A/N: Just wanted to say thanks to CalleyCat, Boydje822, michellecarriveau, slytherpride, marial0789, PhantomFan01, Hanonymous, littlestar, taylorxtorniquet, Filhound, grapejuice101, and my humble critic, M.B. Thank you all for being so supportive and checking out my story! As I mentioned before, I'll be getting back to work so the updates won't be as frequent but bear with me! See you all next time!
Chapter Nine – Family Matters
"Spit it out, Monette," Melody could hear Erik snarl as he shut the door, encasing them all in the room. "Spit it out and get out. I'm sure this is the same drivel you've come to say, a complete waste of my time and your breath."
Monette's cruel chuckle made her cringe, the sound of his voice ominous and slippery. "Oh, Erik. You and your theatrics. If it wasn't for your temper, I would scarcely be able to acknowledge that you and Martin are related."
"Martin?" Melody frowned, her brows furrowed as she wracked her brain for anyone named 'Martin'. "Who's that?"
"State your case," Erik said coldly, and for a moment, all was still. Every fiber of her being wanted so badly to peep out from behind the curtain, but she did not dare.
"I simply came to see if you've been receiving any more problems from the Phantom."
"Unfortunately for you, no. Is that all?"
"No."
"Of course not."
"Surrender now, Erik, and the attacks will stop completely."
"I knew there was more to this that just the 'how do you dos'. What do you think my answer is?"
"Your stubbornness will be the death of you, Erik…or possibly one of your employees…possibly even one of the Boltons-"
Melody bit back a cry of fright as she heard someone – presumably Erik – lunge at Monette, the sound of someone being thrown to the floor filling the air. "Don't you dare lay a finger on that family! You've done enough damage to mine!"
"I'm merely warning you of the consequences, Erik-"
"Your consequences," he snapped, the sound of his stomping feet coming close to the curtain. Once more, Melody held her breath and prayed desperately not to be found. "I know you've been sending him into the Opera, and even here to find those files…but you won't lay a finger on them."
"That's what you think," chuckled Monette, as though nothing had happened. "I shall find that briefcase, and the files…and I shall destroy you."
The tension in the air was high, she could feel it. Erik walked back, agonizingly slow for Melody's taste as she continued to hold her breath. "…we'll see who gets destroyed first." All was still after Erik had spoken, the sound of his footsteps making her heart stop as he walked towards the door and said, "Now leave." She didn't move a muscle as she waited for the two men to leave, releasing her breath as she heard the door click shut. Waiting an extra second, she poked her head out from behind the curtain and glanced around, her mind swirling with more questions than ever before. "The Phantom works for Monette? What's so special about a briefcase with old files on the Chevalier family? Could it be that the Opera Ghost is related to them? Or the Phantom? Or both? And who is Martin?! Why does Monette keep coming back to taunt them?"
She plopped into the lush chair before her, resting her head against the desk. "I have a headache," she moaned, rubbing her temples as she stretched her legs under the desk and rested her foot against the inside of the furniture.
At once, the wooden panel fell open, causing her to yelp and jump back, yanking her leg from out of the area. "The hell-?!" Falling to her knees, she peered under the desk and found that the panel had fallen to reveal a tight, hidden cavity in the desk, in which a small, light briefcase was placed. It appeared to be nearly a century old, the corners battered and worn, the brown color faded to a tan while a musty smell emancipated from its skin. "Is this…?" she whispered, reaching for the old item.
The sound of footsteps, soft and cautious, made her freeze, her ears straining to hear as she heard the steps come closer. "Is it Erik? Or Monette?" Unwilling to be caught, she took the panel and lifted it, closing it as best as she could until it clicked shut. Placing her hand upon the top of the desk, she felt her fingertips brush against a smooth item. Raising her eyes, she caught sight of a forlorn letter opener, her mind racing with a plan. Snatching the item as the door handle turned, she slipped once more behind the curtain and quickly sliced through the thick curtain, creating a small slit for her to peek through. Once more, she held her breath as the door opened, her hand grasping the letter opener as she squinted through her peephole.
It took everything in her not to cry out as she saw the dark, hooded form of the same maniac that had sent the stagehand flying nearly two weeks ago. "The Phantom!" She could see his face as he approached the desk cautiously, half of it concealed by a porcelain mask, the other half exposed and looking quite normal. His face remained shadowed by his hood as he continued to walk closer, his fingers caressing the top of the desk as he glanced suspiciously around the room. It wasn't until he was much closer that she finally noticed he carried his own briefcase, nearly identical to the one she had just seen. "What is he…? Oh, no!"
