Author's Note:
So! My first ever published fan-fiction! I say 'published' because I can guarantee you that I have like four other fics brewing and getting written. Actually, I have one whole word document just dedicated to ideas for more fics.
Okay, so since I'm new to this I had to look these terms up (I am not even kidding...). So this fic is: AU (Alternate Universe, am I right?) and OOC (Out Of Character?).
So, without further ado (and much unnecessary fanfare) I present to you the first chapter of my fan-fic 'Seven Deadly Lessons'.
Chapter One: Acedia
The sound of heavy rain hitting windows filled my ears as I moped in the back of the family limo. Further up, my parents sat – cool and refined as ever – and sipped at expensive red wine. It took all of my self-control to stop myself from chucking another tantrum where I was about to go was top on the list of places I never, ever, wanted to step one foot inside. Even so, I had no choice; I mean, what was a fifteen year old boy to do when his parents finally send him off to school after years of home tutors of only the highest calibre?
My mother, Mrs. Rachel Phantomhive, glanced up from the glossy magazine she had been reading and smiled softly at me. I melted a little at the sight of that smile; the kindness and love behind it weakened my resolve. Seeing my mother's gaze, my father looked up from his iPhone to look at me too, although he only wore a stern frown that turned his usually soft face into one of stone. I sighed softly and opened my mouth to argue again.
Father cut my off instantly, "Son, I will not stand to hear one more argument of yours, no matter how well thought out it is." His voice was strong and sure, as to be expected of the Lord Phantomhive. Mother glanced at Father's face with a look of worry dancing in her deep blue eyes; eyes the same as mine.
"Vincent..." she worried, putting a delicate hand on his taught forearm. At this touch, Father's face softened a little under the familiar touch of his wife – oh what a frightening gift my mother had. Father turned back to me with an understanding smile replacing his frown.
"Look Ciel, I know you don't want to go to finishing school, but you're a young and developing demon!" I cringed at his parental tone that was a strange mixture of stern and enthusiastic. "You need to learn how to become not just a respectable citizen of demon society, but how to be a respected leader! You're going to take over the Phantomhive estate, Ciel! Don't you realise how serious this is?" Vincent huffed a little from his lecture and I held in another sigh.
Outside the limousine, the skyscrapers of London were blurred by the impossibly heavy rain. Even my heightened demon sight couldn't really make out the buildings and stores as we passed them. Although, a saw the people, like inky black smears, bustling around the streets under umbrellas that did practically nothing to keep the rain off of their faces.
"Fine," I mumbled a few minutes after Father's little speech, finally giving in. It couldn't really be as bad as I'd heard. I'd overheard Mother and Father muttering one night about torture and intimacy. I was going to learn how to utilise the Seven Deadly Sins: Gluttony, Sloth, Greed, Pride, Wrath, Envy and Lust. Just thinking about it made my stomach turn at the types of classes I'd have to take to learn about them.
Just as I started to settle back into my seat again, the car turned and went down into an underground area below one of the many skyscrapers. Butterflies started to tickle my insides as we drove around in what seemed to be complete darkness. It was unnerving: not knowing where we were going. When I thought about it though, it was probably to prevent anyone running off.
This thought kept haunting me until we finally rolled to a stop. I had the undeniable urge to both puke and scream at the same time as our chauffeur walked around and opened the door for the limo closest to my parents. Defiantly, I watched them get out and waited for the chauffeur to walk further down the car to open the door closest to me. Not one for bad manners though, I thanked him quietly as I stumbled out of the car.
A door was dimly lit in the darkness and both my parents stood by it, hand in hand, as they waited for me. I just wanted to turn around and run into the never-ending darkness that stretched out behind me. But, I decided that the darkness was creepier than the idea of going to a demon finishing school. Slowly, I walked meekly over to my parents, who both looked at me with knowing eyes.
Resigned to my fate, I stopped in front of them and nodded solemnly. Mother smiled softly and patted my shoulder softly and Father nodded back in a way that could only have been considered manly. Vincent Phantomhive turned and opened the door with a soft squeaking noise that echoed into the darkness behind.
Beyond the door was a well-lit corridor with doors on one side and large windows on the other. How it was sunny beyond the door and raining outside was beyond me, but I followed my parents inside nonetheless. The door shut closed automatically behind us when we all crossed over the threshold. A blast of warm, summery air brushed over me when we started to walk down the lavish corridor lined with the large, open windows and the ornate doors.
My parents seemed to know exactly where they were going, so I followed silently. I strained my ears to see if I could hear anything suspicious (screams of terror maybe?) but found myself in near complete silence. They say that silence is golden and just then, I couldn't agree more. Just the thought of having to deal with other demon's my age – or worse, teachers – put me on edge.
