The taxi ride was unbearable. No, not because he was sitting next to Allegra, that was wonderful, but that he couldn't speak to her. Again.
He glared at the taxi driver, and wanted him to jump out of his seat by the sound of Erik's voice. That could also be bad though, since he was driving and all.
Allegra paid the man and they got out, tired of sitting after two hours of traveling in unbearable silence. "Gosh that was boring!" she exclaimed, stretching her arms.
Erik couldn't agree more, and gave her a curt nod. He was never really good at talking, he admitted to himself. Everything he said seemed like an insult or sarcastic remark.
She looked at him, as if to reassure herself that he was still there and well, then started walking with the map in her hands.
"I think they live right down here… Look, in that little cottage!"
Sure enough, the address matched the one in the clipping.
"Wait," Erik said right before Allegra knocked on the door. "They'll recognize you. First you should disguise yourself. Put your hair in a high bun, and I'll put the hat on top to cover it."
"It's so thick and hard to put it in a high bun though. Why do you think I keep it down?"
To torture me?, he thought to himself. She probably wouldn't like that answer though. He just stared at her instead, waiting.
She huffed, twisting her hair up and wrestling with it until it stayed put. He put the hat on top, covering most of it.
"Huh, you look kinda like your father." It was strange how someone he loved could look strangely similar to the man he almost killed. Almost.
"Thanks," she mumbled, obviously not that enthusiastic. She knocked on the door.
A pretty blonde opened the door, smiling. She looked like a foreigner, almost looking like she was from Spain. "Hello, can I help you?" Yup, a Spanish accent.
"Hi, I'm Emily Smith and this is Erik Smith, my brother." Brother?! Great.. "We were hoping to find Carlotta Giudicelli. Does she live here?"
"Erm.. Well, yes, technically she does."
"Can we speak to her?"
"I'm afraid she isn't here right now, but please, come inside."
They walked in, observing the spartan-like house. Very few decorations adorned the walls, and it didn't seem that well kept. As they sat down on chairs in the living room, Erik noticed a bucket below a tear in the roof for when it rained.
"Your brother doesn't speak much, does he?"
Allegra opened her mouth to reply, but Erik cut her off. "No, instead of speaking I like to analyze people. Tell if they are truly telling the truth or not, and the weaknesses they possess.. What did you say your name was?"
The lady hesitated, frowning slightly. "Elizabeth Giudicelli. My friends call me Lizzy."
"Well, Lizzy-" Erik started before she cut him off.
"I said my friends called me that."
Erik glared at her, losing patience. He didn't like people cutting him off, especially when they looked that smug doing it.
Not only that, the atmosphere of the house was driving him crazy. It radiated energy and anger.
He gripped the arm of the chair to keep calm, while Allegra shot him a look. Shut up, it said loud and clear.
"What does your mother do now?" Allegra asked. "She had such a lovely voice."
The corner of Elizabeth's mouth twitched slightly, covering it up with a smile. "Oh, she doesn't work. I wash clothes instead and my sister plays on the streets."
"Plays? What does she play?"
"Violin, Viola, and Cello."
"Oh how wonderful! I play too, maybe someday-" Erik coughed to interrupt her.
"Do you know anything about the shooting at the opera house?" he asked, starting to feel anxiety creeping into his head. The sooner they left, the better.
"I know what the newspaper said."
"Well we highly suspect that your mother shot the concertmistress. Revenge through the family." Course this was a lie; he already knew that it was Elizabeth or her sister.
"How dare you," she replied, standing up. "If my mother saw you you would regret saying that very much indeed."
"Your mother isn't home though," Allegra remarked, crossing her arms. The cold comment made Erik proud as much as how saying 'Thank you' probably made her proud.
A loud thud resonated down the hall. "Oh, but I am!"
Elizabeth's eyes widened, and her face paled a few shades. "Oh no, oh no. I would leave if I were you."
Allegra looked at Erik, but he shook his head. The sound of heels clicked down the hall, stopping at the doorway of the living room. Carlotta stood there, grinning.
Erik froze, staring at her. "She's not alive," he whispered to Allegra.
"What do you mean?"
He could sense the energy now, it was coming from her. Only, it wasn't like a phantom's energy either. It was much, much darker.
She flicked her hand, sending the detective hat hurtling at the wall and Allegra's hair cascading down. Even Erik couldn't do that without using a lot of energy. She made it seem effortless.
"Dear Elizabeth.. How stupid of you. The girl you almost killed was sitting in our living room and you didn't even know it."
"M-Mother, I didn't see the hair, and her name was changed!"
"Tsk. Tsk." Carlotta glared at her daughter with a hint of hatred. Then she looked at Allegra and Erik. "Now what am I going to do with you, hm?"
Erik's mind clicked. It all made sense. "A demon. She's a demon."
"Yes, and you're a phantom. Bravo, bravo." Carlotta clapped her hands, her eyes flickering crimson red.
Erik knew how dangerous they could be, especially when using all their energy. Even the atmosphere alone drove regular spirits to do bad things. Hurt people. Kill them.
He grabbed Allegra's hand.
"Run," he said.