Hey guys, I started writing this straight after the last chapter. Anyway, here's chapter 11. Hope you like it :)
My dreams stopped making sense near the end, where all I saw was the woman with a blunt scalpel in her hands…ready to paint me that horrid red colour I had seen far too much of. I opened my eyes quickly and sat up, holding my legs tight as I shivered. I had awoken before it started, but that couldn't stop the images in my head. Claude had left me to find my way down to the carriage…and if Sebastian hadn't been there…
"It was only a dream," I whispered to myself as the door opened.
I was off the bed with my hands on my baton before Claude made an appearance. It was extended before he had said a single word. My nerves were shot, my eyes seeking danger…all because of that stupid dream. If Sebastian hadn't been there…
"Young master, good morning," Claude said rather calmly as he walked past me to put a black tea set on the dresser.
"I know that smell," I heard Ciel say, "is it Earl Grey?"
"Indeed," Claude answered as he stepped out of the shadows into the light, "my compliments to your excellent nose, young master. This morning we have an Earl Grey Imperial. It is most excellent, made from the finest leaves available; a true masterpiece. I believe it will be perfect for you," Claude stated as he turned Ciel to pull the ribbon from around his neck so he could dress him.
Once the ribbon was free, a piece of the cheap nightdress slipped off his shoulder as he rubbed his eyes. It exposed his right shoulder before sliding to his elbow to show his chest. Ciel blinked for a moment before looking at me, my eyes still seeking out the danger from my head.
"Elena, is something the matter?" Ciel asked as I pulled the baton back.
"No, young master," I answered, glaring at Claude before Ciel touched the bed for me to sit down.
"Claude, run Elena a bath," Ciel ordered, "once I'm finished being dressed of course."
"Yes…young master," Claude replied as he in turn glared at me.
"Add a touch more feeling, Claude," I suggested, "then I might believe you care."
He gritted his teeth as he removed the nightdress and handed it to me. I put it by the pillows and stretched out in my ripped nurse's dress, yawning softly.
"I'm the bodyguard, not the help," I stated as I looked to Claude.
"Your schedule this afternoon," Claude said, ignoring me as he got Ciel standing to don his new shirt, "is like a field of virgin snow. Blank as an unlined page. Today shall be as you wish it."
"What of Alois? Where is he?" Ciel asked as Claude moved him to a mirror to put his trousers on him.
"Whatever do you mean?" Claude asked dramatically…and in a monotone, "it was your noble sword that fell Alois Trancy."
"Is that so?" Ciel asked, "my bodyguard has a different opinion."
"You killed him," I sung softly, "Claude killed Alois Trancy."
"Does thinking on it pain you, master?" Claude asked, looking over his shoulder at Ciel. He obviously didn't want to acknowledge my existence.
"He died because he was weak," Ciel replied as he looked at his reflection, "simple as that."
Claude shivered before he started hugging himself. I sighed and ran my hands through my greasy hair. This was only going to get harder, and if I had to spend ages with this man…I was certain I would become certifiable. I would make sure my uncle put me somewhere nice, nothing like St Genevieve's…
"Now, run my bodyguard a bath, and find her new clothes," Ciel ordered and Claude nodded before walking into the adjoining bathroom. I heard the water pouring as Ciel returned to the bed and sat beside me.
"Do you think he intended to send me searching for an enemy forever?" Ciel asked me.
"Sebastian would have given you the person responsible," I replied, sighing.
"You don't seem alright," Ciel whispered and I shrugged my shoulders.
"Just a nightmare," I replied as Claude re-entered the room, "one I can never escape from."
"The bath is ready for Elena, young master," he said as he motioned for me to go in.
"Call me if you need anything," I said as I stood and touched Ciel's shoulder.
The bathroom had been dark the last time I had set foot in it, but now…now I saw it all. The tiles were a pale blue with butterflies decorating them. The window touched the ceiling and the floor with white curtains open at the sides. The bath was set in the middle with clear water and soap nearby.
I undressed, barely noticing the open window pane as I stepped into the cooling water. The first thing I did was drop my head underneath and washed my hair and then my face. I raised my head and settled in before closing my eyes. But I opened them moments later when I heard a caw. Something told me to look at the window, which I did. The one thing that stuck with me, that I couldn't explain, was I didn't scream when I saw the crow. Something told me it would never hurt me.
I saw the crow sitting there, a letter in his beak before he flew over to me. He landed on the rim of the bathtub before aiming for the taps. His feet clutched the metal tight as he watched me with bright red eyes. His feathers were a glossy black and well cleaned. It was an immaculate crow…almost like Sebastian was on the best day.
"You remind me of a demon," I whispered as I leaned closer, not bothering to cover myself, "I wish he was out there with Ciel than Claude."
I doubted the crow cared about my nudity, so that was why I didn't bother covering myself. The crow leaned closer to hold out the letter to me. I raised one hand to clutch the envelope before opening it. The paper was thick when I pulled it out, leaving wet fingerprints on the edges:
Elena Hamilton,
This is the only way I could think of sending you a message as the doors are watched. Claude, if last night is any indication, is possessive of the young master. That and the fact that the order is still in place, means I cannot speak with you currently. I am not allowed to be seen by Ciel Phantomhive and as you are his bodyguard…he would see me should I try and speak with you. I am still in the area, and I wish to have a word. Pick your location and I will meet you there.
