Phantom Child

11. Do you trust me?

"Christine" Raoul got her attention.

"Christine" he repeated.

"Christine..." another voice, like from a different dimension, rang out causing all of us to look up.
My heart stopped; Erik was here. Of course, he was always here, the Phantom of the Opera.

"What was that?" Christine shaked in fright.

She took a few frantic steps to the left, then to the right, uselessly looking for the owner of the voice, but not having found him she fell to her knees and burried her face in her hands. Raoul smiled at her weakly and walked up to her in order to help her stand up. He took her by the hands and slowly took off the hood of her head. He wiped the tear away from her cheek.

"No more talk of darkness
Forget these wide-eyed fears
I'm here, nothing can harm you
My words will warm and calm you"

He sang softly. Every word was spoken from his heart. He really wanted to comfort Christine and help her out of the darkness that her mind was in. Despite his ignorance and denial of the Phantom's existance, Raoul was a good man, who really loved Christine and was willing to do everything to keep her safe.

"Let me be your freedom
Let daylight dry your tears
I'm here, with you, beside you
To guard you and to guide you"

Christine felt safe with Raoul. She truly loved him and I could see it. I knew Erik was here and he heard everything they said. I didn't want to imagine what he was thinking. Christine was no longer singing for him when she sung:

"Say you'll love me ev'ry waking moment
Turn my head with talk of summertime
Say you need me with you now and always
Promise me that all you say is true
That's all I ask of you"

I didn't want to watch it anymore. What I saw was enough. Christine wanted to be loved by Raoul, not by the Phantom. With the Vicomte she felt safe, with Erik she was in costant danger of his uncontrolled bursts of rage. Her decision was fully justified and understandable.

Soundlessly I left the place. Through the dungeons of black darkness I got back to the lair. I wasn't sure if I wanted to be there. I was scared to confront Erik. No, not Erik. This time it was the Phantom, the monster. Was there any hope in me? I hoped so...

Frustrated and sad I was pacing around from the bookshelf to the organ and back for a long while. Thoughts rushed in my head like crazy and I didn't how much of it could I take before my brain blows up. In my current state of mind, working my anger off was a tempting solution. I wanted to knock over a candlestick with all the power I had in my little hands, but I heard the sound of metal against the stone floor, before I even took a good swing. I turned around, my heart skipping a beat.

Enraged Erik stormed in and walked past me. I risked everything and grabbed his hand. He turned around and his eyes met with mine. We both breathed heavily; him because of fury, me because of fear.

"What?" He growled angrily.

"I should be asking you!" I responded, each word taking up everything that was left of my courage.

"Oh, I'll show you just what!" Erik shouted in response.

He ripped the mask off of his face and tossed it away. I looked up to meet his golden burning eyes, one of which was set in a decaying face with scratches and scars. Now I saw all this time he was wearing a wig. His real hair was a mess, the deformed half of his head practically bald with some single curls of hair sticking out. He looked like a disaster.

"This is exactly what!" He shouted "What you are seeing... is not a man, it's not Erik, it is a monster!"

I took a step back as he was gesticulating in rage.