" What would you like to eat, Alice?" Erik asked me politely.
" I don't know. What is there to eat?"
" Do you like shrimp?"
" Of course I like shrimp!" I exclaimed.
" I knew that you did. Would that suit you for dinner?"
" It will be fine. How long will it be until dinner?"
" About an half hour."
" Ok, I will practice the piano until then."
We parted ways. He went to the left, I to the right. The music room was already open. I sat down and started playing some scales. Then I played the very few songs I knew. Suddenly I felt inspired and began to play a haunting melody. I don't know where it came from. My fingers knew the right keys and the right tempo. I was so in to it that I hadn't heard Erik calling me to dinner. He startled me by walking in behind me.
" That was excellent Alice! Where did you learn that song?" He asked in obvious amazement.
" I truly don't know. My fingers just started playing, and I let them." I was surprised at myself.
" Well, time for you to take a break and eat. You haven't had anything since yesterday. I am quite hungry myself."
So I got up and followed him into the dining room where shrimp and fries awaited us.
" This looks like it came from Long John Silvers!" I said.
" I will take that as a compliment. Sit down please. We have another busy night ahead of us."
So I sat down and ate till I could not eat another bite. Erik seemed to be pleased that I liked his food. I wondered how he could eat with his mask on, and not get any food on it. I decided not to ask him, I didn't feel the urge to anger him any time soon.
" That was a great meal Erik. Thanks for making it." I figured that the more compliments, the more careless he would become, increasing my chances of escaping.
My compliments seemed to take him off guard for a moment there. However, he replied appropriately.
" Are you ready for your first dance lesson?"
" I guess. Which dress should I wear?"
" Wear the blue one. I am going to get changed into the right attire. Meet you here in twenty minutes."
I went back into my room and found the blue dress he had been talking
about. It was a lovely shade of blue, that it reminded me of his
eyes. It didn't have any sleeves, but wide straps coming down to
met the rest of the dress
where my collarbone was. On the neckline were tiny gemstones
that turned different colors in the light. Erik certainly had good
taste. The dress, of course, looked perfect on me. The shoes
were made of glassy material, but felt comfortable enough to dance in.
" Need help with your hair?" a lady's voice directly behind me, said.
" What the heck! Who are you and how did you get here?"
" I am your guide, from the dream."
" So you are real!"
" As real as you are. Now sit down so I can make a masterpiece out of your hair. The more you please Erik, the better. It will make your life with him a lot easier until I get you out of this place."
" You know what? So far I really don't see any other options. I might as well get used to him, but there is no way I will ever become his wife, if that is what you are suggesting."
" I certainly wasn't suggesting anything of the sort!
Actually, it would be better to have pity on him. It would help if
you knew what his face looked like. Remember, you have no idea what
he has been through. I will be
with you the whole time. I have known Erik his whole life.
He may seem like a beast, but he once was a true gentleman, as long as
he got his way." By now, my hair had been pulled into
three braids going toward the back of my head, each braided again in the
back and fastened with a silver rubber band.
" You are ready to dance!" the lady said with satisfaction.
She was gone as quickly as she had come. I figured that since it was Erik's house, strange things were bound to happen. I put on the matching necklace that was on the bathroom counter top where I noticed that everything I needed was always there. Even some lipstick was on the counter. It was the perfect shade of purple that didn't make me look weird. I almost missed the matching eye shadow. I figured that since Erik spent the time and money to pick all this out for me, he must want me to wear it. So I put the eye shadow on, checked my appearance, and was finally ready.
I realized that I was 20 minutes late when I checked
my watch. I took off down the hallway, came into rec. room apologizing
frantically, explaining that it had taken me awhile to fix my hair.
There was no need to apologize
because Erik was staring at me with his mouth hanging open.
" Alice, you look beautiful," he whispered reverently.
