𝒗𝒊. | GRAVE MARKER

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People change for two main reasons: either their minds have been opened or their hearts have been broken.❞
— Steven Aitchison

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A tense, awkward filled silence weighed heavy in the kitchen's air. As promised, Sebastian prepared a delicious stew for Mina to eat, but she did not realize that he would stand by and watch her as she ate it. She could practically feel his stare burrowing into the side of her head, and she nervously tried to eat as ladylike as possible, though the faint trembling of her hands made it difficult, most of the soup would spill over from the edges of the spoon before it could reach her mouth.

An unexpected gentle chime of a bell ringing broke the quiet atmosphere, Mina jumped in her seat surprised by the sudden noise. She searched for the source, seeing a row of decorative silver bells nailed to the wall near the kitchen entrance, each with labels underneath. The bell labeled as 'Master Study' jingled, its dainty ring demanding attention.

Ciel, he's calling. Mina turned her gaze to Sebastian, wondering if he would be the one to answer. There were other servants within the household, but she suspected that he was the most...um...reliable (was the only word she could use that didn't feel like she was insulting the other four servants she had seen).

"Please excuse me, Miss Murray, the young master is calling," Sebastian informed, bending at the waist with his right hand placed flat against his chest. "I insist you remain here until I return."

Mina knew that Sebastian's 'request' was more of a demand. Although, she nodded her compliance. She'd be willing to do just about anything to leave this place and the unsettling presence she could feel emanate from the Phantomhive butler and his master.

As soon as Sebastian left the kitchen, Mina swiftly turned to her stew. She hastily grasped the porcelain edges, raising the bowl to her mouth and began to loudly slurp down its contents. Her hunger had hit her as soon the savory broth touched her lips, but her manners got in the way of sating it. Now that she was alone there was no one to watch and judge her. Soon the bowl was empty, her belly filled with a warmth that helped to sooth her frantic nerves. Setting the bowl back down onto the kitchen island she was seated at, she gazed down at the empty porcelain bottom mildly hoping that it would magically refill itself somehow.

Exhaling, Mina decided to take the dish to the sink and wash it. Sebastian had finished cleaning up after the oven mess left by the other servants, so the sink was free from the blackened lump they had created. As she turned the water to an appropriate temperature to gently rub clean the delicate dish, she took a moment to let the warm water run down her hands. Felt nice, soothing. A long bath would do wonders. Coming out from her daze, her eyes widened in terror when she saw the water run red, her hands stained a horrifying crimson. Mina gasped, dropping the porcelain bowl from her grip - shattering the delicate dish upon impact at the bottom of the sink. However, just as fast as she had saw the red it was gone.

Mina's hands violently trembled, shakily grasping the broken shards of the dinner bowl. There's something wrong with me, she noted. First the incident with Ursula, then with Ciel in his study, and the black feathers with Sebastian… Mary is dead. I know she is dead. Madam… Mina unintentionally tightened her grip on the porcelain shards. She didn't want to call that murderer by her name.

"Oh my, that is quite the mess you have made."

Again, Mina unintentally tightened her hold on the porcelain shards at the sound of Sebastian's voice. When she looked down at the broken pieces, she saw a trail of red dripping from the sharp edges, creating a small puddle around the sink's drain. She blinked, thinking that the red would go away (as it had done before), but when her eyes opened the red was still present.

Gloved hands encased Mina's, gently praying the shards from her fingers. "Why is it that everytime we meet, you are somehow injured or are in the process of being injured?"

"Soon I will not be a concern of yours," Mina softly murmured her reply.

Sebastian hummed, a faint vibration against Mina's back. She should have been alarmed by the intimacy he was showing toward her, but her mind was still muddled with the odd hallucinations she was experiencing as of late. Could her mind truly have broken to such a degree?

Mary is dead. I know she is dead. She was murdered by the Lady in Red. Mary is dead. I know she is dead. She was murdered by the Lady in Red. Mary is - "AH!" Mina gasped out a strangled yell, pain engulfing her entire palm. She tried valiantly to yank her hands away from Sebastian's vice grip, but he held on tighter and tighter, his gloved thumbs pressing harder against the cuts on her hands.

"There she is. Welcome back, Miss Murray. The young master would like to see you now, but first let us get you cleaned up." Sebastian forced Mina's open palms underneath the running water, ignoring her attempts and wiggling from his grasp. She thrashed against his chest, her arms fully extended in front of her from his effortless pull.

