Death Awakens

A/N: I am so sorry for not adding sooner. School started and I just got completely swamped. I'm in the middle of midterms right now, and everything... I mean everything... has been put on the backburner.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed. You're amazing!
Here's a nice long chapter since I kept you waiting for so long.


Chapter 10
“How does he concentrate with all this noise?” Lila muttered under her breath. She had snuck down to Erik’s lair in the following weeks occasionally to view any progress on the opera, but Erik was fiercely secretive, almost insane in the way he shut her out, refusing to stop in the middle of a piece, a scene, design of set, anything. She had grudgingly given up trying to find out what exactly the new opera would be and instead had concentrated on the bustling workers above ground.
Mr. Wellsley had been true to his word and in a days time had assembled an expert team of workers who had immediately set themselves up against the task of refurbishing the shell of the opera house.
Although only a month had past, all visible signs of fire damage seemed to be erased. New shining white marble graced the floors, polished so brightly that Lila could see her face smiling back at her with every step she took. Mr. Wellsley personally oversaw the new gold inlay placed on a new grand staircase; arching statues of the muses lined the walls, the Graces danced along the corridors to the balcony seats.

Lila found herself seated at the edge of a completely new stage, the air thick with the scent of varnished wood. She signed contentedly, surveying the final team of workers who remained to finish the intricate details along the balcony walls.

Mr. Wellsley remained silent, observing the magnificence of his restoration. But his eyes drifted not from statue to statue, but from Grace to Lila, from muse to Lila. His focus was on Lila, the centerpiece to his creation.

“How does it look from over there, miss?”

Lila spun to face him, “I can hardly describe it. It’s so…”

“BIG!” shouted Mr. Wellsley.

Lila cocked her head. “I-I beg your pardon?”

Mr. Wellsley covered the distance between them in large, hurried steps. “This! The opera house! It will be enormous! Magnificent! The jewel of Paris! Nothing will shine brighter.” And then he placed one finger under Lila’s chin. “Well, almost nothing.”

Lila blushed furiously and turned away sharply. A strange, uncomfortable churning filled her insides, and she suddenly felt sick.

“Is everything alright?” he asked, bending closer towards her.

“Yes! Yes! Everything’s fine!” Lila cried and scampered away to the end of the stage. “Everything looks beautiful, sir! Continue your work!” she called before disappearing behind a curtain.

She grasped hold of the thick, heavy velvet, her heart thudding in her ears. Lila slapped her arms and gulped a couple breaths staring up into the dark corners of the ceilings to calm her nerves.
“What in the world is going on?” she whispered.
A passing worker chuckled at her bewilderment. “Seems like the foreman has taken a fancy to you, miss.” He jerked his head in the direction of the stage.

Lila sniffed, “That’s absolutely ridiculous. I’m just the messenger between the opera writer and him as the new manager.”

The man shrugged, “Whatever you want, but I’ll warn you, that Mr. Wellsley’s known to be a bit obsessive. That’s why he had to leave England, they say. Couldn’t take his mind off of a lady Laura… Lorraine… L-something. Made her crazy… him too probably.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I guess you wouldn’t,” he laughed again. “Just let him know right away you’re not interested. Wouldn’t want to ruin the opening of this opera house, what with all the work that’s gone into it.” And picking up a crate of tools, he walked away.

Lila spent the rest of the day sulking in the lower depths of the opera house. The words of the worker had set her off balance, and she wanted a little time to herself. Sitting at the edge of the lake, she watched the still line of the water just inches from her toes.
She didn’t like Mr. Wellsley. His eyes shone too brightly. He stood too tall. His smile was a little crooked on one end in an unendearing way.
“I suppose I don’t have any reason not to find him suitable for the job,” she muttered under her breath. Although why he paid any attention to her was beyond Lila’s comprehension. Granted she was vaguely pretty, but she was plain compared to the gentlewomen of Paris, the porcelain dolls in all their golden finery that were far easier prey to his affections.

“He was probably just being nice,” she said aloud. It was more of a fatherly gesture he made, wasn’t it? Lila sighed a little, comfortable that that was the truth.
“He’s just being a gentleman. He is one after all,” she said with a nod.

“Who’s a gentleman?” a voice purred into her ear.

Lila jumped up, to see Erik standing at the far corner of the room. The hair on her neck prickled at the sure breath of wind from his voice, but that had to be impossible. He was so far from her.
She stammered, took two steps forward then stopped, running a nervous hand through her hair. “Any progress on the opera?” she finally said.

Erik seemed to allow a smile to break the corner of one mouth, but it disappeared so instantly that Lila questioned whether or not she had imagined it at all.

