a/n: three stars () means a change in perspective
Chapter 2.
Halloween at the Whammy House always called for celebration. Drawings of witches and ghouls by the younger children covered the walls. Small children ran around collecting sweets while the older orphans acted as though it were no different than any other day, though when no one was looking they would quickly snatch up any sweets they could find.
But while the strange feeling of Halloween sent shivers down the spines of most children, Marie found that it was a day for celebrating.
"Happy Birthday, L!" she said when she found him chewing on a cupcake at a table in the corner of the cafeteria by himself.
"Shut up!" he said, quickly checking to make sure no one had heard her.
"Why don't you want anyone to know it's your birthday, L?" she asked.
"I don't like people knowing that much about me" L muttered, "It's dangerous for too many people to know too much about you."
"What's the worst that could happen from someone knowing you birthday?" she asked, dumbfounded at his secrecy.
"Well…" he mused with a frosting covered thumb on his lip, "Say that I told many people that it was my birthday. Then, of course, they would tell more people, people I wouldn't want to know, an enemy, you might say. Then, if people like me enough, they would want to spend time with me on my birthday, giving said enemy a chance to attack myself and those who care about me when our guards were down," He finished.
Marie was silent for a moment, "You over-analyze things too much, L." she said finally, causing him to smile, "And besides, the way you're going in life, I'll be the only one at that birthday party" she joked.
"Then you'd be the only one who mattered." He said as though it were the simplest thing in the world. Marie hated how her heart fluttered and it was hard to breathe when he said this, she hated being in love with her best friend. It only complicated things.
"So," I said, attempting to change my thoughts about him, "what do you want to do for your birthday?"
"Nothing" he said immediately, "at least nothing out of the ordinary," he said, seeing me frown, "people might get suspicious as to why we would be doing anything we wouldn't usually do"
"They might just think we're having fun for Halloween" I said. He looked at me as though I were stupid. I hated it when he looked at me like that, I hated that he was so many times smarter than me and he often expected me to know everything he knew.
"Do I seem as though I were the type of person who would 'have fun for Halloween'?" he asked. I blushed. I guess I should have realized that.
"I suppose not" I admitted. I tried to keep a straight face, but he smiled his adorable smile that forced the corners of my mouth to turn up.
"hmm," he mused again, "Well, I suppose we could—" but I never found out what he was going to say, because he was cut off by an older girl calling my name.
"Marie!" she said, hurrying over to the table we sat at, "Mr. Whammy would like a word with you immediately!" she told me.
"What is it about?" I asked, uneasily. Was I in trouble for something? I couldn't recall doing anything I shouldn't have.
"I'm not sure" the girl frowned.
"Alright then," I said, getting out of my seat, "I'll be back later, L, then we can celebrate" he smiled back at me.
"I'll be waiting" he said.
That was the last time I saw him.