4. Mello

a test of knowledge

Zeeke would always know that someone was coming to the basement thanks to the stiff door and the creaky stairs. So far, only Matt had taken the time to give her food, a change of clothes (from her suitcase, she realized) or just to chat. She knew immediately when someone new was coming. The pace was different, even if the weight sounded the same. Not to mention Matt didn't change his boots at all while in the Mafia building.

So Zeeke sat with her back against the headboard with her legs stretched out across the bed.

A man with yellow hair and a chocolate bar in one hand (Zeeke reasoned it must be a fetish similar to her addiction to jello) stormed around the folding screen and breathed in her face.

"All right, girly, it's been two days. Gunna tell us your real name yet?"

"Zeeke." She replied blankly. Not a flicker of a smile or frown on her face.

Matt followed the yellow-haired man down the stairs with cockiness in his step. "Calm down, Mello. Maybe some manners would soften her up."

Mello ground his teeth at the thought of having to swallow his pride and do the unthinkable—use manners. Zeeke remained surprisingly emotionless—and yet she had seemed like a normal girl to Matt, despite her strange answers to things.

Her eyes left Mello's face for a split second to glance at Matt, silently asking him to explain.

He complied.

"Generally, Zeeke doesn't exist. Not here, not in the world. And you never bothered with a last name,"

"Likewise," came her almost lifeless tone. "Matt is a fairly common name, but Mello… And the absence of last names is expected in the Mafia, so I've never pointed it out before."

Mello scowled, then turned and stormed up the stairs. Matt stayed a bit longer.

"How old are you again?"

"16," her voice showed emotion the moment Mello was gone. She was smug, and it was clear.

"I would have thought younger with the looks, but older with the brain."

Zeeke raised an eyebrow as Matt turned and left.

She interpreted his reply as a compliment.

5. Jello

Obsession?

The third day was the first Matt brought his obsessive gaming self to light, Until then, not a single electronic had even made it close to the basement, but it was only a matter of time before the boy's DS lite wormed it's way into his conscious.

That girl has taken up more of his time than any hostage so far.

"How long am I going to be here?" Zeeke asked as she watched Matt slash his foes in two.

"A while, probably. Until Mello decides you are useless to us."

At this point, voices burst out in anger upstairs—the men were watching some sport on TV, and the team they were rooting for was obviously loosing.

The conversation continued as if nothing happened.

"Then can you make me some jello?"

Matt paused the game.

"Huh?"

Zeeke's eyes removed themselves from the game screen to look up at the goggled boy. "I assume Mello gets people to buy his chocolate for him. I would make my own jello, but I bet you nor the Mafia would permit me to use the kitchen."

"… 'gets people to'… How did you figure that one out?"

"The way he couldn't stop gnawing on the chocolate. And his inferiority complex would never allow him to belittle himself buying chocolate."

Matt nodded. "I see."

When he left, Zeeke thanked him, even though he never said he would make any jello.

Which in turn made him wonder if she were thanking him for something else.

And then he realized that not only would he have to buy Mello his chocolate when he went shopping, he'd have to buy this girl's jello as well.

He sighed.

A/N: I JUST realized that the chapter titles rhyme... o.O

Anyways... Uh, no comment, I guess? Here's a virtual heart for reading: 3

Yay. Jump for joy.

Sarii