HEEYYYYYYY . Didn't think I was gonna make it, did you? Huh? Huh? Yeah, I know. No faith in my deadlines. It's okay; I was considering just posting this tomorrow, but then I was like, NO. I AM DOING THIS. NOW. And so I did. If I fail my test tomorrow, you are all to blame. All of you.
But no lies, I had fun writing this chapter. The end... Ah! I love the end. I was planning on it being later on what happens, but whatever, I decided to slap it in now! Yay! Hope you like it!
Poeko: Thanks! I have a thing for mysterious stuff too :P And I guess you'll have to wait and see... Mwauhahahahahaa..
cHCkrdFLatZ: HMMMMMM... Not answering that! :P Auehehehehehehehehe I love writing those chapters. Makes everyone confused and shit, and then, it's like, OOHHHHH I GET IT.
13sapphire13: Oh, you shall understand in time... You shall understand.
PanicAtTheEpicness: :D is all I have to say. I can't say anything about the chapter because I'll give it awayyyyy! Just think about it, and keep the last chapter in mind always forever and ever.
Maxine I love Erik: I'm glad you are confused. Everyone else is, haha! And everyone seems to be blaming Doug! Hehehehe, I'm not saying anything about it though. And o.O at Erik.
RedDeathLvr: Thank you! You shall see if it is a nice outcome... For the most part, I have it all written down in my head, but I wont say if thats a good or bad thing yet xD
SammiRichGurl: NOOOOO. I promise I'll make it good ;_;
Open your eyes, young little fool
Open your eyes, I'm fighting your duel
Look at the world, imagine it crumble.
Look at the world, watch it all tumble.
Leave me in peace, run astray.
Leave me in peace, flee away.
Why can't you see, there's nothing to do.
Why can't you see, there's something's askew .
Confused man, please come and think less.
Confused man, now's the time to aggress .
Doug stalked her on the rooftops.
She was laughing and smiling with him. That disgusting, hideous excuse for a life. Why was she with him? What did she see in him? Confusion tore through his senses, blinding him in rage. How could she? They were sitting there, drinking some kind of hot beverage, laughing over some movie he could not see.
What lies. What horrible lies; all of it… Lie, lie, LIE!
He knew this would happen. Doug had to do something. He wasn't sure that it would have to come down to this, but action was required immediately. Drastic times called for drastic measures; he needed to move his plans up.
Doug rose from his kneeling position on the rooftop. It sat across the street from several small houses; however, the one he was concentrated on was directly in front of him. He brushed some pebbles off of his black baggy pants and red hoodie, practically fuming with rage at the situation before him. Why did he not see this coming? Well, of course he saw it coming. But so soon? Had it not been just a day? Was that all it took for her to lose all sanity within her? He shook his head in shame for his friend. She was weak, weak, weak…
He tore down the emergency fire escape route on the side of the building. After dropping the last few feet to the ground, Doug landed with a large thud onto the pavement. After glancing around to make sure nobody was in sight, he slipped through the shadows to the house he had been watching. Moments later, Doug found himself slamming his fist against the door, waiting impatiently on the front steps, expecting someone to come to him.
Suddenly, Doug realized he had no idea what he was going to say. What did one say in this situation?
The door opened.
"Doug?" Aimee hissed, "What the fuck are you doing here?" she cried, stepping out onto the steps with him and shutting the door behind her. Aimee wore pink pajama pants, blue slippers, and a white t-shirt. Her hair was un a messy bun, bits of stray pieces caressing her face.
"What do you think YOU are doing in THERE?" he hissed back, "I saw you two! That's not work at all!"
"You're watching us?" she cried, eyes widening, "Why on earth would you do that?"
"To make sure you are alright, obviously!" he yelled as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "There is evil in there!"
Aimee slammed her palm to her forehead, outraged, "Doug. Get the fuck out of here. Drew and I are watching the Phantom of the Opera to re-familiarize with it! There is no evil going on!"
"That's fucking bullshit, Aimee! You've watched that movie at least ten thousand times! He's drawing you in!"
