Through Emerald Eyes (Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction)

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Nadir Kahn's car… July 26

"Where exactly are we?" I asked with skepticism. I noticed Erik look at me, and I blushed realizing the stupidity of my question. "I mean, what city are we in?"

"Owenton," Erik replied immediately. "Here are written directions, Daroga, so that I do not have to speak." He handed them to his friend.

"No, we wouldn't want that now, would we, Erik?" The sarcasm was evident in Nadir's voice. I laughed, which helped to somewhat calm my ever-increasing nerves. I was glad to have a person like Nadir in the car. The man had really proven me wrong in personality. He was not just a puppet...

"How is your wrist?" Erik quietly asked me, drawing me from thoughts, yet again.

I held my cast for a moment and looked at him. "It's ok." He must have seen the lie in my eyes, so I added, "Really, it is." Our card game returned to my mind. I had made a point not to pay attention to my sprained wrist while we played, although it was a bit of a struggle. I didn't want them to worry or pity me, though.

"Yes, Christine, you never mention it. Does it not bother you? I really almost forgot it was there," Nadir added into the conversation.

"Well, it could be worse," I said optimistically. I laughed trying to ease the awkwardness I felt.

Erik seemed to sense that I didn't want to talk about it. He merely nodded and looked out his window at our surroundings.

Now was as good a time as ever, so I decided to ask him something personal. "Erik?" He immediately turned his head towards me and looked at me attentively, which caused me to hesitate. "Um, I was just wondering.. About Grant.." I spoke his name with bitterness. "What did he do to you?"

As soon as the question was out, I regretted it, for Erik turned his head back towards the side window. "You ask questions that do not concern you, Christine." Nadir cleared his throat, obviously trying to indicate silence in my direction.

I wouldn't back down. Not yet. "But, I need to know. I mean, you both know my story and, believe me, I want to try to keep it my deepest, darkest secret. Please, Erik. Trust me. I- I just need to know.." I knew I was being far too nosy, but I couldn't care. I felt like I needed to know what happened to Erik in order to better understand my rapist.

He became a bit distant and crossed his arms. "Fine, Ms. Daae, you shall know. When I was in my early teenage years, I lived in Kentucky.. I was an orphan. So was he. That was where I had the misfortune of meeting him, at an orphanage. He immediately detested me. The despicable excuse for a man beat me more frequently than I would like to remember. I was a slave under his wrath. I became his favorite toyfor years."

I stared at him. The poor guy.. "That's horrible." And yet, I could relate to what he was saying. I, too, had been William Grant's 'toy'. Erik made no attempt to speak again. But, I wanted to hear more. "How did you get away from him?"

He closed his eyes tiredly. I knew he didn't want to continue, but after a moment, he opened his eyes and continued speaking. "A girl helped me escape. She was an orphan, like myself. She found me at one of my worst points. It was.." He paused, choosing the right words to say. "It was a horrible circumstance. I then left the orphanage. Things did not end there, though. It wasn't long before I came in contact with Grant's brother. Allow me to put it simply.. The meeting did not go well." He stopped speaking.

To my surprise, Nadir decided to continue the story. "Yes, I was in the midst of finding the right state to live in. I still had connections with police stations and decided to see what Owen, Kentucky's station was like. I found Erik a few days before he was to get out of jail, and I got to know him, as I told you before. He then traveled with me. We made our way to Indiana. He got into architecture, and I, the retired police agent, became his assistant."