༻ ༺

Sebastian had carefully wrapped Mina's cuts with white gauze, firmly securing the bind with unnecessarily tight knots. The entire time, Mina avoided looking at his face, choosing to instead focus on the care of her hands. While Sebastian's actions seemed nice and considerate, she could not help but sense a dark underlining to his choices, as if he expected something in return for his 'kindness'. When he was done he quietly led Mina back to the master study, where Ciel awaited her arrival.

"Please excuse our tardiness, Young Master. Miss Murray had gotten herself into a bit of trouble, again." Mina pouted, offended by Sebastian's remark.

From his place behind his desk, Ciel's perceptive gaze quickly landed onto Mina's bandaged hands. Ashamed by her constantly being made of fool of in front of the Earl, Mina shifted her hands to be placed neatly behind her back. Ciel made no comment about her injury. She didn't know if she should feel relieved or saddened by his lack of empathy.

"I have drafted a contract of the debt you owe to my household." Ciel lazily held out a sheet of white paper. Sebastian stepped forward and retrieved the paper from the noble's hands, transferring it over to Mina.

"Can you read?" A valid question. Mina wasn't offended. She was a lower-class physical laborer, and reading was considered a luxury for the wealthy who had the time and resources to be able to buy reading material.

Mina nodded, swallowing thickly. "Enough." She gazed down at the paper, skimming through the elegant penmanship to find words that she could easily understand. Jonathan was still in the process of teaching her basic words, simultaneously showing her how to write and spell them out. When she reached the part that showed her debt, a heavy weight fell upon her shoulders.

That sure is a lot of numbers. Ciel was right, Mina was going to be repaying him for years, possibly for the rest of her life.

"I have included an optional payment plan, stemming from the country's average wage of a person of your class level." Mina half listened to Ciel. She honestly did not know what she was looking at. Without Jonathan to actually read through the contract, she simply had to trust Ciel at his word. He had helped her thus far and originally did not request that she pay him back, so that must mean he wouldn't try to deceive her. Right?

"Where do I sign?"

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Mina picked at the fraying edges of her coat, too frightened to utter a word. Her body swayed and was lightly jostled from the bumps on the road, however she tried to remain as still and completely silent as possible. Why? She just came to the realization that she was wearing her own clothes. Her loft was sealed with a police grade lock, yet somehow Ciel and Sebastian had managed to get her clothes, not new, not Mary's - hers.

She should have been marveling over the fact that she was riding in a car, a luxury she would surely never experience again. Instead, she drew in a shaky breath through trembling lips, fractions of prayers forming through her mind. She was too scared to even think properly.

The car slowed to a stop in front of a pair of iron-rod gates, towering into an arch that read in bold capitalized letters: Norwood Cemetery. No wonder Mina owed Ciel so much money. Norwood was the largest cemetery in London, and one of the most expensive in the world. Don't get her wrong it was a beautiful resting place, and she would often marvel at the beautifully carved headstones whenever she passed by on her way to work, but Mina could never afford such a place, which meant she could never be buried alongside her sister.

Sebastian offered his hand to help Mina down from the front seats of the car. She had no choice but to accept, or else she stumble and fall to her knees from the height, but as soon as her feet touched the ground she quickly pulled her hand back from his touch.

That unnerving plastic smile returned on Sebastian's lips. Without a word, he turned and went through the gates with Mina in tow. She concentrated on the turns he took, which paths he led her through, scrutinising the passing headstones and mausoleums to use as landmarks for her future visits. Each step made her heartbeat seem all the more louder.

They were in a cemetery.

Mary was in this cemetery.

Mary is dead. I know she is dead. She was murdered by the Lady in Red.

Sebastian came to a stop. Mina nearly collided with his back (yet again). Momentarily bewildered she chanced a look off to her side and spotted what she had come for. Suddenly, all outside problems ceased to matter, simply vanishing as soon as Mina recognized the simple carving of her sister's name. Compared to the other grave stones, Mary's was plain: modest yet elegant.

Mary is dead. I know she is dead. She was murdered by the Lady in Red.