"He hasn't watched the movie in a while, first of all. And drawing me into what? We're watching a movie, Doug! Get out of here!"
"What a load of-"
"DOUG! I… Oh my god! Just leave!" she yelled, opening the door. Aimee turned to his shocked expression, "You need to get out of whatever state of mind you are in Doug. You're going insane. The Doug I knew would never have made a move like this. Ever." She said, shaking her head as she shut the door behind her.
Doug was stunned. How could she treat him like that? All he was doing was looking out for her. She should not be trusting that two-faced ass-wipe Drew. He was suspicious. Far too suspicious.
Doug began to walk away, hands shoved into his pockets, feeling slightly dejected.
He stared at the ground as he walked, his mind wandering. Doug care where his feet were taking him; as long as it was away from Aimee. He would need time before he was able to forgive her for such a betrayal. After all, she had acted completely out of line; a dramatic thank you, kissing of the feet, and perhaps even begging him to lead her off away from such a freak would have been sufficient.
Doug's actions were practically heroic, after all. He remembered it clearly; he flew down from the rooftops, having seen his dearest friend in danger. After being unable to break down the door, Doug managed to contain his heroism until Aimee herself broke free from the evil clutches of Drew. But… Drew was to strong… He pulled her back in… Doug had to save her!
But… Wait. Abigail needed to be rescued as well. Who to save first?
Abigail, of course. His damsel was in distress! Suddenly, Doug was overcome with a sense of urgency. He grabbed at his hair, trying to contain his master plan.
We must wait, he reminded himself; we must wait until the day and then we will win and win and be happy.
But… Perhaps he could help Aimee then? Doug whirled around on his feet, staring off at the direction he had been walking from. A second attempt at saving this princess?
No, no, not tonight. This superhero needed a break from all of this rescuing.
Doug looked up. The stars greeted him. He laughed at them and their attempts at harming him. Look at them, so far away! Nothing could hurt him!
Doug felt invincible. He grabbed at his muscles, feeling them, checking to make sure they were not breaking through his shirt yet. With a sigh of relief, he made note that they were in fact still hidden from view. What an amazing shirt! It was as if this hoodie had been crafted by the gods to protect his identity from mundane beings.
Doug walked on, a slight bounce in his step.
Where was he going?
Quick! He had to check his built in navigation system. Doug froze, throwing both hands in front of him and bending over slightly. He stood there for a good ten seconds, slowly reaching a hand up to the side of his head.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Abigail's house, one mile. Came a woman's voice. Doug roared with laughter at this, and continued on. He needed to remind himself to change the voice on his inter-navigation system. Perhaps one of an alien, or maybe of the sun? The sun had such a pretty voice.
Pretty, pretty, pretty. Oh, everything was pretty to Doug.
Except Aimee. Oh, how he hated Aimee. He clenched and unclenched his hands, continuing his journey. Aimee was mean to Doug. Doug did not like that.
He took no notice of the fact that there was nobody on the streets, or the fact that it was nearly one in the morning.
Doug felt giddy and light. Pouncing about in the dark and empty streets, he claimed the world as his playground. He jumped on top of cars, yelled his name to the sky, proclaiming his own gospel to this small little world. Doug bellowed out these seemingly holy words, pounding his chest and pulling his hair.
"THE WORLD IS A BUCKET, FILLED WITH WATER; BUT OH, IS IT HALF FULL OR HALF FULL? OH THE GODS, BY GOD, AND THEIR GODLIKE WISDOM, COMMAND ME NOT! I AM THE GODS, BEHOLD YOUR MAKERRRRRRR! COME TO ME! RISE, PEASANTS!"
"SHUT UP!" yelled a man in the distance.
Doug fell off of the car in shock, slamming into the pavement. Yelling in pain, he heard a window slam shut.
Foolish one, Doug spat. All of them. Nobody understands…
He moved on.
A couple minutes later, Doug found himself in front of Abigail's house. Or old house, he guessed. It's not like she was using it any longer. Perhaps he would sleep there tonight. Doug walked up to the door.
Music came from inside.
