The Scorpion In Heart (Erik X OC)

Chapter 7: Disappointment

The opera house was already dark. Everyone was gone and the lights were off. It took her so long to get there on her own and having no carriage or a horse. Was there even a chance to get inside when it's locked? No, it wasn't. Penelope was mad at herself. She was too naive. What did she even expect to happen? Arthur was always like that. It was only a question of time when he'll hit her. And he just did... She should have stayed in the phantom's lair. It may sound weird but there she would be safer than in her own house.
Suddenly she got an idea. Christine told her that when she spent days in Erik's lair for her lessons he always went out only at night to get food. That meant he would be there where he left Penelope out earlier that evening. So, she sat down just next to the secret entrance she already knew from him. She was cold. It was a windy night and she was there just in her dress and coat on the cold ground. It didn't matter to her if Erik will come earlier or she'd freeze to death. Everything seemed better than coming back to Arthur.
   Suddenly she heard sounds. Quiet steps from the inside. That must be him. Her suggestion happened to be true. She saw a shadow of a man in a cape and a hat. It was him. Definitely. She was sure when she saw the pair of catlike golden eyes staring at her. ,,Penelope..." she heard the familiar voice gasp when he noticed her presence. He ran to her and felt her hands. They were as cold as his own ones. ,,Did he harm you?" he tried to guess. Penelope nodded and left out a few tears. ,,Yes...an hour ago...he...he even hit me! He had never done that before" Erik didn't seem to be surprised but it surely made him upset. ,,When someone is like this I always used to scare them with my face. They are so superstitious. They thought a death itself visited them" he said. ,,So, you aren't killing them?" Penelope asked curiously and hoped that she didn't sound pity. ,,Well, no... Actually all the people I ever killed made some danger for me or just got trapped in my torture chamber which I build to protect myself from strangers. So, no. I don't kill people...Not by my own decision. You know... whenever I killed anyone I pitied them. And played a requiem for them" he admitted. Penelope had no reason not to believe him. Every time someone died in the opera house they were found hanged or drowned. But a violence was never proven. It calmed her but also saddened. Because she hoped that he would help her to get rid of Arthur. ,,Do you need a place to hide?" he asked unsurely. ,,Refuse if you want to. I'll understand. I just know that you are a friend of an only woman I ever fell in love with and you aren't afraid of me. There aren't many people like that. I am so grateful for it" Penelope smiled a bit. ,,You'd be so kind, Erik" she said. She was tired and would appreciate a time with no jealous aggressive husband. As she heard Erik could be pretty jealous too. But for her he was harmless. He got enough of sorrow when Christine left. And his geniality was there to teach him the lesson form that. He had to realise that he couldn't ever own anyone. And that left him quite tame and harmless.