Hello readers,
This chapter came very easy to me up until the very end. I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to review if you enjoy it, or even if you hate it! Feedback helps me know how I'm doing and how your liking.
Without any more delay -
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Chapter 4- The Encounter
A few hours earlier...
Like a shadow of the night, I made my way through the empty halls of the opera. I had been patrolling all day, brooding in my cowardice towards Kristina and my attempts at communication. How was I to go about it? I was a man dressed in black with his face hidden behind a piece of plastic. I couldn't think of one logical reason why anyone wouldn't shy away from the looks of me. The past has instilled a foreboding sense of prejudice within my conscience. As the day progressed into night, the halls grew quiet and dull. Even the routine cleaning crew was finishing up their work and had hung their smocks to dry for the next day.
Slipping past the south side dancing workshops, I was distracted by the sound of music and hushed steps. I squeezed between the drywall and looked through the two way mirrors. There inside was the girl from the other night, dancing alone. Her movements were graceful and sensual. I watched as she rose up onto the tips of her toes. The very essence of charm emanated from each twirl and each bend revealed more of her long, slender frame.
The music finished and she collapsed to the floor, emotionally drained from her release. I let out a shaky sigh, the music breaking whatever spells this vixen cast upon my senses. I carried on through the passage, climbed up through a doorway and snuck out of a tapestry hanging on the wall. There she stood, closing the rehearsal door silently. Her hair glistened in the light of the hallway, like the stars reflecting off the bobbing sea. Her eyes were the color of autumn trees and behind them I could sense a life time of pain.
She stiffened, staring at me out of the corner of her eye. I dashed down the hallway to the adjoining wing. I could hear her gaining on me. She followed me! The gall of this woman! She shall see just how tricky this ghost could be. I sped up and turned down a dead end to slip behind another hidden door. She rounded the corner and stopped in disbelief. I couldn't help but chuckle. The dumb look of her face was almost priceless. I cut through one of the dressing rooms and waited for her to return to the exit. I stood tall and menacing as she emerged back from the other wing. I smiled proudly as the color drained from her face. The entrancing rise of her panic stricken breath made my stomach flutter with confidence. She was beautiful to say the least, but lacked the pure innocence that Kristina held dear.
Her eyes bore deep within mine, as if she were trying to clench onto my soul. "I-I know who you are?"
"Is that so?" I calmly replied. I caught the all too familiar response to the articulation and natural inflection of my voice. "Pray tell, who am I?"
"Well, I know you aren't a ghost..." She bit her lip to try and still the tremor growing there. I couldn't help but watch with slight fascination. This was definitely a first in my memory that someone didn't retreat.
"Are you so sure of such things?" I questioned her. I strode towards her as her chest began to heave with unabated breath.
She closed her eyes and I took that moment to disappear through the wall once more. Even though I relished a good laugh, I had an agenda to follow. This silly game would have to be put to rest for now. Working my way around to the chorus wing, I could hear Kristina a few rooms over. She was lost in the solo piece the instructor had bestowed upon her. He had practiced with her earlier that day and she sounded perfect. After the instructor had finished, she asked him if he would mind if she stayed a while longer to rehearse her solo. He agreed and left to her here alone. I listened as she sung a few verses before becoming irritated. She had so much potential if she just knew how to grasp the music.
I stood outside the two way mirror and caught her raw candidness. She was alone, and very deep in concentration when I crept up from the cold, daft corridor. Instantly my heart was set aflame at the sound of her voice. It needed some work, but this was minuscule to the unbridled talent she already possessed.
Her voice faltered in her attempt to ascend into the higher range of the piece. In frustration she threw the music down to the floor and huffed into the armchair tucked away in the corner of the room. I couldn't help but giggle at her childish outburst. My amusement was quickly taken away when she dropped her head into her hands and began to cry silent tears.
My heart wretched as the wetness leaked between her fingers. I clutched my vest where my heart stuttered. Her head slowly lifted out of her hands and up toward the ceiling. Her face was flushed and swollen with her cries.
