I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes shut. Tightening my grip around my hazel haired caretaker's hand, I walked slowly to the front door of the orphanage. "Frankie, I don't want to be here." I whispered, blinking back tears as we approached three men. "I'm sorry Ollie, I'm going to miss… I really… your parents told me to take you to this stupid…" She was crying a bit too, not even finishing her sentences.
It had been raining, as if the clouds felt my sorrow. I happened to glance into a puddle to my right. My reflection stared glumly back, her auburn hair pulled into a messy, curly pony-tail, bangs swept to her right, and her coffee colored eyes slightly stained red around the edges. My fluffy navy blue jacket was worn and ragged, with its shoulders hanging down on my elbows, and my plain, torn up jeans and deep blue tank top were old too, but it's not like I'm going to outgrow them quickly. From what I could see, the gem in the mood ring on my right middle finger was light green, which meant I was nervous. My gaze returned to the men.
The man in the middle was hunched over, and had circles under his eyes like he was an insomniac. He probably was. He looked a bit like a panda. The two on his left and right were really old, I could tell that. Frankie sniffled and ushered me forward a bit, talking to the three men. Frankie was almost like my older sister, she was supposed to take care of me when my parents couldn't, which was all of the time. My mom and dad didn't even care about me, they just told her to dump me at this damn place.
I'm only twelve, and most people usually worry about me when they hear how old I am because I look like I'm only nine or ten. Frankie was talking to the men, trying to force back the river of tears in her dark blue eyes, I'm sure. "Hmm. We'll see if she belongs here or not." The panda eyed man mumbled. I looked up at them mournfully, putting on my 'abandoned puppy' face. That look helped me through some tough times. "Well Olivia," The Panda Man said. "If you're going to be here, you can't go by Olivia anymore, you need a new name, for security reasons." I thought for a short moment.
"Amethystte. I want my name to be Amethystte." I finally stated. A smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. "Very well… Amethystte, you should say goodbye to Frankie." I nodded woefully and turned to her.
"Frankie, is this going to be the last time we'll ever see each other again?" I said hoarsely. "Maybe, maybe not. I hope we do Ollie." A watery smirk appeared on her lips. She knelt down and pulled me into a tight hug. I didn't want to let go. "Frankie, I don't want to leave you. Why can't I just stay with you instead of here?" She shrugged. "I don't know Ollie. They just won't let me." A tear ran down my cheek and she wiped it away. "Be good, okay Olivia? You're a good girl, no matter when you say you aren't, I know that you're really an incredible person, and if anyone tries to hurt you or anything like that, ignore it, and if that doesn't work, kick their ass." I chucked and embraced her one more time, and as she turned and left, with her red coat and hazel hair swaying behind her, I heard her sob.
I whimpered sadly and spun around to face the men. Panda Man looked interested for some reason. My automatic defense system kicked in. "What are you staring at?" I demanded angrily. The man on the left raised an eyebrow. "Oh dear God, another Mello." He murmured. I frowned. "Who's Mello?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me. "Do you like chocolate?" The old man inquired. "Where?!" I said, my eyes probably lighting up. His eye twitched. "God, help me!" He almost yelled, hiding behind Panda Man. "So, Amethystte, would you like a tour?" Panda Man asked. I shrugged, hoping to hear more about this 'Mello'.
"By the way," He said as he whirled around, "My name is L." I gasped. "L? The famous detective?" My mind went into overdrive. I was so rude to the world's greatest detective, I almost wanted to get down on my knees and beg for forgiveness for being like that to my idol. "So, are you coming on that tour or not?" L said carelessly, breaking me out of my reverie. "Uh, yeah. Coming." I said, running up to them.
Several kids that looked close to my age walked by, and a few of them mumbled something I couldn't hear, presumably about me. I sighed, already hating being the 'new kid'.
Suddenly, running through the hall, came two boys. One of them had red hair and a striped black and white shirt with a tan vest and orange tinted goggles, clutching what looked like a Nintendo DS to his chest. The other boy was wearing all black and had chin length blond hair and had a chocolate bar in his hand. Both of them were yelling loudly and not watching where they were going. "Oh shi—!" I shrieked, my eyes widening as the boys came closer. They were not seeing that I was in their way until they were at least four feet away, but by then they had gained so much momentum that they couldn't stop.
All three of us screamed as we collided. The blond one landed right on top of me in a very awkward position, and the red-head crashed into the ground inches away from me. "Oh, nice going Mello, you knocked over a girl!" he shouted after he recovered from his fall. I turned to the boy who was directly above me. "So you're Mello?" I said calmly, despite our uncomfortable location. He blushed and scramble up, offering me a hand that I gladly took. "Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to crash into you, I'm not a pervert or anything, so don't think I am, for landing like that, I should shut up now. What's your name?" He said quickly and unintelligibly.
I managed to hear most of what he said and answered. "Yeah, it's not your fault, I shouldn't have been in the way… my name is Oli—I mean… Amethystte…" "That's a really pretty name." He turned even pinker and the red-head burst out laughing. "Dude, when was the last time you ever apologized and complimented somebody? Never! What's with the sudden change in attitude?" He grinned widely, raising his eyebrows at him. Mello swung his fist at the boy. "Matt, I know what you're fucking thinking! Now shut the hell up!" He screamed. Matt gasped. "Mel, there's a lady in our presence! You don't need to use that kind of language!" I smirked. So Mello had a dirty mouth? Ha! I'll show Matt 'language'.
