When I made this contract, I could have never imagined what would come of it... And how much pain it would bring.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. It had not been long since we had become companions, but our time together was soon turning into a tedious schedule. Awoken every morning at the exact same time, in the exact same way, in that exact same cool tone he spoke in. "Master, this morning's tea is Her Majesty's blend from Ridgeways." I stretched and opened my sleepy eyes, glaring at his dark form from the corner of my eye as he poured the tea ever so perfectly into the teacup. He gently placed the tea set on my nightstand to cool and as always, began dressing me in my usual attire. He slipped the crisp, white shirt on my delicate frame and went on to fasten the buttons. Annoyed by how coolly he was acting I unfastened two, simply to view his reaction. "Did I irritate you?" I asked with an ever so slight giddy tone in my voice from the way he marginally furrowed his brow. He stared up and me and as nonchalantly as ever replied "No." I frowned and he refastened the buttons and continued to finish dressing me in the rest of my garments. Afterwards excusing himself to take care of whatever else needed attending to in this dreaded manor, but not before smoothly running his fingers through his hair with those large gloved hands. As he exited I began to chuckle to myself. His attitude was always something that miffed me, but I came to love that about him. In fact, I loved everything about him. I replayed the scene of his brow furrowing from just a few moments ago in my head and as I thought about this and other such things my laughter became louder and louder. I laughed to myself for quite some time until I decided it was time to go enjoy my morning meal.
I walked into the room hoping that he would be there, but instead I found that disgusting woman and those three idiots standing there. I quickly lost my appetite, but then a rather amusing idea came into my mind. Maybe this meal wouldn't be as unpleasant now? I took a breath and spoke in a calm voice, "Hannah, don't you think fried eggs are pitiful? Shells broken open, nakedly exposed for all eyes to see... They'll never grow in eyes, or organs, or wings: all their possibilities wiped out by me." As I said this I took my knife and jammed it into the golden yolk of the egg and stirred it around furiously, letting it's undercooked goo spill out slowly onto the plate. I looked from the edge of my eye to judge her opinion on my words. She averted her eyes from my gaze, knowing full well that she was prohibited from looking her master in the eye. "Claude has taught her well." I thought, "Much too well." Perhaps this was to be another boring breakfast after all? I fiddled with my knife as another idea came to me, one that was sure to evoke the reaction I wanted. I placed my knife on the rim of my glass of cranberry juice and tilted the glass enough so that it's contents would spill out onto the clean tablecloth. I called for the wretch in a stern voice which startled her and she quickly ran over and got on her knees to clean the mess. I had her where I wanted, and before she started cleaning I faked a loud yelp of pain. Shocked she looked up at me, concern inscribed on her face. A dastardly smile was now plastered on my face, she had done just as I had predicted she would. I had to snicker a bit from how perfectly everything went. I stared down at her and as we locked eyes I said, "Truly pitiful." I raised my right hand, my heart beating faster and faster as the moment to execute what I had planned since I stepped into to the room had come. I stabbed my index and middle fingers into her left eye while I used my left hand to grab the back of her head so I could press both my digits into her horrid face deeper. I let my fingers twist and squirm in the socket while I spoke to her in a falsely endearing tone, "Claude's told you hasn't he? A maid mustn't look directly at her master." I thrust my fingers in harder causing a thin trail of blood to seep out. Her soft whimpers of pain and the way she grit her teeth as I twist my fingers inside her made it all the more entertaining. I now used a tone of feigned innocence when I spoke to her, "You'll have to forgive me. If I don't punish you, Claude will be outraged." Yes, everything I did was for him. And as I spoke these words I violently pulled my fingers out of bloody hole, allowing for bright, crimson blood to drip from my slender hand. She covered the now empty crater on her face, wincing. As for the three morons who had stood there watching throughout the entire ordeal, they very quietly conversed between themselves on what had just happened. Suddenly he burst into the room almost as if he had been waiting for the ideal time to walk in. With that rich, dark voice that I loved so much, he ordered the three fools to clean up the mess. They promptly did so and they, along with that harlot, disappeared from the room. I quickly came down from my state of elation as he waltzed over to me. He produced a handkerchief from his breast pocket with which to wipe the fresh blood off my hands and he did so in a most gentle fashion. I remember thinking how soothing it felt to be so tenderly cared for by him. So very tender.
