Hi guys! I hope you liked the last chapter, Sorry for that one awkward scene but it was pretty legit :/ ok continuing. Sorry that there was no authors note at the end, I just didn't want to ruin the mood. There were two Phantom of the Opera references in the last chapter, anyone who can spot them, other than Erika Saunders ;) my partner in crime, will have my everlasting love and respect. I've been able to type a lot more lately, but I'm starting work on Monday, but I'm sure I'll still be able to type fairly often, at the library, between working on my history day project. (Insert intense face) I am going to make it to state again next year! And I will win! Watch out California this historian is ready to take on the competition! BRING IT ON! Ok I'm done boring you with my history day shit. On to, chapter 11 I think (now I can actually type that within the laws of grammar.) derp face.
"Now that you are all healed," Ciel said cutting into a croissant, "I would like to take you out on business, just meet a couple of colleagues of mine." What kind of colleagues does a twelve year old have? Better question who was willing to work with a twelve year old. Oh well. Anyways, a couple of hours later we were all ready to go, and I walked to the carriage in a grey dress that I liked, now normally a grey plain dress was boring and looked kind of like a matron's, but this one was layered with red lace. Ciel got in after me, and then surprisingly enough Sebastian, (I literally just noticed that it's always Tanaka who drives the carriage, but I'll blow it off like Sebastian drove just to make sure that they were safe.) By now I learned not to ask questions, because more often than not, they led to more questions.
"So were heading into London?" I asked. An innocent enough question. That cold only answered with a yes or a no.
"Yes," Ciel replied in his bored tone.
"What sort of colleagues do you have?" hey I was a curios kid; they say curiosity killed the cat, but I was a different Cat, and the other cats aren't as careful as I am.
"Idiots." Ciel commented. "My colleagues are idiots." Well, I didn't know why he was so critical of them; maybe they didn't supply him with enough information.
"Idiots or not, I'm still very excited to meet them." I smiled broadly .In a way I think that Ciel was trying to invite me into his world, to get to know me a little bit. It was a mutual feeling. I didn't know anything about him, but there was an air about him that demanded respect. Just by the way he stood you knew that he was important, and you had his respect just by looking at him. At least that's how I felt the first time I really met him.
"Why don't we play 20 questions." I suggested. Maybe it would help us get to know each other. I was in a really good mood, something I got from the sense of self satisfaction for telling off that douche I met yesterday, and from getting a full set of sleep, and knowing I didn't have lessons today. I faced Sebastian who was looking out of the window. "You can play too Sebastian." He smiled
"Sure, I'll play." He said smiling a little bit.
"Fine, I'll play too." Ciel agreed reluctantly. My smile went from ear to ear.
"Okay, do you want to start?" I asked, my eyes twinkling in delight.
He waved the offer away like a fly, "No, no, you go first." Ever the gentleman, ladies first.
"Okay, Ciel, What's your favorite color?" I asked. Hey, there was nothing wrong with the basics.
"Blue. The color of your eyes." I blushed, but hey, my eyes were the same color as his. I guess I should have guessed that. A majority of the clothes he wore were that color, and the clothes I wore for that matter.
"Thank you, your turn now Ciel." I settled back in my seat.
"What am I supposed to ask you?" he asked looking a tad bit flustered. I rolled my eyes but smiled.
"Anything you want silly!" I exclaimed. "Nothing's out of line, because it's a game for us to get to know each other" taking that into consideration, he put on his 'ponder' face.
"What's your favorite animal?" he asked.
"I thought that would be obvious! The cat!" he smiled a little bit at that.
"But of course the animal you're named after." I smiled and nodded.
"But of course." I said in my fake posh voice. "Sebastian! My turn to ask you something." I thought for a moment, "What's your favorite animal?" I actually was curious, though I had seen him playing with Erik, when he thought nobody was looking.
"My favorite animal is the cat, their fur, so soft and glossy, beautiful. Though the cat's my favorite animal, my patron is the raven."
"I knew you liked cats!" I exclaimed winning my internal bet with my self. "But ravens are really cool too, I like how that's Poe's signature animal too." He nodded. "You're turn to ask."
"Hmmm…" he tapped his chin with his index finger thinking, "Who is your favorite author?" well that was a good question.
"Poe is marvelous." I said deciding, "But I do love Shakespeare. He was a genius." Sebastian nodded approvingly. And so we continued to play our game and we learned all kinds of things about each other. I learned that Sebastian's red eyes ran in the family, that Ciel's favorite thing to do was play chess, and that my favorite cake was lemon, (even though I was tempted to say, my favorite cake is pie bitch! I refrained deciding to tell the truth) eventually we got out of the favorites, and into the deeper darker stuff. Like what was Ciel's biggest regret, to which he answered, 'thinking that you were dead all these years.' Sebastian said that his worst regret was that he was not in very good standing with his family currently. Wanting the game to take on the lighter tone it had had previously, I asked Ciel who was his role model, and I told him that he had to answer truthfully.
