I opened my eyes slowly, looking around in a blured daze...where was I? The room was completely dark, no light comeing from anywhere...no windows, no door, the room was empty. I moved my hand along the floor, only to feel that it was hard and freezing cold...concrete? Yes it was, but why was I in an empty room that was made of concrete..and what was this fragrence that I was smelling? It was sweet, very sweet yet, sour. It was a smell that I was used to...but I couldn't quiet tell what it was. Chocolate maybe? No, chocolate isn't sour, and I was way too used to that scent, I would have recognized it instantly but this smell I couldn't put my finger on. And I also seemed to feel closterphobic..which I was, but only if I was crowded or in a small area. Maybe I WAS in one, I didn't know. It was way too dark to see anything so I couldn't tell. But then light suddenly flooded the room, and as I looked to the source, I saw a figure standing in what seemed to be a doorway. "H-hello..?" I called out to the person, covering my eyes to sheild them from the very bright light that now surounded me. "Mello..." the familiar voice spoke softly as they stepped towards me...it was HIM again. The mysterious stranger that kept showing up in my dreams. He was comeing closer and closer by the second, slowly making his way towards me with an item in his right hand...I couldn't tell what it was though. But, as he came closer, the item became clearer and clearer until he was finaly close enough for me to see him completely. His red hair and green eyes,
his striped jacket and worn out jeans...but this was different...something wasn't right. Instead of the usual either happy or drunk expression on his face, this time there was no expression...just a blank, emotionless look as he stared down at me. The item in his hand was a.....gun. My eyes widened in fear as I looked from his emotionless face, to the gun, and back again. What was this? What was going on? So many thoughts raced through my mind as to what was happening...but before I could ask, the gun was put directly to my forhead.
The room became completely silent as I held my breath. I told myself to move out of the way, but I wouldn't budge for some reason...it was as if I was completely frozen. "Mello..." he stared down at me with the same look, "if I can't have you".
He started to say as I heard the click of the gun, the sound that meant he was about to pull the trigger. "...no one can..."
~BANG~
My eyes shot open as I rolled off the edge of the bed, crashing onto the floor as I screamed for dear life. "NO!!!!!!!" I tossed and turned on the floor trying to escape the dream that, at the moment, I believed was reality. Then came the feeling of someone's hands on my shoulders, shaking me and calling my name.
???: MELLO!?!
???: MELLO WAKE UP!! YOU'RE HAVING A BAD DREAM PLEASE, WAKE UP!!!!!!!!
My screams were imediatly sub-sidded with cries and loud sobs as I realized the figure trying to bring me back to reality was Near. I sat up and threw my arms around his neck, burrying my face in his shoulder as I continued with my nervouse break-down. He held onto me very tightly, calming and comforting me as my tears eventualy came to a stop and I wiped my red eyes dry. "Mello? Are you okay? What did you dream?" Near asked as he looked at me in concern. It took all the strength I had left at the moment, but I managed to put on a blank and confused face "I-I..dont r-remember" I lied through my teeth. I didn't want him to worry about the guy in my dreams...mostly, I didn't want him to think I was crazy for dreaming about a stranger.
