Chapter 14 - Case 2 Begins

Saturday morning

3 days later

...

Three hours.

Three hours I've stared out of a car window watching trees move.

Three hours I've been tunelessly humming to myself.

Three hours I've had Lin glaring at me occasionally indicating that I shut up.

Three hours I've had to endure the intolerable silence of Oliver Davis and Lin Koujo in a car journey to God knows where.

And we're still not there.

Just put me out of my misery.

I didn't even get the chance to bring a book to read on the journey. Though to be fair, Mai didn't seem to have any books, and not to mention that if she did, they would also be in Japanese. With lots of kanji.

But hey, at least it would've given me something to do. Even a dictionary would've been better than nothing.

But noo. All I got was a phone call at 6am on a Saturday morning with a gruff voice down the line saying "Be at the office in half an hour or you're fired."

Dick.

"Keep humming and I'll fire you."

Dick.

I start shooting daggers at the back of Naru's head, wishing that those daggers weren't metaphorical.

Deliberately, I increase the volume of my humming and lean closer to the back of his seat so that my face is centimetres away from his black hair, just in case he couldn't quite hear me.

"Mai, don't push me."

I feigned nonchalance. "I don't know what you're talking about." I start to hum even louder and Lin glances at me with distaste.

"Mai, I am being serious."

"So am I," My mouth stretches into a grin and I reach through the headrest of his seat and prod his head with my forefinger. "Now I pushed you."

"You poked me. There is a distinct difference between pushing and poking."

"Oh I see!" I exclaim nodding my head, not that he could see my bobbing head, as he still refuses to face me or give me the satisfaction of a reaction. "So you don't want me to push you, but I can poke you, oh okay I get it."

I reach through the head rest again and poke the base of his neck several times when he slams his book shut and suddenly whips his head around to face me, his face blank but his jaw clenched.

Me thinks he's mad.

"Mai-"

"We're almost there." Lin's voice cut across Naru's, almost as though to warn him not to say anything further.

Naru lets out a quiet sigh and turns around to read his book again as I lean back, silently cheering that the journey was almost over.

'There', in case you're wondering, is Noriko Morishita's brother's home, you know, the nice woman in the second case of the series? Well apparently it's out in the middle of nowhere and miles away from civilisation.

Turns out that she was the client that Naru was talking about three days ago when he caught me leaving that café - 'Nymph's snacks and pastries' or something or another.

He had then, of course, proceeded to mock me with his emotionless tone as we were walking to the office. Or more specifically, Lin's van.

I mean, sure I started the conversation but I wasn't gonna walk in silence. I just asked him why the hell he was at that same flipping café that I was because it seemed very stalkeresque you know, nothing that really justified his contemptuous manner.

He had then replied that he liked the sandwiches there and he usually goes there for his lunch breaks. He also said that he's not a stalker and told me not to flatter myself, because why would anyone want to stalk someone as obnoxious as me?

I ignored the insult, me being the good-natured cool-headed person that I am, and went all 'oh my God same' on him, because I couldn't find anywhere that sold sandwiches.

He frowned at me and told me that there was a convenience store less than five minutes walk from where I live. I had looked at with my 'uh, so?' face and replied with "Uh, so?"

He then stopped walking, looked at me blankly and said "Idiot."

He called me an idiot.

An idiot.

Now, as far as I can recall, I have never been called an idiot before. Ever.

Well, not with someone meaning it. Besides, usually I'm called much more... crude names, to which I usually retaliate with language just as crude.

Probably why I've never had a boyfriend.

Haha, oh the humour.

So I don't know why, maybe it was just hormones, but some rude little cow calling me an idiot out of the blue just made me want to punch them.

I didn't punch him in the end, although I still might have overreacted a teensy-weensy ickle bit.

Yeah, may or may not have told him to stick it where the sun don't shine.

He wasn't very impressed by that I can tell you, but he made some sort of really quiet gurgling-grunt noise as he looked at me disapprovingly which was definitely amusing.

He later told me in the office that I could have just bought a sandwich from the convenience store, which I totally knew, totally...

That was after his appointment with Noriko, and I state HIS appointment because after she introduced herself to me, he took her into his office and refused to let me come in, asking me to make him tea.

Well, more like demanding I make tea or he'd fire me.

I'm surprised that he hasn't fired me already, or why he even hired me in the beginning, considering the amount of rude things I've said.

He totally deserved them though.

I jerk at the impact of car doors colliding with metal when I realise that we've already arrived.

The fact that Naru ignores me whilst walking towards the house and doesn't make a snarky comment about me being stupid and to get out of the vehicle shows that he might still be slightly pissed at me.

Slightly.

Grumbling, I get out of the van and slam the door, albeit possibly a little too hard judging for the dirty glare Lin just sent me from his position by the boot.

I slowly make my way towards the front door, Naru now talking with Noriko.

The 'house' is more like a mansion; seriously, just how rich are these people?

It doesn't look to be more than two storeys high, but you must be able to fit at least six of Mai's flats inside.

