Etoile's POV - Rat Traps

It was a foggy British morning and I sat at the parlour doing my embroidery, (which I had to, according to Ciel) while simultaneously dying of boredom. In the distance, I could hear the servants trying to catch rats or something. It sounded like the rats were winning. Meanwhile dear brother was in his secret room having a meeting with some adults. He was probably more bored than I was.

Once I realized I couldn't do this dreadful task any longer, I decided to go mess with the servants. I stepped in the hall and right into a mousetrap.

Thankfully, my shoes were pretty hard, so it didn't hurt too much.

"What the hell?!" I let out.

"Oh heavens no! I'm so sorry" the Mey-Rin appeared, apologizing profusely.

"You shouldn't say that word, Milady" Finny instructed me.

"You're trying to catch rats?" I asked.

"Yes," Bard said, "But we're not having too much luck."

"Can I help?" I asked, finding a way to relieve my boredom.

The trio seemed taken aback by the very idea. (Not old Mr. Tanaka though. He seemed like he was enjoying all this.)

"No, a lady like you? Catching rats?" Bard said.

"B-But that's a servant's job" Mey-Rin stammered.

"You should worry about more important things." Finny said.

"Very well, then" I paused for a moment before I added, "I'll launch an independent mission to catch the rats. I'll do it before you three do!" I turned and left quickly before they could stop me.

I went quickly to my room to plan a course of action. How do I catch rats? I racked my brain for some knowledge of my previous life, but it wasn't much use. I had forgotten most of it.

I looked around the room and found an empty bird cage. (Patric the finch passed away last year, RIP Patric). I picked it up and decided to use that. With the help of some lace and a few hair pins, I was able to make a trap.

"Now I just have to show the servants."

I walked around the hallway, looking for a good place to put the trap.

As swiftly as a gust of air blows on the curtains, the trap was taken from my hands.

"My, young lady" the voice sent shivers up my spine, "what is this?"

I drew a deep breath before turning to face the smiling butler, the Butler From Hell.

"It's a rat trap. Now give it back."

"Oh this is the old finch cage isn't it?" he held it out of my grasp, "A young lady like you shouldn't be having such dangerous items."

I tried to pry the item from his hands. "It's not dangerous! It's just a small trap."

"Well, I would have to examine this carefully before I can determine that." It was very clear that he was having fun messing with me.

I groaned. "Why are you like this?!"

"I'm simply following the young master's orders. A young lady of the Phantomhive house should not be running around with the servants, trying to catch rats. You know your schedule. Now then," he paused as he started to walk ahead, "since you seem to have so much free time, I'm assuming you're done with your embroidery. I'll have to take a look at it."

"Erm..." I had to do the awkward walk/run thing to catch up with him.

"Do speak up." He seemed slightly annoyed.

"It's not quite done."

His eyes changed expression ever so slightly. "My, my... that will just not do now, will it?" His tall imposing stature and formal attire were, I had to admit, quite intimidating. Not to mention, he wore his mask almost flawlessly.

Just then, a door opened and the servants stumbled out raising all hell. The rats evaded their capture. They halted when they saw Sebastian and I standing in the hallway.

"W-we're just trying to-" Bard started to speak but Sebastian cut him off.

"Catch rats, is it? Are you the ones who put up the young lady to this?"

The servants denied in unison.

"No, it was me." I replied, "It was my idea, so leave them out of it."

When we heard his footsteps, all of us turned to face the head of the house, Ciel Phantomhive, approaching us.

"Sebastian," he ordered, "There has been a change of plans. I expect you to escort Duke Randall by carriage to his mansion." Then his gaze fell on me and his frown deepened.

"Understood," the Butler responded, "Once I finish the preparations for the carriage, I'll bring you some tea. Would you like to have tea with the young lady?"

"I'm assuming she's done with her morning tasks?"

"I'm afraid not, young master."

"Well, then make sure she does. I was planning on having tea alone but I've changed my mind."

I observed the two of them talking about me as if I'm not in their presence at all.

"Very well then, I'll set up preparations for tea in the garden." I watched the young master turn and walk back down the hall. He turned the corner and disappeared.

"Now then," the smiling butler said to me, "I expect it to be completed by the time tea is served. If not, you will be punished by having to write a letter of apology to the master."

