Hi, I'm back! I'm sorry about the REALLY slow update. My computer decided not to let me log in. I also have such hectic schedule you'd wonder if I eat or sleep. But I'm back now, that's all that matters. From now on, I'm going to try to update each week. Here's a nice, long chapter for ya!

Chapter 6: Where is she?

It was a bleary morning. Fog hung over the Changy manor, engulfing it in its swirling mists. You could squint for hours and not see the tree twenty feet in front of you. The gray, ominous clouds above threatened to burst open at any second.

Raoul stirred, trying to find a comfortable position. He had been awake for hours, contemplating his situation. Perhaps he had acted too harshly, he thought. "If only Emily knew the great danger she was facing." Raoul smiled. A thought occurred to him, so obvious, so simple. Why hadn't he figured it out before? He could just tell Emily about the Phantom. It would be the easiest thing to do. Emily would understand, after knowing the truth, the reasons for his actions.

Raoul rehearsed a possible conversation in his head. It would be hard to talk about Christine, but he could leave out the most painful bits. "Emily just has to get the gist of it," he reminded himself. "Who knows? Maybe I can find another opera house for her."

Heaving a huge sigh of relief, Raoul got to his feet unsteadily. Stifling a yawn he made his way down the hall and to Emily's room. The floor beneath him creaked as he put his weight upon it.

All together too soon, Raoul reached the door to find that it was closed. Perhaps Emily wasn't up yet. Timidly, Raoul knocked so that the sound was barely audible. No reply. He tried again, a little louder this time.

An eerie silence crept through the hall. No one could be that quiet. Slowly, very slowly, Raoul turned the knob and crept inside.

Emily wasn't there! The bed was still neatly made. Her clothing for the next day was lying out on her dresser. A breeze blew through the open wind, ruffling the curtains. Where was Emily? He strained his ears to hear if she was downstairs, perhaps preparing breakfast. The rustle of a branch made his heart skip a bit.

"Who's there!" he yelled.

The soft chirp of a robin was his reply.

Raoul's breath quickened as though he expected Emily, or perhaps her ghost, to jump out from behind a corner. But there was nothing. Nothing at all. Not even a sign of a struggle.

Sighing, Raoul accepted the truth. Emily was nowhere to be found. If he couldn't find her on the grounds, he'd have to call the police. "What if I never see her again?" he wondered as he made to close the window. "What if the last thing she heard from me was a reprimand?"

Raoul gasped. Torn and lying on the ground in a tangle of thorns, was Emily's shawl. Suddenly, everything clicked in Raoul's mind. He knew where Emily was: the opera house.

Raoul's rush of relief was quickly replaced by fear. What if the Phantom took her? That couldn't be it. He would have heard her scream. No, Emily had disobeyed him and had gone to the opera house on her own accord.

Raoul smiled at his own brilliance. He could say that the Phantom took Emily.

"Yes," he muttered to himself. "That would explain the Phantom's death perfectly."

Erik had no idea that someone was plotting his murder. Even if he did, he wouldn't have worried about it right now. The only thing on his mind was Emily.

"Try that last section again," he advised. "Put some more force on those high notes and it would be perfect."

Emily obliged. Never had she been more inspired. Her heart soared with the notes. If only this song, this night, could last forever.

"You really should go, Emily. It's getting late."

These words brought her back to cold reality. It was late and her absence could be noticed. Emily loathed the thought of leaving, but how could she say, "Can't I just sing for a few more hours." Or, more truthfully, "I'd rather stay here and gaze into your beautiful eyes." She returned to her room.

After Emily was gone, Erik slumped down onto a chair. Never had anyone confused him so. Did Emily with her radiant, blonde hair and deep, chocolate eyes have any idea all the uncertainty she had caused?

Never had Erik considered the thought that he could love someone else. After Christine left, he had deemed himself unworthy of love. He had to find out. He had to know. Erik smiled at the thought of Emily. She had brought some joy to his heart, some hope. His thoughts lingered for a moment on Christine.

Erik felt as though all of the breath had been sucked out of him. Raoul. He had forgotten all about him. That must be who Emily was staying with. She had no other family after all.

Erik groaned and put his head in his hands. Raoul knew all about him. Raoul knew where to find him, and Emily. He would take Emily just like he took Christine!

"No!" he cried desperately. He couldn't let this happen. If Raoul took Emily too, he would die of a broken heart. The world would collapse around him. He would not be able to go on.

"No," Erik said firmly. He would not let that happen. He was, after all, the Phantom Of The Opera. He would do as he pleased. Raoul had played his game once before and lost. He would lose again. A sinister grin crept across Erik's face as a plan formulated in his mind.

"No," he said one last time. The Phantom Of The Opera can kill and will again.

How many here love cliffhangers? cue the crickets Sorry about that guys. This one was too good to resist. Keep in mind, the faster you review the faster I write! See ya!