Ice & Fire (Erik x OC)

Chapter 8

Juliette was on her bed, spinning and turning as her breathing became faster, and her heartbeat increased. While the rest of the girls were sleeping peacefully, she was struggling with her inner demons.

Her lips were slightly parted, and barely faint whispers escaped them as she kept struggling. In her mind, she could hear laughter and see hands pointing at her. Hands were pulling her arms and hairs; more laughter reached her ears.

"Look at that freak!"

"She looks like a ghost!"

"How could ever someone love someone like you?"

"Get out of my sight!"

"Stay away from her you monster; you scare her!"

"no...no...no!", the last word came slightly louder and caused the girl to stand in an attempt to catch her breath. She looked around her and slowly started to calm down, her heartbeat turning back to normal, once she realized that she was in the Opera and that she was safe.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and took a few more deep breaths. Thankfully, no girl was wakening up. She grabbed her cloak from the side of her bed and tied it around her shoulders before standing up.

She wore her brown boots and slowly made her way out of the room. She stopped, and her eyes went to her violin but decided not to take her loyal friend with her this time, and so, she went alone.

She had memorized by heart now the whole Opera, especially the trip from the dorms to the rooftop. Once there, she made her way towards the big statues that decorated the plain area and watched over the city streets.

She sat between the two angel statues, her body a foot away from the edge of the roof. She gathered her knees up to her chest and hugged them as she let out a deep sigh. She used a hand to lift the hood to her head and ignored the chilly winds; unaware that she was not alone on the rooftop.

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Erik was on the roof, leaning against the statue of an angel while looking at the stars. He stiffened but stayed hidden in the shadows as she heard the door of the rooftop open. He carefully looked behind the statue, only to see Juliette walking towards the edge.

He wasn't surprised to find her here; it was common for her to use the rooftop as an escape as well. A thing they had ironically in common. However, he noticed that this time she didn't bring her violin as she used to and her face seemed to be in distress and worry.

She sat a little behind the ledge and hugged her knees. She pulled the hood of her cloak to cover her exposed body from the cold winds and just sat there.

He recognized that face; he used to have the same face when his past nightmares awoke him. He felt the need to go to her but once again fought against it; there was no need. He wasn't someone to connect with people; he wasn't meant to be one.

He was cursed to scare away whoever came close, cursed to spend his life underground like a ghost; like a dead man. He left out a sigh and was about to leave when he noticed the goosebumps on her hands and legs.

She would get a nasty cold if she stayed on the rooftop much longer and he couldn't have that now, could he. He started to think of a way to make her go back inside but immediately rejected using words.

He was not good with them, and he would have to somehow talk to her, not an easy thing at the moment. He needed something fast, effective. His mind rushed for solutions, for an answer to his problem, and it finally dawned to him.