It was raining lightly as I made my way home after a long day of school and gymnastics i decided to take a rain began to fall more harder and I didn't want to have wet hair and shoes so i took an alley that had a fence at the end that led to my neighborhood, I passed through the gash in the fence that led to another alley and then turned at the corner,I saw various old valedictorian stores-how weird, maybe they're costume stores-I thought as I made my way down to the next street that would lead me home."I should come back later when the weather clears up better, some of this things are kinda cute"I muttered as i turned right into the alley that led to my house but found a dead end,I turned and walked to the next street but there was only a fence that led to an abandoned factory"what the hell"I muttered in confusion. The last thing I wanted was to get lost in this weather because one look at the sky told me the rain wasn't going to get better so I turned around and walked back to the alley I started on but it was a dead end too,I was starting to freak out as I made my way to all alleys but they all were dead ends or fences which made no sense. I was staring down the wall in front of me when I heard a giggle behind me and I instantly turned around. I saw a Handsome guy with pitch black hair,smooth ivory skin, and glasses he was wearing a tux ,he appeared to be a butler, a Fair boy with striking blue eyes about three years older than me was next to him ,he appeared to be wearing booty shorts,which made me almost laugh had his face not been staring at Me with a calmly cool expression"are you lost little girl?"he asked in a serious voice that didn't quite fit his looks . I wasn't sure if I should answer but then again they were my only salvation"uuummm...sort of...could you help me please"I said wary and the boy gave her a smile that made her skin crawl"oh my do you hear this claude,the little lamb is helplessly lost,awww what a poor thing"he said to me with fake sympathy I was getting scared by the crazy boy so I started to walk forward and informed them that I didn't need help as I recalled my way home "take care,darling"he said and as I turned the corner I saw him smile at me "claude capture her I want her,it's an order" he murmured to his butler and claude bowed "yes your highness"he said in a low handsome voice and I ran for dear life as he looked at me as if I where prey. I ran down streets and turned left then right and ran into an alley that lead to a fence but there wasn't a way through, I turned around in my heels ready to run but the butler was strolling slowly towards me with a cruel smile across his lips,at that moment I knew things were going to get ugly so I did the only thing I could I screamed at the top if my lungs as if I were being murdered and the butler seemed surprised that I was screaming but soon rushed at me which scared me even more"HELP. PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP !"I screamed louder just as Claude's hand was going to encircle my neck i saw a dark figure drop in front of me,I was so startled that I fell backwards. I didn't recall there being a metal box behind me so I was utterly surprised as the edge made impact with the side of my head,I crumbled to the ground and shrieked as i cradled my temple with the edge of my hood in my sweater to stop the bloodstream coming out of the profound gash,I was in a state of dizziness but I heard the cool voice of the individual who had come to my rescue"we meet again,claude,what a coincidence but I believe I cannot allow you to do anything to this poor girl, you see my master has order me to bring her to him and I cannot simply let my master down,I apologize for this most unfortunate turns of event" the male said with amusement in his voice"i don't see why you're so attached to your contractors,it never does you any good it really is pointless"was his response before he tackled the mysterious man at the speed of light. I was pretty sure that I had lost a lot of blood because my mind just couldn't process what was going on. The mysterious man should be on the floor but somehow he had dodged Claude's super speed tackle. For the past three minutes both raven haired males dodged,punched,and threw golden and silver cutlery at each otherfinally I can get up I thought,the pain in my wounded head cause a small shrike to escape my mouth and therefore stopped the quarrel between the butlers,I gave them an apologetic smile which in my state might have looked like a drunk's smile"well it looks like that's my cue to take the little kitten home"the cloaked man said and threw a silver knife at the other butler who barely dodged it, in the moment of my "distraction". The mysterious man lifted me bridal-style, in the time that claude dodged the blade,he jumped up to the nearest roof,he took off at a speed I couldn't believe. The mysterious man only gained more speed as the time passed. My arms fell limp to my sides as darkness finally took over me.
