Over the next two days, Ella drifted in and out of consciousness. She was vaguely aware of people saying her name. Although she couldn't tell if it was real or not, she thought she saw green eyes and white porcelain hovering over her.
When she had finally recovered, she found herself sitting to one side as everyone else rehearsed. Madame Giry had insisted she rest for one more day, but Ella couldn't stay in bed any longer, so here she was.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow flicker. Making sure no one saw here leave, Ella followed it to her dressing room. "We've been seeing an awful lot of each other, haven't we now?" the Phantom said dryly.
"I suppose we have," she cautiously replied. She looked away, somewhat frightened of his intense gaze. "Why me though?" Ella asked her voice little more than a whisper. "What did I ever do to attract your attention?"
"Your voice," he replied simply. "I am the Phantom of the Opera and this is my theater. And I wouldn't be taking very good care of my theater if I didn't get the best singers possible. Of course, Maria Bouvier is far from the worst singer this place has ever had, but you could easily surpass her abilities."
"No," Ella protested. "I can't."
"You can but you refuse to. You want to but you won't let yourself." She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off. "It's not a matter of ability; it's a matter of self-confidence. Teaching someone how to sing is fairly easy. Teaching someone how to believe they can sing is something else, but it can be done."
"Nobody has bothered to care about me my whole life. So why do you? I'm nothing like Christine!"
For a second, the look of utter pain in his eyes made her regret her words. "No," he murmured quietly. "No you're not Christine." He pushed past her and started to leave, but pause and glanced back at her. "This is your last chance. If you want my help, be in the chapel at seven o'clock."
Nothing like Christine, Erik thought with a snort. If only she knew. There were more similarities between the two than he was willing to admit. They may be different physically: Ella's fiery hair fell in soft curls, her stormy grey eyes full of emotion as opposed to Christine's dark untamable hair and warm chocolate brown eyes, but they both had a certain innocence about them. Both came to the opera after a loss; he didn't know what Ella's was yet, but he could tell there was one.
Erik sighed heavily. As Ella asked, why was he doing this, why did he care? And unfortunately the answer was because she reminded him of Christine. That's why he couldn't bring himself to chase her away.
But was it worth getting too close to her? If she was nothing more than a replacement to Christine, then what was the point? He'd just get betrayed again. Not to mention it wasn't fair to Ella either.
From the shadows, he watched Ella return to the stage. Out of nowhere, the patron ran up to her. "Miss LeFontelle, how are you feeling? I was worried when I discovered just how ill you really were."
A delicate pink blush spread across her ivory cheeks. "Um, thank you for your concern, but I'm fine now. Really."
Erik forced himself to look away. He shook his head, trying to clear it. Why did this girl make him feel like this? She was just another ballet rat. There had been so many that came and went over the years, and the only one who had ever made him feel this way was Christine, and look how that had worked out.
Besides, Ella was a lot more guarded than Christine. There was no way she would have ever fallen for the Angel of Music trick. And she obviously was still extremely skittish around him, so clearly honesty wasn't the best policy. He groaned in frustration. Why did people have to be so difficult? If there weren't so hard to understand, his life would be a lot easier. Or at least if he were smart enough to keep away from them.
Hours later, he was pacing, still trying to sort his thoughts when he just happened to glance at the time. Five to seven. He promised Ella that he would be waiting for her. Weaving his way through the passages, Erik couldn't help but wondered why he was even bothering to check. Ella wasn't going to be there.
As he neared the room, he was astonished to hear that angelic voice singing. She was facing away from him, towards the door that most people used. But most people weren't the Phantom and therefore didn't know about the secret passage.
"I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances, but they're worth takin'
Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth makin'
Don't let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin' out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance"
He pushed the wall panel back in place and listened to her contently.
"I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you…"
Instead of finishing the song, her voice caught and she whirled around in surprise. "I wasn't actually expecting you to be here," Erik said.
"Well I guess that makes two of us," she whispered in reply.