Chapter Fifteen – Closer
"John! Are you ready to…" John's father called, stopping short as he caught sight of Jemima, who had made herself comfortable lounging sideways in the old armchair chair. Her tight black jeans showed off her shapely legs while the low neckline of her top showed off her bust. Not the type of girl he'd expected to find in his son's company. Even less the type of girl he'd expect to see reading a bible in the back of a church.
"Father! Yes, I'm ready. Jemima, this is my father. Jemima will be staying with us tonight." John added as he gathered the papers he'd been working on and closed his schedule book. His father watched with a disapproving eye as Jemima folded over the corner of the page she was on and shoved the book into her large, full backpack.
"John, a word." The older man said, watching his son pause with curious blue eyes half way through slotting his large books back onto the old shelves. Heading over to his father John gave Jemima a warm and assuring smile as they stepped into the echoing hall. His father was restrained enough to at least keep his voice down so that the girl within wouldn't hear his objections. "We can't have her staying with us, what about her parents? We're taking her home." He stated firmly.
"Father, it is my house and I am allowing her to stay with us. She has good reason and as a Christian, and a vicar, I cannot and will not leave her in need." John replied with a firmness his father had never heard before. He could tell his son was close to losing his temper, something John wasn't known to do. He had been pushing his son quite hard recently with his strict rules. He almost sighed in defeat.
"Alright, but just for tonight." His father compromised.
"For as long as she needs." John rectified firmly, his father giving in with a sigh as John returned to the small room with an easy smile, no sign of displeasure showing on his face. Within he found Jemima waiting patiently with her large backpack sitting by her feet, one of the handles resting on her knee as she waited.
"Is everything okay?" She asked almost knowingly as John crossed to his desk, slotting the last few books onto the shelves before gathering his papers and putting them carefully into his own backpack. Looking up from his task he gave Jemima an assuring smile, her eyes shifting to his father, who avoided her gaze. "If my staying with you is a problem I'm sure I can find somewhere…" She trailed off, clearly having no plan in mind.
"No. You're coming with us." John replied firmly, leaving no room for objections as he slung his bag over his shoulder before taking Jemima's as she got to her feet. In return she went ahead and opened the doors for him while his father trailed behind warily, watching the young pair as they interacted. They didn't seem particularly close, but he had never known his son to be so insistent before.
"So, you're a friend of John's from school?" John's father asked casually as he started the car and pulled back down the road until he could turn to drive back into town. John sat beside him, his sapphire eyes giving the older man a warning look as he listened, his father shrugging in response.
"Not exactly." Jemima replied from her place on the backseat, where she sat behind John with her backpack on the seat beside her. Her dark eyes looked out of the window as the car travelled up the dimming street. Her eyes were drawn to the open fields, which were soon hidden behind a row of neat houses.
"Oh? I was under the impression that you were." The older man replied, somewhat curious as to their actual relationship if they weren't friends. Jemima shrugged, leaning back in her seat tiredly.
"I only moved here a few weeks ago." She replied, as if that would suffice as an explanation. It seemed to as silence fell between them, John closing his eyes with a light sigh. He'd been working hard to get everything finished before his father arrived, but still hadn't managed. That's more missed classes…
Once they reached the house John took Jemima's backpack and led the way up the quaint garden path to the cottage, which seemed quite small to Jemima. It had a cosy atmosphere, which John had always appreciated, and there were two roomy bedrooms upstairs. John led the way to his bedroom and put her bag on the floor by the bed.
"Why don't you head down and watch some television? Father will be making dinner soon, and there is some work here that I need to attend to." John suggested kindly as he ushered Jemima to the top of the stairs and watched her walk down them until she disappeared at the bottom. Returning to his room he got started on the bed, stripping it down and throwing on some new sheets before digging around for his sleeping bag, which hadn't really been used since his first year of high school. Leaving it by the door for later, John got started on the school work he'd missed.
As he arrived downstairs an hour later he was quietly surprised not to hear the sound of the television playing. As he put his head through the door he was even more surprised to find Jemima curled up on the sofa reading the bible she had borrowed from the church. Not wishing to disturb her, John retreated quietly and padded down the hall to the kitchen, where his father had almost finished with dinner. As a silent apology John helped to add the finishing touches before calling Jemima through.
Dinner was a quiet affair, in which his father did his best not to pass judgements on Jemima, whom he found to be a typical delinquent. She wasn't particularly kind to John, and she didn't show him much gratitude for the trouble he was going to for her. Any thanks she gave were small and somewhat forced, though he hesitated to call her rude outright. Feeling the tension, John did his best to brighten the atmosphere with what little conversation he could, which meant talking about the upcoming summer festival signalling the end of the school year. It wasn't a popular topic. Jemima had little interest, and his father wouldn't be attending.
