Chapter 8

His Mistress, Snooping

-Melody-

The Carriage moved at a steady pace as me and Raven sat a crossed from each other in silence. Her eyes turned out towards the carriage window as we passed by children and adults wandering about the streets of London. Some happily out on a family outing others out on business. I sat there staring at my sister.

This was the first time in a very long time I had to face my sister not saying a word to me. She had been ever so quiet since we had finished our business at the Queens palace it worried me so much. Was she mad at me for accepting the queens offer to become the next generation of Valentines to be the queen's song bird? If so I wished she would have said something to me earlier. I was kind of getting scared. Yes we would have our fall outs because we were different from each other but we were still twins and by the end of the day we would be back to being close.

I don't think I had ever seen Raven this deep in thought- she must have been very upset with me. It was the only reason I could think of her giving me the silent treatment. Fixing my dress I turned my attention to my sister. "Raven?" I said softly my eyes sadden as I stared at her. She fixed her eyes on me not saying a single word for a moment. "Yes?" she asked sounding still distracted.

"You aren't mad at me are you? For taking up the queens offer to keep father's legacy going?"

"What's there to be mad at?"

"Well from the description we were given of it. It sounded like we'd actually have to kill people?" I wasn't exactly the type to get my hands dirty but I couldn't just turn down the queen could I? It would be disrespectful wouldn't it? I guess I was more worried about demeaning our family name rather than for the better of us. Ravens full attention was now on me and she gave me a very sympathetic look.

"No Melody- I am not mad. I'm just in shock is all?"

"For what?"

"Because I did not expect you to jump at such an offer. I never pegged you as such a person- To me you're far to kind hearted to kill." I blushed at my sister comment happy to know she didn't see me as the mean sister which I usually played because I wanted to keep my sister safe from any more pain of what she had felt after our parents had passed on the day before our 5th birthday. I remember that when other noble families found out about Ravens heart condition she had become an outcast in the noble community and kids would treat her like she was some kind of contagious sickness. The memory of things I had witnessed her go through broke my heart and I tried so many times to make sure that under any circumstances I would play the part of the big sister (weather or not we were twins) and do what I could to keep her safe from the cruel world. I smiled sweetly at her.

"I guess you have a point there-" I giggled," But I didn't want to look like a bad guy in front of the queen and just say no. Besides that could look bad on our family."

"I know- but I just can't imagine you doing any of the things they said the job calls for."

"Your one to talk," Raven rolled her eyes at my reply as if she knew something I didn't but I just pushed the thought to the back of my mind, "Well there's no going back on our word now- all we can do is pull through it," my sister nodded.

"Agreed and it's better to be in it together then alone," she answered turned her attention back out to the window. I watched as a smile creped a crossed her face and gave her a rather twisted look of concern as she reached up and slammed the roof of our carriage signaling Demetri and Lucian to stop. Which they did.

"Raven is something the matter?"

"No nothing- I just spied a few familiar people is all."

"Who?"

"Who else?" she questioned back as she kicked open the carriage doors and jumped out before Lucian or Demetri could help her out. I stood and walked to the carriage door before being helped out by Demetri. "Raven what reason could we be stopping for?" I asked as she ran a crossed the street to an old run down looking shop with the word's UNDERTAKER scratched in to a nice long piece of wood that looked as if it could fall at any moment. I stood there in shock, "Raven what could you possibly want to do with an undertaker?" I questioned franticly. She spun around with a grin as wide as that of a Cheshire cat, eyes nice and wide.

"Why else- to torment the Earl Phantomhive," she chimed running up to the door and pulling it open.

-Raven-

"Raven- no wait- Wait for me!" I heard my sister call for me as I ran into the funeral parlor, her following in after me. Turning around I put my finger to my lip and silently shhsed her with a wink of my eye before moving on my way through the gloomy looking shop where dead people would be taken to be fixed up before taking their eternal rest six feet under.

Surprisingly this place seemed pretty quiet and nice, I would probably have used it as a club house if it had been long abandoned but atlas it wasn't. Tip toeing through the building I followed the voices and found the room where Ciel and his butler resigned, along with his aunt Madam Red and Lau Except this time there was a man with long white hair with them leaning over an old rotted out desk covered with a few scattered papers and a couple of skulls he used as candle holders. Just from the look of how this place was set up I was certain me and this man I'm guessing was the buildings undertaker would make the best of friends.

