Author's note: This story is my original work. It's based on the Death Note story, but with original elements added. And, English is not my first language so there may be some mistakes. I'm trying hard to improve. Of course I'd be so thankful if you give me some comments.
Chapter 1
OVERTURE
It was autumn, a windy and dry season. Strong wind banged against the windows and swept the garden fiercely. Red leaves were dancing endlessly, or to be more exact, they were swirling due to the madness of wind. It wasn't freezing, though.
Playing in the wind is always great fun to children. It helps you forget your worries of sorrow and let you unload your pressure for a while, right? Well, at least it was quite true to the orphans here.
The college-like building was called the Wammy's House. It was an orphanage, but not an ordinary one. It was not the kind of orphanage that would mercifully welcome all the children who lost their parents. In fact, it was an institution for highly gifted orphans. But how many children were both orphans and genii? Very few. Thus, Wammy's House had only a small group of young elites.
L, the most successful detective in the world, had a close relationship with Wammy's House. And actually, the operation of Wammy's House was mainly aimed at raising candidates for L's successor. Therefore, the institution provided as many resources as possible to the little genii, as well as pushed them very hard to achieve higher.
Up to that moment, the top two were Near and Mello, the white-haired and the blonde. They were both extremely clever and constantly ranked as the top in their classes, though Mello always came a little bit behind Near. This made Mello so furious and jealous. He worked harder than any other kids, but the fact of being a runner-up still hadn't changed at all.
"I dun understand! Why can an idiot who fools with his damn stupid toys all the time be the first?" he often angrily complained.
"Umm." Matt, Mello's red-haired roommate, often replied pointlessly without even a slight glance away from his PSP.
Near, however, seemed to be far lazier than Mello. He was hardly seen to be studying. He was always sitting in the corner playing with robots, puzzles, dices or other toys quietly, even on exam eves. This made Mello even more irritated.
Continuous competitions made Mello forget the time. Time seemed to fly pass him without trying to distract him from his hard studies. In his eyes, nothing was more important than defeating Near, his hated rival. But one day, someone finally and gradually interrupted.
That was a typical autumn day, with lots of wind and gentle sunshine. Roger brought a skinny girl into Wammy's House. She had deep brown (and messy) hair, which was just long enough to reach her chest. Her skin was so pale, that you might think she was a sufferer of some kind of chronicle disease. She wasn't tall, might be shorter than Near at that time. But, since she was unhealthily thin, she seemed to be taller then she actually was.
What caught the Wammy's kids' eyes most, was the girl's big eyes. They were really big, making her look like an antique gothic doll. She had brownish red pupils – big as well – that made her look even more extraordinary. Her eyes seemed to see through and capture every soul. The kids just found it hard to move their sights away from her doll eyes.
Near was playing with his castle of dices at the balcony of the second floor. Mello and Matt were staying in their room, though doing different things. The three of them heard the noise made by the kids downstairs, so they curiously looked at the front garden.
"Oh aren't you children studying for the examination tomorrow?" Roger realized that he had attracted too much attention. "Anyway, a new child will join us today." He patted the girl's shoulder slightly, encourage her to step forward.
However this girl just stood there and scanned the surrounding kids. She had no intention to speak at all, not to mention making friends. Roger did not want the newcomer be embarrassed or scared, so he sensitively asked another little girl, who would be the newcomer's roommate, to lead her to her room.
That afternoon, the most popular after-school topic was about the strange girl. The kids were gossiping and guessing the girl's background. Obviously they wanted to know more.
Suddenly there was a piano melody coming from the end of the corridor. The kids curiously followed the music to the room. Mello, tired with studying day and night recently, put down his physics book and grabbed Matt – who obviously did not hear anything due to his concentration on the game – to see what was going on.
The girl was playing the piano, with Roger standing besides her. Her fingers were dancing – not "moving" – on the keyboard freely and elegantly. Sometimes the melody stormed like a post-war march, sometimes it became the soft tweeting of birds. The melody acted like a navigator that led the children to an imaginary world of the player's.
She concentrated in her music and ignored the fact that the children were surrounding her, just like how Matt focused on his game. But now, even Matt paused his game and stared at the wonderful pianist. Maybe it was hard to admit, but he was really impressed.
The girl scrolled the keyboard and ended her music with a short, high-pitched, playful note. There was a few seconds of silence, followed by loud clapping and praises. The girl cooled down from the excitement of the melody, then emotionlessly scanned the room of children. She did not show any flattered expression or embarrassment. She was just staring calmly and coolly.
The bell rang. Study time now. The children felt awkward being stared by the pair of big red eyes, so they immediately headed back to their rooms or the library, leaving Mello and Matt here.
"Cool, man." Matt pointlessly commented, reaching his pocket to get his PSP.
"Let's go, Matt. Study time." Mello grabbed Matt to follow him, but before they stepped out of the door, Mello glanced back.
The lonely girl started her music again.