"One of my great role models was Madame Red." I quirked an eyebrow.
"Was? And who's Madame Red?" I asked Sebastian swooped in and answered me so that Ciel didn't have to.
"She is, well was, Ciel's aunt, he looked up to her very much. She passed away last year."
"I'm sorry Ciel, I hope I didn't offend you." I apologized. Ciel was back to normal now.
"Nonsense, it's fine, but I do believe that we have reached our destination." It was true, the carriage had stopped. Sebastian opened the door and helped me out. Once the two of us, Ciel and I were out, Ciel took hold of my hand and told me to be careful, and not go out of his sight. That was a given considering the last time I did so in the city I got a broken leg out of it.
"Yes, Ciel." I said feeling far too much like the little sister for my liking.
"Well here we are." He said gesturing to the building that read "Undertaker."
"Undertaker!" I exclaimed. "Why in hell is the Undertaker one of your colleagues?" I mean really Ciel, what use do you have for an undertaker? Ciel gave me a warning glance that said, 'Since when do you use that language,'
"He is a good person to go to if you need information." And with that he walked in the door, my arm linked in his. A swopped in on us as soon as we were in the door.
"Hello little Earl," said a tall man wearing a tall hat with a scar on his face. "And who's this? A beau?" he asked gesturing to me. Suddenly his arms are around me, "She looks so sweet." The man seemed a bit creepy, but I had a feeling that he was pretty harmless. He rested his head on top of mine. "Look at you little cutie." I looked up with a questioning face.
"Hello." I said. I didn't really mind that he was on top of me, it's not like it was threatening.
"Undertaker, get off of my sister." Ciel said and I noticed there was a hash mark on his forehead, like there was when we ran onto myself proclaimed, 'Auntie' Grell.
"Oh so you're the Earl's sister." He said moving to stand in front of me. He had a cockney accent I appreciated that.
"Um hmm." I responded politely. "My name's Catherine. Cat for short." I smiled at him; the Undertaker had a little quirky personality that I liked.
"Well Cat, it is nice to meet you, but I never knew that Little Phantomhive here had a little sister."
"Neither did I." I admitted "We didn't know until this year."
"Then we must celebrate!" he exclaimed. "To finding your missin' sister Ciel." H grabbed my hands and pulled me into a fast dance. Something Irish that I smiled at, spinning clapping, giggling and laughing, we continued o dance with Ciel looking on, mouth open.
"Well they hit it off well." Sebastian commented to the side of him. He could only nod. They kept dancing round and round, until I got to near where Ciel was standing, I held my hand out to him. He shook his head no, trying to decline my offer to dance. I rolled my eyes and grabbed his hand pulling him in to the dance. The Undertaker let go and stood to the side clapping. Ciel looked down looking insanely freaked out. I slowed down a little trying to tell him where to put his feet. When he got it, we got faster and faster. He finally took to his job, leading and spinning me at turns. I'm pretty sure this was the first time Ciel had ever danced something like this. It wasn't uncommon for me though. Everyone knew how to dance where I had lived. It was the one way we street folk stayed together. We finished, and we were still smiling and laughing, Sebastian laughed watching us a jovial gesture.
"I never knew you could dance like that!" Ciel exclaimed, looking his age for once, his mouth not pulled into the one thin, stern line that it was normally in."In fact I didn't think that it was physically possible." I smiled.
"We street folk have to have something to entertain us too!" I told him.
"I do think that we need to get going though." He said regretfully. He turned to the Undertaker. "Thank you."
"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed to the tall man. "I haven't had a dance like that in a long time." The Undertaker smiled back at me.
"I t was the least I could do for a lovely girl like you luv." Ciel took my hand and led me into the street waving back at the undertaker.
"Well," Sebastian said, "I would normally chide you for being unladylike, but it looked like so much fun I couldn't ruin it." He winked at me.
"Where to next Ciel?" I asked. He grimaced.
"I need to see my associate Lau." Taking notice of the grimace at the thought of this particular business associate, I figured that Ciel didn't like this man so much. He took a tight hold of my little hand, and told me to follow him. Several minutes of walking later, we were at what looked like a little oriental house. I had seen something like this before, it was an opium bar, but it looked more like a house of prostitution from the outside. Why in the world would Ciel have a business associate here, it was even more likely that he would have an Undertaker as an associate rather than a man who lived at a whorehouse. He shuddered and walked through the front door. The house smelt of smoke, you could actually see it physically as it hung in the air like a curtain. I immediately began to cough.
