Erik crouched down to get a better look at this girl. She was beginning to recover from her slight tumble and he felt could have observed her still figure for ages. She was so soft and cloud-like. Her face was smooth, void of frown lines or scars. Her hair, which splayed everywhere looked like a small tumbleweed which he found very endearing. He decided he best get her back up to the world of the living before she became conscious of him. It might scare her to find herself down here and to see him. With a sigh, he hoisted her up and took her deeper into his lair. Ayesha pawed at him and let out a menacing hiss.

"Oh, hush! I can't just take her up the way she came! Someone would see us and then what would they think? You do like eating fresh fish everyday right? Imagine if we were caught? I would get hauled away and where would you be?" he asked Ayesha.

Ayesha seemed to keep a close eye on him as he navigated the winding paths until he reached a door that would lead him to the girl's dormitories. There was an empty room he used to come and go from. There was a mirror that served as a doorway but when he came through the mirror he realized it was occupied. It was usually bare with only the standard table, chair, and empty bedframe. But instead, there was a small array of ballet attire and a photo of a man. It looked barely used but there was definitely someone living here.

Great! I will have to speak to the managers about this!

But luck must have favored his good deed because he realized this room was the unconscious girl's room. He heard someone knocking and someone asking, "Christine? Where are you? Are you in here?"

Unless some other girl went missing, it had to be the damsel in his arms. He let himself have a slight smirk and laid her on the bed. He looked at her one last time and disappeared through the mirror.

Once on the other side, he peered through and saw a blonde ballerina peek inside and this ballerina confirmed that he had not made a mistake.

"Oh, Christine! We heard you take a fall but we couldn't find you! Thank goodness you're here," she babbled.

The girl was just coming to and said slowly, "Meg, what are you talking about?"

"Never mind. I must tell mother I found you."

For the next hour it seemed the whole theater was in Christine's room, Madame Giry, then the doctor and then the rest of the ballerinas. Each asked her how she recovered enough from her tumble to wind up back in her room. Each time, Christine would shrug and grew more and more curious. She had definitely taken a fall and she thought she felt being carried. The doctor guessed maybe she had a concussion and that was why it was all-unclear. Either way, Christine wouldn't be dancing for the next day or two just in case she had a concussion.

This made Erik quite happy. He wanted to figure this girl out and why Ayesha would have any reason to like her. If Ayesha liked someone, which was almost no one, he knew he could trust them. The only other person Ayesha tolerated was Nadir Khan, his oldest and only friend. The second Ayesha accepted Nadir, he knew Nadir would be sticking around in his life for much longer than he expected.

That night he was patrolling his domain to make sure no one else found themselves passed out on the stone paths. Ayesha jauntily followed him and in the process caught a very small rat. "Good girl," Erik said patting her on her head.

While Ayesha was having her snack he decided to take a seat. His keen eyes caught the lilting voice of a girl. Erik calculated he must be near the very small chapel area. He loathed this part of the tunnels and was about to make Ayesha abandon her tasty treat when he realized it was the girl from earlier.

He crept up the stair and through a slated vent he saw the girl praying. She was in her nightgown and judging by the time, she must have snuck out. Hmmm, does she have a knack for wandering off?

"Papa, something really weird happened," she confessed, "We were supposed to be waving ribbon for this one part of the ballet and mine got caught in a breeze and I went looking for it. But suddenly I found myself slipping and I went unconscious. I haven't hurt badly papa, do not fret. But somehow I was back in my bed. At some point, I felt someone carrying me and I thought it was the doctor until he asked me what happened. I am so confused papa! Whoever was carrying me felt like you, I so dearly hoped it was you but I can see now, it was not."

Oh, poor thing.

Several things went through his mind. A.) She was alone. B.) She believed in some kind of higher power and C.) Her speaking voice was so sweet. He wondered if he asked her to sing, what sweet melody might burst from her.