He froze for a moment, stunned. Pressing his ear against the door, Doug listened to the piano playing. It was beautiful; so beautiful, it brought tears to his eyes. He knew only one person who could play so well. Suddenly, excitement and joy filled his heart. Abigail was inside! It was her, his love!
Doug grabbed the door knob, but found it locked after several failed attempts at opening the door. The music stopped. He heard shuffling inside.
"Abigail? It's me!" he yelled quickly, afraid she was leaving him, "Wait!" he banged at the door, "Let me in!"
Silence.
Doug cursed to himself, searching for the key she left outside. It was gone. Didn't he have another key? Doug searched around his pockets until he located a key chain. After finding her key, he quickly unlocked the door, bursting inside.
The house was quiet.
To quiet.
No lights were on; but that was probably because the electricity bill hadn't been paid in god knows how long.
Doug crept through the hallway, slowly moving towards the piano. Nobody was there, but the music sheets were out, and the top opened. Moving closer, he felt the seat; it was warm. Someone had been playing. Doug narrowed his eyes. Who was here? He slowly turned around, eyes searching the dark room.
Doug began to move. A small creek echoed through the house on each step. He knew someone, or something, was here. It was only a matter of time before he found it.
After all, Doug was a detective. Memories of a thousand cases flew through his mind. Murders, kidnappings; you name it, he did it. He only wished he had his trench coat and hat.
Doug giggled madly.
Erik slowly closed Abigail's bedroom door behind him. He turned around, Abigail's sleeping form meeting his eye. Ignoring the small twinge in his chest, he silently glided over to her, and, cursing to himself, gently shook her awake.
"Hmm-" Abigail started.
Erik pressed his palm against her mouth. Abigail's dead eyes shot open, but he knew it did nothing to help her see her invisible enemy. She grabbed at his hand, clawing at it, struggling to free herself from his steel grip. It was almost cute. Erik leaned down and placed a small kiss on her forehead. Abigail instantly relaxed, and dropped her hands to her stomach.
"Abigail," Erik whispered into her ear, "We have a rather unwelcome guest."
A thud came from a distant room.
Abigail attempted to speak, but Erik pressed his hand down a bit harder, muffling her words.
"We must leave now. Do not speak; come close to me, my little pianist." He breathed, releasing her mouth and opening his arms to her. Abigail obeyed, keeping her mouth shut and sliding into his form. Erik lifted her from the bed, one arm around her back, the other hooked under her legs, and stood up.
Abigail snaked her arms around his neck as he made his way over to the window. With some difficulty, he managed to pry the window open. It made a small screech as it slid up. Erik froze, listening.
Footsteps began to come closer. Far too close for comfort. Erik's eyes whizzed around the room; he spotted her opened closet. He dove inside, not even bothering to close the door behind them. It was rather large; he pulled the two of them close to a dark corner and covered them with a blanket and some scattered clothes. Abigail clung to him; he hugged her to him, feeling her shake slightly.
Erik kept the blanket just below his eyes, allowing himself to see everything going on in the room. After a few moments, the doorknob to the bedroom turned very, very slowly. So slowly that Erik raised a confused eyebrow. Then, with a loud yell, the door burst open to reveal a man. Shocked, Erik realized that it was Abigail's little friend who had tried to steal her away from him. A bit of anger began to swell inside of his chest.
This anger quickly transformed into utter amusement. The man appeared to be in some other reality. First, he stood at the doorframe for a moment, unable to comprehend the fact that there was nobody there to greet him. Then, realizing the room was empty, the man (what was his name? Dan? Don? Donald? Erik couldn't remember) began to comically walk about the room, trying to take in everything at once. He danced through the room, picking up random objects, carrying them around, and putting them in random places; he would sniff, touch, lick, and try to listen to things; the man even cried out to the Gods, asking them if they were testing him or some odd thing of that nature. Erik wanted to laugh, but feared the result should he comply with these urges.
"What's going on?" Abigail breathed so quietly, that even Erik almost did not hear her.
"Later." He whispered back, gently stroking her leg. Abigail buried her head into his neck.