" Well, you have good taste. What are we going
to be dancing to?"Then it was my turn to catch my breath. I had not
noticed what Erik was wearing looking quite handsome in the stunning black
tuxedo he had on, with
billowing cape. We could have been mistaken as a couple going
to an opera.
" Well, I wanted to surprise you. We are actually going to see Faust tonight."
So that explained why we looked like we were going to an opera. " By the way, I need you to hold this to your face when we walk in. Tonight is masquerade night."
He had everything planned out. Probably so he wouldn't have to worry about people questioning his mask. That was good. I didn't want to go through any confrontations tonight. Strangely, I found myself really looking forward to watching an opera with Erik. I had no ideas of possible escapes. I was starting to think like I had during the dance.
The mask he gave me was the same color as my dress
with gems decorating the outside of it. Blue feathers lined the top
with silver gems lining the eyebrows. As usual it was made from the
best quality of cloth. I had to
hold the mask to my face by a wooden handle instead of the normal strings
holding it in place.
" Are you ready to get into my special carriage?" Erik said as he offered his black-gloved hand.
" Yep."
I placed my hand in his, and we walked down the tunnel until we reached
the white carriage a couple blocks away from my house. Erik stood
by the steps and held out his hand for support as I got in. Then
he got in, shut the
doors, and sat on the seat across from me. For a moment, I was afraid
that he was going to sit next to me!
" Where is the play at?"
" Clowes Hall."
I had never been to Clowes Hall before, but I had heard about it.
The Phantom of the Opera was supposed to play there the year 2000 and I
had planned on getting tickets to see it. However, I wasn't too sure
about it
anymore.
When we got there, Erik took me by the hand and led
me through an entrance on the side of the building. We took a seat
in a shadowed part of the theater. The play was very enjoyable.
Erik seemed to really enjoy it.
At the end, he gave all the actors a standing ovation. I had
to join him because they were quite good, better than I had expected.
Afterward, Erik and I socialized with some of the other members of the
audience. They all
commented on how we looked like the perfect couple and on my hair,
dress, and mask. Erik seemed pleased with all the attention I was
getting. I even got my picture taken with Erik by an elderly couple
who insisted that we would be a good addition to their scrapbook.
It surprised me that he actually allowed that! It wasn't till about
eleven o'clock when we finally got back into the carriage.
" Did you enjoy yourself?"
" I had a great time."
" I was thinking, if I let you go about during the late hours of the day, to visit your family and friends, would you come back to me of your own accord?"
I thought about it for a moment. It would give me time to think of an escape plan, and to visit with Mary again. Though I knew very well that he would still come after me if I did not come back.
" Yes I would. I find myself enjoying your company. I am being honest, so please don't give me that look of doubt. Look straight into my eyes when I say this: I enjoy your company."
I could tell that at first, he thought I was just trying to trick him, but when I had him look me straight in the eyes, he seemed to believe me.
" Ok, starting tomorrow then. If I find out that you are getting chummy with that Scott fellow, be prepared to take my wrath. I hope you understand that."
Erik started to sound like my father there for a second! Then I remembered the past three days and realized that he was just jealous of Scott's affection. I needed to convince him that Scott meant nothing to me, even if it meant lying.
" Scott is a friend. I'll bet he has already found another girl. If he hasn't I will just tell him that he might as well give me up, because there is no way that you are going to give me up, or let any guy get 'chummy' with me."
I was starting to feel really tired, sleepy tired and tired of thinking up of lies to satisfy this madman. I tried to put my head on the window, but the carriage was bouncing so much, I couldn't keep my head still.
" Do you need a shoulder?" Erik offered, " Mine is extra soft."
" It couldn't hurt to have a nice, warm, soft shoulder to lean on," I replied, though the very thought of showing any signs of affection towards him, I figured that it would be best to keep him happy.
He came over to my side, and I laid my head on his relaxed shoulder.
I had expected it to be tense. He was right, the cape made his shoulder
extra soft. Surprisingly it wasn't long before I was fast asleep.