My choice

Chapter ten - A trip

June 7 1882

Ava

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"Mother look!" I say in awe at the large boat in front of us.

"I see." She laughs at my excitement

"Do you want to be late! Let's go!" Father yells.

Father tends to yell a lot, I don't know why he's always so angry. I've tried to ask my mother but she says that I won't understand, that I'm too young.

Father hands over our tickets and a man shows us to the cabin we will be staying in.

When the door opens and I walk in I'm in awe. It's huge! It has two bedrooms, a chamber room, a sitting room, and kitchen area. Mother shows me which room is mine and tells me to unpack since it's nearly a week long trip. I place my bag on the blue quilt at the end of the bed and look over the room, the walls where white with wooden trims and the floors were covered with a royal blue carpet.

Mother knocked on my door and entered the room, "I was wondering if after you were done unpacking, you wanted to go out and watch the ship leave dock?"

"Yes, I'll be out in a second." I say

I finish unpacking and meet mother in the parlor. We exit the room and walk through the halls until we reach the deck people stood around and talked, while others continued to board. I leaned over to the railings and looked over into the water.

"Ava be careful, I don't want you to fall." Mother said grabbing my shoulder,

"Sorry mother, I'm just excited." I say carefully looking down at the clear blue water

The ships starts to move and I watch as people on the ship wave to family and friends on the docks, I see birds fly over head from their resting places on the boat. Water moved and hit against the sides of the ship many feet below.

"It's alright angel." She stood beside me and looked out over the water as well

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Christine

"Mother?" Ava asked getting into bed, "when is father getting back?"

"I'm not sure dear, why do you ask?"

"Because he's never here to tuck me in, doesn't he love me?" She asked in a sad tone

"Your father loves you very much, now time for bed, goodnight I love you." I say kissing the top of her head

"Goodnight, I love you too."

Once I close her door I go to look for Raoul. The first place I check is the ships bar, knowing him he would be there and like I thought he was. I walk over to him and find he's only on his first drink.

"Raoul, please come back to the room for bed. You've been out all day." I tell him trying not to make him upset with me, I'm not in the mood to argue.

"I don't care, I can stay here as long as I want I'm an adult, and you are not my mother." I'm taken aback by his words, how could he say something like that. I storm out of there faster then I thought I could.

I remember there was a time he would come back right away if I had asked. Back when everything was so easy. I stay quite as I get back inside the room. I check on Ava before going to get myself ready for bed. I pull out my suite case and open it looking through the things I didn't pull out until I found it, I pull out the journal and sit at the desk.

I open to a blank page and start writing,

'Erik,

I can't do this anymore! It's been ten years an not a day has passed that I haven't thought of you, Ava's growing to be a wonderfully talented young lady, just like you. Raoul's getting worse, even Ava has noticed.

I miss you,

Christine'

I close the book and put back into my suite case. I get into my nightgown and lay in the empty bed, this is going to be a long week.

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June 8 1882

Erik

"Devils child!" they scream

I try to get away but I can't. I'm surrounded by mirrors, in those mirrors I can see people. In one there's my mother screaming at me telling me I'm a monster and that no one will ever love me. In another I see the gypsy's calling people over to see the 'Devils Child'. I cover my ears so I cant hear their laughter. In another I see my angel and that fop on the roof confessing their love. I shut my eyes so I can't see. In the last one is my angel leaving in the boat the night I left her. Then they vanish. I open my eyes and look into the mirror in front of me. I can see my reflection, I'm not wearing my mask so I can see the deformity on the right side of my face. Then the voices speak again saying the same things over and over again.

"No one will ever love you, your a monster!"

"Come see the Devils child!"

"so distorted, deformed it was hardly a face in that darkness."

"I will always love you."

over and over again, over and over again, over and over again.

I quickly get out of bed wiping sweat of my face. I throw my blankets across the bed and swin my legs over the side and onto the floor. I walk out to the kitchen and get a glass of water. These nightmares have been happening more frequently, I don't know why I try to sleep anymore. I look at the clock on the wall, 2:30, no reason to try and sleep again. I decide to go out for a walk to clear my head.

I get dressed, slipping my mask on, and grab my jacket before going outside. I make my way towards the pier, staying in the shadows away from the street lights. Though there is no one out at this time other then the few drunks leaving the bar. I get to the edge of the pier and stay there until the sun starts coming out, walking around and checking up on some things around the park. That's when I make my way towards my office to start preparations for Christine's arrival.

Just think in less then a week I will see my angel again.