Chapter 1: Masks

Masquerade!

Masquerade!
Paper faces on parade...
Masquerade!
Hide your face,
so the world will
never find you!

Masquerade!
Every face a different shade...
Masquerade!
Look around -
there's another
mask behind you!

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Masks haunted his dreams.

Sitting up drenched in sweat after another night spent wrapped within the dark embrace of the same nightmare, he leaned his head into his hands and wanted to let go. He wanted to give in to the insanity that seemed to hover just around the next corner, whispering seductively to him to come, come lose himself in the loving embrace of madness. He could not understand why he dreamt of the masks. He had not worn one since he was nine years old.

He remembered that night clearly.

His mother had come into his room and sat down on his bed. She had touched him, something she usually avoided. She placed her hand on his shoulder and gently shook him.

"Erik. Wake up. Please? We need to talk..."

Her voice changed that night. There was strength in it that had not been there, a resolve previously unknown to either one of them before that night. She looked straight into his eyes and the coldness that had always been there was no more. The icy blue eyes of his mother were gone. From that night on, her eyes became the warm blue of a clear, sunny spring sky. He knew that she no longer hated him. He could hear it in her voice and see it in her eyes, but the fire she lit that night truly convinced him of her transformation.

She sat on the side of his bed and told him how things needed to change. He had been half-asleep and most of her words had not penetrated his young mind. He was so astounded that she was in his room, sitting next to him on his bed and talking to him. She seemed ... happy. During their talk, she had a sudden epiphany and became giddy as a schoolgirl. She had taken him by the hand and led him to the fireplace in the living room. After building a cozy fire, she turned to him. She looked into his eyes and he saw something there that he had never seen before, but he was not altogether certain what the look meant. He did know one thing, the look made him feel good inside. The look made him feel how he thought he would feel if she hugged him.

"Erik, would you please run upstairs and gather all of your masks then bring them to me? I will check the laundry for any that might be there. Hurry now and I'll meet you here in a few minutes."

If he had not seen the look in her eyes, he would have been afraid. However, he had seen the look and instead of fear, he felt ... joy?

The mother and son met before the fire, holding an odd assortment of cloth masks. His brilliant green eyes met hers. She smiled at him, turned towards the fire and threw the masks she held into the flames.

He hugged the masks in his arms tightly to his thin chest and stepped back from her, his eyes wide with shock. She turned back to him and held out her hands.

"There! There! It is all right, my son. Please, give me the masks. As of tonight, you and I both no longer need to wear one."

She smiled and gave him a nod of encouragement.

"Truly, Erik, from now on everything is going to be as it should. Please, Erik. I need you to give your masks to me. Please? You do not need the masks. I was the one that needed them, but I was wrong. I am so very sorry."

Trembling, he took a step forward and held them out to her.

Gratefully, she bent down and accepted them from him.

She paused, a sudden idea striking her.

"Would you like to throw them into the fire?"

He took a half step back and stopped. He cocked his head to one side as he considered the shocking and yet, somehow exciting suggestion. After giving his mother's words careful consideration, he gave a nod that not only shook his head, but his entire frail body. His mother chuckled and returned the small bundle to him.