CHAPTER 3: PHANTOMHIVE

~RISSA~
 I assume I had fallen asleep. I opened my eyes, and I realized I was resting my head on the strange man's shoulder. He didn't say anything. He didn't attempt to move me. He didn't attempt to wake me. I wasn't scared, and I felt safe. He let me rest. Could he have felt how tired I was? I knew he wasn't human. I didn't trust this feeling at first, but I had no other choice. He was keeping me safe, so I had to follow him, at least until I knew what his motive was. I wasn't tired and I didn't know the strange man's name. I asked him his name.

"Sebastian. Sebastian Michaelis. And yours?"

"Rissa. Rissa Brookes." I replied. He smiled again. His eyes locked with mine. I could feel the evil in his soul, but he seemed so kind. He had a kind voice. His actions were warm. The evil I sensed about him wasn't intimidating. It was comforting. I wasn't afraid of him. His red eyes seemed to glow. I was too busy staring at him to notice the carriage had stopped moving. This man, Sebastian, never acted evil. HE seemed so polite. He smiled. HE always smiled when he saw me thinking. This much I could tell. He exited the carriage, and walked to the other side, where I was sitting. He opened the door and offered his hand. He was polite. I couldn't understand why, but he was. I took his hand and he helped me out of the carriage. I looked at him once more, and his blood-tinted eyes were still glowing. He turned away with my hand in his and began walking. And I looked up, and saw where he was walking too. It was a great mansion. The most beautiful thing I had ever seen. And I knew for sure that he was not just the average bloke. He was something much, much more.

He took my hand and escorted me to the mansion's entryway. The doors were gargantuan, and the details on the marvelous, golden knockers were exquisite. He laughed at my intrigue as I reached out to touch the knockers. He took my wondering hand, and opened the door. I couldn't believe my eyes. The interior of the mansion was…remarkable. I had never seen anything like it. I stepped inside after Sebastian, and I lifted my head toward the ceiling. I felt young and childish, but I couldn't help but realize the beauty of this place. I felt a familiar air to this home as well. I felt like I had been here before. The air this place gave off, was sad, eerie, and welcoming. It reminded me of the old Phantomhive Estate. Even the knockers seemed identical. If everyone hadn't died in the fire all those years ago, I probably would have believed it was the same place. But that was impossible. Not even my sweet little Ciel survived that fire. I loved him like a little brother. I missed him so much. I kept beating myself up for not going back, but it was too late.

"Who lives here?" I asked Sebastian. I stared deep into his eyes, as they connected with mine.

"Ciel Phantomhive of course," was his reply. I stared at him in confusion.

"I thought the Phantomhive family died in a fire. I remember it. I was there."

"There?" Sebastian's blood-tinted eyes lightened up. He began to show more interest in me. More intrigue. He couldn't understand something about me.

"When I was 15, after my parents died, my grandmother got a job working in the Phantomhive home as a simple maid. She took care of me, and I was Ciel's…nanny I guess you could call me. I took care of him, and I loved him like my little brother." I continued to tell him about how I had thought he was dead, and how I was so sad. How I was so scared.

"I assure you. I assure you, that the Young Lord is alive. That I can truly promise you." And I smiled. I realized that he was telling the truth. I knew this for a fact. His eyes, his body language, the way he spoke, and the tone of his voice; all of those things reflected his honesty. And then, the boy walked down the steps. He began to speak, and the voice…it was his voice.

"Sebastian! Who is this person you brought into my home?" And even though his words were harsh, and his attitude was cold, it was the same voice. It was the same voice of the Phantomhive I had known as a child. The same one I had grown to love. And I looked at him. And when I looked to see those familiar grey eyes, that had once offered warmth, I saw one eye was covered. An eye patch covered his left eye, and I felt a part of me die inside. I was so scared, so worried, so sad, because I thought he had been injured in that fire. He looked at me.

"Peasant! What are you doing in my house?!" He glared at me. His eyes—eye didn't show the kindness and warmth, but hatred and cold-heartedness. And I dropped to my knees. And I wept. I didn't know I was going to cry, but I did. I had never cried like that.

"Why are you crying? And what are you doing in my home?!" He kept screaming at me. And then I realized that if I kept crying, and took his harsh words, I would only have been as weak as when I first made it to the streets. I wiped my eyes dry, and I stood up. The boy, my Ciel, looked at me, and he didn't even know who I was. I called him by his name.

"Ciel. Ciel Phantomhive. Have you forgotten the one Marissa Brookes who nursed you as a child. The fifteen year old girl, whose grandmother helped take care of your maids and butlers, and your mother and father's needs. Have you forgotten-"

"What?" He interrupted me. I got on my knees, and I took his face in my hands. He didn't move. He stared at me with his cold eyes.

"Sebastian, please. No need for violence at this moment." The boy spoke, as his eyes wandered over my shoulder. I looked, and I saw Sebastian standing there. He wasn't holding anything; he wasn't doing anything, just standing there. He smiled and apologized. I turned around, and Ciel smiled.

"Mari," He called me by his nickname for me. "My big sister Mari. My big sister Mari who always took care of me. The Mari who never let me get hurt. And the Mari who tried to go back into the flames to find me." And with that, a tear trickled down my cheek. And I did my best not to cry. Something inside me was trying to keep my from weeping, and it wasn't doing a very good job. I hugged him. I wasn't intending on hugging him, but I did. And I wept even harder when he returned the embrace. It was my sweet little Ciel. And I buried my face into his small shoulder, and I said,
"I love you Ciel. I love you so much, my sweet child."

"I…I love you too Mari. I missed you." He whispered the reply in my ear, and I felt my heart overflow with joy. And I stood up, and walked over to Sebastian. And, to my surprise, I hugged him too. We were both shocked, but he returned the gesture. I whispered,

"Thank you. Thank you for protecting him." And I kissed him on the cheek. This stranger, this man I never met before. And somehow, I knew that I would never regret it. And Sebastian looked at me, smiled, and kissed me lightly on the forehead.

"You're welcome." He replied. And I knew from then on, that I felt something toward this demon. I didn't know what, but it was something.