Chapter Two
Adaptation
"G-Gomen'nasai…" Ayako murmured and bowed her head in shame. "I know this must be harder on you than we can understand…"
"Ayako, Monk, and Jon, go talk to your superiors about the case. The party's off. Yasu, I need you to do research. Lin, you take M- Elizabeth clothes shopping," Naru barked out.
"But-" Lin started to protest.
"No buts! I need you to keep an eye on her incase anything happens while I contact BSPR." Lin glared at him, but he had a point. Elizabeth just starred in confused curiosity. Lin stood and held out his hand-she was still standing against the wall. She took it after a moment's hesitations. He gently pulled her away and dropped her hand before leading her out the door and towards the car.
…
Lin pulled her towards the sleek black car he claimed as his own. It was nice, but nothing over the top. It was….. simple. Lin liked simple. Which made sense to Elizabeth-Lin seemed like the simple type of guy. The windows were tinted just enough to give a feel of security, and the seats were a sophisticated black leather. Lin opened the passenger side door for her and let her situate herself before moving on to his own spot behind the wheel.
They didn't talk as Lin drove to the mall, nor when Elizabeth picked out a couple pairs of warm jeans, sweaters, socks, and shirts. It wasn't until they were heading back that Elizabeth finally cracked the silence. "You aren't Japanese."
He raised an eyebrow and looked at her through the corner of his eye.
She shrugged at the unspoken question. "You're not, are you?
"No."
"So where are you from? I know Jon's from Australia, and the other's are Japanese, but what about you?"
"China."
"I've always wanted to go there. To study the language and culture first hand would be amazing…" Elizabeth awed dreamily.
"Mm."
"Why aren't you close with the others?"
This got her another eyebrow raise from the rather stoic man.
"You keep your distance from the others in the room and the only time you talk is when you're talking with Naru. There would be the possibility of you being shy, but if that was the case you wouldn't have protested at your instructions. You could not respect them enough to hold a conversation, but then why would you have listened to Naru after he explained? Maybe you just don't like to talk, but then there are other things, too. Like how you hardly acknowledge the others unless necessary."
"I don't like the Japanese. I don't particularly like Americans, either. They have wronged my country."
Elizabeth, who had leaned away from her seat to turn and face him, leaned back and shrugged. Her eyes stared out the window with a forlorn look. "We've done some pretty awful stuff. But then, so have Chinese."
"What do you meen?"
"Surely you cannot judge those who have done you wrong yet turn a blind eye to the wrongs you have done yourself!" she exclaimed. "We're human, we all make mistakes!"
"Some are simply bigger than others!"
"That doesn't make one person, or nation for that matter, better than another. We all make our mistakes, that's how we learn and grow!"
"But if it hurts people in the process-"
"Then we must learn to overcome it together!"
Lin, who had become tense and enthused during their conversation plopped back against the seat and sighed. "Why? Why would just dismiss our hurt?"
"We don't…. Our hurt is what shapes us. But we can't grow if we can't forgive." She followed his lead and visibly relaxed. She unclenched her fists to see that her nail had dug in and broken the skin of her palm. Seeing the bloody crescent moons in her hand, Lin pulled over and opened the glove department.
"Here." He grabbed a tissue and her hand, dabbing at her wounds.
"Thanks." She gave a sad sigh.
He looked up into her big brown orbs-so familiar yet so different. Maybe it was because eyes 'are the windows to the soul'. She wasn't Mai, she was Elizabeth. She was a totally different person. "Why recognise our ancestors' mistakes?"
"Why recognise the mistakes of another's ancestor's mistakes? It's true, we are not them, but neither are they. But it's important to recognise and learn from our ancestors' mistakes because then we've learned the lesson without hurting anyone. And if our ancestors made a wrong turn someone…. we aren't them, and we don't have to be ruled by that decision. No one should be ruled by their ancestor's mistakes."
"I've had people hit me when I told them I didn't like them for their race. others have yelled at me to hate them for them and not their race. Others yet simply got mad. But no one has actually argued and debated with me about it. Why?"
"I was bedridden with depression?" He nodded. "That's why. One day…. it just clicked. Everything fell into place-everything made sense."
"Isnt that a good thing?"
"No… It-it's scary. It's scary to know. To look at everything and just….. know…. To know everything I've done wrong and can never change….. can never right… To know all of the hurt people feel… To see the hope in everything, and know that no one would ever understand the light I saw. And worst of all…. For what felt like months, years, decades, on end, I felt trapped… trapped in thought. I couldn't stop. Everything got darker and darker, and I just….. just….. couldn't."
A single tear escaped down her cheek, and he opened and closed his mouth a couple of times not quite sure what to do or say. He decided on pulling away, handing her back her now clean hand and shoving the tissue in a small bag he kept for trash. "It-it's fine…" he murmured in a voice but a tiny bit louder than a whisper. He ended their conversation by pulling back on the highway to go to the office building, both he and she lost in thought.
…
"You look so cute!" Monk commented, enveloping Elizabeth in a hug before Ayako smacked him with her purse. Lin had brought Elizabeth back to the office building of SPR where the others were waiting, and in the bathroom she had changed into warmer clothes. She now adorned dark wash jeans; a long-sleeve black shirt; and a white, knit, pullover, turtle neck, sweater vest.
"Was it too awful with Lin-san?" Yasu teased.
Elizabeth shook her head. "He was pleasant enough company. We had a pretty interesting conversation."
"Eh?" Ayako asked in shock. "Lin hardly ever talks if it isn't to Naru, and even then a full blown conversation is pushing it!"
Elizabeth shrugged and Naru pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. Lin was quick to make and hand out tea. "Any theories?"
Everyone who did research shrugged. Yasu was the first to speak. "Most of what I found was movies like Freaky Friday. As far as I know, or anyone online for that matter, it's never happened before this."
"Ayako? Monk?" Naru asked.
"Nothing…." Ayako murmured.
"I only found one thing. My dad knew of a myth or prophecy of sorts that spoke of something like this. He didn't have it on him, so he's getting it now and will let me know when he has it."
"Jon?"
"Nothing… The only thing is multiple personalities and such."
"Oh!" Ayako exclaimed. "I have heard of people get injured, losing their memories, and thinking they were someone else that was fresh on their mind." The group exchanged looks. "But… Mai doesn't look injured." She motioned to Mai's body.
"Even if she was, that wouldn't explain why her aura's someone elses. I think it's safe to say that this is supernatural and not scientifical," Monk declared. Everyone nodded.
"So pretty much she's a freak?"
