AN~ In this chapter Mai mention's feeling tired. Now, I don't know about you guys but when a character says they are tired in a certain situation and then claim it is not sleep they need, well, my heart always skips a beat and I grow immensely sad. Because you know that is the moment they admit they are broken and want to give up. Secondly, I would like to point out that, though some may argue, I believe Naru and Mai are meant to be together. Gene is great but he's dead. If Naru is Sherlock then Gene had been his Watson. Mai is now his Watson. Naru needs Mai just as Sherlock needs Watson. You catch my drift? If Naru is the logic and reason Mai is the emotion and instinct. Together they make a normal person. Almost.
Also, I would like to apologize for the shortness of this chapter. As I said I have already uploaded on my prewritten chapters so they will come slower and possibly shorter until the end, which we are drawing up to shortly, and hope that you all don't mind too much. I'd rather give you guys something soon rather than a lot a month from now!
Naru fell asleep on the couch and when everyone had settled Mai slipped away to the girl's room, empty because everyone was sleeping in base again, and she sat down on one of the deep set window sills after changing into a clean dress. She didn't plan on getting much sleep that night as her thoughts were pulled to the past. Memories of her parents and what life had been like when they were still alive. And while she wished more than anything they had not passed she knew that she could never give up the family she had now and she wondered if that made her selfish. She felt guilty for having such thoughts.
She rested her head against the cold glass and shivered, still feeling the chill in her bones left over from the lake, and hugged her arms about herself. Thoughts of the lake filled with blood fluttered through her mind, like moth wings, not coherent or solid but there all the same.
"What have you done?" She whispered into the glass. "Prudence . . ."
The house creaked in the wind and she lifted a hand to her eyes.
She recalled the day she had first returned to the office and though it felt like years she knew that it had only been a couple of weeks since. But it all felt so hollow now. The happiness could not penetrate the choking depression she felt come over and she let out another sigh. It was the lingering affect of Kikio's touch, she was sure, because that woman's sadness had been so deep. Deeper than the lake she rested in. She missed her home, her family, she loathed the distress she had caused in Prudence, and she bemoaned the life of her unborn child, snuffed out before it could ever experience the world. But she had not allowed herself to falter in integrity. Even as the darkness of the afterlife, and all the negativity surrounding her, threatened to pull her down and change her. Mai wondered if it had something to do with the happiness the park inspired in others. Maybe Kikio being trapped in the lake, surrounded by trees that held up the skies for children and their families to play under, had encouraged her to keep holding on.
Either way she knew that after the night's horrors Naru would not allow her to save Prudence. Mai wasn't even sure if she wanted to save Prudence anymore, she wasn't sure if she wanted anything anymore.
She sat there for hours, thoughts circulating in her mind, of the case, of her life, and felt what little energy she had left drain away. Poor Prudence had had a horrible life and thought she had finally found her happily ever after. Mai could recall it from her memories shared with her that first night in the house. She had seen the days filled with love and laughter, before William had fallen into the drug business like his father before him. She could pick apart the flashes of recollection as expertly as any specialist thanks to the practice she had gotten in the year of Naru's absence. And she did just that throughout the night. She tortured herself with every happy memory Prudence had experienced, though the list was short in comparison to the horrors, and she wondered why she was any better than the long dead woman. She wondered if she had been in a similar situation if she would have acted any differently. How would she have managed to pull herself out of the downward spiral that Prudence had failed to and her heart skipped a beat.
She would not have been able to, she realized with sickening dread, she would have fallen prey to the same madness. If Mai had been forced to prostitute herself while her mother grew sick and died she would have been shaken. If she had finally married the boy she loved from childhood only for him to turn out to be a criminal and murderer she would have been broken. And if he had one day brought another woman home to bear his child because she could not she would have wanted to end it all.
She lifted her hands to her face, trembling, and let out a shaky breath.
Was that all life was? A series of events that could or could not happen but would inadvertently shape the people they would become?
She guessed so.
And how lucky that meant she was.
Because she had had a teacher who cared enough to take her in. Because she happened to find a school that would let her attend tuition free. Because Naru had walked into her classroom one night while they were telling ghost stories and given her purpose.
What would have happened if her parents had lived?
Would she even be there now, suffering, while the others struggled to hold the team together?
Round and round they went and by the time midnight rolled around she was so thoroughly exhausted in mind and body, yet unable to sleep, that she felt like crying. But she did not have the energy to.