"Are you okay Cat?" Ciel looked at me very concerned.
"No, I'm okay Ciel, really." He gave me a funny look and we continued to walk. The coughing only got worse from there. I started coughing violently, my body doubling over with the intensity of my convulsing stomach.
"You are not okay. Come sit down." He made me take a seat to the side."Now, why are you coughing, you were fine earlier." I managed to only choke out the word 'asthma.' Suddenly he had a look if understanding on his face. He rubbed my back in circles, trying to help me stop. Finally I stopped coughing so violently and just gave a cough or two.
"I'm much better now Ciel, thank you." He offered me a hand to help me up and linked elbows with me. We walked farther until we got to a couch on which were several oriental women in heavy white make up, and one man smiling with his eyes closed sitting right in the smack middle of the couch.
"Ahhh…my young lord, so nice to see you, but who's this little girl you have with you?" he bent down to my stature. "Hello little one." He said poking me in the cheek with his finger.
"Stop poking my sister Lau." Ciel said irritated.
"Your sister? But she's so cute." The man complained. Ciel pulled me back toward him, I was tempted to hide behind him, but I wasn't so juvenile.
"Yes this is my sister." Figuring that this was my cue to introduce myself. I stepped forward.
"I'm Catherine; it's nice to meet you." I said extending my hand for a shake. It was ignored and he pat me on the head instead.
"Hello little kitty." He said. Ciel was growing more and more irritated by the second. Boy, this man sure knew how to get under Ciel's skin quick. Or maybe it was because Ciel didn't want him to touch me and was embracing his brotherly instincts, by being protective of me. I noticed Sebastian didn't come in with us, probably got distracted by some kittens on the street or something.
"I just brought her by, so I could introduce her to the people who worked for or around me." The man smiled.
"I see, now how old are you Kitty?" he asked me. Why did he keep calling me kitty? It was like the way that Druitt called me robin, but less threatening even if a little bit.
"I'm nine." I told him. 'How young!' he commented to himself. Then he asked me a couple of other questions.
"You must be talented!" he said looking to my brother a little bit. "Your brother there is a man of many talents, so surely it's in your blood."
I blushed. "I wouldn't say I'm very talented, but I like reading and dancing and singing."
"That's admirable." He said "I have many talents too, I could take you to my office to show you." Oh hell Ciel get me out of here now I prayed silently to myself. That's when Ciel pushed my behind him, protecting me.
"If you so much put one finger on her, I will have you beheaded, and I will eat your innards for breakfast." Lowell backed off trying to pretend that he was kidding. Creep. Ciel and I left shortly after, giving some excuse or another. I did find Sebastian outside playing with several kittens, squishing their paws and talking to him. Before I knew it I had joined him. Petting them, and getting them to play with a piece of string. Ciel stood behind us watching.
"Cat obsessed morons." He commented.
"What was that?" Sebastian and I replied in unison. Ciel didn't comment again. After finishing playing with the kittens, Ciel and I continued to walk down the street, now for a pleasant stroll.
"I work with people who are more scattered after that." He explained. I nodded, happy to get some time to be able to spend with my older brother. He was very dear to me, and deep down I knew he loved me too. I mean, how else can you explain his reaction to Lowell, and Druitt, and the locked he gave me, which I always wore too, whether it matched the dress or not, I wore it every day. We walked arm in arm, talking about little things like the weather and other things that were more small talk. Then I heard cries of,
"Lord Phantomhive! Ciel! Wait!" I turned to see a tall redheaded man running toward us with a bunch of loose papers and briefcase in his hand. He ran until he caught up with us. "Ciel! I need to talk to you." He said a little out of breath from running at full speed toward us. He then seemed to take notice of me, my eyes as wide as a doe's. "Oh. I didn't know you had a lady friend Ciel." He said looking at my brother curiously.
I giggled. "I'm not his lady friend sir, I'm his sister Catherine." I held my hand out for a shake.
"I didn't know you had a sister either Ciel!" he exclaimed and then took his hat off and shook my hand. "It's very nice to meet you miss." He said politely a smile gracing his features.
"I as well." I smiled broadly at the man. There was something sweet and homey about him, like he was the kind of person who could be friends with anyone.
"So, what brings you two to London this fine day?" he asked, "Are you on business Ciel?" before my brother could answer I told him no.
"No, sir, were just here leisurely, my brother wanted to take me around to see the city." Ciel nudged me a little bit like he was trying to say 'no', but the words were already out of my mouth.
"Oh how lovely. Now you can't decline my offer for tea Ciel." The man said defiantly. He hooked arms with me. "My apartment is this way miss."
"How polite of you sir." I said politely.
The man chuckled. "You don't have to call me sir. Call me Fred." I smiled as we walked off to the kind man's apartment leaving Ciel unmoving in our wake. I turned.
