Chapter 1

The streets of London had two sides to it: one side was full of laughter and friendly smiles from one gentleman and lady to the other. The other side was full of grief, vulnerability, violence, and deviousness.

At age 10, Myrtis knew this side all too well. Being a street-urchin since she could remember, she had no memory of her mother nor her father. Her only companion that accompanied her through the god-forsaken streets was her cat, Ms. Witherspoon. Myrtis currently resided in an alley beside a peculiar shop that no one seemed to dare approach, holding the old, motionless cat close to her as tears streamed down her thin, pale cheeks.

The cold, unforgiving autumn air stung her flesh as she mourned over her dear cat. As the day went on, the cold grew more unforgiving; Myrtis felt her eyelids grow weary as it began to claim her. Before she blacked out, a dark figure approached her. Was this death? She didn't know, but she was too cold to speak or to stay awake. The last thing she saw was a wide grin on the figure's face.

Silence and darkness surrounded the child until Myrtis managed to open her eyes once more, finding herself indoors in a dark room. She felt warmer and looked down to see that a heavy, old blanket was covering her. She nestled into a bit more, feeling comforted by the warmth. However, something was missing.

Her heart began to race as she realized Ms. Witherspoon was gone.

"Ms. Witherspoon?" She called out as more tears threatened to stream down her raw cheeks. "Ms. Witherspoon!"
Footsteps could be heard coming towards the room Myrtis occupied. She looked over with fear in her eyes as the door opened, revealing the figure she had saw before she passed out. He was holding a candle to help brighten up the room a little, a big smile spread across his face as he laid eyes on her. That is, if had any; Myrtis couldn't see the strange man's eyes for his long, silver hair hung over them like a curtain.

"Awake now, are you?" He asked in a slight whimsical manner. "I was wondering if you ever would."

Myrtis wasn't sure about the stranger's sense of humor as he chuckled at his last statement.

"Who are you? What did you do to Ms. Witherspoon?!" She asked hastily, the tears stored in her eyes now spilling down.

"Ms. Witherspoon?" The man asked, tilting his head a bit but then snapping it back into its normal position. "Oh, you must mean the cat. No need to cry. The pretty thing is alright. Come, I'll show her to you."

The little girl stared at him as he reached out his hand to her, not sure if she could believe him, nor trust him for that matter. His clothes were shady, all black from his strange hat to his boots, except for a gray sash going across from his shoulder to his opposite hip; there was also a dull-gold chain going across his waist with what appeared to be lockets dangling from it. Myrtis looked back at his outreached hand noticing the man's long fingers that had long black nails sprouting from the tips.

However, she felt figured that if she wanted to see her beloved cat again, she would have to put her trust in this stranger and go with him. Hesitantly, Myrtis gave him her hand, allowing him to close his spindly fingers around it and lead her out of the room. She looked around a bit as they traveled down a hall to a lone door at the end of it.

"Normally, I wouldn't want anyone coming in to my work space," the man said. "But since the lovely kitty belongs to you, I'm willing to make an exception."

Myrtis peeked around him as he released her hand and opened the door to reveal a well-lit room. The man blew out the candle he was holding and set it off to the side on a table as he entered the room and approached an even larger table at its center.

Sure enough, Ms. Witherspoon was lying on her side on top of it. However, her eyes were still closed, and she still wasn't moving.

"I-I thought you said she was alright." Myrtis whimpered, earning her a smile from the silver haired man.

"She is. Here, let me show you."

He gently took her hand once more hand had it form two fingers as he gently lifted the cat's hind leg and placed Myrtis's two fingers on the inner thigh. He then proceeded to slide her hand up against Ms. Witherspoon's abdomen and moved her fingers gently back and forth.

Myrtis's eyes widen as she felt Ms. Witherspoon's pulse.

"It was a bit tricky to find her pulse," the man admitted. "Then again, I normally work on dead humans."

Myrtis opened her mouth to say something, but then Ms. Witherspoon began to stir. She carefully took the cat in her arms and held her close.

"Careful now, she does have some stitching, so she may be a bit sore" The man warned as he watched the cat gain consciousness.

Myrtis smiled at him a bit, now a bit shy around the stranger.

"Thank you, mister."

She stared at him as he chuckled and leaned in closer to her.

"No need to thank me, deary. The pleasure is all mine. However, there is no need to for formality here; Undertaker will suffice."