Chapter One: Abandonment

When she had first arrived at the Wammy House she had been so terribly scared. Her mother had practically dragged her out of the car, through the rain and up the stairs towards the large double doors that served as the entrance to the orphanage. Back then she hadn't understood what was happening. All she knew was that her mother was very angry with her.

Her mother rapped on the door, a sharp sound that pierced through the night storm like a knife. There was a momentary stretch of silence before one of the doors opened revealing an elderly man who might have very well been her grandfather. The old man surveyed the two, first directing his gaze towards the middle-aged woman with her hair tied up in a tight bun and a grim expression, then towards the pale, shivering girl with long black hair and large eyes so dark and depthless that they seemed to look straight through him.

"May I ask as to what brings you two ladies to my doorstep?" The man asked finally, his voice warm and comforting and holding an air of English propriety.

"My name is Maria Dumond." The woman replied, her words cold and cutting. "I spoke to you over the phone."

"Ah, yes." A hint of recognition entered the man's eyes as he looked down at the small girl. "And this, I take it, is your daughter...?" He trailed off as he looked back towards the woman.

"This child's name," The woman responded irately while pulling on the child's arm in anger, which caused the girl to wince in pain, "Is Anna."

"Right... Anna..." The man frowned but said nothing in regards to the woman's actions. "Well, if you would be so kind as to step inside, we can continue this discussion in my office." He stepped back from the door to allow them to enter.

The woman entered, pulling the girl in after her by her arm. The girl didn't bother trying to pull away as she already knew it was futile. Instead, her eyes started to roam around, taking in the large white hallway lined with doors. The man stopped at a door not far from the entrance and opened it, directing her mother inside. She didn't need to be told to stay outside in the hallway as they both dissapeared inside of the room and closed the door, leaving her to stand shivering and wet in the hallway. A few minutes passed by as she listened to the soft murmurs comming from beyond the door. As the two adults talked she continued to look around, noting that the place was very cleanly and pleasant, which made her feel guilty for dripping water on the spotless floors.

"That... that THING is not my child!"

The sudden shout caused the small girl to jump in alarm and stare at the door. Her mother was angry again.

"I can't even stand looking at her anymore!" The woman behind the door continued, "Those eyes... they haunt me everywhere I go! She's the child of the devil!"

The old man's voice spoke up then. Though she couldn't hear what he was saying because his voice was so soft it was obvious that he was trying to calm the woman down.

"I don't care what you do with her! Send her off to another orphanage for all I care!" The woman continued, her voice starting to shake slightly. "Just... just take her away! Keep her away from me!" The door suddenly swung open and the girl's mother stormed out of the office. She didn't even stop to look at the girl that was once her only child as she practically ran down the hall and out the front door, not even bothering to close it on her way out.

The girl simply stood there watching as her mother entered the car and drove off, abandoning her.

She heard a soft sigh from behind but didn't turn around to see the old man shaking his head with a dreary frown. "Well... it seems that you will be living here now, Anna." He said as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

The girl didn't answer. Instead, she pulled away from him and walked down the hall towards the doors leading outside. Stepping out into the rain she went and sat on the top step of the stairs and stared out into the road. She was waiting. Waiting for her mother to come back for her.

"Anna..." The old man started to approach her, intending to take her back inside where it was warm and dry, when he was stopped by a small hand grabbing his tweed jacket. He looked down to see a small boy of about six or seven years old with albino white skin and even whiter hair. He was barefoot and wore white clothing which resembled pajamas and seemed to be too long for him. "Ah, Near. What are you doing up?"

"It's too noisy to sleep." He said, his voice soft and unobtrusive as he watched the small girl outside.

"Ah, yes, I suppose it would be." The man offered an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry we woke you, but you may go back to bed now."

Near didn't respond as he walked past the man and towards the girl. He knelt next to her and rested both his head and hands on his knees in a crouching position. A moment of silence passed between them before he finally spoke. "She's not comming back, you know."

The girl didn't answer. In fact, she seemed to be ignoring him as she continued to watch and wait. She didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to believe that her mother would just abandon her.

Near didn't let her seeming indifference faze him as he continued. "It won't do you any good to wait for her. She won't come back, and I know somewhere inside you know that."

Even more silence, before finally the albino boy straightened to his feet and turned to go back inside. He had said what he wanted to say, and he wasn't about to sit outside in the rain all night waiting for the girl to come to her senses. Without a word he passed by the old man and turned right, dissapearing into a corridor.

The old man sighed wearily. He couldn't very well leave the girl outside, so he took it upon himself to approach her. He said nothing as he reached down and gently pulled her to her feet. Surprisingly the girl put up no resistance as he guided her back inside the building. "Anna... I'm sorry." He murmured to her softly, gently, as though soothing a frightened animal. "I'm sorry about your mother, but you must understand... your home is here now."

It was as if the girl hadn't heard him at all as she continued to stare straight head, her large eyes seemingly emotionless and empty. But she heard. And she knew. Deep down inside she knew.

This was it.

Everything was going to change from now on.

Yeah... this is my first Death Note fic ever. Please, if you're going to flame it, at least be constructive in your critiques. I'm not exactly sure which direction I'm taking this fic... it could end up hetero, shounen-ai, shoujo-ai. I have no clue. So fair warning for any of you who might not like any of those elements. Also, if any of the characters are OOC, I apologize. I only just finished the series today, and I'm still getting a feel for all of the characters.

Obviously, I don't own Death Note. But I DO own Maria and Anna Dumond.