Chapter IV

Sister Kenna

(A/N: Holy epic long wait Batman!

Anyway, time for another update! It's Monday in story-world, so it's time for Addie to drive her mother to the doctor's, and Erik to act as a substitute teacher. Dear God...
Still don't own Phantom...)

Adeline trembled. It wasn't from the cold, though of course, it was rather chilly beneath the abandoned theater. It was because of the man walking beside her. Erik's very presence intimidated her, but she was bound and determined not to show it.

He noticed her tremble. "Are you alright?" he asked, concern lacing his baritone voice.

The voice alone made her shiver again. "I'm fine," she lied. "Just a little chilly."

They were making their way back up towards the surface. It was four AM on Monday, and Adeline needed to prepare to drive her mother to the doctor, and Erik had to get ready to teach that class.

At that thought, Adeline giggled. Erik looked at her. "What's so funny?"

"I just remembered. You're supposed to be taking over for me at school today. How are you going to manage that?"

"Well, despite common belief, I am rather good with children."

"You obviously haven't met Darren Tschaw."

(POV & TIME change)

"...and then a left up here."

"I know, Mom," Adeline groaned, fighting the urge to bang her head against the steering wheel of her old AMC Gremlin. Stupid New York, she thought, winding her way haphazardly through the mid-morning traffic, earning more than a few honks and fingers. Stupid traffic. As she pushed a little harder on the accelerator pedal, the car gave an angry protesting wheeze. Stupid old clunker.

Finally pulling up to the doctor's office, Adeline parked the car as close to the door as she could get without earning herself a ticket. She got out of the car, straightening her light green cotton jacket. Her mother followed, grayish-brown curls bobbing around comically as she struggled to pull herself out of the passenger side.

Eventually, Adeline had to help her out. Ever since she'd had that nasty fall last spring, her mother's knee hadn't quite been the same. And that cough was worrisome too...

(POV change)

Erik took a deep breath. Why did I do this? God! This is stupid. Stupid, stupid idea! He hefted the pile of sheet music that Adeline had gave him earlier out of his bag and onto the desk. He turned and faced the class. So far, it had been a good day. Now he was down to his last block class, and his nerves were getting frazzled.

He'd decied against wearing the mask today. The children would have pestered him about it. instead he was wearing quite a lot of stage makeup. It didn't stand up to close inspection, but no one had noticed yet.

"Now, as you have probably noticed by now, I am not Ms. Everard. She is gone today, and I have been called to fill in for her. Any questions?"

A small blonde boy with glasses in the front row raised his hand. "What's your name?" he asked, not waiting to be called upon.

Erik already didn't like the boy. "Mr. Carriere," he said, pleasantly enough.

"Aren't you going to write it on the board?" the boy asked, pointing at the chalkboard that occupied the majority of the front wall. "That's what most of the substitutes do."

He glared at the boy. "I suppose so," he said, begrudgingly stepping up to the board. None of the other classes had asked him to write his name. They'd all had the presence of mind to remember it, which this class evidently lacked.

Erik stared unblinkingly at the board for a moment before picking up the chalk and scrawling his name across the top in a barely legible script. He turned around to the class to begin explaing about the spring show, but more than half the class of second graders had gotten out of their seats and were crowding around the board.

"It looks like a walrus eating a turtle," a boy with short brown hair proclaimed.

"Nah," a girl with pigtails shook her head. "It looks like a horse with two heads."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Courtney, that is definetly not a horse. It's a walrus! Don't you see the tusks?" He pointed at the name.

"Nuh-uh! Elephants have tusks, Darren! Walruses don't!"

As the two continued their argument, a little girl with blonde ringlets tied with a pink bow hopped out of her back row seat and hurried up to Erik.

"Mr. Carriere?" she asked in a whisper, tugging on his sleeve. "Are we gonna work on the spring show today?" She smiled at him.

Erik looked down at her. "Yes," he answered, eyeing her warily. No matter how sweet they may seem to be, children are not to be trusted. "Now go on back to your seat while I take care of the others."

The girl smiled. "I can do that!" she laughed, running into the middle of the crown of children. "HEY!" she yelled. "GET BACK TO YOUR SEATS NOW!"

Everyone frightenedly scrambled for their seats. Erik looked at the girl again. "Er, thanks-?"

"Ellie."

"Yes. Thank you , Ellie. Now," He turned back to the class. "We are going to be working on casting for your spring show. And to do that, we must go to the auditorium-"

The children hopped out of their seats and ran out the door, not waiting for further instructions.

Ellie walked up to the desk and picked up about a quarter of the papers. She then walked out the door. She turned around. "Mr. Carriere? Aren't you coming?"

Erik grabbed the rest of the papers and followed her out the door.

(POV change)

Adeline sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office, trying to focus on the issue of People magazine she'd found on the side table. To be honest, she really couldn't care less about what Kate Gosselin was up to, or what nationality Brad and Angela's new kid was. She desperately needed something to occupy her mind. Her mother had been with the doctor for most of the day, having test after test done.

