The Whispering Voices

Chapter 3

After making the few final purchases, Near shut down the computer and, as silently as he came, crept quietly back to his room. He fell asleep quickly that night, but that did not mean he would sleep soundly.

His world erupted into bright light and screams.

...

Dreams are only thoughts you didn't have time to think about during the day.

~Author Unknown

…

Near jerked awake, accidentally rolling off the bed and landing on the plain, hardwood floor with a loud thud. He lay there in shock for a few moments, trying to recollect what he'd dreamed that would make him roll out of bed. Had it been a nightmare? He could never remember any of the nightmares he'd had as a young child. Was it of his mother? All he could remember was a bright light and a scream…

"Near?" Linda called, voice slurring sleepily, "What're you doing?" The bedside lamp beside Linda's bed turned on and Near winced as the bright light illuminated his face. Linda got out of bed with a quick gasp and crouched in front of Near, her expression worried.

"Near!" she whispered, frightened, "Did you have a nightmare? Was it bad? Please Near, tell me what's wrong!" she raised a tentative hand and wiped the area under his eyes with her thumb, "Please don't cry!"

Crying…? Near thought, confused for a moment. Raising a hand to his face, he confirmed it. It came back wet and when he tasted it, salty. Near, never in his entire existence, had ever cried as he slept, which was slightly worrying.

Perhaps his mother's dea- departure had had a bigger impact on his psyche than he'd originally thought. Is it possible that he'd become a case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be surprised, but this was himself. Why let such a small setback control his life? Near knew better than this.

Linda suddenly grabbed Near's arm. Near's struggles were in vain as the older girl had much more strength than he and, with a determined fire burning in her eyes, she couldn't be stopped.

"I'll take you to Roger!" she told him as she walked him across the lawn and towards a small, separate building. Near hissed as his bare feet plowed through the soft snow, though it seemed Linda had a great tolerance for the cold or she simply did not notice.

"Roger!" she yelled as she rapped urgently on the door, "We need you!" An old man whom Near assumed to be Roger opened the door, glasses askewer on his nose, face scrunched in worry.

"What's the matter, Linda? Is there a fire? A burglar? Did one of the children have a heart attack?" he asked frantically.

"Even worse!" Linda cried out, her face passionate as tears threatened to fall from her eyes, "Near had a bad dream!" Roger froze before sighing in a combination of relief and exasperation and patted her on the head gently.

"Linda, you should not come to me for something as little as a bad dream, we've gone over this before." He scolded her lightly, "You understand that I cannot be there for every little thing gone wrong. If I could, I would do it all in a heartbeat." Near raised his eyebrow at the lie, but Linda seemed to deflate and bit her bottom lip worryingly.

"It's just… Near was crying and I was afraid..." she mumbled. Near silently cursed her as Roger raised his own eyebrow before he realized something.

"Good God, children, get out of the snow! You're bound to get sick if you stand in it any longer…" he exclaimed, hurrying them inside. He turned on a light and headed to the kitchen as Linda led Near to seat on an extravagant, yet comfortable, couch. The entire room looked like it had been used by royalty. Near and Linda sat in silence for a few short minutes before Linda chirped happily.

"You sit weird! Do you have to sit like that, or do you choose to?" Linda asked, practically bouncing in her seat with the curiosity. Near did not answer and instead chose to ignore her useless chattering until her voice became an unintelligible buzz in the background. Strangely enough, a different voice began to sound through the buzzing noise.

"Shhh," the voice whispered, "Do not speak. Do not make a sound. Do not move an inch. Do not react. Do not-" the voice cut off as a large hand shook his shoulder. He turned his gaze to the man's eyes and calmly held it.

"Near, are you feeling well?" Roger asked, pushing his glasses up his nose with an index finger. Near almost responded, but instead reached for the mug of hot chocolate in one of Roger's hands. Roger put the hot chocolate out of reach and gave Near a disapproving look.

"Near, tell me if you feel sick and you shall get the hot chocolate." Roger said, frowning slightly. Near frowned back and raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. Hot chocolate would not persuade a child like Near. Near climbed off the couch and calmly walked across the room, opening the front door.

