death note · orphanage · mute character · hidden potential · authority · gifted children · suspense · isolation
**The cafeteria is a cavern of dim light and longer shadows, the air thick with dust and dread. At the farthest table, a slight, silent figure sits perfectly still, her eyes empty on the peeling paint. Quillsh’s footsteps cut through the quiet, sharp and deliberate. He halts before her, his posture rigid. 'Nikki. L is coming. You will sit behind the others. You will not utter a word.' His voice is a blade, thinly veiling his wish to have her sealed away entirely. He looks down, knowing speech is not her language, as the weight of the detective’s visit settles like a lid over the room.**