The History of the Phantom

Gustave's Lost Friend

"You shoved a kid in front of a car?" Gustave asked disgustedly.

"I don't want to talk about this. I know it was wrong of me, but there is nothing I can change," I spoke quietly. I could feel the tension rising in the atmosphere.

He took a deep sigh as if to tell me I need to pull myself together. I glanced into his eyes apologetically, but he turned his face away to break the contact. I watched him walk upstairs to his room.

"Ok fine. Behave like that. You child," I snapped in a low voice so he couldn't hear me. He's never been this angry with me before. After all the sins I have made, I would have thought Gustave would be a little more considerate.

I saw Penelope walk into his room. I heard small muffles through the thin walls. I walked upstairs and placed my ear on the door.

"Are you ok?" She asked sympathetically.

"No I'm not," He groaned.

"What's going on?"

"A lot of stuff, Penelope. A lot of stuff."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

There was silence for a moment. Have I disappointed him? That's the last thing I wanted to do. I hesitated to knock on his door for a second, but eventually I did.

"Do you want me to let him in?" I heard Penelope ask Gustave. The walls were pretty thin so I could hear their words clearly. I drew in a deep nervous breath and held it as I waited for his response.

"Yeah sure," He said as if he was trying to talk himself into doing something he was unsure of. When I heard this tone in his voice, I felt a knife twist inside my heart.

The door cracked open with a concerned smile spread across Penelope's face. I watched her back away as if to tell me to come in. I stepped forward as I looked down at the wooden floor. I didn't know me pushing Philippe would cause Gustave to behave like this.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you." My voice was barely audible. I looked straight up and saw him crossing his arms over his chest.

"I just don't understand. I thought you knew what it was like to be hurt for no reason." His temper was well controlled but you could tell he was building a rage bubble inside him. This made me a little irritated because I didn't do it for no reason at all and that is exactly how he made it seem.

"He was all up in my face, trying to take my mask off. I tried to shove him away, not thinking I was aiming into the street," I tried to explain. I suddenly felt the phantom claw its way back into my soul, but I managed to smother him back down before he could get a word out.

"I think I better leave and check on Christine." Penelope spoke quickly as she left the room. I felt better once she was gone and I could talk to Gustave alone. Besides, I could tell she was getting uncomfortable.

"So it was an accident?" He asked me for clarification.

"Yeah, well, the first time. Second time, the car was so close there would've been a broken leg if the guy didn't jerk into a stop." I couldn't lie to Gustave. He was my only friend, the only person who listened to me in this cruel evil world. There used to be Mary as well. She was so sweet and very optimistic with everything. She was a role model for almost every young girl that stepped into her presence. Mary was the closest thing I had to a mother. Unfortunately, she is gone and no longer with us.

"I know that... Monster of a circus... Did things to you that could damage any person in the world, let alone a child. I just want you to be able to control yourself. Every night when I close my eyes I still see you in that... Cage," his voice broke into a sob on the last word," tied and getting hit repeatedly as you cry out for help. I'm not only disappointed in the people who cheered or the men who abused you. I'm disappointed in myself for watching as long as I did. I'm ashamed that I didn't save you in time. I just don't want those guys to make you like them. I once had a friend who went to jail for a crime he didn't commit. He went to prison an innocent man, but came out as a crazy psychopath. That place drove him so mad, he had to be institutionalized. I can't lose another person to that horrid side of the world."

Never in all the three years of knowing Gustave has he opened up to me so much. I've never questioned why. I guess I always assumed he was a normal person with very few problems that didn't matter too much. It was probably because he always appeared to be selfless and independent.

"I'm so sorry about your friend," I said.

"It's ok. It's now in the past."

"How come you don't talk about yourself all that much? After knowing you for so long, I never truly got to know about your background."

"There's not much to say, really. Other than prison making my friend mad."

"How close were you two?"

"Best friend material. We grew up together."

"Oh wow. What was his name?"

"Jason."

"I'm really sorry."

"Please, Erik. Please don't be like Jason. Don't become one of those evil fucks. An environment like prison or that circus can definitely drive someone towards that direction. I don't want to lose you like I lost my best friend."

"Ok I won't." 

I meant it. For Gustave, for Christine. I would hide the phantom as much as possible. The only downside is that the phantom petrified me, and I didn't know how strong he was.