Death's Daughter (Black Butler)

Chapter Twenty One: Something's Happened

Tugging at the hem of my dress, I sighed. It was the dress that Eric and Alan had given me for Christmas. I hadn’t actually tried it on until today, and I was pleasantly surprised that it all fit well – except for the fact that it was far too large in the upper chest area. I pulled on the thin straps, adjusting them so that it wasn’t so obvious of how much I lacked in the upper chest department. I pursed my lips together as I looked up into the mirror. Blue and black flowers danced across the white fabric, the blue matching that of my flats. The dress fell around me knees, flaring out nicely.

“You look great,” I heard from behind me. I twisted my head over my shoulder, looking over at the speaker with wide eyes. Eric stood in the empty doorway, leaning his back against the wooden doorway. His eyes glanced over to me, a smile growing on his lips. Of course he thought it looked nice, he was the one who suggested I wore the dress in the first place.

I took a deep breath, stifling a nod as I bit my lip. “T-Thanks,” I stuttered, glancing back down at my feet. I was still a bit careful when I spoke to Eric, even if there had been plenty of time that had passed by since my outburst. Although I was the one that went flying off the handle, I wouldn’t want to be the cause behind Eric or Alan doing the same.

“Look, Bri,” he started, running a hand through the loose portion of his hair as he walked slowly into my room. He stopped in his tracks when he was next to me, taking a deep breath. He let out his breath in a long sigh, avoiding eye contact with me. “Alan and I have some business this evening, and we won’t be able to attend the little congratulatory party tonight. And… We just wanted you to know that,” he paused, biting the corner of his bottom lip, “that we’re proud of you no matter what, Okay?” he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. “Okay?”

I stood, silent for a moment. Slowly, I wrapped my arms around Eric’s back, returning the hug he had given me. It caught me off guard, Eric had never seemed like the type of guy who would give out hugs. I had always got the ‘being-lovey-dovey-is-too-cheesy-for-me-because-I’m-a-manly-man’ vibe from him. Even if he was that type, I had never witnessed him like this, let alone experienced it. “Okay,” I whispered back. It wasn’t until he released from the embrace and exited my room that I noticed something more absurd than before.

Eric was crying.

-

The congratulatory party that had been set up fro me, Ronald, and the other graduating reapers was nearly identical to the Christmas Party. Music was blaring, people were laughing and dancing, and I was desperate to get out of there. Sadly, as much as I wanted to leave, there was a little unwritten rule that I wasn’t exactly allowed to leave. I was a guest of honor, after all.

I stationed myself right next to the refreshment table, back against the wall. I held a clear, plastic cup filled with punch in my hand, sipping out of it every so often. I mostly kept my eyes on the floor, peeking up only when I was being spoken to and needed to reply. As much as I hated it, the older reapers continued to congratulate me as they passed by. I tried to convince myself that this was simply the lifestyle that they were accustomed to, but I was still revolted by the fact that they were congratulating me for standing by while and innocent child died.

I let out a long, stressed breath and shook my head. I needed to stop thinking like that. Otherwise, I end up having another meltdown, and having one like the previous one in public wouldn’t turn out well. I walked over to the punch bowl, refilling my glass before I began my trip down the hall. I remembered there being an entrance to a courtyard somewhere in these halls. I needed fresh air to help clear my head, and going out to the courtyard wouldn’t be near as obvious as leaving through the main door.

After a bit of wandering and getting lost once, I found the courtyard. Slowly opening the door, I slipped into the empty garden. I sighed, a smile easing its way onto my face. I walked over the stone plated pathway and over to one of the wooden benches, sitting down on it. I leaned back and crossed my legs one over the other as I relaxed. I took a long drink of my punch, making sure I had finished off the last drop. I sat the empty cup down next to me, shifting in my seat. Finally, I had reached complete solitude.