Hi again! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or added MotM to their Story Alert. It really, really makes my day when people do this. I'm so glad I'm able to write something that you all will enjoy! The next up date might be slower, I'm having a hard time with that chapter...Writer's block is a mean, cruel woman. (Tch, men are not half as cruel as women.) But I digress. Please enjoy this chapter!

After breakfast was completed, the children all went to their morning classes, except for Fera. She aimlessly wandered around Wammy's House, exploring the hallways and talking with herself occasionally. It was immensely huge on the inside, which was surprising to her. It had already looked big on the outside, but she supposed that she just hadn't been in a building this big before.

And now I'm living here…she thought, not sure how to feel.

The white teddy bear provided as a comfort for her when she walked down the dark hallways. She felt so small in them, but having that bear near her heart made her feel like she would be safe. At least for now.

A pair of footsteps behind her made her jump and squeak. She turned around and looked up to see Roger standing over her and she squeezed the bear. "G-good morning," she said.

"Good morning, Fera," he said, a weak smile on his face. The old man looked as though he had just woken up. "What are you doing up so early? You don't have any classes yet."

She nodded. "I-I know, I just wanted to look around, that's all. Th-that's okay, right?"

"Of course," Roger said, yawning and covering his mouth. "Just don't get yourself too lost."

"Right," she muttered, taking off like a bat out of hell and running as fast as she could in the opposite direction. She tucked the bear safely under her arm and tore down the hall, turning a corner with urgency. Pressing her back against the wall, she sank down into the floor and petted the synthetic fur gently. "I think he doesn't like me," she murmured. "What do you think?"

The bear did not respond. It simply stared at her, black plastic eyes reflecting artificial light and the sewn-on expression permanently smiling.

"Figured as much from you."

A bell rang, making Fera jump again. She snapped up into a standing position, staring at the door down the hallway. It opened, and Mello was the first one to walk out. "Hey, you!" he spat. "What the fuck are you doing here?" He walked quickly over to her, lording over her and making her shrink. "Huh?!"

"N-nothing!" she squealed. "I- H-hey!" she hissed. "I'm not scared of you! You're just a big meanie!" She stood back up straight, glaring at him.

"Aww, I'm a meanie, now, am I?" Mello sneered, a few more children walked up behind him. "Why don't you go tell that to your mommy? Oh, yeah, that's right!" he added. "She's dead, just like your daddy-dearest, too!"

Fera bit her lip, scowling at him. "Shut up!"

"Ohh!" the other boys jeered. "She's got some fight in her!"

Mello locked his gaze with her for a moment, then scoffed. "I'm not wasting my time on a runt like you," he said. "Come on, guys, let's go." The rest of them laughed, following Mello as he walked down the hallway. Fera growled under her breath and ran away back where she had come from.

"Oh, that's right! She's dead, just like your daddy-dearest, too!"

…Daddy?

She blinked back a few tears, remembering being held up on his shoulders…Remembering being swung around in the air, laughing and smiling…Remembering being driven to school that day…That day…

She swallowed, still running, running as fast and as hard as she could until she slammed into something. Something soft and white. "Hm?"

Fera looked up, wiping the water from her eyes. She gasped. "O-oh, Near! Near, I'm sorry! I-I couldn't see you, I'm sorry! Are you hurt? I'm sorry, I-I really didn't mean to, I'm sorry…"

Near lazily twirled a lock of his hair, his expression blank. "I'm fine," was all he said.

She shook her head, squeezing the bear's stomach. "I-I-I'm r-really sorry, Near, I'm sorry, I-I just…"

"It's okay."

"N-no, no, really, it's my fault, I'm sorr-sorry…" She began to cry again, feeling stupid and horribly embarrassed. "Look, I'm sorry, I-I-I won't bother you again."

"Don't worry about it," Near replied, walking past her. "I suppose I'll be seeing you again some other time. Good day."

Fera's cries turned into mere sniffles, turning and watching this quiet, calm boy. He intrigued her, made her curious.

"H-hey, w-wait a sec!" she whimpered, following him. He stopped, still twirling his hair. "Wh-where're you headed?" she asked shakily, still chasing away her tears.

He shrugged. "My room. I don't have class for a while."

"C-can I go with you?" she asked, very quietly. Near put his hand to his ear, unable to hear her. "C-can I-I j-join you?"

"…Okay," Near responded, leading the way. "Thank you for asking. Most people just follow me."

"Uh…" She felt warmth rise to her cheeks and a tickling sensation in her stomach. "You're welcome. It just seemed polite, that's all…"

Near shrugged, still twirling his hair and walking casually. He remained silent, putting his hand on the banister and Fera noticed that only his fingertips showed. He was practically swimming in his clothes. She would have asked why he didn't wear things that actually fit him properly, but she decided against it, thinking it would be too much an intrusion of privacy.

As they walked up the stairs, she also noticed that he never asked any questions about her (save for that one about L). He seemed…private, if nothing else. She wasn't sure if "shy" was the right word to use, but he was definitely quiet.

He opened a door with a large "N" on it and revealed a room much like hers, except his was filled with toys. She held her breath for a moment, covering her shocked expression with her bear. "You like toys a lot, huh?"

"They give my hands something to do," he responded, not really answering the question. He picked up a puzzle, another blank one, and dumped its contents onto the floor. He sat down in an odd position, one leg on the floor and the other tucked near his chest, and began to assemble it quietly. She took a seat beside him, like she had last time, and simply watched him. He was so quiet. He had no music playing, he didn't hum, didn't even breathe loudly. Absolute silence.

