Hey guys!
I had the idea for this story a while ago, but it has taken me a while to actually type it all up.
I apologize for my slow updates on my Avatar story. I have a lot of things going on in my life at the moment so I have taken a break and try something else. Perhaps this story will encourage me to continue writing.
And, I have finally watched Charles Dance's version of Phantom, as well as the silent film. I loved both of them, and I think Clerik is my new favorite Phantom, besides Ramin Karimloo.
Just telling you this now, updates will take a while, mainly because I am focusing on writing something else. I have written the next few in advance, so i will publish those once a week. My goal is to always have a chapter either written or mostly done/edited.
Lastly, there will be a few misspellings and grammatical errors here and there. I am not a perfect writer and will miss things.
Alright . . . thank you everyone for reading. If you enjoy the story, please leave a review. It really helps me and lets me know that people are reading what I write. And for me, that is the best feeling in the world.
On with the story!
(I do not own Erik or POTO)
1.
The Stranger
From the heavenly moment she banished her lying, cheating husband from her house, Delphine's soul felt lighter.
For the first time in her life, she felt . . . free
Freer than she had in quite some time.
Naturally, Hugo had begged to stay, swearing he would change is ways.
His cries fell upon deaf ears, for Delphine simply shut the door, locking it with the same hand.
Perhaps, earlier in their marriage, she would have forgiven him, even welcomed him back inside with open arms and a kiss.
But not now.
Not ever again.
Now, she was not as naive as she had been the day of their wedding.
From her spot at the door, Delphine let out a loud sigh.
She could still hear his rough knocks, yelling at her to let him in and hear his side of the story.
She had no intention of doing either.
Instead, she walked over to their large living room, placing herself onto her favorite love seat.
In her hands, she gathered paper as well as ink and a pen.
Delphine wrote two letters that day:
One, for her dear father back in America.
The other for her former husband's mother.
Oh, she could imagine Maria's disappointed face while skimming across the ink words, spilling to her all of the truth of her sinful son.
Delphine only wished she could witness her expression in real life.
Life continued on, but now, with more ease.
Fixing her shawl around her shoulders, Delphine headed towards her beloved home.
Though Hugo had claimed otherwise, the estate belonged entirely to her and her family, the Caraways.
Her family had bought it several generations back, and now it stayed with her bloodline.
Usually, she would have enjoyed her walk home from the shops in town.
Earlier that day, she had created a large ripped though the fabric of a dress which had belonged to her dearly departed mother.
She would have fixed it herself, but truthfully, she had little ideas on how to sew.
Today, she simply dropped the dress off to a nearby seamstress.
But, unlike her earlier demeanor, her expression dulled.
Something was different.
Delphine dismissed the uneasy feeling, believing it to be the chilled winter wind, or the snow crunching under her feet.
She continued on her memorized path, trying to keep an optimistic state of mind.
Her body froze.
A tall shape, a man perhaps, was laying in the small lake in the park, his body limp.
Delphine ran to him, placing her fingers upon his shriveled wrists. There was a pulse, though it was faint.
Using all of her strength, she lifted one of the man's arms over her own, guiding him to her estate which, thankfully, wasn't too far of a walk.
Though this was a stranger, she was not one to leave anyone to freeze to death.
No one, not even Hugo, deserved a fate as such.
The door was quickly answered by one of her maids, a dashing woman with the name of Agathe. When she saw her mistress, she let out a loud gasp.
"Madame," She said, startled. "What-"
"Get this man a room." Delphine demanded. It was not always she ordered around the staff of her home, but this was an exception. "Please." She added. "I shall warm him up with some soup as well. Chicken, if there is any. Or simple broth will do as well."
Agathe nodded frantically, leaving to inform the rest of the staff and the kitchen.
Soon, the strange man was carried to one of her guest rooms, tucking into the satin blankets, with pillows mounted under his head.
For the first time, Delphine was able to get a good look at him.
His face was covered with a black mask, soft fabric falling from the bottom rim to cover the entirety of his mouth and chin.
His clothes, damped from the melted snow, shared the same color, though it did little to cover his skeletal form.
Judging from his body, he might as well have already died.
Fortunately, his chest rose with each breath, indicating that he was, in fact, alive.
Delphine placed the soup onto the bedside table, careful to not make a sound and wake the poor man.
She did her best to avoid looking directly at the mask.
The more she stared, the more curious she became.
Her body seemed to yell at her to remove the covering of his face.
The only thing that stopped her was the words of her father.
Oh, how she wished he was closer, so that he could give her much needed advice.
Delphine, dismissing the woeful wishes, dipped the spoon into the warmed broth.