After around five minutes of the man's searching, he finally gave up. He walked up to the bed, collapsed, and immediately fell asleep. Snores floated through the room; it was music to Erik's ears.
As quietly as he could, Erik slowly rose, blankets and clothes falling off of the two of them. He stalked towards the room and over to the window. After peeking down and calculating the distance, he silently shifted Abigail so as to tell her she had to climb onto his back. She complied, wiggling around, latching her legs around his waist and arms around his shoulders.
Erik went out the window backwards, clutching onto the window pane as he lowered himself as far down as he could. Then, after taking a deep breath, he let go, letting gravity seal their fate.
He quickly absorbed the fall, bending his knees and rolling off to the right.
"Arggghhh!" Abigail cried, momentarily crushed by his weight.
"Shhh!" he hissed, jumping up and sprinting away from the house.
"Wait!" Abigail cried, hitting his shoulder, "We need to go back! I forgot something!"
"What?" Erik cried, coming to a halt, "What is so important?"
"Go back! Now!"
Erik groaned, but quickly jogged back the short distance. Abigail jumped off of his back once they were inside; she crept through the house, Erik directly behind her. He watched her as she picked out books and movies and other things he did not recognize, slip it into a nearby bag, and throw it over her shoulder. She nodded quickly, signaling their retreat.
"Was that really necessary?" Erik hissed at her, "What if he woke up? What then, Abigail? All of these material things; it's disgusting. You didn't need those things."
"Oh, yes I did. You don't have books and things at the Opera House. We needed things for your lessons!" she said happily, running a finger over the titles of the books she had grabbed, "Oh! Look, I have Frankenstein! That's such a great book." She commented happily.
Erik sighed. How could she be so carefree? A man had snuck into her home and nearly destroyed them. Why was she not afraid and angry? Why did she not think to ask him why he was there? Perhaps it was a murderer or a thief; why was she not concerned?
"Are you not worried about your home?" Erik asked impatiently.
"No, it'll be fine."
"How do you know?"
"I just know."
"That is not a proper answer."
"I know."
"Why are you not asking about the man?"
"Why would I want to?"
"Because he was a threat."
"No he wasn't. You were there." Abigail said with a smile. Erik sighed, un-phased by the compliment. She was being foolish.
"Oh, I hope I grabbed the rest of the Harry Potter books!" Abigail cried, searching the bag unsuccessfully.
They made their way back to the Opera House. After drifting back to the small island, Erik pulled the boat ashore as Abigail trudged over to the swan bed.
"Boy, I'm tired." Abigail yawned, stretching her arms out. Erik walked up behind her, taking the bag off her shoulder. He pushed her forward, guiding her to the swan bed. She climbed inside, snuggling under the covers, "Goodnight, Erik." She said sleepily.
"Goodnight." He replied to the already sleeping Abigail. After placing the heavy bag next to the wardrobe, Erik slowly walked over to Abigail, his eyes watching her every move.
Why was this man popping up into their lives? Why was he there? What was his name? He knew it was in his mind somewhere; Damon? Drew? Donald? Hmmm… Doug? It sounded right. Doug. Well, this Doug character appeared slightly different from the last time Erik had seen him. He seemed… a little off. Erik wondered what had happened to him, but most of all, he wondered why Doug was searching through Abigail's house at such an hour.
Did he know that they were there? It certainly appeared so. Perhaps he was simply drunk or some other substance was distorting his thought process. But that seemed a bit out of character for someone Abigail would be friends with. Did Erik even know the kind of people Abigail made friends with? He had only met two friends. Did she have more? Should he know about them?
Erik blinked a few times, coming back into reality. He smiled as Abigail snored slightly; it was adorable. Suddenly, he did not want to know what Doug had been doing. All he wanted was to be at peace. He walked over to his organ, pulled out his secret duet, and continued to work on his masterpiece.
Hours later, Erik heard Abigail's small footsteps behind him. He smiled, turning around to see Abigail sneaking up behind him. She continued tip-toeing forward, unaware he knew she was there. When she was about two feet away, she rose her arms in the air, and, just as she was opening her mouth to surprise him, Erik grabbed her waist and stole her into his arms. She yelled out in surprise, but laughed and let him kiss her lips lightly.