The door to their bedroom opened but she did not look to see who it was. Footsteps moved across the hardwood and rugs towards her but she did not turn to greet them. And when a chair was settled next to her she did not dare to look at the figure she could just make out from the corner of her eye.
She sat, one leg dangling to the ground, one arm across her stomach, and the other resting on the edge of the sill, limp as any dead body she had ever seen. Which was something quite horrible to comprehend. She had seen a lot of dead bodies in her life. And stared out at the moonlit night wondering if she could just fade away into the silvery glow like so many spirits before her.
"Mai." He called to her.
Go away, she thought dully, I don't want to talk.
Hadn't he been asleep on the couch? Why in the world would he have woken up just to come and bother her? He had been acting strange ever since he had returned to Japan and it was enough to drive her insane, or at least, it had been. But now she found herself losing interest in even his actions and could not bring herself to voice her questions that quickly faded away.
"Look at me," he ordered, because he knew for certain that she had heard him.
Mai turned her eyes to him, took in the disheveled appearance she had never before seen him wear, not even after he had been possessed and then used his PK to destroy that demigod in the cursed house had he looked as tired and ruffled as he did then. And then returned her gaze to the trees outside the window.
"Stop this," Naru muttered darkly.
"I'm tired, Naru," she finally spoke, her voice quiet with none of the usual bite or sarcasm behind it.
"Why aren't you sleeping then?" he asked with the slightest hints of annoyance in his tone.
"Sleep won't help," she mumbled. Her eyes were stuck now on the window, unseeing, and she could not bring them back into focus for the life of her. Prudence. Prudence. Prudence. Her mind was stuck.
Naru paused to contemplate the meaning she was getting at and his eyes hardened. "That's disappointing," he drawled and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed.
"It is," she answered absently.
"Because I was under the impression that you weren't so weak," he continued as soon as the words had left her mouth and she snapped her mouth shut.
"Me too," she answered with a derisive chuckle and sighed.
"My efforts have been wasted with you, it would seem," he cut her off. "What would your father think of you now?"
"Your efforts?" she questioned with a laugh. She ignored the mention of her father and turned her head to face Naru with a quirked brow. "The ones where you hired me and had me make tea for you?"
"Yes," Naru answered simply and stared at her. His eyes were blank and his expression dry.
"Naru," she began quietly and finally pushed herself up, though it looked like it pained her as she was still sore and cold, and lacking in energy. "I spent two years thinking about you," she continued, "from the moment I met you I knew you had suffered in life. It was in your eyes. In the lifeless way you interacted with people. In the way you viewed yourself. And I wondered where the kindness was. Because all those who have suffered tend to be the kindest people of all."
Naru's expression did not change as she spoke, some would wonder if he were even listening, but Mai knew better. He was giving her his full and undivided attention.
"And then I dreamt of Gene for the first time and I thought 'this is the kindness I want him to have, it's in there somewhere, I just know it'." She paused and adjusted the hem of her dress, which she had just realized had been rather revealing with how her legs were placed. But she could not bring herself to care all that much at that point. "And then I was introduced to your pet coin and I thought 'Ah, there it is' and it made me so happy," she smiled at the memory. "And I had so much fun arguing with you all the time on top of it," she laughed, "I never really had anyone who would put up with my bratty sarcastic side, but you did. And you returned fire." She sighed upon seeing his dead stare but sent him a gentle smile, "Then I started to notice other things. Your unwillingness to take chances with other people's lives. How you tried to get the best outcome for everyone on every case. And the fact that you weren't really a narcissist at all."
She leaned forward and poked him in the chest, glad to see that his eyes followed her hand, before continuing, "It was thanks to you that I found myself. My calling and my new family. So when you finally found Gene and said you were going to close the office I was devastated. I felt so lost and I knew I would never see you again so I confessed my feelings because I hate 'What ifs'," she scowled and waved her hand about, "It was really bad timing now that I think about it," she mumbled the last bit. "And then you asked if it was you or Gene and smiled at me like Gene would and that hurt. I knew you wanted it to hurt. . ." she trailed off in thought, recalling the day. "Here I had mistaken your brother for you and had pinned all these expectations on you, I'm sure you were angry . . . But you know what I liked best about you?" She trailed off, waiting for him to make some kind of comment about his looks, but when he didn't she lifted her eyes to his and saw a rather intimidating gleam in his eyes and she knew he desperately wanted to know. "The fact that you were so kind to me but never expected anything in return, never gloated about what you had done for me, maybe threatened to fire me every once in a while, but you know . . ." she trailed off again and she smiled, "You were just happy to help."
