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A/N: Hi again, guys. Thanks for all the support so far. I'm still surprised that this story caught on so quickly. Glad you guys like it.

XxxxxxX

Looking back, Ciel wondered if things first started to go wrong the day he went back to school. Sure, he has only spent two days in the house so far, but apparently the butler was already used to him. It was also the day Sebastian first showed a darker side of himself.

The alarm on his phone woke him up at 5:30 that morning. He had programed it to do that every weekday from then on. He was responsible for himself in the mornings, so he carefully planned out how much time he would need. School stated at eight, but he liked to be there by 7:30. And it took about forty minutes to get there, so that left him a little over an hour to get ready. Which was good, since he was usually slow in the mornings.

He turned the alarm off and yawned loudly into his hand. He was going to have to splash some cold water on his face.

"Young master?" came Sebastian's concerned voice.

"What is it?" he asked as he climbed out of bed.

The butler looked at him with concern. "What on earth was that loud noise? And why are you getting out of bed so early? Is something wrong?"

He had to smile at the man's confusion. "No, I'm fine Sebastian," he said. "That noise was my wake-up call. It's time for me to get ready for school."

"School?" Sebastian asked as if it were a foreign word. "Why are you going there? And why so early?"

"Did they not have schools in the 1800's?" he asked as he started to walk toward the bathroom.

"Well, yes," Sebastian answered "but the upper classes usually went to boarding schools. This seems a rather odd time to go."

"I go to public school," he explained. "That means I go Monday through Friday for about seven hours. I usually get home around four in the evening."

"I see," Sebastian said in an odd voice. "You have a bit of a way to travel though, don't you?"

"It's not that bad," he said absently. He wondered if she should bathe or just wash his face.

"Wouldn't it be easier to obtain a tutor?" Sebastian asked as he started to fill the tub. It seemed that he would be taking a bath.

"Maybe if I was a total recluse," he replied. "School's one of the only times I leave home. I'm not that much for crowds. Why do you bring it up?"

"It's just that my previous master always hired tutors," the spirit explained. "In fact, I would often teach him myself."

"Really?" he asked. "And he was actually able to put up with you enough to allow that?" There was something about the man just just made the boy want to tease him.

Sebastian gave him a closed-eyed smile. "Yes, and I did a better job than his tutors did anyway, I might add."

"Hn," he grunted in response. He then started to take off his shirt.

"Does the young master require my assistance with bathing?" Sebastian asked.

He repressed a shudder at the thought. "Of course not!" he snapped. "Go make me breakfast or something."

"Yes, my lord," the butler responded before vanishing.

He sighed as he lowered himself into the tub. Thankfully, the water wasn't overly warm, so he wouldn't fall back asleep. He really wanted a shower-

He sat up as a thought occurred to him. His parents should be awake soon, if not already. His father needed to get ready for work, and his mother liked to wake up when they did. What if one of them noticed the apparition working in the kitchen? Surely Sebastian was being discreet about his presence?

He quickly washed himself and rose out of the tub. Sebastian had made sure to leave a few towels out for him(he didn't know how he kept forgetting about those). He then made his way into his large dressing room. He had to admit, it was extremely nice to have a room just for clothes. It made him wonder what his parents' room looked like.

He had just finished dressing when there was a knock on the door. Sebastian walked in with a cart by his side.

"Oh, you're already dressed?" he asked with his eyebrows raised. "And you even managed to look neat and tidy."

"Is there a reason I shouldn't?" he asked defensively. Did the butler think he was a helpless baby?

"It's just that my previous master wouldn't - or maybe the correct word is couldn't – do menial tasks like bathing or dressing by himself," Sebastian explained.

"He couldn't even do such simple things?" he asked, aghast.

"It was something all nobles did," the butler informed him. "Though he did try once. The results were quite laughable, really...Anyway, I have prepared your breakfast. Please come into the other room."

Ciel followed the spirit back into his bedroom. There was a small table set up in the center of the room that was covered in plates.

