Christmas 2002

Mello slammed down his pen and glanced at the clock. It was nearly 1pm, but he was done. A quick look at Near showed that the boy was positioning small plastic figures on the edge of his desk. It was impossible to tell if he had finished or not. Mello turned to stare at Matt. The directive had been that they were free to go the second their work was complete. It was Christmas Eve and there was a lot to do. Matt was still writing, bowed so far over the desk that his red hair touched the paper in front of him. Mello rolled his eyes and resumed glaring. He had threatened his best friend with pain and instant death if Matt hadn't apply himself today. Mello stood, loudly and ostentatiously, then placed his paper down on their teacher's desk. He grinned and made his way to the door at speed, pausing only as his fingers gripped the doorhandle to look back at Matt. The redhead stared back. "Hurry up!" Mello mouthed and left the room.

He stretched as he made his way down the corridor. All work and exams were over for at least a day and half. He didn't know about Boxing Day yet, because Roger hadn't said. Most other years though, there had been an expectation that some work was done. They were, after all, all studying for various qualifications, not to mention competing for the coveted right to succeed L to his detective code. Mello began to run, anxious to know precisely where he stood on the things that he wanted to do over Christmas. The housekeeper, Ann, bellowed in his wake, "No running in the corridors, Mello!"

Mello smirked impishly and walked the half a dozen steps to the corner, then belted down the next corridor as soon as he was out of sight. He passed a couple of the kitchen staff diverted into putting up decorations. Christmas officially started in this house on Christmas Eve afternoon and finished on Boxing Day. He and they had just a few hours to be ready for the day itself, which is why Mello needed to know one or two things. He landed outside Roger's office and knocked rapidly. The warden bid him enter, then sighed the second he clapped eyes on the blond boy. "Good afternoon, Mello."

"Good afternoon, Roger. Did you find my petition? I pushed it under the door this morning and it was signed by everyone in the house."

"Yes, I did." Roger carefully placed down his pen on the card that he had been writing and wearily surveyed the child. "I'm sorry, Mello, you are still too young to go to Midnight Mass. I will continue to enquire if any of the staff are willing to take you."

Mello pursed his lips and narrowed flashing blue eyes at the old man. He spat out his words. "I have just turned thirteen. I'm a teenager!"

"I haven't said no yet. There was some interest from Mrs Carnegie, though she will be attending with her own family and there are obvious security implications there."

"Right." Mello squirreled the information away, knowing that the next visit on his to do list would be to the kitchen to see its manager. "Is Mr Wammy coming home for Christmas?"

Roger swallowed drily. "I need to make an announcement to the children about that. You understand that L is very busy and Mr Wammy must support him in his endeavours..."

"Ok. Has he sent our Christmas money? Matt and I are going into Winchester and we need to buy things."

There was another heavy sigh. "Mello, It Matters is still only twelve years old, the House rules firmly state..."

"It will be very embarrassing for you if Mr Wammy finds out that we went without your permission. He might see it as evidence of our ingenuity that we got out without you knowing and that really would be an issue of House security. Don't you think?"

"Mello." Roger took a deep breath, but before he could speak, the office door knocked again. "One moment." He called out, but the door opened anyway.

It was Salvo. "Is Mr Wammy coming? Has he sent our money?"

Mello blinked. "How are you out before Matt? Is Matt out yet?"

Roger held up his hands. "I am not repeating myself fifteen times. Salvo, round up the children who are out from the examination. Mello, please go back to the examination room and inform the stragglers that we are to meet in the common room. I will make my announcements there when everyone is present."

"No!" Mello stared. "Are you mad? That means waiting for the stupid ones to finish and I've got too much to do! Part of your announcement is bound to be that we're having a Revue tomorrow, so I need to sort out the stuff for mine and rehearse it. I've got to get my Christmas presents bought and ensure that my best clothes are clean and ironed in time for Midnight Mass. I'm not waiting around for Mairoo to learn how to read!"

