Hello again! I hope that you've all been doing okay these past few weeks. Thank you so much for all of your awesome reviews and support so far! I'm relieved that you're all enjoying my portrayal of Sebastian since I'm focusing a little bit more on his demonic side than most fanfictions tend to. I was worried that people wouldn't like it.
I should also probably mention (since I stupidly forgot to say this when I first started this story), but the canon of this story is a little on the mixed side, however, it will likely be more in line with the manga. This means there may be potential spoilers ahead for those wanting to read the manga, but haven't got very far yet. I'll be adding more of my own twists, but there are some manga elements that I'll be including, so yeah, watch out for those. I really am sorry for forgetting to mention this at the start. *facepalm*
5: Kidnapped
Spinning. Her head would just not stop spinning. What happened? Where was she? There was something important that she needed to remember, but the darkness around her was all consuming. Alone. She was so very alone. Empty. Scared. Lost. Frightened. Hollow. What was this? What was she? She? Yes… she was a she. Everything ached. Everything burned. She was… awake.
Awake…
Awake?
What was this? What were these feelings and sensations? This longing? She was… falling…
She had to get back. Just where to, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she shouldn't be like this. Something was missing. She had… been a part of something… She wasn't supposed to be like this. She had been whole, but now she was not. Screaming. So much screaming! So much pain! It was like she had been sliced open. Laid bare and exposed to the world that consumed her vulnerable state that devoured her like a starving pack of wolves.
This was wrong. In so many ways, this was wrong!
She was drowning again! Drowning in the endless sea of blackness and loneliness. Something precious had been torn from her, leaving a throbbing, open, festering wound. It pulsated painfully across her whole being, raw and fresh. Never ending.
"Flora!"
Flora let out a strangled gasp as she was startled awake. The nightmare of the lonely void began to fade away, but the feelings that accompanied it lingered, just like they always did. She could barely breathe in enough air to feed her lungs. The stuffiness of the air of the tiny, dilapidated house did little to soothe this sensation. Again, everything felt so raw and exposed, as if she had been skinned alive. She was open and vulnerable. She had to get back. But to where?
"Ssssh, my darling, everything is okay," a familiar voice crooned next to her, and Flora blinked her large blue eyes, meeting the worried eyes above, their colour matching her own.
"Mama?" Flora croaked, her little arms reaching up, which her mother did not hesitate to meet.
The kindly woman swooped down, pulling her daughter into a tight embrace that Flora melted into. Though being in her mother's arms immediately made her feel safe, it did little to quell the feelings of emptiness she was experiencing. She felt hollow. As if there was nothing inside her. Maybe there wasn't. What if something came along in her sleep and had ripped everything out of her? What if she crumbled in on herself? However, the squeezes of her mother reassured her that she was still solid. She existed. She wasn't floating in an endless void.
"Did you have a nightmare again?" her mother whispered.
Flora nodded, not trusting her own voice. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her throat burned with the need to sob, but she held it back. She didn't want to worry her mother more than she already did. This thought was only strengthened by her mother pulling back slightly, revealing a nasty bruise on her cheek that stained her skin purple. The mother quickly noticed her daughter's stare, and moved to give her a reassuring smile, though she could barely hide the wince of pain as her cheek throbbed.
"Was it the same one as usual?" she asked.
Again, Flora nodded, tugging at some of the loose threads on her mother's dress to distract herself.
Delicate fingers grabbed at Flora's chin and tilted her head back up so that she was looking her mother in the eye again. Despite the icy blue colour of her eyes, they were warm and inviting, like a crystal clear spring on a hot summer's day. Her blonde hair was mostly hidden in a faded, dirtied white cap. Her skin was almost translucent, and small blood vessels could be seen beneath. Though the woman was young, only in her mid-twenties, she looked much older than that. Life had aged her as if she had lived for forty years rather than twenty-three. But she was beautiful. A sunflower towering above the weeds and shining brightly.
This woman was Flora's world, and vice versa.
"Flora, you're never alone," her mother comforted her, stroking her straw coloured hair. "I will never abandon you."
