We were running now. Erik was running through the tents and people of Phantasma I had no idea where he was going but he had my hand in his and I was willing to follow him to the end of the world. My lungs were beginning to heave. Each breath of oxygen stung my lungs as I forced my lungs farther and farther, faster and faster. Everything around me was a blurry mess through the tears that wouldn't stop filling my eyes. What if something bad happened to him?
I found myself in a spinning room. I was looking for Gustave and Meg. People in weird costumes swirled past me. I was getting so dizzy. Something about it felt all too familiar but I pushed the thoughts aside for the moment and focused on Gustave. Suddenly I realized we were leaving Phantasma. He took a hard left and the sound of our feet changed. I looked down and realized the stone and grass changed to wood. I looked around and found us on the boarding dock in front of Phantasma just left of its entrance. Erik stopped quickly and I wiped away my tears. Suddenly I was aware of everything around me. I heard Madame Giry's breathing hitch and I saw Erik's hands fly up in defense. I glanced over his shoulder and saw Meg holding Gustave at the edge of the pier. I could hear my own voice screaming over the chaos. I could hear Erik's soothing, yet threatening words and Madame Giry's cries of pain. Gustave couldn't swim and I could hear his terrified squeals for me.
Meg turned to see the three of us staring at her. "Not another step! Not another word. Always wondered how to make you watch. Well watch me now!" Her face was distorted in a terrifying way. I could see that my childhood friend had disappeared. She seemed to be almost possessed. Suddenly something in her click and she stood up straight and prepared herself for offense. "I took a little trip to Coney Island. I took a little trip because of you." She looked down at the water and I could see a tear fall from her cheek. "I did as mother said and followed where you led and tried to do what little I could do." Suddenly her head snapped back up to glare at Erik. I could hear his heart pounding. He was dazed and confused and the most frightened I had ever seen him. He had lost every bit of composure he usually had. He had stepped in to father mode and I wasn't sure how long ago that had been. Perhaps it was once I discovered Gustavé's absence. "But here's the way it works on Coney Island, they make you pay for every little crumb. I gave what they would take; I gave it for your sake." Her humanity began to show through once more as she began to cry. "Now look at me and see what I've become. Bathing beauty on the beach. Bathing beauty in her dressing room. Bathing beauty in the dark, on their laps, in their arms, in their beds!" From behind me I heard Madame Giry whimper out Meg's name.
I, myself was shocked, but I couldn't imagine how it must be for Madame Giry to find out that her daughter had prostituted herself because of her and Erik. Oh and poor darling Erik! He never would have meant for that to happen. He was probably full of self-loathing.
"And who kept singing, desperate for your favor? Who kept dancing, hoping you would save her? Who kept dying? And this is all you gave her!" She pulled Gustave up into her arms and I heard him and everyone else around gasp and take a step forward. She turned around to face us with her hands still on my son. Suddenly she let him go and he ran past Erik and into my arms. I was confused. Something wasn't right. There was more there had to be. Where was the boom? The boom? Suddenly everything clicked this was what I had been dreaming about since my pregnancy with Gustave. But why? And Gustavé's first nightmare when we had gotten to Coney Island? 'What a dream, an awful dream. Someone strange and mad seizing me and drowning me.' What did it all mean? And why was it coming to us in our dreams? What was about to happen. I grabbed onto Erik's jacket. Suddenly Meg grabbed a gun out of the skirt of her dress and aimed it at her own head. "Now that I've got your attention at last. Here's the big finish and then you can go." Madame Giry ran forward begging Meg not to pull the trigger. Erik held her back. I knelt on the ground and held onto Gustave. Erik was blaming himself for everything. Everything after that seemed to happen in slow motion.
