Chapter five

The next morning Christine rose to her always dark room. She lit candles, then walked to her closet, where she leafed through the many dresses, skirts, and blouses until she came upon the one she thought matched her mood - a black skirt and a dark grey blouse - the only dark colored clothes in the whole closet. Taking these and various undergarments, she bundled them in her arms and ran to the little room with the white tub. She let the water run in the bath as she listened to the organ play out it's unending song, then stepped into the warm water that cleansed her aching heart and melted her anger.

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"Stay in there any longer, Christine, and you'll be frozen solid in there. If you don't mind, I rather not fish you out." She heard Erik yell through the door in his odd sense of humor. Christine blushed - she had fallen asleep, and the water was terribly chilly. It must have been at least two hours since she came in.

Ignoring Erik, she quickly got out and dried off, then put on her dark clothes. She felt much better, almost peaceful in this night, but wasn't bound to let Erik know and give him ideas. When she came out of the bathroom, she saw Erik at his organ bench, looking as if he was going to try to talk to her. Noticing this, she ran for the shelter of her room, and locked the door again.

When she did so, she heard a thunderous sound of a fist contacting with many low ivory keys.

"Erik!" Christine screamed. Just like the night before, Erik found himself running to her defense.

"Yes?"

"There's another rat!" Christine said, frantic and in the same position as before.

"Are you sure?"

"It was black!"

Erik began searching, then found the cause of her scream. He held I t up in his hands for her to see.

"Still, it is only Ayesha. Same beige color and all."

"Well...it was a shadow upon her then."

Erik let the cat go and shooed her away. "For pity's sake, Christine - I know you do not like me very much, but stop trying to give me a heart attack or burst my eardrums when you scream like so. Just shut your door if you don't like my cat!" He said, annoyed, then left, slamming the door to prove his point. Christine laid down and pulled the sheets up to her chin with a sinking feeling inside, knowing that he was not angry about what he professed. She knew her behavior towards him was the true reason, and even though what he did justifies her actions, she still felt terrible. All her life he had cared for her; now she was repaying him poorly - she had always repaid him poorly.

Christine fell asleep that night, wondering how long she could stand betraying the both of them.

Erik dragged his feet. "Damn that cat!" He muttered as he walked into Christine's room as she panicked. Just as he was about to go in through the door, he spotted Ayesha hop onto the top of his organ. Anxious to make Christine stop screaming, he forgot about shooing her off his prized possession and went into the little bedroom.

"Look, if you want my attention, all you got to do is get out of this room, because I know you're not screaming about a rat - Ayesha is out there, and she is insuring the fact that no rats cross your path while you remain down here. So why must you scream?" Erik asked in an annoyed tone as he found Christine huddled at the top of her bed, once again.

"No, Erik - it's no rat. I hear a voice! A man's voice coming from the far wall!" She cried out, truly frightened. Erik groaned and crossed the room quickly, putting his ear against it. Sure enough, he could hear a man's yell, though inaudible.

"Torture chamber." He said in passing, walking out of the room. He heard Christine jump off her bed to follow, and she was soon at his heels.

"What do you mean...torture chamber?" She asked in a soft, scared voice.

"Just what I said. You knew I had one." His voice, in turn, was more gruff and annoyed even still. He recognized that voice, and knew from now on things would get even more complicated, and his headaches would be the only thing that would stick with him for Lord only knew how long.

He climbed up the little ladder and peered in the window. "Turn on the switch over there." He said, looking down at Christine. She found what he indicated, and turned on something that flashed brightly in the room below them.

"Erik?" She asked hesitantly, but he shushed her as he looked in. She leaned against the wall, listening.

"Erik, let me out of here! I know what you've done, and I'm going to have my say about this and bring you back to your senses! When you said you'd find your own way to deal with Miss Daae's choice against you, I didn't think you would go so far! Let me out of here now, Erik!"

Erik threw back his head and laughed at the sweating, heavyset man. "I'm surprised, my good daroga - I thought you'd be here two or three days ago when I got her." He answered with humor.

"Perhaps I could have reached here a lot sooner and into your actual lair if someone hadn't set fire to the theater when they angrily decided to ruin their own opera! You should see your precious tunnels now."

"I have seen them, and my affairs and my choices are of my own, Daroga, my own. They have nothing to do with you."

"Don't they? I seem to recall a vow that you would never harm a person unless out of self defense. Miss Daae was simply peacefully sleeping in her room - you have no reason to harm her!"

"Harm her? Who said anything of the such? You of all people should know that I wouldn't do so."

"Not physically, maybe - but in others, definitely. The poor girl must be completely emotionally distraught by now and mentally ill with worry. Why could you not just leave her be, Erik?"

"Christine is just fine - she spent two or three days together here before - this is no different."

"Except that she is trapped here and being held against her will! These are no longer harmless singing lessons! Send her home and let her be for good, Erik, or I shall have the police on you faster that you can swing that punjab around my neck!"

"Funny, is it not, that you should be the one to think that you are in charge here, when I am the one holding the key to your life at the moment, and could easily shut this window to let you bake until you hang yourself from insanity. I know you know first hand how it works - and how many people are driven to it after not long. A few hours is all it takes for some people, especially some Persians." Erik commented cruelly.

"This is how you'd repay a debt? I sacrifice my life and eight years to waste so you can kill me in a torture chamber that is like the one you would have died in for the sport of the Khanum? Or have you forgotten so easily her cruelties towards you and her demands to have you killed?"

"I must ask you to silence the matter in front of innocent ears." Erik simply said.

"You know that you would not kill me, Erik - just as much as I do. Let me out."

Erik shut off the light and went to fetch a key, then opened a door that Christine never even noticed before. Nadir breathed heavily in the cool air, wiping his brow and bending over slightly to calm himself.

"I may let you free from my torture chamber time and again, but do not assume it is from my undying gratitude. It is simply because I'd have to dispose of your body, and it would be quite an ordeal to drag such a heavy thing up so far, in addition to having no where to put you now that there are no rafters and you are too heavy to lay on a floor - you'd fall right through. But do not push me, daroga - if I must do so, I shall. My gratitude does not last for anyone."

Nadir bowed his head simply as if he was shrugging it off, then went to sit in one of Erik's chairs. Christine simply stood in the shadows, observing the situation. It was at this point when she decided that she had heard enough bizarre things, so she ran swiftly to her room, not even stopping when Nadir yelled out to her. She saw Erik shrug when she side glanced at him.

"You cant do anything with that girl anymore. The rich boy has gone and ruined her." She heard him comment just before she slammed the door on such words and locked it loudly.

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