Olivia Savior X Near One-Shot Collection
Sitting alone in her room, Olivia, more frequently known amongst the other children as Owl, watched the birds fly past the window. She couldn't hear their chirps through the heavy glass, and she sighed. I wonder why mommy hasn't been sending me letters… she thought, watching the birds fly away from the window.
She stood up, and ran a hand through her hair. Putting her shoes on, and tying them just as her mother taught her, she exited the room and went toward the office she knew all too well.
Silently creeping amongst the rows of books littering the floor in the office, and trying to ignore the dark that engulfed her in the dimly lit room, she made her way to the desk. This wasn't a new thing for her; she crept around the orphanage quite often. But today, she felt certain that something was wrong.
She saw the manila folder on the desk, and for some reason, it caught her eye. She hesitantly picked it up, and almost dropped it from shock. Inside was her mother- murdered. The pictures showed her once beautiful mother mutilated- almost unrecognizable. Owl ran away, leaving the folder open. She ran quickly, trying to clear her mind.
She's gone… Mama… Why?! Why does mommy have to be gone?! I want mama!
She let out a breath, trying to hold back her tears. She ran frantically, and eventually saw L not too far from her "L!" She ran over to said raven-haired man, clearing her mind, and grabbing his arm. "What are we doing today?!" She asked somewhat sadly. L looked at her with a sigh.
"Don't know, there's a meeting today, so we have to make sure to hide!" he said with a grin appearing on his face. That L… he knows how much I hate hiding. I wonder why he makes me hide... Owl frowned.
"I don't want to hide all day, L! I want to play on the playground or watch TV or something fun!" She complained, holding her rabbit close to her chest. L took notice of her actions, and folded his arms over his chest.
"Well, we can another day ok? Unless you want to deal with that meanie Near!" he said with a light snicker. "And anyway, you're getting too old for that rabbit!"
Owl pouted, . Yeah… I don't want to be with the other meanie kids! Just L! But… My rabbit is my friend!
"I keep the rabbit 'cuz my mommy gave me him when I left. She said he'd always keep me safe!" She said, holding up her rabbit to his face for proof. L sighed, and shook his head.
"Whatever, let's go before Near finds us" he said, beginning to walk away from her.
"Oh, fine… Then let's go find a hiding spot cooler than our last one!" She said with amusement in her voice. L nodded, and ran off ahead of her.
Almost as soon as L ran from her side, a white haired boy appeared down the hallway. She ran as quickly as she could, trying to keep the white haired boy away from her. Man! No I don't wanna go to the meeting! L! Not after… mama…
"L? Where are you?!" Owl yelled through the orphanage's hallways. She saw an arm waving from behind a wall, and quickly ran toward it. "That L… What if-"
"Owl? C'mon, you're going to the meeting today, I mean, if you aren't already planning on going…" Near said, out of nowhere. She frowned and tried to struggle toward the waving boy's arm that was just beyond her reach, clutching her stuffed rabbit closely to her chest.
"No! Near, I don't wanna! Please don't make me!" She kicked and yelled, but was easily outmatched by the older boy. After a few minutes of fighting, she gave up and let herself be taken to the meeting. "That L… " She thought bitterly "I'll get back at him for not helping me eventually!"
Owl was not pleased with her surroundings, to say the very least. Some of the children children she'd seen at some occasion, some however, she'd never seen before. She took notice of the different kids around her. Some seemed happy, even laughing and smiling. Others were more downcast, like herself. I wonder who else didn't wanna come here…
She turned her head, and looked at Near. The one thing she noticed, however, was the way he held his puppets. Almost as she held her rabbit. I wonder if his mommy gave him those too… Maybe they were a gift from his brother! What if-
Her train of thought was interrupted by said boy standing over her. "Why are you looking at me?"
She let out a small squeal, and held her rabbit close, almost shielding herself from him. Near noticed how she hid behind the rabbit and smiled a bit, but just ever so slightly that she didn't notice.
"So why don't you come to meetings?" he asked, sitting next to her. Instantly feeling the threat vanish when he didn't try to hurt her, she sat up straight, brushing the red hair from her face.
"Well, L says you're a meanie!" She said simply. Near smirked, and looked at warmly. His eyes are pretty… she thought, staring into his eyes.
She turned her head with a small blush on her face, and looked at the other children in the room once again. There's just so many… And they're all smart? Wow…
The one that caught her attention, however, was the blonde boy sitting away from the other children, nonchalantly eating a rather large chocolate bar.
Almost drooling at the sight of chocolate, she began to approach the boy until Near grabbed her arm.
"Trust me, don't go near him, you'll regret it" he said matter-of-factly. Owl retorted by sticking her tongue out at him, and ran quickly toward the secluded boy.
"Hello I'm-" she began.
