Lydia stared up in amazement at the towering building before them. It was not merely the size of the building itself that impressed her, but the great expanse of fields surrounding it. The fields were divided by white paint into different sections, and each section seemed to be devoted to a particular sport. There was a great deal of noise coming from the back of the building, and on the right side Lydia could see the edge of what looked to be a substantial crowd. So this was where all the students had been. "What's going on back there?" she asked curiously.

"Cricket practice," her dark-clothed companion sighed. "This school has an annual cricket tournament that takes place on the fourth of June, in about a month or so. All the houses compete, and everyone makes a big to-do about it. I don't really care for it at all. Of course, I have to be on my house team, since I'm the prefect. But that doesn't mean I have to bother about all of the practice games Green House insists on holding every week." He shook his head gloomily at the prospect of venturing near the crowd. "Come on, let's find that Midford fellow for you."

Lydia walked behind the trailing hem of his cloak, taking in the sight of the crowd as they rounded the edge of the building. There were layers and layers of boys gathered in a wide ring in the center of one of the fields. There were too many spectators for Lydia to see what was going on inside the ring, but whatever it was, the crowd seemed very excited about it. The cheers and yells bashed wildly against her eardrums. This school certainly takes cricket seriously, she noted to herself.

The hooded prefect approached the edge of the crowd and touched the shoulder of one of the younger boys waving a green flag. "Go and bring me Edward Midford," he commanded simply. The boy looked like he had a mind to tell the prefect to bugger off, but then his eyes caught onto the flower in his lapel and he nodded obediently before vanishing into the crowd. Lydia waited in the throes of nervous tension, folding her hands to and fro and chewing on her lip. After several rousing cheers from the crowd which rattled her nerves even more, the boy reappeared, followed by a taller young man with short blonde hair and an honest face. He looked at the prefect first. "Hello, Violet. Do you need to speak with me?"

"No. This lady needs to speak with you," Violet said, sweeping his hand toward Lydia. Edward glanced up and his mouth fell open. "I will leave it to you to escort her to the gates after she is finished. She cannot stay on school grounds. It violates the rules." He waited a moment for conformation from Edward. "Midford?"

"Ah! Yes, yes, I will….do that. I'll see to it…." Edward trailed off, still staring bug-eyed at Lydia, who felt distinctly glad that everyone else in the crowd was too focused on the game to notice them.

"Very well. Goodbye, then," the hooded prefect directed to her before wandering away across the field with his sketchbook. Edward snapped his mouth shut and glanced down self-consciously at his clothes, which were covered in fresh stains of grass and dirt.

"Lydia? It's you, isn't it?"

"Yes," she nodded quickly.

"You've gotten….much taller. This is….a very unexpected surprise. I must say-" he peered over her shoulder, as if looking for Ciel or Sebastian. "I'm a bit- confused. What are you doing here?"

"Well…." She forced herself to stop nervously folding her hands. "I didn't intend to end up here, exactly, but you see, there was a sort of….troublesome occurrence earlier today, and I…." She glanced up to see Edward still looking completely baffled, and decided to switch to the direct approach. "I left the town house this afternoon to go to the post office. And then I ended up being chased through the middle of London by one of the people who attacked Phantomhive manor yesterday. I was nearly killed, but I managed to escape and was brought here in the wagon of…..a certain individual. But that person followed me here, he and his companions, and I was forced to flee the wagon and climb over the fence before they found me. And now I seem to be in a troublesome position. I am told I cannot stay, but if I venture outside the gates I fear I may encounter them again. So I was wondering if I could trouble you for the use of a telephone and a place to stay, covertly speaking, until Sebastian arrives here to collect me back to London."

Edward stared at her in alarm, his mind working to process all of her information. "Someone is trying to kill you?" he exclaimed abruptly, glancing toward the fence.

"Unfortunately," Lydia replied. "I'm not sure who they are or why they want my life, but they have clearly stated their intent to take it."

"We had better get inside." Edward began to move hurriedly away from the cricket game. "The College's telephone is in the administration building."