✨✨✨Night? ﾟﾕﾕ? ﾟﾕﾚ?￢ﾜﾨ✨✨
I felt soft,velvety rose scented sheets covering me,that calmed me down until I realized I didn't own sheets like this. A sat straight up ,too fast which made me winced,there was a knock on the door,"come in"i said a little wary,but i had to admit I was curious of my whereabouts. A tall,raven haired,ivory skinned butler walked in,"Good morning mi'lady,how is your head"his deep but gentle voice comforted me enough to speak"it hurts a little,..."I trailed off since I didn't know who he was. He smiled at me "Do forgive me I haven't introduced myself, I'm Sebastian Michaelis, head butler to the earl of phantomhive"he said as he bowed down with a hand placed over his heart,I smiled at his act of courtesy"I'm Sophia Carson...may I ask why am I here,if it's not to much of a bother?"I said softly with my head bowed down. I felt his fingers under my chin,raising it up so we were eye to eye,his face was inches apart from mine. "Well for starters you gave yourself a severe wound in your head,you've slept for a day and a half it's midnight milady and the most important reason is,my young master order me to save you from that foul butler"he finished with a smile even though his voice held a hint of disgust in it"but I... ",Suddenly I remembered that I'd gotten lost on my way home ,a blond boy had ordered his Butler to chase me when they'd spotted me,then got interrupted by a man(who was Sebastian)before he could capture me,in the process I banged my head, Sebastian took hold of me while claude was distracted and he took off at high speed which had made me pass out."oohh...but I...uummm...t-thank you, for saving me, " I finally managed to get out. He let go off my chin and stepped aside"my master wishes to see you,lady Sophia, would you rather see him in your current attire or would you like to change first?"he asked my while he held out his hand to help me out of bed. I saw what he meant when I stood up and saw my reflection in the mirror in front of the bed."uugg,I think ...I will change..."I cried out as I saw the pearl colored nightgown I was wearing. I could feel my face burn with embarrassment,the gown only reached my mid thigh and it had spaghetti strap,I was so self conscious I didn't notice Sebastian lay down a beautiful midnight silk dress,with a corset, the dress was beautiful except it looked like one of those dresses from queen Victoria's reign period. I looked at the dress and corset with all the straps and mess of silk -I hope I don't get lost in all that silk or tie the wrong strap -I thought to myself "Do you need assistance in dressing,milady"he asked me seeing my concern - I wasn't sure but I had a feeling he was the only servant here-i thought to myself."I ugh...no t-t-thank you ..."I muttered out,he smiled at my nervousness and nodded"I shall wait outside, mi'lady"he said as he reached the door,before he left he turned around to me and gave me sweet smile"do call me Sebastian, it's much shorter"he said closing the door.
SEBASTIAN'S P.O.V
I smiled to myself as I hear the young mistress swearing to kill the dress. I understood why she didn't want help but she clearly needs help. The instant I saw her I knew she was different but I still couldn't figure out what she was,her soul was pure and intoxicating to my demonic hunger,she certainly wasn't a demon or a reaper,I still wasn't sure if she was a human,maybe the young master will figure it outI thought to myself. The door opened and out came the mistress. It was a good thing the dress was a long sleeve and not a strapless one,it would have hung loose on her due to her small frame,not to mention it gather a bit on the floor due to her height."my,my you're rather small for an average 15 year old"I commented trying to suppress a turned to look at me with a confused expression"how do you know my age?"she asked on guard. dang,I forget she hadn't told me her age"oh are you not,I'm sorry I just assumed you were, I'm sorry mi'lady"I said trying to sound convincing, she shook her head"it's were right thou"she said with a nervous giggle. Her dress caught my attention again,after years of being a butler I had to make sure everything was done to perfection,her dress though could not be fixed unless I used my "special butler abilities" and to be fairly honest it was to early for me to show her that side,if the master allows her to stay I will fix it. I forgot I was supposed to take her to my young master so I cleared my throat to her her attention"I believe we should get going,the young master will get impatient"I informed her,she nodded and I led the way down the various corridors to the master's study room.
