Surprised by Ciel's sudden outburst, Macmillan asked, "Elias? Who's that?"
Ciel breathed in slowly. "I knew we should have gone right away. Sebastian, call Edward over right now. Tell him that we're going to Sphere Concert Hall."
"At once, My Lord." Just like that, Sebastian disappeared in a blir of black.
"Huh? 'Lord'? But I thought, no, never mind that. What's wrong? Who's Elias?"
By now, Ciel had calmed herself down enough to trust herself to speak without breaking out into a string of curses. "Macmillan... You remember Elizabeth, right? The girl I danced with in Weston?"
Macmillan nodded. "The one you said was your fiancee? But you said it yourself; you're a girl. You should have a fian - Ohhh. So the one who looked like Miss Elizabeth is your... your fiance?"
Ciel narrowed her eyes slightly. Macmillan seemed to be keeping in anger that had been triggered by who-knows-what. Choosing to ignore it for the more pressing matter at hand, Ciel started to stalk out the door hurriedly. "Come along, Macmillan. Let's wait for Edward downstairs. We should leave as soon as possible. I'll explain everything as soon as we're in the carriage."
As soon as the two youths reached the bottom step, Sebastian flung open the door and stepped in with a slightly sweaty Edward trailing behind him.
"Are we going, now? Have you finally realized what's wrong, Ciel?" Edward seemed to completely disregard Macmillan's presence. "Why only now? Why didn't we go last - "
Ciel glared harshly at the blonde, stepping up to him. "That's my line, Midford. Why didn't you tell me about Elias? That was a week ago!"
"Hah? So if Eli never disappeared, you wouldn't want to help Lizzy?" It was now Edward's turn to glare at Ciel. "And why are you calling me 'Midford'? I have a name, alright?"
Ciel's eyes widened. "I never said anything like that! It's just that you gave me incomplete information! You know how important it is if everything is laid out in front of you! I'll let you know that - "
"Young Master, you can argue all you want with Lord Edward all you want in the carriage, but right now, you need to change. You'll look suspicious going in as a noble." Sebastian frowned at his master's actions. He could understand why she was acting as such, but did not quite get why her voice had gone up a pitch. Perhaps she needs some water, he thought briefly before scoping up his master in his arms. They proceeded to her bedroom where he dressed her in paige boy clothes, simple enough to make her seem like one of the middle class.
Moments later, the four of them were on their way to the Concert Hall. The three of them were seated in the carriage, with Ciel and Edward on opposite sides and Macmillan next to Ciel. Ciel and Edward were still glaring at each other, but by now it was more half-hearted.
"Er, can someone explain to me what happened?" Macmillan nervously asked.
Ciel was the first to break the staring contest. "So, you see, Macmillan, this idiot over here only told me about this three weeks after the first incident happened, then didn't even complete the information. Well, Edward? Care to tell us everything?"
Edward subconciously flinched. He still remembered what Ciel said to him when she was in Weston.
He ran back to the hidden place after successfully evacuating the rest of his schoolmates.
"Ciel! I'm finished evacuating -"
Thump. His foot had hit something. He glanced down and almost screamed like a little girl, but he was too scared and shocked to.
Ciel was just standing there. "We're done here, too. Watch your step."
"Y-yeah," he stuttered, taking in deep breaths."
How is she so calm about this? The-there's blood everywhere! It's warm and sticky a-and
He tried to take his mind off it, then suddenly remembered the four prefects.
"Ciel, I'm scared."
Wait, I meant to say I was angry. But she's just so-
He pressed on, not wanting to think of that.
"I might have become like them, too. The kind of person that mistakes the sin of murder for justice." In spite of himself, Edward subconsciously hugged his elbows and shivered.
S-she's looking at me. With those cold, cold eyes, freezing me in place.
Ciel smiled. "Don't worry. As long as you're afraid of that, you're still normal."
Smiling. Why is she smiling? So innocently, too. I can almost believe that she's only a normal girl, but then...
"Unlike me."
Edward shivered again. Why am I still so scared?
"Edward?" Ciel's voice made him jump.
"Y-yes! Well, um, you see, I brought my siblings to Sphere Concert Hall because I really had fun the first time. And, if my memory serves me right, Macmillan was also there, invited by Bluer, probably."
"Yes, I was there. But I only attended again last week because, because," Macmillan seemed hesitant to admit why he only went twice.
