Lie To Me - A Phantom Of The Opera fic (ErikxOC)

11.JUSTICE—Equity, rightness, probity, executive, triumph of the deserving side in law.

It's such a funny feeling to be completely still, while people run and bustle around you. It's almost like watching a play. Or as if you were a ghost. There without really being present.

I was sitting on the steps leading up to Erik's wagon, just watching the other performers get ready for their acts, while the sun slowly slid out of the sky.

My mind felt too full and too empty all at once. My brother's stupid threat that somehow still affected me, the skeptic man's rude comments, the fake prophecy I had told him, but mostly I couldn't get a certain masked musical genius out of my head.

'I'm starting to think we're more alike than you care to admit, ma Devinette.'

He had a way of getting under my skin like no one else and it was driving me mad.

The door behind me opened, but I didn't bother looking up. I was sitting to the side, Erik could easily walk around me.

Which he did - without even complaining or saying a snippy comment - but instead of walking away, he sat down beside me, not even sparing me a glance. My brows furrowed as I looked at him, before shaking his weirdness off of me and turning back to the crowd.

My mood was already sour enough, I was not going to let him make it worse.

However, once every person who passed us stared at us as if they'd never seen humans before, I turned my gaze to the slowly darkening sky.

Erik's presence felt weirdly comforting beside me. For the first time since I'd been gifted to him, we felt like equals. Both sitting at equal height. Both silent. Both fair performers doing what was needed to survive. Both people with walls so high you couldn't see the end of them.

Even with my eyes on the sky, I could feel all the judging stares burn into me. Sadly for them, I was used to being the weird one and their judgement didn't make me want to hide and change, it made me want to be even stranger.

Without removing my gaze from the sky above, I leaned over to Erik and rested my head on his shoulder. He stiffened beneath me, before seemingly understanding my plan and relaxing.

I vaguely heard someone gasp and someone else curse as they tripped over their own feet. It took a lot to not show my amusement on my face.

Out of all the freaks and oddities we had in the fair, a masked musical genius who could make people cry with a single note and a mysterious fortune teller who could read your future with a single touch quietly sitting together on some steps was simply too strange for them.

✧༚☾✧༚🔮✧༚☾✧༚

My eyes flew open and my head snapped to the side as a scream pierced the bustle of the fair.

Everything had been just fine before. I had a little dip in clients during Erik's act, which gave me a small break and a chance to enjoy the music. Tonight the melody was almost romantic, enhancing the feelings that felt buried deep in my chest.

My clients were also clearly affected, because they almost all asked me for a love life specific reading. The curtain that served as a door on my tent was firmly closed, but I was certain that if I poked my head outside, I would see everyone holding hands and kissing.

Though I seemed to be the only one who heard the darker notes in the music. The notes that sprinkled fear into all the fluffy feelings. The underlying obsession, possessiveness, violence. As much as the music would work for a dance under the moonlight with your lover, it could also work as background music for when you were defending your love, screaming for them, fighting for them, killing for them.

When the act ended and applause resounded through the entire fair, the feelings lingered for a little while, before disappearing in the visions and readings.

So when my reading of a freshly engaged woman got interrupted by a scream, I was taken off guard, as much by the noise as by the feelings in me that told me I had been expecting it.

The woman immediately rose to her feet and ran out of the tent to see what had happened. I followed behind her as quickly as I could without catching on fire.

Another scream.

My heart pounded in my chest, as I pushed the fabric aside and stepped outside. My stomach felt filled with lead, as I followed the line of sight of all my horrified clients to the entrance of the maze of mirrors.

"Oh God," I gasped, placing a hand on my chest to stop my heart from beating right out of my ribcage.

Right outside of the exit of the maze of mirrors laid a body. The neon lights changed the pool around him from a dark blue to a purple to the dark red it actually was. His hand was weakly clutching his upper arm even in unconsciousness.

The boss along with a few workers from the maze itself and a woman stood beside him. The woman was crying to the boss, seemingly explaining something, while the workers tended to the man.

My breath hitched as the woman's gaze locked onto mine. Her eyes widened, before filling with rage. She clutched her partially blood soaked dress and stood up. "Her," she exclaimed, pointing a finger right at me. "She did this to him. She cursed my husband. Witch!"

My eyes were wide behind my veil, as I took a step back only to bump into someone.

I startled, but calmed down once the familiar weight of Erik's hand clutched my upper arm.

"I think that's your cue to leave," he stated, his voice low so only I could hear.

I felt frozen in my spot as all eyes turned to me. Erik tucked on my arm, bringing me in motion.

"Don't let her go! She said he would bleed in the mirrors! She made it happen! She's a witch! A witch!" the woman screamed after us, as Erik used his long legs to their full ability, forcing me to jog beside him until we reached his wagon.

I immediately fell to the ground once inside, my legs feeling like they couldn't carry my weight anymore.

"I- I promise I didn't," I stuttered, my head in my hands. "I- it wasn't a real prophecy. I was lying. I promise I was lying," I practically sobbed.

Erik stared down at me from his spot by the door. His eyes swirled with concern, as his posture seemed to be ready to attack anyone who came through the door. But most of all he looked... intrigued.

"You know, the boss might have been right," he stated, once we were safely inside," you are a lot more interesting of a gift than a piano."

A/N: Oooh, the drama!

Lowkey I would love to hear your theories (if you have any) of how her fake prophecy came true.

Don't worry, you'll get the answer later on, I wouldn't just let you hanging ;)

Funnily enough, I don't have anything to rant about, so this is your open invitation to rant in the comments. (I'll probably respond and start big discussions btw)

Hope you enjoyed :)

-Tonijn <3