After The Opera Burned || Phantom Of The Opera

Chapter 20 - Coney Island

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the magnificently talented author flourish, for writing so beautifully and making me envious of her obvious skills. If you have yet to check out her work, please go do so! Thank you all again for being so patient with me and my slow updates! I will get back on track coming in November!

"Where is he?" Charles asked seemingly no one, taking an undertone of annoyance to his otherwise innocent question.

Nadir sighed and looked down a moment before returning his gaze to the younger lad, "I am sure he is fine."

Meg, who had taken a seat on one of the couches looked up at Nadir full of concern, "How can you be so certain of your words? What if he were to be caught? What if he were to be thrown at sea? What if-"

"I am sure if Monsieur Khan says Erik is fine Meg, then he must be," her mother interrupted, turning her gaze to Nadir as her hand gently rested on his upper arm.

The fact that Erik was not in the room before they arrived surely did surprise the group for they all thought Erik would make it there before they did. Though Erik was not there, most of the group came to the conclusion that he would be there and they would be fine. After waiting a few more moments, they all settled their belongings in their respective rooms and settled in for the week's journey ahead of them.

Though much to their dismay, Erik did not show up in their room as promised. As each day passed on the ship, the group grew more and more concerned, waiting for the moment that all of them were to be handcuffed and whisked away to jail in a foreign land with no way home. The one taking it worse of all was Meg, for she grew angry with herself and the way she had treated him recently. Though he had deserved every tear and scream hurled in his direction, she did not want their last moments together to be remembered in such bitterness. Although she did make sure he was going to be okay prior to her leaving the carriage, it was not enough in her eyes and she knew if Erik was not in America, she would go back to Spain and find him, even if she ended up in jail or worse.

The week passed on the ship, not hearing a single word, whether it be from the former phantom or gossip about a man in a mask or any arrests since boarding the ship, and the authorities that were on the boat treated the group with the upmost respect and kindness that each other passenger had also received. The treatment from others should have put Meg's mind at ease, but her heart grew distant and sorrowful the closer to the new soil she became.

Meg remained seated on the couch, running her thinner fingers through her blonde locks as she waited to hear when they were to be disembarking off the ship. Her mother, Madame Giry, and Monsieur Khan were talking to one another as Charles sat down next to the former dancer. How she missed the opera house; those were much simpler days when all she had to ponder over was if she had the correct dance moves for the next production and if her best friend, Christine, was going to be safe from the phantom. Now she was just as obsessed, if not more, with Erik then she.

"What are you pondering over blondie?" Charles asked as he folded his hands together before him.

Meg rolled her eyes, "You know what it is my mind has been obsessing over."

Charles sighed softly and reached out to touch her hand, "Meg, if we do not find Erik once we disembark, I promise we shall be all right. I can take your mind off of him and the four of us will find a new home to start anew."

Meg looked up at Charles while letting a small smile escape from her lips. She worried constantly over the phantom and yet she had not considered if he truly wanted to be found. What if his disappearance was wanted instead of forced? She sighed and shook her head, knowing that him disappearing was not likely the cause but not sure as to where he could be.