CIEL'S P.O.V
There was a knock on the door followed by Sebastian's voice"young master our guest is ready to see you"he informed him. Ciel sat up straighter and put aside the papers he was currently working on."come in"he responded. Sebastian came in and held the door opened for the young girl. Ciel tried to suppress a laugh but fail miserably when he saw the loose gown on the girl. She looked down self conscious,she fidgeted with the silk on the skirt,yet she didn't look up so I sent away Sebastian away with a flick of my hand,he left without making any noise." Hello,my I have the pleasure of knowing your name milady"I asked her,after a moment of silence she answered,"my name is Sophia Carson"I was barely able to hear her but I did catch her name."nice to meet you miss. Carson, I am Ciel Phantomhive. How are you feeling?" I asked her,"I feel better,thank you for saving me"she said almost in a whisper, did i really hurt her in laughing at her dress I thought to myself. I cleared my throat in hopes she would look up but no such thing happened,"so,how did you end up being chased by claude"I asked her. She stiffen up at the butler's name,"well I got lost on my way home,I stopped at an empty alley and they appeared behind me out of nowhere then a blond boy ordered him to capture me...and you know the rest"she trailed off with a sight. I was starting to feel bad for laughing at her. I stood up and went to where she was standing. She hadn't noticed I had moved until I grabbed the strings of her dress from her back and pulled them to make them extra tight. She gasped at the sudden act. Next I cut eight inches of her dress,I lifted her up bridal-style and placed her gently on the chair facing my chair,I pushed her in,went around and sat down. Sophia looked so shocked and paralyzed i started to get worried. After a couple of minutes she looked down at her dress that no longer hung loose on her but rather fit, not to mention it didn't drag on the floor because it was her exact height." I-I-I...how d-did... .that...in less than ten seconds?"she asked still in a daze."i'm afraid I can't tell"I told nodded and let out a sight then nodded again" I can deal with this...I meant to ask you,are you throwing a costume party?"she asked me. I was confused upon hearing this,"and why is that"I asked her,she looked at her dress and then at my clothes, I think."well you're wearing old valedictorian clothes"she said waving at her clothes. I was intrigued upon hearing this,"I'm sorry but I believe this outfit is new,at least the store clerk said it was it's only been one week out?"I informed her only to receive a giggle from her."sorry but I don't see what's so funny"I grumble out ,getting less patient as time passed she raised her head to look me straight in the eyes and I was awe struck by her teal gold streaked eyes,they were truly an amazing color that matched her whole features,"this is totally a prank,right,you guys are pretending to be from the nineteenth century so I can be confused and then you guys will scare me and say it's all a prank" she said in between giggles that made her long pitch black hair bounce a little and cover half her face. I had a feeling that made my whole body hurt and she was the one who caused it,but why,I wondered.
SOPHIA'S P.O.V
Ciel's face grew more confused as I giggled so I stopped right away"are you okay "I asked concerned. He looked at me for what felt like eternity when he opened his mouth no sound came out so he closed it again. After a couple minutes he regained his voice. He cleared his throat up,looked at me with a straight face and opened his mouth again but what he said shocked me"I'm sorry ,miss. Carson, but this isn't a joke. I'm not one to joke around, to what would be the honor of you thinking this is a joke. We are in the nineteenth century and queen Victoria is still in reign."he said showing me a newspaper which I took greedily from his hands. I scanned the page for the time date. I couldn't believe my eyes so I reread the thing twice then three times. I gasped dropping the newspaper, I stumbled over my chair and bolted out of the study room ignoring ciel's request to stop and come back. I ran down the halls and passed an astonished butler,"miss where are..."
Sebastian's voice faded as I ran down the stairs. I swung the door open and ran in the garden,which to my luck was like a maze,I turned corner after corner not believing that I was in a different time period that wasn't the 80's but the nineteenth century.
CIEL'S P.O.V
Sebastian came dashing to room just three minutes after Sophia took off running,"young master what happened, why did the young mistress took you being cold?"he asked me but i just shook my head. Through the window I could see Sophia running through the maze of a garden that I hadperfect she won't be able to escapeI thought with glee as I climbed on the window sill,"my lord,what are doing". Sebastian asked with concern I turned to look at him"well I'm getting back what belongs to me"I said as my eye glowed pink and the pupil split like a snake's but mine was the trademark of a demon.
SEBASTIAN'S P.O.V
"SHE belongs to me,not you, master"I said after Ciel dropped down the window into the garden below and ran at demon speed after her. I rotated a full 360° and out of the study room with the cart of tea."soon she will be mine and only mine"I said darkly.
CIEL'S P.O.V
Sebastian came dashing to my room just three minutes after Sophia took off running,"young master what happened, why did the young mistress took you being cold?"he asked me but i just shook my head. Through the window I could see Sophia running through the maze of a garden that I hadperfect she won't be able to escapeI thought with glee as I climbed on the window sill,"my lord,what are doing". Sebastian asked with concern I turned to look at him"well I'm getting back what belongs to me"I said as my eye glowed pink and the pupil split like a snake's but mine was the trademark of a demon.
