Erik's POV

Dinner was strange, considering the fact that I had forgotten about my face. I could never eat a meal comfortably unless my mask was completely off. Unfortunately, I had to suffer through dinner, chewing slowly in order to eat my meal.

"Gustave, stop playing with you food, sweetheart." Christine reached across the table and placed a fork into the child's hand. I knew he was uncomfortable with me sitting at his table, and I couldn't blame him, seeing that I had frightened the poor child. I only meant to frighten his mother…Scaring children wasn't a favorite hobby of mine, for they were innocent beings that deserved to live in peace.

"So, Erik, how long have you been working in Luna Park?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "For as long as I can remember. It was my first job when I came to America and I've been there ever since. That's not to say that I haven't been desperately trying to weasel my way out of it."

Christine's smile slowly began to fade away. "I…I've heard what people do to the employees in that section of the park. It isn't right…"

"And who cares? It's a pay…That's what has been drilled into my head."

Switching the subject, Christine looked at Gustave and smiled. "Pumpkin, why don't you tell Mr. Erik about what you like to do?"

The small, chocolate haired boy stared down at his noodles and shook his head.

"No?" Christine questioned. "You don't want to tell him about your piano?"

Once more, the boy shook his head.

"Mr. Erik likes music too, Gustave. Wouldn't you want to show him some of yours?"

"No…" he yelped. "No…"

"Well then, if not your music, why don't you show him your toys? I'm sure he would love to see them?"

Once again, the boy shook his head and then left the table. My eyes followed him as he ran into the hall and most likely to his room. When his door slammed shut, Christine sighed and took a sip of her drink.

"I'm terribly sorry, Erik. He's usually never like this."

"It is of my fault, Christine," I said. "I frightened him the other day. I know that sometimes my temper can get the best of me. It's a horrible habit, really. I frightened him, and therefore, I deserve to be shunned. I don't do well with children anyway."

Christine nodded and went back to eating her meal.

"Is there something wrong with your meal, Erik?" she questioned, taking notice to my plate that was still full. "You've hardly touched your dinner."

I shook my head. "No, everything is fine, Christine."

"I've noticed that you're chewing strangely as well. I know that your mask bothers you a lot…I know it from being back at the opera house."

"It does no such thing," I lied. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you."

"Erik," Christine's smile faded. "If you need to eat without your mask, you could take it off."

"No," I angrily snapped. "I will do no such thing."

"But why? I've given you permission."

"No, Christine," I pressed my eyes closed. "I know how you reacted long ago, and by removing my mask now will do nothing but make me a glutton for punishment. And what if your boy came walking in here? He would be scarred for life…No, I will not remove my mask. Don't ask me to do so again."

"All right," she pouted.

"I'm full," I lied, pushing my plate aside. "Thank you for dinner."

"You're welcome, Erik…Anytime."

I stood to my feet and was ready to leave, but the rain was coming down so hard, that I would have drowned in an attempt to make my way home.

"You should stay until the weather clears," Christine replied. "Just a little while longer."

"I'd rather not…" I said. "I have work that needs to be done before tomorrow."

"I could give you a tour of the rest of the apartment?" she offered. "Or we could sit in the family room and have some tea?"

"All right," I sighed. "But only for a little while longer."

"I'll make us some tea. In the meantime, why don't you go take a seat in the family room?"

I nodded and left the kitchen. Though, I was distracted from taking a seat in the family room when I heard some noises coming from down the hall. Curious, I slowly stepped towards a cracked doorway, peeking inside the small room to spot Gustave sitting on the floor and playing with what seemed to be paper cut outs of animals. Curious, I knocked on the door, only to have the child gasp and scurry towards his bed.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I said. "I was just curious as to what you were doing."

The child didn't say a word as I entered and bent down to pick up the cheap paper cut out of a tiger.

"Paper animals?" I questioned.

"That's Jerry," the child mewed. "He's a circus tiger."

