Twisted Every Way(Phantom Of The Opera Fic)

Chapter 47: Changes

It wasn't until the third week of Luke's residence that Autumn realized she had changed.

She supposed there was a good reason for it.

She had responsibility, no longer enough time for fancy dresses and flowers to be brought to her. No more time for balls and meeting other girls her age. Luke had his faults and was no doubt a trouble maker. Yet he was loved all the more so for it.

Luke, like a true little Yankee, was of an inquiring turn, wanting to know everything, and often getting much annoyed because he could never get a satisfactory response to his propositions.

"What makes my legs go?" Luke blurted out one day as he chewed on a hot dog.

Autumn smiled slightly, "Don't chew with your mouth open, it's impolite Luke." She scolded.

He finished chewing.

"What makes us go?" he asked again.

"It's your little mind Luke." She smiled, stroking his brown haired head respectfully.

"Well how does our mind make stuff work?" Luke questioned curiously.

"Well, it's sort of like an army General. It makes your body move, as the spring makes the wheels go in Gustave's watch when I showed it to you!" She laughed.

She couldn't help but find it amusing: Luke asked such funny questions.

"Could you open me? So I'd see my brain go around?" He asked completely seriously in his philosophical nature.

"I cant do that any more than you could open the watch without breaking it open. When you're young I suppose you're all wound up and you keep running till you stop" She replied after giving it a bit of thought.

Luke seemed to accept that answer for a moment. But just a moment. His face turned sad and solemn. "So when someone shot my parents their clock stopped working? They got broken beyond repair?"

She sighed and held his hand, "I don't know, but if we find them..."

He looked down and spoke in barley a whisper, "Thanks. I know they aren't alive."

Gustave walked in and kissed Autumn on the cheek. He nodded silently to her in a way she knew meant soon. Gustave would find work soon. They would have more to eat then scraps soon.

They could get married soon.

However, Gustave hadn't been looking for a job or some money. He had been looking for the words to ask his father, to tell his father about everything.

He hadn't found the courage yet.

"Soon" he whispered to himself, "Soon."

Gustave decided he now had important unfinished business. Business with his past that needed to be dealt with accordingly.

This fire business needed to be addressed once and for all. He had received a shaky letter from Eli the other day. One that had him worrying his head off more than finding a job.

Almost hurt Ilios?! What did that mean almost?

If Father let one scratch touch-

His father's voice boomed inside his head, "Don't let your temper take control," it said. "Don't do something stupid you'll later regret."

But It felt he was far too late for such reasoning.

On the third day of his quest he stumbled upon Mark. they sat down and spoke quite eagerly to each other in accordance to the last week's events. Mark told how he and Peter had stayed together but the other boys had ventured off. Joseph was off roaming the streets somewhere trying to find Gustave and so on so forth. It wasn't until later in the conversation when the topic of Gustave's doings emerged.