"If Ms. Daae doesn't wish to star in this Don Juan, then we will certainly change the role to Ms. Guidicelli.", M. Andre announced.
"No Monsieur, I have a plan. You see, we have all been blind and yet the answer is staring us in the face. This could be the chance to in snare out clever friend."
I know it wasn't polite to eavesdrop, but I was taking a stroll down the hallway, when I heard Raoul's voice. He was in M. Andre and M. Firmin's office.
"We're listening, go on.", I heard M. Firmin say.
"We shall play his game, perform his work, but remember we hold the ace
For if Ms. Daae sings, he is certain to attend.", I heard Raph's voice cut in.
Raph is siding with them? I felt my heart sink in my chest. I thought he believed me.
"We are certain to close the bars.", said Monsieur Andre.
"We are certain the police are there.", Monsieur Firmin chimed in.
"We are certain they're armed!", Raph exclaimed.
"Well then, Messieurs, when the curtain falls, the Phantom's reign will end.", Raoul spoke up once more.
How could they do this to me? They are going to use me as bait.
I backed away from the door and ran back down the hallway. My vision was blurry due to the tears that started forming. How could they do this?
I found myself descending the staircase to the chapel. Once I was inside, I just collapsed to the ground sobbing. They have no right to use me as their bait. I refuse to partake in their little scheme.
But, what will Erik think of this? If I don't sing, I will have failed him. But, if I do sing, Raoul and Raph will just use to me lure Erik into their trap.
Oh god, if I agree, what horrors wait for me?
Ever since returning from the cemetery, Christine, Raoul, and Raphael haven't even looked in my general direction. It is like, in their eyes, I don't exist. It has honestly shaken me to my core.
Through my sobs, I had failed to realize someone was walking down the stairs towards me. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard their voice.
"Elizabeth?", I heard Raph call out.
I turned my head in the direction of the stairs, trying to wipe away any evidence that I was crying. But, I knew it wasn't going to be of any use. My eyes were probably beat red.
"Please leave me alone.", I whispered back in response.
"Lizzie? Lizzie, what's wrong?", Raph said, crouching down next to me. He placed his hand on my back to try and calm me down.
"I just want to be left alone right now.", I said, looking down to the ground, as I felt more tears form. "You haven't talked to me, or even looked in my general direction, in four days. Why do you care now?"
Raph slipped his hand under my chin and lifted my head up so I would look at him. He looked concerned.
"Lizzie, what's the matter?", he calmly said, running his thumb across my cheek. "Why are your beautiful eyes shedding tears?"
I pushed his hand away from my face, as I stood up. I didn't want to be near him right now. I turned my back towards him, as I wrapped my arms around my body.
"Elizabeth, talk to me. Please.", he pleaded with me.
"I heard what you and Raoul said.. to Andre and Firmin.", I spat at him. "I refuse to partake in your trap!"
"Elizabeth, he is a danger to all! He needs to be stopped.", Raph said, raising his voice slightly.
"How do you know? You weren't here that night. You have no idea what happened. You only heard about it from Christine and Raoul. Has anyone let me talk about it? No! Because every time I try to talk about him Christine shuts me down.", I said, my voice dripping with anger.
"Elizabeth, he tricked you! At the cemetery, he kidnapped you!", Raph exclaimed.
I turned around to face him. My face felt red hot with anger.
"He's playing tricks with your mind and Christine's. He's manipulating you! He made Christine believe for 10 years that he was an angel sent down by your father. And now, he has hypnotized you to care about him."
"Do you hear how ridiculous you sound right now? Will you, for once, listen to me? He didn't trick me. He didn't kidnap me! He is not the monster Christine makes him out to be!", I yelled.
I was angry, oh so angry right now. The only way to get my point across was to yell.
"Christine met him one time... one god damn time. And she went with him willingly. All she saw was the monster everyone depicts him to be. She took off his mask without his permission. How would you feel if I striped you of something that held your biggest insecurity? You wouldn't be too happy, would you? I was there when she did it. I saw what happened. She's overreacting! He didn't hurt her. As soon as she felt uncomfortable, he brought her back. He never meant for her to stay the night down there. Now, she thinks that he's out for blood, that he is after her and Raoul. But guess what? He's not! He doesn't care about her anymore. Get your facts right before you start making assumptions."
He looked at me in disbelief. His eyes were wide as his mouth hung open.
"He only pretended to be an 'angel' because he knew how much Christine wanted to sing."
"Lizzie.. I...", but he never finished his sentence.
"Raph, I am going to tell you something I haven't told anyone about yet.", I could already feel the tears start to form as I stared into his eyes. He nodded his head and waited for me to continue. "And it honestly pains me to even think about this, but I was almost rape."
Flash images of that night started replaying themselves in my mind. I felt light headed and my knees started to wobble. I needed to sit down, so I carefully walked over the window ledge and sat down. Raph followed quickly behind me. My hands were shaking like a leaf on a tree.
"Raped?", Raph whispered and I nodded my head in response. I looked up into his eyes and could already see tears forming.
"He saved me Raph. He kept me safe.", I started again. "And the man that was hung, that was the man who tried... . Raph, I'm not saying it was just to do that, but he killed that man to keep me safe. He protected me from him. During the night, after the incident, Joseph would still hang out by my door. I am still tormented by that night. I've woken up in cold sweats and tears because that night replays in my mind. If he didn't save me, the worst thing that I could possibly have imagined would have happened. There are sometimes I can still feel his roaming hands on my body."
