I Heard Alois has a New Toy

Where Everything Connects

I felt like such an idiot when I realized Sebastian was still in the room. All I could see were his feet, about 10 feet away from the air vent. The only noise I could hear was my terribly loud breathing. Until I heard his footsteps, coming over to the exact spot where I hid.

One, two, three long strides I had in order to leap away from the opening on the wall. He was right next to me, on the other side of the wall, waiting for me to make a mistake.

I pulled my hands over my mouth to slow and quiet my breathing. But I didn't even have to, because I almost stopped breathing all together when a shadow appeared on the ground right next to where I was sitting. The light that was coming from the library was now blocked by Sebastian's head as he tried to look through the grate. He was less than a foot away from me.

"Come, Sebastian," I heard Ciel say at the door.

"I thought I had heard something," replied Sebastian, "Must have been a mouse."

The light reappeared on the ground and Sebastian finally left the room. I exhaled the breath I had sucked in suddenly earlier.

Claude should be around here somewhere, I thought to myself as I got myself up.

Sebastian may also be a demon, just as Claude is, but that doesn't mean that he will be able to find me in a place that he's never found before.

Searching around the manor, all I could find were more hallways and stairwells. Each time I would hear footsteps coming from outside the walls, I panic and dash to the next room, in order to not be seen or heard. My nerves were running dry at this point, I felt as though I was about to collapse any second, but there was one more place that I needed to check.

As I recall, there is a small room in which all of the pathways leading up to, right in the middle of the manor. Gathering my thoughts, I dashed to that room by trying to navigate exactly where the center of the house was. My sense of direction is absolutely terrible, so finding my way around to a place that I had only really been to once was not easy.

Fortunately, I was close enough to the room that I was able to make it there in about fifteen minutes. Trust me when I say this, trampling in the dark with no light and no actual direction and only a destination is not easy. The only light that would escape into the passageways was from the air vents, which were quite small. Most of the time I had not been able to see my own hands in front of my face.

When I had reached the room I hadn't known it. With my hands stretched out in front of me, what I had found was not the doorway to the room, but a tall figure with stiff feeling clothing and a few buttons. When I had bumped into whatever was standing there, I froze completely. I haven't been in a situation like this since I started living here. I became pretty good at running around the city to avoid people, but this was completely different. I had something to lose now. Besides, the city always had moonlight. I was completely and utterly vulnerable.

"Sebastian," I said, with my arms still stretched out, my hands now clenching the figures' clothing.

"No," said a familiar voice. I should have known it was Claude all along, but I was still incredibly relieved.

Out of sheer excitement, I wrapped my arms around him tightly.

"Claude," I said, burying my head into him, "I was so scared you wouldn't protect me."

Claude just stood there for a moment before loosely putting one arm around me. His other hand was petting my head to try and calm me down. It didn't work. I was still shaking.

"Lady, y/n," he said in his usual monotone voice, "I will always be here, as long as his Highness wants you here."

Those words cut deeply into my very soul. As long as Alois wants me here. I hadn't seen Alois in the hour that I have been hiding from the others. I wonder what he was thinking right now. He had to know that I was keeping something from him at this point, in fact, how could he not know? He now had both Sebastian and Ciel looking for me in his house despite the fact that I had told Alois that I was not keeping any secrets about myself.

Claude's words rang in my ear. I had finally noticed the clouds over my eyes, they were slowly filling with tears. My breathing was shaky and uneven due to my throat being filled with a small ball, it was only building up faster and faster. Claude was so cold up against me, like a brick wall. I could tell that he was trying to comfort me, but he was honestly very bad at it. He touched me as if I were filthy.

"Oh, Claude," I almost yelled through my cries, "How could I have made such a mess? I should have just told him the truth before. Claude, please, help me."

I sounded so completely and utterly pathetic at that moment. There I was, begging a demon to save me from the inevitable. I wanted to stay with Alois more than anything. I valued my lifeless than I value the chance to spend more time with him. All I wanted now was to make sure that Alois was happy, it's what he needs. It was so rare that I actually found him enjoying himself in this manor.

"There is one way that I can ensure your safety," Claude said smoothly.

Looking up, I found that we were indeed in the room that I had been looking for. The room where everything connects. Claude had lit the room up with candles in each corner of the room. There were no windows in this room, it was completely isolated from the outside world.

"What is it?" I asked him, "I'll do anything."

Claude pushed me away from him with my shoulders so that we could look directly at each other. With his usual frown and deadeyes, he said; "Y/n, form a contract with me."