Hello! Thanks for taking the time to check out my work-in-progress. Please let me know what you think (as constructive criticism is always welcomed and encouraged!). Also, I do not own Ghost Hunt.
The day had started like any other; meaning, in short, Mai Taniyama was perfectly, acceptably early. She liked being early so she could go over the material before class started...not that the teachers needed to know that. Mai was what many would call an underachiever. That is, unless they really knew her at all. But alas, that is another story for another day. As Mai walked beneath the blooming cherry blossoms, her gaze taking in the natural beauty of the early morning, she couldn't help but revel in the quiet. Though, if you asked her, she enjoyed the bustling cities a bit more-the sonder of those bustling through the streets, the intoxicating aromas of cooking food, and the tall buildings are enough to take her breath away. It is a necessity, Mai believes, to be alone, sometimes, in order to find oneself, but only once in a great, great while. There is a difference between being alone and being lonely after all. Besides, Mai's a people person through and through.
Mai's inner one-sided monologue was cut short when she caught sight of the Old Schoolhouse. Thinking of the stories told the night before, she gave the building a wide berth, even while cursing herself for behaving like a small child. Haunted or not, she refused to be intimidated by a rickety old structure, even if the accidents (supposedly) reported there did make her heart ache. In that moment, Mai resolves to find out more tonight when she and the girls get together for telling ghost stories. With an affirmative nod, she steps through her school's doors.
Boredom. It's prevalent in each yawn, doodle, and glazed-over looks in the students' eyes. Mai sighs softly, fidgeting in the hard, uncomfortable plastic chair. English never had been her strong suit, though she's not too terrible compared to her classmates. Flicking her gaze up at the teacher, whose rambling about grammar or something equally uninteresting, she quietly reaches into her bag and pulls out a book. No one notices, or if they do, they don't bother notifying the teacher.
"-Taniyama-san," Gushiken-sensei says. I freeze, having dropped the guise of paying attention some time ago. "The answer, Taniyama-san."
"Three." The class giggles and a tick appears on their sensei's brow. "You are aware that you are in an English class, correct?" Really? I hadn't noticed. "Ah, yes, Sir. S-sorry." More laughter. "Just don't let it happen again, Miss Taniyama."
"Yes, Sir." He nods, satisfied, and calls on one of the students seated near the front. Mai waits a moment or two before opening her book again.
"So, I heard you got caught not paying attention again," Michiru says, a trace of a smile on her lips, one of the few people who understands my situation.
"Yeah." Mai shrugs. Now, to more important matters. "We're getting together for ghost stories tonight, right?" Michiru's smile broadens into an impish grin. "I told you that you'd enjoy telling ghost stories, didn't I?" Though teasing, there is a trace of 'I told you so' in there somewhere.
"Yes," Mai says, feigning exasperation. Mai's able to keep a straight face for a record of five seconds before her face begins to spasm. She and Michiru giggle as they return to their lockers, coincidentally next to each other's.
"And yeah, we're meeting tonight at eight," Michiru adds as they drop off their things. Mai grabs her bento and grins, excitement singing through her veins. She and Michiru mutually decide to go outside to eat, though it's just the two of them today, as Keiko is working on an art project. The fresh air is exactly what I needed, Mai thinks as they settle beneath the shade of one of the trees that litter the school's grounds.
"I don't know why you don't just, I don't know, tell people," Michiru exclaims as Mai sits with her chopsticks in one hand and book in the other.
"Do you really think they'd believe me?" she asks, proficiently multitasking.
"So you want everyone to think you're reading...what cover did you put over your book today? And what are you actually reading?"
"Ghost hunt," she says, glancing over at her friend. "You know, that teen novel-"
"I know what Ghost Hunt is!" she exclaims. "How could I not?" Mai rolls her eyes at her friends dramatic behavior.
"As for what I'm actually reading, it's an assigned text from my sensei, of course." Mai says, pausing to dog ear a page, as she doesn't feel like digging through her bag for a highlighter.
"That's so awesome, Mai," Michiru says, almost wistfully. "I bet you'll get into medical school for sure when we graduate!" Mai laughs, throwing her head back, and accidentally knocking it against the trunk of the tree. "Ow," she mutters, glaring at the tree's high branches. MIchiru snorts. "...Well, maybe."
"Hey!" Mai exclaims. "No take backs!"
"I was only teasing," Michiru assures her friend, noting, once again, how easy it is to get Mai's back up. "You'll do awesome. Me on the other hand, well…" Michiru shrugs. "Oh, crap!"
"What?" Mai demands, concerned.
"I totally forgot! I need to speak with one of my teachers about the test I missed! Crap, crap, my mom's gonna kill me!"
Now it's Mai's turn to do the assuring. "It'll be fine. Let me know how it goes, though."
"I will! I'll see you tonight. Bye, Mai!" she says, her words slurring together in her rush to grab her things.
"See ya," Mai says, waving as she dashes away.