ballerina in the music box

chapter ten - dreams of the past

Elizabeth’s POV

I stopped running looking around, I wasn’t quite sure where I was and it was already getting dark, I sat down against an old tree were no snow had been covering the ground yet and started sobbing quietly, I was nothing, all I ever had been died in the Bailys house as Juliette told me what had happened… it still seemed so unreal, my sister was dead… I had no family anymore, I was alone… it soon was pitch black outside and I could hardly see anything, and I was getting tired. Not long after I feel asleep on the cold ground, I had a terrible nightmare; I was running after my sister on a beautiful beach, we were so happy but then the blue sky was covered by grey clouds and it became frizzing cold, I stopped running and looked around Gaby was gone but instead there was a tall man, he was wearing a dark coat and in his hand he held a bloody knife… I could hear the ear-piercing scream of a women eco thru the night and then… it was quiet… the man walked towards me an raised the knife, and suddenly I was that scared little 14 years old girl again who just had witnessed her parents getting stabbed with a knife, I started to cry, I would die just like my family… but then… the man was gone and the sky turned blue again, and instead of the tall scary man there was Erik, he wasn’t wearing the mask and a big smile danced on his lips, he was so handsome and he didn’t even realize it, and every time I saw that cute smile I felt warm and safe, as if nothing could ever hurt me… he bent down and picked me up as if I was weightless and then he gave me a soft kiss on the cheek and carried me away from that miserable nightmare..

The next morning to my surprise I woke up in a bed, Erik’s bed. And beside me there was Erik himself, he was fast asleep and looked so calm, I couldn’t help but smile at him that was until suddenly it all came back to me; the nightmare, Juliette, the cold, Erik… and Gabrielle… she was gone forever… I stood up and walked out of the bedroom and to the door to the room that Erik had made for me, I wasn’t sure what to do there but I needed something to distract myself with, but I didn’t work, when I painted I turned out awful, when I played the violin my songs were sad and depressing, when I tried to dance I just became angry at myself for not being with my sister that night… I just wanted to get away, away from Paris and never come back. Yes, that was what I needed to do run away from my problems just like last time… I left the room and was just about to go through the tunnel as a warm hand grabbed my wrist; I turned around to see Erik standing there and looking at me worried “you’re not going anywhere, not after what happened yesterday” he said and looked down on me “why didn’t you tell me about your family getting murdered, I would have understood…” he said, I looked up I shock, how did he know that? I have only told two people, one was Juliette who Erik never meet or talked to, no, not Juliette. But that left me only one person, Madam Giry. “Erik I…” but he just grabbed me and held me tight “don’t leave me again…” I was shocked, what should I say? What should I do? For a long time no one of us said anything, and then he pushed me away a little so that he could look me closer in the eyes, we stood like this for a long time just looking at each other, but in his eyes I saw more than just fear that I would leave him, no, I think he feared I would die… at first it seemed like a dumb thought but then he brock the eye contact and looked away from me “you have to leave, now… leave Paris, leave France…. Just go as far away as possible…” I was shocked, what did he say? Doesn’t he love me as I love him? Does he want to get rid of me? I can’t live without him… I felt a hot tear run down my cheek “you hate me…” I stuttered and turned my head away as I did not want him to see me cry…