Hello! This is a long one and it took me a while to figure out where exactly i wanted it to go... hopefully i made the right choice.
Thank you to all the new readers and I'm really appreciating the reviews. Hope you are liking the story so far.
Ok, Chapter 3! :)
Phanty belongs to Leroux and Lloyd Weber.
There she was. Christine. Even in that ridiculous costume she took my breath away. She never failed to... She had come straight from the show. She must have because I left as soon as curtain had finished and I had just made it to the mirror in time to see her entering the room... Just in time to see that sop of a boy chasing her; trying to persuade her to leave and spend the evening with him instead. I had seen him last night as well and he had done the very same thing. Soon enough he would catch up with her and they would be able to have their little rendezvous when I was not around; somewhere out of my sight... perhaps they would leave the Opera and have their reunion somewhere out of my power... I had been the proclaimed 'ghost' but even I could not be everywhere at once... I had to get to her before that happened. I had to make her mine, make her love me somehow... against all odds.
This time I would not use any tricks or illusions to win her over. She now knew that I was nothing but a man, and so I would attempt to court her... as a man. I hadn't really any idea where to begin but speaking to her was undoubtedly a good start.
I had heard her calling to me and it took all the strength I possessed not to go to her at that very moment. I would always come when she called. I had once told her that I would always be there for her when no one else would, but that was then... I restrained myself. I did not want her to think that I was watching her all the time. Of course, I was... but never in an improper way. Never at all.
When I felt as though enough time had passed I finally made my entrance. Nothing like my first entrance; this one was rather awkward... I had almost completely entered the room and yet she had not heard me. I did not want to frighten her so I spoke; I called her name;
"Christine." I said.
She spun around and stared at me and I felt even more awkward than before. With one gaze she had stripped me of all my defenses.
"Angel." She said; her mouth still agape in shock. 'Angel' she had called me. It seemed to strange when it had once seemed so fitting... She knew now that I was no angel, but of course, she had nothing else to call me.
""Please. My name is Erik." I said to her. Hopefully this was a good start. She stared at me in disbelief; as if in complete shock that I could have a name, an actual identity. Of course, it did feel quite strange hearing it, even coming from my own mouth. I had not used it in such a long time.
I walked closer to her but she did not shy away as part of me had expected her to. "We both now know that I am no angel..." I chuckled mirthlessly. I gestured to the divan to my right. Perhaps if I were sitting, she wouldn't feel so threatened. "May I?"
"Oh... of course. Yes!" I smiled. She turned her chair towards me slightly. That was something...?
Taking off my cape and gloves I lay them neatly on the divan.
"I apologize for my lateness." I said, flipping my tailcoat out behind me before sitting down.
"Oh, not at all." She said, staring at me. Given her slightly skittish nature I would have thought that if anything she would have tried to avert her gaze from me... but it was quite the opposite. She seemed fascinated with me; seemed to be studying me from head to foot and it was making me quite nervous. I found myself worrying about futile clothing details; had my trousers been pressed neatly? Were my boots shiny enough...? Then I started to think on my mask; what would she say about my mask? Perhaps last night it would have fitted in with the abject illusion I had created around her but not now... not anymore. She would ask about it. It was only a matter of time.
She kept staring and staring; studying me with such intensity that I could not meet her eyes. I found that I was beginning to blush. I cleared my throat; deciding that if I did not speak now, I never would. Before I could however, Christine spoke up.
"I'm sorry..." She looked away. Sorry? Perhaps she realized.
"Ah... What?" I asked; my words almost on top of hers.
"I'm sorry... If I'm staring. I've just... never seen you so clearly before."
I smiled and dusted my pants casually. I have no idea why I did it... they were impeccably clean...
"That's quite alright." I said, still not able to meet her eyes.
"You're in my dressing room..." She said. She seemed to be thinking aloud; trying to convince herself of what was happening.
"I am." I said.
"It's so surreal." She said. She had no idea how surreal it really was. "Are you not worried that someone may come in?"
"No, Christine." I had seen her lock the door, of course.
"Why?" She asked innocently.
Why indeed. I couldn't tell her that I had seen her. I couldn't tell her that the mirror was, in fact one way glass and that I could watch her whenever in fancied. I couldn't tell her that that was why I knew so much about her; how I was able to speak to her... I was not ready for such explanations. I knew that they would come... but not tonight. For now I had to win her trust.
"I know these things." I said. Thankfully she seemed sated with my vague response.