He would have to study this creature. Damn, why do I even care? She only fell down and I put her back. I shouldn't care.

So he did that for a few weeks. It was not hard to find her. She was only ever in rehearsal, class or in the chapel. She seemed to only have one friend. No one seemed to be particularly mean to her but nobody was nice either. But this all changed when one night he was in his usual spot, Ayesha jumped out of his arms and slithered through the vent.

"Ayesha," he hissed, "Get back here!"

But his word went unheard and Ayesha went up to Christine and rubbed her head on her head on Christine's calf.

Christine jumped a little when she felt the cat but then knelt back down. "Hello. You gave me a little scare," Christine began to scratch behind Ayesha's ears and continued, "You are very pretty aren't you? You don't look like the cats around here."

Erik could almost feel Christine's warmth. Ayesha was purring so loud he could hear her all the way from across the room.

"Do, you have a home? Huh?" she asked and when she got no response, "Neither do I. I guess we are alike in that way."

Christine continues to pet Ayesha. Erik felt a bit jealous and he immediately slapped himself mentally. It was absolutely foolish to feel jealous of a cat. Then he realized why was he even feeling these things at all. It was just some silly girl who had the misfortune of taking a tumble, nothing more. He decided if Ayesha wanted to hang around her, then Ayesha had every right. After all, Ayesha wasn't even technically his. So he scowled and turned back to the main part of his lair.

An hour or so later, Ayesha came trotting into the sitting room where Erik was drinking a glass of brandy. "Look who has returned! Did you have a nice time with her?"

Ayesha just sat in front of the fire and began grooming herself. Erik finished his drink and went over to Ayesha. "Was it nice? Did the company of the living make you wish you were up above? You know you are bloody well allowed to stay up there for all I care."

Ayesha looked up at him and then resumed her grooming. "Was it nice?" he asked in a much softer tone. This time not irritated but genuinely curious, he had never felt the loving embrace of anyone. No one touched him and if they did they went screaming in the other direction, even Nadir had been a bit shocked when he brushed against him the first time.

He began scratching behind her ears just as Christine had and Ayesha regarded him by rubbing up against him. "I'm sorry for being angry at you. It's not my fault I look like a corpse." At this last comment Ayesha swiped at him as if to reprimand him and Erik stood up and returned to his earlier irritation, "Well, it's true."

Erik had an idea and he walked to the kitchen wherein a cupboard sat Ayesha's unused collar. Ayesha had detested wearing it but she would have to get over it. He fetched it and called for the cat. Ayesha came over and Erik secured the collar. It was a deep red with a copper pendant that read Ayesha.

"If you are going to be with Christine, I want her to know your name. Such a lovely name I gave you," he said satisfied. Ayesha flicked her tail and stalked off.

The following evening he decided to go back to the chapel. Ayesha was in front of him and she had not forgiven him for the collar.

When they reached their usual spot Ayesha slithered through the vent and there was Christine in the middle of a prayer. Ayesha was very respectful and did not interrupt. When Christine finished she looked down and there Ayesha sat patiently.

"Oh hello!" Christine knelt down and pet the cat, "What's this? You have a fancy collar, do you? What does it say?"

Erik smiled at this sight. His lovely Ayesha looked like she was having the time of her life. How he wished he could simply introduce himself and get to know this Christine without having to creepily stare at her through the vent. But he unknowingly was about to get his chance when she said, "Ayesha. What a lovely name, I have never heard of anyone called that, it sounds foreign."

Without realizing it he said, "It's Arabic." Christine looked up and around the room alarmed.

Shit! He mumbled and turned around and fled away. Now was not the time to announce himself. He would deal with this new development later. He was surprised at his action, he was the master at stealthily concealing himself and here was just giving out his existence. He would indeed need to be more careful.

Let me be very clear, I do not condone stalking in any form. I do not excuse Erik's actions here or at any point in this story. My views are not the same as Erik's and I want the reader to know that this is a story and not meant to be taken seriously.