I own nothing but my OC.


That Butler, Birthday


'thoughts'

"speech"

"Demonic speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters.

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift


Previously:

"Heh. Looks like it's just you and me, then. Try to keep up, Shorty." Lacey said, smirking evilly at Ciel.

"Hmph. Fine by me. I'll make you eat your own words." Ciel said darkly, smirking evilly at her as a vein mark throbbed on his head. It was time for some well-deserved payback.


{The next morning, at the local Waffle House...}

"I still can't believe you actually beat me..." Lacey grumbled moodily at Ciel. Ciel smirked. Once he figured out that Chêne's hint had meant that he should quickly push one apple all the way to the bottom of a tub, and bite it before it floated back up again, it had been a piece of cake.

"You're still upset about that? But anyway, you both really suck at bobbing for apples. You had to take a break and then continue after supper before Ciel even got one..." Laurie said, sweat dropping.

"Yes, it appears your apple bobbing skills are just as magnificent as your talent for dancing. It warms the hearts of all who behold it." Sebastian said, giving him a shit-eating grin.

"You mean to say, 'it warms their hearts' because they're laughing at me, aren't you? I do not want to hear that from someone who didn't even try..." Ciel muttered, vein mark throbbing on his head.

"Good mornin'~! Can I get you folks anything?" Their waitress asked as she walked to them, wearing a perky smile on her face. Her nametag read Darlene.

"'Morning... I'll have coffee and the All-star Breakfast with scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, and the country ham." Cpt. LeBeau said groggily. He was not a morning person.

"I'll have the same, but I want my eggs sunny-side up." Pomona said, smiling brightly.

"I'll have a blueberry waffle and orange juice." Lacey said.

"I want a chocolate chip waffle and chocolate milk." Laurie said groggily. She wasn't exactly a morning person either.

"You can have the milk, but pick a healthier waffle. You're going to be getting enough sugar later tonight." Pomona told her. Laurie rolled her eyes at her mother.

"Fine. I'll have a plain waffle then." Laurie said, disgruntled.

"I'll have decaf coffee and the scattered hashbrowns, 'all the way.'" Chêne said, smiling politely at the woman. She had enough natural energy already without the help of caffeine.

"I shall have a pecan waffle and hot tea." Ciel said. He had learned the other day that you had to specifically order it hot, or they would automatically assume you meant 'iced tea.' Personally, Ciel thought it was sacrilege to do such a thing to tea, but since the climate was much warmer here than in England, he could see why they have a might preference for cold drinks.

"I shall just have a cup of coffee." Sebastian said, smiling politely. The woman's face lit up when she heard their accents.

"Oh my, are ya'll tourists from England? I just love your accents~! Brits always sound so sophisticated! I hope ya'll have been enjoying your stay here?" Darlene said excitedly. Ciel and Sebastian sweat dropped. Why did Americans seem to have such an obsession with accents...?

"Yes, it has been quite... interesting, thank you." Sebastian said politely.

"Anytime, Dawlin'~! I'll be right back with your drinks~!" She told them, smiling brightly.

=†=†=†=†=

"So, what's the plan for today, Dad?" Chêne asked once Cpt. LeBeau had had a few sips of his coffee.

"Well, as you already know, we're going to the Southshore... whatever you guys want to do after that is up to you, but I thought you might want to go to The Mortuary, so I ordered the five of you tickets online. They're printed out and in my wallet, at the moment." He told them.

All three of the girls' faces lit up at that.

"Awesome~!" Laurie cheered excitedly.

"You rock, Dad!" Chêne told him as she and Chêne hugged him.

"You're the man, Sir~!" Lacey said, saluting him.

"What are you so excited about?" Ciel asked, sweat dropping. Who would pay to visit a funeral home of all places!?

"The Mortuary is an old funeral home that was turned into a haunted house! It's not only full of scary fake monsters, but it's certifiably haunted by real ghosts~!" Lacey said, grinning.

