| As soon as we reached the backstage area of the Opera House, Christine finally spoke to me. "I cannot go with you like this," she said, indicating her torn wedding gown. "Let me get my wrap." I was loathe to let her return to her dressing room, but I could not deny that she would need her cloak. I found a chair in the hallway and allowed myself to collapse into it. We were almost away from the dreadful place! As I was about to close my eyes, I heard a small feminine gasp, and I looked up to see one of the ballerinas bending over me. She was a pretty little thing with long, dark hair like my beloved Christine. "Are you all right, Monsieur?" she asked. She reached out to touch the tender flesh of my neck with her delicate fingers, but I grabbed her hand in embarrassment. I pulled the remnants of my torn shirt higher about my neck, hoping to hide the bruises I had gained from the Phantom's lasso. "I'm fine," I answered brusquely. She seemed to sense my embarrassment and shyly backed away from me. I immediately regretted my harsh reply and rose to my feet to give her a bow. She returned my formality with a curtsey and then glanced up at me with a smile. "You must forgive my manners, mam'selle," I offered politely. "You are very kind to inquire about my health..." I looked into her green eyes and found myself momentarily dazzled. She radiated such a sense of warmth and sincerity that I found myself quite caught off guard. I had been chasing after Christine for so long that I had forgotten what it was like to have someone ask me how I was. This girl's apparent concern for me was both comforting and refreshing. "What is your name, cherie?" I asked softly. "Lisette," she said with a blush. "I do not expect you to remember me. I am new to the corps de ballet and am often placed in the back row." I smiled at her charm. Then I noticed for the first time how quiet the Opera House seemed to be. "Why didn't you go with the others?" I asked, remembering that most of the cast and crew had gone on the hunt for the Phantom. "I'm afraid of the Opera Ghost," she confessed. "As well you should be," I murmured in agreement. This seemed to distress her somewhat and she began to wring her hands nervously. "Don't fret, mon cherie," I said, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm here." She returned my smile, and I felt bolstered by her apparent confidence in me. She seemed so innocent, and her childlike manner reminded me greatly of Christine. Where was Christine? I wondered. Surely it shouldn't have taken her so long to fetch her cloak... "Please excuse me, Lisette," I said quickly. "I must find out what is taking Mademoiselle Daae so long..." I hurried down the hall, a sense of dread growing with my every step. I remembered Christine's words from the night before, and I was not comforted in the least. "You must force me to leave with you," she had said when we were making plans to escape from the Opera House. When did we lay those plans? Was it only last night? "If he comes to me... if he sings... I will not be able to resist...." she had said. I shook my head and tried to clear my thoughts as I reached her door. I turned the handle and whispered a prayer: Please let her be there! I threw open the door and found her room completely askew. Her mirror was smashed and she was gone. "Mon Dieu!" I swore. Had the mob done this in their anger to get to the Opera Ghost? Or had she? I stepped through her broken mirror and found myself in a secret passageway. "Christine!" I called out. Her words rang through my mind, and all I could think of was the image of her arms around the Phantom. "Would you love him if he were handsome?" I had once asked her. "Why ask questions to which there are no answers?" she had replied. How could I be so foolish? She had never really answered my question! I sped through the darkness, straining to catch a glimpse of her. I could hardly believe I was travelling this road yet again, down once more into the depths of the Opera House! When I found my way to the underground lake, I saw that the mob had also found their way to the Phantom's lair. Torchlight reflected off the water, creating a strange flickering of light about the dark place. I could hear the mob wrecking havoc on the Phantom's abode, and I could tell from their indignant cries that they had not found the master of the house. Where was he? I wondered. And where was Christine? I cursed, wondering how I had inadvertantly linked her name with his. I began to stalk about in the darkness, my mind tormented with images of Christine and the Phantom together. How could she have gone back to him? Did he lure her back? Or had she gone on her volition? That thought pushed me even further over the edge, as I continued my search for my runaway bride. My senses seemed to become more accustomed to the dark, and I found I could make my way through the maze of tunnels with a bit more ease. After prowling about for what seemed like hours, I finally returned to the Phantom's house. I found a dark corner to hide in and decided to watch and wait. The mob began to tire of their search and eventually took their leave. They could not find what they were looking for this night, but I would. I lay in wait as time slowly crept by. I feared my mind was beginning to play tricks on me when a soft whisper cut through the darkness. The lap of water against wood reminded me of the boat Christine and I had traveled in not so long ago, and a small light flickered into existence, affording me sight of the boat and its passengers. I could easily see Christine, nestled in her cloak, but I could not make out her mysterious consort. It seemed as if the shadows themselves were ferrying her across the water. I knew, however, that it was the monster who rowed my beloved on her journey, and my body shook with rage. I quietly shifted my position and watched as the black-cloaked demon stepped out of the boat. Hatred filled my being, and I longed to rush at him. But I knew I was no match for the Phantom, so I held myself in check and waited for him to take his leave. "I will just be a moment, my love," he whispered, his beautiful voice almost distracting me from my anger. "You