In My Darkness: La Chatte Noire

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Leaving

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Leaving

Camillé awoke the next morning to Erik leaning against the wall with a scowl, his mask replaced. She stood up and walked over to him, kissing his right cheek as she always did, mask or no. Then she heard it. There were squeals, yelps, and general sounds of ballet girl excitement. Her brow furrowed and she walked into the main cavern, where the sound hit her full blast. The echoing quality of the lair always made it easy to hear what was going on above – Erik had designed it that way. She listened for a moment before gasping.

One of the ballet rats giggled. "Did you see? Captain Merrick is talking to Madame Giry! Maybe he's interested in one of us!" A chorus of squeals and giggles followed.

"I doubt it," Erik muttered beside her.

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Daniel is here? Oh mon Dieu… why?" she exclaimed, and ran towards the exit to the Opera House, pulling Erik with her, "We'll use the Mirror passage, it's fastest."

They walked for a good time – well, Camillé ran and dragged Erik with her – before they reached the wall behind Madame Giry's quarters. Camillé leaned up and pressed her ear against the wall to hear what was being said. Erik huffed and looked through a peephole that showed the room next to Madame Giry's, seeing the ballet rats in the same position. Hmm… they were eerily similar. He turned from the sight. That was not something he wanted to think about. Camillé, on the other hand, was listening closely.

"Where is she?" Daniel asked.

"Where is who?" Giry responded.

"Don't play coy with me. Where is she?"

Madame Giry sighed. "I cannot tell you that."

"Please, Madame, I need to see her," he begged, "It's very important."

"Why do you need to see her?"

"Because I am here to take her to Mireval. Her father is dying."

Camillé swallowed, knowing better than he did. Her father was already dead.

Giry set her cane down on the floor. "And I am simply to give her to you?"

"No, I don't expect that. I just need to see her. Please take me to her."

"I cannot do that."

He sighed. "Why not?"

"He would not appreciate having an unwarranted visitor. From what I have heard, he is also not very fond of you, Captain."

Daniel scoffed. "This is not about him, this is about her. It doesn't matter what he wants."

Camillé looked sideways at Erik, who had gained a rather affronted expression. She smiled and kissed his cheek lightly before returning to the wall. His expression softened slightly.

"Take care what you say in this Opera House, monsieur. He can hear all."

"He's just a man, I somehow doubt that," Daniel sighed, "But I am here for her. She is all that matters to me."

Again, Camillé saw Erik frowned, but this time in anger. She wrapped her arms around him and tried to tell him to calm down.

"I will see what I can do," Giry sighed, obviously tired of the argument.

She let Erik go and walked to the other side of the room, where she walked out of a door in the wall. Daniel's eyes widened seeing her, and he hugged her. Erik stepped into the room and she attempted to get him to let go, but he held her until he wanted to let go, staring at her fiancé.