Finally reaching the door where the voice had seemed to come from, Sebastian stepped in front of me to open the door. He paused slightly to let me go before him, then closed it after himself with a soft click. I marched straight towards the mahogany desk, where a young, fuming boy was sitting in a red chair. "Sebastian! Where were you!? And who is she!?" asked the boy who I guessed was Ciel. Sebastian strode forward and handed Ciel my letter. He bowed slightly, placing a hand on his chest and saying, "My Lord, this woman brought a letter with obvious urgency, considering the insignia on the letter…" Ciel's eyebrows shot up when he saw the stamp on my letter. What was so great about Victoria's crest? Maybe she was high on the nobility food chain? Ciel opened the envelope and smoothed out the letter. I awkwardly shifted from foot to foot as I waited for him to finish reading. I had no idea what it said, but guessing from Ciel's reaction it wasn't good, because the more he read, the deeper the creases in his forehead became. Did Victoria tell him the truth about me? "Calm down," Sebastian murmured, smiling at me. How did he know I was nervous? He directed his eyes at my ears and explained, "You are pulling your ears back." Oh! I tried to conscientiously raise my ears back up, but was unsure of what that was doing to my ears since I didn't have a mirror. I felt heat rise into my human ears. God, it's probably red. I don't blush, but there have been rare times where my ears have been red, and it wasn't even from embarrassment. This time they would be though. Ciel cleared his throat to draw my attention. I snapped my eyes back to him and awaited my sentence. He carefully clasped his hands together and asked me, "Would you like me to read the letter aloud? Considering it involves you and all." Could I read the letter, like, not aloud? But guessing I didn't have a choice, I just nodded. Ciel cleared his throat and began: "My dearest Ciel, "I have sent this letter of utmost importance with a young woman named Thena. This young lady has gone through quite an ordeal and so I ask you to have patience regarding her. I know you can already see where this is going, but I will ask you formally. Will you take her under your wing? I know you are not fond of strangers, but I can vouch for her even if she is a bit strange. All I ask is for you to bring her with you on your investigations and try to help her get home. She has an odd past - or should I say future - but I can promise you she tells the truth. "From Her Majesty Queen Victoria. "P.S. Please tell Thena that I do apologize for not telling her who I am; I only wanted someone to treat me as an equal for a day. I apologize for this old woman's weakness." My throat closed in panic, she was the QUEEN!? WHAT!? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN!? Oh man, I ate like a pig in front of the Queen! I could put this on the top of my list of Most Embarrassing Moments Ever (a.k.a. MEME). "So," Ciel said, leaning forward, "what exactly is so great about you that the Queen of England had to write a personal letter and have you sent to me?" "Er," I scratched the back of my head, feeling my heart rate pick up, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Ciel leaned back, "Try me." And so I did, from beginning to end, trying to divulge as little as possible about the future for fear that it might cause a Butterfly Effect. At some point in between, we took a snack break and Sebastian kindly suggested to Ciel that I should sit down. Thank God for that because my legs were about to give out from exhaustion and nerves. Ciel munched on some crumpets and dark tea while I just drank the barely flavored tea since my mouth dried up quickly from dark tea. I didn't want to die from dehydration while telling my story. I would've loved for some of the crumpets Ciel was chewing on, but was too polite to ask. Ciel looked thoughtful and rested his chin on his fist, "So, in the future, men and women are equal?" "Almost; not all countries give that equality and even the countries that are considered equal still don't pass laws to force men and women to have equal pay," I explained. "I hope someday we will become completely equal, but for now, it's like we're at a limbo. Women can get the same jobs as men can, but sometimes it's harder, or we get lower pay." "You were studying to become a doctor?" he checked. "Neurologist," I affirmed. "Interesting, but you learn general medicine and diagnosing patients, right?" "Yes, but I'm on my second year so I'm still learning." I sat up straighter. Geez, I felt like I was at a job interview. I saw a mischievous sparkle in his eyes and immediately knew Ciel was up to no good. "Good, I have found a use for you on our investigations," Ciel said cheerfully. I protested, "But I don't have a doctor's license to give diagnoses!" Ciel merely shrugged, "Who needs a license nowadays? People are prescribed pills left and right." I gasped, "You demon!" Ciel snorted, and I heard a soft laugh from Sebastian. "I assure you I am no demon," Ciel paused for a moment before pointing at Sebastian, "on the other hand, he most definitely is." I immediately laughed, thinking it was a joke. After a couple of seconds, I realized that no one else was laughing. You could hear a pin drop in the silence. "Are you kidding!?" I screeched, launching myself out of my chair. Sebastian sighed, "My Lord, perhaps that was not the best way to tell her." I was mentally