Chapter 11
The Hidden Truth

The light from morning shone through the broken window that lay above Gustave's head. Some wind had blown a few leaves in along with snow at night, leaving the room looking worse than it did when they had arrived. Considering what a hasty escape they'd made, Gustave began to realize how much evidence they'd left behind. It would be obvious that somebody had been living there now for years…

He turned to find that Eloise was still asleep, nestled against his chest. Gustave had slept on another couch, but Eloise feared Raoul would find them and sat next to Gustave for comfort. She too was beginning to realize that sooner or later, Raoul would find out.
"We need to go back." Gustave said suddenly when he realized Eloise was beginning to wake.
"Why?" She yawned, sitting up to face him.
"Raoul will know somebody lived there – he will burn the place down if he thinks my father is responsible for this." Gustave sat quietly for a moment before speaking again, "I can't risk losing my father's home – it's the only thing I have left of him."
Eloise nodded before she got up to check what was happening outside. She gasped in terror from what she saw out the window and ran behind Gustave, pushing him down and telling him to be quiet.
"The police are here." She whispered urgently.
"At the door?" He asked, checking to see for himself. Sure enough, there were two policemen walking down the street.
"We have to go upstairs."
"The stairs are broken –" Gustave exclaimed before he realized that Eloise had already begun climbing. "Be careful!" He whispered, grabbing her waist before she could fall. He began to climb slowly after her before he heard a knock on the door, freezing them both in their steps.
Eloise shrieked suddenly as the floor fell apart beneath her feet, reminding her of the time she almost drowned. Gustave caught her before she could fall and tossed her gently up to the next set of stairs. A loud bang sounded below them and Eloise let out a scream.
"Shh!" Gustave covered her mouth, realizing that the police had completely smashed in the door and were on their way in. "We need to climb out the window." He suggested, pointing to a large shattered window in front of them.
"Gustave, this isn't safe."
"Do you want to get arrested?" He asked, already helping her stand at the window ledge. She nodded, refusing to look down and lowering herself slowly. They weren't too far from the ground and a bed of bushes lay beneath them. Eloise took a deep breath and shut her eyes, carefully placing her feet along the wall.
"Gustave, hurry!" Eloise begged as she finally made it onto the ground, lying in the snow covered bushes and checking to see if any more police were on their way. Gustave soon found himself lying in the bushes as well. He ran up to Eloise, grabbing her by the elbow and pulling her down the street.
"We have to go back to the Opera house." He begged, realizing this was the moment to tell Eloise the truth. "I want you to go back to the academy."
"What?" She asked, shaking her head. "I can't leave you like this!"
"I want you to leave me like this." Gustave dragged her into a nearby alleyway when he realized the police had come out of the house.
"Don't make me do this!" Eloise begged, "I love you." She could feel another knot tighten in her throat.
Gustave shook his head, "It's not going to be easy, but I want you to leave." What was he saying? He didn't want to lose Eloise, but he needed her to be safe. Nothing good could come out of them being together. Was he going to have to lie again?
"I don't love you anymore." He spit, pushing Eloise to the ground.
"W- What?" Eloise stuttered, fighting back tears. What was Gustave trying to say? Had he not kissed her last night? What had she done to earn his hate so quickly?
"Leave me Eloise!" Gustave muttered, walking away.
"Fine!" She snapped, feeling anger boil inside of her. "You truly are a monster…" Eloise cried.
"That he is." A voice replied suddenly, making Gustave stop in his tracks. "The very monster that caused my life to fall apart!" The man behind the voice cupped Gustave's neck and slammed him against a brick wall. Eloise screamed and soon identified the man to be Raoul.
"Leave him alone!" She shrieked, kicking him in the groin and watching him sink to his knees in pain. She quickly grabbed Gustave's arm and began to run past Raoul, only to be stopped by Brigitte.
"Eloise?" She yelled, looking back at Raoul for an answer. "Y- You are with the ghost!" She eyed his face, cringing in fear, "WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM!?"
"Shut up!" Eloise screeched, pushing Brigitte aside and guiding Gustave down the street. Before she could make it any farther, Raoul appeared with a gun held in his shaking hand. He began to point it at Eloise, who Gustave pushed behind himself in terror.
"Stop!" Gustave shouted, raising his arms above his head. "Raoul," he began, looking his stepfather in the eye.
"Gustave…?" Raoul whispered, suddenly breaking down in tears. "Where have you been?"
"Raoul, Erik had died and- and I didn't know any better –" Gustave stuttered.
"Did he hurt you?" Raoul asked, referring to Erik and deeply offending Eloise.
"Hurt him?!" She exclaimed, "Erik was a great man, he - he raised Gustave to be the man he is today!"
"That's not a good thing." Brigitte added, suddenly allowing Gustave to realize that Meg Giry was this girl's mother. He quickly remembered when Meg had tried to drown him, sending his mother later to her grave. He found himself shaking uncontrollably then.
"Exactly," Raoul replied. "Why, my son's in no shape to be out in public. He needs help, a doctor…"
"He needs compassion!" Eloise exclaimed, "Something I obviously could not give him…"
Gustave's eyes filled with tears, Eloise was fighting so hard to help him and all he had done was make her miserable.
"Obviously not." Raoul laughed wickedly, "After all, you were the one who made me believe that his monster of a father was back."
"What?" Gustave exclaimed, looking at Eloise with hate in his eyes.
Eloise searched for an explanation but found herself mumbling uselessly, "I – I did it because I thought you really were a ghost. I needed to tell someone –" She stuttered, letting tears roll down her cheeks.
"And you chose him?" Gustave pointed to Raoul, filled with hate for him and Eloise. "He didn't know a thing about my father!"
"I AM YOUR FATHER, GUSTAVE!" Raoul shouted angrily, grabbing Gustave by the shoulder and dragging him down the street, pointing his gun back at Eloise. "Never come back for him," he warned, "for once, I won't allow someone to take away what rightfully belongs to me." He shot his gun into the air, making Eloise run away with Brigitte back at her heels.

She ignored Brigitte's constant apologies as she ran farther and farther away from Gustave, feeling Raoul's words pull at her heart strings. She had finally found somebody who truly cared for her, and she had allowed her thoughtless actions to ruin it. She sent one last prayer out then, that wherever Raoul was taking Gustave, she could see him once more to ask for his forgiveness. After all, she had ruined whatever life he had left.