The time passed much more quickly than any of the residents of Whammy's House would have liked. The few short hours that they had to prepare their work flashed by, if you blinked, thirty minutes were gone, just like that. Mello sat outside of Harper's room for over an hour, listening to the muffled chords on the keyboard that he could hear from inside. He watched the sun start to set over the forest and the silhouette of the distant city as Harper sang in her room. Matt stopped by every so often, showing Mello various guitars that he had found in the music room. The blonde took a liking to an acoustic, painted black with abalone shell patterned frets.
"Roger said that you could have this one. Well, he didn't, but L did. Apparently, they have more than they know what to do with. What about drums and violins and stuff?" Matt asked, pulling put a list of instruments. Mello shrugged, just as Harper's door opened and smacked Mello in the back of the head.
"Hey guys, I thought I heard you out here. Listen, could you run this down to L? Please?" she asked, holding out a handwritten score.
"Harper, what make you think that L is going to take this score? He never participates in any of the festivals, so what make you so special?" A high pitched female voice said from the other end of the hall. The trio turned around and saw Linda, her blonde hair tied in ponytails and wearing a light blue sundress. Harper snarled at her.
"None of your business why, Linda. Why don't you go and bake a cake or something, Swiss miss?" she said. Mello laughed, and Matt smirked behind his goggles. Linda stuck out her tongue.
"Wow, real mature Linda. That'll make L like you for sure." Mello said, giving her a once-over.
"Say whatever you like, you bi-polar freak." The girl hissed. Mello jerked back, anger and hurt flooding his face. Harper, however, jolted for another reason.
"Bi-Polar disorder…that's got to be it! Why the fuck did Linda have to figure it out before I did though, superior bitch." She was jolted out of her thoughts by the sound of a scuffle. Matt was holding Mello back with all of his strength, the blonde was struggling to reach Linda, hands balled into fists.
"You damn bitch! I'll kill you, I swear to god…" he shouted. Matt couldn't hold on any longer, and Mello broke free. Harper, without thinking, jumped in front of him, tackling the boy to the ground.
"Mello! Take it easy! Just… calm down, just please…" she said, unable to form a coherent sentence. The blonde struggled for a moment, then gave up, collapsing under Harper's weight. Linda smirked triumphantly at them, a giggle escaping her lips.
"Mello, freaks like you should be locked up and put down. Like Beyond Birthday, that damn son-of-a-bitch." She said. Harper had been holding her tongue the whole time, was on the brink of snapping.
"Normal people like me shouldn't have to live around freaks like you. Maybe I should tell L to put you and your little girlfriend here down for a dirt-nap." Linda said, taking a step forward and drawing one finger across her neck in the universal symbol for death. Harper snapped this time, releasing Mello and launching herself at Linda. Suddenly, a pale set of hands grasped Harper's shoulders and pulled her back. Mello, who was still sprawled on the floor, gasped, looking up at the detective now standing over him, holding Harper to his chest.
"L… what are you… let me go!" she shouted, struggling against the man's grasp. Linda quickly smoothed her hair and put on her best 'innocent little girl face' and smiled up at L with false trauma written in her eyes.
"L, thank goodness. They threatened me with violence!" she squealed, glancing at the man with bright, manipulative eyes. Harper was still struggling against L's grip, glaring at Linda with murder on her mind.
"Harper, is this really the way you wish to conduct yourself?" the detective asked in his usual monotone voice. The girl stopped struggling, staring at the floor with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. Linda flashed her a small smirk, a move that did not go unnoticed by L.
"Linda, I would appreciate if, in the future, you did not insult your fellow students. And remember that a mental disability does not necessarily mean that the individual cannot succeed. For example, and I do not mean to brag, but a young boy with Asburgers might grow up to be oh, I don't know, the number one detective in the world. I would appreciate if you did not take the potential of those people as a joke." Linda's expression turned to one of embarrassment and terror, before she turned and stormed down the hall to her own room. Harper turned into L's chest and hugged him, leaving Mello and Matt dumbstruck.
"I'm sorry, L." She said, voice muffled by his shirt.
"But she…she insulted Bryan…and even after…after everything…I mean, he's s-still my b-brother." She sobbed. He pulled her closer, gently rocking back and forth.
"I know, Harper, I know. Shh, it's all going to be alright." He whispered. Mello stood up, walking over to Harper and putting a hand on her shoulder. She released L and threw herself into his arms, burying her head in his chest.
"I'm sorry Mello, I'm so sorry!" she cried, letting him hug her and gently stroke her hair. L looked on with an unreadable expression, a half-smile on his face.
"I too am sorry, Mello, for what you have been going through." He said, patting the blonde's back comfortingly. Mello smiled, continuing to hold Harper and whisper little words of encouragement to her. The detective gave her one final hair tousle and started walking down the hall.
"Wait…L! Uh, I was wondering if you would take this!" she shouted after him, holding out the handwritten score that Linda had insulted. L took the paper, looking it over with an expression of shock on his face.
"Harper… you're going to sing at the festival?" he muttered after a moment, glancing up at her and Mello. She nodded, gesturing to Mello.
"And Mello is going to sing with me. I was wondering if you would be willing to play the cello or something to accompany us." She said, staring at the floor. Suddenly, the detective leaned forward and embraced the girl, smiling like never before.
"Harper…I'm so proud of you." He said, voice a little choked up.
"You're finally starting to move on… something I've never been brave enough to do. You come from a fine family, Harper, and you're finally doing what your brother and I could never do. I have utmost confidence in you, Harper." Harper wrapped her arms around him, laughing and ruffling his ebony locks.
"Thank you, L. Thank you so, so much!" she said. Mello was staring as L lifted her into the air, spinning her around once and putting her back down.
"You look almost like the little girl you used to be, Harper. I remember when you used to be so happy, you used to own the world. Even with everything you'd seen, Marielle and mother… you were always so… your own person." He released her, staring into her face and lightly touching then end of her nose. Harper blinked away a couple of tears, smiling at the detective. He stood up, as straight as he could with his chronically hunched back, and started walking away.
"You'll always be my sister, Harper." He shouted. "No matter what." Harper flinched at the last phrase, glancing at Mello, who now resembled someone who had just watched the Eifle Tower turn into a rocket and blast off.
"His… sister? YOU'RE L'S SI-mmph!" Harper slapped her hand over his mouth, dragging him down the hall and into her room.
"No one can know! Absolutely no one else can know! L knows that I trust you, so that's why he said anything at all. He knows I told you about what Bryan…BB did to me. He knows that I trust you more than anyone else here and…" she trailed off, as if realizing what she had just said.
"Never mind. Look, just take this and learn it. I'll meet you by the stage at seven thirty for our performance tonight, okay. And don't worry about what Linda says. Bi-polar or not, I will always be here for you." She said, spinning on her heel and starting for the stairs.
"Harper, wait." The blonde said, grabbing her wrist. She turned around, just in time for Mello to press his lips quickly to hers and pull away, red faced, and sprint into his own room.
"What the hell was that?" Matt shouted, retrieving the videogame that he had dropped in shock. Harper just stood there, blinking and steadily turning pink.
"I'm not sure… but I didn't really mind it."
