I'm now 15 years old.
It feels like any day I could go to school and see Naru there, alone looking for the corpse of his other half.
I shouldn't linger on these things though so I have been keeping myself distracted.
Yes. I've been trying to train my powers but it's kind of difficult if you don't have a mentor to teach you.
Astral projection is a highly dangerous art to practice without mental and physical fortitude or without a spirit guide. It's like walking in total darkness .Without the right tools, you can get lost, you can trip and get hurt and an animal (or ghost in this case) can attack.
If you get lost, you can't return to your body. If you don't return to your body, it falls into a deep sleep called a coma. I like living, thank you very much.
As for my ESP, I made sure to pay attention to any weird feelings. Latent ESP users can use their abilities their entire life without realizing it, it's an innate ability, completely natural (or as natural as the supernatural).
Being a medium is a little bit more complicated. They feel on a different level than others, they gather more information than others could by simply walking down a street of houses. They feel impressions, emotions, memories… Of course, most don't actually know what they are feeling, others can't describe it to them, it's something that can keep them guessing for years at a time.
Like trying to read a different language no one but you can see. It can be overwhelming at times, but I can feel an atmosphere and name the emotion inhabiting it. What I can't do is see spirits all the time unless they're all out warped or if I am a person of emotional importance to them (I carefully ignored the pang I felt at that thought)
I do feel like my ability to be a medium isn't natural. It feels forced. I can only assume it's because I'm aware of my reincarnation. There isn't that much information out there so I put whatever theories I wanted to try on hold, for now.
The only paranormal event that happened to me in the last few months is feeling an oppressive energy in the hospital, when Yamamoto broke his arm (he really reminds me of an anime character)
I've stopped calling SPR, because it would be too late at this point and also because I had a feeling I didn't need to anymore. It's time to move on. Que sera, sera. They will never know what the future could have held and I will most likely never see them if Gene was alive, which is good, but I couldn't help but mourn the opportunity of working with Oliver Davis himself. (All in good fun, because if Gene died I wouldn't have worked with him anyway. I would've given him the location and disappeared from his life.)
If I hadn't been born in this universe I would have never pursued the paranormal because of all the vague unconfirmed information from my last reality. In the so called other world where I lived as Maria, ghosts were fiction and nightmare, but here where Mai lives and breathes, Oliver Davis exists and so does the supernatural. I am so glad I get to explore these strange new (to me) phenomena.
I am starting my third year soon, and then I will be going to college, again. They have a parapsychology class in Todo so I need high grades, which isn't too much of a problem as much as the tuition fee is. They have huge standards over there and everyone and their brother wants to go there. I just have to be the best. Easier said than done.
I just hope I make it when it comes to that point.
The restaurant I work at is looking for a new part time employee, and guess who got the job? Hanna. She didn't even know I worked there until I was appointed as her mentor for the day. It's nice having a friend work with me, plus this allowed us to bond more as friends. The manager didn't mind us having fun as long as we worked hard and respected those around.
My two groups of friends have met during a get together at my place… it was explosive!
Hanna and Akane get along like a house on fire.
Shizuka and Kyoko are both staring at each other as if they could recognize how similar they are.
And Yamamoto is… well, he's… the only boy at my house. Poor guy was probably surprised he was my only male friend. So to break the ice surrounding himself he decided to be his usual goofy self and share embarrassing stories about me to Akane and Shizuka and in turn they shared their s from my middle school days. Its days like these that remind me that despite the extra memories I was still a child
Shizuka talked about her two years at seishou private high school.
It turns out that she hated the academy she was sent to. 'Stuck up, childish, spoiled, self-entitled brats with their daddy's money' was what she said and I was about to point out that she herself was childish when she gave me a look that told me to keep quiet or else.
Her parents relented that she could go to a private all girls' school 2 hours away (compared to two days away). The school Shizuka was enrolled in was familiar, I just couldn't pinpoint where I had heard it before… Maybe they sent me a scholarship?
Yamamoto then mentioned that they were known for their extra-curricular activities. Most commonly art and volleyball. They won a few competitions in those categories.
As the night progressed we decided to watch a movie. They decided on an American movie called The Purge. It wasn't all that great, but the idea behind it is fascinating; what if one night a year all crime was legal. We than had debates on the flaws in such a system would have. I like to analyze movies after I watch them and with my friends around me doing the same thing I felt inexplicably giddy.
Time is going by quickly and by the end of the night it was decided that we would do this once a month.
Once that was decided I told my friends to go home.
"Seriously, I've been looking at your faces all night. My mirror might get jealous."
I've been inspired to imitate a certain narcissist when joking.
Kyoko realized what I was doing and a snort of laughter followed that realization.