"Raven- we shouldn't be here. It isn't our place to be snooping on Ciel,"

"Shhh- you need to take a chill pill Melody- We're on the same case he is so technically were supposed to be here." I whispered back quietly before turning back to listen in on what was happening. From the sound of things they were trying to make the white haired man laugh and each person who tried was failing miserably. I glanced around boredly as I listened to madam red go on about some gossip she heard around and sighed. Everything she said was not funny at all, I thought rolling my eyes annoyed before noticing a duplicate of the human skeleton system and smirked as a light bulb went off in my head. Quietly I snuck over to it and maneuvered to be directly behind everyone somewhere in the shadows. Tying a few strings to its arms I silently pushed it right up behind Ciel and pulled the string upwards to where it would touch Ciel's shoulder. I watched as a shiver ran down everyone's spine who didn't know me and my sister were there and watched all their heads turn ever so slowly around before their faces paled and ran into a corner screaming. I felt to my knees and busted out laughing, but another laugh joined in along.

"RAVEN SHILO VALENTINE!" I heard my sister scream at me angrily as I rolled out into the light and on top of the skeleton as if we were old friends who just played a prank on someone. I continued to laugh hard before sitting up and gasping for air. "Awe man you all should have seen your faces," I giggled wiping at the tears of happiness in my eyes, "Yours was especially hilarious Ciel," I said through more laughter as I pulled myself up feeling the glare from Ciel burn through my clothes.

"Raven that wasn't funny- why'd you do that?"

"Cause it was funny- why else would anyone do that?"

"Because their insane, what are you two even doing here. I thought you were with the queen,"

"We were, and we finished, now we're here," I continued to snicker.

"But why? There is no reason for you to be here? How'd you even find us?"

"Of course there is, the queen told us to help you on this case- annnnnd I saw you come inside as we were passing by. Can't really forget a 12 year old kid with a cane now can you?" I answered back with a question as Ciel continued to glare daggers at me as his butler brushed off his suite. I watched my sister run to his side.

"I am soooo sorry Ciel- I tried to stop my sister, really I did- are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Ciel answered with a huff, his face red with furious anger building up inside him. Regaining my composer I walked over to a coffin and sat down on top of it like it was a chair. "My my young earl Phantomhive I didn't know you had friends your own age," the man with long white hair chimed in as he to regained his composer.

"They're not my friends, just business partners- and right now I am regretting ever meeting them," Ciel Whispered in a huff of anger as my sister looked down sadden for him saying such a thing.

"Ouch- that stings a little Ciel. I was only trying to help you out."

"BY SCARING ME TO DEATH?"

"No by helping you make this guy laugh," I said motioning towards the man before jumping off the coffin and walking up to where he stood, "Hello there my name is-"

"Raven Valentine? Yes? And the one over there is Melody Valentine your sister?" I blinked in surprised as I stared at the man. We have never met this man before so how he knew who we were kind of blind sided not just me and my sister but also Ciel, his butler and everyone else in the room. "Pardon me Undertaker but If I may ask, How do you know about them?" Sebastian chimed in. I blushed when he spoke. For some strange reason he made me swoon on the inside but I was far too afraid to show it on the outside knowing full well what he was. The undertaker gave us all a big smile.

"I knew their parents before death, they use to work with the young Earl Phantomhives father. In fact I was their official god father," My sisters mouth fell in utter shock and her face turned so white it almost looked like she was one of the bodies that came in to the undertakers shop. I was just as much caught off guard. Not that I didn't believe it and all but this guy must have had something seriously wrong with him if he thought our parents made him our godfather. Mom maybe, but dad there was no way our father would allow him to be given such an important roll unless he knew him well.

"God father? Undertaker you must be joking?"

"Joking? No one jokes about such an important role- I have quiet the proof," he said in reply to Ciel's unbelieving comment as he reached out and pulled a couple of papers from out of a drawer in his desk and held them out to us. Ciel grabbed the pages and unfolded them to look and see if what he swore was certainly true. Melody and I walked right up behind him and scanned over the pages as Ciel flipped through them. All three sets of eyes widened in shock. "We'll all be damned, it seems that the undertaker was telling the truth, these documents are official," Ciel said as I snagged them away from him and went through them yet again.

He was right the papers were authentic in every which way, but the question was why was our god father a man who worked with dead bodies? Our parents must have had a good reason, or so I hoped. I turned my attention back to the undertaker still in some denial of this and handed back the papers.

"If you're our godfather then how come no one told us about you?"

"Right? Usually the god children are allowed to meet their god parents. Mom and dad never let us meet you."

"Yes- but only because I am constantly busy preparing the dearly departed for their final party before their ride into their final resting place and your parents didn't want you around the dead at such a young age. Of course that didn't last very long with their early demise they both had come to face together. And we had met before. You two are just too young to recall." He gave a nice wide grin as he spoke to us, teeth shining in the dim candle light.

