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

13. Come To Me Strange Angel

Chapter Thirteen || Come To Me Strange Angel

Mélodie

Stepping down the last step I arrived in the dimly lit lair. My side was throbbing more than ever now, making it slightly difficult for me to stand up.

Sheet music overflowed from Erik's organ, making it seem messier than usual. In fact it is messier than usual. Could that man not place his work in a pile on a table instead of throwing it all over the floor?

An even bigger mess sat at the large organ. Erik. He looked terrible. He almost looked as bad as the first time I laid eyes on him.

His back was facing me and when I stepped on a new broken piece of glass he raised his head. He saw my reflection in a broken mirror and dropped his head again, "Leave."

I stopped a few feet away from him and furrowed my brows defiantly, "No."

"Leave!" His voice boomed, making me flinch.

I felt my cheeks flush red with anger, "No! Erik, I don't see you for weeks, you save me from a mysterious mad man, and now you tell me to leave?!"

"I want to be alone." he held his head in his hands, his elbows resting on the organ's keys.

"From the looks of it the last thing you want to be is alone." I didn't dare move closer to him. Not just yet.

More unattractive notes resonated from the organ as he raked his hands over his face, "I shouldn't be alive."

My mouth hung open in shock, his words hurting more than my throbbing ribs. When I placed a hand on his shoulder he jerked away, "Stay away from me!"

His sudden outburst startled me and I almost fell back. He stood up and walked to one of the damaged mirrors, his back still facing me, "What happened to your family, Mélodie?"

I took a seat where he had just been, "Is that what this is about? Is that why you haven't wanted to see me?"

He looked sideways at me, showing part of his normally exposed face, a look of disbelieve hugging his features, "Haven't wanted to see you?"

The light hit his face better and in the reflection I could see he wasn't wearing his mask, "What else could explain your sudden disappearance?"

He scoffed and shook his head. His voice came out stronger when he repeated, "What happened to your family?"

I lowered my gaze and played with the strings on my robe, "Erik, it doesn't matte-"

"Tell me how they died!" He whipped around, his face exposed to me at last, angry tears pouring from his eyes.

I couldn't speak. All I could do was stare at him, the broken man winning that tremendous inner battle and coming out in full force. I wanted to go to him, to reach out and touch him.

I examined the part of his face that he kept hidden for so long. It looked just as it did the first time I saw it. It was covered in red scarred flesh, swollen and coarse. Like it had been burned. Bumps rose along his cheek and the bottom part of his eye drooped down.

His heavy breathing was the only sound apart from the sloshing of the underground lake. A tear rolled down my cheek and landed on my hand.

My poor Erik.

My voice came out soft, barely audible, "Violette told you."

More tears fell down his handsome face and he crumpled into a chair that was next to him, "I came to see you the night we had that argument. You were gone but she was there. She told me they died in the fire. She told me how you loathed me for it. For causing their deaths."