The Innocent Angel of Music

Chapter 5: Secrets & Trouble

After an hour of practicing, the phantom let me change into my own clothes. He led me onto the boat and rowed down till we reached a ladder. He told me to climb up and I would be a few houses away from my house. His fingers ran down my face. It seemed like he didn't want me to go back. I climbed the ladder and pushed on the manhole. He was right. I was only a few houses away. I walked home and let myself in. There was a note on the fridge from my dad.

Going to Japan. See you in 3 days.

That was our communication. He's here one day, gone for a month. Rolling my eyes, I went upstairs to take a shower. As I was taking off my shorts, there was a note in the back pocket. It was from the phantom.

Do not let anyone know we were together today. Secrets must stay in the dark until the time is right. See you soon.

It probably has something to do with Mandy. I quickly took a shower, and my phone rang. Amy was calling. I answered. She and Kyle wanted to come over. I told them they could. I had enough time to put clothes on and make some tea to help my throat. The door opened and shut. Amy and Kyle walked into the kitchen. I smiled at them. "Hi guys."

Amy didn't look to happy. I took a sip of my tea. Kyle looked at the ground. Amy's eyes met mine. "You didn't have to lie about your dad." I looked at her confused. Before I could speak, she cut me off. "Lying about your dad grounding you and taking your phone away. That's not you."

Before I could speak again, Kyle spoke up. "You were with the phantom, weren't you?"

I remembered the phantom's note. Putting my tea down, I had to protect him. My eyes narrowed to the ground. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I couldn't go to school today."

"Because of the phantom? What did he do?" Kyle seemed like he was getting pissed. I couldn't tell if it was jealously or him just trying to protect me.

I raised my eyebrow. "The phantom? I'm talking about my dad. Last night we got into a huge fight." Even though I honestly don't remember much of what happened yesterday. Amy and Kyle both were surprised. "He was mad at the fact... I still light a candle for my mom. He wants me to move on. I asked him how that was going for him. We yelled and my last words before he left were 'I wish you were gone and not mom because she would still want to be there for me. You never are.' He left early this morning." Tears welled in my eyes. We did fight about that. But it was awhile back. I didn't tell anyone, because it felt like no one would understand. Our relationship was complicated. A father should be there for his daughter. But he was gone like the wind.

Amy took a breath. "I'm so sorry Krissy. I thought it was the phantom's fault."

"I wanted to be alone today. Not to be accused of being with him. Not even the phantom could make my dad's and I relationship better." I wiped my tears away. Kyle came over and gave me a hug. "It's okay Krissy." I felt guilty for lying. The phantom was so mysterious about us being together alone. I pulled away from Kyle, slowly smiling. "Thank you."

Amy cleared her throat. "Practice went good today. The principle had to sit in. It's a good thing you weren't there. It was just odd that the phantom wasn't either."

Kyle sat on the counter. "It's probably because the principle was there. If he screwed it up, he would have screwed himself." We all nodded. As Amy and Kyle carried on their conversation. My mind went to the phantom. Why was I drawn to him? Was it because he gave me attention? He didn't appear to anyone else. Besides locking Jack in a closet so we could perform together. What was his game? What will happen to him once the play is over? Kyle snapped his fingers in my face. "Hello? Anyone home?"

I shook my head. "Sorry guys. I'm tired." Amy came over and finally gave me a hug. I rested my head on her shoulder. "Just give your dad three days to cool down. See if you guys can talk when he returns." I nodded. Kyle came over and gave me another hug. I hugged him a little tighter. His hands rested on my back. "Will you come to school tomorrow?" I told him yes. Kyle let me go. Amy and Kyle both headed for the front door. "Night!" They both said as the door shut. I finished my tea and got ready for bed. It was a long couple of hours for me not remembering anything besides being with the phantom. I crawled into bed and drifted into a dreamless sleep.