Butler's Apprentice(On hold)

Chapter Six--The Phantomhive Manor

Later that day, after Amber and Johnny had cleaned up and dressed in clothes Ciel had provided for them, they were taken on a tour of the Phantomhive Manor. Sebastian showed them the library, the gardens, explaining that the silver roses were "The master's favorite", the parlor, dining room, a variety of other unimportant rooms, and last of all, the kitchen. In the kitchen, they met the maid, Mey-Rin, the gardener, Finnian--or Finny-- and the cook, Bard.

Mey-Rin was a clumsy red-head with large round glasses, though Amber could tell she was nice.

Finnian was a sweet boy with his unruly blonde hair held partly back with a set of barrettes. A straw hat hung from his neck and  gardening gloves covered his hands.

Bard had short blonde hair and a sprinkle of stubble on his chin. A cigarette dangled from his mouth. He wore a chef's shirt and a pair of motoring goggles hung around his neck.

"Ooh....." Mey-Rin stared at Amber, a faint blush creeping across her face. Amber surpress a smile and chuckled inwardly. Did she have that much of an affect on girls?

"H-how do you do!" The maid attempted a curtsied, but ended up stumbling forward and colliding with Amber. She caught the girl, arms wrapped around her waist.

"Are you alright, Mey-Rin?" She asked, steading her. Mey-Rin stammered, flustered, and quickly pulled back.

"I'm f-fine, y-yes!" A loud fit of giggles caught Amber's attention. She turned and saw Johnny and Finnian sitting on the floor, clutching their stomachs as the laughed and giggled. A wide smile spread across her face. She was glad Johnny was having such a good time. It had been ages since she'd last heard him laugh like that.

She walked over to them and crouched down beside Finnian. He look up at her, wiping tears from the corner of his bright green eyes. She caught him off guard and wrapped him in a big ol' hug.

"Thank you, Finnian." Amber whispered in his ear.

"W-what for?" The startled boy asked. She grinned.

"For being you." She stood up and looked at Sebastian. She shuddered when she detected a dark aura floating up from him. The others seemed to notice it too, because the stared at him nervously. Johnny scrambled to his feet and hid behind Amber's leg, clutching her shirt.

What was getting the butler so riled up? 

"Mey-Rin. Bard. Finnian." Each flinched in turn as he spoke their name. His lips formed a scary smile. "Have you finished your work yet?"

"Eeep!" They said in unison. Sebastien opened his demonic eyes a slit, the scary smile still on his lips.

"Then why are you standing around idle? Get to work!" He pointed a threatening finger at them. They quickly scrambled away to do who knows what.

That was the first time Amber had seen his yell and it was frightening. She suppressed a shudder.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." The butler apologized. She eyed him suspiciously.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Sebastian gave her a saddened look. "Why? Because you are our guest." Amber scoffed.

"Guest indeed! Do you kidnap all your guest in bags?" He grinned and leaned in to her ear.

"No, you were a special case." He whispered in a mischievous voice. She could feel his warm breath and silky raven locks brush against her cheek. She struggled not to blush. How could this--this-- monster make her feel this way? She was disgusted with herself.

Amber backed away from Sebastian and took Johnny's small hand in hers, squeezing it tightly. A bell rang somewhere above her and she glanced up. A row of small bells attached to strings were mounted on the wall. Under each on was a name of a room in the mansion. The one ringing was connected to the study.

"You will have to excuse me." Sebastian said with a slight bow. "My master is calling. Feel free to explore the mansion." Was it her imagination or did she detect a slight hint of annoyance on his pretty face?

.............................

Amber didn't know what to do, so she explored the mansion, like Sebastian said she could. Johnny had gone in search of Finnian. She felt uneasy letting him wander alone, but she knew he'd be safe with the gardener when he found him.

She stopped outside a large, ornate wooden door. Reaching for the golden knob, she pushed it open. Inside she saw rows and rows of tall shelves, pack full of hundreds of books. They disappeared into the darkness not reached by the light from outside the room.

"Wow..." She gaped in awe. She'd never seem so many books in one place before! She walked down an aisle, running her fingers gingerly across the books' spines. One book caught her attention. It was different than all the others. The deep purple spine edged in bright blue was the brightest thing there.

Curiosity gnawing at her, she removed it from the shelf, brushing dust from the cover. She sneezed, dropping the book onto the floor. She cringed, hoping she hadn't broken it.

She bent down and picked it up. Thankfully, everything was still intact. She opened it, the spine creaking. It was obvious that nobody ever read this book.

Amber's eyes scanned down the page, drinking in the words. Her father had taught her how to read before passing away three years ago of a disease. The same disease had taken her and Johnny's mother just a few weeks later.

Amber felt her skin crawl and tingle as she read. It was about demons. It said they had long, pointed claws, bat-like wings, dark skin, stooped, crooked bodies, pointy teeth, and--she stared at the last three words as something clicked inside her:

Blood red eyes.