Chapter 8

Thank you for the reviews! You don't know how much they mean to me! You guys are amazing!

And to Singerdreamer42 yes Erik will hear her sing…all in good time! You can read my mind! And Faye is soprano. Sorry, I should've pointed that out! And I looked up that song and it's really good! I may use that in one of my chapters.

I am SO sorry for not updating, doing crew for musical for school and tons of homework! Teachers think I don't have a life outside of school…

Thanks for the reviews! They are greatly appreciated!

Faye POV

We got into the carriage and we were off. It looked like it was going to be a pleasant day. I just hoped we didn't have that awkward silence again. I thought maybe I should start if I wanted to have a conversation with Erik. I wanted to learn more about him. I prayed he would tell me his story because he knew most of mine… it only seemed fair.

"Erik-"I asked tentatively.

"Yes Faye?" he inquired plainly.

"I was just wondering…"I wanted to back down, I never think before I speak.

"What?"

"Would tell me about yourself, you know a lot about me, I thought I should know a few things about you so we aren't just two strangers going on a journey together in silence ignoring one another."

He considered. But didn't respond.

"It could kill some time…"I said.

"I guess so… what would you like to know?" He asked.

"Whatever you would like to tell me." As long as we had a conversation I didn't care what about. If he had a cat one time, hell I wouldn't care.

"Well, you probably heard some of this from Madame Giry…" he supposed.

"What are you talking about?" Pretending I didn't know meant that I would hear his story, his point of view. And that's the story I wanted to hear.

"Oh well maybe she didn't… well I was born this way…"he pointed to the side of his face hidden by the mask.

"I was born to a content, poor family. Didn't grow up with fancy things. Wasn't allowed much of anything because of my disfigurement. I wasn't close to anyone except my brother Edmond. He was my older brother by six years. He was the closest to me. We would play, laugh, and talk whatever little kids did with each other to keep each other occupied. I was never allowed to go outside the house, but Edmond could. They said it was because he was older. My father couldn't stand me at all; I guess he couldn't believe he was the father of a monster. But my mother could somewhat stand me, I suppose when I had my mask on at least. She wouldn't even look at me with it off. She was terrified and ran away and wept in her room for hours and even me knocking at the door for her, telling her to come out, she would not. Edmond would knock and she would let him in and a few moments later he would be holding mother's hand and she would be wiping her eyes with his handkerchief. She wouldn't acknowledge my existence for a few days afterward. She tried to not fear me, but I think I scared her too much. My father was a different story. He made sure I didn't feel a part of his family. He would beat me which seemed like for hours, over and over again. Whenever he got a chance. When Edmond wasn't around. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me when Edmond was nearby. He worshipped his handsome little son. When the beating was over or whatever my father chose to punish me that day I would hide in Edmonds room and wait till he came in, from whatever he was doing outside or was at school. He was always there to comfort me. He never ran away from me, and when came into his room crying and he never pushed me away. One time my father really lost it one day and through a plate at me. The plate broke and the glass cut some of my face. You can't see it anymore but…"

He showed me his neck, on the left side there was a lined scar, not too huge. But able to keep a memory of his despicable father.

"So I endured these tortures for seven years, my brother Edmond finally stood up to my father and punched him square in the face. Told him it wasn't my fault if I wasn't normal. It didn't mean that I couldn't go to school like him, that I was his brother and he shouldn't treat his own son that way. My mother was horrified. My father went on this huge rampage. And that very same night, my father dragged me downstairs and led me out the door. I didn't know that would be the first and last time I have left the house."

I was leaning towards him wondering what would happen. I was scared and frightened, afraid to see what happened next.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked. Sensing my apprehension.

"No, no please go on Erik." I say.

"He took me to some old fairgrounds. He went up to one of the gypsies and showed them my face.

"What do you say? Devil's child is the right word for him." sadi my father.

The gypsy's long, ghoulish, wrinkled hands touched my face. Her expression was disgusted that someone could produce such a repulsive little creature of darkness...

"Yessir, we'll take him, we need more attractions to bring the people around these days." she said to my father. She was establishing her price before my father could speak again.

"5 euro. No more, no less. Times are hard." I sensed my father's stiffening and almost rejection. Was I worth more to him? Or was it just haggle over price?

"Fine. Here you go, here's your spawn of Satan!" I was hurled to the gypsy woman who dragged me to one of the carts. I was fighting with all my might to be freed but to no success.

"NO!" I heard voices shriek, it was Edmond and my mother.

