It's so dark... And quiet... Well, besides the soft snoring coming from the bed nearby mine.

Cautiously, I sat up from my bed and throw my legs out to the side. I glanced over at sleeping Doll. In her night attire and her chocolate brown locks loose, she looked like any normal child. Her freckles were also visible across her pale cheeks. I grinned at the mere innocence of my precious roommate as I stood up.

My own hair cascaded freely down my back and a simple, buttoned nightgown covered my body. I reached over to my chest and took out one of the silk robes to wrap over myself before exiting the tent.

Sebastian said he wanted to meet me, so I expect to see him tonight. A precise butler like him wouldn't break a promise.

Low hissing pricked my ears and I halted in my tracks. I let out an agitated sigh and turned my heel to the owner of the hissing. Amidst the darkness between the tents, the male stepped forwards into my line of sight. "Good evening, Snake," I greeted the snow-haired lad with a nod of my head.

"What are you doing up so late?" He asked me in a stern tone. "You should be sleeping." Although I was being lectured by stoic boy, I warmly smiled due to the fact that he's not talking to me through his snakes. I knew it must be because he's comfortable speaking with me. Even if it's only when we're alone he speaks to me so personally, I am deeply touched by it.

"I couldn't sleep," I told him. "So, I'm walking a bit to clear my head. You needn't worry about me."

"Are you sure, Camellia?" He murmured, a sense of worry in his low pitched voice.

"Don't worry, Snake. I can handle myself just fine. I'll just take a brisk walk around the circus and return back to my tent," I reassured him. "I'll be going, ok?"

"Erm, ok, be careful," he grumbled out, turning his gaze away. I gave him a peck on his cheek out of consideration and stalked off.

On my walk, my golden eyes darted around, only seeing nothing close to resembling Sebastian Michaelis. How bothersome. Is he possibly still in his tent? It was late in the night whereas everyone should be asleep, being the best time to be able to talk. Yet, he was nowhere to be found.

My feet carried me all the way over to the tent I knew he had been assigned to. I stopped momentarily when I heard a couple voices heard from inside. "Where are you going? It is long past lights-out time. Truly, I cannot tolerate your soul-stealing, so please limit your wandering without a master whilst I sleep." Was that Suit? My lips turned down slightly when I realized something. Soul-stealing... Master... This could only mean Suit knew of Sebastian's true self and intentions of being in this circus. I already figured that they must have known each other before by their interaction earlier today but knowing Sebastian and Ciel to this extent must mean something. I begin stepping away... "Mmm? Someone's outside." I froze when the curtains of the tent opened to reveal the two men inside. "Lady Camellia? What are you doing out at this hour?" Suit asked me in surprise.

I composed myself as best as I could and replied, "I was surveying the area tonight. Why are you two not sleeping?"

"My apologies, Lady Camellia, but this horrendous beast is trying to leave the tent even when it is prohibited to," Suit answered as he shot glares over to the male next to him.

"I see, and what may be the purpose to you leaving the tent, Black?" I questioned Sebastian.

I didn't sense any source of unease on his face when he simply responded, "I wanted to take a short walk around the grounds as I find it a bit hard to sleep with this man in the same tent." I tried my best to hide my inner bewilderment over the fact we had used the same excuse to be outside. "My apologies for disturbing you, Lady Camellia."

I sighed. "It's ok. If you must, I will allow you to walk around, but I'll have to supervise you so you don't do anything suspicious." I glimpsed over at Suit for his reaction to this. "Would that be ok to you, Suit?"

The bespectacled man's face told me how much he wasn't sure about my plan, but eventually, he agreed to it. "Might as well but please make sure to not lose any sight of him."

"I'll keep my word, Suit. If he leaves my sight for any short moment then he will be severely punished for disobeying orders," I told him. Suit gave Sebastian one last glower before returning back inside the tent. The butler exited the tent to approach me.

"Shall we begin our walk?"

"Might as well."

The two of us strolled on. Our walk went on for five minutes of complete silence. I had to make sure we go somewhere so we could talk in private. I then lead Sebastian behind the tent to the currently unused mess hall, the most secure place to converse for now. "Alright, Sebastian. You wanted to meet, so here we are." Without any kind of warning, his warm, gloved hands cupped my cheeks. Frozen in shock, all I could do was gaze into his blood red eyes.

"It's just as I told you... I wanted to see you," he murmured out in a low, husky voice that made my heart skip a beat. I was absolutely melting under his tender touch and sincere stare. For so long, I've missed this sensation. On the days I've served at the Phantomhive Manor, whenever Sebastian and I have the chance to be alone together, he never fails to fill me with so much love...

