Chapter 27: At The Gala Part 2

Evangeline's POV

As the curtain closed, I was immediately surrounded by a few members of the cast as they all quickly started to congratulate me on a job well done. With everyone onstage, the curtain opened again to reveal us for a curtain call as both Robert and Johnathan walked from Box Three to the stage.

The applause was deafening as more flowers were being thrown at us and some were handed directly to me as all of the performers took a final bow, the curtain closing in front of us while Johnathan and Robert were still in front of us and talking to the audience.

I walked over from the stage and into my dressing room to relax a bit before the actual gala began and as I reached for the door, I was suddenly surrounded my more people who were congratulating me, some of which were handing me even more flowers. When the final person left me alone, I swiftly opened the door to put all of my flowers inside as a voice softly echoed throughout the lair.

"You were amazing tonight." Erik said as his voice bounced from one wall to the other.

I felt my face grow warm as slight tingly feelings started to take over.

"You really think so?"

"I know so! You were the best one out of all of the performances tonight."

I laughed slightly as I heard a knock on my door.

"Mademoiselle McKenna? Monsieur Robert Baptisté requests your presence in the lobby for the gala." A woman's voice said through the closed door.

I groaned in annoyance.

"Of course. I forgot that I promised to let him escort me. Well Erik, I guess I'll be seeing you around. Just don't do anything crazy that might result in me smacking you upside the head like last time."

Erik just laughed.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that. I'll be careful."

With that, I left the room, mentally prepping myself for a quite aggravating evening.

I made my way to the lobby as I saw Robert appear on the giant stairwell separating us from everyone else.

"Shall we?" I heard the blond twerp ask as he held out his arm.

I linked my arm with his as we walked down the staircase together while the other guests, who had stopped their conversations with each other, stared at us and clapped as we made our way downstairs.

As we got closer to his father, however, he seemed far from pleased. In fact, had not the hundreds of guests and potential patrons not been around us, he would probably try to kill me.

The air became stagnant and suffocating as we kept eyeballing each other as I noticed an older woman with graying chestnut hair hanging onto Johnathan's arm followed by what seemed to be her younger doppelganger.

"So, you're the negro who became the new Prima Donna?" She spoke, caution edged in her tone.

"Yes ma'am. And who might you be?" I asked in a sweet voice.

"Evangeline, this is my mother Jeannette and the youngin behind her is my little sister, Margaret. But most folks call her Maggie." He replied excitedly.

"Well, it's nice to meet you." I said as I held out my hand for them to shake.

She didn't move. All she did was stare at my hand. Her daughter, however, went up to me without fear.

"I've heard negros sing at our old plantation, but none of them sounded as beautiful as you did. I bet your master loved to hear you sing!" She chirped in a cheerful voice.

I felt my eyes widen in surprise as Robert's face turned red with

embarrassment.

"Margret!" Her mother scolded. Her father just gave a degrading smirk in my direction. I said nothing, too frozen in shock to speak.

It wasn't really about what she said, although it wasn't very pleasant to hear. It was the fact that she said it loud enough for all of the guests to hear and for the added noise to stop.

"Ma, Pa, can I speak to you and Maggie for a moment?" Robert asked shooing them from my presence.

As they left, I was alone in a sea of strangers as they began to stare and whisper about me. I looked around for anyone familiar as I suddenly felt sick with dread.

At that moment, I heard a scream that was added by a collective gasp. I turned around and a mixture of worry and relief flooded my mind.

There, on the grand staircase, was Erik, wearing his Red Death costume.

Erik's POV

I couldn't bear to watch her suffer from any more embarrassment at the hands of that insufferable fool and his family.

I felt my heart shatter for her as that little girl said that about her. And for that sorry excuse of a man to smirk at her as if she was nothing more than dirt!

As I slowly made my way down the stairs, I noticed the room became deathly quiet as they parted like the Red Sea with Evangeline standing before me.

"Good evening, dear guests. If I recall correctly, this is supposed to be a gala, not a graveyard." I said, making my voice sound as threatening as possible.

With that, I took my darling's hand in mine and commanded for the musicians to play some music for a waltz.

The music started off softly as we both began to dance. The people backed away as we slowly turned around and around and soon more people joined in.

Although the other guests were dancing in the same space as us, it felt as if we were the only ones in the room.

We didn't say anything.

We didn't have to, for there was nothing left to say.

Throughout the waltz, I could feel her embarrassment, her anger, her relief, and her contentment as she leaned her head on my chest.

At that moment, I felt as if my heart would burst and I knew that she could hear the quickening of my heartbeat as the dance neared its end.

Her soft brown eyes made contact with my yellow, unnatural ones as the world seemed to melt away as we got closer and closer until her plump lips were a few inches away from my own.

"Excuse me, sir, but who are you?"

Angrily, I whipped my head around to see who had ruined such a perfect moment. Staring straight at me was that insufferable fop, looking as if he was about to cry.

I was about to say something when Evangeline spoke up.

"What's the problem? We were just dancing."

Oh, how you wound me without knowledge.

"You were supposed to dance with me, remember?" He whined.

"So? You were taking too long."

I held back a snicker. Ma belle prodige was so witty.

Robert, however, didn't seem so keen on my darling's sense of humor.

"I would expect that you would wait for me." He replied in an extremely annoying voice.

He then turned to me.

"I am not sure if you were aware that I was her escort tonight, but in future reference please note that she is to be escorted by me and should only be dancing with me."

I felt my blood boil as I turned to say something, but my anger was nothing compared to what Evangeline looked like.

Her brown skin turned red with rage.

"Now hold on a minute! We only agreed to today. And I didn't even want to! You may be my boss but I will tell you this right now: it will be a cold day in hell when you get to decide who I do anything with!"

With the grace of a beautiful swan, she left the room, the sea of people parting again to let her pass. Without even sparing him a glance, I left the lobby and ran after her.

Unknown's POV

So, that little black animal thinks that she could try and fit in where she doesn't beling?

I had watched her throughout the entire gala and disgust filled every part of my being.

Her kind isn't welcome here or in any place of high society.

Scratch that! Her kind isn't welcome period.

They are all vermin. Pests that needed to be exterminated. An invasive species taking what belongs to the white race.

I looked around the room where I saw a trio of gentlemen wearing commoners clothing as I motioned for them to follow me into one of the hallways.

"What do ya want, monsieur?" The leader remarked in a gruff voice.

I quickly led them to a mahogany door where a certain dark-skinned heathen had retreated into.

"I want you to follow her and when she's all alone, I want you to make sure that she is never heard from again. I don't care what you do with her, just as long as she doesn't come back to this place alive.

The man grunted out a yes in response and as I swiftly left the scene, I watched as she opened the door and left the room, unaware that there were three men assigned to send her straight to the jaws of hell.

She thought that her breed could be anything but the low-life, inhuman, bottom-feeding scum that they are.

Her death will be a warning for all the other devil spawns that it will not be so.

I swear it!

A/N: Hello, my fellow Phantom Phans! 😄

Thank you guys so much from the bottom of my heart for 30.03k reads and for 2.14k votes!!!

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So it seems like someone wants Evangeline to go.

Who is this mystery person?

Will Erik save her in time?

Is Evangeline going to fall into the trap?

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