Flora wasn't sure if she had the heart to tell her mother that that wasn't quite what she was experiencing in her dreams. No matter how much love and comfort her mother showered her in, there was always that nagging feeling in the back of Flora's mind that she was alone. That there was something missing. That something horrible had been done to her, and that her dream was her re-living that experience. But that was just ridiculous. It was just Flora being odd again. At least, that's what everybody else said about her. Apart from John and her mother, of course.
The world began swaying from side to side as her mother began to rock her back and forth. Flora's little mouth opened into a wide yawn, though she desperately fought for her eyes to remain open. There was no way she wanted to fall back asleep. She couldn't go back there. Not again! She wanted to stay awake with her mother. Someone had hurt her, and Flora needed to be there to protect her, just like her mother always did for her!
Soft singing soon filled the room. Flora's small body was rocked from side to side in her mother's arms. Her mother sang an old Irish lullaby that Flora could never understand the words of, but it always greatly soothed her anyway. Matching tired blue eyes met each other, but in the bleak oceans of blue was also that stubborn spark to keep on fighting for another day. As long as Flora had her mother, she knew that she would be alright. Her mother could have easily sold her, like many other parents in their neighbourhood did, but not Katherine Byrne. The mother and daughter were all each other had in the world.
Flora stroked across the faded silver of her mother's crucifix necklace with her small, delicate fingers. Her mother never took it off, so Flora always tried to take comfort from it as well. A yawn escaped past her lips, and her eyelids began to droop against her will. The singing slowed her heart to a steady rhythm, and before Flora knew it, she had once again drifted to sleep. Only this time, she felt safe and at peace in her mother's arms.
Spinning. Her head would just not stop spinning. What happened? Where was she? There was something important that she needed to remember, but the darkness around her was all consuming. Alone. She was so very alone. Empty. Scared. Lost. Frightened. Hollow. What was this? What was she? She? Yes… she was a she. Everything ached. Everything burned. She was… awake.
Awake…
Awake?
What was this? What were these feelings and sensations? This longing? She was… falling…
She had to get back. Just where to, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she shouldn't be like this. Something was missing. She had… been a part of something… She wasn't supposed to be like this. She had been whole, but now she was not. Screaming. So much screaming! So much pain! It was like she had been sliced open. Laid bare and exposed to the world that consumed her vulnerable state that devoured her like a starving pack of wolves.
This was wrong. In so many ways, this was wrong!
She was drowning again! Drowning in the endless sea of blackness and loneliness. Something precious torn from her, leaving a throbbing, open, festering wound. It pulsated painfully across her whole being, raw and fresh. Never ending.
No… not again! She couldn't be back here again! It had been so long! So many years since she had had this nightmare! Only this time, Flora could begin to feel her own body. Her fingers flexed, though she could not see in the pitch blackness. Her eyelashes fluttered as she blinked, but no matter what, she could not see a thing. There was no surface to be felt. Only nothingness. She kept on falling.
Flora then gasped when her feet finally connected with something solid. Her toes dug into what felt like a ground covered in sticks. Enough light appeared just enough to illuminate a few feet around herself. She was entangled in branches. A tree? A nest? Familiar looking black feathers littered the area, and all Flora could do was look around, helpless as the branches seemed to have a life of their own, ensnaring her and keeping her in place. The old, dead looking wood creaked with every tiny movement. Panicked blue eyes came to rest on a large hole that revealed the tree to be hollow, and perhaps even hinting that the tree was bigger on the inside. But the darkness blocked Flora from being able to confirm this.
Red eyes snapped open from inside the hollow trunk, locking onto her instantly. Flora's scream became caught in her throat. How was it possible to feel so relieved and frightened at the same time? Something about all of this was familiar… comforting… But at the same time, everything about this situation screamed 'danger'. That there was no going back from whatever was happening right now. That things were never going to be the same again. She was lost, but she was also found.
All too familiar shadows began to encircle her, dancing like flames. They curled around her, just like the branches of the tree had done. Forward she was pulled, closer and closer towards the evil eyes that awaited her with barely contained glee. She was but a worm being plucked from the ground by a bird, ready to be devoured.
