It Was Always Her

Chapter 9

Phantom's POV

I think about what happened last night on the roof with Charlotte. She would've died if I hadn't followed her up there. She was so kinda and treated me like a normal human, not the monster that I actually am. But there was something different about her, something that Yvette could do to me that Charlotte wasn't able to. I couldn't put my finger on it. I decided I would visit Charlotte again after rehearsals.

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The day went by slowly, I played my organ for a while then headed up to watch rehearsals. Carlotta's voice rang throughout my theater, but not in a good way. I sat and watched up in box five, spotting Charlotte chatting among the chorus girls. I look up higher and see Yvette agilely moving above the stage. Pulling different ropes and levers to help change scenes. I must say, she is very good at her job. Maybe even better than Buquet.

Rehearsals ended and I slipped into my secret passage and took it to Charlotte's room. I approach the mirror in her room, just as she walks through the door. She's humming a cheerful tune to herself as she sits down at her vanity and starts brushing her hair. I flip a switch and it blows out most of the candles in her room. She looks calmly around the room.

"Phantom, I know you are there. You don't have to hide." She states nonchalantly and continues brushing her hair. I sigh and open the sliding door of the mirror. That does shock her as she jumps and drops her hair brush. I hear her curse under her breath as she stands to pick up her fallen hairbrush.

"I apologize mademoiselle, you told me not to hide, so I didn't refuse your wish." I walk farther into her room and stop to look at a couple drawings she had pinned to the wall. There was a drawing of a castle, the Arc De Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Church of Notre Dame, and this Opera House. "Did you draw these?" I say and turn around to look at her.

"No, my sister Yvee drew them for me a while ago when we were still out on the streets." She closed her eyes and sighed. "She always told me, that when we had enough money, she would take me to all these beautiful places in Paris. At least one of those dreams came true, now I work at the Opera Populaire." She says with a warm smile and walks over next to me.

"These drawings are wonderful, how did she draw them if she hasn't been to any of these places?" I look down at her and she stares up at me with her big brown eyes.

"I'm not sure monsieur, stories that we heard from people passing by, maybe to occasional post cards that we saw in store fronts." I look back at the drawings on the wall. Yvette has so much more talent then she lets on. She always says that her face has scared many people away, but truly I think that she is beautiful and has amazing talent.

I'm pulled away from my thoughts when I feel a warm hand on my left cheek. I turn my head and look down at Charlotte. Her warm brown eyes, mass of curly brown hair, and flawless skin. She is stunning, I close my eyes and melt into her touch. I feel her other hand on my masked cheek. It feels like heaven to have contact with another person. This is why people hug and kiss and hold hands and...

I open my eyes as I feel cold air on the right side of my face. Charlotte is standing there, wide eyed and holding my mask. I grab the right side of my face and turn from her. All I see is red, I  am furious.

"Damn you! You little prying padora! You little demon! Is this what you wanted to see?" I yell and grab her arm, pulling her so she can look at my face. She closed her eyes and turned away from me. That's what I thought. I throw her towards her bed.

I rush back towards the mirror and hit the button that opens it. I turn around and look at Charlotte one more time. She's laying on her bed, her eyes filled with fear. The mirror opens and I rush down the passage.