Naru dropped his gaze to the floor between them, though they did linger the her ankle for a moment, before he lifted a hand to his chin and covered his mouth.
"Gene is kind. Gene is polite. Gene is helpful. But how could I love someone who I only met a handful of times in my dreams and who I later learned to be dead when I had such a challenging and fun person right in front of me. A complex person who struggled to keep everyone safe and in check while he desperately searched for the body of his own brother." She shook her head in exasperation and lifted her eyes to the ceiling for guidance. "Me or Gene?" she mimicked him, lowering her voice, and adopting a straight face. "What an un-narcissistic thing to say," she grumbled.
She finally fell silent and pulled both legs up onto the sill, straightening them out and crossing her ankles, and rested her hands in her lap.
"Mai," Naru spoke after what felt like an hour of silence between the two. It was obvious to him what needed to be said and so he tried to force the frown into a straight line and sighed. "I don't think you realize it but I don't feel emotions the same way you do," he began in a soft and slightly patronizing tone. "I don't feel sadness all that much, I cannot recall a single moment in my life when I had cried or felt overwhelmed. The only thing I know is pride."
"Really?" she shot back with a mocking look of curiosity. "Then why did you hire me?" She sat back in the sill and crossed her arms.
Naru did not respond.
"That camera was insured, Lin was better within a week, and the only thing I did in the office was make tea and get lunch," she listed them like bullet points on her fingers and smirked in an eerie and ironic reflection of the one he so often wore. When he did not respond she rolled her eyes, "It was because I was an orphan like you. You sympathized with me." She crossed her arms and turned her eyes to the window once more.
Naru pushed himself to his feet, eyes closed, and slid his hands into his pockets before turning away and leaving the room.
And Mai was left alone after confessing for the second time by the same man.
And it hurt more than the first time.
She turned her eyes to the door and stared at it long after it had been shut, gently, and she wondered what in the world made her think it had been a good time to bring up her feelings again. In those situations Naru would always turn his back to her. She knew that. And yet she continued to torture herself and wish that he would one day return her feelings.
She dropped her eyes to her hands and though the pain she felt from Naru's rejection still raged within her she found that, outwardly, she was rather blank and unaffected. The thought of the pain that Prudence had suffered, so utterly heartbreaking, was enough to steady her nerves and she slid her legs off of the sill and turned. She paused, ready to push herself to her feet, before she shook her head and stood.
Now was not the time to wallow in self pity, she decided, as there were people who still needed her help. She just needed to figure out how to help. With that in mind she slipped out of the girl's room and into the base. All but one of the lights were turned off, a single lamp next to the bank of monitors was turned on where Lin sat, she noted that the man was listening to the audio thanks to the large headphones over his ears.
Rocco lifted his head from where he sat by the couch upon hearing her and she whispered his name. The dog pushed himself to his feet and trotted after her as she made her way towards the door.
Naru was no where in sight. He had probably gone back to his room to take a shower and get some actual rest, something he rarely ever did, and she was glad for it. She intended to do some investigating of her own and she did not need him to berate her and force her into resting at that moment.
As silently as she could she pulled the door to the base open and stepped through, holding it open just long enough for Rocco to slip out, before she shut it gently and looked up and down the hall. At night the hotel was a whole other monster, she thought dryly in an attempt to stave off the fear she felt fluttering in her chest, as the lights were shut off and the halls gave off an ominous vibe. It was too quiet. The silence was suffocating in the large and open halls illuminated only by the dim moonlight. Not even the sound of Rocco's panting and shuffling gate could break the stifling atmosphere as the two sidled down the hall.
Mai was not sure what exactly she was hoping to find in the hotel at night. She just needed some kind of sign or an answer of how to help and she was sure she could find it if she only opened her senses and actually looked. Despite her best intentions, though, she could not help but feel like a mouse in the den of a dragon. As she and Rocco shuffled out towards the main staircase and she looked down at the main foyer, empty of any people, she felt as if one sound would wake the whole house and set the demons upon her. She lifted a hand and placed it on the banister hesitantly before she padded down the marble steps. It was cold on her bare feet but she took no notice of it as she followed her gut instinct and turned left into the ballroom.
