5Into the Past
This story contemplates what might happen if a fanfiction author was swept into the world of Black Butler. I use my pen name in this story, however perceptions, habits, background information and reactions are as realistic as possible given the fantastical nature of the circumstances I was trying to imagine myself in.
Don't want piece of mind
Don't want a man, what a sight
So lost in her thoughts, in her music, was Alice that she had failed to hear it.
Many a time she walked this lengthy route to the train station, always with her headphones clamped firmly over her ears and music blaring. Usually, when crossing the road, she would move one side of her headphones off of her ear and double check for wayward cars. The road she crossed was void of traffic lights in either direction for quite a distance, however it was never particularly busy even during rush hour.
If asked later why she had not moved her headphones on this one occasion she could not have given an answer as to why she left the music blasting over her ears, or why she had failed to look before stepping out onto the road. Usually, she was conscientious in many aspects, to the point where many would have described her as worrying "too much".
Perhaps some outside force had stolen over her. Perhaps she was too lost in her own imagination or concerned with getting to her destination on time. Whatever the reason for such unusual carelessness, the outcome was exactly the same, and when the sound of a blaring horn cut through the music, her heart stopped and in the time it had taken her to hit the ground, she was somewhere very different.
'Cause I want to call home
Be a body
I close my eyes until I see
I don't need hands to touch me
Be a body
She recognised the sound of the song which had been playing before she was hit. Its upbeat melody reflected exactly the opposite of how she was feeling at the moment. Her eyes were firmly closed, her entire body on fire with searing acute pain which seemed to accumulate in her arm. She felt something slightly damp on the side of her face and when she clenched her fist, she felt blades of grass between her fingers. There was no grass anywhere near where she was hit though, which immediately both concerned and confused her greatly.
Don't want peace of mind
Don't want a man, what a sight
'Cause I want to call home
Be a body
And her music was still playing, which meant that her headphones had survived the collision. They had slipped off her head slightly though they were loud enough that she could still vaguely hear the distorted melody from Grimes. She couldn't have been hit that hard. She frowned when over the song lyrics, she heard voices, distant at first, though steadily getting closer. Was it the person who hit her?
"And you say she landed over here?" Came a cockney, though vaguely familiar English accent.
'Landed?!' She internally exclaimed, not at all appreciating the connotations of that word. Landing implies having flown a great distance. While she was in pain, the degree to which she hurt did not imply that she had been impacted hard enough to send her flying.
"I was just tending to the garden as I usually do and it's like she just appeared in the air, I thought she had fallen from the tree!" Came the voice of a younger boy.
"How did she even get in here?" That was asked by a feminine voice, nasally and her accent had a slightly foreign note to it.
"The bloody hell is she wearing?"
"Should we tell Sebastian?"
Her eyes immediately snapped open, her stomach suddenly twisting in knots at the realisation of who exactly was talking above her. Those were the voices of Bardroy, Finnian and Mey-Rin. But how? Was it an effect of hurting her head? She internally grimaced, thinking of how her character had made the same mistake and how she had been treated as a result of that mistake. She couldn't imagine the horrors of being trapped in a mental asylum in the Victorian era. No, she would have to be incredibly careful how she proceeded now. Regardless if this was reality or her own imagination running haywire, she could still feel pain. Still feel the solid ground beneath where she lay. If she messed up she would bear the consequences and she would be able to physically feel every one of them.
"I think she's awake." Mey-Rin said.
Alice's eyes moved to see the servants stood over her. Bardroy looked slightly uneasy, regarding her with a stony expression and his arms crossed over his chest. Mey-Rin appeared concerned leaning down to look over her, while Finnian gazed at her in wide-eyed curiosity. Relief swelled within her that it was the three nice servants who had discovered her first.
"Are you alright dear?" Mey-Rin asked, bending down to kneel beside the stranger sprawled out on the grass.
"I'm not sure I am." She said quietly. She eased herself into a sitting position, wincing at the weight she put on her arm. She did not give away that she knew who any of them were.
"Careful there! You're bleeding!" Finny exclaimed. "I'll fetch a handkerchief and tell Sebastian what happened!"
As he ran off, Alice visibly paled, the butterflies which were in her stomach turning into great moths.
'Oh god.'
Lifting a hand to the side of her face revealed that there was indeed a little blood running down her forehead. Upon further investigation she found a small cut, though she knew that head injuries bled more anyway. She was much more concerned about meeting the demon. A tiny part of her which may have once been excited upon meeting the character was completely swarmed by overwhelming dread. She knew of his darker nature and if he was even slightly suspicious of her, she would be in for a whole lot of trouble. Her wide eyes focused on Finnian's retreating form; her lips parted as if to call out to him and beg him not to go. However, she quickly thought better of it. It wasn't her place to ask him not to get his superior and asking would surely make her seem more suspicious. She sighed. Why, of all places did she need to appear right here in the manor gardens. At least, she assumed that's where she was, given the vast expanse of grass and the sounds of a water fountain streaming in the distance. Oh, and the three very confused servants that happened upon her.
