Disclaimer: I've told you once, I've told you a million times, and since I
will only tell you one million and one times, listen good this time, okay?
I do NOT own Erik, Gaston Leroux does. There! I've said it. Now continue
reading, and don't forget to add your review after you've finished. Enjoy!
~ Chapter seven ~
He hurried his steps and entered the kitchen right away. He could enter any room he wanted from the outside, since every room had at least two hidden entrances to it.
He had just started putting bread and butter onto the table when he heard a tired gasp from the doorway. He quickly put on the black mask, which he always had hidden in one of his inner cloak pockets, cursing himself for not hearing her sooner. Then he turned and saw Christine standing there, trying to hide her gasp with her hand.
"Tired?" he asked. "You are up earlier than I thought you would be. I haven't even had time to prepare our breakfast yet."
"Oh, don't worry, I'll help you."
"No, that's not necessary. Sit down and rest for a while instead, I'm soon finished anyway."
She did as he commanded and sat down on one of the beautifully decorated kitchen chairs, while she watched Erik putting out the rest of the breakfast on the table.
This was what he liked. When it was just the two of them.
She sat there, at his table, so naturally, as if it was only a table, any table, and not one owned by a monster. She was so special! He had never met anyone like her. A woman, but still a child in so many ways, and yet, he didn't scare her anymore. She looked at him putting the marmalade on the table without any fear in her eyes. She was just tired, not scared. There wasn't any sign of fright in her eyes.
Oh, it was so lovely to have someone that wasn't jumping out of fear by the pure sight of him, even with the mask on. No matter what he had done to her two nights ago, she was relaxed now, she trusted him.
He made the daring move to lean over her, testing her limits towards him, you might say, when he put out a plate in front of her. But she didn't move! She didn't even move! He even dared to touch her shoulder a bit, oh, just a bit, but she must have felt it, and still she hadn't moved an inch. He backed off from her again. The feeling of joy was almost overwhelming.
This was what he wanted. This was what he'd dreamed of for so long. To have someone who didn't treat him any differently than any other man, someone that made him feel like anyone else, and that wasn't terrified by him.
Oh, desired object of my sweet passion! How can I love you so strongly? I read most of what I know of love in books. It's nothing I've ever experienced, yet love fills my heart and mind. Will I ever be free from you?
As he had stood there for a while, watching the pure miracle before him, Christine turned her blond head to look at what he was doing. Since he was only quietly observing her, she quickly blushed and turned her head back to the table again.
Feeling forced to break the odd silence but still not knowing what to say, she asked:
"Aren't you joining me for breakfast?"
"If it is your will", he calmly said.
Christine nodded her head.
Erik walked around the table and sat down at the same chair he had sat in the night before.
"Why are you wearing a mask again Erik?"
Erik looked at her.
"I didn't think you would like to see a monster this early in the day, it can't be good for the appetite", he coldly replied.
Christine felt oddly hurt by that reply and bit her lip and didn't dare to look him in the eyes out of fear for his rage when she said:
"I thought I had burned them all."
Erik saw how what he said affected Christine and decided to try and not make her upset any more than necessary. She didn't have to know of the fact that he had just as many masks as he might require. After all, he did live in an Opera House, did he not? He decided to lie.
"This one is the last one I have left. But if you wish I could remove it for you, it's a bit hard to eat with it on anyway."
He quietly awaited her reply, making sure he hadn't misunderstood her earlier. Perhaps he was wrong, perhaps she was only glad that he wore the mask again? But no, Christine quietly said:
"Please do so. I don't want any borders between us anymore. Not now. we are married, remember? I want to face my husband, not a black mask all the time."
"As you wish, my wife" Erik said and turned away his head as he removed the mask. He closed his eyes knowing, even though he didn't have any mirror in the room, exactly how hideous he looked. He took a deep breath before he turned to face Christine, afraid as always that she would react the same way she had done the first time she had ripped the mask off him, he was mentally prepared for screams of horror. He was stiff and ready to catch her in case she would faint by the sight of him, but now she wasn't even looking! She was buttering a piece of bread!
"Could you please pass me the bread, Erik?"
Erik looked at her suspiciously, if she would have the slightest glimpse of fear or disgust in her eyes he would notice it. But she was acting more normal than she ever had down in his house. Christine passed him the bread and took some marmalade on the piece of bread she had served herself.
Erik felt odd. The whole scenery was odd. It was as if he was there and yet, not. Because something like this can't happen to a monster such as Erik. Monsters don't have normal lives. God forbids it.
He still tried to take control over the situation. He had to have control!
"Would you like to have a singing lesson after you've finished, dear?"
Christine looked at him with a smile, but had her mouth filled with bread so it took a while before she could reply him.
"Yes, that would be nice. I like our morning singing-lessons. They make me feel strong the rest of the day somehow."
Erik nodded for he knew how she felt. The air that filled the lungs before you started singing the first note in the morning was energetic and awoke your soul.
"We will have to sing something from the opera then!"
Christine giggled at his enthusiasm, her eyes aglow with life and Erik took a piece of bread himself and started buttering it, thinking how he could get used to bright mornings such as this, together with Christine. That was when he felt the first chest-pain for the day strike.
This time it was as if a hand squeezed his heart and the pain spread out to his arm and it made him grimace out of agony. He dropped the piece of bread on the floor, and gasped for air and fell towards the table. In a distance he could hear Christine scream his name out of shock and fear.