Mina fell to her knees in front of her sister's marker. Marian Jane Murray. Beloved Sister. 1864 – 1883. Mina gasped out a sob, tears unabashedly flowing from her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Mary," she mumbled, slurred from uncontrollable weeping. "I should have...I should have been stronger. I should have gotten you out of that bed." Extending a quivering hand, the pads of her fingers traced out the spelling of her sister's name, letter for letter. "I should have tried harder. I always thought...I shouldn't have assumed that we would always have time."

Hand splayed across the cold stone, Mina ran her thumb across the smooth, polished gravestone. How inconsiderate, she forgot flowers. She was in such a hurry to finally see Mary, she had nothing to place over her sister's grave. Nothing to offer.

"I failed you," Mina whispered. "You needed me and I failed you."

"Miss Murray, do you have a place where you can stay?" Sebastian inquired, startling Mina from her dazed thoughts. She forgot that he was there, she had assumed that he would leave after showing her where Mary's grave was.

"After you eat, Sebastian will take you to Mary's burial site. Where you go afterwards is not my concern." Wasn't that what Ciel had told Sebastian to do?

"I can't leave her," Mina denied, unmoving.

"London is no place for a lady at night," Sebastian responded.

Mina knew that Sebastian was right, but… "I can't leave her, not now," she replied with a shake of her head. "I just got here."

"Correct me if I'm mistaking, but was it not you who said Mary had been bedridden since she underwent surgery? That she hadn't moved, bathed, or ate?" Sebastian rhetorically inquired. "Even though she still breathed, was she not gone long before Madam Red and Grell got to her?"

Mina's fingers curled inwards to her palms, and she squeezed, her knuckles turning white. How was it that Sebastian knew exactly what to say and how to say it? His concern seemed sincere, but his underline meaning was deceitful.

"The last thing she said to me was: 'I don't need you anymore, Mina,'" Mina murmured under her breath. "You don't understand... I don't know how to do anything else. I have always had to take care of Mary. What am I supposed to do now that she's gone?"

"I believe there was mention of paying a debt owed to my Lord? I thought Murray's were true to their word?" asked Sebastian.

Mina frowned. Sebastian wasn't going to leave her alone in the cemetery at night, and while it was the gentlemanly thing to do she couldn't help but feel mildly irritated. She forced herself to look away from Mary's gravestone, turning her gaze to Sebastian. Although, his eyes were directed elsewhere. He was staring off into the distance, his eyes narrowed. Mina noted the turn of expression on his face, his secretive smile long gone. Though she had only met him a handful of times, his serious expression seemed out of character for the man. Mina followed his gaze, her eyes squinted.

On the rooftop of a nearby church was a black silhouette of a thin figure. They were too far to make out any distinguishing marks, but the flashing image of the man named William Spears crossed her mind and caused for her to flinch, her eyes clenched shut. He hadn't necessarily attacked her, but he did rip out a blade out from her back, without mercy or an ounce of sympathy for her condition.

Subconsciously Mina's hand cupped her shoulder, feeling for the bandage tapped over her healing stab wound. "Am I hallucinating again?" she found herself asking aloud.

Sebastian peered down at her, well, more pointedly at her hand that was over her shoulder. "No," he answered. "However, their presence reminds me to ask: on that night, Mister Spears, mistook you for another woman. Do you know who?"

Mina's brow furrowed as she tried to think back, bringing up the memory of her assaulter before she was rendered unconscious on that tragic night. "He did look a bit miffed, didn't he?" she replied, her tone laced with confusion. "But I have never met him before."

Sebastian hummed as his response. Mina guessed that he deemed her answer acceptable.

"Shall we get going? I would like to return to the manor soon, it is almost time to prepare the young master's dinner," he stated.

Mina nodded, shakidly rising to her feet. She didn't want to keep Sebastian from his duties to Ciel. Reaching down and dusting off the front of her dress, she froze. Where was she going to go? There was no chance of returning to the loft, not this soon - with Mary's murder still so fresh in her mind.

"Is there a problem, Miss Murray?" Sebastian asked.

"I...um..." Mina trailed off, trying to think of places that she could possibly stay until she could fully cope with Mary's loss.

"You have no place to go, do you?" Sebastian's amused smile returned.

Mina's face flushed with embarrassment.

༻ ༺

"Do not leave her until she is in a secure location."

"Yes, My Lord."

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Reviews, comments, and criticism are always welcomed; flames — tolerated.

.warning. do not play Final Fantasy XIV unless you want to become an obsessive player who ignores all else. that free 30-day trial nearly done me in.