Black Butler: The Book of Her: Sirens Tell No Tales

The Omen: Edited

The afternoon sky was veiled in thick, ominous clouds, as Janeice walked languidly along the quiet city streets. Her attire consisted of tight, black fleeced leggings, a fitted, long-sleeved, off-the shoulder black shirt, and a plaid black and green button-up worn like an overcoat.

Her thigh-length micro twists were parted in the middle at the top, then neatly pulled into two cornrows that fell into long, heavy braids crossed into an X shape at the crown of her head. The bottom half hung loose and swayed with each step, with luminous, golden beads sharpened at the edges, adorning each twist. Two stray twist fell loosely by her temples. This was Janeice's go to look as it was the easiest to maintain and didn't take as much thought or effort to pull off.

Her black heeled boots clicked noiselessly against the pavement. Janeice strolled along, attentive to any unfamiliar sounds. Her backpack rested securely on her shoulders while she stared blankly ahead of her with glazed eyes.

The walk home; however, was completely silent. The journey was devoid of any life or noise, including her own. Not one word was spoken as she continued on her pathway towards her destination. Some might find the lack of sound or people unsettling and may wish to fill in the silence with something; anything really. Janeice though, thought it was perfect.

Janeice was always known for her uncanny ability to never make a sound. You never heard the clinking of her hair beads, or the clacking of her heels, or even the light sound of her breathing. In all ways, except physical, she was a phantom. Silent, invisible, see through, completely and utterly noiseless.

Her silence was unnerving to most, but she cared little to do anything about it. She preferred the quiet. It's not her intention to be creepy or secretive per-se, she just kind of...is, for better or for worse. This never stopped her from doing what she wanted, which is the motivation behind her going to lectures every other day, despite these "challenges." Today, however; her thoughts were interrupted by a barely audible shuffle near a withered dumpster.

From what Janeice could tell, there, sitting close to the sidewalk, is the vague outline of a cat. His fur is much darker than the dreary blue and grey of the skies and general atmosphere, so she could guess that it was a black cat. Janeice could tell that its fur was brushed recently as she would often hear scratching as the layers grew in different patterns across the skin. She didn't even hear the strands rubbing together. However, that was not the only thing that stood out about it.

Janeice also couldn't help but notice its eyes as well. Bright red lights were laser focused on her, serving as the only pop of color within the entire city alley. Is it possible for cats to have red eyes? Janeice wasn't sure but one thing she did know was that those eyes were mischievous. Her skin tingled as she felt the feline attempt to analyze her entire being, apparently waiting for her to make a move.

Janeice's face, usually falling a bit stoic, brightened just a bit at the feline. It was always nice to hear the rustling of critters out and about, and cats were a particular favorite of hers. She wordlessly gave the cat a shy wave and offered a small smile.

The cat responded with a soft trill, seemingly appreciating the acknowledgment. Janeice couldn't help herself; her small smile blossomed into a big, toothy grin that brightened her whole face. The little peak of sun through the clouds made her brown skin softly glow, giving off a halo affect. For a brief moment, all was right in the world as she let go of her skittishness for a second, and just let herself relax the tiniest bit. She loved to smile, and she'd always take any excuse to smile at animals.

Janeice smelt the humidity grow as the dark clouds overhead started to roll in and a small raindrop fell on her nose. At that point, she decided it was time to hurry home. She began to walk away, intending to resume her journey, but the black cat trilled once more.

Curiosity piqued, Janeice turned her ears back at the cat, head tilted in askance. To her surprise, five more pairs of bright lights peaked out from the shadows, all concentrated on her. A chill crept up her spine, and her heart quickened its pace. Her initial smile faded as unease washed over her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about this situation felt wrong. Very wrong. Like not only was she being watched, but she was being picked apart, analyzed, and devoured by their gazes. Is she about to be ambushed?

Nervously, she continued to walk away, gradually picking up the pace as she sped through the familiar back roads leading away from the city. Finally, she reached the safety of her home, locked the door behind her, and let out a sigh of relief.

'Well, that was creepy,' Janeice thought to herself, her voice still unspoken. It was Friday, and the burden of the day had worn her out. 'I'll do my project outline tomorrow.'

With that decision made, she changed into her pajamas—a long yellow t-shirt that reached down to her ankles. She allowed the "beads" at the end of her twist to darken, softening up as her hair gathered itself into a top knot. She then secured her micros with a satin scarf for additional protection. Lastly, she placed an extra-large bonnet over her twist before heading to bed.

An hour later, Janeice is still awake, laying on her bed restlessly, squinting, attempting to calm her thoughts. She gave up and arose to a seated position with an inaudible huff, offended her mind wouldn't let her relax enough to sleep.

She groggily sat there in the dim light of her bedroom, her mind running a mile a minute. She couldn't help but think about the mysterious black cat she'd encountered by the dumpster. It's not like she's never encountered a black cat before, stray cats were pretty common around town. However, something about that particular cat was...off putting, to put it lightly.

The vibes were immediately kind of off so she didn't let herself analyze the cat too much. But she could swear the cat was watching her. Obviously it was looking at her as all cats are innately curious creatures, but...that felt like more than just curiosity.

It felt like the cat was almost...looking for something in her? Like it was trying to see inside of her or something. She could immediately tell that cat was not a normal cat. Every creature has a standard frequency and that cat's vibrations were completely different from a regular, everyday cat. Honestly, it kind of reminded her of....

Janeice didn't let herself finish that thought. She was beginning to develop a headache and she truly didn't feel like straining herself any more than she already has. Janeice softened her gaze and allowed her eyes to revert to their natural state. Her "pupils" began to waver and shake as they slowly took over the rest of her visible eye. No pupil, no color, nothing but pure black emptiness. Finally, she can relax.

Little did she know, this wouldn't be the last time she saw that cat, not by a long shot.