Hey readers!
Sorry that I haven't been able to update sooner but life has been so crazy as of right now but I apologize. But I'm so glad that so many of you like my story! This new chapter is a bit short, I know. But I'll make it up next chapter.
Enjoy!
Belle stared down at the table in front of her, feeling her nerves twisting inside of her stomach. The number of plates, cutlery, and glasses in front of her practically gleamed with mockery at her as Walter set a small salad in front of her. The teen mentally gagged at the sight of the little red balls of mush that seemed to cover the lettuce.
Tomatoes. She HATED tomatoes. The taste was fine but the consistency…She shuddered at the thought. Looking up at the lanky retainer as he straightened up and crossed his arms behind his back. His monocle gleamed in the overhead lights.
"Now Miss Belle, as a member of the Hellsing family, you must have an understanding of proper etiquette and mannerism. This is the proper setting for dinner with an esteemed member of another household or one of the banquets that are hosted by the Queen regularly."
At the speed that her head whipped around, Belle was sure her neck cracked. "I'm sorry. The Queen? As in, the lady in Buckingham Palace? That Queen?"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "I highly doubt the band Queen would host a banquet for English nobility."
Embarrassment flew through her veins and Belle grimaced before saying, "Sorry."
Walter gave her a stiff nod before pointing to first fork. "When eating, you start from the outside towards the plate. Now this is the salad fork…"
"Spine straight and shoulders back, this is proper posture!" Walter instructed as the young blonde wobbled in heels from one end of the room to the other, balancing a large and heavy book on her head. "A lady must be able to move gracefully but firmly with a purpose."
"The heels I get, but is the book really needed?"
"Less talking more walking, Miss Belle."
"Tell me, Miss Belle. At your school of arts, did you receive any formal dancing lessons?"
"…"
"Miss Belle."
"….No?"
She flopped down onto her bed with a groan, making Kiwi look up from her sand bath. Pain radiated from her back and feet and she didn't even want to think about blisters. The only heels that she had ever worn were wedge boots. Reaching out to grab one the pillows, Belle buried her face into the lavender scented cushion with a sigh. Was this the price for being part of the 'esteemed Hellsing family'? Her thoughts turned back to her father, the mysterious head of the family. Her mother had told her that she looked so much like her father and Belle saw that as a reminder to her mother, of the man who got her pregnant and never made contact again. So far, she hadn't seen any photos or portraits of a man who resembled her when Walter escorted her throughout the manor.
The teen rolled over onto her back and heaved herself to her feet, groaning at the waves of pain that throbbed through her body. Hobbling over her bathroom, she took in the completely white bathroom with the clawfoot tub and for some reason, a separate glass shower. Turning the hot water on, she turned and inspected the basket of various bottles of oils. Rose, lemon, lavender, peppermint, vanilla, tea tree; and those where the ones that Bella only knew. She had no idea what Marjoram or Bergamot oils were.
Grabbing the lavender and vanilla, Belle unscrewed the caps and poured the oils to the water. Dipping her hand into the water, she swirled the oils around as the fumes rose into the air. Stripping, she stepped into the tub with a squeak before sitting down into the oil infused water. Leaning her head back, she stared up at the ceiling with a frown, her eyes half lidded before they slowly closed.
A loud clanging noise made her shoot up from the cooling water, her eyes wide in surprise. Looking around wildly, she stood up with a rush of water and grabbed one of the fluffy towels. Wrapping it around her body, she peeked her head up around the door to peek into her room. Looking around the room cautiously, she felt her stomach drop in horror. The door to Kiwi's empty cage slowly swung back and forth, squeaking in the silent room.
"Kiwi?" She called out, clutching the towel to her tightly. "Kiwi….come on out sweetie." She cooed, walking over to her bed and knelt to peer under her bed. "Kiwi?"
Glancing at her door, Belle gasped in a panic at the sight of her opened bedroom door. Scrambling to her feet, she yanked the door opened further to look into the hallways. Unable to see her little ball of fuzz, she slammed the door closed and raced for her dresser. Yanking out a pair of shorts and a tank top, Belle pulled on her pjs and ran to the door while trying to pull on her flip-flops. Opening the door, Belle walked out, scanning the floors with worry.
