~No One Would Listen~ (POTO) - Part Seven

*Try again.* he said calmly.
*Again? Again! For a millionth time? Can you not see there is no use?* she asked…not so calmly. *I am sick of this song! And every time you just say 'try again, try again'.*
*Well if there was any improvement in the way you sing it may be I would not have made you do so this many times.*
*Well may be if you had told me something to try to do, a way to sing or simply what you don't like in the way I sing it…may be then there would have been some improvement.*
Klara glared at him.
*Try again…with more feeling this time.* he smirked.
*Great directions! Just lovely!* she threw her hands in the air. *Have you not noticed that is what I am trying to do for more then two hours now?*
*They try again.*
*Oh My God!* she screamed in frustration flopping on a chair near his. *What did I do to deserve this?* she mumbled.
*As I recall you asked for my help.*
*Great help really. You are doing a great job. * she said sarcastically.
He sighed. They were not going nowhere with trying to improve her singing. It was just as beautiful and just as emotionless.
*Have you never loved girl? For the Lord's sake!* how could she not be able to put just a little of her soul in the song. Show just a little bit of love.
She looked at him flatly in the eyes.
*No.*
~This is going to be harder then I thought.~
*I think we've both had enough for today.* he was right – they were both at the verge of their nerves. *We shall continue tomorrow.*
*Same time, same place?* Klara asked tiredly. She really was not looking forward for this. Any fear she could have felt before was now long gone but it was now replaced by huge frustration.
*I believe so.*
 
 
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*What are we going to do today?* Klara asked with fake excitement. She had had too many days of trying to achieve something with her voice. Still no avail. More then two weeks the Phantom was trying to get some feeling out of her icy heart. He was trying to make her show some of her soul when she sang.
*Talk.*
She stared at him shocked.
*Talk?* the sarcasm was just dripping of her voice.
*Yes talk. You seem to have no problem with the singing itself. I figured what I should teach you is how to express your feelings. I think the way to do that is by talking.* The Phantom answered seriously.
She stared at him a few more second and then (when she judged he was indeed right) and sat down facing him. They sat in silence a few more seconds.
*Alright but I feel really stupid calling you 'Phantom'.* she started.
He glared at her. She would not ask him to tell her his name, she would not.
~Please don't!~ he thought. It would pain him deeply to tell her.
*So…may be you can tell me your real name? For I know you have one, Christine told me but would not say it.*
He flinched (if it was because she had really asked him his name or because of the sound of Christine's name, Klara did not know) and looked down.
*She did well by not telling you. But I guess if we really are going to spend this much time together it would help if you really had something else to call me other then 'Phantom'.* he took a deep breath.
Klara leaned forward. Although she would not admit it, she was curious to find out.
 *Erik.*
For a second she just stood there. May be she expected something different, at least not as simple as Erik. Then her eyes went blanc for a second and she let it flow trough her mind. It did sound nice and it suited him.
*Al right now since you do know my name we have nothing else to do but start this so-called talking.* she announced.
He stared at her.
*So…what are we starting with?* she asked a hint of glare hidden in her gold-ish eyes.
*I do not know.*
*You what!*
The glare was now very visible and would have caused most people to shrink. Not Erik thought. He stared back at her bravely.
*Great! Just bloody great!* she continued, now standing up and walking around the lair. After she was somewhat calmed she looked at him. *Well think of something!*
*Sit down.* his voice was deadly calm.
To her own surprise, we obeyed.
*It's up to you. What do you want to talk about?* he asked massaging his temples. Why did he ever agree to teach her? She was unbelievable.
*Is my voice that scary?*
He looked up surprised when he heard how she said those few words. He heard hurt in her tone. He felt hope in her intonation.
*Not scary. More like…* he paused thinking of a way to explain the feeling her empty voice was giving. *It makes people uneasy.*
*Why?*
From this moment, he somehow knew she would continue with 'whys' until she has the answer she wants.
*Because…* he paused again. Why was it so hard to explain everything about this girl? *You show no emotions when you sing. That is what this art is made for – expressing feeling through music. But when you sing your voice seems…empty. It is like you have no heart.*
*Why?* she asked. *Why is it like that?*
*You are the one to know that.*
An uneasy silence fell upon them.
*I…I guess that…may be…* she searched deep into her soul. She knew she could feel, she had had many emotion boiling in her ever since she remembered. Sadness, anger, loneliness…even hate.
*What is the strongest feeling you ever had?* he asked trying to help her find something. The tension in the lair was sensible but they were too concentrated to feel it. Klara was trying to find herself, to see through her many masks, while Erik was trying to figure her out. She was way more complicated then her sister.
*The strongest…I felt being betrayed.*
This surprised them both.
*When was it?* he pressed on trying to use the moment. She would hardly open herself up that much in a long time again.
~When?~ the question flew through her mind. When her parents wanted her to be like Karla not like herself, when they preferred her brother and sister, when they sent her away, when…
*Always.* barely a whisper.
Then for the first time the Phantom saw the true Klara de Chagny. He saw a confused and lonely girl, who was trying to find herself, to find her place in the world and the hearts of the people who were supposed to love her.
However, in mere seconds she was gone (or at least hidden)
*Enough for today!* the Black Pearl hissed standing up and running out of the lair.
Erik was left alone with his thoughts. This was harder then to teach someone to sing. And he was having a bigger progress with the other twin.
Karla was his preferred student. She made great progress in such a little time. But her felt she would soon reach her limits. She could never sing as her sister.
Klara however was much more difficult. In every way of the word. She was arrogant, proud, and stubborn.
~There has to be an evil and a good twin, right?~ his mind joked. How could they be so different?
He did not know much about Karla yet but he could figure her out. A happy, charming, kind girl.
Moreover, what about Klara? She was cold, dark; anger filled the air when she was around. He certainly preferred the calming company of the older twin then the tension the younger one seemed to bring with her anywhere she went. Her being somewhere alone was enough to make people uneasy.
 
 
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*I am not sure if I want to continue this.* Klara stated when he brought her in the lair. They had talked for about a week now and it had ended with them screaming at each other every time. She was tired of it. Neither had mentioned the accident from a few days ago.
*It is your decision.* he stated not even looking at her.
They stood in silence for a minute or two until something neither expected took place.
*I can't handle it anymore! I feel like I am going to explode! I have to…no I need to talk with someone about this!* exclaimed. *You have no idea how right you were…talking does help. Yesterday after I left, I sang myself a song to calm myself down. It sounded so differently! As if it was someone else singing it, and just using my voice!*
He could not hide his smile. Why you might ask? Because a hint of a smile had graced her own lips. She was happy.
~So she shows her emotions, even if it is so little. ~ he made a personal note to keep an eye for all of this small signs.
*What do you want to talk about?* he asked, judging it was best if she just said what her heart wanted her to. Because he knew…ever since yesterday he knew, she had a heart.
She paused. He knew different thoughts running trough her mind. He could almost see memories reflect into her gold-ish eyes.
Klara herself did not know why she was opening in front of him out of all people. They knew each other only for a few weeks. Nevertheless, she felt they were so alike each other. More then any of them would confess. Therefore, she told him. She wanted to talk about…
 *The Black Pearl.*