By this point in the early morning, the rain from last night's storm had died down to a mild drizzle, the wind to on and off gust, and the thunder and lightning to every so often flashes and rumbles.
Dr. Sebastian Michaelis, around thirty, though his face portrayed a younger age, drove mildly, not hindered by the storm but not goaded by a need to get anywhere in a short amount of time. He liked to take his time driving these picturesque country roads, even if it was early morning and through a dying storm. A light watercolorlike glow, watery red and pale, tried to poke both through the darkened clouds and the jigsaw fittings of the pine tree line. The radio was on low, a crooning baritone voice sang through the static, sometimes getting jumbled with news about ministers saying how we should fighting enemies on beaches or something similar.
He hummed slightly to himself, not in tune with the music or with a specific melody in his head, but just a random, slightly bouncy rhythm born from boredom.
A great bend in the road came before him, slightly illuminated by the weak headlights, and was unexpected. Deftly and with high reflexes, Sebastian quickly turned the wheel accordingly. But around the bend, clear as demonic daylight in the rising sun, was a boy, standing in the middle of the road.
A tremendous screech bansheed from the wheels as Sebastian nearly ran off the road in an attempt to prevent himself from hitting the appearing figure. He stopped and looked through the back window, his eyes wide and heart racing.
Through the weak sunlight he could see that it was a boy, around ten or so. His hair was dark, thick, wet, and matted, nearly covering the grubby face. Sebastian quickly jumped out, about to question the child's safety, but immediately stopped dead in his tracks when the figure came into his full view.
The boy was devoid of all clothing, his naked body smeared with mud and what Sebastian thought was blood, much to his disgust and horror. The stood stiff like a mannequin that was ran through with volts, his arms pressed tightly to his sides and a stiffness to him like a pole. Sharp lines jutted in rows from either side of the child's torso; he had obviously not eaten in a long time. One eye, poking through his hair, was widely opened, staring out into abyss. The other was covered by hair. Below their endings, a slow and steady stream of a red fluid waterfalled down his cheek and onto the pavement.
Sebastian's attempts to utter words were entirely in vain. Any resemblance to actual syllables were but queer choking sounds. He raised shakey hands towards the figure, why he didn't know.
The boy's mouth slowly opened. His lips began to convulse and spasm, as if they were trying to make words. A small noise, a gasping noise, permeated the air. He was trying to speak. But before he could, the one visible eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fell onto the road like a sack of bloody bricks.
Sebastian was above the boy in a matter of seconds. The form laid there like a corpse, if it wasn't for the occasional rise and fall of his chest to refute it.
Part morbid curiosity, part a need to know from a doctor's perspective, led to the extension of a tremor-addled hand to the hair-covered eye. He gripped the wet fibers in his hand, and moved it.
What appeared to be a round cherry tomato, crushed and sliced to a pulp, seemed to inhabit the ocular cavity. Sebastian nearly wretched right then and there, but he knew that he had to get this kid to proper medical treatment. He was a doctor, but a head and literature one; not a body one.
He peeled off his long coat and swaddled the mutilated child in it. He felt as light as air. Quickly Sebastian almost shoved the figure across the back seat, slamming the door behind him. Sebastian slid into the front seat, and drove as fast as he could to the nearest hospital, the red light of the sun brightening the world around him like crimson blood.
Two Years Later….
The dinner party, if one could be arrogant or stupid enough to call it one, was going relatively smoothly, meaning Dr. Claude Faustus didn't mention any grievance he had with some poor patient or staff member, Dr. Sebastian Michaelis had not responded in a Wildean way, and Head Doctor Grell Sutcliff had not, well, been himself to an excess.
The three doctors in question sat in Grell's abode on the western lawn of Blackwood Institution. He had been the Head Doctor ever since the previous one had a complete and total mental and emotional breakdown when he had learned that his favorite literary detective had died in a tumble down a waterfall a few decades past. Grell wished the doctor the best of luck, wherever he was now. He kept his red velvet-clothed shoulders pointed upwardly like stands for his face as he picked at the baked salmon with his knife delicately, like any precious man of his standing should. Every once in awhile, he would peer over the tops of his spectacles to the figure to his right and blush slightly.
"Sebastian….," crooned the silky voice, drawing out every syllable, "is there something the matter? You have barely touched your salmon, but I had it made especially for you; I know how much you like it."
"With all due respect, Dr. Sutcliff, I feel Dr. Michaelis would rather spend his time brooding like the pretentious scholar he fancies himself as then show gratitude for this meal!" Dr. Faustus broke his quiet streak, it seemed.
Grell darted his eyes back to Sebastian with almost sadistic glee; he loved to see him snap back at Claude. It drove him wild to see Sebastian insert his dominance so.
But the smile faded slowly, and his eyes turned from glee to concern when he saw that Sebastian had not heard any one of them.
"Sebastian!" Grell said, slightly more urgent, as he gently shook the man's shoulder.
"My apologies, Dr. Su-I mean...Grell." The redhead blushed when he hear the man say his name. "I have been enjoying the salmon greatly, it's just that, well, my mind has been quite preoccupied lately."
"Over what might I ask, my dear?"
A snort came from the other doctor. "What appears to be a grave issue for Dr. Michaelis is merely a nuisance for most sensible folk!"
"It's not that. It's…" he looked up for the first time during the meal, "remember that boy I found two years back near the Trancy manor in Glimsbury? The one that was banged up something bad?"
Grell nodded eagerly. "Why yes! He was declared ward of the county, right?" This was getting quite interesting. He loved gossip, especially when Sebastian was saying it!
"Well, yes. I could never shake him from my mind, and so I often checked the news there to see if there was any sign of him. Well, there was….a lot, in fact. He appears to be suffering from some deep mental disturbance stemmed from that trauma. They say he has amnesia; he can't remember the slightest detail from before the...well….incident. They gave him a name, though, Ciel Phantomhive."
"Ciel Phantomhive? How does one come up with such a queer label for a disturbed orphan?" Claude justhad to say something.
Sebastian continued: "They say his eyes were like the sky, and he was quite attached to a teddy bear of a certain brand at the hospital. Anyway, he kept having these fits of sorts. They caused a great deal amount of trouble for his adoptive parents, understandably, so his has been through a lot of homes these past two years."
"Oh! Such a horrible plight this angel has befallen!" Grell always had a flair for dramatics.
"And, it turns out, his latest caregivers contacted me the other day. They want to see if we can examine and take care of him."
"Oh please! This is a serious institution, Dr. Michaelis! I'm sure Dr. Sutcliff will agree that this is not an orphanage!" Claude added another sigh and snort as if to maximize his disdain. He grabbed his glass and took a sip of wine.
Grell turned to Claude, annoyed. "I would say no such thing! I feel absolutely horrified over this poor creature's treatment! If there is anything Blackwood could do for him, then I am all for it!"
Sebastian smiled, much to Grell's arousal and much to Claude's disgust.
"Thank you so much, and I am sure that this will be an interesting experience for us all!"
Grell nodded dopily and Claude frowned and took another gulp of the wine. Yet all three agreed, it would be a very interesting time. Yes, it would indeed.
A/N: Thank you so much for bearing with me! I have had this idea in my head for a while and I can't wait for it to be realized and I hope you all enjoy it. I was not happy with my previous stories which is why they are gone. Thank you all so much