1The Return of the Phantom 5: The Replacement

After the opera Chelle rushes to find Derrick so that she can show him the note. "He will believe me once he sees this. He has to believe." She runs all around the opera house, but can not find him anywhere. She finally go to back to her room. She opens the door and find Derrick waiting for her. "I been looking all over for you", she say.

"You, have? I thought you were mad at me."

"I have something to show you."

Chelle hands the note to Derrick, and he reads it.

"My dear Mademoiselle,
Thank you for being my guest tonight. When I saw you in box seven with that fool of a boy, I was afraid you werent going to come. However, you did. You are wiser than you used to be. The charm of a boy cannot turn you away from your angel of music any more.
Your angel,
Og"

After reading it a couple of times Derrick hands it back to her with a frown on his face. "I was wrong about you. You are more of a child then I thought."

"What is that suppose to mean?"

"Come on Rachelle, this note is not from the Opera Ghost. Someone is just playing a trick on you."

"Then how did this note get into box five, when no one entered or exited that box other than me?"

"It was most likely there the whole time but you didnt notice it."

"Get out of here; I do not want to talk to you. You are the one being a fool not me. Get out!"

A week passed from that night and Chelle has not once spoken to Derrick. She went to box five every night of the opera but never once got a note or rose from OG. She was now on herr way to the rehearsal of Carmen before the last performance. When you step on to the stage, Monsieur Leroux runs up to her as fast as he can possible go. We have to cancel the show. It's a full house and we have to cancel", says with an unsteady voice.

"What are you talking about? Why do we have to cancel?"

"It's Ellisa she fell sick and now we have no lead for the show."

"Surely someone can do it?"

"No one knows the part."

At this Derrick arrives. "Monsieur Leroux", says he, "Ellisa just has a cold and lost her voice, but she will be alright."

"Alright? She will be alright? What about the show? We have no lead."

Derrick then looks over at you and smiles. "Yes we do. Chelle knows the part."

"What me?" Chelle says in shock.

"I heard her singing it in her room. She can do it."

At hearing this Monsieur Leroux cries out for joy "Alright everyone places in an hour."

"Derrick I cannot do this. The show opens in an hour. Everyone is expecting to see Ellisa tonight. It's closing night there is a full house. I cannot do this."

Derrick takes her hands in his and says, "I know you can do it. I know because you have an angel of music watching over you."

"You believe me than?"

"No, I can't believe that it is the opera ghost, but I do know that someone is watching over you. Some one was leaving you those note, now I cannot say who or why, but some one wants you to think you are being visited by the opera ghost."

"So you don't believe it?"

"Cannot believe in it but I do believe in you. You must get ready. I know you can do it." He then kisses her hand and leaves her to get ready.
Chelle was sitting in the dressing room ready to go on stage. Monsieur Leroux knocks on the door. "Five minutes to places." Suddenly, Ellisa runs into the room. "What do you think you are doing?"

"I was...you were sick. They had to find a replacement."

"No one replaces me!" She then takes the costume away from Chelle and throws it on. "I will be singing tonight not you."

Chelle starts to cry and run out of the dressing room. She keeps running until she comes to the underground lake. "This is where Derrick saved me from drowning. Why am I thinking about him at a time like this. He got me into this! He told Monsieur Leroux that I could do the part! He probably knew Ellisa was ok and could still sing!" Chelle looks at the underground lake again.

"Poor Erik, so this is where he died. Drowning himself in the underground lake. The last three words of Gaston Lerouxs book, Erik is dead."

Chelle puts one foot in the lake, and then the other. But, suddenly she hears Derrick cry out her name, "Chelle, what are you doing, why are you not on stage?"

"Why am I not on stage? Like you don't know. Ellisa is on stage, she is the lead. No one can replace her", she yells while turning around to face him.

"Chelle I didn't know. I swear an hour ago she could not sing. If I would have known I would have never said that you could have done the part. I'm sorry. Now come on Chelle lets get out of here. You need rest. For goodness sake, you are standing in an underground lake. What are you thinking? Here take my hand I will help you out."

She takes his hand and he helps her out of the lake. They both walk slowly back to her room. When they get to the room Chelle turns to Derrick and start to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just that...that lake, it's where we first met." Chelle really wants to say that the lake is where Erik died, but she didn't. She knew that saying it would just start an argument with Derrick. She didn't want that considering that they have not spoke to each other for a week.

"Yes, I remember. It was as if you were under a trance and was trying to drown yourself in the lake. I was scared to death I didn't know what to think or do."

"Drowning my self in the lake? Oh my goodness, that's how Erik died."

"What who's Erik?"

"You know Erik, the Angel of music, the Opera Ghost, the Phantom of the Opera."

"Chelle please don't start that again." He than starts to leave the room. Chelle grabs his arm and turn him around to look at her eye to eye. "Derrick, you must believe me".

As soon as she finishes the words Monsieur Leroux comes in. "I was looking all over for you. I had a wonderful idea. We are going to put on the musical The Phantom of the Opera right here in this opera house. Rehearsal will start tomorrow." He then turns around and leaves.

"Put on Phantom of the Opera here, is he mad?"

"Well, Chelle, you got your wish. You will have an angel of music here after all", says Derrick.