"Sorry about my father." John apologised as he accompanied Jemima upstairs to his room, where he set about tidying away his school things for the night. He had just managed to finish off the work after dinner, giving him some time to unwind in the living room. Unwind was perhaps not the right word considering the awkward atmosphere.
"He's just worried about you." Jemima replied, unconcerned as she sat on the edge of the bed, unsure what John's plans were for the night. Giving her an apologetic smile John reflected that she was probably right about his father. The older man was always scaring off girls who might lead him off track. He'd always wanted to make bishop, and had received promising feedback from his Catholic peers, but he would never attain that goal if he fell in love and married.
"Still, he should be more hospitable to my guests." John insisted as he finished tidying and turned to look at the ebony haired girl perched on the edge of his bed, quite different to how she usually behaved. She'd been quiet all evening, but not brash or rude, in fact she had mellowed since he first met her. Whether it was because she had settled into school life or because he'd helped her John was unsure, but she'd lost some of the aggression she had first shown him.
"So, where do I sleep?" Jemima asked as she got to her feet to follow John wherever he was taking her, though she could only think of the sofa downstairs. There were only two bedrooms in the house, and John's father was in the other one.
"You'll sleep here. Don't worry, I changed the sheets." John added with a light chuckle as Jemima looked over her shoulder at the fresh white duvet and plumped pillows.
"I can't steal your bed! Where will you sleep?" Jemima asked, though she was secretly tempted by the invitingly comfortable looking bed.
"You will sleep in the bed, I insist. The sofa downstairs is comfortable enough." John insisted as he went to the drawers and rummaged through them for some pyjamas. "Do you have nightwear with you?" He asked as he pulled one set of blue and white cotton pyjamas from his drawers and looked over his shoulder, where he could see Jemima bent over her open backpack. The back of her white top rode a little up her hips to leave part of her back bare, the black tattoo across her lower back staring back at him.
"Yeah…The bed's quite big you know, we could share." Jemima suggested as she pulled out a large male sized T-shirt and looked across at John, who stood up with his pyjamas, giving her a grateful smile as he shook his head.
"It wouldn't be proper of me." He insisted, knowing how whispers could rise within certain circles. He didn't want to damage his chances of advancing his career for the comfort of a bed.
"At least sleep in the room with me…I don't feel like being alone." Jemima admitted, and John could tell it had taken a lot for her to admit that. It was the way she turned her head slightly and raised one hand to play with the ends of her ebony locks. She looked strangely vulnerable.
"Very well." John conceded before heading to the bathroom and getting ready for bed, not thinking about much at all as he went downstairs and gathered the cushions from the sofa. His father seemed to have already gone to bed, the living room shrouded in darkness as he arrived and left. By the time he returned to his room Jemima was in bed, her hair platted into a side tail that rested on her right shoulder as she sat waiting for John's return.
It didn't take long for him to arrange the cushions comfortably and throw his sleeping bag over them. He didn't bother with a pillow as he turned off the main light and crawled into the makeshift bed, feeling his back ache slightly as he lay on the floor. The hardness lingered despite the cushions. It was strangely comfortable.
"Thanks for helping me today…You're too kind for your own good." Jemima teased softly. John looked up at the bed to find Jemima lying on her side looking down at him over the edge. The sight brought a small smile to his features as he looked back up at her from his place beside the bed. The way she peered down, and the uncustomary lack of makeup, made her look almost angelic.
"As a vicar it is my duty to help those in need." John insisted lightly, letting silence fall between them as the night set in, a tingle running down his spine. He could have sworn he saw a figure looking in at the second floor window. It was just for a moment, but that moment unsettled him as he turned away and shut his eyes.
When the knock at the door sounded John's eyes opened groggily, that last shiver still running down his spine. For a moment he was confused, almost certain that he was supposed to be on the floor. But that was a long time ago…He thought, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his chest as he rolled off the bed, having been laying on his back where he'd fallen when he came in.
"What took you? You look terrible." Monk-san observed, slightly troubled as he took in John's somewhat pale and depressed demeanour, though the young man tried to hide it behind his usual smile. Running a hand over his face and brushing his tousled hair back John pulled the door wider, but he didn't turn the light on. Dusk was setting in nicely, but they wouldn't be leaving for two hours at least.