"So... your name is... Erik?" She asked.
"Oui."
"Ok. That isn't a French name?" She questioned.
"No. But I was born here." I was alarmed that we were speaking of my childhood so soon. Thankfully, she changed the subject.
"And that... mirror..."
"Yes...?"
"You did just come out of there, didn't you? Is that how we... got to... wherever we went last night?"
I couldn't lie to her. I would not reveal the fact that I could see her through this door... not yet. But I would be truthful in everything else, as much as my pride would allow. "Yes. I didn't want to hide anything from you anymore, Christine. Now that you know me as a man I didn't want to use any trickery or illusion."
She nodded in understanding. "So, last night was... illusion?"
Oh god, here it was.
"...Yes and no." I answered. I picked at my fingernail nervously. "You must understand, Christine that I am a magician among other things... and."
"Other things?" I looked at her. Was she testing me? Teasing me? Was she asking me in all innocence? I didn't know how to respond so I answered as honestly as I could.
"Y... Yes..." She didn't want to know of my hobbies; she didn't really... not all of them. "I am an architect and designer... and... a magician of sorts. I regret that I used what power I had to..." I had to choose my words carefully. "To... disguise myself... and my world."
World? God, she did not even know where I lived. How would she react when I told her that I actually lived underneath the Opera...? It had been so long that until I realized I would have to say it aloud, it had seemed quite normal to me.
"Where did we go last night?" She asked. I knew then that I would have to tell her. "What lies behind that mirror?"
What lies behind the mirror? What lies behind the mask? I was not ready for this. Not at all...
"Christine... I..." I stood up and loosened my cravat.
"What?" She asked, her gaze following me as I began pacing the dressing room I had so often watched from behind the glass.
I sighed.
"How much do you remember of last night?"
"I have some memory of what happened... they appear like vignettes in my mind. I remember seeing you in the mirror. I remember the corridor. I remember where we were and I remember thinking that I had never seen anything like it..." She looked away and her eyes glazed over, seemingly lost in her memories. "I remember the music; such beautiful music." At this I tried to suppress a smile. That was my music she was speaking of. Mine.
"I remember... "She looked up at me, almost apprehensive to speak. "I... remember your mask and how I tried to remove it." She stood up and walked towards me. I should have seen this coming. I didn't want to remind her of my lapse in sanity; my moment of insecurity and shame but there was no turning back now. "And I'm so sorry for it Ang... Erik." I looked at her. My name sounded so awkward coming from her lips and yet it seemed as if she had never called me anything else. "I should never have done it and... I had been wanting to apologize..."
"No Christine, I was at fault." How could she possibly think that she was at fault? The fact that it had plagued her as much as it had me surely something... didn't it?
"I had already forgiven you for that, remember? I should apologize... I don't want you to think ill of me or... fear me and when I think back on it and I see your face; the fear in your eyes, I feel quite sick."
"But it was not my place to do that. Albeit... frightening... your reaction was warranted. It was so silly of me. I just wanted to see you, to see who you were."
God, I had frightened her. That was the last thing I would have wanted to do. I was utterly disgusted with myself "I know." I forced a smile to show her that I was not angry with her.
"I am... just so sorry that I frightened you, Christine. You must know that I would never hurt you." I looked at her, my eyes pleading for her to understand, for her to forgive me.
"Erik..." There it was again. "Where did we go last night?"
This time there was no avoiding it... I had to tell her.
"I'm... afraid Christine." I admitted.
"Afraid? Of what?"
I sat back down in the divan, this time Christine sat next to me.
"I am afraid that if I tell you, this will all be over. This glorious dream will come to an end and I will be no better off than I was before I met you."
At this, she placed her hand on my leg. Her small, white, perfect hand was willingly touching me and now I could not concentrate on my words.
"Please tell me." She asked.
I couldn't move but I had to speak; I had to or else she would remove her hand.
"I... Last night I... took you to my home." There it was. It was out.
"Your home?" She asked in disbelief which was understandable enough.
"Yes..." I looked at her apprehensively. Surely now she would leave. She would run away, run to that boy who follows her around and never speak to me again. I had my mind set on the worst possible outcome such that nothing at all prepared me for her answer.
"Well... It is quite strange but... I suppose that I live at the Opera as well..."I was speechless.
"No doubt you... have a lot of questions..."