She watched in amazement as he knelt down and checked under the desk, his gloved fingers spread open as he slowly traced them over every inch of surface before him, his hand drawing back quickly as the panel fell loose, revealing the case once more. She heard him chuckle cruelly, taking the hidden case and replacing it with the one he had brought in. "He can't! He can't do this to Erik!" The Phantom shut the secret panel and stood up once more, clutching the case to his chest.
Fury bubbled within her as she watched, fueling her as she slunk out from behind the curtain, unnoticed as he gazed at the case in his hands.
"At last…" she heard him murmur, just before she pulled her arm back and brought her arm down.
His head tilted as he sensed a second presence, spinning around in time to have the letter opener slice against his shoulder. A strangled roar escaped him, his eyes blazing as he saw who dared to attack. His eyes widened at the sight of her, a brunette beauty glaring at him as she wielded a small knife.
"Give it back. Now!" she demanded in a hiss, swiping her hand at him again.
The Phantom leaned back, still gripping the case before reaching out to grab her arm. "Foolish girl!" he snarled, his eyes glittering at her furiously. She found herself distracted as she noticed he had one cool blue eye, like Monique, and one fiery golden one, like the Opera Ghost. "Weird…who has eyes like that?" She soon regretted her decision to analyze his eyes the moment he gripped her shoulder harshly, prompting her to drive the knife back and bury it into shin. Biting pain a cry of pain, he squeezed her arm fiercely and threw her to the floor before running out the door, one hand now placed on his side.
"Oh, no you don't!" she growled, running after him despite her aching side. "Stop!" Her hands curled into fists, she forced herself up and ran out the door, unable to believe that he was out of sight, as if he had vanished into mist. "No…" Running as fast as her legs would allow her, she hurried down the steps, her balance thrown off as she tried to make a sharp turn on the stairs. Another scream escaped her as she fell, but she found herself colliding against a set of arms and a tall body, her fingers grasping frantically onto the fine shirt of the newcomer.
"Melody! Mon Dieu, are you all right?"
Raising her eyes, she felt her stomach twist in panic while her heart fluttered sporadically at the sight of Erik's face, his eyes glued onto her face. "I…"
"I heard footsteps upstairs and I find you tripping down the stairs," Erik said, his brows knitting together in concern.
"I…I was in the restroom and I heard someone walking around. When I stepped out, I saw a figure and shouted at him, but by the time I got to the stairs, he was gone." "I'm so sorry, Erik, but you can't know I was hiding in the study!"
"A figure? You didn't see his face?" he asked, his eyes darting towards the staircase.
"No…just that he was wearing dark clothes," she lied.
"Do you remember which room he came out of?"
"No…I'm sorry, Erik." She wanted to curl up and die – she hated lying to him, but what choice did she have? The Phantom couldn't have gotten too far…maybe she could check the parlor later and-
"Never mind that," he sighed, shaking his head before helping her up onto her feet. His eyes softened as he gazed at her, making her face turn bright pink. "You look…beautiful."
"Thanks," she answered shyly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "You look pretty handsome yourself…I don't think I've ever seen you without a jacket."
"It's been a long day," he shrugged, running his fingers through his hair. "But thank you." Offering her his arm, he nodded his head at the doorway to their right. "Everyone's waiting for dinner. I hope you're hungry."
"Starving," she smiled, linking arms with him. Even as they walked away, Melody felt her conscience continuously jabbing her mind. "I've got to find out what happened to that briefcase!"
~OG~
"Thanks so much again for dinner!" Ben grinned, shaking hands with Erik.
"Anytime," Erik replied, returning the friendly gesture. Turning around, he raised an eyebrow as he saw Tom showing Riley how to dance in the parlor, hip-hop music blasting from his iPod. "Tom, I think it's time you let your little playmate go free."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah – just a few more minutes," Tom waved him off, earning a laugh from Riley as he struck a pose.
"Are those two goofing off again?" Monique asked, joining them with Melody, Anna, and Rose as they stepped out from the kitchen together.
"When are they not goofing off?" smirked Ben. "Riley – time to go, bud."
"Aw, but Dad-!" protested the boy.
