Little Lady of Phantomhive Manor

Chapter 14

Ciel wasn't sure how to explain when he felt something was wrong. He would never admit to being paranoid outloud but sometimes the smallest gust of unexpected wind could make him flinch and itch to reach for the gun under his pillow. 

It was when he felt everything was too quiet that he started to feel a strange chill up his spine. It was as if the world had come to a sort of standstill and even the wind had stopped blowing and the animals had stopped crying. 

He slowly sat up feeling almost dizzy, and took a moment to let his eyes readjust. For a moment he felt something was missing. It barely took him another second to realize a small weight wasn't near him. His eyes widened instantly. He looked from the bed to the bassinet a few feet away. Empty. 

Ciel quickly got out of bed and haphazardly threw on his robe before quickly heading for the door. No sooner had the door been opened when he was hit by the intense heat of flames and the harsh smell of smoke. Ciel stumbled back as the flames seemed to move at a supernatural rate and started to engulf his entire room. He harshly coughed as the smoke invaded his lungs, hardly able to breathe at all.

"Se-"Cough. "S-Se-" Cough. Cough. No matter how he tried, he couldn't call out. 

He turned to try and escape only to face the sight of the silhouette of a woman with wings. At her feet were Bard, Mey-Rin, and Finny. All with looks of horror etched on their faces and blood dripping from slit necks. In one hand she held a chain that lead to a metal collar that held a black creature covered in feathers with a distinct mark on what looked like a deformed hand. In the arm of her free hand, she held a young baby as it cried out in fright. Ciel tried to scream, to call out to someone, to do anything only to remain frozen as he choked more on the smoke. 

"Thou art unnecessary! Thou art unclean! Thou art unwanted!" The words seemed to echo all around him even as he covered his ears in a desperate attempt to block it out. 

Ciel quickly sat up with a start and breathed heavily as he looked around the room. He was still in the guestroom at Barrymore Manor. There were no flames, no bodies, no terrifying words.

"Well, this is a change." Ciel turned to see Sebastian sitting next to the fireplace with Angelina in his arms as she drank her morning milk. "I can't recall you sleeping through one of her mealtimes since she arrived. Something disturb your sleep?" Ciel scowled as Sebastian gave him a knowing smirk. 

"Damn you," Ciel responded with a small growl.

"Now, now," Sebastian said as Angelina finished her milk. He lifted her up to his shoulder and started patting her back. "Using such language around a baby isn't a good idea. Wouldn't want it to be her first word, would you?" Ciel just remained quiet. Sebastian simply chuckled before handing Angelina to Ciel.

Ciel didn't say much as Sebastian helped him prep for the day before leaving to start on breakfast. For a while, Ciel just looked at Angelina as she once again played with her plush dog. He must've been doing so for a while because she seemed to suddenly be looking at him in what you could describe as a concerned way. She looked at him for a moment longer before holding her dog up to him. He felt confused for a moment before chuckling slightly, understanding she was trying to cheer him up.

"Don't worry about me," he said as he finally stood up and headed downstairs. He kept a straight face as he walked, but anyone paying attention could tell he was clutching Angelina tightly. 

Upon arriving in the dining hall, Ciel could see a highchiar was placed next to a chair at the foot of the table. He walked over and carefully placed Angelina down and locked her in before sitting in the chair next to her. He absentmindely pet her soft hair as she continued to play with her plush dog before Sebastian entered.