"Yes. I have many questions..." She agreed. "But for the most part I just cannot believe that you are here, sitting next to me. I wasn't sure if I had dreamt it all or not. I woke up and it all seemed so distant to me... and then I saw you and you seemed so real..."
"You weren't meant to see me." I said, shifting uncomfortably.
"Maybe not." She replied. "But I do not regret seeing you. Do you regret me seeing you?"
At that point I looked up at her. God, I loved her. I loved her and I wanted to tell her. "No. I don't." Of course I didn't. If she hadn't seen me then I wouldn't be here; talking to her, and how glorious it was, just being able to speak to her after all this time. She smiled at me and my heart melted. I couldn't bear to be around this woman and yet I could not bear to be away from her.
"Did you see my performance?" She asked suddenly, knocking me out of my reverie.
"Of course." I said. At last, a realm I was comfortable in; music.
"And?"
"And you were perfect, Christine." I said sternly. She beamed. It appeared that I still had some power over her. "You genuinely deserved the role and you played it as if you were born to."
"Thank you." She said, attempting to hide a yawn. I smiled knowingly at her.
"I should go." I said.
"No, no! I'm not tired."
"Yes, you are. You've just finished a performance, my dear. It was irresponsible of me to arrange a meeting at this time."
"I arranged it, remember!" She said, smiling. "I wanted to see you and I still do, so stay."
"You have another performance tomorrow night, child." I said, standing up. "I should not keep you up."
"Angel... Erik...? Stay for a little while longer?" She pleaded, looking up at me with those eyes; pulling me into their depths of dark brown; the hue of which I feared I would become lost in if I did not look away. Had she any idea the power she had over me?
God, I feared that if she asked me one more time I would not possess the power to leave. Of course I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay in that dressing room until the end of time; just speaking with her. Learning about her, and I would answer any question she asked of me; anything at all. But I had to go, it was only a matter of time before somebody, probable Madame Giry came in to check on Christine and as much as I trusted her, I was not ready to reveal myself entirely to anyone but Christine.
Just when I thought I had used up all of my resolve she placed her small hand in mine. I looked down at our hands. Would she be willingly holding my hand if she knew of the sins it was capable of; the sins I was capable of?
"Christine..." I said, half warning, half encouragement. As if hearing only what she wanted to from my voice, still looking up at me she entwined her fingers in mine and I was lost.
"Christine." I repeated.
"Don't leave." She said, tightening her grip.
"I... don't want to leave." I said. She stood up in front of me, now holding my hand in both of hers. The warmth was unbearably pleasant. How would I go on? How would I now live without her touch?
She opened her perfect mouth to speak but I shall never know what she was going to say because just then, there was a knock at the door. Both of us almost jumped at the sound.
"Christine?" A voice called; it was Madame Giry. If I had not been so well acquainted with this woman I would have damned her for her absolutely woeful timing. "Christine, are you alright?"
"Y... Yes." Christine called, not breaking my gaze. "Yes I'll be there in a minute."
Regretfully, Christine released my hand and the cold was more noticeable than it had ever been.
I so desperately wanted to ask to see her again as soon as possible. I knew that the hours between leaving Christine and seeing her again would be unbearable. But I knew that I could not ask such a thing, if Christine wished to continue this friendship, courtship... whatever it was; it would be on her terms.
Taking a breath I stepped back and began to put on my gloves.
"When... Can I see you again?" She asked boldly.
"I... you wish to see me again?"
"Yes, of course! I have many questions and..."
"Christine!" The voice from behind the door called sternly. Christine continued in a whisper.
"...and I would... just like to see you again."
It didn't matter to me why she wanted to see me or in what capacity. Of course I would accede.
"You may see me whenever you wish." I said, sounding as casual as I could.
"Alright." She smiled. "Tomorrow night? Same time?"
"Perfect." I said, picking up my cape.
"I should go; Madame Giry is getting quite anxious." I whispered.
"Yes. I... I will see you tomorrow."
"As you wish." I said, opening the mirror once more. "Oh, before I leave I must give you something." She looked up at me, apparently puzzled. I pulled something out from behind my back and handed it to her. "I was never one for breaking traditions. Goodnight Mademoiselle." I smiled, walking through the threshold and closing it behind me before she could react.
I could not help myself and turned back to see her reaction. She stared at the object and smiled. It was a long stemmed red rose with black ribbon tied around the stem. I had been careful to remove all the thorns before giving it to her, as always.
"Goodnight, Erik." She said quietly as she touched the mirror.