Chapter 3
Ciel snapped opened his eyes when there was a knock on his door. Leaning in to rest his arms on the desk, he sighed heavily before uttering a 'Come in'. The door swung opened to reveal Sebastian standing at the doorway, bowing with a hand on his chest.
"Young Master, we are ready to move out."
Ciel nodded, pushing himself away from the desk before standing up. Reaching out, he grabbed his cane that was propped against the desk, beside his chair, before flicking his eyes over to the girl that was leaned back on the chair opposite him, with her eyes closed.
"Blancbaston, you heard what he said. Now let's get moving."
When there was no response from the girl, Ciel cocked an eyebrow at her still form. His eyes then widened slightly when he noticed the small rises and falls of her chest - she had fallen asleep. He snorted before strolling over to the other side of the desk to wake her up.
"Blancbaston, wake up." Ciel stood next to the chair, waiting for her to open her eyes. But instead of that, the girl mumbled something under her breath before turning to her side, facing the boy and went still.
Sighing, he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder and began shaking her, hoping that it would wake her up this time. Cursing something that sounded very much like 'Stupid bug' under her breath, her hand raised up to slap his away before dropping back onto her lap, and she went still again.
Seriously, stupid bug….? This girl…!
Ciel gritted his teeth in annoyance at the different undesirable result and the sting of pain on his hand, he growled in frustration. Sebastian that stood at the doorway chuckled to himself as he watched the scene in amusement.
"BLANCBASTON! I SAID WAKE UP!"
The only response the girl gave was an irritated groan before her eyes fluttered opened and glared up at the source of the snarl, in annoyance through her half-opened lids.
"What do you want….midget?" She drawled, rubbing her eyes groggily, it was obvious that she was still not truly awake yet.
Ciel twitched in annoyance at his new nickname and shot her a murderous glare. "Midget? Who are you calling midget, BLANCBASTON? And get your butt off that chair…. We're now heading out to your manor, so quit wasting time!"
He took a few deep breaths to calm himself as he watched the girl raised an eyebrow at him and sighed before pushing herself up from the chair to stand up. Crossing her arms over her chest, Estella looked at him with her still raised eyebrow.
"Well, obviously it's you…Who else would I be talking about? And yes, yes…I got it, there's no need to shout."
Ciel stared back at her for a brief moment before his eyebrows moved down to form a glare and said coolly, "You have no right to call me a 'Midget', if you didn't notice…I am actually taller than you. So… The one that should be called a 'Midget' should be you, not me."
Straightening to her full height, she looked up at the boy and frowned when she realized that he was a head taller than her. Ciel smirk inwardly at her frown, he had won again. It was true. Now that he's going to turn fourteen by the end of the year, he had shot up from a height of 158cm to a new height of 163cm over the three few months ever since his birthday in December last year.
She looked away childishly and ordered. "Che. Whatever. Let's stop wasting time; it's time to move out."
Ciel only snorted and rolled his eyes at her back as she spun and strolled towards the door, before trailing behind to follow the girl out of his study. As he walked past his butler to exit the room, he paused when Sebastian gave out a chuckle.
"What?" Ciel snapped his head up to the chuckling butler.
"No, nothing. It's just that the interaction between you two was amusing. That girl's pretty interesting for a human…" Another chuckle emitted for the butler.
"Hn. Well, I find that the girl's pretty annoying…Alright, quit wasting time. Let's go." With that, Ciel exited the room with Sebastian trailing behind to reveal the girl leaning against the wall opposite the door, one foot tapping against the carpeted floor in an impatient manner. Pushing against the wall to straighten up, she strolled over to the duo with arms folded across her chest.
"FINALLY. Took you two long enough to come out….Can we head out now?" She asked impatiently.
"Aa." Ciel snorted at her impatience and begin moving to lead their way down the hallway with a smirking Sebastian trailing behind. Estella sighed before moving to follow them.
….
Estella gazed out at the nostalgia busy streets of London through the window, taking in every detail of it as the carriage trudged along it and sighed heavily.
The street was bustled with life as people gathered around a street performance, watching it with faces of amazement and disbelief. Her pupils moved across the street to take as much details as possible. Children were chasing each other around, laughing merrily. Some women were busy bargaining at a fruit stand while some with baskets hooked on an arm, strolled along the stone pavement, chatting away with each other.