"Then why are you so excited?" Sebastian asked Chêne, feeling slightly confused. "I thought you were afraid of ghosts."

"I am, but there'll be lots of other people around so I won't be alone with it, and it's Halloween... I'm in the mood for a little scare, you know?" Chêne said, grinning impishly.

"I really cannot understand you people." Ciel said bluntly. Again, why would anyone pay to be scared?

"Yeah, we're a mystery to normal peeps. That's just how we roll~!" Lacey said, grinning as Darlene returned and served their food.

"Bon Appétit~! If ya'll need anythin' else, just holler at me, 'kay?" She told them, smiling, before walking away to take another table's order. Ciel and Sebastian stared at Chêne's breakfast. It looked like pigs' slop.

"What is that?" Ciel asked, appalled, as he watched Chêne began to eat it without the slightest bit of hesitation.

"It's hashbrowns 'all the way,' Ciel. That means they pretty much put every thing but the kitchen sink on it." Chêne said, amused by the look on his face. "It' hashbrowns, tomatoes, ham, cheese, onions, mushrooms, jalapeños, white gravy, and chili. It might look a little gross, but it's delicious~!" Lacey snorted.

"Just 'a little,' Chêne? I think it looks like dog barf." Lacey said, wrinkling her nose slightly.

"..." They all said as they stared at her.

"Yeah... thanks for that lovely image Lacey. Can I hit you now for ruining my appetite?" Laurie said sarcastically as she narrowed her eyes at the strange girl.

"At least she's not talking about dissections this time..." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped.

=†=†=†=†=

{On the Causeway bridge, riding in the Ford explorer again...}

"Music, Maestro~!" Lacey requested as they began the long and boring ride across Lake Ponchartrain. There was nothing to see for miles, except lots of lake and blue sky... there weren't even any clouds today.

"You got it~!" Pomona said, smiling brightly as she turned on the radio, and I'm Alive by Becca blared through the speakers.

"Yeees~!" The three girls cheered excitedly as they sang along.

[Lacey]
Nothing I say comes out right
I can't love without a fight
No one ever knows my name
When I pray for sun, it rains
I'm so sick of wasting time
But nothings moving in my mind
Inspiration can't be found
I get up and fall but...

[Chêne, Lacey, and Laurie]
I'm ALIVE!
I'm ALIVE! Oh, yeah
Between the good and bad's where you'll find me
Reaching for heaven
I will fight
And I'll sleep when I die
I live, My life, I'm ALIVE!

Sebastian felt that there was something familiar about this song, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it... but this song definitely had 'Chêne' written all over it.

[Laurie]
Every lover breaks my heart
And I know it from the start
Still I end up in a mess
Every time I second Guess
All my friend's just run away
When I'm having a bad day
I would rather stay in bed
But I know there's a reason...

[Chêne, Lacey, and Laurie]
I'm ALIVE!
I'm ALIVE! Oh, yeah
Between the good and bad's where you'll find me
Reaching for heaven
I will fight
And I'll sleep when I die
I live, My life, I'm ALIVE!

[Chêne]
When I'm bored to death at home
When he won't pick up the phone
When I'm stuck in second place
Those regrets I can't erase
Only I can change the end
Of the movie in my head
There's no time for misery
I won't feel sorry for me

[Chêne, Lacey, and Laurie]
I'm ALIVE!
I'm ALIVE! Oh, yeah
Between the good and bad's where you'll find me
Reaching for heaven
I will fight
And I'll sleep when I die
I live, My life, ohh!

I'm ALIVE!
I'm ALIVE! Oh, yeah
Between the good and bad's where you'll find me
Reaching for heaven
I will fight
And I'll sleep when I die
I live, my hard life,
I live, my life
I'm ALIVE!

"Phew~! I haven't heard that one in a long time!" Lacey said, grinning.

