I'm sorry for the long wait. The last few days of school are always hectic. Thank you KazeNoSasayaki2494 and The Last Kunoichi for reviewing. It makes me so happy that you like my story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. I'm just lucky to own myself-(brother whispers in my ear) What do mean that I don't even own myself? (more whispers) Okay, scratch what I said earlier. Technically, my parents own me.

Iris

Chapter 3: Beyond Expectations

After an entire morning and afternoon, most of the paperwork was completed. The only thing left to do was to have some information processed and to complete a few tests. Then I would be sent to a more permanent residence. Even though it would take several days before I would be placed, I was still anxious about the event.

My nerves were so shot that I could barely eat supper. I probably wouldn't have eaten much anyway. Years of eating whatever happened to be available at whatever time had left me in a position where eating specific foods on a set schedule was not welcomed by my stomach. I was accustomed to eating small, simple snacks throughout the day. Breakfast and lunch had been alright, because they had just been cereal and sandwiches. Supper was an entirely different affair. Although the meal looked and smelled appealing, it didn't seem to be appetizing to me. My stomach seemed to turn to the point that I couldn't even look at the bowl of macaroni and cheese that had been set before me.

I went to the recreation room after only eating a few bites. The room was almost empty since it was supper. The only other person there was a caretaker who was picking up several toys. Looking up, he finally noticed me standing in the doorway. "Hello there. Finished with supper already?" he asked me. I nodded. "Well, since there's still time before bed, would you like to watch TV?" he offered. As I made my way over to the small couch, I nodded. "What channel would you like it on?" he questioned. The remote control was poised in his hand.

"Channel four, please," I answered. He was a bit surprised when he switched to that channel to find that the local news was currently on.

"Wouldn't you rather watch cartoons?" he asked.

"No, I like the news. It's nice to know what happens everyday," I replied. The news had always been my window to the outside world. It was proof that there was a world beyond the walls of my own home.

"How old are you?" I was starting to wonder if this man couldn't speak without asking a question.

"I'm five."

"Wow, I never heard of a five-year-old who'd rather watch the news than cartoons," he said before leaving me alone to watch the news in peace.

I sat on the couch Indian-style with my still unnamed bunny in my arms for a long time, soaking in all of the information from the world. There was an oil spill near Alaska, a pop star had gotten a divorce, local campaigns were beginning, and a woman was killed in a house fire. Wait, what? Sure enough, the news was talking about the disaster that had occurred last night. 'Ms. Mary Linton died in fire last night that had started from a lit cigarette being dropped on her bedroom floor. Her daughter was rescued from the burning house by a neighbor. The girl was uninjured and is being taken care of by social services.' That was it. I never dreamed that anything directly concerning me would ever be on the news. It was like a strange confirmation to my existence.

After a while, children started to come into the room for some after-supper television time. I was forced to change the channel to cartoons. As I sat back and watched a bumbling cat try to catch a quick-witted mouse, the feeling of knowing that the world was not completely blind to my plight still lingered. Little did I realize that several other news channels had already aired that same information earlier in the day. Hundreds of people had already been made aware of the incident, including one special person who would change my life forever.

The rest of the night passed by without much occurrence. Morning came quickly. After breakfast, I was whisked away to complete several intelligence tests. Because of my years of neglect, they wanted to know how well my mind was developed. Several answers were easy, while I had difficulty with others. The testing process ended right before lunch. As soon as I was finished eating my peanut butter sandwich, a caretaker came to get me. I was taken back to the room where I was tested. My counselor and social worker were both there to go over the results with me.

The counselor was the first to speak. "Your scores are beyond what we expected of a child who spent her first five years of life under severe neglect. You scored slightly above the average score of a child your age. Starting your schooling immediately shouldn't be a problem," she explained.

"It usually takes us several days to place a child, but we got a special call yesterday afternoon from Quillsh Wammy. He runs an orphanage and requested that you live there. It's an excellent establishment and we feel that you will get along nicely there. He should be here any moment to pick you up," the social worker announced.

Sure enough, a few moments later there was knock on the office door. An older gentleman entered the room. I became a little nervous by how rich and distinguished he looked. As I glanced up at his kind face, my fears were put to rest. He extended his hand to me and I took it in my own. His grip was firm yet gentle and comforting.

With only my new clothes, my bunny and my memories, I left the group home with the kind old man in a black limousine. I didn't know what this new home would have in store for me, but I knew it would be better than what I had left behind.

Yay! The third chapter is finally done! To tell you the truth, most of it has been done for several days. I just needed to put the finishing touches on it. I hope you enjoy it. Please R&R.