Tainted

Chapter 1 - Hide and Seek

Light met her eyes harshly when she tried to crack them open, and so she shut them with a wince. The nasty headache pounding between her ears seemed to elevate upon her attempt to open her eyes. She cursed weakly under her breath.

It took her what felt like a painstaking hour to finally adjust to the prodding brightness. Now, there was another problem – why was the world spinning?

She scowled in discomfort.

Her throat felt extremely dry as she painfully swallowed down her saliva. She licked her dry lips but hissed in pain when her lips that were as dry as parchment cracked and a metallic-tasting fluid entered her mouth.

Her gaze was immediately drawn to the water gleaming invitingly at her through a glass jar sitting on the dainty table next to her, and she sat up with teeth gritting at the sharp pain that rippled through her body.

Eager, shaky hands reaching out towards it, she drank the water in big, greedy gulps the moment the jar touched her lips, not bothered by the small splash of water which had managed to escape down her chin.

When she was done, she found herself wiping the remaining droplets off her face with the short, flared sleeve of a simple white dress she did not recognize.

The pounding in her head seemed to escalate as a fresh collection of memories finally set in, with a single name causing her heart to skip a beat.

SIGMA.

Her eyes wandered over to the window across the room and widened as a realization slowly dawned on her.

This place clearly wasn't the hell she'd been trying to run from. Did this meant that...she had succeeded? A wisp of doubt was quick to diminish her hope. She didn't dare to celebrate too soon – a curt slap across her own cheek left a sting that made her grin.

Her eyes roamed the room across appreciatively, the high quality in the detail of the room immediately captured by her. The dark crimson drapes that hung over the opened window was probably thick enough to block out the light even on the sunniest day. The spacious poster bed with its thick mattress was so extremely soft and cushy that seemed to fit right around the contours of her body. The plump cushions that surrounded her made it even better.

No, it wouldn't even matter if the bed was hard and lumpy – she would gladly choose a lousy bed over trying to catch some sleep on a cold, hard floor!

Everything here reeked class and wealth.

She couldn't tell where she was, but this was her reality now – she did it! She was really no longer in that horrible place.

Her glee was, however, found to be shortlived when a knock was rapped against the door. She was quickly reminded with dread dampening her high spirits.

She might not be in SIGMA anymore, but her safety was still uncertain. If this wasn't SIGMA, then where was she?

There wasn't time to think about the unsettling question; the intricate door handle was already pushed down – whoever behind the door apparently did not care enough to wait for her response.

The door swung open.

And the only thought that ran through her head was whoa.

A man looking young enough to be in his late twenties with a face she wasn't sure she could describe as 'perfectly handsome' since she had been kept away from society for years to judge. But she did know it was a face she was not expecting to see on the other side of the door.

"I see that you're finally awake, Miss." The man gave her a small bow at his waist, with a hand resting on his chest.

His demeanor and the iron-pressed bland uniform – these could only belong to a butler, and this information only made her more curious and wary. The blur and the shapeless, scattered thoughts made from the confusion she felt ever since was quickly replaced with a sharpness – the same blade that had kept her alive and got her out of SIGMA.

"Where am I?" The ice in her eyes seemed to pierce as she eyed him with a narrowed, calculated gaze. "And who do you serve?"

The butler seemed to be amused about something and gave out a low chuckle. It wasn't obvious but she could tell he took a quick assessment of her, with what she interpreted as intrigue.

"I am Sebastian Michaelis," the butler bowed once more, "the Head Butler of the Phantomhive household."

"Phantomhive?"

A frown appeared between her eyebrows as that name struck something, but she still could not figure out why it sounded so familiar. Her frown deepened in frustration at the nagging at the back of her mind.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at her who looked like she was mulling over something before clearing his throat, breaking the girl away from her thoughts. When he got her attention, he continued.

"It seems like you are well rested. My master has ordered me to bring you to see him in his study. So would you kindly follow me to meet him, Miss?"