A clawed hand reached for her, causing Flora to gasp and her heart to lurch up into her throat. Her eyes snapped open, and she panted and shivered as her body was drenched in a cold sweat. It took a few seconds for her vision to clear, at first seeing nothing but blurry shapes. Blinking helped to clear it away, only the return of her vision didn't comfort her like Flora had hoped. Instead, she found herself more confused and frightened as an unfamiliar room greeted her. It was a far cry from her own room. This room was incredibly spacious, with ornaments decorating almost every inch. Rich colours decorated the walls with swirling patterns of leaves and flowers that glittered in the light of the oil lamps. Thick curtains were pulled across the windows, allowing the lamps to further give the room a warm glow. Thick rugs decorated the floor, and that's when Flora realised that she was perched on a high, large bed. Layers of blankets had been neatly placed over her, and there was a roaring fireplace to her left, providing the room with extra warmth. Everything was silent apart from the crackling of the fire. Her usual clothes were gone, replaced with soft white linen, bringing a slight blush to her cheeks.
What… what on earth?
The sudden feeling of a large, warm hand placing itself on her forehead startled the young woman, and she gasped loudly, nearly flinging herself off the bed in the process.
"Ssssh." Warm arms caught her before she could fall, pulling her back into the middle of the bed before the blankets were tucked tightly around her. Flora fought back, thrusting the blankets off herself as she received an impatient sigh in response.
Flora followed the sound, her eyes coming up to meet none other than the butler who had chased her down earlier. His emotions were carefully hidden by a stoic expression as he once again reached for the blankets and wrapped them around the much smaller woman. Flora flinched at his touch, but managed to not fight back this time, in fear of the consequences. Had she been kidnapped? What did this strange man want with her? John… he must be so worried. He was still back home! He would have no idea what had happened and he would have no supplies!
Without thinking, Flora moved to dart out of bed again, only the butler saw it coming this time and pushed her back down, his eyes flashing in warning before he gave her a small smile, leaning closer as one gloved hand moved up to stroke her cheek. Once again, Flora flinched away.
"Everything is alright, little flower, once again, nobody is going to hurt you. Ever." His eyes flashed again, while all Flora could do was remain frozen. There was so much she wanted to say, but like always, the words became stuck in her throat, almost choking her. Her heart refused to calm down as she stared up at her kidnapper, terrified over what was going to happen to her. Mary… what had he done to Mary?! Was she alright?! He… he had hurt her…
"You were almost frozen to death by the time I caught up with you," Sebastian explained, his voice almost sounding chastising. "You really do not take good care of yourself, do you? That will certainly have to change, but I am here now to provide you with your every need." He offered her a soft smile that Flora guessed was supposed to comfort her, but in fact, it had the opposite effect.
Despite her fear, Flora frowned in confusion. Just what was this crazy butler talking about? Why did he look at her, treat her, and talk to her as if she was some sort of delicate kitten? It was unnerving, and even a little insulting. Did he mean to make it sound so patronizing? Flora didn't intend on sticking around long enough to find out. She had to get back to John.
Suddenly, Sebastian's smile was replaced with a frown, and his whole posture stiffened. "It appears I am required elsewhere. I shall return in a few moments, and in the meantime, do not move from this bed."
Before Flora could shrink away, the butler placed a lingering kiss on her cheek, causing her whole body to erupt into flames. She could feel her cheeks going pink in shock, embarrassment, fear, anger, and… something else. Sebastian merely chuckled at her facial expression before he seemed to disappear from the room within the blink of an eye. Or had Flora simply been too distracted by what had happened?
