"Tonight

Tomorrow

Alone again

All I feel is sorrow.

I lay alone at night

Hoping that you might

Just come walking through that door

But I know my wish

For that goodnight kiss

Is a dream and nothing more

In the morning you shall come

Home again to sleep

Until once again darkness comes to steal you from my keep" - Excerption straight from the diary of Christine Daae.

Christine's POV

Spring had finally arrived. Winter had began making me absolutely crazy. Staying inside all the time had began taking its toll. But right at that moment, spring arrived. Spring turned into summer, and soon Erik was gone every day. He worked late hours, only arriving home after the sun had gone down. Because of the hot weather, I tried to keep our daughter occupied with watering the flowers in the garden Erik had made me, or taking walks on the beach. Meg had cleared my name from the press, and as badly as I wanted to thank her for it, I had not seen her since the night she promised to talk to the press. Even Erik, who had found forgiveness within his heart to let Meg sing again had not even seen her. And when he asked around to see if any of his employees had seen her, they always told him no. I wasn't sure what happened to her, but I only hoped she was ok.

Erik returned home one night, explaining that he had let a band of gypsies set up in his park. I knew he loathed them, and couldn't understand why he had allowed it. I wasn't sure if he knew either. For the next few days, the heat only intensified, and Erik, who was still working on the stands and changing rooms around the Phantasma pool had started working during the closed hours of the park. The heat was so terrible, that Erik had decided to open the pool for the public during the day, and work when it was closed. This not only drew in bigger crowds, but also gave him the advantage of not working in the scorching heat caused by the sun. As much as I liked the idea of him working during the night, I soon learned how lonely it was. I was used to laying in his bed with him beside me…..but when these nights started, his bed felt like a vacant ocean with only me wading within it. I would lay there most nights, staring at the ceiling and watching the clock's hands move. I missed him…I missed sleeping beside him so much that sleeping alone was something I couldn't handle.

When the sun would come up, Erik would return home exhausted from the night's work. He would bathe, and then kiss me softly before climbing into bed to sleep the day away. It felt strange. He worked at night while I slept and slept during the day while I was up and about. He was like an owl and I a rabbit….We were on two completely different shifts and I hardly ever saw him. I knew it was only until he finished with the pool, but days turned into weeks, and it was driving me completely mad.

I was in the kitchen making breakfast one morning when I heard the door open and turn to see Erik headed towards the bedroom. Usually he would come looking for me before heading to the bathroom, but for some odd reason he wasn't bothering today. I placed down the wash cloth I was using to clean the dishes and went after him.

"Erik?"

I entered our bedroom to find quiet and empty. Where had he gone?

"Yes, Christine?" came the tired groan from behind the wardrobe.

"Can I speak with you?"

"We are speaking."

He came walking out with a long shirt hanging down to his knees, and began making his way over to the bed. I knew he was exhausted and whenever he was exhausted, his anger was a ticking time bomb. He took a seat at the side of the bed, and ran his fingers through his grey hair. I took a breath, and sat beside him, placing my hand over his bare knee.

"Erik, how much longer?" I asked, hoping he would understand what I was asking him.

"How much longer for what?"

"Until your late night working comes to an end?"

He plopped back against the mattress in pure exhaustion, and groaned.

"Christine, please, I am in no mood for this game. I've told you time and time again that I will be finished with it when I'm finished."

"And that was almost a month ago. I hardly see you anymore, angel." I pouted.

"You see me. You're seeing me right now."

"You know what I mean, Erik."

Erik pulled himself fully into bed, and closed his eyes.

"Christine, I'm almost finished."

"How many more nights, Erik? How many more nights am I going to have to lay here alone? It's like you're a nocturnal owl and me, a daytime rabbit."

"I'm sorry that you feel that way." he coldly replied.

"Erik….."

He sat up, and pressed his lips to my own.

"I'm sorry, Christine. You know how aggravated I get when I'm tired. Look, I'm almost finished. Perhaps three more nights and I'll be done."

This still upset me, but it was better than no answer at all.

"Get some rest, Erik."

"Could you open the window a little?" he asked me. "It's very hot."

It was a little stuffy, so I did as he asked and cracked the window to let in the light breeze.

After kissing him one last time, I closed his door and tended to finishing what I was doing before Erik walked in. A while later, a knock occurred at the door, and I immediately rushed to answer it fearing that the noise would disturb Erik from his sleep. When I opened the door and saw Meg standing there, my eyes widened in amazement. But why was she here? And where had she been for nearly five months?

