The woman could see them. In a situation in which she would have never wished to see anyone – but especially the two of them. Of course, she wished both of them happiness, as both of them meant a lot to her... but she had never thought they would ever end up together. And now, she was not even sure whether she wanted them to be together.

They definitely did not seem to create a proper, healthy couple. They differed so much... after all, she was such a young, naïve girl. And he... he was much older... and although he was talented, his mind was distorted. Her love did not equal his. They simply did not fit to be together... even if they worked hard...

That was when she noticed the one lying on the ground. At first, she did not want to believe her own eyes... but then, she had to force herself to believe. It was no-one else but her own daughter, lying there, while the two were kissing. And she did not move. Did it mean? Oh, dear God, no... it could not mean...

Of course, she knew that it was possible. That Erik was capable of killing Meg; he would not pay much attention to the fact that she was her daughter. She knew he hated whenever someone entered this place without his permission... and whoever did, needed to die. And he would certainly kill them with his own hands...

But would he really do that if Arlette was there? Had he already distorted her mind just as much as his was? Would she ever allow him to raise his hand on her only friend...? No, Madame did not believe something like that could have happened...

But if it had not, then what had?

Slowly, she began walking out of the shadows. She knew she had to be careful, otherwise she would end up exactly like Meg had – or even worse, because she still would not dare admit that Meg could be dead. However, she had to take her daughter out of this place. And it would be better if Arlette accompanied them... if she did not, she probably would stay there forever, and she did not believe a young woman like Arlette would like to live such a life. Even if she truly thought that she loved Erik.

It probably was some kind of a fascination. Maybe even strong enough for a young, inexperienced girl to be mistaken for love. However, it was not possible it could be love. Fondness... respect... of course. She had to admire him for the music he created – after all, she loved music almost as much as he did.

But it was not enough.

And yet, Madame still could see him caressing Arlette's face, looking at her as if she was some kind of a wonder, not a living human. That longing in his eyes that betrayed he wanted her to be completely his... then why did she not protest? Why was she so compliant that it looked like she wanted it? Arlette was not that kind of a girl. She wanted to achieve things. To learn and to show her skills to the world. And he probably would never allow her to leave this place... did she not know that?

"I love you," she whispered quietly, and yet, the echo brought it loud and clear right to the older woman's ears. "I truly do, my Angel."

Madame closed her eyes, grimacing, as if something hurt her. Then he was an angel to her, too. Just like he had once been to Christine... but Christine had fought for her life. Arlette did not even try. Why did she not?

Once again, she began repeating in her mind the reasons why she would not be able to love a man like Erik. He was twice her age, or even older! She could be his daughter... That reason was more than enough to prove they would never be a proper couple. Once her fascination was over... she would look at him like everyone else did. It would hurt him, and she would feel trapped in a place like this, with such a broken man. And while he would be old enough to say he had lived his life... she would still be young. Young but with no hope for tomorrow. She would never be able to live a normal life again.

"Go and take care of your friend," murmured Erik, at last letting Arlette go. "But I want you to warn her... just as I warn you now. If she ever dares to trespass on my property again... I will not hesitate. And I will not listen to your cries. Whoever enters this place without my permission, has to die. And I shall kill her like I would anyone else."

Arlette had to understand, even though her face went pale once she had heard that. With a deep breath to calm down, she nodded her head.

"I understood, Master," she responded quietly.

Without a moment of hesitation, she stepped away from him and leant down to pick her friend up, however, the man, seeing that, stopped her and did it himself. He took Meg's motionless body into his arms as if she was a doll, then brought her to another room. Arlette did not say a word, just followed him.

From this point, Madame could not see anything else, and walking even deeper into the beast's lair seemed to be insane.

Seeing my Angel placing Meg in my bed so gently, I smiled softly and thanked him. From now on, it was me who needed to take care of her. He had already done much more than he had been supposed to... and I was truly thankful to him. As I sighed, I sat down on the edge of the bed and watched Meg's pale face. I could see a dark bruise forming around her neck, and it caused pain to me, but I knew everything would be fine soon.

I wondered if Madame had already noticed that she had disappeared... she was probably terribly worried. First me, then Meg... and Meg was her real daughter. It was obvious that it would worry Madame if she did not return to her soon.

With a sigh, I brushed a strand of hair away from Meg's face. She was so brave to have come there for me... and I truly was grateful to her. That was why I needed to warn her the very moment she woke up. However, she did not seem to be any closer to waking up now than she had been before a while.

I did not know how long I had been sitting there when I heard his steps again. My body was numb, but I moved to glance at him. I even managed to smile gently... but he would always bring a smile onto my face.

