What If? The Phantom Of The Opera Ch2 Part 2 Erik- I slowly crept out of the opera house. I threw on my hood and ran off into the night. I found shelter wherever I could, mostly in alleys. I managed to scrounge up enough money to have one meal a day. I knew that I couldn’t continue to live this way, but until I could find employment this would have suffice. Every night, I drempt about the last time I saw Christine, except instead of her leaving me to the mob of people after my blood, she turned and ran back to me and we walked away together, hand in hand. I woke up in a cold sweat. Shivering, I slipped my hands into my pockets. I felt something cold and as I grabbed it and held it up to my eyes I saw it was a ring. The ring. I felt the tears come again. I had tried to keep them hidden and stay strong, but right now there was no point. I let the grief overwhelm me as I dropped the ring. I never heard the footsteps. Before I could slip away into the night, I felt a little tug on my cape. I threw the hood of my cloak over my head so they couldn’t see my face. I turned around to find a little girl, not even 10, in a wheel chair staring at me. As I looked her over, I noticed a series of burns on her face, arms and legs. I saw her look over her shoulder and I caught a glimpse of her parents across the road. I tried to turn and run but she said, “Wait! Don’t go.” Slowly, she grabbed hold of the hood and pushed it back until she could see my face. I expected her to scream and call the constable to come and take me away, however, she just stood there looking me over. I looked at her scared, burned face and curly brown hair and it hit me like a rock. She looked exactly like Christine. I let all my fears drop as she opened my hand and put in a little pouch. I pulled it open and saw lots of coins. “Thank you mademoiselle.” I said. She looked at me and asked, “Were you hurt in the fire too? You know the one at the opera house?” She waited for a reply, but I just stood dumbfounded as she continued, “I see you staring. You are not the first. At the hospital, all of the other little boys and girls teased me and called me a monster.” I fought the urge to apologize for what I did to her. I made her just like me. She’ll never have a normal #life now and it was all my fault. She giggled, “I bet the phantom of the opera would like me now…now that I’m a monster like him. I bet he would like you too. Do you think that’s why he did it? To make people look like him. My brother died because of his burns…. Do you think he wanted to kill people?” “No. I don’t think he wanted to hurt anyone. I think I….I mean he was just misunderstood and he did things to get attention, but they spiraled out of control.” I said. “That’s what I think too.”Just like that, the little girl started to weep. “The doctors said that I would be in a wheel chair forever and that my face will always look like this. My parents are saying that they would rather send me to an orphanage than have to live with me because I’ll never find a husband when I’m older. Also, I asked them to pull me out of school so I don’t get teased and now my governess has to teach me at home.” I knew I couldn’t say anything, I knew I could comfort her, but anything else could give me away. “You know what, I think you are the prettiest girl I’ve ever met, and the toughest. When I got…. Burned in the fire…..I couldn’t even go to the hospital I was too ashamed.” Before I could say anything else I heard the little girls mother, “Clara! It’s time to go! O! Now who is this?” Clara replied, “This is my new friend….” “Erik.” I replied. “My name is Erik and I lived at the opera house before the fire and now I’m homeless. Your daughter was so kind as to give me some money. ” I thought to myself, Well that wasn’t lying, just avoiding the full truth. Clara’s mother said, ‘How dreadful! Come with us and we’ll give you some clean clothes, a good meal and a nice bed.” I tentatively arose and assisted Clara in maneuvering her chair back into the path. As we were walking away, she whispered, “Did you reallllly work at the opera house? I was going to go and train there, that’s why I was at the opera that night. Of course, that was before my….accident. Now I can't...” I felt my stomach churn. I had ruined this little girl’s hopes of becoming a singer by destroying the opera house, and crippling her in the process. Christine would have loved Clara to no end. They both had the same vibrant spirit. I looked back over my shoulder and saw the ring sparkling in the dirt. I kept on walking…