Death's Daughter (Black Butler)

Chapter Nine: New Recruits

I stood in front of the floor length mirror stationed next to the front door, observing myself in it. I had chosen to wear a white dress shirt, grey vest, plaid pleated skirt, and a black-and-grey striped tie. I tugged at the cuff of my knee-high socks, making sure that they were at an even height.  My hair was neatly braided down my back, held back by a blue headband. I shook my head, removing the accessory. It only made my eyes stand out more than they already did. I ran my hands through my bangs adjusting them to cover my forehead. I tugged my braid, loosening it up and resting it on my shoulder. I raised my hands to adjust the fake glasses when someone came up behind me and removed them from my face.

I whipped around to face Alan, who stood behind me, smirking. He folded up the glasses, sitting them down on a nearby end table. "You won't need those," he explained.

I pursed my lip and tilted my head to the side, confused. I reached to go pick up the glasses, but Alan swatted my hand away. I crossed my arms over my chest, eyeing him suspiciously. "When we first came here, you told me that all trainees are required to wear glasses."

"Well, that was before," Alan replied, "William has already discovered you here, and I bet Grell has gossiped to everyone working here that there's a human girl going to train among the Reapers. Not only does everyone know that you're here, but you're also the talk of the town."

I sighed, turning back to the mirror. "Great," I groaned sarcastically, "just what I wanted."

"I know that;s not exactly what you wanted to hear," Alan came up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders as I continued to fiddle with my tie, "but you'll show them all wrong. You'll do great and prove that a human like yourself can do just as good as any Reaper."

I turned around and smiled at him. "Thanks for the encouragement," I paused and looked around, noticing that Eric was nowhere in sight. "Where's Eric? Isn't he gonna say goodbye before I head off?"

Alan bit his lip and looked away. "He's still really upset about having to reap Ronald's soul yesterday, but her told me to give you this," he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close into a bear hug, just like what Eric would give me. I smiled, squeezing him tight before he released. Alan patted my back, a huge grin on his face. "Now, go out there and make me proud, okay? And be sure to come back alive, won't you?"

I twisted the doorknob and swung the door open. I turned back to Alan, a confident smile on my lips. "Don't worry, I will."

-

"Everyone is here, I trust?" the voice of none other than William T. Spears asked. Along with all the other recruits and trainees, I straightened up as soon as I heard the voice of our mentor. "For those who don't know, my name is William T. Spears. I'm your instructor, here to mold you, to whip you into shape. I will be with you for the duration of your training as new recruits. Should you find something unclear, feel free to come to me with questions. As my shift ends at six o'clock, I'll answer any questions asked before five thirty. Now, we'll start with a tour of the facilities."

William led us through the main building, explaining every room and its purpose as we passed by them. However, I paid no mind to him or what he was talking about. Alan had made certain that I was prepared for training, so he had gone over everything that William was explaining to us prior to initiation. Lazily, I followed behind the group, wishing that the tour would be over with soon.

I was so unfocused that I didn't even notice that I wasn't alone until I heard the little scoff next to me. Slightly surprised by the noise, I turned to see the figure next to me. I was shocked to see that the male trainee next to me resembled Remi so much. 'That can't be him,' I thought to myself, pushing away the possibility that it truly was Remi's little brother, 'he died yesterday. Eric reaped his soul and everything.'