"You should go to sleep," he said quietly, placing his hand on my shoulder. "You've been here for a couple of hours already. Nothing bad should've happened to her. I... I was not even close to killing her, even though I truly wanted to."

He did not even try to excuse himself, but I understood that. Nevertheless, I did not want to agree with him. For now, I was needed there, right next to Meg. I could stand another few hours without sleeping. Without a word, then, I just shook my head and looked back at my friend, at the same time putting my hand upon his.

"Do not make me remind you that I will not let anyone hurt you... not even yourself," he answered, apparently annoyed with my response. "You were supposed to practice. You haven't, but I understand that. At least let me give you another piece of advice and follow it, just like you promised once."

I felt myself blushing as I glanced at him, this time more hesitantly. Yes, I had once told him I would do anything he ordered me to do. If it was an order, then I was supposed to go to sleep without hesitation.

"Then let me at least practice for a while more. I haven't done anything today... I couldn't go to sleep knowing that," I requested, not sure whether it was a good choice to try and bargain with him. To my surprise, he did not get angry.

"Come, let's practice together," he offered, and this time, I dared not say no. With a small nod, I followed him to the main hall.

Now, though, he was not the one to sit at the harpsichord. Instead, he gestured at me to do it, and although surprised, I did it without any hesitation. I was not sure whether I could play and sing along well enough to let him listen to me, but I had nothing to say in that matter. I needed to do what he had told me to.

As he put the score on the instrument, I began playing. Nervously, I hit the wrong key serveral times, but he did not grimace even once, what was a great surprise to me. It was enough of a motivation to me, though, to focus more, and from now on, I stopped thinking of my Angel. I took a deep breath and began singing.

It was a long piece. I did not know how long it actually lasted, but I knew it was longer than anything I had ever sung until now. It was also difficult enough to require all of my attention, so I could not check what my tutor was doing.

"Once again," he demanded as soon as I finished, and those words, uttered in such a harsh tone, shocked me. Not daring discuss that with him, I nodded and turned the pages to start the song over again.

It repeated a couple of times. At last, I could hear him let out a deep sigh as he sat down next to me, taking my hands into his own.

"They are ice cold," he noticed, and the tone of his voice changed so drastically that I looked at him in surprise. He did not seem to notice that, though as he tried to warm me up. I was not cold, however, I was still nervous enough to feel my fingers go numb.

With a soft smile, he brough my hands up to his lips and placed a gentle kiss upon my knuckles. I loved when he did that. When this strict tutor changed into a gentle lover. Smiling, I closed my eyes to focus on that pleasure.

That was when I felt something strange.

As he pulled away, something even colder than my own hands began sliding down one of my fingers and it made me open my eyes so I could check what was happening. The first thing I noticed was his smiling face. Slowly, I lowered my sight to glance on my hands, which he still kept in his own.

"My Angel..." I started nervously, knowing it was improper, but he hushed me, placing one of his fingers on my lips.

"It's a sign," he responded, "that you belong to me... and that no-one is allowed to touch you. To steal you away from me. It is also a sign for you... that your heart is in my hands... and that you will always return to me."

Shivering, I glanced on my hand once more, still not sure whether I was more happy than shocked, or maybe terrified. To him, it might have been just a sign. But I knew what it meant in reality. And it did not mean that I did not want it... however it was all happening so quickly that I was not certain if it was a good choice.

The ring was shining on my finger like a star upon a night sky. He did not ask me to marry him. It was as if he had decided it instead of me... but did I not want it? No, it was not like that. I simply wanted to have the final word...

"Don't say no," he murmured, noticing a shadow of hesitation dancing upon my face.

So I did not say anything. I just stared at my hand, feeling tears gathering in my eyes. I was happy, yes. And moved... my heart kept beating fast with joy I had never experienced before. Nevertheless, I was not quite sure whether it was a good idea to get engaged so soon. I was still so young...

"It's a promise to you, my love," he added, seeing how troubled I was. Cupping my cheeks in his hands, he forced me to look up into his eyes. "That I will not let you go. That we will be together... always, do you understand? Nothing... nothing and no-one shall ever part us. No matter what happens..."

I could not find any proper words to answer to that. Actually, I did not even understand why my heart clenched so painfully...

"I will make you mine... completely. You will call this place your home. You will come to love it... just like you've come to love me, Arlette," he whispered quickly, as if trying to convince me it was the best choice for me. And somehow I trusted him. My heart stopped fighting... If he considered our marriage the best thing that could happen...

Leaning my head on his shoulder, I closed my eyes and nodded. I felt him caress my back gently before he stood up, picking me up with him. Murmuring a quiet lullaby into my ear, he brought me somewhere, I did not even know where, and put me in a bed. Before I fell asleep, I managed to notice him laying down next to me.

And then, everything was engulfed by darkness.