The Shadow's Melody || The Phantom of the Opera || Book One

9. Fear Can Turn To Love Part Two

Chapter Nine || Fear Can Turn To Love Part Two

Mélodie

"Keep them closed."

"What if I want to open them?"

"It will spoil the surprise."

"A surprise?! What kind of surprise?!"

"Mélodie, close your eyes!"

I shut my eyes tight, trusting Erik not to guide me into a wall on our way to wherever it is we are going.

"Ouch!" my head came into contact with a low beam.

I heard Erik give a low chuckle, "Apologies."

"I heard that," I kept my hands out in front of me now, knowing I couldn't fully trust my guide human.

"Heard what?" his gloved hands grabbed my waist and stopped me before I could trip over a step.

"You were laughing," I tried my best to feel my way up the staircase and ignore the tingly sensation I got from his hands on my waist.

"Nonsense," I could tell he was smiling as he said that.

"Mhm," my hands touched a wooden door. Where are we?

"You're hearing things," he lead me through the now open door and I felt a breeze greet me.

"We will pretend I believe you," listening I could hear another chuckle from Erik along with the noise of Paris' streets.

The roof? Is that where we are?

"Okay, you may open your eyes now," Erik's voice came from a few feet away.

"Are you sure?"

"Mél."

Smiling, I opened my eyes. What was set before me took my breath away. It is utterly gorgeous.

"Well? Do you like it?" Erik stood next to a small round table lit with candles. In the middle of the table sat a small vase overflowing with beautiful burgundy roses.

"Say something," Erik's green eyes overflowed with uncertainty. He shifted his weight awkwardly from one foot to another.

"Oh, Erik," I took another look at the beautiful arrangement, "Erik, it's perfect."

He very visibly let out a sigh of relief, "Good."

I circled the table and inhaled the rose's sweet aroma, "How did you manage all of this?"

"I have my ways." he pulled out a chair for me to sit on. "You seem to forget, I am the Phantom of the Opera."

I giggled as I sat down and Erik sat down in the chair across the table from me, "What's the occasion, Monsieur Phantom?"

The candles cast a warm glow on his face, illuminating his white mask, "I wanted to thank you for all you have done. Without you I would still be that walking skeleton. I really don't deserve any of it."

I reached over the small table and grabbed his gloved hand, "You deserve every bit of it, Erik."

He looked at me with still unbelieving eyes. I wanted to find each person who had tortured him over the years. I wanted to find them and make them pay for making Erik believe he wasn't worthy of happiness or any form of kindness. To make a person believe such things merely because their face had an unfortunate deformity was cruel.