Sunday, June 27th.
I woke up to the sound of my cellphone ringing in my ear. I always sleep with it next to my head.
"..Huh..?"
I sat up. Though I had the shades down, I could tell it was night time. I read my alarm clock and it said 2:00 A.M. I sighed.
"...Who could be calling..?"
I said, drowsily.
I picked up my phone and read the caller I.D. Shibuya Psychic Research.
"Huh?! Why would Naru need to call now?!"
I panicked. I answered, knowing it must be something important.
"H-Hello?!"
I stuttered.
"Mai! I need you to get to Shibuya Psychic Research, now! Something happened and you're in danger! Lin is outside it your apartment, keep your guard up when you walk out the door! Lin will explain everything on the ride, grab a few things and GO!"
Naru yelled and hung up the phone. A chill ran down my spine. I did as he told.
First thing I did was grab the baseball bat that I had at my bedside and then threw a jacket on over my yellow tank top. I went to my door and came to a stop. I felt as though if I opened the door something would kill me, but I also felt as though if I didn't move that something would kill me. I looked out the window and it was the head lights of Lin's car that woke me from my trance. Ok... Lin's here, I should be safe to go out the door... should...
"Ok..."
I held my breath and opened the door. I looked to see Lin open the door of his car.
"Come on!"
I looked toward my left, then my right. I saw eyes in the bushes. White eyes... Glowing... Watching me...
"COME ON!"
Lin yelled once more. I once more awoke from my trance.
I sprinted toward the car, barefoot, in just shorts, a tank top, and a jacket. I tripped and fell at a "perfect" timing when one of those things decided to reveal itself. It was a hazy figure of a wolf. It was beautiful
"Hurry..."
It spoke to me. It motioned for me to stand and run. I did as told. I ran to the car and Lin started driving.
"What the HELL was going on?! And what was that wolf thing?!"
I practically screamed in Lin's face as soon as I caught my breath. This was completely insane!
"Calm down. Naru told you I would explain everything, now be quiet so I can actually talk."
He said calmly. How could he be CALM right now?!
"Ok..."
I replied quietly.
"Ok... First thing... Those creatures are after you... You have an immense psychic power within you that Naru and I found a while back, but we never told you thinking you would somehow do something stupid with it. Turns out, bad idea. You aren't controlling it. We thought you would eventually learn to unconsciously control it, like most people can with that... It's just that your power is gaining... It's demonic. Being part of SPR and coming to the cases with us, you unconsciously absorbed more power... It became somewhat one with your mind and body, transforming you into some sort of half-demon..."
Lin paused. Even I could see the worry in his eyes. My face paled and I felt my eyes tear up.
"W-what..?"
I replied blankly. You are two halves... Human and another... To choose many paths... You aren't human, nor other...
"It makes sense..."
I said quietly...
"What..?"
I told him those words I had heard.
"I bet that voice I heard was my mother..."
I realized.
"Huh..?"
Lin replied.
"I guess my mother knew... That I was like this... How long... How long have I been this half-demon creature or whatever..? And like I asked, what was that dog thing that stopped those creatures..?"
I stuttered.
"Well... Technically, you would've had to have been a half demon all your life, but that also doesn't change that fact of who you are now that you know, you're still human and you have emotion, the only change now is the fact that things in the world around you might become quite stirred. One part of unlocking your power and controlling it is having the knowledge of it's existence."
Lin had a stone look in his eyes, but I could tell he cared, otherwise he wouldn't have been kind with his words. I felt better but was still panicking a bit.
"When did you say your father died? And your mother?"
Lin asked.
"Huh..? My father died when I was 2, and my mother died when I was in 4th grade..."
I realized why Lin was asking this. Does he think one of my parents were a demon..? Well I guess I can't blame him...
"Interesting... Do you know either of your parent's causes of death..?"
Lin asked. I thought about it.
"No."
I said.
"My mom told me my dad's death was never known and with my mother... They told me it was some after affect from my birth that kept idle in her body or something."
I said, realizing the many possibilities of what.
"Well,"
Lin began. I could see it in his eyes that he was contemplating whether or not to tell me.
"It's more or less likely that you're father was the one that gave you the power of a demon. That also means your father had to carry some blood of one within his own. That's probably how your mother died. Those who have kin with one whom's blood is that of a demon's, usually turns corrupt from it, and eventually dies."
I took a deep breath. I was terrified of myself now. I tried to keep what Lin said earlier in my thoughts to calm myself. "Well... Technically, you would've had to have been a half demon all your life, but that also doesn't change that fact of who you are now that you know, you're still human and you have emotion..." It calmed me a bit. It was true, I'm still Mai Taniyama, a 16 year old girl who works at SPR. I sighed.
"True, it does make a lot of sense, but what about my dad, do you think he got corrupted by his own blood..?"
"I highly doubt it,"
Lin began. I had a strange feeling. I almost knew what his next words would be.
"Your father probably isn't even dead. He couldn't have simply died of self-corruption, he's been living with that blood all his life, it won't suddenly affect him unless he was immensely weakened."
Part of me got happy at his words, yet another part of me felt a deep, festering hatred towards my father. If he was alive, he left me.
"So what,"
I began, trying to get to a less emotional subject.
"Do I get any super-powers or anything from my blood."
I asked sheepishly.
"Well, to an extent, you have psychic abilities that not even Naru has, but you can't fly or anything if that's what you're getting at."
I sighed and looked out the window of the car awkwardly. I actually did wish it would give me the ability of flight.
"And as for the wolf apparition, and the other creatures,"
Lin said, breaking the silence. Finally, he decided to answer my other question!
"When near your power, spirits can actually manifest a figure, and even make physical contact, kind of like my Shiki, but it can only happen if some sort of bond is created between the spirit and the human or demon that it draws power from. It'll protect you. That wolf you saw must have bonded with you, though this is the first time you actually saw it. Now, lets go, Naru is waiting."
I had only just realized that the car had been stopped and we were in the SPR parkinglot.
