Wheel of Fortune

From the very moment he was born, he had seen them, but he didn't understand them. The names and the numbers. For years they meant nothing to him. Just symbols that hovered above everyone's head, pointless, useless, or so it seemed. They had to represent something, or else they wouldn't be there. He had yet to see a single human that didn't have them. The names and the numbers. As a very young child he had assumed everyone else saw them to. Why would he see something no one else did? He made the mistake of asking his father about them when he was two. The man gave him the strangest most confused look he had even seen. He didn't ask about them so bluntly again. The names and the numbers.

He was three when he figured out the first one. His mother was reading to him. A word on the page popped out to him like a neon sign. Birthday. One of the things he saw hovering over his Dad's head. He interrupted his mother, asking what it was. What did it mean? He had to know.

"It says Birthday." His mother explained. "That's our last name, isn't that nice?"

At that moment it clicked. They spelled out names. His name, his mother's name, his father's name, everyone's. It didn't take him long after that to learn to read. After all, he had practice everywhere he went. All he had to do was go up to someone and ask their name. He would watch above their head as they told him, following the word, matching it with the sound.

"What's your name?" His little voice calling up to the person. They would look started at first and sometimes they would ignore him, but most of the time they would smile and answer.

"I'm Myrna Lannon." Myrna Lannon "What's your name, sweetie?"

"Beyond Birthday."

Before long he was reading the names on his own. And if he got strange looks when asking names, he got horrified looks from knowing them already. With his strange red eyes, looking knowingly up at the stranger, he was truly frightening. His mother was at a complete loss. Why was this child so strange? How was it that he knew things before he was told, in particular, names? She had pulled her son aside one day, confronting him, asking in her calm voice why he knew such things. Beyond couldn't answer. He didn't know why. He had no idea why he had been born with this strange vision that enabled him to know things he shouldn't. He didn't know why he was three and could read as fluently as any ten-year-old. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Or even why it was wrong at all.

Sometimes it scared him. All those unanswered questions that no one seemed to understand. They gave him nightmares, the names, highlighted in scarlet, and the numbers, running, dripping down his face like blood. His mother tired to comfort him, but she didn't know what to do. What could a mother do when the nightmares that tormented her child at night came from something that followed him everywhere, like a horrible black cloud? She tried her hardiest to help, but she never really could, especially when bigger problems loomed over the small household.

Alexa Birthday was such a soft spoken young women. She was shy, quiet, and exceptionally good at hiding things. Her feelings, things that happened to her, her voice, everything and that was really her downfall. She was an easy victim for someone like her husband. She never complained, never argued, even when the man came home at midnight, alcohol pulsing though his bloodstream, and beat her so hard she could hardly move the next morning, she never said a single word against him. Lyle worked hard, she argued to herself, he did love her, and their son, he was just going through a hard time. He was stressed out, she deserved it, it was just the alcohol that made him do it. All such poor excuses.

Every evening was the same. Lyle would come home from work at five, change, lounge in front of the TV until about seven, then he would head for The Red Cow just down the road from their small Reading flat. Beyond would then take over the TV until his mother wrestled him into the bath and at eight thirty, he was tucked in bed. Alexa would read him a story in her quiet, hushed voice and bid him sweet dreams before turning out the lights, but he never fell asleep. Every night, Beyond forced his small, exhausted body to stay awake until he heard it. The heavy step of boots on the landing, the jungle and muttered curses of keys dropped from drunk hands. The boy's heartbeat would race and his breath quicken, preparing his mind for what always came next.

