Ella flinched as Madame Giry gently dabbed the make-up on her face. "I'm sorry," the ballet mistress apologized.
"It's fine. I'd rather sit through this than have to explain to everyone why I suddenly have a bruise on my face."
"Well you're still going to have to explain to me." Ella shook her head, but Madame Giry was in her own way, just as imposing as Erik. "How long has he been visiting you?"
"About a week after I got here," she admitted. "I was singing one day after rehearsal. He told me that I had some talent. He offered to help me, and I eventually accepted."
"What were you thinking?"
"I knew that everyone said he was dangerous. I thought that if I remained cautious and on guard, I'd be safe before I got in too deep. You know, back out the moment I felt uncomfortable, but I never did. If anything, he became a friend."
"Obviously you hadn't met his famous temper then." Madame Giry looked at her curiously. "What angered him so badly that he lashed out?"
Ella sighed. "It was my fault. Madame de Chagny somehow knew that he was tutoring me, and confronted me about it. When I mentioned it, he thought I had told her. He thought I betrayed him."
"So he brought you to his lair?"
She shook her head. "No, I was already down there. Archer…he kissed me, and Erik saw. He wasn't happy. He thought I was abandoning him."
Madame Giry stared at her in disbelief. "He kidnapped you because you were kissing another man, so you decide to mention the woman who broke his heart?"
"I didn't mean to! It just kind of slipped out!" Ella cried. "And besides, Erik didn't kidnap me!"
"Then what would you call it?"
"He…he…" Ella paused, wondering how to explain it. Then she realized that technically Erik did kidnap her, even if he allowed her to go without fuss. "It was just a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?" Madame Giry repeated. "A misunderstanding?!" She glanced at the time. "You and I need to be at rehearsal. We will discuss this later."
"There's nothing left to discuss!" she protested. "I swear!"
After a brief hesitation, Madame Giry nodded. "Very well."
After rehearsal, Meg grabbed Ella's hand. "Where on earth have you been? I haven't seen you since you were with Archer at the Masquerade!"
Ella honestly had no clue what to tell her friend. She hadn't thought about coming up with a story to explain her absence. Luckily for her, before she came up with something, Archer entered with the managers. He met her eyes for a brief second before he looked away, but both ballerinas could see the hurt in his eyes. "Oh," Meg whispered. "That's what happened. What went wrong?"
"I…I told him I didn't want to see him anymore," Ella whispered.
"Why would you do that?!"
Ella sighed. "I just…I couldn't…It was for the best."
"Ouch, I'm sorry. So what are you going to do now?" Meg asked.
"Return his necklace to start with," she replied with a sigh. "Then I'll go from there I guess."
She slowly approached Archer. "I know I'm probably the last person you want to see, but may I talk with you? Just for a moment?"
He studied her for a moment before slowly nodding. The pair moved to a corner of the opera where they could speak in private. "What do you want?" he asked thickly.
"I…I just wanted to give this back to you," Ella said, placing the diamonds in his hand.
Archer just shook his head sadly as he took it. "Ella, do one thing for me. All you have to do is just answer one question." She didn't respond, but gave him an inquiring look. "Why?"
"I'm sorry," she whispered as her only response, before turning to flee.
Desperate for a real answer, Archer grabbed her wrist as she tried to run. Much to his surprise, Ella cried out in pain. "Ella what's…?" He took her hand instead and pulled her closer. To his horror, there was a hand-shaped bruise. For a moment he thought he had caused it, but he realized that the mark was too big to be from him. "Oh my God, what happened?" She shook her head, as she tried to pull away. "Ella, who did this to you?" He moved to turn her head towards him, but she flinched at his touch. After realizing there was powder on her face, he pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped away the make-up, revealing another bruise. "Jesus Ella! What…who…?"
She tugged herself from his grasp. "Please don't ask."
Her reaction and words from the day before echoed back to him. 'I think it would be best for you if we stopped seeing each other'. You, she had said. Not us. It would be best for you. Archer wondered if this was because he had kissed her. Had somebody not very pleasant been upset by that? "Was…was this because of me?"
"Archer don't do this," she pleaded.
"Was it the man at the Masquerade?"
"Just let it go."
"I'm not going to just let it go!" Archer cried. "You disappear, tell me you never want to see me again, and then show up battered and bruised! If someone's hurting you because of me, I need to know!"
"It wasn't because of you," she whispered.
"Then look me in the eyes and tell me!" he begged. Her eyes looked up to meet his gaze for a split second before dashing to the floor. "Just tell me what's going on!"
"I...I can't."
He pulled her into a crevice, out of sight from everyone. "Ella, if somebody's doing this to you, I need to know. Let me help you. Let me protect you."
She had tears in her eyes. "Archer, don't get involved with this."
"Maybe I want to be involved in this. I don't want to let you get hurt anymore. Don't push me away, let me in." He took her in his arms and kissed her. Reluctantly he pulled away when he could taste salty tears. Archer rubbed away the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Ella, I love you. Please let me help you."
Ella gasped at his confession. "Archer, you can't…"
"Why not?"
"Please just stay away." He reached for her but she had dashed away. Archer wondered who was doing this to her, who had hurt her? And why was she so scared to be seen with him? Was it truly dangerous for her to be around him? Determined to help her, Archer vowed he wouldn't rest until he found out who was behind this.