Write = Get Reviews Forum First Encounter Chapter

I have been waiting for them a long time now, and life has been dragging around me. What has died, what has moved on. What has my hair been doing, growing still over all of the time I have been waiting. I can feel the weight of it on my head. This cloth has started to fray, but is has served me for so long. With one dust covered hand, I rubbed over my eyes, touching the cloth. I have been covered in dust, I’m going to sneeze. But I cannot, for my Master or mistress will enter any time now, they must. It’s been too long since I’ve heard a voice. I just want to hear one voice.I had never gotten to prove myself to the last Master. I will be the best butler to the next member of the family that would walk through that door. The door opened at the thought and I lifted my head, guilty from my daydream. The ebony cloth over my eyes itched again, but I cannot show that to whoever it was, I wasn’t going to move. I put on a bright smile for them, wait, what if my teeth were bad to look at? “Hello Miss or Mr. Ài. It is a pleasure to serve you today.” I could hear something heavy drop, maybe my hair was too overgrown, or did my teeth scare them? I have failed already. The breathing was hard; I tried to hear the tone, struggling to tell what gender the person was.“Who….What are you?!” The body yelled and I smiled weakly, knowing it was a female from the sound of her voice. Her breathing was also much like a female’s, having to come out hard to move her chest. I walked toward her, maybe I was too skinny. I had seen those people before, the ones that you could count their ribs, it must scare her. But the suit should have covered my ribs, has it dissolved into dust?“I am your Servant, Miss Ài[1]. My name is Bùxiŭ[2].” I held out the roses. She slapped them away and I pulled my hand back, a bit startled. “Is there something wrong?” Did she not like the color of the roses? I would have to clean the garden of the color. While she slept, of course. I will make her happy, she must stay, her voice is the only one I have heard in such a long time, I must focus.“I was told this manor was mine, why the hell are you covering your eyes? Get out! Just get out!” She started to yell again, her feet still going backwards toward the door. I tried to smile at her again, to try and calm her, to keep her here.“It is. I am your butler. I have been waiting for someone from the Ài family to claim the manor once more. This cloth covers what most do not wish to see. I am sorry, but I am not allowed to take it off in memorance of my past master,” I said, bowing my head. I sniffed slightly, she smelled like an angel, full of peaches and apples. I could be lost in the scent for hours, but I cannot do that. I have duties I must complete for her. I wish I could see her. What color was she? Did she glow like I saw those people who left the church? It was so dark in this new world I lived in, where is the light I deserve?“Take it off! It…It’s an order from your new mistress if that is what you want me to call myself,” I could hear the fear in her voice. I didn’t want to scare her away, it’s been too long. However an order is something I must follow without hesitation. She must be trying to figure out what she could do, that is what a mistress is supposed to do after all, test out what the butler is capable of. Test them and see if they are worthy of serving them. “I will only take off the cloth if you promise me you will not run away,” I said, steel inking into my voice. I was not going to let this destroy my light, my scent and my sound. She was going to run. I knew she was going to run. I felt her pinky wrap around mine. I flinched a bit startled at the touch. What is she doing? She was scared of touching me before, now she wanted something so she touched me?“I promise…,” She whimpered. So the pinky was a sign of promise. As I reached up I wrapped my hand around hers, untying the cloth with my free hand, letting it fall. She let out a scream, her hand pulling away from mine. I sighed, I had known she was going to run. I reached down, trying to make myself smaller, wanting to block out the screams. I was still a child, thinking this may work. I covered my shame with grabbed the cloth, holding it in my hand as I spoke calmly to her to keep her near me.“To make sure I was always with the Ài family, my last master cut out my eyes…it is a tradition they had for my family, we are all butlers,” I explained, the air emptily going into my eye sockets, making them itch even more than they already did. She was trying to run away, she was going to leave the household because of me. I weakly reached out to her, knowing I had to stop her from leaving. “You said you wouldn’t run…you promised…with that new…strange way of yours.” I whispered softly. I could hear her stop, did that sign of promise mean her pinky would have to come off? What a strong way to promise. Then she walked toward me again, her breathing hard in her chest, she was still recovering from shock. I am glad at least she didn’t faint, that would be a horrible thing for a butler to do to his mistress.“N…Never take the cloth off, again.” She whispered, I could feel her eyes bore into me. It was clear she hated me, no reason to want to keep me near her. But she had made that strange promise of her and she must keep it, or else her pinky comes off. I pulled the cloth tight over my eye sockets, bowing deeply to my Miss, still trying to see how tall she was. I need to try and feel how the air would go around her, so I could make sure I wouldn’t insult her.“Yes my Miss, I shall never take my cloth off unless you tell me otherwise.” She started to walk past me, leaving her bags on the ground. I let out a weak laugh, walking to her bags, oh how there were so many of them. How strange, she hates me, but lets me touch her things. She must want to put the episode behind her or a punishment I am guessing, from me scaring her and forcing her to stay with the monster I am. I picked them up, and then caught up to her in a few long strides, passing in one more.