Hehe this is Chapter 10, so people who have already read it, feel free to go onto the next chappie :)
"CIIIIIIEEEEEEELLLLLL"
Eloise cringed at the impossibly high octave and a shudder lanced up and down her spine. She stood at the top of the stairs with Ciel and Sebastian and they all looked towards the door where it flung open and a young girl with impossible golden curls come darting up the flight.
Eloise looked to Sebastian, "How does she get her voice that high" she whispered and Sebastian only raised a brow at her.
The brunette jumped back with wide violet eyes as the girl grabbed Ciel by the arms and swung him around with such force, Eloise swore that if she let go of the Earl, he'd literally hit the roof.
The girl dropped Ciel who went limp in her arms and Eloise looked down at him worriedly before looking back to Sebastian who only put his fingers on the bridge of his nose before putting his arms down and explaining to her.
"That is Miss Elizabeth, The Young Master's fiancée, as you can see, she's rather eccentric."
They both looked back to the frilly pink bonnet and the long golden curls underneath as she beamed and put a small ribboned box into Ciel's hand. "Here" she smiled "Open this."
Ciel looked mildly intrigued as he went to take it from Elizabeth and Eloise noticed the girls emerald green eyes widen when she saw Ciel's large sapphire ring. Then she snatched the box back as Ciel undid the ribbon.
"NO!" she cried, clutching the box to her breast and looking at the ring "Your ring?" she said with big pouty lips "I thought I broke that, it was chipped."
Ciel looked down to his thumb and he said "Sebastian fixed it for me."
"What Phantomhive Butler could not do that for his Master?" Sebastian said a hint of gloating in his voice and Eloise rolled her eyes "Think you're so high and mighty."
Elizabeth's eyes were glassy with tears when she looked up and noticed Eloise for the first time and she frowned slightly "Who are you?"
"Oh" Eloise said quietly "Well, I'm Trick-uh, I mean Eloise."
Elizabeth stared at her a little suspiciously and Sebastian cut in, "Miss Eloise had an accident a little while ago and the Young Master has given her and her injured friend a place to stay until he wakes up."
Then the girls frown softened and she looked back to Ciel "I'm sorry, I can't."
She turned back down the stairs and left the mansion followed by a brown haired maid who looked helplessly after her Mistress.
"Err was that me?" Eloise asked looking at the doors that closed behind the girls. Sebastian only looked to the door with a puzzled frown on his face "She is a little out there, but like all women I suppose, you are prone to mood swings."
"Hey" Eloise protested "We aren't all that bad, its dealing with morons like you that set most women off the edge."
"Oh really?" Sebastian asked and Eloise started to go pink in the cheeks and the diamantes in her cheeks glittered in the lights.
"Oh you two stop arguing" Ciel scolded "We have work to do. Let's hurry up and get to this festival."
Sebastian nodded and walked down the stairs and went to organise a carriage and Ciel turned to Eloise and eyed her ice blue dress that she was wearing to her knees and flat shoes. "You aren't going to wear that are you?" he said and Eloise looked at her attire.
"I thought it looked nice is there something wrong with it?"
Ciel looked at her like she had sprouted another head "We are going to an Ice Festival Eloise and you are going to wear a dress? It's going to be cold."
Eloise felt the blood pool in her cheeks and she whispered "Oh, that's why he sat the parka there." She looked up to Ciel with red cheeks "I'll go and get my other attire."
She ran up the side flight of stairs towards her bedroom and flung open the door and ran to her closet.
She opened the doors and saw the long dark blue parka with a furred hood and furry black boots with matching ice blue knee length socks. She swore she could almost hear Sebastian mocking her and she grumbled, "Such a cocky, uptight pain in the..."
She flicked off her shoes and fell back onto her bed and pulled up the socks and slid the boots on. "How stupid can you get?" she mumbled to herself "It's cold outside and you wear a dress with flat shoes. Looked like such a fool in front of Ciel, stupid Eloise, so stupid."
She grabbed her parka in a flurry of blue and dashed for the door and ran down the hall calling out to Dagger in his designated room "Don't go anywhere Dagger; I will be back for you."
She quickly made her way down the stairs and ran for the front doors and saw Ciel getting into the carriage.
