Iron gates separated a large mansion like building from the rest of the Winchester; a plaque on the left brick pillar identified the building as Wammy's House. Children could be heard playing on the other side of the gate and for once she was not eager to join them. Yes, Jemena was still scared though she tried not to show it. Children seemed to be able to smell fear and that was not something that Jemena wanted them to see. She would be brave, she had to be brave.
"Alright, we're here."
Jemena looked up at Rocio and nodded walking through the iron gates into the ground of that lay behind them. Simón moved around in his cage every now and again seemingly trying to comfort her, and for once it wasn't working. She looked straight ahead of her as she continued to walk with Rocio towards the front doors of the building. The muttering and looks of interest from a few of the children weren't easy to ignore and it was already taking a bit out of Jemena but she remained determined to make it to where Rocio was taking her without breaking her façade.
"Don't be so stern, they seem nice."
She didn't reply, she simply wanted to get to where they were suppose to go and be done with it. She wanted to go back to Spain, where at least she knew she belonged, and back to their house. Jemena stopped walking just as a girl around her age stepped in front of her.
"I sorry."
She knew that was not the definite way to say what she wanted to and she was aware that to them, she was the one with the accent not the other way around. The girl seemed slightly taken aback and didn't bother to answer her back. Jemena looked over towards where the girl had run off to and quickly looked away when she saw her join a group of girls. She was no doubt telling them about the way that she talks. Jemena suppressed a sigh and simply started walking towards a set of stairs that Rocio had begun to walk up.
Jemena allowed herself to look around the interior of the building as she walked up the stairs; it really was a rather pretty place. She turned her attention back to where she was going the moment she felt Rocio grab her hand, they were in front of a door at the end of a hallway, which Jemena had no memory of walking down.
"What is it?"
The voice wasn't pleasant and from the tone that had been used Jemena inferred that the person didn't want nor expected to be interrupted.
"It's R."
R? Jemena didn't question why Rocio had only given the first letter of her name; maybe it was customary here for those who had lived her. Instead of questioning, she pondered the thought as a mere attempt to distract herself from what was going on. She did, however, hear the next words that the voice spoke.
"Come in."
She had heard those words various times in many different voices and tones, yet she had always felt welcome but now the words sounded more like a death sentence. Nevertheless, she followed Rocio into the room.
The office room contained various insect specimens that Jemena figured belonged to the man that was seated behind a mahogany colored desk. A plain red rug was the only other form of decoration aside from the insects and a filled bookshelf. Light poured into the room through the large windows on either side of the book case giving the office holder a view of what Jemena thought was the backyard. All in all, it was a nice office.
Jemena's attention focused on the man who was seated behind the desk. He looked rather young; she assumed he was no older than forty years old. He held a look of tiredness and she wondered if he was left alone to tend to all the children that she had passed on her way to the office, if so she understood perfectly why he would look so worn. However, he still seemed to hold a sense of energy that emitted from him when he saw them walk into his office. She hoped that he was nice.
"R. Why are you here?"
Clearly he hopes had been somewhat dampened, yet there was always the chance that he was having a horrid day. Regardless, she moved closer towards Rocio, who had begun to smirk at the question.
"Why would I be here, Roger? You should know what I've been up to. Don't pretend that you don't check up on those of us who decide to resurface."
The man, Roger, looked up from the glasses that he wore and sighed before he looked over towards her. Jemena held herself up taller and moved away from Rocio, she had a feeling that presenting herself in this fashion was necessary.
"Then why did you bring her?"
He had motioned towards Jemena, who had come to the answer the moment the question had been posed. Rocio was planning on leaving her there.
"She belongs here, Roger. I wouldn't waste your time or Wammy's time with someone who wasn't."
"What proof do you have?"
At this Jemena sneaked a little glance over towards Rocio.
"She's from Spain, more specifically a village by the name of Santo Domingo de Gúzman which can be found in Olivenza. I'm sure that you know of the geographical placement of that particular part of Spain and the history behind the Spanish and Portuguese for the area. Her parents died a little over two years ago and during that time I've taught-"
Jemena had remained still during the entire time that Rocio had spoken; however, she looked over towards her when she heard Rocio cut off what she was saying.