A crash, the sound of flesh thrown against furniture. Her screams were always muted, it sounded as if he covered he mouth to stop the neighbors from knowing, but Beyond knew better, the scream was covered by her own hand. It would last for what seemed like years and years, his muscles would begin to ache from the tension, but he never once let himself relax. He sometimes wondered himself why he forced himself to stay up and listen to it. It would be so much easier just to sleep, the nightmares that haunted him in his mind didn't scare him nearly as bad as the ones in real life, but he always stayed up, for only one reason. After an immeasurable amount of time passed, the horrible sounds would abruptly stop. There would be the sound of shuffling feet, someone dragging something heavy, then, finally, an eerie silence. He waited for several minutes after the silence descended over the house then he would throw his covers back and touch the worn carpet with his small bare feet. With out braking the sheet of silence, Beyond would creep out of his room, passing his father unconscious on the couch and slip though his mother's partially open door, closing it shut behind him. Then he would cautiously tip-toe up to his parent's bed and snake though the covers until he was laying right beside his mother, her face stained with blood and tears. Beyond's unnatural red eyes would scrutinize her thoroughly. She lied so still it was almost frightening, as if she was so reserved her sleeping form buried her very life deep within her. Afraid of what would it would reveal, Beyond would stretch out his small hand and press it against the woman's often bruised chest. There, beneath the broken skin and spirit of his mother, her heart still beat. The young child would smile then finally drift to sleep.

During the days, when Lyle was at work, things were more as they should be. More normal. Beyond would spend the days at home with his mother, playing with the few toys he owned or watching television. His mother would always be doing some sort of house work, keeping things clean. If things were finished early, they would sometimes even play a game together. However, the terrors of the night always remained, weather it was a broken vase, a newly purpled black eye on Alexa's face, or a slight limp in her step. What ever it was, it was always there.

It angered the young Beyond to see how naive and stupid everyone was. Alexa's blond-haired older sister, Allison, was happily oblivious to her sister's plight. She hardly even reared her head anyway, with her twin sons only a year older then Beyond, she argued that she was too busy to come over. Beyond stubbornly refused to believe her. She just didn't want to come over. And the neighbors, the stupid idiots above and beside them. They had to hear the crashes every night, but they did nothing. Why? His young mind couldn't understand why no one would help his mother. Why they all seemed perfectly content to ignore it, until the problem went away.

The early September day was warm, with summer still hanging on by it's final threads. Beyond was five years old and in only four days, on the sixth, he would be going into his very first year of primary school. Like any child at that threshold of new beginnings, Beyond was excited. He could hardly wait. His mind was just begging to soak up more knowledge and now that he was about to attend school, his possibilities were endless. Nothing could stand in his way and deny him his desire to know everything. He knew with an arrogant, child-like confidence, that he was going to soar far above the others and be the best student of knowledge that Katesgrove Primary School had ever seen.

"Beyond, sweetie, please stop running about. You will dirty your uniform. If you want to play, take it off first." Alexa asked as the child raced passed her on his one-person race from one end of the flat to the next. The boy stopped and turned around to look at his mother, standing in front of the kitchen counter, glancing over at him every few seconds as she chopped vegetables on a cutting board. He didn't want to take off his uniform, but he didn't want to make it dirty ether. His head turned downward to the royal blue sweater that covered the plain white polo he wore beneath. Carefully, his little hands smoothed it over, erasing the wrinkles that had formed while he had been playing.

"Can I keep it on if I sit quietly, mummy?" He asked, looking back up at his mother. There was a moment of silence as she contemplated her answer. In the end she looked over at her son in his new blue sweater and long black trousers. His freshly-cut auburn hair fell just short of falling over his strange eyes. When he was born the doctors didn't know what to make of them. They dismissed it as a simple blip in his genetic code after they couldn't figure out if it was a symptom of a disease. The strange color didn't seem to affect his vision at all, in fact, he seemed to have extremely good eye sight, far above the average person. Alexia had made sure to take him to the eye doctor often, to make sure no problems developed, but they never did.

"Well, yes. For now, but please take it off before dinner. I don't want you to accidently spill something on it, alright?" The boy grinned at his mother's answer and immediately parked himself on the couch in front of the TV, watching it's screen intently as if he had been sitting there for hours. "Don't get too wrapped up in anything, your father is going to be home before too long." Beyond shrugged his shoulders. He would just watch what ever his father decided to watch when he came, but until then, there was a few more minutes of Doctor Who to steal.

Out of the corner of his eye, Beyond spotted a car drive up and park in front of the house. He recognized the old silver car immediately. "Dad's home." He announced to his mother in the kitchen. The sound of her methodical chopping hesitated for a moment before continuing at an even more furious pace. Beyond twisted his head around to watch as his father pushed open the door and walked in without a word.