“I have finished the first act!” he cried triumphantly waving a fistful of sheet music in the air.
“May I see?” Lila asked meekly, and gently took the pages from his grip. The writing was sure and strong, black ink standing bold against the bone white pages. Her eyes swept the beautiful tangle of notes, the complicated phrases that would most surely test her vocal talents.
“You’re very good with pitch,” Erik said softly. Lila paused, blushing with the realization that she had been humming, attempting to hum the intricate aria he had written for her.

“We shall begin immediately!” Erik proclaimed, grabbing a hold of her arm, and leading her to the giant organ. Sitting with a flourish, his fingers seemed to come alive, flying over ivory keys faster than Lila could believe. The notes slowed as he came to her first line, the white of his mask flashed in her direction and Lila stared into the emerald green staring so fiercely in her direction.

"I am standing here waiting for your call
Acting as your shadow, protecting you from harm
I am waiting here standing at attention
Look at me my dear you’ll see it all"

The powerful velvet sounds of Lila’s voice reverberated into the room, clinging softly to the pipes of the organ which continued to mimic her, long after she had closed her mouth. Erik’s fingers had stilled on the keys with the first measure of notes she had sung and he stared at her.
Lila blushed furiously, and she felt the uncomfortable beads of sweat on her hairline, as she scrutinized the ground beneath her feet.

“Your voice is perfect,” he finally said. Standing swiftly, he came to a stop behind her. Lila squeaked softly as Erik placed one warm hand against the back of her neck, the other on the top of her diaphragm.
“Sing the passage again, but breathe…” he hissed against her ear. Lila trembled against his touch and Erik smiled softly behind her hair. The first notes she sang wavered because of her nervousness, but quickly gained strength, volume, and depth as a powerful, unearthly sound left her body.

In shock, Lila quickly covered her mouth and spun around to stare at the masked man. “What was that?” she breathed.

Green eyes glittered down at the young woman. “That was my diva.”

They practiced together working on a passage at a time. Erik taught and sang each note with fierce intensity, but was taken aback at the equal attentiveness the alto relayed back. She hung on to every note, and was completely absorbed with the music itself.
When learning a new passage, she never looked away from the parchment, her eyes boring into the staff memorizing key and rhythmn to utter perfection, when reviewing passages she knew by heart, her eyes were closed, envisioning the exquisite music itself, blocking out everything but the sound, the passion of every note.

Erik found himself observing her, really watching. He had never met a being who was equal, if not more so to his love for the music. It was amusing, and startling. She no longer jumped in his presence because it was as if he was not even seated beside her. Nothing else existed but the sound in her head and the sound she projected.
And what a glorious sound it was!

Never in his life had he heard a voice like hers. No diva could match the richness of quality, the profound emotion in every utterance. Even in the pause of breath there was a feeling, a piercing grasp of longing that only existed in someone who truly felt in the moment.
He had had worries regarding her range, she would never be able to reach the shrill heights of power that the other operatic divas could, but there was soul where range was absent, something far more precious.

All Erik’s thoughts were true, my dear readers. Lila at this point had reached a vocal perfection that the world would never know, would never be able to know. It is strange to think that a well-placed hand could transform the quiet girl with the beautiful voice into an absolute angel. She knew nothing else besides the measures placed in front of her, forgetting past, forgetting the Opera Populaire, and even forgetting the mysterious dark man who was watching her with such interest.
The sound of her voice was haunting her. The captivating beauty of his music had her completely imprisoned in their power. She was enraptured. It was exhilarating and terrifying. Lila had never experienced such magical power in all her life and she knew that she was completely at its will. Even if she tried, she could never break free from it. And nothing, nothing could stop her…

"I am standing here waiting for your call
Acting as your shadow, protecting you from harm
I am waiting here standing at attention
Look at me my dear you’ll see it all"

Lila blinked, mouth open but silent. The beautiful tenor voice seemed to kiss her lips and ears and eyes and she was struck into silence.
Looking up from, the lulling grasp of the music seemed to fade into the dark corners of her mind. Sighing in relief Lila stared at the man whose voice had shaken her awake.
“You freed me,” she whispered, slowly standing up.

Erik looked at her in puzzlement, although his expression did not betray his emotion. He had simply been sitting with her as before, singing the same words that passed her lips quietly in his mind.
Lila looked as if she had woken from a hundred years of sleep, drained of all energy in that single hour. Erik felt a tickle of worry enter into his mind, but it was quickly shut out as Lila moved towards him.

“You freed me,” she whispered again. “Thank you,” she said softly, and gently placed a kiss against his bare cheek, turned, and walked away.