CHAPTER 1

"Fuck."
Marquessa bent to pick up the handle of her suitcase. It'd been some time since she was at Whammy's, and coming back after those years gave her jitters for no reason. She needed some time to wind down, her life was just so stressful.
"Have you ever seen red, when it shoulda been yellow, Woah-oh Have you ever been Mellow!!"
Jumping from the unexpected vibration in her pocket, she dug her phone out of her leather Gucci coat pocket, a birthday gift from the very person calling her now.

"Hey Mello." She said coolly.
"Where are you? I've been at the mansion for a half hour now?!"
"Oh calm it sour puss. You shouldn't have got there so early if you didnt want to wait."
"Well at least tell me you're close!"
"Hush up already, I'm here. Bye"

She hung up chuckling to herself. "Big ol' softie, always pretending to be such a hardass." He was one of her closest friends, so she knew his softer side well. He was also tied for the hottest, but that was only for her thoughts. Passing through the steel gates barricading Whammy's, she look forward, towards the mansion that was her home the majority of her life. Watari, the founder of the orphanage, had apparently randomly decided to host a reunion, but instead of a one night soiree, it was a Weekend stay at the mansion. The supervisors had taken all the kids to visit an archeology site in Macedonia, so the now older, former residents of Whammy's had the mansion to themselves. As she approached the the splendid doors of her old home, she breathed a sigh, and gave her hair one last flip before entering the building.

XXX

Glancing at the watch on his wrist, Mello became even more restless. 'What the hell does she mean I'm here?! I don't see her anywhere so she shouldn't say stuff like that!' He was just about to call her again when the doors of Whammy's slowly swung open. "I'm heeeere!" sung a sweet voice, clear and cheery enough to rival a canary. Mello and his icy persona instantly melted at the sight of her. Beautiful as usual, but today her radiance shined even more clearly. Her hair, just over shoulder length, silky and lustrous, as if each strand had been carved from the heart of an obsidian throne, polished and softened by a buffer made from the down of a thousand young swans. Her face smooth and flawless, her dark skin looking like it had been painted on from a vat creamy melted gourmet chocolate. Her eyes, sparkling dark hues of brown and green with the same intensity as the polished jade pendent hanging from her neck just graving the beginnings of her cleavage. Her lips, full and pouty, the envy of all the women who endured plastic surgery, trying to achieve at least an artificial mockery of this natural perfection that was Marquessa. He couldn't deny that he had quite the crush on her, but he would never allow himself to fall in love. Or at least never allow himself to admit it if he was. She ran to give him a hug. "Hey Mello. Wassup?" she laughed, as she embraced him. He could muster nothing but a weak "Oh, hi. I'm okay", still awed by her beauty. Snapping himself out of it he said "What in the hell took you so long?!" "Oh, I'm a girl of class Mello. Fashionably late. Don't want to seem over eager like I have nothing to do now do I?" she joked. Smirking, Mello shook his head. No, no most defininently no-"

"-AHHHH! L!"

A sudden screech from her cut Mello off. L had just arrived, though apparently Marquessa had extra sensory powers, because she had screeched and darted through the chattering crowd just before the door had even opened. He watched with an emotion he refused to call jealousy as she ran to give L a hug and kissed him on the cheek. The dark usually emotionless eyes of his twinkled for a second as he smiled his signature half smile. "Hey" said the ebony haired genius.

"I missed you so much L! Watsup?" Breathed Marquessa

"Oh not much. How about with you?"

"Life's just a beach as always"

"Ha. I see." Replied L, smiling.

To Mello it was obvious the two had blatant feelings for each other. What he couldn't figure out was if the either of the two knew about the other's feelings. Something inside him felt down, and he knew why, but no matter what he wouldn't let himself embrace the tenderness he had for this woman that he kept hidden in his soul.

XXX