"We've got to go and let the girls get some rest. Tomorrow's the audition, remember?" Ben reminded the boy, jutting his chin out towards the girls to emphasize his point. "You don't want them to do badly because you two goofballs were too busy learning to breakdance, do you?"
"He's got a point, lil' man. I've got to audition, too," Tom sighed in defeat.
"Fine, we'll go," Riley rolled his blue eyes.
"Oh! Before you leave, we have something for you, Ben," Anna declared, hurrying off into one of the spare rooms and returning with a rather large and bulky rolling bag. "It's full of music and CDs both Erik and Monique want you to have."
"Just for some inspiration and discussion points," Monique winked.
"There's some paperwork concerning the Showcase in there for the music we need permission for, but other than that, the rest you can keep if you'd like," Erik informed him.
"Sounds great, thanks!" Ben nodded, accepting the bag from Anna. "We'll see you tomorrow bright and early. C'mon girls, Riles."
"Bye, Monique!" Riley smiled, accepting her embrace as she wrapped her arms around him. "See you tomorrow!"
"Bye, Riles. Listen to your Dad," she instructed him with a knowing smile before pressing a kiss to his brow.
"I will," he promised, glancing back at his father, who watched the scene with wistful eyes.
"Thank you again for having us," Rose said politely, embracing each of the women and accepting a kiss on her hand from both Erik and Tom.
"We hope you'll come back soon," Anna beamed, kissing the girls and Riley on their cheeks. "Good night, girls, and don't worry – you'll do just fine."
"I sure hope so," Melody thought, her stomach already in a knot at the thought of attending the audition. She couldn't bear the thought of having to perform in front of Dolores, but she was determined to prove herself to everyone…especially to herself. "Good night, Madame, Monique, Tom…good night, Erik," she said at last, guilt bubbling within her gut as he kissed her hand, his eyes locking with hers for longer than necessary.
"Good night, Melody…I'll see you tomorrow," he said softly, a smile growing on his lips as she blushed and looked away, quickly following her family out the door as she snatched her coat from the rack.
The air bit into their skin as they got into the car, waving goodbye to the Chevaliers as they drove away, their stomachs full, their bodies ready for rest. "Everyone's going straight to bed once we get back, understand?" Ben ordered sternly.
"Only if you follow your own advice," Rose laughed, watching him grin back at her.
"Fair enough…I can't believe that bag is loaded with stuff for me just to look at though. It'll have to wait for tomorrow," he commented. Raising his eyes, he looked through the rearview mirror to see Melody and Riley seated comfortably in the back, the sack set between them. "Hey, Mel, could you poke around the bag and pull out that paperwork they were talking about? It must be in a folder or something."
"Sure," she shrugged, unzipping the bag and opening it, her eyes becoming large at the sight of a familiar case. "The briefcase the Phantom stole! He hid it in here?! Actually, it would make sense, he was injured and ran off, but still, in here?!"
"Find anything?"
"Uh…um, no, not yet. Hold on," she stammered, her hands shaking as she fought to focus on the task at hand. She hopped in her seat at the feel of Riley's hand on her shoulder, her heart stopping as he raised his eyebrow at her and silently pointed at the briefcase. Motioning with her forefinger to be silent, her eyes pleading him to do as she asked, she felt relief wash over her as he casually sat back in his seat once more and yawned, asking his father about the auditions and judges. Blocking their chatter out, Melody continued to rummage through the papers and CDs until she found a labeled portfolio and withdrew it. "It will be too weird if I take this out, too noticeable…I'll have to wait until we get this inside and take it out while he's busy." Zipping the bag closed, she prayed to God that Ben wouldn't check the bag that night. "Oh please, just let me make it back without having a heart attack tonight!"
Pulling up to the curb of the de Chagny estate, Ben parked the car and hollered for everyone to get out, helping Melody take the rolling bag out and tugging it into the house. "Just leave it here by the TV, Mel, that way I'll remember to check it out tomorrow when we get back."
"Ok," she answered weakly, her heart pounding as she prayed for Ben to turn away or leave.
"I'm going to bed," Rose yawned, stretching her arms above her head. "I'm beat. G'night, everyone."
"'Night!" Riley chirped, watching his aunt leave. "Hey, Dad, the Wi-Fi upstairs hasn't been working lately. Would you check it with me?"
"Riles, we're going to bed, remember? Besides, I need to visit the little boy's room," Ben answered, missing the wink that his son sent to Melody.
