The Beauty Underneath ● The Phantom of the Opera

Chapter 33

◌The Shadow◌

Father rushed over to me as Julian and Richard fought to the side. I couldn't help the shaking sobs that left my lips. My father was okay. He was alive. "Da-daddy." I sobbed as he pulled the noose off from around my neck. I collapsed into my father and he held me tight.

"I have you. I have you." He shushed, collecting me up in his arms, going to whisk me away. A shout full of pain shot through my soul. It was Julian's pain. Richard had him pinned beneath himself, pressing his hand into Julian's bleeding shoulder.

Richard's eyes held no kindness in them. Just crazed hatred. He would kill him. Julian would be killed. I wiggled out of my father's grip. "Melodie!" He hissed, grabbing for me, but he missed.

I sprinted for Julian. For the only man who wasn't scared of me. For the only man I loved. My tears blurred my vision, but I blinked them away as fast as I could. But my rescue was cut short when a pair of strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me back. "He'll kill you, Melodie!" It was Maurice. My twin brother had come at last.

"He'll kill Julian!" I screamed, struggling and kicking against his grip. Gustave was hobbling as fast as he could over to father, who scanned over the scene. "St-stop!" I sobbed as I watched Richard punch Julian, who had stopped fighting back. "Julian!" I screamed.

"Get her out of here," Father said, pulling his jacket off and tossing it to Gustave. It took me and my siblings a minute to understand what he was doing.

"No." Maurice said, his grip loosening around me.

"Daddy no!" I shouted, grabbing for him. My father wrapped his strong arms around me, holding me tight.

"I've done awful things in the past, and you are not one of them. I'm sorry...for everything. I'm proud of you, Melodie." He pulled away, wiping the tears that fell from my cheeks with a small smile. He turned to all of us. "I love you three." He was saying goodbye. He planned to give himself up--to get killed--so that we could getaway. So that Julian would live. "Gustave. Get them out." Gustave nodded once and grabbed both me and my twin, his cane under his arm.

"No! Dad no!" Maurice shouted, but Gustave pulled us both into the secret passages.

"He's going to get killed!" I screamed trying to get past Gustave, who was blocking the exit.

"You think I didn't gather that?" He shouted back. "But he gave me an order. I will obey him." I scoffed but it just came out as a sob. Always the obedient son. He could never rebel for one second of his life. Even if it meant father getting killed.

Before I could try getting past my older brother again, he grabbed me up and dragged me away from the door. My screams and fighting did nothing to stop my brother. Marice had stopped his fight, tears rolling down his cheeks.

The night air made my red-hot skin go numb upon making it out of the theater. It had been weeks since I had really seen the sky. The moon was a bright sliver in the sky full of thousands and thousands of twinkly stars. Stars that blurred together as tears filled my eyes over and over again.

A single gunshot echoed throughout the night.