HOME | DD

Description
Chapter 3 Meeting Them
I was scolded by Sebastian at 4 in the morning. When I heard that we’re going to London, I filled two suitcases with stuff, ranging from underwear, to sunscreens and huge hats. Then the leader barged into my room and saw my luggage, obliging himself to give a word or two about packing light. In the end, I was allowed to bring a huge back pack.
When I enthusiastically exclaimed to Grell that we’re going to England, he giggled at my excitement and wished me luck. I asked him to come with us but he refused, saying that he has work to do. And thus, I’m stuck with Sebby the Grouch for the rest of my European experience. Just great.
Upon arriving in London, we took a taxi to the Pawn tower. It’s owned by a company that specializes in making chess board and pieces. They are very famous for their unique, intricate designs. They make huge Chess pieces for parks and gardens, and smaller, delicate ones for doll houses. When it comes to chess, everyone knows this brand (sorry for sounding like a commercial ad).
The orange-lipped secretary insisted that Claude Faustus isn’t taking meetings without appointment. But when she called her boss, she graciously returned with a huge plastered smile on her face and led us to his boss’ office.
I kinda find it funny that Mr. Faustus aimed for the mysterious aura. We came in and found him facing the window at his black office with the huge backrest of his leader swivel chair our view of him.
“It’s been a long time, Claude.”
He spun around to face us. Claude Faustus has neatly styled sable hued hair and stern gold pupils. His striking face speaks of skepticism. He fixes his glasses and nodded. “200 years, was it Michaelis?”
He’s quite cute. In a professional kind of way.
“This is Maxine Norine. A demon, if I may add.”
Mr. Faustus tried to hide his surprise, but the sparkle in his eyes was quite obvious. “A new friend, I see.
“so what brings you to my office? I don’t recall us parting as friends.”
Tension is building up. Their stoic faces stayed unruffled, but I can feel the deadly waves of wrath exchanged discreetly between them.
“I-” I tried to break the discomfort. “I insisted to see you.”
“Oh?” he scrutinized me with those aloof eyes of his. “Have we met prior to this meeting?”
“No,” I shook my head. “I just found out I’m a demon, and I want to train myself to bring out my potential.” I’m pretty confident at convincing people. It’s my secret talent.
Flatter him a bit. “Sebastian isn’t any help. So when I found out thru a friend that there’s one of our kind here at London, I just knew I need to see you. From the looks of it, you’re a better teacher,” I ogle at the place with sheer admiration. “Considering your social status. Please let me share your vast knowledge!” I bowed in pure humility.
He’s not someone stupid, so I needed to use some demonic ability to move him. I met him eye to eye. Come with me. Come with me.. Come with me…
It worked. “Well, they always say Michaelis’ the better butler,” He peeped thru his spectacles egoistically. “But it appears that I’m the better demon. Coming all the way here is no small feat.” Secret competition between the two raven-haired demons, I see.
“But there’s a tiny bit of problem.” I looked at him with teary, hazel eyes. “Yokai’s are being bothered by the sudden attacks of devils. I’m also a victim to these fiends; they killed a relative of mine.” I cleared my throat. Drop the bomb. “Ciel, a demon, is one of the captives. Now because of that weakling, devils are claiming their superiority.”
“Hah!” he exclaimed in pure arrogance. “They cannot even surface when not summoned.”
“That’s right,” I paid no attention to Sebastian’s demonic glare from behind my back. “How dare they? To challenge us like this. To claim what’s ours. Humans…”
I held his supple hand and Claude seemed startled by the sudden intimacy. “So, Maestro Claude Faustus, let us prove them, shall we?”
He seemed at daze. My magic worked. “Very well then,” He straightened out his tie. “Just this once, I will assist you and him.”
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
Everyone was quiet as we head towards Trancy’s estate. Claude was hesitant to see the kid he attempted to murder but failed (Alois actually morphed into a demon since his negative emotion surpasses human level, or so Grell says.) But a little bluff and flattering words was all it takes and he reluctantly agreed.
“It changed, so much.” Sebastian observed. It’s a huge mansion with lots of flowers and butterflies. I walked slowly to the guard’s post and claimed that I’m from the agency. Alois Trancy is currently Dylan Hale, a 16-year old actor in England. Using my power of conviction, we persuaded the guard to let us in. I braced myself for the worst. This is deceptively simple.
