Death's Daughter (Black Butler)

Epilogue: Rebirth

“Finally, you’re awake.”

I opened my eyes slowly upon hearing the voice. I blinked a few times, my vision extremely blurry. Everything around me was hazy and I could barely see anything that wasn’t directly in front of my face. I turned my head from side to side, grunting and moaning in pain as I did. It hurt to move – well, anything and everything. I observed the room I was in, and although I couldn’t recognize anything, I knew that it wasn’t Eric and Alan’s room. The room was bathed in white and I was confined to a gurney, an IV injected into my arm and shooting fluids into my body. I sat my head down on its side, facing the black blur on the other side of the room that resembled a person. “What happened?” I questioned.

The person approached my bedside, kneeling down by me. I recognized him as William, which surprised me. Why would he be coming to me? He kept his straight face as he reached out for my hands, holding them in his. He glanced down at my hands, running his thumbs over the bones as he observed them. “You… you really don’t remember anything, do you, Miss Humphries-Slingby?” he addressed.

I furrowed my brows together, confused. This was the first time he had actually referred to me as the name I had given myself. Was this a dream, or had he finally accepted that fact that I considered Eric and Alan family. Speaking of, where were they? If I was confined to a hospital bed, something life threatening had to have happened to me. They no doubtingly would have been the first to visit me if I had been hurt, so why was it William who was here? “Where… where are they?” I asked. “Eric and Alan, where are they?” I rephrased.

A short flash of surprise passed over William’s face, but soon disappeared when he went to adjust his glasses. He sighed, shaking his head. He averted his eyes down toward my hands again, squeezing them even harder than before. A single tear rolled down his cheek, before he quickly wiped it away. “You really don’t remember anything at all, do you?” he asked as I responded with a quick shake of my head and a puzzled expression. He stood back up, letting go of my hands to brush of his slacks and blazer. “Come with me, we’ve got some catching up to do.”

William helped me stand from the gurney, holding my hand and making sure I didn’t collapse or fall. My body seemed weaker than before, frail and sickly. William and I walked down the hall, side-by-side, until my knees gave out beneath me. Then, William took me by the arm, keeping me against him as we staggered along. He carried my IV for me, relieving me of the task. Normally, it wouldn’t be very difficult to walk with it, but with the state I was currently stuck it, it was quite a burden.

Eventually, we arrived in William’s office. It took several long halls, a few elevators, and William almost needing to carry me for the last portion, but we made it. He helped me sit down in the plush seat in front of his desk, while he sat in the one opposite of me. He stood up shortly afterwards, pacing around the room. Every so often, I’d catch him glancing over at me expectantly, as if waiting for me to say something. Even if I did choose to speak up, I’d have no idea what to say. After plenty of waiting for me, William sighed, flopping back down into his chair. “Nothing? Nothing at all?” he questioned once more as he readjusted himself.

“Not really,” I answered, pausing. I did remember a few things, but everything was all jumbled up and I couldn’t remember anything clearly. “I – I mean, I know who I am, and I know who you are, and I know where I am, I just don’t know what’s going on,” I glanced down at my hands, realizing how bony and skinny they were, along with my wrists and arms. I ran a finger over a blue vein, cringing as I did.

I looked back up to my superior, who shook his head as he sighed. “Well, I suppose that’s a start. I guess I’ll have to clear some things up for you,” he paused, glancing away from me before his darted right back up, staring deeply into my eyes. “For starters, Eric Slingby and Alan Humphries are dead.”