Welcome back!

I'm hoping everyone is having a great day or night.

I have so much work to do, but why am I still writing? Because why not. If I can distract myself for long enough, maybe the work will get done on it's own.

[I do not own phantom. Only Delphine. And Louis.]

2.

Mentions of a Ghost

He was gone when she arrived back in the room.

Likewise the broth, now cooled, was still all intact in the bowl.

She sighed, rolling her hand through her now-loose hair.

Delphine placed the spoon back in the broth, retreating back to the kitchen.

Agathe was there, fixing up some porridge for her mistress. When she spotted her, she tilted her head slightly. "Are you alright, madam?"

"No, not quite." Delphine responded, placing the bowl by the sink. "I believe . . I had just . . . met a most extraordinary man."

"A man?" Agathe paused from the huff. "The one you brought in this evening?"

"The very same."

"He seemed . . . " She paused, as if thinking a good adjective. "odd, didn't he?"

"That's just it." Delphine said. "He was nothing like I had ever seen nor met before. He addressed himself by his own name, his own name! Can you imagine?. And his mask- I can't get it out of my mind. It's as if it is imprinted in my mind."

"You must forget him, madame." Agathe told her. "For, you need to focus on your current dilemma." She waved at a letter which she had placed on the counter. "Another arrived today."

Groaning, picked up the letter, spying the name.

"Hugo." She muttered, her tone harsh enough to freeze hell over. "Why must he plague my life with his nonsense."

"To be fair, he was your husband last month." Agathe tried to reason. "And legally you are still wed. Perhaps he is just making sure you are safe."

"How weak does he think I am? I know fully well how to defend myself against danger."

Agathe chuckled, though it was mostly to herself. "That, you are well informed of."

Without another word, Delphine walked over to the flames in the fireplace. With a simple flick of the wrist, she tossed the latter into the embers. Satisfied, she turned away, placing herself in her seat. "I am tired of his constant pleas. When will he realize I have no plans on taking him back? Perhaps he should go to his beloved mistress. She would welcome him to her bed with open arms and a kiss."

Agathe followed pressure, sitting across from Delphine. "Are you, perhaps, being a little rough with him?"

"Rough?" She laughed. "Not in the slightest. He went around my back, both with women and money spending, for years. It was no wonder we almost went bankrupt. It is because of me we kept the roof over our heads and food in our bellies. Not once did he thank me." Delphine rolled her eyes. "Forgive him. Never."

Her thoughts circled back to the stranger.

She hoped he was doing well, despite his form.

He seemed to be close to death, his limbs freezing to the touch. she was scared that he would freeze to death out there. But, then again, he had a surprising amount of strength, despite his weak appearance.

"My lady," Agathe said, snapping Delphine from her thoughts. "May I?" She gestured to her wrists.

Delphine handed her hands to Agathe. A breath fled from her lips. "Mistress, who did this to you?"

Delphine gazed down to her wrist and froze.

Two deep purple bruises had started to form along the skin.

He was indeed strong.

"It is nothing." Delphine lied. There was no need to make Agathe worried for her.

"Nothing?" Agathe scoffed. "You must get them looked at. I shall call for the doctor right away."

"There is no need-"

Agathe ignored her leaving, leaving Delphine alone, her head resting in her hands.

Delphine didn't see the stranger for a while after their first meeting.

She tried to forget him, continuing her life as if they had never met.

It wasn't until the next month, when her close friend invited her to the opera, did she feel his glance again.

"I do not have time." She tried, walking past Louis.

He frowned. "No time? For the arts? Are you a stranger to your own mind?"

"All I mean is that there is work to be done." She pulled her hair out of the tight bun, letting the black hair fall onto her shoulders. "Please, do not take it personally."

"I do, take it personally, I mean." He whipped away a fake tear. "To hear my closest of friends refuse to attend the opera. The very same opera in which he is to be playing in."

"You're playing in the orchestra?" She asked, shocked. "How? I though the refused your . . . skills months ago."

"I did." He beamed. "But that's just it! One of the mangers came to be and requested that I play! I guess it was because of another incident. I was told that more and more of the orchestra are leaving because of them."

Delphine frowned. "Incident? What do you mean by that?"

" It was hardly last month. One of the ballerinas got spooked. It happens surprisingly often, I'm afraid. But apparently this time was different. If I remember correctly, a sandbag fell and almost landed right on top of one of them. If it had, she could have died."

Delphine placed a hand over her lips in shock. "Who would do such a thing?"

"The ghost, of course. No one knows who he was. Or is. Perhaps he really was a man. Or maybe his ghost haunts the very opera house he died in."

Opera Ghost?

What a silly thing to say.

Delphine scoffed at his words. "I have no intention of going to a supposed haunted opera house. Good day to you."

Louis' expressed panic. "Wait wait wait." He lightly grasped his shoulders, forcing their eyes to meet. "Please, just once. I will even pay for the seat."

"I can pay for my own seat."

"Then please come. Just for this one show. i would be pleased to pay fully for your ticket. Think of it as my gift for finally leaving Hugo."

Delphine rolled her eyes.

Just barely, though it was enough for Louis to notice.

"I would have done so eventually."

"Yes," He agreed. "If you had not, I would have dragged him away from your door myself."

It was no secret that Louis had always despised Hugo, even before his and Delphine's marriage ceremony.

But he never spoke about his hatred, never to either one of their faces.

He never had to.

His body language declared it loudly for all to see.