"Yeah, but when we get back tomorrow, we won't want to do anything, so can you just tell me how to fix it at least?"
"Ok, sport, you win," Ben sighed, trudging up the stairs with his boy. "But the bathroom is a must right now."
"Ok, ok, I get the message!" laughed Riley, his voice becoming distant as they moved to the second floor.
Melody waited, listening to make sure there was no one moving around upstairs before falling to her knees and opening the bag yet again, her fingers grasping the handle of the old, battered item greedily. "C'mon, Mel, c'mon!" Zipping the bag closed, she clutched the light cloth carrier in her arms and tiptoed quickly up the stairs, checking both sides before dashing to her room, shutting the door and locking it before falling to her knees again. "Thank God," she breathed holding the case in her grasp and caressing it with her fingertips. "It's ok…I've got it…but why was it with Ben's stuff?"
~OG~
"You imbecile!" Michel Monette bellowed, fuming at the shadowed, hooded figure in the room, hunched in the corner as he continued to grip his shin in pain. "What do you mean you had to leave the case in their house?! You were supposed to have brought it here!"
"You don't understand, monsieur," the harsh, low voice of the Phantom answered back, anger burning in his eyes. "Someone saw me and attacked-"
"And you couldn't have killed the fool who saw you?! You've killed others bigger than you without a single moment of hesitation! What made this person so different?"
"…it was one of the Bolton women, sir."
Monette paused, processing the news before he cocked his head in thought, pursing his lips. "…which one?"
"The dark-haired girl…Melody." He spoke the name softly, as if savoring the sound of her name.
"Where did she catch you in the act, then?"
"The study room…she had hidden herself behind the curtain." His exposed brow furrowed as he realized something he hadn't thought of before. "…she must have seen me take the case out and switch it…or she knew about it before I ever appeared."
"Hmm…" Stroking his upper lip, Monette pondered a moment, walking around the desk to join the hooded man in the shadowy corner. "Then…it's quite possible she overheard my conversation with Erik when I first entered." He chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest as he shook his head. "My, my…I underestimated her. She's quite the snoop, playing detective…I can't imagine Erik will be too happy to know she was there…and where did you leave the case?"
"In an old rolling backpack…it was the closest item to me that I found before I could spill any blood on the floor…I couldn't let any evidence of my presence be found."
"I see. Can you guarantee it's still there?"
"No," the Phantom grimaced. "The bag had items inside meant for Benjamin Bolton, I saw papers with his name inside. It's possible it could be with the Boltons at this moment." He took a step back as Monette laughed gleefully.
"Could you imagine the fury Erik would feel if he were to know his nosy, little student has his family's files and knows the truth?! What a blow to his pride! He'd rip her limb from limb!" Facing the masked man once more, he grinned maliciously, gripping his shoulders. "Listen closely – I want you to go and check for that bag. If it's not there, then send me a message and find Erik, provoke him…and I'll do the rest."
~OG~
"So, what's inside?" Riley asked as Melody dimmed the lights in her room and tugged the curtains closed.
"I'm not sure, Riles," she answered back, returning to the bed where her nephew sat with the case. "It's locked and I don't have the key."
"Try the bobby-pin trick!" he insisted, grinning as her heard her laugh.
"Riley, I can't pick through this-"
"But you want answers to the flashbacks you've been having, right?"
Her eyes became large at him as she heard this, her face drained of all color. "Riley…how did you know about…those?"
"Remember that day that creep came to the Opera and Erik got you to sing?"
"How did you know-?!"
"I was kinda, maybe, sorta hiding in the room across from you," he grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck in a way that reminded her of Ben. "You got all googly-eyed and asked Erik if he got flashbacks, too, and he just said he couldn't answer anything for now. Listen Aunt Mel, if you got flashbacks, maybe it's because you've been here before."
"But I haven't, that's what's frustrating," she shook her head. "The weird part is seeing characters from the Leroux novel-"
"The 'Phantom of the Opera' book? You see the characters in your flashbacks?" he asked, his jaw dropping in amazement. "But how do you know it's them?!"
"I can hear them speak, and the scenes that play out are the ones from the book, except…"
"Except, what?"
Her brows started to knit together as she remembered all the memories of a girl who was not in the original novel. "…there's a girl, her name's Angelique, and she appears in a lot of the flashbacks and dreams I've had of the 'Phantom of the Opera' characters." She scoffed, frowning. "But that's silly, characters aren't real."
