Hi, everyone! I'm back! Mwhahaha! (I think I had a little too much sugar today.) Anyway, I wanted to apologize for not updating for so long. I've been extremely busy and simply haven't had enough time to write. Thanks for being patient with me.

Bunny Lover- Hey there! I'm so glad you liked my story. I'll work on the grammar and punctuation. I am so eager to post these chapters that sometimes I don't bother to edit properly. Keep on reviewing! See ya around!

Bookworm08- You have no idea how surprised I was to find out who you are! Bunny Lover told me. Thanks for taking the time to write a review! I really value your opinion. Please stick around and keep on reviewing! Bye.

Elvenwriter- Another LOTR fan? I'm one too! Thanks for putting me on your alert list. I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

We're back in the present now, okay? Remember Emily and Raoul in the graveyard? Thought so. Just thought I'd remind you so that you don't get confused. Please read and review!

Chapter 4: Deception

Emily looked down at the rose with a black ribbon wrapped around it. She smiled inwardly. Its simple elegance made it a perfect symbol for Erik. Carefully, she ran her thumb over the rose.

Erik had been her voice teacher for months. With his help, her voice had improved greatly. He inspired Emily. Just hearing his enchanting voice in the darkness was enough to make her heart soar. To her, he was much more than a voice teacher.

"How can I think of him like that? " Emily scolded herself. "I have not even seen him." But somehow she knew that the feeling, the joy in her heart, was love.

Raoul looked skeptically at the rose in Emily's hand. Something was amiss. That rose triggered something in Raoul's mind. A memory.

"Who gave you that rose?" he asked cautiously.

" My angel," Emily replied. She felt herself blush. "My voice teacher."

Then, Raoul remembered. Christine. An angel. A rose. A rose with a black ribbon wrapped around it clutched in Christine's small hand. He remembered the fear in her eyes. She was haunted by the past…and the darkness. A shadow. A swish of a cloak. An outline of a man. The Phantom of the Opera had returned. Joseph Buquet, dead. Screaming chorus girls. A ripple of fear passed through the audience. Who would be next? Running, running from the past.

Then, the disastrous Don Juan Triumphant. Christine kidnapped, taken away in the middle of the performance. Desperation. Where is she? Keep your hand at the level of your eyes! The descent into a world of darkness. He had to find her! A rope. A lasso. The Phantom had won once again. He could still hear his voice gloating, giving Christine an impossible decision. "Start a new life with me! Buy his freedom with your love! Refuse me and you send your lover to his death!" A kiss. Condemning herself to save him. But the Phantom let her go. Christine returned with Raoul. But that haunted look never left her eyes.

"Raoul?"

For the second time that day, he was jolted back to the present. There was only one choice.

"You can't go back to the opera house. Horrors wait for you there. You can not go back."

Emily's breath caught in her throat. She felt as if her soul was being ripped in two.

"I have to go back," she cried. "It is my home!"

"Your angel, as you call him, can not be trusted. I forbid you to return."

" But I love him!" she shrieked. She knew her words were true.

" I don't care!" Raoul hollered. "You're not going back there!"

Emily did not know where her next words came from. But in her angry, desperate state, she didn't care.

"Do you want to know why Christine would never sing? Why she never happy? It was because you took her away from someone she loved, like you are trying to do to me! She can't have loved you! If she did, she wouldn't have acted so."

Emily knew what she was saying wasn't fully true. The only person Christine had probably ever loved was Raoul. Or thought she loved.

"You aren't returning to the opera house, and that is final!" Raoul bellowed. He snatched the rose from her hand and threw it on the ground. With that, he seized Emily's arm and dragged her out of the graveyard and to the carriage.

On her way back to the Changy manor, all Emily thought about was Erik. She had to return to the opera house. Suddenly, Emily had an idea. She would deceive her uncle. She would escape.

When they reached the Changy manor, Raoul locked Emily in her old room and went downstairs. Had he done the right thing? Had he been too hard on Emily? All he knew was that he couldn't let Emily return if the Phantom was still alive.

Pushing aside the curtain, Emily peered out the window. It was evening. A ray of sunlight still glinted across the horizon. Disappointed, Emily closed the curtain. She would have to wait until the cover of darkness to carry out her plan.

Emily sat impatiently on the bed until she heard Raoul come upstairs. When she heard his snoring issuing from across the hall, she knew it was safe.

Silently, she crept to the window. Emily slowly undid the latch and opened it. It screeched rather loudly. Emily's caught her breath, terrified she had woken Raoul. He continued to snore contentedly.

"Now for the hard part," Emily thought. Awkwardly, she climbed onto the window ledge. Bracing herself with her hands, Emily judged the distance to the nearest tree. Could she make it that far? She certainly hoped so.

Emily was about to jump when a strong wind whirled around her and threatened to catch her off balance. It snatched the shawl from around her shoulders and sent it flying to the ground. Emily leaned forward to watch its progress, almost making her fall again.

Emily gulped. She couldn't linger any longer. Uttering a quick prayer, she leapt for the nearest tree.

She caught it by the tips of her fingers and quickly wrapped her legs around it. The tree's branches creaked as the wind howled mercilessly. Slowly, Emily began to slide down the trunk. Her heart was racing and her dress was torn, but she couldn't worry about that now.

Suddenly, Emily heard a branch break from under her. She plummeted to the ground. She could hear the wind racing in her ears.

Emily landed in a disgruntled heap atop the rose bush. Gasping for breath, she tried to assess the damage done. Her left elbow was bleeding and surges of pain were shooting up and down her back. Carefully, Emily climbed out of the rose bush. Her body ached, but she could walk.

Slowly, Emily began her journey back to the opera house. She only hoped that she could reach it by morning, before Raoul would know that she was gone. Despite the pain, Emily smiled. She was going opera house. To her Erik. When Emily reached the graveyard, she picked up the rose that Raoul had thrown and held it close to her heart.

Sorry, guys. I don't think that was my best chapter. I hope you'll review anyways. Until next time!