She glanced up at the clock. 2:30. Wonder how Erik's faring with the class, she thought, flipping a page absently.

She continued flipping pages in this manner until she found she'd run out. She put the magazine back on the table and grabbed the new Reader's Digest. The jokes sections were usually pretty good. I should have thought to bring a book with me. Or my laptop. I could've spent the last four hours watching Phantom Reviews. That usually cheers me up...I wonder how Erik would react to those...

(POV change)

Once the class was settled in the plush leather chairs of the auditorium and making a minimum amount of noise, Erik climbed up onto the stage. He strode to the piano and put the large pile of sheet music on top. He looked at the top of the pile to referesh his memory of the song order and Adeline's reccomendations for which each child should attempt.

"Okay first is," he cringed in the humiliation of saying the title. "Jolly Holiday from Mary Poppins. Courtney and Darren, you're up first." He sat down at the piano, hoping it would be over quickly.

Courtney hopped up on stage eagerly, followed by Darren who waved at the audience. They both stood in front of the microphone. Erik began to play.

Darren stepped forward, grinning like an idiot. "Ain't it a glorious day? Right as a mornin' in May. I feel like I could fly. 'Ave you ever seen the grass so green, or a bluer sky? Oh, it's a jolly 'oliday with Mary. Mary makes your 'eart so light! When the day is gray and ordinary, Mary makes the sun shine bright!..."

In the pause between verses, someone called out, "Nice accent Darren!" earning giggles from everyone else. Courtney merely rolled her eyes and took her place in front of the microphone. "Now then, what'd be nice? We'll start with rasberry ice, and then some cakes and tea."

About five different kids then rushed up on stage. "Order what you will, there'll be no bill, it's complimentary!" They then scuttled back off stage pushing and shoving eachother playfully.

Courtney continued. "Oh, it's a jolly holiday with you, Bert. Gentlemen like you are few. Though you're just a diamond in the rough, Bert, underneath, your blood is blue!..."

As soon as the song was finished, Courtney and Darren hurried back to thier seats. Erik looked at the next song on the list. "Okay, Ellie, you're next."

Ellie slid out of her seat and climbed up onto the stage. She adjusted the micrphone to her height (she was the shortest in her class). "What am I singing?" she asked, adjusting her shirt.

Erik looked at the sheet again. "Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas." Is Adeline on a Disney kick or something? he thought, setting the proper sheet music in front of the piano.

Ellie hurriedly began counting the beats of rest until she was supposed to start. "You think I'm an ignorant savage, and you've been so many places, I guess it must be so. But still I cannot see, if the savage one is me, how can there be so much that you don't know?..."

(POV change)

Adeline sighed. She'd made it through all the magazines worth reading in the waiting room, and had resigned herself to finding patterns in the wallpaper.

That one kinda looks like a crane. Or is it a stork? Flamingo? It's some sort of bird. Long legs, and stubby wings- Oh! That one's a walrus!

All of a sudden, her cell phone began to ring. The receptionist and the others in the waiting room gave her a dirty look. She opened it, not bothering to check the caller id. "Hello?"

"Addie! You finally answered! I've been trying to reach you all day!"

Adeline paled. She ducked out into the hall so she wouldn't disturb anyone. "Kenna? What do you mean you've been calling all day?"

"I've been calling your home phone silly!"

Adeline sighed. "Even if it weren't today, I'd be at work. As a matter of fact, our mother is at the doctor's office today."

"About her knee?"

"Yep."

"Poor Momma. That cough still messin' with her too?"

"Yeah. I'm worried it might be TB."

"Consumption? Really, Ads? That hasn't been major since, like, ever!"

"Maybe she ate some bad mayonaise in Mexico or something."

"Like Dad did once and got stomach worms?"

"...Something like that. Anyway, why've you been trying to reach me?"

"I was wonderin' if me, my husband, and the kids could come up this weekend. The kids've been missing Auntie Addie, and I'm sure David wants to get out of Boston. His firm is getting overworked on this new murder trial."

Adeline thought for a moment. "I guess that's okay. As long as you promise to keep the little demons under control. My apartment's really small and crappy."

"I remember." There was a laugh on the other line. "And I'll do the cooking this time. Seeya later, big sis."

"Bye, Chantefleurie!" Adeline pressed the end call button and sighed. Kenna always did have impeccable timing...calling in in the middle of the waiting room and all...I can't believe she's my sister...

(A/N: Yep, Addie's got herself a sister. And be warned. Kenna Everard-Miller is not your normal girl. You get uber brownie points if you can guess where her nickname (Chantefleurie) is from.
Hint: If you've only seen the Disney movie, you won't get it. I don't know if it's mentioned in the Lon Chaney version or not (seeing as how I haven't seen it yet), but it's in the book. It's a particular character's last name. A character that Kenna is very like (as you shall soon see).
And don't forget to review. That pretty button down there is calling your name...
P.S. This chapter's title is not based on Phantomy-goodness. It is based on the third chapter of part five of the book 'Chantefleurie' is from.)