Part Three:
Elimination
Chapter Thirty A Day Of Luck
If I had been asked years ago what I wanted to be as a grown woman, I might have said 'doctor'. I was smart and had the potential to rise above my dreams. Had I been asked, if might have answered 'Geologist'. In any case, I certainly would not have said 'Thief' or, God forbid, 'Detective.'
Mistakes are not a hard thing to come by. Every life holds many flaws. I myself had the annoying trait of being a complete know-it-all and a procrastinator. Nate was, as much as he hated to admit it, the smallest bit conceited and extremely emotionless. Mello certainly had anger problems, which was his largest fault, and Matt...well, I did not know enough of him to judge his flaws or accept them. The only time I had even spoken to Matt, besides the few words exchanged in the beginning of my stay at the orphanage, was the night months ago when I had broken into the Mafia.
My heels clicked softly on the ground, quick paced and nimble, until I had reached my destination. Securing my fingers around the doorknob, I jerked it open with a force to be reckoned with. I suppose another of my faults was 'impatience'. No matter what the situation, something always seemed to annoy me to no end.
At the moment, most of my discomfort was directed towards my boyfriend himself. I was not supposed to be involved with the Kira case anymore, for my own safety, he had said. Which was why I was now walking into this cursed building and watching over a bunch of kids.
There were toys strewn clumsily over the worn rug. It was certainly colorful in the large room: I felt a headache coming on. It was a shame that I hadn't brought the container of pain relief Nate had bought me. Damn him and his messed up sense of humor. I was a thief! Not some babysitter.
"Auntie Alice!" I cringed at the sound of my warped name and tried unsuccessfully to dodge the oncoming attack. But it was too late: two plump arms fastened about my legs and a face was smashed into my abdomen. I nearly fell over at the force of the hug and had to focus on not grimacing. Surprisingly, I didn't do well with kids.
It was surprising in it's own right, because of Nate. Though he was much a man to me, he still held a certain childish attribute and I wondered how I could be around him when he was so...young at heart. It was especially odd that I found a part of his face in each child I looked at. Which was, undoubtedly, one of the reasons I hated coming to this volunteered job. It reminded me of how he was so far away – an unattainable distance to measure.
Truthfully, we had both parted ways for only one reason, and that was to stay safe. If I'd had it my way, I would have demanded to stay by his side during the remainder of the Kira case, but Nate had claimed that my presence only made him doubt his actions. At first I was offended at his words, but after I had brooded over them, I realized the love hidden between the lines. He only wanted to keep me safe, and that was why I had agreed to stay away.
We were about two hours away from each other. Currently, I was residing in a small rural town in the Northern part of Japan. Though it held a certain beauty that could not be seen from the major cities, I felt unlucky for the first time in my life. Now that my relationship with Nate has been secured, I couldn't be with him. It was driving me crazy.
"Come play with me, Aunt Alice!" the child, whose name escaped me, called, tugging my hand with a frantic look on his chubby face.
I tried to smile, though I was certain it had come out as more of a grimace, and followed the kid to a fake kitchen table that came only two feet from the floor.
I kneeled before it and watched silently as the child squealed and ran to gather a heaping basket of plastic food. A few children fought over some wooden utensils, but eventually everything ended up safe before me. And...I do mean everything.
Practically the whole set of food was placed on the table, plate or no, and sat carelessly on the 'wood' surface. Some toppled over each other in the overstuffed basket and a few cluttered to the ground. The children reprimanded me for my uncouth, impolite manners and went to retrieve the food before urging me to eat. I closed my eyes and, as I pretended to say a small prayer, hoped to the high heavens that this day would not be too long.
*Page Break*
It was a boring day, for sure. The white haired detective couldn't find any new lead: for once, he felt weak and useless. Hair falling into his eyes, the curly locks were disheveled from hours or running his hands through them. It was a trait he had picked up from Alice and couldn't seem to shake, especially now that she wasn't here with him.
It was the right decision to send her away, so why was he so irritated? He had learned to fend for himself for so long: being alone should have been as easy as breathing. Alice had certainly cast a spell upon him that couldn't be broken. In the back of his mind, he vaguely wondered what she was doing.
He knew she didn't have an affinity for children, but he had sent her to work as a volunteer for a babysitters 'guild' anyway. At least she was far away and safe, hidden in a secluded town. Light or Mello – or anyone else involved – would never be able to find her there. It was the ultimate hiding place.
Nate quietly worked on his puzzle. It was simple: only about a thousand pieces. He needed something to pass the time, and this little activity he had found in his closet was perfect. His mind wandered to Kira. There was something going on that he didn't know about: something that Kira was planning. It was driving Nate crazy.
The detective sighed and pushed himself off the ground, where he had been sitting in a slouched, characteristic position. This puzzle wasn't doing any good: it wasn't helping him think at all. He walked about the room and gazed out the window at the patterns the light drizzle of rain created. Alice hated the rain...