"Yeah, I'm kind of surprised they played it on the radio." Laurie said, nodding in agreement.

"That's because it's not actually playing on the radio... I put in one of Chêne's CDs before we left the house~!" Pomona said, smiling.

"That's cool. Chêne has pretty eclectic and wide tastes when it comes to music, so there should be something everyone likes on it." Lacey said, smirking.

"Ah, stop, you're making me blush~!" Chêne joked, batting her eyelashes, and smiling.

"I see... it looks like we'll finally get to hear the music that goes with the songs you were always singing." Sebastian said, giving her a brilliant shit-eating grin. She often sang songs from her world, but she had told him that the originals sounded better since she had a 'choir voice' and couldn't sing the 'rock' songs right. I'm Not Sick But I'm Not Well by Blink 182 came on. Lacey and Chêne grinned at each other.

"Yes~! This is my theme song~!" Lacey said, smirking.

[Lacey]

I had visions, I was in them
I was looking into the mirror
To see a little bit clearer
The rottenness and evil in me

Fingertips have memories
Mine can't forget the curves of your body
And when I feel a bit naughty
I run it up the flagpole and see who salutes
[Chêne] (but no one ever does)

[Chêne and Lacey]
I'm not sick but I'm not well
And I'm so hot cause I'm in hell

[Lacey]
Been around the world and found
That only stupid people are breeding
The cretins cloning and feeding
And I don't even own a tv

Put me in the hospital for nerves
And then they had to commit me
You told them all I was crazy
They cut off my legs now I'm an amputee, goddamn you

[Chêne and Lacey]
I'm not sick but I'm not well
And I'm so hot cause i'm in hell
I'm not sick but I'm not well
And it's a sin to live so well

I wanna publish zines
And rage against machines
I wanna pierce my tongue
It doesn't hurt, it feels fine
The trivial sublime
I'd like to turn off time
And kill my mind
You kill my mind

[Lacey]
Paranoia paranoia
Everybody's coming to get me
Just say you never met me
I'm running under ground with the moles
[Chêne] (Diggin' big holes)
[Lacey] Hear the voices in my head
I swear to god it sounds like they're snoring
But if you're bored then you're boring
The agony and the irony, they're killing me

[Chêne and Lacey]
I'm not sick but I'm not well
And I'm so hot cause I'm in hell
I'm not sick but I'm not well
And it's a sin to live so well

"Yep. That is definitely a song that was tailor made for you..." Laurie told Lacey as she and Ciel sweat dropped. What a weird song. Sebastian found it interesting that Chêne seemed to have no problem with singing words she wouldn't normally say when they were set to a 'good rhythm' as she put it.

"Oh, look girls, we're finally on the Southshore now~!" Pomona said brightly. "Anywhere you want to go before we head home?"

"I vote we go to the movie theater and watch Saw XI!" Lacey said, grinning deviously. "It's not Halloween until you've watched a scary movie~!"

"They made even more of those things...!?" Chêne asked, disturbed. "We are not watching that! I have enough mental scarring from when you tricked me into watch the first one with you!" Chêne said firmly, narrowing her eyes slightly at Lacey. "Why don't you pick a scary movie, Laurie? I can trust you on this." Laurie's eyes lit up at her sister's praise. If she were a puppy, her tail would definitely be wagging at that moment.

"How about Final destination 10?" Laurie suggested. It's a little gory, but nowhere near as mentally scarring as Saw." Chêne sweat dropped.

"They still haven't run out of weird and 'creative' ways to kill people...?" Chêne asked. She didn't know whether she was more impressed or disturbed by the people who made these movies.

"Wait... what!?" Ciel asked, thinking he had to have misheard that. Were they seriously going to watch people die for entertainment!?

"..." Sebastian said. 'It seems that rather than evolving... human's seemed to have returned to a more primitive sate of mind, like when they used to watch gladiators slaughter each other for entertainment in the coliseum.' He thought. He hadn't expected this from Chêne... she was normally such a 'bleeding heart'...