The thoughts that crossed his mind before the pain made him pass out was that Christine had never seen him have an attack like this before, even though he had had several. "You sure pick your timing, God."
Then everything went black and his body fell down on the floor
~ Chapter seven ~
He hurried his steps and entered the kitchen right away. He could enter any room he wanted from the outside, since every room had at least two hidden entrances to it.
He had just started putting bread and butter onto the table when he heard a tired gasp from the doorway. He quickly put on the black mask, which he always had hidden in one of his inner cloak pockets, cursing himself for not hearing her sooner. Then he turned and saw Christine standing there, trying to hide her gasp with her hand.
"Tired?" he asked. "You are up earlier than I thought you would be. I haven't even had time to prepare our breakfast yet."
"Oh, don't worry, I'll help you."
"No, that's not necessary. Sit down and rest for a while instead, I'm soon finished anyway."
She did as he commanded and sat down on one of the beautifully decorated kitchen chairs, while she watched Erik putting out the rest of the breakfast on the table.
This was what he liked. When it was just the two of them.
She sat there, at his table, so naturally, as if it was only a table, any table, and not one owned by a monster. She was so special! He had never met anyone like her. A woman, but still a child in so many ways, and yet, he didn't scare her anymore. She looked at him putting the marmalade on the table without any fear in her eyes. She was just tired, not scared. There wasn't any sign of fright in her eyes.
Oh, it was so lovely to have someone that wasn't jumping out of fear by the pure sight of him, even with the mask on. No matter what he had done to her two nights ago, she was relaxed now, she trusted him.
He made the daring move to lean over her, testing her limits towards him, you might say, when he put out a plate in front of her. But she didn't move! She didn't even move! He even dared to touch her shoulder a bit, oh, just a bit, but she must have felt it, and still she hadn't moved an inch. He backed off from her again. The feeling of joy was almost overwhelming.
This was what he wanted. This was what he'd dreamed of for so long. To have someone who didn't treat him any differently than any other man, someone that made him feel like anyone else, and that wasn't terrified by him.
Oh, desired object of my sweet passion! How can I love you so strongly? I read most of what I know of love in books. It's nothing I've ever experienced, yet love fills my heart and mind. Will I ever be free from you?
As he had stood there for a while, watching the pure miracle before him, Christine turned her blond head to look at what he was doing. Since he was only quietly observing her, she quickly blushed and turned her head back to the table again.
Feeling forced to break the odd silence but still not knowing what to say, she asked:
"Aren't you joining me for breakfast?"
"If it is your will", he calmly said.
Christine nodded her head.
Erik walked around the table and sat down at the same chair he had sat in the night before.
"Why are you wearing a mask again Erik?"
Erik looked at her.
"I didn't think you would like to see a monster this early in the day, it can't be good for the appetite", he coldly replied.
Christine felt oddly hurt by that reply and bit her lip and didn't dare to look him in the eyes out of fear for his rage when she said:
"I thought I had burned them all."
Erik saw how what he said affected Christine and decided to try and not make her upset any more than necessary. She didn't have to know of the fact that he had just as many masks as he might require. After all, he did live in an Opera House, did he not? He decided to lie.
"This one is the last one I have left. But if you wish I could remove it for you, it's a bit hard to eat with it on anyway."
He quietly awaited her reply, making sure he hadn't misunderstood her earlier. Perhaps he was wrong, perhaps she was only glad that he wore the mask again? But no, Christine quietly said:
"Please do so. I don't want any borders between us anymore. Not now. we are married, remember? I want to face my husband, not a black mask all the time."
"As you wish, my wife" Erik said and turned away his head as he removed the mask. He closed his eyes knowing, even though he didn't have any mirror in the room, exactly how hideous he looked. He took a deep breath before he turned to face Christine, afraid as always that she would react the same way she had done the first time she had ripped the mask off him, he was mentally prepared for screams of horror. He was stiff and ready to catch her in case she would faint by the sight of him, but now she wasn't even looking! She was buttering a piece of bread!
"Could you please pass me the bread, Erik?"
Erik looked at her suspiciously, if she would have the slightest glimpse of fear or disgust in her eyes he would notice it. But she was acting more normal than she ever had down in his house. Christine passed him the bread and took some marmalade on the piece of bread she had served herself.
Erik felt odd. The whole scenery was odd. It was as if he was there and yet, not. Because something like this can't happen to a monster such as Erik. Monsters don't have normal lives. God forbids it.
He still tried to take control over the situation. He had to have control!
"Would you like to have a singing lesson after you've finished, dear?"
Christine looked at him with a smile, but had her mouth filled with bread so it took a while before she could reply him.
"Yes, that would be nice. I like our morning singing-lessons. They make me feel strong the rest of the day somehow."
Erik nodded for he knew how she felt. The air that filled the lungs before you started singing the first note in the morning was energetic and awoke your soul.
"We will have to sing something from the opera then!"
Christine giggled at his enthusiasm, her eyes aglow with life and Erik took a piece of bread himself and started buttering it, thinking how he could get used to bright mornings such as this, together with Christine. That was when he felt the first chest-pain for the day strike.
This time it was as if a hand squeezed his heart and the pain spread out to his arm and it made him grimace out of agony. He dropped the piece of bread on the floor, and gasped for air and fell towards the table. In a distance he could hear Christine scream his name out of shock and fear.
The thoughts that crossed his mind before the pain made him pass out was that Christine had never seen him have an attack like this before, even though he had had several. "You sure pick your timing, God."
Then everything went black and his body fell down on the floor