Edward rushed on, not allowing Macmillan to continue. " Well, when I brought them there, Lizzy was all over the place, squealing in girlish delight. But Elias was unusually silent, so I asked him what was wrong. He just looked at me strangely and said, 'Don't you feel it, too? It's strange, the atmosphere here.'"
Of course, Ciel thought. Eli was always the most perceptive amongst the three. But what I still don't understand is why he ran away, too. Or maybe, he was running after Lizzy?!
"But I didn't get what he was talking about, so I focused my attention elsewhere. It seemed that Lizzy had taken notice of the fortune teller, so she asked one of us, I'm not really sure who, because she calls both of us her 'big brother'. Anyway, she asked us what they were doing, and Elias replied that he didn't know, then mentioned that it seemed interesting. So I informed them that the bloke was telling fortunes. Lizzy wanted one, but Eli seemed skeptical. We went over to have her fortune told, but by then there was already a lady, so we watched while we waited for our turn.
"Bravat, that's the name of the fortune teller, he said something about the lady not being able to decide which one -"
At this point, Ciel, who was getting a bit impatient by now glanced at Edward to hurry up with the story. She then looked back out the window, pretending not to listen.
"A-anyway, " Edward continued, keeping his eyes trained on the girl. "Lizzy asked Bravat if she could take her fortune, and he agreed. He noticed Eli behind her and commented how the hamdsome youth behind Lizzy looked so much like her, to which Lizzy replied that Eli was her twin. Bravat suggested that he take their fortunes together, then told them to prick their fingers. He looked in the bowl and -"
"You forgot to say that you got mad at the poor fortune teller for requesting that both of your beloved siblings scratch their pristine, unscarred skin." Ciel interrupted, still not looking at either of them.
Edward didn't know whether to get mad or explain himself. Instead, he picked up where he left off. "Ha, ha, yeah, I did say that. Well, he said a bunch of things about rare stars, and Canopus and whatnot; I wasn't really listening, then he started saying something about one of twins' betrothed. Of course, right now, the only one engaged is Eli, to Ciel, so I was surprised that Bravat couldn't tell which one was engaged. He excused himself, saying that since the twin's blood was mixed, their fortunes might have been mixed too. He said that one of them was worried about you. Lizzy being Lizzy, she was the one who reacted before Eli did, causing Bravat to think that she had a fiance.
"Eli didn't talk at all after that, even when that perverted fortune teller admitted he knew because Lizzy wasn't as well-endowed as the previous lady, so he could tell what was in her heart. Naturally, I got mad...
"When we turned to leave, Bravat said that Lizzy's future was bright and that she would find her 'shining thing'. Then, for the next three weeks, she started disappearing. It was strange because Eli never went with her, didn't know where she was headed to, then disappeared himself when I came home from telling Ciel what had happened. So now, we're headed to -"
Ciel interrupted for the umpteenth time that day. "No, we're here. The Sphere Concert Hall."
After their brief encounter with the peculiarly acting ladies at the entrance of the hall, Edward pointed out the fortune teller.
Ciel smiled slyly, then spoke to her butler. "What do you say, Sebastian? I think I'll believe one like him if he could correctly guess the wants of a demon."
A demon?! Macmillan thought he heard wrong. Perhaps it was but an insult to the butler.
Sebastian returned the smile. "Of course. I would do nothing else but please my master."
Their small group moved towards Bravat.
"Excuse me, can you take my fortune, too?"
"Yes, of course -" When Bravat took a good look at who he was talking to, his eyes widened in shock.
The atmosphere changed? Ciel thought briefly. She didn't notice Macmillan staring at her. Neither did Macmillan notice Edward glaring at him.
"Please, have a seat." The once cheerful man was now cold and serious.
"Ah, do I need to prick -" Sebastian started to say.
"No, there is no need for that." Bravat held up his hand. "You aren't protected by any star. Furthermore,"
He moved so quickly, Sebastian almost couldn't follow. "You aren't human, are you?" Bravat's grip on Sebastian's shirt tightened. "And that 'boy' with you, the one with the eyepatch, is really a girl, isn't she?"
Ooh, this part. So climactic. Anyways, if there's anything you want cleared up, PM me, or put it in a review. Thanks to RougeShinigami for always reading and reviewing. I appreciate readers who review. It's a lot of help.
About Macmillan's first name, I decided to reveal it later in the story. Wait for it! And sorry to say, but it isn't Nathan.
I have a reason to celebrate, too. I got high grades this quarter/semester, so I'm really happy. Also because I got to update two of my stories. Yay! Achievement unlocked.
-sentimentalnolonger'causeofhigh(grades)