Done taking in all the nostalgia details, she glanced up at the clear blue sky and sighed again. Ever since she got captured by SIGMA, she had never been able to be out into the sun or the streets, let alone seeing them for almost two years. And after almost two years, she was finally free from them and she was now moving along the streets under the sun. However… This time, not with her parents, but with strangers.
She leaned onto the side of carriage and gazed sadly out at the streets. Her parents died, no, murdered, that night along with all the servants. She had a bond with all the servants as they were the only companions she had as she did not like the other children from the families whose parents were her parent's business partners. They were extremely rude and arrogant. But after that night, everything she had was snatched away from her. Everything… Her parents, the servants and even her family pride - The Blancbaston Empire, went crumbling along with them. All these were taken away from her right on that very night. In other words, her life, happy and carefree, crumbled down and fell into darkness. Gone was it all.
...
….
-Flashback-
1886, 31st August
Tuesday, 12:32am
The Blancbaston Manor
"Wake up, darling, wake up." The red-headed girl groaned groggily as her eyes slowly fluttered opened to see her mother's face hovering over hers. Still not truly awake, she failed to notice the anxious look on her mother's face. Turning her head towards the window, she frowned as she looked out at the dark sky; it was obvious that it was still too early to wake up. Snapping her head back at her mother, she whined.
"But…Mother, it's still not time to wake up yet." Estella rubbed her eyes and yawned. Then there was muffled sound of shattering glass that seemed to come from somewhere at the lower floor. "Hmm…What's that sound?" She asked sleepily.
Lucia Blancbaston widened her eyes at that sound and grew more anxious. She said urgently, "Darling, get up now, do not ask any questions….We have no time to waste. Hurry, get up."
Picking up the urgent tone, Estella widened her eyes at it and quickly did what she was told. Scampering out of the covers, she swung herself off her bed and stood to face her mother. Shooting her mother a puzzled look, she opened her mouth, preparing to question her mother, but snapped it back closed when she suddenly remembered what her mother said.
"Alright, make no noise. Follow me, remember no noise." Lucia Blancbaston sternly reminded her daughter before spinning around to start moving out of the room. Estella frowned in puzzlement at her mother's retreating back before moving to follow.
She watched as her mother peeked out of her door and tiptoed into hallway before gesturing for her to follow. Estella then too tiptoed out of the room and waited for further instructions. The woman beside looked around with her head snapping from side to side before breaking into a jog. Estella followed when the woman uttered a 'Come' and jogged up to her side. Studying her mother's face while moving along beside her, Estella frowned at the anxious and scared look plastered on her beautiful face. Mother….
Her eyes widened at the sudden crash which seemed to come from the lower floor again. She was about to turn her head to the direction of the crash when her mother whispered, "Don't. Don't look back, don't ever look back. Remember this, even in life…don't ever look back… don't ever let something from the past drag you down... Now, let's quicken our pace." Her mother tightly grasped her hand as she pulled her along, quickening their pace. Estella frowned at her mother's words, something about them sounds so….sad, and if she didn't hear wrongly, she swore that she had heard a tone of finality in them.
Sinking her feet into the lavender carpeted floor, they served into a corner and shot down the hallway before her mother came to a sudden stop in front of a portrait. It was a portrait of her, painted by an artist whom her parents had hired when she was ten.
She watched in surprise when her mother reached out to a tiny button which was camouflaged with the golden yellow wallpaper. Her eyes widened at a 'click' sound before the part of the wall where the portrait held slid open to reveal a tiny room that seem to be only capable of fitting one person. Living in this manor ever since the day she was born, she had never known of the existence of this hidden room.
When her mother lit the a tiny lamp hung on a wall at a side of the room, she watched as her mother closed back its lid before stepping out into the hallway beside her. Glancing at the now lit room for a brief moment, she snapped back to her mother when her mother uttered her name. She then soon found herself hugged tightly by her mother who kept uttering her name under her breath. Looking up at her mother, her eyes widened when she saw tears brimming on her lids, threatening to fall. When a tear landed on her face, Estella could only utter one word, "Mother…"
Breaking the embrace, her mother kissed her forehead and lingered it there for a brief moment before stepping away. "Darling…Go inside, now go inside…Hurry."
Estella was about to protest when her mother plead with tears running down her cheeks. "Please, darling… just get inside."