It was only after she had entered the grandiose room that she remembered there was a camera set up to look into it. Too late now, she thought and glanced over her shoulder at the device in the corner of the room. The red power light glowed in the darkness and she scowled before turning back to take in the ballroom wistfully. The mosaic floor was hard to make out in the gloom but swaths of moonlight spilled forth from the tall windows and cut across it helpfully. There were potted plants everywhere along the walls and their leaves threw interesting shadows across the room. She felt like she was in some jungle ruins.
It must have been nice back in the day when the sounds of laughter and music spilled forth, feet tapping away to the music as partners swirled across the floor. She closed her eyes and spun about in place, feeling her own dress swirls about her knees, and nearly fainted when she felt warm hands grasp her own.
She feared that if she opened her eyes it would be some monster holding on to her, but no, those hands were far too warm and gentle. She lifted her lids and stared down at the hands over hers. They were not familiar in the least. Slowly her eyes followed up the arm clothed in a tailored black suit, until her brown orbs met green of quiet sadness.
"Alexander," she stated quietly, her voice wavering.
He smiled back kindly in return and pulled her across the floor. They fell into a simple dance and she was at a loss on how to react. It must have taken him a huge amount of energy to appear before her and even more so to actually hold on to her and lead her in a dance yet his sad smile never wavered as he watched her. This was dangerous, she realized with a start, where was Prudence? She had seen both Kikio and now Alexander that day but the infamous Prudence had yet to make an appearance.
"She is asleep," he whispered quietly to her and chuckled when Mai blinked at him in surprise.
"How do I help her?" Mai asked, determined not to waste time and to get straight to the point. She knew Alexander did not have the time to waste either as his form was already fading, his hands growing a little less warm, and his smile faltering.
"I don't know," he answered in a whisper and tears streamed down his face as he fought the overwhelming emotions. He shook his head sadly and came to a stop.
"It's okay," Mai whispered in reply even as he stepped back and turned his face away from her. He faded from existence right before her eyes and she fell silent, staring at where he had stood not moments before, her mind racing a hundred miles a minute. Not even Alexander knew how to help Prudence and he had loved her the most out of everybody. She clearly had a lot more digging to do but she had no leads to go off of. She wrapped her arms around herself as she thought, listening to Rocco as his nails clacked across the tile floor, and realized he had not reacted to Alexander's presence in the least. She wondered if it was only negative spirits that caused him distress. It would be an interesting thought to discuss with Naru but she did not feel up to communicating with him at the moment. She just felt tired. She was not getting any closer to helping Prudence and she had already almost died twice on the case.
"Mai."
The stern voice caused her to jump and she spun on the spot to find Lin standing in the doorway, a slight frown marring his face, and she knew it was time to return to base. He had no doubt seen her on the camera and while she liked him she could not stop the spike of irritation that rose within her at that moment. She still had so much to do and he was simply hindering what little progress she had made.
"Sorry," she muttered as she made her way across the ballroom towards him. She heard Rocco trot after her.
"Are you feeling well?" he asked as she drew near, watching the way she moved, trying to determine if she had been hurt.
"I'm fine," she answered with a sigh.
Lin quirked a brow as she drew near, noting that she was still covered in dirt from the lake shore. She had yet to clean herself up and had almost immediately disappeared the moment no one was looking. Despite the suspicious behavior he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt but he could not deny the strangeness of catching her on film dancing with herself. He was no fool but he knew better than to push a woman after she had just experienced something traumatizing. As Mai brushed passed him to begin her trek back to the girl's room he cleared his throat and muttered quietly, "You should probably clean yourself up a bit, Taniyama-san."
Mai spun on her heel to stare at him, wide eyed and blushing, before she turned back to the foyer and stomped on ahead of him. "Rude," she muttered and clenched her fists as they returned to the base but she did catch the smirk the man was wearing and chuckled moments later. She was still dirty, wasn't she?
It was the next day when everything came crashing down around Mai's ears. She had begun to feel positive, as she always did after her bouts of depression and anger, when it was revealed by Martin that they would be exorcising the spirit. Prudence.
She had showered in the early morning hours and caught a few hours of sleep before she had tiredly dragged herself out of bed, ignorant of the way her hair stood on end, and shuffled out into the base where everyone was already gathered. Unsurprisingly she had slept in but no one blamed her for it this morning. They were all gathered on the couches while Martin stood and addressed them all the while she went about making herself a cup of coffee. Let's face it, one does not survive off of just tea with only a handful of hours of sleep, Naru was inhuman and so did not count. She lifted the steaming mug to her face and breathed in the sweetly bitter scent when her ears caught the words 'Exorcism' and 'today' and she nearly dropped the mug onto her bare toes. As it was she managed to catch it before it hit the ground but she still managed to spill the boiling liquid across her feet and she gasped.
