I never realised how much I took my looks for granted until I lost them. It was four months ago today that the left side of my face received 3rd degree burns. It was four months ago today that I lost my abilities.
I'll admit that it's quite amusing seeing how differently everyone treats me. I have been back at work for only a day and the girls around the office still stare, but no longer with longing or admiration, now only with disgust and pity.
I had expected the call to my father's office much earlier than lunchtime on my first day back.
I spent the morning writing up the incident report of my last case. I wrote, as succinctly as possible, how the spirit at the residence had seemed determined to hurt everyone close to our client, a single mother in her early twenties. My injury was the result of the spirit attempting to attack the woman's child. The hob had lit of its own accord and the kitchen door had locked with the child inside.
I had had to use PK to open the door. I had rushed in and grabbed the young girl as a fork of flame had escaped the hob in an attempt to harm the child. The flame had hit me in the left side of my face, but the child was safe.
That was the last thing I remembered, although Lin informed me when I woke in hospital that a priest banished the spirit. Vision in my left eye only recovered a month ago; the doctors were unsure if it would.
I printed off the report and took it with me to my father's office. He was waiting sombrely for me and did not manage to hide his revulsion at the sight of my once handsome face before I saw it. I knew he didn't really care about my face, only that I was alive, but I wondered how long it would be until he became used to the sight. My mother still cried every time she saw me.
"I have the incident report." I said as I sat down opposite him and handed him the document. "I have emailed you a pdf for the electronic copies."
"Miss Smith has asked me to pass on her thanks for your saving Lauren." Martin said.
I nodded in response. Saving people on cases had become a habit that had started with Mai Taniyama. Ten years later and I haven't lost it. Truth be told, I had liked Lauren, the little girl. Like most children, she was incapable of lying and although I have no idea how to act around children, their honesty is refreshing in this adult world of lying and deceit.
"I know you have only just returned…" Martin started, but I cut him off.
"You have to demote me from lead investigator."
"You have to understand Oliver, that without your abilities I can't give you a team any more. It was always your abilities that had allowed me to bend the rules." He said awkwardly.
"Now that I am ordinary, there are others with more experience that ought to have priority." I state. I am not surprised at all, I knew this was coming. James Jenkins, a man a few years my senior, has been irked by my position within BSPR for a long time.
"I can allow you to choose which team you are going to be placed in, given the circumstances." Martin said consolingly. I knew he was bending the rules to do that and appreciated the gesture.
"Does this mean I will no longer have Lin watching over me?" I ask.
"Well there is no reason for him to any longer. I believe he wishes to return to Madoka's team." Martin smiled.
"Madoka is still in Japan."
"Yes. The JSPR branch has been most successful, although full credit goes to you for setting it up." Martin inclined his head to me. I stand up and make to leave the office.
"I will think on it and give you my decision tomorrow."
"Are you coming for dinner tonight?" Martin called after me and I turn back at the doorway.
"Not tonight." And I leave, returning to my office. Well, what was my office. Now it will become some other lead investigator's office. I collect up my few personal belongings and make my way down the corridor to the office Lin shares with a few other researchers.
"Hello." He muttered, looking up from his work as I fall into the chair by his desk. "Talked to Martin already?"
"Yes. He said you wanted to return to Japan." I said. Lin looks up at me, a slight blush appearing in his cheeks. He is the only person that looks at me as if nothing has changed, something I am eternally grateful for, not that I would admit it.
"I had thought about it." He said quickly, looking back down at his work.
"Madoka is not moving any time soon. So will this be a permanent move?"
"Well if things work out."
"You mean if she agrees to marry you." I said, rolling my eyes. Lin video-called the woman every other day and somehow he expected me not to notice this, despite the glaring fact that we live together. It had taken me three years after my return to England to persuade my parents to let me move out. My mother had been particularly keen to keep me so close I had felt suffocated. Now, Lin and I live a ten minute drive away in a small flat.
"What will you do?" He asked, looking up again. "You could come with me?"
"The possibility had occurred to me. Now I've been demoted to the point where I can't sack people who piss me off, I don't much fancy staying here."
"But Mai-san is in Japan." Lin pointed out. I noted, slightly amused, how he continues to use honorifics with any of the names of our Japanese associates despite currently being in England.
"What of her?" I said, and now Lin rolled his eyes. "It has been ten years, Lin. She has had enough time to get over Gene. It's not as if I look much like him anymore." I had told Lin about what had transpired on the day we found Gene's body. He had given no reaction to the story until now and honestly, I was surprised he remembered it after so long.
"I wouldn't want it to be awkward, that's all."
"I see no reason for it to be awkward." I said. "I am going home, are you coming?"
"If you can wait half an hour for me to finish this translation, I will join you." Martin had been using Lin as a personal translation device recently. It was true that Lin was proficient in a many languages, but I couldn't help but feel it was demeaning work.
"You won't miss that in Japan." I said, standing up and leaving my belongings on the chair. "See you in half an hour." I said, planning on getting some lunch.
