Hello! Thank you for your patience! Here is the next chap! Please let me know what you think as you lovely people always do :)
Phanty belongs to Leroux and Lloyd Weber.
Erik
I lay there in the bed I had always kept for her and I smiled after her as she walked away. Of course I had reservations about her going above on her own but I had done everything I could to ensure that harm would not befall her; I had warned her of what to say if approached by certain people and I had drawn her a new map that would allow her safe passage through my maze. I knew though that it would not be enough. The only thing that comforted me was the fact that this would be the final time she would have to do it; be in danger, be away from me, be anywhere near Raoul… It was terrible timing. Why did she have to traverse above at this time? When I was so incapable, incapacitated? But then I reminded myself that the only reason she was doing such a thing was because I couldn't do it for myself.
I had been injured before like this. Of course I had. A life like mine had seen to many injuries of this calibre, and several under this very roof… this very building. And I had simply treated myself and spent the time needed for recovery… I could afford to do that then. Who was there to miss me? To notice that I was gone? No one to come searching for me because no one had ever seen me. But now things were different… I had been seen… and that was my own fault. But more importantly there was Christine. Christine was above without my watching her. I told her that I would always be watching over her… but now I couldn't. I couldn't when she needed me the most.
I sighed in frustration. If I didn't already despise him for trying to take Christine away from me I certainly did now for putting me in such a position. I hated feeling weak. I hated it more than pity, more than my memories… the eerie strains of the calliope being carried to me by a biting wind, over the heads of the cruel people in front of me, through the bars of my prison, reaching my ears and filling me with the deepest sense of despair I will ever know…
I shivered slightly, a memory all too vivid entering my mind and taking hold. Perhaps there were worse things than feeling this way… But all the same it was arduous to endure. I was hungry, and as I brought my hand to my wound, my stomach audibly confirmed this. I smirked to myself, knowing that Christine would have laughed at me had she heard it. She always did find humour in the most trivial of things, and sometimes I laughed along with her. With every hour we spend together it seemed I was becoming more like her… more… normal. Perhaps that was bound to happen. God forbid it was the other way around…
I glanced at my bedside table. Half of me was hoping to see some food Christine had left there for me… the other half was hoping that I found nothing. I wanted an excuse to stand up and walk. I had always been active and I was convinced that lying down for such a time was doing me more damage than that blade ever could have. With a yell that I was glad Christine had failed to hear, I stood, my hand clutching my wound tightly. I trusted Christine… yes… but I had experienced wounds opening before, stitches snapping out of carelessness. This time that couldn't happen. I needed to be well for her as soon as I possibly could. Holding onto objects for support as I went I made my way to the kitchen. I had only fruit left but that would do for now. I decided not to sit as I ate for upon standing I realised I would lack the strength to get up again if I did. I finished the apple, soft and powdery as it was and staggered over to my wardrobe. It wasn't my memories haunting me now; I was actually cold. I pulled a shirt off one of the hangers and with some difficulty, pulled it on. After using the bathroom and taking a small drink of water I decided that I had had enough. Presumably I had lost a sizeable amount of blood recently and I knew how easy it could be to misjudge your strength in such a situation. I didn't wish to burden Christine any further. With my remaining strength I wandered back to the bed and lay down. As I stared up at the ceiling I began once more to worry for Christine, but within moments sleep had found me again and I was powerless to resist.
Christine
"Christine…"
What I felt was a mixture of livid anger and very real fear toward the man before me. I had almost lost Erik at his hands and here he stood, approaching me as if he had something to say that I wished to hear. I was furious, I could barely contain my anger… images flashed before my eyes as my gaze met his; images of blood… of Erik lying in the snow- his face; pale. His wound, the fever… but even through my anger I was aware of the danger I was in. No, Raoul would not hurt me. But I was his key to finding Erik and he knew that. He could take me away at this moment and I could do nothing about it… and Erik would never know. He would think that I had left him, finally come to my senses or something equally ridiculous, the scenarios concocted by Erik usually were.
"Raoul." I stated warily, a tone almost soliciting of an explanation. "What… what are you doing here?"
Raoul stared at me in disbelief before stepping toward me. I held my hands out before me and took a step backward, finding that I was trapped by my own cot I had only just been looking down upon so affectionately.