Sebastian Michaelis
I looked to the crow as he reached out for the letter, clearly not something I was meant to keep on my person. I wrapped it up and held it out to the bird. I leaned back and watched as he left me. It flew to the window before leaving the building all together.
"Fine," I replied as I washed the rest of my body, "I'll pick somewhere to meet you. Above the graveyard…"
I finished bathing and got out, grabbing a bathrobe from a small hook. I wrapped myself in the robe when I heard something hit the floor. I ran out, holding onto the door to see Claude on the floor, his mouth bruised. Ciel was moving his leg back from mid-air to settle on a small stool.
"What a revolting display!" Ciel snapped, touching his foot as if it hurt him.
"What a strong kick," Claude commented, "blissful."
I walked over to the window to see Claude stand. What had he done to receive a kick? I heard something crash outside. If Sebastian was in the area, he would have seen that display. He must be the reason most of the trees were broken. I placed my hand on the window before I whispered, "I've returned." I hoped he could see I wouldn't let anything like this happen again. I turned to walk to Ciel to make sure he was alright.
"Honestly," Ciel muttered.
"I shall investigate it," Claude replied, "first, Hannah! Guard our lord."
"Not necessary," I replied as I stood a little closer, "I've returned. Send her away."
Claude gritted his teeth as Hannah entered the room. He looked to her and shook his head, clearly not impressed by my defiant nature. I crossed my arms across my chest and glared at the pair. This was the girl they should have met that first day.
"Elena has volunteered to protect our master," Claude stated.
"He's my master, not yours," I snapped as I followed the pair to the door, "leave."
Hannah bowed before leaving and I locked the door as Claude exited. I then turned and braced my back against the wood before moving to Ciel. He watched as I dropped to my knees to fix his final sock and then attach his shoes.
"Why did you come out of the bathroom?" he asked.
"I had finished my bath," I replied, "and I heard something hit the floor."
"You were worried it was me?" Ciel asked and I shrugged my shoulders as I stood and put my hand out to him.
"I am your bodyguard," I replied as I lifted up the powder blue jacket and put it on him, "and this is childish."
"How so?" he asked as he looked at the coat.
"You're the CEO of Funtom," I replied as I moved to stand in front of him and tie a ribbon around his throat, "you are not meant to have the appearance of a young child."
"I see," he replied as he picked up a walking stick, "the rings?"
I walked over to the bedside table and removed the golden ring with the ruby set inside along with the blue Phantomhive ring. I walked back to him and put them on, and I touched his shoulder.
"You screamed in your sleep," he whispered, "I couldn't seem to wake you."
"Probably for the best," I answered, "I'll get dressed and then survey the grounds. Did Claude suggest anything for the crash?"
"A cat," Ciel muttered.
"A big cat by the looks of it," I whispered as I walked over to the window, "the woods on the north side is now just kindling."
"Huh," Ciel stated when he saw the damage, "do I need to send for someone to help you dress?"
"I don't trust the people in this house," I replied.
He nodded before he caught my arm and I looked back at him. He looked sad so I turned to touch his face gently.
"Don't worry Ciel, I won't be gone for very long," I whispered to him.
"Claude stated there were no clothes for young women in the house," Ciel muttered, "whose room was this?"
"Alois's," I replied.
"I found some dresses in here," and he pointed to one set of drawers, "there might be something in there you could wear."
I went to the drawers and pulled. The dresses inside were short and little above my knee. I pulled out a brown one with white ruffles, a black one with corset strings on the front. Two stood out but I held the belief that I would need to change soon so I picked the one that looked less…crowded.
It was a grey plaid dress with puffed sleeves, with a small black bow just under the start of the corset line. The skirt flared at my waist with black sewn in at the bottom to tie with the bow. I brought it over to the bed and found a very flimsy underskirt.
The underclothes were divided into a small skirt and a vest. The skirt was made of two petticoats which made me shiver. I put them on the bed with the dress and found black stockings, thick for winter. Ciel located a pair of black boots that were my size as I found a corset. I walked into the bathroom and did up the stockings first and then the vest before the skirt. I returned to the bedroom to see Ciel was pulling the ribbon for the corset. His right hand was wrapped in the material and he was muttering under his breath.
"What are you doing?" I asked him as he finished, pulling his hand free.
"Helping," he muttered as he held out the corset.
I held it under my arms as he pulled the ribbon until I told him to stop. He handed me the dress before I put that on over my head. He did up the buttons and once that was complete, I sat on the bed and did the boots up.
"Your locket is missing," he whispered.
"I'm certain it will turn up soon," I whispered, "is there a coat I could wear?"
He motioned for me to look in the wardrobe where I did locate a woman's coat. It was the same length as the dress with a bow around the waist. I put it on and found the arms were exposed by black lace with cuffs made of fur. The waist had two sections made of black lace ruffles which continued down to the bottom where the lace wrapped around the ends. I tied my hair into little curls around my face as my hair was still a little damp from the bath.
