The Light in His Lonely Dark Heart [Phantom of the Opera Fanfic]

Ch. 8 How can such a voice come out from a child?

It has been a month since Lucille befriended Erik, and the two developed a close bond with one another. Once Lucille's father, Raphael, finally found a design for the Chandelier, he started to work on it with his colleagues. To keep herself from not getting bored, Lucille would go her dear friend's lair, and she would keep Erik company, which the black-haired male does not mind. 

Every morning, Lucille would wake up from her slumber, take a shower, eat breakfast with her parents and Adrien, and then run off to meet with Madame Giry, who will take her to Erik's lair. 

In the lair, Erik will teach Lucille different melodies that she can play in the piano. When they finished their practice, Madame Giry would bring them lunch, and the two will have a lovely picnic on the dock as they admire the candle lights. 

When lunch ends, Lucille will teach Erik how to dance the waltz since, in the beginning, the black-haired male confessed to the blonde-haired female that he does not know how to dance the waltz, which made the fifteen-year-old feel embarrassed. 

After their dance practice ends, Madame Giry comes back to the lair to take Lucille since she needs to eat dinner with her family. She and Erik would hug each other as they promise one another that they will see each other in the morning. 

Once dinner ends, Lucille accompanies Madame Giry to the theater room where she intently watched the ballerinas rehearse, an actor act and sing a specific scene, and the conductor telling the musicians what instrument to use to play a particular melody. 

When it was time for everyone to go to bed, Lucille would say goodnight to her loved ones as she goes to sleep with Erik playing the same lullaby for her to make her feel relax.  

It is now December and a week before Christmas Eve. 

The Christmas Play that all of the performers and musicians have been rehearsing will begin in two days. 

At the theater room, Lucille is silently and intently listening to one of the songs of the play. The blonde-haired female cannot help but fall in love with the melody and its lyrics. 

' This song has such a lovely message. I wish there were a way for me to sing this song?' Lucille curiously asked herself as she sadly frowns since she is not a part of the performers that will perform for this Christmas Play. 

Unbeknown to Lucille, Erik has been watching the Christmas Play rehearsal from Box Five. The black-haired raised an eyebrow when he sees Lucille sitting at the audience's seat and is sadly staring at the now-empty stage since the performers were taking a break. 

" I wonder what's on Lucille's mind?" Erik curiously asked himself as he leaves Box Five the same time that Lucille runs off the Theater room. 

Lucille stops running as she looked at her surroundings to see that no one has followed her. The blonde-haired female opens the door as she enters a dark room. The young female closed the door behind her, and she looked surprised, seeing Erik leaning near the entrance to his lair, which is the grand mirror. 

" Erik!" Lucille brightly smiled when she sees Erik as the blonde-haired female happily greets the black-haired male with a hug. 

" Hello, Lucille," Erik softly greets Lucille, letting the blonde-haired female hug him. 

" You look, distraught? Why is that?" Erik worriedly asked Lucille. 

Lucille comfortably lays her head against Erik's chest. 

" There is this song that I love from the play, and I was wondering if there was a way for me to sing it," Lucille softly tells Erik. 

" Do you know how to sing?" Erik curiously asked Lucille. 

Lucille steps away from Erik as she lifts her head to stare at him. 

" No," Lucille shyly responded. 

" But, I had heard my Mama sing all the time when I was younger, so I know what exactly to do," Lucille intently stares at Erik. 

Erik hummed when he remembered Madame Giry telling him that Lucille's biological mother, Magnolia Bernard nee Couture was Palais Garnier's Flower when she was a young woman. Then, Magnolia left Palais Garnier after she turned eighteen, and she never returned. 

" If you want, I can play the melody while you sing the song," Erik warmly smiled at Lucille. 

Lucille excitedly nods her head as she brightly smiled at Erik. 

Erik takes Lucille's hand in his as they walked through the mirror, and they head to the lair. 

In the lair, Erik is sitting in front of the piano with the original music sheet that Lucille is going to sing. 

Erik turns his gaze to Lucille, who is holding the original lyric sheet of the song that she is going to be singing to the fifteen-year-old. 

" You ready?" Erik softly asked Lucille. 

" I am ready," Lucille warmly smiled. 

Erik politely nods his head as he turns his gaze away, and he begins to play a lovely melody on the piano. 

Lucille's hands lightly grasped the lyric sheet as she begins to feel calmer thanks to the lovely melody that Erik is playing. The blonde-haired female breathes in and out as she opens her mouth, and she begins to sing. 

Erik held his breath when he hears Lucille singing for the first time. The black-haired male continues to play the piano as he curiously glanced at the blonde-haired female, and his heart skipped a beat when he sees the young female staring at him with a kind gaze. 

' How can such a voice come out from a child?' Erik asked himself once he found his ability to speak his thoughts. 

Once Lucille finished singing, she wears a surprised expression when she sees Erik looking at her with tears falling from his eyes. 

" Erik. What's wrong?" Lucille worriedly asked Erik as she walks up to him, and she gently placed her hands on his face. 

" I am fine, Lucille," Erik softly tells Lucille as he warmly smiled at her. 

" Has anyone ever told you before that your singing voice sounds like an angel?" Erik curiously asked Lucille. 

" No," Lucille politely shakes her head. 

" Well. Your singing voice is angelic, and you sang that song so beautifully," Erik takes Lucille's hands in his as he affectionately kissed them.  

Lucille brightly smiled, feeling happy that Erik loves her singing voice. 

Erik glanced at Lucille as he fondly stared at the young girl. 

' Is it selfish of me that I do not want Lucille's singing voice to be heard by others?' Erik curiously asked himself as he stares at his little angel with admiration.