⚠⚠ Hey little heads up!! There will be gore in this chapter so readers beware!⚠⚠💜

It was pitch dark....and I could not see anything at all. "Hello? Hello?" I called out in the darkness. "........" not a sound..not a sound but my racing heart beat. I then heard  something or someone move behind me. I twirled around and right away a spot light was lit. A figure lay there crumpled in a ball with its hands tied behind its back. "H-hello? Are you hurt?" I walked towards the person cautiously. "Help...me...please...." I gasped. I hoisted the person up to see their face to find it was a man I wasn't familiar with! His face was cut up with bruises. The sight of his tanned face bruised up and bleeding badly made my stomach churn. “Who did this to you?" I asked as I frantically untied his hands and feet. He grabbed my arms and looked me in the eyes and said "He did this to me! He said if I did not leave you alone then he would do something horrible! He is insane! He won't stop until he has you!" The dark haired man started murmuring to himself. "Who? Please tell me who did this to you." I said as I got on my knees to sit with him. His eyes widened.. "he...he called himself your angel of music." No...this could not have been him..no..no no no! It was dead silent for two minutes.  But then the man backed up with a horrified look on his face, and terror in his green eyes. "What? talk to me! What is it?" He slowly lifted a shaky hand and pointed behind me.  I turned to see Erik. Dressed in his usual attire but there were blood stains all over his shirt and gloves. "My darling! What a surprise. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be rehearsing? "He stood casually and sent me a charming smile. Like nothing was wrong. I stood up to my full height and said "why did you do this Erik? Why are you torturing this poor soul?” I ran up to him and hit his chest as hard as I could. He gasped a little and said "I am sorry my dear but I had no choice!" He grabbed a hold of my wrists and held them tight. "I am only doing this so nothing can get in our way of being together for eternity. " I struggled to run away but he squeezed my wrists even tighter. "Erik stop! You're scaring me!" His laugh was  cold and dark. "You see my dear in order to make sure that my plans were not interrupted...I just had to get rid of the people who would try and stop me." He turned me around to face four bodys each hanging from a punjab. I instantly knew who those people were...I covered my face and sunk to the ground sobbing. The five mangled bodies were madame Giry, Meg, Roul,that man, and...Christine.  Hanging with their eyes wide open. My stomach lurched as I saw this and I let out a strangled cry. Falling to my knees and crawling to christine. Their bodies fell down with a thump. They were still sporting thw noose on their necks. I whimper as tears trail down my cheeks as I hold christine to me. "Nono, this can't be happening. No. Come back i cant...i can't live without you please chrissy'' I say softly. Pleading and burying my face in her brown curls. Sobbing.she was my best friend, my heart felt like it was ripping apart as I held her and felt her cold skin.  Erik sighed and shook his head.  He clapped happily and strode over to me.  " now..my angel! We can be together for all eternity." I just sat there crying with christine in my embrace as a dark silhouette enclosed me. Soon I sat up panting, sweat dripping on my forehead, I was sitting in the velvet swan bed that Erik had in his guest bedroom. I look around at my surroundings and calm myself. “It was just a dream..It was just a dream. ”If it was a dream why did it feel so real?

 I stood quietly next to Erik as he played me a new aria he wrote. He played the music with such emotion he started swaying to the beat of the music.I just stood there. With a blank expression, staring off into space.I have not stopped thinking about that horrifying dream I had last night. There is no way the Erik I know would do that. Erik is sweet and caring...well...sometimes...well then again,he is only like that around me and Christine. And he would never hurt Christine like that he loved her. And I love him. So why is my heart faltering just by a mere dream and his sudden interest in my singing.

   "Emma!!" I jumped and saw Erik with a frustrated look on his face. "I'm sorry! W-what were you saying?" I said and started messing with my nails. "I was  saying that I think you are ready to perform in the next opera. You have been excelling in your singing. I even believe that you even surpassed the amazing Christine Daae's vocal range." I could not believe what I was hearing. Erik wants ME to perform as the lead soprano in the next opera?? “Y-you think so? I do not think I will ever surpass Christine..." He looked at me as if I had insulted him. "don't ever say that my angel!! Your voice is so beautiful it would make angels cry!" he rested his  hands on my shoulders gently.  “I know you can do this, I wouldn't have given you this Opportunity it i didnt think you were worthy of it.” We stayed in this position for a while. He slowly let go of me, and returned to writing music on the white parchment in front of him. “I just wish I had continued teaching you if i hadn't...” he muttered and then started grumbling about it, and I couldn't answer. I was quiet and he looked to me for an answer still. “Well?” I swallowed and took a deep breath “I um, well I didn't want to be in the way, you are completely involved in the success of christine’s singing.” He looked at me more and sighed “I see, I should have paid more attention to you my dear.” he said, and in his way that was an apology to me.  He returned to his work and wrote some things down.                                            

                           "I shall see to it that you receive the role of countess in ll Muto." he said in a calm voice. his piercing blue eyes never leaving the parchment.  "Erik  but I-" he cut me off and said "No, no buts, no anything, You are taking this part understood?”He met me deep in the eyes. His eyes felt like they were staring right into my soul. "Yes Erik anything for you." I said in a dazed voice. He smirked and gave me a wave of his hand signaling for me to leave him. I turned and walked towards the door to his spare room.  walking to the swan shaped bed, I got under the warm satin sheets. Even though it was still very early in the morning I just wanted to sleep, all of this was too fast. I am getting the recognition I wanted from him but he is starting to treat me differently. Not as a friend but more as a student, like Christine. That worried me. Though something about him is different since I sang for him. As I tossed and turned in bed I sighed and covered my head with the covers and fell asleep.