"Arnold Trancy will be dining with us today." he spoke in a more serious tone, a tone more befitting to the butler aspect of him. "He just wants money," I immediately replied in a sort of a drawl due to my cheek being pressed up against the cold, hard surface of a table. He went on to saying that a priest would be coming along with him, doubting my time "held hostage by the fairies." I had only been half-listening until then but once I heard that I straightened from my relaxed posture and snapped back, "What should I do, Claude?!" Since the old bastard had died I had changed everything in the estate to suit my tastes, removing or altering anything that reminded me of that old loon. Unlike me, Claude hadn't lost his composure in the slightest and reassured me that he would take care of everything. Not that I had to confirm he would do as I asked,but out of worry I asked him regardless, "Really?" And in a voice that almost made me shudder he said, "Yes, your highness."
"I transform day into night, sugar into salt, creatures into corpses... and navy into golden." "That's what makes a Trancy butler. That's your line right?" I had walked into the room almost immediately after he had finished all the arrangements. "That's my Claude!" I beamed at him with as radiant a smile as I could produce. "As long as I have you, I don't need those useless, clods." I said in a cheery voice as I plucked a coral colored rose from the a bouquet on the table. "But... this is where I prefer to display my roses." I placed the rose between Claude's thin lips and took a few steps back to admire how handsome he looked. I then thought it fit to perform a quick dance of a Spanish theme to suit Claude's "exotic" appearance. "Ole!" I giggled and twirled around the room, enjoying him watch me. I suddenly halt and ceased my laughter and my face became dark, almost as if in response to the evening's visitors I whispered, "Eat shit."
The guests, in a very loose sense of the word, had arrived. Now it was time to put on my facade and remove these maggots from my household as quickly as possible. I guess I'll start with a mad dash and really show these old fucks how it's done. I ran as fast as I could in my heeled boots and jumped out when the two large wooden doors were opened. I yelled happily, "Uncle Arnold!" The fat pig was shocked, it almost made me laugh how stupid he looked. It appeared he had brought along the Viscount as well. He's a fairly famous medical practitioner and since the incident with the Phantomhives, a dealer in the black market as well. However, all that seemed to be utter bullshit with the way he was conducting himself now. Once Claude had escorted them inside, in a most subtlety stunning and elegant fashion if I may add, the real show began. The Viscount, most noisily, noted Claude's redecoration of the house straight away. Adding some rather unnecessarily, irrelevant comments about some place called "Cipangu" as well. However this allowed me to take advantage of the situation and add in some sappy shit I knew would fool them. "Yes, I haven't changed even the smallest thing since my father's time. I... don't want to lose my father's warmth or essence." My hair obscured my eyes as I forced a tear from my eye just to make sure they bought my act. Uncle Arnold, of course, wasn't going to buy my shit. Smart for a pig. I elicited the reaction I wanted from the priest though, which was more than enough for me. We moved on to our main course for the night and I told them of my past, truthfully it was painful to remember sometimes. "I lived a sickeningly long time in a certain village. I don't even know what the place was called. Or how long I was there..." I made sure to adopt a gloomy tone and expression while I retold them my past, "I was worked like a slave and not even allowed to go outside. There was just one boy who shared my situation, I thought of him as a younger brother." I almost felt as if I had caught Claude's attention with this, but I shrugged off the thought and continued on, "But that day... That night..." Although I had been putting on a charade for these "guests" of mine I started to relive the events of that night, causing me to feel a sort of dull ache and my words to grow heavier as I continued on, "Inside the rippling flames, the broken-off screams, just quietly lying there... darkness." The air in the room now carried a weight as I finished my tale. "What in the world happened in the village?!" "I don't know either," it was only a half-truth but a truth nonetheless, I then switched my voice to a lighter, more joyful tone, "But then my father came to take me home! I thought, 'I'm not alone! I finally have love!' But then he..." I trailed off there. The priest attempted to show me sympathy, what a fraud I thought. And the Viscount began noisily strangling him while he began incessantly blathering about not being able to forgive god. Maybe there was something I had in common with that fool after all. I then saw another opportunity to flaunt my acting skill while having a little fun at my "Uncle's" expense. "It's alright!" I said, "For one thing, I have Uncle Arnold!" "O-oh yes! That's quite right!" he said in craggly, old voice. Then I took my chance and I leaned in closer to him and softly muttered into his ear "I say, Uncle Arnold." "Yes?" He inquired. "Don't lean your face too close to me. Your mouth stinks." He became infuriated, enough so that his face turned red in anger. Yet he kept anything he might've said to himself, perhaps in fear of a scolding from the priest? I didn't really care and I gave him a small smile to show the enjoyment I'd gotten out of it. The priest and Viscount had left ahead of the fat lard, leaving me with an opportunity for one last laugh that evening. "Wait, Uncle Arnold!" I called from the balcony that overlooked the entrance to the mansion. He turned back, glaring right at me. "You only wanted money, right?" I grabbed a large trunk that Claude was holding in his arms, "Here, you can have these!" I yelled out. The open-mouthed expression he now dawned on his face was most befitting. "These moldy, old notes aren't fit to feed a goat with!" As I emptied the trunk's contents, deeds to lands and horses worth thousands, out onto the ground below. It took all of my willpower not to say something along the lines of, 'But I guess they're suitable for a pig like yourself!' Instead and laughed loudly and the way he scrambled like the vile animal he was, trying to collect all the pieces of paper. My laughter soon died when I noticed Claude wasn't laughing. "Claude." A hint of irritation in my voice. "Yes." He answer plainly. "You laugh too." I commanded. He simply stood there, what a disobedient butler, I scoffed. Suddenly an abrupt wind picked up and it appeared a storm was brewing in the distance, we retreated back inside for it was to be a long night.