"Unless they aren't characters," he reasoned, earning her attention once more. "You told Auntie Rose that Tom could be sorta like Tom Sawyer one time-"
"You little sneak! How many conversations have you listened in on?!" she demanded, trying to frown and glare, only to end up smirking. "I've taught you too well."
"I heard enough," he answered vaguely with a wink. His eyes became stern, startling her as he pointed to the case. "Aunt Mel, I mean it – you should open the case. If Erik won't give you the answers, you should go ahead and look for them. You said so yourself-"
"But it's not right," she shook her head. "Erik would be furious-"
"But he already knows that you're onto something, so he couldn't be that mad, right?"
"Riles…"
"Wait!" he exclaimed suddenly, causing Melody to shush him. "Sorry! Anyway, I just thought of something – sometimes in the movies, they have all that time travel mumbo-jumbo, or the stories where the kid was another person in another life-"
"Reincarnation?"
"Yeah, that," he shrugged. "Sometimes, people get memories because they had old family members that lived there-"
"You mean ancestors?"
"What's with the fancy names?! Sure, that, an-sisters, whatever! They had an-sisters who lived in an old house and they get those memories and it helps them solve the mystery just before they get killed or eaten!"
"You seriously need to stop watching those old horror and slasher films," Melody sighed, ruffling his hair affectionately.
"Think about it – maybe we're related to someone who lived here a long time ago and that's why you remember stuff!" he insisted. "C'mon, Aunt Mel, you gotta find out. That Phantom guy could come back and hurt someone again – what if this case helps you figure it out?"
Shaking her head, she gave the boy a crooked smile before embracing him tightly and kissing his forehead. "How did you ever become so persistent and smart?"
"I've got a crazy Dad and two awesome aunts," he smiled, returning the embrace and kissing her cheek. "You'll tell me, won't you? When you've figured it out?"
Melody nodded against her better judgment, surrendering at last. "I promise. Now go get some sleep."
"Ok…I love you, Aunt Mel."
"Love you, too, Riles…sweet dreams." Walking with him, she escorted him back into his room and got him settled, tucking him in and kissing his head once more before returning to her room and locking the door. Staring at the case on her bed, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry, Erik…but Riley's right. We could all be in deep trouble…and I can't stand not knowing anymore." Scurrying around the room, she collected her tablet, the briefcase, her credit card, and a notebook and pencil before shutting the lights and taking a seat on the carpet, her tablet the only source of light in the room. With her credit card at her side, she typed onto the tablet's keyboard and pulled up an ancestry website. Applying to the terms and agreements, she filled in her information and waited for the confirmation email before returning the main screen, her heart racing as she paused a moment.
"Since I got here in this house…the de Chagny estate…I've gotten visions with Raoul and Christine the most, as well as Angelique…my God, this is crazy!" She set the tablet down and shook her head, laughing softly. "Me? Related to fictional characters…?" Lacing her fingers together in contemplation, she gripped her hands tightly together. "Still…I made it this far…" Holding her breath, she typed in her name and hit the search button, waiting for the results. As expected, her name appeared, as well as her mother's and grandmother's. What she didn't expect was to see another set of names that appeared beside her grandmother's name.
Melody had never met her grandmother, as she had died when her mother was a little girl, so her mother barely knew anything of their heritage, especially since her father was a drunk who died shortly after her mother did, placing her in a foster home. Her eyes grew at the sight of a surname that was misspelled on the site, the name that her grandmother was supposedly born with.
"Lynette De-Chagney".
The link mocked her, asking "See More?" She remembered Anna's words, the day they had first met her and she mentioned her family history and how it was linked with the de Changys. "A branch of the de Chagny family went to America during the Depression era, but we never found out what happened to her…" Biting her lip, she tapped on the blue underlined words, her stomach churning as she waited for a further description.
"Adopted into family. See documentation below."
She did so, seeing the old forms appear on her screen. Photos appeared alongside the old papers, along with a sheet from the census that highlighted her name from several others. "So my grandma was adopted into the de Changy family…but it is the real deal? Are Christine and Raoul involved in this? Were they alive and real?" Once more, she hit the link that allowed her to continue looking into the past, the digital family tree growing before her eyes as she saw the names of her great-grandparents.
"Cyrille De-Chagney" and "Rosette Chevalier."