rest, while I pack our things." Our things???? I bit my lip to keep from crying out in jealousy, and soon tasted blood. At last, the Phantom went into his dark manor, leaving Christine alone in the boat. She glanced about momentarily and then lay back as if readying for sleep. I knew my moment had come, so I crept softly towards the boat and easily pushed it from the shore. "Erik?" Christine murmured drowsily. I fell upon her and quickly placed my hand over her mouth to keep her from alerting the monster. "Hush, my love," I whispered. "It is I, your betrothed." Her eyes grew wide with fearful remorse, and she seemed to shrink within my grasp. I wanted to shake her, to ask her why she had abandoned me and returned to the Phantom, but my words died in my throat. All I could think of was how she had kissed him, and I longed to claim that privilege myself. I removed my hand from her mouth and boldly pressed a kiss to her lips. She struggled futilely in my arms like a butterfly seeking to beat its wings. But I held her tighter against me and took great license with my kisses and caresses. "Is this what you wanted?" I asked her passionately. "To be stolen away?" I could not hear her reply, for I was drunk on the sensation of her body beneath mine. It was euphoric to be so close to her, to be lost in the scent of her hair and soft skin. Propriety demanded that I keep my distance until we were married, so I begrudgingly released her. I had to content myself with the fact that she had consented to be my wife. She would be mine soon enough. As I sat back to take the oar, I could not help but notice the way Christine stared at me. It was as if she were looking at me for the first time, and I could not tell what she was thinking. That disturbed me a bit, but then I never knew what Christine was thinking. She was "Little Lotte," her head always lost in the clouds. A strange silence settled between us as I rowed us back to the dock by the Opera House, but I decided that this was as it should be. A good wife should obey her husband, and Christine would need to follow my lead. When we finally reached the dock, I stepped out of the boat and offered my hand to Christine. She seemed reluctant to accept it, and I had to lift her from the boat as if she were a ragdoll. Despite my best intentions to remove her from the place as quickly as possibly, she turned away from me and cast a mournful glance back into the darkness. "Erik," she moaned. "No," I said firmly, and I turned her towards me. "Christine, you are not going to see him again. He is a menace to you and to everyone else! You are not yourself when you are with him. And don't you remember how you asked me to take you away from here? From him? You said that I must force you to leave even if it was against your will. Well, that is what I must do, my love. And I will make certain that you see a doctor, someone who can help you to forget this nightmare." "I will never forget him, Raoul," she said in a strangled voice. "Even if I were to marry you, he would always be with me, singing songs in my head." "It doesn't have to be that way!" I shouted angrily. "How exactly would you have it be, Monsieur?" a new voice interrupted our lovers' quarrel. My blood ran cold as I recognized the Phantom's voice, and I raised my free hand to the level of my eyes. Christine called out to him, but I held her tightly to me. "Show yourself, you demon!" I challenged him. "What kind of gentleman are you to release her one moment only to steal her away the next?" The Phantom stepped out from behind a pillar, and his white mask gleamed in the darkness. "She came to me of her own free will," he said quietly. "I doubt that!" I scoffed, and I turned back to Christine. "Don't you see, my love? He has bewitched you, and you are too ill to understand this disease." "Is love a disease?" he asked. "I'm not talking to you!" I growled. "But I am talking to you, sir," he said darkly. His tone unnerved me, and I turned to look at him. He was moving towards us like the ghost he was purported to be. His white mask hovered eerily atop his shadowy form. "I could kill you in an instant," he said simply. "You realize that, don't you? But I will not do so, because to do that would be to harm the one person I love more than life itself." "You don't fool me," I sneered. "If I had my pistol with me tonight, Monsieur, I would end your miserable charade right here and now!" "Yes, you're so fond of your little toys," he replied. "Don't you see that Christine is not a toy? She is a grown woman who has chosen her own destiny." I was agog at this declaration and held tight to Christine. "She is not herself," I said stiffly. "She has promised to leave with me." "It's painful to lose, isn't it?" he asked softly. "My life has been one long empty song of loss. No friends, no family. No kindness or compassion from anyone until Christine came into my life." I looked to Christine, who seemed to melt in my arms. She was staring at him in wonder. "I have become so accustomed to losing," he said, "that I never knew what it might feel like to win." Christine moaned and reached out to him, calling his name. The Phantom extended his gloved hand to take hers, and I felt my heart burst with pain. "YOU WILL NOT HAVE HER!" I screamed. I pushed Christine behind me and rushed at the Phantom. I grabbed hold of his thick cloak and thrust him towards the icy lake. His hands clutched at my wrists, but my fury gave me an almost inhuman strength, and I was able to throw us both into the frigid water. I would drown us both if I had to. As we descended into the airless void, my hands sought to wrap about his neck, but I could not see clearly in the dark waters. I found myself struggling with his massive cloak, as the garment seemed to take on a life of its own. I could no longer feel his body in the confines of the fabric, and my lungs were bursting for air, so I shot towards the surface. My head cracked painfully against a hard surface, but I could not tell if it was the boat or the dock. Darkness overtook me, and I began to slip away... * Chapter 3 * |
| Raoul's Revelation ~ Chapter 2 |
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