Chapter 2
Mai jerked from her peaceful slumber around 2 am, despite remembering the red glare of her alarm clock displaying 11:45 pm as she fought the exhaustion that had fought its way to the forefront of her mind. She reached for the metal bucket, lined with a store bag for just this reason, placed within reach of her bed and relived the ramen she had been digesting. She fought the reflex, her chest heaving with the action and her brow coated in a thin sheen of sweat. She could still smell the blood coated room she had found Masako trapped within. The labyrinthine interior trapped the smell within the small space, and she remembered, clearly, the stench as she hurled herself around the corner in her haste.
Mai breathed deeply, cringing at the after taste left in her mouth. Her lips pulled down in a frown as she realized her body was covered in sweat and she desperately needed a shower. Needed to wash the experience back into the deep recesses of her mind for another night.
Roughly three nights a week Mai found herself unlocking these doors unbidden and reliving the horror of her time with SPR. She never remembered being so- terrified- when she had experienced the memories first hand, but she tried not to dwell on it too much. On the nights she didn't dream of the past, she found herself drifting to thoughts of the future. These were worse than the memories. These nights she woke up cursing her psychic "gifts" as Naru had called them.
Sometimes she would relive the death of a complete stranger. Waking to find her body twisted much like the corpses in her dreams. She would later find bruises and cuts, self-inflicted as she flailed on her futon. Often time, she would lose control of her body, waking to find herself wet and humiliated by her lack of control.
Mai preferred the nights of agonizing memories over the torture of watching someone die and knowing there is little that can be done.
Mai grabbed a towel and dragged herself to the shower, sighing in pleasure as the hot water slid down her skin and pooled at her feet, washing away the damage and fear of the night. She focused solely on the comforting sound of rain, imagining she was in a storm that raged only for her. She centered herself, feeling calmer than she had since entering her home.
Stepping out, she wrapped the plush cloth around her torso and stared at the mirror clouded with condensation before her, using her palm to wipe away a section, so she could peer at her reflection. She wasn't surprised to see she had grown. She was short and petite, her hair, the same shade of brown it had always been, slid down past her shoulders. She had grown it out in hopes of a change and found she liked it this way. Her deep chestnut brown eyes made her look youthful in their size and distracted from the dark circles that lightly rested beneath them. Mai had grown use to them and brushed away any concern from her coworkers that she didn't get enough sleep.
After Naru left and her coworkers returned to their own busy lives, Mai had thought about finding a counselor to talk to once the nightmares began. She was covered financially under insurance provided through the same government agency that ruled her emancipation. She struggled with what she might say. "Hi, my name's Mai and I'm terrified to sleep because I see people die?" They would lock her up on the spot, no questions asked. She had even tried to broach the subject with Bou-san, Ayako, and John, but when she met with them, they were always so happy to see her. She couldn't imagine burdening them with her stupid nightmares. Only they weren't so stupid when she was experiencing them. Then, they were very, very real.
Mai grabbed her pack off the floor, heavy with her night school books. She pulled out the text for a class she knew she had a sufficient amount of homework to complete for. She glanced at the clock on the oven and realized there were still a few hours to go before she had to work. Grabbing a mug of freshly brewed coffee, she settled at the table to work, the memory resealing itself behind a shrouded door in the back of her mind as she focused on the work before her.
The scratching of her pencil and the ticking of the wall clock were the only sounds that broke the silence as the world slowly woke up outside. Mai was alone. Alone was comforting. She didn't need anyone to help her. She knew she could rely on herself. Everyone struggled with things in their lives. Who was she to think she was special? No, alone had gotten her through the last two years relatively unscathed. Alone was what was best for her. She would conquer her past fears and find a way to control her expanding powers by herself, and she would ultimately be stronger as a person for it.
Elsewhere, a young man watched out the small, rectangular window immediately to his right as the plane slowly descended onto the black pavement below. Rousing the older male beside him, he cleared his throat, his voice gruff with fatigue.
"We're here."
A.N. Okay, so these chapters are a bit shorter than I originally planned. However, I am very specific on where I stop a chapter, so it can't be helped. It just means I have time to get more out to you sooner. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think. Thanks!