The World As We Know It

Chapter Seven

He paced the length of the room, pausing occasionally to glance at the young woman. Buried beneath sterile white blankets, she looked small and frail. She had yet to awaken from his spell. Most people woke within an hour of when the spell was cast, but this was not the case for the deathly pale girl. In a few hours, she would be asleep for three days.

Sebastian sighed, and sat in the chair at her bedside. Why did he even care? He had the information he needed. It was no longer necessary to continue his charade with her. Growling, he got to his feet and began pacing again. Why did he feel the need to stay by her side? Even if he felt responsible for her attack, killing the attacker should have cleansed him of his guilt. Except it didn't. His blood still boiled three days later, and he regretted killing the man as quickly as he did. Damn it all!

"Is she still asleep?"

The young boy's voice caused him to pause, his crimson eyes meeting the single blue eye. His young master stood in the doorway with a familiar ball of black and white fur on a leash. The creature saw his master and wagged his tail, but stopped when she didn't respond. Whimpering, he tugged at the leash trying to get closer. Sebastian glared at him

"Nothing yet. Why is that thing here?"

Ciel shrugged, allowing the creature to pull him to her bedside.

"It seemed like the right thing to do."

"It's unsanitary," the older Demon snapped.

The dog struggled to jump over the bars of the bed. Realizing it was futile, he sat down and howled. Grimacing, Sebastian turned his glare to his young master.

"Please remove that beast."

Ciel ignored him, looking thoughtful. A mischievous grin stretched across his face, and he picked up the dog and plopped him in the girl's lap. Livid, Sebastian whirled to snarl something at the young boy, but stopped when the girl moaned. Stunned, he watched as the dog crawled onto her chest and licked her face. The girl moaned again, and tried to push the beast's snout away. The creature persistently continued his assault until the girl's eyes opened.

"C'mon, now! Cut it out!"

The dog refused until she slowly propped herself up and cuddled it against her chest. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and squinted at the room around her. She grunted with displeasure at the hospital room before noticing her two guests.

"Hey! What the hell am I doing here?"

Ciel answered her as the older Demon was unable to speak.

"What do you remember?"

The girl scowled as she tried to recall the last thing that happened to her. When she turned white and stiffened, the young boy sighed.

"I was afraid of that. I can understand it must be-."

"What happened to him?" she asked softly, pulling the blankets to her chin.

"He's dead."

The girl nodded slowly, expressionless. Her dog pushed his head under her hand, and she began to pet him. The pair waited silently to see what her reaction would be. Would she break down and cry, or would she hold her pain inside until it ate her away?

"Good."

The single word dripped with venom, and the girl's expression was dark. She clenched her free hand into a fist, shaking with rage. Sensing the change in its master's mood, the dog moved to the spot at her feet and curled into a ball. This movement seemed to snap the girl back to reality, and she calmed herself.

"I need to leave."

The two gaped at her.

"You really need to get looked at," the boy protested.

A sharp look silenced him as the girl lowered the bars on her bed.

"First of all, I can't afford to be in here."

She swung her legs over the side.

"Second, I am NOT in the mood to examined by anyone, doctor or otherwise!" she looked around wildly for something. "Where the hell are my clothes!?"

Ciel hesitated, but the girl's steady glare forced him to answer.

"There was...nothing left of them."

Shaking, Taylor snatched a sheet off the bed and wound it around herself to fashion something similar to a toga. Satisfied with her modest covering, she ripped needles and tubes from her body before storming past her two guest into the hallway. Sebastian watched her in stunned silence, unable to move. He knew that it would be best if he chased her down and carried her back to her bed. Yet, it was his charge who did so while he stood uselessly by. He watched Ciel grab her by the arm and pull her back only for her to whirl on him and snarl something that caused him to drop her arm in shock. She continued down the hall past stunned nurses, none of whom moved an inch to stop her.

A soft 'woof' from Taylor's dog brought him back to his sense, and he peered down at the beast. It wagged its tail at him and looked down the hall where its master had vanished. It cocked its head at him before trotting down the hall. With a sigh, Sebastian followed after it.

He found his charge and the young woman at the main entrance arguing fiercely. It seemed a security guard had stopped Taylor before she had made it out the door, giving Ciel a chance to catch up.

"You can't just leave!" his young master snapped at the stormy-eyed woman.

"Watch me," she retorted, trying to push past the security guard.

Sebastian silently moved behind her and swept her into his arms. She squealed with surprise before cursing at him. He gave the security guard a quick glance to influence him before walking out. Furious, Ciel chased after him.

"What the hell are you doing?! She needs to be in the hospital!"

"If she doesn't wish to be in the hospital, so be it," he said evenly, "but I will personally care for her at home."

He hid a grin as Taylor stiffened in his arms. Her look said it all.

"Well, shit."