SOPHIA'S P.O.V
I ran around the maze like garden,never finding an exit. As I searched frantically around for a way out I thought to myselfhow are you going to get to the twenty first century, idiot,it's not like the people of this time have time machines I had been so lost in thought I hadn't noticed where I was going. I stopped abruptly looking around;I decided to go along the path with the blue flowers since blue was my favorite color,as soon as turned that corner and began to run I bumped into something and fell flat on my back
"tsk,tsk running away and leaving your host like that is so rude,specially for a lady" Ciel extended his hand to me, I hesitate a minute too long so he grabbed my arm and pulled me up rather harshly. As soon as i collide with ciel's chest he moved his arms like a Viber after prey around my waist. I squirmed in his arms,"let go, let me go ciel "I shouted while my tiny fist slammed against his chest in hopes of being freed but I only made things worse for me;Ciel's arms tighten around my waist making me yelp from the pain.
One if his hands let go of my waist yet he still held me in the same tight grip. He grabbed my chin and jerked my head up to look at him,it hurted a lot considering he was 5'8 and I was 4'10,"Sophia stop don't you realize you're only making this worse for you, I won't hurt you if you follow my orders", he said in a soft but voice,I wasn't sure if he would get mad if a talked so I nodded in his deadly hand,he let go of my chin and placed his palm on my cheek , i went rigid as soon as he began to caress my cheek"you're so pure,I haven't meet anyone like you and I plan on keeping you",he said as his hand moved from my cheek to my neck,he caressed my neck softly,I shudder in fear as his hand moved along my side softly, I pushed against him but he held me back in place."behave Sophia, I don't want to hurt you"he murmured in my ear,his hot breath stirred my hair making my skin crawl with goosebumps and making me go rigid in his arms"that's better, now I figured that you're not from this century and since there's no device to send you home,you'll have to stay here,with me"he whispered the last part in my ear. He brushed his lips across my cheek,I came into focus just as his lips were going to meet mine,I turned my head and squirmed in his grasp yet again failing and receiving a scowl from him.
CIEL'S P.O.V
Sophia kept struggling and disobeying my orders, I was about to crack her but the most wonderful idea came across my mind. It had been a long time ago since I left Elizabeth and it would be nice to have company again, Sophia was more mature and sophisticated than Lizzy and I certainly felt a bond towards Sophia. "It's settled, you're going to be my fiancée"she stopped all her squirming upon hearing this news,"WHAT,I'M ONLY FIFTEEN YEARS OLD AND I BARELY KNOW YOU,WHY WOULD I MARRY A STRANGER!"she hollered out at me with such strength that it startled me and before I knew it I had slapped her so hard she fell backwards. Sophia sat up grabbing her crimson stained cheek,her eyes shone with tears that spilled down her rosy round cheeks. As soon as I knelt down next to her she scurried away from me but I grabbed her arm just in time before she got away,I pulled her into my lap despite her protests and punches,she got lucky and hit me square in the jaw. I enclosed her lower part of her face in my hand rather forcefully,she screeched out as I grabbed her bruised cheek and split her lip even more. She tried to shake away my hand as blood flowed down her lip. My demon senses kicked in as her blood clouded my nose with her scrumptious aroma. My eye that wasn't covered by the eye patch began to glow a fuchsia pink color,Sophia screamed in fear as she saw my snake like eye turn to another color,she began kicking and squirming in my lap trying to get away from me ,"Young master, it seems you're scaring the life out of miss Carson", Sebastian said giving me a scowl before taking the quivering girl from my scowled at me,for the first timeI thought as his figure became a spot in the distance.
