My Blue Rose (Phantom of the Opera)

Chapter 4 - First Lesson

Carly's POV:

It was three o'clock in the afternoon and I was due at Erik's in thirty minutes. I hurried to my car and carefully followed his directions. They were exact and I soon found myself standing in front of a mansion. My jaw was on the ground. I hadn't expected this. I walked up to the door and knocked on the door with the brass door knocker. It wasn't long before I saw Erik standing in the open doorway. He was looking the same as always. I smiled.

"Sorry, I am a little early. I wanted to give myself lots of time to get here." He nodded and gestured for me to come in. I gasped again. This was more than I could take in. I was standing in the entry way and every part of it demonstrated extreme wealth. There was a real crystal chandelier and exquisite marble floors. The walls were papered with the most lovely pattern of wallpaper. I looked at Erik and he smiled.

"Come this way." He guided me to the back of the house and into the music room. If the rest of the house had been beautiful, then this room was gorgeous. The carpet was a dark brown and a fireplace was tucked into a wall. There was several books shelves and they were all filled with books of music. A massive grand piano stood in the middle of the room. I gasped again. I could hear Erik's chuckle behind me.

"You like it?" I nodded. This was more than I had ever imagined.

"It is beautiful. I didn't know that one person could afford all this. I didn't think this sort of wealth existed anymore." I looked at him and saw he was smiling slightly.

"It is nice but even all this can't take the place of having someone around." I saw his golden eyes turn sad for a moment then he snapped out of if.

"Would you like something to drink before we start the lesson? Water, tea..."

"Water, please."

"Good choice." He walked away and I ran my fingers over the piano. I couldn't believe that he had all this. Then I remembered what he had said about it not making up for a person. I guess he lived in seclusion. I start to feel a little sorry for him. Before I could think about it more he returned with a glass of ice water. I took a couple sips and then looked for a place to set it down. He gestured to a side table and I laid the cup on a trivet. I looked back at Erik and he pointed to a place by the piano. Then the lesson started. I will say that he is a perfectionist. He wanted perfection from me and I tried my hardest to give it to him. After about an hour my lungs were burning and I was starting to fail. I wasn't used to his tough pattern. He finally let me go and I thought I saw some regret in his eyes. I gave him a smile before I drove away.

I walked through the door and saw my mother standing in the living room.

"Hello, honey, how did the lesson go?" I smiled and collapsed down on the couch.

"He is a perfectionist. I will give him credit for that. But you should see his house. It is a mansion. I haven't ever seen such wealth. It was amazing. Everything was real. Real crystal, real marble, and a massive grand piano. I haven't ever seen anything like it. He also plays like a true master." I saw Mother smile and then say,

"Well, it sounds like he has everything he wants. How did the lesson itself go?" I sighed.

"Well, I did well. He said I am already an experience singer so I won't need to much help. He said that I have a great future in singing. I am glad I met him. I am looking forward to going to see him again on Friday." My mother smiled.

"Well, I am glad it went well. By the way Jonathan called. He wanted to know where you were so I told him you were out. I thought you might want to explain the situation with him." I nodded and took the phone to my room. I dialed Jonathan's number and he picked up on the first ring.

"Well, it is good to know you are still around. I call and your mother wouldn't tell me anything. She said you should tell me. Where were you?" I laughed. Jonathan was sounding mad but I knew he wasn't.

"Well, I am taking voice lessons. His name is Erik Destler and he is a master pianist and voice teacher. I thoroughly enjoyed myself." I could almost see Jonathan's frown.

"How old is he?"

"About thirty. I think. I never asked. It is hard to tell. He is a strange man. He came to church last Sunday." I said.

"You mean, your voice teacher is the masked man?" I could hear the shock in his voice.

"Yes, what is wrong with that. He is a good one. I don't care about the mask." I heard a growl.

"Well, I don't like it. Something doesn't sound right. I don't want you to be hurt. Those masked men can be dangerous. He is probably crazy. Just be careful." I laughed. Jonathan wanted to keep me safe when there was no reason for it.

"Erik is dangerous. You could meet him if you want. I think his teaching will do me good. He says I have a lot of promise." Jonathan laughed.

"I have been telling you that for years. Glad you found someone. Sorry, but I got to go. I was just calling to talk to you for a while. Thanks for allaying my fears." I laughed.

"Bye then."

"Bye." I hung up the phone and thought about that. Erik was a strange man but I didn't mind that. He didn't seem dangerous.