I placed down the tiger, and picked up a cut out of a bear.

"That's Meatball, he's in the circus too. He rides a unicycle…"

"And do you like these paper animals?" I questioned.

Gustave shrugged his shoulders and scooted back over to his pile of animal cut outs.

"I like them, but it's hard to play circus."

"And why is that?" I asked.

Gustave took the paper tiger and sat him up. A few seconds later, the child released the piece of paper, only to have the tiger drop flat on his side.

"Jerry doesn't like to perform…He likes to sleep. He's boring… Meatball does it too."

"There are better things than paper," I said. "The toy stores in Coney Island have ones that stand on their own."

"Mama says they cost money," he said. "She says that she doesn't have extra money for things like that."

"Are all of your toys made out of paper?"

"Mostly, but mama did buy me a small piano for Christmas last year."

The boy crawled to his bed and pulled out the child piano. It must have cost Christine a fortune, for I had seen these small pianos for children in the windows of toy stores around Coney Island. There might have only been twenty keys on the piano, but it fit the purpose.

"So, you like music do you?"

The boy nodded. "I love it more than anything in the world. Mama used to sing too, did you know that?"

I nodded. "Yes, that's actually how your mother and I met."

"Mama said that when she makes enough money she'll take me to music lessons. But, I don't think that will ever happen."

"And why do you say that?"

"Because mama has trouble buying milk sometimes. I don't like when she goes to work."

"Really? Why do you say that?"

"I don't like being left alone at night. It's scary being here by myself…Mama told me I have to be strong and brave, brave like papa was."

I was about to open my mouth to say something, when I heard Christine's voice.

"Oh, Erik, there you are."

I spun around to spot Christine standing in the doorway with two cups of tea in hand.

"I'm sorry," I said, rising to my feet. "Gustave was just showing me his…um…circus animals."

Christine smiled. "Yes, they're his favorite. Oh, Gustave, sweetie, it's time for you to wash up before bed."

"Yes, mama…." The child pouted.

When I was his age I never had any toys to play with…My childhood was filled with abuse and pain. Even now, as I stood before the boy, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. There had to be something I could do to make his childhood easier. Yes, it wasn't my business, but it was bad enough that he never knew his father. I, myself, never had a father and knew what it was like to grow up without a man to guide me. I did owe the child, for I had frightened him. No, I would make it up to him somehow.

"I'll be back to tuck you into bed, Gustave," Christine promised, leading me back towards the family room.

"I'm sorry if he bothered you, Erik."

"No, he was no bother at all, Christine."

The woman handed me a cup of steaming tea and I thanked her.

"He can be a handful at times."

"All children are, Christine," I said. "Even I was a handful at times."

"Sometimes I believe he would have been better off with someone else. I'm not financially fit to raise him. I can barely take care of myself at times."

"I don't believe anyone in this world is really ready for a child, but it's God's will. He makes no mistakes, Christine. God wouldn't have given you a child if he didn't think you could raise him right. Just like God wouldn't have put on me on this earth if there wasn't a purpose for me. Though, lately, I believe that my purpose is to be humiliated by the world."

"Don't say that, Erik. You just haven't found your purpose yet. Sometimes, in order to find your way in life, one must first travel on a long journey."

"Be as it may, Christine, but at the moment I am more concerned about that boy of yours. Believe it or not, he is afraid to be left alone. No child at his age should feel fear."

"I know," Christine cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. "But I have nowhere else to place him. I have to work, and I can't take him with me."

I couldn't believe what I was about to do, but be as it may, it was the right thing to do.

"Christine, I was thinking…." I swallowed hard, knowing that deep down I would regret this. "You work in the evenings; I work during the day…What if I…What if I offered to look after the boy, while you're at work? I could be here as early as five."

Christine's jaw dropped, and her arms wrapped themselves around my body. No! I wouldn't have this. I pushed the woman away and shot to my feet.

"Don't touch me, Christine!"