“Allow me to show you to your room.” I smiled at her, the air flowing around her, allowing me to see how tall she was, walking up the stairs. I could hear her run to catch up, so I slowed my pace and shortened my strides. She must not have very long legs, I wonder if they were covered. It would very interesting to have a mistress who showed them so boldly. I shivered slightly at the thought, the feeling of bare skin of a female when I helped her dress, or when I washed her skin for a bath. I will not let these desires overcome me, no, these are lustful thoughts. I cannot think of these things for any woman, let alone my own mistress. I blushed slightly at me own foolishness, shaking my head. A butler is a shadow, nothing of importance, not something that a Miss would love. The thoughts are lust, a sin. In death I would burn in hell, but, when would I die?Her breath left in a gasp as I opened the doors to her room. “Do you like this room, Miss Ài?” I asked. I felt her blow by me into the room. I had forgotten the colors that I had seen so long ago. Or maybe I had led her to the wrong room, no, that was impossible. I had memorized the whole manor long ago.“I…I love it…” She whispered. I gently put my hands on her shoulders, trying to be comforting. She stepped away, I was wrong, she hated me, and I stop touching her. I was never to touch her, no desires for her, only to serve her perfectly. “Don’t touch me…” She grumbled, walking to the window as if to finalize my thoughts. I cannot disobey any one of her orders. I will not upset her; I will be the best for her.“What does it look like?” I asked softly, hoping I wasn’t speaking out of turn. That was a great dishonor to any noble. Her hair made a soft swishing noise. What color was her hair? The smell of the angel wafted over to my nose. I could lose myself in it forever, hold her and breath in the scent that she is. The life that she held so dearly without even thinking of it, a small child wrapped around a pure white orb.“Have you never seen it?” She asked. I shook my head, hoping she wouldn’t understand I was lying, I wanted her to touch me and tell me how it looked though her pure eyes. ‘I hadn’t seen it in so long;’ I reasoned with myself, ‘it could count as never seeing it,’. I could hear her walk over to me and I felt my blood rush, surprised as she took my hands. She must had forgotten her order, or maybe she was no longer afraid.She pulled my hands, pressing them against a window. “It’s snowing; our breath is fogging up the window.” Then, she pulled one of my hands to the wall, her pulse racing by showing me these things. My body was closer to her, allowing me to to feel her form. The hand left at the window slowly became cold and chilled me even closer to my core. “There is blood red wall paper. The bed is…” She let go of my hands and walked over to the bed, leaving me to turn and follow her noisy footsteps. Suddenly, I heard a thump as her body fell into the bed and deeply sunk into it. I am glad I had changed those sheets so often; moths would have eaten through it without a second thought. “It’s silk…and…the pillows…are…soft…” Her breathing slowed; she fell asleep within a few minutes of lying there. The travel here must have taken her a very long time, maybe even months. I picked her up, her body laid softly and limply in my arms. I moved the covers, tucking her in. Closing the curtains, she made a gentle rustling noise, causing me to smile and think of the soft movements that humans made.“Sleep well Miss Ài…” The words barely escaped my mouth, then I turned and started to put my real skills to use. Now I no longer had to wait for her, I could make the house even better for her. First, I must unpack the clothing she had brought. I knelt and quietly opened the bags, frowning at the strange feel of them. Where were the trunks, the small cases of makeup…where are the dresses? I held up a blouse, folding it slowly and tucked it away in an open drawer. Then, what are these? They are not dress pants, but they go all the way down unlike those bold shorts. I slowly brought it to my face and held the strange fabric tightly as her scent wrapped around me. I tore it away, my face burning. I folded the strange pants as I would for any other pants. I could ask her about the strange fabric if I ever got a chance.I went through folding and putting away her clothing in a matter of half an hour. I found some pencils and small tubes of what I hoped were her strange forms of make-up. I entered the master bathroom and slowly arranged the tubes and pencils, then the toothbrush and a different tube, smell of mint. How crafty, she mixed mint with the powders that cleaned teeth.Walking back slowly, I felt some small books, and fresh paper. She is an artist, or is she a writer? How could she do that in today’s society, or, has it changed so much that she is able to do these things without fear? I picked up the objects and laid them on her desk, hearing her murmur in her sleep. I slowly tucked away the bags, then walked out of the room, closing the door quietly.Humans are interesting creatures of habit. They will always rebel, or think they can find the secret that has escaped so many before. But, my Miss, seems very content with the world today. How could that be? Even I am not content with my own life, how can someone live their life so happily and contently without a fear? I will do my best to protect the happiness, the life that is within my Miss. When the day comes where she passes on, may I be there by her side, able to smell her innocence one more time and serve her children as I have served her.I walked down the hall, pulling off my cloth, laughing to myself. The itching has gotten worse and I can barely control it, but I know it is no ordinary itch not anymore. It is the itch of my blood lust, of the world I have contained within my soul for all of these years. But, it’s not to last, it will be ruined by the dawn of tomorrow. I will start my cycle of flowing blood and body covered in wrappings. But, it will have purpose now, to protect someone. It will not be of pure bloodlust, but for protection and happiness, for the innocent.