I would like to thank Kimura Akira, Life Dealer, KazeNoSasayaki2494, and yuru-neko for their wonderful reviews. All you readers out there are so awesome.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. I do, however, own the popsicle I'm currently eating-(brother whispers in my ear) I do so own it. I bought that box of popsicles with my own money. (more whispers) Yeah, Dad gave me the money in my allowance, but I earned it!

Iris

Chapter 4: Unexpected Welcome

I couldn't believe that the trip took almost two hours. The span of time it took us to reach our destination seemed so much shorter. It was probably because of the constant conversation that took place throughout the entire trip. Mr. Wammy was an easy man to talk to. I spoke more to him in the span of less than two hours than I had to anyone at the group home during my two days there. But all too soon, our conversation came to an end as we arrived at the Wammy House.

It was much larger and fancier than I thought it would be. The group home seemed to pale in comparison to this place. It had a large yard with several trees, bushes, and flowerbeds and a playground area equipped with swings, slides, monkey bars, and seesaws. The entire atmosphere seemed to glow with happiness. If the outside looked this nice, then I couldn't wait to see what was inside the huge home.

When we stepped through the large doorway, I gasped when I saw how lavishly decorated the house was. As Mr. Wammy gave me a tour of the house, I couldn't help noticing the walls were decorated with lovely paintings and the carpet felt so soft beneath my sandals. I started to wonder if I had died and gone to heaven.

As I glanced at my surroundings, I tried to pay special attention what Mr. Wammy was saying. There were more rooms than I could even count. I had no idea of how I was going to remember which one was which. The ground level held the classrooms, kitchen, dining room, recreational room, and a few offices. The two higher floors held the bedrooms. Girls' rooms were on the second floor and the boys' were on the third. Each floor had several bathroom facilities. I was quite surprised that there were so many bedrooms. My surprise must have shown because Mr. Wammy quickly answered my unanswered my unasked question.

"Every child receives their own room. Many staff members live here, as well. There are also a few vacant rooms, so that we are always ready for any new arrivals," he kindly explained, as we climbed a flight of stairs to the second floor. Passing several rooms, I noticed that most had signs on the doors with names written on them. We soon came to one with no sign on it. "This shall be your room," he said, as he opened the door. "I'll leave you to get settled. You're free to play in the yard or roam about the building. Classes are still in session today, so it will be a while before you may meet the other children," he informed me before leaving.

Stepping into the room, I was amazed by how well furnished it was. It held a twin bed with light blue sheets, a dresser, a wardrobe, a desk, and a chair. The desk was already stocked with the necessities of any student. Looking at the clock that was on the desk, I noticed that it was only two-thirty. I decided that I should walk around before the other children get out of their classes.

After walking around the house and trying to memorize where all the important rooms were, I made my way outside. I looked towards the playground area and tried to decide which thing to try first. Even though I knew what all the equipment was, I had never played on any of them. I finally decided to ride on the swings first. Holding on tight to the rope with one hand and to my bunny with the other, I cautiously started to go back and forth. As I gained confidence, I also gained speed and height. I was truly enjoying myself.

All of a sudden, a loud ringing sound filled the air. Surprised, I fell from the swing. I landed roughly in the dirt. One of my hands was scraped by a rock. I ignored the dirty, bleeding injury. My attention was drawn to a large group of students, who were exiting the building.

Grabbing my bunny, I quickly made my way behind a nearby tree. I didn't know exactly why I hid from them. I merely felt reluctant to meet any of them just yet. From my hiding spot, I watched as the other children started to play. It was a new sight for me. I felt that I needed to observe this joyful scene for a while.

Out of nowhere, something hit my leg. Looking down, I noticed a red rubber ball. A few shouts came from the same direction that the ball did. Upon looking up, I saw two much older and larger boys coming towards me. All at once my breathing became hitched and it felt hotter. The strange sensation that I had felt during the fire came back to me. My body swayed a bit and everything went black.

Upon opening my eyes, I found that I was in my bed with my bunny next to me and my scraped, dirty hand had been cleaned. I had no idea how I had been brought back to my room. It felt like I was asleep for only a few moments. When I looked at the clock, however, I realized that I had been out for at least an hour. I looked around my room in search of any clue as to how I had gotten here. The only thing out of place that I found was half an animal cracker near the door.

There you have it. I'm terribly sorry that I haven't updated in sooooo long. I was in a car accident a while back. I'm still hurting a great deal from it and the medicine I take to treat the pain makes me extremely drowsy. Once again, I'm very sorry. I hope you all enjoyed this belated chapter.