Ashamed and annoyed, Flora childishly wiped her hand across her cheek. How dare he act in such a way with her! Did he think she was a street worker? The blonde girl had often heard tales of poor people being taken off the streets to be the playthings of the rich. Flora refused to be one of those! She had to escape. She needed to get back home. It was a long shot, but maybe she could somehow persuade John to move them far away from here. Somewhere where she would never have to see the earl and his butler again. The thought gave her both a sense of relief, and also a sense of dread. The skin of her cheek still tingled from the small kiss he had given her, and Flora hated the strange feelings that it stirred inside her. It was like Sebastian was a siren, trying to lure her in. But Flora refused to trust it. To trust him. He was playing games with her. The sparkling of his eyes when he looked at her made it more than obvious. He had wanted a reaction out of her and he had gotten one.
Well, Flora didn't plan on staying so that he could keep tormenting her.
Realising she needed to get a move on if she hoped to escape, Flora once again tossed the layers of blankets off herself, gasping when she realised she was still shivering slightly despite the warmth of the bed and room. Though the linen nightgown she was wearing was thick and of high quality, Flora was still chilled to the bone, likely from being out in the snow storm for as long as she was.
Just how long had she been out? How long had the butler and the earl been keeping her here? Where was Mary? That poor dog… he had only been trying to protect her… However, Flora realised that if she hoped to get back to John, she would have to worry about Mary and mourn for the dog later. Despite her mother's friend trying to kill her, Flora just couldn't bring herself to abandon the woman. Clearly she had gotten involved in something bigger than herself. After everything they'd been through… after everything Mary had done for her over the years… the thought letting anything awful happen to her caused coils of guilt to wrap around her heart, squeezing it until Flora relented to the idea of trying to come up with a plan for her.
She could contact the police? No, the peelers would never take her seriously. Plus, there was no way they would dare go against the Earl Phantomhive.
Flora shook her head. She needed to focus on getting out of here first.
Shakily, Flora managed to push herself onto her feet. The bed was tall, and Flora had to slide from the mattress in order to finally get her feet to touch the floor. Her black stockings had appeared to have been switched to white ones, and once again, the blonde girl's face erupted into flames at the thought of someone dressing her while she was unconscious. She looked down at her hands and noticed that someone had given her a quick wash, though not enough to rid her of the years of caked on dirt. Her hair remained in tangled twin braids that fell down to her waist. Her hand reached up to her chest, where luckily, her mother's necklace had remained. She thought for sure such a thing would be confiscated off her, but luck seemed to be on her side in that one aspect.
Trying to get more of her bearings, she began to look around and noticed a bowl of water and a sponge next to her bed, no doubt from when her skin had been washed. Weirdly, her clothes were neatly folded by the fireplace, which Flora raised an eyebrow at. However, she knew she didn't have time to question it as she quickly switched back into her usual attire, carelessly dumping the expensive looking nightgown in a heap on the floor before tip-toeing her way towards one of the doors in the room. Flora cursed when she realised it led to a dead end; a simple and small private salon of some kind.
Closing the door again, the blonde turned to the door on the opposite side of the room. Despite her weakened state, she dashed towards it and gave the doorknob a tug. Locked? The butler had locked her in?! Flora stepped back with a gasp of panic. She then bolted towards one of the windows and gave that a tug, only to realise that they too were locked. The world outside was pitch black, with only a faint view of streetlamps in the distance across what appeared to be a city residence. It was still snowing pretty heavily, but nowhere near as bad as it had been when the storm began. Thick snow blanketed every surface, and it glittered back at her like twinkling stars.
Panic then truly began to settle in. She was trapped.
Gentle tapping startled Flora out of her frozen state and she glanced back towards the door with wide eyes. Footsteps? Oh no… he was coming back! Without thinking, Flora hid behind one of the curtains closest to the door. It was a stupid plan, but maybe it was so stupid that it just might work. Her heart was thudding erratically, and her palms were beginning to become sweaty, despite still feeling the chill of the storm. She bit her lip and held her breath, mentally uttering a prayer that somehow she would make it out of this situation alive.
"Has she said anything?"
Was that the earl? It sounded like it. Flora then stiffened even more when she heard the butler's reply.
"No, my lord."
There was a sneering sound. "I thought that you of all people would be able to get her to speak."
"My lord." It sounded like a hand had grabbed hold of the doorknob, holding it in place, while Sebastian's voice began to sound more threatening. "I must ask that you do not startle her. Need I remind you of the fine print of our agreement?"
