Author's Note: Wow. I am loving this already. Nothing like new equipment to get the creative juices flowing. So chapter two then huh? Lets see what I can do here. Onto picking and choosing fragments. Ugh. Oh joy oh happy day. My brain fracking hurts .! Good news though…more Ivy in this chappie…but no Sebby/Ivy interaction. U_U. Onward. I'm in no mood for long author's notes or randomness. Lets do this thang.
Disclaimer: Um….today I was late putting up the disclaimer and Ciel held a gun to my head… I have now come to realize that things around here and cakes and tea SO LONG as I do as I am told. In fact I'm in big shit if I don't finish…he really wants to get this over with it seems. It's like the fucking stepford wives over here folks .…Sebby may be supervising me as I type this very disclaimer out. .. I want to go sit with Tanaka now.
Chapter Two: The Runaround
"I don't wish to be everything to everyone, but I would like to be something to someone." -Javan
Flashback: Ivy's POV
I lived with my mother Salena Ashcroft, born among a clan of full breeds. A half-ling like me was not to be accepted as a functioning member of our obscure society. Out of respect for my mother's highly esteemed bloodline however, they did not destroy me. I was made to live like the other half-breeds who were born of powerful families. She did tell me about my human father….for the most part. All I knew for sure at that time… was his first name.
"Mateo." she said. That was what she had told me. Oh I asked questions and the like, but I should have known she would sugar coat reality to protect the happiness of her little child. Me. She used to tell me that he was just an ordinary man with a big heart. However, whenever she spoke of him her eyes would take on a glassy hue. As if she were holding back tears. I would wonder, but like all little children I simply did not want my mama to cry. So I would hold my peace. I did innocently ask her why he was not here anymore, but she told me that he died doing some heroic deed before I was born. Wanting so much to believe something about my father I accepted it. In short I was blissfully unaware of my true origins.
In any case I grew up there. Among 'my kind' because the human world had an even lower chance of accepting somebody like me. It was not an easy life for my mother and I. People hated me. People of all ranks hated me. I was a half breed. Most half breed children were destroyed the moment their existence was discovered, whether they were in the womb or not. To the neko culture a half breed child is regarded as a most inviolable blemish. An abomination. However the children from the higher nobles of the clan are spared out of respect to the family name. Still, rigid rules were set up for my kind. We were like a race of slaves living among free men. As a child my mother shielded me from it...mostly. She cherished me. Our family –The Ashcrofts- were the greatest warriors of our clan. She taught me battle tactics, weaponry, all of her fighting styles, and horseback. She taught me manners and how to carry myself like the finest in nobility. It is perfectly normal to be learning these things at age five and younger for our kind.
As much as she appreciated my talents and abilities… she was the only one who did. As I grew older it became apparent that I could not stay. My mother could not bring herself to allow that kind of life for me. One night she packed our bags, seeming like she was in a panic…
"Mama?" I asked her, rubbing my eyes. "What are you doing?" I was too small and naïve to put two and two together. Being half-human made me susceptible to sleep. I required sleep, so I was groggy and tired like a human. Still I was worried. My mama never looked so worried before. Or so angry. What could possibly make her this way? Rightfully as any child would be…I was frightened. One hand clutched my small nightgown tightly. Her lovely blue-green gaze that I wish I had inherited, met mine.
"I am packing our bags sweetling. We have to hurry and be very quiet okay?" she told me simply her voice held her usual calming tenderness, but it was with a determined edge that I easily deciphered being around her for so long. Although I nodded, I was not sure how to react to that. I did not like the people where I lived. They were all mean to me, and to my mama. Our own family was embarrassed of us. Then again this place was what I knew. The idea of leaving it was frightening. Humans would never spare me. Not at all. So many mixed feelings filled my being that all I could do was stare and watch my mother as she made quick work of what we would be taking with us. A quick get away meant we would have to part with most of our belongings. Even a child could see that. Finally I conceded not to question my mother's authority.
"Get dressed." she told me calmly.
"Yes, mama." is what I answered her. In the darkness of my room I did as I was told. Outside of my bedroom I could hear my mother shuffling about hurriedly. Murmuring things under her breath. Now that I had made the decision not to worry. I could focus on being happy to get away from all of these awful people. So I managed a small smile despite my fears and worries. What lay ahead did not matter as long as I was not alone. That night we fled to England. I slept through the whole journey in my mother's arms. Warm and safe.
