Yes! I am so sorry I have not updated. I have had too much work to do, but now I am on vacation! So here is the next addition to "The Daughter of The Phantom"
Chapter 9
The end of October quickly arrived as everyone flustered over that nights performance of Il Muto. There were rumors spreading about whom would play the lead. Lucy knew that "Papa" wanted his other student, Christine, to be lead. Lucy had grown into the recent habit of calling him Papa. Lucy, in her room, became lost in thought remembering her first attempt to address him as such.
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It seemed to be a normal trip down the winding staircase to her lesson, when she accidentally took a misstep. She let out a shriek as she began to fall through the trapdoor, only to barely catch the edge with her petite hands. Erik, hearing her cry out and ran to her. He saw a small, pale figure hanging on for dear life. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her up to her knees. Lucy held on to him as if she was holding on to life itself. He reflexively tensed at her grip, but relaxed and returned the embrace. He felt her hot tears soaking though his shirt and pulled her closer to try to stop her shaking.
"Thank you, thank you, Papa." Erik pulled away just enough to look into her eyes.
"What did you just say?"
"Thank you?"
No, no, no, after that"
"Well I said thank you again…"
"Then…"
"Then what?"
"I want to hear the last word you said!"
"What"
"Don't be smart with me, you know exactly what I am talking about."
"You don't have to make such a big deal about it," Lucy mumbled, "All I said was Papa."
"Why?"
"What do you mean, why?"
"Why would you call me that?"
Lucy paused. "I called you that because, because, well, to me you have become my Papa. You have become more of a father to me that my actual father ever was. He abandoned me when I needed him most, just because I was not perfect. But my nanny told me nobody is perfect. That is what keeps life interesting. And, and, I tried so very hard to make him proud of me but it never worked. That is why I am so happy when you are proud of me…"
Erik held the little girl in his arms, speechless. He was the dreaded Phantom of the Opera. He was cold and emotionless. He was dark and feared and yet, this girl…this ten year old girl, she could play his heartstrings as well as he could play the violin. Her bright smile and vividly blue eyes, that seemed much more mature that the rest of Lucy, could break down a wall he spent years to build, in a matter of minutes. He was never any use for comfort and somehow Lucy felt he cared enough to deserve the title of "Papa."
"Come, we have a lesson to attend to."
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Lucy snapped out of her dream to the sound of screams. She ran outside to see ballerinas running down the hall at full speed. Lucy grabbed one of the younger ones by the shoulder.
"What happened?" Lucy asked the quivering girl.
"Buquet he… and The Phantom…they…"
"My uncle is dead," Charlie stepped out from the shadows and asked the dancer to leave, "And your tutor killed him. Lucy you must take me to him." Lucy shocked, fell to her knees and began to cry. Annabelle and Danielle ran to Lucy from the rushing theatre folk.
The four went back into the girls' room and sat down on the floor. Lucy shook with fear of the man she had just heard about. This couldn't be the man that taught her voice. This couldn't be the man that she told secrets to. This could be the man the made her feel as is she was someone. This could not be that man.
"He is going to pay, I am going to suck the very life out of him"
"No Charlie, you are not a killer. None of us are." Annabelle gestured to the ragtag group of friends sitting together. The sympathy in Charlie's eyes left as quickly as it came.
"No he will pay!" Charlie stormed of to his room with the girls in shock. They Annabelle and Danielle abruptly ran after him leaving Lucy alone. Minutes passed by like hours and Lucy began to hear screams from behind the mirror. She carefully stood up and walked to the mirror. Without a second thought she went through the mirror, accepting what she had to do.
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The Phantom was furious. Christine had left with that stupid fop. He would rue the day he stole her from him. He paced back and forth, trying to figure out what would be his next move.
A grim smile grew on his face when he heard the yelling a man and two women. He grabbed his Punjab and prepared to greet them.
He walked along in the shadows preparing to attack, when he saw who it was; they were Buquet's nephew and his to girl friends.
"You murdering bastard, you will pay!" The Phantom, brought aback at this statement, decided to play with his food before he ate it.
"Who are you to call me a murderer when you have come to murder, yourself." He Phantom threw his voice so it echoed through the catacombs.
"I am avenging my uncle's death."
"So, that still means you plan to murder me."
'You deserve it!" Annabelle and Danielle had slowly backed up in terror of the sight before their eyes. In the split second that Charlie turned to see the girls, The Phantom slipped the noose around his neck.
"Say hello to your uncle for me" and with one quick yank The Phantom-
"Enough." Lucille stood, her face cold and still.
"Lucy stop, you will get hurt," Danielle whispered.
Lucille ignored her and kept walking. She stared at the two men and commanded, "Drop your weapons and step away from each other." Something so authoritative in Lucille's voice caused them both to drop they're tools of destruction.
"You see Lucy, I was right. He is nothing but a cold hearted killer," Charlie shouted.
"You are no better in this circumstance," Lucille responded. The Phantom smirked at her remark but she snapped back at him.
"Do not enjoy this, you deserve no better tonight. Neither of you enjoy this. You both are acting like idiots. What happened to the two men that I cared for and laughed with? What happened to the little boy who juggled apples just for me or, the man who taught me how to make a coin disappear? What happened to my friends, no, my family?" Lucy began to lose her stoic composer as a passionate flurry of emotions hit her full force. "Perhaps it was fake. Perhaps this entire thing was a set up to make a mockery out of me. Perhaps neither of you were my friends or family. Perhaps, perhaps, "Lucy wiped her drowning eyes and pulled herself together, "Now I am glad my grandfather had planned to take me home for a while."
"Lucy, come now" Annabelle said. She approached her and began to reach out to her arm when Lucy pulled away.
"I, I am sorry Belle…" And with teary eyes Lucy left. Danielle stared to run after her but
turned around, and with a loud smack, slapped Charlie. She then went back and ran after her. Charles and The Phantom stood thigh high in the water, dumbfounded. Annabelle strode towards them, her face unreadable.
"You two should be ashamed o what you have become… or perhaps this was always what you were. It is up to you to decide." With that she walked away.
The men stared at each other in a distraught awe. They stared at each other, making a silent vow, and walked away, believing they would never see Lucy again.
