241Hey guys! So I'm re-writting this story PROPERLY! I hope you guys enjoy it. Short, but sweet chapters :)
Disclaimer: I don't own the Phantom of the Opera
Interview with the POTO Characters
~Erik~
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. The girl sighed as she continued to impatiently tap her fingers against the desk in front of her. What's taking him so long? She wondered as she looked around the furnished office around her with an air of boredom. The tapping didn't stop until a small click was heard. The girl turned her head towards the wall on her left where a brief outline of a hidden door could be seen slowly opening. She smiled upon seeing Erik appear through the doorway with an expression of confusion.
"Erik! Finally you got here, I was beginning to worry," she said cheerfully to the masked man. Erik looked at her with a strange look before gazing around the modern room puzzled.
"I'm glad you could make it, it's nice to finally meet you," the girl continued, ignoring the Frenchman as he curiously, and cautiously, pried around the room.
"Who are you? Where am I? And how do you know my name?" Erik finally asked while looking at the girl suspiciously.
"Sorry, I didn't introduce myself, my name's Era, and you're in my office in the future. As for your name, I pretty much know everything about you," the girl answered with a grin.
"The future," Erik said with a dark chuckle, "Clever answer. Tell me the truth and I might spare your life,"
"Fuck you," Era answered bluntly, surprising the other with her foul language. "And you are in the future, how else can you explain why everything looks so different?" Erik opened his mouth to answer before closing it.
"Impossible," he finally answered, "Tricks on the mind, perhaps this is even a dream,"
"You keep telling yourself that, Erik, because if that were true, you would be snogging Christine right now instead of talking to me. Now are we done the chitchat?" Era asked with a raised brow. When Erik didn't answer she continued. "Great! Then we can get started,"
"Get started?" Erik repeated.
"Yes, you must be wondering by now how you got to the future, and why. Well, I brought you here using the magical abilities bestowed on my by Fanfiction," Era answered.
"Fanfiction?"
"Yes, I'm here to help you to help yourself to help others," Erik couldn't help giving an incredulous look at the younger girl, which he now believed must be mad. Era rolled her eyes with a sigh as she tried rephrasing herself.
"Helping you will help you help yourself, which will end up helping everyone else,"
"This is ridiculous," Erik said as he turned to leave through the secret passage he had come from, only to be surprised that the hidden door was no longer there.
"Oh dear, it looks like you're trapped here," Era said with a fake sympathy. Erik growled at her attitude.
"Erik has no reason to stay here," he replied as calmly as he could.
"Did I forget to mention that Christine's coming?" Era slipped in casually, resisting the urge to comment on the Frenchman referred to himself in third person. Erik paused before slowly looking at the girl.
"…Christine?"
"But so is Raoul, and a few other people,"
"Why?" he growled.
"You're not the only one with issues. But don't let Raoul get you down, I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'll ask a few questions, you answer them. Then when Raoul comes in, maybe he doesn't answer the questions the same way you do and looks dumb. Can you imagine what Christine will think then?" Era explained with a smile. Erik scoffed.
"If Christine wanted brains she wouldn't have left me…it's too good to be true anyways…" he answered quietly.
"I promise you this, Erik, that no matter what happens you will get to see Christine and get a chance to talk with her on your own," Era promised. Erik looked at her suspiciously for a moment, doubting the possibility, but hoping at the same time. This girl seems nice so far…He tried convincing himself.
"…Can you do that?"
"Of course I can. She's probably outside right now-" Era blinked when she saw Erik practically run to the only door in the room that led to the waiting room outside.
"Hey! You can't just leave!" she yelled at him. Erik turned to her angrily.
"You just said-"
"You can talk to her later! You have to answer my questions first, so sit down," Era answered, looking at the other expectantly. Erik looked from the door to the girl before reluctantly walking over to the desk and sitting in the chair opposite of the girl.
"Thank you. Now how this will work is that there are different tests, we're going to start with the first one which I will test everyone on before moving on to the next test. So, are you ready to begin?" Erik nodded hesitantly.
"Alright, I'll start with some routine questions," Era cleared her throat, "What's your full name?"
"I don't know, I picked the name Erik up-"
"By accident, I know," Erik blinked confused.
"…You do?"
"How old are you?" Era asked, ignoring him.
"I never kept count. But I'm probably-"
"Guessing you're pretty old, I know that too,"
"If you know then why are you asking?" Erik snapped angrily.
"I'm just winging it here, okay?" Era answered. "Favourite color?"
"If Erik had to choose one, it would be black, naturally," Era raised an eyebrow at him.
"No more third person, and don't say 'naturally', because there's really nothing natural about you," she pointed out.
"Excuse me?" Erik questioned, making Era sigh heavily.
"Look, I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to hurt your feelings, or offend you, because you're awesome and my favourite guy in the whole world, and you might kill me if I say anything but…you're a freaking stalker man! It's creepy!" she exclaimed while throwing her hands in the air.
"Excuse me?" Erik growled, moving to the edge of his seat, preparing to attack the girl.
"You're a stalker!"
"I am no such thing!"
"Oh yeah? Was the mirror in Christine's room not a one way mirror?" Era challenged while crossing her arms.
"It was not," Erik denied.
"…Lucky for you I can't think of any book references to prove you wrong…But I do have references saying that you snuck into the Vicomte de Chagny's house one evening, which is extremely stalkerish," Era countered.