We reached England and settled in the countryside. There we would be able to find suitable meals without harming anybody or being discovered. My education was continued there. We were happy. For about three years. My mother should have known that they would follow. I think she did, but perhaps she did not expect them to come so soon. The peaceful slumber I was enjoying was rudely interrupted by my mother shaking me awake.
It was in the middle of the night. I stared up at her wide-eyed. "Shhh." she shushed me soberly. "There's no time for Mama to explain." she whispered quickly. I could hear sounds coming from outside as she paused to listen. "This way." she murmured to herself. She easily scooped me up.
"Mama-" I tried to ask what was going on but she interrupted.
"Don't talk." she shook her head. I was too frightened not to listen to her. She crept soundlessly through the dark house cradling me into her chest protectively. All I focused on were the sounds of her steady breaths. Her heart rate was not quite as steady however and it scared me. Nothing ever scared my mother. She slipped into her bedroom and crept to the window, easily pushing it open. She pushed me onto her back, wrapping my arms around her slender shoulders. "Okay sweetling hold on tight now." she told me. "..and brace yourself." she added in as a precaution. All I could do was nod swiftly and cling tightly. With all the grace of a cat she leapt from the sill, transforming in midair. My fists clung to the scruff of her neck. The night air felt so frigid as it whipped my cotton nightgown.
There was no pursuit that I could tell as we fled for the forest. My face felt like it was burning from the cold already, and my throat was not better off. As we ran she stopped in front of a river. On the riverbed we covered ourselves in mud, and we swam across it. It would be beneficial to get rid of our scent for the most part. As we climbed up onto the other side, she leapt up into the branches of a large oak. From branch to branch she carried me. Not even a leaf was disturbed by her presence. She took great care not to leave a trace. We ended our journey by sneaking into a barn and nestling into the straw of the wooden loft. "I will be back with something to eat, don't move." she whispered.
I waited silently for her watching the shapes of the shadows on the roof. I gave them names and counted them to pass the time. I was briefly startled when she returned with three hens, and a loaf of bread. We ate wordlessly that night. The straw pricked me but it was better than sleeping out in the cold. I drifted into a restless sleep. Now and then waking up any new sound that met my ears. I did not know where my mother was taking me. I tried to ask, but no sound came. I found I did not want to make a sound anyway. I was too scared. Slowly I simply allowed myself to drift into a restless sleep, snuggling into my mother's warmth. She guarded me all night.
It was not as cold the next morning as my mother woke me. My eye-lids felt like led. I don't know how early in the morning it was. The sun was not quite up yet. I was rubbing my eyes to wake myself up although it did not help much. My mother just kept…looking at me. This soft almost mournful look in her eyes. I looked back at her with worry. Why was she so sad? The logic of a nervous child could not decipher what could possibly be happening. The possibilities were so endless that they began to seem ridiculous and paranoid to me. I could trust my mother. When had my mother ever let me down? So then, why did she look so unhappy? I tried to smile at her and she smiled back but it was a sad nostalgic kind of smile. She gave me a set of clothes that she probably had pilfered off of some travelers. I never really got to wondering where they came from at the time. I changed into them obediently.
"Come Ivy." she stood from her crouch and held out her hand for mine. "We better leave before the folks here wake up." she stated. Silently I took her hand. Once again she lifted me up and bounded off. I woke up quickly upon taking note of the town we had come upon. I felt her squeeze me to her chest as if pained. I looked up at her.
"Mama?" I furrowed my brow at her. My voice sounded cracked and sleepy, I did not like it. She dropped down from the tree looking about. Nobody seemed to be out and about just yet. It was still dark out, with the slightest hints of dawn breaking, turning the sky a lighter shade of blue from the black midnight. She seemed to know what she was looking for, with only what could be described as a heavy heart. Soon we came across a large stone building. It looked so foreboding. I shivered. It was there that she told me the truth.
"You need to know this now. For I might not be able to tell you the truth later." she told me sternly. "You're father was an-…he was a powerful man…" At this she trailed momentarily. "He never knew I was with child." she began. "He did not even know what I was. I could not bring myself to tell him, and when I did, he was afraid of me, and when people are scared they get angry too. We never spoke again, and he eventually fell in love and married someone else." she told me. It was so much for me to take in. I felt dizzy with the information.
