WARNING: SOME OF THE FOLLOWING EVENTS MAY BE GRAPHIC AND MAY MAKE THE READER UNCOMFORTABLE. Please be advised.
Narrator's POV:
Hallow. Everyone within the Phantomhive Manor was hallow. Lizzy was in shock, that on top of her guilt caused her to lose her appetite and she was losing sleep. Ciel was growing increasingly worried. Lizzy even refused to talk to him. Thus, he went to Sebastian. Ciel went into his study and closed his door.
"Sebastian." Ciel fisted his hands. He looked a mess. His white shirt was stained and he'd been wearing it for a week without washing it, or himself. His hair was disheveled. He was beginning to grow stubble and his eyes both had dark purple bags, making his skin look gray. His pants were wrinkled and stained. He didn't bother with shoes or house slippers. His servants did their best to convince him to at least wear socks in order to prevent him from catching a cold. He waved them off, or simply ignored their comments.
"Yes, my lord." Sebastian knelt in the center of the room.
"This is an order, find Josephine and Jasper. Alive." Ciel looked up at Sebastian, whose red eyes glowed in fierce determination. Ciel didn't have to add that this order was to be carried out immediately.
"Yes my lord, Caterina and I will find them." Sebastian knew this was more than just a promise to fulfill an order from his master. He and Caterina had been out and about looking for the twins. Angel, too, had used any help from the angels—and even the grim reapers—to search for them. They all knew this must've been related to the other kidnappings. They were looking time, and Sebastian was worried they would only find corpses. He shook his head, not allowing himself to think. Angel called him and Caterina to meet them at her house.
"What is it Angel?" Caterina furrowed her brows worriedly.
"I-I have an idea." Angel twiddled his fingers nervously in front of his chest. He then took a deep breath and put his hands down, fisting them. "Use me as bait!" Angel blurted out. Sebastian and Caterina looked at one another rather surprised.
"What?" Sebastian couldn't hide the look of possible hope. Angel usually wore a hat and scarf to hide his youthful appearance. Because of his angelic powers, he wasn't one to be overtaken. Everyone was usually kind and accepting of him upon meeting him. Sebastian rested his forefinger and thumb against his chin.
"Seb, we can't." Caterina walked closer to Sebastian, pulling on his arm. It was clear she didn't want to put anyone else in danger.
"Caterina, I must. We're losing time. And I can't let anything bad happen to the twins. They're special, and not to mention the other poor children kidnapped. We keep getting dead ends on every case. That, and we still aren't too sure what the crest on the ring means. We're desperate." Angel looked through his crystal blue eyes looking at her pleadingly.
"It should be his decision. Although he appears to be a child, he's technically old enough and experienced enough to put himself in danger." Sebastian sighed, shrugged.
"I won't be in danger! I'm an expert at hand-to-hand combat. I can't stand by anymore when I know this is the best way for me to contribute." Angel looked between the two. Sebastian nodded in agreement, it took a moment for Caterina to agree. She swore she'd be watching closely and that she'd be there to assist him if he was ever overtaken. Thus, the next step was to set a trap.
It took merely a day to spread word on a beautiful angelic boy wandering the streets. It was clear he was an orphan and likely didn't have any money. As the sun was rising, Angel found himself asleep in an abandoned dark and grimy alley. He heard footsteps approaching. He cracked an eye, his instincts on high alert. He felt nauseous at the strong scent—it was an odious odor.
"Well, look what I have here. You hungry boy?" A masked figure spoke, his voice was hoarse and no louder than a whisper. The masked figure had on a dark cloak, his hands and forearms were covered in scratches, cuts, and scars. Angel did his best to mask his suspicion, but decided to nod. He made his eyes appear desperate and starving. Angel reached for the man's hand and decided to follow him into a nearby carriage. The side had the same crest that was on the ring. Strangely, Angel had never seen it during the day. Angel's gut twisted in protest, as if to say "Do NOT get in." But Angel swallowed and entered. The man sitting across from him sat in silence. Angel could feel his eyes wandering over him. Angel fought the urge to cover himself, or pull the knife hidden in his boot. The carriage moved quickly ahead, Angel looked out the window, pretending to sleep but managing to track where they were headed. Hours passed, the solemn figure cleared his throat.
"We're here. Now, let's getting you something to eat." The man ordered Angel to follow him, he tried to keep his voice welcoming, but there was a warning tone. It was as if the man was telling Angel any false moves would cost him. Angel thought it best to nod, remaining silence would prove he wasn't much of a threat. He looked up to see an old wooden cabin in the forest. Angel didn't recognize the area, but he followed the man in, noting any possible traps. There were a few large dogs chained to doghouses in front. Inside there was no one, no furniture, only dust. But there was a secret passage under the rotten stairs. The man opened the door and led Angel down a dark stairway. Angel swallowed and felt his heart pounding loudly. Down. Down. Down. They went. The stairs not making any noise, only their light footsteps echoed in the dark. Luckily Angel's eyes adjusted. But there was nothing. They went down a few more steps and Angel's breathing hitched. There was a cold cavern with stalactites dripping water down into a small pool of water. There were few candles that allowed some light. Cages. There were cages everywhere. Some with several children, half-starved, huddled together in a corner. Others had single prisoners in too-thin chemise or nightshirt—both torn, tattered, and stained. There was a small wooden table with two chairs in the center of the room. A bowl of soup, pitcher, and cup.
"Sit. Eat. Drink. You'll need your strength." The man ordered, taunting the children as he chuckled. Angel knew the food must have been drugged. It was safe to assume not even the water was safe. He quickly looked around and many familiar faces. The kidnapped children. He recalled seeing their faces from portraits their parents had. There was no sign of the twins. The man snapped his head over towards Angel. "What, not hungry? Fine then, in you go." The man ushered Angel into a cell. He had no choice and went in willingly. "Annabelle!" The man called. A small frail woman hobbled her way in. Her hair was a mess. Stringy gray hair hung in her face. Her thick white eyebrows rose, but one of her eyes was shut. The other gray-blue eye looked at the man, then at Angel.
"What you want now?" The woman snapped. She was hunched over, her gray dress was actually clean and crisp, but her white apron was anything but white. Splotches of various colors, stains, were everywhere—as if making strange patterns.
"Where are the twins?" The man snarled.
"Sleepin'. Took time to get them settled. Don't know why you brought 'em, even if we need money." The woman clapped her hands together, rubbing them and mumbling something under her breath.
"We do need money. Which is why you're going to deliver a ransom note. It's been a week now, I'm sure the family's desperate. They're rich ya know. Phantomhives." Angel's ears perked up as he dared look at the man.
"Don't like it. Prefer how we used to do-it." The woman looked at Angel. "Who's that?" The woman pointed, aghast.
"A new one, an orphan. Found him alone in alley. Worth a fine price, no one will miss him." The man smiled. Angel felt his stomach drop.
"Don't like it." The woman retorted.
"That's enough! I'll write the note, you deliver it and then send out information on the next auction." The man snapped.
"Fine." The woman snapped and waited in the corner.
"They eat?" The man asked.
"No, busy with twins."
"Feed them and give them water. They're no good to me dead. If their future owners want them dead, that's up to them. For now, we keep them alive. Just barely at least." He went to sit and write the ransom note. Angel watched as the children desperately reached their frail hands outside their cages towards the moldy bread and cheese. Then the old woman handed them a wooden spoon. The children nearly fought each other for a small sip of water. Angel was alone in his cell. He wanted to flee, but he knew tonight he'd have to move fast. The man had mentioned the next auction was that evening.