Chapter One - BlackThorne
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It was an unusually cold morning in November that made all that ventured outside of their warm homes hide in their coat's with their hands shoved deep into their pockets as they shivered and shook in the brisk air as they pushed onward to their destinations. Small ice crystals had formed fantastic patterns across the windshields of every vehicle left outdoors and each blade of grass in every yard had frozen delicately in the wake of Jack Frost's surprise visit last night.
Ciel Phantomhive luckily did not have to suffer through such horrid weather conditions this morning on his way to school as he rode shotgun in his aunt's candy apple red convertible with the heat on full blast. Unluckily, he was being driven to school by said aunt. Most likely it was to make sure that he actually attended his classes instead of just getting the homework from one of his peers and skipping the lessons completely. He didn't understand why it mattered, honestly. If he understood the material, got the work done and done it well at that, why should he be forced to waste hours of his day learning things he already knew?
"Why didn't you let me drive myself?" The teenager asked his aunt sourly from where he sat in the passenger side seat, despite suspecting the answer already. He had refused to look at her since he was first forced into the car and chose instead to stare out the window at the passing scenery. It was bleak outside, the sky a dull lifeless grey and cloudy. Snow had actually fallen the night before, a light white blanket that had yet to melt in some spots while in others it had faded into cold puddles that threatened to freeze and he glared at the white slush like it was the culprit of all his current woes.
"I didn't want you driving that death trap of yours in this kind of weather, darling." Angelina replied to him with a soft smile. "Plus, you don't have a license for a car."
"Yet." Ciel stated and finally turned his heterochromatic gaze on her. He hated his eyes and often took to hiding one under a swoop of his raven black hair. He suffered from the rare genetic condition that rendered his left eye a stunning oceanic blue, a rare gleaming benitoite that was displayed proudly within the socket of his skull while the right orb was a shockingly vibrant shade of byzantium, a shining amethyst stone that was shamefully hidden away from all prying eyes.
Angelina glanced at him from the corner of her eye, the smile still upon her ruby lips softened and her eyes shine with a deep motherly affection even as concern hovered within their depths. Steadfastly, he ignored the latter as guilt began to gnaw at the edges of his conscience at the look.
"Yet," She repeated before slowing her convertible to an easy stop alongside the curb outside the school that her darling nephew, pseudo-son would now be attending for his senior year. Angelina examined the building with sharp eyes, it was old, almost gothic in appearance, and looked it with its rusted red colored brick and faded white paint and old iron fencing despite the renovations that it had just gone through two years ago. At least, so said the brochure when she had initially looked into the place. "Ci-"
"It looks like a prison." Stated the teen as he looked over the place unhappily.
"Not every single place is going to be Weston." There was a hint of disappointment in her tone and Ciel sank sullenly into his leather seat, decidedly not looking at his aunt and what he knew he would find in her expression.
"How many times do I have to apologize for you people to let it go. It wasn't a big deal."
"Ecstasy tablets are a big deal, Ciel!" Angelina burst out, smacking her steering wheel with one manicured hand and accidentally hitting the horn. It sounded loudly. Both of them jumped at the unexpected noise and stared at each other, one in apology the other in guarded despair. "Ciel, I-"
"Have a good day, auntie…" Ciel cut her off quickly and got out of the car swiftly. He heard the drivers side open as Angelina got out, shouting for him to wait a moment, her voice thick with remorse. He ignored her like he ignored the hurt in his chest and entered the double doors of the school without a backwards glance.
Angelina watched him go with a mournful gaze, internally berating herself for losing her cool. For shouting when everyone needed patience and understanding. Her beloved nephew had never had a simple or easy life. Sure, his family was richer then most could imagine and any material possession he desired was his but that could not heal the emotional and physical neglect he had suffered over the years by his parents. The woman sighed softly and lamented to herself at what could have been and what would never be as she returned to her car and slowly drove off with a heavy heart.
It was only slightly warmer inside the school than it was outside of it and Ciel was glad he had chosen to wear a hoodie underneath his jacket that morning. He got cold easily, and it made him extremely miserable. As long as he was warm, he was normally fine but the teenager could already tell he wouldn't be removing his hoodie until he got home unless the temperature was different in the classrooms.
Finding the principals office was easy, had he not walked passed the door three times while searching for it. The lettering on the door had been chipped away so bad that letters were missing completely, leaving only the R, N, C, A and L. A prank of sorts, Ciel thought with slight amusement but mostly irritation, as the remaining letters seemed fairly new. He stood there a moment, entertaining the idea of just leaving (surely his aunt had left after he hadn't come back out after several minutes had passed) when the choice was taken from him when a bespectacled woman with long crimson red hair waved him inside.
Grudgingly he entered, and was relieved that it was much warmer in the office than in the hall, while playing with the strap of his messenger bag as he blocked the door and still entertaining the idea of fleeing. He knew he could escape for sure if he ran for it.
"What do you want, kid?" She asked without looking at him, more focused on painting her nails a red that matched her shade of hair color perfectly, seeming annoyed that the teen was interrupting her 'me' time.
