The Demon's Child and the Phantom

Chapter 16

Rosella's POV:

Daroga would not let me apologize for the other night, the night with the nightmare. He only said that if I ever needed to talk to anyone that he was there. I just nodded my head as I remembered the dream, no memory, of the first time I was burned by the Gypsies. I wouldn't mind telling someone the horrors of my past to hopefully ease them out of existence, but I feel the only one that would be able to understand is Erik. But that's difficult at the moment.

I haven't been to see him in a week. I've been back to the Opera house to work but I haven't been able to go see him, and he hasn't sought me out so I figured I wasn't missed. Daroga asked me why I had stopped visiting Erik but I couldn't give him the reason. My heart can't take seeing him knowing that I will never have him as my own. I feel myself sigh as I finish patching a pair of trousers used in the opera this week. Madame Madeline hears me sigh and looks up with an almost knowing smile.

"Rosella dear, why don't you take the rest of the day off and sort things out with your beau."

"What?"

"Dear child, anyone who has ever been in love could easily see that you are in love. Now off you go. No more work for you today."

I feel myself nod and give her a grateful smile as I leave. She reminds me of Florica at times with her knowing smile no matter that subject. I remember that Florica would care for my wounds as much as they would allow her to after burning the crosses into my skin. She knew how I was feeling even if I kept my eyes and face as blank as possible. I find myself wandering into the theater where rehearsals are underway for the current opera in production. I listen to the musicians play and while I enjoy the music I can't help but wish it was Erik playing for me.

I sigh again as they finish and the maestro dismisses them for the rest of the day. I wander out of the theater and soon find myself in the hallway where Erik first saved me. I smile a bit as I think about his golden eyes and all the emotions that they hold. I don't pay attention to where my feet are leading me and soon I find myself in an unfamiliar hallway. I feel a presence behind me but I know it isn't Erik the way it feels and when it starts talking.

"Like yellow parchment is his skin. A great black hole serves as the nose that never grew. You must be always on your guard or he will catch you will his magical lasso hahaha."

I feel chills run down my back at the words, not because I know they are talking about Erik's face, but because of the voice saying the words. I recognize it from before. I turn toward the voice and see the man that attacked me that first day I came to the opera house, but this time he's alone.

"I knew I'd see you again on day, and alone. It was only a matter of time."

I feel myself back away from him into the wall behind me as he steps closer. I know I should scream for help but my past didn't program my brain that way. I was taught silence and obedience, that is why the insanity arose in the first place, as an attempt to teach me how to fight. He raises his hand and grabs my hair out of my face and I stiffen under his hands, instead of screaming. He laughs some as he runs his dirty fingers through the red streak in my hair and then across my cheek.

"I don't think you really are Daroga's niece, he wouldn't have kept such an evil creature."

He forces me to look up at him as he wraps his hand in my curls tighter, and I feel the pain in my head. As I let out a small hiss of pain, he laughs at me, his yellow teeth curling into an evil grin. The stench of alcohol comes off him as he laughs in my face and I flinch away at the memories of past owners it brings me. He removes his hand from my hair and grabs my chin as he keeps me looking at him.

I watch as his eyes travel from my red eye to my blue eye, then down to the top of my dress. It was if he knew this was the only way left that I hadn't been hurt as he pulled my body close to him and began undoing the laces on the front of my dress. He placed a hand over my mouth as I gave one short scream for help. He laughs again before pausing in undoing the laces and grabbing my breast through my dress and my corset.

"Don't be like that. No one will ever want you with eyes like yours. I'm doing you a favor."

I feel a sudden burst at anger as he says that. It may be true, but I don't want him touching me. That is literally the only thing that hasn't been forcefully taken from me and I will not give it up without an attempt at a fight. I bring my foot up and stomp it down on his foot as hard as I can. I must have caught him off guard because he lets go of my mouth and I yell one more time.
I yell the name that is always on my mind, and I know that he is my best bet at saving me.

The man slaps me across the left side of my face and I hiss in pain as I hit the floor and feel blood running down my face. The man climbs on top of me, pinning my arms down with the weight of his legs, roughly grabbing my breast again, as he puts his hand over my mouth again as he laughs at my last attempt to get away. I feel the insanity build in my eyes as I attempt to get him off of me without success, and the insanity only builds as I realize that I won't get out of this without help.

Erik's POV:

I had been playing for the past few days, angry screeching music to match the inside of my soul and my mind. She hadn't come back to me since the day I slept beside her and I've never hated myself more than I do right now. I don't know what I did but somehow I almost feel like I've betrayed her trust, just as Christine had betrayed mine when she removed my mask. I slam my fists down on the organ keys as I think of the pain she was in while she played that painful, soul scorching music.

I stand up and grab my cloak before stalking out into the tunnels of my opera house. I walk through the tunnel that's directly under the stage when I hear it. A single scream that is soon muffled. I head towards the yell to find it followed just a minute later by a man's yell in anger. I rush forward to find out what is happening in my opera house, but soon I feel my blood boil as I hear the girl scream one more time.

"ERIK!!"

I run through the tunnel and out the closest passageway, just as I hear a soft hiss of pain, and directly in front of me is the source of the yell and the hiss. It's my Rose with the same man as before on top of her, pinning her arms down. Her left cheek is bleeding, while the man keeps a filthy hand over her mouth and his other on her chest as he laughs. I whip my lasso out and it's around the man's neck before he even has a chance. I yank him off her and pull him close to me before whispering into his ear.

"I did warn you not to touch things that didn't belong to you. You should have kept your hand at the level of your eye."

I snap his neck and watch as his body falls limp to the floor as I remove my lasso. I hear Rose's hurried breathes and I look at her as she looks at the man on the floor, her arms wrapped tightly around her as her body shakes a bit. I stood in front of her, expecting her to flinch away or scream after she watched me murder a man right in front of her, but she does neither.

I look into her eyes and see her battling with her own insanity, and I hold her stare as her eyes soften. Again, once the insanity had fled from her bright eyes I expected her to flee, but instead she flings herself off the floor and into my chest. I freeze as she wraps her hands around my body and I hesitate to do the same. This is my second real hug from, well from anyone, not one that I forced someone to give me but a real honest hug.

"Erik, please take me away from here."

I just nod a bit as I carefully scoop her up from the floor. I wait a few seconds for her to protest but when she doesn't I start walking away to one of the passageways a few feet away. She buries her head against my chest and I feel myself freeze at how close she is to me and she doesn't seem to care. She seems to want to be as close to me as possible, and I begin to worry that he damaged her head in some way but also find myself hoping this never ends. I start walking again slower this time to drag out the time I get to hold her like this as I carry her through the tunnel.

All too soon we're back in my lair as I carry her into the bedroom and sit her on the bed, before sitting down next to her. I study her for a moment and I find myself shaking with anger as I realize that not only is there blood still running down her left cheek but her dress is halfway undone at the top and she has a pattern of bruises forming across the part of her chest that I can see. She looks up at me suddenly and takes my shaking hand into hers and holds it tightly. I find myself calming down despite myself as I look at our hands intertwined and as I look into her calm blue and red eyes. She isn't afraid of me, and it is unbelievable to realize that.