"I know who you are. Owl, real name-"
"You know you do not tell others any of our names, Mello." Near said sighing, putting his hand on Owl's shoulder. "And how exactly did you find out her name?" he asked with a small smirk. Mello glared, realizing his plan to deceive Owl had failed. He scowled at them, before Near spoke. "Let's go, Owl. You have to meet everyone else."
Owl nodded, and began to follow Near, until Mello saw her stuffed rabbit dangling from her tiny hands.
"Really? You still play with dolls? You have to be incredibly smart to be here, why do you carry that around with you?! Miss your mommy? Well tough luck, she ditched you here!" Mello asked in a threatening manner. Owl backed up with tears forming in her eyes, hoping that the boy would leave her alone.
Her plan, however, didn't work.
Mello reached out, grabbing the legs of the stuffed rabbit. In pure fear alone, Owl pulled on the rabbit's arms, begging Mello to let go.
Near sighed, wishing their childish fight would end, when the rabbit fell to the floor, its arms and legs torn away from its torso, and bits of stuffing falling from the opened seams.
Owl stared quietly for a moment, and then began to sob. Not a sob one would expect from an extremely intelligent child, but one of pure sorrow and lost—as if the rabbit was somehow alive to her. "MOMMY! MOMMY!"
Mello glared at her, not hesitating to back-hand her. She sobbed louder and louder, as he screamed to her. "You're nothing but a pitiful joke! You don't deserve to be here!"
Near watched her movements carefully after he said this to her. Owl suddenly quieted down. She bent down and picked up the remains of the rabbit, and cried loudly. Eventually, feeling the eyes of the other children in the room staring at him and the crying girl, he took her arm and led her away from the others, and left a snickering Mello behind.
"Hey, listen Owl. Stop that!" Near snapped. She shook her head, and continued sobbing. Near, having no other alternative to end her constant sobs, ripped the toy from her hands. She frantically reached for it.
"Near, stop, give him back! He's important please let me have him! I can get someone to fix him!" She pleased, reaching up for her rabbit. He turned, keeping the rabbit well above her head, and walked away from her with no remorse. She felt her body collapse under her, falling to the ground. A pain unlike anything she had ever felt coursed through her small body, and she blacked out.
She was taking an exam in the orphanage, and was staring at her paper, extremely focused on the questions in front of her. She closed her eyes, and saw her mother's face, the warm echo of her mom's laughter ran through her ears, and she swore for a brief moment, she could smell the potpie her mom used to make for her. She sighed once more, and sunk into the chair.
I want mama… She would be able to hug me… There wouldn't be any stress no more… Just… Mama.
She worked out the problems as she worked, and made sure she had the right answer. She then carefully selected the wrong answer that was closest to the correct one, and moved on. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she could see Near staring at her, watching her.
She glared at him, thinking originally that he was cheating. He turned back to his own test, and worked quickly through it. I don't understand… Why do they make us do these stupid tests when all I wanna do is go home?
She awoke to footsteps approaching, and a shadow looming over her head. Instantly sensing danger, she looked up and noticed L crouching above her, reaching a silent hand to her. She smiled a bit, and took it.
"What happened at the meeting, Owl?" L asked, slightly worried about his friend. Owl sighed deeply, and shook her head sadly.
"Well… I met Mello…"
L sighed as well, shaking his head. "He's mean, sorry you had to do that alone. Hey, where's your rabbit? I can go get him from the meeting room if you forgot him—"
"He's dead… Like mama" She said softly. L looked at her, shocked. She began to feel tears welling up in her eyes again, and looked down, letting her hair cover her eyes.
Before L could react, he heard footsteps approaching them. He held Owl's hand before turning around, and was met face-to-face with a shorter, white-haired boy.
Near stood there silently, as L stood in front of Owl. "Leave her alone, Near, She's sad enough already—"
"Can I have a moment with her, please?" Near asked coldly. L hesitated, before noticing Near was hiding something behind his back. L nodded, and walked away from a protesting Owl.
"Hey, L! Don't leave me here again!" Owl cried as L walked away. She turned her attention to the white-haired boy with a sour look on her face, before instantly cheering up.
"You fixed him!" She cheered excitedly as he pulled the small stuffed rabbit from behind his back. He held out the rabbit, and she snatched it away, holding it close.
"Listen, a perfectly good toy shouldn't be wasted. Sorry 'bout Mello. I didn't think he'd mess with you on your first day at a meeting…" Near said indifferently. Owl grinned happily, and kissed Near on the cheek. Nothing more than a sweet, innocent, childish kiss. Near's face turned a red hue.
"I forgive you Near! Just don't make me go back to the meetings, ok?" She said innocently. Near sighed and shrugged.
"Fine, but if the teachers catch you it isn't my fault". He stated quite simply. Owl looked at him curiously, and saw his finger puppets in his back pocket. Reaching around quickly, she grabbed them and looked at them. This caused Near to squirm uncomfortably. "Hey… Give those back ok? Please?"
