A Gift for Charity

Chapter 10- Charity

August 17, 1887

I watched the Phantom as he muttered and swore. He was trying to break open the bars of his cell. He tried one last time to create a space big enough for him to fit through, but he failed miserably.

"I think I saw the bars move," I lied. He looked at me with an almost hopeful expression on his face. Then he realized that I was being sarcastic.

"Very funny," he replied sarcastically.

"No, really," I insisted. "I definitely saw them move, if only a little bit. Why don't you keep on trying relentlessly until you pass out and I can finally have some peace and quiet?"

"I don't think so," he replied. Even so, he continued to ram his side into the side of the cell, and try to bend the bars apart.

"You do realize that those bars are made of iron, right?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest.

"Yes, I know that," the Phantom replied irritably. "But it's still worth the try."

"No it isn't," I said.

"Yes it is," he contradicted.

"No it isn't."
"Yes it is."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't!" He screamed at me and threw himself at the bars that separated us.

"Whoa," I said. "Someone has a temper. Perhaps you should consider anger management classes."

"Shut up," he growled. I stuck out my tongue at him. Then, all of a sudden, he laughed. Just like that, he threw back his head and laughed.

"What's so funny?" I asked, feeling slightly offended.

"Just now, you reminded me of my daughter," he said. "We used to fight like that all the time. She would always end it by sticking out her tongue at me. Then I would pick her up and carry her around up-side down until she was screaming for me to put her down." He smiled faintly.

"You really miss your family, don't you?" I asked softly.

He nodded. "Yes," he said, "I miss my wife and child-" He quickly corrected himself, "children greatly. I only wish that my wife were still alive. I would like to believe that she is still on this earth, but I know in my heart that she has died."

"My mother died when my sister was born," I said softly. "I miss her a lot. But the person I miss even more than my mother is my father." I had no idea why I was confiding in him. "You see," I continued, "my father had to leave unexpectedly right before my sister was born, so I don't really remember him. All I remember is that he had black hair like me, and he had green eyes like Dominique."

"Well, it seems that we both have issues," the Phantom said wryly.

I was about to reply, when all of a sudden, there was a noise that came from the direction of the door that I had come through. I crouched in a corner of my cell and waited with baited breath. I could feel the cold metal of the keys pressing against me skin. It gave me Goosebumps, and I shivered, despite the warm sunlight streaming through my cell window.

I glanced in the direction of the Phantom's cell. He had disappeared into the shadows. I saw a faint glimmer of green. I could hear footsteps coming down the hall. Someone in another call, several doors down, stirred.

The sounds of voices reached my ears. They were faint, and I strained to hear the words.

"…If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times," one voice said, "don't keep your keys attached to your belt. Keep them in your jacket."

"I did!" Another voice protested. Both voices were male.

"Can you two not argue?" A third male voice asked. "We are here on business, remember?"

"Alright, alright," the first voice said irritably. "Don't get your knickers in a knot."

"What are knickers?" A high voice asked. I knew that voice. I know it anywhere.

"Dominique?" I called into the darkness. The light of a torch lit up the hallway. I could see two officers, an older man, a young woman, and a small girl.

The girl ran forward. The young woman called after her, "Stop running! You'll fall!"

Dominique slowed down a little, but she still hurried to reach my cell. She came up to my bars and reached one of her hands through. I touched her fingers, and held her hand.

"I thought you were a goner," Dominique said, obviously relieved.

"Don't think they can get rid of me that easily," I replied. "Where have you been? I've been here for ages."

"Only a couple of days," the young woman said, and I realized that it was Gabriella.

"How the heck did you guys manage to find me?" I asked incredulously. I squeezed Dominique's fingers gently so as to reassure myself that she was actually there.

"Well, when you didn't come home, Dominique came and got me," Gabriella said, coming closer so I could see her better. "I figured that you had to either be at the orphanage or in jail, seeing as how there was no other logical explanation for your disappearance. That's where my uncle comes in."

She gestured to the man, who had been talking quietly to the Phantom up until that point. When he was mentioned, he came closer and tipped his hat. I could see that his eyes were white. I wondered if he was blind.

"I see you've met the infamous Phantom of the Opera," he commented to me. I gave a half smile and nodded.

"Yeah," I said, "but he doesn't talk much except to either correct me or complain about how life's not fair."

Gabriella's uncle nodded, as though that were the most natural thing in the world for The Phantom to do. "By the way," he said, "my name is Henri."

"Charity," I said. Suddenly, I heard the Phantom sit up.

"What did you say your name was?" He asked me, clutching the bars of his cell as though he were holding on for dear life. His face loomed close to them, and his nose was almost touching the cold iron.

"Charity," I repeated warily. "Why?"

"Because," Henri answered for the Phantom, "he's your father."

A/N: Okay, so I finally updated this story. Sorry to all those of you who have been really wanting to read an update, and thank you to all those of you who have been so patient in waiting for an update. I hope that this chapter was to your liking. Review, please, and tell me what you think!