The Phantom's Daughter (Book 2)

Winners And Losers

Her father's neglect of Meg, brought Elise's mood right down, and reminded her why she wasn't staying on Coney Island.
Elise and the Giry's had been replaced by Christine and Gustave.
The time she had spent with Jeff had filled her with euphoria, but now she was back in reality, she remembered that leaving was her only option.
When she arrived back in the theatre, she saw Christine waiting in the wings, preparing to go on stage.
If she sang, that meant that Erik had won the bet, and Raoul would be leaving America alone.
But if she turned and ran, the family would leave together, and Erik would pay their debts for them.

Elise looked to her father's box in the audience, and saw that he had returned, ready to watch Christine.
As she looked across the wings, she saw Raoul, waiting to see if Christine sang or not.
The sound of a door opening behind her, diverted Elise's attention, and she saw Madame Giry enter the wings, with an angry look on her face.
She couldn't see Meg anywhere, but Gustave was wandering about by himself, and causing the staff to work around him.

Eventually the time came for Christine to make her decision. And as the curtains rose, she stepped on stage.
Everyone held their breath as the orchestra began to play the opening of the song, waiting to see if Christine would sing.
Christine looked out to the audience, took a deep breath, and started to sing.
Elise hadn't heard her friend sing in 10 years, and she was astounded at how amazing Christine's voice still was.

Christine sung like an angel, and hit notes that Elise knew she would never be able to reach in a thousand years.
The emotion in her voice also set her apart from other singers, as she put meaning behind every word she sung.
The song Erik had written was about love, and how it lasted for ever.
The words fit his and Christine's love story so perfectly, which added more weight to the performance.
It was then that Elise realised that Meg would never be able to out perform Christine, no matter how hard she tried.
There was only one person in Erik's mind who could sing the way he wanted, and that was Christine.

As Christine came to the end of the song, Elise saw Raoul step away from the wings and head towards the doors.
Since she didn't think she would ever see him again, Elise decided to follow him.
"Leaving so soon?" She questioned once they were outside the building.
"It was part of our agreement... I should have never made her choose between me and her passion. I guess I never really understood how much singing meant to her" sighed Raoul, as he turned around to face Elise.
"So, you're just going to leave, without saying goodbye to anyone?" Asked Elise.
"I'll say goodbye to you. But to bid farewell to anyone else would be too painful"
"I see".

Raoul placed his hand inside his pocket and removed an envelope addressed to Christine.
"I wrote this in case she decided to sing. It's my final goodbye to her. I was going to leave it in our room, but since you're here, I can give it to you. Can you hand it to her, once she has finished?" Asked Raoul.
Elise nodded and took the letter from him.
"I will deliver it to her later. You have my word" promised Elise.
"Thank you... What will you do now then? I have been replaced, and now that he has my son, you have been replaced as well" replied Raoul.

Raoul's comment brought Elise great pain, though she tried not to show it on her face.
"I am going to leave as well" she revealed.
"I think it will be good for you, to be away from him" admitted Raoul.
"I've never lived without him before. When I was a child he was never very affectionate towards me, but he was always there, and I could always rely on him or Madame Giry to help me when I needed it. So I don't know what I'm going to do without them both" admitted Elise.
"Eventually we all have to learn to stand on our own two feet".

"What will you do now?" Quizzed Elise.
"I don't know. It's going to be quite the scandal when I return home without my wife and son" replied Raoul.
"Yes, I expect it will be... But promise me something"
"What?"
"Promise me that you won't drink yourself to death. I've seen too many men die that way on Coney Island, and I don't want you to go the same way"
"I didn't know you cared so much"
"We may never have seen eye to eye, but I don't want you dead. So look after yourself for me. You're still young, so you still have the chance to turn your life around. This doesn't have to be the end".

"I don't know how to live without her" revealed Raoul.
"Then find a way. You had a life before you met her again at the opera house. You are the Vicomte de Chagney, and you can become a well respected man once again" replied Elise.
"I have to admit, that I haven't been happy these past few years"
"I can tell, which is why you turned to drink, and gambled away your fortune. But now you have the chance to start anew. So don't throw it away, because not everyone gets a second chance at life".

"When did you become so wise?" Questioned Raoul.
"I've seen a lot of things here in America" answered Elise.
"I can tell" replied Raoul.
"Do you want me to call you a carriage to take you to the docks, so that you can catch your ferry?"
"No, it's O.K, I can manage. You should head back inside"
"Alright... Goodbye Raoul"
"Goodbye Elise".