Shocked to hear her mother pleading her, she instantly obeyed and stood into the tiny room. Watching her mother moving to the mouth of the room, Estella pressed her back against the wall, trying to make as much room as possible stood to let her mother in too. But seeing that her mother just stood at the entrance, she gestured her hand at her mother to come in. When her mother shook her head at her, her eyes widened and begged.
"No…Please, Mother…..Don't do this to me. Come on, get in here…please don't-"
"No. This was built for you. Only for you..." Her mother said firmly. Unclasping her necklace and taking it off from her neck, she reached out to her daughter and put the two sides of the chain on the either side of her neck before clasping them firmly with each of their end at the back of her neck. Withdrawing her arms back, Lucia Blancbaston looked admirably with tears running down her cheeks, at the necklace that was now hung onto her daughter's neck before flicking her eyes up to meet her daughter's eyes.
"Fits you perfectly. I know that your birthday's tomorrow but looks like I need to be giving you your birthday present now. Sorry that I couldn't get you a better present, this is the only thing I have that I can give you now…Happy Birthday, darling."
Estella glanced down at the necklace before snapping her head up at her mother with a look of bewilderment.
"But…Mother…This is your favorite…."
"I don't mind…." She sniffed before continuing, "…And it looks like…I won't be able to see you turn twelve…"
Estella widened her eyes in realization at her mother's words.
"Darling….I want you to know that I and your father will always love you, always. And like what I said just now, don't ever, ever, look back; don't ever let something from the past drag you down. Look towards the future….I want you to have a bright future...so don't ever let something from the past drag you down and be safe. Lastly, remember to eat healthily and go to bed early. Don't play too much and study hard…and another thing….remember to brush your teeth and eat your veggies…and, and….don't-"
Estella averted her eyes away from her mother to the direction of a scream coming from somewhere down the hallway. Lucia Blancbaston spun back to her daughter, another new bunch of tears ran down her cheeks, whispering.
"They're here. I've got to go. Remember that I and your father will always love you…Keep as little noise as possible…" She jutted her chin at a wall of the room which held a similar-looking button to the one on the outside before continuing, "… and only come out when you think it's safe. I love you, my daughter…." With a small hug, Lucia Blancbaston pulled back and look at her daughter for one last time before pushing the tiny button. Watching her daughter softly plead for her to come in from behind the slowly closing wall, her heart shattered into pieces like the shattering glass that sounded from down the hallway.
Turning away from the wall after she watched her daughter disappear from her view when the wall shut closed, she wiped her tears and uttered, "Goodbye, my daughter…"
Pulling a pistol out of its holster that was hidden under her nightgown; she took a deep breath before marching off towards the source of the crash.
….
Estella, sprawled on the floor, stared at the wall as tears ran down her cheek, after it slid closed. She knew that, that was the last time she can ever see her mother again. Straining her ears to pick up any sounds from the outside, her breath hitched when a sudden muffled crash and gunshot sounded from somewhere further down the hallway and it grew quiet again. Shutting her eyes, her body shook as she silently sobbed.
…
...
1886, 1st September
Wednesday, 08:21 am
The Blancbaston Manor
Her eyes fluttered opened to see a casted elongated shadow, her shadow, on the opposite wall by the light from the tiny lamp, her lids then shut tightly at the sting at the back of her eyes before opening again. Estella realized that whatever happened was not a nightmare, it was real. She had fallen asleep while crying, resulting in the sting at the back of her eyes.
Pushing away from the wall behind her, she straightened into an upright position. Hoping that it was safe to go out since she had slept for pretty long, she gingerly reached out to the tiny button and pushed it. She held her breath, waiting for the murderer or dead bodies to come into view. But her eyes widened to see nothing of what she expected, there was no murderer lurking outside or any dead bodies along the hallway, it was all cleaned of them. She then realized that it was already morning as she noted the bright sunrays shining through the windows. Scampering up to stand, her legs under her buckled a little as it was numbed from the position she had been sleeping in for hours. Holding the wall as a support, she waited for the numbness to subside before hesitantly put a foot forward as she stepped out into the hallway.
Cautiously moving down the hallway, Estella was relief to find out that there were really no bodies at all sprawled along this stretch of the hallway. Crossing her arms over her chest, she frowned and asked hopefully to no one in particular as she continued down the hallway before turning around a corner, "Hmm…Maybe all those were planned out as one of the parts for my birthday, just to scare me…"
Shrieking as she backed away with widened eyes, Estella stared at the scene before her fearfully. Bloodied bodies were sprawled across the hallway; stains of blood could be seen splattered on the both walls of it. She looked at each body one by one, identifying them.
