Search for the Opera Ghost: Rewrite

IX.

Zuri decided not to leave the next morning. She knew it was against her better judgment to stay, but a little part of her still wanted to know him. She pulled the sheets up the her shoulders and shivered as she thought about what had happened. She almost wished she had never come to the opera house. It had been so exciting when she had come to the opera house. It was like one last adventure before her marriage.

Now, however, she did not know if she wanted to know anything about him. He seemed confused and angry. She wished, even though he had raped her, that he would find peace somehow. Her heart wanted to forgive him...but she did not know if she could. She listened for any sign of his presence. She figured that somehow she would have to see him some time this morning.

As if on cue, she heard the swish of his cape and soft footsteps on the stone floor. "I see you have heeded my warning." He said quietly, he watched as she turned her head towards him.

"Yes monsieur. I have done as you asked." She replied while he ventured to her bed. She gulped as she felt her mattress weigh down from his newly added weight.

"I see that. You are smarter than I take you for." Erik told her then watched as she looked at her hands "I do not know what to think of you anymore."

"Neither do I."

"Are you this talkative?"

"I assumed you wouldn't want me to talk out of place."

"What have you based this assumption on?" He questioned as a dark eyebrow rose in a questioning look.

"The fact that you said that I was annoying and stubborn. Two qualities that a woman should not possess."

Erik laughed softly as she finally looked up to stare in his eyes. "So you are learning that it is best to keep your mouth shut."

"Please leave me alone."

"Why? You wanted to know more about me. Why won't you speak to me?"

"Because I am confused by you. I am confused because I don't know what you want to do to me."

"My intentions do not need to be known by you Zuri."

"Yes they do Erik."

"First name basis now?"

"You started it."

He smiled at her, "Yes I did."

"The point is that I do not know what you are going to do to me. I know you must have something terrible in store for me."

"I want to question you some more. Is that a problem Zuri?"

"I suppose not." She felt a blush creep over her cheeks as he stared at her.

"Very well. I want to know why you thought that we might have something in common."

"I already told you. I know how it feels to be alone." She replied while looking at him, she thought of her life that she would soon return to. She would never be free...no matter where she turned. "May I ask, where do you live?"

"Below the opera house." Erik responded while gently fingering a strand of hair. "What was your goal?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why did you come? Why did you choose me?"

"I felt like you were misunderstood and that you could not be so evil as people pegged you to be. I suppose I was wrong."

An eyebrow rose as he looked at her angrily, "You think me evil?"

She looked back at him determinedly and replied, "I despise you Erik...I cannot bear to go back and have to face the shame of telling my intended that I was raped."

"I told you to leave. You chose to be raped."

"No I did not. You could have talked to me. You know that! I'm...i'm only a whore to you. I never did one thing to you and you raped me!"

"That is right. I did rape you and I am not sorry for doing so!"

"Why not?! Why did you rape me? Did you want to know what it was like to be with a woman who could not fight you? Was it easier to rape than to talk things out?"

"YES! It was damned easier to shut you up by raping you!"

She tearfully cried out, "I feel sorry for you." She paused to wipe her eyes then questioned him, "Did you bring my diary?"

"Yes." He replied as he pulled the small book out of his pocket.

She took it from his hand and turned it to a page then pressed it back into his hands. "Read this page."

Erik read silently as she watched him. "Did you actually mean this?" He looked at her in a confused manner.

"That was before I came to know you as a rapist. I hoped that you were different not some common rapist."

She cried out in surprise as he spread her legs and pressed his body between hers, his hands splayed on either side of her chest. "I am no common rapist." He growled low in her ear. "You can consider your body mine now. I cannot let you leave now."

Zuri gasped loudly as she tried to push his body off of hers. "I do not belong to anyone."

"Oh? You wished to belong to me. You said so in your journal."

"That was before I knew you were mad!"

"Mad! You dare call me mad!"

"I thought that you were different, but you are no different than any other man. All men want is to have women in their bed and they never think that women were put on this earth for more than procreation."

Erik let out a loud laugh, "If that is what you think of men then why did you write what you said about me in your diary? Hmm? What was it like when I took you and it was not exactly how you imagined in your mind?"

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she beat at his chest. She tried not to cry as she watched him smile down at her in a cruel manner. "Why do you have to be so mean?!"

"Mean! You truly think I have been mean to you? No Zuri. I have hardly scratched the surface on that my dear." He growled into her ear.

Zuri looked up at him and bit back a cry of anguish. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"You bothered me! I was perfectly happy before you came along!"

"If you were so happy then why are you trying to keep me here?" She questioned him.

Erik growled loudly in her ear then pushed himself off her and pulled her off the bed and into his arms. "I am going to kill you if you do not shut your mouth."

She gasped loudly, "I opened my heart for you Erik. You'll be a bitter old man if you don't open yours."

Erik roared as his hand connected with her cheek and sent her flying against the bed. His chest heaved as he said, "You have foolish notions of what my life is like. You do not even know me Zuri. You think that if you come in to my life you can supposedly save me. You cannot. Get it through your head. You are the most useless woman I have ever met."

Zuri looked up at Erik then a fit of rage suddenly broke over her. She stomped up to him and slapped him back. "Bastard! You think you are the only one with problems in this world! I hate you! I despise you!" She beat her tiny hands against his chest as he watched in shock. "Do your worst to me because I do not care if I live or die anymore! Why don't you kill me now coward, rapist!"

He pushed her up against the wall, hand around her throat. He squeezed her throat slightly as he looked at her. Erik stopped almost immediately, he had never seen a more arousing sight. Her green eyes glared defiantly at his golden ones as her chest heaved from his sudden actions. He moved his hands down and pinned her arms to the side of her body. He glared at her then finally pressed a forceful kiss to her lips.

Zuri gasped into the kiss. His tongue took advantage of her surprise and pushed into her mouth. She tried to pull back from him but she was between him and the wall and could not escape him. She balled her hands into fists as he pulled back and looked at her. Her eyes relayed confusion and wantonness. He bent down and swiftly picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

Zuri cried out as he began walking off with her clinging to his cloak. They disappeared through a dark doorway and into a tunnel. Zuri looked up in surprise as he walked off with her. There were tunnels, she realized as she wondered what he planned to do with her. "Where are you taking me?"

"My home if you have to know."

"Why?"

"Because I want to. That is all you need to know."

She began to beat at his back in a fierce manner. "You cannot take me! I do not wish to come down here!"

He stopped suddenly and told her, "If you do not quit that then I will tie you up and drag you down to my home." She relented and watched helplessly as he traveled downward to his home with her. She knew now that he would do something terrible to her, she only had to wonder what.