We proceeded to the receiving area and were served with tea. I sniffed the calming aroma and tasted it. Thick flavor. So typically English.
“Who are you?” the blonde boy with cute blue eyes looked at me with suspicion. Alois Trancy entered the room without me noticing him. He looked at me from head to toe and raised one brow. “You’re definitely not from the agency.”
“It’s been a while, Trancy.” Claude spoke. The boy turned, surprised. Defiantly, Claude met his eyes.
“Claude,” the once blue pupils blazed into red and he snarled ferociously. “Here to kill me once again, I see.”
“Wait, wait.” I embraced Alois tightly. “Let me explain-”
He shoved me away and his strength made me stumble on a table. The porcelain teacup fell on the floor and smashed to pieces. A sharp piece lacerated my palm and thick, red blood oozed out of the wound. Sebastian came to help, but I refused his assistance. “I got this, don’t worry.”
I touched Claude’s shoulder to calm him down. He got my cue and sat on the couch. “it’s not Claude who wants to talk to you, Alois Trancy. It’s me.”
“Really,” his innocent face broke into a sneer. “And who the hell are you?”
“Maxine Norine. A demon.” I slightly cringed when I flaunted about it.
The fair-haired demon walked around me in circles then tip toed to look at my flustered face. “You don’t look like one,” a spark of mischief shone from his eyes.
“Show me your demonic powers, Maxine.”
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
One of the maids entered the room. Alois locked the door and turned to me. “Okay, then Show me your demonic powers. Kill her.” He leered.
I looked at the woman. She’s young, maybe the same age as me. I’m 18. And to die at 18? That’s so cruel. The maid looked so innocent, so unaware of what was to be her fate.
I glanced at Sebastian’s handsome face. He who saved me from the lurking danger that almost killed me. He, who opened my eyes to reality, my only family as of the moment. He needs my help.
This woman’s innocent but she means nothing to me.
No mercy. I returned my gaze at the young lady and thought hard. I wish you twist your head until you die. No mercy. I focused my gaze and dismissed conscience. No mercy.
The maid’s eyes suddenly bulged out of proportion and her neck willfully moved in a horrible twist. I watched in awe as the poor lady’s head snapped from her neck. The head rolled horribly on the floor. Blood poured thickly from where her head used to be. A tragic murder, by me.
“Awesome!” Alois exclaimed in fascination. He’s neither scared nor regretful. Just having fun.
“You can kill,” Claude astounded. His monotone expression was erased. “You can kill without touching your victim?”
“Can’t you?” I returned the question.
“She must be a high-class demon, isn’t she?” the blonde asked Sebastian, who looked equally perplexed as Claude.
“She’s just a half-demon. I don’t understand…”
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o

Alois called another maid to clean the mess. We left the blood-stained room and went to his office. I observed that though the house is elegantly modern, it retains an eerie breath of the ancient. It’s weird, more like a feeling than a theme.
“So, why did you came here?” alois put a piece of cookie in his mouth and masticated it slowly.
“I’m going to ask for your help.”
“oh?” Trancy narrowed his eyes. “a living weapon like you, asking help from me? What kind is it?”
I sucked air harshly in frustration. He’s a tough case.
“It’s about devils. They’re challenging us.”
“So?” he retorted ,the lapis lazuli eyes looked uninterested.
“It’s about Ciel, a demon who is taken by the devils.”
He dropped his cookie in horror. “Ciel? CIEL PHANTOMHIVE??? Since when did this happen?”
I exhaled. “A hundred years ago. But I only learned about it last night.”
“And you know about this, Sebastian?” he shifted his attention to the crimson eyes. He is looking at Michaelis with the same murderous intent as the way he looked at Claude.
“I’ll f*cking kill you if anything happens to my Ciel, you stupid jerk. I’ll kill you! I kept my distance because I thought he’d be happier if he thinks I’m dead. But your negligence resulted to this tragedy.” He spoke as if Ciel is already dead. “You STUPID BEAST!” he screamed in pure hatred, eyes fiery and teary.
