Prologue
Dark eyes stared at a computer screen, reading through file after file. The room was dark with the exception of the glow from the many screens that were positioned around a man in the middle of the room. The room itself wasn't very large, and was mostly empty. A small bed was positioned in the corner, never to be used by the man.
The man didn't move as the door opened behind him. An older gentleman stepped in, letting light from the hall flood into the room. "L, I have the items you requested."
The man, L, nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, thank you, Watari."
Watari rolled a cart into the room and stopped when it was next to L, who reached up and grabbed a folder off of the cart. He opened it, glancing over the file. It contained the photo of a young girl, along with information about her. L noticed there wasn't a lot there.
"Watari?" L called. The older man stopped and turned, opening the door he was starting to close back up.
"Yes, L?" L turned to look at the man he considered to be a father figure to him.
"Why is this girls file so empty? All this information could be found out just from glancing at her, along with a few tests. Her name isn't even here." L's face was barren of emotions with the exception of his eyes, which only held slight confusion.
"Ah, yes. It seems that the suspect had wiped the girls background before killing her parents. There is no information on her any where. No one knows who she is, and she doesn't remember anything. Not even her own name," Watari explained. L nodded and looked through some of the other files as Watari left. Like the girl's, the other victims' files held very little information. It was almost as if they hadn't existed.
Hmm… L thought. This case just got a little more interesting.
The week passed quickly. It didn't take long for L to solve the case and catch the murderer. As soon as he figured it out, the police arrested the suspect and interrogated him. The man had quickly confessed to his crimes. This disappointed L slightly, having hoped that the man would put up a little more of a fight. As the man was taken out of the interrogation room, one of the officers turned to L, or rather, the laptop that allowed L to watch everything without having to be there and risk being seen.
"L? I have a question." The officer's eyes shifted from the laptop to her partner.
"Yes, Acker?" A distorted voice sounded from the laptop. It was the disguised voice of L.
Acker looked at the table. "What are we going to do about the girl? She has no family, and none of the orphanages will take her. She has no where to go."
L remained silent for a while. "Yes, I had been thinking about that. Before I give you my answer, I would like to speak with her."
Acker nodded and stood along with her partner. A few minutes after they left a young girl walked into the room. She had dark auburn hair and was quite short. One thing L noticed immediately was that one of her eyes was green, while the other was brown.
"Hello. Please have a seat." L's disguised voice rang out in the otherwise silent room. The child nodded and sat in one of the empty chairs.
L watched the girl for a moment. "What is your name?" He asked, although he knew she didn't know. The girl looked down, then back at the laptop.
"I don't know… But I have a feeling you're L. I had a feeling someone was helping the police, seeing as they were stuck for a while. I tried helping, but it seemed like I was just being a bother," The girl said, trailing off at the end. L smirked slightly.
"Actually, you helped solve the case."
The girl looked at the laptop, eyes wide. "I-I did?"
"Yes, you did. Officer Acker had filed everything you pointed out, and one in particular helped me realize who the murderer was," L said, then went on to explain how exactly she helped. The girl listened intently. The two of them talked for over an hour without realizing it.
L looked at the time. "Oh dear. We've talked for quite a while. Anyway, the reason I called you in here is because I want you to take a test for me. An IQ test, specifically."
She blinked. "Umm...okay." As soon as she said that, Officer Acker came in. The older woman placed a few papers in front of the young girl along with a pencil.
"Please take your time," L said, then his mic was muted. The girl was left alone. She sighed and started on the test.
L watched the girl as she took the test. He noticed that she rarely hesitated or looked uncertain. It didn't take long for her to finish the test, only 10 minutes. She placed her pencil down and leaned back. "L, I'm done."
L sent Acker in to collect the test and send him photos of it. Once he received the photos, he checked her answers. "Amazing…" L said to himself. He unmuted his mic.
"This is amazing. About how old are you?" L asked the girl. She thought for a moment.
"The doctor said I'm around 14, but I'm small for my age," the girl answered. L nodded to himself, remembering that her file said she was only 4'8".
"Okay. Someone is coming to get you." With that, the laptop shut down. L leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. Interesting… She is only two years younger than me, and yet she looks as if she could be half my age… L thought. He called for Watari, telling him to go collect the girl.
The child sat in the police station, holding onto a stuffed bunny tightly. She swung her legs while humming a song she had heard only minutes ago. She looked up as Officer Acker came into the room and knelt in front of her.
"Okay, Bunny. Someone is here for you. He's going to take you to your new home," Acker explained. The woman had given her the nickname 'Bunny' since she always had her stuffed bunny with her. The child nodded and stood, following the older woman out.
Out in the lobby, an older man was waiting for her. He looked at the child and gave her a friendly smile. He lead her outside and into a car, then introduced himself as Watari. He explained where they were going as they drove off. While on the plane heading back to England, they thought of a name for her. After an hour, they finally agreed on one. Soon, they landed in London.
When they arrived at the orphanage she would be staying at, the girl breathed in deeply. This is my new home. I am now starting my new life as Celeste...