Lost Soul

Letters

The sunlight was blinding, and Celine closed her eyes.

"She's coming to, go get Black and Smile!"

'Wait.'

She opened one eye, and saw the plain beige medical tent, sterile white sheets, and a man staring at her expectantly. A tall man and a short boy walked into the tent, the man watching her curiously. The man had a mane of coal black hair, and burnt crimson eyes. The boy had soft black hair, an eye patch, and a deep sapphire blue eye.

"Oh. My. God." A smile crept on to her lips, and she began to laugh.

"What? Are you alright, Diamond?" The man spoke, curiosity laced in his words.

"Black?" She spoke hesitantly. Celine glanced at the boy, who was staring at her intently. "I expected you to look older. And that must be Smile." She snorted. "You don't look like you smile that much." She chuckled as their expressions changed dramatically.

"You can see me?" Ciel spluttered, his blue orb wide. "Doc, could you give us some privacy please?" He regained composure, but his voice shook slightly.

"Of course." Doc wheeled out of the tent, whistling to himself. As soon as he was outside, his voice could be heard, but it was muffled.

"What the Hell happened?" Ciel hissed.

"What do you think I'm trying to figure out?" She whispered, exasperated. "Because whatever it was, I should have done it sooner." Celine chuckled.

"May I take a look at your eyes?" Sebastian inquired politely, still watching her curiously. She nodded, and he walked over and sunk to his knees in front of her. He cupped her cheek, and stared intently into her cerulean-green orbs. "Do you remember what they did to you?"

"Who? Oh. Bits pieces, yes. They injected this reddish-brown liquid, then a cloudy white one later on. Why?" Celine inquired hesitantly, crossing her legs.

"Judging by the comment you made yesterday, I assume that you know what I am. What they may have injected you with could have been a mixture of demon's blood and a preserving agent of some sort."

"Oh." Sebastian rose from his knees, and retreated a few steps. Celine got off the bed, made a beeline towards the exit.

"Where are you going?" Ciel called after her.

"I'm going to write a letter. It's urgent." She walked briskly towards her tent, ignoring the vengeful glares of the stable hands as they packed their belongings. She pushed the flap open, and saw Grell sitting in front of a makeup table.

"Now I know why you call yourself a lady." She smiled as his features contorted.

"Go away, brat." He mumbled, and continued to groom himself.

"You do know that I wasn't being rude, right?" She sifted through her belongings, looking for her stationary set. She moved her priceless necklace out of the way, and dug deeper into her belongings. Grell didn't say anything. Celine pulled out a small box with simple paper, a fountain pen, envelopes, and a wax and stamp set. Along with that, she grabbed a dark red dress, black boots, and a long black cloak. She grabbed a piece of paper, and the pen.

"Grell, what time is it?"

"10:30 in the morning, kid."

"Thanks." She thought for a moment before writing

Dear Elijah and Ash
Please excuse my abhorrent writing, I've not written in over a year. Something came up during the case, and I need help. Meet me in Hyde Park today at 7:00 in the afternoon. I've a nasty feeling about the doctor; something's just out of place here.
-C.W

She wrote the letter in French, so if it was intercepted, it'd be rather hard to trace. She folded the letter and placed it in an envelope. She dug around in the box, hoping to find the wax to seal the letter shut. Celine located the crimson wax and a match. She lit the match, melted the wax, and placed a small square on the envelope. She pressed the stamp onto wax and waited until it dried. She pocketed the letter, and left the tent.

As she walked towards the training tent, Celine stared at everything. When she approached the tent, shouts of laughter could be heard. She spotted a handsome man with a halo of bright orange hair, expressive amethyst eyes, and a neutral expression. He glanced towards the entrance and his face broke into a relieved smile.

'Joker?!'

"Diamond! Yer alright!" He shouted, and ran towards her. "Doc told me what happened! How do ye feel?"
He led her to a quieter place so they could hear each other better.

"Believe it or not, I could never be better." She chuckled. She pulled the letter out of her pocket. "Do you mind if I deliver this letter?"

"Sure, but take a horse and wait-"

"Thank you!" She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Celine ran back to the tent, hoping Grell wasn't in there so she could change. She sauntered in, and breathed a sigh of relief. Changing quickly, she fastened the cloak around her head and put her money pouch in the folds of her cloak. She raced towards the stables, picked out a horse. Celine chose an auburn horse, which was named Finn. She saw a younger stable hand, one she hadn't noticed. He looked about sixteen, and was abnormally tall.

"Um, excuse me, sir? Could you help me saddle this horse?" He had a mop of unruly brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. He had dark tanned skin and a bemused expression.

"Can't you do it yourself?" He had a strange accent.

"No, it's too heavy. Look, I'll give you 5 shillings if you just saddle the damn horse. I'm on a tight schedule." She countered. "What day is it?"

"Tuesday. Why?"

"No reason. Just saddle the horse." Celine walked over to the bag of oats, and scooped some into her hands. She fed the horse, rubbing his neck as neck as he ate. "Good boy. You're such a good horse." She crooned, hugging the horses' broad neck.

"There. Now give me my money." The boy demanded, holding out a calloused hand. She grumbled as she placed the shillings in his hand. He pocketed the money, and grabbed her by the waist.

"What're you doing? Put me down!" The boy had placed her in the worn leather saddle. "Oh." A bright red blush clung to her pallid cheeks. "Thank you..." Celine waited for the boy to say his name.

"David."

"Tessa." She reached down to shake is hand, but he kissed her knuckles instead. "It's a pleasure meeting you. Thanks for saddling the horse." Celine pulled the hood over her head. David gave a dark grin as she rode away.

"Créeme, el placer es todo mío." (Believe me, the pleasure is all mine.)

Celine rode up the wrought iron gates in front of the manor. A guard eyed her suspiciously, and stopped her.

"Who are you?" She lowered her hood, and dropped her façade.

"Princess Celine Amelié Jessamine Windsor. Now let me in." The guard blanched, and unlocked the gate.

"Would you like your horse to be put in the stables, Your Highness?" He spluttered, his hat falling sideways.

"No, I'm not going to be long. But I'll need a stool or something to help me get back on the thing." She burst through the doors, not bothering to keep quiet. Celine spotted an astonished footman, and beckoned him over.

"Give this to Ash or Elijah. Whoever comes first, it doesn't matter. Please do not lose this, it's urgent." The footman nodded blankly, taking the letter and running off. "Now that's settled." She ran back outside, and saw a stool waiting by the horse. She stepped on to the stool, and mounted the horse. She flicked the reins, reared the horse, and rode off.