"Listen to me, Ivy Ashcroft." she said as she set me down. "Promise me that you will be the brave girl that I know you are." her voice was a low murmur, but it was firm and encouraging all at once. I frowned at her, starting to panic. When my eyes read the sign I knew what this place was. My fear was brought to life. She was leaving me! Why! What had I done?
"Mama-!" but once again she interrupted me.
"Listen to me." she repeated. "You will be safe here." she handed me a small leather bag. "For as long as you are here nobody is to know who you are. Tell them only what is necessary." I knew later that she had wanted to protect me from our clan. Promise me." she held my little shoulders firmly. I started to cry.
"Mama no-!" tears streaked. She began to dry my eyes with her hands softly.
"Don't cry little one, promise me." she whispered. I whimpered as I nodded. I wanted to be strong for my mother. "Hear this now…As long as I still live I will come back for you. I promise." she held me close. I clung to her sleeves, my little body shaking from tears. I nodded once again. She set me down. Despite the fact that I did not want to let go of her, I did. I forced myself to obey her. It was my duty as a daughter. I wanted to make her proud of me. "You're my girl. My little sweetling, I love you." she stroked my hair. "Be good." she whispered. In the blink of an eye she was gone.
I sat on the steps and cried as the full force of loneliness hit me like a wall. I hugged my knees. I remember thinking as I sat alone, not wanting to knock on the door, 'Please come back, mama.'…but she never did.
End Flashback
"It's just as they said." Ciel murmured. "The people have had their memories completely erased." Who could be in such a rush? Obviously it had to be somebody who cared little for human beings. Whoever was doing this, they were not human. It was done too quickly. Some orphanages had even been hit at the same time, which the two had readily attributed to there being more than one person involved. What were they after? Analyzing the orphanages in the areas that were or were not hit was their option.
"What is something all of the orphanages that we have been to have in common?" he looked at Sebastian.
"All of the ones that have any girls were the ones touched." he stated. "Where as all boys orphanages were left alone…so…this has something to do with young girls naturally." The butler was working the gears of his mind at the idea. Girls huh?
"Yes. However what would they care if they were girls or not if they are not taking anybody or even any possessions?" Ciel stroked his chin and paced back and forth at the Inn as they looked over files and police reports. "Then again if they were looking for something material…some sort of trinket…it could have easily been wiped from the child's memory like everything else…a necklace perhaps? A doll? Something that little girls carry that might have had some sort of significance?"
"In any case they must be looking for something specific, and if they immediately assume to find it among orphans, they must have known an orphan had acquired it somehow." Sebastian stated. "What exactly that is, is what is to be determined." They felt as if they were getting nowhere. Scotland yard was being absolutely useless as per usual. Either that or simply uncooperative. They always did have a problem with the little Earl making them look like fools.
"They also have quite obviously not found whatever it is they were looking for." The young Early said dryly. The frustration in his tone controlled and channeled into his thought process. The children all seemed untouched. All of the caretakers were without mark as well. Curious thing. Were they looking for an object or a specific person? Well even if it was an object they were after…they had to know who had it if they knew to look in an orphanage and not the houses of families with little daughters in them. There was only one witness who said they had seen figures coming to visit the orphanage as if it were something completely of the norm.
Sebastian seemed to be on the same train of thought because the first thing he said when Ciel gave him a look was "I understand." The boy nodded and they were off again.
"We are not staying. It's useless to tarry here." Ciel stated. "Background checks can be performed much more smoothly back at the manor where we can keep an eye on things." he added in. Sebastian nodded. He could only wonder what disasters had occurred in their absence. A frown took over his features.
As the two of them strode along the cobblestone streets, the bustling masses of London continued about their business not sparing a glance, as was typical of the mortal world. In fact the young master seemed to share their view as a virtue. Each to his own. So long as the world left him alone he felt at peace. The demon walked a pace or so behind the Earl as was customary, watching intently in the same way he always did.
Very suddenly it seemed that the paper boys –or newsies- as they were referred to by most were having a splendid sale day. The crowds circled around them, murmuring like bees in a hive. At first the pair was indifferent to the commotion, then they heard a particular boy's loud cockney bellow call out a very attention-grabbing headline…
"Bedfordshire all girls orphanage completely demolished! Residents massacred! Learn more 'ere!"