"To put it short, she's five years old and trilingual. Her intellect lies in deductive reasoning and language. She's no A, or B, but she can outsmart most people. She's an orphan, and we both know I can't keep her for much longer. I've talked to Wammy about her before and he seems in favor of her staying here with her bunny."
Jemena felt herself relax at the mention of Simón. The man, who had been listening intently, seemed more displeased than he had when they had first entered his office.
"A rabbit?"
"Kids who are brought here often come with something that reminds them of their past, a significant item. I remember that I brought in my mother's necklace when I was brought here. She doesn't have a necklace, no, she has a bunny and I'll be damned if you don't let her keep it. It's her reminder and that's not something that you have the authority to take away, Roger. Besides, I've already talked to Wammy about it and he's fine with it."
The last bit was a lie, but if Rocio had to lie in order to let Jemena keep Simón than she would lie. They both watched Roger's movements and studied them accordingly.
"I want to hear her speak, and it musn't be broke speech but fluid. She gets one chance."
Jemena understood that this very moment was not the time to mess up on pronunciation, or syntax. She placed Simón down on the carpet and took a step forward. She knew the order that she wanted to speak in, and she was ready to step up to the challenge.
" Thank you for allowing me this opportunity, Mr. Roger. I promise you, I will not disappoint you."
She didn't wait for him to comment on what she had said, nor did she look back at Rocio to see if she had done well.
"Obrigado por permitir-me esta oportunidade, Sr. Roger. Eu prometo que não vou decepcioná-lo."
Once more she did not wait for a response from Roger or Rocio, she figured that if she had messed up Roger would have stopped her.
"Gracias por permitirme esta oportunidad, Sr. Roger. Te lo prometo, no te decepcionará."
With that Jemena took a step back, she had begun with English followed it up with Portuguese and ended with Spainsh. She felt that it had been the right arrangement of language and would hopefully prove that she could speak the languages.
"She speaks with an accent but that it to be expected when learning another language. However, I'm not quite satisfied with what she said. Allow we to supply her with prompts, she'll respond in English to one, than Portuguese to another. I don't need to hear her speak in Spanish, seeing as that is her first language; it's irrelevant to this test."
Jemena stepped up once more following the motion from Roger to come closer. She knew what she had to do and would do it as best as she could.
"Alright. In English, I want you to tell me about life in Spain. Be a vague or detailed as you want to be."
Jemena nodded understanding immediately what he wanted from her, she watched for a moment as he looked at her waiting for her to start.
"Life in Spain is not easy. There are no paved roads in Santo Domingo de Gúzman. Instead, the roads are made of rocks that keep the dirt away, they're nice roads but not easy to drive on. The people are nice; most of the people know each other because of family or friends. There are not as many buildings as there are here, and the houses are mostly two story where one family may rent out rooms to another. It is very nice to live in Spain."
She did wait to see how Roger reacted. Jemena was aware that not everything she had said was phrased right and her accent could have made it hard for him to have understood her, but she had hope that he saw her potential.
"In Portuguese, you're going to tell recount a memory. It can be anything you want it to be. In case you don't know recount means to tell again."
Jemena nodded and took a moment to find a memory that she thought was suitable enough to tell.
"No ano passado, no dia em que meus pais morreram Rocio me levou para o pequeno vale fora da aldeia. Foi bom e as flores tinha apenas começado a florescer, ela me disse que meus pais ainda estavam comigo e não fique triste. Ela me deu uma pequena flor. Foi um bom dia para mim."
Jemena took a step back standing next to Simón. She wasn't entirely certain that she had reached the standards that she was supposedly at, yet she knew that she had done well enough to show that she did know the two languages and could speak comprehensible sentences in either one.
Roger examined the girl before him, she was around three foot eight, she had straight black hair, light brown eyes, and olive colored skin. All in all, she desplayed features typical of where she came from, and she seemed like she wouldn't cause him a significant amount of trouble. But, there was still the matter of the rabbit she had with her. He doubted that he would be able to convince her to give it up, but if Wammy had told Rocio that the girl could keep the rabbit than he had no otehr choice to follow the orders.
"She can stay, and so can that rabbit of hers."
Jemena smiled lightly, she was proud that she had overcome the challenge that Roger had given her. She had been accepted into the instituation, which was what she believed Rocio wanted.