But watching his swift fingers assemble that puzzle…that was something else. He moved quickly, with purpose. It was almost as if she could hear the clicks of the pieces coming together, which normally would have been impossible since they were made of cardboard, but the effect was there. He was simply a master at this game, and so young! Certainly not more than her age, if not younger. He certainly looked younger.

The curtains in the room, she finally noticed as the minutes went by, were mostly closed. Well, that makes some sense, she thought. He is really pale…Casually, she put her hand next to the one Near wasn't using – not touching, but just close to it. He's even paler than me!

"Done," Near suddenly replied. It shocked Fera out of her dream world and back into reality, making her jump a bit. He didn't seem to notice. Instead, he went straight to putting it back in the box.

"C-can I help you?" she asked. Near looked at her for a moment and then nodded silently, directing his gaze back on the white pieces. Fera shyly reached over and picked a few up, putting them in like he was. It seemed like that in no time at all, they were finished putting the pieces away. Near picked the box up and put it back on the shelf.

"Thank you for the help," he said, twirling a lock of his hair. "I have class to attend now." He turned toward the door and walked out. Fera scrambled to her feet and followed him blindly.

"So, um, what kind of classes do you take?" she asked, clutching her bear.

"Hm?" Near asked, not turning around. He kept walking, hair tied in fingers.

"…Um, n-never mind," she responded, going the other way, hiding her face behind her bear. She heard Near mutter to himself a bit, but didn't look back to see him.

And so, the day passed on uneventfully from there. She went to her room after dinner (by which all classes were finished) and got herself into bed, hugging her teddy bear close. She almost looked at the door waiting for her father to come in and make her say her prayers, but then she remembered that that world, that life, was now long gone.

It was about 11 'o'clock when she heard something come in her bedroom. Shyly, she opened one eye and looked, but it was so very dark. She couldn't have seen anything even if she had opened the other one. She thought she heard some footsteps, whispering, then…

HONK!

"Ah!" she squealed, falling out of bed and covering her ears.

"Haha! Look who's not scared!"

She knew and hated that voice. That mean sneer, that cruel laugh…

"Mello!" she snapped. "Get out! A boy shouldn't be in a girl's room, 'specially at night!"

"Heh, like you can do anything about it!" another boy sneered. She couldn't see his face. Another boy kicked her in the side and she wailed.

"Ow! That hurts!"

"That's what you get for being snappy with me, newbie," Mello growled. "Now you'd better watch yourself from now on, got it?"

Anger rose from within Fera. "Hey, you can't treat me like that!" she squealed, scrambling to her feet. "I-I'll tell Roger if you don't get out now!"

"Awww, what, the little girl with her little teddy beawr can't do it on her own?" another boy, making a deep, mocking voice called.

"Heh-heh, yeah, you couldn't take Mello out!"

"Come on," Mello challenged. "You wanna fight? I'll win."

She growled, about to throw her bear away, but then she remembered that if she threw any punches, she'd get in trouble. "I don't want to fight," she said.

"Then get out!" one of the boys sneered, and they all laughed.

"Hey, you can't tell me to leave! This is my room!"

"What're you gonna do about it?"

"…" They were right. She couldn't do anything. And so, hugging her bear as tight as possible, she ran out, tearing down the hallway.

At that moment, Fera learned the meaning of "shame." It was a horrible feeling, knowing weakness and being forced to face that you have it. Feeling angry and sad and hopeless. And so, once again, tears leapt to her eyes. And feeling this way, she remembered…

"Don't cry, sweetie," her father was saying. "It's not that bad."

"B-but I got a B+ on my art project, Daddy!" she wailed, sniffing and wiping her face. She was about five years old and had come back that day from kindergarten. "I tried my best but- but-"

"You cry too much, honey," he said, picking her up and swinging her around. "Who did you draw?"

She sniffled. "You, and me, and Mommy, but she's in the back. See?"

He looked at the paper. "You know what? This is a great drawing, Felicity. I'll put it up on the fridge, okay?" He took a magnet and stuck it to the refrigerator, a smile on his face. "There. See? Don't cry so much."

Fera stumbled in place, leaning on the wall. She was far away from her room now. Don't cry so much, Fera, she told herself. That's what Daddy said.

She wanted to go back to her room and get some sleep, but the thought of those boys waiting to torture her scared her awake. And so, she decided to wander around the second floor of Wammy's House.

Fera brushed a hand against her coarse brown hair. She had to admit, Wammy's was scarier-looking in the dark, all alone. "Hello?" she whispered, hoping someone was around. She got no answer. Fera sighed, adjusted her bear, and continued walking. "Guess we're alone…" she murmured, patting the bear on its head.

She continued walking, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. Her ice-blue eyes flitted about in the darkness, looking at the paintings on the walls and grinning a bit. All were pictures of open countryside, which she loved. Her father had always promised her that he would take her to his father's farm one day, but…She violently shook her head, shaking the thought from her mind. Shouldn't think about Daddy, Fera thought. Or else you'll cry again.

Fera had absolutely no idea what time it was now, but she saw that it must have been late, because the bright full moon shone through a window. Oh, look! It's got one of those cushion-things you can sit on…Wait, is someone sitting on it?

"Hello?" she asked quietly, approaching slowly. It was a small shape on the seat, one leg hanging off it and swinging absently. A mess of light hair shook a bit as the person turned to look at her. It was hard to see due to the bright moonlight contrasting against the darkness in the hallway.

"Hello," the person replied. That voice was familiar…

"Near?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

Muahaha, cliffhanger. Please give me your thoughts on this chapter, I really want to know what you think and, most importantly, how I can improve as a writer! Thank you for reading!

-Winter Poison