"You look like you're going to a funeral," Ciel stated and I shrugged as I fixed the lapels.
"Do you need me to get anything before I leave?" I asked him and he shook his head.
I touched his arm before I ran out of the room and down the stairs. The front door was open and Claude was returning. I ran past him and out into the soft breezy afternoon. The door was closed behind me as I looked around the manor. There had always been one place I had wanted to go, but it had been off the property and away from the demons. Alois had made sure I never left the grounds…he had considered me his property then.
I ran towards it, the heels of my boots hitting the stones as I made my way to the left side…where the graves were. The trees were thick here so I had to be careful where I stood. Animals didn't make a sound as I walked past birds' nests and into the open. The trees were lined along an unmarked path, and yet I knew how to get through.
The graves were all covered by a fine layer of mildew that it was hard to know whose grave was whose. I wouldn't have been able to spot Luka's in this current condition.
"Alois wouldn't want this," I whispered as I walked towards the fence surrounding the graveyard, "he'd want Luka's headstone better taken care of."
I put my hands over the metal railings so I could climb over it, getting to the clearing beyond. I hadn't lied to Ciel, I was surveying the grounds…I just hadn't mentioned where. I walked quickly, my feet aching as I got to the top of the hill, a table already prepared. I looked back to see the mansion still looked big from here, and less horrible. I looked back to the table after a moment. A small white tablecloth had been put over it with two cups of tea. My name was written beside the one that looked pale brown while the one across looked clear or rather milky. There were three chairs lined up with a tea set on another table.
"That looks like the one from the Lord Ackroyd case," I whispered as I touched the kettle. It was warm to the touch so someone had used it recently. I heard a branch snap so I looked around in front of me for a moment.
I turned around to see Greil was sitting down, holding the milky tea in his wounded hands and Sebastian was coming from the east side of the clearing. He looked annoyed but smirked when he saw me.
"Did you know I would pick here?" I asked him and he nodded, "what's Greil doing here?"
"Pestering," Sebastian replied, "I made you some Earl Grey tea."
"Thank you," I whispered as I undid my coat and put it behind my chair which Sebastian pulled out for me.
"Bassy," Greil whispered as Sebastian poured him a fresh cup of tea, "I must admit; it is rather odd seeing you preparing tea for me. I'm happy of course, but well…I…"
"A cup of Suutei Tsai, a Mongolian milk tea flavoured with rock salt," Sebastian stated as he picked up the old cup to pour out on the grass.
"Rock salt?!" Greil asked, clearly very worried.
"I've no doubt that it will be stimulating to feel the salt in your wounds. Just for you, I've doubled the amount it calls for. Doubled it again and then thought, why not double it again?" Sebastian replied as he held the new cup under Greil's swollen mouth.
"On second thought, I…" Greil started.
"Drink up," Sebastian replied and Greil took the cup. He sipped a little amount before he spat it out. Sebastian had moved to pull me from my chair so I was out of the way.
"The sharp pain of love! I cannot stand it!" Greil sobbed as he fell backwards in his chair.
"Has he always been like this?" I asked Sebastian as he dried down my chair before putting me back in it.
"Your tea has been ruined," he muttered as he picked up the cup, not really answering my question.
"Can I try a proper cup of Suutei Tsai?" I asked and he nodded.
He was quick with the preparation, putting a clean cup in front of me as Greil got back up. Sebastian poured me the fresh tea and I sipped it, tasting the milk with a touch of salt. If this was the proper tea…I wondered briefly what Greil was drinking. But I shook my head at the thought. I had learnt my lesson in the Undertaker's parlour when he had been buried in salt. He had eaten it…and so had I…
"Undertaker, if you will, there is something I need your help with," Ciel said as the Undertaker started licking the salt. I leaned forward to look in before I took a pinch. I put it on my tongue and swallowed before I pulled a face.
"Why did you do that?" Greil asked.
"He was licking it!" I groaned, "I thought it couldn't be salt if he was licking it!"
"I believe now that Elena was correct," Sebastian stated as he sat down in the remaining chair, pulling me from my memories, "that Alois was indeed killed."
"Oh, is that what all of this is about? It states as much in the cinematic records," Greil answered, "I witnessed it as well."
"I see, so Claude is responsible for the murder of Alois Trancy," Sebastian muttered.
"Yes, and then he put together a soul-infusing ceremony. Two separate souls can never be fused but pesky memories can be overwritten," Greil explained.
"Which means now, Alois Trancy is…" Sebastian started.
"The same as your young master," Greil finished.
"So Ciel isn't…possessed?" I asked and the pair looked to me, "he seemed normal this morning. I don't particularly want to return if Alois is going to greet me at the door."
"What do you mean?" Sebastian asked and I felt myself shiver.
"He made my life miserable," I whispered, "I don't want to return to that. I'd rather a demon ate my soul than spend another minute in the company of Alois Trancy. He would only want to hurt me for leaving him…"
"I won't allow that to happen," Sebastian said to me as he turned to Greil, "Claude put a ring on the young master's finger, a golden one with a ruby."
