Erik's POV

For the next twenty four hours, I laid in complete agony, clutching my stomach with one hand and pressing my face into my pillow. Madame Giry had removed the old bandages and replaced my wound with new ones after rubbing some ointment into the infected area. I was hot and then cold, and then hot again. I had trouble sleeping all throughout the day on Sunday, but just as I was falling into a deep slumber, I heard a knock on my door.

"Monsieur…"

Oh, that voice. There was only one person who called me by "monsieur," and that was Meg. I pressed my eyes closed and heard the door opening.

"Monsieur, mama told me to bring you this."

I opened my eyes to find Meg approaching my bed with a ceramic cup in hand. Most likely tea…I expected her to place it on the night table, but instead, she stood there at my bedside, her face looking like one filled with fright. I knew she was afraid of my face…

"Monsieur…" She quivered.

"P…put it on the table…and…g…get out…"

The moment I said those exact words, Meg placed the cup down on the night table and scurried out the door. I wasn't in the mood to eat, nor was I in the mood to drink. Rest was all I needed, for come morning, I would be going back to work. Every Monday morning I had work, and I was not going to miss it. I couldn't afford to lose this job, and I wouldn't. Yes, by the next morning I was still feeling extremely ill, but I pushed myself out of bed with the terrible fever I was consumed with and dressed.

"And where do you think you're going?"

I was nearly down the stairs, when I heard Madame Giry's frantic voice.

"Erik, you need to get back into bed."

"I…I need to work."

The old woman grabbed my shoulders, but I pushed her away to get out the front door.

"You're going to kill yourself."

"I'll…I'll be fine…"

And with that, I made my way to Luna Park. I was weak, so weak that I barely reached my destination. My body and wound wracked with an unbearable agony, one that left me exhausted by the time I made it to my podium.

"Erik, are you all right?" My boss was passing by, when he stopped to have a look at me.

I was speechless and just nodded, wiping a bit of sweat away from my forehead. Without another word, he passed by and left me alone. All through the morning, I laid there on my podium, my sight becoming blurry as each moment passed. My eyes soon became heavy, and my breathing was labored. From the silhouettes, I could tell that people were pointing to me and I could hear others gasping.

"Erik, what's wrong with you, man?"

I couldn't see who was standing beside me, but I knew by his voice that it was my boss.

"Stand up, man…"

I felt myself being pulled by my feet, but as soon as I was let go off, I collapsed to the ground and blacked out.

"Erik, Erik, wake up…"

When my eyes fluttered open, I was back in my own bed, and Madame Giry was standing beside me.

"You're a fool, Erik…" she crooned. "You could have died at work today. There was a doctor that came by a little while ago. He re-stitched your wound and gave you some morphine."

"I…I said no doctors…"

"Well, God must be looking out for you, Erik because I didn't send for one."

"Y…You didn't?" I weakly asked.

Madame Giry shook her head. "There are no doctors around here that would be willing to treat someone like you, Erik. But, on my doorstep, three hours after you were brought home, there was one."

"Wh…who, Madame?"

Madame Giry smiled. "Seems as though the past has come back to us, Erik. I can't be certain, but when the doctor was let in, I spotted a woman walking away. A tall, woman with chocolate curls and a thin build. I'd recognize that anywhere, Erik… I could only hope that I am right."

"You're wrong…" I growled. "And if she so happens to come back," I was caught off guard by a horrible cough, one that worried Madame Giry.

"Rest, Erik. Doctor's orders… You are to stay in that bed for no less than two whole weeks. You need your bed rest."

I prayed to God that Madame Giry was wrong. I prayed that Christine did not know where I lived. Even if she did know where I lived, why would she come for me now? Five years ago, she left me without a single protest. Why would she be so kind to me? Why would she fetch me a doctor? I wasn't sure, but that night, as I laid there suffering beneath the blankets in agony, I prayed that she would never return. Though, my prayers were never answered whenever I asked God for something, for the following morning, hell appeared. There was no sun shining in through the windows, nor was there any birds chirping from outside. No, there was thunder and rain pelting against the roof and window of my room. The bandage that was wrapped around my body burned with a searing pain, one that was completely unbearable at times. The rain soothed my pain a small bit, and so, I closed my eyes once again and surrendered back to sleep.

Though, when I opened my eyes again, there, at my bedside, sat Christine! I stayed calm, eyeing the woman, just as she was eyeing me.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

How was I feeling? After five years and all she had done to me, this was her question? Oh, I was furious…so, so furious.

"G…Get out!" I growled. "Get out of here!"

"Angel, please…"

Christine stood to her feet, holding her hands out in front of her.

"Get out!"

I scrambled out of bed and nearly fell to the floor.

"Out!" I cried. "Out…"

Christine scrambled to the door, only to have Madame Giry enter.

"I…I want…want her out! Out!"

Christine left the room, and Madame Giry helped me back into bed before I hurt myself.

"How…how dare you let her in here! How…h…"

I was so out of breath that I couldn't even continue.

"Erik, rest…You need to rest up. I'll be back as soon as I can."

That was the last time I saw Christine for the next two weeks. Yes, Madame Giry scolded me for shouting at her, but I refused to be kind to the likes of her. Five years and now this…I wouldn't dare allow her to ruin my life again. Even when I was allowed to get up out of bed, I still refused to go down stairs. In a few days, I would be back at work, and until then, I spent my time writing music. Though, one evening, a knock occurred at my door. Yes, I had kept it unlocked in order to give Madame Giry access to enter, but now that I could do everything on my own, having her here was not necessary. Therefore, I kept the door locked.

"Yes?" I asked, placing down my pen.

"It's me, Erik…"

I rose to my feet and made my way towards the door.

