Pandora Hearts: The Novel

Innocent Calm

The footsteps of the three running maids echo throughout the corridor.

“Young Master!” One of them yells in her shrill voice. “Young Master Oz, where are you?”

I know they’re nearing. I gently clamp my hand over my little sister Ada’s mouth, stifling a laugh. Quietly, I push the closet door open, just enough to eavesdrop on anyone close by.

 “You there! Gilbert!” she yells again.

“Huh? Yes?” comes Gil’s quiet voice. I peek out and see Gilbert standing right outside the door.

“As servant to the Young Master, you surely must know! Where is Young Master Oz hiding?” I wonder why none of the windows have broken yet from a voice that high-pitched.

“Huh? Mrs. Kate, what has happened to the Young Master?”

“The party is about to begin, but I cannot find him anywhere!” An awkward silence. Then, “Could it be that… he does not plan to attend today?!”

A whimper escapes Gil’s mouth. He is shaking with fear. “I-I cannot say I know! Actually, I myself have not seen him since lunch…”

“By the way, Gilbert,” the maid continues, her voice now oddly coated with sweetness. “I have heard from the Young Master that you greatly dislike cats, is that not so?”

From behind her back, I see the maid pull out a cute white kitten. She holds it a mere inch away from Gil’s face.

“THE LAKE!” yells Gilbert. “HE HEADED FOR THE LAKE WITH LADY ADA!”

With that the footsteps and giggles of the maids fades into the distance.

Gil falls to his knees. He is breathing heavily. “Young Master, please come out now,” he pleads with his weak voice.

I kick the door open and burst into laughter. “Ha ha! Good work, Gilbert!” I say.

Gil remains on the ground, his black hair falling over his eyes. The poor boy always had an abnormal fear of cats. Not to mention dogs, darkness, and ghost stories.

“Aaah, Mrs. Kate will be furious with me…” mumbles Gil under his breath.

“Eh-heh-heh! Poor Gil has it so rough!” I cry. Bullying Gil – my valor, and my only friend – will never get old. I take hold of Ada’s hand while she jumps out of the closet. “Well, let’s go explore the back garden today!”

Three days ago I arrived at this mansion, feeling greatly uneasy. I still do. But what use is it sulking in a corner, scared of something you can’t explain? If only –

“Oh, so there you are.” comes a thick voice I recognize. “Finally found you, you naughty brats!” I feel the back of my shirt being grabbed. My Uncle Oscar holds me down with one hand and Gil with the other. He pushes us toward his room on the opposite side of the corridor and shuts the door.

His room is one of the largest in the mansion. A large window covers one side of the wall, granting us a view of the gloomy front porch. Sunlight pours in, but no real brightness or warmth comes with it. Uncle Oscar takes a seat next to the window. I head towards the springy sofa while Gil and Ada have already respectfully seated themselves on the long couch in the middle of the room.

Uncle Oscar’s long blond hair is tied back into a neat ponytail. He takes off his glasses and cleans them with his yellow sweater. Putting them back on, he sighs and turns to look out the window. “What am I going to do with you? Don’t make the housekeeper worry so much,” he says.

“But, well, she was more on the edge than usual, so I couldn’t help but want to tease her,” I reply innocently.

“Ha ha! Of course she’d be tensed. It’s the coming of age ceremony for the next head of the Vessalius family, one of the four great dukedoms.”

“Yeah, how come I have to do something like that?” I whine. The whole thing sounds so boring. While we talk, I pretend not to notice how much Gil fidgets about his seat.

Uncle Oscar smiles at me. “It’s the destiny of those who turn fifteen, Oz. Just accept it already.”

“Well, at least the mansion’s fun. Even after two days here, there’s still loads of places I haven’t seen yet.”

He nods after a pause. “Yes. It is a beautiful mansion, isn’t it? Word has it that it was built over two hundred years ago, but now it is only used for the coming-of-age ceremony.” He takes out a cigarette and lights it. “You can seldom come here, Oz. So think of it as a strange party of sorts and enjoy yourself.”

“Yes,” I reply. Then I ask him the question that has been on mind since our arrival. “Uncle, you’re going to perform the ceremony, right?”

He looks a bit uncomfortable and stands up to look outside the window. Suddenly he develops a strange interest in the front porch.

“Yeah, I will. But, your dad, he should really be the one doing it. I’m sorry you have to settle for someone like me filling in for him.”

“What do you mean, ‘you’re sorry’? After all, you’re more like a dad to me, Uncle Oscar. I’d be happier if you did it.” And it is the truth.

Uncle Oscar remains silent. He’s taken care of me for as long as I remember. I sometimes like to pretend that he’s my dad. But that only deepens the wounds, knowing that my dad is still out there, somewhere.

“Oh, that’s right, Oz!” Uncle Oscar moves away from the window, walking towards a dusty cupboard. “That thing you asked for? It got here just in time.”

“Really? Yay!” I jog over to him.

“Hopefully the size will be okay, but-”

“It’ll be fine, thanks!” I eagerly grab the package and hold it tightly. Through the corner of my eyes I can see Gil curiously watching us.

All of a sudden a loud banging on the door makes us all jump. Gil seems to have fallen off the couch, though I’m not sure since my eyes are busy examining the room, looking for an escape route.

“Oscar!” It’s Mrs. Kate’s lovely voice again. “Is Young Master Oz in there?”

The window.

I turn to Uncle Oscar and whisper, “Please, Uncle, can’t we hide just a little bit more?”

“Young Master!” says Gil, now on his feet. “You must not! You promised you would stop exploring the mansion at four!”

I throw a glance at the wall clock. It’s two minutes to four.

“Shaddup! I said just a little bit more!” I hiss back.

“I-I’m sorry, Young Master! Please f-f-forgive me!”

The banging on the door grows louder. “Oscar? I need to find Young Master Oz!”

Uncle Oscar ignores her and looks at me. “Now, now, don’t pick on Gil too much,” he says. “You want to give that package to him, am I right? Now go on, get out of here.”

“OSCAR!” Mrs. Kate screams.

“Oh, Mrs. Kate, is that you?” Uncle Oscar asks politely. “I’m sorry, I haven’t heard you. Just a minute!”

I move over to the window and push it open. Gil helps Ada out, and we both follow, landing in the front porch.

“Oz!” Uncle calls. “Listen, Oz! Absolutely no fooling around at today’s party.”

“Yeah, I know!”

 “If you do … I’ll call the Messenger of the Abyss on you!”

I grin. “Sorry, Uncle, but that threat doesn’t work on me anymore!”

And with that I, Gil, and Ada run towards the back garden, leaving Uncle Oscar to deal with Mrs. Kate.