"And now I'm here." Ciel finished his long story.

"Wow Ciel you life has been quite...adventurous since I went comatose." I commented when he was done.

Looking out the window I noticed how dark it had gotten. Ciel must have also noticed because he ordered Sebastian to make dinner. Sebastian being an "extraordinary" butler was done in no time.

"Young master, Miss Nightingale, your dinner is ready. Tonight I've prepared breaded chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans." Sebastian said with a bow. And led us to the dining table. I noticed that there was two plates, not one. I thought demons didn't eat. Maybe Ciel was different.

Food was delicious of course. Why wouldn't it be? Sebastian made it. Of course I haven't eaten a meal like this in a century.

Ciel stood up "Well Vivian, would you like to play some games in the library?"

I nod "Yes, that sounds great."

Ciel grasped my hand and lead me to the library. He took out a box from a small stack of boxes and u gasped at the name 'Connect Four' same game I taught Ciel.

"H-how did you make this? " I stuttered in shock.

Ciel shook his head "I didn't. I went to some popular game makers and gave them this idea. I wanted the game to be made but didn't want the attention."

I smiled "Thank you, Ciel."

We played about five rounds (I won three, Ciel won two) before Lilith came up and said I should go to bed.

"Thank you for the games Ciel, see you in the morning. Goodnight." I told Ciel.

"Your welcome Vivian. Goodnight." He replied.

I followed Lilith to the guest room. Where she helped me put on a short, white nightdress.

"Lilith, I need you to go to town and get some modern clothes. Also some games that Ciel doesn't have."

Lilith's eyes widened "Young Miss, are you sure."

My eyes narrowed "Our contract states that you follow my every order."

Lilith curtsied "Yes my Lady."

"Now go."

Lilith hopped out the window and I crawled into bed. The warm covers put me to sleep in no time.

Heat filtered into a dark room and sweat prickled on my brow. It was getting harder and harder breath. My ears rang from the crackling of the fire.

"Mommy, Daddy, James!" No answer.
"Viv!" James shouted but it sounded like a whisper. Where was he? Where was my little brother?
"James!" Tears streamed down my face "James!"

"Vivian!" Its closer. "James!" "Vivian!" There he was! My seven year old brother was curled up in a ball with tears streaming down his face. "Come on let's go!" I yell and grab his hand. We ran around the flames, jumping and crawling. My breath was ragged and James was tripping. We could see the door. I pick up James and run through the smoke. My lungs burned and my throat was dry. James was falling asleep. I wanted to say something but my throat wouldn't let me.

I bust through the door and go half way down the drive. Carefully, I set James down. Something in the flames catches my eye, a figure or figures. Mom and Dad where trying to get out, but a flame blocked their path. How would they get out? They wouldn't. Their faces were hard to distinguish but I saw them. They calming stood there, knowing there doom, that's what scared me most. Then the screaming started.

Bile rises in my throat and a run to spit it out. I turn around, James laid a mere 3 yards from me when the house collapsed. A beam from the mansion fell forward and my eyes widened. No! No! I run. No! A yard away and the burning beam landed on its target, James. There was no way he survived.

Tears streamed down my face as I cried into the night. Mom, Dad, and James all gone. My family ripped out of my hands in one night. All gone. Fire started my nightmare.

In my bawling I couldn't hear the footsteps. I could feel the blow to my head though. And the darkness.

When I woke I didn't know where I was. All I knew was that I was in pain. Burns on my legs and hands made me grit my teeth. Then the memories came. I screamed in the darkness. A door opened, men came in, I tried to get away but my hands and legs were bound.

"Don't worry", said one of the men "we aren't going to hurt you."

I relaxed.

"At least in that way."

I tensed again. Who were these men? What were they going to do?

They grabbed me from the cage and carried me along a number of hallways into a with an altar. Cages circled the altar and I gasped..kids were inside the cages. About five in total. This was a sacrificial room.

They put me in a cage by myself.

"Where did we leave off, Brookes?"

Brooke's, I suspect, answered "With that street rat we found in the outskirts of London."

"Did she survive?"

"Nope, didn't even survive the marking."

"Damn. So the blonde."