Silence was all that followed. Then, someone finally sighed.
"I've agreed to letting you keep her, but I will remind you that she is still a part of this investigation. She must co-operate."
"I'll see to it that she will, my young lord. I can assure you that I will be perfectly capable of handling her."
Something about the sinister undertones of that sentence made Flora shiver. Were they talking about her? That's what it sounded like. They were talking as if she was some kind of wild animal. Then again, to someone so rich, she supposed that she must seem that way. But that didn't make it any less wrong. They could investigate her all they wanted, but it wasn't going to change the fact that Flora didn't know anything. How had she ended up caught up in all of this in the first place? All she had done was scavenge for supplies by the river. That action definitely didn't seem worth it now.
The doorknob began to twist, and there was a clicking sound as the door finally opened. Two light footsteps entered the room, and Flora waited until they were far enough into the room that she could make her escape. They stopped, no doubt registering that the bed was now empty, and Flora seized this moment to run. She threw herself out from behind the curtain and ran out of the door, not even daring to look back.
"What?" Both the earl and butler gasped from the increasing distance behind her.
Flora kept running. She had no clue where the exit could be, but how hard could it be to find? A house was only so big. Her boots thudded against the wooden floor as she continued her sprint to freedom, and she was going so fast, that she didn't see the small cart in front of her in time.
Crash!
"Ahhh!" another female voice yelped from the floor beside her.
But Flora didn't stick around. She didn't even wince as she cut her hand on a broken teacup while pushing herself back up off the floor. Tears stinging her eyes, she kept running down the long corridor, finally coming across a small door that had been left open, revealing some less impressive stone steps that led down. Figuring that was her best bet, Flora all but flung herself down them. She jumped down the last few steps, her hand stinging even more as she grabbed hold of the bannister to help keep her balance.
There was another door at the bottom of the staircase, and Flora wasted no time throwing herself through it. What greeted her was a large kitchen filled with all manner of contraptions that Flora had never seen before. Three men were already in the room, all sat at a modest wooden table. A tall blond male was sat smoking a cigarette while staring down at her in confusion, while the other was a smaller, younger blond boy who appeared startled. The third was an old man who didn't even seem phased as she burst into the room. He remained in his chair, sipping his tea without a care in the world.
"Ummm…?" the tall blond one spoke, scratching the back of his head.
"Oooh! Is this the new guest that the master was talking about?!" the other boy gushed, looking slightly star-struck as he clasped his hands together and stared at Flora with awe. A pink blush stained his cheeks, but Flora wasn't going to stay for pleasantries. Her blue eyes locked onto the door that hopefully led to her freedom, and she made a mad dash towards it.
"Whoa, hey there, miss, I wouldn't go out in that storm if I were you." The taller blond spoke with a strange accent Flora didn't recognise. However, she didn't have time to ponder it before she shrieked when the tall blond had grabbed hold of her arms, preventing her from reaching for the door.
Flora kicked and thrashed, and the man dropped her only to hold his hands up defensively, staring down at her in alarm.
"Miss, it's okay, please just calm down!" the tall man pleaded. He angled himself so that he was blocking the exit, making Flora panic even more. They couldn't keep her here! Whatever her kidnappers were planning to do with her, she wasn't going to let them!
The tall one tried to grab hold of her again, but this time, Flora managed to duck out of the way, throwing herself over a counter before grabbing a metal ladle and swinging it in front of her as a weapon.
"Whoa, you're more slippery than a bar of soap!" the tall man groaned in frustration.
More arms tried to wrap around her, and Flora began kicking and thrashing around again.
"Please, miss, I promise you that nobody is going to hurt you," the smaller boy also tried to reassure her while keeping her pinned in place. Flora had a much harder time wiggling free from the small boy. It was like he was made of metal! Flora wasn't sure she had ever met anybody so strong. Just who were these people?! And what did they want with her? Flora had never done anything to them. All she wanted to do was go home. Tears began to stream down her cheeks at all of those thoughts.