No really, I'm not kidding.

I'm quite liking the trapezoidal lattice windows alongside the right side of the house though, modern yet with an oriental touch. Now this is the sort of fancy house I'd want in the future.

Just without the ghosts of lonely children and a murderous woman inhabiting it.

I stand on the porch with Naru and send Noriko a friendly smile as a greeting whilst vaguely wondering why we're actually doing this certain case so early.

From my memory, this case didn't come up in the anime until a few months after the original one, yet here we are merely four days after completing the previous.

I'll add a mental note to tell Gene and ask for his thoughts later.

"Thank you so much for coming, I really appreciate it Mr Shibuya." I turn my head to see Naru walking inside the house and Noriko bowing.

"Don't worry about it." He turns away and refuses to look at me as Noriko turns to thank me as well. I wave her away and scowl at him before taking a step towards the doorway.

I don't want to go in there.

I blink a few times and frown as my stomach starts to churn at the thought of walking inside the house.

Apparently, my mind has a mind of its own and likes to think its thoughts at me.

If that makes sense.

"Mai, you're allowed to come in." Noriko tells me with a smile, a hint of humour laced in her voice.

I force a smile. "Haha, yeah sorry I was just uh, lost in thought." I see Naru narrow his eyes minutely at my words so I direct my 'smile' to him.

I pin the nauseating feeling in my stomach down to travel sickness.

I mean, I do get quite carsick and I have been in a moving vehicle for over three hours - though I get even more severely sea sick. I was even worse when I was a kid; my family couldn't drive for more than two hours with me throwing up in the back seat. Eesh.

However, the second I step onto the threshold I instantly regret that decision.

An intense wailing assaults my eardrums, pounding at the walls in my head as a negative feeling strikes through me. I instinctively clutch at my chest as something akin to anguish or despair clenches inside my ribcage.

My hairs stand on end all over every square inch of my skin, the emotion so potent I feel vomit crawl up my throat, as though my body is trying to dispose of unwelcome feelings like it can with a piece of bad food or toxins.

"Mai?" Breathing heavily, I look up to face Naru, whose piercing eyes gaze into my own. "You've gone extremely pale. What's wrong."

"It's nothing I'm fi-..." I trail off as my eyes wander to the corridor behind Naru.

Or more specifically, the cluster of weeping children blindly stumbling around the halls behind Naru. At least, as well as any floating thing can stumble.

The hammering in my head escalates and I bring my hands up to my temples, groaning at the sudden spike in pain. I feel Naru's hand touch my shoulder, gently squeezing, but I cry out as the grip suddenly tightens painfully.

I reach to pry the hand off and glare at him, only to find the gaunt face of a young girl with hollow eyes glowering down at me, a long black strand of hair falling in front of her face.

Her grasp hardens to the point I feel like my bone could snap any moment, the nausea in my stomach and drumming in my head inflating along with her strengthening hold.

Somehow during this time, I ended up lying on the floor.

Naru's face appears in my blurry vision and I'm vaguely aware of his lips moving, but I can't hear anything over the desperate cries in my head.

The ghost-girl's grip disappears, but the skin where her hand had been placed throbs excruciatingly. She stares at me from behind Naru's shoulder, a single tear rolling down her haggard features as black consumes my sight.

?

...

I sit up abruptly, breathing heavily and clutching my head and stomach, when I realise that I'm no longer in pain.

I don't understand, I don't get it what the bloody hell is happening I don't-

"Bex?" I jump at the voice and jerk my head towards the owner.

Gene.

Of course.

"What happened, are you ok?"

"How that hell am I supposed to know?" I snap at him, English spilling from my mouth in my release of emotion.

"All I did was walk through the fucking door, and next thing you know a shitload of crazy shit happens and I don't know what the fuck it even was because that wasn't supposed to fucking happen and it fucking hurt like shit and I don't know what to-"

I'm stopped by Gene crouching down on the floor in front of me and hugging me tightly.

My arms don't seem to want to hug him back whilst my brain processes the embrace as my limbs hang immobile by my sides.

"Bex, you..." He switches to English, I guess for my benefit. "You say fuck and shit a lot."

I snort, but it sounds more like a gurgled yelp.

Tears are running freshly down my face and I'm shaking all over.

Ah. No wonder he hugged me.

"I can't believe you just said fuck and shit. Aren't you the good brother?"

I can't see his face, but I am one hundred and ten percent sure that he is smirking like crap right now.

"Didn't your sources tell you that I'm the mischievous and fun brother?" I let out a giggle.

"I'm serious, he thinks he's so refined that he's never sworn once in his life. Well," he hesitates momentarily. "Except from the time he experienced my death, I suppose."

We stop talking for a few seconds before I speak.

"Can't believe I'm crying in front of you, again." I laugh meekly and reach up to wipe my face as he pulls back, his palms lingering on my shoulders.

"I hate crying, and now suddenly, I'm bursting into tears in front the same person within the space of a week. How does that work?"