"Stay away from me." I ordered.
"Christine." Raoul repeated, sobering up slightly. "Please… I would not harm you."
"No. Only the people I care about." I spat, finding my confidence again as anger filled me.
"You must know that I n-never meant to…" Raoul sighed as his gaze dropped to the floor. "Is-is he alive?"
"That is none of your concern."
"Christine… I."
"No. No. I don't wish to hear it. I don't wish to hear what you have to say. I haven't come here for you. Now if you'll excuse me, I will…"
"Why did you come? Is he alive?" He repeated.
"I have told you that it is none of your concern."
"Christine… Please! You must understand that whatever else, I care about you! That will never change! Everyone here has been in a state of madness searching for you, including myself. I have been out of my mind with anxiety…"
"You didn't seem to care when you left me in the snow… left us in the snow."
"I asked you to accompany me back to the Opera but you would not have it!"
"And leave him there!?" I challenged.
"I told you that I would send help for him but you did not believe me."
"And I still don't." I argued. "Why would you wish for him to live?"
"I… I do for you! Yes, I wished for him to die at first… but… If you want him alive, then you shall have it!" He stepped toward me once more. "I would do anything for you!"
"You would do anything for me but allow me happiness?"
"Not with someone like him! I… Christine, I do not understand you! You are aware of his crimes and yet you defend him as if he were a family member. Have you no hubris? No moral compass whatsoever? How can you love someone who has committed such atrocities, and hate someone who would do nothing but love you for the rest of his days?"
I scoffed slightly.
"How can you say that you love me?"
"What..? What do you mean?"
"I ran into Meg just now. She tells me that you have been accosting people, approaching everyone you see and asking them for information about Erik."
"Because he had you! It was to find you!"
"Oh, and am I supposed to believe that upon finding he and I together you would, after prying me away from him against my will, allow him to live out his days in peace?"
Raoul sighed once more.
"Christine…"
"Stop using my name as if it means something to you!"
"Alright!" He held his hands up in a calming gesture. "The truth is, no. I would not allow him to live out his days in happiness when he has prevented others from doing just that… But I will allow him to live…" His voice softened. "For you." He looked at me. His eyes beckoned me to come to him, to simply walk into his embrace as if he were Erik… He still loved me. I could see that. But I could do little about it. "Christine…" He continued. "If it is your wish, I will allow him to live but know this, when I find him and I will find him, I will be handing him over to the authorities myself."
"Then he is as good as dead." I said, the last word hung bitterly in my mouth. Raoul knew very well that Erik meeting with the authorities could only mean one thing; the gallows. I knew it, and so did Erik. Raoul sighed once more.
"His death will not be by my hand, Christine."
"Yes, it will be."
He stared at me for a few moments and at last in his eyes I saw the lost little boy from my childhood. Then his eyes narrowed slightly and he cleared his throat before stepping toward me again.
"I have been searching for you for the last forty eight hours. I am exhausted. Come with me now and do not make a fuss."
"What?!" I asked in angered disbelief.
"Chris…"
"If you think that I am going anywhere with you after what you have done… what you have said…"
"Why did you think I was searching for you, Mademoiselle?" He asked in a tone I had only ever heard on Erik. It did not make Raoul any more appealing. "I was searching for you to take you away from this place… from him. He is nothing but a danger to you and so is this building." He held out his hand as Erik often did but I felt no sense of familiar comfort as he uttered his next word.
"Come." He said.
"No." I spat indignantly. Did he honestly think I would tell him a single detail now that I knew of his intentions?
"Christine." He warned. "You will come with me, and once safe from his grasp you will tell me where he is hiding."
"I will not."
You will have to kill me.
At this Raoul approached me and took hold of my shoulders before I could react. He held me firmly in place. I tried to struggle away but it was of no use, he ignored my protestations of discomfort and fear as if they were not there at all.
"Christine." He said once more, his voice; dark. His grip tightened. I wanted to cry, not from the pain but from the fear of such a situation coming to pass. I was dreading being seen by Raoul and yet it had happened. There was no one around and I knew that for once Erik was not watching…
"Unhand me." I growled through gritted teeth, struggling as I did so.