"It was Alois's," I whispered as I sipped my tea.
"Alois has been turned into a ring," Greil replied as he put his head in his hand, "a jewel thicker than the thickest blood, more crimson than passion. Though I can't say I understand, why bother fixating on some little brat's soul? You would make a far simpler, quicker meal, Bassy," Greil said softly before he sipped his tea, "or maybe Elena?"
He winced when the salt entered his wounds and I raised a hand to giggle. That was all I could do about the matter really…I wasn't going to give him my tea. But I didn't like the idea that he was offering me to Sebastian as a meal. Did it hurt having your soul eaten? Would you notice?
"You sound like someone else I know," Sebastian replied.
"Not me," I put a hand over my heart, "I've never offered myself as dinner to you before."
"Just look at his face," Sebastian muttered, ignoring my comment, "the slack fatuous features Claude wears perpetually. There lies your answer."
"Ciel Phantomhive's soul is a fine one! A truly fine soul!" I heard Claude's voice echo up to the hill where we were sitting. He was mocking Sebastian…teasing him as he had done this morning.
"Eh…Bassy?" Greil asked before he reached across the table and pulled me away from Sebastian's shadow.
"What is it?" I asked as I knelt on the grass…seeing that the shadow was wavering with blue and green shadows mixed in for good measure. What was that? I felt like I had seen something like that before…but where?
"Come Greil, let's go," Sebastian stated in a monotone.
"Oh terribly sorry, I have an appointment with my hairdresser…" and Greil pulled at his fringe as I watched the shadow on the floor. Something in my memories told me I had seen that before…but it hadn't been Sebastian. Once I started trying to remember, the space above my right eye started to sting.
"My head," I croaked as it started to throb.
I raised my hands as the pain spread out as if I could smother the pain. Sebastian posed in the air and Greil rushed for his camera…and I wasn't sure where it had come from. It gave me something to focus on before the pain became too much.
"So lovely," Greil whispered, "ah come here camera! Now pose!"
"So you know I plan to strike eight additional attractive poses today?" Sebastian asked as he landed.
"Oh I can't pass this up, eight more poses! Wait for me!" Greil called out playfully.
"Sebastian…" I whispered before I dropped to the floor. I watched him leave with Greil trailing behind…
"Richard please, be reasonable," Mother called from the door, "she's Martin's daughter."
"I am her father!" a voice yelled, "and I want to see her."
"She doesn't know it all…she's too young to understand," Mother sobbed, "please, wait a little longer."
"Andrea, is something the matter?" Father called out from the sitting room.
"No, just one of Elena's friends," Mother called out, "he thought I would let her out tonight for the bonfire."
The door closed and I ran to my room to look out the window. A man stood looking at the front door, his hands clenched into fists before he turned. Why did he want to see me? I opened the window wide and climbed out; glad I hadn't taken off my shoes. I ran out to the road and looked for the man before I spotted him heading towards the bonfire. There was a strange shadow behind him, streaked with blues and greens. What was that?
"My only child…and I'm not allowed to see her," the man muttered as I ran after him.
"Mister?" I asked as I came to a stop, "are you alright?"
"Not particularly," he replied as he looked back at me, "whose daughter are you?"
"You wanted to see me," I whispered, "Mother said I was Martin's daughter. I don't understand."
The man turned to face me and put a hand out to me. I gave him one of mine before he dropped to his knees. With the other hand, he put it on my face and I leaned into the contact. I felt oddly secure with this man, something I only felt when I was with Mother or Father. Who was this man?
"What is your name, child?" he asked softly.
"Elena…Elena Hamilton," I replied, "I'm four."
"I know," he whispered as he tucked some hair behind my ear, "you have my eyes."
"I can't give them back," I whispered and he laughed.
"I wanted to meet you," he said softly, "I only saw you before once."
"When?" I asked.
"The day you were born, I was part of the crowds wishing your parents the best of luck…you looked so small."
"I was a baby," I muttered and he laughed.
"You are good with snappy remarks," he said in a whisper.
"Mother hates that," I replied, "she says I remind her of my father."
"By which she means me," he said as he held both of my hands, "I bought you a present."
"Really?" I asked and he nodded.
"It was for your birthday," he whispered.
He pulled a small box from his pocket and put it into my hands. I held it tight before I opened it. Inside was a silver bracelet with a diamond in the middle. He tied it around my wrist and kissed it gently.
"Know this Elena, and this is my word. If you ever have need for me, call for me," he whispered before he stood.
"What will I call?" I asked as I touched the bracelet.
"Father," he replied as he walked away, "I will always answer."
That bracelet was lost in the fire, something I could never find again no matter where I dug for it. Eventually, I had to consider the fact that it was gone and nothing was going to bring it back. For the next year with Berrymore, 'Father' never answered my pleas so when I reached sixteen, I had stopped calling…
I felt something touch my head and lift me up, bracing me against a chair. I opened my eyes slowly to see a blurred face. I raised my hands to touch it, feeling the grooves for a nose, lips…until I saw the red eyes that had first appeared watered down brown to me in Berrymore Castle.
"Sebastian?" I whispered.
