Note: ZOMG INTERNET WITHDRAWAL.
Why the ultra late update? Simple. My internet had a meltdown that lasted two weeks. Today, the late-as-hell technician finally came in, poked at a few things for twenty minutes, and then fixed the piece of crap that is my modem. So, at last, I'm back. :D ...Late as hell.
"Because we're not satisfied until you're not satisfied." - Customer Disservice, Demotivators®
--
Anyway! On that poll from the last chapter, the results were as follows: A - 4; B - 2.
Basically, I tried to wire the scenario so that Option A was more the "L" way of thinking: solid judgement. Conversely, Option B was more the "Light" way of thinking: flexible idealism. See? Now you know what kind of person you are -- a young, senile detective /or/ a touched-in-the-head, cute-in-the-face psychopath. :)
Not done stalling yet.
You see, now that we've established some basic relationships between L, A, and B, we can move on to actual story arcs. (Took long enough, huh?? :D) This chapter is a transition into our first arc. However, at the end of the chapter, I'd like to ask for some of the readers' suggestions.
"Love Lies Bleeding"
Preliminaries
--x--
I'll be everything that I wanna be.
I am confidence in insecurity.
I am a voice yet waiting to be heard.
I'll shoot the shot -- bang! -- that you hear round the world.
And I'm a one girl revolution.
- One Girl Revolution, Superchick
--x--
We ran like the wind.
Down the sloping, grassy hillside and away from the woods, we ran. With my field of vision drawing ever closer to the orphanage, I could see that what BB had said was true. There they were, adult and child alike, standing near the gates and away from the building. All of the residents were present, very much alive. The orphanage itself was the same as it ever was, only burnt on the western side.
But that doesn't mean there's no damage.
Even at this distance, I could see how the children huddled together in a fearful mass, watching as billows of smoke purged from the building. Their home. Personally, I hated that orphanage and all its obscure injustices, but... I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Of course they'd be afraid. Of course they would stand and stare in fear of the fire that could have easily consumed them -- could have easily consumed their lives, and all the evidence of their existence. The orphanage was where they kept all their worldly possessions, all their achievements, and all the proof of their quests to become something extraordinary. They're orphans. Of course they'd be afraid of losing their whole world all over again.
At the same time, I can't blame BB.
Perhaps it was the way he'd said, so easily, "All I wanted was to go home." I know that feeling. And I realized, then, that he truly had no malicious intention, and that he'd even secured measures to protect me: the alarm. His innocence shames me.
I do not condone his actions.
But, secretly, I hope he carries that innocence forever.
--(B)--
"Loser establishes our alibi," she stated. And off she went -- running like the wind.
I caught up quickly and easily. I think A may have been the stronger of us two, but I was certainly the faster. We went head to head for a while, neither of us really first or second. For a moment, we were merely two little kids, Beyond and Amy, running just for the sake of running, like children often do.
But I wanted so much more to win. I sped up a bit, inching forward ahead of her, laughing and panting. However, as I passed her by, she whispered, "B, just follow my lead."
...What? Did she want me to fall behind and follow her? Oh, but I most certainly was not going to follow her. I wasn't going to let her win. I relayed this in words by saying, "Heehee! Actually, I think it's you that needs to follow my lead."
No answer.
Curious, I peered over my shoulder. Immediately, I noticed that A had stopped running, standing far behind me. I began to slow down as well, when all of a sudden, A let rip a bloody-murder scream and came charging at me, plowing me over into a frantic, flailing heap. She began yelling incoherent things at me while simultaneously punching my shoulder and pulling my hair. Not hard. Just enough to make me think she'd gone mad.
At some point, I was aware that A was no longer sitting on top of me, but was being lifted into the air, kicking and screaming, by a tired caretaker. In fact, we were surrounded by tired caretakers.
"NO! Don't believe him!" she screamed. "Don't believe anything he says!"
Buddy, I'm not saying a word.
"It was you, wasn't it?!" a woman shouted, squeezing through the crowd of adults. She was a burly woman with wild, bleach-blonde hair, and she wore a pink robe with carpet-like texture. But she had the air of a war general; be not fooled. I wasn't sure who she was, being new to the orphanage, but she didn't seem quite like a caretaker. Perhaps a cook, or a janitor, or... something. I glanced up above her head.