Ciel froze in his tracks. His single blue eye hardened as he looked in the direction of the declaration, like a predator surveying the layout of the hunting grounds. "Sebastian…" He murmured, trailing off in thought. Could this perhaps be connected to their case? Either way he would need to look. What was a shilling to the Queen's Watchdog? The butler needed no prompting.
"Yes sir." The both of them pushed through the crowd with the help of their commanding and imposing presences. People seemed to gravitate out of the path of the little noble and his dark and dashing servant.
"I'll take one." Ciel stated in his usual husky, indifferent voice. In his slender gloved hand he held out a bright shiny shilling to the other boy, who seemed to survey him as if unable to quite grasp that this boy was very likely younger than him. A top hat designed like that of a grown man's, a cane made in the same manner...and an eye patch? After two blinks he seemed to notice the impatient eye of his customer and quickly took the offering, planting a big smile back onto his face.
"'Ere you are then sir!" The word felt odd to be saying to such a small child…but what else exactly would you call them? Cheerfully he handed out one of his crisp papers. The strange boy took it without a word and eyed over the contents, walking away as if the paperboy no longer existed…or ever really had. The tall butler gave him a polite nod before following his young master away from the mass of gossipmongers, job seekers, and general news lovers.
The boy gave a business like grunt as he surveyed the appropriate articles. "It seems to fit all of the criteria of the other orphanages and is not that far of a distance from the last place that was hit…though the deed is far more extreme that what was done to the other places. A massacre? What do you make of it, Sebastian?" The paper was pushed casually into the butler's chest as they walked. The dutiful servant took a look on his own, with a thoughtful expression.
"If this is indeed connected, which is a good chance…then it is obvious that something in this odd search has changed…the question is-" He was interrupted by a feminine cry as his arm collided with a small frame, sending a dark-haired girl sprawling nearly down a flight of cobblestone steps before catching her wrist, mildly irritated. Mostly however he found it strange that he hadn't noticed her. Much to his surprise she jerked her arm away as if startled out of her mind. Familiar green eyes wild with the desire to run for a split second before they settled into numb realization. Ah, it was the little urchin trespasser.
He had not recognized her as she was…it appeared that she had somehow acquired a change of clothes. Everything was different save for the bag, the bonnet, and her worn out shoes. Ciel frowned over his shoulder at the spectacle. In her hand she clutched a newspaper with a grip that crinkled the printed material.
"Are you alright?" The boy asked. The girl looked between the two wordlessly as if calculating.
"Perfectly. I'm sorry. I was simply distracted." She speed walked in another direction. Sebastian frowned…either the mortal world really was a small one or she had followed them, all options of which seeming very far-fetched. It was difficult to say whether or not a being posed a threat, especially such a fumbling burned out young girl. She seemed normal enough, but looks could be deceiving.
"Sebastian." Ciel called his butler's attention irritably. "We are pressed for time, are we going to continue this conversation? Your proposal if you please." The butler bowed low apologetically with a gloved hand to his chest.
"Forgive me, my Lord." There was no need to alarm the boy unnecessarily. "As I previously saying before we were momentarily interrupted, if in fact the perpetrator or perpetrators in question are the same beings that we are investigating –as we suspect- then something in their search has indeed changed. We simply do not know what. There is only one place that we can go to have a look for ourselves." The young Earl's eyes closed momentarily as he grunted in response. His gaze turned forward.
"Bedfordshire. I feared such an inconvenience, but I suppose it cannot be helped. We had best make preparations to visit these orphanages and compare the cases. Let's go Sebastian. Tomorrow we head out."
"Of course, young master."
….
What on earth was she doing going back there after everything? It was a terrible idea but she could not believe what she had read in the papers unless she could physically come to terms with it. Back and forth she paced, debating on what her next course of action. She had no money for tickets…but there was no time to walk. This was all her fault. The stress was going to make her sick. This had been the worse week she'd had in years.
If she was seen lurking around here it was bound to get worse. First she had been tossed out of the orphanage without having been notified at least a week or so prior to the day. That old bat had always hated her. Then she proceeded to look for work fruitlessly for weeks. Doors were slammed in her face repeatedly once it was learned that she was an orphan. It also seemed that Ms. Mitzy had spoken quite 'fondly' of her on her off work hours because apparently Ivy -as an individual- already had a set reputation before even meeting any of these folks.
