The little girl swung calmly on the swing set. Her moist, puffy eyes searched furiously on the ground below her, trying to find the object that she had dropped just a moment before. Her eyes finally nestled down on a spot in the damp Earth, the object's golden gleam shining brilliantly in the sunlight amongst the green grass. She picked it up and lightly brushed the dirt off of it. She gazed at it once again before another vision suddenly played throughout her mind, startling her.
Elizabeth ran through the chaotic streets of London, her hair flying wildly behind her. "Lady Phantomhive! Stop! Please! For the sake of your own safety!" she heard Paula scream after her. She shook her head, shrugging off the pleas that constantly emitted from her maid's mouth. The words faded into a soft hum in the background as she got farther away from the horse carriage. She'd have to apologize and explain things later. As for now, she needed to find her beloved. She suddenly dodged a body that had fell from one of the burning buildings near her. She instantly recognized the face on the corpse, despite the severe burns that covered the head and the badly singed hair.
Nina. 'Oh my God!' she thought. She felt tears begin to form in her eyes. 'No! You must not think about that! You have to find him.' She argued with herself. She burst through a crowd of people that was heading towards the docks behind her. They were trying to escape the perishing London, the opposite thing of which she was doing. A male citizen noticed the anxious blonde and abruptly halted his movement within the running crowd.
'Isn't that Ciel Phantomhive's wife?' he thought bewildered. "Charles! What are you doing?! There are only a few boats left at the dock!" A worried female voice said to him. A petite woman appeared in his vision. She began to tug at his arm, urging him to follow the rest of the group of people.
"But isn't that-"
"We don't have time! Come on! Our son is already on the boat!" his flustered wife interrupted him. The man reluctantly let his wife move him about, his mind still set on the nervous blonde that belonged to the queen's Watch dog. 'I hope that gal knows what she's doing.' He thought as he entered the docks.
The vision suddenly dissipated and the little girl stumbled backwards, falling down onto the cold ground. Her cheeks began to redden and little sobs began to erupt from her. She couldn't hear the shutting of a car door or the jingle of keys that sounded a few feet away from her above her cries. A shadow came near her and warm full arms suddenly embraced her tiny waist. "What's wrong honey?" her grandmother's sweet voice asked.
She felt herself being suddenly lifted up from the ground. She peered up to see her grandmother looking down at her, concern evident on her features. "I-I did it again." The small child cried, her fingers giving away on the golden object. Her grandmother snatched the trinket before it could fall on the ground for a second time, its cool surface piercing her already chilled hands.
The grandmother inspected the item more closely. She then smiled down at her granddaughter's teary face. "How about we go inside and get you all cozied up? I got a story to tell you. Perhaps it will help you understand these visions that you will eventually have to come to terms with." The child looked at her grandmother quizzically before nodding her head, albeit unsure, and began to stare at the locket that her grandmother had now placed onto her stomach.
After grabbing several blankets and pillows, the little girl snuggled closely into the arm of the couch in her grandmother's den, her eyes set closely on her grandmother. Her Sippy cup was in one hand, the other preoccupied with holding her soft, yet shabby, brown teddy bear. She watched as her grandmother took a stool from the farthest corner of the room, setting it near the couch.
"Well, now. Where to start." Her grandmother began to mumble. She gently patted her hands on her lap before rubbing them together, something she always seemed to do when thinking very hard. A thoughtful look crossed her features and she held out a hand expectantly to her granddaughter. "May I see that?" she asked. The child handed the locket over.
The old and wise woman studied it tentatively before closing her eyes. The vision continued from where it left off.
'The manor isn't too far away! I may still have time! But dammit!- he promised me! Promised me!' The young mistress thought. She ran past a rogue horse with a carriage tailing behind it, the driver nowhere to be seen. Nothing but smoke and fire blazed throughout the city, adding on to the ominous presence that seemed to waft itself through the air. Screaming could be heard in the distance, shrieks of grief and distress. 'This must be hell!' Elizabeth thought. Her thoughts only became more frantic as she continued, leaping over gates and other obstacles in her path as she ran down the cobblestone streets. Would he be alright? What if she didn't make it in time? 'Oh god! Please, not let that be true!'
A building with billowing flames suddenly crumbled near her, causing the ground to shake terribly. She just about lost her footing. She gritted her teeth, pushing herself even further. She was almost there! She mentally sighed to herself as her eyes fell upon the never-ending dirt road that led up to the Phantomhive manor. A brief wave of relief washed over her. Did she actually make it in time? One could only imagine her chagrin as she fully took in the sight of the said manor when she finally reached the entrance of the dirt road. Orange and yellow sparks danced on top of the manor joyfully, their power making the house produce loud creaking noises as parts of it collapsed. Elizabeth stared at it in disbelief, her eyes wide. She slumped down unto the ground. Was she really too late...?
The grandmother opened her eyes once again, the vision still clear in her mind. She was surprised to hear a whimper from the couch. "Gr-granny?" her granddaughter began. "Are you Ok?" The grandmother felt pain as she saw the sorrowful look on her granddaughter's face. What could she have possibly done during the vision to worry her granddaughter so? She glanced down to notice that she was shaking all over and the top part of her shirt was soaked. Had she been sweating or... crying...? She wasn't sure.
"Teressa," she addressed her daughter's only child. "It's time you knew of your family's heritage." The child only nodded, eager to hear more. She always had enjoyed stories, especially ones involving her ancestors, seeing that there was hardly any of her relatives left remaining to tell her of her ancestry. Teressa's grandmother pointed at an old black and white photograph hanging from the mantle above the fireplace. A beautiful female with yellow locks flowing down her back stared back at them from a picture frame. "That young lady right there is your great-great-grandmother. Elizabeth Phantomhive, the wife of the queen's famous watchdog; Ciel Phantomhive, your great-great-grandfather. These two had shared very harsh pasts, though at different times in their lives." The granny looked sadly away from the photo, terrible thoughts and memories of horrid visions flashing throughout her mind.
"What happened to them, Grandma?" Teressa asked, curiously. The ancient woman looked hesitantly at the child before bringing the locket up in between both of their faces. "Well, it all started with this."
End of chp. 1
A/N: Hope you liked it so far(or that it at least picked your interest). This fanfic is supposed to help me with my writing skills so I can be prepared for this main fanfic(GaaraHina) that I plan to be posting up soon. Please review. Criticism is accepted. If you give a flame, I'll give a response just as hard back to you. Perhaps even worse.