((Nora Bedingfield))
"No. Of course it'd be you," she continued contemptuously. "Ya little hell spawn." She flicked A on the forehead, and A snapped at her hand like an agitated turtle.
"You can't prove anything..." A muttered darkly. The caretaker that had been holding her set her down on the ground as other adults surrounded them, securing the girl in place like a rabid animal.
By now, I realized what she had done for me. She took my blame.
"Oh, but we can," the woman answered, whipping out a cell phone from within the recesses of her carpet-robe. "We have the greatest detective in the world on our side." She dialed some numbers and tapped a foot, waiting for a voice on the other end of the line.
I was still sitting on the ground in a sort of daze and only caught little snippets of the phone conversation. "...fire... all night... who else would've... yes... I am quite sure, sir..." She seemed to pause for a while, and I wondered if she had been put on hold, when suddenly, she exclaimed, "What! B-But, but sir! ... I -- yes -- but... no... yes... I understand, sir. Goodbye."
The woman paused after stowing away her cellphone, turning slowly. Like one who had fought a battle and lost, General Nora commanded, reluctantly, "Let her go. Wammy wants us to take the children to a temporary residence while the orphanage..." Here, her eyes momentarily glared down at A, then flickered away. "...gets 'renovated.' Let's go. We'll take everyone in the bus."
The weary-looking soldiers sauntered away, following their commander to round up the other kids and dismiss the cops and firemen. As soon as A was free and the adults had turned their backs, she came over and pulled me up off the ground.
"You okay, BB?" she asked quietly.
"No," I replied casually, with a grin. "I believe I've been rather rudely assaulted."
She gave me an "I am not amused" type of stare and walked around me, moving toward the group of kids pooling around a large, generic-looking bus. Not the school bus type, but rather the black-and-white-commercial-bus type. I hoped they had cushioned seats.
"Hey, so, where do you think they're taking us?" I asked, jogging up beside A.
No answer. Looking over, it seemed that she had taken a sudden interest in examining the orphanage.
"...Are you mad at me?" I inquired. She didn't reply.
I figured that, since she had volunteered to take the blame for me, all was well and forgotten. Yet, here she was giving me the silent treatment again. How exasperating.
I gave a loud whine and said, "Will you stop ignoring me? Everyone's alive, all right? And the building's fine. Why're you still mad at me?"
Still, she refused to answer, so I got upset.
"AAAA!" I shouted, directly into her ear. At this, she spun around, surprised, acting as though she hadn't heard anything I just said. "YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED?!" I bellowed, taking her by the shoulders and shaking her rapidly. Her soft grey eyes darted back and forth to check the sanity in my reddish ones. She looked uncertain about my outburst, but I have to give her credit for keeping her composure. A was undaunted, as ever.
"WHAT YOU NEED," I screamed, shaking her between each word, "IS A BIG HUG!!"
And then I gave her a big ol' hug.
Under Pretext
--(A)--
I punched him.
Then he laughed, and we got in line for the bus.
Well... what would you expect? Screaming in my ear and invading my space... he had it coming to him. BB has no concept of personal boundaries -- or any boundaries at all, for that matter. Totally uninhibited. I suppose you could call it "carefree," but I prefer to say "maniacal."
Anyway, I had been thinking. Examining the orphanage, I again observed that only a small portion of the wall was charred. On the inside, the office may have been burnt soundly, with perhaps smoke and soot lingering in the air and walls. Still, it should only take several hours to clean the place up, and the second story was probably unaffected, for the most part.
Is a "temporary residence" really necessary?
That is, if...
"You know, I didn't know the orphanage had a bus!" BB rambled behind me. "Oooh! Do we go on field trips a lot? 'Cause, like, why else would we need buses, right? ...Buses? Busi? Bi? What is the plural of 'bus'??"
I smiled a little, though of course he couldn't see it, standing behind me and all. "The plural is busae," I offered. Usually, I would just tune out his voice when he began rambling like this, but on occasion, I liked to join in. Because, on occasion, it's nice to get away from my own thoughts.
I heard him gasp, enlightened.
I turned around and held back a snicker -- which choked into a squeal when someone yanked me roughly over the steps and into the bus.
"You--" I looked over my shoulder and square into the face of Nurse Bedingfield, "--will sit at the front. With us." She deposited me unceremoniously into one of the seats near the front of the vehicle, crossing her arms and glaring down at me.
