"Azzuro! What's the meaning of this?"
"Lily! Someone get her out of here!"
"No, tell me what's going on first! Why do you have that boy tied up? And he's bleeding! Azzuro, you better explain what's going on right now!" I demanded.
"I said someone get her out of here." he barked as he took a long drag from his cigar.
A couple of men grabbed me by each arm.
"Come on Miss Lily. This ain't now place for a lady."
"It's no place for a child either." I said as I pulled away from them and walked over to the tied up boy. I smiled as I knelt down. He appeared to be barely conscious. I proceeded to untie him.
"That's not a good idea Lily." Azzuro said as he put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed so hard it hurt. I knocked his hand away and glared at him as I said,
"And what are you going to do to me? This boy is hurt and is barley conscious. He needs to be cared for. I'm taking him back to my room." I said as I finished undoing the straps and picked him up.
As I stood up and turned to face Azzuro, he hit me so hard he knocked me back. I fell to the floor careful not to land on the boy.
"It's all right, I'll be fine, but thank you for your concern." the boy whispered. I looked at the boy still in my arms then at Azzuro.
"You hit me!" I said as reality set in.
"You forced my hand, Lily. Now give me back the boy and go back to your room." he said. He was really angry with me. I had never seen Azzuro this angry, I was a little scared of him. I had never seen my cousin like this. We had always got along very well. I stood up, still with the boy in my arms, looked him in the eye and very firmly said, "No."
I wasn't about to let him continue to beat this boy. He hit me again, this time harder.
"All you have to do is go back to your room and pretend you saw nothing." Azzuro said.
I could feel the area around my left eye start to swell from where he hit me. I clung to the boy even tighter in defiance. There was no way I was going to give him back to Azzuro.
So he kicked me this time. He kicked me in the ribs, which forced all the air out of my lungs. Before I could catch my breath he kicked me again, and again, and again. He wasn't allowing me to catch my breath. I tired to continue to protect the boy, but I could feel myself loosing consciousness. I felt a few more kicks before everything went black. I have no idea how long I was out, but when I came to, I had been tied up and I was lying next to the boy.
"So you're finally awake." Azzuro said.
"Why am I tied up?" I asked as I tried to sit up. My head swirled and I felt dizzy so I just continued to lay there.
"Untie me!" I demanded.
"I don't think so. You see, this boy is going to get us a lot of money." Azzuro said as he knelt next to me.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"That is Ciel Phantomhive. The queen's guard dog. There's a lot of people who want him dead, so where selling him off to the highest bidder." He smiled.
I felt my blood run cold as I realized what he meant. The highest bidder was going to kill him!
"You can't! He's just a child!" But before he could say anything the phone rang. He got up to answer it. I watched as the expression on his face changed from enjoyment to anger.
"What do you mean you missed!" he yelled.
"Idiots! I never should have hired scum like you. Just get back here."
I wonder what went wrong. I looked at Ciel who was smiling. I looked back at my cousin. He was leaning against the table smiling.
"Ah, what's wrong? You little girls see a bear in the woods?"
His expression turned to concern as he leaned forward and said,
"What is it? Did someone find you? Talk to me!" there was a long pause then he yelled,
"That's it! I've had enough of your games already!"
I continued to watch as the look on his face was that of fear. I couldn't help but wonder what was happening on the other end.
"Eh, hello? What happened?"
I heard something from Ciel, when I looked he was smiling, then he said with a small chuckle,
"That's too bad, sounds like your little game of fetch is over.
This really made my cousin angry, so he kicked Ciel.
"Just shut your mouth you damned brat!" he said as he continued to kick him. I jumped in front of him, taking the kicks instead. I received a few more before he went back to the phone.
"Are you all right?" I asked.
"I'll be fine. This will all be over soon." he replied. I heard Azzuro yell into the phone and turned my attention back to him, as did Ciel.
"You listen to me, if one of you don't answer right now, I swear I will kill you!" a pause, then, "Who's this?" Another pause. His expression quickly changed to fear again. It almost looked like he was trembeling. He stuttered trying to say something and I heard Ciel say, "Woof."
I could tell whatever was being said on the other end had really worked up Azzuro. He was sweating. I had never seen him so scared before. He quickly composed himself and began barking orders.
"Listen up! The Phantomhive boy has help on the way, move it! Tighten security at the gate! Not a single rat gets through!" Everyone quickly left the room. It wasn't long before we heard crashing and gunshots.
Azzuro stood shaking with his gun pointed at the door. I too was starting to get scared. I had never been in a situation like this before.
"Don't worry, you have nothing to be scared of. He, on the other hand." Ciel smiled indicating Azzuro.
We heard footsteps, then the doors opened. Standing there was a man. A butler to be more precise. He entered the room and bowed as he said,
"I have come to retrieve my Master."
Azzuro kept his gun pointed a the man and said,
"Is this a joke? I was expecting a giant, and instead I got some scrawny dandy in a tail coat. Who are you anyway? There's no way that you're just a butler?"