"Hi Dad." The boy greeted as his father kicked off his boots and circled around the couch to the television, changing the channel from the celery-wearing time lord to the BBC news. He didn't reply to his son's greeting, but Beyond was not put off. He might not care for his father much, but that would not stop the five-year-old from voicing his excitement about his brand new uniform.

"Look what mum and I went out and got, Dad." The boy proclaimed with a grin as je jumped off the couch to show off his school cloths. Lyle's eyes shifted to the side, looking him up and down.

"She got your hair cut too." He observed shortly, turning his eyes back to the television. Beyond's grin widened.

" Yeah! We also got my book bag and all my school supplies! I can't get those out until the sixth, though, I don't wand to break anything." He said, hopping back on the couch. "I'm really excited…"

"That much is clear." His father stated without looking at his son. Beyond swung his legs back and forth as he sat on the very edge of his seat next to his father. He could hear his mother's cooking sizzling as it fried in the kitchen. It wasn't loud enough to drown out the anchorwoman's daily news report, however, and she continued on. As brilliant as Beyond was, he was still only five years old and the events of the world had yet to really matter to him. It wasn't very long before his eyes began to wander. He watched out the window at the cars passing by for a while, but that soon bored him. Looking around, he leaned forward a bit to catch a glimpse of his mother, rushing to get everything done on time at the right time. Then his eyes settled on his father.

He wasn't exactly a large man, but he certainly wasn't scrawny, like Beyond and his mother. His head was roundish with a very pronounced chin and a mop of graying dirty blond hair atop his head. If it hadn't been for the unkempt, slack-jaw look of alcoholism, he would've been quite handsome. Beyond himself mostly took after his mother, but his nose was more like his dad's, as well as his thin lips. His gaze traveled upward, just above his head, to the name and numbers hovering there, as if each one was suspended on an invisible string. The name was the same as it had always been, Lyle Birthday. Although his mother said her last name was the same as his, the name above her head read Alexia Rames. Rames was also the name he saw above his granddad, so he supposed he only saw the names of women before they were married. Their birth name.

Below the name, hovered those mysterious numbers. Ever present, never changing. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why they were there, what they meant. All he knew about them was that, like the names, they never changed and everyone's was different. Some had more numbers then others, some had less, but they all had at least seven. Perhaps they meant nothing, but something told him they were important, something he needed to figure out. As he thought, he hardly even realized that he had begun to speak, reading out the numbers that no one but he could see.

"Eight… three… nine…" Beyond said quietly, eyes locked above his father's head. Lyle turned at the sound of his voice, eyeing his son strangely. "Two… two… three… five… fiv-"

"What the bloody hell are you on about?" His father barked, causing Beyond to jump a bit and turn his eyes down to look into Lyle's. They boy was quiet for a while as if contemplating weather or to to say anything. Finally, he pointed at the numbers above his father's head.

"The numbers, Dad. I was reading yours." 83922355. Perhaps they meant something to him, but, judging by the look on his father's face, probably not.

"Cor blimey- There are no bleeding numbers!" Lyle scoffed. The look on his eyes was one of disgust, as if Beyond was little more then an unsavory piece of decor. "Will you stop going on about them? Gawd… bloody stupid kid…" With a scowl on the older man's face, he turned back to the BBC anchor woman. Beyond sat completely still, frozen by his dad's words. It wasn't the first time this had happened, his father scolding him for seeing things that weren't supposed to be there, but he had never ever called him stupid before.

Tears began to well up in his red eyes. Wiping at them with his small fists, he sprang down from the couch and ran into his room, slamming the door behind him. It wasn't fair! He thought as landed face down on his bed. Why could no one else see them? What gave him this horrible ability to see the names and numbers of every single person his eyes fell on? He couldn't even look at photographs without seeing them, hovering there, mocking him. Was it his red eyes? Were they the cause? They had to be, but he figured that out ages ago, he still didn't understand why. Why could he see them? What did he do to deserve this?