So suddenly that I actually ran straight into my father, my parents stopped. They had come to a rest at two open double doors that were made of a wood so dark they looked black. Both of my parents ghosted regally inside, it being beneath them to ask for invitation first. I followed as confidently as I could, feigning the grace that came to my parents naturally.
I saw that mother and father had already taken a seat in an antique loveseat by a window and were scrutinising a man who had his back to me. All I could see of him was his smooth, inky black hair that sat atop his head. That hair looked so soft, as if it had been washed and conditioned by gods.
"Ciel," Vincent Phantomhive me over with one hand and pointed to a wing-backed armchair that sat inbetween the two lounges that his parents and the mystery man respectively sat upon. With as much haughtiness in my expression and an exaggerated swagger in my step I made my way behind the mystery man's lounge and around to my seat. As I sat down, I saw the mystery man's face for the first time and gaped.
My butt had been just about to hit the cushion when I saw him, and in my surprise I slipped and fell to the ground with a thud. Oddly enough for me, I didn't feel that embarrassed yet which wasn't a surprise seeing as how I was openly staring at the man's face. He was tall and lean, which showed in the way his figure sat regally in his seat. Clad in an all black suit and a blood-red cravat, he was a sinful mixture of dangerous and sexy.
And that face.
I had never seen a man so handsome before in my life, not even my father rivalled this man. His thin, angular face was like pale, polished marble in the sunlight and was framed by that inky black hair with bangs that fell either side of his cheeks. His nose was pointed and gave him a stern look and drew the eyes down to a soft pink mouth set in a mischievous smirk. The most stunning feature of his face though, was his eyes; set like polished red jaspers. Those eyes locked onto mine as he smirked at me on the floor and I felt myself undeniably being drawn into his hypnotic gaze.
"Ciel! Are you okay, honey?" Rachel Phantomhive exclaimed as her usually cool, collected son lost his valued composure. Looking to her husband worriedly, she just saw him trying to hide a grin at his son's behaviour when met with his tutor-to-be's ludicrous good looks. I found myself again and quickly pushed myself off the ground on shaky hands and stood. However much I wanted to, I did not make the mistake of looking at the mystery man again.
"Well," came a soft, velvety voice from in front of me as I sat down and fussed with my hands, "I am going to assume that this here is your son: Ciel Phantomhive?" That voice echoed through the spacious lounge room and made me shiver a little. What the hell is happening to me?
Regaining a little of my composure, I glanced up quickly at the man and nodded swiftly before once again dropping my head in an embarrassingly shy manner. I'd always prided myself on being confident and forward, but just one look at this man and I was submissive as a puppy? It was embarrassing and I had no right to call myself a Phantomhive. Not to mention, I felt the shameful blush dusting my cheeks; I was like some sort of giggling schoolgirl!
Father cleared his throat obviously and I held in yet another sigh and sat up straight in my chair and turned a reluctant gaze at the smirking man who had made me jelly. His eyes sparkled darkly with unbridled condescension and his lips were still quirked in that same smirk. If he had been any other man, I had a feeling that the look on his face would have made me unbelievably annoyed. On this man the expression (coupled with his face, body and faint masculine aroma) just made me a shameful combination of hot, uncomfortable and curious.
"Ciel," Mother hissed at me as stealthily as she could while smiling at the man. I broke my gaze away from mystery man and to the fussing woman before clearing my throat awkwardly and holding out my hand. For just a moment, as I looked at the man who oozed masculinity, sex and spice, I felt not like the adult I pretended to be but the unsure adolescent I was.
"Ciel Phantomhive," I mumbled unsurely, "nice to meet you." Frowning, I tried (and failed) to rip my wandering gaze away from those smirking lips of the man's. Flicking my eyes quickly up to his I saw the knowingness in his eyes that told me he knew exactly where my eyes had been perving. I felt myself blush a little.
"It's nice to meet you Ciel," mystery man answered and slipped his large hand around mine. "My name is Sebastian Michaelis and I will be your tutor for your stay at the Academy." I tried not to gape, and failed miserably. Sebastian Michaelis, renowned demon philosopher and Professor. This was him? I'd spent most of my life thinking that Michaelis was some wrinkly old prune. Oh how wrong I'd been...
My father chuckled softly at my expression, which I was guessing was something between plain shock and blind outrage. Most of my childhood had been spent secretly reading the complicated 'Michaelis' Journals', which were a collection of books Michaelis had written on demon folklore and aesthetics. Even when father had scoffed and told me I wouldn't understand them, somehow they still interested me. The writings of the man before me were so wise and clear, it was no wonder he had become my favourite author.