"I returned to see why you hadn't gone back to the estate," he replied, "what happened?"
"I saw him," I whispered, "I saw a memory of my father. My head started hurting me…"
"Oh yes, you requested information about him," Sebastian stated as he lifted me up into a chair and poured me a glass of water, "I had the file waiting for you."
"The file?" I asked as I sipped the drink.
Sebastian nodded and moved a file closer to me, and on top was my locket. I tied the locket around my neck first before I opened the file. It held information in Sebastian's handwriting but it was the picture…and beside it a name.
"Richard Cummins," I whispered, "Mother told him to leave us alone."
"That was the name he used while fulfilling a contract in Houndsworth. He was the illegitimate son of Harold Cummins and had come to Houndsworth to settle some matters. Shortly after, Harold Cummins died and Richard received his estate and money," Sebastian stated calmly, "the file has all I could find on him."
"This is more than enough," I whispered, "as far as I remember…I only ever met him once. I was four and he had visited our home to meet me. I snuck out to speak with him."
"You should return to the young master," Sebastian whispered, moving off topic, "and stay with him."
"Yes Sebastian," I whispered as he helped me to stand, "can I keep the file?"
"I gathered it for you," he replied.
He wrapped me in my coat and fixed my hair. I touched my locket before walking away from the table, the file clutched to my chest. I had met my father, and he had given me a present. I remembered vaguely searching for it, but it felt like the memories weren't mine, almost as if they had been veiled a very long time ago. Had Angela done it? If she hadn't, who else would stop me from remembering my father?
"What would she gain from making me forget?" I asked myself as I reached the graveyard.
I climbed over the fence and walked past the graves, not seeing them really. I made it to the forest in the same fashion and then I was on the property's path. I heard something hitting something else so I followed that path until I saw Ciel, hitting white roses quickly.
"Ciel?" I asked as he threw the walking stick back and caught Hannah who had been going to his side.
"Thank you, my lord," I heard Hannah whisper as I got closer, "it is your right to thrash me. Do continue if it pleases you, I wish to help."
"What now?" Ciel asked as he stepped away from Hannah, "thrash you? Your eye…is there anyone in this manor who isn't completely insane?"
"Ciel?" I asked and he turned to look at me.
Ciel sighed before he put his hand out to Hannah, offering her assistance. This was the boy I remembered from years ago. Hannah looked shocked as I moved to his side, his bodyguard back in service.
"What? Are you going to stay there all day?" Ciel asked Hannah.
She took his hand and stood, clasping her hands in front of her as she smiled. This was probably the nicest anyone had treated her in a very long time. Ciel turned to look at me, his eyes focused on the file at my chest.
"And what do you have?" Ciel asked me, "you were surveying the grounds."
"It's only some information I collected before we left the manor," I replied.
"Very well," Ciel muttered as he stepped away from Hannah, "I was looking for you."
"Oh?" I asked as I followed, "did something of import occur?"
"No, I simply don't like being alone with that butler," he muttered so I stayed close as he looked at the flowers.
"Did you have a favourite?" I asked as I stepped forward and pulled a red rose down.
"No, they all seem too flashy and false," he muttered and I could see what he meant.
"I loved the roses, my favourites were your roses and the dog roses," I whispered as I twirled the flower between my fingers.
"Dog roses?" he asked and I nodded.
"They are so fragile; their petals fall away so quickly. But the smell is intoxicating," I said as I threw the red rose over my shoulder, "my father showed me the dog rose when I was younger…"
I looked around until I spotted the purple flower. I pointed to it while the other hand clutched the file to my chest. Ciel moved in the direction of the flower and I picked one to hold out to him. The petals fell away moments later but the smell clung.
"Sweet," he whispered, "but fragile."
I nodded before we walked to a fountain and he sat down. I sat beside him and put the file on my lap.
"I asked Sebastian to find out information on my father," I whispered, "he gave this to me shortly before we started our trip."
I opened the file and showed Ciel the picture. He took it and looked from it to me. He then held it back out to me, and I stuck it into the file again.
"You have his eyes," Ciel whispered.
"That's what he said as well," I replied as I looked at the papers.
"He?"
"My father, my biological father. I met him once, when I was four years old," I answered as I looked down at the picture, "Angela lied to me."
"What do you mean?" Ciel asked, "whose Angela?"
"A woman I used to work with," I replied, "she told me he died fifteen years ago."
"Does it say when he died?" Ciel asked and I handed him the file and he looked over the words, "the 25th December 1882," Ciel whispered, "how old would you have been?"
"11, he died on Christmas?" I asked and Ciel nodded.
"The writing stops then with very little detail. No mention of a grave, or a burial," Ciel continued and I gulped.
"I was told he died when I was three," I whispered.
Ciel touched my arm and I sighed heavily. I had stopped calling when I was sixteen, after my parents were dead. I had thought he had lied to me, but he had been dead five years. Now nearly seven…and I had hated him, thinking he was some fool. But where had he died?
"I don't know how to spend the rest of the afternoon," Ciel mumbled and I stood.
"Do you want to play violin?" I asked him as I wiped my eyes, "I know where Alois left them for target practise."