There was thunderous knock at the door, I wondered who it might be. As Claude went to go answer I hid behind him in curiosity of who the mysterious stranger could be knocking at this hour. He was a tall man, he looked to have long black hair, and wore a large, black trench coat and top hat that obscured most of his face. "Might I trouble you for a night's lodgings?" the man asked in a voice almost as seductive as Claude's. It was then that I chose to peek out from behind Claude and observe the man further. "Wow!" I exclaimed. "He's just so filthy! Just like a drowned rat!" I moved in closer and lightly grabbed the man by his shoulders to get a closer look. "You smell nice." I told him. "What's your name?" I questioned him, but didn't wait for his reply. "We'll let him stay with us. Got that, Claude?" I ordered. He gave me a stern look, but even so, accepted. I had Claude prepare the enigmatic stranger a meal. "Try this too! Claude's cooking is disgustingly good!" I told the man, baiting him as I assumed he must have been starved judging by his disheveled looks. Again he spoke out in the deliciously erotic voice, "Yes, it's quite magnificent... However there's a tiny speck of sauce on the rim of the plate. I don't sense the mere trifling care it would take to dab it with a cloth." I noted the sauce, but before I could make even the slightest utterance Claude spoke up, "My apologies. I'll clear this away. I didn't realize a man who doesn't remove his coat at the dinner table would have such delicate sensibilities." I was loving this odd visitor more and more. It was difficult just getting Claude's attention, but this man had offended and irked him! Oh this night was going to be so much more fun!
Claude had given the stranger a room in the east wing and as I made my way over I found that bitch in there, probably trying to gain some sort of affection from this stranger. Well I wasn't going to have that. "Hannah?" I called out in an almost affectionate-sounding voice, "What are you doing here, Hannah?" I noticed the way she trembled from my voice, good. "I came to change the water, my Lord." she said in a timid voice, with her eyes looking downward at the floor. "Hmm, are you sure you weren't trying to arouse this traveler's interest by wearing that silly bandage and acting pathetic?" I smacked her hard across the face making her fall to her knees and drop the jar of water. As she tried to stand up I kicked her with considerable force in the back of her thigh, causing her to let out a short cry of pain. "Get out of here, you tart!" I nearly screamed. She was quickly on her feet, bowed, and let herself out. "Sorry, Sir." I truly did feel sorry for him, having to put up with that dimwit. "Is she alright?" he asked seeming concerned for her. "Don't ask me. She's so creepy. I never know what she's thinking." I chose to share this with him for whatever reason, I almost felt as ease talking to this stranger. He reminded me of Claude in a way, but in another he was the exact opposite. Nevertheless I felt the need to keep sharing, so I did, "Actually... I don't know what anyone is thinking." I then changed the topic to something that had been poking at me for a while and what I had originally came to his room for, "Say, what's in that trunk of yours? Clothes? Sweets?" My mood then became one that was a bit more somber, "I'm jealous. It must be fun to travel places. I want to try traveling too. This mansion is so dull." He spoke so suddenly it almost scared me, "Dull? But I've been told there's something interesting underneath this mansion." This information brightened my mood again, "Really?" "If you show it to me, I'll show you what's in this trunk." Overjoyed at his offer I gave him a wide smile and began laughing softly to myself, pressing myself onto the trunk and the unknown contents that lay inside.
