The Beauty Underneath

Part Two: On Our Own Together

Part Two: On Our Own Together

        The Phantom slowly crept through the dark streets of Paris as cold rain poured from the heavens. He felt lost and defeated. Without Christine, he had nothing, he was nothing. Without Christine, his music had no voice. He hung his head as he moved silently down the dusty roads, wondering where to go. Suddenly, he heard a strange, sweet sound coming from a dark alleyway.

        "I love him, but when the night is over, he is gone. The river's just a river. Without him, the world around me changes. The trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of strangers."

        The Phantom let out a small sigh of delight. What a beautiful voice, he thought. Of course, the voice was not high and professional like Christine's. In fact, it was rather rough and strong. However, this voice had an element which Christine's lacked. Whoever this girl was sang with passion and feeling. Each word seemed to dig into the Phantom's heart, filling him with emotions. This girl seemed to actually feel what she was singing, which was a skill that could not be taught. The Phantom crept forward, eager to hear more.

        "I love him, but every day I'm learning, all my life, I've only been pretending! Without me, his world will go on turning. The world is full of happiness that I have never known!"

        The girl's voice sent a shiver down the Phantom's spine. He understood the loneliness her song described. He knew very well what if felt like to be pushed aside, unloved. Strange, he thought. He had never heard this song before. The girl must have made it up herself. She composes music, he thought, intrigued. He had never met a girl who composed such beautiful music. In fact, this was the first song he had ever heard, besides those he had written himself, that filled his spirit completely and satisfied his thirst for music. He crept forward until he had a full view of the singer. He let out a gasp. He didn't know what he had been expecting, but this filthy gamine took him by surprise. She was small and skinny, covered in scars and bruises. She was obviously poor. Her clothes were shabby and filthy. Tears filled her large brown eyes. She sat with her back against the stone wall, hugging her knees to her chest. The Phantom immediately felt pity for the poor girl. She looked so lost, so helpless, so alone.

        "Keep singing, sweet angel of music," he said softly.

        "I love him... I love him... I love him... But only on my own."

        The perfect ending to a perfect song. The Phantom silently applauded. "Beautiful," he murmured softly. Then he began to sing in a quiet voice, trying not to let her hear him. "Her voice fills my spirit with a strange, sweet sound. In this night there is music in my mind. Through her music my soul begins to soar! And I feel as I've never felt before..."

        The girl's head jerked upward, her eyes full of suspicion and fear. "Who's there?" she demanded. She had a hard, tough look on her face that seemed to hide her pain. Almost like a mask.

        "Forgive me, Mademoiselle," the Phantom said, stepping into the moonlight. "I was just listening to your song. It was beautiful."

        The girl pursed her lips. "I don't typically sing in front of other people," she said coldly. The Phantom smiled. This girl was a lot tougher than she looked.

        "Forgive me," he said again.

        "Who are you?" the girl demanded. "What's your name?"

        "Never mind my name," he said quickly. He did not like sharing his name with anyone. It made him feel vulnerable. He had not even told Christine his name. "They call me the Phantom."

        The girl's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and she stood up, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is that some sort of alias?" she asked. "Like the way my father calls himself 'Jondrette' when he's robbing people?"

        "It's a title," the Phantom replied. "I am no robber."

        "Are you sure?" asked the girl stubbornly. "If you're not a robber, then why are you wearing that mask?"

        "Never mind the mask. What is your name, Mademoiselle?"

        The girl ignored his question. "I don't like men who wear masks. Wearing a mask means you have something to hide," she said coldly. "My father wears a mask to hide his identity when he's robbing houses. If you're not a robber, then what are you trying to hide?" She reached out to pull his mask away, but the Phantom took a step back out of her reach.

        "Don't touch!" he said in a booming voice, raising his hand instinctively to block her. The girl jumped back and covered her face with her arms automatically, as if she was used to having to hide from violence. The Phantom lowered his hand slowly. "Did you... did you think I was going to hit you?" he asked her gently.

        The girl put her arms down tentatively, staring at him with fear in her large brown eyes. "You weren't going to hit me?" she asked in a low voice.

        "Of course not," he said. "Are you... hit often?" Of course she is! he thought. Look at all those bruises.

        "I... My father is a very violent man," the girl said, staring down at her feet. "As are the rest of the members of the Patron Minette."

        The Phantom did not know what the Patron Minette was, but he could tell from the girl's tone that they were not a very nice group. "It doesn't matter," the girl said quickly. "You need not pity me. I'm just a gamine from the streets. I'm not worth much." She wiped a tear from her eyes. "No wonder he doesn't care about me," she added quietly, as an afterthought.

        The Phantom opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out. The self-loathing in the girl's voice seemed to reflect the Phantom's own lack of self-esteem.

        "You should go away, Monsieur," the girl said. "If it's true you're not a robber, then you shouldn't be here. A respectable man like you shouldn't be seen with a girl like me."

        The Phantom shook his head. "I said I wasn't a robber. I never said I was a respectable man. I'm as much on my own as you are."

        The girl gave him a genuine smile. He could tell it was not often that a smile like that lit up her beautiful face. "Well then Monsieur, perhaps we can be on our own together," she suggested. "I'll listen to all your troubles if you'll listen to mine."

        The Phantom smiled back. "That sounds lovely, Mademoiselle," he replied. "But perhaps we should get out of the rain first."

        The girl laughed and shook her head. "It's just a little fall of rain," she said, throwing her head back and letting the cool rain fall onto her face. "And we all know that rain will make the flowers grow."

        The Phantom smiled. He was beginning to like this girl.

        "By the way," she added. "There is no need to call me 'Mademoiselle.' Just Eponine will do."

        (Author's Note: I don't claim any credit for the media or for the song lyrics. And I did change some of the lyrics. :-) Thanks for reading!)