A Love Beyond Time

Chapter IX

I don't quite remember how long we were in the carriage for...as far as I knew, we could have ridden for days and I'd be none the wiser. The seconds blended into minutes, and minutes into hours, my mind a storm of unease, anticipation, and anxiety. The meaning behind the letter we were sent lingered in my mind. Did this organization already know that we were investigating their activities? And if so...how? My gaze traveled to the left before landing on Theodore, who was looking out the window, observing the scenery as we passed, a seemingly unphased look on his young face. For a moment I wondered...could he have told him? I knew little to nothing about the man, only that Her Majesty assigned him to us. Could he- I quickly shook my head, casting the very thought aside. It was absurd. If Her Majesty trusted him enough to assign him to this case, then there is no reason for me to doubt or question his loyalty. I cleared my throat, causing the three of them to all look at me simultaneously.

"So...Theo...how do you feel about the upcoming events of this evening?" I asked in a curious tone, attempting to mask my lingering uncertainty and doubt in my voice.

"Well...I'd be a fool to say I'm not the least bit nervous...though I'm more excited to see what's to come!" He said, almost a bit too enthusiastically.

Ciel simply regarded his response with a simple nod of his head, returning his gaze to the floor of the carriage, and Theo flashed me a smile of sorts before looking back out the window. Sebastian's gaze, however, lingered on me for a moment, as though he were trying to understand my motives behind asking such a sudden question. I glanced at him for a moment, but looked away seconds after, fixing my eyes outside as small drops of water began to lightly shower from the sky. Sebastian looked as though he wanted to say something, yet spoke nothing, the carriage falling back into its original silence.

Thankfully, that awful silence lived not too much longer as I saw the Grand Opera House come into view. It was truly a majestic building, every crack and crevice built to a meticulous design, truly fit of our royal nation. I observed the clock stationed in the middle of the Opera House, the time noting 7:55. I looked around the surrounding area and it seemed almost obsolete, not a single soul in sight. It only seemed to add to my unease.

"Everyone, stick together...we don't know who is behind those doors. For all we know this organization could be home to some of England's most dangerous criminals. Under no circumstance should we reveal our identities." Ciel said firmly, getting our attention once again. "I will remain by Theodore and Sebastian will remain by (Y/N). Do not separate for any reason. Understand?" All of us nodded in agreement. He was correct in that we didn't know who we'd be meeting tonight...it could be a horde of enemies.

The carriage came to a halt and we gave each other a look and a nod before stepping out, hurrying to the large, wooden doors. We stood closely together until the doors opened to reveal one person, a man, dressed in black like ourselves, his face adorned by a black mask. He silently motioned for us to enter to which we obliged, stepping into the large Opera House. It seemed relatively dark, only small candles flickered through the harrowing hallways. Once the doors shut behind us, the man turned to face us, his hands behind his back.

"Welcome." He said, his voice low and gruff. He took a step to the side, reaching into a small box and handing the four of us matching masks. "You must wear these at all times until the ball is over, to which you are to burn them immediately."

The four of us looked at each other, a hint of curiosity behind each of our eyes before nodding obediently, pulling the masks over our face, the small slits providing ample space for our eyes.

"Follow the candles down the hall...everyone is gathered in the ballroom," the man spoke again, his voice hushed, as though sharing a secret. Ciel didn't respond, simply flicking his hand behind him, a sign for us to follow.