I needed something. Anything. I had to find her but I had absolutely nothing to go on. I need to check her apartment again.

"Gene?" I sensed my brother behind me. "Did she keep any other journals or anything similar?

"Not that I ever saw." He paused for a moment thinking. "But every so often she writes letters to her parents."

I looked at him confused. "That seems pointless." The words sounded harsh as they left my mouth.

"They make her feel closer to them. She pretends that they are away on business and she sends them updates on how she's been." I hated that Gene understood her better than I did.

"Where does she send them?"

He put his hand on his chin in thought. "She never sends them. She keeps them in a box in her closet."

...

I told Lin about what I had learned and he agreed that there may be something in the letters that could help. We entered Mai's apartment using the spare key she had given Lin.

"She gave it to me in case she overslept and didn't come to work." Lin said with a grimace. "All she does lately is sleep. I always assumed she was spending time with Gene."

She spent all her time asleep and alone. Poor girl, couldn't she see that she was surrounded with people who love her.

I walked into her room. It was a mess with clothes strewn about. Her pink bed looked as though it hadn't been made in years. A small frame sat on her nightstand. It was the picture I had given to her before I left.

"I found the letters." Lin said as he lifted a small shoe box.

I looked inside and saw countless envelopes with "To: Mommy & Daddy" written across the front. Each also had a date written in the top right corner. I looked for the most recent one. Finally I found one that was dated last Tuesday. I felt like I was violating a sacred bond by ripping it open, but I had no other choice.

I began reading the neatly printed words.

...

Dear Mommy & Daddy,

Things are pretty much fine here. I passed all my exams this week and even scored the highest on my English test... I wish I could tell you that I am perfectly fine and happy, but that would be a lie. I still miss him and it's getting worse. Mom, I wish you were her so you could tell me what to and give me advice. I wish you could hold me when I feel alone at night. And Dad, I wish you were here to threaten to kill him for breaking your little girls heart. I wish you guys were here for a lot of things, because I am so tired of dealing with it on my own. I have so many things I need to ask you. Like why didn't you tell me I had an uncle? You both said you were the only children. Why lie to me? He showed up at my school today to pick me up so we could talk. I declined because I was too shocked to find out about him. Why have I never met him? And why is he just now wanting to meet me? DId you all fight? Is that why he wasn't around? I need answers. I just feel like I should stay away from him. I think I feel this way because he never wanted me before, and now I don't want him. I don't know anything about him except his name...TAICHI. Hopefully I'll find out more soon.

Love you always,

Mai

...

Finally the lead I was looking for. I knew for a fact Mai doesn't have any living relatives. I did some research on her family not long after she revealed the fact that she was an orphan. I wanted to try to find someone to look after her. I hated the fact that she lived alone, she was far too fragile and venerable. This man had to be the one who took her.

...

Back at the office I began to look up Taichi. I brought up a photo data base to look for anyone that looked similar to the fuzzy face in my vision.

Hours passed until finally I came face to face with Mai's kidnapper. His hair was dark and neat. His eyes were such a deep brown they were almost black. Just looking at him made my blood boil within my veins. I kept scrolling and found an address for his work. He was the CEO of a small law firm in Tokyo. I wanted to kill this man and take Mai back. I knew that the situation was too delicate for anything rash. I had to be smart about this.

I knew what I needed to do, but would it be fast enough?

"I'll kill him myself!" Gene yelled looking over my shoulder at the computer screen.

"Haunt him." My voice was low and serious. My plan was going to be a stretch, but it was our only option.

"Seriously? Why?" He was confused and with good reason. Never in a million years would I have imagined I would tell my brother to haunt someone.

"SPR is the most renowned paranormal research team in Japan right now. If you cause enough of a disturbance he will have no other choice than to come to me. That will help us gain access to his house so we can find Mai."

"I can't. I don't know how. You're the only one who can see or hear me. What if...?"

"Please." I begged. Gene knew he couldn't say no to me. I never asked him for help except when it came to Mai.

"I'll try." He answered.

"Thank y..."

"One condition." I couldn't believe he was striking a deal with me at a time like this but I listened. "If you can't get to her in time. If you can't save her. She's mine."

"Excuse me?" I was furious. How could he even say that?

"If you're too late, you'll let her be with won't do anything stupid to take her away from me. Promise me you'll let it be if that's how it ends. That's the only way I'll agree to this."

My heart was pounding in my chest. This was the only way to find her safely. As much as it hurt me I had to agree.

"I promise."