Louis grabbed his coat, hastily fastening it around himself. "Well, off I go. No time to waste. Father time is greedy today."

Delphine laughed, holding a hand over her lips to stifle the noise. "Alright. I shall see you there." She paused. "Which opera is playing tonight, I never quite seem to remember."

"Faust."

"Ah. Well then." She placed a hand onto his shoulder, squeezing it slightly. "See you soon, my friend."

Louis smiled sadly. "Very well. Farewell until out next meeting." He took her hand from his shoulder, and gave it a quick kiss. Then he was gone.

Delphine, alone, allowed herself to truly smile for the first time in a long while.

The opera left Delphine in tears.

From her seat in box 6, she had a fairly good view of the stage.

The actors were grand, the music was more than she could have ever expected.

She whipped her tears with the back of her hand and gave another clap.

She could picture Louis from his seat with the other instruments, slowly listening to the applause to see if he could find the music in her hands.

Delphine settled back into the seat, suddenly drained.

"Oh, Father," She hummed. "I wish you would have seen this."

She started to speak again, but stopped, a sudden chill embracing her body.

A feeling of dread washed over her, as if thousands of tiny eyes stared at her from the safety of the shadows.

"Who's there?" She asked foolishly, though she expected no clear answer. "Hiding will do you no good, dear sir."

No answer.

Quickly, she grabbed her belongings and walked out the box.

An older woman came her way.

Her hair reminded Delphine of ink, both of the color and the consistency.

"Good evening, Madame Carraway." She spoke. "How was the opera."

Though still nervous, Delphine acted as if she was not still bothered by the phantom eyes.

"It was wonderful." She responded, smiling. "Though I'm afraid I didn't quite understand the whole story. I intend to do some research in the future. I am interested to learn more of the history of the script, as well as more about the author."

"Good. Good." The woman said. "If you have any questions, please ask me. My name is Madame Giry. The box keeper for Box 5."

"Thank you, Madame Giry." Delphine beamed. "My name is-"

"I know very well who you are, Madame Caraway."

Delphine was taken aback by her response.

Already knew of her?

Without another word, Madame walked passed Delphine, never once looking back.

Delphine stood there, staring.

She let out a breath.

Oh, she hoped that the feeling of the eyes would have subsided by this point.

She made her way into the lower part of the opera house.

Louis quickly found her.

"Delphine!" He called, embracing her. "How was it? Did you hear me playing?"

He sounded like a child telling his parent about a school project.

"You did wonderfully." She echoed his expression, patting his head.

He leaned into her hand, his lips never drooping.

"There was one girl?" Delphine added. "She was quite wonderful, even though she wasn't the lead. Funny, I have never seen her perform before. Why is that?"

"I believe you are talking about Miss Daae." Louis confirmed. "It's quite odd. She popped out of nowhere. Apparently from the costume department. It matters not. She is quite good, even if she played only a small role. Plus, the mangers need as much money as they can."

Delphine nodded.

"Unfortunately, I must head home." She said, withdrawing her hand to her side. "It is getting awfully late and I am slightly afraid that Hugo had made his way back indoors. There are those in the staff which miss him."

She found herself missing him.

"Wait!" Louis gripped both of her hands, bringing them to his chest. "What of the party?"

"Party?"

"One of our patrons is hosting a party afterwards. I was thinking of inviting you, and now I am. Will you come?"

"I can't-"

"You must." He practically begged. "You have been coped inside your house for far too long."

"And-"

"And?"

"You always have more than one motive for doing something. What is it for this?"

He stared down at the ground. "I don't really know anyone else. I would really like to go with someone who I'm close to."

She hesitated.

She was in no mood for a party, especially with one which involved speaking to other people. Even if it was for her dearest friend . . .

"I can't." She admitted. "I apologize. Perhaps next time?"

Louis did well at hiding his disappointment. "Of course." He smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes this time. "I guess I shall ask you next time. And the next. All until you accept my invitation."

Delphine smiled, grasping his hand and squeezing it softly. "Good night, my friend. Sleep well tonight."

She headed back to the outside of the opera house, hopefully to get a carriage back home, for it was cold and her shoes were uncomfortable.

Though it could have been her imagination, she swore another pair of footsteps walked alongside hers.

Out of curiosity, how does everyone think of Louis? He's like a human golden retriever. Overall, he's a fun character to write.

Erik is more curious about Delphine then he would like to admit.

Just for context, I have decided to set this story a few months before the start of the novel.

Chapter Song(s):

Minefields (Faouzia and John Legend)

Just listen to those lyrics.

I don't know why, but this song reminds me a lot of all of my characters. All for completely different reasons.

- Delphine wants to keep the memory of her family with her. Her father is her only living family left, and she hates being so far from him. He is still in America while she is in France.

- Louis is Delphine's best friend and honestly thinks of her more than that. She is a lot like a sister to him and will do anything to protect her from danger. Fun fact about him, he was taken in as a servant by Delphine's father back in America, and they just grew closer as they grew up. Louis also thinks of her father as his own as well.

- Erik is, well . . . Erik. He longs to be close to Delphine as well as to get to know more about her as a character and her background. But if he is caught by anyone, then all of his hope vanishes.

Also, if you have not heard of her, please listen to Faouzia. Her voice is so beautiful!

Thank you once again for reading. You have no idea how much it means to me.

Please let me know how I am doing in the reviews.

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Enjoy the rest of your day/night!