Owl laughed, twisting the toys around in a sort of dance in her palm. She shook her head, with a bright and genuine smile on her face. "Nuh uhh! These things are so cool! Where'd 'ya get em?!"
Near looked at her quizzically. She seemed so intrigued with the toys, and for some reason, he was compelled to tell her.
But only in part.
"I got them as a gift" he said softly, still reaching for them. Owl pouted, playing keep-away with the puppets.
"From who~?" she asked innocently. He glared at her, his expression growing darker by the moment. He tried snatching the toys again, before one fell from her hand.
He tried to reach for it. Yes, he did. But even with the superior intellect that he possessed, he couldn't figure out a way to catch the falling toy in time. It fell to the floor, being made of fabric it didn't break. But from the look of sheer terror on his face and the one of pure guilt on Owl's, it may as well have been.
Without a word, Near grabbed the toys from her hand forcefully, and ran with them, forgetting the fallen toy in his hasty and upset retreat.
Owl looked down for a moment, before noticing the toy. It was a small puppet depicting a young girl. The white hair of the puppet seemed to be made of coarse string, and the rest of the doll, upon closer inspection, was made of a soft, almost silky fabric. She put the doll carefully into her pocket, before running off to find L.
"Look, L! He fixed him right up! Isn't Near so cool?!" She exclaimed happily. L just nodded, a small scowl on his face. He nodded approvingly to Near, and led Owl away.
"C'mon, Owl. Let's go see if diner is ready yet. I bet you're hungry!" L exclaimed excitedly. Owl cheered in agreement, and walked beside her friend, feeling the guilt begin to eat away at her.
Soon, all of the children gathered in the dining hall for lunch. Owl, as normal, sat with L in the secluded corner of the room. L ate silently, taking the occasional glance at her to make sure she was ok. That's odd he thought. She's normally always talking about one thing or another. Wonder what's up…
Owl sighed, and stared at her food. She picked at it without much interest, and suddenly stood up. Without a single word to L, she walked toward the polar opposite of the room, and made her way toward a white haired boy's room, where he sat alone.
She reached into her pocket, and held out the puppet. He glanced up, revealing a blotchy, red face. He snatched the toy away, without a single word.
"Hey, Near… Are you that mad at me over dropping the puppet? I'm sorry, if it makes it any better…" she said softly. Near sighed deeply, seeming to think deeply.
"They were a gift from my mom" Near said simply. Owl sat down next to him, acting almost as a silent shoulder to cry on. Near continued on with his story, telling her exactly how his beloved puppets came to be.
Soon, lunch was over. Owl stood up, and stretched, before looking to the suddenly empty table where Near had once been. But now, instead of a white-haired boy, a small finger puppet resembling a small owl was present. She smiled brightly, and ran off to show L her new toy, not noticing the blushing white haired boy watching her from behind the doorframe.
"L! Look! Near gave me this!" She said excitedly. L seemed indifferent to her excited behavior, but nodded, signaling that he had heard her. Owl grabbed his arm, and dragged him away from the room.
"So now that the meeting's over, can we go play now?! I have two toys now, so you can play with Mr. Rabbit and I can play with my new toy!" She exclaimed with a small giggle. L just silently followed the girl.
That night, Owl sat sadly in her room, sorting through the events of the day. She held her rainbow-colored scarves and shirts in her hands, and packed them away neatly into a box in her closet. She glanced at herself in the mirror- something fit for her funeral, I guess… Her once colorful, cheery attire was replaced with dark blacks, blues, and purples- colors she had rarely ever worn. She sighed deeply, knowing that she had a reason to look so sad. I have every reason to feel sad too… Don't I?
She looked out the window, sadly watching the quiet night sky. She knew they wouldn't let her visit her mother's grave, not for a long time at least. So she sat on her bed, leaning against the windowsill quietly whispering.
"Mama… I don't know what I should do. I miss you so much, and now I know I won't see you again… It's… hard mama! I just want to go home! Please mama… let this all be a dream..."
Owl didn't notice until she let out a last yawn that she was on the verge of sleep. She sighed, and laid down on her bed, clutching a picture of her mother close to her chest. She let the tears freely fall, and just sobbed. She sobbed for her mother, for their laughter and wonderful, happy memories. She cried for those times she'd never see again.
Looking up to the sky, kept away from her by thick, heavy glass, she reached her small arms, drawing a small heart in the fog of the glass. "Mama… I love you so much… You wanted me to stay here… So I'll do my best for you…"
She smiled to herself, before pulling the covers over herself. She felt the darkness of her room give way to a beautiful, glowing light. She sighed, enjoying the feeling of her depression leaving, the darkness retreating, and her wonderful mother meeting her.
Even if only in her dreams.