SEBASTIAN'S P.O.V
Sophia was still shivering from fear even though we had left the young master in the garden a long time ago,"don't worry we're far away from him young mistress"I tried to console her as I made my way up the stairs. Finally I reached the guest room Sophia was staying in,I set her down on the floor,she turned around to face me and surprised me when she enclosed her arms around me,"thank you, Sebastian,for coming at the right time",her voice was muffled against my chest. I hugged her back once I felt her body shake with sobs,"you're welcome, miss Carson", I answered in response. She looked at me with tear stained cheeks,her head turned slightly to the right and I saw a bruise already forming in her cheek. "Did the young master do this to you?"I asked her even though I already knew the answer. New tears formed in her eyes but she shook her head in denial. I softly cupped her face in both my hands,I wiped away the tears that rolled down her crimson cheeks with my thumbs,"I won't let anything happen to you,okay?...you can trust me,I'm nothing like my master and I certainly won't let him hurt you,I promise Sophie" she smiled upon hearing her new nickname. I smiled tenderly at her even though inside my blood boiled with so much who hurts my kitten will wish they were never bornI thought to myself."I'll go bring you something to eat,I'll be right back"I informed her as I placed a small kiss on her forehead and made my way out the room and into the kitchen.
SOPHIA'S P.O.V
I sat on the chair facing an oval shape mirror,I turned my head slightly to the right transfixed by the now purple-greenish bruise. I was so distracted looking at the new bruises on my pale skin I didn't notice the shadow that passed over the window. I turned around when I heard rustling behind me but instead of Sebastian I saw a clothed figure reach out to me, the person covered my nose and mouth with a gold rim pearl handkerchief blocking all the oxygen to enter my system. I knew that if I breathed right now I would pass out from the fume that was likely applied to the cloth but I needed oxygen so bad.
I could no longer fight against my body's wishes henceforth I took a huge breath the smell was like paradise in my nose, it's smell was so sweet and rich I almost forgot that I was being kidnapped. I struggled in my captor's grasp but I started to feel so sleepy and I could no longer hold myself up,my eyelids finally became too heavy for me to keep open, darkness clouded my head and I fell limp against my captor.
The scent of lavender clouded my noseweren't the sheets rose scentedI thought as I regained consciousness. I opened my eyes to find a different room from the one Sebastian left me I dreamt that I was being kidnapped. I probably passed out after the blow Ciel gave me and Sebastian passed me to a new roomI figured out while looking around. I stood up and walked across to the window, the outside was different from the garden I had ran in and I spotted three servants that didn't look familiar, I came to realize that I was not at the phantomhive manor. I looked around just as a wind swept through the window blowing around me making me shiver. I looked down and realize I no longer had the dress Sebastian had gifted to me but a pearl satin nightgown that was just to my mid thighs. A knock reached my ears taking my mind away from the nightgownoh no I don't know where am I or with who I thought nervously, before I could answer the door opened and in came a butler and one that I knew all too well."c-claude...why am I here" my voice shook with anger as I looked at him. His stare traveled from my face to my chest. I looked down and saw what he had been seeing, the strap of the nightgown had slipped down from my shoulder revealing my shoulder and some part of my bra. My face lit up in embarrassment, I fixed the strap of the nightgown and turned around to face the window.
I felt soft hands on my shoulders the following seconds and instantly tensed up in Claude's touch."It doesn't matter why you're here,what matters is that you're not going to leave"his breath sent shivers down my back. I tried to pull away from his grasp but he only held my shoulders harder"oww claude you're hurting me"I whimpered when he didn't let go of me. In one swift second I was facing claude,I gasped at the event ,claude looked me in the eye before speaking,"now it's time to get you dressed for the day"his eyes traveled down my body. I tried to break free after hearing this from claude. Claude let go of me and started to laugh, I stared at him in shock, I honestly never thought I'd hear claude laugh. Suddenly his fingers were tucked under my chin,lifting my face so we were only centimeters apart, my face was so hot it was probably redder than a tomato. Claude turned his head sideways, he was regarding me."don't worry I won't be doing the pleasures of dressing you,unless you want me to?" he said the last part with a smirk on his face. He laughed as I shook my head furiously, he stood up tall letting go of my chin and straightened his tailcoat,"In that case hannah will assist you with your wardrobe and hair", he bowed down with his right hand over his chest. He straighten up at the same time that a maid with purple/white hair came in. She was tall with tan skin,she had her head bowed down and was very silent. Claude left the room and the shy maid started to fix my wardrobe, she dressed me and did my hair in beautiful curls. She finished with a nod and looked me in the eye." The lord Trancy wishes to see you, please follow me",she informed me with a calm voice. I followed after her. We passed through at least 5 corridors and more doors than I can countthere doesn't seem to be anyone occupying themI thought as I looked door after door,there seemed to be a cold aura around them and it gave me the chills. When I rounded the corner I bumped into someone, I looked up and saw curious purple eyes staring back at me, I yelped in shock and took 2steps backwards away from the servant. My back bumped into a warm and soft wall, a hand was placed at my shoulder ,I turned my head to see who was in back of me and it was the same servant as before,"ohh,sorry", I mutter in a state of shock and move to my right where a hand stopped me I whipped my head to see who it was,the same servant again, I looked around and saw two duplicates of the one in back of me. I sighed in relief,I wasn't crazy after all, I stood in the middle of four servants whose eyes turned the same as ciel's had at the manor.
