Disclaimer: I don't own the Phantom. I own the four girls, of whom all four are soon to be in mortal peril. I loooove writing like this!

A/N: Wow, good reviews this time! And FYI for all of yous, I'm on a bit of a posting spree today. Without any further ado...

Enchantment3000: (scoffs) you actually think I'll let my best friend die? That's the way it goes sometimes, sacrifice a character for the sake of the plot... but not here! It's gonna be okay! He doesn't really 'attack', per se, he just wants to know why they're there in the first place. (So obviously, put one in danger and they'll talk. Or close to it.)

Mouse in the Opera House: I loooove your name, it's so cute! Scary mental images are good, they turn into funny mental images. You'll see...

Erik&Christine: Everyone's worried about Josie (duh, obvious...) Read and find out! And thanks for caring about the reviews, that's never really happened to me before:)

Charlie Quill: Thanks:)

Kayla

Chapter 10 – Girl Power

A black-cloaked figure now stood in front of me, obstructing my view of Josie, Sam and Kendall. Time seemed frozen for a moment, and I heard Josie gasping for breath. I straightened up quietly and heard him ask in perfect French,

"Pourquoi étés-vous ici?"

His voice was rough and deadly, hardly above a whisper, but we all heard it.

I didn't know what he would do if I tried to get out of the boat, so I decided to find out. I snatched my bag and jumped in the water.

Erik's head snapped around, and he stared daggers at me as I clambered up the bank. I saw that the lasso was still tight around Josie's neck, but her eyes flashed a mischievous warning at me.

"Répondez!" Erik thundered. His grip on the lasso slackened in his anger, and Josie took full advantage of the situation.

She stomped on his foot, pushed herself back against his chest, and pulled the lasso away from her neck. Slipping it over her head, she ran up the steps next to me and spun to face him.

Erik yelped when she stepped on him and now stood on one foot, glaring at her. Josie finally answered his question:

"Messrs. Andre and Firmin sent us to kill you."

Her voice matched his in deadliness.

Erik gaped at her, incredulous. "How do you plan to do it, mademoiselle?"

Josie picked up one of the candelabras from his desk and thrust it in front of her.

With the agility of a cat, Erik coiled the lasso, leapt up the stairs and landed within six inches of her.

"Shoot."

We scattered. Sam and Kendall ducked into the Louis-Philippe room, I flew behind the organ, and Josie ran into Erik's bedroom. I peeked around the organ; Erik was slowly advancing, like a tiger ready to pounce.

"Erik," I said tentatively, "please… arrêtez… stop… please…" I hesitated. "Parlez-vous anglais?"

He stopped for a moment.

"At all?" I asked, earning a glare from him.

"Not well?" I tried again, remembering what he had just asked Josie.

"Well enough," he growled.

I came slowly around the organ. "Will you please do me a favor and swear not to Punjab us?"

"Why should I? How and why are you here in the first place?"

He advanced and I backed against the organ.

"Okay, that thing Josie said about us being sent to kill you was a lie," I said, talking fast. "We wanted to know if you really existed, and you do, and it's amazing."

Confusion flashed in his eyes, but a smirk tugged at his lips.

"Of course it was a lie," he chuckled. "Andre and Firmin disappeared three years ago, after the… the fire." He suddenly glared at me. "But who are you? How did you ever hear of me? I haven't set foot above ground since that night; no one knows of me."

How wrong he was.

"Before I answer that highly interesting question, can they come out?" I gestured toward his bedroom and the Louis-Philippe room, both of which still had their doors tightly closed. He strode to his own door first.

In a tone to raise the dead, he roared, "GET OUT OF MY ROOM NOW!"

The door opened a crack and Josie peeked out. "Heck no. I'm not coming out unless you… how did it go? In Beauty & the Beast… oh yeah. You must control your temper!" She slammed the door and I heard her giggling to herself.

Erik's hands, however, were clenched into fists, so I steered him over to the Louis-Philippe room. "Try the girls," I suggested. "I'll get Josie."

I opened the door to Erik's room and found Josie sitting at another organ that was pushed against the wall. Her fingers ran over the keys. "I wonder how many times he's played this," she mused aloud. "Look at this – the keys are all worn down… Do you think he'd get mad if I played something?"

I shrugged. "I might, if I were him. You know, four girls come in and basically attack him." I grinned. "Well, one did anyway. Besides, now he wants to know who we are, how we got here, all that stuff."

"Yeah, okay. Maybe I could play later."

We came out of his bedroom to find Sam and Kendall sitting on the floor by the (slightly larger) organ. Erik stood in front of them, and on Kendall's lap was…

"Ayesha!" I squealed in delight.

I have discovered, as I am writing this, that it is a story now based on three things: Leroux's original novel, the movie, and now Kay's novel (see Ayesha). Hope you like it, I couldn't bear to pass up the opportunity of putting Ayesha in! Please R&R!

Phantomfreak07