It was a bright morning. Birds were chirping and the sun was shining. I was down in the kitchen, cooking Master Alois his breakfast. He preferred my cooking over anyone else's. Most morning's he asked Claude to dress him. I had a thought that Alois had taken a fancy to my master. How funny. Seeing as my master hated humans unless they were pretty girls. I finished cooking and took the plate of food upstairs to the dining room and saw Lord Trancy was already their.I place the master's breakfast in front of him and stood back.
"Hannah, don't you find fried eggs rather pathetic? Nakedly exposed for all eyes to see? Indeed they almost look like eyes themselves. But they'll never become eyes of course, or anything else but my breakfast. All their possibility wiped out by me!" Alois said as he mutilated the egg yolk.
He was a very disturbed boy. He had also been raped and enslaved by men. He let his insanity out more than any Phantomhive, like myself, could ever express. He was sadistic and cruel sometimes, mostly to Hannah. He liked me though, for some reason. Coddled me sometimes in fact. If I ever did something wrong, Claude, my master, would ask what punishment I deserved, and Alois merely said none. I was just to continue on with my duty and learn from my mistake. One might not consider that coddling, but from the punishments I normally face, that was indeed special treatment.
Hannah acted very skittish around Alois. Alois knew this and got an idea suddenly; I could tell from his face by now when he was ready to mess with her. He tipped his glass of grape juice over.
"Hannah!"He ordered her, with that one word, to come clean the mess.
As soon as she touched him he acted like she hurt him. She got a panicked expression on her face. I learned to ignore his little spazz moments by now. He laughed like an insane person then turned to her.
"Yes truly pathetic indeed," Alois said, aiming his two forefingers right at Hannah's left eye.
He shoved them in there, watching Hannah squirm in pain.
"Hasn't Claude taught you any better? A maid mustn't look directly at her master! It's rude!" the boy said, wiggling his fingers in her eye socket.
"Do forgive me. Claude will be most upset if I don't punish you. So..."he said, taking his fingers out from her eye socket.
Her eye was bleeding badly. I wasn't worried. She was a demon. She could heal it quickly. She was just putting on a good show for the boy.
I walked over to the young master and wiped the blood off his hand. Then Claude came in. Alois looked quite happy to see him. I finished cleaning his hand and then returned to formal position, the Thompson brother's cleaning up the blood and the juice spill.
"Avril...be sure you learn from Hannah's mistake. Only look when I ask it of you understood?" Alois said to me.
"Yes, your highness," I said with a smile and a curtsy.
It was a little while later and I was with Alois in his study.
"Is there anything you need my lord?" I asked him.
"Some entertainment would be nice. Avril...can you sing for me? You have such a pretty voice!" The boy begged me.
He looked at me, eager. Besides cooking, Alois enjoyed it when I sang to him. I didn't mind much either. I felt very...motherly over this boy. Even though I tried most times to not show emotion, only when alone with him did I give a small smile.
"Of course-"I began to say when Claude walked in.
"Master we're receiving a guest. Arnold Trancy will be dining at the mansion with us," Claude told the boy, who put his head down on the desk.
"Only because he wants my money," Alois said bored.
"This time a priest will be with him as well. Seems he has doubts about your time held hostage at the Ferries,"Claude said with about as much emotion as a brick wall.
"Oh no Claude what do I do? I change to old loon's decorations! The nasty curtains, the ugly rugs, the old knick-knacks!" Alois shouted, standing up.
"Please don't worry yourself. I'll take care of it at once. Everything," Claude said.
"Really?" Alois asked, frowning slightly.
"Yes, your highness," Claude said as he kneeled down.
Claude left to go take care of decorations.
"Sing me a song now Avril! Please? Just a quick one!"Alois said, turning to me with big pleading eyes.
I smiled weakly and cleared my throat.
"In the morning when you rise,
I bless the sun,
I bless the skies,
I bless your lips
I bless your eyes,
My blessing goes with you.
In the nighttime when you sleep,
Oh I bless you while a watch I keep,
As you lie in slumber deep,
My blessing goes with you,
This is my prayer for you,
There for you, ever true,
Each, every day for you,
In everything you do,
And when you come to me,
And hold me close to you,
I bless you,
And you bless me, too.
When your weary heart is tired,
If the world would leave you uninspired,
When nothing more of love's desired,
My blessing goes with you,
When the storms of life are strong,
When you're wounded, when you don't belong,
When you no longer hear my song,
My blessing goes with you,
This is my prayer for you,
There for you, ever true,
Each, every day for you,
In everything you do,
And when you come to me,
And hold me close to you,
I bless you And you bless me, too,
I bless you And you bless me, too."
Alois smile and got a blissful look on his face, eyes closed.
"That was beautiful Avril. Remind me to ask you to sing that one again. You have a voice of an angel. Funny considering what you are,"Alois said kindly then laughed," Alright let's go down and see Claude's work,"
We walked down stairs just as Claude finished. He stood up, straightening his glasses.
"I turned day into night, sugar into salt, creatures into corpses, and in this case I transformed navy into golden,"Claude said.
