Erik's POV
The moment my fingers met with the keys of that piano, they gracefully trailed across the board, creating an endless melody. Over and over again, they plucked away at each key, the sound only becoming more beautiful as each moment passed. This was what it felt like to make love to my music after so many years yearning to have it back. Christine placed her hands on my shoulders, causing a shiver to flow down my spine. Music at last! I played for what seemed like hours, my fingers begging me to never stop…so I didn't. And when I did, I sat back and looked at the keys, wishing that I could have this every day for the rest of my life.
"What's wrong?" I heard Christine ask.
"It's just that…Oh, forget it."
"No, what? What's wrong?"
"Is it foolish to want this every day? I've missed playing more than anything in the world. Without music, I don't know who I am."
"You can have it every day, Erik," Christine assured me. "Of course you can't travel with a piano, but if you settled down in one spot and bought yourself a home, you could have it every day."
"You speak the unthinkable," I growled. "A demon like me cannot purchase a home above ground nor could he live amongst the living."
"But…"
I waved my hand at the woman and stood to my feet. "Enough! Do you not believe that perhaps I've tried planting roots in Paris after the disaster? This freak show was my only means of life, Christine…"
"You believe your face is the cause of everything bad that happens to you. If one person like me can look upon it without fear, why can't others?"
"Because they cannot!" I stopped and took a breath, knowing that I didn't want to get myself riled up. Not only that, but Christine had been so kind to me tonight and mistreating her would only make me look like a monster. No, I didn't want to seem ungrateful.
"Thank you, Christine, for the chance to play again. It's best that we return to camp now."
Leaving that piano behind was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. Our ride back to camp was quiet and awkward, but became extremely uncomfortable once we arrived back at camp. As soon as the caravans came into view, the woman began nagging me once more.
"Everyone could look at your face and bear it if given the chance. You're not the only one with a deformity!"
My employees were all sitting around a bonfire enjoying themselves and me being me, I just had to prove Christine wrong. I hopped down from off my horse and stood in the center where my employees were sat.
"Christine believes that I can be looked upon and accepted!" I growled, tearing my mask away from my face. "Well, go ahead and have a look! The lot of you are always whispering rumors behind my back! Well, look long and hard at it!"
And just like I had suspected, my employees looked away and gasped in fear. Memories of my past came rushing back to me, horrible memories of people looking at my face and laughing at me. Tears rushed to my eyes as I pushed past everyone and headed to my caravan.
"Erik!" Christine came running after me, but I wasn't interested.
"Erik, please wait…"
"I have proven you wrong, so can you please just leave me be."
"No, I can't…" she cried, pushing herself in front of me. "Every night, it is the same thing between us. We have a good moment and then, you yell and run off. We always leave one another on bad terms. Tonight I gave you something…I gave you music and I don't want to have us leave again on bad terms."
"You told me that I could be looked upon, Christine, and just like always, I have proven you wrong. A hideous freak cannot look upon me without fear. If not them, then who?"
"Me," she cried. "I can, and I don't care who else…What I did to you in the past was unacceptable and you deserved better. Just…Just please don't leave me tonight and lock yourself up again in your caravan."
"Oh, Christine, what would you have me do?"
The girl reached up and embraced my malformed cheek. I wasn't sure what she was doing, but a few moments later, I felt her lips press themselves against my own. Oh, a kiss! A kiss! I was kissing Christine! My heart fluttered within my chest as her soft lips kissed my own. Never had I ever been kissed before, and I knew I would never be able to live without them again. When I was a boy, all I had ever wanted from my mother was a kiss, and she refused to give me one…But Christine! She was here right now and she was kissing me!
"H…How was that?" she shyly asked once she broke away.
"H…Heaven…" I mewed. "B…But why? Why, Christine?"
"I've been wanting you to kiss me for months now, Erik…But you always push me away. Please, don't push me away anymore. I….I want to kiss you every night if I can…I…I want us to spend more time with one another and heal the wounds of the past. D…Do you think we could do that?"
Could I trust this woman? Madame Giry had assured me that Christine was involved in a plot to have me killed, but how could I look at my angel and see betrayal? Did she know that her husband was still alive? If she didn't, I didn't want to tell her, for I knew she would run right back into his arms. No, I deserved this little bit of heaven, and I was going to see to it that it continued for as long as it could.
"I…I think we could try," I finally said.
Christine smiled and wrapped her arms around me. "Great…I…I will see you tomorrow."
Those had been the most promising words I had heard all year. And with her beautiful angelic voice saying those exact words over and over again within my head, I fell asleep happy for the first time in my life.