"I must say though- you two look so much like your mother did when she was your age."

"You knew our mother when she was our age?"

"Yep- and she was a very feisty one if I might say so myself."

"Enough of this- we're getting off topic here. Undertaker I believe you owe us some information about the case we are on. We did give you what you wished."

"Technically my lord- we didn't do anything…..Miss Valentine did,"

"Yea! Sebastian has a good point. It was me who made him laugh you did nothing but play my puppet."

"Enough- could we just move this along? The longer we dotell the more time we're wasting and the more people are at the mercy of Jack the ripper."

"Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," I mumbled my eyes narrowed at Ciel who stood there with his hand to his forehead as his eye brow twitched in annoyance. His butler stood by his side quietly enjoying the torment I was putting his master through. The only reason I knew this was because I heard the silent chuckle slip from his throat.

"Well it seems some fun will finally be brought during our encounters my dear young earl- but Oh yes- It almost slipped my mind with knowing there are two new accomplice's to the queen's underground officers- heheh."

"Accomplice's? Hardly, I find it more like we are helpers. But Ciel does have a point we lost track of why we are really here." Melody agreed with Ciel nodding her head continuously. I just stood there quietly not saying a single word to anyone. "Of course I wouldn't want to keep a lady such as yourself waiting- it would be ungentlemanly of me- hehe," the undertaker said with a giggle as he stood straight back up and walked up behind a podium smiling that same stupid smile he had on from the moment we interrupted their conversation. Or at least their attempts at making him laugh whichever you'd wish to go with. Any who leaning over the podium it took him a moment before he spoke up. "Now what is it the young Earl and duchesses would like to know?" Ciel stepped forward his face washed over with seriousness.

"You've heard of the Jack the Ripper murders correct?"

"Of course everyone in London has young earl. In fact the victims of Jack the Ripper have been my customers as of lately. Hehe-"

"Tell us what you know," Ciel was rather blunt and straight to the point as he narrowed his cold deep blue eyes at the undertaker. As all eyes fixed on the undertaker who began his ramblings upon what he knew so far of the Jack the Ripper victims I slowly made my way out of the room and snuck out the shops back door.

Pulling out a hat I pulled my hair up into it and stripped out of the dress I wore into the clothes I had worn underneath which Lucian had no clue I had put on before we left for London at the Phantomhive mansion. Surprisingly Ciel's clothes fit me well, now between the two of us though let's keep this hush, hush.

Anyways, making my way out of the alley I peeked out around the corner into the street to find Demetri and Lucian standing on opposite ends of our carriage. Both waiting ever so silently and patiently for us to come out. I sighed shaking my head at their childish actions and stepped out into the street making my way in the opposite direction of where those two waited like children on a playground who got into trouble for fighting and were in time out till their parents decided to let them join the other kids. Honestly I did not understand their grudges against one another's kind, but if it kept them from noticing me leaving good riddance. Unlike everyone else I didn't feel like waiting around to find this physopathic murder who had the ability to strike again at any moment although I doubt they'd be stupid enough to strike during the daylight hours. Besides I didn't have the patient's to wait around for the ramblings of a loon who worked in a funeral parlor anyways. What point was there in it? I mean what information could he have that would change our way of thinking of this case. I wondered as I continued on down the road towards the first crime scene.

When I arrived it was still marked off limits from the rest of London. Scoping out the area I walked up to the window and picked the window lock quietly climbed in through the first floor window then turned back around and closed it shut and closed the curtains so no one passing by could see me trespassing. The smell of Iron still strong in the air even though it had been weeks since the murder had taken place. Picking up my arm I placed it over my nose and mouth and coughed continuing to look around the crime scene.

Dry blood splattered the walls and floors. The air was drenched with a winter like cold and if I hadn't known any better I would say you could still hear the screams of the victim who had been murdered still echo off the red and egg shell white walls. I shivered rubbing my arms as I quietly continued to scan about the area. "My- my- my aren't you such a bad girl Raven. Sneaking into a crime scene," a voice rang as I turned my head towards the door as a tall slender figure stepped through it. My eyes widened in utter shock as my heart began to speed up. "How did you-"I choked out taking a step back from the man before me, "Are the others here as well?"

He gave me a very playful smile as he leaned forward and placed a single gloved finger to my lips as if in attempt to quiet me up. "No, it is just me my dear- now let me ask you a question. Why are you here and why are you dress like a street paper boy? Its rather unrespectable for a Lady of your stature to be dressed in such a way," I stood there still speechless for a moment before I took another step back and side stepped the person who found me and walked towards a closed door down the hall of the living area brushing the other person off like it was nothing.