"Kiwi…" she called out softly, walking down the hall. "C'mere my little butternut."
The hallways were so quiet that every noise made the 16 teen year old jump out of her skin as she looked for her pet.
Walking around a corner, Belle gave the hallway behind her one last look before facing forward. "Kiw-Holy…"
When she was younger, she had seen a massive Great Dane and thought the beast was the biggest dog in the world. She was wrong.
It was sitting at the end of the hallway, hiding in the shadows the moonlight shone through the windows. Even sitting on it's hind legs it was tall, maybe coming up to her mid-chest. The long eared black dog stared at her with frightening red eyes, it's lips curled back in wicked grin. But the sight of Kiwi squirming in the dog's jaws Belle nearly cried out in fear.
The dog's lips pulled back even further, staring at her intensely with a low growl in it's throat. Kiwi thrashed in the dog's mouth, barking in a panic.
"Hey!" Belle said sharply, snapping her fingers at the dog. It growled even lower at her actions, hackles raised. "Let. Her. Go. Now." She ordered firmly, taking a step forward.
It didn't let go of her small pet, only increasing the grip it had on Kiwi who let out another bark of terror.
"Let her go, now!" Belle shouted.
Kiwi was now barking out of sheer terror and Belle started to run forward until a sharp voice sounded behind her.
"Alucard."
The sharp and hard British accent echoed throughout the hall, making Belle freeze place. Slowly, she turned around and met a eerily pair of matching blue eyes that were glaring at her so hard, Belle was ready to run for her life.
The woman standing behind her wasn't beautiful with the hard expression on her face, but she was comely. Long pale blonde hair trailed down past her hip, a pair of long locks hanging over her shoulders and resting past her chest. She was wearing a dark green gray business suit with what looked like a red cravat and a silver cross at her throat. With her arms crossed behind her back, this woman was down right terrifying.
Those glaring blue eyes moved from her towards the dog with the chinchilla in its jaws. "Alucard," the woman said again, her voice cold. "Let the creature go."
The dog, Alucard, stared at her for few seconds before dropping Kiwi to the ground. The little ball of grey hit the ground running and darted into the open arms of Belle. Cradling her pet close and cooing softly to her, Bella turned back to the woman with a grateful look in her eyes.
"Thank you," she exclaimed in relief. "I have no idea how she managed to get ou-"
"If your pet is out of its cage again I will not hesitate to let Alucard eat it." The woman interrupted, those eyes focusing on Bella again. "Has Walter not informed you of this?"
Bella blinked, flustered and a tad irritated of the woman interrupting her. "Well yeah, but-"
"Yes."
"…Pardon?"
"If you are to be part of the Hellsing family, then you will speak properly. Or has your mother failed to teach you proper pronunciation?"
Belle bit back a glare at the jab of her dead mother but replied, "No."
The woman narrowed her eyes. "Then be sure to use it. Now return to your room."
Chewing the inside of her cheek to stifle her anger, the younger woman hurried past the woman, resisting the urge to run from the woman and her dog.
She was just a child.
Integra watched her little half sister and the rodent scurry past her, putting as much distance between herself and the two of them. As soon as the tips of her long blonde hair vanished around the corner, Integra turned to face the grinning dog.
"What do you think you are doing, Alucard?"
The dog turned into a mass of red and black shadows, twisting and conforming into a tall and lanky figure. With a red duster coat, a red cravat and a large floppy brimmed hat, red eyes glowed over a pair of red glasses. His lips were still pulled back in that wicked grin.
"You have accepted her into the Hellsing family, Master. I simply wanted to see if she possessed the famous Hellsing strength that both you and your Father had. That little rat seemed precious to the girl, so I decided to test her. Sadly Master, you have interrupted my test."
The blonde rolled her eyes as she reached into her breast pocket and pulled out one of her cigars. Pulling a matchbox out and lighting a match, she held it up to her cigar before taking a deep inhale. Turning around, she began to walk back to her office.
"Leave the girl alone, Alucard. Let her have a few more precious days of peace."
TA-DA!