-----------------------------------20 minutes later---------------------------------
We were now sitting side-by-side at the dining table, chocolate chip waffles infront of me and scrambled eggs infront of Near. I was practicaly inhailing my food, only tasteing the chocolate and not the waffle...chocolate was my comfort food, the thing I needed to stop from having a nervouse break-down or panic attack in the middle of the day. I noticed Near stareing at me oddly out of the corner of my eye, and I imediatly slowed down me eating process. He already knew for a fact that chocolate was my comfort food, and that if I inhailed it at this pace, something wasn't right. "Uhm, Mello? Is something wrong..?" he looked at me as he moved his fork, picking at his eggs slowly. "...ufm i duwn neu fwa-...." my mouth was so full that he wouldn't have been able to understand anything I just 'attempted' to say so I swallowed quickly and repeated myself. "Uhm I dont know what your talking about, I'm perfectly fine..." I laughed nervousely as I looked down at my plate, not wanting to look at him. "Oh really..? Cause I think somethings wrong. So, what is it?" he emphasized the last sentence loudly and with annoyance. I stood up, pushing my chair back and walked over to the sink (which was on the other side of the room), and set my plate down inside of it. "Nothing" I emphasized the word in the same way he did. Then came the loud clank of his fork hitting the plate, and the sound of his chair flying backwards "Why must you lie to me Mello!? Why is it so hard to tell me the truth!?!". I spun around quickly, glareing at him and yelling back, "WHY CAN'T YOU MIND YOUR OWN BUISNESS!?!?!". "Why do you have to be such a bitch!?!?!" he yelled back....I froze completely,
becomeing silent as my hands dropped to my sides. I hated when people called me that...he KNEW I did, and he still called me it....I stared at him in disbeleife as his eyes widened and he slapped his hand over his mouth, gasping. "So....thats....what you think...of me..?" I could feel myself start shakeing as I continued to stare at him "You....think I'm.....a bitch...?". Next thing I knew, I was picking up the closest object beyond my control, and throwing it directly at his head without knowing what it was. Luckily, he dodged it just in time...it was a very big and sharp steak knife. He gasped as he fell sideways and onto the floor...but...I couldn't stop. "How could you even think that!?!?!" I screamed as I felt tears start pouring down my cheeks. I reached to the other direction and picked up what I knew was one of those really thick and heavy cook books, and raised my arm to throw it at him. Suddenly, I was grabbed by someone from behind and pulled away as I let the book fall to the floor. The last thing I remember before being dragged out of the room was the suprised expression on Near's face, and the sound of the person that had grabbed me screaming in my ear.
L: Mello calm down! Light: L get him outta here!
L: I'm trying! Mello, its ok just calm down and let me take you back to your bedroom!
. . . and then I was dragged away and taken to my room.
As L left my room and shut the door behind him, I imediatly locked it from the inside...I didn't want anyone trying to come in. What happened back there? Did Near really call me a bitch? Did I really throw a knife at him? Did that REALLY happen? As much as I wanted to deny it, I already knew the answer.
all of that DID just happen, and I couldn't take it back. I sat down on the edge of my bed and sighed sadly, "How...how could he say that to me...". I let myself fall on my side and, as my head landed on the pillow, I started crying quietly.
I burried my face in the pillow, and curled my knees up so that I was in a ball as I cried and thought about all that had happened....it happened to quickly, like the blur of your surroundings when your in a speading car. You can't make it stop, you can't slow down the world rushing past you...you have to let it pass with nothing to do but watch. That, was like it was in the dining room, nothing I could do, no control but to just sit back and watch...this wasn't the first time me and Near had faught, infact, we used to fight 24/7. We used to be the best of friends, but at the same time, the worst of enemies...frienemies? Thats the word I was looking for. But this was by far, the only time he'd EVER said something like that...and to just come out and say the one word I dispized the most? How could he do that to me? ....maybe..this wasn't a good idea. Maybe I should have left the institute when I had the chance...if I would have done it then, I wouldn't...have to do it now. But I guess life doesn't work the way you want it to. It was decided....I was gonna leave...tonight.
I sat on the chair infront of my desk, pen in hand, paper laying infront of me.
Was this really the right thing to do...? Could I actualy bring myself to leave and never look back on this place...on..him? Was it possible? ...I had to try. I thought of the right words to say, placeing them in ink on the paper. Next, I grabbed my notebook, ripping a peice of paper out of it and setting it ontop of the letter. Then I opened one of the drawers and took out a photo that I had been saving...I was gonna put it on the front of Near's birthday card when it came that time, but....not now. I opened another drawer, taking out a little cardboard box filled with envelopes and took one out. I folded up the letter and the peice of paper with lyrics written on it, and stuffed them, along with the photo, into the envelope. As I licked the seal of the envelope, closeing it and making sure it was tight, I wrote down these words on the front of it...