"Let us hurry Eloise" Sebastian smirked "I put the clothes there for a reason, what were you thinking?"
"Oh be quiet" Eloise snapped "Stuck up pain in the neck."
She climbed into the carriage opposite Ciel who was reading another newspaper and Eloise cocked her head to the side as Sebastian started the horses and she read the paper sidewards.
"Girls still go missing in London."
"So what case are you going to be working on?" Eloise asked reading the article and Ciel flicked the paper and his blue eye matched Eloise's violet. "We are investigating a murder of a man by the river where the Festival is being held."
"So it's just a simple homicide?" Eloise asked and Ciel nodded before realising that she had read the first page of the newspaper "Looking for more action are we Eloise" showing the front page to her "This is your expertise isn't it?"
Eloise pursed her lips as Ciel said that. "Children go missing? Sounds like another case I worked on?"
"Then why don't you dress up like a clown and go join the next Circus that comes to London then" Eloise seethed and Ciel only smiled and put the paper down in his lap "Did I hit a sore spot Eloise? I'm not saying it for an attack against you."
Eloise jerked her head to the side and looked to the scenery outside refusing to speak to the antagonising Earl and after a little while she noticed a little white speck fall from the sky. She gasped;
"It's snowing!"
She flattened herself against the carriage window and looked up to the sky and saw more snow falling and she admitted "I've never seen falling snow."
She unhooked the clip to the window and put her hand out and from outside she heard Sebastian "Put your gloves on Eloise, in your parka."
Eloise pouted and put her hand back until she pulled on black gloves before shoving her hand back out the window.
"Everybody's seen snow" Ciel retorted staring at Eloise and the Ex Cirque shook her head. "Being in the Circus meant we travelled a lot, we usually missed the cold seasons in other places. So hitting London in at its most miserable was quite a shock for me."
"Have you seen snow?" Ciel asked and Eloise looked back at him with a sheepish smile "Only dirty snow. Not the pure white snow that everybody talks about."
She saw more flakes fall and she leant over and smiled at the top of Sebastian, "I bet you're enjoying that up there aren't you?"
"You can't get up there without stopping the carriage" Ciel said disapprovingly "And we aren't stopping."
"I can get up there" Eloise said looking back over her shoulder to Ciel "Do you doubt my abilities?" Ciel rolled his eye "I would like to see you climb out that window and up to where Sebastian is sitting without losing your balance and falling from the carriage."
Eloise stared at him "I was the Trickster of the Circus Ciel, more of a Magician. Look, now you see me-..."
Suddenly right in front of Ciel's eyes, Eloise vaporised into silver dust and disappeared and he heard Eloise's voice sing out "Now you don't."
"Well I can certainty hear you" Ciel said scooting over to the window and seeing Eloise up beside Sebastian "I'm closing this window, so don't expect to be let back in."
Then he slammed the window shut and clicked the lock back in.
"So grumpy." Eloise grouched folding her arms across her chest and slumping back on the carriage. "How did I end up in a household that's so sullen and serious?"
"You can hardly call the other four sullen and serious" Sebastian said referring to Finni, Bard, Mey-Rin and Tanaka. Eloise quirked her lip and nodded "True, But! Who am I stuck with most of the time?"
"The Young Master" Sebastian said and Eloise snarked "Meaning you! Sullen and serious and a bloody annoying tease. I came from a Circus that made everybody around them smile,"
"Besides the children you kidnapped" Sebastian interjected and Eloise's eyes became sharp and she smacked Sebastian on the shoulder "Don't you start!" she snapped "Or there would be hell to pay!"
"Hell? Could you really come up with that?" Sebastian chuckled and Eloise huffed "Well once I'll deal with you, you'll be begging to go back." She stared out at the road ahead of them before asking grumpily "How long till we get there?"
"Not long Eloise" Sebastian said directing the horses "Just lay back and close your eyes. The frost will come soon so pull your hood up and I will tell you when we are close."
"Man you can have your times when you want to be nice" Eloise said pulling her hood up and letting the dark navy fur tickle her nose and Sebastian turned to her "So can you. Now stop with the banter and enjoy the ride."
Eloise dozed off about halfway on the ride and soon enough Sebastian was shaking her awake "Miss Eloise we have arrived."