"Hey, Near, wait up!" Linda called after him as he walked into the snowy night. He could hear her stumble and trip several times in the snow as she hurried towards him, but Near never stopped to wait for her. Once he was inside, he decided to head to the kitchen. It was nearing the time to wake up for classes today and Near was sure he would not be able to sleep more. As he shuffled through the hallways towards the kitchen, Near spotted light coming from the crack in the door. Someone was already awake, it seemed. Near opened the door to find a blonde precariously balancing on the back of a chair to reach the top of a cupboard, a bar of chocolate caught in his teeth. Near moved close enough to hear Mello muttering in German once again.

"Almost there… careful… don't break it… come on…"

Mello suddenly gasped, dropping the chocolate bar that was in his mouth, and fell backwards towards the hard linoleum floor. Fortunately enough for him, a soft pillow caught him. Near, despite himself, emitted a soft yelp as Mello came crashing down on top of him. Mello sat in shock for a few moments before jumping off of Near, turning with an apology in his mouth, before abruptly stopping.

"What the hell're you doing here?" he growled at Near, who was still recovering his breath off the floor. Mello grabbed the front collar of Near's white pajama shirt and pulled him up so they were eye to eye, "Listen up, sheep, don't go following me around. I'm number one around here, so what I say, goes. Got it?" Near stared directly into Mello's eyes, trying to unnerve him. Unfortunately, it worked.

"Hey, stupid sheep, don't look at me like that!" Mello growled, roughly throwing Near to the ground. Linda jumped out from nowhere and grabbed hold of Mello's arm.

"Mello!" she cried, tears running down her face, "Don't hurt him! He's only a little boy! He hasn't done anything to you!" Mello stopped, disbelief written on his face.

"How do you know the sheep, Linda?" he asked suspiciously.

"Near is my roommate, Mello." She answered, wiping her eyes with her flowered pajama sleeve. The blonde's mouth hung open.

"He's your roommate?" he cried dubiously, "But how? Boys and girls aren't allowed to be roommates!"

"Don't know, don't care." Linda said, raising her chin, closing her eyes, and crossing her arms in a rare moment of defiance. Mello glared daggers at Near for a few moments before grabbing the box of chocolates he'd managed to knock down as he fell and silently retreating –Near thought it was more like childishly stomping- out of the kitchen. Linda smiled apologetically at Near.

"Sorry about Mello. He's not usually like this. I don't know why he acted out like that…" Linda said, trailing off awkwardly as Near left the kitchen without another word, heading towards the library in hopes of some peace and quiet.

Though Near didn't read often (he'd never really needed too), he'd always enjoyed the noise-less atmosphere that the room full of books gave off. Oftentimes it dared even the noisiest children to do their worst, but they were too afraid of their voice carrying too far. Though children enjoyed being loud, the library had always been the one sacred room of silence.

A perfect room for thinking, Near thought. He settled down in a hidden arm chair he'd found the previous day exploring the library and gazed all around the little crook it sat in.

All around him were shelves of books with mounds of dust on their spines. Though Wammy's House was not as large as a castle, the library made it seem that way. It was the largest room in the entire building, no doubt. The ceiling was arched and high and large windows allowed natural light to enter, making it easier for children to read in the daytime. The little corner in the room Near was located in had an entrance that was nearly impossible to find… nearly being the key word.

The entrance was very clever, hidden only where one might accidentally stumble upon it, and since it was in one of the oldest and least used parts of the library, it was almost ingenious. If one accidentally pushed in several large books (medical dictionaries, by the looks of it) they would find the shelf beneath it with a small divot in the wood. By taking the books of that small section of shelf and pulling it open, they would see the hidden area encircled by the bookcases and completely unnoticeable from the outside. Here, Near could sit without being disturbed, and that is what he did.

The voice did not return, irritatingly enough. Near wanted to confront it, wanting to know what it was, but it appeared that it didn't want to make itself known without the presence of others. If Near had been one to curse out loud, he would have done so. Near instead decided to spend his time thinking of ways to improve his new hide-out.

His special… delivery should not be coming for a few more hours, and so that'd have to wait for later. He could, perhaps, find a way to connect a computer over here so he wouldn't have to be bothered none stop, but then he would need some sort of assistance. Near was nowhere near strong enough to carry those large PC's. He quickly dismissed the idea and instead climbed out of his hidden corner and back out into the library. He glanced out the window when he heard a car door slam and smiled genuinely.

The package has arrived at long last, though it had come earlier than expected. That was no problem, of course.

Near made his way outside, successfully avoiding any curious early-risers, and approached Roger and the delivery man arguing with each other.

"-got the wrong address!"

"Nope. Checked. You're the only orphanage named Wammy's House in this area, dude." The delivery man, a teenager, drawled.