=†=†=†=†=

Ciel flinched as another one of the characters on screen died. While going home with a friend after 'drowning her sorrows' in a bar, after her boyfriend was claimed by death, the woman took off her high heels and stepped barefoot into a puddle that had a live wire in it and was electrocuted. This movie was sick and twisted. Chêne had repeatedly reassured him before the movie started that it was all completely fake, and the actors were perfectly fine. He hadn't understood at the time why she kept warning him. He knew it was just a show, but now he understood. It had a somewhat interesting plot, but he could do without some of the gore... it just looked too realistic with the 'special effects' and high quality of the colored film. It was like it was really happening. Sebastian looked rather blasé about the whole thing. He'd seen worse.

=†=†=†=†=

"How can you people watch something like that...?" Ciel asked, slightly pale as they left the theater.

"Because it's interesting to see the blood splatter?" Lacey said, tilting her head to the side. "..." They all said, sweat dropping.

"The reason why we can watch it without being horrified is because we know it not real. If it were really happening, there's no way people would just be able to calmly sit and watch someone die like that." Chêne explained. "It's like with ghost stories—people tell them because they're fascinated by things they don't understand... and death is one of those things. 'Why do we have to die?' and 'What happens when we do?' are a mystery science hasn't been able to answer."

"Humans as a whole have always had a macabre fascination with death." Cpt. LeBeau added.

"Yes, I have noticed that as well." Sebastian said, smirking slightly.

"Anyway, it's lunchtime~!" Pomona said, smiling brightly. "Who's hungry~!"

"Me~!" The three girls chimed. Ciel sweat dropped. How could they be hungry after seeing all that?

=†=†=†=†=

{Chevy's Tex-Mex restaurant}

They had decided to go with Mexican for lunch. Ciel had to admit, even if their personalities were warped... Americans seemed to have very well developed palates with all the different ethnic foods they consumed, and the food was rather delicious as well... not as good and Sebastian, Chêne's, or Pomona and Cpt. LeBeau's cooking, though. He had enjoyed the 'chicken flautas' meal that he had shared with Chêne.

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

Ciel jumped slightly, startled by the sudden, loud sound. What now!? He watched as a group of waiters and waitresses danced over to their table, carrying a huge bowl of some kind of Tex-Mex themed sundae that had sparkler candles sticking out of it and a sombrero.

"Uno~! Dos~! Uno, dos, tres~! It's your birthday~ It's your birthday, say 'Olé'~! Olé~!" The waiters and waitresses sang as they set the dessert in front of Chêne and slapped the large sombrero on her head before wishing her happy birthday and going back to work. Sebastian and Ciel stared after them, slightly stunned. Chêne smiled wryly at her parents.

"When did you have time to tell them?" Chêne asked the, sweat dropping.

"Who knows~? You didn't think we'd forget it was your birthday today, did you?" Pomona said, smiling like a Cheshire cat.

"We wanted to surprise you, so we hid the presents in the back of the car. I'll go get them now." Cpt. LeBeau told Chêne, smiling as he got up and left to fetch her presents.

'Ah... that's right...' Ciel thought, sweat dropping. In all of the excitement that came along with suddenly being transported to a new world, he had forgotten Chêne was turning nineteen today. Chêne's presents were back at the manor...

"I'm afraid our gifts are back in our world, so you will not be able to open them until we return." Sebastian said, smiling his trademark shit-eating grin.

"Hmm... well, Grandma Willow said the three of you won't be returning until tomorrow, after we visit her... so you'll have to wait another day." Pomona told Chêne. Laurie pouted.

"I don't want Chêne to leave." Laurie said sadly.

"I'm sorry Laurie... but you know you'll always be my cute little sister, no matter how far apart we are, right?" Chêne said, smiling softly as she hugged her.

