Safe World
Author's Note:
Hello Faithful Readers,
It's been a long time since I've updated and written to you. I can't say I've been doing so well, but it's all in the past; like water under the bridge. As you know, this past semester was very difficult for me. In more ways than one,I struggled with my mental health, my grades, my social life, and handling what the universe threw at me all at once. Though it was touch and go for awhile, I'm done with my first year of college and that's all that matters. I'm back for the summer and now, I am here to update as much as I can.
Much love,
A.
Christine's POV
The room was dark, pitch black if you will. The former ballerina was shaking down to her bone, her heart pounding out of the cage that it was scarcely held. Christine didn't know what was what or where she was. She could barely feel the ground beneath her. It was if she was floating half of the time. Maybe she was. She would cry out for help, but no one would call out back to her. Even so, her Angel of Music would not call back to her.
Blame. All could she think of was blame. Not to anyone else, but to herself. She blamed herself for what she had gotten into, the dark room and the lonely nights.
It was her fault after all for running away that evening. If she had just stayed with Erik after he proposed, this would have never happened. If she had just stayed in his mansion and never gone out for a walk,she might have never gotten kidnapped and brought to this pitch black room.
It's a land of ifs.
All she wanted to do was get some fresh air and some peace of mind. He loved her, yes she knew that. Though, she was barely twenty and he wanted to get married to her and settle down in that big mansion of his. She was barely twenty and he had built her a new studio, a new life. She was barely twenty and he had planned her whole life ahead of her. She was barely twenty when she had the rest of her life torn away from her in the blink of an eye.
At barely twenty, she could be facing the brink of death.
Alas, at barely twenty, all she wanted to do was be at home with her Erik.
Erik's POV
The Composer couldn't stand the thought of his fiancée being in a dark room, alone. Christine being alone stressed Erik out to a number he didn't even want to think about.
Erik sighed heavily as he put the cold cup of coffee down on his desk. Since the disappearance of his betrothed, he hadn't slept or eaten anything. He hadn't composed or left this lair. His butler stopped calling for him once he figured out that it was a pointless adventure, going after a man who had no plan of leaving the underground world he built for himself.
"Sir, I know you don't want to be bothered at such a time, but the police officer called Polly is at the door." Maybelle, the recently hired maid spoke through the intercom, alerting the Composer as his head slowly rose from the daze he had put himself in, many times before.
"Thank you, please send her down here." Erik spoke softly, standing to his feet, grabbing the cup of cold coffee. He couldn't remember the last time he finished of cup of coffee. "Send Officer Jenkins through the side gate."
"Yes sir, I will send her immediately." Click. Fifteen minutes later, the flashing light that made Erik aware that there was a guest awaiting him at the bottom of the staircase, at the other side of the portcullis.
"Great place you have here, Mr. Lantier." Polly Jenkins mumbled to herself, flashing her badge in a moment of habit. "You spend a lot of time down here often?"
"It's my home, Officer Jenkins." Erik magically motioned for the portcullis to raise and soon enough, the gate rose in a grand manor, making the officer's jaw drop in an instant. "Please though, call me Erik. I think we have spent enough time together that formalities, are out of the question."
"IF you're sure." Officer Polly Jenkins stepped towards Erik and onto the land, observing the space around her. "I guess I'll just come straight out with it, then."
"What is it?" Erik's attention drew towards the police officer, his hands halfway through the fall of water coming from the faucet. "What does it concern?"
"It concerns, uh, Christine. We have another lead." Erik shrugged his broad shoulders. He was tired of hearing that the they had yet another lead. Leads that lead nowhere, were the kind of leads that he was given. It had been three weeks since she had gone missing and nothing was leading him closer to finding her.
"Is it yet another dead end, Officer Jenkins? Or is it maybe another anonymous tip that leads to a prepaid cell phone dropped off in the middle of nowhere?" Erik was beyond aggravated. "Christine is nowhere to be found and we are nowhere to being closer to finding her. Now, if you have nothing good or useful to tell me, please leave me alone. I don't want to build up yet another false hope."
Silence.
Silence again.
"We found her, Erik."
39 Hours Later
"Are we moving in?"
"Wait for my mark."
"I can't hear you? I said, 'Are we moving in?'"
"Wait for my mark, Captain."
"These men are armed. Hostage is in the third room on the left. Room is locked with a bomb."
"Send in the red team."
"Hostage is our priority, boys. Detonate the bomb and get her out, okay?"
"Fragile state. Forces are armed and ready for us. Hostage is priority."
"Is the red team ready?"
"Ready."
"On my mark."
"On your mark."
"Red Team."
"Go."
"Blue team, get the hostage to safety at all costs."
"Blue Team, on my mark."
"Are you ready Blue Team?"
"Ready."
"Go."
43 Hours Later
"Christine? Christine, Christine can you hear me?"
"Christine, my name is Captain Curtis. I'm here to get you out of here, can you hear me?"
"Her pulse is low, but she's still going. Let's get her out of here, boys."
"Christine, I'm going to need you to stay with us, alright?"
"Christine?"
"Christine, stay with us. Don't close your eyes. Christine, don't close your eyes. It's very important that you don't close your eyes. My name is Lieutenant Nathaniel Clarkson and I am going to be with you the whole time, but I need you to stay with me. Please Christine, don't close your eyes."
"Christine, we're getting you to the chopper. Don't close your eyes. Christine. Can you tell us anything about yourself? Can you talk Christine?"
"She's fading, Lieutenant."
"Okay, Christine. We're going to be lifting you into the chopper. Are you ready? On the count of three everybody. One. Two. Three."
59 Hours Later
"She's going into surgery now. She has a severed tendon in her femur and a punctured lung. Broke her collar bone. Three collapsed ribs, which probably punctured her lung. I assure you though, she will recover."
78 Hours Later
Christine opened her eyes for the first time in what seemed like forever. There was a steady beeping noise beside her. The walls were pure white, a sight she was used to. She felt clean, like she was bathed. Her arm had an IV stuck in it. She couldn't quite tell what was pumping through her at the moment. She was comfortable. The room was bright. No longer did darkness surround her. As Christine turned her head ever so gently, the familiar face of the masked man gathered in her peripheral. A sight she begged to see for so long.
"Christine." He breathed out, almost angelically. "It's so good to finally see you awake. You were asleep for quite some time."
"Erik..." The masked man only smiled at the sound of his name from the escape of her lips. "You're here, with me."
"And I'm never leaving."
"What happened? All I remember is this dark room... This pitch black, dark room..." Christine began to mumble about her capture, but it was incoherent and quite frankly, Erik did not want to hear about it.
"Christine, don't talk about it. I'll tell you when you feel better. Rest for now. It's not something you need to hear about right now, okay?" Erik was frustrated. "Okay?"
"But-"
"Trust me." Christine sighed, only smiling in response. "Christine, how are you feeling?"
"My back is a little sore, but I'm alright." Soon, the couple was interrupted by a tall man, the doctor if that.
"Hello, Ms. Daaé. My name is Doctor Rafe. I've been treating you since you arrived. How are you feeling?" As the doctor checked her charts, Christine shrugged and groaned. "I imagine you're in a bit of pain. You broke some ribs."
"Anything else happen?" The doctor nodded as he went on explaining, only old news to Erik. Before Christine could speak or ask anything else, the doctor paused and his eyes widened. "What? What's wrong?"
"Christine..." Doctor Rafe looked up with a heavy heart and took a deep breath in, only to press the chart against his chest.
"What? What's wrong Doctor?"
"Christine, you're pregnant."