Relieved that he seemed to have quickly grasped the situation, Lydia ran with him away from Green House's dormitory and back toward the center of the campus. They dashed past a fountain and across a perfectly manicured lawn. The eerie silence of the rest of the school contrasted strongly with the roaring melee they had just left behind. They approached another tall building with steps made of white marble, and Edward held the door as she hurried inside. "This way," he directed her down a side hallway lined with fog-shrouded windows. At the very end of the hall, he held another door open and Lydia entered a small office-like environment. The latest model of telephone stood in the middle of the desk, a candlestick phone resting on a polished stand. Edward lifted the receiver off the switchhook and handed it to her. "Hurry, make the call. Only prefects and their fags are allowed to be in here without direct permission from the Vice-Principal. I'm not sure where Agares is, but I didn't see him at the game."

Lydia took the receiver and quickly dialed the number of the townhouse, thanking God she still remembered it after the day she had been through. There were several moments of silence while the switchboard turned her call toward its destination. Then a suave male voice sounded in her ear. "Phantomhive residence, with whom am I speaking?"

"Hello Sebastian," she said balefully, taking the seat Edward had pulled out for her. "Have you and Ciel just returned to the townhouse?"

"Master?" he exclaimed in obvious surprise. "Yes, we have just gotten in. However, I expected that you would be back long before us. Where are you calling from?"

"Errrr….well, that's a bit of a long story, and I'm afraid I might not have much time. The important thing is, while I was out I was pursued by the people who attacked the manor yesterday. I managed to escape out of London, and I am currently taking refuge at Weston College, that fancy public school along the Thames. And it would be most helpful if you could come and collect me back to London."

"You were pursued?" the demon's voice jumped in alarm. "They knew where you would be?"

"Evidently so. I was at my workplace when I ran into them, or rather, the leader of their group. I believe he was trying to coerce my office manager into giving him more information about me. I don't know how he found out where I work, but it would not be amiss to assume they might also be aware we have taken up residence at the townhouse. We miscalculated in our dealings with them. It seems they do not care at all how public my location is; they will try to attack me regardless."

She heard Sebastian growl into the receiver, although he continued to speak with the façade of a gentleman. "Very well, master. I understand the situation. I shall confer with your brother and then come to you posthaste. Where at Weston College might I look to find you?"

"Hold on," Lydia said, and glanced over at Edward. "Where should he come to get me?"

"Tell him we'll be in the clock tower in the center of campus. Tell him to look up."

Lydia relayed the message and bid the anxious-sounding demon goodbye. The moment she hung up the phone, Edward ushered her out of the office. "The cricket practice match will be ending soon. We've got to get to the clock tower before the students start leaving Green House and filling the grounds."

"Why are we going to the clock tower?" Lydia panted as they broke into a run again, clattering noisily down the marble stairs.

"I have a secret place there which no one knows about," the blonde-haired boy explained, leading the way over lawns and walkways. "Also, I'm sorry for making you run so frequently when you've spent so much of the day on the run already."

"It's all right!" Lydia exclaimed, staring up at the approaching rectangular tower, looming over every building around it. "As long as I can run to somewhere safe."

Unlike most other clock towers, this one was not connected to a separate building, but was simply a tower standing on its own. They reached its base out of breath, and Edward led her to a small door fitted into its wall, reaching around his neck and drawing out a key from underneath his shirt. "No one ever comes here," he explained, "especially not to the top. People say the tower is haunted, but that's just schoolboy talk. I've never seen anything ghostly at all. Our clock is fitted with all of the latest mechanisms, so it winds by itself. Our groundskeeper cleans the glass and the cogs once every three months, but he just did it two weeks ago, so it's no worry about being discovered. Come on in."

Lydia ducked through the door, staring upward in curiosity. The inside of the tower was hollow, although the walls were very thick. Its center was filled by a metal staircase winding upward into impenetrable darkness, like a spinal column supporting the back of some strange beast. Edward walked to the first step and picked up a lantern, reaching inside its base for a wick and matches. He struck a light and motioned for Lydia to close the door behind her. "Unfortunately, there's still a bit more walking to do. But I promise there's a place to rest at the top."

"I'll believe you," the brunette replied, following behind him as he lit the way up the narrow metal staircase. She had been in a lighthouse once, while working on a case with her father, and this staircase was rather like that one, only quite a bit longer.

Edward glanced back at her in concern. "So, Lydia, might I ask for more details about the events of today and yesterday? I know what happened to you and Ciel at your grandfather's funeral, as my sister was there with you, but I have not yet received news of any further threats."