I grabbed one of the candle stands and led the man down into the cellar to search for this aforementioned "interesting" object. "This way." I said as I showed him the way. He had to bend down to be able to fit under the door's low frame. We proceeded slowly down the steps and walked deeper into the cellar until we were nearly at it's end. "That must be it." he abruptly said. I placed the candle stand on the floor next to us and grabbed the box he was referring to. "It's only tea." I said in an inquisitive manner. "'New Moon Drop'... People say the tea leaves plucked on the night of the full moon have a clear, sweet smell, but these are the opposite: tea leaves plucked at the new moon. They give off an indistinct scent that brings to mind a bottomless darkness. It's otherwise known as 'the soul's temperature.'" He reached out to grab the box, but I blocked him before he could grab the box. "Not yet." I sternly said. "Yet"? Inquisition in his voice. "It's all right; I promise to show it to you. But first..." Claude interrupted, right on cue, "First, give me that trunk." He threw the golden knives he held between his fingers with perfect precision. This revealed the man's true identity, "Sebastian Michaelis!" Claude boomed. Before Claude could deliver a incapacitating blow with more of the golden knives he had produced from what seemed like air, Sebastian guarded himself with his trench coat, throwing it up before the my butler had the chance. Sebastian took advantage of my shock and stole the box of tea and dashed past Claude. "He's getting away! Don't kill him you mustn't kill him! Catch him, Claude!" We both chased after him up the stairs and Claude was able to hit the butler square in the chest this time. "You value that trunk above your own life?" Claude questioned him. Sebastian winced. "Well, then!" his voice louder now, as he threw two dining plates at the butler missing only by the smallest margin. The box flew open in his attempts to protect it and I simply couldn't believe what I was seeing! "Ciel Phantomhive!" I gasped loudly, "I finally have you, Ciel!" Ecstatic that I had finally caught the famed Earl. "I think not!" yelled Sebastian before he pulled out the knives embedded in his shoulder and brazenly threw them at my face! Claude caught them with ease of course. Still it frightened me. He continued on to say, "I won't let you touch him. It would defile my young master to have someone so foul and vulgar touch him." "What?!" I hollered. He then quickly jumped onto the serving cart and rolled away, attempting to escape. "Letting your shoes touch something that carries food? That's no fit behavior for a butler!" Claude bellowed as he chased after the fiend. I followed them as fast as my legs would carry me, but I couldn't match their speed. I thought I heard Sebastian say something in the distance, but he was now too far for me to clearly hear. As I caught up the only thing I heard before the room was shrouded in darkness was the loud crash of the chandelier. I cried out in fear. "It's dark... Claude I'm scared!" I said in a weak, cracked voice. "Light!" shouted Claude in a commanding tone. The room was suddenly filled with a soft glow of candlelight. The triplets and maid came in and surrounded me as I lay there panting on the floor. A loud clash drew my attention upwards to the window, the butler was going to get away! "After him! Quickly!" The three brothers and Hannah dispersed to follow the butler.
Claude would have joined them in the fray, but I clung onto his leg and called out in a shrill voice "No, not you, Claude! Don't go!" "But..." He stopped and looked down at me, his eyes wider than I had ever seen them before. "Don't leave me..." Tears were welling up in my eyes and my voice became strained. "Don't leave me alone, Claude. Please." I could feel the hot tears falling from my face now and Claude relaxed and turned to look at me better. He took in sharp breath and spoke to me in a compassionate voice, "We are constant companions." His gaze almost looked like a loving one, or what I assumed to be loving. He continued to speak to me in that voice, I hoped it would never end "Day and night, sugar and salt, creature and corpse... defiled and immaculate." "No," I sharply interrupted with a pleading tone, "He was right... I'm nothing but a foul, little brat." In all this commotion I hadn't noticed that Claude had removed his glasses, but when he placed them back onto his face it felt different. His tone changed now, into a serious one with what I knew to be an erotic undertone having spent so many years with that old man and with all sorts of other disgusting men who wanted their way with me. But this wasn't like that, it sounded... genuine. He spoke in this sort of tone, "You are my master." However I cut him off again, what Sebastian had said and the thoughts of my 'father' weren't allowing me to think clearly, I couldn't accept what Claude was saying to me. "Forget it. I know you're the same..." I said, not wanting to hear anymore. He then gently cupped my face in his hands, and using that same tone but speaking slightly louder now with a hint of what I believed was possessiveness he said, "I am your loyal servant. You needn't set out to arouse my interest. I intend to make one hell of a feast out of you." My eyes grew wide and it finally clicked. He was mine, I didn't need to force myself to perform these cruel acts to keep his interest. I merely needed to be myself with him... And to allow myself to accept him. It was then that he pulled my face in and gave me the most tender kiss I had ever received. It was soft, and delicate, and slightly wet from my tears. Only then was I able to let what Claude had said sink in. What I didn't know then was that this would all be a lie. It was here where he had torn off my beautiful wings and later that night would poison me with his venom, where it would slowly begin to kill me only to feast on my entrails in the cruelest fashion possible. As is customary for a Trancy butler...