Flora squeezed her eyes shut and managed to raise her arm enough to hit the boy on the head with the ladle.
"Ouch! That hurt!" he cried out. He then let go of her without thinking so that he could cradle his head with his hands.
"I heard noises, yes I did!" the same female voice from earlier yelled. Flora turned to see a woman with maroon coloured hair running towards them, and the blonde girl held up the ladle again in preparation for another fight. However, it turned out she didn't need to do anything this time. The woman, who appeared to be a maid, tripped over her own shoelaces, sending her flying through the air before colliding with the other two men who had tried to capture her. She knocked them both over as they tried to catch her, and they landed in a groaning heap on the floor. All Flora could do was stare at them, dazed and confused, before she turned to look at the old man, who remained sitting at the table drinking his tea as if nothing was going on.
Flora prepared to make a run for it again when her wrist was suddenly captured in an unbreakable grip. The ladle was snatched out of her hand, and the blonde girl turned back to glare up at the butler, who merely smirked down at her in return.
"That'll be quite enough of that, thank you," he purred at her, spinning the ladle between his fingers before placing neatly back down on the counter, an act that seemed pointless due to the rest of the room now looking completely trashed. Flora tried to snatch her wrist away, only to be met with a look of warning in return before being pulled more into his arms. Her back pressed against his torso as he kept her arms pinned at her sides.
"What a bothersome racket," the earl sighed from the enterance to the kitchen Flora had burst through. "Is that any way to thank the people who saved your life?" He shot her an annoyed look, which the blonde girl didn't hesitate to return. He appeared caught off guard by that for a second, until he once again composed himself, his one blue eye shining like steel as he cut his emotions off from the world. Flora wasn't sure whether to laugh and be fearful. This small earl tried to act so much like a man that it looked odd. She couldn't decide if it was impressive or hilarious. But right now, her life was in his hands, so fear began to take control of her again.
"Umm, master? Who is this girl?" the small blond boy asked.
The earl smirked. "This is Flora Byrne, and she is our guest; she will be helping us with my current investigation."
Sebastian's arms tightened around her.
"Eh?" the tall man gasped in shock.
"Oh my, she is cute, yes she is!" the maid gushed, placing her hands against her cheek as she stared at Flora through her thick, wonky lenses. "A criminal investigation doesn't seem to be the place for someone like her!" Did this woman always have to shout?
Sebastian chuckled, still refusing to let go as his hands trailed further down her arms. "I can assure you that Miss Byrne will be quite safe."
Flora didn't miss the deepening of Ciel's frown, nor the roll of his eyes as he looked away from the scene.
"If you're all quite finished?" he snapped, folding his arms across his chest. "There are important matters that the three of us must attend to. Sebastian, bring Miss Byrne to my study." The earl turned on his heel and stormed off after barking out his orders. Flora stared after him, wondering what had caused someone such as Ciel to have such a huge chip on his shoulders. She had heard tales of spoilt brats, but this was just ridiculous. The earl seemed to be permanently in a foul mood, and it was starting to rub off on her. His grumpiness was infectious, and Flora didn't see why she should be co-operating with someone like him.
"Yes, my lord," Sebastian responded with a small bow, forcing Flora to mirror his movements in the process, much to her annoyance. The butler then stood to attention again as he glared at the three servants who Flora had fought with just moments ago.
"Bard, Finny, Mey-Rin!"
Each one jolted to attention at one of the names, giving Flora a pretty good idea of who was who.
"Clean up this mess before continuing with your evening duties," the butler ordered. "Tanaka! Hm… you're fine as you are."
"Yes, Sebastian, sir!" the three younger servants yelled in reply before dashing around the room in an attempt to look busy.
Sebastian sighed and shook his head, pulling Flora out of the room and through another door that the earl had left through moments before. As much as Flora had wanted to be away from them earlier, she couldn't help but feel terrified again once the servants had disappeared from sight, leaving her all alone with the Phantomhive butler.
