HIIII. I LOVE ALL YOUR REVIEWS. I'VE BEEN SITTING HERE, READING ALL THE REVIEWS FROM THE FIRST STORY AND THE SEQUEL AND I'M GIGGLING AND STUFF. XD HEHE.
I'VE GOT AN AWESOME CHAPTER IN STORE FOR YOU! I'VE GONE THROUGH AND LOOKED AT SOME OF THE STUFF YOU GUYS MENTIONED WANTING TO HAPPEN AND IT'S GONNA HAPPEN IN THIS CHAPTER AS SOON AS I CAN PLACE IT IN! :D
P.S. ATTENTION- IF ANY OF YOU ARE WONDERING WHY MY NAME HAS GONE FROM NOSANITY1 TO SPIRITEDCHILD, I'VE CHANGED IT CAUSE THE NAME NOSANITY1 WAS INVENTED WHEN I WAS ABOUT THIRTEEN AND I WANTED TO CHANGE IT UP SINCE I'M OLDER.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GHOST HUNT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM.
!WARNING!- THERE WILL BE VIOLENCE AND BRIEF COARSE LANGUAGE IN THIS CHAPTER. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Mai's POV:
We pulled in front of the city morgue that Gene's records would be kept and went inside. It had a kind of ellogant style in it's waiting room with comforting, happy colors. Kind of the opposite of the moods of people who enter this place. Naru went to the desk to ring the bell and a few seconds later, a middle aged woman with slowly greying hair appeared from a door behind the desk.
"Welcome. Can I help you?"
"I'm Oliver Davis. I called earlier to schedule an appointment. These are my assistants, Mai Taniyama and Lin Kojo."
"Oh yes! I remember." She let out a nervous giggle. The woman looked like she was a nervous wreck today and I almost felt bad for us showing up like this when she probably had a lot more to be worrying about. The woman walked from around the counter and flipped the open sign to closed. She shut off the lights in the waiting room and motioned for us to follow her behind the counter.
We all walked through the door behind it. It was an office. She had arranged three chairs around the opposite side of the desk she sits on. We all sat and she opened a folder. "I hope you know that what I'm doing is not entirely legal and if it had been anyone else, I wouldn't allow it. I want each of you to sign a confidentiality agreement and then I'll show you everything in his file."
We did as instructed before she handed a folder to Naru. Lin and I both looked over his shoulder as he leafed through several papers and reports describing who Gene was and the condition he had been in when brought to the morgue. Behind all the papers was a plastic bag with some photographs in it. Naru pulled them out and I had to avert my eyes for a moment. Just as my dream had showed me. Cuts all over his body and a gruesome slash on his neck. "Is this all?" Naru asked.
"Those are all I'm allowed to show you without getting myself put in prison for life." She said softly, busying herself with filing some things away in a cabnet near her desk. "He was in terrible condition. I thought it might be the work of some street gang but I thought otherwise after the autopsy. First off, a gang wouldn't have bothered to drive him all the way to the middle of the forest to do their dirty work."
"How do you know that's where he was?" I blurted out without thinking.
"His fingernails. He had been digging his nails in to a few things. His own hands, a tree trunk. The bark under his nails comes from an Alder tree. Those kind of trees only grow in the deep, marshy areas of the forest just outside of the city. He also had a thin layer of bacteria on him so he must have been very near a swamp or marsh for the air to be thick enough to coat him with it."
"Anything else you could possibly tell me ma'am? He was my brother. It would mean the world to me if you could tell me anything that will help me solve his case and sleep easier at night." Naru begged softly. I had to refrain from smiling. I knew exactly when Naru was laying on the act and now was one of those times.
She looked dazed for a second before sighing and giving him a compassionate look. She opened a file on her desk and handed a picture to him that had been blown up to full size. "When your father came in to identify his body, I had been working here. I showed him this marking and he had paled considerably. He told me to never speak of it to anyone and that Gene's body was to be cremated."
I looked closely at the shot. It was of Gene's back. On his right shoulderblade. It was the letters DF. "Is it initials?" I asked.
"Maybe." Naru murmured. "Ma'am. Is it alright with you if we take a photocopy of this? I swear our source will remain anonymous."
She looked unsure. "I don't think that would be wise. Try to commit it to memory. I'll allow you to take a picture of it with your camera phone but if you are ever found out, I'll claim that you broke into my office for this information. Understand me?"
"Yes, we understand." Naru assured her, taking his phone out and taking a picture of it.
As soon as we had said our thanks and goodbyes to the woman, we left and got back in the waiting towncar. "Drive us home Lionel." Lin san said to whoever was driving. At the mention of the extra presence in the car, I felt something in my head click.
I looked at Naru and mouthed for him to close the door that divided the front seat from the back seat. He clicked a button and a thick thing of glass pulled up. He closed a set of curtains before nodding. "Is that soundproof?"
"Yes. What is it Mai?" Naru asked which caught Lin san's attention.