Ciel nodded and he followed me as I walked into the manor and straight to the armoury. This was where Alois Trancy had been stabbed, by one of his own swords. It seemed ironic somehow as I moved to a small cabinet in the corner. I opened it to reveal four violins and two bows. I picked out two of the better ones and held out one to Ciel. He took it in his hands and I smiled before checking the strings. Once I was finished with my own, I put it on top of the cabinet and on top of the file before taking Ciel's to fix.
"What do you want to play?" I asked, "there are no notes really…only the very basic ones."
"I'll play something from earlier," he replied as he started playing.
The music was heavenly and very familiar. It took me a moment to realise where I had heard it before. He had played this exact tune in the London townhouse, when Prince Soma had been trailing us like a child. It was just before Agni showed us his drawings from art class and before I asked Sebastian for his bow so I could attack Agni…
"You will need a tutor while we are in London. I shall fill that role," Sebastian said, having changed into some form of tutor's clothes. He looked like he had graduated from a high standing university rather than being a butler.
"Bach Charconne in D Minor," Ciel looked at the music notes and I was viewing my copy as well, "there is no way I can play something this complex."
"As your tutor, I make the rules. Surely you have no objections to my teaching methods, master?" Sebastian asked and I smiled softly.
Sebastian looked over to me. I could use the bow only if I didn't bend my elbow too much. I lifted the violin to sit under my chin and played the notes carefully. Sebastian watched me for a moment and when I got to the end of the page, he turned it over for me to continue. Once I was finished, he smiled.
"Very well done, Elena," he said, "you are not without skill."
He turned to look at Ciel, "now you, young master. Surely you can do better than Elena who has a broken elbow?"
Ciel began playing and it sounded so sweet to my ears.
"Well done, very nice my young lord," Sebastian said, still holding a bow though I couldn't see his violin. Was I holding his violin? I closed my eyes to focus on the notes the young master was playing…
"Bach Charconne in D Minor," I whispered as Ciel finished the piece and put the violin down by his side.
"I'm surprised you knew the title," he stated.
"I've heard it before," I whispered, "do you want to go to the library now?"
"There is a library? Alois struck me as the type to burn books," Ciel muttered as I put the violins away and picked up the file again.
"No, he would never burn them. He just left them to grow dusty," I replied as I led the way to the library.
I opened the doors to show the library. It was two levels with stairs leading to the next section. Downstairs held a small seating arrangement and a table to put tea on. Ciel walked towards the closest shelf and looked over the titles.
"The fiction books are upstairs," I stated as I put the file on the table, "Claude organised them."
Ciel nodded before he started climbing, and scanned the shelves until his hands pulled out a book. He brought it down and sat in one of the chairs. The door opened again and I looked to see Claude had entered the room, fixing his hair.
"Young master, will I serve you tea?" Claude asked.
"No, bring the ingredients and Elena will make it," Ciel stated as he looked down at the book, "your tea was too weak for my taste this morning."
Claude looked shocked before he looked at me. I sat down opposite Ciel and crossed my legs before undoing my coat. He watched me undo the buttons before he nodded. He left the room and I laughed as I put my coat over the chair.
"What's so funny?" Ciel asked as he looked at me, "your dress has a stain on it."
I looked down to see that the mark was over the waist…and was Suutei Tsai tea, courtesy of Greil Sutcliff. I sighed as I pulled at the material and groaned.
"I'll change soon, young master, before you go to sleep," I said softly as Claude returned to the room with a tray. It had a kettle with hot water, tea leaves, a teapot, a cup and some sugar and milk. Along the side on a plate were biscuits.
"I have gathered the ingredients," Claude stated in that monotone.
"At least the young master told you the truth about the tea," I whispered to him, "you could have been left in the dark for so much longer. Alois didn't tell you anything…"
He gritted his teeth before he left. I picked up the tea leaves and spotted they were Earl Grey. I took a spoon and put the tea leaves into the teapot and then the hot water over them. I spotted a clock over one of the stairways and used it to measure three minutes before I poured Ciel's tea. He sipped it and nodded before I held out biscuits but he shook his head.
"You make it perfectly," Ciel said simply which I took as a compliment.
"Thank you, young master," I replied.
He stayed there for hours, just reading that book as I looked over the file. It said my father had stopped making contracts shortly after 1871, a few months after I was born. He still ate souls but they became less…like Ambrosia and it was more like he was eating to settle a hunger.
I was so wrapped up in the file that Ciel shaking my shoulder took a few minutes to register in my mind. I put the file down on my lap and looked to him, and then I heard his stomach.
"Claude informed me that dinner is served," he said with a yawn.
"What time is it?" I asked as I yawned with him.
"Just before seven," he replied as I stood and put the file on the table.
Claude's food was similar to the tea. Alois hadn't really bothered to discipline him and the food tasted wrong. Beef tasted like chicken and potatoes tasted like grease. I ended up pushing my plate away, the food too much. The surprising thing I realised was…Claude Faustus had managed to make it look appetising.
"This reminds me of Sebastian's first day," Ciel muttered as he pushed his plate away as well, "the food looked alright but the taste was horrid."