My hand pressed up against the glass with every fiber in my body wanting nothing more than to cradle her and hush the anguish away. I would do anything just to be able to feel her soft, supple skin glide under my touch.
Her quiet prayers pulled me from my daydream. "Please God. I haven't asked you for much in this life, but I need a miracle. This is all I have to give but it's not good enough." She clenched her fingers tightly together. "Give me a sign, show me the way!" She bowed her head down until her forehead brushed against her fisted hands. She sat like this for a while, unmoving and abated.
"Poor, sweet, child..." I purred out before I even knew what I was doing. She stilled. "Do not fear me...and please do not cry."
I could see her physically struggle to swallow. Her eyes were stretched wide with shock. "Wh-who is there?"
"It is I,"I hesitated for only a moment. "Your Angel of Music. You had prayed for a miracle. Well child, I am here."
"An angel?" She asked, searching the ceiling as if it would give away some kind of sure truth. "Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming. Angels aren't real!" Kristina's mouth hung open in disbelief.
"I am here, Kristina. Sent to you to fulfill your destiny. Your fate was decided long ago and I am here to help you see. I am here to help you sing and pursue anything in the musical realm. I will never steer you askew. I promise you." I did my very best to keep my voice light and airy. It almost had a cadence to it.
"I...I'm not sure." She stammered out, wringing her hands violently.
"Losing your parents at such a tender age was most unfair to you. But I have been given their blessing as well to help you in your musical pursuits."
"My parents...?" Tears began to well up once more. "It can't be."
"Kristina-"I breathed her name out in a holy tenor. "Sing with me. And I will prove to you I am an angel."
And so we did. The poor girl was so hesitant at first, but once she heard my voice I saw her shoulders release the tension and her hands eventually fall down to her side. I never imagined in my life that I would have the opportunity to sing with such a beautiful woman. My heart soared higher than any written note.
As we carried on into the early hours of the morning, I could see the dark, heavy circles forming under her beautiful blue eyes. She must be exhausted but she wasn't ready to give up yet. She leaned heavily against the music stand, going great lengths to continue our unearthly duet.
"That is enough for tonight. You must go and get some rest." I reluctantly said.
"No! I don't want you to go!" She pleaded with me, her face as sad as a withering rose.
"I shall come to you tomorrow night my child, after your music lessons with Monsieur Bellamy."
"How did you-?" She asked, a resemblance of fear creeping back into the creases of her face.
"I am an Angel. I see everything. Now go and rest. Goodnight my little protégé."
My heart thundered beneath my chest as she left through the south side exit. I could hardly believe it myself, but for the last three hours I had sung with her. Our voices entwined with one another's as if we were two lovers rolled up in bed sheets. I rested my head on the wooden doorframe right outside the exit. I had half a mind to follow her home just so I could take in as much of her as I humanly could. I reached out to her tonight with my voice as my only ally.
I practically flew down the layers of the opera house and barged into my plain, quaint living quarters. Humming a song to myself, I took off my hat and trench coat and placed them back onto the coat rack. Smoothing over my hair, I began to pace my apartment.
I could not believe my luck. How on earth could this have worked out any better? It was as if fate finally took pity on me. She had wished for me and dreamed of an angel of music to guide her. I could do exactly that without the dangers of her fearing my face or the secrets of my past.
Yet still, while we stood there singing together, I couldn't hold back the urge to reach out from behind the glass and touch her. My arms were encircled upon myself, but I wanted so badly to have them wrapped around her slender frame, cradling her away from all her fears. In time, she will learn of me, but for now I would have to resign to being just a heavenly voice.
A surge of inspiration jolted me out of my mindless tracing of rooms to the violin sitting patiently in my bedroom, waiting to be played. The mahogany felt comfortable in my grip, like an old, distant friend. Slipping the instrument under my chin, I began to string up a few notes. Before I knew it, I was lost in a hauntingly quiet melody. The soft pull of the bow against the strings sang out into a light chorus of quiet intonation. I played until my arms hurt, until my eyes were throbbing in utter exhaustion. Feeling my energy from everything that had happened dwindle down to just a flicker, I returned the instrument back to its holder next to the piano and dragged myself to bed. I lay down against the cold, velvet sheets and stared up at the black ceiling.