"Oh God." She felt her body shake as she saw the new name appear. Again, she checked the documents and photos and found that this was where the similarities ended aside from the last name. Seeing that her grandmother was adopted into the family gave her some relief, especially when she saw Erik's last name appear with her own.
"See More?" the link asked again.
Her fingers quaking uncontrollably, she tapped the link once again.
"Raoul De-Chagney" and "Christine Daaee".
Her tablet slid from her hands onto her lap as she stared at the screen, seeing how her name was connected to two characters who were never supposed to be real. It took her a full minute to recover before she dared to tap on the links, displaying the ancient papers when another tab popped up, suggesting that she click on the item to reveal old photographs. She did so, freezing as she saw another scene unravel before her.
Christine Daae uttered a deep sigh, shivering as she heard a sorrowful moan respond. Her eyelids fluttered open and she found herself stunned by a set of handsome blue eyes. "Monsieur," she whispered softly. "Who are you?"
The young man straightened himself before kneeling on one knee and taking her hand in his. "Mademoiselle…I am the little boy who went into the sea to rescue your scarf!"
A sudden, ominous chill overtook the room, making the girl's hair stand on end. Melody, also could sense it…she sensed as saw it all, as clearly as she would an old, period film. She gasped as she realized that though she stood amidst them all in the dressing room, no one saw her…not even the pair of glowing eyes that glared maliciously from behind the mirror…
Just as quickly as it happened, it was over, leaving her breathless in her room, her heart pounding a million miles an hour. Gasping for breath, she realized that though her heart beat furiously within her, it was not from fear…it was from exhileration.
"I get it…I understand…it's all connected, and so am I."
There on the screen was black and white picture, the beautiful, fair-haired couple staring back at her. The names were horribly misspelled, but they were there, nevertheless. Tapping on the description link, she was surprised to see that while the information listed was similar to the description in Leroux's book, little was known about the well-off family other than the 'De-Chagney' line originating from nobility and the 'Daaee' line coming from Sweden. Inhaling deeply, she set the tablet aside and reached for the briefcase, her brows furrowing as she squinted at the lock. "…I need a bobby pin."
~OG~
"Merde!" Erik cursed, sending a wave of panic through Monique as she listened from the doorway.
"What?! What's wrong?" she demanded as she saw him arise from behind his desk.
"The case, Monique – it's gone!" Erik cried, running towards her. "Someone's switched it out with an identical case that's empty!"
"But who could-?"
"Hello again."
Monique screamed as the hooded form of the Phantom seem to materialize from the shadows, wielding a shining knife at the pair. "No-!"
"You!" Erik snarled, reaching into his back pocket and swiftly tugging out a thin, shining rope that was so finely braided appeared to be no thicker than a thread.
"What's going on…? Erik!" Anna exclaimed, catching sight of the two men fighting, each one lunging at the other and dodging in time. "Monique-!"
"Mom, we need to get out!" Monique ordered her, stopping herself the moment she heard someone fall to the floor. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the Phantom grimacing in pain as Erik punched his leg, already wrapping the lasso around his throat. "Erik-!"
"What's the matter? Did someone take a jab at you today before me?" Erik sneered, unsurprised to hear his cellphone ringing just as he was nearly finished stringing the perpetrator up. "Monique, my phone. Put it on speaker."
Cautiously approaching the two men, she slipped the phone out of his pocket and did as her brother asked of her, her face twisting in disgust at the sound of the all-too familiar voice through the telephone.
"I see you've been reunited again, how lovely."
"Erik has him strung up, Monett, so if you don't want you little henchman to squirm-"
"My dear Monique, you act like you don't care what happens to the poor boy. And after everything you all have been through-"
"What did you do with the case?!" Erik bellowed, tightening his hold on the Phantom, making his enemy squirm.
"Ah, but it's what I didn't do to the case…you see, my little visit was meant as a distraction. Unfortunately, my friend didn't make it out with the case, though he did earn a few new battle scars…who would have thought Miss Melody Bolton would have so much fight in her?"
All members of the Chevalier family gawked at the phone, stunned to silence.
"…you're…you're lying!" Anna started, earning a laugh from Monette.
"The Phantom says she emerged from behind the study curtain wielding a letter opener – can you believe it?" he chuckled merrily. "She attacked him and demanded that he return the case. You do realize that this probably means she heard our little chat, don't you, Erik?"
