The Phantom's Sister

Chapter 5

Marie found Arabella sobbing in the living room. "What's happened?"

"That man! He made a mockery of my brother. He tried to tell me that he was him! My brother had been dead for years, and now he comes here and upsets me like this in my condition."

Marie gasped, "Oh, Arabella... He is your brother..."

"What? How do you... Why didn't you..."

"His face... It's deformed, badly. Your mother was wicked to him. She made him wear a flour sack over his head when he was two or three year old. She wouldn't touch him... He was afraid to tell you for fear of rejection. Especially now that he's had a stroke and is somewhat immobile... Arabella, we must find him and make it up to him."

Arabella's heart shattered. "Why did mother say he was dead?"

"Maybe she thought he was, or maybe it was easier to imagine that he had died rather than been left alone in the world."

"I have to find him!" Arabella stood up.

"Madame, you're eight months along! It's not..."

"It's my fault, and I'm going to find him. Where does he live?"

"Beneath the old opera house," Marie said quietly.

"Please look after EJ. I'll be back with Erik."

"Madame!"

"It's my fault! The poor man has been put through hell, and I just added to it. I'm going!"

Before Marie could argue further, Arabella had grabbed her cloak and headed out the door.

After walking to the closest village, she hailed a carriage, "Please, take me to Paris."

As she rode in the carriage, the twinges in her stomach continued. She took a deep breath. I have to find him, and then I have to return home to have this baby.

The carriage ride was quicker than she imagined and soon enough, she found herself a block away from the opera house. It was now the dead of night. If she didn't find Erik fast, she was going to be delivering her baby on the streets of Paris.

Finally, she crept into the musty, dilapidated opera house, "Erik!" she called out, "It's me, Arabella! I made a mistake... I'm so sorry... Please, please..." she groaned for a moment as she felt another twinge of pain, "Please, Erik."

He had heard someone enter the opera house, but had decided not to care. He laid in the swan bed, exhausted from the evenings events. He had also over exerted himself, and his bad leg had been going into fits of spasm.

He wasn't sure if it was emotional or physical pain, but he hadn't stopped crying. Sobs wracked his body. He held on tightly to a pillow and cried into it. He never should have gotten his hopes up; he was doomed for a life of solitude. The sooner he accepted it, the better off he would be.

But she had seemed so different. At this point in his life, a man over forty, who had never and would never know the joys of romantic love, found hope in the idea of familial love: a sister, a nephew, maybe a niece.

But it was ripped away in an instant. He heard another noise. He didn't care. Maybe it's someone to put me out of my misery.

So he's going to be stubborn about this, Arabella thought. "Ugh," she groaned again, "Damn it!" she shouted.

She felt horrible. All she had ever wanted her whole life was to know her brother. Now, he had come along, been wonderful to her, and she hurt him. She didn't blame him if he never wanted to see her again.

Suddenly, she felt a gush of fluid, "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" she shouted.

Erik winced as another muscle spasm plagued his arm. I have to calm down, he told himself as the pain cascaded through his body. Then again, maybe I deserve this.

He heard another noise up above. He was sure he heard his name this time too. No one really knew his name, except...

Marie.

He was sure she had come to look for him after the incident back at the cottage. He couldn't let her get caught in one of his death traps. He had to get to her.

Gritting his teeth, he rose from the bed and grabbed his cane. Though he moved slowly, he stayed steady and began his journey toward the surface.

Arabella found what looked to be an old dressing room and sat down on a chair to take a break. She began speaking her thoughts out loud, in hopes that he was lurking somewhere and would hear them.

"Erik, wherever you are... I'm sorry. I've been very protective of my brother's memory for so many years that I thought you were someone trying to tarnish it. He... You mean so much to me. There were so many years when I was young that I wished you would come and rescue me from the hell I was living..." she groaned as another contraction hit her, "Erik, I will love you and care for you... We can take care of each other... I will always believe you from here on out... Please, please, forgive me."

He had heard her. He hesitated for a moment when he heard a groan.

She spoke again, "Erik, please... I'm begging you. If you're here, I need you. I need my brother. I've needed you my whole life."

Like magic, he appeared from behind the mirror. Arabella stood to face him and then hurried toward him. She hugged him tightly and whispered, "I'm so sorry... for all of it."