'Soon she will see me and know me. Soon I will be able to experience even for a brief moment in time what it feels like to be real.'
I closed my eyes and let the sweet feel of sleep take me away into the musical recesses of my mind. It was funny how even in my sleep I could hear music, soft and entrancing. Some of my best work was always hatched from a song I dreamt about. I began to dream of a powerful musical piece, one that excited the soul and unprovoked; the image of the dancing girl accompanied the rhythm.
X
The next evening I made my way back to the dressing room, this time with my violin in tow. It was time to up the ante. We had been practicing together with just our voices, a mystical A Capella of sorts. She had greatly excelled at the simpler lessons of breathing technique and posture just as I had suspected she would.
I began to play a soft melody as I strolled up the corridor towards the two way mirror. There she stood, waiting patiently for me to arrive. Half of her hair was pulled up and away from her face while the rest flowed wildly down her chest. I still longed to stroke it and lose my fingers in the beautiful sea of red and auburn strands.
She closed her eyes at the soft pull of the notes being played as her body relaxed against the music stand. I finished my piece and in the silence of the room I could hear her exhale deeply.
"Let us begin." She snapped her eyes opened and turned slightly more towards the mirror, her eyes searching but only finding her own reflection. "Repeat exactly after me...do re me fa so la ti dooooo."
After a moment's pause, she took a deep breath and mimicked my scale. "Do re me fa so la ti dooooo."
"Now diminuendo. Do re me fa so la ti dooooo."
She repeated the regression perfectly. Thus began our flow of melodies between us. We warmed up our voices for another thirty minutes or so before I raised the violin to rest under my chin once more.
"This time, my sweet Kristina, we sing with song. I want you to keep up with my playing. I will play the verse a few times and then I want you to follow. Do you understand?" I waited for her response with growing anticipation. I could feel my blood begin to boil beneath my skin as the moments ticked by.
"Yes maestro, I understand." She tensed, waiting for the music.
"Ah, ah. Relax your shoulders, my dear. This is music, not an execution. How is your lovely voice supposed to carry out when it is trapped within your chest? Shoulders back, arms down at your side and your chin leveled." I eyed her up once more, and pleased with her obedience I began my sensual melody with a smile.
Kristina stood there and listened. Her eyes slowly shut as the music began to caress her. The blood rushed into her cheeks causing her face to deepen in color. After the first count, I started to sing the first verse of her solo piece hauntingly quiet. This repeated twice more before I beckoned her to join. She took a deep breath in and the voice that came out didn't belong to the young aspiring Soprano but to a world class opera singer. I began to heighten the rhythm with our musical tango. We added another verse and began to exchange lines from the song. One line right after the other sang throughout the small dressing room. My fingers slid across the violin like a possessed fiddler, faster and frenzied. I began to bend with the music as the song reached its climax. Kristina simultaneously extended her arms out towards the mirror and bellowed out the last note.
After we finished the song, we were both out of breath. I turned my back to the mirror, concealing the surge of emotions flowing around me. Unable to help myself, I put the violin against my chin one last time. The music that emanated from the instrument was nothing short of sinful. I couldn't help it. I couldn't shake the raw, torturous arousal which took over me. Music had such a strange way of weaving in and out of my core, filling me with waves of emotions. I've never shared these musical melodies with anyone before and this mere duet was more than my soul could handle. I was only but a man after all.
Turning back around, I stole a glance up at Kristina. One hand fingered the tips of her hair while the other was caught between her teeth. I inhaled sharply as the bow skidded across the strings causing a very unnatural sound.
"That will be enough for tonight, my dear." I swallowed hard to clear away the lump forming in my throat.
"Yes master." She said with a husky voice.