Lifting his head off his pillow he turned his head to gaze across the room where his tear-stained reflection stared back at him. Beyond Birthday hovered just above his head, but there were no numbers to be seen. His refection was the only one he had ever seen without them. He didn't know why that was ether. He didn't know anything about his strange gift. The boys head fell back to his pillow. He didn't want to see them anymore. He wanted to be like everyone else, free of the names and numbers. What he wouldn't give to live without them.

He had no idea how long he laid there, crying quietly into his pillow. At one point he got up and changed out of his uniform. No matter how upset he was, he still didn't want to soil it with tears. After he had resumed his position face down on his pillow, there was a timid knock on the door. He didn't answer, but it opened anyway, his mother stepping in with a tray of food. Silently she walked over to his bedside and sat down. Beyond lifted his head just enough so he could twist it around to look at smiled sadly at him, then looked down at the tray of food on her lap.

"I thought you were probably hungry. Your father's already gone out… He-"

"Yeah…" Beyond interrupted his mother quietly. "I heard." With a small hiccup, he sat himself upright and crisscrossed his legs, roughly wiping away the tears that still cling to the corners of his eyes. Alexia watched him sadly, the hurt and pain she felt for him clear in her eyes.

"I am so sorry he said those things to you, Beyond." She apologized for her husband. Her son turned his head to the side and looked up at her though the corner of his eyes. With a quiet sigh, she continued. "He didn't mean them. You know your father loves you very much. He is very proud of you." In response, Beyond turned his head back down to stare at his crossed legs.

"I know, mummy." He answered, but he didn't believe it. It was hard to think that his father actually cared about ether of them, but his mother, as horrible as he was to her, seemed to hold on to that hope that he really would move about it one day. Beyond had given that up a long time ago.

Standing, his mother lifted the tray and set it on his lap, interfering the view of his legs with a bowl of stew, buttered bread, and a glass of milk. The boy stared down at it blankly, feeling the concerned gaze of his mother upon him. However, if something was on her mind, she didn't voice it.

"When your done, just put the tray on the kitchen counter, alright?" She said, taking a few steps toward the door of his room. Her son nodded silently. "I love you."

"I love you too, mummy." There was a quiet pause before his bedroom door squeaked closed. Ir was only then that Beyond raised his head too look at the closed door through which his mother had vanished. He knew his mother tried to comfort him, but it was difficult to do that when she didn't actually believe he saw them ether. He could see it in her eyes when he mentioned them. She didn't believe a word of it.

The evening passed quickly and silently, like a bird racing though the air. Beyond hid in his room most of the night, only coming out to return the tray when he had finished eating. Even though it wasn't her fault, he was more upset at his mother then his dad. He was tired of her apologizing for him and never saying anything against him. She couldn't even admit that what he said was wrong and horrible. It was as if she was afraid of him even when he wasn't there. Couldn't she just admit that he was an awful person? Just once he wanted her to say it, but she never did.

His thoughts circled around him as he laid in bed, pretending to sleep like he did every night, waiting for his father to come home. In only three days now he would be going to school. No matter what happened around him at home, he couldn't help by feel excited for that. He would get to meet people his own age, something he had never really done before and perhaps, just perhaps, he would meet someone else with vision like his own. The hope was unlikely, but he held onto it just the same. The thought of coming across something who shared his ability would be wonderful. He would finally be able to prove that there were names and numbers and he wasn't the only one that could see them. The thought was so absurd and unlikely that only a five-year old could believe it.

Hours ticked by as he envisioned his future and before long he felt his eyes prickling with exhaustion. Somewhat confused, he turned his head to look at the clock on his bedside table. It's digital numbers read 3:05. Beyond's eyes widened in shock. Three in the morning? How could it be that late? His father hadn't even come home yet and he was never home after one. Perhaps during his visions of school he had fallen asleep by accident and missed him.

Without a moment's hesitation, Beyond through back his covers and climbed out of bed. He had to restrain himself to keep from running out of his door and into his mother's room, just to make sure she was alright, but when he peered though his door and into the living room, a figure was sitting on the couch. His mother, staring blankly out the window, still waiting for her husband's figure to appear on the other side as he arrived back from the pub.

