Small Anomalies (Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction)

Chapter 21: Erik's Past

Erik's POV

"I don't know the date of my birth," I start out hesitantly. I've never told anyone of my past before, and Raeann's one of the only three people who've ever cared.

"What I do know is that I was born sometime during spring. Or maybe summer," I continue, though feeling slightly ashamed that I don't know such a basic fact about myself.

"My father committed suicide after he saw me. He couldn't flee from my mother because of his love for her, so he must have thought that was the only solution," I stop and wipe tears from my eyes.

"My mother absolutely hated me. She fed me just enough to keep me alive. I slept in the attic on the floor because I never had a bed.

"We used to have a dog, Sasha. She was my only friend, and the only creature that didn't fear my face. My mother got rid of Sasha because I loved her. It was her dog, too, but I guess her hatred for me was deeper.

"I was given a mask by her. She told me I could never take it off. I did once, and..." Raeann holds tightly to my hand.

"She whipped me," I whisper. "She whipped me to point of almost dying. That's how I became so skilled at curing diseases and healing wounds.

"My mother used to make money off of me. She'd have men pay her to... do things to me."

"You don't mean...?" Raeann's eyes fill with tears when I nod solemnly.

"She harmed me on several occasions, sometimes for no reason at all. She only did this once, but... She used a knife on me. It was after I ruined her chances with a man...

"My mother had a lot of men over. She had quite the reputation about that. She kept me a secret, and I wasn't permitted to leave the attic while they were over.

"Our house was in the city. We were in a pretty bad part of town, but our house was nicer than some in the area. We had a balcony.

"When this particular man came over, he brought his daughter. I couldn't help but leave my attic. I'd never seen a girl other than my mother in real life. I was fascinated by her. I learned that her name was Lucy.

"She was out on the balcony when I approached her. I was surprised when she spoke to me like I was normal. She shook my hand and introduced herself. Everything was going well until she took off my mask.

"I've never seen anybody so horrified. She was so scared she couldn't scream. She backed up until she fell over the balcony....She was so small that she didn't survive the fall.

"The man apparently had a gun. He nearly shot me, but my mother stopped him for some reason. I don't know why she would do that. Perhaps she wanted me to suffer instead of die a painless death.

"She cut me on the back so many times I lost count. That day, I decided to stay hidden. I was about eleven when that happened...

"The day I was saved from my mother was the day of the investigation of Lucy's death. The next day, a policeman came over and demand to see me. My mother told him that I pushed Lucy, but he knew she was lying. Where she landed signalled that she fell.

"I was interviewed, and I gave him the full story. His name was Nadir, and he was my first human... friend. I suppose I can call him a friend. Although he's a real pain sometimes, I owe him a lot.

"He rescued me from my mother, who got put in jail. It turns out she was also dealing drugs, so that added to her sentence.

"I was handed over to the care of Madame Giry, one of Nadir's friends. She just had a child and was trying for another, so she hoped to adopt me. I didn't let her.