The Mystery Girl

In my garden,

where the grass grows and the flowers bloom,

I hold a little secret.

A little secret that is held within me.

"Leave me alone!" I screamed as I pushed past the branches. I tripped over a large root that laid in front of me, something that I had not seen. In my panic, I was surprised that I was able to catch my balance before I fell to the ground. I continued to run as fast as I could, refusing to look back at the things I knew were chasing me. "Please!"

In my garden

where nothing dies and nothing survives

I hold much knowledge

Much knowledge that I keep to hidden

I pushed myself further, making the fire that engulfed my legs as motivation to move away from them; away from this terrible place. Any air that had been in my lungs were gone, making the energy I needed slowly evaporate. I needed to escape before I ended like the rest of them. I needed to be free and safe.

In my garden

where I hold my little secret and my much knowledge

There is nowhere to hide.

Nowhere to hide or escape.

"Please! Leave me alone!" I screamed, knowing that they would not hear me. I knew that no matter what I said, they would never leave, but something within me wanted me to try. Something within me made me scream out in pleads to leave. But they never would. Though, just before I had lost all my hope, ahead, I saw a light. No, not a light. A clearing. There was an escape from this dark forest that had engulfed me.

In my garden

where no one can escape

I hold the truth

I hold the truth of everything within this world and the next

Despite everything within me crying to stop, I forced myself forward. I was almost free. I was almost out of this horrible place. Happiness and Hope flooded me as I broke from the darkness and out into the light. I stopped enough to look at my surrounds to see that I was now on a road. That behind me, the forest and the things that had been chasing me had stopped. I was free. I was free from death.

In my garden

where secrets and knowledge and truth hide

I take what I need to survive

To survive, I take those who discover my secret

A loud noise startled me and I turned around in what felt like slows motion as bright lights blind me. I put my hand up to shield my eyes in time to see a car moving at me, unable to stop in time.

A loud whistling sound appeared and Mai, who was sitting at her desk, half asleep, suddenly sat up in her chair on high alert. She looked around for a second, before pushing herself up from the chair and running towards the kitchen. She quickly pulled the hot kettle from the flame before moving it towards the up and pouring the steaming water inside of it. The smell of fresh brew tea filled the air around her and she quickly shut off the stove as she placed the kettle back on it.

"In other news, a body of a seventeen year old girl was found on the interstate just outside Shibuya. According to eye witnesses, the young girl was seen running out of the forest alongside the interstate looking confused and disoriented before stopping right in front of a car…"

"That's terrible," Mai said as she carried the tea through the office and over to the door on the right that had a CEO plate written on it. She knocked three times before waiting for an answer. When she heard him answer, she entered. "Hey Naru, did you hear what was on the news about the teenager?"

"The one who was hit by the car after she had run out on the middle of a street? Yes I have. What does it have to do with us?" He asked with a distained look on his face. Naru, with his dark ocean blue eyes and raven black hair, sat in the darkest part of his room, with only the rays of a lamp to light his work. Ever since the last case, Naru had been sitting in his office more and more, looking at the files he had endless amounts of. Why he did this, no one really knew. Bou-san just figured because he had no life, which may be true but since he was Mai's boss she wasn't going to ask.

"Don't be like that Naru! It was an accident I'm sure," Mai said as she placed the tea on his desk in front of him. She gave him a sour look but he completely ignored it.

"We have a client coming in later today and Lin is out. I need you to be here to take notes," Naru said as he grabbed a file that was on the desk. He opened it and held it in front of his face, secretly telling her to leave. But Mai being Mai, she was completely obviously to this and continued the conversation.

"Where's Lin?" She asked as she tilted her head to the side.

"He'll be back tomorrow," Naru said, ending the conversation there. Mai puffed out her face in a pout before turning and leaving the office.

A few hours later after Mai had finished whatever filing Naru had given her, there was a knock on the door. Mai jumped from her seat happily and walked over to open it.

"Ah hello," said a nervous looking woman. She was around the same high as Mai but her hair was darkened from the rain. "Are you Shibuya-san?"

"No, my name is Mai Taniyama, but please come in, you must be cold." Mai moved aside and let the woman walk inside. She motioned her to go to the couch before putting more water on a flame for her and Naru. "Here let me take your coat. Naru will be out in a miunte."

"Naru?" The woman asked as she took off her coat. Mai felt her face go red.

"A Shibuya-chan" Mai smiled at the woman. As she walked to hang the coat up, she heard a door open and Naru walked out, carrying his usually black notebook.

"Miss Kaszu I assume?" Naru took his place across from the woman on the couch.

"Yes, thank you again for seeing me." She straightened herself out as a whistling sound went off in the background. Mai got up to go get the tea as Naru started. She could hear them talking about something, but what she couldn't quite make out. She wondered if they would take this case. The last few ones Naru has rejected and Mai has been kind of sick of the office and filing all day.

"Tea's ready!" Mai announced as she walked out carrying two tea cups. As she stepped into the room though, she stopped dead in her tracks. The woman had her coat in her arms as she stood by the door. Naru and her both looked at Mai as she enter. "Ah…"

"Well thank you. I appreciate the help." She smiled before bowing and turning to leave. Mai tiled her head at Naru, who shut the door behind the woman.

