The Hunt for Jack the Ripper (The Phantomhive Diaries #1)

20. S-012

Okay so bear with me guys. Since Finnian still hasn't been named or found by Ciel in this version yet, he'd be going by "S-012" or "Boy" for most of the story because he didn't have an official name in the manga before being found by Ciel and Sebastian. I hope you guys don't mind. 

Also, forgive me if the German language in some of the lines of dialogue is bit botched up since I used Google Translate. 

Anyways, enjoy. 

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S-012 was overwhelmed with a whirlwind of emotions at that moment. A surge of excitement, mixed with confusion and a sense of delirium. Everywhere he turned, he encountered things that startled him. The sound of church bells ringing, carriages gliding through the streets, and countless people bustling up and down the pavement. Their peculiar attire puzzled him. Unlike S-012, none of them wore hospital gowns or lab coats. They all dressed in a unique yet similar fashion. As he walked past them, their gazes were filled with a blend of confusion and disdain. Little did S-012 know, his disheveled appearance unsettled these people.

He wasn't even paying attention to what was uttered behind his back.

"...What is that thing...?"

"...Keep away from him..."

"...What is the matter with him?..."

"...Honestly, Scotland Yard needs to get rid of these vermin..."

"...He looks like he escaped from Bedlam..."

"...Where are his parents?..."

This was because S-012 didn't understand English very well. Only a few words he heard from a few English doctors that visited their facilities to inspect the subjects.

The boy simply kept walking, ignoring all the suspicious and weary looks that were directed his way. Some even commented on his bloody feet and how he reeked of the sea. Anyone with a lick of sense would report to Scotland Yard upon seeing the state of the boy. But as with most society, the civilians preferred to stare and whisper judgement.

As S-012 walked, he saw a small group of boys a few years younger than him playing in an alley, kicking a ball, and laughing. S-012 frowned at their appearance. They did not wear any hospital gowns like his inmates, either. Nor were they bald. They all wore shabby clothes and had different hair on their heads. And unlike him and his inmates, they all appeared joyful and energetic as they continued to kick the ball around while giggling and laughing. This brought confusion to S-012, as he didn't understand what was about kicking a ball that brought them so much joy.

The ball suddenly rolled to S-012's feet. He looked down at it, his head tilting to the side, perplexed at the sight of the brown leather ball.

"Oi!"

As S-012 glanced upwards, he spotted a young lad making his way towards him. This boy stood a few feet shorter, his short curly brown hair and grubby face adding to his charm. Clad in fingerless gloves and a tattered brown jacket, similar to S-012's but with even more holes in the sleeves, he appeared equally disheveled. However, compared to S-012, who appeared he had just escaped from a fierce battle, the boy's appearance was slightly less chaotic.

"Oi," the boy said. "Mine givin' our ball back, mate?"

S-012 stood there, his eyes blinking in confusion, unable to comprehend the words spoken to him.

"'Alloooo," the boy said. "Can ya not hear me in there?"

"Maybe he's deaf, Ollie," another boy said behind him. With his short blonde hair, brown eyes, and freckles scattered across his pale, pasty face, he appeared to be around six or seven years old, smaller than the boy named Ollie.