Finding employment in that area had become almost an impossibility. She was forced to move on…but it seemed that foreign towns were not trusting toward travelling folk…never mind travelling orphan folk. God forbid. She rolled her eyes at the thought wearily. All of them had been rude aside from a few exceptions…a smile crept over her face at the image of a soft, smiling Irishman. None however, had startled her like that uncouth, stiff-legged, sinister, unpleasant ape of a butler. He had oozed snobbery as he eyed her like he'd discovered a maggot on his perfectly polished loafers. He may as well have just refused to give her the time of day.
Her smile faded recalling how he had openly commented on her haggard appearance. Normally she would have snipped in some 'polite-rudeness' of her own right back but something was off. Something in her instinct had her shying away from the first moment he opened that door. His presence, it was so over powering and stifling. It all screamed 'This is a predator…and it is too big for you to handle.' It all It was not her fault that she'd had to move so far without any money to search for employment to get by.
Speaking of which she would have to somehow acquire some money and get going on this damned train. Who would have known that she would have run into the tightly wound, menstrual, cad a second time, and in a completely different location no less. It was rather disturbing in fact for a low profile creature like her, for a second she thought that he might have followed her, but such a thing was ridiculous. She was fairly certain that he would not waste time following her when he obviously had much more 'ideal' ways of spending his time…like stealing candy from small children, tripping grannies down flights of stairs, and tap dancing on homeless cripples.
Either way he was not on her list of priorities at the moment. Especially after hearing about…this. After coming here to see what had become of her old home and its inhabitants. Really she had not missed her life at the dreary, stale 'facility' in the slightest. It was not even all the girls…only a few. The little ones. The little ones that she had taken such pains to watch out for during her unfortunate stay. They were there only days ago…and now…gone…all of them…and it was because of her.
Without another thought she had to get on…to see everything for herself, for the sake of closure. Before she could however, there was a familiar tingle, a new presence. With narrowed eyes she slowly turned her gaze to the left. No. Her face dropped and she immediately looked ahead. Now this was just ridiculous. Twice was a coincidence…but three times…it was time to be paranoid even if she could be wrong. Those cripples would just have to wait it seemed.
There he stood carrying what appeared to be luggage. A small boy stood beside him with a top hat and a cane. An odd pair really and yet strangely compatible in presence and grace. Slowly she slid her right foot out, prepared to slip carefully from their line of vision. Abruptly however the familiar rusty…-brown?- of that…bastard's eyes whipped almost instinctively in her direction. He frowned immediately and Ivy had the feeling that she had better learn to disappear very fast right about then. Her eyes darted nervously about searching for any opportunities, thinking quickly.
….
"Young master…" The demon butler trailed, still keeping his eye on the strange girl who he had caught watching them. It was the same girl. Now he could not ignore the 'coincidences' of noticing her a third time. The boy looked up at his butler with a raised eyebrow.
"Is there a problem?" Sebastian made no physical response. He simply looked at the train as if all was well with the world…but his tone said otherwise.
"Please. Board the train." Ciel frowned at this…request. One could almost call it a command but the Earl of Phantomhive was no fool. He recognized hidden meanings in the glances and tones of his butler. This time it said trouble as usual in this 'line of work'. Without a word spoken he regally stepped into the steam-powered beast as if he had decided so on a casual whim, chin held high as always. Meanwhile the young lady seemed to be in some sort of panic. This only made her more suspicious.
It was odd how she seemed to be making no attempt to run despite the strange spike in that strange vibe of hers. He had felt it and immediately responded by looking in her direction…and there she stood. Surprise evident in her eyes. She looked ready to sprint but refrained for some reason…frozen. A large cart, bearing luggage blocked his view of her for only a second as he took a chance by directly approaching her but once it moved aside she was gone, and he could feel no trace of her. The demon stopped short. It seemed that he had underestimated such a soft-spoken timid little thing.
'Not human.' He thought. 'Certainly not human.' Deeming it unwise to leave the young master alone for much longer, he hurried to board the train. The boy was likely going to grow impatient soon. Looking around once more with a frown, he curtly walked back to the train.
Author's Note: I just realize that in order to do this damn thing I would have to do an overhaul of editing, cutting and pasting for a good fifteen chapters…AND I have to come up with a new scenario for the encounter with Grell. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU! I REALLY screwed myself didn't I? Oh well. If that is what it takes for me to be comfortable with my OC's position than so be it. Even if I get carpal tunnel as a resort. Work here I come! _...CHAAAAAARGE! *typing furiously as fire and smoke spew from my mac*