"What is your name?"
He was addressing her now. She didn't feel the need to step up, instead she stayed where she was.
"Jemena Azzerman Sierro."
Roger nodded, he didn't bother writing down her name. He would get everything he needed to know about her emailed to him within a few hours, so why make the effort?
"You cannot and will not tell anyone your name. You will go by an alias here, that will be your new name. It is up to you to remember your given name and your alias. Now what will you go by?"
Jemena found herself at a loss over what she had just been told. She didn't see the necessity of changing her name but decided that if it weren't necessary that Roger wouldn't be doing this.
"Um... how are the alias chosen?"
"Usually the children choose a name that begin with the first letter of their name, or they could name themselves after a parent, believe me we've had children do that here. Either way is fine and if you chose to go another way that is fine as well."
Roger seemed irritated and that only made Jemena more uncomfortable. She looked over at Rocio and wondered what she would have named her. She shook her head and looked foreward once again.
"Jazz."
"Are you sure you want to be called that. You will only get this once chance to name yourself, after that you can never change your name. Think carefully."
"I am sure that I want to be called Jazz."
Simón hopped around his cage calling Jemena's attention towards him. She was happy that she would at least get to keep him.
"You'll room with a girl your age, don't cause any problems and you'll do fine. Above all keep your studies up, this instituation is a boarding school above anything else."
Jemena nodded and walked up towards Roger when he motioned for her to go up towards his desk.
"I did not test your deductive reasoning, the class will do that for me. Here's your room number. Rocio, show her where her room is, and remember that you must leae before dinner."
Jemena gingerly took the paper from Roger and looked down at the three digit number written on the paper, 152. Whether it was an indication as to how many children were at Wammy's or not was beyond her. She nodded before walking over towards Simón and Rocio.
"Thank you, Mr. Roger. You are very kind."
Jemena turned around when she felt a hand being placed on her shoulder; Rocio was guiding her out of the office room. Any information that she needed would hopefully be provided later on by an adult or maybe by her roommate. She just hoped she wouldn't be left without any help.
"Good job back there. Roger's not an easy man to get along with, but not getting into trouble would help. So what room are you in?"
The accent was still there and it still made it hard for Jemena to understand but she assumed she would get use to it in time.
"152."
Rocio nodded towards her and lead her towards the stairway. She held Simón close to her as they began to pass children on their way to her room; she wasn't sure how they would react to her much less Simón. She would be careful with him for now.
"You're on the west wing, which doesn't surprise me. They usually group people with the same interests together. Though sometimes they do change the rooming order it doesn't happen often so don't worry about it."
Jemena nodded and continued to follow Rocio, she only stopped for a millisecond when she spotted the girl she had talked to before.
"Are the children here nice?"
They had stopped in front of a mahogany colored door with the room number 152 engraved on a silver plaque. Without as much as a knock they walked into the room. It was spacious and held two beds, one of which showed signs of being in use. In contrast to her bed, which was barren and ready to be used, the other bed held a blue comforter and a panda themed pillow. The nightstand contained a doll as well as an alarm clock; a picture frame faced the bed.
"The children here vary, it's like back at the village where some were nice and others weren't. Don't be nervous, you'll be fine here. There should be a few sheets in the closet for you."
Jemena placed Simón on her bed and walked over towards the closet where Rocio was talking out a green colored comforter. It took her a while to realize that it was her comforter, more specifically the comforter that she thought she had lost at the Laundromat a few weeks ago.
"You had it brought here?"
Jemena now also noticed that a few pieces of clothing already occupied the closet as well, it wasn't much but anything was better than nothing.
"Yeah, you didn't think I would have you live here without having a few of your own things. Take Simón off of the bed and put him on the nightstand, okay."
Rocio was talking slower than she had been before, a small note that Jemena was thankful for, and she had used a hand sign as well. However, she didn't allow herself to focus on those small actions for long; she did what she had been told. Her nightstand was on the right side of the window letting both her and Simón look out to the backyard. With Simón placed on the nightstand, Jemena helped Rocio place the bedding she had on her bed before placing the few items that she had actually brought with her in their proper place.
"What will it… be like."