"And that's what makes a Trancy butler! As you say. That's my Claude! As long as I have you I don't need those other useless Claudes. Excluding Avril. She's indeed a true Trancy maid. One thing. I prefer my roses be displayed like this"Alois said, picking up a rose and smiling.
He then stuck the rose into Claude's mouth and then did a small dance and clapped his hands.
"Ole!"he said happily, laughing even, then turned dark, "The moron's arrive."
We heard the carriage approach the house and Alois went running out, I followed after him with Claude. He lept out the house, smiling like a gleeful young boy.
"Uncle Arnold how good to see you!" the young earl said, giggling.
I got to where Alois was and stood.
"Yes Alois,"Arnold Trancy said, faking his pleasure to see the young boy.
"Ohh but surely God thou hast made a most grievous mistake! "said Aliester Chambers, whom I had no clue would be here.
I turned to see him, the damned fop acting like the bloody idiot he was. I felt my insides rot and I wanted nothing more than to turn invisible on the spot.
'Not this moron again,'
"Placing such great beauty in someone so young as this boy! Yet I shall preserver! Forgive thee for this transgression my lord! Amen!"Lord Driwitt said loudly while crossing himself.
The priest wasn't quite sure what to make of that. I forced a smile on my face and curtsied to both the priest and Aliester Chambers.
"Welcome good gentlemen. It is my pleasure to welcome you both to the house the Earl Trancy. I hope you're ride wasn't too terrible," I said kindly.
"But no! It cannot be! Lady Phantomhive? Last I saw of you was last December! My lady surely you have changed your mind about our arrangement!" the damn idiot said to me.
I shook my head, looking at the daft fool.
"I am terribly sorry sir, but I am not a Phantomhive. I am merely one hell of a maid, and a Trancy maid at that. This is the first time I have ever met you my Lord," I said, standing up.
"Oh forgive me! You radiate the same beauty as my once betrothed did. Show us the way in kind lady!" he said, actually buying my story.
I forced a laugh back and lead them all inside, Claude following behind everyone. As we walked through the house I saw Alois was actually quite the little actor. He even brought on tears a few times. Once it was dinner time I set out plates in front of everyone and stayed back by Alois, next to Claude.
"For a very long time I lived in a village. The memory sickens me still. To this day I do not know what it was called. I don't even know how long I remained there. They worked me like a slave. They didn't even let me go outside," Alois told the priest and Lord Driwitt, sadly.
"You poor boy," the priest said.
"There was one other child who was treated in the same way I was. it sounds silly but I thought of him like a younger brother. And then one night, one dark night, inside the rippling flames, the horror of dying screams,it could only be one thing: Darkness," Alois said.
"What happened to the village that night?"
"That's something I may never know. But, at least my father came to take me home! I thought, at last I'm not alone! I have a family to love me! Then he...he left too," Alois finished out sadly.
I'll admit, he was quiet the actor. I almost believed his story. But I knew better. He hated that old man, who wasn't his father. Just a perverted old man who played with boys.
"How terrible for you," The priest said sadly.
"Nunn Oh lord I take it back! How could I forgive you after all?"Lord Drwitt said crying and hurting the priest.
"Lord Drwitt please calm down, Despair is a sin!" the priest said, crossing himself, the turned to Alois, standing up," Young man I will help in anyway I can! I pray that you find solace in this world,"
"Thank you very much Father. But I'll manage. Because I still have Uncle Arnold don't I?,"Alois said calmly.
His uncle didn't look too pleased however. He forced a smile when Alois walked over and hugged him.
"Yes of course you do,"the uncle said.
"Uncle Arnold if I might say..."Alois started.
"Yes what is it my boy?"Uncle Arnold asked.
"Don't lean your face so close to mine, you have disgusting old man's breath,"Alois whispered, smiling.
Uncle Arnold glared at Alois and I fought back a smirk.
Later that night, once the priest and Lord Drwitt left(thank god), as Arnold Trancy was leaving Alois decided to throw money and other papers at the old man, just to watch him squirm.
"Wait, Come back Uncle Arnold! I know you only came because you want money! So here you can have this! I have no use for them! I wouldn't feed a goat with these moldy old notes! Let's see, some deeds to some land! Here, and horses too! Take all, they're yours!"Alois said gleefully as he threw the paper's out the window.
The old man reached up and made a grab for the falling papers. he even got his carriage boy to go to the ground and pick up all the papers. Alois laughed.
"Just look at him Claude! Like watching a cow learn to dance! What a pitiful sight!"Alois said happily, laughing; then he frowned," Waiting Claude, Avril,"
"Master?"we asked together.
"I want you to laugh too,"Alois said then sighed, knowing neither one of us would.
Then a loud bang of thunder roared through the sky and I stiffed. I fought every ounce in my body to react in fear though. Not in front of these two. The two who got lots of laughs and giggles of watching other's suffer.
"There's a storm coming,"Alois said.
We went back inside and tidy the mansion; suddenly there was a knock on the door.