I gave a loud groan at the pain in my head and fought against the building urge to vomit. The air around me was hot and thick, my jacket felt as if it were suffocating me. It took a few moments to regain my senses and not long after did I realize that I was in a very tight place. There was no light, no sound, no nothing. I let my hands wander around the compartment in which I rest in and felt my heart beating behind my ears. What is this? A coffin? A gasp left my mouth, my hands flying up to push on the top in an attempt at escape. It came off with ease and I quickly sat up to take in a breath of fresh air.
"What the hell?" I breathed out, my hand resting over my racing heart.
"Oh, you're awake. I was hoping you were dead," came a soft cackle from the corner of the room. I jerked my head to the side and found a man with long, silver hair wearing black and gray robes with a black top hat. His hair covered the top half of his face, only a wide grin and a slim nose could be seen.
"Who are you? Where am I? And why was I in a coffin?" I inquired, throwing my legs over the side of the coffin and hopping out onto the floor. I admired its sleek, black wood for a single moment before turning my attention back to the strange man that now stood very close, too close for comfort. I stumbled back a step, placing my hand on a nearby table to steady myself.
"Earl, it seems as if your road kill is alive after all!" the man laughed, his attention seeming to be on someone other than me in the room. I glanced back and found a young boy of about fourteen with an eye patch standing at the side of a tall, pale man with black hair and ruby eyes dressed as a butler. The boy stepped forward, his expression almost entirely devoid of emotion.
"You jumped out in front of my carriage and was nearly run over. My butler here managed to save you in time though," the boy said almost accusingly. I frowned and shook my head.
"Carriage? I don't know what you're talking about," I denied, my memory bringing up a blank.
"Young Master, I believe the lady was already unconscious when she fell onto the road," the butler suddenly spoke up, a smirk lifting up the corner of his mouth.
"Do you have an illness?" This question was directed at me.
"A what?"
"An illness. Does it cause you to faint?" the young boy's gaze was intense and I found it hard to concentrate on his words.
"What? No, I don't –"
"Do you even know what happened?" he asked me as though he were growing irritated. I blew a raspberry and clenched my hands at my sides.
"No, I don't know –"
"Who is your master?" I jerked my head up at his question and narrowed my eyes.
"My what?"
"Your master. You're dressed as a maid, so I assume you have an employer. What's his name? Is he a nobleman?" I shook my head violently.
"I'm not a real maid, I just work at a maid café!" I explained. "I don't have a 'master'. I don't even think maids exist anymore!"
The room grew silent and I found all eyes on me as if I were some strange being sent from outer space.
"Look, just tell me where I am so I can go home," I sighed, bringing my hand to my forehead. I felt hot, this room was way too stuffy. I stripped off my jacket and tied it around my waist.
"You're at the Undertaker's coffin shop. We brought you here because it was on the way and he has at least some experience with bodies," the boy said in explanation. I rolled my eyes.
"Because it's normal to bring an unconscious teenage girl to a mortician," I muttered under my breath.
Pulling my phone out of my jacket pocket, I powered it on and clicked on Google Maps.
"What's the address? Oh, never mind. I'll just use My Location." I clicked my tongue behind my teeth as I typed in my address, but a route wasn't popping up on the screen. The buffering sign just kept going round and round in circles.
"No service? What the hell am I paying for every month?" I grumbled at the realization that I didn't have a single bar of reception. Suddenly, my cell phone was plucked from my grasp and I felt my heart nearly freeze. It was between my fingers one moment and in the next it was all the way across the room in the hands of the boy's butler.
"What do you think you're doing? That's mine! Give it ba –" I cried out as I stalked forward to retrieve my stolen item only to trip over my own feet and stumble forward. I caught on to the butler's sleeve and used it to hoist myself back up into a standing position.
"What is this?" the boy asked, his eyes scanning over my phone as if it were a foreign object.
"It's a cell phone and it's mine, so give it back," I glared hatefully at the boy. I didn't appreciate him touching my things without my approval.
