Pen a Pal (Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction)

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Christine pondered over what to type but stopped after thinking of something. It'd probably help if I were to look at his profile.. He even asked me to in his email. Wow, I'm stupid.

After viewing the profile's entirety, she found that it didn't help as much as she thought it would. She did find, however, that he was extremely into music. Classical, actually. That made her happy.

But, the problem still remained. She pretty much knew nothing about him. That will just have to change. She began typing slowly and carefully.

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'A mad, mad lake of luck runs through the heart. Help my soul to realize truth, before luck leaks in blood…'

Erik jotted the lyrics down. Yet more to his latest creation, a musical called, 'Tribulation'. He found the music less difficult to write than the lyrics. Sure, he could put beauty and heart in the notes. The trouble came when inputting that same amount of beauty into words, what people actually understand.

He'd been sitting at his piano for hours refusing to return to the computer. It would only bring about humility, he knew. Emailing her was not a good idea. Not receiving a return message would sadden him, although he continued to lie to himself by acting like it wouldn't.

I've suffered too much rejection in my lifetime. This, too, will be considered as such.

He heard footsteps approaching and sighed. "What is it, Nadir?"

"I've made dinner. Do you want me to bring you some?" He already knew the answer. Why do I even try?

"No." He listened as Nadir dejectedly left the room.

As soon as he was gone, Erik stood and left the room, as well. His legs had a mind of their own, it seemed, for he ended up in a chair facing the computer. Unfortunately, he saw his masked reflection in the black but mirror-like screen and froze. I am a fool. I am a monstrous, weak fool who can never fully accept my place in society. 'My place' being a lonely good-for-nothing man. Failure after failure.. And, I keep coming back for more. I am a fool.

He turned the machine on, though. His hands had a mind of their own, just as his legs did.

As the computer started up, Erik stood and prepared himself a glass of brandy. I will not continue without liquor to soothe the pain I will soon suffer.

He sat back down and took his first swallow of the caramel colored drink waiting while the Internet homepage loaded.

No emotions.. No feelings.. I will not care!

He typed in the web address and logged into his account.

A box indicating that he had an email appeared. Erik blinked in surprise. He tensed before opening the message. It was from Christine! What? S-she replied? How bizarre. He had prepared himself for rejection, but he hadn't prepared himself for acceptance. Wait! It could be a message saying to never contact her again. He gulped. That would be worse than her not replying.

After having too many negative thoughts, he finally read the email.

Well, just like you, I don't know of a 'proper' greeting. As you know, I'm Christine. I looked at your profile, and I agree. It does seem like we have similar interests. I'm actually shocked that we do enjoy some of the same things. I don't know many people who place classical as their favorite music genre. I would like to continue emailing you. I feel like I should admit, though, that I've never done this sort of thing before. I do know, however, that I would like to know more about you. First question: Do you just like to listen to classical music, or are you involved with it more personally? Well, I hope we can continue to email one another. If you don't want to, I'll understand.