"Hey, A, can I sit with you?" piped BB from behind the large woman.
"Get in the back!" Bedingfield snapped. B's head momentarily turned to her, blinked, lost interest, and ignored her. He stood waiting for my answer until the nurse reached over and spanked him, simultaneously startling him out of his daze and pushing him toward the back of the bus, where the other kids sat stonily.
I scowled. Only I could slap BB around.
But before I knew it, the nurse came stomping back in my direction and pushed a pile of papers into my arms. "Complete those," she said airily. Then, in a hushed voice, she muttered, "L holds you in high regards, apparently. Your punishment will await you at our destination. However, it is you who will decide the outcome of this trip." With that, she dropped a pencil onto my lap and turned away, now barking orders at the bus driver. I looked down at the papers wryly.
We're not really going to a "temporary residence," are we?
I could only wonder about L's true intentions.
Social Butterfly
--(B)--
Rubbing my back end scornfully, I marched down the bus aisle and plonked onto some seat near the back. General Carpet-Robe may have won the battle, but I assure you, the war is far from over. I brooded on this for about five minutes, in which time the bus had started up and begun to vibrate down the road.
Ah, I'm tired of sulking.
Returning to reality, I realized that I had managed to claim a whole row of three seats to myself. I praised myself upon this subconscious accomplishment, until I knelt on my seat and looked around at the rest of the bus and realized that every other kid had a row of two or three seats to themselves as well. No two children sat together. We were each isolated on our own cushioned islets, divided by the span of several chairs and the silent atmosphere of the bus. There were eleven of us, excluding A, who sat alone at the front.
I sighed and lowered myself back into my seat. Bored, I began toying with a small lever at the bottom-right of my chair.
Suddenly, the chair lurched backwards -- my head hitting the back of the seat most unpleasantly -- and invaded the row of three seats directly behind me. I blinked and shifted my gaze slightly to the right, where an older blonde girl was staring down at me. Or perhaps... "glowering" would be a more appropriate term.
"Hi!" I said, grinning and remaining flat on my back against the seat.
"Do you mind?"
"I'm B. Who're you?" I continued. (Actually, with a glimpse at the space above her head, I already knew her name. But I remembered A's warning.)
(!) "W. Now, would you kindly--"
"Hey, I thought we went in alphabetical order?" I said, rolling over and sitting up. I was referring to our names, of course. Though I think I may have touched upon a sensitive subject... because the next thing I knew, her foot shot out and kicked the lever, making my seat lurch forward into the proper position -- and propelling my face into the seat directly in front of me.
"Hey!" a boy shouted. I heard the seat before me shift slightly, and I assumed the person was now kneeling on their chair, looking over at me. Just an assumption. My face was still connected to the back of his seat, you see, and my vision was blocked.
I felt a sharp tap on the top of my head and tilted my face upward. A boy with a mop of black hair and dark eyes frowned down at me. Oh, but I smiled -- out of politeness, and because I thought he was cute.
"Uh... what were you doing...?" he asked somewhat uneasily.
"Nothin'," I said lightly. "Hey, I'm B, by the way!"
At this, his demeanor darkened, dimming my smile as well. Names really were a touchy subject, weren't they?
"So... you're B," he said carefully. The disdain in his voice was subtle, as though being suppressed. "Well. Now I'm C. (!) Thanks a lot," he growled, descending into his own seat without further comment. I frowned and sat back, wondering where I'd gone wrong. (Well, other than slamming into his chair from behind...) However, my thoughts were completely blown aside when, all of a sudden, I had the most unnerving realization.
Of these orphans, A was the friendly one.
--(A)--
Ten minutes later, I had finished with the papers and placed the pencil on the stack with a small "tap."
Immediately, Nurse Bedingfield jumped up from the seat in front of me and spun around, grabbing my work. Scanning it briefly, she handed them over to a caretaker and then marched down the aisle of the bus, toward the back.
--(B)--
I was still musing over my realization when I saw the big lady in the pink robe start charging down the aisle. I ducked down in my seat (thinking she was coming back for another spanking), but she stopped mid-aisle and started yelling. Er... explaining. But it all sounds like yelling, when she says it.