This is why she continued to come back to me. Our lessons weren't always this intense, but the others weren't any less affective. She was beginning to understand the impact that music could have on the soul. It was beginning to take shape for her, just as I saw it. It has the ability to make you feel for every occasion. Music can mimic the player's mood but also help release it. This is what I began to teach my beautiful Kristina. Our nights ended in these instrumental waltzes and brought our hearts closer in every passing moment. She brought life back into me and a new purpose. She would be my life's work and I would give her the world if she asked it of me.
Xxx
A few days later.
Perched high above on the rafters of the stage ceiling, I looked down upon the rehearsals underway for the upcoming production. If I had more pull, I would have definitely chosen a different performance for this season, but lately I lost the heart to really care about the matters of the opera house. Every night for the past week I entertained my little artisan with lessons and private renditions of her choosing. She was hardly even afraid of the voice anymore. She would patiently wait for me in her dressing room, her hands tucked nervously away on her lap. I couldn't help but revel in this feeling of being enamored. In the hours we were together, I was able to forget about my past and the heavy burden that I carried on my face. It was utterly divine.
Gazing down once more, the choir director had called Kristina up to the front of the stage to rehearse her solo. She held her head high in gushing confidence and I couldn't help but swell with pride. I had to get a closer look. My fingers coiled around one of the old ropes hanging down next to me and holding tight, I swung down to the rafter below. My feet hit the beam silently like a pouncing feline. Not a soul even noticed.
Kristina turned her head slightly towards the director, and with a nod he began the beautiful aria. She faced the auditorium and began to sing the opening verse. Everyone on stage immediately stopped what they were doing and gaped at the young soprano. Her voice was nothing short of heavenly. My beautiful, lovely, Kristina! My hands wrapped around themselves and I drew them close to my pounding heart. How much had a week changed her? Gone was the timid, raspy voice of the adolescent from before. Here stood a young woman, whose voice could bring the most hardened man to tears. My perfect pupil. She has indeed been paying attention to her angel of music. As the last notes of the song came to an end, I gripped the wooden beam under me.
Oh, how I loved her so. I would do anything for this girl, even murder. And yet, I sat there cowering unbeknownst to the company watching below. I could never be enough for her, she would eventually become restless.
'What then, Erik? How will you explain to the poor child that you aren't this Angel? You are nothing but a man. You are nothing but Erik!' My jaw clenched in inhabited anger.
'Isn't what I have now enough!?' Shaking the thoughts away, I pulled myself back up to the top rafter, grabbed my hat and stalked off to the fly system. Flipping a lever up, I quickly grabbed hold of one of the ropes and rode it to the top of the flies where I snuck into a hidden door that lead into a deserted storage room. The scent of dust and mothballs hung heavy in the air. Old, rotting prop pieces and half eaten backdrops resided in the same resting place they had for decades. Slipping passed the clutter; I opened a concealed door behind a tall, wooden set piece and climbed down the ladder to the first floor corridors. The chorus members began to file out of the theater, their voices blending into one incomprehensible blurb.
Kristina walked out last, a smile stretching from ear to ear. She walked as if she were in a haze of dreams, completely unaware of the crowd around her. Her hair fell in troves around her shoulders, curving down her shoulder blades to graze the base of her back. She was elegant in every sense of the word.
"Kristina!" A voice shouted from within the crowd. I recognized that voice. "Kristina wait!"
I moved from my spot within the corridor to peer through one of the paintings hanging on the wall. Through the tiny peephole within the landscape, I could see the silhouette of the girl who I had caught in the corridors a week ago. Oh good grief!
"Cass!" She beckoned to her through the crowd. So now I had a name to give the little sneer.
"Where the hell have you been!? I haven't seen you in over a week!" The dancer exclaimed, worry creasing the brows on her face. When she finally reached Kristina, she lightly embraced her. After they let go, Kristina broke out into a smile. Her friend smirked and then placed a hand under her elbow and drew them closer to where I hid behind the painting. "Kris...have you met someone!?"
My heart skipped a beat. I pressed myself closer against the wall to get a better look and listen. "Well not exactly. I've been staying late to practice my lessons. Oh, it's been wonderful. You should have seen me out there today. I surprised even myself." She dropped her head and fingered the button on her shirt. "It's almost surreal."
