In the Presence of an Angel (Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction)

Chapter 31- Home

Chapter 31- Home

"We have arrived, Christine. You may get out of the car now."

Christine sat up, finally ending her state of pretending to be asleep. She'd been lying on her back with her eyes closed for what felt like hours. Really, she was trying to think of ways to get out of this mess. Many options had entered her mind… But, now that they had 'arrived', as Erik had put it, those options seemed to disappear as fear took their place.

She looked at Erik suspiciously before tentatively opening the car door. She got out and stood on the ground, which was covered with dirt and leaves. From what she could tell, she was in a sort of forest. She could hear running water. There must be a waterfall nearby. That was strange…

It was a bit chilly outside, causing her arms to cross against her stomach. But, she couldn't show weakness. Christine felt lost and confused, but she couldn't show her sensitivity. So, she uncrossed her arms and stayed near the car merely looking around her.

Erik was out of the car before Christine could even begin to recognize her surroundings. He couldn't very well have her guessing her location without him being out in it. He watched her while waiting for her to speak first, as he knew she would be curious.

Christine wasn't going to speak first, though. It was what he wanted, she knew, and she wasn't going to let him win.

All was silent as they stood beside the vehicle, Christine staring at a nearby tree while Erik stared at her. Of course, Christine could feel his stare, which made her feel uncomfortable and on edge, but she was getting used to these stares. After all, these one-sided staring games had been going on for weeks. It was only natural that it should continue now… Now that Erik was completely out of control…

He was becoming a bit impatient as he watched her. Erik was just so anxious for Christine to see all that awaited her. There was much to be seen, and he wanted to get on with it. "Christine?" he questioned eagerly.

She blinked at his tone and looked into his eyes, an intensity there that she could almost cower away from.

"Would you like to know where you are, my dear?"

His tone was just as excited as before, and Christine found she didn't like it. This was definitely not the time for excitement, yet he was showing it. She was angry about her situation, to say the least, so she tried to appear uninterested. "Sure." It was a lie, though… She was extremely interested, actually.

Of course, Erik could see behind her disinterest. He smirked. "You are curious, my love, do not deny it." His smirk deepened. "I will not keep things from you." Continuing to stare at her fragile figure, he decided aloud, "No, I will never keep things from you again. We are in Tennessee, my darling."

Christine's eyes did widen at that. No wonder it felt like we were driving forever… They'd been driving for hours on end, and she now knew why. "Where in Tennessee?" she asked with tenseness in her tone.

"We are in the Great Smoky Mountains. A deserted, secluded section, yes," Erik responded while looking around with great satisfaction. "A place where there is no interaction with the outside world. A place where there is no one but us, Christine," he ended softly.

She took a few breaths and focused on not being afraid of his words. Had this been days ago, she would have been scared to death, but now she seemed to have some control over her feelings. She looked at him calmly. "So, we're alone here. Where will we be staying?"

Erik wasn't surprised by her calm tone, for again, he could see right through her. "I know you are afraid, Christine, but there is no reason to be. You are far better protected here than you were there. To answer your question, though, we will be staying in a log cabin. Yes, doesn't that sound nice?"