"What did you say?" she exclaimed through the tears of pain while a trembling hand held her coffee mug aloft over her red and burning toes.
All eyes turned to her with varying levels of surprise, amusement, and sympathy. But none compared to the look of cold certainty that Naru displayed. He stood with his arms crossed next to his father who had paused mid-speech to stare at Mai in concern.
"I said we will be trying to exorcise the demon today, as it is rare for someone of such strength to accomplish this, I recommended that we test the waters with a few different methods first . . ." Martin reiterated slowly while his look of concern turned slightly patronizing. It was clear he had picked up on her lack of intelligence through Naru, or he was just emulating how his son treated her, but she did not notice it at the time.
"But you can't . . ." Mai mumbled and scanned the rest of the team, hoping to find a supporting member, but they all turned their eyes away from her. Naru refused to look at her then and simply closed his eyes with a sigh.
"Mai," Martin began slowly and briefly glanced at his son before continuing, "I understand that you feel particularly attached to this spirit but once they began to turn, in such an extent as this one has, there is no saving them . . ." He trailed off upon noticing the look of wrath that she had leveled on him and shut his mouth.
"She is not some pet I happened to find on the street with rabies," she grit out and clenched her fists, again forgetting the coffee mug and nearly spilling more. Reminded of the pain her ire increased tenfold and she growled in frustration.
"Mai . . ." Masako stood from where she sat on the couch to face her, "I understand your pain." She muttered quietly and clasped her hands together in front of her as her expression grew rather melancholy. "But even I must admit that the rage I feel from Prudence is not one that we could ever hope to compete with . . ."
Mai stared wide eyed at Masako, disbelief written plainly across her face, and clamped her mouth shut as emotions waged war within her chest. She could not believe that Masako of all people would turn her back on a spirit so clearly in need of help, especially when others requested they help her, and was having trouble processing the information as she turned back to the table and set the sticky coffee mug down. "I see," she said quietly and it set off a warning bell within every head of the SPR team.
Monk sat forward in his seat and set his hands on his knees, prepared to push himself to his feet, "Mai-."
"Don't bother, Monk," Mai snapped, refusing to turn to face them all, and shut her eyes. She rested a hand over the mouth of the coffee mug and gripped the hot sides with her fingers, hoping to steady herself with the pain as the steam curled up against her palm, but no amount of suffering could quell her anger in that moment. It was a dangerous emotion that nestled itself within the pit of her stomach. "I promised myself that I would see this through," she muttered quietly and opened her eyes to stare out the window and below, "And I will not go back on my word." She turned on her heel to face them all though her eyes remained on the wall behind them, "Do what you think is right," she said with a deadly calm, "But don't expect my compliance."
"Mai!" Ayako admonished and pushed herself off of the couch to move towards the girl but she was already brushing past her and towards the door. Bare feet and all. And was gone before any of them could say otherwise. It was only after the door had shut that they realized she had taken Rocco with her.
Mai let out a breath of air to calm her nerves. She sat under the large oak tree that stood like a guardian between the wood and the clearing of the park. Behind it's leaves she knew the lake sat innocent and waiting for its next victim. But now was not the time to worry about that. She shook her head and closed her eyes against the peaceful daylight that warmed her skin and flickered in the breeze through the trees. The anger she had felt earlier still slithered beneath her skin and she was having trouble in taming it. She was frustrated that after all the time, all the cases they had worked together on, they did not believe her capable to cleansing a spirit. She had once cleansed twenty spirits all at the same time while the team wondered around confused and lost in a sealed building. She was quite capable of cleansing Prudence, she just had to figure out how to approach her.
She steadied her breathing while listening to the panting of Rocco who sat at her side. The dog was acting as her guard, though he did not appear in anyway alert as he casually turned his head this way and that, unable to see but taking in the scents and sounds available to him. She trusted him to react if someone were to approach. So she counted to ten and tightened her muscles, relaxing them one by one, and worked to calm her emotions. Her breathing steadied and her mind wandered and soon she could feel the gentle warmth of the astral plain on her skin.
"Gene," she called across the astral plain, her voice echoing across the darkness, and the floating orbs around her seemed to brighten upon noticing her presence.