She froze for a moment, but quickly responded with a stubborn scowl on her face.

Suspicion was going off like an alarm in her head at his words; many what-ifs were surfacing upon his request. All of them eventually spiraled down to one decision - that she should escape this place while she could. There was no telling what would happen if she were to ever meet his master. The worst scenario she had conjured to her mind was strong enough to stop her obliging.

"Sorry, but no thanks."

Sebastian quirked an eyebrow at her, silently staring back at the girl who was now glaring in defiance at him. Silence stretched as they continued staring.

Finally, a smirk spread across his handsome face, a glint of amusement can be seen in his eyes.

"Oh? Alright then. I'll inform my master of this. You must be hungry; I'll send your food here later. I shall take my leave now, rest well. " With a bow, he turned and exited the room through the door, locking it behind him.

The sound of the turning lock instantly sent her scrambling off the bed, with wide eyes. Oh no, did he just...?

Her legs buckled under her before she could take a full step forward, and she landed in an unflattering sprawl on the carpeted floor.

A strangled groan escaped her lips. Aches were pulsing through her body; her condition was worse than she had thought.

A fierce glare fell on her face as she force herself off the floor.

Her hair tumbled over her shoulders as she gazed down at her trembling limbs.

Just how long did she sleep? When was the last time she fed her body? She felt her stomach rumble with a growl at her second thought.

No, nevermind that. She forced her thoughts back to her situation and returned her gaze to the door.

Walking forward with the scarce strength she could muster with her weak legs, she tried the door which immediately sent her heart sinking with disappointment.

It was locked. Great.

She casted a reproachful glare at the door before setting her gaze on her only escape option, sighing heavily at the thought of a risky attempt through the window. Food and more rest was clearly a requirement if the window was her plan.

She returned to her spot on the bed and gazed calculatedly at the ceiling.

Only waiting it out seemed to be the only way afterall.

…..

Ciel tapped his fingers against his desk in a rhythmic manner as he studied the content of his paperwork. He sighed and drew out a yawn.

He could feel himself growing restless. He'd been working all morning on the stack of reports that never seemed to end.

This was part of being the Phantomhive head; clearly inevitable. The thought of tossing them into the dancing flames in the fireplace across his study was always tempting.

Frustration escaped his mouth in the form of a deep, heavy sigh as he carelessly released his hold and let the paper flutter down to the desk.

Displeasure drew a sneer on his face as Ciel turned around in his leather chair to the window behind him, glaring at the lush, green lawn beyond his manor building. The sneer grew bigger as Sebastian's report resurfaced.

What kind of i***t was she to deny his request? Who would be stupid enough to do that while they are sitting in the belly of the Phantomhive manor?

His gaze was cold–no, gleaming dangerously.

A knock on the door broke him from his thoughts, and he grunted a response.

He turned his chair back to see Sebastian entering with a silver food cart that held his tea and cakes for his tea break.

About time, he sighed inwardly as he watched Sebastian stop before him, returning to his thoughts as the butler busied himself with his tea.

"Dacquoise, originated from France, and Earl Grey tea."

Ciel blinked.

"Is everything alright, Young Master?" Sebastian looked at his master with a glint of concern in his eyes.

"I'm fine."

Ciel fed himself his first bite of the snack before him."Any report about that ungrateful girl?"

"She's well rested but obviously famished so I had already sent food over for her. And Young Master…May I ask, why do we need to lock her door?"

"We wouldn't want our precious only connection to SIGMA to escape, would we?" Ciel sipped on his tea.

"With me around, escaping would be impossible for her. So why do we even bother locking?"

"Complacency is only for idiots."

"As you wish. But still, escaping would be impossible. Another thing, there is something about her that did not seem…very humanly." Sebastian paused to see his master looked up from his cake, his interest perked at his butler's discovery.

"What do you mean by…not very humanly?" Ciel asked with a c****d eyebrow.

"Hmm…How do I explain?" There was a brief pause before he continued, "…I can sense a faint bit of demonic essence from her."

