JADE: Wow, I did not expect to get the reviews I have, nor the flags on me and my story! *wipes away tears* I'm touched!
MAI: That's so great for you, Jade! I'm so happy for you! *hugs Jade tightly*
JADE: Thanks Mai! ^.^ And a special thanks to crazylittlecheezer, softball2240, HappyBunny855, heavenslilagl420, dutchangel1979, sweetymai90, krisaku, and reveriethinker13 for your reviews! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! *looks around* Mai, where's our favorite little narcissist gone to?
NARU: *leaning against wall, right next to Jade* Right here.
JADE: AH! *jumps and places hand over heart* Cheese and rice, Naru! How do you do that?! What, are you a ninja or something?
NARU: *sighs and stands up, ignoring Jade, and looks at viewers with an impassive face* Jade would like you all to please keep replying to the story. With that said, I present the next chapter. *Naru bows and then leaves*
MAI: You could have done that with a little more pep, you know! Are you trying to scare everyone away?
NARU: *turns and smirks* Maybe.
JADE: Why me? Why do I always like the difficult characters?
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Mai smiled and waved as she watched Mr. and Mrs. Arata pull away from the house. Apparently the couple thought it would be better for SPR if they weren't in the house. They seemed almost too happy to leave though, Mai thought as she shut the door and headed for the kitchen. Without realizing it, because she was too wrapped up in her thoughts, Mai had gone to the exact same cupboard that her mother used to keep their tea and the kettle in. She absent mindedly opened the door and reached inside, pulling out the two objects of her desire. Then she went to the cabinet above the sink and grabbed 7 tea cups and saucers out, arranging them on a tray that Mrs. Arata left out for her to use. The Aratas told the team that they could used whatever they needed to in the house, no questions asked.
Mai arranged everything on the tray as she waited for the whistle to sound. Then she sat at the table and took in her surroundings. Since she'd been in the house, she hadn't had much time to pay attention, not that she was entirely sure she wanted to. It was, after all, the same house she grew up in, and the fact that it was not so different on the outside didn't mean it was the same case inside. In fact, as Mai looked around the full kitchen, and into the living area, she realized that it was drastically different.
They repainted the walls, got rid of the old furniture that I left here, and even knocked out the wall that used to separate the kitchen from the dining room. She got up and walked to the area, located to her right. Her hands lightly brushed the large wooden table and chairs, and she looked up to see a small chandelier with crystals dangling all around it. The electric light underneath allowed the crystals to give off a glow and send rainbows dancing across the walls. It was all beautiful to Mai, but she frowned as she looked at everything.
"None of this seems right to me," she whispered to no one. She jumped as she heard the pot going off and scurried over to make the tea, forgetting her sad thoughts momentarily. Within minutes the teen was heading back to base, up the staircase and onto the second floor. She walked down the once familiar hall and into the room located at the end of it. She tried to ignore the fact this room was once her mother and father's and waltzed in, setting the tray onto a small coffee table located in the center of it.
"Thanks, Mai!" John Brown, the team's priest and exorcist, said with a smile on his face. The brunette just smiled as she took a cup and walked to Naru, who was, as usual, situated in front of the monitors with Lin, going over the equipment.
"Here's your tea, Naru," she said. He turned and looked down at his assistant, blue eyes meeting brown, and took the tea, then looked around at everyone in the room.
"Now that we are all settled, I think before we set up the cameras and record the temperatures in each room, Mai and I should tell you what the Aratas told us about the many occurrences here." He didn't wait for a response, sitting in his chair, as Mai stood and walked to the table, grabbing her own cup, before walking to the window. Lin opened his laptop and prepared to take notes, though he's already been privy to Mai's notes from their tour earlier that evening.
"The Aratas told us that things have been happening since the day they moved into this house. In fact, the very first incident happened when the couple walked to the front door to unlock it with their new key. Mrs. Arata said that as they approached the house, she thought she saw a figure standing in the front left window, where the living area is. When she turned to her husband to tell him and looked back, the figure was gone." He paused, letting the story sink in. Ayako raised a brow, as did Monk.
"Did she say what the figure looked like?" Monk asked.
"I will get to that later," Naru replied in monotone before taking a sip of his tea. "They were told by their real estate agent that she had come to the house the day before to make sure everything was set for them to move in, including making sure the key worked before handing it over. Everything was fine according to this woman. However, when the Aratas tried it themselves, the key not only would not work, but snapped almost immediately, rendering the doorknob useless."
"Are they sure they just didn't put it in the wrong way, or try to hard? It's actually easy to bend a key if you aren't careful," the blonde haired, blue eyed priest said.
"It is easy to bend a key, but breaking it is a different story," Monk said before Naru could answer. "Think about how thick keys are, John. You'd have to contain a lot of strength to snap it in half, enough that I don't think any normal person would have."
