A/N : Finally Chapter 11! I had to fire my imagination to write this chapter. But I loved writing it. I did face difficulty analyzing different synonyms for walking and related movements and using the correct ones to describe what was in my head but I think I have somehow managed to pull off the feat. Hope you guys enjoy it too! ^_^
A word of caution: The chapter may appear discontinuous (thanks to all the horizontal lines I have drawn in the Chapter) but all the sections are related. If you are reading the chapter too fast, then the connections may not be as obvious as it may seem.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroshitsuji or the characters described by Yana Toboso except my OCs.
Chapter 11: The Sanctuary
Emma pulled the tattered piece of cloth around her body that barely brushed against her knees. She stumbled across the dimly lit hall till she found her way to the only room at the end. She slowly opened the door and peeped inside. A few heads turned to face the slightly open door. The room, as Emma perceived in the low brightness, had remain unchanged, retaining its old dusty attire and the unpleasant stale air from the human sweat. The inmates however, had changed. She found many new faces looking in her direction and giggling away. The narrow room was packed as usual. She stepped in quietly, closing the door behind her and dawdled towards the only empty corner by the window. She brushed off the silver threads occupying the space and settled down, nestling her knees against her chest. The wall was cold but it didn't matter. Emma had more grievous concerns to tend to. A freezing wall was not one of them. Before she knew it, her upper eyelids slid down to meet the lower eyelids and she fell into a deep slumber.
"This way Emma..." whispered Rebecca, slithering along the backyard wall of the Cottage. Emma obeyed and followed her in the same manner. Rebecca stopped and pointed to a garbage pail in a distance.
"Do you see that?" she asked in a low voice.
Emma nodded, "I do. So what of it?"
"Come..." Rebecca led her.
The pail had been lying against the building, uncared for by the human existence for a very long time. Rebecca tottered towards the building wall, evading the rotting refuse spilled all over the place. Emma dutifully followed her, covering her mouth and nose tightly, to avoid the stench from freely entering her nostrils.
"Be on the lookout..." Rebecca cautioned her and moved closer to the wall.
She skimmed her adroit fingers along the wall until she found the brick that nudged inward upon contact. She beamed at Emma, who wore a confused look. She pushed the brick until it no longer budged.
"Hiss!" accompanied by slight sounds of grinding stones could be heard from behind the metallic pail. Rebecca ducked behind the pail and slipped into the space between the bin and the wall. She disappeared. Emma was shocked. She frantically looked around the pail, when a red head popped out of the wall and hissed at her, "Come here..." Rebecca motioned. Emma sunk low to traverse the restricted space. She found herself staring at a 2 feet tall opening in the wall.
"Amazing!" she exclaimed.
"Isn't it!" accorded Rebecca.
"Come come... there is more to it..."
After Emma hopped in, Rebecca moved to the wall and pulled at what looked like a lever, with all her might. The door hissed again and the light was blocked off. She then lifted her hand up and waved it in the air. She stopped and tugged at something. At that instant, a tiny lamp flickered just above the door. Now Emma could see her beloved sister move up to the bulging brick and push it back to it's original place. She turned around to face an electrified Emma.
Emma flung her hands around Rebecca's waist and proclaimed, "You are the best!" Her voice echoed in the void.
"So are you, my dear sister" replied Rebecca, stooping to feel her sister's head with her cheeks.
''But how did you find this place?" Emma asked, loosening her embrace.
"I was being chased by Thomas and his friends... cause I stole our food back from him. As I desperately tried to seek shelter behind this pail, my hand accidentally fell upon the brick and the door opened."
"How dare that Thomas!" fumed Emma, fisting the air.
"But thanks to him, I found this place. So don't fret it. This is going to be our sanctuary from now on..."
"Yes!" chimed Emma.
Emma smiled in her sleep. After so many days, she had had such a pleasant dream. She gradually opened her eyes, feeling for the warm morning light wetting her face. Nobody was there in the room. "Of course!" she thought. She had overslept. She allowed herself to stare into the ceiling for a few minutes before she got up and brushed off the dust clinging to her apparel. She lazily walked over to the door.
As she climbed down the stairs, her wandering eyes fell upon the dining table. There was no sign of food. "Of course!" she thought again. She walked out of the front door.
'What day is it again?' she voiced her thoughts. She idled along the passage till it merged with the streets of the city.
The morning view of the city was nothing like the previous lifeless night view. Whimpering horses trotted the winding roads trailed by heavy carriages, girls adorned in fancy gowns and colourful umbrellas bobbed in and out of the shops, boys of her age and higher went about their routine work enthusiastically, the cheery shopkeepers yelled out to the customers, Men and women, arms locked, chirped away happily in the broad daylight.
Emma took a step back. She closed her eyes and allowed her ears to get used to the high spirited environment. She raked her straight black hair behind her ears and drooped down to wipe her face with the linen. She was prepared to go.
She ambled towards a short boy selling newspapers on the street and peered over his shoulders.