"Meg!"

I wrapped my arms around her, and hugged her for the first time in years. Why was I so excited to see her? Yes, Erik had forgiven her for clearing my name, but I hadn't seen her since.

"Christine, may I come in?"

"Yes."

I pulled her inside the flat, and closed the door.

"Meg, where have you been? Erik's been asking around for you but no one seemed to know where you were."

"Oh, I left New York for a while." she smiled. "To visit my mother. I missed her so much, and a visit was in order."

"And that's where you've been all this time?"

She nodded.

"Yes. I needed the fresh air."

"So what brings you here?" I asked starting some tea on the stove.

"Is the master around?"

Her tone suddenly changed from being happy to extremely concerned.

"He's asleep." I said looking towards his closed door. "He's been working during the night. He opened a pool….the first ever in Coney Island."

"Is that what that fenced in area was over near the maze of mirrors?"

I nodded.

"Yes, he's been working on building changing rooms and a concession stand for it. It's been extremely hot so he's been doing his work at night."

"Oh…" was her only reply.

"Why? Is there something wrong? If it's about returning to Phantasma as the staring act, he'd be more than happy to give it to you."

"Oh, no, it's not about that. I'm going to take a leave of absence for a while from the spot light. I actually got a job working in Coney Island as a waitress. I quite like it there…." she paused, trying to think of the right term to say. "The people are a lot calmer and friendlier."

This was strange. It was as if the Meg I grew up with had suddenly returned. Not that there was anything wrong with that.

"Ok." was my stunned reply. "Then what's wrong?"

"Well…..perhaps….I mean that is…."

"What? You can tell me anything."

Meg looked towards the ground, and then back at me. There was indeed something seriously wrong, but I didn't know what.

"Christine, have you gone out to see the shows in Phantasma?"

I paused.

"Um….no, not really. Why?"

"I got back yesterday from Paris and decided to take a night stroll around Phantasma. There was a large crowd over by the Ferris Wheel so I decided to see what all the fuss was about. There were gypsies, Christine….."

"Yes, I know. They've been performing here for nearly a month. Not that I like the idea, but Erik has control over that, not me."

"Then he knows."

"Knows what?"

"What they do." replied Meg in a frightened voice.

I slowly shook my head.

"What do you mean?"

"They have people in cages, Christine! Oddities….and they beat them with whips and let customers throw things at them. Oh, it was so horrible….."

This took me by surprise. I knew they were no good, and yet, Erik didn't listen to me. But he couldn't know…he couldn't have known.

"I've brought this up to Erik many times, but he insists that when ever he goes to collect his share from them, they have nothing but animals and show no signs of foul play. If Erik knew this, he would have done something about it."

"It's horrible, Christine."

"I'll be sure to tell Erik as soon as he wakes." I assured. "He'll fix everything."

Meg seemed relieved by my promise, and switched the subject.

"How is your daughter?"

I smiled.

"Growing more and more each day."

I then called her name, hoping she was near…..but I didn't get an answer.

"She was here a moment ago." I said looking towards the hallway.

"Eudora? Are you here?"

Still I didn't get an answer. For the past month, my daughter had been wandering out on her own. I hated the thought of it, but she returned each day after she was finished exploring. Finally, I left Meg for a few moments and walked to Eudora's room, only to find it empty…..Yes, my daughter had gone off again on her own.

Eudora's POV

For weeks I had been bored to death. After running away to the Phantasma library, my so called "papa" had come for me. How badly I had wanted to run away and leave Phantasma forever, but he eventually brought me around and I agreed to go back home with him. It was a strange thing having him around all the time now, but most of our talking was either done through music or not at all. I didn't have anything to say to him most of the time. My mother tried to get us to bond, but sometimes it was harder than I thought it to be. My entire life I had called him "Uncle," and to know that he was my father took my by surprise and not in a good way. Even after we moved into the flat with him, life was harder to live. Yes, sometimes we laughed together and other times we talked in small conversation, but Erik was still a complete stranger to me. He kept himself so hidden that it was hard to find the father within him.

When summer came, my mother had tried to keep me occupied with watering her rose garden that Erik had specially made for her as a Valentine's day gift. She also took me on long walks on the beach. Erik worked most days until the sun went away, but recently he had been working at night, and sleeping during the day. I used to play the piano all afternoon, but ever since he had come accustomed to sleeping during the day, mother wouldn't allow it. She told me I had to play nice quiet games so I wouldn't disturb him. Playing dress up and tea parties with my dolls had kept me occupied for a while, but how many hours can you seriously dress a doll and drink invisible tea? I had become extremely bored, and therefore, I began sneaking out.

