The Phantom's Daughter

8. Masquerade

To Elise's surprise, her father stayed hidden for 6 whole months. She felt his presence every now and again in the theatre, but he never showed his face or caused any disasters.
Elise didn't see much of Erik in his abode either, because every time she went to see him, he sent her away, claiming that he was too busy to speak to her.
When the new year arrived, the theatre directors held a large masquerade ball to celebrate.
A hundred or so rich guests had been invited, and since everyone believed Elise to be Madame Giry's niece, she was able to attend along with Meg.
Christine and Raoul were there too, as were Carlotta and Piangi. But the rest of the chorus had been left off the invitation list.

Elise had no money of her own so had bought a simple outfit with Meg, the week before the masquerade, with Madame Giry's money.
However, on the night of the ball, Elise found a brand new, expensive looking, red ball gown and matching mask lying on her bed.
There was a short note attached, revealing that the outfit was from Erik.
Moved by her father's generosity, Elise excitedly put on the dress and attached the mask to her face. It didn't surprise her one bit that the dress fitted her perfectly.

"Where did you get that?" Questioned Meg when Elise joined her in the foyer.
"It was left on my bed" revealed Elise.
"Did mother get it for you?" Asked Meg.
"No, I can't see her buying me another dress and not getting anything else for you. There was a note, but it wasn't signed, so I don't know where it came from"
"You must have a secret admirer then"
"Maybe... Have you seen Christine?"
"Yep, she's standing over there with Raoul. They really do look great together, don't they?"
"Yeah, they do. Come on, let's go and join them".

Elise and Meg made their way over to Christine, who was in a heated conversation with Raoul.
"We're not interrupting anything, are we?" Asked Meg.
Christine pushed her necklace under her dress, and shook her head.
"No. Nothing... You two look lovely" complemented Christine.
"Thanks, but we don't look anywhere near as amazing as you" admitted Meg.
Christine's dress was pink and gold, and twice the size of Elise's.
"I told Raoul that it was too much" blushed Christine.
"And I told you that you look beautiful" replied Raoul as he placed his arm around Christine's waist and kissed her head softly.

The group were joined moments later by Firmin, Andre and Madame Giry.
"Is everyone having a good time?" Questioned Firmin.
Everyone nodded their heads, which seemed to please Firmin.
"Good. I was just saying to Andre that-".
Whatever Firmin had been saying to Andre the others never found out, because the lights suddenly went out and the room filled with smoke.
When the lights returned, everyone gasped loudly as the phantom was now standing in the middle of the staircase.

Erik was dressed in an extravagant red outfit, and Elise noticed that they were dressed very similarly.
Her father appeared to be wearing an outfit to make himself look like the Red Death. And Elise's outfit matched his very well.
Elise wasn't the only one who noticed the similarity between their outfits, as Raoul gave her a curious look, indicating that he too had noticed that Elise and Erik were dressed alike .
"Oh please, don't let me stop the party" sneered Erik as he made his way down the steps, approaching the group, all of which were speechless.
Once several feet in front of them, Erik stopped and removed a large stack of papers from under his robes.

"I have written you an opera; Don Juan Triumphant. I expect it to be performed, and all of my instructions to be followed precisely. Christine Daaè will be playing the lead of course. And be warned, if you refuse to obey my orders, then a great tragedy shall befall your theatre. Remember, there are worse things that can happen, than a broken chandelier" warned Erik.
The phantom dropped his masterpiece at the directors feet and turned to go.
"Now see here, we won't be bossed around by the likes of you" announced Andre, shakily.
Erik span back around and grabbed hold Christine, quicker than anyone thought possible.

The guests screamed as Erik held Christine close to him, his arm around her neck.
Meg clutched hold of Elise's arm in fear, but Madame Giry hadn't moved, because like Elise, she knew that Erik would never harm Christine.
"I think you're forgetting something. This is my opera house. You know nothing of music or art, which is why you shouldn't interfere. If you wish to keep your jobs, and your lives, I reccomend that you do exactly as I say. And if you don't..." Erik faltered and spun Christine around, ripping her necklace from her chest.
Elise looked closer at the necklace and realised that it was just a chain, which was holding a ring on the end of it. It was Christine's engagement ring.

Erik pushed Christine back into Raoul's waiting arms before turning back to the directors.
"You have one week. You'd better get started" he instructed.
The lights flickered again and when they returned, Erik was gone.
The guests fled the theatre in fear, leaving Elise's group standing alone in the room.
Madame Giry was the first to move, bending down to pick up Erik's opera.
"Shall I have copies of this made?" Asked Madame Giry.
"It seems we have no choice. Who knows what will happen if we refuse to produce this show" sighed Andre.

"Can your performers learn it in time?" Questioned Firmin.
Madame Giry lifted her head, "My dancers are professionals. They will have no problem learning this".
"Well then, you'd better go and start getting prepared for tomorrow. Make sure that the leads have their parts before you go to bed. And I expect to see you in our office first thing to discuss this opera" replied Firmin.
Madame Giry nodded and placed her hands on Meg and Elise's shoulders, escorting them from the room.