"Hi." She said
"Hello." He replied, a sly grin playing at his lips, "Do not sneak up on me."
She blushed, "Oh, I wasn't sneaking up on you."
"Yes you were."
"No I wasn't."
"Then why on Earth did sneak up and raise your arms to the heavens?"
"Oh, I, uh, well…. I was…"
"Attempting to catch the Phantom off guard."
"And failing." She laughed
"Indeed you are." Erik said in agreement, "Go get dressed."
Abigail laughed, and hopped off to change. He watched her go, slightly unwilling to let her leave his presence. Turning back to the organ, Erik continued to work until she returned.
"Erik, I was hoping we could focus on my lesson today." Abigail called from behind him. He turned around, eyes widening slightly at her attire.
She wore a short, pink, flowing spring dress. It was strapless and stopped just above her knee. She was barefoot, and had her hair in a low messy bun.
She looked stunning.
"And can we not be down here today? It's so muggy."
Erik snapped out of his daze, "I would rather not."
"Why?" Abigail asked, picking up the large bag full of books, "I can just feel the gloom surrounding me."
"It is not gloom; it is security."
"Whatever you call it, I don't like it." She said as she walked over to the boat. Abigail stood there expectantly, "Let's go upstairs at least."
"There are people all over the place upstairs preparing it for the cast of the play."
"We can sneak by them."
"No, we can't."
"Oh, come on, Erik."
"Abigail, you must learn to love your home."
Even blind, Abigail sent a death stare from across the island. He raised an eyebrow at her defiant stance. Why was she so stubborn?
"This place is horrid, Erik. How can you live down here?"
"Easily."
She walked over to the piano, throwing the book bag off her shoulder and collapsing into the seat in a huff. Erik walked up behind her, watching her angry form. Abigail pressed a few keys, throwing the notes throughout the room. She sighed, unable to start a song.
"Erik, why do you keep yourself from daylight and sun?"
"I find that is where most people are."
"So you do the opposite of what they do to avoid them?" she asked, pressing another key.
"Yes."
"But why? What's wrong with people?"
"Everything."
"So there's something wrong with me?"
"No, of course not." He said quickly.
"Why? I'm a person. What makes me different?"
"Everything, Abigail."
"But you would have never known that if you did not take the time to get to know me, Erik."
"I suppose not."
"So if I was just someone on the street, you would have made the exact same presumption that you do with everyone else."
Erik began to see where she was going with this, and grew annoyed, "Abigail, you are a special case. Just because I found a jewel in a pile of rocks means nothing. It is still a pile of rocks that is left behind."
"But what if there are more jewels than you think, Erik?" Abigail cried, turning around in the seat, "Why don't you just give me a chance to show you? The world is so much different, Erik!"
"I do not believe you." He replied grimly.
However, very slowly, Erik began to doubt himself. What if he didn't need to hide anymore? No, no. The world was cruel and harsh and evil. Yes, yes; these were safe thoughts.
Abigail jumped up, grabbing his hands, "Take a leap of faith with me, Erik."
"What?" he asked, slightly startled.
Abigail groaned, releasing his hands, pacing back and forth.
"You know, you really annoy me. It's as if you don't even care."
"Care about what?"
Abigail raised an eyebrow, "You don't care about yourself. You don't care about the world. You don't care about me, Erik."
His eyes widened, "What do you mean? Of course I care for you."
"You don't care enough to listen to what I have to say. You don't care enough to give me a chance to share my feelings with you. Erik, you won't even give me a chance to live someplace that I actually enjoy."
"Abigail! How many times must we discuss this? I have already made it perfectly clear; it is much more safe down here-"
"I don't want to be safe, Erik!" Abigail yelled, throwing her hands to the air, "I don't want to survive or play it safe! I want to live, to take risks; I want to be able to be a normal person. I don't want to live in some cave for the rest of my life, afraid that someone is going to come and hurt me! I have already been hurt, and so have you! Get over it! You need to move on, forgive and forget!"
