Beauty Of Music

Chapter 19

Carriere did not return to the surface right away. Just as he originally planned, he approached the stairs leading up the room Catherine was in.

"Mademoiselle" he called out softly from the bottom of the stairs.

He quickly turned back to make sure Erik didn't hear him from wherever he was. There was no sign of him so Carriere called out again.

"Mademoiselle" he said, making his way up the stairs.

He heard faint footsteps coming from within the room.

"Maestro!?" Catherine called out as she appeared at the window.

"Listen to me. Listen to me carefully. You are in great danger and you must get out of here" said Carriere before looking behind again.

"Monsieur Carriere! What?" asked Catherine, confused as to why the older gentlemen was there.

"That's right. We met at the Bistro" said Carriere as he turned back around to look at her.

"Yes, I remember. You said my voice reminded you of a certain singer" said Catherine, remembering their first meeting.

"That's right. Unfortunately, it reminded someone else of her as well" said Carriere, looking behind again feeling more anxious by the minute.

"That is why you are in great danger. Come, we must get out of here. I will show you the way" said Carriere, turning back around to face Catherine again.

He then made his way further up the stairs and through the threshold of the room.

XXX

Meanwhile, Erik was leaving a trail of gunpower, from out of one of the small barrels, starting at the entrance to the lair all the way down to the bottom of the stairs.

He had discarded his black cloak and waist coat and now wore his white puffed shirt, black trouser and black boots.

XXX

Carriere entered the room.

"No, no, wait, please!" said Catherine, stopping him in his tracks.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"In the catacombs, down under the Opera House. It's where your Maestro lives" Carriere explained to her.

Catherine was in disbeliefs.

"No, no, this is all a dream" she said.

"Believe me, for your life depends on it. You are not dreaming. Erik brought you down" said Carriere, reassuring her.

"Erik?" asked Catherine, confused at first about whom he was speaking of.

"Your Maestro. People know him as the Phantom of the Opera" Carriere explained.

Catherine felt frozen with shock.

"I don't believe this" she said.

"You'd better because he plans to keep you down here forever. You see he's in love with you, he's always been in love" explained Carriere.

Catherine looked at him with a wide-eyed expression.

"The woman whose voice I said yours remind me of, she was his mother. She died when he was very young. This is her portrait" Carriere explained more, as he walked towards the portrait of the woman in the white dress. He stopped a few feet away from it and turned around to face Catherine again.

"He doesn't understand your world. You must get out, now" Carriere said with a tone of urgency.

"No, no! Not until you tell me why he lives down here" said Catherine, in a demanding tone.