Chapter 3
The mid-afternoon sun shown through the window on her deathly pale face, a groan left her mouth as she opened her eyes squinting and trying to stand up out of bed. She failed and fell with the sheets entangled around her feet and torso, she rubbed her eyes weakly, the way her mascara had been caked across her eye lids and how her light purple bags had puffed out, she looked like a panda. Her head lolled to the side to get squint at the analog clock that had glowed green number. She sighed heavily pulling her knees to her chest, "Fuck..4:30...I've slept the day away yet again." She stood up stumbling to her closet and leaning on the door frame pulling out a large dull green heavy coat, a white tank top, black shorts, fishnet tights, and her black combat boots. Draping the cot over her she swung open the door smiling to herself in a joyfully sarcastic way, "Hello world, how are you going to screw me over today?" her smile faded in a moment as she went downstairs into the kitchen.
The smell of tomato soup and grilled cheese filled her nostrils causing her to gag slightly as she pinned her hair up in a bun with a the black bow her mother had given her on her seventh birthday, before she died a few weeks later. Watari forced a smile, sliding a grilled cheese onto a plate and handing it to a hungry child who took it and scampered to the dining table hungrily to join the other thirty or so children. "Miss Juno, how did you sleep? You were up quite late last night, would you like some food?" "I apologize for last night, I regret it all. I really do," she didn't, "and no thank you, just a glass of water would be nice, thank you." he nodded smiling brightly while she had entered the dining hall. The children's high, chattering voices filled her ears causing a wave of pain and nausea to stun her for a moment. She leaned against the wall rubbing her head in pain, "Damn this headache..."
"If you didn't get so drunk last night you wouldn't be in pain now would you?" a dark more aggressive voice said from across the table, the voice's company nudged him roughly mumbling into his ear while pressing various buttons on his game platform, "Do you have death wish?" Juno looked up sharply with a glare that could cut through rock, a softer, more knowing voice spoke up while a fork was being examined between his two fingers gently, "Mello, Miss Juno is only drinking because she's human, and misses L extensively." Juno's mouth dropped and her face twisted into a confused grimace like she was about to yell 'I do not miss L! What are you implying?!' however, for argument sake she sat down while Mello directed his attention to Near shooting back, "nobody asked you!"
"Now boys, settle." Watari grunted setting an ice cold glass of water in front of Juno, "There you go Miss Juno. Now, I've received news from L, he wants us to fly to Japan to work on the Kira case. You must go upstairs to pack your things." Juno set down the glass of water with an exhalation for breath, "Alright then." she stood up from the table making her way to the stairs, "Try not to screw things up again." Mello snickered, arms folded as he leaned up against the wall, she backhanded him with a cold stare, "Shut up." Even though they had a big difference of age, they never refrained from violence or name-calling, mostly because they were just like siblings. Near, Matt, and Mello were just like the little brothers she never had.
Mello smirked in pain rubbing the back of his head watching at leat ten kids crowd around her whining and shouting a bit, a young girl approached her tugging at her jacket, "But Miss Juno you cant be leaving! You still haven't watched my ballet routine!" a boy stepped forward now, "And I still haven't gotten to show you my robot!" Two twin girls held up papers in each hand simultaneously saying, "And you haven't hear you poems for you yet!" The others nodded and Juno kneeled down on one knee as the youngest stepped forward, "You still haven't sung for us yet, you promised." She sighed and smiled reassuringly lifting the little one's chin, "I wont be gone for long, plus this is the 21st century, did you forget about webcams? Please don't tell me you've forgotten what I've taught you now." they nodded reciting like little soldiers, "Fudge the world and have no doubts." She threw her head back with her loud, thick laughter hugging them all and going upstairs to pack.