By the time that Mello reached the examination room, he had already decided that he would deliver his message, then see Mrs Carnegie while he waited for the slower children to catch up. However, he arrived to find the room empty. He doubled back and raced upstairs, knowing that Matt would ignore any directive given by Salvo. As predicted, the little redhead was just settling down in front of his games console, even as the shouts of 'everyone downstairs, everyone in the commmon room', echoed slong the corridor outside. Mello shepherded him out and they met with the others in a room transformed by tinsel.

Roger was waiting patiently for everyone to settle down. Occasionally he asked a child about their examination, while Mello glowered pointedly at the clock on the wall. Roger looked up, craning his neck to count heads. "Ok, I believe that everyone is here now. For some of you, this will be your first Christmas in this institution. My office door is always open for those who are especially missing their families during this festive time." He shuffled slightly on the spot. His body language belied his words. It was obvious to all of the children that their warden would find such conversations to be awkward at best. Mr Wammy had always been the better choice for a cuddle, though they weren't freely given and many of the older children affected not to need one. "There are very many different customs current in the world to celebrate this festival. Some of you will no doubt be surprised to learn that a favourite of your own is not practiced here, though what you do in your own rooms is your own business. For example, you might wish to hold your own Midnight Mass in your..."

"Roger!" Mello barked. "That petition was signed by everyone. Everyone in this room signed it! It said I could go to Mass and you haven't even looked at it!"

There was an uncomfortable silence, punctuated immediately afterwards by mutterings and whisperings amongst the children. Many of them had had little choice in signing Mello's petition. He had been very adamant on the subject of them doing so. Fenian raised his hand. "We always went to Midnight Mass."

Roger shook his head. "Unfortunately there are too many security issues inherent in children wandering the streets of Winchester late at night unaccompanied. I am very sorry." He hurried on despite Mello's glare. "As I was saying, the customs of this House may differ somewhat to that which some of you are used to in your midwinter celebrations..."

"It is against my civil rights!" Mello interupted fiercely. "I am a teenager and you never let me do anything!"

"Mello, that's enough." Roger raised a hand in a gesture of forebearance. "I will state what the procedure is and then if any of you have questions, you may ask them." He peered around the room. Matt was leaning against the wall intent on a muted hand-held digital game, but everyone else was attentive to Roger. "You now have free time to do as you will, within the confines of the House. Ann and Patricia have agreed to accompany those over thirteen into the city centre, if you wish to do a little shopping. Mr Wammy has allocated funds for you all. Those under thirteen may write out a list to give to me. I will arrange for your shopping to be delivered. Unfortunately, Mr Wammy himself will not be accompanying us in person tomorrow. However, he will be available to address us during the afternoon activities via internet link. He will also speak individually to any child wishing to have private contact with him. You will add your names to a list which will be posted onto the noticeboard."

A hand rose from the floor right in front of Roger. It was the new boy. He had arrived just over a month ago and had barely spoken to anyone in the interim. Personal information was strictly prohibited in Wammy's House, but that hadn't stopped speculation. They were all genius detectives in training, after all, and so it was practically their jobs to discover as much as possible about each other, whilst ensuring no-one learned anything about themselves. It might one day be vital information to be used to fend off pretenders to the L code. If they were chosen for the L code. This new child was seven or eight years old and spoke English with a strange sing-song accent. His raised hand gained a lot of attention, because Christmas was traditionally the time when children slipped up, handing on a plate clues to their identity to anyone with the intelligence to spot them. "Roger?" The child prompted, when it seemed that the old man would overlook him.

"Yes, Century?"

"Will Sion Corn know to find me here?"

"English please." Roger corrected, as, around the room, all of the children searched their memories for the reference or attempted to work out its spelling from the phonetics. Only Fenian smiled faintly, bowing his head with the smug look of someone who knew something that no-one else did. Mello noted the smile and mentally raised Ireland or one of the Celtic countries to the top of his list. Century stared in utter confusion, deep blue eyes blinking in horror beneath a mop of jet black hair. "Look up the English for what you are trying to say and visit with me in my office later for the answer to your question."