"Samantha… Jane… Susan… Lisa… Mother?" Her eyes stopped and fixed onto the body. She gasped as she darted around bodies and got a closer look. Her dead mother was sprawled on the floor, laid on her back, with eyes wide opened with the look of shock on her bloodied face. Her limbs were twisted in weird angles. Estella stared in horror at her dead mother as she plopped down on the floor beside her mother's corpse. Reaching out, she slowly moved a hand over to her mother's eyes and closed it. It was not a planned part for her birthday, it was all real.
Staring at her mother's now peaceful-looking bloodied face, she whispered in disbelief, "No…no, this can't be happening…NO!" Flicking her eyes away from the corpse, she broke down and sobbed loudly in grieve into her hands.
Right on that night with her both parents and all the servants murdered, she was the last one standing. She, Estella Blancbaston, became the only survivor, the last only standing Blancbaston that had survived the horror of that night. And it was the night right before her twelfth birthday, it was… the last and the worst birthday she ever had. In a blink of an eye, her life came crumbling down into darkness.
-End of Flashback-
…..
...
-Back to Present—
Pulling back from her memories, Estella gritted her teeth as her hands curled themselves up into fists. Glaring out at the busy streets through the window, she sighed heavily as a sudden feeling of dread and fear came upon her. She had sudden feeling of fear as she thought how she were getting closer and closer to that place as the carriage trudged on. Merely standing on that piece of land, all the bad memories that slept deep within her mind would be awakened again, and that would be the last thing she wants to ever happen. Estella then felt a sudden surge of raw anger when she suddenly thought back at the memory she just had. Whoever that caused her to lose her everything would have to pay, seriously pay.
But who? Who would be the one to pay for all that? Damn it.
It was true. Before she could even get a chance to find out who was the murderer, she was already captured by SIGMA. Captured by them, she was closed off from the outside world, so even if the police had found out who's the murderer, that discovery did not reach her.
That damn SIGMA. They seriously have such a 'superb' timing. Thanks to them, I didn't get a chance to find out who's the damn murderer.
The feeling of raw anger was then replaced by determination, she was suddenly eager to reach that place. And when she reached that place, she would be able to find out who's the murderer on her own. Estella grinned devilishly to herself as she slammed a fist down onto the leather seat of the carriage she was currently sitting on.
And once I find out who's that bastard, he better pray that I cannot find him because once I find him, he's SO going to pay.
Estella stared out at the streets as a dark chuckle emitted from her mouth.
….
Turning away from the window next to him, Ciel snapped his head over and glared in annoyance at the girl who was sitting at the other end of the same seat which he was sitting on, when the sound of a smack on the leather surface of the seat, echoed within the small enclosed carriage they were riding in, broke the silence.
Glaring at her back that was facing him as the girl gazed out of the other window, his eyes flicked down to see one hand clenched into a fist, resting at her side on the seat, and snorted.
Is it necessary for her to punch the stupid seat? Can't she-
His thoughts were then suddenly disrupted when a dark chuckle emitted from the girl. Flicking his eyes to the back of her head, he cocked an eyebrow at the girl as she chuckled on darkly to herself.
What's wrong with her? Crazy and annoying girl. Why out of so many SIGMA victims, it just had to be her…. Hn.
Listening as the girl continued chuckling on, he grew annoyed.
"Blancbaston. Would you shut it?" He growled as he watched the girl spun around and shot him a glare.
"What? I wasn't talking….so why should I 'shut it'?" She snapped back.
Ciel snorted at her and stated. "You. Were chuckling to yourself."
Estella frowned in embarrassment when she realized that she had chuckled too loudly for the Phantomhive boy to hear. Trying to cover up her embarrassment, she opened her mouth and was about to shoot back at him when Ciel interrupted her.
"We are here."
Estella widened her eyes at his announcement and spun around to the window in bewilderment. What Ciel announced was true. With the feeling of fear and at the same time, anticipation, she watched the carriage drew closer and closer to that place. Gazing out at the manor, she gulped nervously. She had really finally reached. The place where held both good and bad memories.
…The Blancbaston Manor.
…..
-End of Chapter-