As I stared at the picture of Grandma Mary, Michael grabbed my wrist and gently pushed me behind him. As he did it, I swear I saw the picture grin at him.
"Calm down young man. That's my granddaughter you have behind you. I mean her no harm."
Michael let go of my wrist and stared intently at the picture.
"Are you truly her grandmother? If you are, then how come you're the only relative of hers that resides here? Where's the rest of her family? As I understand it, Christine was supposed to be alone forever."'
A laugh echoed around the gallery.
"If she's supposed to be so alone, then how come you're there?"
Michael let go of my hand and stepped away from me.
"I'm not family. I'm a…friend."
"Oh, don't try and fool me, boy. I know you fancy her. It's hard not to fancy our Chrissy-Lily."
"Well ma'am, I can think of at least one person who does not share that opinion."
"Grandma," I broke in, "this is Michael. Answer his question. Why are you here when Mama, Daddy, and Emmie aren't?"
"Christine, that's what I need to talk to you about. I'm here because you pulled that little act of disobedience against Leota and got yourself a boyfriend. But getting your mother and father back won't be as easy. To get them back, you must get rid of Leota."
"And how do I do that?"
"Well, first, you are going to toughen up a bit young lady. I don't want to hear anymore of that sad, sappy drivel you sing out on the terrace at night. I didn't kill your grandfather to have a granddaughter who sings 'oh poor me' songs,' and I refuse to be related to anyone who acts that way!"
I saw Michael gape a little bit. "Now ma'am, just a minute-"
"BE QUIET, BOY! KINDLY DO NOT TELL ME HOW TO TREAT MY OWN GRANDDAUGHTER! ANYTHING I SAY IS FOR HER OWN GOOD!" she paused for a minute, and then resumed her rant.
"NOW, WHERE WERE WE BEFORE GENTLEMAN BOY INTERRUPTED? OH, YES. CHRISTINE LILLIAN O'MALLEY GRACEY, THIS IS YOUR HOUSE, NOT THAT LEOTA WOMAN'S SO QUIT ACTING LIKE SHE OWNS THE PLACE! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT SHE AND YOUR FATHER WERE ARGUING ABOUT THE NIGHT HE DIED?"
"No." after all her yelling, my voice sounded like a soft squeak.
"Well, I can tell you." I heard her take a deep breath and her vocal volume lowered considerably.
"They were fighting over who was the heir to your father's estate. Naturally, Leota wanted her daughter to inherit everything, but your father told her no. he said that little Leota was not a legitimate heir."
"He's not kidding," I breathed.
Grandma Mary let out a little laugh. "Anyway, your father proclaimed you the legal heir in his will, so the house belongs to you. Then, Leota got angry, and that was when she cast a spell to imprison your father in her crystal ball. That's why he committed suicide. So that Leota's spell would backfire on her, trapping her, and you wouldn't be at her mercy for the rest of your life."
I felt myself beginning to tear up. "So, he really did kill himself because he loved me. It's true, but it's so strange. What should I do now?"
"I suggest you go down to the ballroom. The dancers have something they'd like to show you. Consider it the beginning of Tough Girl Boot Camp."
I took Michael's hand again, and led him to our ballroom, where I noticed something strange. The dancers were usually dancing the waltz with Wolfgang's melancholy music accompanying them. But tonight, he was playing something much more upbeat. The ballroom itself had completely changed. The floor was flashing different colors, and a sparkly round thing was rotating from the ceiling. I stepped into the room, and to my great surprise, saw Melanie standing on a makeshift stage clutching a microphone. I walked over to her, hoping that she might be able to tell me what was going on.
"Melanie, can you please tell me what's going on here? What in the world is Wolfgang playing, and why is everybody dressed in those weird clothes?"
"We're discoing, Christine. It's a dance from the future. Little Leota saw it in a vision. Isn't it groovy?"
"WHAT? What in the world does that mean?"
"You know, I really don't know what it means, I just think its fun to say. It's almost time for the Electric slide. That's the dance the dancers want to teach you."
I sighed and turned to face Michael.
"Will you dance with me?"
He grinned. "You bet, Peach. It's not proper for a lady to dance alone."
Melanie shook her head. "It's not a partner dance, it's a line dance. You don't dance together."
I sighed. Tough Girl boot camp was hard.
Pretty soon, Melanie started singing some weird song about "I will survive." The dancers lined up and began dancing an equally strange dance. It involved lots of clapping and conformity. I didn't get it. I was mostly too busy listening to the words of her song.
And the more I listened to it, the more I realized: The song was talking about me. It was telling me that I was capable of taking charge of my own existence. I didn't have to take Leota anymore. I knew I had one thing from my father: stubbornness. And I was determined to use it. I grabbed Michael's hand and led him out of the ballroom.
"Come on, Michael. We've got a score to settle."
A/n- There's probably only one or two chapters left until the sequel. And LL isn't as hostile towards Christine anymore now that she's dating a hot guy.
Aquarian Wolf- Here's another chapter! Hope you like it!
Melanie Gracey- I know the Phantom and Leota are a sick pairing. Thanks for all the compliments!
