"Have you ever loved someone who was so beautiful and pure, you couldn't bear to show them your own darkness?"
Crawling through an air vent with Gaspard while the guards are pursuing after us, surely isn't my way of spending my afternoon. Usually it'd include vanilla cookies and coffee from Vienna, not crawling through an air vent with just the three of my limbs, since one of my arms is holding the investigated files of Lanmia that I just stole from the locked volt behind the city hall and the police station. Yes, the volt was locked but with both of our genetic genes that gave us certain abilities, we were able to get inside easily. Gaspard's genes were fused with that of a poisonous snake, so he is able to spread venoms and… slither through narrow spaces… such as this air vent.
"Gaspard take my file and go slither or whatever out of here," said I. As he caught the file that I slid him, he huffs in annoyance.
"I don't slither and wasn't I hired by you to do something like dusting some highly expensive vase instead of injecting my uh… venoms into security guards?"
"It doesn't matter!" I growled as we continue with our crawling.
"Isn't your butler more capable of these things than me?"
"The butler is busy"
Gaspard laughs, "With what, hiding Catherine's body?"
"And cleaning up her blood"
"I can't believe your uncle killed your aunt" That's right, the bullet that caused my aunt's death was surprisingly shot by my uncle Elenezer.
Underneath Catherine's bloody corps, I saw his brown leather shoes that walked to my side. After that, he dropped Rosery on to the ground next to me and left. I had a feeling that he was probably going somewhere far way and never coming back.
"What are you doing?! Now go!" I shouted behind Gaspard.
"Yes my laaady," Gaspard answered, mimicking Sebastian as he quickly 'slithers' away.
I continue on slowly after, when a giant massive breeze blows from behind me. "Eeek," I yelped as soon as I got the feeling of warm air beneath my purple lace dress. It's a good thing that I'm wearing thick stockings today. When I finally got out of that boiling hot air vent, I bump into Gaspard who stood outside like some random annoying thing that blocks my way out, which stirs up my irritation.
"Oy, move!" I push him to a side and step out, holding onto my dress.
"Faustine!" Gaspard shouts in a panicked tone.
"Huh… we're surrounded"
"What should we do? Good thing they only have their swords. Do you think we could…?" Gaspard nudges my arm.
I eyed his golden eyes filled with excitement.
"You do it. Keep them from coming after me"
"All right then!" Gaspard charges at the crowd of guards.
"Hey, remember not to kill them!" I quickly run towards the downtown as Gaspard tosses me the file followed by a bunch of other guards.
"Gaspard!" Well, I guess he couldn't hear anyone when he is having fun. A huge hand grabs onto my arm and pulls me back forcefully.
"Heh I got you now, girl!" His huge bear like hand squeezes my arm hard, making me wince in pain. I quickly turn and grab onto his face with my free hand, as a sizzling sound comes from under and a rotting smell.
I stare in horror as the man screamed at the top of his lungs. His face starts to rot to the point where you can't even recognize its features. I push him away as soon as he lets me go and make my way over the bridge and into a familiar alley way. It's weird though… my left hand feels like it is burning. It has been burning a lot lately and the skin on my left hand had been shedding and peeling itself off. This especially gets worse whenever I rot something.
It feels as if I am rotting myself. I finally stop at the front of this familiar shop with a coffin in front of it. I push open the front door and step inside. "Undertaker," I called, "are you there?" I look around this usually cluttered room, almost stumbling over piles of paper. I winced again as I brought my hand up to inspect it.
My left hand is all bloody from the rotted man from before. Only, some of the dripping blood belongs to the cuts in my palm where the skin had started to peel.
"Ehehehehehehehe… is this the sound of blood dripping I hear?"
"I guess I'll need some bandages," I said, holding my hand up for the Undertaker to see, if he can even see through his massive bangs.
"Heh… it doesn't look like you are dying here.
Usually people would go to the hospitals when they're injured…" He sorts through his drawer and tosses me a roll of bandages.
"Why are they peeling…?" I said to myself.
"You know… when you caused somebody misfortune… you'd get the same value of exchange in the long run" I rip the ends of the bandages off, while actually listening to his usual nonsense. "Same with condemning someone to hell, two graves are dug and one to receive you in the long term. Those who kill the demons will become demons themselves"
I grip my bandaged hand, "so I've actually been rotting myself?"