Feeling glad for the straightforwardness of the question, Lydia took a deep breath and launched into a description of the events which had transpired. She avoided a few details, such as anything to do with Sebastian's true nature or her own supernatural abilities, but aside from that she was able to finish the entire story before they reached the top of the staircase, which spoke volumes about its sheer, dizzying height. She tried not to glance down into the gaping darkness while Edward unlocked another door which opened to a comparatively small set of stairs. Ascending these, Lydia suddenly cut off her description and let her mouth drop open, staring in breathless awe. The giant face of the clock loomed just above them, glowing like a gorgeous harvest moon. Its glass was translucent, meaning she could look down and see the whole countryside stretched out below like a misty cotton blanket. In the center of the room, partly embedded in the floor, were the giant cogs and gears which made the clock run, whirring in a quiet hum. Around the outer edges of the room, Edward appeared to have set up furniture in order to make the place habitable. There was a fully dressed bed, several chairs, a desk, a bookshelf, a bedside table, a washbasin, and numerous household comforts which added an air of frequent habitation to the odd little room. Despite the worry still pervading her mind, Lydia felt a smile of wonder spill over her face. "Oh, Edward!" she exclaimed, "It's beautiful! Just look at that clock!"

The blonde-haired boy rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and set the lantern upon the desk. He walked carefully over to the lampstand and lit the lamp as well. "I found this place when I was in my second form. The key was just sitting on a brick beside the door, as if they assumed no one would ever bother trying to get inside. I'm very proud to be in Green House, and I care for my fellow classmates greatly, but sometimes they can be a bit….loud, you see. Rambunctious as well. I was having a hard time studying in my dormitory, and the students from Blue House practically had a monopoly on the library. So I kind of made this my secret place, bit by bit. You get a fantastic view when it's clear out, and the motion of the gears creates friction and generates heat. It's better than having a central fireplace."

Lydia walked around, delighted by the spatial ingenuity. "Did you carry all this furniture up yourself?"

"In pieces. I assembled it once I had it up here. I don't think it's actually against the rules- I've never come across a rule that says 'Students shall not design private study spaces in the clock tower-' but I guess I just prefer to keep quiet about it." The soft glow of a half-smile lit the side of his face. "Kind of like that secret fort we had outside Phantomhive manor when we were children, remember?"

"Indeed, that's what this reminded me of," Lydia nodded, a good-natured laugh bubbling in her throat. "You brought all of your play furniture into the old woodshed and put up a sign that said 'No Girls Allowed.' So naturally, I got mad and went to the kitchen and got Sebastian to let me borrow all the forks and spoons in the cutlery drawer, and I threw them at your fort until you relented and took down the sign. And then it was our fort."

Edward chuckled at the memory. "You were kind of scary back then. Although I have to admit, it was more fun to have a fellow fort member than it was just playing in there by myself."

Lydia smiled. Through the clear pane of the clock face, her eye was caught by the movement of tiny pinprick figures on the walkways of the grounds. Students seemed to be streaming back to wherever it was they were supposed to be, casting flares of shadows out before them. "That reminds me!" she exclaimed, moving closer to the glass. "Who was that oddly-dressed person who brought me to your dormitory? He said he was a prefect, but his behavior was rather unusual…."

"Oh, him? That's Gregory Violet. He is prefect of Violet Wolf, the house for students who excel in the arts. They're all a bit like that, really. Eccentric. If you think his appearance is odd, you ought to see his fag, Cheslock!"

Lydia raised her eyebrow at the reappearance of the unfamiliar word. "Fag….come to think of it, that Violet fellow said something about you being a fag to somebody. What is a fag?"

"A fag is-" Edward started, before he was interrupted by a rapt knocking upon the door leading back into the stairwell. Lydia tensed and Edward stepped abruptly in front of her, staring hard at the door handle. "Who is it?"

"It is I, Sebastian."

Edward strode to the door and pulled it open. "You are remarkably prompt, master butler."

"Thank you, Lord Edward." Sebastian bowed politely before approaching Lydia, a troubled gleam in his eye. "Master, it is good to see you unharmed. Is your constitution quite well?"

"I daresay my nerves are a bit wracked," the brunette replied, quietly disliking the overly unctuous tone he used in the presence of those outside the family. "I don't know what we're going to do when we get back to London. This is dreadful."

"Indeed, master." The demon looked her squarely in the eye. "However, on the subject of returning you to London, I believe it may be in the best interests of all of us to refrain from doing so for the time being. I discussed this issue with your brother after your telephone call."

Lydia's voice rose in surprise. "What, return me to the manor? I hardly think that will be any safer at this point. And my father's house is currently out of the question as well- if my would-be killers know where I work, they might very well also know where I live and go to school."

