All right, here's Chapter 6. I hope you're liking it. Thank you to the very few people who are reviewing... I don't know what the rest of you are doing, but a shout out every once in a while would be nice! Oh, well, I don't own any of the characters, read and review, okay? Yes.
Everything Changes
Erik had long ago given up hope of being forgiven by Meg. He had seen the hatred that glowed in her eyes only one other time: when he had threatened Christine with the choice between her lover's life and her own happy future. He had seen it then, that passionate loathing that offered no redemption, ever, and recognized it in Meg's glare. Even if he... loved her, she would never forgive him. He hoped that he had eased her pain by returning her mother, however, and there was only one other thing he knew of that would make Meg's life better. He could rebuild the Opera House, grander than before, and give the girl's life back.
So he did. He took every scrap of the pension he had received through his masquerade as the Phantom of the Opera and put it toward the planning, designing, and construction of the new Opera Populaire. He took on a new name, Monsieur Marquette, and put forth his best effort to put his old life behind him; memories of his lost loves, his identity as the Phantom of the Opera, and everyone he had ever cared for disappeared in the strength of his will to move on.
Meg, however, could never forget, as hard as she tried, how deeply she had fallen for his dark, mysterious character, drawn to the pain and despair she saw in him.
"Mother, do you have any idea what has happened to Erik? Truly?" she asked Madame Giry, months after their failed search for him that had lasted for days.
"No, Meg," she sighed. "If I knew, I promise I would tell you. He has not spoken to me since the night after the fire."
"I must find him," Meg whispered, but her mother heard her.
"No, Meg. You must forget him. If he does not wish to be found, you will never hear of him again. If he wishes to make himself known to either of us... he has his ways. You must forget him, forget your life at the Opera House. You are getting older, Meg, and you are well into your marriageable years, but no one has offered for your hand. If you are to be suitably wed, you must grow up, learn to be a lady. I have written to your cousin who lives on the other side of Paris. She has agreed to take you in, train you in the ways of society, and introduce you to prospective suitors. I had really hoped it would not come to this, but your ballerina days are over, and I will not have you follow in my footsteps. I will see you happily married, my dear. I want you to have everything that I never did."
"Mother, no! How can you expect me to give up everything I've ever known, to live with family that I have never even met? What if I do not wish to become a lady!" she spat, frantic that her mother would really send her away to live a life she had never desired.
"Megan, be reasonable. You are no longer a child, and you must face this new world. It is harsh, I know, and many dreams are shattered here, but you will forgive me in time. Now, go pack your things. The coach will be here for you first thing in the morning."
Meg ran, crying uncontrollably, into her room, and lay prone on her bed for many long hours. She gave in, finally, and did as her mother asked, meek and resigned. She did not sleep at all that night, and was silently sitting on the couch by the front door with her belongings when the coachman called for her the next morning.
"Goodbye, Mother," she said tiredly.
"Oh, my darling, do not hate me," Madame Giry said. "Everything will be righted, I promise you. Go, now, and live happily. I will miss you." She kissed her daughter's cheek, hugged her tightly, and whispered into her ear, "I love you, Meg. I always will." Meg's eyes widened at the words that she had never heard her stern mother say, and hugged her back.
"I love you too, Mother," she whispered, holding back tears. Then she turned and walked down the path to the street, climbed into the coach, and waved a solemn goodbye. The matching black team was spurred onward, and Meg left her entire life behind, looking only forward into the long road that lay ahead.