"I was sleeping." John excused as Monk-san went to the bed and sat down, casting his eyes over the grounds through the open window. The Night Class were now in school, and the Day Class were confined to their dormitories until morning. Monk-san was only able to walk freely because he was a teacher and didn't need to be off the grounds at all, though it was preferred that teachers either leave or stick to their own areas. "Where's Ayako?" John asked as he pulled the chair at his desk out, keeping his voice down in case their conversation carried.
"On her way…She didn't find anything on the internet earlier, but I don't know about the medical records." Monk-san replied as they waited, John fighting to keep his eyes open now that he was awake. His stomach always turned when he napped, and he knew he wouldn't be able to swallow a thing until he'd gone back to bed and woken up in the morning.
"Do you have a route planned?" John asked, though it made little sense for a full explanation until Ayako arrived. The older man nodded. He had indeed planned his route, though John was unsure of his own course of action. He was just planning to play it by ear and hope for the best. He usually found it better that way. It wasn't long before Ayako joined them, all three being quiet as they sat close together around the bed. Ayako and Monk-san perched on the bed next to each other with John in front of them straddling his chair.
"The medical records?" Monk-san asked, Ayako nodding her head.
"I have them. I managed to print a few while she was out of the room. I didn't have time to look through them, but I put them in my briefcase. I'll look through them tomorrow morning." The redhead replied decisively, Monk-san nodding his approval as he shifted his focus to John.
"I know where I'm going. As a teacher I can walk straight through the front door of the school, but getting to the Chairman's office itself will require a distraction from you. While you're keeping the prefects busy I'll jiffy the lock and have a poke around. As far as I can tell all the paperwork is kept in a small storage room connected to his office. If I don't find them there I'll just have to dig a little deeper and make sure there's nowhere I missed." Monk-san decided as he went through the route in his head. Once he was in the office he should be safe as long as he didn't use a light. He could bolt the door from the inside and anyone trying it would think it locked. I just need to make sure the Chairman has left before I go in…
Getting to his feet Monk-san shifted to the window and sat on the ledge, casting his eye over the school. From where they were he could see the main entrance. That was fine if the Chairman used the front entrance to leave by, but he wasn't sure he would. The Chairman's house was at the rear of the school, and there were numerous exits leading to it.
"If you're thinking about the Chairman then the answer is no. He uses a small side entrance, which isn't visible from here." John reported, Monk-san sighing in frustration at his lack of foresight. He should have followed the Chairman around for a while. Like that wouldn't be obvious! "He usually leaves around nine, once the Night Class is in full swing and the prefects are out in the grounds." John added, having done his share of light footed work over the past few days.
"How do you know?" Ayako asked, John shrugging it off with his usual innocent smile, though Monk-san could understand. John had reached exorcist level at eighteen. That was no mean feat. Tailing three or four people would pose no challenge to him, and his honest open demeanour would take suspicion away from him if he were ever found out.
"If he leaves at nine we'll make our move at ten, just to be sure. Do you know the movements of the prefects? Are they constant? Or is their routine different every night?" Monk-san asked, having no doubt that John had studied both so that he could move about freely if he chose. Joining Monk-san at the window John indicated each side of the building as he spoke.
"The boy tends to prowl the west side, while the girl takes the east. They fluctuate between the building itself and the outer grounds, coming together every hour or so to confer." John reported, pointing out where each would be at the time they were leaving. The girl would be prowling the area around the Sun Dorm, and the boy would be out near the horse paddocks.
"So we'll need to evade the girl…" Monk-san said thoughtfully.
"Or one of us must distract her." John suggested, which was the overall plan anyway. If John or Ayako could keep the girl busy it would give Monk-san and the other the chance they needed to get further away. In the end it was agreed that Ayako should distract the girl, since John knew the route the boy would take and when he was supposed to meet up with the girl to confer. With that plan ready and set, they settled down to await the time to go.
Okay, good eye-sight. That's not unusual. They sleep during the day…Well, they are a Night Class…That sweet scent…That suggests some kind of predator…They may live for a long time…I give up! Mai sighed as she flipped her notebook shut and shoved it back in her bag. She had been going round in circles all morning trying to figure out the Night Class, but she just didn't know enough.
She wasn't tired, which is why she had started writing in circles. Just idle thoughts, hoping something would link up and flick a switch. No such luck. She hadn't spoken to Ichijo since the incident with Shiki in the classroom. She knew Ichijo didn't hold it against her, at least he didn't show that he did, but she just couldn't help feeling that she had betrayed his trust. You know you did! You knew it the moment you went into his room and placed that camera!
Since then the cameras had been taken down. There was no point in leaving them up. Mai had stayed behind again to take them all down, feeling just as dirty this time as she had the last time. Hearing a knock on her door Mai got to her feet and crossed the room, surprised to find Ichijo waiting outside with an easy smile.
