The stage was deathly silent for a moment as Mr. Giles read the letter over.

"Paris…." Someone whispered. The stage suddenly burst into wild cheering and excitement. Matt grasped Mia from around the waist and swung her around the stage in a mock waltz. Mark and Cassandra leapt into the air and hugged one another tightly. Ryan slapped Jason on the shoulder and everyone else was screeching and shouting with all the energy they could muster.

"We're going to Paris!" Cassandra shouted as Mia finally extricated herself from Matt. "We've done it!" Mia shouted back. "I can't believe it Cass, we're gonna be going to Paris!"

Cassandra ran down the hall of St. Marks and found a pay phone. She could still hear the cheers and shouts bursting from the auditorium. She pulled her calling card from her wallet and dialed the number and then the number where her father was.

"Hello?" The voice sounded slightly sleepy.

"Dad?"

"Cassandra?"

"Daddy!"

"Sweet heart, it's almost one thirty, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry dad, but I just had to call and tell you the good news….I got excited and forgot about the time change."

"It's alright, but what's the good news?"

"The play I was in….we won the competition! We get to go to Paris!"

"What?"

"The Phantom of the Opera…."

"The play you went and saw?"

"No…I was in it Dad."

"Oh….right."

"Well, it was part of a competition---and the winners get to perform in Paris in a few weeks at the Paris Opera House. And we won!"

"That's fantastic sweet heart…I'm sure it will be very exciting to see it."

"Are you going to be able to take the time off to come?"

"Oh, no…I meant for you—"

"Dad, have you listened to a word I've said?"

"How much is this trip going to cost? Or is St. I's providing scholarships?" All the happiness Cassandra had previously felt flowed from her body as she realized her father had no clue what she was talking about.

"Go back to bed Dad….It's no big deal…don't worry about it."

"Cassandra?" Cassandra slammed the phone down and pressed her face against the cool metal of the box. Hot tears brimmed at her eyes she was so frustrated with her father at that moment.

Cassandra sniffed back the tears and walked out of the phone booth.

"Is everything alright Cassandra?" Mr. Villefort was standing in front of her, his dark hair swept back from his face.

"Fine, Mr. Villefort." Cassandra's voice was flat with her lack of excitement.

"You don't seem fine." Mr. Villefort stood in her way and kept her from getting past. "Would you care to talk about it?"

"It's no big deal."

"So, 'No big deal' can set a strong young woman such as your self to crying in a phone booth?" Cassandra looked up and glared at Mr. Villefort. "I know you don't want me involved in your personal life, Cassandra….but I want you to know that I'm here, and available at any time at St. Isabel's if you need to talk." Mr. Villefort made to turn when Cassandra spoke.

"He didn't even care…."

"Who didn't?"

"My father." A single tear streaked down her face as she stared Villefort down. "After all the work we put into it—I put into it—He just doesn't care."

"I'm sure you must be mistaken."

"He didn't care!" Cassandra shouted and then tried to calm herself down again. She tried to fight the tears back, she really didn't want to cry in front of Villefort, but realized it was going to happen anyway when a big sob burst forth. "He's always gone….He just—" Cassandra started to cry harder and the big sobs shook her whole frame. Villefort walked forward slowly as Cassandra cried. He reached out and gently rubbed her shoulder. Without much prodding at all Cassandra turned into Villefort and let him comfort her.

"It'll be alright Cassandra." Villefort said in his wonderfully resonant voice. "Don't cry…." Cassandra sniffled a few more times and then pulled away from Villefort. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry Mr. Villefort. I didn't mean to—"
"It's alright….we've all got to let our emotions out sometime." Cassandra wiped her face with her hands and shrugged. "Go wash your face, and return to the stage. We've got some things we have to go over before making travel reservations." Cassandra nodded and moved off to the bathroom.

"Thank you….Mr. Villefort." Mr. Villefort watched as she turned the corner and disappeared down the hall to wash her face.

When she returned to the stage she acted just as happy as ever. Ryan sensed that something was wrong, but decided not to mention it until they could get a private moment.

"What's up, Cass?" Ryan said after the business at the stage was finished. "You seem a little put off." He was walking with her back to where the buses would pick the girls from St. Isabel's up. He held her hand gently as the others moved quickly around them.

"Nothing…"

"Cassie…"

"I'd just rather not talk about it." Cassie said shortly. "It's a personal thing….I'd rather forget it."

"If you say so." Ryan hugged Cassandra before she got on the bus with the other girls and wondered what was going on with her.

He made his way to the computer lab. He had a date to plan in Paris.