"We will be going on a seventy-mile drive to one of Mr. Wammy's cottages in the countryside. However, that cottage cannot house us all. After we arrive, some of you will stay, and some of you will come with me to a different residence." She paused and turned around, taking a packet of papers from one of the caretakers. Holding it up, she said, "Now, because it is early in the morning and I have no patience for any tomfoolery--"
"Tomfoolery," you say? What tomfoolery? The kids on this bus are perfectly silent and well-behaved. Like the stuck-ups they are.
"--I want this bus as quiet as possible. Mrs. Butterworth and I will pass out packets of puzzles and quizzes for your amusement. I don't want to hear so much as a peep for the next hour." They proceeded to pass out the packets (more like stacks) and pencils. When the women retreated to their seats at the front, I looked around and watched as every child immediately attacked their stacks of papers. Their facial expressions were so focused, and their pencil-scraping so furious, it was almost comical.
'Pfft. Please.'
I gripped my pencil and turned to the first page.
'They're just puzzles.'
--(A)--
Of course I knew that the puzzles were merely a pretext; we were being evaluated.
Yet, what a strange time to evaluate us. Why all of a sudden, at six a.m. in the morning, on a bus going who-knows-where? Especially after an unexpected fire. Where did they even get all of these papers on such short notice? More importantly, what were they evaluating us for?
(However, it is you who will decide the outcome of this trip.)
...So that's it.
Our scores will likely determine our destinations. Some kids will stay at the first stop; some kids will continue on to the second stop. But... why separate us?
L. What are you thinking?
Destination One
--(A)--
"We've arrived," the nurse announced. "Give your papers to me as you leave the bus. Mr. Cobalt, the tenant in charge of the cottage, will guide you all to the dining room for breakfast."
The bus began to slow, deviating from the lonely country road and into the driveway of... possibly the biggest "cottage" I've ever seen in my life. That thing was a mini-mansion. (Not enough room for everyone? Lies.)
The kids began filing down the aisle, all looking absurdly stressed. Some mentioned that they hadn't finished their stack of papers, and the caretakers reassured them that it was fine. That was probably another lie. Anyway, I waited until I saw BB come down the aisle, looking completely undisturbed and handing off his papers without hesitation. Seeing me, he grinned and pulled me along behind him, down the stairs, and out of the bus.
"Most boring field trip ever," he complained loudly, holding on to my hand and swinging his arm. "The puzzles were too easy. I finished in like five minutes."
"But you finished everything, right?"
"Well, I skipped the really easy ones."
I stopped, pulling him to an abrupt halt.
"How... how many 'really easy ones' were there...?"
He blinked at me curiously and replied, "Well, I don't know. Like half the packet."
"B!!" I shouted, alarmed. "Why'd you do that??"
"What? Does it matter?" he asked innocently.
I let out a noise of frustration and pulled him down the path forcefully.
-x-
A kindly old gentleman greeted us at the door to the cottage. He was dressed in formal attire, reminiscent of a butler or servant. In any case, he welcomed us all into the place and led us down some hallways to a room that I presumed was the dining hall.
"For breakfast today, the cooks have whipped up a quick batch of pancakes. I do hope that you all enjoy your meals," he said with a congenial smile. "Ah, wait just one moment. Is there, by any chance, a Miss A among you?"
Eleven pairs of eyes turned to me.
"Well, Mr. Wammy requested that I prepare a special room for you, dear, so if you will just follow me..." He turned and walked down another corridor.
"I'll come find you after breakfast," B said, patting me on the back. His head turned upwards in thought, before following the other children to the dining room. "I wonder if they have any..."
I looked after him wistfully and then started in the direction of the old man. I was immediately suspicious.
"Come along now, little one. Wouldn't want you getting lost in here," the gentleman rambled. We walked side-by-side for a time. Meanwhile, I quietly observed the area all around me. I wanted to trust the old man, I really did. But when he said "special room," my mind immediately jumped to either "rape" or "sudden explosive death." Oblivious to my paranoia, the old man continued rambling on with attempts at conversation, which I generally paid no attention to.
"...Lovely morning today..."
"...a nice view from the window in your room..."
"...Your grandfather and I are long-time acquaintances."
Stop right there.
My head shot to the side. "Mr. Wammy?" I asked, keeping my tone as level as possible. "How did you know... we were related?"