That evening, as I lay in bed, I thought about what returning to Japan would mean. A lot of crying from my mother would be expected, not that she had done much else since my injury. But Japan would mean better tea, better cases and better company. I like England and my parents. But some members of BSPR are completely ignorant arseholes. The team in Japan is too small to allow idiots on the payroll, except Mai of course. I briefly allow myself to wonder what she's like now. But I bet she hasn't changed one bit. She would still be small and constantly getting into trouble. She would still get riled by my teasing and shout at me when she thought I was being an arse. I chuckled internally at the thought.
Yes, Japan would be a good decision.
The following morning, I informed my father of my decision. He was upset, I think, at the prospect of me leaving so indefinitely, but accepted my plans without any complaints.
I had brought my laptop into the office, so I could sit at Lin's desk again. I booked us flights for the upcoming weekend using the company card - my father had not taken that away from me yet – and then phoned the JSPR office.
It was a little past 9am in the UK when I phoned, which made it just after 5pm in Tokyo. Madoka was the only one left in the office.
"Hello." I said, returning to my mother tongue.
"Oliver?" Madoka's voice said out of the earpiece. "Is everything okay?"
"I was just ringing to inform you of two new researchers who will be joining your team as of next week."
"Two?" Madoka sounded confused. "I know Martin had talked about expanding the JSPR branch, but I was only expecting one new researcher from what had been said. Who are they? I wasn't aware of any new Japanese speaking researchers at BSPR?"
"Koujo Lin and Shibuya Kazuya." I said, smirking at the squeals from the other end of the line.
"Really? Oh it will be wonderful to have the old team back together!" It never ceased to amaze me how much this woman, who was in her mid-thirties, could sound like a teenager.
"Do you want to speak to Lin?" I offered, Lin had been watching me the entire time I was on the phone.
"Well…" She sounded embarrassed. I passed the phone to Lin and then went to get a cup of tea, to give them some privacy.
The weekend could not come soon enough. I would have to explain my plans to my mother that evening. My father had insisted I come for dinner, with Lin, and told her in person. I was not looking forward to the prospect. I hated seeing her in pain and I knew my attempts to comfort her would be futile. It was only as I sat in the canteen, ignoring the stares of my co-workers and drinking a substandard cup of tea, that I had an idea.
That evening, as my mother carved the roast lamb and dished it out onto everyone's plates, my father brought up the reason for my visit.
"So I believe you have something to tell us Oliver?" He prompted lamely. Believe? He knew full well what I was going to tell them.
"Yes, Lin wishes to return to Japan and propose to Madoka." I had the whole speech planned in my head. Lin had spluttered at this point and almost choked. Perhaps I should have warned him. "I am going to accompany him for a few reasons. One, standing beside me, he'll definitely be the best looking guy in his wedding photos. Two, I have the experience to take over the JSPR branch while they are on their honeymoon. And finally, I fancy a change of scene." I shrugged off-handedly and took a bite of my dinner, awaiting the outcry from my mother.
"Oh Lin!" She squealed, leaving her chair to hug the poor man. "Oh that's wonderful news! You know I have been waiting so long for this to happen! Martin, dear, when was it that I first said those two would get married?" She turned to face my father expectantly. I knew Lin was glaring at me, but I ignored him. My plan to avert my mother to Lin's happiness and not my departure had gone very well.
"Well I believe since Madoka joined SPR and met…" Martin began, but Lin cut him off.
"Oliver, you forgot the other reason." He said, his voice filled with relish.
"Hmm, I think I would have stated any other reasons if I had had them." I said, looking round and glaring pointedly at him. I was not sure of what he was going to say, but it couldn't be something I would want said in front of my parents.
"I distinctly remember you saying earlier that you were most looking forward to seeing Mai-san again." Lin said. My mother spun around at his words.
"Mai? A girl?" She questioned, glee all over her face. "You want to see a girl Noll? Oh Martin we will be grandparents yet!" I could see the cogs working in her brain. "Is she the small pretty one we met?"
"Most of the women in Japan are small." I pointed out dully, still glaring at Lin.
"The really short one! Not the one in the kimono, the other one?" Her face was screwed up in remembering.
"Yes." Lin answered for me. "Dark brown hair, big brown eyes, quite loud, kind to everyone and the only one to stand up to Oliver." I rolled my eyes. Lin had dug a thoroughly deep hole and shoved me in it. There would be no escaping the interrogation for the rest of the night. At that moment, I really wished I could still use PK, in order to blow up Lin's head. My icy stares seemed to have no effect on the man.
"Oh it could be a double wedding!" My mother was crying delightedly. Only my father looked sympathetic to my pain, but a hint of amusement was traced across his face.
"What Lin seems to have misinterpreted, was a statement I made about how it would be less painful to work with our colleagues in Japan than the ignorant fools I put up with here." I said coldly, but my mother was not listening.
The weekend could not come soon enough.
Author's note: This is my first attempt at a first person story, so I would love some feedback on that! Otherwise... Reviews?