The Undertaker leans over his desk with a widened smile, "this file ehehe looks interesting… aren't you going to look at it?"
"Hm? Oh this…" I put the file on his counter next to him, "it's about an organization called Lanmia. Speaking of which, many people must've died from the fire in the lab"
"Hm… I haven't received any burnt corps on the day of the explosion"
"Then, they must be hiding their bodies…" Bzzz…
"Ah~ my radio is working again" The Undertaker starts to turn the wheels and buttons. Bzzz…of the German army. It seems they have pushed the British back toward the bzzz…
"Heh~ it seems I'll be very busy by the time the Germans arrive"
"You mean your job as the undertaker"
"Not necessarily. I would be doing more than that eh hm hm… the lost souls…"
I start to open the yellow file of data, "The Germans won't make it. The British force will push them back. I am sure of it"
"Kuku… I'm not so sure about that…" All the useless pages of data contain mostly of the information that I already knew. Feeling irritated all over again, I skip over the rest of the data and scan through the last one. "Kehehehe… how about this?" Through his droopy sleeves, his fingers hold up a dark yellow and crumbled paper. I take it and read it, sliding it on the counter.
"The… Moore Hospital, they're suspecting that the genetic hospital is part of the Lanmia Society?"
"But it makes sense doesn't it?" The information should be wrong. Failure can happen during the investigations and this could be why the investigation group disbanded. Again, this stalls a sick feeling in my stomach.
It hurts and it feels as if somebody is squeezing my heart. I went home and sat in the office at the West Wing, thinking… thinking back at the voices and thoughts that had crossed my mind. Urice Moore's family opened a new genetic hospital and worked for the military. I got to know Urice because her father was a friend of my step-father. Sebastian had said that the bomb, on the day when we ate in the Italian restaurant, was placed under Urice's seat.
Urice had left early, looking panicked stricken. After the funeral in school, I never saw Urice again. Urice Moore… was my best friend. I told her almost everything. She knew what happened to me and how my genes are fused with Lanmia, a dark crimson spider lily. But I've never told her that Lanmia is a flower, and yet she knew.
There was a soft knock on the door and I immediately knew who it is.
"Sebastian," I called out.
"Ho? You sure seem depressed," said he, as he hands me a chocolate mousse with hazelnut coffee. "So, did you find anything worth looking into?" I open my mouth and hesitated, then I decided to stuff it with chocolate mousse instead.
Sebastian raises an eyebrow. "Surely, you're not hiding something are you?" I put my fork down and sighed, running my hands through my hair. Urice loves to laugh and sing. Such a pure girl like her wouldn't have bombed the whole downtown. Urice loves pink.
She'd rather have her blonde curls in a short bob. Urice was the only one I could talk to… Urice, Urice, Urice… I couldn't say anymore… everyone betrays me, even Urice, even Sebastian even, even my mother. I was the one, who is naïve. My images of them had been shattered.
"No more…" I whispered.
"Young… Mistress…" I hide my face with the both of my hands as a bunch of mixed emotions run through my mind. I thought it's amazing how much I could find within these days. I don't think I can keep looking into this anymore. I have a feeling that if I look into it any farther, I would eventually lose myself and my heart would hurt greatly to the point where it bleeds.
I couldn't cry even though I want to, so instead of sobbing, I start to chuckle. Sebastian stood in front of the desk frozen as I laugh which sound more like sobs.
"Sebastian… I don't think I can do this anymore"
"…. Excuse me?" Sebastian's voice sounds low and cautious.
"I give up," I admitted.
"…Give up, you say…"
"I don't … want revenge anymore" I stare downward at the coffee in front of me, waiting for an oncoming fit of rage I sense from Sebastian. I hear the sounds of Sebastian shifting from one foot to another in front of me. As nervous as I am, I couldn't look up because I am afraid of seeing his expression full of distaste along with his crimson eyes.
The room is strangely silent as soon as I finished saying what I wanted to say. Sebastian quietly puts his silver tray down on to the desk, and walks out of Ciel's office.
I listen, as the sound of his footsteps gradually get faint and then silence once again.