"I was just worried when you didn't come home last night. That's all." She grinned weakly and gave Kristina a reassured squeeze on her delicate arm. "Let's have dinner tonight. We'll order Chinese, drink cheap wine and watch sappy love movies."
"Okay..." She bit her lip for a fleeting moment and wagged her head.
"I'll see you then." Her friend stalked off down the hallway.
"Where are going? Aren't your rehearsals over with?" Kristina called out to Cass.
"I have to speak with administration about a possible infestation." She said indignantly and turned down the corridor toward the administration wing.
Anger bubbled up inside my gut. So, she thought I was an infestation? I had been residing there far longer than she had been living! I spun around and began to make my way through the maze of corridors and trap doors towards the manager's offices. Fury enveloped me in an aura of blackness. The absolute gall of this woman! Never in my life had I been challenged like this before. For years I had been shunned away from the hustle of society for the benefit of their sakes. And now this little ninny wanted to try and sweep me out. I would make sure she would not succeed. I may have disappeared from this establishment's control, however I will not stand aside to let this troublemaker evict me from what is rightfully mine!
I came to a halt within the wall right outside of the administration's office before I disappeared up a hidden ladder. The crawl space was hardly fitting enough for me to creep between. Looking down between the fluorescent light fixtures and the ceiling, I could see the office assistants typing away on their electronic hardware. A brief, uncomfortable moment passed until the little snitch quietly entered the room. She stood awkwardly, picking at her fingers in nervousness. After no one turned to address her she walked up to the first desk.
'Let's see how brave you really are, you little witch.'
"Excuse me?" Cass interrupted. The office assistant peered over her glasses.
"How can I help you?" She asked her voice monotone.
"I need to speak with someone regarding an issue that I have." She bit her lip. The assistant didn't replay. "An issue regarding safety."
The assistant halted her typing and stared at Cass. "You have a safety issue? I see. Let me see if the managers are in or not." She picked up the phone and punched out a few buttons. "You can sit over there." The assistant pointed her pen at an empty chair against the wall.
"Thank you." She replied.
I dragged across the boards above the ceiling until I was right over the young dancer. She fidgeted in her seat and her teeth worked her bottom lip. I could tell even from the distance between us she was extremely nervous. For being so courageous the week before, it was almost a surprise to see her fear those two dimwits.
"Miss?" Cass looked up from her lap. "You can go back. They are in the room on the left. Please stop by my desk afterwards so that you can fill out a formal complaint."
Cass walked passed the two secretaries with her head held high. I could tell at this point she was trying to gather all the courage she had. Besides, how else was she going to explain to those two morons that a man was living in the basement of the opera? She will be shocked to find out that they already know of me.
I scaled the beams about ten feet to the right and positioned myself over the two managers in the conference room. This space had a recessed ceiling and it offered a little more breathing room than the administration lobby.
She walked in the conference room with the same air of confidence but I could see in those brown eyes of hers the slight panic at the sight of her employers. They gestured for her to sit down in one of the leather backed chairs and waited patiently for her to address them. When she did not speak, the managers took it upon themselves to break the proverbial ice.
"Good afternoon, Cassarah." Moncharmin greeted. "What seems to be troubling you?"
"Well...um..." She unceremoniously cleared her throat. "I would first like to say that what I'm about to tell you may sound absolutely ridiculous. But please bear with me."
"Okay, go on." Firmin gently pressed.
She took a deep breath before continuing her plight. "I believe there may be someone roaming your opera house basement." She practically blurted out.
"Oh." Firmin breathed.
The managers both looked aghast at one another. "Where did you see this man?" Moncharmin asked.
"Well...uh...in one of the hidden corridors leading down to the basement of the Opera. I was with a friend here late for rehearsal and we had both ventured down."
"You do realize this premise is closed after ten, right? You are also not permitted anywhere near the cellars."
"What did the man look like?" Firmin pressed on. She blushed slightly.