"A cell phone?"
"Yes. What? Have you never seen one before? As rich as you appear, you sure don't seem as if you know anything about technology," I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. He looked up and met my eyes, his gaze showing much more maturity than his age should have allowed. His eyes suddenly narrowed in on my neck and I found myself gulping down a mouthful of thickened saliva.
"What?"
"How did you get that?" He asked, motioning towards my chest. I lifted my hand up and touched the ring that rest just above my heart.
"This? It's a family heirloom. I inherited it when my grandfather died. Why? What does it matter?" My mind felt like mush. I just wanted to go home and lay down. Sleep sounded far too good at this moment.
"What is your name?" He asked, leaning against the cane he held in his right hand and stretching his legs out as if to block the entrance.
"Mira. Do I get yours?" I responded, clutching the ring tightly in my grasp.
"Ciel. What's your last name?" He pushed. I frowned.
"Phantomhive."
"This is ridiculous," I groaned, scraping my hands down my face. The bracelet dangled noisily on my wrist, the ruby red stone glinting irritatingly in the candlelight. It's been about a week since I'd woken up in a coffin and as soon as I'd spoken my name, they'd taken me in and put me on house arrest. Sebastian, Ciel's personal butler, had even gone as far to put this bracelet on my wrist – or should I say tracker? Apparently, it was a way for him to keep tabs on me, but there was no technology involved. I stared down at the jewelry and scowled, before throwing my legs over the side of the bed and yanking myself up onto my feet.
"There's no way this thing is a tracker," I growled and once again, for the thousandth time, attempted to yank the bracelet off. It didn't budge.
"The fuck is this thing made out of?" I sighed, shaking my head and heading towards the door. Undoubtedly, it was locked, just like it had been for the past seven days. But every morning, I woke up, got dressed, washed my face, tried breaking the bracelet, and then attempted to break down the door. It never worked, so I didn't expect anything to come out of today's attempt. After twelve pushes, four roundhouse kicks, and a solid punch to the door frame, I gave up and slumped to the floor. It was useless and I knew that, but it didn't hurt to try.
"You're very lively in the morning," came a low, chuckling voice by my ear. I gasped and jerked to the side, hiking one leg up to use either as a shield or a weapon, I wasn't sure.
"How did you get in here?" I hissed, straightening up once I'd realized who was invading my quarters.
"Through the window, Lady Mira," Sebastian replied with a close eyed smile as if it were normal to come in through the window. He offered me a hand and, after staring at it for a moment too long, accepted his help in standing.
"The Master wishes to see you now," Sebastian said, opening the bedroom door with ease. I stared dumbfounded for a moment. Was the door open the whole time? I very nearly smacked myself in the face five times over.
"It's a pullie, not a pushie…"
"Pardon?" Sebastian seemed to say with a snicker.
"Nothing. Where is Ciel?"
"He's waiting for you in his study."
I followed the butler down the hall, up the stairs, to the right, then the left, through a door, passed the lobby, through the drawing room, and… I was thoroughly confused by the time we actually reached Ciel's study. By then I had such a headache it was hard to tell left from right and up from down.
"My Lord, I've brought you Lady Mira Phantomhive," Sebastian announced upon my entry. I shook my head. Lady? What is this? Victorian London? Am I in England now?
"Am I supposed to curtsey or something?" I asked aloud, a frown adjourning my mouth. "Wait, are prisoners even allowed to curtsey? Should I bite off one of my own fingers out of boredom then? It wouldn't be a burden, My Lord, I was at the point of doing so already locked up in the room you so kindly lent me in my stay here at… What is this? A mansion?" I scoffed. "Figures…" Great, I've been abducted by a prissy little rich boy with a black butler.
I honestly wasn't as mean of a person as I was acting. I was just severely unhappy with the situation I was put in. I didn't know where I was, how I got here, or how to get home and the only people that'd I'd had the courtesy of speaking with insisted upon keeping me as a permanent house guest.
