Dinner proved to be quite uneventful. Jaden's friends shot a few nasty looks at Mello, which Harper quickly deflected by pointing her middle finger at them several times. Matt slammed away at his video games, occasionally leaning over to take a sip form his soda. Mello, acting more skittish than usual, asked Harper if she would get his food for him.

"Okay. Anything for you, Mells." She said, standing and walking over to the buffet. Piling high two plates, one with steak and a piece of cheesecake for her, and the other with chocolate cakes and truffles for Mello. Suddenly, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder, and she turned around to see Linda glaring at her.

"Look, Harper, you'd better keep that freak away from Jaden." She hissed, blonde hair bouncing slightly as she tapped her foot against the floor.

"Oh, I forgot you were dating that jackass. Alright, fine, but the next time he calls Mello gay, I'm going to rip him a new one, princess." Harper snarled, smirking at the appalled look on Linda's face before trotting back to her table.

"What the hell did Princess want over there?" Matt asked, still glued to his Super Mario.

"How the hell do you know who I talked to? You haven't looked up from your game once in the last twenty minutes!" She said, sliding the platter of chocolate in front of Mello and taking a bite of her cheesecake.

"Do not question, Harper, for I have my ways." Matt said, putting on his best "mystic" voice. Mello smiled, a first for that afternoon, and scooped a chunk of cake into his mouth.

"She just… it was nothing." Harper stuttered, not wanting to upset Mello again. The blonde sighed.

"She told you to keep me away from Jaden, didn't she? Hell, I deserve it. I almost strangled the kid. But you know how I feel about…"

"About being called gay. Yeah, I know." Harper said, cutting in and putting a hand comfortingly on Mello's shoulder. An uneasy silence fell over the table, then Matt spoke.

"So, what did you say to her after that?" he asked. Harper grinned.

"I told her that if she didn't keep her dog of a boyfriend on a leash, I'd rip him a new hole." Mello sniggered, regaining some of his energy and eating more of his cake. The rest of the meal passed in relative silence, Harper standing only to get more cheesecake for herself and more chocolate for Mello. Lost in her thoughts, she pondered the rest of the afternoon with little interest. The daily schedule meant nothing to her, she was passing all of her classes with ease. Hell, if she really wanted to try, she could beat Near out for first, no problem. But Harper never actually studied, unless the subject interested her. So far, the only class she had actually read into was psychology, and the effects of trauma on the mind. Personal connections aside, Harper would gladly take a class in psychology in college… if she even needed to go to college. Glancing over at Mello, she saw that the blonde was now staring at the ceiling, ignoring his food and deep in thought. She was about to ask what was wrong, but the bell rang, and all the students rushed out into the hallways, eager to shower and get ready for the evening activity.

"What is the activity tonight anyway?" Matt asked, finally pocketing his game with a triumphant smile; looks like he would need the new Sonic game when it came out.

"I dunno, probably some dumb movie or maybe another game night. I don't care, I just wanna go to bed." Harper said, stretching and yawning a little. Nightmares had been keeping her awake, and a full night's sleep was a rare occurrence nowadays.

"I'll skip out with you. You staying in your own room, or sneaking into mine again to make sure I'm alive?" Mello asked, smirking a little when Harper stuck her tongue out at him. Matt stared at the two of them for a moment, a little skeptical.

"You've been sleeping in Mello's room? How the hell… you guys aren't up to anything, are you?" he asked. Mello rolled his eyes and Harper snorted.

"Hell no, Matty. I just, you know, want to make sure he's alright." She said. To be honest, she was just glad that the bad dreams had been silent and not accompanied by the usual shrieks of pain and terror that were usually present. Mello knew nothing of her experience, and she wanted to keep it that way. The loudspeakers on the wall above their heads crackled, and Roger's grainy voice echoed through the hallway.