"What did you do John? You didn't-"my mother was afraid to know the truth.

"Yes I did." He said proudly.

"NO! Erik!" "Erik, where are you?" wailed my mother. She could never see real well in the dark.

I was loaded into a cage, howling for Edmond and my mother to get me.

"Shut up, you swine." Said one of the bigger gypsies. The carriages began to move. And fast.

"Father!" I pleaded. "Please don't let them take me with them!"

"Erik!" Edmond ran after the carts he reached for my hand and missed as he fell because my father tackled him and brought him back to our mother.

"ERIK!" he cried.

"Edmond!" I yelled.

"Erik!" Edmond screamed.

"Shut up you little brat!" The bigger gypsy knocked me out to keep me quiet. I just remember Edmond screaming, my mother desperately crying for me and my father watching proudly me getting away from him at last."

"And so I remained the devil's child for five grueling, miserable years until I met Miss. Antoinette. Or as you know her Madame Giry and she rescued me from the gypsy camp and if I am not mistaken you know the rest…" He ended his sad tale on that note.

Yes. I knew the rest. But I felt as if he wanted to tell more. Perhaps that was enough heart-to heart talk for the day.

I had to cry, it was so sad! Tears overflowed. I couldn't stop them. Poor Erik! He was denied of pretty much every happiness imaginable. Not only go through awful treatment of his family. Poor, unhappy Erik!

"I don't need your pity Faye. I've had enough of that." He said.

"I'm not pitying you, Erik, I crying for you." Maybe it was the same thing pity and crying for him but right now it didn't seem the same to me. I could have been crying with him. But he wasn't crying.

"You suffered so much, no one should ever-"

"What?" he asked me. As if for the first time someone knew what he went through.

"No one. No one should ever EVER have to endure that." I said between sobs.

"It's sooo sad…"I cried.

"Faye it's…It's okay." He said calmly. He moved to sit beside me and put his arm around my shoulder. I put my head against his shoulder as he held me tight.

"But it isn't." I wept.

"Faye the world is full of people like my father. I have gone on and need to learn to accept who I am. A monster of gloom. Who deserves to dwell where no one else can find them." He looked away out the window. The sun was setting.

"Erik- you are no monster." I sniffled.

"Then why did she leave me? Why else Faye? WHY?" He inquired.

I thought about what Erik had told me about Christine. A beauty, a young soprano who he had given a voice to. His inspiration. Once a little girl he watched over and now old enough to meet her Angel of Music. A young woman who he led down to his home and sang to her, music meant for only her to hear. His love of his life. Ripped off his mask and he got angry. He killed a man during a performance. Scared of his presence Christine and her old childhood friend Raoul escaped to the roof of the opera. His Christine. Not knowing Erik was there as they professed their love for each other. Poor Erik! How painful and suffering he had during those moments! When he took Christine's engagement ring at the masquerade ball. His obsession. When he took Christine to the cemetery and held her spellbound with his voice. How he fought for her at the cemetery. How at his opera he and Christine sang the powerful beautiful duet. Erik was overflowing in love for her. Erik thought she meant all those words. Once they had met each other and embraced as the opera had wanted, she rips off his mask which then the entire audience saw, horrified by it and terrified. Erik, cut the ropes took Christine down back into his mysterious lair. The chandelier had set the whole opera house on fire. He was going to marry her. She didn't want to and told him his soul was distorted, not his face. Then the fiancé comes in trying to free Christine and Erik is about to kill him and Christine kisses him. Pouring her heart and soul to him. Erik must have been crying tears of joy. The first time anyone has shown him any love, any kindness. Erik must have had a perfect heart to tell her to leave and with Raoul. He was so overwhelmed by his love for Christine he never knew why he had given her up. But once she came back to give him back the ring he had given her, he thought this could be his last shot to get her, she leaves with Raoul and Erik, suffers harshly because he had lost his love, his reason for life, his angel, his inspiration, his everything. Gone.

"I don't know exactly why Erik, but maybe time will heal the heart. Perhaps one day you will let her go, like you did down in the lair, but the next time completely." I said this as a friend and as someone who had lost someone close to them, but unfortunately didn't leave me willingly. Yes, I had lost my parents like that but I've learned to accept that. But Dior? Not really. My grief of her passing is always reminded throughout the day to me.

"I don't think you are right Faye, I will never let my Christine go. Ever. " Erik said sincerely. "She is my reason for life and nothing will EVER change that."

We didn't talk at all the rest of the ride that night.

Thanks for reading! Please Review!