"I think these are yours?" Mey-Rin picked up something off of the ground and handed it to Alice. It was her glasses.
She sent the maid a smile, slipping the circular frames onto her nose. "Thank you."
"How did you get in here?" Asked Bard bluntly.
"Bard!" Mey-Rin snapped. "She's hurt, don't be so rude."
"Just asking!" He placed his hands up in mock surrender.
The maid rolled her eyes at the cook's suspicious nature. It came out at the worst of times.
While the two servants were bickering, Alice discretely reached for her headphones and flicked the switch to turn them off so that Sebastian wouldn't hear the music coming from them. That would no doubt bring about an entire slew of questions she couldn't reasonably answer. They still hung around her neck but at least she could say they were a funny type of jewellery if asked. Her bag was still on her back containing other modern technology which she was also apprehensive about having on her person.
When she heard Finny yelling, announcing his return, her head snapped up and her heart beat quintupled in both speed and intensity, to the point where she could hear it in her ears like a war drum. The blonde came running, waving a handkerchief in the air proudly. Behind him, like a living shadow, came the butler himself. He walked at a slower pace with perfectly neutral expression on his long narrow face.
His eyes met Alice's fearful ones as she willed her heart to slow down, knowing full well he would be able to hear it. She immediately drew her eyes away from him and onto the bright green grass. His black oxford boots soon appeared directly in front of her.
"What's going on here?" Was the first thing out of the demon's mouth.
"We don't really know, this Scottish girl just appeared from nowhere." Came from Bard.
"She's been hurt but we don't know what happened." Mey-Rin chimed in helpfully.
"Well, I'm sure the girl can speak for herself." The butler crouched down to her level, his face suddenly appearing in front of her own. His brow was furrowed in frustration and Alice gathered that he was probably pondering how she had managed to slip past him. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" He asked sternly.
Her breath hitched as he addressed her, not quite believing it to be happening. She wanted to deny his existence, then thought better of it. This wasn't like one of her stories, she was not the one in control here. She wasn't like her character either. Blaire was strong and defiant. She was not. She understood the power he held over her wellbeing at that moment, and also his authority. She complied.
"I'm Alice Oswald. I don't know how I got in here, but I don't want any trouble." Her voice was timid and wavered. She stole a glance at his face, then immediately withdrew eye contact. Her hands began to shake.
The handkerchief which Finny had went to retrieve appeared in front of her face, and glancing up revealed that the gardener was smiling down kindly at her. She accepted the material, muttering a small thank you and began to blot her forehead, feeling bad that she was getting blood over it.
"Do you realise where you are?" Sebastian's tone was unreadable. He knew she was terrified of him and his suspicion was growing. People became frightened of him only when they knew what he truly was. She didn't even know him, so why would she harbour such fear of him?
Immediately she shook her head. "No." That was a lie. And Sebastian knew it too. He turned to the three servants who were stood around observing her.
"Back to work with all of you. Each and every one of you still have plenty of tasks to be doing and we have no need for an audience." Barked the demon with ill contained impatience.
Alice swallowed thickly. By sending the servants away he was leaving the two of them alone, where he would no doubt be free to interrogate her as harshly as he desired. When they were no longer within ear shot, the demon turned his attention back to the young woman. "Look at me." He commanded.
She obeyed, but upon seeing his frustrated expression which he was making no effort to hide, she found that she couldn't hold his gaze. "I'm sorry, please just let me go."
"I said, look at me." He snapped, grabbing a hold of her face roughly and forcing her to hold his stare. "When I asked if you knew where you are, you said no. That was a lie. You are an intruder, and we do not take kindly to intruders." He spat. Her eyes filled with tears and she could feel the beginnings of a runny nose too. Her nose always ran when she cried. Her throat constricted and all she could do was shake her head, for if she tried to speak then she knew that she would burst into hysterics. At seeing her continue to shake, the demon smirked. "My, you are terrified of me aren't you? What is it you think I'm going to do to you?" He released her face and her head dropped to gaze at the ground again. Her shoulders shook with silent sobs. She bit her hard lip to stop any sounds from coming out.
Sebastian sighed. She was of no use to him in this state. She couldn't even speak. He would have to get her to calm down and to do that, he would need to show that he wasn't going to hurt her. "Come now, there is no need for that. Let it not be said that I'm entirely without patience. Please, allow me to escort you inside and you can explain yourself properly." She hesitated. There was no way that she could run away or plead with him. She certainly couldn't trust him with the truth of her situation. What on earth could she say to satisfy him and get her in the all-clear?