He sat down and allowed Sebastian to push his chair in for him.

"Today, I have prepared porridge that is sweetened with honey, boiled eggs, and raisin scones," the butler informed him while he poured tea. "Since your parents fortunately went to the market yesterday, I have prepared Darjeeling with milk. Please enjoy."

Since he was hungry, and Sebastian's cooking was probably the best he'd ever had, he ate with a good appetite. He then remembered the question he had earlier.

"Sebastian, did anyone notice you while you were cooking?" he asked.

"Hm? Oh, no, my lord," the spirit responded. "I can only be seen by those who I want to see me. Rest assured, I will not frighten your parents."

"Why do you serve me and not them?" he inquired. "They're the owners of this house."

"You are the only master I recognize," the butler said with a smile. "As far as I'm concerned, they are simply your guests."

He was about to reply when there was a knock on the door.

"Ciel, are you ready?" his father called. "It's time to go!"

"Coming!" he replied.

"I'll take care of everything here," Sebastian told him. "Have a nice day, young master. I shall be waiting for your return."

XxxxxX

If Ciel had known what was going to happen, he would have done his best to avoid his friends that day. Hell, he would have just stayed home. But no, he did neither of those things and regretted it immensely.

Of course, his friends wanted to know all about his new home. Even in their classes, they would not stop pestering him. They almost got a detention for disturbing their teachers so much. After giving them a very stern look, they agreed to wait until lunch for their questions.

"So, tell us everything!" Alois demanded as soon as they sat down.

"Well, it's certainly very big," he said indifferently. "It has a certain sense of antiquity to it, but it's in good condition. I spent the last two days exploring all the rooms."

"Ooh, I really want to see it!" Soma exclaimed. "Let us come over today! The curiosity is killing me."

"Today?" he asked incredulously. "Isn't that pretty short notice?"

"Ah, you know that our parents don't give a shit about what we do," Alois said carelessly. "Besides, we won't stay too long."

"Alright, fine," he sighed. "I suppose you won't leave me alone until I do."

XxxxxX

"Holy crap, this place is huge!" Soma cried as they walked toward the door.

"Yes, it is. And make sure you guys don't brake anything," he warned.

"Yeah, yeah," Alois said as he tugged on the door handle. To his surprise, it wouldn't open. "Hey Ciel, is this thing locked or something?"

He frowned and tried to open the door, and it swung open easily. "You know, Alois, they say that in order to open a door, you must first be smarter than the door," he smirked.

"Shut up, you ass!" the blond retorted as he stormed inside. The other two followed closely.

"Shit, is it always so cold in here?" Alois asked.

"Usually," he replied casually.

He spent the next twenty minutes showing them around. He wanted them to leave quickly. He wanted to have Sebastian show him around the grounds.

While his companions explored the game room, he noticed Sebastian beckoning to him across the hall.

"Excuse me for a moment," he said. "I'll be right back."

He quickly went and joined the spirit. "What is it?" he asked.

"Young master, who are those two?" Sebastian asked with narrowed eyes.

"They're my friends," he said wearily. "They insisted upon seeing the manor today."

"Even if they are your guests, they seem to be bothering you," the butler observed.

"Yes, they do that," he said. "I should probably go before they brake something." They started to make their way back downstairs.

"I think it just got colder in here," Soma said as he rubbed his arms. He looked around as if something scared him. "H-hey Ciel, t-there's no way t-this place could be h-haunted, right?"

"Of course not," he scoffed. Oh, if only they knew...

"Who the hell'd want to haunt Ciel?" Alois asked as he started to walk down the stairs. "He'd probably drive them away with all his bitching- Ah!"

He suddenly fell forward and tumbled all the way down the stairs.

"Alois!" they called after him and ran to his side, never noticing the smirking butler standing on top of the stairs.

XxxxxxX

A/N: I'm so mean to poor Alois, aren't I? This would have been out sooner, but after I typed about a page of it, I just... lost steam. Enjoy the cliffhanger.

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