PP12: Again, I don't own Kuroshitsuji or Phantom of the Opera.
Ciel received most of the attention backstage after the performance, the ballet girls surrounding him with smiles and one even gave him a bouquet of roses. Ciel thanked her politely but soon Alois interjected.
"Alright, alright, give him some space," Alois said, though saying that he did no help as he was taking up most of the boy's space and linking his arm around his shoulder for probably the sixth time that night. After successfully breaking free from him, Ciel glanced at Claude who gave him a nod of approval. Lady Francis soon approached him with a rewarding smile.
"Yes, you did very well, Ciel," she praised, before her eye loomed across the dancers and she banged her cane to receive their attention. "As for you lot! You all were a disgrace. Such untrained pirouettes, did you lot bother to listen to my teachings? We rehearse here! Now!"
Ciel moved away from the dance group as they rehearsed their ballet routine and exited the wings of the stage, making his way towards his dressing room. He placed his finger on his throat which was throbbing slightly and coughed.
I hope I never have to sing that high again, Ciel thought as he opened the door to his dressing room. As soon as he did, suddenly he a quiet voice at the back of his mind.
"Bravo indeed. Excellent work."
Ciel froze and unconsciously stared at the ceiling, bewildered at the strange voice. He turned his head to look behind him and gasped with fright and jumped back when he saw Alois peering at his face.
"Where have you been hiding, Ciel?" he asked him.
"God, Alois, don't scare me like that!" Ciel exclaimed backing away from him. "And don't peer so close to my face."
He went into his dressing room and stood in front of the mirror, knitting his fingers through his locks to try and unclip the extensions. Alois snickered at how hopeless he looked.
"Here, lemme me do it," Alois offered as he walked over to him and unclipped the extensions, smiling widely as he did. "I told you you'd fit the role. You looked like an actual girl onstage!"
Ciel rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the complement," he said sarcastically.
Alois sighed. "But really. You sang well. I only wish I knew your secret, so tell me, who is this new tutor of yours?"
Ciel gazed in the mirror and saw his curious face in the reflection. His mind wandered in a trance as he remembered his past.
"Before he died, my father once spoke of an angel," Ciel explained almost ethereal, "I used to have dreams of him appearing before me. Now whenever I sing I can almost sense him…and now he's here…" Ciel walked away from the mirror and closed his eyes.
"Here in this room, he calls me softly, somewhere inside…hiding…"
"What are you talking about?" Alois probed, but Ciel ignored him.
"Somehow I know he's always with me….he – the unseen genius…"
"Ciel, you must have been dreaming." Alois attempted to snap him out of his trance, taking hold of his shoulders, "Stories like this can't come true. You're talking in riddles, it's not like you. Snap out of it Ciel!"
Ciel opened his eyes and stared coldly at Alois.
"He's here…" he murmured darkly, "He's with me even now..."
"Your hands are white!" Alois exclaimed. He grabbed his hands and ogled at them, eyes widened. He then looked at his face. "Your face is white too!"
"All around me…"
"What's wrong with you?"
"Alois Trancy!"
The dancer gulped as soon as he heard Lady Francis's voice snap at him. He hesitantly turned towards her who stood at the door, her dangerous eyes piercing through his.
"Are you a dancer?" she asked harshly, before banging her cane on the ground, "Then come and practise!"
With a quick nod, Alois hurriedly exited the dressing room and Lady Francis sighed. "So undisciplined…"
The teacher glanced at Ciel and took out a folded note, before handing it to him and Ciel looked at it quizzically.
"What is this?"
"I was requested to give you this letter," Lady Francis answered with a small smirk afterwards, "Perhaps it was from an admirer within the audience."
"Thank you," Ciel said, and with a respectful nod, the dance teacher left the room. The boy examined it for a moment before unfolding the letter and reading the written calligraphy.
"Ribbons and bows….the attic…." Ciel murmured as he read the note, widening his eyes at the words so familiar to him. "Little Lotte."
The managers marched through the corridor in search for Ciel's dressing room, laughing and cheering with high spirits as they passed each room.
"And not a single refund! Truly a successful performance!" Sir Randall celebrated with delight.
Following the managers was the young girl from the audience who recognised Ciel, dressed in a white frilly dress with pink ribbons and laces. Her cheeks were flushed to show she was nervous, but her smile showed the excitement she contained. Her heart skipped a beat when the men stopped before a door and gestured towards it.
"Here we are, miss."
The girl smiled sweetly at them. "Thank you, but if you don't mind, I wish to see Ciel by myself."