At her continued silence, he continued. "I won't hurt you. You have my word." He sent her a sickly-sweet smile which only terrified her even more. "Come." He stood up, offering his hand.
Still wary of the butler, but having no other choice, she took his hand and pulled herself to her feet. Him losing his patience was absolutely the last thing she wanted. All she could do was comply.
Once she was stood upright, Sebastian was able to fully assess what she was wearing. A black jacket of an unidentifiable material was open revealing some kind of clothing with writing on underneath, though he was unable to make out what it said due to the jacket. She was also wearing dark grey trousers of some kind, though they seemed a little too skin tight and a little too thin. Upon her feet were plimsole shoes of some kind and on her back was a black leather bag. Around her neck was some kind of pink contraption with a wire leading down into one of her pockets. Almost as peculiar as her clothing was her hair. Sebastian had never seen a human with skin and hair as white as hers that had not been killed during infancy. He frowned. She was very peculiar indeed.
He offered her his arm. "Come now, let us tend to your head."
Hesitantly, she accepted. "Thank you." She whispered.
When they had made it inside, Alice was much too worried to be awed by the Phantomhive manor. Perhaps if she wasn't, quite literally, on the arm of a demon she would have paid more mind to the intricate décor in the flesh. Down an absurdly long hallway, past what she thought might be the kitchen and deeper into the servants' quarters, the pair stepped inside a moderately sized room which she thought was Sebastian's office. It had an oak desk and a typewriter, behind which was a large oak cabinet to match.
"May I take your coat?" He offered, closing the door behind them, hanging his own tailcoat on the coat rack beside the door.
Uneased at being alone with him, she thought of him much like a wild beast to whom she could not do anything to flare his temper. She shrugged off her coat and bag, careful not to move too quickly. He inspected the jacket closer when she handed it to him, finger tips brushing down the material experimentally. "Which type of material is this?"
The seemingly random question caught her off guard. "I-I don't know. It's water resistant and I would imagine man-made. Maybe polyester?" It was only a Superdry Everest bomber jacket, yet the demon seemed utterly confused by its mere existence. She was aware that plastic had yet to be invented and It brought a smile onto her face to see the demon confused over a jacket.
Frowning, Sebastian hung the garment up, before clearing his throat. Now that he could see clearly the shirt she wore, he was no more certain about her character, for across her shirt was the words "Doctor Who" in bold yellow lettering, complete with a picture of a blue box. He didn't get it at all.
At the sound of the demon clearing his throat and by the way he gazed at her shirt in disapproval, Alice suddenly felt self-conscious. She was practically naked by the standards of this time. She brought up her arms to cross over her chest
"Now before we proceed, I should like to check your bag for weapons."
Alice was momentarily taken aback, before realising she should have expected nothing else from him. At her stunned silence, he continued. "Please do understand, the safety of this household is my first priority." He was smiling that smile again. The one that held such terrifying malice behind it.
She nodded with a start. "Go ahead." Her stomach twisted as she thought about what was in that bag. Though she dared not say no to him.
He undid the belt holding the lid over the bag, pulling on the strings to open so that he could look inside. Alice winced when his brow furrowed and he reached inside to take out something flat and rectangular shaped wrapped in a purple leather case. Their eyes met and he raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"It's for reading books." She blurted out, rushing over with the intent to snatch her Kindle from his hand. The last thing she needed was any of her belongings being reverse engineered and invented much too early. Perhaps she had been watching too much science fiction but she was taking no chances.
"Ah ah ah, stay." He put up a staying hand and she stopped in her tracks immediately.
Alice gritted her teeth together. She was undoubtedly stuck between a rock and a hard place. She had no desire to make him her enemy. That would mean complying as far as possible, but she couldn't have him knowing what knowledge she had of his future events. Nor could she have the technology she possessed falling into the wrong hands. She grimaced when he opened the case, revealing the screen beneath. "Please Sebastian."
His head immediately snapped up to look at her, his eyes wide. He snapped the purple case shut and placed it back in the bag. It was then that Alice realised her mistake. He hadn't actually told her his name. She stammered. "That's your name, isn't it? I heard one of the servants saying he was going to get Sebastian. I assume that's you." Her hands shook.
He smiled, sending fear rippling over her exposed arms in the form of goosebumps. "Quite right." He said simply, leaving her feeling uneasy. "Please, have a seat. I'll have a look at your head." He gestured to the twin leather chairs sat across from one another.
She did as she was told, sitting with her hands clasped on her lap. He remained standing, coming by her side. As his fingers brushed away strands of her hair, she felt wary of what strength she knew he possessed. Usually, she could enjoy her hair being played with, though now she was more worried in case her skull was caved in. She visibly shivered at the thought.