"Yep"

Three men dragged out a blonde boy who looked about nine. He had bruises and cuts all over him. He looked starved and weak. What were these men going to do to him?

They put him on the altar. He didn't fight. He just laid there.  Then one of the men pulled out a very polished knife.  He lifted it high in the air making it gleam from candlelight. They plunged it into the boy's thigh. I gasped aloud. The boy looked over at me, his eyes dull and growing lifeless. He didn't fight the men at all. He was done. He'd given up.

"This one wasn't pure either."

"Bring the twins."

The twins in question were identical and looked about twelve. They had long red hair and brilliant blue eyes. They too looked starved and beaten but they clung to each other. They screamed and fought as they were pulled away from each other. One was placed on the altar while the other was held.

The one on the altar was kicking and screaming. The men locked her limbs in cuffs on each corner. Now she was just screaming.

The sister being held was screaming "Take me! Not her! Take me!"

The men didn't listen.

The knife readied in the air. Candlelight once again making it shimmer. It plunged into the girl's stomach.

The alive twin was yelling "No! No! You bastards! No!"

Blood pumped out of the girls stomachs. Blood dripped from her mouth and nose. She made this gargling sound. She made no more sound after that.

The men unclipped her from the cuffs and carelessly pushed her away.

The alive sister didn't even react. Her mouth was agape, her eyes wide. She was numb. She wouldn't- no couldn't feel anything. She lost everything. Just like me...

The men put her on the altar. Their faces doubtful that she was 'pure'.

I looked away. I didn't want to see her lifeless eyes. But I could her the knife pierce her. I heard her cry. Then nothing until:

"Bring the Nightingale girl."

My eyes widened and I pressed myself against the back of the cage but the men dragged me out by my feet.

"Oh this is the haul from tonight?"

"Yeah. Doesn't she look pure? To bad we are only doing the marking tonight. After this we go home."

I shivered in fright as they laid me stomach down on the altar. They clipped my hands and feet into cuffs making me look like a starfish. I heard sizzling and one of the men lifted my nightshirt to show my back. What was the marking? What were they doing to me?

Sizzling came closer. Heat seemed to radiate from something. Then it hit my back.

"Ahh!"  I cried.

It burned. The metal. It burned

I pulled and screamed trying to get the agony to stop.

"Stop! Stop!"

The metal was pulled away but the burning continued.

I don't know when I went unconscious.

I woke up to screaming, another one of the kids was being murderer.

My back still burned but I didn't care. I didn't care for much anymore.

I wish all these men would die.

The kids must have died because the screaming stopped. The men looked like they were going to grab the last kid that was here before me but the sacrificial door opened.

There was a man carrying a boy about my age, ten. I couldn't see his face but his hair might have been black. The candlelight  made everything eerie.

Some of the men gasped and murmured "He's worth two children."

The men hurried to clean the altar. They pushed the previous kid's body off the side and placed the boy in cuffs faceup. The boy struggled with the cuffs.

I heard the sizzling. They were going to brand him like they did me. I turned away and plugged my ears but the screaming still rang clear. It felt like hours before he stopped screaming. Yet the sound replayed in my head.

I fell asleep to a lullaby of torture.

I woke up to a crackling sound. Flames surrounded me. The men all laid dead. The boy from yesterday gone.

Smoke filled my lungs as I gasped for air.

No! No!

"No!"

"Vivian! Vivian! It's okay. You're okay."

My eyes opened and I frantically move but arms held me still.

"Vivian! Its okay. Stop crying."

That voice......it was Ciel's. He wrapped his arms around me too.

My breathing was still ragged and I think I was still crying.

"Vivian. Look at me."

I didn't. I didn't want him to see me like this.

"Vivian. Its okay. I get them too."

This time I did turn around. I put my head on his chest and cried. I cried for Mom. I cried for Dad. I cried for James. I cried for the murdered children. I cried for myself.

Ciel just let me cry. He just put his arms around me and let me cry. Until all the tears were out.

"It's not fair." I said my voice on the verge of breaking down again.

"I know, Vivian, I know." Ciel replied.

We stayed in a hug for the rest of the night.