"Of course, as you wish."
The managers bowed and walked off chatting joyously to themselves while the young girl stared at the door before her. She took a breath, took another, and built up the confidence to knock upon the wooden door.
"And who might that be?" Ciel called from behind the door. She clenched her hands together to distract herself from the growing nervousness.
"Ciel, is that you in there?"
The boy gasped a bit when he heard her speak.
I recognise that high-pitched voice anywhere.
After he wrapped a dressing robe around him, he slowly opened the door that revealed the young girl standing in the corridor whose lime-green eyes widened when she saw him. A wide smile spread to her cheeks.
"Ciel! You haven't changed a bit!" she exclaimed happily and lunged towards him, wrapping her arms around him.
"E-Elizabeth," Ciel breathed. He nearly tipped over after the sudden embrace.
"It's been far too long," she smiled, hugging him tighter and burying her face against his neck. Ciel returned the embrace with a small smile.
"It has," Ciel murmured as he ran his fingers through her blonde locks. Elizabeth sighed contently and after a while released him as she smiled at her childhood friend.
"You were brilliant."
Ciel felt his cheeks flush a bit. "So you saw me...wearing a dress..."
Elizabeth giggled as she intertwined her hands with his. "I remember when we were little, Ciel, I would always dress you in the prettiest dresses with bows and ribbons, and I would decorate your hair with the loveliest flowers!"
"Elizabeth…." Ciel muttered with embarrassment visible in his tone. "Must you bring that up?"
An innocent giggle escaped her lips. "You looked so adorable, and I kept telling you to pose for a picture! Do you remember that?"
"Only now," Ciel mumbled as he looked down at their entwined hands. "I never knew there would be a time I would have to wear a dress. It's humiliating."
"Not to me," Elizabeth smiled, shaking her head. She loosened her grip on his hands and reached up to cup his cheeks. "I'm only glad to see you again; I never thought I would get the chance to."
The two friends shared another embrace as Ciel thought of the first time they met. They were both innocent and full of joy, and Ciel never forgot the days when they ran happily through the gardens, picking flowers and reciting nursery rhymes in the afternoon sunshine. Those were the days Ciel laughed and smiled a lot wider around Elizabeth, his happiness bloomed like the flowers in the spring.
"I remember more, Ciel. When we were young we used to play with the ark near the fireplace," Elizabeth said softly with a wistful smile.
Ciel blinked. "You remember that too?" he asked.
Elizabeth nodded. "I also remember the story your father used to tell us. The story of Little Lotte."
"Ah, I remember that," Ciel recalled, smiling, "It was my favourite."
"Mine too."
Elizabeth took his hands again and recounted some of the ghostly quotes from the famous literature. "Little Lotte, let her mind wander," she recited softly, "Little Lotte thought; am I fonder of dogs…or of goblins or shoes….or of riddles or frocks…"
"Those picnics in the attic," Ciel added, causing a smile to form on her lips.
"Or of chocolate," Elizabeth said with a quiet laugh.
"Father playing the violin…" Ciel murmured as he listened to the melody of his father's violin playing in his head, "As we told each other dark stories of the North."
Elizabeth let go of his hands and raised her own against her chest, eyes sparkling with joy.
"You do remember."
Ciel didn't answer and went inside the dressing room. Elizabeth followed him and squealed when she noticed the dress Ciel wore on stage hanging on a coat hanger.
"Oh! I simply adore that dress!" she exclaimed, rushing over to it to get a closer look. "That glitter is so lovely, oh Ciel, you are so lucky!"
Ciel smirked at her behaviour.
Still the same Elizabeth I always knew, he thought with a slight chuckle.
Suddenly a small shudder ripped through his body and the tiny hairs on his skin rose when he felt an eerie presence within the dressing room, hearing a deep voice whispering words into his ear if he concentrated hard enough. Elizabeth turned to him and looked at him concernedly.
"Ciel, what's the matter?"
His breath hitched after he heard her worried voice. Ciel stood silent for a moment, staring into her eyes full of concern. He recollected himself and sat in a chair, gazing vaguely at the mirror.
"Father once said," Ciel said softly, "that when he is in heaven, he will send the Angel of Music to me." He turned in his chair to look at her. "And now, father is dead. But that isn't all; I have been visited by the Angel of Music."
"There's no doubt about that," Elizabeth agreed with a wide smile as she clasped her hands together, "But enough talking about ghosts. We must celebrate! Come to my place for tea!"