The Brunette opened a bleary violet eye and saw the familiar murky buildings of London and for some reason, she felt dread rise up inside her.
Sebastian navigated through the streets, in and out of traffic before the buildings cleared out and a bridge appeared and Eloise's eyes instantly lit up at the stalls and the Festival before her.
"Alright I feel better now" she smiled and as Sebastian pulled the carriage up. Eloise was already scrambling down the small steps and down onto the street. She ran across the paver's and pushed her face against the glass of a small decoration shop.
"And she's off" Sebastian said watching after the girl as Ciel got out of the carriage. The Earl Phantomhive sighed and shook his head "Leave her be, I have business to attend to. She'll come back when she wants something."
"She won't come back asking for something though" Sebastian muttered shaking his head "and I'm pretty sure what she will do if she sees something that she does want."
…
Eloise danced among the stalls admiring what the Merchants had to offer until she caught one that sold jewellery.
"Ooo" she said under breath looking at the stall-person who had his back turned. She admired the jewels eyeing off numerous headbands and necklaces. The man turned around and Eloise smiled at him and pointed to them "How much is it for these?"
When he told her, Eloise's face dropped and she knew she couldn't go back and ask Ciel for money. "Ok" she said "I'll come back."
She walked a little distance away and looked back over her shoulder and saw the merchant turn his back again.
That's when a trail of silver glitter lit up behind her and Eloise smirked and held up a jewelled necklace and let it dangle between her fingers. "Ha, never mess with a Cirque" she chuckled before putting the necklace in her parka pocket.
Eloise wasn't always a thief, but she was pretty good at it when she did. She began to wonder what Ciel would think when he found out but she simply shrugged it off. They were Market People and they wouldn't be there by the time Ciel found out.
She robbed several more stalls before she reached the bridge and saw a frozen lake with people skating on it. Her eyes widened and she leant over the snowy ledge and watched everybody. "I want to try that" she whispered before she realised that Ciel and Sebastian were down there watching everybody as well.
Eloise smiled and dashed from the bridge and down the ledge past people and to where the other two were. She popped up beside Sebastian and the Butler looked down at her beaming, pink face and sighed "Don't worry Eloise, I got you a pair of skates as well" he leant down to her ear "At least I didn't steal them"
"Hey I'm above money" Eloise snorted "They were overpriced anyway, serves them people a lesson" she took the skates off Sebastian and plonked back into the snow and pulled off her boots and wiggled her toes in her blue sock.
"You could have at least waited for a bench" Ciel said staring down at her and Eloise shrugged "By the time we can get one; I would already have these on."
She pulled the skates on and tied the laces up and Sebastian asked "Have you ever ice-skated before Miss Eloise?"
"Nope" Eloise popped the 'p' "I'll learn though" she got to her feet and Sebastian grabbed her boots and handed them to the skate stall to mind other people shoes. Eloise got up and balanced on the skates and saw Sebastian and Ciel walking to a free bench to put their own skates on.
"Heey!" Eloise called "Wait for me!"
Even with skates on, she ran after them and people watched her as she did and wondered how on earth she kept perfect balance.
She danced around the bench as Ciel sat down and Sebastian raised a brow "You're pretty good on your feet Eloise."
The Brunette smiled "I have never ice skated before, but I was from the Circus, you had to be good on your feet, no matter what you were wearing."
Sebastian tied up Ciel's skates and put on his own and Eloise smirked "Now let's see how we go skating huh?"
She dashed across the snow and slid across the ice and she knew the instant she hit it; that she was going to lose her balance. The skates slid and next minute, Eloise fell promptly onto her backside landing with a heavy 'thud' on the ice.
"Don't say anything" Eloise said to herself and she felt a presence near her. Sebastian helped her up and he mocked "I thought Cirques had to be good with their feet no matter what they were wearing?"
"I lost my balance" Eloise grumped "It was a silly mistake, I hit the ice wrong."
Sebastian let go of her hand and then she pushed herself away from the Butler and scooted across the ice regaining her balance and getting the hang of the skating.
Her parka flew out behind her and her hair came out from the confines of the hood and she done a neat twirl and skated back towards Sebastian and Ciel. "See! I do get better." Ciel watched her skate while he wobbled around on his own skates and Sebastian kept a steady hand on him.
"See it's not that hard Young Master, you just go with it."
