Wish We Could Turn Back Time...

Chapter 3

The next few hours are spent tiredly following Charles around the city as he talked to me about all his friends and everyone he knows and everywhere he's been.

By dusk, he's yawning and rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"I don't want you to go," he said, his voice just below a whine.

"I don't want to leave you either but-"

"Then don't!" He perked up.

"Sorry kid, I have to."

"But you said you just wanted to go, not that you needed to."

I smile, "You'll understand when you get older," I hate that phrase!

He pouts, "Fine, but I hope to see you again."

"Of course, kiddo," I said, slipping back into my American accent but thankfully, Charles didn't notice my slip up.

"I'll call for a carriage and someone to pick up your things, have a good night Alfred." He said, stepping closer to his house which we had stopped in front of.

"Good night Charles," I said, smiling.

I'm never going to see this kid again, am I?

Nope, Arthur said with no remorse.

I watched Charles retreating figure as he stepped into his house, spoke to the butler who nodded and disappeared.

Then the door which had let yellow light spill into the cobbled street shut, making everything dark.

"Are you Alfred?" A man asks.

The man had short, black hair, pale skin-like, it was almost as pale as Prussia's, I mean he had pale skin-and was wearing a butler's uniform.

"Yes," I said, thinking his eyes looked black but remembered it was too dark for me to prove that correct or not. "And you are?"

"Oh," he smiled, "I'm just one of Charles's butlers."

"Yeah, but don't you have a name? You don't go around calling yourself Charles's butler, do you?" I asked curiously.

His smile never dropped or wavered, "Of course not, I'm Sebastian. Mr. FitzRoy said you wanted a ride to Brighton and to pick something up of yours." He raised an eyebrow.

"Uh," Brighton? Is that by the ocean?

Yes you git. I hear England say.

"Yeah."

"Okay, follow me," the butler motioned me forward.

I followed the butler down to the gravel path way where a bunch of carriages were lined, sleek black and modern (for the time at least) looking.

The butler opened the door with his gloved hands for me, bowing formally.

Woah, this guy is a really good actor. I thought, stepping into the carriage and hearing the door shut behind me.

Is he driving? I thought.

The horses who pulled the carriage started to move after being told, their feet rhythmically clomping on the ground, disturbing the quiet peacefulness of the city.

I mean, can I call it that? A city? It looked like a village to me, honestly.

"Where are your things?" Sebastian the butler asked.

"Uh, the edge of town." I said, trying hard not to make a sound like a question.

He didn't respond so I hoped he knew what I was talking about.