"You will come with me." He whispered, his face now only inches from my own. "With your acquiescence or without it, you will come." I stared into the blue eyes boring into me. It was hard to believe that a face I had once associated with friendship, comfort, warmth, and familial love now instilled such fear in me. His eyes had changed. Perhaps the boy I once new was in there somewhere, perhaps it had just been buried by envy and anxiety… perhaps not. I used to like to think the best of people…
"Let me go!" I yelled, struggling harder. Perhaps someone would have heard me. Raoul began to pull me toward the door. I couldn't let him take me anywhere. I couldn't. But there was no one around… Within a few short steps we had reached the doorframe and my strength was waning.
"Raoul!" I protested. "I don't want this! Let go of me!" I shoved him away from me and for a reason unbeknownst to me he lost his footing and fell against the doorframe.
"Chris…" He growled, standing up and reaching for me once more.
"Monsieur." A voice sounded behind him. He spun around. "What is going on here?"
Maman.
I pushed past Raoul and into the arms of Madame Giry. As I clung to her I thanked the Lord that she was there for me… she always had been there for me. She and Erik always had been…
Erik…
I needed to get back to him.
"Christine, are you alright?" She asked, her arms around me. She turned back to le Vicomte. "What is going on here?!"
"You know very well what is going on here, Madame. More than most." I heard Raoul answer; his voice was sycophantic in its quality. What did he mean? Had he already spoken to Madame Giry? I did not dare to turn around.
"I suggest that you move along, le Vicomte." Madame Giry retorted. "The managers will soon be on their way. I wouldn't want to let slip that you have harmed the leading soprano…"
"I own the managers, Madame. I pay everyone in this establishment." His voice grew louder, an indication that he must have stepped closer. "I own this Opera and everybody in it. And… the only person who would attest to that… has been… well… let's just say that he won't be much of a threat at the moment."
Finally I turned around, the images of Erik returning to my clouded mind.
"You…" I began, rage flooding my entire being.
Suddenly the sound of voices reached my ears and I knew without looking at the time that the ballet girls would soon be flooding the sleeping quarters and the surrounding corridors. Raoul took a deep breath and straightened his waistcoat.
"Well… as you have suggested, I will take my leave." Apparently he didn't wish to be seen by the entire corps de ballet. Neither did I. I didn't have time to explain myself to each and every girl. I needed to get back to Erik. "I will be seeing you again… Madame, Mademoiselle." Raoul said icily before bowing slightly and striding away.
I turned back to Madame Giry, mouth agape. Where would I start with all that I needed to tell her?
"Come." She said quietly, apparently reading my thoughts. "Come to my quarters and we will talk."
Raoul
I could not believe my eyes upon seeing Christine. Could not believe my luck. I was searching the entire building for something that now lay right before me. But still I could not make her mine. I could not take her away from this nightmarish place and the situation she had gotten herself into with that man.
Upon taking my leave of Christine and that snake of a woman, Madame Giry, I saw a ballet girl making her way up to the very same sleeping quarters; little Meg Giry. Delightful.
"Pardon me, Mademoiselle." I called as politely as I could. She turned around awkwardly.
"Y-yes?" Was the girl nervous? How could she be? We had never spoken. She knew who I was of course but we had never shared words. But of course… she had spoken with Christine prior. As I approached the girl I was very much aware of what they had likely spoken about. She knew of my intentions. That was why she was nervous.
She continued to walk in the direction in which she was heading. With a few short strides I caught up to her, walking slowly beside her with my hands behind my back so as not to threaten her further.
"Meg Giry, is it?" I asked, pretending to confirm her identity when I knew very well whom she was and just what role she was yet to play. "You are… friends with Miss Daae, are you not?"
"I-I am, yes." She replied. Her voice was small. She was clearly uneasy and still intent on getting wherever it was she was going… To her mother, probably. I knew then that I had to make light work of this conversation.
"Have you seen her?" I asked abruptly. The girl looked at me, stopping in her tracks for a few moments before continuing.
"Not in a few days." She lied.
"Meg." I warned. "Tell me the truth." Again she stopped in her tracks, this time biting her lip awkwardly. She glanced ahead before meeting my gaze once more. "I know that Christine spoke with you just now. She told me." I said.
