The Phantom's Admirer By: K.C.M

Chapter 4: Painful Memories

The next night was a performance, even though rehearsals didn't work out so well. The Phantom made Christine practice as the lead and there was rumour that he had even tried to get Christine the lead. The owners didn't listen to him of course, but I have a feeling that the Phantom will make an appearance, and it will not be to wish us good luck.

We carried on with the performance until he arrived. He was indeed angry that much I could tell. I didn't know how much though. He burst out in the middle of the show that they had not followed his instructions. All of the performers were nervous now, including me. What the Phantom did next was horrible beyond words. He made the lead singers voice as rough as a toads, so they had to stop the show and let Christine be the lead after a ten minute break. From just where I was standing I could see the Phantom up high in the rafters doing something. In order to pass the time for the audience they let the dancers do a dance from act lll. No one besides me had even noticed the Phantom.

I knew exactly what he had done after he let the body that he had just strangled to death hang from the rafters.

I screamed louder than anyone else because seeing the corpse brought back every single memory that I had pushed to the back of my brain. Then, suddenly, I wasn't at the opera house anymore, I was in my old bedroom.

"Good night sweetie. Happy birthday." she whispered as she tucked me in bed.

My mother was a beauty. Tan skin with lovely dark blue eyes and even a perfect nose. Her straight black hair was never pulled back and her kind personality lit up any room she went in. My father was who I really looked like. He was pale, like me, short, like me (well, Mother was short too), and had thick, red, curly hair, like me. I even had his slightly crooked pug nose. His personality was the same as my mothers. The one thing that I didn't have was my fathers eyes. That was the one thing about me that Mother could actually claim as hers.

"Where's Father?" I asked half asleep. "He's having a man to man talk with your brother."

"Oh, alright then." My brother, Tommy, was always getting into trouble, and Father always had to get him out of it. Tommy had already moved out of the house, but was always coming back to ask for more money. Lately my brother had been having money trouble so Father tried to help him. Tommy never paid Father back and we really needed the money. Tommy had always frightened me, but what frightened me the most was when he asked, "How much money will Valentina and I get when you two die?"

"Five thousand." Father replied a little shocked. "Each?"

"Of course not, you're going to have to split it in half."

"I see." Tommy said darkly.

I fell asleep fast in my brand new night gown. I had awoken when I heard someone in my room. I turned over in my bed to see a silhouette of a man who was holding something in his hand. When he saw that I was awake, he quickly stepped towards me. As soon as the moonlight from my window touched his face I screamed. Tommy was standing in my room covered with blood. He reached out his hand and covered my mouth. His eyes were soleless as he lifted his other hand high in the air. The light reflected off the knife, making it gleam and shine. I started crying. He brought the knife down and into my stomach. "Tommy no." was all I said before I passed out.

**********************************************************************

I woke up in my bed in my room. My hand reached down to touch my stomach. All that was there was a scar. Christine was sitting on the edge of my bed. "I can see why you don't love him."

**********************************************************************

Writers notes: ya sorry again not a bunch of Erik in this one either, I thought there would be but explaining Valentina's past seemed much better. Until we meet again. -K.C.M