"I was thinking about a part of the story you had told me once about the day Gene died. You said your mother told you that the driver was taking a long time to pull around front so Gene resolved to take a cab instead. Why do you think that is?"
"Why was he taking so long? I'm not sure."
"Is Lionel the same driver who drove that day?"
"Yes. He's been the family's driver since my freshman year of high school."
"Did you ever ask him why he didn't pull directly around?"
"My father told me he had already asked him. He said his response was that the towncar was having trouble starting."
"What if it was a lie...what if the men that drug off your brother had paid him earlier that day to claim car trouble that day so that when any member of the family tried to hail a cab, they could be waiting. There's an empty house next door with an empty driveway. The taxi could have been waiting in that driveway and saw Gene exiting the house."
"That may be but we can't assume that that's really what happened. A lot of problems can arise when your falsely acuse somebody. We'll take that into account though. Don't worry about it for now. Lin, is my father home?"
Lin san wipped out a phone and dialed a number quickly. After a second, he murmured softly into the phone and hung up. "Your father and mother arrived home about fifteen minutes ago and then left almost directly after for dinner. They'll be home around eleven."
"Sometimes it seems like your mom and dad are purposefully trying to avoid you." I whispered absentmindedly before covering my mouth when I realized how blunt I was being. "Sorry."
"No, you're right. Don't apologize. He still doesn't like me and after you told me about your dream, I know why. He blames me for Gene's death."
There was an awkward silence that brached out until we got home. We all came in and went to the drawing room to talk about the clues we had gathered today. "So what's our next step?" I asked, absentmindedly taking Naru's hand and lacing our fingers.
"After my father gets home, I'll make him stay up till I talk to him. Once I do that, we'll do some researching of loan sharks in England. He owes someone money which means he got himself involved with loan sharks..." he trailed off and I gave his hand a reasuring squeeze. He wasn't letting on to it but the subject of our case was obviously weighing heavy on his mind. I had no idea how he could actually bring it upon himself to solve the mystery of his own brother's death.
After a good half hour of sitting in the drawing room, acting depressed while Lin san typed away at his computer, the older Chinese man slammed his laptop shut. Without a word, he sat it aside and stood up quickly. He grabbed both our arms and began to drag us out of the room and down the stairs.
"Lin san?" I said, worriedly.
"What is the meaning of this?" Naru chimmed in, trying to pull away from Lin san's iron grip.
"You both are teenagers thinking about death day in and day out. It's not healthy. Get out of the house. Get into trouble. Do something." He said softly, only slightly giving away the irritation in his eyes and voice. Lin san let go of me long enough to throw open the front door before grabbing me again and shoving us both on the front step before slaming it in our faces.
Naru looked defiantly at the door, as if daring it to be locked when he tried to open it a few seconds later. He jiggled the knob a few times before punching the door in annoyance. "That man fails to realize that I sign his paychecks..."
"He's not wrong though. It really isn't healthy for us to focus so much on death twenty-four hours a day. It's like I can't escape from it sometimes. Even when I sleep, I dream of spirits and murdur..." I stared at the porch steps for a few seconds, collecting my thoughts. When I looked up at Naru, he was staring at me with unreadable eyes. It was almost like he was trying to figure me out.
"Okay. We'll...take a walk. Go get something to eat after a while. Does that sound alright?"
I nodded, smiling and took his offered hand. "Sounds fun."
The small smile he gave me in return made my heart begin to beat irregularly. "I hope you know that we'll probably be locked out of the house for quite a while. When Lin sets his mind to something, he's difficult to dissuade."
"Fine by me." I need to remind myself to thank Lin san for this. Naru and I walked down the sidewalk that led to the townsquare. About halfway there, I looked over at him and evaluated his clothes. He looked overheated wearing all black with the shirt tucked in. I stopped and he gave me a questioning look. "Do you mind if I do something?"
"Alright." He didn't look sure. I reached up and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. It was entertaining to see the look of shock flit across his face. I reached down and grabbed his shirt, lifting it out of his slacks and smoothing it down. Taking a step back, I had to admire him. He looked really handsome.
"Feel better?" I asked. "Today is a really warm day."
"Do I have to keep my shirt like this?" He asked, looking uncomfortably to the side.
"It makes you look less like a school teacher and it would make me happy." I added and he sighed, resignation on his face. I smiled and took his hand again, walking with him towards the square.
By the time the sun set, we had gone into every single store in the area near the townhouse and ate at the corner cafe. As the fireflies began to appear, we settled for taking a walk in the park behind the town square. The streetlamps every few feet, lit our way. I took a few steps away from the sidewalk to cup my hands around a lone firefly. I walked back over to Naru and held my hands up.
"Did you catch one?"
"Uh-huh. Hold your hands out." He did and I placed the little, glowing bug on his palm. It flitted its wings for a second before crawling to the tip of Naru's finger and flying away. I watched it rejoin it's brothers and sisters in the sky, captivated by the little insects glowing like stars all around us.
