Comforting Darkness

Chapter 37: The Tutor, Bittersweet Happiness

The next day, in the evening Ciel withdrew to his office, along his butler and tutor. Selina followed with Sebastian behind her. The demon, with a hand on her waist, gently pushed her forward; his face a cold, expressionless mask, undisturbed all day, but his eyes a little redder than his mahogany human ones and annoyance was obvious. Selina saw that and was not sure whether it was due to the contact he was forced to have with her - since all day he had kept a quite obvious distance from her - or due to Soma's and Agni's eyes curiously roaming on her figure, trying to figure out where the well-shaped, quite attractive female body hid the amount of strength needed to make her Ciel's left hand - since Sebastian was obviously his right one - as Sieglinde had informed them.

When they entered the Earl's office, boy and man took their places behind the desk and at the side of the Earl's armchair respectively, as the woman sat in an armchair across them. She took a breath and smoothed her skirt trying to calm down.

"Now, my lord. You might hear things that will make you feel uncomfortable... please bear with it; they will help both of you understand... me." She announced giving the boy Earl a book she had with. Once he opened the cover he realised it was a photo album filled with pictures of Selina, Miranda and many others he did not know.

Selina's voice sounded too serious and Sebastian took a closer look at her face – even though he had decided to hold back – and saw her own expressionless and cold mask slipping on her features in an effort to steel herself for what she knew would follow.

"Well... I'll start from the beginning, one of my first vague memories. I could say that my family was pretty much a normal one and we were... quite happy..." Her voice was calm now and resonated a bitter warmth as her narration went on.

{~}

Animal sounds and roars filled the blond five-year old girl's ears as she was standing in front of a zoo cage, watching two large panthers lying inside it quite bored. Her furrowed eyebrows and pouting lips showed she was not enjoying it that much.

"Well, honey, do you like it here? Beautiful animals, aren't they?" An adult man standing behind her asked leaning closer, his soft grey eyes staring at the girl with love as he ruffled her long curls, so different from his dark chocolate, straight and short hair. "What?" He asked again confused as the girl shook her head at his first question and nodded at the second.

"They are very beautiful... the most beautiful, but I don't like it here anymore." Her eyebrows furrowed more and her blue eyes were tearful. "They must not be in here, but there!" She pointed at a sign informing visitors about the animal's characteristics and natural habitat.

"Tsk! Big deal! They are wild animals; they are kept in here where they are protected by hunters. So what?" A twelve year old girl, with dark chocolate soft curls and really deep blue eyes - under certain light they looked violet - said and shrugged her shoulders indifferently.

"They must be free!! And I want to go home, I don't like the zoo!!" The little one said determined and stomped her feet on the ground, glaring the older one that called her 'a baby' mockingly.

"Deanna, stop that!" The adult woman, next to the man, spoke pulling her light ginger curls out of her face. "Selina, sweetie, I understand if you want to go home, but you also have to consider your sister and your cousin who might want to see the rest of the animals, alright? Miranda dear, do you want to go on or go home?" Smiling she addressed a seven year old, red haired, green eyed girl holding her hand.

"I want to go on... please." The soft, shy voice of little Miranda was heard.

Deanna responded she did not care either way. However, Selina could not accept that; she yelled she wanted to go home now, and in a flash had escaped her father's arms, ready to hug her, and started running to the exit's direction. She heard her parents calling her and her sister saying she would catch the 'bad mannered baby' and with quite bored steps started following her. Selina knew Deanna was also a good runner and that was why she sped up even more.