"Is that it?" Mai asked as she placed the tea cups on her desk and watched Naru walk towards her office. "I thought you said I needed to take notes."

"It seems Miss Kaszu needs our help and she made it clear that we should help her. There is nothing to take notes on. We have this discussion over the phone before she arrived."

"Then what was I needed for?" Mai asked. Naru shrugged before grabbing his tea and heading to his office, but right before he could disappear into the darkness, the front door opened again.

"Um, is Shibuya in?" The person who had walked in was a young girl, just shorter then Mai. She had black hair loosely hanging around her face and from the low bun that hung behind her head. Her clothes here baggy but clung to her body from being soaked from the rain. It seemed the grey jacket she had did nothing to protect her from the harsh rains outside. "I ah need to talk to him. It's important."

"Yes, do you have an appointment?" Mai asked with a smile, trying to reassure the girl. Her brown eyes were staring at Naru and Mai with such fear that Mai wasn't sure if the girl was going to run or attack them.

"I ah need an appointment?" The girl bit her lip as she looked at them nervously. Mai turned to Naru, letting the decision be up to him. He was the boss. Though to her surprise, Naru seemed to be studying the girl intently. She wasn't sure if this was because of how nervous the girl was or if he was debating whether or not to take the time to listen to what she had to say. "I'm sorry!" The girl said suddenly. "I'll ah just come back another time, really I should just go."

"Sit down," Naru said moving towards the couch. "Mai get this girl a towel and something warm to drink."

"Tea or coffee?" Mai smiled at the girl. This seemed to confuse the girl a little but then she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Ah coffee please," The girl said as she awkwardly walked over to the couch. Mai nodded her head before going to reheat the water and get a towel or two for the girl. When Mai came back with the towels, she handed them to the girl and sat down next to her with another in case she needed them. "Thank you."

"What is your name?" Naru asked. He had been waiting patiently to ask this. The girl pulled her black hair out of the bun and began to dry it with the towel she had been given. '

"Hastia," She said, staring at the table. "My name is Hastia."

"Well Hastia, what can I do for you?"

"There is um this thing in my-ah-around the house." She said. The whistle went off and Mai ran to get coffee. She heard completely silence as she did this and when she arrived back in the room, both Naru and Hastia were sitting in silence. "Thank you," She said as Mai handed her the coffee.

"Would you care to explain further?" Naru asked as Mai placed the tea down in front of him. She gave him a slight glare from the tone of his voice but he brushed it off like usual.

"I don't know how to explain it but there is this thing…and it talks to me. I can hear it speaking but I can never place where the voice is coming from."

"Can others hear it?"

"No, just me. I mean, I know I was special and can sometimes see things others couldn't but this things, its different than them."

"How so?"

"Before the things I see are clear and somewhere. This…this thing is like everywhere. There is no one place it is and when I do get close to it, there is a fuzzy mist thing. I don't know really how to explain it but I'm really frisking out about it. Whatever it is, it is not right. I only ever sense it or see it right before another incident."

"Incident?" Naru asked. Hastia took another sip of her coffee before placing it in her lap and holding it with both hands.

"Yea, recently a lot of um children have been missing. We've already talk to the police and everything and they are running around trying to find a suspect but I know they are never going to find one. Or at least a guilty one. This thing is somehow involved and it's taking and killing these kids."

"Thank you, we will look into it." Naru said as he stood up. He then turned and headed towards his office. Hastia looked so confused and startled that she just stared after him.

"Ah hold on," Mai got up and ran after Naru, catching the door as he went to close it. "Hey what was that about?" She asked as the door closed behind her.

"What do you mean?" Naru asked calmly as he sat behind his desk.

"'Thank you, we will look into it.'" Mai imitated Naru. "That girl really needs our help and apparently so does everyone else in that town.

"We don't know that." Naru stated, almost sighing it out. "This is all speculation. For all we know this girl is trying to use us to come to her town to prove to everyone she can really see spirits. And that is even if she can. We have nothing to base this suspesions off of and we should leave it to the police."

"But Naru-"

"Enough Mai," Naru snapped. Mai went silent and glared at him with hate. "This is my decision. I heard her out and that is it. Now please leave, I have work to do."

With that, Mai walked out of Naru's office, slamming the door behind her in anger. Hastia, who was sitting on the couch looking scared stared up at Mai.

"I should-ah-go" Hastia said getting up and placing the coffee on the table.

"I just need you to leave your information," Mai said with a smile.

"Why?" Hastia asked, looking confused.

"We are taking your case."

Hey everyone! I know I haven't updated in like...forever. Let's just saw forever. It kinda makes me look a little better. Well feel better about my neglecting you. I DIDN"T MEAN TO I SWEAR! Anyway, heres the NEW Garden of Beauty chapter I promised and I hope you all enjoy it!

Also, one of the reasons I haven't updated recently is because well...I got a book published. You guys should all check it out on Facebook! It's called "Experiments of War" and yes the profile pic is of a bunny. I know I know it makes no sense but once your read it Im sure it will. But PLEASE check it out! It's awesome I swear! And so worth it but yea again CHECK IT OUT yay! loves.