Chapter 24-Revelations

Erik waited by himself at the train station. Even though he had used this same train station many times when he made trips to other cities he couldn't help but remember the time that he followed his wife to this same station and watched her try to run away from him. He tried really hard to push those thoughts from his mind, but they continued to wander about if his wife was truly happy with him after all these years. He did everything she asked of him; he tried to be a good provider and a good husband. He didn't inject morphine anymore and he tried to control his temper to make himself an entirely new person. But he still couldn't forget his past despite his complete turnaround.

Right on time, the train pulled into the station. He stood up, keeping his face concealed under his hat and collar despite how warm it was that summer evening. He watched as Emilie stepped off the train while Jean-Claude helped her down the last step. Still keeping his head down he walked over to them and Emilie barely looked his way.

"Hello Father." She said quietly, Erik felt as if he had been slapped across the face. His mind wandered as to what he did to deserve such treatment. He took Emilie's bags from Jean-Claude and started walking with the two of them following him. When all three finally settled into his carriage he sat across from them and watched Emilie as she stared out the window.

"So is that all you have to say to me after you have been gone for two days?" Erik asked abruptly. Emilie was so consumed in her thoughts about her father that she had no idea what to say to him. Her mind was a tangled mess and when she looked at him, she did not see a murderer but she could tell in his voice that he was very annoyed at her.

"I apologize Monsieur; I think we are just very tired from the weekend and the train ride." Jean-Claude said trying to smooth things over. Erik scoffed at this and stared at Emilie until she couldn't take it anymore. She knew that if she told him what she knew and how she knew it, he would be furious with her. The carriage remained silent all the way to Jean-Claude's house and when he was out of the carriage, Emilie finally broke the silence.

"Father, I found something out while I was away this weekend." After she said that much she regretted it. He sat back on the seat indicating that she had his attention. She looked at his eyes, and could only see the one since the other one was hidden behind the mask and in the shadows of the sunset.

"Well get on with it!" He said rather loudly for the small space they were in. Emilie jumped at his stern voice and replied,

"I know why you wear the mask!" She said just as loud and burst into tears without finishing the rest of her story. That statement alone was enough for him to know for a while. His heart pounded in his chest and he couldn't say a word to her. She sat across from him and buried her head and started crying. He didn't know how to comfort her and he didn't know what to say either. A small memory of his childhood dog Sasha came flooding into his mind and how when no one would comfort him she always did by cuddling up and nuzzling him as he cried. He didn't know what he was going to say to her and he didn't want her to see even though she knew. As she continued to cry, his mind kept telling him to be her father. He had never comforted her before; even when she was a small child her mother always did the comforting.

"I wish I had the words to say something to you and I probably should have known that I couldn't keep it a secret from you forever."

"When we were young children and asked we were always told by mother to not say another word about it or there would be consequences." Emilie said with tears slowly trickling out of her eyes.

"Can I ask how you know? Or what you think you know?" Her father asked her quietly.

"I spied on you!" She shouted loud enough for it to echo through the open windows and the driver could hear the shout.

"I saw you on your balcony one night with it off! Oh Father, I knew there had to be a reason you wore it and I understand, I truly do." She said feeling sorry for him and trying to make excuses for what the Vicomte told her he had done.

"You understand what?" Erik asked quietly through clenched teeth. He was mad, furious to be exact. Throughout his whole career of being a father, he had always wanted to hide his ugliness from his children even when they were bullied by other children because of his mysterious mask. Sensing his anger, she quickly answered,

"Nothing. But I am an adult and I have a right."

"You have absolutely no right! And because you are my daughter despite your age you definitely have no right to know anything unless I tell you! How dare you spy on me?" He felt like a defeated animal. Tired of the argument and wanted nothing more than to get out of that carriage. It finally pulled up to their driveway and he stepped out and took her hand to help her down. Christine came running out and he said,

"Do not upset your mother and just pretend none of this happened."

"Father, I am sorry-" Emilie started to say.

"Enough." He had never been this upset towards her. They didn't always have a close bond, but he was never that upset with her. Christine rushed up to them and hugged Emilie tight.

"I'm so glad you are back. I don't know what I'm going to do when you leave for good!" Emilie gave her a slight smile and replied,

"It's good to see you too. I'm really tired so I think I'm going to lie down." She walked ahead into the house with Erik carrying her bag. Christine looked after her puzzled and then turned to her husband.

"What happened?"

"How should I know?" He said walked ahead towards the house. She trotted to catch up with him and asked,

"Well are her and Jean-Claude all right?"

"Seemed all right to me." He replied over his shoulder. There was something that happened between the two of them since they both were acting strange. Erik left the house excited and ready to pick Emilie up and now the whole house was under a dark cloud.

Emilie remained in her room the rest of the night. She mostly slept on and off and woke up to an evening summer thunderstorm. Erik stayed in his study for the evening and Christine desperately tried to figure out a good time to talk to either one of them. Finally around 9, she softly knocked on his study door. He didn't answer so she walked right in. He was hunched over his desk asleep on some papers. She tried to read them and saw that they were notes about rehearsals. She gently placed her hand on his shoulder and he quickly lifted his head in alarm. Seeing that it was just his wife he reminded himself where he was and not where he was in his usual hellish dreams.