"Demons don't understand human food," I replied as we stood and returned to the library.
It was there we spent the next few hours until my stomach growling became too much. I snuck out and made us ham sandwiches before returning to the library. I had grabbed a few glasses of water and pieces of cheese as I carried the tray in. Ciel looked up as I moved to the table and put down my bounty. I pulled the matches out of my pocket and lit the candles near us so he could see what I had gotten.
"Ham sandwiches with some cheese," I whispered as I sat down near him again, "and water…since Claude hid all the tea leaves."
"Alright," Ciel mumbled as he picked up one sandwich and nibbled it before taking a bigger bite.
"I figured you were as hungry as I was," I whispered as I picked up another sandwich and ate it quickly.
"You'd be correct in that thought," he mumbled as he grabbed another sandwich.
The platter was gone ten minutes later, with only crumbs marking its existence. Ciel drank the water and I finished mine before I noted the time was half ten. Ciel yawned before closing over the book, using his sleeve to wipe his eyes. No wonder he was tired.
"Do you want assistance getting ready for bed?" I asked him and he nodded.
I left the platter and walked with Ciel up to Alois's room, glad to see Claude had lit the candles. I helped Ciel undress and put him in the nightdress again before I changed my own dress into one with a black skirt and a white top. I made sure my locket was visible when I returned to Ciel.
"I need to wash my teeth," he yawned and I followed him to the bathroom.
He lifted the toothbrush and the paste before he looked to me. I guess this was another thing he had Sebastian do for him. I knelt on the small chair and he followed. He turned so he was lying on my legs so I quickly put paste on the toothbrush.
"Tell me if I hurt you," I whispered as I leaned forward and started brushing.
I was quick about the process and made sure he had rinsed before I sat back on the chair. He looked at the mirror and something in his face flickered…almost as if he was seeing something. I watched as he picked up a brush and threw it at the mirror, making it shatter into pieces on the floor.
"Ciel," I whispered as I stepped closer.
"Young master?" I heard Claude ask as he came into the room, "whatever's wrong?"
"I thought I saw him," Ciel whispered as he stepped back, my hands on his shoulder as were Claude's, "I thought Alois was in the mirror."
"Master? Are you hurt?" Claude asked as he moved my hands away to touch Ciel.
"Possessive much," I muttered.
"No, I'm alright," Ciel replied as he caught my hand to squeeze it tight. It was something he had done as a little child when I used to visit him, to assure me everything was fine. It made me miss the old days…
"Hannah, clean this up at once! I will bring the young master to his bedchamber-" Claude started and it was the first time I had noticed Hannah standing in the doorway.
"No, you see to the cleaning, Claude," Ciel ordered.
"Me Lord?" Claude asked.
"Not so high and mighty now, huh?" I asked him and he glared at me.
"Now Hannah…Elena, let's go," Ciel ordered and we followed him as Claude no doubt watched us go. This was not how he had expected things to turn out.
Ciel went straight to his room and I pulled back the bed-sheets for him to get under. He pulled them tight and tapped the side for me to settle in near him. So he wanted comfort again? I didn't mind, I preferred staying with him then leaving Claude or Hannah near him.
"My lord," Hannah whispered.
"I wonder, what came over me just now?" Ciel asked, holding my hand over his heart as he looked to Hannah, "I hate this mansion. I want to go home."
"To the Phantomhive Estate?" Hannah asked as Ciel sat up.
"I just want things to go back," Ciel whispered as he looked to me and then Hannah, "to the way they were. Your eye is an odd colour," Ciel said as he touched Hannah's cheek, "I can't explain it. It's nostalgic somehow…"
"Master," Hannah whispered as she put her hand over his, "watch closely, I'll show you something."
Hannah held his hand tight as she opened her mouth wide. There was no tongue, no teeth…just darkness. It reminded me of a time I would have loved to forget. Shivers ran up my spine as I remembered death…
I stayed there for another few minutes, my mind gone for the time being as I remembered Marguerite Devereaux and the princes of Ludlow Castle. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I remembered death. I hadn't mentioned it to anyone that I knew what it was like to be dead. There was infinite nothing, no names to be called by and sometimes, there was a spark of memory…but it was never a good one. I had seen my mother like a skeleton, Berrymore glaring at me. Then it would return to nothing and I was nobody. It had been my father calling out "Ellie" that had brought me closer to the surface so I could hear Sebastian calling my name.
It had only been then that the nothing turned from pure brilliant white to pitch darkness and I had been falling. No, I couldn't tell them I knew what death's cruel grasp was like. I couldn't begin to explain the concept of infinite coldness and the loss of your identity. I shook my head and decided I had to go down to the young master now…
"What the hell?" I asked as Ciel looked closer, "Ciel, don't look!"
But no amount of begging could get through to Ciel…and soon he was clutching his head and screaming. I put my hands on his head and begged him to look at me…but then he fainted.
"What did you do to him?" I snapped as I held Ciel in my arms, "what did you do?!"
"I showed only the truth, to my true master," Hannah whispered as she stood, "Alois Trancy."