I felt as if a cold bucket of water had been dropped on me as they inched their way closer and closer to me. Breathing became difficult and I felt as if yet again I was in ciel's painful grasp,the triplets trapped me in their limbs as one pair of hands held my chin,other my arms and my waist. The exotic maid came walking towards me with a deadly sharp knife and a smug look on her face. She stopped when she was mere inches from my face,"I don't know why my master ordered claude to bring you here but if you get too close to him I swear I will-",she was cut off mid sentence by a certain deep rich voice"What exactly will you do too her?",claude appeared behind her with his arms folded crossed his muscular chest and a stern face on his face. The maid,Hannah, quickly detached herself from me as well as the triplets. The maid hung her head and muttered an apology under her breath. Claude looked at them, snapped his fingers and ordered the servants to get back to work. Just as Hannah was about to protest he told her that he would personally take care of me. *what did he mean by that and I certainly didn't like the way he said it, it creeped me out*. Claude walked forward and I took that as my clue to follow him, I wasn't sure why I felt the sudden urge to thank him and I knew that if I tried he would simply ignore it,but since I was raised with good manners. I gave it a shot,"claude...I wanted to say..um..t-thanks for saving me back there...",I finished with an awkward silence. After one minute he turned around to face me,I felt the impact of the wall as he smashed me against it before I knew what was happening, his face was so close I could see the flecks of gold in his eyes*he did have some alluring eyes*I found myself thinking
His breath touched my lips as he growled at me,"don't thank me yet,when my master grows tired of you and throws you to be at my mercy... I will enjoy seeing you as I break you little by little in so MANY possible ways, just to see your beautiful face contorted in so much pain", he whispered the last part with a chuckle. My blue orbs widened as I felt his hand trace lazy circles around my throat, my wind pipe to be exact, I gasped as I fell him put pressure at my throat. He laughed at my reaction and mere seconds later detached himself from his standing position in front of me,"come along my master grows irritated as the seconds pass, young mistress", he said as his hand grazed my shoulder to my hand and he pulled me after him, my throat couldn't form sounds and my strength failed against his superior one. I was utterly defenseless,surrounded by five deadly demons and a psychotic guy who I didn't know what he wanted to do with me. I just realized I was utterly alone and hopeless, I would never get out of here, I might have a already signed my own death...
SEBASTIAN'S P.O.V
(Still nighttime)
I knocked on the mistress door but heard no response I only took 10 seconds, she couldn't possibly have fallen asleep I thought. I opened the door after hearing no response from the young mistress after the third
knock. "Oh my", i said as she was nowhere to be found, i set the food tray down in the table and walked towards her bathing chambers,"young mistress are here?", I asked but got no response.
I searched everywhere but she wasn't anywhere to be found.
…..
"That brat", I muttered as I realized the only place gone unchecked was the master's bedroom.
CIEL'S P.O.V
I was shaken awake due to Sebastian flouncing my bedroom door open like there was no tomorrow,"what has gone into you!", I shouted at him but he just entered and took the liberty to search my chambers after a while he looked at me dead on, a silence falling between us,"what is it know you devil?", I questioned him. ,"where is she?", he asked in a deadly voice it took me a while to figure out he was asking about Sophia ,"I don't know. Weren't you taking care of her?" I said mockingly.
? ﾟﾕﾐ? ﾟﾕﾒ
"I can't believe you let Sophia be taken" i scolded sebastian as he dressed me up he answered by pulling an extra amount on my belt."aww ,watch it you mongrel" I barked at him.
We were in the carriage before i could blink .
"We're coming for you Sophia, who ever took you will pay mark my words" I said darkly.