The butler rose and said,
"No sir, you see I'm simply on hell of a butler. I promise."
"Heh, yea sure. It does not matter anyway. I have no intention of fighting. Not yet." He said then grabbed Ciel by the hair and pointed his gun at the boy's head.
"Azzuro no!"
"Shut up Lily! Now you better have what I asked for." He said.
"Yes I do." the butler said as he reached into his coat and pulled out a key, saying, "It's right here."
There was a gun shot and blood came flying out of the butler's head and he fell to the ground. As he was falling he was shot multiple times.
"NO!" I screamed.
Azzuro started to laugh as he said,
"Oh sorry dandy. I really am, but this round is mine. There's no way I was going up against the Phantomhive Lord of the games without a trump card hidden. I damaged the goods a little bit." He said cocking the gun and holding Ciel by his hair again.
"But that's all right, I'm sure you'll still fetch a pretty price even in this condition. Don't worry, you have so many enemies I doubt you'll be alive that much longer." He taunted Ciel as he tapped the bottom of Ciel's chin with his gun.
"All right, I'm tired of messing around. How much longer are you going to play dead?"
"Not long" the butler said.
He was alive? I didn't understand how that could be possible. He had been shot in the head! There's no way he could have survived!
"But how? How are you...you just..."
Everyone backed away as he started to get up. I couldn't help but watch in complete terror as he spoke.
"Guns today are so much more efficient than they used to be. They can shoot so many more bullets."
There was a cough and he spit something out. It was the bullets!
"Perhaps you would like these back." He smiled.
"What are you doing? Kill him!" Azzuro ordered.
I couldn't believe what was happening. It was like something out a story. I felt as if I were dreaming. My senses went numb. I couldn't move, I couldn't hear and I couldn't speak. All I could do was watch.
I watched as the butler threw the bullets at the men who had fired them, each bullet hitting a man. They fell to the ground dead. There was mumbling as the butler walked closer to Azzuro and Ciel. I couldn't quite make out what they were saying. I was finding it hard to believe what I was seeing. There was another gunshot which brought me back and I heard Azzuro say,
"What the... But that's impossible!"
"Are you looking for this?" The butler asked, holding the bullet in his fingers. I don't know how he ended up behind Azzuro and in front of me so fast, but there he was. I could see the bullet holes in his clothes, but there was no blood and from what I could see, his skin was in tact. He started talking again and I was brought out of my daze.
"Here then, let me give it back to you." he said, then dropped the bullet in Azzuro's breast pocket. Then inexplicably Azzuro's arm flew into the air and twisted. There was loud cracking as it did and Azzuro screamed in pain. I watched as the butler picked up Ciel.
"I must say, the game wasn't as much fun this time Sebastian."
As the butler started to leave Azzuro crawled after him pleading.
"No wait! Come back, work for me! Be my body guard and I will pay you ten times what he does."
Sebastian put Ciel down.
"All right 20 times! You can have all the liquor and women you want. I will even give you my cousin Lily as well."
"I'm sorry Mr. Vanel," He said as he ripped the constraints off Ciel. Not undo, but ripped the leather straps that were binding him.
"It's an attractive offer, but I have no interest in such material things. You see, I am simply one hell of a butler." He smiled as his eyes glowed an eerie shade of red.
"Ah, right, ok."
Shadow feathers began to fall from no where and the room started to turn black. Sebastian's voice seemed to echo around the entire room. I glanced at Ceil, he sat there calmly, watching as if none of this was any surprise to him.
"You see, as long as my master holds the contract, I am his loyal servant. A wish a sacrifice, and this," he said as he removed his glove and held up his hand, "all of these things keep me bound to Lord Phantomhive. Until the day I swallow his soul."
"Unfortunately for you," Ciel said, "This game is over."
I looked away as my cousin was murdered not five feet from me. I stared at Azzuro's lifeless body and screamed as the butler reached out to me.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." He said smiling as he ripped off the leather straps that bound me. I couldn't take my eyes of Sebastian as he freed me. He smiled at me the entire time.
"Lily, will you come and join my staff at the manor? There is nothing left for you here." Ciel offered.
I stared at Ciel, not sure if I should be afraid of him or not. I was afraid that if I refused him, I would be killed by the smiling monster in front of me. Afraid for my life, I nodded.
"Then shall we go?" Ciel said. His butler continued to smile at me as he offered me his hand and helped me up. My legs were still a little shaky and I fell back to the floor.
"Pick her up and let's get out of here." Ciel said.
"No! I can walk. I just need a minute." I stuttered. I didn't want to be touched by that butler.
"Nonsense. I shall carry you until your strength returns." he said as he put one arm under my legs and the other behind my back and lifted me off the ground as if I was nothing. I trembled in the arms that just moments ago had killed my cousin.
"Are you cold? Your trembling." He said.
I didn't answer.
"Master, I believe the young lady is in shock." were the last words I heard as before everything went black.