Tears were now streaming down both of our faces. Raph took a hold of one of my shaking hands and held it in his.
"And now, you want me to betray him. Raph, he's not a monster. He's kind and compassionate. He has a heart of gold, but it's been turned black due to man's disgust towards him. He's not a monster, or a phantom, or a demon. No, he's just a man that has been shunned away for his entire life. And all he is doing is looking for the tiniest bit of love and compassion.", I reached up and wiped the fallen tears from my face. I looked down to the ground, not really wanting to see the expression Raph's face held. "And he's found that, in me."
"Elizabeth, Lizzie, look at me.", he softly said, tilting my chin back up. "I am so sorry I never listened to you before. I am so sorry for everything you've been through. Please, don't think that I don't care about you. I should have listened to you the multiple times you tried to speak up.", Raph said, rubbing his thumb across my cheek.
"Please don't use me as your bait. Please don't go through with this plan. Make Raoul understand because he's not going to listen to me. He probably already thinks I'm delusional. Raph, I can't betray him.", I pleaded with him. "I am the only one in his entire life, who hasn't rejected him. I know his pain. I know what he's gone through."
"Lizzie, Raoul is a hard head. He probably isn't going to listen to me either. He'll believe anything Christine tells him. But, Lizzie, I swear I will try my damnedest to get Raoul to change his mind.", he said, bringing my hand up to lay a gentle kiss on my knuckles. "But, Lizzie, every hope and every prayer rests on you now. If I can't change Raoul's mind, you are going to have to perform."
"Do I even have a choice in any of this? I'm twisted every way. I can't refuse to sing, yet I wish I could.", I whispered, as my lip began to quiver again. "Raoul's whole plan is unnecessary. He probably won't even come. Even if he did, he's a master of staying hidden. Nobody will even know he's there.'
Raph pulled me in for a tight hug. I started crying into his chest, as he rubbed my back. I felt him place a gentle kiss to my forehead.
"I'm going to talk to Raoul. I won't put you in any danger Lizzie. I will keep you safe.", his words echoed through my ears, but I knew it was no use. Raoul's mind was made up and there was no changing it.
"Raphael, please, keep this to yourself. I need to be able to tell them, when I am ready.", I pleased.
He nodded his head in response.
RAPHAEL'S POV
My heart ached after hearing Lizzie's story. Maybe her tormentor did deserve to die. I certainly would wish death upon anyone who would hurt my dear Elizabeth.
After our little meeting, I brought her back up to her room. She looked exhausted and her eyes were all puffy from her tears. She needed to get back to her room to get some rest.
As soon as I left her room, I immediately started looking for Raoul. I needed to get him to change his mind. I can't go through with his plan. I can't hurt Lizzie like this. She has been through enough already.
The way she talked about him, I knew there was an inseparable connection between her and this Phantom. I silently thanked the masked man for keeping my Elizabeth safe. But, the way she talked about him...how deep did this connection run?
Surely, he saved her from an absolutely horrifying situation, but was there more to it than him just being her savior?
Did she ... did she love him?
"Ah, Raph, there you are. I was just looking for you.", Raoul's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Andre and Firmin are out now talking with the policemen. We need to start getting prepared now for Friday night's performance."
"Raoul, I can't go through with this.", I blurted out, not giving much thought as to what I just said.
"You can't go through with it? What does that mean?", he asked sounding quite shocked. "You want to keep Lizzie safe, don't you? Well, we must.."
"She loves him!", I blurted out, interrupting him. "The Phantom, Elizabeth loves him."
"Loves him? What the devil does that mean?", his voice became angry. "He is a murderer and a kidnapper. How can you come to such a conclusion that she loves him?"
"She heard about our plan. Raoul, she seemed so hurt that we would do something like this to her.", I responded back to him.
"She's hurt at the fact that we are trying to keep her and Christine safe from that demon?", he scoffed, shaking his head. "You are just as delusional as she is, thinking that she somehow is in love with the Phantom of the Opera."
"Raoul, you did not hear the way she talked about him. She's not delusional! There is a connection between those two. And I just can't go along with your plan. I cannot hurt Lizzie like that.", I said, trying to plead with my brother.
"A connection? How could anyone make a humanly connection with a demon from hell? It's impossible to..", he started to say, but I couldn't let him finish what he was saying.
"He saved her from being raped!"
Oh no, did I really say that out loud? I wasn't meant to tell anyone about that. Well, might as well tell Raoul the whole thing, so maybe he'll understand.
"That man, that was hung, Joseph I think, was the man who tried to rape her. Lizzie said the Phantom saved her. She called him caring and compassionate. Raoul, it honestly pained me to look into her eyes as she told me. She's not making it up. Trust me, even though I don't want to admit this to myself, she is in love with him. She loves him. I can just sense it. The way she talked about him. Raoul, I don't know if I can do this. I don't want to hurt her. If she wants to be with him, then who are we to stop her?"
"She is not meant to love him. She is meant to love you. Just like Christine was meant to love me. Ever since we were kids, I knew they would be out future brides. That is why you came back, right? To make Elizabeth fall in love with you again?", Raoul stated, anger boiling in his voice.
"I can sacrifice my feelings for Elizabeth. If she is not happy with being with me, then what good does that do? She doesn't love me in that way now. She has found her love.", I said, pleading with my brother.
"Well, her lover must pay the price for his actions. You will do everything I tell you to do. Elizabeth will sing in this Don Juan and we will trap him, once and for all.", he said, before storming off.