"Would you like to go bed?" She asked him. He groggily looked at her and replied with a nod of his head.

"You skipped dinner, are you hungry for anything?" She asked as he stood up. He shook his head no and started to walk out of the room grabbing her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze on his way out of the room. She followed behind switching off the light making the entire downstairs dark and followed Erik upstairs.

Once in their bedroom she softly closed their bedroom door and he walked over to his nightstand where he removed his mask and rubbed his face as Christine went into the bathroom. Thunder crackled outside and he opened the balcony doors and stepped outside just enough to keep from getting wet and enjoy the lightning show. The wind picked up and when Christine came out of the bathroom door the wind slammed it shut startling Erik. He quickly turned around to see his wife in her nightgown. Even after all these years he still wondered how he had a wife and the perfect life. She walked towards him and looked outside.

"Is it a bad storm?" She asked watching the ocean waves make their way closer to their house and crash on the sand. He shook his head and said,

"Just a typical storm."

"Are you all right dear?" She asked placing her arm around his waist as they both continued to stare out at the ocean.

"Emilie…she spied on us one night and saw me without my mask." She told me that on our way back today. She was crying about it. I couldn't tell if it was because she realized that her father was ugly or if it scared her, or both." Christine sighed loudly for she wanted the same thing that Erik did, for their children to not be afraid and not to know. He felt defensive and annoyed with her sigh and pulled away from her.

"I didn't want her to know either Christine, but for God's sake, I have to feel some fresh air on my face!" He said rather loudly. She went back to him and grabbed his arm turning him to look at her.

"Of course you do and we both should not have been so foolish to think that one day they wouldn't know or question." She pulled his face towards hers and kissed him deeply. Her kisses started to move them inside towards their bed. Christine bumped into a lamp and giggled breaking their kissing. Erik realized that their bedroom door was still open and went to close it. When he glanced into the hall he saw Emilie coming out of her bedroom and she looked up to see his naked face looking right at her. She got the full view this time and didn't gasp but wanted to look more out of curiosity. Erik quickly placed his right hand over it. Softly, Emilie said almost whispering,

"Good night Father." Christine heard her and sat down on the bed taking his mask from the nightstand.

"Emilie please come in here." She was determined to fix this once and for all. Emilie started to come into the bedroom and Erik quickly ran to grab his mask but stood still when he saw Christine turning it over in her hands. He stood helpless in the middle of the room while Emilie stood in the doorway. He was defeated and it angered him. What was Christine's plan?

"Erik please sit down so we can talk to our daughter." His eyes widened as he gave her a look but she held firm and patted the other side of the bed. He walked over and closed the balcony doors keeping his back turned towards Emilie and put his hand back over his face taking a seat in a chair instead.

"Emilie are you afraid of your father's face?" Christine asked boldly. Emilie looked around and looked at her father whose hand still remained covering his face. He was looking off to the side, it was clear that this was making him very uncomfortable.

"You two are going to have to move past this. You both are stubborn and so I'm just going to say it like this. Emilie, your father can't help who he is. He is a wonderful man and he can't help what he looks like."

"I know that Mother. I guess, I just feel like you two are keeping secrets from me. I don't know about my own parents." Erik suddenly sat forward and forgot himself as he removed his hand to say something. Emilie caught another glimpse of his face and was able to see just how bad it was in the light. She tried not to make a face or anything that would draw attention to herself.

"Your mother and I are trying to find the answers to your questions lately. We have talked but there are just some things that are irrelevant." Emilie looked puzzled, was the Vicomte really telling the truth?

"Our past doesn't change the way we feel about you or your brother or each other." Christine explained while Erik quickly put his hand back over his face.

"I know that." Emilie replied.

"We have a beautiful daughter who is all grown up and will be leaving us soon. We are very blessed for you and your brother. Your father is very successful and has worked his whole life to make sure that all of us live very comfortably. That is what you need to know about us, that we came from nothing and made your lives something because we love you." Emilie started to get tears in her eyes at the thought of her parents coming from nothing.

"It's true Emilie. I worked in Persia for a long time as a servant architect for the Shah. I lived on the streets and because my ugliness I was always shunned. I do not want to go into detail but if you want to know, your mother and I were nothing. I worked hard for your mother and for you and Erik. I did it because I love all of you." Emilie's tears began to fall even faster. Her father had never openly told her he loved her. He was not good with feelings. She knew he loved her mother, but she had never heard him tell her. Only simple looks and gestures when they thought no one was looking was his only indication.

She felt like a fool. Going behind his back and if what the Vicomte said was true, she would never mention it because it didn't matter. Her father loved her and their family and despite his troubled past and the little bit that he told her, it didn't matter. He was ugly underneath his mask, but he was still her one and only father.

The family said their good nights and getting into bed, Erik laid flat while Christine cuddled up to him laying her head on his chest.

"I love you." She said closing her eyes. He put his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling listening to the thunder getting further and further away. He couldn't believe that he opened up the way he did to their daughter, but he felt a tinge of relief from it. Even though he always showed power to his daughter and he was the head of their household, he was glad to have a softer side revealed to her.