"What are you thinking Mai?" he asked wearily, a frown marring his features as he appeared before her.
"I need a spirit guide," she answered simply. She watched him steadily as he approached and tried to garner his reaction. She had never before asked for his assistance in this manner so she was unsure of how to proceed. He had always been the one to guide her and show her what she needed to see before he would disappear. But now she had summoned him in hopes of a favor.
Gene quirked a brow but moved closer towards her curiously. "I hope you're not thinking of digging deeper into this mess, you need to leave it alone, learn when to call it quits," he lectured lightly but noticed the determined gleam in her eyes and sighed. She looked livid, as if she had just come from a fight and was ready for more, and he could not deny the little thrill he felt at the thought of being a bit mischievous. He had been cooped up on the astral plain and in his brother's reflection for far too long.
"I am doing exactly that," she exclaimed and shut her eyes against the ire she felt and huffed. "I know I can figure this out and I refuse to let them exorcise her."
Gene's face turned blank and Mai scowled. "Don't give me that, you don't get to pull his faces," she shot back and Gene snorted.
"What's your plan?" he asked curiously.
"I don't know yet," she answered honestly and rolled her eyes when Gene lifted his own to the heavens, a strange concept given they were on the astral plain.
"Mai, Prudence is too far gone, there is no purpose behind her actions . . ." he trailed off and watched as her shoulders fell. He pulled his lips into a tight line and looked down at her from his height before sighing. "This better not be because of what happened between you and the idiot," he muttered.
Mai's eyes widened and she stuttered, "How do you know about that?"
Gene did not respond verbally, he only shrugged one shoulder and slid a hand into one of his pockets before he lifted his eyes to the astral plain around them. He was silent for a few moments while Mai stewed in her embarrassment. "I've done a lot of time thinking . . ." he shifted his weight to one leg and brought his free hand up to his mouth in thought.
"About what?" Mai asked curiously. She wondered what the late Eugene Davis thought about in his afterlife. The pressing matter of Prudence's situation could wait, as time always seemed to slow in the astral plain, and she devoted her full attention to the boy in front of her.
"About why I can't seem to move on and what it means to be a perfect medium," he answered after a moments silence and dropped his hand into his other pocket. "I think the two are connected. I think that a medium's job is to help the dead in life but also to help the living in death," he continued and dropped his eyes to Mai who seemed perplexed by the statement but he also was well aware of the wheels turning in her head and he smirked.
"What do you mean?" she asked hesitantly and crossed her arms against a shiver that worked its way up her spine.
"I mean that I am not meant to move on, Mai, I never was," he shrugged helplessly. "I worried, at first, that if I lingered I would begin to turn like other spirits before me but I have been monitoring my mental state, as has Naru, and nothing has changed. There have been no fluctuations in my mood no matter the emotions that I am surrounded by. . ."
"But why?" Mai pondered aloud and scratched her cheek in thought. How sad of an existence Gene would be forced to lead if he only had her and his brother to converse with for the rest of their lives. Would he continue on after they had grown old and passed? She grew somber at the thought and her lips pulled into a frown. That seemed so unfair to her and it frustrated her. It would be another problem for her to worry about in days to come.
Gene shrugged again and lifted his eyes from where they had fallen to his feet as he continued to wonder about his theory. He did not want to tell her that she may suffer the same fate when the time came. Her powers were continuing to expand and at the rate she was going he had no doubt she would one day become a perfect medium just like him. But he also had another theory in regards to his own abilities that he was tempted to test soon if given the chance.
Mai shook her head to rid herself of the gloomy thoughts and straightened her posture.
"There was one person in those dreams that you showed me who was never quite explained and I think I know why," she covered the last bit of distance between them and stopped. "I want to see the memories regarding Alexander."
Gene looked at her like she had grown a second head but he sighed, "Fine." He took her hand as he always did and led her through the astral plain to a flickering light in the distance. As they walked the two were laden with heavy thoughts. But Mai brightened as they drew closer to the specific light Gene was leading her to. It seemed such a jovial and happy light that Mai felt Gene must have made a mistake, how could something so innocent connected to that case even exist. But Gene ignored or did not notice her hesitation, moved behind her, and pushed her into the light.
Unlike her usual visions, this one came in fast jolting images and memories, and assaulted her mind with such force that she was pushed to her knees.
"You can't do that Prudence!"