Ciel instantly disliked her. "I'm Ciel Phantomhive." He replied haughtily, narrowing his blue and violet gaze at her. Peridot eyes behind stylish red framed glasses gleamed with a new interest and looked him up and down like he was a fresh piece of meat for the grill. He was sure she already knew why he was there, knew all the sordid details of his arrival and he hated her even more when she grinned at him, her teeth worse than a sharks smile.
"Oh~" She purred tauntingly. "I've heard all about you!"
"I just want my schedule, miss." He was nearly deafened by the sudden pterodactyl-like screech that erupted from her mouth before he even finished speaking his sentence. She stood up abruptly from her desk, knocking her chair over in the process.
"Maybe you aren't such a brat after all! My name is Grell Suitcliff and I-"
"Suitcliff!" A sudden voice barked like an angry hound, cutting her off mid sentence. It belonged to a middle-aged man in a severe black suit, his black hair slicked back stylishly away from his face and wearing a pair of thin wire-framed glasses. His sharp emerald eyes were narrowed behind the specs he wore. "What have I told you about harassing the students?"
"William, dear, I was just-"
"I don't care what you were doing," Cold gem-like orbs glanced at the open thing of polish on the cluttered desk and the abandoned brush that splattered color here and there on both wood and papers. "Get back to work or else I will make you pull overtime tonight and finish all the work you let pile up now."
Visibly wilting under his gaze and words, Grell returned to her desk obediently making Ciel stifle a chuckle behind his hand. Amusement died when the newcomer turned his raptor-like attention on him and Ciel regarded him warily..
"I am William T. Spears. Principal of this school, Mr. Phantomhive." He introduced without preamble. "Since classes are to begin soon, I won't keep you long nor give you some lengthy and boring welcome speech that I doubt you would actually listen to. Here is what I expect from you, Mr. Phantomhive: Attend all of your classes and have the teachers sign these slips so I know that you did so," Here he took a sheaf of papers from Grell and held them out expectantly to Ciel who took them with a hesitant hand. "And return them at the end of the day to Mr. Suitcliff over there. Don't cause trouble for me and I won't be forced to suspend you. Have a good day."
Ciel watched him return to his office without another word and shut the door behind him with a soft but firm click before slowly turning his surprised eyes to Grell whom was now busy messing with a thick folder. Presumably doing his job now that he had been threatened to stay after hours like some delinquent in detention. Ciel snorted quietly to himself, opened the office door and stepped out into the hallway.
When the office door shut behind him, Ciel began to sing quietly to himself as he started his trek up the hall: "Dude looks like a Lady".
The hallway was already filled with other students meandering around before the bell rang. They sent sidelong glances at him from where they stood in front of their open lockers, curiosity spiked at seeing a new face that had not been there before. Several on the female side of the student body smiled at him flirtatiously and batted their long (sometimes false) lashes at him.
Ciel ignored them as if he hadn't seen their obvious attempts of trying to alluring him. He continued his song, even given his body a bit of a movement in what he remembered to some of the dance moves to the Aerosmith song he was currently singing while at the same time going through the schedule he had been given. His first class was easily found - History, thankfully something he didn't have to pay much attention to - and he entered the room, still singing and drawing all eyes to him.
"Do me, do me, do me~" He crooned, wriggling his hips in an almost obscene manner. "Oo what a-"
The loud clearing of a throat halted any further lyrics from being belted out by the lithe teen. Ciel paused mid-swing of his hips before handing over one of the slips that the principal had given to him not even five minutes ago to the man that was staring at him bemusedly. It was signed quickly and handed back to him.
The man smiled and introduced himself. "It's a pleasure to have you in my class, Mr. Phantomhive. I am Fred Abberline, the history teacher. If you ever have any questions for me, please don't hesitate to ask."
He seemed a nice enough fellow and Ciel gave a faint nod of acknowledgement to him before tucking the slip into his bag and turning around without a word on his part to find a seat before one was helpfully pointed out by Abberline, finger and all.
"Why not sit with Sebastian right over there? He has a free seat next to him. Sebastian why don't you raise your hand?"
A long arm clad in a white button up shirt was raised in the air, not too fast but not too slow, the speed carefully modulated by it's owner as not to appear overly eager to the newbie in their midst nor uninterested. Ciel looked at the hand with it's dark painted nails and slightly down to the right and met a shocking pair of garnet red eyes that burned into his optics like the fires of Hell. He suppressed an unexpected shiver at the intense look and broke eye contact before making his way over to the other teen with slight reluctance.
Sitting his messenger bag down onto the floor and slinging his jacket over the back of the chair (he left his hoodie on, despite the classroom being much warmer than the halls and the main office, it was still far too drafty in there for his tastes) he slid gracefully into the empty desk without so much as glancing at his neighbor again.
Despite his wishes to avoid the other boy at all costs, his wants and desires had never been taken into consideration before, so it came as no surprise that now would not be any different from other situations.
"Hello," A voice thick and rich like black velvet practically purred, drawing his gaze over to the other teenager where he became captured within a gaze of vivid blood red orbs. "My name is Sebastian Michaelis. Welcome to BlackThorne."
a/n: Had a bit of a problem getting this up but got it up. I'm notorious for not finishing what I start so I'm looking for a beta/Sebastian to keep me on track and proof read my stuff. If your interested in the position (as beta and Sebastian to basically rp with) please let me know.