The man chuckled pleasantly. "Why, he told me, of course. Though, he'd never before mentioned that he had grandchildren. I was quite surprised when he called so suddenly to inform me that his granddaughter and some of her school friends would be coming over for a visit."
The adults of Wammy's are compulsory liars. I need to remember that.
"Oh, right," I said coolly. "How silly of me."
"It's quite all right, dear. By the by, what would you like for breakfast? I can send a maid to deliver the meal right to your room."
"I'll just have what the other kids are having. No syrup, please; I don't like sweet things." I paused in consideration. "Actually... could you send me some jam? ...Strawberry flavored, I guess." The man nodded. We continued down the hall until reaching a flight of stairs which, oddly enough, led to only a single room. After climbing the steps, the gentleman handed me a key and I thanked him, watching as he retreated back down the stairs. Opening the door, I --
"..."
Ugh.
"L," I deadpanned.
"A," was the impassive reply.
Revelations
--x--
"So," she said with a sigh, closing the door behind her. "What is this evaluation about, L?"
The boy, crouching on the bed opposite the door, spoke awkwardly around the lollipop in his mouth. "Oh. You noticed."
"You make it obvious," A muttered, sitting down on a chair beside the bed and kicking her legs idly. "The thing I can't figure out is... why sort us by score? What will happen to the children that stay and the children that leave?"
"I would tell you," he muttered darkly, pausing for dramatic effect, "but then I would have to kill you."
"Try it, and see what happens," she threatened.
L gave her an amused stare.
"Well," he began again in a marginally lighter tone. "I suppose I must tell you, for it is you who will determine what happens to the other children." He popped the candy out of his mouth with a wet smack, holding it momentarily by the thumb and forefinger, in order to speak with more ease. "You should know that I already anticipate your score to be the highest. Whatever that score is, it will be the standard for judging the other tests. Say that your score was 100. Any child that can score a 40 or more will 'pass' the test and remain in this cottage."
"Basically, anyone who achieves at least forty percent of my score will pass?"
"Correct."
"But... why? Why compare their scores to mine?"
"Because I have faith in your ability to maintain the high standards of Wammy's House, and because I am now putting into effect my plans to raise a successor."
A's eyes widened by a miniscule fraction. "By 'maintain the high standards,' you can't possibly mean..."
"Correct again," L stated matter-of-factly. "Anyone who does not pass will no longer reside within the orphanage."
"L! How--"
"Please allow me to finish," he continued, wagging the lollipop near her face. "Now, in case I should die, only one child will succeed me. There can be only one L. However, there is also the possibility that my intended successor -- that is, you -- will die or be rendered useless before my time. Therefore, I must also have 'backups' who are high enough in quality to replace the first successor. There need only be several, perhaps a few, spares. Thus, the other children are not necessary or of a high enough potential, and will be transferred to other suitable orphanages."
A said nothing, looking down at her lap.
"Oh, and thank you for lighting that fire. It gave us a plausible pretense under which to mobilize this plan."
--(A)--
At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to reach over and smack him. Preferably with his own, infernal lollipop.
--x--
"Now," he said, bringing A's attention back to the boy, "we will not be residing here for long. The reason I have chosen now to initiate my plan is that I have a case where I will need the aid of my most able successors. I suppose you could consider this 'field training.'"
"What do you mean?" A spat, exasperated with all the convoluted plots.
"I have already reviewed the evaluations. Tomorrow, I will dispatch these successors to different locations across the globe, housing them with certain families under the guise of foreign exchange students. They will each have a specific mission to accomplish. I will give you further details at another time, when the others are informed of this plan as well." L slurped on his candy thoughtfully. "This will be a true test of your abilities. I have high expectations of you all."
A sighed. "And by 'you all,' you mean..."
"You."
(!) Hidden DN character alert!
(Oh-ho. No one ever said that they weren't from Wammy's... so it's free game! xD Not every kid is necessarily a genius, by the way. They are simply gifted, or "extraordinary," in some way or another. Can you figure out who they are? Some will be obvious. Some not. :D)
From the Author: Now the pressure of living up to L will begin, along with our first actual story arc. Details will be revealed in the next chapter, but right now, I'll have to spoil some of the surprise: only five children (including A) will remain at Wammy's. However, I have yet to decide where to send these darlings and to what families. In other words, this is our chance to invade the homes of other DN characters!
With that said... To what five families and locations should we send these brats?