screaming. Ciel shrugged carelessly, "If she's with us on our investigations, I don't want her to get in the way." If he was a demon, was there such things as angels? If there were angels, were there fairies? Or unicorns? Or… Okay Thena, stop. Remain calm. I took deep breaths and pinched myself. I slowly sat back down and thought rationally. Okay, it would make sense since I'm some weird cat creature, which meant there would be other supernatural beings around. Once I thought of that, I felt calmer. Ciel stared at me, "You took this surprisingly well." "In my time- even though I never thought they existed- the concept of 'magical' and 'supernatural' beings are really popular. So a lot of people would be excited to be in my shoes." "What an odd time to live in," Ciel whispered, then in a louder tone, "In this time period, people would think they're in Hell and pray to God to save them." I saw Ciel sneer when saying the word 'God'. I tilted my head curiously; what did he have against God? But I didn't ask because each person had their own opinions and thoughts on religion. And I didn't feel like opening the topic. "So what should I do while I'm here?" I asked. Ciel shrugged, "Outside of our investigations, I honestly don't care what you do. You are my guest, so amuse yourself." Hmph, rude. But that would give a lot of free time to explore the grounds. I got up to leave but Sebastian grabbed my arm before I could turn to the door. "You must ask to leave," he explained. I gritted my teeth and swallowed my pride, feeling like a child, "Can I... no, may I leave?" I felt like a kid again, asking the teacher to go to the bathroom. I hated the rules in this time period, especially asking a thirteen year old to leave the room- that was really demeaning. I was an American from the land of the free, dammit! Well, mostly free... if you have money. Oh, the irony. Ciel smirked as if seeing my struggle and waved me away like a fly. I wanted to punch him, but his demon butler would probably stop me. Not if it was a sneak attack… an evil grin formed on my face. I would get him when he least expected it. Not a punch because I'd get killed if I did that (Queen's letter or not), but something of an equal caliber. With that in mind, I strolled away, swinging open the door with a loud bang; a pile of bodies suddenly fell before me. I let out a surprised shriek and jumped back, smacking into Sebastian, who grabbed my shoulders and gently pushed me aside to deal with the bodies on the floor. "Now, now, now, what do we have here?" Sebastian asked in a dangerous tone. "A heap of naughty servants who are about to get punished." Wow, that went from zero to one-hundred real quick. "Seb… Sebastian," a red headed female squeaked, pushing herself up and shoving her glasses up her nose. That reminded me… I touched my nose where my glasses should have been resting. Nothing. There was nothing there. How was I seeing this so clearly? Was I wearing contacts? Blood roared in my ears and the sound of servants desperately making excuses faded out. I could see? My stomach trembled, and I felt tears prick my eyes. I could see clearly? Without relying on my glasses? Oh, my God. My vision suddenly blurred. "Oh no!" I cried, thinking my vision had gone bad again. I suddenly realized I was crying. "Thena? Why are you crying this time?" inquired Sebastian. This guy was probably thinking I was a crybaby at this point. I rarely cried as much as I had in this one day. "I can see!" I sobbed. "What do you… Oh! You mean you wore glasses before?" Sebastian asked. "Yes," I choked down another wave of tears and hid my face behind my hands. "I'm fine," I whimpered, and felt a hand touch my shoulder. I jerked away, "Please don't touch me, I don't like it when I'm like this around strangers." More like, I didn't like it when anyone saw me this way. It made me feel vulnerable and small. Sebastian sighed, "Don't be so stubborn." And then under his breath he mumbled, "You were always like this…" He gave me a hug and said in a normal tone this time, "Soon enough we won't be strangers since you'll be living here, so this is okay," . I instantly turned to stone. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! My tears miraculously disappeared, and I lifted my head to glare at him, "Release me this instant!" He smirked, "I told you hugs work- your tears are gone." I was going to kill him, "Of course they stopped, 'cause I felt uncomfortable!" Lies. I was just shocked, so they stopped. "Release me!" Hold me. "All right," he said and let me go. I pushed away from him and fiercely rubbed my face to wipe away the tears. This man was infuriating! Ugh, kill me now! "As much as this little drama was entertaining, I demand to be left alone," Ciel called from his desk. I jumped, having forgotten he was there. "Yes sir!" shouted a feminine looking boy. "Finny, don't shout," Sebastian said, exasperated. A blond man smacked Finny lightly round the head and just as loudly said, "Yeah Finny, don't shout!" Sebastian scowled, "That goes to you too, Bard." The redhead grabbed Bard and Finny's collars and hurriedly bowed while dragging them away, "Of course, sir, sorry, sir." Was she having a nose bleed? From what!? "Mayrin your nose is bleeding, wipe it… never mind," Sebastian sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. A giggle left my throat before I could stop it. Soon I was full blown laughing while trying to cover my mouth to muffle it. Having a good cry always