He closed his eyes in concentration. Alice wasn't here: she was safe. She was fine and maybe not happy, but definitely healthy. No one would find her.
Light's face flashed through his mind. That other L, the one who was so obviously Kira...he couldn't hid for long. Soon the rest of the Police Force would realize what was going on and finish him off. But wait, he was getting ahead of himself. If he couldn't stop him, what could possibly make him think that the simple-minded people in the Japanese Police Agency could? He was a genius, and they were not...
Mello was planning something as well, he was sure of it. Light and him were not working together, of course, because though Mello was certainly going about this the wrong way, he was not as crime-oriented as one might think. Nate was sure that if they could only work together, it would be much easier to bring Kira down. But pride would only get in the way, he countered silently, and that would not be a good thing. Working together would involve the stripping of both rank and self-importance, and Mello would never, ever agree to that.
Light was Kira. He had the Death Note, and there was obviously a Second Kira working for him. Light was controlling the Second Kira, so therefore it had to be someone who trusted and adored him. A girl...? Maybe. Gender could not be ruled out in such a life-threatening game.
The white haired man took a seat on the couch, curling his legs up to his chest in a way that reminded him of his former idol. What would L do? His thoughts began to brew over. Eyes glazing as he stared unseeingly at the chess game Commander Rester and Gevanni were playing, he realized something.
Sending Alice away was a stupid mistake, because he would need her skills to finish the Kira case. There were many steps that must be taken, and the Thief Luck was not finished playing her part.
With a sickly grin, Nate River twisted a strand of white hair about his finger. There was much to be done.
*Page Break*
I realized something very important that day. I really, really hated kids.
Staring at my reflection was not something I took pride in, nor were the pink hair ties in my hair. Or the messy, frizzled locks that hung in my face like a dead cat's tail. Or the lip stick smudges that went around the outside of my lips. I looked like a clown that tried to be a hooker for one night...and failed.
What was worse, the soap wasn't washing any of the make-up off, and my skin was already red and irritated because I had scrubbed it so hard. I was still in the babysitting office and had no means of getting home without being seen. It was still daylight, only about 4:00, and everyone would see me if I tried to make a run for it. At least those blasted kids were gone.
Yes, I was the result of a two hour game of dress up. I didn't look nearly as ridiculous as I did before, especially when I had been forced to put on a frilly electric blue tutu. Had I refused, my punishment would have been much worse: I would have had to put on the frilly electric blue tutu while trying to stop the overflowing tears of a pudgy child. Damn it.
My clothes had been changed to my normal ones, but I still looked absolutely awful and as I glared at my cheap make-up ridden face, I wondered how on earth I would be able to get out of my predicament.
If there was a God up there, he sure had a sick sense of humor. I scowled deeper and grabbed more soap, trying desperately to wash off the disgusting red marks around my lips. This was not in the job interview when I signed up to work for Nate. At all.
*Page Break*
If there was one thing I hated, it was the fact that I was addicted to some less than chaste things. Without Near to keep me company during the nights, an impending desire had been forming within me and was only getting stronger by the day. It had been a while since we had first broken the bounds of intimacy, and many weeks since we broached it again. I had never been an overly emotional person and the ultimate need was burning toward release.
But that was only one of the objects of my sinful mind. Nate had specifically told me that I shouldn't go too far into the Kira case, but he also knew how stubborn I was and I made sure not to listen to him. It was late now, far past midnight, and I was thinking.
Dragging a heaving puff of cigarette smoke between my lips, I gazed unclearly upon a single spot of black scratched against the beige colored walls of my apartment. Latching the cancer stick between my teeth, I flicked it with my forefinger and the tip of ash was thrown off and landed unceremoniously onto the floor. My bad habits only climaxed as I threw my feet upon the coffee table before me and switched my eyes to stare at the burning residue of the cigarette.
Nate was taking care of everything, but still I itched to be in the action. Why was it that I was always the one who was put aside? I knew the answer before I had even finished the thought. If anything ever happened to me, Nate would be broken and it would probably lead to his downfall. That couldn't happen, which only left me one option: suck it up.
I'd just have to laze around my house and look after screaming little kids every single day until Nate thought the coast was clear and came to get me.
My face cleared a bit as realization dawned on me. Perhaps that wasn't my only option. After all, I was a top thief. There are simply no rules in my business. Nate should have figured that out long ago. With a sickly grin, I twisted a strand of hair about my finger. There was much to be done.
So I feel like I've written something sorta kinda...well, the same to what is above. But oh well. I've been at a loss for inspiration lately but I'm getting back into it! I have an extended weekened comin' up so I plan on taking some quality time to write out a few more chapters.
Oh, and Please vote on my new poll~! =D It regards which story I should begin, so if any of you like my work (...hopefully. ^_^') I'd love it if you'd go help me choose another character to write about. I need some new ideas. XD
Thanks for reading~!