"I have no reason to sneak into that fop's home,"
"So you're denying this?"
"Oui,"
"I see," Era hummed as she casually reached down to the bottom drawer of her desk and opened it. Inside she found her English copy of Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera and pulled it out before closing the drawer. She quickly flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for.
"Here we go…Chapter 13, page 162, on the 10th paragraph, starting on the first sentence," she cleared her throat," 'But, suddenly, he raised himself on his elbow. A cold sweat poured from his temples. Two eyes, like blazing coals, had appeared at the foot of his bed. They stared at him fixedly, terrible, in the darkness of the night.'…and then on the next page, page 163, second paragraph, first sentence, '"She told me told me that his eyes only showed in the dark. His eyes have disappeared in the light, but he may be there still."'," Era read before looking up at Erik. Erik stared at her befuddled, unsure of how to respond to what she had just read, looking at the hard covered book with no title questionably.
"…That…is a lie. What are you reading from?" he asked while quickly reaching for the book. Era quickly held it out of his arm reach with a smile.
"Curious? This is a book that has almost every bit of information about you in it, so I'll know if you're lying," she answered.
"That's absurd! How do you know that the book isn't lying?" Erik countered.
"We have resources telling us that this is all true," Era replied.
"What resources?"
"That's neither the point nor any of your concern. The point is that you lied about being in Raoul de Chagny's home," she accused.
"That wasn't me!" Erik defended.
"Oh really?" Era swiftly snapped her fingers and the lights turned off. In the dark Erik's two amber eyes stood out as they glowed. Era snapped again and the lights turned back on.
"I rest my case, so let's move on. So it's true that you are in love with Christine Daaé?" she asked.
"Yes, with all my heart," Erik answered sincerely.
"And that you threatened to blow up the Opera House if she did not marry you even though she completely despised you?"
"…Yes," he grunted out reluctantly.
"Is it true that you made an opera of your own? Don Juan Triumphant I believe it's called," Era continued.
"Oui,"
"May I hear some of it?" she asked politely.
"No! You shall NEVER touch nor hear my opera!" Erik snapped, making Era jump in surprise.
"…Okay then…Umm, some people have been spreading rumors around about you…you know, to Christine," Era continued slowly.
"…I'm not sure what you're trying to imply," Erik responded, calming down. Era gulped a little.
"…Did you ever rape Christine? Or would?"
"WHAT? I would NEVER do such a thing! I would NEVER hurt her! Who's spreading these rumors? I'll hunt them down and-"
"And do what?" Era interrupted. "Kill them? I highly doubt that considering you're currently unarmed, and in a whole different century, country, and continent! You'll most likely get bit a care while trying to air lasso a truck! And as for not hurting Christine, drugging her, forcing her to choose between the grasshopper and the scorpion, and tying her up in a chair doesn't exactly say gentleman, now does it?"
"She was trying to commit suicide, I had to tie her up," Erik countered.
"Fine, but what about when she took off your mask?"
"…She started it…" he mumbled. Era sighed.
"Alright, let's continue. Do you have anger management problems?"
"No, and you have no right to accuse me of such a thing," Erik answered.
"Let me listen to your opera," Era demanded.
"Wh-NO! Never! How DARE you ask such a thing!"
"Ergo, anger management issues," she concluded with a smirk. "Is it true you sleep in a coffin?"
"I deny that," Erik grumbled.
"What if I say I have proof?" Era countered.
"Then I would assume you are a stalker, not I," he answered. Era opened her book again and flipped through the pages.
"Chapter 12, page 151, second paragraph…I don't feel like counting the sentences, anyways," she cleared her throat again, "'In the middle of the room was a canopy, from which hung curtains of red brocaded stuff, and, under the canopy, an open coffin. "That is where I sleep," said Erik'," Era looked up at Erik.
"I…never said that," Erik denied weakly.
"'"One has to get used to everything in life, even to eternity."' Do you deny saying that?" Era questioned. Erik stayed quiet as he stared at the book intensely.
"…Erik?" she called, trying to make eye contact with the man.
"…GIVE ME THAT BOOK!" Erik yelled suddenly before diving over the desk separating the two and tackling Era from her chair to the ground. Era gave a muffled gasp before gripping the book for dear life and lying on top of it.
"SECURITY!" she yelled at the top of his voice as Erik easily rolled her over and trying to rip the book from her iron grip. Just as he was managing to pull it away the door to the room burst open, revealing two buff security guards. They walked swiftly across the room and around the desk, grabbing Erik by both arms and dragging him off of their employer.
"NO! LET ME GO! THAT BOOK HAS MY SECRETS IN IT! IT HAS TO BE BURNED! SHE KNOWS TOO MUCH! SHE KNOWS TOO MUCH!" Erik yelled as he tried unsuccessfully to get out the security guard's grips.
Erik's yells continued to be heard as he was dragged out of the office and through the waiting room. Many other characters from the book were sitting patiently around the room, reading books or modern magazines, only to have their attentions turn to the screaming Phantom being dragged across the room and through another door leading to a destination that none of them knew. Never had any of them seen the Phantom in such a mental state, or being man handled so easily.
"Alright then, who's next?" an innocent voice was heard in the office. The characters all gulped in fright.