Ciel hesitated. "Elizabeth, that isn't a good idea-"
"Nonsense! You deserve a party. Oh! But I must wear a better dress than this!" Elizabeth ran towards the door as Ciel reached his arm out as a weak avail to stop her.
"Wait, there's no need to-"
"I won't keep you waiting!" Elizabeth interrupted, beaming as she blew him a distant kiss, "Put on a nice suit; the royal blue one I gave you on your birthday will do. I'll only be two minutes!"
"Elizabeth, wait!" Ciel shouted before she dashed happily out of the dressing room, never noticing Ciel sighing as she ran through the corridor. On the ground, Ciel's eye fell upon a loose ribbon that must've fell from Elizabeth's dress. "Things have changed now…" he muttered as he bent down to pick it up.
"What an insolent girl."
Ciel's heart nearly leapt out of his chest after he heard the echoic voice speak.
"Who said that?" he demanded, his head darting from side to side, "Was that you, Angel?"
"She is truly ignorant, basking herself in your glory," the voice responded louder than before. Ciel cautiously walked to the centre of the room and waited for the voice to speak again. After there was silence he shrugged his shoulders.
"She isn't that ignorant…."
"Is that so?" the voice asked, "Are you questioning my words, little one? After all I gave you the gift of music tonight."
Ciel straightened himself to look firm and strong. "I am aware of that. So you are what I thought….the Angel of Music."
He lifted his head to look at the ceiling and his eyes pierced the roof, aiming like arrows at where he predicted the voice was lurking.
"I listen to you speak, and per that you will stay by my side," he replied with a commanding tone, "You will guide me, and you will teach me the ways of your music. Come out of hiding!"
The atmosphere in the dressing room started to thicken slightly and Ciel felt a strange tingling in his nerves. He sensed the presence that became clearer to locate, which descended from the room and lingered behind the boy.
"Flattering child you shall know me," the voice echoed with a haunting yet restful air, "See why in shadow I hide…."
Ciel turned around and locked his gaze on the mirror where he could distinctively make out an unapparent outline of a face. He squinted as he peered closer at it.
"Look at your face in the mirror – I am there inside!"
Ciel gasped when the face slowly became noticeable and his reflection soon started to fade and become replaced by the form of a man. Ciel stepped away a bit, his eyes widening with shock. Bit by bit the form developed more prominently and the surrounding reflection of the mirror faded to darkness so that Ciel could finally see the man clearly. He was much taller than him with alluring crimson eyes that seemed to glow within the shadows, and his long black bangs curved at his jaw. Ciel noticed that the left side of his face was completely covered by a white mask. The man wore a smile, though Ciel saw more of a smirk.
"Tell me your name," Ciel requested decisively.
"That is not important for now," the man answered, his voice no longer echoic and booming, "But if you must know, my name is Sebastian Michaelis, and I already know full well who you are."
"Take me with you."
Sebastian's smirk grew wider. "My, you're such an eager child."
He reached out his hand that transparently passed through the glass of the mirror and beckoned the boy.
"I am your Angel, come to the Angel of Music…" Sebastian chanted as he lured Ciel indolently towards the mirror. Ciel's feet remained glued to the floor but he felt most of his body dragging towards the phantom without being aware that there was a loud banging upon his door.
"Ciel? What's going on in there?" Elizabeth's voice rang out. Ciel couldn't hear the constant banging and rattling of the doorknob and kept his eyes focused on Sebastian's.
"I am your Angel of Music…come to the Angel of Music…."
"Who is that voice? Who is that in there?" Elizabeth gasped, panic surging through her as she tried again. "Ciel!"
"I am your Angel of Music…" Sebastian continued to chant, grinning when Ciel reached his own hand and nearly touched the phantom's. Elizabeth's shouts were ignored as Sebastian grabbed Ciel's hand that slightly winced when he felt his cold porcelain skin. "Come to the Angel of Music."
Sebastian led Ciel closer and closer until his body easily slipped through the glass as if it was a wall of water. Ciel didn't react since his eyes appeared to be staring absentmindedly into nothing but the glowing crimson eyes of the phantom before him.
Elizabeth desperately tried to twist the knob of the door as she called her friend's name as loud as she could, and finally the knob effortlessly twisted and the door abruptly swang open from the amount of force. Elizabeth ran into the dressing room to find that it was empty, and the mirror no longer showed the blanket of darkness within it, but reflected the look of shock on her face.
"Ciel! Angel!"
PP12: Oooooooh suspense...! Where will the mysterious phantom take him, you ask? Hehehe~
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