"Why are you so afraid?" Came from the demon suddenly. Her heart had not stopped racing since she had first heard his name. And it was not in a pleasant way.
"You seem like someone to be afraid of." She finally answered.
He chuckled. "It's not very often I hear that." He admitted. No, in fact, it was usually quite the opposite. When he appeared as a human people were quite drawn to his attractive façade. He smirked to himself. "I gave you my word I wouldn't hurt you, you need not fear me."
"You could have been lying." She pointed out.
"Yes, I could have. As could you. We have no reason to believe one another so let us start again on a foundation of trust." Apparently done inspecting her head, he brushed her hair back to its rightful place. She looked up at him questioningly. "First of all, your head is fine, only a minor gash. It will heal on its own. We can wash it in due time. First though, perhaps you might consider telling me how you came to receive such an injury?"
"I was on a road, I didn't look where I was going and I got ran into. Then I woke up here."
He raised a hand to his chin. "Ran into?" He prodded.
"By a…" She halted. Had cars been invented yet? Her head swam with dates and random facts about the Victorian era but she simply could not think of when the first cars were available for the public. Even so, early cars probably weren't very fast. "a cab." She played it safe.
"There are no roads anywhere near here Alice. You must be mistaken."
She scowled at his condescending tone. "But-"
"No buts." He said sternly. "I thought we were going to be truthful to one another."
Alice's heart sank. "I swear to you; I'm telling you the truth." She placed a hand over her heart and gazed up at him with wide, terrified eyes. The material of her shirt wrinkled under her grip.
He stared down at her in distaste.
Panic stole over her. He didn't believe her. What if he thought she was insane? What if he thought she was a threat to Ciel? He would kill her. He was a demon and he was going to kill her.
She abruptly stood up. "I want to leave now." She tried, moving away to collect her coat and bag.
He grabbed her arm in a vice, leaning down to hiss in her ear. "I already told you we don't take well to intruders. And I haven't the patience to be told such nonsense."
She squirmed in his grip. He was much taller than she, she was only about five foot high compared to all six feet of the imposing butler. "I'm not lying! Why would I want to break into a place guarded by…by," She trailed off, grimacing at what she was about to say, but it was too late to back track.
"Guarded by what?" He snapped.
She turned to pull away from him abruptly, before roughly being pulled back against him. One of his gloved hands still held firmly onto her arm which was raised above her head. She cried out as she felt his cool breath lick against her ear. "Guarded. By. What?" He ground out.
She closed her eyes, face scrunching in poorly contained terror. She wasn't getting out of this. Giving him answers was the only way to ensure her wellbeing and even then, it wasn't guaranteed. However, she couldn't afford to be truthful. What she could do, was lay him a trail of breadcrumbs. Perhaps he might believe her situation if he figured it out for himself. She cast her mind back to an episode of Doctor Who where the Doctor had to escape by jumping from the window of a castle.
'The first rule of being interrogated; is that you are the only irreplaceable person in the torture chamber. The room is yours, so work it. If they're going to threaten you with death, show them who's boss. Die faster.'
She opened her eyes again. "A demon." She whispered, then she felt his posture stiffen behind her.
"And how would a lowly human like you know what I am?" He growled.
"How would a lowly human like me have clothes made from fabric that doesn't exist yet? How would a lowly human like me have future technology on me? How could a lowly human like me have gotten past your superior senses? Think about it."
He inhaled sharply. "What are you?"
"I'm a human." She muttered, straining away from his hold.
"But there's more. You aren't from here." Finally, he released her. She spun on her heel and backed away from him. His gaze remained on her, unwavering. Confused. Frustrated. "I don't understand anything about you." He admitted. And it was true. He couldn't read her class, her motivations, her background. She smelled clean, and of sweet perfume. Her skin was pale and her hair had been taken care of. Yet her clothes and her mannerisms hardly suggested she had been brought up as a "lady". There was something else too. All humans had a natural scent. Pheromones which were determined by their hormones. But hers were all wrong, and he couldn't place his finger on why. "You smell strange." He finally said.
Alice blanched, mortified. "What?"
The demon was unusually silent. He only continued to stare at her as though she were a bizarre new species.
Finding the awkward silence unbearable, she tentatively asked; "Would you believe something even if it seemed impossible?"
After a moment's deliberation, he finally answered; "An explanation of any sort would suffice at this point, so long as you told you truth."
Alice took a deep breath. 'Okay, here goes.'
I don't know if I would continue this, as I have my hands full with university and two other stories I would hate to abandon. By all means, if anyone takes inspiration and would like to write their own fan-in-fandom with a realistic twist, please do. I would love to read them and even shout them out on my main story.
Oh and the "strange pheromones" is something I wrote in while taking into account some medication I take which alters hormones.