The Phantom's Daughter (Book 2)

The Arrival

Elise spent the rest of the day trying to hide the fact that Christine was coming.
The press had gotten hold of the information, since this was going to be Christine's first performance in years. So there was a lot of interest surrounding her performance.
This meant that Elise had to hide all newspapers throughout the day, to stop anyone finding out about it.
However, there was nothing she could do to stop the audience from talking about Christine, and she did catch several people mentioning her name, so she just prayed that Meg and Madame Giry didn't hear anything.

When the time finally arrived, and Christine's boat was aproaching the harbour, Elise rounded up her father's three henchmen; Miss Fleck, Dr Gangle, Mr Squelch.
"You know what to do" said Elise.
"Of course Miss, you can rely on us" replied Dr Gangle.
Dr Gangle was an unusually tall and skinny man, who was the head of the trio, and also the ringmaster of the circus.
His companion Mr Squelch, was the complete opposite, as he was short and muscular, which is why he was the strong man of Phantasma.
Miss Fleck on the other hand was a female with dwarfism, who often performed amazing acrobatic feets.
Together the three performed in the shows, but their main job was to do Erik's bidding.

"Remember, you mustn't let Christine or her family learn anything about my father" reminded Elise.
"Don't worry Miss, we have our orders, and we know when to hold our tongues" reassured Mr Squelch.
"Good. Now she won't be alone, she has her husband and son with her, so don't forget to use a transport that can fit all 5 of you comfortably" replied Elise.
"We're going to take the horseless carriage" revealed Miss Fleck.
"Good idea" praised Elise.
"We aim to please"
"Yeah, I know. And you 3 are clearly more calm about all this, than I am. But I guess you don't have as much on the line as I do".

"You shouldn't worry, everything will go according to plan" insisted Dr Gangle.
"I wish I had your confidence. This needs to go perfectly, not just for the master, but for me as well" admitted Elise.
"And it will. Phantasma is fantastic, it is impossible not to be wowed by this place. Christine will love it here, and she will perform in 2 days time"
"I hope so. If she doesn't stay, and she doesn't sing, we're all going to be in deep trouble. It's our job to make sure she stays".

Unable to stay away, Elise followed the trio to the docks, and waited in the shadows for Christine to arrive.
She was not alone, as a sea of photographers were positioned perfectly, to take photos of those exiting the ship.
Several high class citizens exited first, before eventually Christine arrived at the top of the stairs.
It had been 10 years since Elise had seen Christine, and she was stunned at how magnificent her friend looked.
She stood in a fabulous dress, and fancy hat, and Elise was momentarily took back.
Elise was aware that Raoul had squandered the families money, which is why Erik had been able to trick them into coming to Coney Island, as he had promised to rid them of their debt.
But despite this, Christine looked as fabulous as ever.

The moment was quickly over, as Christine began to descend down the stairs, and Raoul quickly appeared behind her, with their son close at his heels.
The young boy had perfect features, and looked very smart in a suit that matched his fathers.
While Christine looked even more beautiful than the last time Elise had seen her, Raoul looked vastly different.
He had once been a very handsome young man, but now he had a scruffy beard and tatty hair. There was also a cold, hard look in eyes, that hadn't been there before.
10 years had changed Christine for the better, and Raoul for the worst.

Before the press could pester the family too much, Elise watched the horseless carriage, created by her father, arrive.
The trio from Phantasma ushered the family inside and drove off, heading for the suite that Elise had prepared for them.
Knowing it was time for her to leave, Elise turned her back on the docks and headed back home.
Although she wanted to speak to Christine, Elise knew that she would have to wait for Erik to make his move first.
Elise would have to stay hidden, until Christine knew that the phantom was alive, and here at Phantasma.