"Thursday, January 15, 1915..." announced the newspaper.
Emma stood there, scratching her head, lost in thoughts. The intimidated boy twirled around cautiously to glance at his stalker. 'Do you... Do you need something?' he stammered.
Suddenly whisked out of the thoughts due to the unexpected interruption of the voice, Emma blinked surprisingly at the boy. She had forgotten he was there. He was shivering like a lamb about to be executed.
Emma found this intriguing. She closed her eyes and faking a wicked smile, said in a disguised hoarse voice, 'I want money, will you give me money?'
This triggered an immediate reaction from the boy who suddenly backed away and took on a defensive stance.
Emma doubled over with laughter. She smiled generously at the boy. 'Sorry, was just messing with you. Don't be so readily scared. You are a boy for god's sake!' She pulled herself away into one of the alleys, out of the boy's sight.
"So what should I do now? Should I go to the slave auction or should I find a job?..." Her stomach churned, grunting loudly in the process. She looked down at her stomach. "I should go find some food first" she decided.
She sauntered off in the direction of the garbage pile.
Sir John Edward rested his arms on the armrest inside the carriage as he waited for his butler. He let his gaze drift to the lively street outside. He noticed a tiny girl with jet black hair carrying a huge photo-frame under her arms. She was standing under the marquee of a shop selling crafts-work. He watched curiously as time and again, she glanced over to the road awaiting something.
In a short while, a huge carriage appeared, trotting along the road.
"Isn't that Lord William Shire's carriage? The acclaimed owner of the billion pound shipping industry?" Sir Edward thought to himself.
The moment, the girl spotted the wagon approach the shop entrance, she dashed to the front, her body breaking into a full-fledged sprint. The next minute, a huge crash was heard.
Sir Edward lunged forward to the carriage window to see what had happened. The photo-frame was lying on the ground with minuscule glass pieces spread radially around it. The horse was neighing wildly, shooting its forelegs high up in the air. The girl was resting on her back, a few feet away from the carriage, her hand slightly bruised.
The butler jumped off his seat and ran towards the girl and helped her to her feet. He then rushed back to calm his horse. He bent down to examine the mutilated photo-frame. He then looked at the girl who had now started to wail loudly.
A voice was heard from inside the wagon and the butler quickly paced over to the cabin door. After a brief discussion, the butler returned with a tiny sack and glancing around quickly to check if the whole incident had attracted any attention, he hunched to reach the girl's ears and whispered something. Simultaneously he slipped the sack into her hand and strode back to the wagon. The girl wiped her tears, bowed facing the carriage and gathering her photo-frame skirted to the side of the street. The carriage rode away hurriedly. The girl then slipped away into the alley beside the building.
Sir Edward, sunk back into his seat, amazed by the recklessness of the girl. He had witnessed an incredible episode of a tiny girl conning an important figure in the English society. "That frame... she must have definitely picked it up from some garbage dump. To think, she had so easily manipulated such a high official into giving her a few shillings with such a childish act... what tenacity. Stupendous!" he marvelled at her.
Just then, the cabin door of Sir Edward's carriage opened and a small package was handed over to him by his butler.
'Is something the matter, Sir?' asked his butler politely looking up to his master who was smiling profusely.
'Nothing is, Albert. I just spectated an amazing feat.' he replied, looking at his butler, still smiling. 'I saw a tiny girl outsmart our Lord Shire on this very street' he said pointing his index finger to the other glass door.
'Nobles... Nobles are truly such timid creatures aren't they, Albert?' he asked gazing deeply into his butler's perplexed face. 'They go to such great extents to avoid infamy...'
'I suppose so, Sir' replied the butler, unable to predict where the conversation was heading.
'Anyway, let's hurry. I cannot afford to face an angry Ms. Britania when she personally invited me for the soiree.' urged Sir Edward.
'Right away, Sir' the butler brisked his pace and steered the wagon away.
Emma counted her gold coins. "One, two, three, four, five,..., fifteen. Wow!" she exclaimed. Fifteen pounds. "That dumb noble must have been scared stiff. What a lovely prize for such a lame act! Anyway this much should be enough for two weeks... " She hopped out of her hiding place and walked towards the market.
"Wait a minute! If I walk around with so much money, the other kids will definitely come after me... this damned dress doesn't even have pockets. What do I do?" she stopped to think. Then it struck her. She spun around and scampered towards the cottage.
A black cat, with fiery red eyes, stealthily followed Emma, jumping off the building tops keeping a constant distance from her. It stopped when she reached the garbage pail and observed her escaping into the space in the wall. It meandered over to the wall and transforming into a shapeless shadow... traversed right through it.
A/N: Dear Readers, I may not be able update the story this weekend. Have a Japanese Language exam to attend and the more I am studying, the words just keep slipping away conveniently from my head. Wish me luck! Hope I do well. All in all, I will definitely update the next week. (Keeping fingers crossed!) See you guys until next week. Have a happy weekend! ^_^