It was silent for a good long minute and when I finally looked up from my shoes, I found that Ciel was looking at me with half a smile and a peculiar look in his eyes. Did I see humor in those sapphire irises?
"Have you finished or was there something else you'd like to say before we continue?" He asked, his voice light with humor. I bit my lip and shook my head. That was something I shouldn't have said in the first place. At least he was giving me a warm bed to sleep in and good food to eat. I suppose, in a way, I was fortunate to be found and taken in by him.
"I'm sorry," I blurted out unintentionally, then slapped a hand over my mouth as if I could take the words back. My eyes were wide as they stared at the dark haired, blue eyed boy.
"I didn't mean to say that," I admitted.
"What didn't you mean to say exactly?" Ciel inquired as he rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward.
"I didn't mean to apologize, I don't intend to take my words back," I said, wringing my hands out behind my back.
Ciel chuckled as he leaned back in his raven colored chair.
"At least you're honest, Mira Phantomhive."
"Why do you say my name like that?" I asked with a frown.
"Like what?"
"Like you're mocking me. Just because you have wealth doesn't mean you're any better of a human being than I am." Ciel raised his eyebrow at me and crossed one leg over the other.
"I say your name as such because it is not your name. Tell me, who are you really?" Ciel urged, bringing his cup of tea to his lips. I watched as the steam twirled in the air like ribbons in the wind.
"What do you mean by that? I was born with this name and I did not lie to you about it. How offended would you be if I claimed that your name was not your own?" I ground out, my patience for this nonsense was running out. Ciel's expression suddenly turned sour. I felt a shiver go down my back at the severity of his stare. I didn't get a sense of loathing from him, not even irritation or anger. It was something… much more dangerous and cunning. Who on earth could this boy be? I watched as he withdrew a chain from his pocket, the blue stone of the ring that dangled from it glinted in the light shining through the windows. I gasped and grasped at my throat. It was gone, the heirloom was gone!
"That's mine! Give it back!" I shouted, my voice giving out the slightest quiver.
"Where did you get this? Did you have it forged?" Ciel questioned, placing the ring upon his desk.
"What? No! I told you, it's a family heirloom. My grandfather –"
"I'm growing tired of your silly little games," Ciel sighed, resting his cheek in the palm of his hand. "And I have no time for your lies. Sebastian."
A shadow fell over my frame and I looked up to find the black butler, his eyes had turned from ruby red to a glowing fuchsia. That was the first time I had truly felt terror. His hand came down over my eyes as the cold silver of a blade pierced my back. I fell victim to the darkness, only this time, I welcomed it.
Third POV
The cinematic record that presented itself before Sebastian and Ciel Phantomhive was unlike anything they had ever seen before. There were towers made of glass, automobiles far beyond the level of technology of their time, men and women in clothes that had not yet been invented. The street that bustled with hordes of people, surrounded by blinking lights and stairs that moved and moving pictures encased by a black box and glass. What world was this…? And then there was her, Mira, laughing and serving, acting like a maid in what seemed to be a shop of some sort. Everything that they were seeing was so foreign to them, they didn't know what to make of it. It wasn't until they'd come to the day of her coming here that they had an inkling of what had happened. A man with platinum hair and an air of mysticism about him. There was no doubt in Ciel's mind of what he was. A beast far more twisted than a demon.
They then came across the beginning of her cinematic record. A mother and father stood before the Phantomhive mansion, a small child standing at the mother's side. The mansion was encased in bright red and yellow flames, it scorched high into the sky and painted the world the color of the sun. Two figures stood at the door frame, one much taller than the other.
The mother held up a ring, its color much deeper and purer than that of a sapphire. She placed it in the child's hands and watched as she stared at the stone almost as if she were mesmerized.
"Is this really what's for the best?" the mother asked, turning towards her husband. He faced his wife, his blue eyes and black hair showing a striking resemblance to not only Ciel's father, but Ciel himself.
The man smiled and cupped his wife's face in his palm.
"It's time that we moved on."