I'm still sobbing somewhat, so I'm unsure as to whether that came out as incoherent babble or not.

Gene just laughs and smiles sadly. "I don't know."

My snivelling slowly dies down as we both sit in an oddly comfortable silence and I start to compose myself, though I still have that weird feeling in my stomach that's telling me to freak the fudge out.

Gene seems to sense that I've relaxed as he leans back a grins at me. "So, whilst I've been looking for a way to get you home, I've been doing some experimenting, and I found out that I can do some pretty cool stuff - way cooler than some others."

I wipe at a few stray tears and send him a grin of my own, grateful for the change in topic. "I gather that by 'others' do you mean other dead peeps'? What could be cooler than floating around all day practically invisible and playing pranks?"

He groans and rolls his eyes, hitting his palm on his forehead. "Actually," he says, smirking at me, "I found out that I can contact Noll via reflective surfaces, which is way cooler than other 'dead peeps'."

"Woah what?" I sputter. That definitely isn't supposed to happen. "That's uh, really cool and all, but you couldn't do that from uh, you know..."

"Ah," he sighs in resignation. "But then again, I'm assuming that what happened earlier wasn't really supposed to happen either, was it?"

I wince at the memory. "Yeah uh no... What did you say to Naru? When you contacted him that is,"

"Oh," he cringes and scratches the back of his sheepishly. "I was so surprised when it happened I practically bolted straight away..."

I stare at him, dumbfounded before shaking my head in disapproval at his embarrassed face.

Exhaling, I lean back and stare at the swirling mix or blues and greys overhead but quickly turn to face him as I recall my mental note from earlier.

"That's not all though," I say, absentmindedly tugging on one of my long strands of hair. "This entire case has started literally only four days after the last one, but it's not supposed to even be introduced until like, months later."

The corners of his lips turn downwards as he frowns marginally before shrugging. "I guess you should ignore what I said last time then. About the butterfly effect that is."

I furrow my brows, puzzlement displayed on my features. "Why?"

His eyebrows shoot up as he gives me an incredulous look. "Seriously?" He moves his head from side to side. "There's no point in attempting to keep the storyline the same, when just your simple presence seems to change everything."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense..." I shrug and start staring at the blue hues again. That's one less thing to worry about now.

Gene stands up and places a hand on my shoulder. "I think it's time for you to wake up now. The others are starting to get worried."

I tilt my head back and sigh. "Okay."

"And when you get back," a cheeky smile adorns his face. "I have another cool thing to show you."

Before I could reply, a wave of blue floods my eyes and pushes me to the ground, which is actually quite comfortable.

Bex, get your lazy ass up!

I moan as Gene's voice penetrates my ears. I don't remember ever being so drowsy in the dream world thingy, whatever the heck that place is called.

"What the hell Gene, I thought you said you were gonna wake me up?" I mumble, struggling to sit up and open my eyes in my sluggishness.

Bex, He starts speaking to me again. You might want to shut up now.

"Woah, and since when are you telling me to shut up?" I grumble, a little pissed, mostly due to the tiredness though. "You're really starting to sound like your brother."

Bex...

"What?" I snap, opening my eyes to glare at him.

Or to glare at an wide-eyed Naru holding a monitor by a desk, his normally vacant mask ripped off leaving pure, unguarded astonishment painting his features.

Oh fuckbuggershitcrapballs.

That is one way to express it. I hear Gene again and I realise that he's speaking into my mind somehow.

Shut up Gene! You could have fucking warned me! I think, hoping that he hears it.

Well, at least you seem to have the hang of it now... He replies with. If he were here now I could totally picture him shrugging, with an annoying grin planted on his face.

I resent that.

Jesus Gene! You can't seriously hear everything I'm thinking! That's an invasion of privacy!

As much as I would love it to be, that isn't my name Bex, and I think you have bigger problems to worry about.

Oh he's so totally right.

Naru has carefully placed the monitor onto the desk and turned to face me, his face the image of rage.

Woah Bex, you really do elicit a lot of emotion from him. I think you'd do him a lot of good.

Now is not the FUCKING time Gene!

I try to get up for the couch that I'd been laying on, but I barely manage to get to a sitting position before two, large arms slam into the wall either side of my face.

Shit.

Naru towers over me, throwing the most seething expression ever known to man.

He locks his furious eyes onto my own terrified ones and leans closer as I gulp.

"You will either divulge whatever information you've been neglecting to share," he says, the tone of his voice frighteningly calm, "or you will find yourself wishing that you were no longer living."

I gulp, my mind frantically combing for any plausible excuse I could say, as I hear Gene hysterical in the back of my mind.

Congratulations, you are well and truly fucked.

Ahahaha totally never gonna update again and just leave the story there :)

Lol jk I will but it could take a while - my mock exams are fast approaching (3 weeks fml) and I have my grade 5 music theory exam TOMORROW

Wish me luucck

PS. Sorry for the copious amounts of swearing if you're sensitive to that sort of language...