"Of course she didn't die.. She must be a cat to have survived this long."
The woman clicked her nails against the desk, losing patience. "You had one job, Elizabeth, and what do you do? Miss her heart."
"Mother, I'm sorry, I tried, I really did. It was far away, and-"
"Excuses!" she exclaimed, slamming her hand down on the desk. "No, I get it. You don't feel bad for me. You don't think she deserves to die."
Elizabeth remained silent.
"Let me remind you that her mother turned my gorgeous singing into frog croaks. Her mother ruined me. We should be living in a palace, but instead we live mediocrely. Her mother is the reason why your father left us! Justice demands to be served."
The daughter sighed. "Then why don't we just kill the mother then?"
"I don't want to kill her.. I want to crush her."
"Mother," another girl entering the room said. "What about me? You know I am close to her."
"Not yet. I'm saving you to learn more about her."
The second daughter bowed her head. "Yes, Mother.."
Carlotta sighed. "Now, leave me alone! I have a headache the size of two daughters."
"Come on, put the hat on!" Allegra pouted.
"Hell no! I'll look ridiculous!" Erik pushed the detective hat away.
"We can't go snooping around if you don't wear it! It ruins the adventure of it all. Give me a good reason."
Erik thought about it for a second. "... It.. clashes with the color of my mask…"
Allegra paused, wondering if he was serious or not, until she saw the smirk he was hiding. She laughed, carefully putting the hat on herself with her good arm.
"How do I look?" she asked.
"Er.." He looked at her. "Stupid."
"Thanks, I knew it looked good. Not ridiculous."
She turned around and looked at herself in the mirror to stall time.
Allegra hadn't told him what she knew. It never seemed like the right time, like they were both holding their breath. As she reached up to touch her hair, a sharp pain traveled down her injured arm.
"Ouch!" she yelped, putting the arm down instantly.
Erik rushed over to Allegra instinctively, checking her arm. "Are you okay? Does it still hurt?"
Allegra shrugged her shoulder, wincing. "I'm fine. It only hurts a little."
"Idiot, you know the doctor told you it would take a week or so to heal! Be careful or it'll take longer."
"I know!" she snapped, glaring at him. She broke their gaze after a few seconds, looking down. "I know.. I'm not a little girl.."
She walked over to her violin case, brushing her fingers across the top of it. She sighed, looking down at it. "I wish I could play soon.. I miss the sound."
Erik sighed and walked over, taking the case away from her and opening it up.
"Erik? What are you doing?!"
He didn't say anything, placing her violin under his chin and beginning to play.
Allegra watched him, stunned. Although his bow arm needed to be smoother, and his left hand could be more confident, the lullaby Erik played for her was breathtaking.
The minor chords, sounding like pure grief, appeared here and there, but the joyous melody overpowered that.
He stopped. "... I played that song for your parents while they were falling in love.. They never knew."
Allegra didn't know what to say in return. It was the first part of his past that he openly shared with her.
"Well, happy? Good, let's go then."
She followed him for a bit through Paris before realizing where he was headed. "Oh no! We can't go there now, I'll be humiliated!"
"I need Meg's records, stop complaining," he mumbled.
"Bethany is taking my place while I recover. She's probably gloating right now about how she deserved the spot all along."
"Well I can't leave you outside like a dog!"
"Why not?" Allegra questioned, stopping.
"You can never defend yourself. Look at you! It's like raising your hands and saying 'Mug me.'"
She reached in her trench coat's pocket and pulled out a black pistol. "Yes, I can."
Erik glanced back and forth between Allegra's determined face and the pistol in her hand. They both seemed odd. "Fine," he said. "Scream if you need help."
"Will do," she smiled, putting the gun back. "But I think you'll hear the gun first."
Erik rubbed his forehead. "I'll be back soon."
Allegra watched him go inside the opera house, a grin on her face. Another argument won.
Erik rustled through the cabinets, annoyed by how long it was taking.
"Back in my office again?"
"Yes, Meg. I'm looking for any clipping about Carlotta."
Meg went over to her desk and took out a binder. "I've kept them in here."
"Why didn't you give them to me beforehand?!"
"Oh dear, I'm sorry. Some phantoms have a tendency to run away while I call at them!"
Erik glared at her. "Give it to me."
"Wait," Meg said, holding it in her hands. "First I want to know something. Why are you so bitter towards me? To be fair I've known you for a long time."
"That's the point. You knew me when I was alive. You knew me when I loved Christine. I'd rather not have that past redug."
"Look. I'm sorry. We're in the same situation if you think about it."
"At least I don't try to kill people, or send them to an eternal death."
Meg sighed, placing the binder on her lap and rubbing her forehead with her hands. "I'll admit I went crazy for a bit, okay? The past hurt me too. You never noticed me, you know? You thought Christine shared that sense of loneliness that you had. That's why you fell in love with her to begin with, right? An orphan. Well I understood that pain more than anyone, including her. I wanted to comfort you and let you know that you weren't alone. But instead I was cast off as another nobody."
Erik stared at Meg, partially annoyed by the waste of time and partially actually caring. "Clean slate?" he asked her, reaching his hand out.
"Deal," Meg smiled, shaking his hand. She gave him the binder with Carlotta's features in the news.
As Erik began to walk out Meg said, "Wait.. You know I'll always care about you, right?"
Erik didn't look back, but he did stop.
"Oh, and I do care about Allegra," she continued, "even if I did want to kill her. If you break her heart I'll make you wish you were dead."
He smirked. He supposed Allegra understood that too if she allowed herself to sleep under the same roof as Meg after what had happened. "Deal."
(Woo, over ten thousand words! Thanks guys. Your views give me inspiration to write more when I have writer's block. I was hoping you guys could review and critique my writing more though, or pm me if you have an idea for the story. I'm going to take a few days to finish some school stuff, but I'll be writing in the meantime. Thanks again! :) )