With a careful hand, she lifted the fabric shadowing the bottom half of his face.
Like his hand, his lips and skin were shriveled, as if they had hardly seen the light of the sun for the past few years.
With her free hand, she guided the filled spoon to his lips, placing it upon them in hopes that he would be awake enough to drink the soothing liquid.
Before her brain calculated what was happening to her, his hands, more talons than hands, lurched forward and grasped her wrists, knocking the spoon out of her hand. It fell effortlessly onto the floor, the soup staining the carpet.
"Where am I?" He hissed, bearing his jagged teeth.
His eyes from underneath the mask, were infernos of anger. They were practically shining thought eh shadows of his eyes sockets, glowing a sickly yellow color.
Delphine almost gasped.
His voice . . .
"I shall not repeat myself."
"M-my home." She answered. She didn't know what else to say. "I b-brought you here."
"Why?"
It was a simple enough question, but Delphine found herself struggling to give an answer.
"You would have died if I had not." She twisted her wrists in an attempt to free them from his grip. He didn't budge.
"Why would a woman like you care?"
A woman like her?
She didn't quite understand.
"I am not one to let a fellow human die so that I can get home faster." She told him, trying to stop her voice from shaking. "Anyone who would . . .well i don't wish a happy future on them."
The man sat there, contemplating her answer.
Finally, he let go of her hands, leaving behind skin which had started bruising.
As if remembering his mask, a hand fled to his face.
"I did not remove it," Delphine said quickly, fearing his anger.
"But . . . why?" He sounds like a child, someone who is just figuring out the way of the world. "Surly . . . you were . . . curious."
"I am." There was no use lying. "I do wonder what lies behind. But I am not the one to remove it. I will respect your unspoken desires. If you are wearing a mask, then there is something you wish to hide. I am sure we all would wear a mask if we had a choice in the matter."
He didn't ask anything else.
She bent down, picking up the fallen spoon.
Delphine would ask Agathe to wash it later.
"I have done the liberty to prepare a bowl of broth. I am afraid that I am not a natural chef, so it may not be the tastiest. But, I hope it is to your satisfaction."
The man glanced over at the table, his eyes falling to the bowl of abandoned broth.
"No one has ever cared for Erik like this." He sniffed, as if she were to cry. "Erik doesn't deserve such kindness."
Delphine tilted her head.
Erik?
Was that his name?
If so, why would he address himself as such.
"I shall go retrieve a clean spoon." She informed him. He looked down at his lap, as if he felt guilty for knocking it out of my hand. "Please, refrain from moving. I may not be a physician, but I doubt it is healthy to move in your state."
"Why is it you care?" He asks, laying his head onto the pillows beneath him. "The world would be a better place without Erik. A happier, more joyful place."
"Hush now." She snapped at him. If she were close enough, she would have flicked his nose. "Every life is worth living. Do not dare speak ill of yourself. I will not allow it. Now, I shall be back. Rest well."
She closed the door, ignoring the burning stare which came from the man.
"Where are you going?" Once again, she was reminded of a child.
He sounded as if she was leaving him alone in the dark, after he had come to her and informed her of a nightmare. He sounded, well, terrified.
"Do not worry." She smiled. "I will be back. I am just bringing you another spoon. This one is ruined."
She closed the door, making sure the light remained on for the man.
Softly, to herself, she found herself whispering. "Who are you."
This . . . Erik, if that really was his true name.
Sighing, she walked away from the room, unaware of the shadow that seemed to follow her.
Delphine!
For anyone who is reading The Great Gatsby, yes I did take Nick's last name for inspiration.
We also got some Erik. Poor baby. Imagine passing out in the snow, then waking up in a random bed with a random woman rambling about broth.
I apologize if he doesn't sound Erik-enough (if that makes any sense). I am still figuring out the best way to write him and since he talks like this in the original novel a lot, I have decided to do that.
I haven't decided whether or not for this story to follow the novel. Please let me know if you guys have any ideas. I would love to hear all of them.
Chapter Song(s):
Get Out and Stay Out (Stephanie J. Block)
This song is mainly focused on Delphine in the first part of the chapter. Hugo was a terrible husband and she is relieved that he is finally gone. Or so she thinks.
Strangers in the Night (Frank Sinatra)
For me, this song radiates Erik energy. Just listen to those lyrics! It was written for him. (Not really, but it would be cool is it were!)
Thank you once again for reading. You have no idea how much it means to me.
Please let me know how I am doing in the reviews.
Or favorite/follow to let me know that you like my story.
Enjoy the rest of your day/night!