made me feel oddly bubbly inside. I felt light headed and swayed a little. Sebastian's eyes widened, "Have you eaten at all today?" "Just breakfast," I laughed, wow I was feeling dizzy. Maybe the stress was getting to me. Sebastian scowled, "I knew telling you I'm a demon was going to cause a bad reaction! You thought you took it well, but your body is telling you differently!" "It might be a combo of hunger, shock, and nerves," I mumbled. Sebastian grabbed my arm, "Come, I'll take you to the kitchen and get you something to eat. Do you have any allergies?" I shook my head and and trudged along next to Sebastian. I had a feeling he was slowing down so I could keep up. Going down the stairs was going to be the death of me. At one point Sebastian got too annoyed of going slowly and just lifted my up bridal style and strode to the kitchen. He set me down on one of the chairs there and began to make scrambled eggs with bacon, mmm. My stomach growled loudly, clamoring for food. I grinned and patted my stomach, assuring it that we were going to eat soon. "Did you just talk to your stomach?" Whoops, did I talk aloud? "Er, nope. That wasn't me!" I gave a half-hearted salute, trying to look as innocent as possible. Sebastian shook his head, a hint of an amused smile curving up his lips before turning back around to check on the eggs and bacon. Sebastian grabbed a plate, fork, and knife and set them before me. "There," he said with a satisfied look, placing his hands on his hips. I eagerly grabbed the fork and knife and dove in. After a few minutes of munching, I asked for some bread as well. Sebastian finally opened his mouth to ask a question, "What are you?" I paused, thinking that was the oddest question someone had ever asked me in my life. "Human, I think. But with my new cat features, I'm not so sure any more," I said, waving my fork around. "Maybe you're a demon?" he suggested. I began to choke on my bread. "Wha… what!?" I wheezed. Sebastian casually slid a glass of water towards me and continued, "I mean, you radiate the aura of a demon, look like a demon, and smell like one. The only difference is your soul." "How do I look like a demon?" I asked after drinking my water. "Demons take on the form of an animal or creature they are similar to. Those who have more control over their powers can change their appearances," Sebastian explained. "You seem to be a cat demon." My mouth formed an 'O'. "What about my soul? You said my soul was different." "What I meant by that is demons don't have souls, which is why we need to eat them to fulfill that void. But for some reason you still have your soul and can eat human food, which seems to sustain you quite well." I frowned, "Why do you think that is?" Sebastian gently tapped his chin, tilting his head slightly, "I have a theory, but I can't test it out… so it may not be right." I gave him a flat look, "Tell me anyway." Sebastian sighed, "I don't like giving out half-baked ideas, but... I think that you are holding on to your humanity far too tightly, which isn't allowing your full transformation- hence you also having a weak body." I scowled, "So I basically have to become cold and heartless to become a demon?" Sebastian shook his head, "No. What I mean is that your mind is holding you back. You believe that you are a weak human and need to eat human food to survive, and it's stopping you from reaching your full potential." This guy should be a pep-talker and scream, 'Just do it!' in the process. He makes it sound so easy. I snort, "Right, 'cause it's so easy to change how I think." "People are stubborn believers that their minds can't be changed, and yet when they get sucked into cults… " Sebastian trailed off slyly. My eyes narrowed, "I'll have you know that I've tried hypnotism and it hasn't worked on me. What makes you think you can change my mindset?" Sebastian gave me a crooked smiled, "With daily training and mind exercise, I am almost one-hundred percent sure I can change your mindset." The guy sounded like some sort of shady advertisement. All he needed was to add the cost of the training to really fit the bill. "So… how are we going to do that?" I asked suspiciously. Sebastian's smile widened into evil glee, "I won't be doing anything, it's all going to be on you." And that's how I spent the next two hours screaming and clutching Sebastian's legs for dear life to keep him from dropping me from the top of the manor. "I want to live!" I cried for the fiftieth time. Sebastian pinched the bridge of his nose, his calm demeanor already breaking, "Thena, how many times do I have to tell you? YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DIE." I whimpered and tightened my hold of his legs. I heard him hiss under his breath and say, "That's it, I'm not going to play nice any longer." He put his hands under my armpits and lifted me up. "No!" I wailed, desperately trying to grab at something, but Sebastian was too strong. My tail wildly whipped back and forth, having been freed after Sebastian's orders to change for our lovely 'exercise'. He held me in the air, leaving me dangling over an extremely high drop. It was time for extreme measures. My ears drooped, and I did my best interpretation of puppy eyes (kitty eyes?), "You like cats, don't you? You wouldn't drop this cute kitty cat to her death?" Sebastian paused for a moment but then said, "Sorry, puppy eyes don't work on me. Besides, you'll thank me afterwards." And then he dropped me. To my death.