The Demon's Child and the Phantom

Chapter 15

Rosella's POV:

I think I love Erik. I didn't realize it until the other day when he interrupted my playing. I was losing myself to the hate, to the despair, to the insanity which the gypsies gave me as a child. But with a single look in his eyes he pulled me out of it and saved me from it. No one, not even Florica, has ever been able to do that.

Usually I'm simply beat out of it by previous owners as I lived up to my name of the Demon's Child. My insanity would lead me to attack people like a caged animal, clawing and fighting my way towards freedom or what I thought would be freedom at the time. Yet with a single look Erik calmed my emotions and my mind didn't beat against him.

I don't know what to do though. There is no way he could ever love me as I love him. If I had been born into a normal life I might have a chance, but then I might also have never met him. I simply can't believe that he could ever feel anything more for me than friendship. I'm sure he doesn't care for me for any other reason other than a friend. Damn him. Curse him. I can't even bare to think of him and the fact that he has my heart and my love and he doesn't even know it. What's worse is I don't even deserve him.


Daroga:

Having Rosella at my house is like living with the daughter I never had. She is quiet, shy, and even shut off at times. But when she lets it shine through, she is intelligent and witty and the kindest soul I have ever met. She has made friends with Erik in record breaking time and has even shown a genuine interest in him and his feelings.

I smile as I think about my old friend becoming more approachable the last few days. He has stopped scaring the cast and crew of the opera house the last few weeks that she has been here. I even think he has started composing again since the music I've heard him play recently is new.
I glance down at the paper I was reading and find myself bored with it. I finish the cup of Russian tea that was prepared for me before standing. I stretch as I walk over to the fireplace and smile at the picture above it.

It's a picture of the Persian desert in the moonlight, drawn and painted by Erik. I have to remind myself it is just as painting as I look at it, instead of an open window from the shah's palace. His talent was extraordinary and I'm sure it still is. It has simply been a long time since he had a desire to draw or paint, since Christine I believe. I never liked the idea of him loving Christine.
It wasn't love for either of them, not really.

It was more of an obsession with one another and the music that was created out of the obsession. Then again, he might have truly loved her at one point for he let her go when he could have kept her and the music that she could have given him. Maybe....just maybe Rosella can become his new muse and he can be happy, truly happy. I have no doubt that she would not mind his face. I only wonder if he is willing to let her into his heart.

I sigh heavily as the years of my life and Erik's weigh upon my mind. I leave the sitting room, turning down the gas lamps as I do and make my way through the halls to my room. I need to discover why Erik is so willing to allow her to keep him company. I know him to be morally straight in most regards towards women but as she is in my care I should still be sure of his intentions. I reach my door and start turning the handle when I hear it. A single piercing scream from Rosella's room.

I let go of my handle and instantly run to her room down the hall and burst through the door. I will apologize to her for that after I see why she screamed. I look all around the room to find the intruder, who was in my mind the only reason she would scream, but instead I see only Rosella asleep on her bed, thrashing and turning and whimpering in a mixture of German and English in her sleep.

"Please stop.....stop it burns.......please someone help me.....please stop!"

I gently kneel on the bed and try to wake her but she is harder to wake than Erik during one of his dreams such as this. I can only imagine what it is that makes her scream and whimper so, whether it is memories of her past or some new torment her mind has created. Running out of options and I grab her shoulders and gently start to shake her yelling her name.

"Rosella! Wake up! ROSELLA!"

A few seconds later she jumps awake and immediately rushes to a corner in the room, pleading just as she was few seconds ago in bed. I gently take hold of her shoulders, watching as she continues to rub her left arm as if it's in pain, as I attempt to bring her out of the nightmare and into reality and I realize she's more like Erik than even I could have guessed. His nightmares when he was younger man were very much like this one, and often took him several minutes to clear his mind.

"Please don't burn me anymore, I cannot take it! Please!"

"Rosella, it's me Daroga. It's alright you're safe now, calm down Rosella."

"D-Daroga?"

"Yes, Rosella. It's me your friend Daroga. You're safe now, you're alright."

I look as she makes eye contact with me before wildly looking around the roomagain her face masked with confusion as she does. She covers her face withshaking hands as her breathing increases some and I watch as she slowly lowersher hands away from her face and wraps them around her body as I stand, helpingher up.

"Forgive me for waking you."

"Child it was nothing that need be forgiven. Calm yourself and go back tosleep. I'll leave as soon as your asleep again."

I watch as she eventually falls asleep and stay by her a little while longer, nothaving to wonder long which nightmare from her past was terrorizing hertonight. I am sure it was the receiving of one of the scars that covered herarms. It would seem that if anyone could ever relate to Erik and his horridpast that Rosella could, for the horror that haunts hers seems to be just aspotent as his. I lay down for a few hours of sleep, feeling older than I ever haveas I think about poor Rosella and poor Erik.