"What is it that you need?" I asked, pulling the door open.

The old woman held up a cup of steaming liquid and smiled. "I brought you a cup of tea."

"Thank you," I held out my hand, but Madame Giry refused to give me the cup.

"May I come in?"

"Is it really necessary, Madame?"

She nodded and I let her in. Only then, did she hand me my tea.

"How are you feeling?"

I retook my seat at my desk and sipped on my tea. "Weak, but I shall live. I've been worse, I guess…"

There was a long pause of silence, before Madame Giry continued.

"Christine came by the house tonight."

I grunted and turned back towards my work. Why? Why did this woman insist on talking about Christine? She knew how much I loathed the girl, and yet, she was wishing to bring up her very name.

"And why would I care if Christine was here, Madame?" I picked up my pen and began to scribble away random notes on my parchment. "She is dead to me, Madame…"

"Erik, you don't really mean that. She wanted to come up here and speak with you, but I advised her to do otherwise. Why won't you speak with her, Erik? Couldn't that heal all wounds?"

"I'm sorry to say, Madame, but my wounds have healed into scars. I have no wounds, only scars, scars that ache every morning, noon and night. I would advise you to obey my wishes, those wishes being to be left alone, especially when it comes to that girl."

"Erik, you don't know her like I do."

"I know her enough, Madame! I know her enough to know that she hates me. I know her enough to know that she fears me. She made her own path in life, and therefore, I did the same."

"You may believe you know Christine, Erik, but the years have not been kind to her. She has suffered greatly."

I laughed within my throat at her comment. Suffered? Oh, she had jokes…

"You truly jest me, woman. No one has suffered more than I have. I am not changing my mind on this situation, Madame. I wish to be left alone, and therefore, you will obey me."

"If you continue to act this way, Erik, you will be alone for the rest of your life."

"Tell me something I don't know," I angrily spat. "Now, get out."

"You can't continue to avoid her, Erik. Now that Christine is here, she will be spending more time with us. There will come a day when you won't be able to ignore her."

"I will ignore her as much as I wish."

And with that, Madame Giry left my room. For the past few days, I had been cleaning my wound on my own, and in doing so, I had run out of supplies. I hadn't been out in nearly two weeks, but I had run out of bandages and ointment. After struggling to get dressed, I walked down the stairs to head out, when I saw Christine sitting in the kitchen with Madame Giry and Meg. I quickly turned towards the door and stepped outside, headed straight towards town.

I had thought no one seen me, but I was wrong, for Christine was at my side within a matter of minutes.

"Angel, could we please talk?"

I didn't even look at the woman. I continued walking as if she weren't even there.

"Why are you being so hard?" she asked. "I just wish to talk to you."

When I didn't answer her, she continued to follow me. Oh, why was she following me? I wanted her to go away, but she wouldn't. She followed me all the way to the drugstore. What made me feel even more uncomfortable was when she followed me inside. It was pretty plain to see that she was not going to leave me alone until I spoke to her. But how could I speak to such a despicable woman? For years, I had tried to woo her, for years, I had tried to get her to love me, and yet, she refused! So why should I speak to her now? Why should I treat her like a princess? No, she deserved to be treated terribly, and therefore, I would treat her that way.

"The doctor said that your wounds were deep," Christine replied as I pulled some bandages off the shelf. "I'm sure it had to be painful for you."

"Leave me alone," I growled, approaching the counter to pay for my items. Though, speaking to the woman only got her attention. Oh why did I open my mouth? With my bag of supplies in hand, I exited the store without even holding the door for her. Feeling exhausted, I approached a nearby bench to take a seat. Yes, I would have loved to shoot straight home, but my stomach was beginning to burn, and therefore, I needed to rest. Christine was nowhere in sight, and I believed her to be gone…That was until she plopped herself down beside me. Great…All I needed was to be stuck on a bench with this woman. I was in agony and in no mood for company, especially her.

"What do you want!" I barked, looking straight at her. "You have no right sitting beside me as if we are equal! You are an evil little vermin, Christine!"

Her smile slowly faded, and frankly, I was glad.

"What's happened to you?"

She tried to touch my shoulder, but I flinched and stood to my feet.

"Nothing has happened to me! I have grown stronger…I have hardened. Life happened, Christine! I have spent the last five years building this life for myself, and I refuse to have you ruin it once again."

"I wanted to thank you for saving Gustave," she seriously replied. "It was a kindness."

I wanted to be away from this woman. I wanted to be alone…And so, I spun around and said the only words that had come to mind.

"And if I would have known he was your flesh and blood, I would have left him to find you himself!"

I didn't even stay an extra moment after that. No, I simply spun around and headed home. I wasn't sure if what I had said made her sad, but I didn't care. No, I marched straight home and up to my room, slamming the door shut and locking it. I angrily threw my mask across the room and plopped down onto my bed to rest.

"Damn those men…" I moaned, pulling away the crusty bandages that were wrapped around my healing wound. "Damn them all…"

"Erik, there is some fresh tea brewing on the stove downstairs," came Madame Giry's voice. "Would you like me to bring you some?"

I pressed my face into my pillow and groaned. For the past five years I have lived in this hell, always surrounded by the two annoying women. I needed to get away from it all, I needed my own home, and therefore, I would have it. I wanted to have my privacy again, I wanted to be able to work without being disturbed, and living here would never please me. If I wanted to work until three in the morning, I wanted to do it in peace. If I wanted to touch myself, I wanted to do it without being disturbed. And if I wanted to hide from the world and Christine, I wanted to do it freely, without having Madame Giry worrying about my whereabouts. I needed to get away, and by God, I would…

And that's 4! Please review everyone...I shall update as soon as I can. Been Busy with promoting Augie Atwell...