Erik clenched his fingers tighter around his enemy's neck, though he was consumed by shock at this point more than anger. The image of Melody holding her breath behind the curtain as he and Monette argued rushed through his head, his stomach tying in a knot…and suddenly, he remembered what he had just said. Melody stabbed the Phantom in an effort to stop him from stealing the files. "So that was why she tripped down the stairs," he mused under his breath, a bemused smile growing on his lips much to the Phantom's confusion.
"Erik?" Monette called out, sounding curious as he heard nothing in response.
"Where's the case now?" Monique snapped, wishing she could crush the man's head in her bare hands. "If you don't have it-"
"My friend said he placed the item in a rolling backpack…I don't suppose you'd know where it is?"
Once more, Erik's stomach sunk like a rock at the news, releasing his foe immediately before taking off.
"Oh dear," Anna whispered, her hand placed over her heart in worry as she understood where it was.
"Come, my friend. Time to come home," Monette's voice slithered through the phone, soon followed by a curt 'click', signaling the end of the call. The Phantom arose from the floor, throwing several smoke pellets at the women, who coughed and hacked as they raised their arms in defense. Upon opening their eyes, the hooded man was gone, and so was Erik.
"Where is Erik?" Anna asked, placing her hand on Monique's shoulder.
"Where else?" she answered, her heart pounding furiously in worry. "The de Chagny estate."
~OG~
"My God…!"
The moonlight poured in through the window panes of Melody's room that eerily clear night. Her large brown eyes were wide in awe and shock as she finished reading the accounts that she had unwittingly snuck out of the Chevalier household. The documents were authentic, one thick volume signed off by Gaston Leroux, another by a fellow named Edward Stubenbacker, yet another by Augustine Joubert, and the fourth by a fellow named Julien Chevalier.
"I can't believe it…all those crazy theories I had…the flashbacks…they were true! It makes sense now!" The moment she had opened the case, she found herself gawking at the several packets of paper, all of them written in beautiful, fancy manuscript that no one in modern times could even dream of writing in. The stories she read were tantalizing, romantic, and above all, unbelievable. Nestled in the bottom corner of the case was an antique piece of jewelry, a beautiful golden locket with a rose engraved on the cover. She had reached for it, wanted to hold it and open it so badly…but refrained, feeling guilty enough for having gone through these private documents.
"This can't be…" she shook her head. Despite all this, there was still a small part of her that was hesitant to grasp the idea that fictional characters were real and had descendants. "There's no way-!"
The windows burst open suddenly, a cry of surprise leaping free from her mouth as she grasped the old documents and quickly tucked them back into the battered briefcase. Her brows furrowed as she began to rise to her feet, finally facing the mysteriously opened window when she felt an imposing presence nearby, a tall, thin shadow looming over her. A sense of dejavu overwhelmed her, sending her spinning around to face the familiar cloaked figure with golden eyes that glared down in fury at her through his porcelain white mask. Just as she had done each time they met, her jaw dropped but no sound came out of her throat except for a strangled gasp.
The Opera Ghost bent down suddenly, moving as quickly as a cobra, hissing through his teeth at her as his long, gloved fingers snatched the case from her hands. His wide-brimmed fedora brushed against the top of her head, his concealed nose nearly touching hers as he snarled, "Stay out of the Chevalier family's affairs, mademoiselle, or it shall be your ticket to Hades!"
She was too stunned to pull away, suddenly mesmerized by his burning eyes and melodic, yet sinister, voice. He had a faint scent of decay that intermingled with something delicate and beautiful…roses, perhaps?
With a swift motion of his hand, he slammed her touch-screen tablet shut and swirled his cape over her head. She squeezed her eyes shut, raising her arms to protect herself when a sense of calm fell over her, the air finally still and quiet. Daring to peek, she opened one eye and stared before her, seeing the room empty of the frightening, intriguing visitor. Lowering her arms, she arose to her feet, her head whipping to and fro as she searched him out.
"Gone," she breathed. "Gone…just like a ghost."
Turning around, she found that the curtains fluttered lightly as the window was still cracked open. Cautiously, she tiptoed towards the structure, pressing her palm against the frame of the French Doors and poking her head out into the cold night air. Once more, she moved her head from side to side, squinting as she peered into the darkness. Puckering her lips into a pout, she tugged the handle of the window until it clicked shut, her arms moving to cross themselves over her chest.
"Stay away? After that little display you pulled on me?" she pondered, a stubborn smirk growing on her lips. "Not on your life, Erik."