"We did not order…" Roger waved towards the truck, "that!"

"That's because you ordered…" the teenager walked over to the truck and opened up the back, "this! There's a difference."

Inside was a huge pile of toys. Near walked up to the man, trudging through the snow barefoot without a moment's hesitation. The teenager blinked down in confusion at the small boy expectantly reaching for the clipboard in his hands. The teenager suddenly laughed.

"Don't tell me you ordered these toys!" he exclaimed, slapping his knee and using a hand to wipe a tear that had been forming in an eye. Near snatched the clipboard out of the teen's hand and wrote his name on it before returning it. The teen looked dumbfounded as he looked stupidly down at the paper.

"Near? What kinda name is Near?" he asked, eyebrows scrunching ridiculously as he tried hopelessly to figure it out.

"Near!" Roger exclaimed, recovering from his momentary shock, "You're not allowed to order anything, let alone this many toys! Besides, how in the world did you get the money to get this?"

Near just stared expressionless at Roger, who cursed under his breath ("I'm getting too old to babysit geniuses!")and pulled out a cell phone. Near picked out a toy robot from the huge mountain and made his way inside, ignoring the astounded looks of his new classmates as well as a certain angry blond. Near was sure that Roger would send the toys in later after angrily venting out his anger to whomever he was speaking to.

Near made his way to the classroom, the one he'd been shown to day before by Mello, and settled into an empty chair in the back-corner of the room, toy robot still in hand, where he thoroughly examined it. Why hadn't he tried playing with toys beforehand? The blinking lights and small, automated voices were actually quite enjoyable. The other toys he'd ordered would also have to be examined, but he could deal with that at a later time. The toy robot, at the moment, was most probably his favorite. He fiddled with the circuitry some and… fine-tuned some of its features.

The class was nearly filled up with Mello came walking –strutting, though Near- in and slammed a fist on Near's desk, silencing the loud children.

"Listen, you mute sheep, don't make a stunt like that again, got it?" he hissed at Near. There was a rising tension in the air as Mello glared daggers at Near while he stared blankly back.

"What, you little mute, can't you talk?" Mello demanded.

"Come on… you know you want to." The voice returned, whispering encouragements to Near's first thought.

Near lifted the robot so it was face to face with Mello, who backed up a little at the closeness, and raised the arm so it aimed at Mello's head. Mello narrowed his eyes apprehensively. Pressing a button near the base of the arm, Near unleashed the upgraded laser 'gun' on the robot directly into Mello's eye.

Mello howled as the high-level laser bored into his eye before he clamped it shut. The children around them began to laugh loudly at the display of Mello furiously rubbing the tears out of his eyes and cursing Near to the ends of the earth.

"You little brat! I'll teach you your place!" Mello yelled angrily, grabbing Near's robot. In one swift movement, he threw the robot to the ground and stomped on it with his other food, successfully breaking it into pieces. The laughter quickly quieted as they waited to see how Near would respond.

"You know what to do…" the voice whispered encouragingly.

"What'dya say about that, sheep?" Mello taunted, a smug smirk on his face. Near pointed expressionlessly towards the person standing in the doorway. Some of the children squealed at the sight, happy to see Mr. Wammy. The others stared in horror at Mello getting caught. Quillish frowned disapprovingly at Mello, who had frozen when he'd turned.

"Mello, I told you to take care of Near here, not threaten him." The old man reprimanded. Mello scowled and let go of Near, who calmly settled back into his chair.

"Near, are you alright?" Mr. Wammy asked. Near nodded and continued to fiddle with the toy robot. Mr. Wammy nodded in return and walked towards the teacher who'd walked in.

"Please, begin the lesson." He instructed, walking out of the room. The teacher did as he said and began lecturing the students.

Child's play, once again. He'd learnt all this long ago. Glancing around the room, he found Mello fuming on the opposite side of the room, as far away from Near as possible, with Matt sitting right behind him, playing on his gameboy. Mello appeared to be furiously writing notes on a piece of paper, making several holes as he placed too much pressure. Near doubted that he really needed the notes, but must be deluding himself into 'working hard'.

"-now, get together in groups of three and solve the riddle on the board." The teacher's voice droned on. Everyone scrambled to get into groups of three until it was just Mello, Matt, and Near left alone. Mello and Matt took seats next to Near, though Mello leaned away as far as possible from him, and watched Near carefully. Matt laid back in his chair, placing his feet on a desk, and continued to play on his gameboy. Obviously, Near was going to do this one on his own.