"Shall we?" Sebastian gestured ahead of them, not even giving Flora time to react as he took hold of her uninjured hand (which had mostly stopped bleeding now) and pulled her down the dark corridor. The only light came from the dim glow of lamps, as many of the curtains had been drawn for the night. His gloved fingers laced between her own, and Flora found herself glaring down at their interwoven hands. This was so strange and improper! Yet at the same time, it felt soothing. This only angered the small blonde girl even more. She could feel her cheeks turning pink again, and that pulling sensation in her chest had returned, just like it always did when Sebastian was around. Even though Ciel had explained that she was here to help with their investigation, Flora couldn't shake the sinking feeling that there was a lot more to it than that.
The way the butler gripped her sent a shiver up her spine. His hold was like a warning. A warning that, no matter how much she tried, she would never be able to shake herself free. Since they had officially met, it was like Sebastian couldn't get close enough to her, and oddly enough, Flora found herself feeling the exact same way. It just seemed that Flora had a better control of her senses though.
All of this was wrong. It was strange and downright madness. His presence felt like it was crushing her, and it felt like it would be so easy to just give in and let go of the cliff edge she had found herself emotionally gripping onto. There was a raging river below, and who knew where it might take her. It might consume and kill her. Or it might take her to some place magical. Both options were equally terrifying, but Flora was horrified to realise that something inside her found the whole situation thrilling. It was like a caged beast was trapped deep within her, reaching its clawed hands through the bars. Except it wasn't reaching for freedom. It was reaching for Sebastian. Just what was going on?!
Flora dared to risk flickering her eyes up to look at her captor. She peered up at his intimidating and much larger form from beneath her eyelashes. She was so tiny compared to him. He looked like he could crush her with a single flick of his wrist. Even though he was lanky in build, there seemed to be a hidden strength behind each of his movements. Flora's small height only came halfway up his chest, a realisation that made her shrink even further back away from him. His fingers remained clamped around hers, and their arms would occasionally brush against each other's as they continued walking.
"I must ask that you behave yourself in the future." His silky voice snapped Flora out of her deep thoughts, and she blinked to see him staring down at her with a knowing grin twitching across his lips. "Though I promised no harm would come to you, I also don't want to risk harm coming to my meal either."
Flora frowned in confusion. Sebastian merely chuckled.
"If you're a good girl and stop picking fights with the other servants, I can make your time here very pleasurable before we leave. Otherwise, I will have to resort to… less desirable measures," he threatened, squeezing her hand even tighter, but thankfully not to the point of pain.
What on earth was he talking about? This butler definitely had a screw loose. Even more of a reason for Flora not to stick around. He was acting so familiar with her, and it was unnerving. His act was so convincing, that she had even begun raking through her memories to try and see if maybe they had met at some time in her life. But all she did was come up blank.
He yanked them both to a stop, and though his smile was warm, his eyes betrayed the hidden dark desires that laid within. Flora found herself unable to look away, her heart rate once again increasing to such a pace that she thought she might be about to drop dead on the spot. Against her will, her body began to tremble, which only seemed to amuse the butler even more. Once again, this felt too much like a sick game. A game that Flora had lost the moment she hadn't even realised she had begun to play.
"Do you understand, my dear?" Sebastian's voice sounded lower than normal, and before Flora could stop herself, she was nodding. It was likely that she didn't have a choice anyway. She would have to bend to the butler's strange fantasy realm for now until she was able to go back home. It seemed every time Flora had tried to add some semblance of reality to the situation, it had angered him. There were only so many times she could push her luck.
"Very good." He tucked a stray blonde hair behind her ear before knocking on the hard wooden door that no doubt led into Ciel's study. Just what had Flora gotten herself into?
My chapters always end up way longer than I initially planned for them to be, but oh well. Writing characters like Sebastian is always so hard, especially when trying to keep the balance between his true demonic form and his human façade. But I hope that I still did a good job of it in this chapter, though of course, I am still trying to highlight his more demonic side. Please leave a review if you have the chance as I always love to know what you guys think. Also, if you have any questions, feel free to ask away. I'll be updating again as soon as I can, and until then, stay safe and take care of yourselves!