He watched as his master's visible eye widened at the discovery before it reverted back with interest written in his eye.

"Oh? Does that make her a demon?" Ciel set down his fork on the plate that now had little crumbs of the cake that he had just consumed after popping the last piece of cake into his mouth.

"No. That would be unlikely."

Bringing his cup away after a sip, Ciel c****d his head at his butler.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Let me explain. Us, demons, do not have souls. But for this girl, she still has her soul. Her having her soul is a sign that marks her humanity. That is why I say that her being a demon is most unlikely, but I am not sure I can explain the demonic essence from her as I have never felt anything like that from a human before…"

Sebastian quickly refilled the cup Ciel held out to him as the young man mulled over this new information. "Then we will get the answer out of her tomorrow. For now, I want you to keep a close eye on her."

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian bowed before picking up the plate from the table to put it back to the cart.

"Alright, leave."

Bowing again, Sebastian left the study to let his master to go back to his work.

Interesting… Does this have any connection to SIGMA? Hmm… speaking of SIGMA, that fire…..was she the cause of it? Looks like I'll have to wait to get all my answers tomorrow then.

Putting his cup aside, he reached out to his paperwork that he had abandoned just now and started working on it again.

…..

Morning.

The Phantomhive manor was all quiet, only the rustling of the leaves caused by the gentle breeze and the sound of the water pouring out of the fountain that stood at the front of the manor could be heard.

Somewhere in a guestroom of the manor, a girl groaned groggily as the sunlight pouring through the window hit her eyelids. The brightness could be seen even behind her closed lids.

She grimaced at the brightness before diving into the covers, to hide away from the painful brightness. She was about to drift off to sleep again when there was sudden knock on the door. Still half awake, she grunted in response as permission for the visitor to enter. Then there was a 'click' before the door swung open. Though still under the covers, she was sure that it was that butler again. Her assumption was confirmed when he spoke.

"I brought you your breakfast and I have prepared you your clothes. Eat and get dressed, my master wants to see you later so get ready. I'll come back in forty minutes to bring you over to see him. If there's nothing else, I shall take my leave."

There was a 'click' again after the door thumped softly on its frame as it shut close. She sighed before pushing herself to a sitting position with the cover still clinging onto her shoulders. Yawning, she rubbed at her eyes before swinging herself off the bed. She then got to her breakfast and ate quickly before entering the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Wrapped with a fluffy towel around her, she stepped out of bathroom and into the room towards the neatly folded clothes that sat on her bed.

It was a white plain-looking long sleeves dress that reached right below her knees. Combing her bed hair, she stared back at the red-haired girl that has a glint of determination in her icy blue eyes in the mirror.

It was time.

She needs to get out of this place before the butler comes back. Setting the comb back to its original place, she stepped out into the room and made her way towards the window since that was the only way out as the door was locked. Peering over the hedge of the window, she smirked, to her delight, it was not that high and there were some strong-looking veins creeping up on the outer wall of the manor that she could make use of to get to the ground level.

Pushing herself onto the hedge of the window, she carefully reached out towards the nearest vein, wound her fingers around it and clutched tightly. Praying that it can hold her weight, she swung herself off the hedge and clanged her whole body onto it.

She released the breath that she had been holding in relief when she saw that the vein did not snap under her weight. Slowly descending to the ground, she gave herself a mental pat on her shoulders when she reached the bottom. Looking up at the window for a brief moment, she broke into a sprint to where she knew she could find her way out. Holding onto the hem of her dress, she cursed under her breath as the dress flapped up in the rushing wind as she ran.

Damn dress, she gritted her teeth in annoyance.

She smirked to herself when the huge lawns of manor came into view. Pausing for awhile to stare at the towering gates ahead, a grin broke across her face.

Her soaring heart pounded in her chest in anticipation as she threw herself forward, making her final dash. Her progress toward the gate was cut short when a familiar deep voice froze her in her tracks.

"Where do you think you are going?"

Edited: 10/06/2019