"Come on Ciel!" I waved him over to us, he came reluctantly. Oh well, this man seemed to know my brother, and I was curious to find out who he was.
Ciel's POV
Frederick! Of all people to run into on our outing we had to run into him. He was trying to convince me that he was on my side, an ally I suppose, but the worst part, was that CAT seemed to like him. And now I was stuck doing the thing that I had been trying to avoid, having tea with him in his apartment. When I finally caught up with them, Frederick was unlocking the door.
"It's not much but it's home." he said humbly opening the door for my sister. As soon as the two of us were in the door he rushed off to prepare tea for us. He continued talking to us from the kitchen though, that was normal as the man never shut up. He and I were similar, but we were very different in the same way, he taking the hardships in the light and me in the dark.
"Here you are miss, Ciel." He said returning to the table with our tea.
"Thank you!" my little sister said graciously.
"Not a problem miss." Fred smiled at her.
"Oh don't call me miss, my name's Cat." Fred turned to me.
"Why didn't you tell me you had a little sister! You always acted so sour, but I excused it because you didn't have parents, but lo and behold you have a little sister! A sweet little girl, who seems to enjoy your company." He chided me, and I rolled my eyes.
"Don't be hard on my brother sir." Cat said from the couch where she was sitting sipping her tea like a good, not sleep deprived little girl. "He has suffered through a lot, and he only just found out about me." He chuckled at how quick Cat was to stick up for me.
"You certainly are a good sister to Ciel, take care of him for me will you?" Fred asked.
"Yes sir!" she saluted him. "Excuse me? What do you do? For a living." She specified.
"I work for the Scotland Yard." He said. They continued talking about it and how amazing it was to have the job and how he very much enjoyed working with children and blah blah blah. Finally, Fred shut up and asked Cat to sing for him. I had zoned out the entire conversation, I guess I didn't hear them start to talk about music.
"What am I supposed to sing?" she asked, blushing. I would take it that it was the first time that she had ever sung in front of someone her whole life.
Fred leaned back. "Anything, and don't be shy, I couldn't carry a tune to save my life." She took a shuddery breath and opened her mouth to sing. A voice of an angel came out.
"Over in Kilarney many years ago, me mither sang this song to me, in tones so sweet and low, just a simple little ditty, in her good old Irish way, and it would mean the world if she could sing this song for me today, she sang too-rah loo-rah loo-ral too-rah loo-rah loo, too rah loo rah looral that's an Irish lullaby." She stopped singing finishing the song, looking like she was about to pass out. We both sat there in a stunned silence, I noticed that Frederick had a little tear in his eye and I was surprised to find out that I did too.
"Was I really that bad?" she asked looking not only nervous, but that she might cry over her imminent failure. I rushed to her, and got on my knees holding her hands in mine.
"No, no, no, it was beautiful Cat! Just beautiful." I said truthfully hugging her. "I never knew you could sing like that."
"It really was spectacular! I've never heard anything like it." Said Fred when he recovered from the shock. "In fact, I think that you could sing for the queen." It was true, she really was that good. My own sister sang better than the heavenly choirs, and I never knew about it until now. The until now forgotten Sebastian appeared at her side, coming out of thin air.
"Cat, you need to start telling us when you have a talent!" he exclaimed, "I could have been teaching you all about music, and how to play different instruments. It's obvious that you are a natural my dear! Unlike your tone deaf brother over there." I must say, I was offended, just because I couldn't play the violin didn't mean I couldn't sing. Not that I wanted to sing in front of Sebastian, but I still wasn't tone deaf!
"Let's have one more song and then we need to go home." I suggested. Great suggestion Ciel! I had to pat myself on the back for that one. It looked like we boosted her confidence. She asked Sebastian if he could play the flute, which not only he could, but he also happened to have one handy. In other words my angelic little sister sang accompanied by my demon butler. Gee, I never thought that I would say those words in my wildest dreams. She hummed a few bars to give the red eyed demon the notes, and then taking a deep breath began to sing.
"I close my eyes the touch of your fingers, through monochrome, the memory lingers, you and me, I see, a dream of blind destiny. And it's into your arms I'm melting, and it's the first time I've ever felt like this, you are the hand that's dealt me, my tempter sealing my fate with a kiss! And in a flash the stars align I look beyond the words wanting a sigh, but lost inside your eyes lies become clearer to see, they tell a different story, so take the reins and don't let go, I want this pain to scar deep for I know, in spite of every sign crying this night to be true, the sun will rise without you! So here's another kiss to tainted bliss a toast to empty promise, with virtue pretending love as our ending we fall by the light of the moon."
Thanks for reading I need to get to bed I have work tomorrow, happy father's day, and Please review! Thank you all so much I love you guys.