Through the Mirror || Phantom of the Opera (Completed)

Chapter 14

The following weeks flew by, and Marianna and the Phantom cast & crew grew busier and busier. As she continued her lessons with Erik, her voice grew and matured, and she felt closer than ever to reaching her full potential. But still Erik always said, "You're holding back." And then she would try harder, but under the pressure, would do worse instead of better. He had finally given up, claiming that she was "good enough." But, although he hadn't told her, he knew exactly what was causing her problems. He just hadn't figured out how to help her overcome it.
When the time came for rehearsals to begin, the whole cast was sent to France. They arrived at their hotel late on a Saturday night. The rehearsals would begin on Monday.
As she trudged to her room with Erik at her heels, Marianna felt like she was about to throw up. With the rehearsals drawing nearer, her nerves were getting worse. Everyone had noticed it on the plane, including Martin, who she had shrugged off, not wanting to admit her fears to him just yet.
Erik had noticed too, and once they were alone in their room, tried to assure her that she had improved dramatically and would do just fine.
"Thank you. But I still want extra lessons tomorrow." She replied matter-of-factly.
"Of course. We'll work all day if you'd like. But I assure you, you don't need it."
"Um, yes I do. You said I'm still holding back."
"You are." Erik said nonchalantly. "But further training isn't going to fix that. And until that is solved, you won't improve any more. But as I told you, you are already good enough."
Marianna let out a frustrated sigh. "But I don't /want/ to be 'good enough.' I want to be great."
Erik nodded quietly. "I understand. And I believe that in time you can achieve that. Just don't pressure yourself. That will only make it worse."
"Yeah, I know... You've told me a million times."
"And have I ever been wrong?"
Marianna rolled her eyes in annoyance. "No."
"So listen to me. You do much better when you don't worry about it anyway."
Marianna sighed, nodding her head. "Whatever you say."
Shortly after that, Marianna slipped off into the tiny bedroom and Erik assumed his normal position on the couch, per their usual sleeping arrangements.
The next morning, they both overslept. And they were awakened by a knock on the door just before noon. When the knocks began, Erik hopped off the couch and, without thinking, ran into Marianna's room, where he found her putting on that ridiculous pink robe she always wore.
"Erik, stay in here. I'll get the door. After the rumors that spread when we got caught in London I think it would be best if no one knows you're living here."
Erik nodded, and Marianna hurriedly ran to the living room. She quickly ran her fingers through her hair to make herself look as presentable as possible, and finally opened the door.
She let out a sigh of relief to find that it was Martin.
"Oh, it's just you."
"/Just/ me?" He asked, playfully raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, come on, I didn't mean it like that." Marianna said with a laugh, followed by a yawn.
Martin tilted his head sympathetically. "I woke you up, didn't I?"
"What makes you think that?"
"Oh, I don't know, the bathrobe sort of tipped me off." He replied, stifling a laugh. "Sorry. I thought you'd be up. Want me to come back later?"
"No, come in." Marianna said, grabbing his arm and pulling him in. "What can I do for you?"
"I thought you might want to grab lunch."
"Ooh, that does sound nice..." Marianna remarked thoughtfully. "Unfortunately I don't think Erik will-"
"Say no more," Martin interrupted. "Maybe another time."
"You can stay and eat with us if you like," Marianna offered, truly hoping he would. Ever since Erik had arrived, she had hardly seen Martin outside of work, and she had missed him terribly.
Martin considered it, but glanced up and just happened to see Erik appear in the doorway of Marianna's bedroom, and then realized he'd rather not stay there with /both/ of them. He was about to decline the offer, but was stopped when Erik spoke up.
"Marianna, why don't you go on with Martin? After all, you've been cooped up with me for nearly two months now. Getting out and having a little fun will do you good."
Marianna studied him suspiciously. It wasn't like him at all to be so gracious, and seeing as how that would leave him alone for the few hours she was gone, she assumed he must be up to something. "Oh... No, I couldn't. It'd be rude to leave you here alone."
"Oh, nonsense. Go have a good time."
Oh, yeah, he was /definitely/ up to something.
"Martin, excuse us." Marianna murmured, grabbing Erik by the arm and dragging him off to the side.
"Alright, Erik. What are you up to? Why do you insist on me leaving?"
"Because it'll be good for both of us. Between how hard you've been working and all the time you've spent with me, I would say you are in desperate need of socialization. And I could use some time alone. You know I like you as much as anyone, but even so, I'm used to being alone all the time."
Marianna raised an eyebrow, still suspicious of his motives. But she knew he was probably getting tired of her company, and she really did want to go out. And it was only for a few hours... A few hours wouldn't hurt, right?
She finally gave in, giving him a final warning to stay out of trouble.
So, she disappeared into her room and quickly got dressed. And then she left, trying her best to push her worries from her mind. She was finally getting some time to herself...
And she was determined to enjoy it.