I felt so defeated. I walked back into the parlour and picked up the embroidery. I mumbled to myself, "I just want to go back."

The sweet smell of chemicals filled my nostrils and I collapsed to the floor.

Ciel's POV - A Game of Rats

"Sebastian," I was starting to grow annoyed, "Where is Ettie? Why is she not here already?"

"It's not like her to be late for tea," Sebastian replied as he placed the tea tray on the table. I focused intensely on it, trying to find some flaw. Everything was perfect, from the wrinkle-free tablecloth to the floral tea set. For some reason, I felt more annoyed.

"Would you like me to go fetch her?"

"Yes, but if I have to wait more than five minutes..." I left that sentence hang in the air.

"Yes of course, milord" he said as he walked away.

Half a minute hadn't passed before he returned. "I'm afraid the young lady is not in the manor anymore."

"Not in the manor?" My heart skipped a beat, "You mean to say she's run away?"

"It appears she has been kidnapped." He produced a note from his coat pocket and proceeded to read it out loud. "To the Queen's watchdog. Etoile Phantomhive is in our custody. If you wish to get her back, do as we say. Wait for a phone call at 6 o' clock with further instructions."

"Sebastian," I said, "make sure I don't receive that call."

He caught on to what I meant by that, "Yes, milord."

"I need her back here, safe and alive. If she suffers more than just minor injuries I'm going to be very displeased."

Maintaining my non chalant expression was difficult. As the butler left, I wondered if he had been able to sense my fear. I took a deep breath. Somehow I couldn't blame anyone but myself for this. It would have been one thing if it was me, but to target a little lady... those cowardly bastards!

I resisted the temptation to pray. Someone, some supernatural force brought her back from the dead once. I wasn't counting on it to happen again. I resolved to be more pleasant to her when she got back.

Ettie's POV

Was I hung over again? Is today a Saturday? If so, I'm definitely hung over. That explains the headache and nausea. I should have taken Jack's advice and just drank a ton of water. It makes him pee a ton of times at night but apparently he wakes up without a hangover. Ah, how I miss Jack. Maybe I should give him a call. No, that's too weird. I'll send him a text. I reached for my cell phone on the floor and-

Who was Jack and why did I want to text him? Wait... text?

"What on earth..." I mumbled as my eyes focused on my bound wrists. I tried to get up but my ankles were bound too.

I rolled over, on the hardwood floor to face the ceiling. I had no idea where I was. I felt panic grip my heart, when I saw a strange man approach me.

"Oh look, she's awake." He spoke in a slow voice as he crouched down near me. The scent of cigar smoke filled my nostrils. I hated it. "Don't worry, dear lady. We're not going to do anything to you... yet."

I would have said something back, maybe even quipped back with a one liner if I wasn't too frozen with fear.

"Aww..." the man said, "You poor thing... you're trembling." Then he laughed as he stood up and spoke to someone outside the room I was in, in a language I didn't understand. As soon as he was out of sight, I struggled against my restraints, but it was no use. Because of my corset, I found myself too inflexible and too physically weak to do anything. A few minutes of struggling made me feel winded.

A sudden thought popped into my head.

Where is Ciel?

Have they got him too? I craned my neck to look around, but I was all alone in the room.

"Ciel...?" I nervously called out, "Are you there?" I got no response. I started to sink into a feeling of despair, the kind that I had felt on that fateful night, the night where the Phantomhive family was split in such a cruel way. I could picture Ciel's perfect poker face and his one bored eye. His face seemed to permanently say, "I don't have time for this."

But he wasn't always like that... He had changed. Then a strange thought struck me. Had I changed too? How had I changed? It's strange I was thinking these things while I was bound on some stranger's floor.

My thoughts drifted to the black coat tails and white gloves of the Phantomhive butler. His dark hair and his cunning smile, all masking a terrifying something that was beyond human comprehension. How did Ciel manage to find peace in that house? All were questions that intrigued me.

I closed my eyes tight and made a prayer.

Sebastian, please come save me.

A/N: As per feedback from one of my readers, I have decided to make the chapters longer. Do send me feedback. It helps me know what to change and what to keep doing. :)