"Well...he was very tall and wore this period type of clothing. It was almost like a suit and vest outfit. He also wore a black trench coat and a mask that covered half his face. Um, strong, masculine facial features. Or, at least the features I could make out."
The manager's faces blanched. They both looked at each other and leaned in close so the girl couldn't hear their private exchange. I dipped my head lower to try and catch the snippet of conversation.
"...He's been quiet for ages. I thought we had a mutual understanding that if he kept the riff raff under control and stay away from the opera population, he could keep his residency..." Firmin chirped.
"Hmm. We'll have to speak with the head of security then." Moncharmin whispered.
They turned back to the girl staring quizzically at the pair. They both took a sip of water and then Firmin stood as Moncharmin began to rifle through a folder with paper work neatly tucked inside.
Sighing, Moncharmin regarded the girl with hooded eyes. "Cass, we've reviewed your case work from your psychologist and we have no evidence that we should discredit you on any bias. She writes nothing but good things in here. Things about the progress from your last overdose, your living situations, your score cards..."
'Overdose? Psychologist? There is more to this girl than I originally thought.'
I quieted the voice in my head to try and catch the last bit of their observation.
"We take pride in our rehabilitation program and wholeheartedly believe in our groups here…" Firmin boasted.
"Perhaps it was just your mind playing tricks on you." Moncharmin interrupted. "You know, seeing things out of the corner of your eye, thinking chairs are ghostly figures…"
"No! This wasn't my imagination...this was a real, breathing, blinking human being." She said sternly. "I saw him with my own eyes. You don't believe me do you?" She asked, panic riding in her voice.
"Of course we-." Moncharmin said.
"There is a masked man running around the basement of your opera house, scaring people half to death and you want me to just forget it? If you aren't going to take me seriously, I can always go to the authorities."
"We will have security do a sweep of the premises to make sure there is nothing to worry about. I promise you, this establishment is very safe." Firmin added. His partner shot him a quick glare. "Please don't fret over it. I'm sure it was nothing."
"This is bullshit." Cass shouted and stood to leave.
"Please watch your tone." Moncharmin chided her. I couldn't help but chuckle at their reactions. This one was a fiery one.
"I came to you both in confidence, and as embarrassing as it was to admit, you sit there and shoot me down as if I'm telling you another ghost story. I've seen this man twice now and both times he wasn't very welcoming."
"I can assure you-"
"Miss please-"
And without another word she turned and left the two managers staring at her in disbelief. I could hear the secretaries groan in protest as the young dancer flew by them in blind rage.
After she left, the two sat back down heavily in the leather office chairs. Moncharmin gathered the papers from the folder and filed them neatly back in.
"What should we do, old friend?" Firmin looked at his partner who nursed his temples gingerly.
"Send out a security sweep. It will at least cover our asses and keep us from a law suit."
"And what of our agreement with him?" They both glanced around the room cautiously.
"He'd better hide away for a while. It seems he has his own adversary."
Sitting up, I let the scene replay in my head. This could be quite a dangerous situation. I knew I should have taken care of this little shrew the first time I encountered her. It appears though, she isn't as easily frightened away as the others were. Perhaps I will have to play on her terms. I must make myself very clear to this curious dancer that the man she speaks so darkly of is not someone to try and challenge. The lesson planned for tonight with my beloved would have to hold off. I had more pressing matters to attend to.
With irritation as my guiding step, I made my way back down to my apartment. I kicked the door open with a deafening crack and threw my hat and coat down onto the ground.
Stepping over the sheets of music scattered across my floor, I sat at the piano and sunk deep into a dark, entrancing melody. My fingers played hard against the ivory, every string of chords an attempt to wretch the overwhelming pull of anger dwelling and building inside. Birthing from this deep meditation, I knew what had to be done. And by God I had to risk it all to keep it all. I would have to approach her face to face.
My fingers pounded out a few more chords before I became lost in my plans. No one would stand in my way of getting what I wanted. And this Cass girl was standing directly between my path to Kristina.
'No more manners, Erik, no more silly games. This time, you must make it clear you are not a force to be reckoned with."