Sebastian dragged Ciel out over the ice and poor Ciel was so disgruntled. He slipped all over the place and Sebastian kept on having to pull him and steady him before Ciel slipped again.
Eloise skated around the whole lake weaving in and out of the beginner skaters like Ciel, the ones that were better and the ones that could skate and doing tricks in the middle of the lake.
Eloise saw a particular woman lift her leg and glide across the ice on one leg before leaping up and twirling around in a circle and sliding away again. Then she gathered up speed and skated right through the crowds before coming back backwards.
She was showing off and Eloise frowned "What's so special about that? I would be able to do that." She stopped still before pushing herself to the middle of the lake where the pro skaters were and decided to see what she could do.
She didn't dare want to get the wobbles in the middle of the lake. It would be hard to get up without support and you were more prone to falling over because there was nothing to grab onto to steady yourself.
She pushed of the ice and let herself glide across the ice and she imagined herself doing a practise with Doll on the tightrope. You had to be so careful not to fall from the wire, she had to concentrate and put one foot in front of the other.
She started to speed up and she found herself dashing across the ice on par with the show-off pro. She done a neat arc and then leapt up and fell back to the ice holding out her arms to keep her balance and weaved her feet in and out watching the lines wave in between each other on the ice.
"Being in the circus has its quirks" she laughed to herself.
"Very impressive Miss Eloise" a smooth voice broke out from behind her.
"Wahh" Eloise cried out in shock before losing her balance and falling over backwards. She was caught by two lean arms and she looked up and flushed when she saw Sebastian. "I was doing well until you came" she pouted.
Sebastian helped her up and she looked around the lake and didn't see any sign of Ciel. "Where is he?" she asked and Sebastian looked towards the benches "The Young Master isn't very happy that he can't skate as well as the others, he's rather disgruntled."
Eloise saw Ciel then and he was untying his skates and putting back on his shoes before shoving his hat back on head and storming off back towards the stall. Eloise giggled "Aw poor Ciel, we should leave the ice anyway."
Sebastian nodded and they both skated back to the edge of the lake and instead of going to a bench, Eloise fell back into the snow and took the skates off and pulled her boots back on when Sebastian came back with them.
"I suggest you stop stealing things as well Eloise" Sebastian reprimanded "A lady like you shouldn't degrade yourself to such lowly acts."
Eloise shrugged "I've been one; sometimes its habit and I don't have money anyway. It works either way, I end up with what I want and you keep your money at the end of the day."
Sebastian sighed and they stepped through the snow and to the street where Ciel was standing on the bridge. As Eloise was walking she stopped dead when she heard a jingling sounding on the breeze.
It sounded a lot like 'London Bridge' and Eloise spun around to the crowds on the streets and didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
She heard it jingle again and then, through the crowd she saw a large red top hat through people's heads.
She looked back to Sebastian and Ciel and called out "I'm going back out to the markets, I'll be back."
Then she ran across the cobblestone and back into the crowds where she heard the jingle get louder and louder.
London Bridge is falling down, falling down she recited in her head in tune to the song London Bridge is falling down, My Fair Lady
Then, through a break in the crowd Eloise caught sight of peculiar dressed man in blue, and a wild tuft of red hair poking through the bottom of his hat. He looked...familiar.
Eloise's heart leapt into her throat and she couldn't believe her eyes that hair could only belong to one person.
The spikes, the peculiar shade and the clothes! Those clothes could definitely come from the Circus.
Eloise pushed herself farther, pushing through crowds trying to catch up to this man and as she got closer, the louder the tune became. She reached the back of the man and then she couldn't help herself.
It had to be!
"Joker! I knew you would come back!"
Eloise flung her arms around the man and clung to him tightly. He stopped and Eloise felt tears pricking her eyes "I knew you couldn't have died in the fire, Sebastian is a liar! I knew he lied, where's Doll? I have Dagger back at the Manor. Oh I can't explain how much I missed you."
When she got no response, Eloise's thumping heart died and she unwrapped her arms and the man still stood there stock still.
Then:
His head turned all the way around on his shoulders!
'That's not Joker' Eloise thought in horror, then she tried to scream as the shadow enveloped her and the tune of London Bridge buzzed in her mind.
My Fair Lady...