She struggled to form the words more now than she had before, a change that came with the withdrawal of adrenaline. She wondered if she had missed a word that would help Rocio know what it was that she was asking. Her worries were placed away when she heard Rocio shift lightly and look at her seemingly ready to answer the question.
"Roger's right that this is a school before anything else. It will be hard mainly because you're intelligence is at a higher point than others. You'll take the classes that deal with what you specialize in, for you that would be language and deductive reasoning."
Rocio stopped allowing Jemena to fully take in what she was saying, this would be information that she needed to know. It was very important that she understood.
"Your deductive reasoning class will be extremely hard, not all the children that begin the class end up staying in the class. Apart from that you can take other classes that aren't your specialty, though I warn you the kids in that class may specialize in that area, so don't feel bad if you are not as good as the others."
Jemena nodded as she sat on her bed taking everything in. She her gaze fixed itself on the bed sheet and she began to shift uncomfortably. Learning had always been something that she found enjoyment in, but with the added pressure of having to be better than every other child at the orphanage would she still be able to enjoy herself?
"Hey don't take it too seriously. You're only a kid; they'll start you all off easy and slowly it'll get harder. It's not that fast a process, okay? Just remember to try your best, make friends, and behave. I know you'll do well here."
The good-bye was inevitable but Rocio was determined to delay it as much as she possibly could. They had spent three years together and whether they liked it or not, they had formed a sister like bond. Losing Rocio would be just like losing her parents had been.
"Why did you choose the name Jazz?"
"Era… I mean… it was father's favorite music type, I think."
Jemena seemed conflicted and Rocio understood why. She had lost her parents at a tender age, any memories that she would have formed at that age wouldn't have permanently stayed with her. At best, she figured that Jemena's memories of her parents would be foggy.
"Will you write to me?"
Maybe there was a way for them to stay in contact that didn't necessarily require Rocio to be there. Would it be possible for Rocio to write to her and vice versa. This idea was almost instantly shot down.
"No, I can't. You never know Jem- I mean Jazz, we may meet again one day. Anything is possible, even the impossible."
Jemena fought back the wave of tears that wanted to leave her; she wanted to be strong for Rocio. She wanted to show her that she would be okay.
"I have to go now. May I get one last huge before I leave?"
Without giving an answer, Jemena enveloped Rocio in a hug. Although neither of them wanted to let go they both did, they had to move on. Jemena smiled lightly at Rocio as she got up from her bed and muttered a good-bye to both her and Simón.
"Ahora estamos solos, Simón. Por lo menos estamos juntos."
Jemena tensed up when she heard the door open and a blonde haired girl walked into the room. She didn't seem to notice her at first, and for that Jemena was grateful. It gave her a few moments to relax.
"Hello."
The girl almost seemed to jump the moment that she heard Jemena speak. She looked over towards her and looked confused for a moment.
"So you're the girl that they've been bringing things in here for. To tell you the truth, I was kind of hoping that they were for me. I'm Frances. What's your name?"
Frances had the same accent that Roger had, Jemena assumed Frances was native to England.
"I am Jazz. Is good to meet you. I, uh, I have a bunny named Simón, I hope you do not mind."
She had motioned towards Simón's cage; a sense of nervousness went through her as she watched Frances walk over towards Simón. If Frances didn't accept Simón it could mean trouble for all of them and that was the last thing she wanted.
"He's cute, I don't mind if he stays here. You talk funny, where are you from?"
"Spain. You are from here?"
Frances giggled lightly as she heard her talk; Jemena looked down at the floor. Yes, she talked differently but did that really matter?
"I like the way you talk. I think we'll be good friends as long as you don't take my stuff."
Jemena quickly nodded thankful that she at least had one friend. She only hopped that Frances wouldn't be her only friend.
"Okay."
A smile formed on both of the girl's lips, both happy that they had a friend.
"You can sit by me in class if you want. Lunch is almost ready wanna go?"
The noise that came from Jemena's stomach gave Frances the answer. Frances took her hand and began to lead her out of the room and into the hallway. She may have just gotten there but Jemena had a feeling that she would enjoy her time at the orphanage.
Author's Note:
L has not been mentioned yet, but he will. I promise he will make an appearance soon. I also realized that I have forgotten to write in the disclaimers so, I don't own Death Note. I only own Jemena. Have a lovely day everyone.
