Small Anomalies (Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction)

Chapter 5: Mask Problems

Chapter 5

Erik's POV

I stop playing my piano and rest my head in my arms to think. The girl called herself hideous. I'm the hideous one, not her. She's the most gorgeous person I've seen.

I realize what I just thought and shake my head. No, Christine is. Christine is far more beautiful. I can't go from heartbreak over one girl to being attached to another. I can't get too close.

But I have to. Deep inside, I know that I cannot live with myself if that girl continues to think about herself in such a manner. I must find a way to keep her here for as long as possible.

When she woke up and I was still hiding from her, I heard the girl say that she had ran away. What could cause her to run away? She doesn't have anything wrong with her. She probably has a warm home and a loving family to go to.

If she has nowhere to go- if she doesn't want to go back where she came from- I can let her stay here until she figures out what to do. I must not become too close of a friend to her, or I won't be able to let her go in the end.

I have no clue how to ask her to stay. If this mask wasn't here-if I were normal- I could approach her with ease. But everybody runs once they see what I truly am.

"Christine," I whisper. I still miss her, my blessed angel. She's the only reason I'm still alive. I hold on to an irrational hope that we'll meet again one day.

I find myself playing a song I recently composed for Christine. My pain and sadness leaks through my fingertips and join the piano keys in song. I'll never be able to love again.

____

Raeann's POV

I rub my eyes in confusion until I wonder where I am. Sunlight streams through the sheer white curtains, and memories of the previous night return.

Erik's freak-out still has me on edge. It obviously hadn't been simply about what I said. It had to be more than that.

The music I heard still plays in my mind. It grows louder and louder until I realize that Erik must be playing again. This song is more emotional than the last, and tears find their way to my eyes once more.

This time, I decide to find the source of the music. I climb out of bed and smooth my hands across Erik's shirt, not bothering to get changed. I push the door gently, and it opens without a creak.

Stepping into the hallway, I shiver. The cold air brushes against my bare legs, and I regret my decision to stay in the shirt I slept in. I'm not going back now, though. I drag my feet along the plush carpet and walk past various doors before finding the one I can hear the music loudest from.

As soon as I step into the dark room, the music overwhelms me. It surrounds me and floods my senses from all directions. My knees buckle and I let out a gasp as my legs give away. I land on a very soft carpet, which muffles the fall.

Erik continues playing, and the dark, sorrowful, booming melody reaches its peak. My body shakes uncontrollably and tears run down my neck. The emotion in the song tells a story of loneliness and darkness so instense that it's too much for me to handle. I let out a loud, panicked yelp that causes Erik to stop playing.

I watch him turn around slowly to face me, my image blurred by tears. Our eyes lock in a way that I cannot describe. Through my eyes, I show sadness for him. Erik looks as though he doesn't want me to pity him, yet he also look apologetic for making me fall.

"Good morning," It takes all my strength to even dare to speak after what happened. Besides, Erik is a stranger. I'm never comfortable around strangers.