"Erik?"
I thought I was hearing things when I heard my name being called. I had been in a deep slumber, when I heard someone calling my name and pounding on my door. I opened my eyes and sat up in the darkness, waiting to hear my name again.
"Erik, are you awake?"
Oh, it was the Persian! What did he want? I tossed on my robe and pulled open my door.
"Do you realize that it's two in the morning?" I growled. "I do sleep, you know…"
The man seemed panicked as if something bad had happened and he didn't know what to do.
"Erik, I…I need help… It's Reha…"
"What is it?" I growled.
"She's in labor! She woke up telling me she couldn't sleep, and then, next thing I knew her water broke."
"And you're banging on my door, because?" I snapped. "I'm not a midwife or a doctor! Dr. Gangle's caravan is two doors down. Go bang on his door…"
"Erik, you don't understand, Dr. Gangle doesn't know how to deliver babies… I…I have to go into town and find a doctor. I…I don't want to leave Reha alone. Would you come and sit with her until I return?"
Oh, how badly I wanted to say no, but I knew the man was desperate. Therefore, I agreed and headed over to Nadir's caravan. The woman was lying on Nadir's bed and groaning in pain. I knew I was the last person she wanted to see, but Nadir assured her that he would be back as soon as he could.
"I will return soon, my love," he said, pressing a kiss to her lips. "Erik is going to stay with you and keep you company."
"Nadir, no…" she cried. "Don't leave me…"
"I must find a doctor…I cannot deliver our baby and neither can anyone in the camp. I will return quickly."
And then, the man left me alone with Reha. I couldn't sit, for seeing the woman in pain made me nervous. No, I paced the room back and forth as though I were the expecting father.
"Reha, what can I get you?" I asked. "Tell me, and I will see to it that you get it."
"I want this baby out of me," she cried.
"Sadly, you've asked the only thing I cannot grant you."
"Well, then water would be good…"
I worked quickly at pouring the woman a cup of water and gave it to her.
"D…Did your mother ever tell you about your birth?" she questioned.
Oh, I wish she wouldn't have told me, but my mother did indeed tell me the story about my birth at least ten times a day, sometimes more if she were feeling spiteful.
"Yes, she did," I replied.
"Will you tell me the story?" she asked. "Talking keeps my mind off the pain."
"I…I'd rather not."
"Oh, please…" she begged. "It will help."
"If you insist, Reha… What do you want to know?"
"Did you have a doctor or a midwife?"
"A…A midwife… It was a long birth… My poor mother was in labor for ten hours before the midwife finally told my mother it was time to push. You see, my mother was going to give in to the pain on several occasions, but the woman was eager to bring me into the world. My father had died in an accident and left my mother alone and pregnant. She thought that I was her last part of her husband that she would ever have. My mother pushed and went through all the pain, hoping for a beautiful baby boy….And she got landed with me."
"Surely your mother had to have loved you."
"No, she didn't. The midwife backed away in fear and when I was placed into my mother's arms she tossed me to the floor. She refused to pick me up no matter how badly I cried. No, the only reason she did so was because the priest who came to visit shortly after told her that neglect was murder in the eyes of God…She even made the priest name me after him. So, instead of Charles, I was named Erik…"
"I…I never thought a woman could be so cruel. I'm sorry, Erik…"
"Don't be sorry, Reha, I despise pity…"
The woman continued to cry in pain, but she was strong and breathed through each contraction.
"I…I could sing to you," I offered, taking a seat at her side. "If that would take your mind off the pain."
The woman nodded and I began to sing music of the night. It had once calmed Christine, so why not her? Though, when my song was over, the woman was crying out even louder.
"S…Something is wrong…" she cried. "It hurts so bad…"
Oh, where was that Persian when I needed him?! Knowing that this baby was going to refuse to wait until Nadir returned, I headed out into the night and banged on Dr. Gangle's door. When the man answered, he was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Reha is in labor, and you're going to deliver this baby!"
"I don't deliver babies," he growled. "I bandage wounds…"
I grabbed the man by his robe and dragged him to Reha's caravan.
"She needs a doctor and you're going to see to it that she gets medical care! I don't care if you have to force that baby to stay in her until Nadir returns, you're going to do it!"
I wasn't sure what the man was going to do to help, but at least Nadir would return and see that his wife was well taken care of. It was the least I could do and more than anyone ever did for my mother.
I have some apologizing to do! I am so sorry that I haven't updated in like 2 weeks. It's been crazy and I haven't had any time to do so. I will try to update sooner next time.