"First of all-that is two questions not one. Two- I got board because everyone got so serious because of your master so instead of standing around listening to the undertakers ramblings I decided to check out the crime scenes of the victims because Lord knows that Scotland yard doesn't do too good of a job of investigating any of their cases that half the time they take in the wrong culprit So I came to see if I could find anything they missed. And thirdly- what's wrong with me going undercover to do this? Besides you can put down the clothes I am wearing all you want. They aren't my clothes. They are Ciel's." I said with a grin as I spun around to face a surprised Sebastian. "Besides- I think I look quiet fetching dress as a boy don't you?" I finished still looking over Sebastian who stood there without single word.

As I turned around to rummage through a hope chest at the end of a bed Sebastian grabbed my wrist and spun me around pulling me in close to him. Only inches from his face I blushed a deep red. "You almost look identical to my master with such a get up. I found you far more attracting when you were wearing a dress." I chocked on the words I wanted to speak as I snapped back to reality and pushed him away landing hard on the floor and rubbed my butt. "Yea well your opinion doesn't matter here- mine does and I find this "Get up" quiet nice to my taste. And it's a bit upsetting and demeaning you would compare me to your master- I am a girl and he is a boy two different genders let alone complete opposite personalities" I said brushing him off again as I continued to go back to what I was starting to do which was rummaging through the victims personal items. Technically it wasn't snooping if the owner was never coming back.

-Sebastian-

Raven pulled away from me with force and fell on to the floor before I could catch her and rubbed her butt from the soreness of how hard she had hit the floor mumbling something that was just barely audible to me. I rolled my eyes at her comment and watched as she began to snoop through one of Jack the ripper's victims Items. 'My someone is in denial,' I thought to myself before being interrupted by a loud "AH-HA!" from Ms. Raven. Curiously I glanced over and down at her.

"I take it you found something of quiet the importance?"

"Maybe- Maybe I just wanted to be mean and shout Ah-ha for the fun of it to waste you precious time."

"Precious time? Yes I am very much on a tight schedule as we speak but I highly doubt you would say such a thing if you didn't find something of importance," I replied as I reached in to my pocket and pulled out my pocket watch to check the time. If I continued to stand around I won't make it back in time to make my master his and his guest their evening tea and snacks let alone dinner will be late. I was snapped back into reality when I heard the clicking of heels on wood and turned to find Raven standing staring down at a piece of crumpled up paper. "Quick question did you and your master get anything important out of the undertaker while you were there?" she asked still fixated on the paper in her hands. I placed my pocket watch back where I had it the first time and looked at her with a confused yet very intrigued expression washed on to my face.

"Yes- he told us that each of the victims that came through the funeral parlor had their reproductive organ missing. That was probably the most helpful hint he gave us while we were there. Why do you ask?" Raven crumpled up the paper in her hand and placed it in her pocket smiling a big and rather fake smile, if I might add, up at me. "No reason- I'm gonna do a little bit more investigating at the other victims homes if Melody, Demetri or Lucian asks I went to- the book store," she said before she ran and jumped out the window.

I sighed and shook my head. I should pursue her until I figure out what it is she was hiding but there were more pressing things to have to attend to before my master arrived back at the townhouse with his other guests. And if I couldn't get there before he- then what kind of butler would I be?

With one last sigh I walked towards the door glancing back behind me at one more look at the red painted wall's before being on my way. After I am finished with my job then I'll worry about what it was Raven found and hid from me.

~Raven~

As I finished rummaging through the third crime scene I got to my feet and glanced out the musty, dirty window just in time to see that the sun was beginning to go down and sighed wiping sweat off my face, behind me the grandfather clock chimed and I spun around my eyes widened at the time. "Is it really that late?! My sister's going to kill me," I choked out as I ran out of the crime scene and down the street. Luckily not many people were out and about; and those who were, were disgusting drunks which gave me the chance to go unnoticed.

As I ran through the streets I felt my heartbeat speed up with every step I took until eventually I began to stumble and hit the ground hard. Sitting up I clutched my chest in pain. I was so dumb- I forgot all about my heart problems. I mean seriously what idiot could forget their chronic and deadly illness? I wandered biting down on my bottom lip so hard I drew blood.

Reaching into my pants pocket for my bottle of medication I felt a set of strong arms pick me up and opened my eyes to find none other than Ciel's butler holding me. I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn't staring to hallucinate as my body began to sway in his grasp from the light-headedness that began to consume me.

"Se-"

"My you don't look to well at all- aren't you lucky I found you," his voice still very melodical as I felt the darkness begin to pull me in, "Don't fret I'll have you back home in no time," He finished before I passed out and fell into darkness.