"I'm sorry….I'm sorry…I'm just relieved is all… No one has ever offered to do something as kind as that."

"I will watch over him in the evenings until you return home. Though, in agreeing to do this, I don't want you treating me like your best friend. This is a business and nothing more…You're just lucky that I hold a soft spot for fatherless boys."

"Thank you, Erik."

"And don't thank me, woman…"

Christine smiled as I placed on my cloak and hat.

"I usually start my shift at three," Christine replied. "Gustave will only have to be alone for an hour or so…That's better than the entire night."

I nodded. "I'll be here… I guess I shall see you around."

I was about to leave, when Christine rushed into the kitchen and brought me out a covered plate.

"Leftovers," she replied. "For some other night when you're feeling hungry."

"I don't need leftovers," I assured. "I don't get hungry often."

"Well, when you're hungry, it'll be there for you."

And with that, I headed home. But that night, I did not sleep…No, I sat at my desk and whittled away at a block of wood, carving what would soon be a whole new batch of circus animals for Gustave. By the following morning, I had six new animals carved and nearly painted. I would have finished them, but I had work…My back was finally starting to heal and I dreaded returning to the place. After slipping on my cloak, I headed towards Luna Park to start my day. Though, I wasn't even at my podium, when I felt a hand come down over my back. It burned, more than anything in the world. My reflexes reacted faster than my thoughts, and I found myself spinning around to catch the man's wrist in hand.

"If you know what's good for you, monster, you'll get your paws off of me!" Mr. Tilyou snapped.

I released him, only to see him smile once again. Oh, what evil plan could he possibly be thinking about now?

"You know, Erik," he purred. "I believe punishment is in order. You know the consequences for touching someone such as me…"

"I don't have time for games," I spat. "I have work to do."

"Correct, and that work shall now be decided by me. I believe it's time you met the dunking box."

"I will not go…"

"You will go, or else, you'll be fired. Think of that, monster…No job, no money, no cushy home…"

"You can burn in hell!" I angrily spat.

"And for that, you can go to the dunking box."

With a snap of his fingers, my wrists and ankles were tied together with rope and I was carried off to the dunking box. Oh, it was a horrible place…Another one of Mr. Tilyou's cruel punishments. It was a box where someone was sat above a pool of filthy water. From there, paying patrons could toss objects at a nearby target that would cause the bench to come out from beneath the person and drop them into the pool of water. Usually, no one really every bothered with such a stand, but today, I was placed there maskless, and oh, what a crowd I attracted. Dunk after dunk, I would fall into the green water, flapping my bound arms and legs around to attempt to swim to the surface. I was covered in slime, my back burning and aching because of the filthy water that was seeping into my healing wounds. But nothing was as bad as the crowd I soon came face to face with in the late afternoon. It was the boys….The same group of boys that had harassed and stabbed me. When they noticed that it was me, who was sitting on that bench, they instantly paid every cent that they could, gaining at least five or six baseballs a piece. And what they did with them put a seal on their fates. Instead of tossing the balls at the target like they were supposed to do, they threw the balls at my body. One hit my rib cage, another hit my eye…Hit after hit. And there wasn't a thing I could do to protect myself, for my hands were bound behind my back.

Yes, I would obtain bruises from this, but this was the last straw…For from these bruises, those horrible boys would find themselves dead. I would hunt every last one of them down and I would kill them! This was a promise…I had been humiliated for the last time! Never again would these cruel boys harm me. I was the Phantom of the Opera, and tonight, I would be the death of them. Mark my words, they would curse the day they messed with Erik.

DUN DUN DUN! Please review! I'm trying my best to make this story different in every twist and turn. Some of you were angry over Christine being raped, but I'm a little bored with the whole "Gustave is Raoul's" or "Gustave is Erik's" story... I'm trying to do something no one else has done and if you can get over that fact, I believe that you will all enjoy what I have in store for this one. And for those of you who are still reading, Thank you...