"Mai?" I heard Naru whisper and I looked back at him. I gasped at how close he was. He had me locked in place with his saphire eyes, his hands slowly touching my waist. I was thin enough that his long fingers almost touched. Pulling me closer, he touched his forehead to mine. Taking things into my own hands, I snaked my arms around his neck and leaned up, placing a soft kiss on his lips. He leaned closer in, stealing my breath right away.
I was so lost in the kiss, I didn't hear the footsteps until they were no more than a few feet away. "Heeeeeeeey."
We both pulled apart. I sighed. "What are you doing here Andrew?"
"What? Can't I say hi?" His speech was slurred, his steps were off. He nearly fell on his face when I tried to come closer but he caught and steadied himself.
"You're drunk." Naru stated, pulling me slightly behind him with his right arm.
"Hehe, just a bit. I was just gonna pass out on a bench but I didn't expect to see you two here."
"Let us walk you home Andrew..." I offered, trying to coax him. He looked irritated. Maybe that wasn't the right word. More like downright furious. His green eyes threw daggers at Naru.
"Why are you offering that? You told me to leave you alone right? You hate me right?" He took a careful few steps closer. He carefully reached in his pocket and Naru took a step back, backing me up as well. I clung to Naru's back, unsure and afraid. Andrew withdrew his hand and the sound of clinging metal rang as he flipped out the blade of his pocket knife. "I've decided that the best way to handle this situation is to fight it out. If your boyfriend wins, I leave you alone. If I win...you're mine."
"I'm not agreeing to that at all!" I screamed.
"Mai go home. Run." Naru whispered. I tried to listen to him but my fear for what Andrew might do to him kept my feet in place.
"Too late." Andrew said dangerously before lunging at Naru.
The hand that Naru had on my wrist flung me back and knocked me to the ground before he tensed and held up both hands. His left hand was balled into a fist while the other was slack. He was planning on fighting him. Andrew dove the hand with the knife right for Naru's heart but Naru grabbed his wrist with one hand and punched him in the face with the other. Andrew went flying back, the knife flying and landing a few feet away from the two of them.
"Please you two! Stop fighting!" I screamed, unable to move. Tears prickled the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill.
"You little shit!" Andrew yelled, getting up and throwing a punch at Naru who blocked it. Still furious, Andrew pushed Naru back before handing a sound punch to his jaw.
Naru, who's body posture had been defensive at that point, turned to angry and tense. He swung his arm back and let it fly forward, hitting Andrew so hard in the face, he fell right on his back without trying to stop the fall. He blinked a couple times before picking himself up and running for the ebony haired boy with fire in his eyes. He tackled Naru to the ground and punched him in the chest, knocking the breath out of Naru.
"Just for that, I'm gonna beat the shit out of your girlfriend after I'm done with you!" Andrew screamed, trying to hit Naru again.
Naru grabbed Andrew's wrists and used his knees to throw Andrew off of him. He stood up and walked towards the stunned brunette boy. I could tell by his posture that all games were off. If I didn't try to stop him, he was going to kill Andrew. "Naru! Naru, listen to me! He's just a child! Just knock him out and let's get out of here!"
"He's nineteen Mai." Naru said with unmistakable rage in his voice. For a second, I thought I saw Andrew reach out to his left but his arms flung back to his side so quickly, I wasn't sure. "He's going to pay for what he said." Naru grabbed Andrew by his shirt and lifted him up to eye level, Andrew's feet barely touching the ground.
A surge of adreniline surged through me as I saw that Andrew had picked up the knife. "Naru!" I picked myself up and ran for the quarreling duo. "He's got the knife!"
It was like the next few seconds went by in slow motion. Andrew flung his arm back as Naru's eyes widened in sudden awareness. I ran for them with one goal in mind; to stop what was going to happen. I was so focused on the weapon, I didn't notice Naru prepare to fling Andrew back. Coliding with the two, all of us fell to the ground. I gasped as a sudden pain shot through my abdomen.
"Mai?" Naru whispered urgently, holding me up by my shoulders. Andrew was laying on his back, staring at me in utter fear. His face matched the fear in Naru's eyes. I looked down, the knife that Andrew had been holding lodged deep in my stomach. "Mai! Can you hear me?" Naru yelled but his voice sounded so far away. I could feel myself getting very tired. "Stay with me Mai! Stay awake!"
Naru pulled out a cellphone and talked quickly to whoever was on the other end. He hung up after a few seconds and ajusted me so that I was sitting in his lap with my back to his chest. "Naru...what happened?"
"Ssh. It's alright. Stay awake. The ambulence is on its way."
"I feel dizzy..." I whispered and Naru shook my shoulders a couple times.
"Stay awake Mai! You can't fall asleep! You can't!" He yelled, the desperation evident in his voice.
"Naru...I'm sorry...I can't..." My eyes closed and I was greeted with the thickest darkness I've ever seen or felt.