He suddenly calmed and smiled at me. “I’ll help if it’s for Ciel.”
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
“It’s been a hundred years,” Alois complained. We are inside an airplane on the way to France, the last place where Sebastian had seen Ciel. “How can we find clues that are a hundred years old?” he frowned. “It’s all because of a certain someone’s stupidity that my beloved Ciel’s missing!”
I surveyed the window and relaxed my neck. The sky is a beautiful shade of cerulean, so different from Zhanaron’s somber heavens. This is no pleasure cruise, but I cannot help but enjoy their company. It’s where I belong, or so I think. I don’t have any friends or family, somehow, to know that I’m not alone anymore, it’s refreshing.
A lurid vision of the maid I just killed sent chills to my spine. That naïve young lady. I looked at my companions one by one. Alois, and his cheerful, noisy attitude. Claude and his succinct ardor. And Sebastian’s peevish aura. For all our detrimental faults, I wonder, are we fighting for a rightful cause?
Somehow, I cannot help but think that we, demons are creatures forsaken by God. It’s like we are made to demonstrate His hatred to mankind. To appear as the Savior, we play the role of villains. Whether we like it or not.
I slap my cheeks lightly and dismissed the unfair philosophy. What the hell am I thinking?
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
I can’t help but take a few shots at the Eiffel tower. Paris, the city of love. Breath taking. I was about to take another shot when Alois dragged me to a beret store.
“This is soo cute!” he tried on a lavender beret. It went well with his purple bomber jacket. “Damn, I’m hot and sexy!”
He is cute with the beret on. I looked at the varieties and tried a white one. It took approximately .003 second to decide that I’m buying it.
“then, let’s try the fondue!” this time, he pulled me to a store selling French delicacies. Store after store, we scrounge the place for the absolute Parisian experience. It was a few moments later when I realized that we lost Sebastian and Claude. I scanned the place dumbly. Not a trace of the two ebony-haired demons.
“Alois, we need to get back with the others,” I tugged his cream shirt while he’s choosing a corsage to go well with his new beret. He just glanced and pouted.
“Oh no, and I don’t know Paris well. Do you have Sebastian’s number, Maxine?”
“I don’t have a phone. How about you?”
He grinned. “we don’t have cell phones two hundred years ago, darling.”
“Let’s just walk around to find them.”
Trancy pursed his lips thoughtfully. “What’s the rush, Maxine? Calm down. Sebastian will find us anyway.”
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o
We ordered Latte at a café near the Eiffel tower in my hope of being seen by the other two. Alois sat beside me, licking his frappe lasciviously and broke the perpetual silence.
“How did you and Sebastian meet?”
I tilted my head, still gawking at the famous landmark. “We’re classmates.”
“And Claude?” he didn’t sound as angry as he was when he first saw the bespectacled demon.
“We just met.” I sipped my coffee. “how about you, Alois? When did you meet Sebastian?”
He laughed. “It’s a long story.”
I didn’t dare ask about Claude. Something tells me that Alois treated him as a taboo subject.
“I’m just curious, how did you get enormous powers when you’re just a half-demon?”
I blinked my eyes stupidly. “I don’t know either.”
The blonde yawned. “You’re quite boring, Maxine. Let’s have some fun, shall we?”
His blue pupils moved to a brunette Frenchman with the innocent face. “See that guy over there? Ask him out for me.”
I was stunned by his outrageous request. “I’m a lady, Alois.’’
His innocuous facet changed into dangerous annoyance. “If you don’t do it, I’ll leave alone here.”
Not wanting to extort more frenzy in Alois’ already rabid state of mind, I forced my feet to go and ask the guy out. He seemed equally mortified at my aggressive move, but nonetheless, he flashed a gorgeous smile and asked for my number.
René gave me a wave and I went back to our table.
I was horrified and embarrassed when I saw Claude and Sebastian already sipping cappuccino and giving me an incredulous expression. Alois, meanwhile, change back to his naïve façade that I wanted to stab him with a fork.
“We are here to find Ciel, not your Parisian romance, Maxine.” Claude reprimanded me sternly.
“I told you, you shouldn’t do it.” Alois pouted like a kid.
This is gonna be way too harder than I expect it to be.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o