I blinked away my thoughts when I realize he had been leaning in. I take a step back to free myself from his embrace. "Stop it! I know that you have met up with me for other reasons," I snapped at him angrily. C'mon, you cannot fall for his charm anymore.

"My, I'm delighted to know you haven't softened a bit, milady," he commented with an undeniably attractive smirk on his face. "Your presence is truly missed at the manor."

"I told you to stop that," I snarled at him maliciously. "You know why I couldn't return to the manor."

Sebastian's expression suddenly hardened. "Do you truly want to discuss this?"

"Yes I do and as to why you and he are here."

"Milady, I have to refrain from telling you our plans." I glared coldly at him. Fists clenched and heart thumping loudly, the anger was rising within me. "I assure you, this is orders from the Queen herself."

"You can't possibly believe that I'll allow this, not when these people have welcomed me like family," I spat at him. "I don't care if it's the Queen's order."

"And yet you have not revealed our identity," he countered, his head tilting ever so slightly. "You know fairly well how we do our job, Camellia. You must know how grave it is for us to be here at your circus."

"Tell me the reason, Sebastian," I demanded. "I deserve the right to know."

"I know, since I highly doubt you would commit such a crime." He let out a sigh of defeat as he eyed me. "How could I refuse when your golden eyes glow so alluringly like that?" I averted my gaze away, my cheeks feeling uncomfortably warm. "Do none of them know of your true nature?"

"It's not my true nature!" I growled, shuddering. "And don't you dare change the subject on me, tell me why you are here!"

I didn't anticipate that he'd actually tell me. "There seems to be a connection to the missing children and this circus."

... "What?"

"That is the reason for our presence." I have heard about the missing children a couple times before, but the fact that it might be connected to our circus? It was preposterous. Where would the children be hidden in the first place? I know every nook and cranny here at Noah's Ark Circus, I have seen no signs of young, lost children. "I do not sense any of the missing children here, so we need to look around from the inside for any clues."

"And that's why you have joined the circus..."

"That is correct." He leaned close to me. "So, what is your plan now? Will you reveal us? I doubt that you will."

"How could you be so sure?"

A smile tugged on his lips. "Because I still hold a special place in your heart."

A lump formed in the back of my throat at his words. H-How dare he say that to me! "Absurd!" I burst out.

Then, lightning fast, he placed a hand over my lips. In our silence, we could hear the sound of footsteps passing through. It must be one of the second-tier performers patrolling. "Is someone there?" he called out. After a couple of seconds, he continued on his way, mumbling out how he must be hearing things.

Sebastian finally released his hand. "You must be quiet, Camellia, if you do not want to be caught. What do you think will happen when word gets out that a member of the main troupe is out alone with a newcomer?" I smacked his hand away, utterly annoyed by his teasing tone. "You do not want to upset Joker, now do you?"

"He shouldn't be upset," I interjected with a frown.

"Au contraire, I'm positive he will be when he finds out his precious dove is running off into the night with some other man."

"Stop that! I am not running off into the night with you!" I exhaled slowly to calm myself down. "You're absolutely insane. Just do your research and leave this circus forever, ok?"

He placed his hand onto his chest and bowed before me. "Yes, milady. If that is what you truly want."

"It is what I truly want." But, it didn't look like Sebastian believed me. We might as well change the topic while we still have the time. "Does the Earl know who I am?"

"He does not seem to have recognized you in your full performance attire," he replied. He reached over and cautiously ran his fingers through my long, midnight black tresses. "I'm sure if you showed yourself to him now, he would."

"You... disobeyed his orders," I mumbled. "I was supposed to be dead with everyone else but you spared my life even when I didn't deserve to. Why didn't you kill me?"

"Would you have wanted to die along with everyone else?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I deserved to but you spared me. I was one of them, you knew I was following their orders. You knew that what I did was horrible!" I whimpered out, nearly everything from that night throbbing into my brain. The cries, the sheering sound of swords, the sound of blood gushing and guts spilling out rang in my ears. I could even remember the metallic smell of blood. "Why did you spare me, Sebastian?"

"I have reasons that it is best not to know right now."

"Sebastian!"

"We should be getting back to our tents, correct? We wouldn't want to worry anyone." In a quick strides, he escaped from behind the tent. I followed rapidly after him, so to not lose sight of him. "And don't worry, I won't go sneaking around without your permission."

"That's a lie," I sneered, finally following into step with him. We make it back to his tent and just as he opened the curtain to enter, I tell him, "I would trust Suit to not let you out from now on. Don't expect any more late night walks. Are we clear?"

"Crystal. Goodnight, Miss Camellia."

And with that, I left him behind, letting all the information he told me simmer into my brain.

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A/n: Hello! Very short chapter, but I think it explains a couple important things. Plus, we see Camellia and Sebastian interacting together! The next chapter will come in shortly

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