I sat there watching him out of the corner of my eye, still a little bit in awe of his attractive features. The smirk on his lips seemed glued in place as he chatted idly with my parents about semesters and school holidays, which apparently I wouldn't be getting. From what I made out from their conversation, my parents had too much business to attend to and wouldn't have time to look after me (I scoffed at this) and Sebastian Michaelis wholly agreed. I couldn't decide if it was a blessing to be able to spend so much time with my new tutor or a curse at being considered something of a burden by my parents.
All too soon, my parents stood and Sebastian followed suit. I looked away from the bookcase I had been inspecting from my seat and watched my parents and Sebastian move toward those two double doors. So suddenly I actually jumped a little in my seat, Sebastian Michaelis turned to me with a baleful frown set on his face. He made a violent motion for me to stand up and follow him. Without a thought, I turned my haughty, I'm-the-son-of-an-Earl look on him full blast.
Giving me a frightfully malicious grin, my tutor sped across the room so fast my eyes could barely follow him and came to a stop in front of me with his hands clasped in front of him in a deceptively prim fashion. "Ciel," he said loud enough to sound angry but not loud enough to alert my parents who were walking out the door unawares.
"What?" I spat in response, turning my nose up and crossing my legs; I was the picture of a haughty aristocrat. What I didn't know, was that there – in the demon academy – I wasn't the son of an Earl anymore. Now, I was a demon Earl-in-training. I'd known for a long time that one day I would have to succeed my father as the head of the Pride-Vice Earldom (as there were seven Earldoms for each of the Seven Deadly Sins).
The tutor leaned down so his face was level with mine and he forcefully grabbed my turned-away chin in two elegant, black-tipped fingers and turned my head to face him. His once still carnelian-coloured eyes were now swimming with every shade of red imaginable. Like blood pooling under the skin, his eyes swam in the passionate colour in a demonic display of sheer power. Sebastian's once normal pupils slitted as he let his demon-form take him over and his canines lengthened into dangerously sharp points. What had once been a normal, handsome face had been transformed into something both startlingly beautiful and frightfully fearsome as the man on the outside and the demon inside mixed together.
Fear rushed me at the sight of Sebastian's demon features and I froze, just like a deer caught in headlights. "Now," the demon-tutor growled predatorily, "will you please come bid your parents a polite farewell, kitten?" At that moment, I couldn't decide if I was scared of Sebastian, or angry at him for giving me such an embarrassing nickname. In the end though, I couldn't deny that if I didn't do what this man said, he would punish me... severely; the look in his eyes said it all: this man was a sadist.
I nodded silently and prickled as my tutor mumbled something that sounded something like 'good' and led me back down the hallway where my parents waited by the door into the strange underground car park. Looking around the obscenely tall form of Sebastian, I glanced at my parents and cringed at the look of disappointment in Father's eyes and the look of worry in Mother's. In all the time leading up to my eventual education at the academy, it was then that I really didn't want to go.
Both my tutor and I stopped in front of my parents and I moved to the side of Sebastian so I could see them both. Said tutor gave me a flick of one of his long, gloved fingers and I caught the smirk on his lips out of the corner of my eye. Reluctantly I took a step forward and braced myself to say goodbye to my parents. This time, I couldn't hold in my sigh.
"Mother, Father, I promise to study hard and will graduate soon," thankfully, my voice didn't shake or crack, "goodbye." Dread welled up inside me as I spoke that last word and I gritted my teeth as Mother hugged me tightly and Father shook my hand firmly.
"Goodbye son," Father said with a knowing smile in his eye that made me shiver with apprehension and he turned to my new tutor, "Sebastian, please feel free to be as harsh with him as you find necessary." My eyes widened. Behind me, Sebastian grinned and bowed to my parents, who proceeded out the magnificent door and into the darkness without another word.
Dread set deep in my heart, I turned to the man I was sure would now haunt my nightmares. He grinned at me demonically and said, "Well kitten, welcome to demon school."
Author's Note:
Me again! Okay, so I just wanted to make sure you understood the title of this chapter. This fic is sort of going to focus on the Seven Deadly Sins (or Vices) as Ciel learns how to be a proper, human-corrupting demon Earl he will go through stages. This first chapter, titled 'Acedia', is representing the Vice 'Acedia' which is the Latin for Sloth. Sloth is the misuse or act of neglecting ones talents, which Ciel is showing in his desperate attempts NOT to go to school.