"What did we say about you attempting to make jokes?" was the exasperated answer.
My response was immediate "to stop 'cause I suck at it?"
A smug smile found itself on her face as she petted my head like a dog and repeated "Good girl" a few times.
Yup, I can't make very good jokes so don't expect me to make any good ones any time soon.
They left soon after, and I was once again alone in the house. I started cleaning up the table but stopped when I realized I didn't lock the door.
I was on my way to the front of the house when I heard someone knock.
I was immediately on guard.
Its late, why would someone knock on my door?
I locked the door as I got there and called out
"Hello?"
It was creepily silent for a moment before they spoke.
"Hello, this is the police. We received a call about a robbery in the apartment below you. Could we ask you a few questions?"
That was weird. I didn't hear anything coming from downstairs, and if I knew anything about Miss Ayanokiji was that she had a pair of lungs the size of a football field, meaning she would be cursing up a storm and everyone would know it if someone broke in. And another thing;
"Why aren't there any sirens outside?"
There was a moment of silence, and then all hell broke loose.
There was the sound of a body hitting the door, as if trying to break it open. I think I heard something crack but I'm not sticking around to find out.
I immediately ran to the phone and dialed the real police.
I don't want to be a victim in this badly planned home invasion.
Why would they try here anyway, I'm not rich, most of my money is sitting in the bank and the only entertainment systems I have are a computer and an old bulky TV.
"This is the police, how may I help you?"
I rushed the words out before I could process them.
"There's two men trying to break my door down, I think they have weapons."
"…miss can I have your address?" "928 Sakurahane apartment B-2."
"They're on their way. Can you tell me how many people are in the house?"
"It's just me I live alone."
"How old are you sweetie?"
"…15"
"Where are you in the house?"
That's when I realized that the banging stopped and that there was something jiggling my door handle.
"They're picking my lock… I'm going to hide myself in the kitchen." I whispered fearfully.
My pantry was kind of large and I had towels and dry foods in there. Or that's what it looks like. There's a tiny gap in the back that lets me go unnoticed. It must have been installed by the previous tenant. I don't see the point of it being there, but I'm so glad it is.
"Miss? Could I have your name please?"
I whispered back "Taniyama Mai"
"They should arrive at your apartment in 4 minutes. In the mean time I want you to keep quiet. Are you well hidden? If yes blow on the phone, I will hear it. If no, keep quiet. Can you do that Mai-chan?"
I blew a breath at the speaker.
"That's good. Now, I want you to stay there. No matter what you hear, you do not speak, you do not move, you do not sneeze. I want you to keep nice even breaths and listen to the sound of my voice…"
I heard it, the sound of my door finally opening. I heard heavy footfalls on my floor. They were in the hallway. I think one of them is going to my room. I got the feeling these were disgusting men. I just still don't understand why.
"…Mai? Mai! Can you hear me?"
I gently blew on the speaker.
Thump. Thump.
"Good. Are they in the apartment?"
Another gust of wind.
Thump. Thump. T-Thump- Thump.
"Im going to stop talking but I am still on the line. Only 2 minutes left okay? Then I'm coming over and we are going to eat ice cream, together, unharmed."
All my fears grounded to a halt. My breath was evening out. I was just so hysterical, and all it took to stop it was ice cream. Of fu*****l course.
I wanted to laugh so badly right now, but all that was coming out were silent tears.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Thump. Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
I feel drained…
Then finally, FINALLY! The police were here. I could hear them outside, those sirens blasting out that god awful sound.
It's over. But that doesn't mean I'm going to move just yet.
I think, about ten minutes later, some men came in the kitchen. They called my name for a bit then decided to wait.
I slowly crawled out of my hiding place.
"Miss? Could you come with us? We need you to see the paramedic."
I nodded not trusting my voice.
When I passed my doorway I noticed almost all of my neighbors' were up and about. They were all chattering like frightened chickens. Miss Ayanokiji was being hefted on a stretcher. She had a blood on her forehead. They must have visited her first. The police led me to the second ambulance.
My surroundings blurred together. I was safe.
Then my mind started working a mile a minute. I know this world doesn't revolve around me. I could have easily died just now.
This didn't happen to the previous Mai. I wouldn't expect it to. We were different people. I could have just as easily chosen a different apartment than her. Things like this comfort me. The differences not the danger. They reassure me I'm not a cheap copy of who could have been.
I want ice cream.
So things kind of spiraled out of control at the end. I want Mai to evolve, change, have MORE to her.
It's just my character sometimes feels hollow.
This chapter was to prove she's not invisible. She just got a scare, nothing too crippling.
I hope to be able to post more soon.
Merry Christmas.