If you break me

I do not stop working,

If you touch me

I may be snared,

If you lose me

Nothing will matter.

What am I?

Near sighed at the simple riddle and wrote the answer on a sheet of paper. Mello had taken his eyes off of Near and onto the board, eyes narrowed in concentration as he tried to figure out the answer. He glanced at Near for a moment and made a comical double take. Near almost smiled when he saw his reaction. Almost. Mello narrowed his eyes in suspicion and scowled in frustration as he returned his gaze to the riddle on the blackboard in front of them.

Five minutes later, the teacher called them to stop and walked up to Near, smiling down at him.

"Near, would you like to share what you wrote?" she asked, "I noticed your group was the only one that seemed to understand it." Near raised an eyebrow, but didn't speak. She sighed after nearly twenty seconds of silence and turned to Mello.

"How about you, Mels?" she asked, calling him by his ridiculous nickname, "Would you like to add something?" Mello stared at Near for a moment before realization hit him. He turned to the teacher.

"It's a heart, Miss Gerard." He answered smugly. She immediately brightened and hugged Mello.

"Goodness, you're all such a smart group of children!" she exclaimed happily, tears pricking at her eyes, "Do I even need to teach you?" She quickly regained her composure but continued to beam brightly at the students as she continued to speak to the class. Near drifted off again, ignoring the useless babble and instead re calibrating a smaller robot's lasers to a much higher level than the last. After what felt like ages, the bell at the top of the house rang, signaling the end of classes for the morning. Near continued to sit in his chair and instead turned his attention to the sound of the bell. It sounded… off.

Bong… bong… bong… bong… bong…

"Near?" Miss Gerard's voice cut into his thinking. She placed a hand on his shoulder and kneeled down to look him in the eyes.

"Listen, Near," she started, an actually serious tone appearing in her voice, "you've got to stop being stubborn and speak sooner or later. We can't properly teach you if you don't talk with anyone here." Near merely continued to stare at her, disinterested.

"She's right, you know." A familiar voice rang from the doorway, "We both know you're not actually traumatized by your mother's death –Near imperceptibly winced-, and so your silence is a lie."

"Mr. Wammy!" Miss Gerard gasped, standing up quickly, "I had no idea you were still here! I thought you'd left with L earlier…" L? L was not a name, it was a letter. Perhaps it was one of the aliases chosen by a student… but who in their right mind would choose a letter as a name?

He blinked as he realized the answer.

Someone who wasn't in his right mind… of course. People over the ages had often thought geniuses or prodigies to be mad for their ideas or their intelligence, Galileo being a prime example, so it was very possible that this was the actual number one. If this L character was actually number one here, it wouldn't be surprising that he would have Mr. Wammy watching over him. But if he was actually number one, then why have Mello as number one? Wouldn't he be number two instead? No, if L was number one, meaning he was the best, then Mello as number one meant he was next in line for the throne of the real number one. He was the first successor.

What kind of institution was Mr. Wammy running here?

Why in the world would he need to make successors for a child genius?

"Near, by the way, next time you order a large truck full of toys, be sure to tell us." Wammy said, driving Near from his thoughts, "We'd rather not have you hacking into our bank account, if you don't mind."

We…

Is it possible that the child genius is running everything behind the scenes, using Wammy as a cover? This was very intriguing. It was also possibly the most fun he'd had in ages. Isn't that why he came here in the first place, to be challenged? A movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Cleverly hidden partially behind a drawing –Made by Linda, Near suspected- of a strawberry shortcake sat a camera implanted on the wall.

Someone was watching the students as they learned.

Someone was watching him at this very moment.

His lips twitched upwards as he watched the camera. He switched the small robot to the enhanced laser and aimed carefully.

A moment later, the camera's red light blinked out.

Very well, L.

Challenge accepted.

(A/N): Fuck YEAH! Apparently waiting a week before finishing the chapter made me see common sense and change some of it, making it much more interesting. Also, SO sorry about my other story. It's fairly difficult at the moment to continue because of school. You know, that irritating thing most children have to attend for quite a while before leaving it? Yeah, that's the thing.

Reviews, favorites, constructive criticism, anything? For some strange reason I'm comparing the lack of response to me saying a joke, laughing, and then realizing everyone was staring at me with blank looks on their faces. That's a really awkward feeling, and if you've ever felt it before, you know what I mean.