I was five, and knew how to stay safe. I never left Phantasma, and always stayed inside its gates. Most times I would sit on the edge of the boardwalk watching the other children play, or go play skee-ball in the arcade. Yes, everyone else had to pay for tokens, but because I was the daughter of Mister E, I could play any game I wanted for free. The only thing I had to do was go to the front counter and see the arcade manager who was in fact good friends with Erik. He would smile, and then hand me a handful of gold tokens.

Of course, my mother always became upset upon seeing me return home, but it kept me quiet and entertained for a few hours. I knew better than to talk to strangers, and knew to never leave Phantasma. Today, however, I was extremely bored. I was going to walk out into the kitchen and ask my mother to take me to the beach, but when I saw her talking to that woman who Erik disliked, I left the flat. It was extremely hot today, hotter than any other day I had experienced. I would have gone to the beach, but remembered that I wasn't supposed to go swimming without my mother or Erik being with me…..Usually, if not most of the time it was my mother who escorted me because Erik loathed the beach and everyone on it. Instead, I walked along the boardwalk to the part of Phantasma I never explored. I was headed towards the Maze of Mirrors, when I spotted the gypsy camp. When they arrived a month ago, I had dropped the subject of ever seeing their show due to Erik's anger….but now was my chance. From a distance I gazed upon their colorful tents and caravans along with the many types of animals they had. I knew they only did their shows at night, but I wasn't aloud out past dark. Curiously I approached their what seemed to be deserted camp, and began roaming around. Their were so many tents scattered around that I didn't know which one to enter first.

There was one however that caught my eye. It was a large white tent with a huge sign hanging over its door. "The Skeleton Child." I should have left and made my way to the arcade, but something was telling me to go inside…..and so I did. After entering through the drapes, the horrible smell of what ever was inside hit me. It was extremely humid within the tent, and the ground was covered in filthy hay. I circled myself, gazing down at the disgusting hay. But that wasn't all that was in the tent….No, there was a large cage towards the back, and there was something inside of it….

"Hello?" my voice was soft and scared. I tiptoed all the way to the cage, and stopped, trying to look inside to see what it was. The cage smelled even more horrible than the tent, and there wasn't any hay laying within it….just the dirty wood it was built with.

Then, something twitched! I gasped, and took a step back, still keeping my eyes on what ever was inside the cage. It continued moving, until I could finally see two blue eyes staring out at me.

"Hello?"

I called to it, thinking maybe it was a dog, or another animal. When I didn't get a reply, I approached the cage and wrapped my hands around the bars to boost my short self up to gaze upon what ever was in the cage. It was a boy! It wasn't an animal at all, it was a boy, no older than me, curled up into a ball. He was so thin that his body was all bone covered in drum tight flesh. He was also naked and covered in so much filth that I couldn't even see the color of his flesh. But that wasn't all, he also had a shackle wrapped around his neck so he couldn't move…

"Why are you in this cage?" I innocently asked him.

He didn't say a word, and continued huddling in that very corner, trembling from head to toe…

"I'm not going to hurt you…." I said, reaching my hand inside the cage. This only frightened him even more. He whimpered, and pulled himself closer to the bars. On the other side of his cage, I noticed an empty bowl, one that was probably used for water. It was so hot, and I knew he had to be thirsty. I reached for it, and walked over to a small water filled barrel that was sitting on the other side of the tent. After filling it, I gently placed the bowl back in the cage, the boy watching my every move. When I backed away, he slowly reached out for it, and began hungrily drinking it as if he hadn't had anything to drink in days. When it was empty again, I reached inside the cage once more only to have the boy back away. Once again I filled the bowl up and sat it back down for him to drink.

"Where's your mother and papa?" I softly asked, watching him drink the water.

It was as if he didn't understand me. He just looked at me, as if I were going to throw something at him at any moment.

"Where are your clothes?"

Still, he didn't answer me. I wanted to do more to help him, I wanted to be friends….I never had a friend before. Quickly, I left the tent, and headed back home. The boy didn't deserve to be in that cage, but if he had to stay there, the least I could do was help him just a little. I snuck in through my bedroom window, and crept into the hallway to get to Erik's room. I was afraid of my mother catching me, but it seemed that she wasn't home. I stood in front of Erik's closed door, and slowly opened it, letting it creak a little at a time. He was still in a deep sleep, and I knew I had to be extra quiet for the task I was about to do. Slowly, I tiptoed over to his wardrobe closet, keeping an eye on him encase he suddenly woke up. He hated when I would go through his things, and if I were ever caught, I'd be in a lot of trouble.

