Underneath

Word Count: 599

Inspired by the song 'Underneath' by Adam Lambert.

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If you were to strip away the flesh and hit bone, what would you find? If you looked past everything you've heard about me in recent years, what would you see? Would it be the same thing that you always believed?

People talk; it's their second nature. People talk about the son of the Phantomhives' that came back from the dead. The one that resurfaced from nowhere, the one that is so different from the kid they knew a few years back. But no one wanted to know what happened to him, they wanted to ignore the details and hide from the truth.

You always wanted to know, but you never would ask.

If I took you aside and told you about who I was now, I can't see how you wouldn't react in disgust. To know that the person you thought you loved, was nothing more than dirt who was just afraid to die.

If I were to tell you that my butler killed all the people who bought me, and used me for their own repulsive purposes, would you tell me that you wouldn't look at me differently? Their screams still ring in my ears and my nightmares, but I wouldn't say I detest the sound of them.

I wouldn't cry in front of you, even if I ever did tell you. I wouldn't want your sympathy or your pity. Would you offer it anyway? You probably would, because unlike me, you are kind and compassionate.

I live in a world haunted by horror and death. It stands by my side daily. It waits on me and caters to my every whim. It's always there, smiling in waiting anticipation. Sometimes it's empowering to have such power so close to you. But most of the time, you can't get over the feeling of it breathing down your neck, waiting for your last, cloying breath.

Things live under your skin, things you never want people to know. They're your own secrets, and they lay burrowed there until someone skins you alive, exposing everything. Do you know how many skinners I've killed, just to keep my secrets buried?

There's a special spot in Hell for people who contract a Devil. The greatest sin brings forth the greatest punishment. It'll be nothing more than feelings of pain and terror. What else can you feel when your soul has been eaten out from you? Coming back to the world is impossible, so you're left for an eternity. So in the end, is revenge worth it?

You would feel like you've stepped into something you've rather of not. A person's world of truth is an impossible thing to understand, because you can never fathom why they would do such a thing. But if you were in the same position, wouldn't you?

I would not apologize for anything I have done, nor will I ever. I've chosen my final way, and I'll follow the path all the way down to my end. But even if my life ends with this road, I'll be releasing a weight on my soul that has been there since the death of my parents. Not until I know who did it and why, will I ever change my ways. But by then, it'll be too late.

I never want to have to ask you, 'Now when you look at me, what do you see?' I don't want to hide anything from you, but I'm afraid that you won't be able to handle what's underneath the person you thought you loved.

So I'm never going to take you that deep.