The Phantom's Daughter (Book 2)

Trouble In Paradise

Unable to take it any longer, Elise fled from the room, wanting a minute alone to clear her thoughts.
It wasn't every day you had a sudden sibling, thrust upon you, and Elise wasn't sure how she felt about it.
As she exited the room she saw a figure leaving the corridor, but Elise was too late to see who it was.
She wasn't alone for long, as Erik quickly joined her.
"Promise me that you won't tell anyone about what just happened in there" Erik said quietly.
"I promise" replied Elise.
"Good... Are you planning on spending any more time with the boy?" Asked Erik.
"I don't know. Part of me wants to, while the other part of me, wants nothing more to do with him. I do want to speak to Christine though. And I guess since they're only here for 2 more days, I had better make the most of our time together".

"Well, Christine left via the other door, to rejoin Gustave. So if you want to talk to her, you'd better head to their room" admitted Erik.
"I'll give them a minute alone before I join them. They need to talk first about what he just saw, and I need to think, by myself" replied Elise.
"I will leave you alone then, to think"
"Wait. This doesn't change anything between us, does it?"
"Why would it? You are my daughter, and you have always been there at my side-"
"But I am not a boy. And I am not as talented as this child. He is everything you could have ever wanted. If I were not here, you would leave everything to him, I know it"
"You are here though, and I will never forget what you have done for me... However, I do want to make sure that he is provided for, since the family can't rely on that drunken fool Raoul any more. Perhaps I should make a will, and leave half of this place to each of you, to ensure that you both have secure futures".

"It's nice to know that I am worth as much as him, even though my mother was just a whore, and not an angel like Christine" mumbled Elise.
"Don't be like that" replied Erik.
"Like what? Honest? Just remember who has been here for you all these years. And don't forget, that he has Christine has Raoul, as well as a whole bunch of family members back in Paris. I only have you. So try not to forget that. He has other people to rely on, I only have this place and you"
"I didn't know that you cared about this place that much. You never gave me the impression that you liked it here. You certainly don't help much anymore with the running of the place. And you don't even perform that often. Gustave however, seemed enthralled by this place. Which is why I would feel safer leaving this place to him".

"This is your dream, and it makes me happy that you managed to achieve your dream. But you're right, this isn't exactly my idea of happiness" admitted Elise.
"That is why I was thinking of leaving it to the boy, and not burdening you with it, when you clearly don't want it" revealed Erik.
"Just because I don't love it here, it doesn't mean that I want to be left with nothing when you die" replied Elise.
"I would never leave you with nothing... But maybe it is time that you stood on your own two feet, and had the chance to spread your wings. You wander around Phantasma like a lost sheep. So maybe it's time that you found your own place in the world"
"You're kicking me out?"
"No. You will always have a home here. But I know that staying here forever won't make you happy. You're 23 years old, so it's about time you made a life for yourself".

"Funny how you've never mentioned this to me before, but on the day that you learn you've fathered a son, you decide to bring it up" said Elise coldly.
"Meeting him certainly made me reevaluate things, I admit. But for quite some time I have been noticing that you are not happy here, and I want you to be happy" replied Erik.
"Oh, so you have my best interests at heart. That's nice" mocked Elise.
"I'm not going to have this conversation with you any longer, if you are going to mock me, and twist my words"
"I wasn't twisting anything. You want me out the way, so that you can leave your dream world to your prodigy, who doesn't even like you. Or did you forget that he turned and ran when he saw your face".

"If I remember rightly, you screamed when you first saw me without my mask on, as well" reminded Erik.
"Yes, but I was much younger than Gustave when I saw you, and I got used to your face pretty quickly" replied Elise.
"You still fled from it at first"
"If you want to villainise me, because of something I did as a child, go ahead. It's clear to me which one out of the two of us, you prefer. So don't worry, I won't get in the way any more".
Elise strode of down the corridor, leaving Erik behind.
"You know, you are really too old to be going off in a strop, and giving empty threats" Erik shouted at her.
Elise ignored him, and kept marching away, wanting to put as much distance between her and her father as possible.
She had been relegated to a second class citizen in his eyes, and she wasn't happy about it.