When I made it to his wardrobe closet, I opened it and began rummaging through his clothes, trying to find the oldest shirt he had. Yes, the shirt would be big on the small boy, but at least it would cover his body….And then I found it! Erik's oldest shirt. It was white, and he usually wore it when ever he would paint and for nothing more due to the black and orange stains he had all over the sleeves. He wouldn't miss it, and if anything, would think that my mother threw it out…..then again, my mother knew better than to throw any of my father's belongings out. I was almost done my task, and would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for the doors of Erik's wardrobe closet to close with a loud clutter. This had immediately waken him…He forced himself to sit up, and I was extremely glad he still had his mask in place. I usually suspected him of sleeping with it off, but now that I was living here all the time he insisted on keeping it on as much as possible.

"Eudora…." he groggily groaned. "What are you doing in here?"

I hid the shirt in a ball behind my back so he wouldn't see it.

"Nothing…..I was….um…looking for Skimbleshanks." I lied.

"And why would he be in here? You know damn well that cat is forbidden to be in my room."

"Yes….I know….but I swear I saw him come in….."

And just like that, as if he knew I needed him, Skimbleshanks came walking out from under Erik's bed. Yes, he was forbidden from ever being in Erik's room, but then again, Skimbleshanks always played by his own rules.

"Mangy feline!" Erik growled, plopping back against his pillow.

"I'll….be going then…."

I backed up until I reached the door and was able to scurry out of his room. When his door was closed again, I looked down at Skimbleshanks and sighed.

"Thanks Skimbles, I owe you one."

I then hurried to the kitchen, and grabbed the loaf of bread off the table. With everything I wanted in hand, I hurried back to the gypsy camp and into the tent. The boy was still curled up against the bars like a scared animal, just how I left him.

I passed the shirt through the bars, and held it, hoping he would take it.

"This is a shirt." I told him. "You know, clothes…."

The boy stared at me for a few moments, and then slowly reached out before snatching it from me. He examined it for a few moments before wrapping it around his body. This made me giggle…..did he not know how to dress himself?

"No…." I laughed. "You put it over your head…."

The boy listened to me, and I thought he was going to finally slip the garment over his head, but instead he wrapped the sleeves around his head.

"No…. You're doing it wrong."

I pointed to the top of the shirt, and mimicked how to put it on. Finally, he pulled the shirt over his head correctly.

"Now put your arms in the sleeves…."

When he did, he looked at himself over and over again, seeming confused yet happy.

I then took the loaf of bread, and passed it through the bars.

"Here, you must be hungry."

Slowly, he took the bread from my hand, and began nibbling on it, as if he were afraid to eat. But after a few moments he was indulging himself into it.

"Wow….You must be really hungry…."

I stood there watching him eat, and when he finished, he wiped his mouth with his hand, and looked out at me.

"Do you have a name?"

He cautiously nodded, and in a small frightened voice he cooed.

"Dimitri."

"I'm Eudora."

I held out my hand, only wishing to shake his, but he paused…..

"I won't hurt you." I promised. "Really…."

Finally, he slowly extended his own. We were inches from touching when all of a sudden and angry voice rang out.

"What in da hell is this!"

I turned to see a large gypsy man rushing into the tent.

"How dare you come in here and….." he paused, noticing the shirt I had given Dimitri. "What is this? Clothes!"

He pulled out a whip from his belt, and lashed it against Dimitri.

"What have I told you! What have I told you about clothes and food! Bad! Bad for you! You are the Skeleton Child! I should come in there and teach you a lesson! Is that what you want!"

The man's whip came crashing down on the boy's back, causing him to cry out.

"Is that what you want! My cock? I know how much you enjoy it!"

"No…." Dimitri cried.

"That's all you know! That's all you ever say!"

Over and over again the whip came crashing down over Dimitri's back. I had to do something… I couldn't just stand there and let this happen.

"Don't do that!" I cried. "Don't hurt him!"

And it was then that he turned to me…..His whip raised in the air and ready to strike my body. I was trapped, and I had no where else to go….

DUN DUN DUN! Please review! Decided to switch things up a bit!