"Mummy?" Beyond voiced quietly, fearful of the abrupt change in their nightly pattern. The woman started violently, her head whiplashing around to look at her son, half his face peaking out of his open doorway. Her face softened and she saw the confusion in his eyes.

"Beyond, what are you doing up?" She asked, he voice merely a whisper. "Did you have another nightmare?" Not entirely sure how to explain the truth, Beyond nodded slowly. She had always thought it was nightmares that drove him to her bed every night, and, in a way, it was. He pulled himself out from behind the wall and walked up to his mother. Her face grew fearful. "No, sweetie, why don't you just go to bed. Please." She was afraid that any moment Lyle would return and then Beyond would be caught in the middle of the violence. The boy's lower lip quivered as he stood in front of his mother, curled up on the couch, his eyes pleading. He was scared now, far too afraid to go and lie back in the lonely darkness, and he wasn't sure why.

"Please, mummy, I want to be with you." He begged, nearing tears again. Alexia's face contorted with sorrow and fear for her son, but in the end she gave in to his frightened face.

"Alright, come here." She sighed, opening her arms. Immediately, he climbed up on the couch and curled up against his mother, laying his head on her chest. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, as if she was afraid he would slip away if she were to let go. "As soon as your father comes I want you to go to your room right away and no mater what you hear, don't come out. Okay? Promise me?" She whispered, her voice laced with anxiety.

"I promise, mummy." He responded, closing his eyes. He could hear her heartbeat, thumping against his ear. The steady rhythm comforted him in a way that no words ever could. Just the simple, basic knowledge that his mother was alive meant more to him than anything. The warm arms she wrapped around him showed that she loved him, despite the color of his eyes and all his strange quirks and that was all he wanted. He hoped that his heartbeat and his love meant just as much to her as her's did to him, but he knew it did. She needed him just as much as he needed her and no matter what his father said or did, it would never sever that connection.

"Mummy?" Beyond asked in a whisper, the warmth and safety of her embrace nearly lulling him to sleep.

"What, sweetie?"

"Why hasn't Dad come home yet?" There was a long silence before his mother's muttered response.

"I don't know." She responded, he voice hard to read, a mix of fear, sadness, and a wall of hidden feelings. Beyond said nothing more. He silently hoped his father never would come home, because he didn't want to leave her. Ever. He would never leave her. One day, when he was bigger, he would make his dad pay for all the horrid things he did. The he and him mother would be free and happy. A smile spread across his lips as he thought of it. The smile slowly faded as his mind slipped into the darkness of sleep.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Beyond's eyes slowly opened and a small groan escaped him as his sleep was interrupted by such a harsh sound. Was dad finally home? No, he had a key. Unless he lost it again. As his eyes focused, he saw the light of morning streaming though the windows, illuminating the house. It was morning? But he was still on the couch and his mother's arms were still wrapped protectively around him. He twisted his head around to look at his mother's face. Her eyelids were draped closed over her hazel eyes and her face relaxed in a way that could only be done during the deepest staged of sleep.

Knock. Knock. Knock. There was that sound again. Beyond's head spun around to look at the front door. Someone was here. His eyes flickered to the window. A car was parked in front of there house right beside their own beat up silver thing. It was white and had a long stripe of orange across it with the word 'POLICE' written across it in navy blue. The police? Why were they here?

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. Whatever the reason for their visit, they were growing impatient. He was far too frightened to answer the door himself. Like most children his age, the police scared him. Beyond slipped out of his mother's arms and gently shook her shoulders in an attempt to wake her.

"Mummy! Mummy, wake up!" He said as he shook. The woman jumped in surprise at being awoken the way she was and jumped again when she noticed that it was morning and she and her son had fallen asleep on the couch.

"Morning… but… what… what is it, Beyond?" She stopped her wondering aloud when she noticed her son was still shaking her.