"I know..." Laurie said, sniffling as she held back her tears.

"Aww~ isn't that sweet?" Lacey said, smiling. Pomona snapped a pic of the touching scene with her phone.

"Got it~!" Pomona said, smiling victoriously.

"Do you mind? We're trying to have a moment here!" Laurie said, vein mark throbbing on her forehead.

"I'm back." Cpt. LeBeau announced as he sat down and handed Chêne her presents.

Chêne picked up the present on top of the stack. This one was from lacey, and it had been wrapped in black paper that had a pattern with little bow wearing skulls. Chêne smiled as she unwrapped the gift. Chêne took one look at the gift and burst out laughing. It was a book, and the title was WTF?: How to Survive 101 of Life's Worst F*#!-ing Situations.Lacey smirked, glad that Chêne liked her gift. "Since We can't always be together, I thought I'd give you a little something to help you when I'm not there to give your brilliantly sarcastic, sometimes illegal, and often hilarious solutions to life's problems~!" Lacey told her grinning. "Haha! This is hilarious, Lacey~!" Chêne said, laughing as she hugged her friend. "Thank you!" "Open mine next~!" Laurie said, smiling. "Well, if you insist~!" Chêne said, smiling. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. It was the 'Swiss Army Midnite MiniChamp with LED Mini Red Light' that she had been wanting since before she 'disappeared.' "Yeeesss~!" Chêne squealed happily as she hugged her sister. "Thank you~!" I've been missing my handy basic Swiss Army knife (since I had to leave it here so they wouldn't confiscate it at the airport), and this one's even better~! Laurie smiled victoriously. She didn't really get her sister sometimes, but she was glad Chêne liked her gift. "Hmm... So this is a 'Swiss Army knife'." Sebastian said thoughtfully as he stared at the small, compact knife. Chêne had told him about hers before, when she was complaining about how much she missed it for when she needed to do a small job, and she had to run and find the tool, instead of being able to just pull her pocket knife out and fix it then and there. 'I really do not see what all of the fuss is about...' Ciel thought.

"And last, but not least~!" Pomona said, prompting Chêne to open the gift from her parents. They had given her a beautiful wooden folding diptych photo frame that had an ornate heart carved on the backs of the frames... but it was empty. Chêne looked at them questioningly. Normally when people gave a photo as a gift, they included a special and sentimental photo in it, didn't they...?

"It's great, but... why is it empty?" Chêne asked, puzzled. Pomona and Cpt. LeBeau smiled at her.

"Because we haven't taken the pictures yet." Cpt. LeBeau said.

"We decided to make our costume theme 'Victorian era' this year, so we could have a family portrait together that wouldn't be suspicious to the people in the other world. One side is for us, and the other side is for your new family~!" Pomona explained, smiling fondling at her daughter. "There's a present from Grandma Willow too, and we have a little something else as lagniappe waiting for you, at home.

"I love you guys sooo much!" Chêne cried as she hugged her parents. Sebastian smiled slightly. Humans were so emotional... At least with this, Chêne's parting with her family would probably be a little less painful now that she would have something to remember them by, making it easier for her to return with Ciel an him.

"Me too!" Laurie said as she joined the LeBeau family group hug. Lacey sniffed, causing Ciel to glance at her. She was wiping her eyes, like she was trying to wipe a way a tear.

"Are you... crying...?" Ciel asked her, surprised.

"N-No! I just have something in my eye, okay!?" Lacey said defensively.

"Of course you do." Ciel said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Well, it was a rather touching scene...


Author's note:

Let me know if you want me to wrap this arc up quickly, because I've noticed that I've gotten quite a few reviews asking me to get beck to the manga, so I'm going to try to cut this short. ^_^;

I also added two new links. One is for Chene and her two presents that I'm about to write in the next Chapter, and the other is of Grandma Willow. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but she'll probably look very familiar to those of you who read the manga! XD