Last time: Noll heard somebody knocking on his door. Thinking Gene had left his room key, he took his time going to open it. When he finally opened it, he was surprised that instead of Gene, it was the 'help' they had all been waiting for. He gave them a small smile that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "Hello Rachel, Alice. We were wondering if you two were ever going to show up."
Sorry it took so long.
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Mai's POV
Gene and I sat in very back of the SPR van. In the middle row was Naru, surrounded on both sides by the strange girls who had appeared earlier. Both were definitely Japanese, but they spoke and acted English. Lin, of course, was driving.
While we waited to arrive at the amusement park, Gene explained the case in general to me. Naru was left to fill Rachel and Alice in.
"It would be a good idea for you to stay close to Noll, Lin, or me. It would be bad if you disappeared and your parents started a legal case against us."
I laughed and shook my head. "As if that's possible," I grew more somber but not morose and added, "my parents have been dead for almost five years."
Gene's POV
"Aw, Mai, I'm sorry. Why didn't you say something about this earlier?" Well I feel like an insensitive jerk.
"It's not that big of a deal anymore. I'm perfectly fine with it now. Teachers from my school took care of me until I was able to get a job and take care of myself….Impressive isn't it?" I contemplated this new discovery for most of the trip, wondering how a girl like herself had managed real life the way she did.
Mai's POV
I stood in front of the entrance of the park and gazed at the tall roller coasters behind the walls in amazement. "Uwaaaah, sugoi~!" Gene and Naru led the way inside and I followed directly behind them. Catching up to Gene, I whispered to him, "Neh, can we ride the coasters and have fun while we're on the job?" He scrutinized my pleading face carefully then smiled playfully and nodded in his unusually discreet manner. I grinned.
General POV
Mai skipped ahead of Naru and followed Mr. Parker to the small building he had set up for the base. It was a comfortable room with a fireplace and several couches and chairs to lounge in around it. Behind it, there was the work area. There were shelves and desks to set up just about anything. Mai wondered exactly what type of equipment Naru, Lin, and Gene had brought with them. "This place is so insanely awesome," she murmured to herself and she blocked the doorway.
Lin, who was behind her with a large box that looked like it had a large computer monitor inside, cleared his throat suggestively causing Mai to jump. She recoiled away from the door and Lin's strangely menacing form.
Gene's POV
I watched Mai bound into the amusement park and thought to myself and whoever happened to be listening in, Her reaction to being here is more amusing than the actual prospect of all the stuff that we could do here.
General POV
Beside him, Naru smirked slightly and nodded discreetly; they both followed the others into the base room.
Mr. Parker eyed Gene nervously before speaking to him, "Sir, not much usually happens during the daytime activities of the park. You may not find much until evening or after hours."
Naru finished his thoughts, "In other words, Gene and Mai, you should probably get the excitement out of your systems now rather than attempt to later." Gene knew that this was his way of being kind to Mai.
"Aren't you going to join us Naru?" Mai's disappointment was evident on her face as she thought of Naru not hanging out with her and Gene for once.
Noll cringed inwardly at her pronunciation of his name but only shook his head without thinking about it. Then he actually did think about it. Maybe I should try to act like somebody enjoying the park. Most of the stuff seems to happen to visitors who get some entertainment out of the park.
Gene looked at him out of the corner of his eye. Yeah right, Noll. You want to have fun with us and just won't admit it. Aloud, though, he concluded, "That means that we probably should start having fun now before it gets too late, right Mai-chan?"
The girl nodded fervently and ran for the door, pulling Naru and Gene with her. "Let's go, then, let's go!"
Rider after ride, the girl, oblivious to the jealous stares of the other park guests, dragged Naru and Gene over most of the park. Tiring though it was, neither of them could really say that they hadn't enjoyed spending the afternoon with her.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO Hours Later XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
The three teens got off another of the larger coasters just as the sun began to sink beneath trees. Naru looked at Gene and they surreptitiously nodded at the same thought. This is when things begin. Mai, oblivious to the two ran up to a large green hedge maze. "Gene, Naru, let's go through the maze!"
"Mai, it's time to head back to the base. The sun's gone down so things are about to get much more dangerous."
She stared at Naru in disbelief. "Oh, come on~ please??? Please, please, please?? Just this last maze and we can go in. Gene?"
Gene looked to his brother for help in dissuading her, but Noll merely shrugged. Mai watched them, but quickly grew tired of their boring antics. She made a split-second decision and made her way into the maze. Naru and Gene didn't notice until they finished their mental conversation a few minutes later.
By then, it was too late to catch up with Mai in time.
Mai's POV
I stood still and tried to catch my bearings and my breath. The maze definitely was bigger than it had looked from the outside. Looking from where I had just come from, I listened for Naru or Gene's voices. They would undoubtedly have followed me in. "And helped me get out if I'd waited for them." Remorsefully and somewhat nervously, I added, "I wonder if this wasn't such a good idea." How long until I get out of this place. It's getting darker by the second too. Suddenly a picture forms in my head. It is the image of a man standing behind me at eye level with cruel glittering eyes staring straight into my own eyes.
General POV
Naru and Gene run throughout the maze looking for Mai. When they reach the end and don't find her waiting for them, they split up and begin searching the routes they didn't take before. They both notice that there are places that are blocked off that weren't the first time they went through the maze. It was for sure that Mai was stuck in one of these passages. From a short distance, they twins hear her calling for them and follow the sound of her voice until they meet up and find her sitting a few feet away from them. Mai huddles in front of another dead end, shaking, almost sobbing with fear. "Mai…!" Gene begins to walk forward, but stops suddenly as he and Naru both sense a strong malicious presence beside her. "Mai crawl over here, dear. You need to come over here now. It's time to go back to the base."
As she tries to stand up, a pair of arms wraps around her and pulls her back until she's against the hedge. At the same time, she fades into a strange, impenetrable darkness. Gene runs forward but only meets the hedge. Mai had disappeared, but her presence was still there somewhere. Naru stared blankly at the space where the girl had stood only seconds before. "Mai…" Now What?
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO Back at the Base XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Lin had just finished setting up everything they would need in the base. "Rachel and Alice, would you two mind helping me set up the cameras around the park? Mr. Parker gave me a list of places in particular that customers commented about or were found at after their disappearances. Also, see if you can find Gene, Noll, and Taniyama-san."
The two girls noted a strange underlying emotion in Lin's voice but didn't ask. It was obvious that he was a bit worried about his young charges. They were supposed to have been back almost an hour ago when the sun set in the park, but they had yet to reappear.
Perhaps it's time to bring in a few more specialists, Lin thought as he dialed a number on his phone. Hopefully they chose a hotel close by this time.
I'd say it's about time I finally updated this...