it really that obvious?"
"Well, to those men, I doubt it was. But to me, or to anyone else who may have been watching, yes," he answered. Once again an uncomfortable silence drifted over them, but it didn't last long. "I'm so sorry, Alyssa," Erik murmured. "I should have defended you sooner. I apologize."
Alyssa gawked at him, then laughed again, this time out of disbelief. "Why the hell are you sorry? It's not your fault. If anything, I should be in debt to you for defending me at all, Erik. I honestly don't know what I would have done without you. I just... I freeze in situations like that. So thank you, noble knight, for coming to my rescue." She hurriedly threw the last part in there to change the subject and make the situation more humorous, and Erik could sense it immediatly. He decided to play along with it, though, since he had little to gain from pressuring her.
"Not at all, princess." He took her hand and bowed over it, then after a moment they both chuckled. Alyssa felt a weird sensation flow through her at his suavity, but subconsciously pushed it away before it even had time to settle in.
"Um, Erik, can we go back to your home?" she asked suddenly.
"If you would like to, mon chéri," As they kept walking, Erik noticed that, curiously enough, Alyssa seemed to be leaning into him as they walked. It must be the crowd. She doesn't want any more men to come to her looking for unchaste services. He tried in vain to not ponder over it as they walked. He had no intention of saying anything about it, though, lest Alyssa think he meant something by bringing it up.
Meanwhile, both William and Charlie walked out of the music shop, one rather sore about what he considered to be Alyssa's deciet, the other thoughtfully quiet.
"Oh, for God's sake, shut up! You're enough to drive anyone insane, William!" Charlie snapped after a long time. "Stop griping about that damn girl! She's not important! ...Think, though. Did you see that man she was with?"
William rolled his eyes. "Of course I did, you idiot! He wasn't even that good-looking, that's for sure. I mean, he even wore a mask! What kind of self-respecting man wears a mask like that?"
A groan of frustration met his words. "You imbecile! Yes, he had a mask! And do you realize why?" At his companion's confused look, Charlie continued. "That's him. The one they all talk about. That's the Phantom, the Opera Ghost who haunted the Opera Populaire!" William was silent as the knowledge slowly settled in.
"Do you think it's him?" he inquired. "Do you think it's really him?"
Charlie nodded once. "They're probably too far on their way for us to find them now, unfortunately. But that girl, she's quite obviously very close to him. As they walked away, did you notice that she had a rose etched into her skin on the back of her neck?"
"Into her skin?"
"Yes, her skin. It was a rose, or a picture of one anyway. We'll have to remember that, and should we ever find a girl with a rose on her neck... well, we won't stand around talking about sleeping with her, now will we?"
Cooperating for once, William shook his head. "They're offering a large reward for his capture," Charlie spoke. "The Phantom, I mean. That girl-- if we can capture her somehow, perhaps the Phantom would be willing to trade his imprisonment for her freedom. ...William, this won't be the last we see of them, I swear it."
And the plot thickens. Dun Dun DUN. Hope you liked the chapter, next one's coming in a day or so as soon as I can get it typed. I humbly request reviews, though in all fairness I'm not quite worthy.