Erik stared at her, stunned. He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say to such brutal honesty.
"You have already agreed to stay down here with me."
Abigail rubbed her temple, "Yes, I know."
"So why are you questioning it?"
She looked up at him with sad eyes, "Because I made the decision blindly."
"Do you not wish to stay with me anymore, Abigail? Do you really want to go back to the outside world, abandoning me, leaving me in an eternal twilight?"
"No."
"Because indeed, this is what it is, Abigail!" Erik roared, suddenly fuming, "An everlasting night! And you hate it, don't you? You just loath the idea of being forced to be down here with such a hideous creature like me, don't you? Do not lie to me! All anyone has ever done was make empty promises and deny me of anything close to a normal existence."
"Erik, I-"
"NO, Abigail." Erik yelled, storming up to her and grabbing her bare shoulders, "You can't even see this horror that stands before you, this disgusting face that is shielded from your mind by your unseeing eyes! If only you saw what was beyond this mask, if only you could comprehend it! You, just as everyone else has, would flee from me."
Abigail closed her eyes; a single tear fell. Erik did not reach up to brush it away. She shook her head slowly, turning her face up towards him.
Abigail grabbed his mask, tore it from his face, and threw it to the ground. Erik didn't move. Another tear fell. She sniffed, holding back a river.
"You are every bit human to me as I am to you." Abigail cried, "I need not eyes to see this." She reached a hand up, running it over his deformity, "The only true horror you possess is in your heart, and in your mind. I can only pray that I may one day be able to heal you, Erik… But for now…"
Abigail stood on her toes, reached up, and placed a kiss upon his lips.
No more talk of darkness,
Forget these wide eyed fears.
I'm here, nothing can harm you-
My words will warm and calm you.
Let me be your freedom,
Let daylight dry your tears.
I'm here, with you, beside you;
To guard you and to guide you.
Erik's shoulder slumped over, defeated. He was broken, his mind clouded in confusion. A new feeling was swarming over him; he felt a small pang in his chest, and then his head, and, finally, his throat. He sang back to Abigail,
Say you love me every waking moment,
Turn my head with talk of summertime.
Say you need me with you, now and always.
Promise me that all you say is true
That's all I askof you.
Abigail smiled through her tears, holding his face with both hands.
Let me be your shelter
Let me be your light.
You're safe; no one will find you,
Your fears are far behind you.
He truly wanted his fears to be gone. Erik suddenly realized that he wanted to be… Normal? It was odd and alien to him, but somehow, he believed he could do it if Abigail was there.
All I want is freedom,
A world with no more night.
And you, always beside me,
To hold me and to hide me.
Then say you'll share withme one love, one lifetime
Let me lead youfrom your solitude . . .
Say you need mewith youhere, beside you . . .
Anywhere you go,let me go too –
Erik,that's all I askof you . . .
Erik drew closer to her comforting form, seeking her warmth. She let him pull her closer to his chest, and allowed his forehead to rest against hers.
Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime
Say the word and I will follow you.
She smiled grandly at him, and they both sang the next lines together.
Share each day with me,
Each night,
Each morning.
The two laughed; Erik grabbed Abigail, lifting her up and spinning her around. He placed her back on the ground, stroking her cheek, leaning in close.
Say you love me…
You know I do…
Love me, that's all I ask of you!
He pulled her into a kiss.
Erik did not let her go.
His heart was pounding, his head throbbing.
But he loved it.
They pulled away; Erik stared into her misty eyes, tears of joy pouring from both of them.
Anywhere you go let me go to
Love me,
That's all I ask of you…
^_^ :D :P :) (^_^)
HOW DO YOU LIIIIIKE ITTTTTTTTTTTTTT? What do you want to see more of/less of? What are some things you think I should do in the future? Suggestions, anyone?
Love you all! See you Wednesday!
OH.
But if for some reason I don't make the deadline, CHECK MY PROFILE, because I'll probably have a message explaining why it's a bit late or going to be done a few days later.
But for now, PLAN ON WEDNESDAY!