"Yeah Matt! Shut the hell up!" I repeated. "And I ain't a lady, I'm a girl, dick-for-brains!" Matt gaped at me, and Mello grinned and put his arm around me. For some reason, I felt oddly comfortable. "Yeah, what she said. She's on my side now." He said smugly. Matt moved closer. "You're cool." He said simply. "Of course I am, Matty." I smiled, patting him on the head.
L, who had been watching in amusement while the two older men stared in shock, finally spoke up. "Well, now that you're all acquainted, Mello, Matt, why don't you take her on the tour?" Both of them looped their arms into mine unexpectedly. "Don't worry Roger, we'll take care of her!" Matt called as they dragged me away. "Yeah, real good care of her!" Mello laughed. "Oh fuck, now I'm scared." I said sarcastically.
The boys pointed out different rooms like the kitchen, the bathrooms, the closets, and a few rooms I didn't even need to know about. They even took me to the attic and showed me around. Matt got scared though. I believe his words were, "AHHH! What was that? I'm getting the hell out of here!".
"So, Purple, I see you met L." Mello said as we walked. I frowned. "My name isn't Purple, idiot." I commented. "Yeah whatever. Do you like chocolate?" He went on, ignoring me. "Damn, that's the second time I've been asked that in this crazy place. Yes, I love it." I replied. He smiled genuinely. "You want some? I always carry it with me, no matter what." He proposed. I grinned. "Sure!" I said happily. Mello broke off a half of a chocolate bar and handed it to me. Matt whistled. "Oh my gosh, could it be love?" He said slyly. I slapped him in the face. He rubbed his cheek tenderly. "Well you're the first person who he ever shared with!" He muttered.
Mello changed the subject. "And here we are, the playroom!" He announced grandly, then frowned at somebody sitting on the floor. "Near, what are you doing?" He hissed. 'Near' was a small boy with snow colored hair who was dressed in plain white pajamas. Near ignored him and continued playing with his toys. Matt explained the situation. "Mello hates Near because he always beats him in everything, making him number two in almost everything possible, and Near is just a poor little boy who doesn't have the damndest clue what the hell he did wrong for Mello to hate him so much." I nodded, pretending to understand.
Near caught sight of me suddenly, and our eyes met. I could've sworn that he looked like he fell in love. He was cute, but Mello was cuter. What the hell did I just think? Mello isn't cute! He is a little attractive, but still! Me and Mello? I mean, I just met the guy and I'm already thinking all of this stupid girly I've-got-a-crush crap? Dammit. I waved shyly, since I couldn't think of anything else better to do. He turned a faint shade of pink. What the hell? Did I really have that kind of effect on guys here? I'm not even that pretty! Am I? No, no, this is not a time to think about my appearance!
"Interesting ring, where'd ya got it?" Matt broke me out of my day-dream. I lifted my hand to inspect it. "Oh, yeah. It's my special mood ring, I got it from my… friend, Frankie, she's like my big sister. I miss her so much." My voice faltered and I realized my eyes were starting to water. Matt's lower lip trembled. "It's gonna be okay Amethystte!" He wailed, pulling me into a tight bear hug. He sobbed and Mello sighed one of those 'Why do I hang out with you?' sighs. I let my softie side kick in and I sniffed, letting out a few tears. "It's okay, it's okay, just let it out baby…" Matt whispered, patting my back. He's really sweet, but I'm not thinking that in the girly-crush kinda way. Or is he?
"Get a grip Matty." Mello said severely, yanking him off of me. "Hey, we were having a moment there! I never interrupt you when you get emotional!" He accused. "What the hell?" I muttered. Mello pointed to the red-head. "You should see him when we go clothes shopping.""
Matt looked at him. "At least I'm not as bad as Lora!" Mello rolled his eyes, so the redhead continued. "She wears a fucking diamond jacket that not even a sumo wrestler could pick up because it's so heavy, and it costs ten times its weight! I would know, she forced me to carry it back from the store and she wouldn't shut the hell up about it!" Suddenly the two were lost in a deep argument about clothes. "I swear, those two act like girls every day." Near grumbled.
I gasped and held my hands to my face. "It speaks!" I said in mock surprise. He chuckled softly, and I could hardly hear it, but all of the sudden, the two boys turned around simultaneously. "Oh. My. God! You made him laugh!" Matt said, emphasizing almost every word. Mello looked at Near disbelievingly. "We've been trying to do that for years!" Near looked panicked at the fact that he had been caught off guard like that.
I sat down next to him, lifted the hair out of his eyes and said, "You have a cute laugh, you know?" His face turned a deep shade of red. "I-I-I-I— Err…" He stuttered. Mello burst out in hysterics. "You made him laugh, blush, and stutter! He's been here for years and has never done any of those!" He said between giggles. Matt was still staring in shock. Then he suddenly spoke up.
"Well that makes three people who have a crush on her already." Mello spun around. "What? I don't! Wait, three? The only people she knows here so far are me, Near, and… you." Mello said, ticking off the people I had met while I was with them and then glaring at Matt. "You like her?" He whispered incredulously. Matt nodded sheepishly. "Uh, I'm still here!" I said, waving my arms around, trying to get they're attention. Mello growled and launched himself at Matt before I could even process what was happening.