"To My Dearest Near" . . .
Tears streamed down my face, landing on the surface of the desk as I started sobbing loudly...I couldn't do this...I couldn't! No matter how much I tried, I couldn't get myself to leave, I tossed the envelope in the trash can that was next to my chair. Then came a sound from my window...it was...opening? Suddenly,
the lights in my room turned off and I heard something behind me. The sound was...breathing? Was someone in here!? "What the hell?" I spun around in the chair to see the outline of a person infront of me. "Shhh...its ok Mello I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you, I'm taking you away from this place." they spoke softly as they put their finger to my lips, as a sign to be quiet. But,
that voice....that soft voice, it sounded so...familiar. But it wasn't Near...could it be..? Oh, I didn't care at this point in time. Now the only thing on my mind was leaving. "Do you trust me..?" I could just barely see them reach their hand out to me. I stayed silent for a few moments, stareing at the ground in deep thought "I....I trust you.." I took their hand and stood up. I could tell that they smiled happily, "Ok then! Let's get you outta here!". I saw then lean down towards my garbage can, and then I heard the sound of paper rattleing. They pulled out the envelope, "We'll need this". I blinked a few times, how did they know I wrote that and then threw it away..? Oh....who cares at this point? They seem really nice and happy that I'm going with them so, I'll go.
They opened my door, stepping to the side and motioning for me to go first. I smiled sweetly, no one's ever done that for me but, I wasn't gonna object so I stepped out and into the hallway. The hallway was dark too, so I still couldn't see them. Why was it so dark..? Didn't me and Near just eat breakfast not too long ago...? I could feel the person looking at me, "Your probaly woundering why it's so dark. It's because you fell asleep without knowing it, and it's now 11:49 pm". They kept pulling me along the hallway with them, until they finaly stopped infront of a door that I knew very well...Near's room. I grabbed their wrist as they reached for the door handle "What if he's in there..?" I whispered as they smiled again, making it so that my hand was once again in theirs. "Don't worry, he's not. I made sure of that" he opened the door slowly and quietly,
stepping inside and pulling me with him. The room was just as dark as the rest of them, except for the thin light of the moon that was comeing through Near's window. The person let go of my hand, walking towards Near's end table. The light was shineing exactly on the spot he was about to step into, as if it were fate for me to see him. As he stepped into it, his back faceing me, I had to squint to see clearly but all I saw was a stripped jacket....wait a second. I gasped and slapped my hand over my mouth as they set the envelope on Near's end table.
could it really be..? Then, he turned to face me...it was him. The mysterious stranger that kept appearing in my dreams was standing right infront of me.
I stared at him in astonishment...his red hair, goggles and green eyes....and his smile. It felt like his warm careing eyes and his sweet loveing smile were hypnotizing me...but could I really trust him? The guy that, in my dreams, tourchered and killed me? His expression suddenly changed, he now looked at me with a sad and pleading look "You don't trust me...do you..?" he looked at the ground sadly. "W-wait! I never said that!" I let my hand drop to my side. "But your thinking it aren't you? You don't think you can trust me because-..." I stopped him mid sentence by saying, "No! I do trust you and I WANT to go with you, please! I promise!" I put my hands together in a pleading way, looking at him hopefully. -thinks: ....maybe I shouldn't do this...I mean, he looks exactly like the guy from my dreams. No! I have to do this...it's the only way if I wanna get out of this place...but...I have to know first. I have to know if this is just a coincidence...I'll ask his name and if it's the same as the dreams-
"Before I go with you though...do you mind if I ask your name? I'd atleast like to know that much...just so I'm not going with a complete stranger" I put on the best teasing smile I could at the moment. I watched the corners of his mouth turn upward into another hypnotizingly sweet smile, "It's Matt."
-----------------------------------------End of chapter 3-------------------------------------