"Some one's here." He stated, sitting back on his legs. His mother seemed frozen for a moment, still not entirely awake. She looked at him with confusion before the fourth trio of knocks rocketed her to reality.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK. "Oh! Um… one moment!" She called out, her naturally soft voice sounding odd at such a volume. Beyond watched from his spot on the couch as she quickly stood and dashed into her room, emerging moments later with a bathrobe covering her nightclothes. He shaking hand quickly unlocked the door and opened it. Her body went rigged when she saw the two uniformed police men stand on the front landing.

"Um… may I help you?" She asked quietly, eyes flickering between the two. Beyond, unsatisfied with simply watching the scene play out from there, jumped down from the couch and ran around, attaching himself to his mother's leg. The sudden impact caused her leg to bend inward slightly and she swayed, but didn't loose her balance.

When she had opened the door, the two men had turned toward her and removed their caps. They both simultaneously turned their heads downward to look at the young boy staring up at them. The men exchanged glances before looking back at the somewhat confused and frightened woman in the door way.

"Mrs… Birthday, is it?" One asked.

"Yes… that's me." Alexa answered, eyes still shifting between the two men on her doorstep. They exchanged glanced again. The one who had spoken sighed, as if he truly did not want to say what he had to.

"I am terribly sorry to have to tell you this, but your husband, Lyle Birthday, was found this morning… dead." The reaction was instant. Alexa inhaled sharply as if the man had physically struck her. Using one arm she placed it on the doorway for support, she other, she placed over her son's head. Beyond's eyes had widened to the size of saucers.

"He appeared to have been beaten to death at about midnight. We are doing our best to track down the murderers." The other man spoke, his voice holding a streak of determination. When Alexa said nothing, her horrified eyes locked on the floor, his voice softened. "We are truly sorry for your loss. We will do our very best to find the persons responsible and put them to justice." She only nodded slightly in response.

"Thank you…" She choked out weakly. Taking a step back, she carefully shut their painted blue door on the police men. Beyond released his grip on his mother's legs and looked up at her. She was still standing there, the look of utter shock frozen upon her face. It was so sudden, Beyond didn't know if he should feel happy or sad. His dad was really… gone? Dead? The irony was almost too much to handle. The man that senselessly beat his wife every night was beaten to death himself.

Although they boy felt a weight lift of his narrow shoulders at the news, he also felt a new weight dragging him down again. His dad was dead. What would they do now? He and his mom were alone. They needed to get money, right? How would they do that with Dad gone? Everything was changing so fast, so suddenly. What were they going to do?

Wheel of Fortune
The Wheel of Fortune is all about luck and change. The wheel symbolizes completeness as well as the rise and fall of fortunes and the message that what goes around comes around. Almost every definition of this card indicates abundance, happiness, elevation, or luck; a change that just happens, and brings with it great change.

Author's Note: Bet you didn't expect this after that super short prologue did ya? I actualy had to do a Paolini and split this chapter in half because I noticed I was at 5000 words and I wasn't even half-way done. So what WAS going to be The Tower became Wheel of Fortune. The Tower is the next chapter.

Now, before you all flame me, yes I AM aware that there is a Death Note rule stating that "You can not physically tell who has the shinigami eyes" HOWEVER Beyond isn't exactly a textbook case, is he now? I reason that because the eyes came to him when his actual eyes were still developing, it somewhat mutated them. So, in a way, the doctors were correct, it WAS just a blip in his genetic code. And I wanted to give him those pretty red eyes ^_^ (as for Naomi not noticing the red eyes in the book, contacts, my friend, contacts.)

Awww. Isn't Beyond so sweet and innocent? All excited about school and attached to his 'mummy'. He's just so CUTE! Don't worry. It won't last. He just about looses all of his innocence in the next chapter. Then he'll start becoming closer to that phyco jam-loving madman we all know and love!

Doctor Who reference? Hell Yes.

Sorry about the ending. I really wasn't sure what to do with it. It was late, I was tired, and I wanted it done.

And last, but not least. I chose the Wheel of Fortune card for this chapter because "what goes around comes around". Karma is a b***h and Lyle deserved every single thing that came at him.

Please R&R Comments make me write faster! :D

Another Note: Ishin Nishio
Death Note: Tsugumi Ohba
Beyond Being: Piper Lynn