"That's right," she whispered to the fainted boy, "what you saw was indeed your own eye. Sleep well, master."
That sleep didn't last very long, and soon Ciel was spasming. I knelt on the bed and held down his shoulders, tears dripping down my face as I shook my head. No, this couldn't be happening. Ciel Phantomhive was in there, his bright cerulean blue eyes…and then I heard a chuckle. I looked down at the face I had grieved for, twisted with the expressions posed by Alois Trancy.
"Elena," he whispered in Ciel's voice, "you stupid tart!"
He threw me off the bed and I landed painfully on the ground, my head connected with the bedside table. Ciel's body stood up and Hannah helped him up the rest of the way. I sat up and rubbed my head, tears still dripping.
"You're dead," I croaked and Alois turned to look at me.
"Obviously not, I'm here," he muttered, "perhaps not in my own body but I know Claude didn't mean it. He loves me."
"You don't get it, do you?!" I snapped as I stood, "Claude Faustus never loved you! You're just a meal!"
Alois moved to stand in front of me and caught my arm painfully. I bit back the scream as he covered my mouth and smirked. Ciel would never treat me like this, I had to remember that. This was all Alois, he was annoyed I hadn't stayed…
"I saw how you treated Claude," Alois whispered, "and I don't like it!"
"You're dead!" I screamed at him as he motioned for Hannah to come closer.
"Throw her down the stairs or something, Hannah," Alois ordered, "make sure she understands what it means to defy her master and run away."
"Yes, master," Hannah replied as she caught my arm and pulled me from the room.
"Ciel! I called out, "Ciel, help me! Listen to me!"
Alois laughed as he followed Hannah to the stairs. He put his arms on the banister to watch as I faced the stairs. The tears wouldn't seem to stop as I shook out my head.
"Any last words?" Alois asked, "before you fall?"
"Ciel Phantomhive is my true master!" I yelled, "and no brat will change that."
Alois watched as Hannah pushed. My knees were the first thing to hit the stairs, then my chest…then my head. It continued in that vicious cycle before I was on my side against one of the walls. I was hurt, but I looked to the body at the banister and knew this was Alois. Ciel would never order this for me. Sebastian would have completed it with hesitation.
"Well, get up tart!" Alois snapped as Hannah went back into the room, "cry for that brat again."
"Ciel Phantomhive isn't a brat!" I called back at him.
Alois laughed and left me in the darkened hallway. Did this mean Ciel was dead? I shook my head against the thoughts.
"He can't be dead," I whispered as I coughed.
I got up slowly and stumbled down the rest of the stairs. My ankle ached but nothing seemed broken. I didn't think had thrown me too hard…but if she had, I would have been dead. I would find Sebastian…and he would help me sort this out. I limped to the front door and opened it wide. There were knives scattered on the floor, a mixture of golden and silver. Rose petals blew across the drive with a soft breeze. Ashes marked a spot higher up.
"What happened here?" I asked myself as I held my gut.
"Sebastian!" Alois called out in Ciel's voice, "Sebastian! Sebastian!"
I followed the voice and found myself in the back garden, where a maze lay. It was something Alois had built before I had arrived; telling me it only followed his heart. I hadn't understood that comment then, and I didn't understand it now. I couldn't see Ciel's body from where I stood. But I did spot the Phantomhive butler. Sebastian was by the wall with Claude, looking at the clock tower in the distance. I followed the path to reach Sebastian.
"Sebastian! Help me!" Alois called out, "please help! Sebastian, if you don't, I'll climb all the way up! I'll keep climbing, I swear I will! You better get here quickly, Sebastian! I'll climb this thing!"
"You're wrong," Sebastian stated as he looked around, and spotted me, and looked at Claude, "I've done nothing to disobey orders yet. That's not my lord."
"No, it's not," Claude muttered as Sebastian reached back to pull me close to his side.
"It's my lord, Earl Alois Trancy," Hannah stated and Sebastian turned us so we could see her.
"I'll fall off! I'll do it! Do you hear me, Sebastian?!" Alois called out, "I'll fall all the way down!"
"Elena," Sebastian whispered, "what happened?"
"I was with Ciel…and Hannah…she showed him something. It looked like death," I whispered to him as I clutched his lapels, "and then Ciel fainted…and Alois woke up."
"What happened to you?" he asked.
"Alois wanted to teach me a lesson," I replied as he touched my cheek, "that I couldn't defy my master and run away. He had Hannah throw me down the stairs…as punishment."
"But I told him the truth," I continued, "that my true master is Ciel Phantomhive."
"What a brave thing to do," Sebastian said with a smile, "that could have resulted in far worse injuries."
"What type of Phantomhive bodyguard would I be…if I lied?" I asked him.
"Let's play a game, shall we?" Hannah asked, "and the winner, will gain the ultimate prize. The soul of Ciel Phantomhive…"
So what did you guys think? In the episode it kind of jumped from Ciel fainting to Sebastian fighting Claude, so I thought I'd fill in the blank. Oh and I thought I'd add a few flashbacks. What do you think of Elena's father? Please review or PM with your thoughts. I'm really interested in what you the readers think :) Talk to you all soon :)