It was a childish voice that objected the actions of his young friend. Prudence was perched on the roof of the barn, wearing an impish grin, and kicking her feet over the edge.
"Says who," she questioned.
"Mama said we shouldn't do that, it's dangerous," Alexander exclaimed and stomped his foot.
"Your mom is boring, mine never tells me not to do anything," Prudence bragged.
"That's because your mom thinks you're an angel and don't know no better," Alexander snapped back and crossed his arms.
"Hehe," Prudence giggled in triumph and applauded the boy when he sighed and followed her up onto the roof.
"Mama is sick," Prudence whispered to Alexander as they sat on the same roof years later. They had both grown so tall in that time . . .
"She's always been sick," Alexander said encouragingly, "she'll pull through."
"I don't think so, papa's not here to take care of her anymore," Prudence whimpered as tears trailed down her face.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of you," Alexander whispered back and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
Alexander watched as Prudence giggled and played with William, a boy wearing expensive clothes, and braiding daisy chains while they whispered conspiringly between each other about the things they would do to the world when they were adults.
Alexander watched as Prudence wasted away after her mother's death and comforted her the nights she could not meet up with William. He held her close those nights and whispered words of encouragement into her ear.
Alexander attended the wedding and smiled for her in his best suit while a new woman hung from his arm. But her eyes were the same blue as Prudence's.
He held her the night she had run to him upon witnessing William's first kill.
He argued with her to leave . . .
He held her hand the nights she was sick with despair . . .
He watched her wither away again under William's tyranny . . .
He fought with William and was chased through the woods by gunfire . . .
He received word of Prudence's deteriorating health through the mouths of the servants . . .
He heard of her death and wept . . .
And he charged into the manor with little regard for those around him and drew to a stop in front of a mad William, clenched his fists, and lunged for the man without hesitation . . .
"Please help her."
Mai blinked and found herself standing before a man who was little more than a street rat in life but was oh so princely and charming in death. He looked ever the gentleman, just as she had remembered him to be from the night before, and from Prudence's memories as well. Tears poured from his eyes as he held a hand out to her pleadingly. She was all he had left to save Prudence, the woman he had loved, still loved, and would always love for as long as time. He had held on for nearly a century, fighting the madness that threatened to consume him day and night, just to hold Prudence back. It was he that had contained her rage to the best of his abilities through out the years. He soothed her soul with his very presence and lured unsuspecting humans away from her. But on the nights when the property was flooded with hundreds of living souls his presence was often lost among them and her's as well, and he was unable to hold her back. He felt guilt for the lives lost but knew that the woman, Kikio, had collected them and held them tight within her grasp so as to protect them from the same fate as Prudence. She held their madness at bay while the positivity of those that visited the park and the unborn spark of life within her anchored her to reality.
"How?" Mai asked, hearing her voice echo in the plain and winced when a rush of wind whipped her hair into her eyes. How could she possibly help Prudence when the man closest to her was unable to do anything? She had hoped to cleanse Prudence but she was beginning to see how impossible it would be. No amount of persuasion on her part would be able to curb the rage and soothe the grudge that woman held to her chest like her own sickly and poisoned beating heart.
"Ma would know," he answered desperately. He saw the way her shoulders had fallen and the utter look of defeat that had come over her face and grew frantic. His last string of hope was dangling in front of him and he would not allow it to falter now.
Mai lifted her gaze to him upon hearing the tone of his voice and something within her chest pulled taught. She realized she was his last hope in that moment too and determination to help swelled within her once more as she pushed herself to her feet and brushed off her knees. She straightened and offered him her most reassuring smile, "Then I guess we'll have to get Ma." She lifted her hand to him encouragingly with a chuckle, surprised by her own strength of will.
Alexander laughed with relief, tears still dripping down his cheeks, and drifted towards Mai's outstretched hand.
Just as their fingers brushed against each other Mai's eyes snapped open to the sight of the park around her once more. She dropped her eyes to the dog at her side, noticing that he was facing her with a curious tilt to his head, and smiled before lifting a hand to scratch him behind the ears. She could still feel the warmth from Alexander lingering across her fingers and she absently wondered how long it would last before she pushed herself to her feet and stretched. She felt and heard her spine crack as she reached for the leaves above her and sighed.
"I have to find out about her mother," she mumbled thoughtfully and tugged on Rocco's leash, urging him to his paw, and lead the way back to the hotel. There was one person she knew she could go to for research and secrecy and she knew just where to find him.