I Belong to You (Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction)

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Christine?" Norah Daae called as she walked inside their house having just gotten home from work. She entered the kitchen and placed her purse and coat on the kitchen table. "Christine?" she called again, louder than before. No answer came, to which she whispered, "Hmm.." She must still be jogging. That wasn't too odd. Her daughter was somewhat obsessed with the outdoor activity, after all. It wasn't unlike her to jog for over an hour sometimes.

Norah made her way to the telephone and dialed her husband's phone number. "John, hi honey," she said when he answered the call. "I know you're on your way home. Christine's not here, so I was thinking you might want to drive around the neighborhood to find her. It's nearly dark and getting colder. I just don't want her to catch a cold or anything." After hanging up the phone, she walked upstairs to change out of her work clothes.

Fifteen minutes later, John Daae entered the house frowning. "Norah, I couldn't find her. I drove around the neighborhood five times."

Norah's face matched his own. "That's strange.. Christine?" she called one more time. No answer. "Um," she began while thinking. "Let's.. check her bedroom. Maybe she fell asleep and isn't hearing me?" She could only hope that was the case.

She wasn't in her bedroom. The Daae's were becoming frantic. Christine's car was still in the driveway, so she couldn't have gone anywhere.. Robert was the first person to call.

"Robert? It's Norah Daae, Ch-Christine's mom," Norah began urgently.

Robert could sense that something wasn't right. "Hi, Mrs. Daae. Is everything ok?"

Anxiously, Norah said, "Please tell me Christine is with you."

He shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, but she's not here."

"Oh, God..."

Now Robert was beginning to panic. "You mean.. you can't find her?"

"No," Norah replied, her heart hammering in her chest. "John and I can't find her anywhere."

"I-I talked to her earlier, not too long ago actually. She sounded fine. Wait, she usually takes a jog around this time. Did you-?"

"John already looked for her on his way home, but he couldn't find her. He's out looking for her again right now." Norah shook her head. "I have to make some other calls. Thank you for your help. We'll let you know if we-.. I mean when we find her." She hung up the phone and picked it up again. It was time to call Meg.

IIIIIII

John Daae searched the streets as he drove slowly around the neighborhood. Where are you, Christine? His car had reached the part of the neighborhood that was under construction. He'd been this way seven times already and hadn't found anything-.. Something suddenly gained his attention.

"What's-?" John got out of his car and approached a small object that was lying on the road. It was an Ipod, and it was very familiar looking. What if... Quickly, he picked it up with a shaky hand and pushed the connected ear buds into his ears. It was still on. Opera music came through clearly, causing John to gasp. It was Christine's Ipod he was holding. Somehow it had fallen from her hand while she was jogging, he knew... What he was also beginning to know, though, was that something very bad had happened to his daughter. "No," he whispered while unwanted images filled his head of what could have occurred.

His heart was pounding as he got back into his car and sped home. Their daughter was in real danger.

IIIIIII

She felt too numb to move. She literally felt numb. She couldn't talk. She could barely even move her eyelids. What the-..?

Christine let out a moan. The strange sound of it was alarming, but not nearly as alarming as not being able to open her own eyes. Not only was it alarming, but it was also scary as hell. What's wrong with me? As quickly as the question entered her mind, so did the answer. Erik. She let out another moan, but this one wasn't nearly as lethargic as the other one had been.