Talya sat at the back of the boat, hugging her knees close to her chest. What is going to happen to Michael now? I should've fought to keep him away from there. I shouldn't have let him go back. Talya stood up quickly, her mind set. In a few quick strides, she leapt off the boat and onto the bank, running back to the estate as fast as she could. When she got there she walked straight up to the front door. This is crazy, I'll kill myself, she thought as she knocked on the door.

Michael straightened quickly, a hand pressed against the window, watching Talya. A few moments later Andrew opens the door. "Yes?"

"I wish to speak to the master of the house."

"Why is that?"

"Why I wish to speak to the master of the house concerns only him," Talya responded in the nicest way possible. Andrew studied her for a few seconds before he stepped aside to let her in.

Don't do it, Michael though as Talya walked past Andrew into the mansion. Andrew shut the door behind her quietly and began to walk down the hallway.

I basically just killed myself, lovely, Talya thought as she followed Andrew, trying to settle her nerves and remain calm.

A short distance down the hallway, Andrew stops in front of a door and opens it for Talya, "Here you go. The Earl is in here."

Talya walked into the room quietly and looked around finding the Earl, Ciel Phantomhive, sitting at the cluttered desk, working on paperwork quietly. Talya stepped forward slightly, "Sir, I have a few questions for you."

Ciel looked up, disinterested, "What are your questions?"

"Why do you treat your son like a slave, especially when he is your only son and the heir to everything you are?"

Ciel's eyes narrow slightly, "What I do with my son is my business alone."

"Yeah, it is, but obviously you are failing at it. If you were doing it right he wouldn't be running from you. He wouldn't hate being around you or be scared to death because you said something." Talya locked eyes with the Earl. "And honestly I have no right to tell you this but someone has to and everyone who gets close enough to you runs the other way."

"And you think that I care that no one is around me? My son stays here often enough that I only have to send Andrew to find him and bring him back rarely."

"The reason he stays is because he's scared of you and when he doesn't do everything you say, you beat him up."

Ciel's eyes narrow more at the comment, "That is fine by me as long as he stays here."

"So his life can shrivel away like your wife did?" Talya said, knowing that she was hitting buttons.

Ciel's eyes narrow into a fierce glare, "Do not bring my wife's life up."

"I brought it up because you need to hear it."

"Why would I need to hear about my wife again?"

"Because you are acting like a pathetic kid, taking his anger and guilt out on someone else who doesn't deserve it."

"I would appreciate it if you left now."

"Not until I get to see Michael. I want to make sure he is alright."

"He's probably by his window, you can see him there. You are not allowed to enter his room."

"Scared someone might show him an ounce of kindness? As I said, I don't care what you think."

"That is not it. No one is allowed in his room except for him, Andrew, Sebastion, and myself."

"Fine sir, if that is what you wish," Talya turned and walked briskly out of the mansion, and walks up to Michael's window and levitates up and onto the balcony, walking over to the window. Michael jumps slightly at her sudden arrival and looks down. Talya slips into the room and stands next to him, "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Liar," Talya said as she notices the chain and snaps her fingers, the chain disintegrating.

"I am, that was just a precaution to keep me here."

"As I told your father, I don't really care about the rules."

"I can tell, seeing as how you are in my room."

Talya sits down in a chair next to the window, "Well he told me not to, plus I'm doing no harm." Michael nods and leans against the wall, only to straighten at the sound of someone unlocking the door. Talya quickly slips out of the room, onto the balcony, out of sight, letting the chain reconfigure itself. Michael relaxes slightly, pretending not to care, and looks out the window.

Ciel entered the room, arms folded, "Michael. Why did you leave this time?"

"The same reason as always. I wanted to see something other than the gardens and the grounds of the estate. It gets boring seeing the same thing every day, not being able to see anything else."

Ciel backhands him, "At least you are alive, and I've told you before outside of the estate is dangerous." Talya winces at the sound.

Michael looks down, holding his hand gently to his reddening cheek, "I'm sorry father. I forgot your warning."

"Don't forget it again," Ciel said, leaving the room, locking it behind him. Michael continues to look down quietly, pressing his hand against his cheek.

Outside the room, a tear rolled down Talya's cheek. I should've left him alone. She jumped off of the balcony, and looks up at the window one last time, before she ran off, exiting the estate's grounds. A few feet out of the estate's grounds she skids to a stop in front of Andrew and another man, who she hadn't met yet. The man was tall, with black hair and blood-red eyes. He was also wearing a simple black butler's outfit. "Look you master won, what else does he want?"

"The Earl wants to make sure that you don't come back, while he is alive," Andrew said.

"If he wants to keep hurting his son, let him, but don't take everything that makes him smile away or he will die like his mother." Andrew nods and the two men start to walk away. "So you're just going to let it happen? You're going to let the last two of that clan slowly wither away? And to think they used to be the strongest," she said, chuckling lightly at her last comment.

"Michael is strong, and Ciel is getting weaker and won't last much longer."

"Michael is slowly losing all hope left in him. He won't last that long and you know that. If he does last longer than his father, he won't know what to do other than what he has been forced to do all his life."

"Then someone will have to teach him."

"Who? He hates all of you."

"Ciel only said that you couldn't come back while he was alive."

"Can you tell Michael that?" Andrew nods quietly and the men walk away silently. Talya walks back down the mountain. She gets back to her home and sits looking at the Phantomhive Estate in the distance. Talya sighs, I hope he will be okay. Talya curls up next to her window, staying up the rest of the night, just looking out at the river.