I saw Erik take a step towards Meg and extended his hand. He began to sing to her in a soothing hypnotic voice. "Give me the gun, Meg. Give me the hurt and the pain and the gun, Meg. Give me the blame for not seeing the things that you've done, Meg. Give me the gun, Meg. Give me the chance to see you clear at last." And she repeated his words in as an empty echo. Her voice was hauntingly detached. "You feel ugly, you feel used. You feel broken, you feel bruised. Ah, but me, I can see all the beauty underneath." He took another step closer to her as she agreed with what he was saying. "You've been robbed of love and pride, been ignored and cast aside. Even so, I still know, there is beauty underneath." He took another step closer when she agreed with him once again. "Diamonds never sparkle bright if they aren't set just right. Beauty sometimes goes unseen. We can't all be like Christine." I stood up at the sound of my name. All of the serenity and calmness drain form Meg's face and it twisted once again with anger and frustration.
"Christine? ALWAYS CHRISTINE!" Suddenly there was a loud boom. It was the one I had been waiting for. I grabbed my right side and wobbled forward to make sure Erik was okay as he checked for any wounds on himself. I was feeling dizzy and so I grabbed the railing. It was sturdy and so it collapsed, letting me fall to the ground. I looked down at my hands and saw the blood. I could hear the screams around me and I could feel the struggle for breath. I could feel the warm stickiness of my dress as the blood began to soak it. I could smell and taste the blood as it reached my mouth. I could feel Erik's hands as he pulled me into him. I could hear and see everything but the shock seemed to chase away any pain. But I could feel my body shaking because of the shock. Meg was apologizing as she was dragged away by her mother. Erik was yelling at them to get help and darling Gustave was laying on my lap. His sweet tiny voice blocked out all others.
"Mother dear, say something, say anything!" Suddenly he looked up and all around himself. "Father! Where's Father?" He got up to find Raoul but I grabbed his hand quickly and found my voice.
"Gustave, your father…" I choked out the words but was cut off by Erik.
"Christine no!" I looked into his face and wiped away the single tear that sat on the very tip of his nose.
"I know. I promised. But you are all he has now. He has to know the truth."
"Christine please." Then he looked at me with understanding eyes as he realized that it was my dying wish. I turned back to Gustave.
"Your father, your real father is here." He looked up at me with shock and horror.
"No, No!" I placed my hand on his cheek and began to sing to him to calm him. The shock was beginning to wear off and in its place came the pain.
"Look with your heart and not with your eyes. The heart understands. The heart never lies…" He started to back away from me and then turned and ran. Erik and I tried to go after him until the pain over took me and I fell. Erik caught me effortlessly. He looked down at me as the tears came thicker.
"Once upon another time, our story had only begun. I had a taste of joy, the most I ever knew. Now there isn't any time and somehow our story is done. And what about the boy? What am I to do?" I looked up at him and placed my hand on his cheek. My thumb lightly traced his lips. How could I have waited so long to have kissed them again? How could our story end when I had kissed him so little?
"Just love, just live and give what you can give and take the love that you deserve." I looked into his eyes as he let out another sigh.
We sang together one for the last time. "Just love, just live…" Suddenly a deep cough came from my throat. I could feel the blood trickle from my mouth. He leaned down and wiped it away.
"…And give all that I have and take what little I deserve." I couldn't stand to see him in such pain.
"Come closer, I beg you." He leaned down towards me, but he still felt miles away. "Closer still." He fixed his positioned so that I was lying in his lap and he was hunched over me. I pulled his head down to me a whispered in his ear. "Remember, love never dies. Kiss me one last time." And he pulled my face to his and gave me the tenderest kiss he ever had. He finally broke down ever wall he put up against the world. I could see every part of him but then suddenly the pain took over.
I soon found myself spinning and I was getting so dizzy and so tired. I felt heavy and drowsy. I was ready to give into the dark. I started to fall and I kept falling down a tunnel of darkness reaching out to touch someone, but not just anyone. The spinning stopped along with my falling and a hand reached out pulling me from the darkness. My vision was blocked out and all I could see was light. It was an overabundance of light and it hurt my eyes. But I heard two distinct voices. The first was Erik's and the second was Gustavé's.