Sebastian nodded calmly. "I would not ask you to reside at any of those places. I agree it is not safe. The young master and I are thinking of a different course of action- that is, for the time being, that you should stay here."

For a moment, Lydia was sure she had misunderstood him. At the same time she protested, "How could I possibly do that?" Edward chimed in with, "That's impossible."

Sebastian inclined his head in false deference. "Please allow me to continue. Master, while your brother and I were out today, a messenger from the Queen arrived at the townhouse. Your brother has been tasked with a case from Her Majesty, the details of which I am not currently at liberty to discuss. However, they involve this institution, and there is a high probability he will need to come here to conduct an investigation. Naturally, I would come with him. Therefore, if you were to remain on the grounds, we could all be close together in proximity and you would be much safer than if you were to risk yourself in London while I am here."

Lydia gaped at him. She could see all sorts of problems with this plan; before she could articulate any, however, Edward broke in. "Now wait just a moment, master butler. Far be it from me to interfere with Ciel's duties as the Queen's watchdog, but I don't see how Lydia could possibly stay at Weston. This is a male-only college. Moreover, Weston is a self-governing institution. Outsiders of any kind are not permitted on the grounds, apart from the annual celebrations taking place around the fourth of June. To be allowed here one must be either a student or an employee, and Lydia is in a position to be neither. If she were discovered, there would be a public uproar, and her attackers would likely find it all too easy to locate her."

Sebastian tilted his head slightly. "True, milord, you make several valid points. However, Master Lydia has likely already been exposed in London. Returning there would be no less risky for her than staying here. Moreover, I believe she is unlikely to be discovered, provided she does not leave this tower-"

"Now wait just a minute!" Lydia exclaimed, a touch of temper coloring her voice. "I hardly think sitting around in a tower appears anywhere on my list of priorities-"

"Your priorities ought to include your own safety, above all else," Sebastian interjected his eyes flashing briefly in impatience. "Either I or Lord Edward could see our way to bringing you food and other essentials. I had been a bit concerned about finding you a suitable place to hide, but it seems that problem has been resolved already."

Lydia braced her fists against her hips. "It most certainly has not! Aside from all the inconvenience this will cause, you cannot simply recruit Edward into doing something like this at his own school!"

"I must agree with the lady on this point," the future Marquess nodded, frowning deeply. "I value Lydia greatly, but I have made a commitment to this school. As a student of Weston, and especially as the fag of a prefect and a likely candidate for prefect myself, I cannot in good conscience break so many of our school's esteemed rules in such a flagrant way. I am bound by a code of honor to uphold tradition here, and-"

"But milord, surely you must concur that there can be nothing more honorable than the assisting of a lady in mortal peril," Sebastian cut across the barrage of protests, his features lapsing into silent calculation. Lydia bit her lip, infuriated; she knew exactly what card the demon was playing. "Is chivalry not among the noblest traits of a proper English gentleman? Is it not possible that in a situation such as this, to uphold the larger spirit of honor and tradition which this fine institution embodies might require one to go above some of its more legalistic rules? And most importantly," the demon loomed above the unwary nobleman, going in for the kill: "What would you do if you allowed Miss Lydia to return to a situation which subsequently caused her death?"

Edward looked as though he had swallowed a lemon and then been hit on the head by a bat. Lydia hustled forward to interrupt this parade of false chivalry, but Sebastian gave her a look so fierce and unexpected that she halted in her tracks. Nearly done with his cloying spell, the demon donned his most sanctimonious face and finished, "I understand you may need time to think about your position on this matter. However, I would most humbly request that you please allow my master to stay here while Lord Ciel and I sort out our immediate plans for the future."

Edward swallowed tightly and nodded, and Sebastian smiled charmingly. "Much obliged, sir."

"This is a terrible idea," Lydia maintained firmly. "What about my father? What about Madame Red? What about the investigation we were committed to until the Queen charged my brother with this one?"

"Master, please, at least give it some thought. Your relatives will continue to stay at the townhouse, and our work on the matter of these assassins will carry on as well. However, your brother cannot refuse a direct request from Her Majesty. I know that his anxiety about these events will be much lessened if he can rely on you to be in a safe, nearby location while he conducts this case."