Mello's quick mind was already racing through the context. He had had a rude awakening of his own, upon his first Christmas here, as a five year old. Firstly, nothing at all had happened on December 6th, when Sveti Nikola usually brought a present. Mello had polished his boots and left them out on the windowsill, but they were empty in the morning. Then December 25th had been celebrated very differently. Mello thought he knew who Sion Corn was. It was Djed Božiænjak. He smirked. "Century believes in Santa Claus!"

"Mello, quiet!" Roger hurriedly intervened. He rarely raised his voice, but there had been a shrill note of panic alongside the slight increase in his volume. "That's enough."

Century's eyes filled with tears, as he surveyed the grinning faces all around him. He tentatively raised his hand again. "But you didn't say, will Sion Corn be able to find me? I'm not where I should be."

"Quiet too, Century. I will contact Mr Wammy about it."

There was a movement by the door. It was Ann quietly leaving the room. Some of the children stared at the door that she closed quietly behind her, while the rest watched Roger or Century. Mello hissed into Matt's ear. "Listen out for what he says about the Revue. I'll be right back." He tip-toed stealthily to the second door just to Matt's left and opened it. Roger looked sharply across. "Just going to the toilet. Carry on. Matt will tell me." He darted out before Roger could forbid his exit, then dashed to the corner where the corridor met the reception. Mello could already hear what he had come out to discover. Soft crying. He peeped around and saw Ann sitting on the bench beside the stairs. She blew her nose into a disintegrating tissue. Mello pressed his back against the wall, out of sight, and considered what he had witnessed. A moment later, he padded almost silently on his bare feet across the distance. He was right beside the housekeeper before she even noticed him there. "Hey, don't cry." Mello wrapped his arms around the large woman. "It's alright. I know you're sad, but the sooner he finds out the better. You can cry on me."

"Oh Mihael." Ann engulfed him in a tight cuddle. Their new names had only been around for a few months. Ann was usually very good at remembering to call them by their detective pseudonyms, but no-one was around to hear them. "You're still a sweet boy deep down, aren't you?" She cupped the back of his head, pressing his slight form against her. "A little, bloody horror most of the time, but you have your sweet moments."

"You are crying over Century, aren't you?" Mello whispered into her ear. "It's ok, I won't tell him about Sion Corn and I'll make sure that the other kids don't either."

"Oh no, no, you mustn't, Mello." Ann rubbed his back. "Let Mr Wammy have that conversation with him. Though I was so close to telling him that Santa would find him. I had to come out."

"Because it wouldn't be fair on the other children. I know." Mello sympathised smoothly. "Because none of us would get Santa Claus as well. We're going to get one present and some money, like every year. It's ok. We're orphans and that's a lot more than many children get." He sighed heavily. "I don't mind that so much. It's other things."

Ann rocked him where he stood. "Are you thinking about your family, Mihael?"

"Yes." Mello hugged her more tightly. "Mrs Carnegie said she would take us to Midnight Mass, but her own family would be there and they'd meet us. Roger said it's too much of a security risk. I'm going to have to do without," his voice choked, "again."

There was a loaded silence. Ann squeezed her arms around him, then patted between his shoulder-blades. "Ok, Mello. Ok. What does Midnight Mass involve and where is it happening?"

"St Peter's Roman Catholic Church, in Jewry Street. The service starts at half past 11, carols, then a Mass. You don't have to be Catholic to go."

"Who is 'we'? I'm not taking little ones."

"Matt's got to come. He's nearly thirteen."

"Is Matt Catholic?"

"Nearly. He has beliefs." Mello drew away and presented her with his most modest smile. "Thank you so much, Ann. You have made my Christmas. Thank you."

Ann shook her head slightly. "You've played me like a harp, haven't you? But I'll give you it. It was well done and beautifully timed." She winked at the blond boy to take the sting from her words. "I'm not promising anything, mind. I still need to speak with Roger about it and you have to be good for the rest of the day. I'm not taking naughty boys anywhere."

Mello crossed himself. "I promise."