Naru nodded in compliance and continued. "Mr. Arata said that as soon as he slid it in, it snapped like a twig."
"Interesting," Ayako said as she began to pace the floor, hand on her chin, with her perfectly manicured nail tapping against her lips in thought.
"And this was only the beginning of the activity. As the years passed, the Aratas noticed many strange things began to happen. It began with the key and things disappearing and then reappearing in the most obvious of places."
"You mean like the t.v. controller not being on the table one day, and the next day there it is, as if it was never missing?" the sandy haired monk asked. Naru nodded again at the man.
"Exactly. Then, as these things continued, other interesting incidents occurred. Mrs. Arata would leave for the day and come home to find all the cabinet doors in the kitchen open, or all of the doors to the rooms open. At first she thought that maybe she just forgot to shut them, but one day, when she came home and found them ajar again, she went to shut them and suddenly they closed on their own. Needless to say she was frightened about this, but never told her husband." Naru paused again and drank more of his tea.
"So are we dealing with a classical poltergeist?" Masako asked, kimono covering her mouth as usual. Mai turned from the window, sighing.
"I wish it was that simple," she replied quietly. When she looked up from the ground, everyone was staring at her, and when Naru didn't continue, she figured maybe she should. "Mrs. Arata thought she was going crazy witnessing these things, and she was afraid of what Mr. Arata would say, so she remained quiet about everything." Mai walked over to the couch and plopped down next to John. She sighed again.
"However, Mr. Arata didn't have to wait long to find out about what was happening in his home," Naru continued. Everyone's attention returned to their young boss, except for Mai's. She already knew all of this.
"One day, Mr. Arata arrived home from work before his wife, and to his astonishment, everything made of glass in the house was broken and scattered everywhere, from pictures to glasses and plates, to vases and other decorative objects. Nothing was left untouched." Gasps could be heard throughout the room.
"And that's not the worst of it," Mai said.
"There's more?" John asked, astonished by her words. Mai nodded.
"Things escalated over the years, and it's gotten to the point where they don't really keep breakable things here anymore. Every time they do, it ends up broken within a week. And there's been several instances where they will walk in only to have these broken things tossed at them, like something is trying to hurt them."
"It has gotten to the point where almost every day that they come home, things are a wreck here. That's why you don't see much decorating the place," Naru finished.
"The latest thing that happened was just two days ago. The Aratas came home and everything was messed up, but this time it wasn't just breakable items. Tables and other furniture was turned over, bathroom mirrors were broken, beds were stripped and clothes were strewn everywhere. And," Mai gulped at the last piece of information before she gave it.
"Mai?" Monk asked, worried about the expression she was giving.
"And on one of the walls was a message in blood. Mr. Arata told us it clearly read I have two, but one more makes three, and then I will be free."
"What does it mean?" John sat there, a thoughtful look on his face. Everyone else had it too.
"Clearly this is an earth spirit," Ayako said in her usual, I-have-figured-it-out tone of voice. Monk rolled his eyes at the woman.
"You say that about everything, but I have yet to see you be right about it!"
The red head huffed and crossed her arms. "I'd like to hear your idea then!" she challenged. Monk smirked.
"Like I said before, it sounds like a poltergeist, but who or what it is has yet to be determined."
"Well I haven't sensed much yet, so I can't really draw any conclusions until I have a better look around," Masako said as she stood.
"If everyone thinks they understand what is going on, I'd like to move onto the investigation. Mai," the black haired teen looked at his assistant, who was staring straight ahead. She seemed to be in her own world, which irritated Naru. He walked over to her and crouched down so that he was eye level.
"Mai," he tried again, shaking her gently. Again, he elicited no response. Naru frowned looked directly into her eyes, then gasped quietly.
"Takigawa, get over here!" he barked at the ex-monk. The tall man rushed to his side.
"What's wrong with her?" he said in horror as he looked at Mai's face. The young woman was staring blankly at nothing, face slack, no sign of life in her other than her breathing. Masako, upon hearing their worried tones, came over and looked at the young girl. She placed a hand on Mai's shoulder and immediately let go as if something had zapped her.
"She's having a vision," Masako whispered, shock evident in her face. Naru's face crumpled into confusion, along with everyone else.
"She doesn't get visions except in her sleep," Monk muttered.
"Then why is she getting one now?" Ayako voiced from behind him. He stood up and backed away as Naru slid in front of her. He gingerly placed his hands on each side of her face, looking into her lifeless eyes. He felt a pang in his stomach when she didn't respond, and then everything went black…
JADE: Any guesses as to what's going on? Send them my way and maybe I'll let you know if you're right! -.^