Of Masks And Roses

To Build A Home

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Just to let you all know that there is a song in this chapter and it's called That Home/To Build A Home - The Cinematic Orchestra. Just copy and paste the name into the yt search bar and you can easily find it! As always this is what you'll see when it's time to play the song! (

Please let me know what you think! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

XxX

"Ok," Erik said as he set his quill down, "Play that for me."

I looked up at the notes that he wrote on the paper and hummed them to myself for a minute. I looked down, placing my hands on the keys, and looking back up I began to play. The music swirled throughout my mind and my heart as my fingers danced over the ivory keys. I hummed along as I played Erik's piece.

A few weeks have passed by now, and Erik and I were practicing and composing his Opera in the piano room. We'd meet up once a week to work together. Erik wanted to meet up more, but with me working as a stagehand full time now we could only do it once.

La Dame Blanche was a full success. All of Paris cheered on the last showing, and despite the fact that Carlotta sounded like nails on a chalkboard, we sold out each and every night.

After the play ended we had a week long break before the next, and Claire, having lived here for 5 years, gave me a small tour of Paris. We saw the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, which was my favorite, Sainte Chapelle, which was so beautiful, and even the Louvre. It was very weird standing in the middle of the Louvre where the Pyramid should have been, or, well, will be.

A week passed and after a long wait I finally began my work on the new Opera the managers had decided for us, despite Reyer and Madame Giry's objections, but Jacob has been an absolute pain in the ass. He's been trying to sabotage my work left and right. My ropes that I tied would randomly come undone, props would come loose and smack near me, and open paint buckets would miss me by inches, and then I'd spend hours cleaning it up. At first, I thought it was Erik playing tricks on me, but at the smirk on Jacob's face I knew better. I knew Erik would never do something like that to me, at least.

Christine hasn't talked to me at all either. Ever since she saw the rose sitting on my nightstand she has become extremely suspicious of me, and I fear that someday she'll tell Raoul about her worries. I've seen the way Raoul acts around her. He wants to protect his true love from anything that would want to hurt her, and if that includes me who knows what he'll do to make sure she's safe. I could get thrown out of the Opera House, or even thrown in prison. I couldn't take that chance, and yet, there was nothing I could do about it.

These past few weeks haven't exactly been easy for me.

"How does that sound?" I asked Erik as I finished the piece. I turned towards him, and he stared down at me with a look on his face that I could not read, "What is it?" I asked.

For a moment, Erik didn't speak. He just stared down at me, his brows furrowed and his head tilted in thought. The way he was looking at me made me shuffle in my seat. Was there something I did wrong with the piece? He just wouldn't stop staring.

I opened my mouth to ask again what was wrong when he cut me off with, "Can you sing for me?"

My mouth snapped shut and my eyes widened in shock. Sing? For him? I-I couldn't!

He leaned forwards slightly, "I heard you humming there and it sounded so beautiful. I know you have a voice, I can tell," he smiled.

"I don't know," I squeaked, "I-I'm not a great singer. I've never been taught before."

Erik grasped my hand in his, "Please sing something for me. I don't care if you're good or bad, I just want to hear what your voice can do."

I looked down at his hand in mine and quickly glanced away. A slight blush appeared on my cheeks and I prayed that he didn't notice.