Lydia's next argument became lodged in her throat. She sputtered gracelessly, unnerved by how quickly the demon had found both hers and Edward's greatest points of weakness. Sebastian moved his eyes toward the inside of the clear glass clock. "Lord Edward, I do not know precisely when the students of Weston take their supper, but I would imagine you will soon be missed if you do not hasten to join them." The blonde nobleman nodded, still looking dumbstruck at the conundrum he had found himself in. "I must ask that you refrain from mentioning any information we have discussed in this place. After dinner, perhaps you could see your way to smuggling some food back here? I must return to the townhouse and confer with my young master."

Lydia shook her head sharply. "Not tonight. Don't bother with it. I'm so bloody tired and overwhelmed and out of sorts, I don't think I could eat even Sebastian's cooking."

"Are you sure?" Edward asked, and she nodded, feeling yet another bubble of anxiety begin to well in her chest. "Edward!" she called as the nobleman moved uncertainly toward the door. "I am….terribly, awfully sorry about this situation. This wasn't at all how I wanted to re-make your acquaintance."

"It's all right," he reassured her, somehow managing to find a tiny smile within himself. "It's not your fault, these people trying to kill you. It's never been your fault. I would never…." He trailed off and flushed in the awkward silence that followed. "I….at any rate, feel free to use any of my furniture. Tomorrow I'll bring you food and water and fresh sheets for the bed. So….sleep well." He nodded faintly and made his way out the door, his footsteps thudding softly against the metal stairway, winding slowly into nothing. Lydia stared at the wall in a kind of disbelieving petrification. How had all of this happened so quickly, and left her so utterly unprepared?

"Master," Sebastian touched her shoulder, dropping the formality now that Edward was gone.

She shrugged him off. "Blast it, Sebastian-"

He seized both her shoulders and pulled her firmly around. "You may be cross with me all you like, master. However, I will not apologize for taking action for your safety. You forced me to go to London without you, and you were almost lost. Now I shall force you to stay away from London so your life might be preserved. I call that fair, wouldn't you?"

Lydia snorted and refused to answer. Sebastian laid a hand on the top of her head. "Please, master. Stay here and allow yourself to rely on Lord Edward's hospitality. Your brother and I will doubtless make our arrival here within the next few days. There are simply a few formalities to handle first." Looming over her, his lips cracked into a fanged half-smile. "So stay in this tower, like Rapunzel in the fairy story, and do not let down your hair."

Lydia sighed morosely and drew her left hand up to touch the side of his face, a tentative peace offering. The demon smiled fully and nuzzled the hand, near-silence overtaking the skyward little room. The cogs and gears spun in the center, sounding out a calming hum. Eventually Sebastian's eyes caught the clock's face once again, and he stepped back and angled toward the door. "I must return to the townhouse now, master. I shall see you again very soon, so in the meantime, do not get into trouble."

"I can't make that kind of promise," Lydia replied, shaking her head. "All I did today was run some errands, and look where that got me."

The demon bowed and took his leave. "I shall inform your brother what has been decided here," he called over his shoulder as he vanished into the darkened stairwell. Lydia stood in the center of the room, listening to his rapidly fading footsteps. Then she turned and once again and took in the room before her. It truly was a cozy, ingenious little room, but it felt….odd to think of touching this furniture when it wasn't hers, of spending the night here all alone. The face of the clock was rapidly darkening as night fell upon it. She walked to the bedside table and lifted the brass candle holder, lighting the wick with the matches beside it. She forced herself to climb into the middle of the bed, trying not to dwell on the fact that this was Edward's bed, and she was lying in it. She watched the second hand reach the top of the clock face, noting with relief that this clock did not seem to toll upon striking the hour. As full of anxiety as she was, her exhaustion from a day of flight and alarm soon overtook her. She had enough presence of mind to place the candle safely on the bedside table, and then her weary head fell back into the pillows and she lay sprawled atop the covers, fast asleep, her limbs splayed as if she had fallen from a great height. The humming of the gears provided a comforting passage into unremembered dreams.

/

She awoke past midnight without knowing why, and slowly became aware of the sound of raindrops spattering against the tower. Her candle had gone out. She turned her body over to watch the water droplets beading down the lunar face of the giant clock. For a moment, as her eyes crossed the pane, she thought she saw a tall, pitch-black figure standing there in the gloom. The next second, it was gone before her heart even had time to freeze. Lydia stared in puzzlement toward the definitely empty space before the glass. She re-lit her candle to make sure. Then she rolled over and drifted off to sleep again, the reflection of the moonlight staining her face a luminescent pallor.