"You appear to be avoiding me." He stated kindly, Mai blushing lightly, not quite knowing how to respond to the blatant accusation. It was true, she had been avoiding him, but she could hardly tell him that without him asking why. She wouldn't be able to respond to that 'why' without blowing her cover. Instead she stammered out with.
"O-Of course not! Why would you think such a thing?" Which didn't convince Ichijo. It wouldn't even have convinced Mai if their positions had been reversed. She had always been a terrible liar.
"Mai, you haven't done anything to worry about." Ichijo said awkwardly, clearly trying to allay her fears without revealing anything about himself. He must be talking about the cameras, but how can he not blame me for that? It's my fault! I did it! Though technically she knew it had been on Naru's orders, but she couldn't just pass the blame like that. "I thought you might be lonely up here awake in the middle of the day, so I brought you this." The blonde added as he handed Mai the next volume of the gothic vampire manga she had been reading.
"Thank you." Mai replied gratefully as she took the book, allowing the blonde boy to enter her room. It was only fair. She had been in his room half a dozen times. It was about time they spent time together in her own. Ichijo headed to the window and peered around the blackout curtains, pulling back with a squint. Sensitive to sunlight?
"It's quite a bright day!" Ichijo exclaimed as he looked across at Mai with a warm smile before slipping into the desk chair, allowing Mai to take the bed. It was nice to spend time with the blonde again. Mai smiled as she read the manga, able to feel Ichijo just sitting in the chair with his own book. It didn't take much time for her to nod off, and that was when Ichijo made his move.
Sorry about this Mai…He thought guiltily as he opened her draw with barely a whisper, his ears listening intently for any form of movement outside the room. There was nothing out of the ordinary in her drawer. He went for her bag, his eyebrow raising as he found her school bus pass for Tokyo, and an ID card to SPR. Well, we already knew she wasn't really a student here…
He could only see school books in her bag, but wait! There was another notebook, a scruffy looking one that seemed to have been carried around for a long time. Picking it up he flipped the first page, seeing notes about various schools, churches, spiritual sites and haunted houses she had been to. It was like a small case book, where Mai tried to make sense of things. Her thoughts and diagrams were fascinating.
She has good instincts…The blonde thought regretfully as he finally turned to the latest pages, which were all about the Night Class and the strange feeling they gave her. There was the fact that Kaname was clearly the most powerful, but there was another power lurking. She was close to figuring them out. If she got one more clue or circled a few more times she would have them. Why did you have to do it? Why did you have to be so…perceptive! He knew that if he showed this to Kaname Mai would be in trouble. Ichijo slipped the notebook back into her bag and got to his feet, intending to return to his own room to think.
"Mmm…Mummy! No…blood…stop…" Mai murmured, her face scrunched up slightly as she turned onto her side, the manga falling to the floor as Ichijo approached the bed to wake Mai. He leaned down, a hand reaching out to shake her shoulder when he saw it, a faint white bite mark on her throat. It wasn't one of the Night Class. It was old. Far too old. Wait…Taniyama…Where have I heard that name before? The blonde wondered, wracking his memory as he ran a hand through Mai's honey locks, his eyes widening as he found what he was looking for.
Making sure she was sitting at the back of the class between Naru and the window Mai pulled out her notebook, shielding it as best she could from any prying eyes. They shouldn't be able to see it from where they're sitting anyway, but you never know…She thought as she added sensitive eyes to her circling diagram, which was yielding very few conclusions at the moment. Beside her she noticed Naru's sharp eyes peering over her arm to look at the notebook, nodding his head slightly in agreement or approval, she wasn't sure which.
Any ideas? She finally chanced writing on the edge of her notebook, giving Naru's foot a very gentle tap as she did so. After a moment Naru reached across silently to scribble his neat response.
None that seem plausible right now, though I think we can safely rule out any sort of possession. He added, Mai nodding her agreement, both unaware of the sharp eyes of Ichijo. He was sitting in front of them and could read every word they had written, not to mention the addition Mai had made to her list. They're getting too close! He thought, knowing he would have to have a response ready for his friends and family later. They knew he was reading whatever Mai and Naru wrote. They were relying on him. And yet I have no intention of letting them kill Mai…I wish John were here…He always knew what to do. He sighed, thinking of his old friend when they had travelled together back in his hunter days.
For the rest of the lesson Ichijo watched as Mai and Naru bounced ideas back and forth, noting with unease that vampire was one of their theories. At the moment neither seemed to put much stock in it, for which he was grateful. That gave him a little more time to find some way of distracting them.