"Attention students. Tomorrow, as I'm sure many of you know, we are having a special guest. Please, before lights out, clean your rooms. Those who have been assigned to kitchen duty are to report there now. Thank you." Harper glanced at Mello.

"You're not going, are you?" she asked, and he shook his head. Smiling, the three dashed up the stairs, down the corridor, and locked themselves in Matt's room for a four hour video game session.

Something was wrong. The room was too dark, the curtains closed over the window. Harper sat up, hearing something moving in the corner. The sheets rustled as a figure clambered onto the bed, situating itself on top of her. The silver blade gleamed in it's hand, its edge wickedly sharp.

"We're going to have some fun tonight, Harper. And feel free to scream, no one can hear you." The human shape said, it's voice gravelly and harsh, tainted with bloodlust and the craving for something far more taboo. Harper opened her mouth to cry out, but found that she had no voice. Mute, she could only watch as he pulled the blankets away, pulling off her pajama top and pressing the knife to her bare chest. A flash of pain, and red blood trickled down, staining the mattress with rose-colored drops. The boy's crimson eyes watched her and she writhed beneath him, crying silently as the knife found her leg, leaving deep incisions that spelled out BB. A new sensation that, if it was someone else, would have been pleasant, but made her shudder and push away. Hands, trailing, leaving bloody streaks in their wake, her silent screams, no one to help her… alone… dying…

"Harper…HARPER!" She awoke, drenched in sweat, a scream that she recognized as her own fading as she snapped her mouth shut. Mello was sitting on the edge of her bed, a horrified expression on his face. He had woken her, saved her from the nightmare that had threatened to snuff her out like a candle. Trembling and unable to speak, she threw herself into his arms, pent up sobs finally breaking free into the open air.

"Woah, Harper, what's wrong? You were screaming and I… please, what is it?" Mello stuttered, pulling her onto his lap and gently rocking back and forth, as she had done with him.

"I…I'm sorry…I didn't mean…to…to wake y-you." She choked between gasps, unable to stop shaking. Mello watched her with an air of astonishment. Harper had always been the strong one. When she had broken her wrist, she hadn't even whimpered, when Mello was being picked on, she had beaten every boy (and the three girls) who had thrown stones at him. To see her like this, tears streaming down her cheeks and face screwed up in anguish, was scary. Matt was standing in the doorway, watching silently.

"Was it a nightmare?" Mello asked, pulling Harper up to gaze into her eyes.

"She looks so… afraid, and weak. Harper shouldn't be like this… it's not right." He thought, lightly stroking her cheek. She leaned into his palm, tears leaving silvery droplets on Mello's hand. Slowly, she nodded, shivering as images from the dream flashed through her mind. On instinct, she clutched at her leg just under her hip, the echo of the pain that had once been still lingering behind. Mello noticed, and his hand hovered over the spot Harper now clutched.

"Is there something there, Harper? Will you let me…" She yelped and pushed him away, tears welling up in her eyes.

"No! Don't… you can't… leave me alone!" Mello watched in astonishment as she pressed herself against the headboard, pulling her knees up to her chest and breaking into violent sobs.

"Harper… I won't hurt you… I promise." Matt closed the door to make sure no one would be disturbed by Harper's cries as Mello reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched, but didn't force him away like she had done before.

"Harper, please… tell me what happened to you." He said quietly, wrapping his arms around her quivering form and rubbing her back comfortingly. For a few moments, she was silent, then she spoke in a voice that was timid and quiet.

"I was…attacked, I guess you could say. It was… my…" trailing off, she lifted the edge of her nightgown and revealed the scars, spelling BB on her leg. Mello gasped, anger flooding through him as he gaped at the lacerations. Matt, who had wandered over when Harper started talking reeled back, horror painted over his features.

"Beyond Birthday? But Harper… he's dead. He left Whammy's years ago, I remember that day." Mello said, and Harper nodded.

"I know. I was the last person who saw him before he left. Mello, he's my…was my… brother."