"You- you have seen her?! She was…"
"She was what?"
"She was…" She looked up at me. "Monsieur, she is my dear friend…"
"She was what?" I repeated, moving closer to her. Meg looked down.
"She was… hoping to avoid you."
I cringed inwardly.
Of course she was.
"And why she hoping to avoid me?"
"Monsieur, I…"
"Why?" I moved closer still, now setting one of my hands out before me, leaning on the wall behind Meg. She was feeling uncomfortable, yes. The better part of me knew that I was causing it.
"She is my dear friend. I cannot say anymore."
"Your 'dear friend' as you keep saying?" I repeated, moving back slightly. I knew exactly what to say next. "But… forgive me… you cant have seen her a lot recently? I know that I haven't."
"No, I- I haven't seen her a lot…" She said, seemingly surprised at herself, as if she realisation was only dawning on her as the very words escaped her lips. "…but that's because…" She brought her hands to her mouth but I knew exactly what she was going to say.
"Because?" I asked in mock ignorance.
"I cannot!" She cried.
"It is alright, Meg." I began, placing a placating hand upon her shoulder. "I already know where she has been, why you have not seen her… why we have not seen her these past days… these past months! You see…" I moved closer once more but she seemed slightly less ill at ease. "I know that she has been with him."
"Him?" She repeated.
"Oh yes… The Opera Ghost…"
"You- you know that? She told me not to say anything to anyone, Monsieur…"
"And you haven't. You have been a very good friend to her. But… can you say the same for her?"
I was planting these ideas in her innocent mind and I could almost see them growing like weeds, like a vine; unstoppable in its eternal reach for the sun… for the truth.
"No… I- Well, I mean to say that… I don't really hold it against her…"
"You don't?"
"Well… I would like to see her more… and… I suppose… what I know of him…"
"You know of his deeds? That he has murdered?"
Meg nodded.
"And… I have tried to tell Christine! I have tried to tell her that he is not good company to keep but he seems to care for…"
"I have told her also." I interrupted. "But she fails to see reason."
Meg looked down once more, nodding slowly.
"Mademoiselle…" I finally ventured. "What do you know of where he lives?"
"Oh, I cannot say! I have said too much already!"
"Nonsense! You have told me nothing that I don't already know! And I swear to you, Christine will know nothing of this conversation…"
She did not respond.
"Meg…" I began, my voice intentionally warm and smooth. "Tell me what you know…"
"I cannot, Monsieur. I am sorry."
I was growing frustrated, tiring of these games. The more time that passed the stronger he would grow and I needed to move now. I moved closer once more, now placing both hands on the wall behind her. I did not want to have to resort to this…
"Do you know of my position here at the Opera? Do you know why I am here to begin with?"
"Yes…"
"Well… it would be safe to say that everyone here earns a wage out of my pocket."
She nodded.
"Do you wish to remain here, Miss Giry? Your mother?"
"Y-yes…" She replied. Her voice was quavering, as if on the verge of tears but her eyes showed no signs of the emotion I heard.
"I hope that you understand my meaning." I stated, standing up and straightening my cravat.
"I do." She replied. I spoke slowly.
"Where… does he live?"
Meg took a deep breath and turned to her right, the direction in which her sleeping quarters were and the direction in which her mother and Christine would still surely be. After a few silent moments she turned back to me and responded dutifully.
"I don't know." She said. "Below. I know that he is below."
I nodded. We were finally making some ground.
"Christine will return to him shortly. Of that much I am certain. I need to know how to get to him. An entrance. That is all I need." All I needed was to know where Christine entered. How did she get to him? The walls? Was there a secret hatch somewhere that I was yet unaware of?
Meg nodded once more.
"I will return to you tomorrow." I said. "I hope to have an answer."
I left here there in the corridor. I did not say anything else. It was not needed. I had made myself quite clear. I brushed past the approaching chorus girls, bustling, laughing, and gossiping about no doubt everybody at the Opera, myself included. I left the building with a small smile upon my face. I had made progress.
Thank you for your patience! What did you think?! What do you think is going to happen? Please review, friends :)