Chapter 3
"Whether it's a spirit or a poltergeist, once an outsider comes, they usually lay low for a while... It should be this way."
So, Mai could fathom why, in their first few days, there were no activities. It was either that or the huge number of trees surrounding the hostel ground and their shadows, as well as the fact that sounds tend to travel from a long distance at night. Or, some delusional fantansy. It could be the real reason for all of the listed happenings. But by the shaken state of their clients, they couldn't unrule the possiblity of something paranormal. And there's that foreboding feeling too that Masako and herself felt the other day. That's why, they would do very detailed research. That's why SPR became such a trustworthy place for people with sensitive cases to rely on. It usually started with a preliminary investigation at first after entering a haunting site. They made sure the cause was not some usual misgivings or natural phenomena often unlooked because of fright or ignorance or simply superstitious fantasy. So, they arranged for an extensive interview of the client or clients there to pick up the missing pieces.
"That's some haunting you've there," Monk said after observing the interviews of the students and staff of the hostel.
The interviews that summarized the haunting: from girls seeing the apparition of a woman in white to staff seeing something moving from one end to the other end on the hostel roof after midnight. Unusual shadows, sounds of running from behind, whispers and laughter coming from nowhere, and sometimes something to be seen jumping from above. There was a case of having nightmares, too. The clients couldn't seem to remember the details about them, only the remaining fear. The list went on and on, however, it wasn't until recently that students would wake up with the feelings of being watched or beaten or with scratch marks from no visible source. While hauntings like that were not that uncommon, the number of incidents from the interviews was a handful, to say the very least.
After the interviews, they usually set up equipment where sightings and incidents seemed to occur to produce the most cost-effective result. Yes, the boss-man was very meticulous about his work. So, as soon as the interviews were finished, they were ordered around to arrange the base and set up the quipments.
'Can't he be at least polite while at it?'
The hostel grounds were huge, with various trees that almost surrounded the whole building. Interestingly enough, there's a graveyard facing the hostel. However, nothing was claimed unusual about the sacred ground. Anyhow, when the equipment was finished adjusting, the group was exhausted and more than happy to take a break for the day.
After a long day, they grabbed some food before going to their respective rooms to sleep. The sleeping arrangement was simple: girls in one room and boys in another two rooms. Each room had 4 single beds in total set beside a wall in every corner, facing 4 small windows. Two faced outside the building, while the other two faced the corridor that led to other rooms.
The girls' hostel was a place of accommodation made by the university for all its students. Despite being a girls' hostel, the boys were also allowed, considering the circumstances. Moreover, the girls who were residing there were conveniently shifted to a substitute building, not very far from the campus. The authorities were worried and kind enough to let their residents, aka the students, do it as soon as their boss recommended it. It was a good change from how adults didn't usually believe in younger people having to do with anything supernatural. It could be experiencing incidents firsthand that triggered the cautionary actions, though.
'Looks like Ayako is satisfied with the setting this time,' Mai thought to herself after taking a look at the arrangements and washing up to retire to her bed. The bed was comfy enough for Mai to be fast asleep before she knew it. But something changed when she suddenly woke up and felt herself still like a log in the bed.
'Maybe from the exhaustion of heavy workloads today,' she thought groggily.
It was only then that she suddenly felt a presence beside her bed. Mai found it hard to shift her eyes. When she did, she could see Ayako standing near her head and staring her down. It felt a little scary and reminded Mai of a certain case where she couldn't move.
'What does she need from her to be standing there?'
Then, like an instinct pulling her attention the other way, she turned her gaze to the opposite side. And, she saw another Ayako lying down beside her, facing the wall. The slightly scary feeling turned into a terrible shiver. She felt like shaking Ayako awake beside her, but her hands wouldn't budge.
And, did she just feel the other one standing near her wearing a mocking smile? A realization suddenly washed over her.
'That….couldn't be possible. Ayako slept in her bed.'
As if it could read her mind, the body beside her twisted unnaturally in response.
'That couldn't be Ayako at all. ' She wanted to scream. But she felt herself unable to open her mouth.
Mai awoke with a start. Her whole body was drenched in heavy sweat. She looked around and saw Masako and Ayako sleeping in their respective beds. She was right. How could she be a fool to not know that she'd been having nightmares? Had to be a sleep paralysis-induced dream. Her brain was heated from the stories and work.
'Yes, that must be why,' she reasoned with herself nervously. She felt she needed a splash of water to wash off her sweat and face to cool down.
The dim light from the corridor was coming through the window facing her bed. The breeze was like a quiet lull flowing gracefully to the open space under the night sky. She thought of letting the air calm her down once outside. It was then she saw, more like felt, a shadow passing through her periphery. Her eyes snapped open from a daze to catch the end of a white fabric moving down the corridor with the night breeze. Mai stepped down from her bed, unable to contain her curiosity. After a brief contemplation, she opened the door beside the window to take a step into the corridor. She looked right and left to see nothing on both sides.
The corridor had big windows that overlooked the hostel garden, and the night sky seemed usual, free of clouds. Despite that, the end of the corridor looked unnaturally dark. A looming silence had continued before suddenly something jumped down. Something white slid down from above, in front of a window near her. It looked like someone jumping from the floor above or the roof. Mai ran towards the window to glance down, only to find nothing but a plain garden. Blaming her eyes and frayed nerves for playing tricks, she got away from the window. She decided to return to her room when-
'A woman?'
There was a woman, could be seen on her right, far down the corridor. The woman was in white clothes and staring at her. The look was so intense that it made her take a step back. The face moved, and an eerie smile came to that woman's face, similar to the mocking smile from her dream. The vision became blurry, and then it was plain dark.
''Mai.''
''Mai.''
Mai slowly opened her eyes to see a concerned Naru looking at her.
'No, not Naru.'
"Gene," Mai relaxed, looking at the boy wearing a slightly relieved smile.
Eugene Davis, aka Gene, was anything and everything that Mai perceived him to be in real life. A little quiet but with a cheerful personality, friendly but with a little streak of mischievousness in his eyes. He's so endearing that talking with him, after some inhibitions and awkwardness, had become easier. For the first few days, he was apologetic and remorseful about the accident that Mai had yet to make sense of. However, after a few visits, they became natural friends. It had always been an undeniable fact, anyway, that they shared similar traits. As he and Luella visited her whenever they could, weeks of her stay in the hospital became more comfortable.
"Do you need another tangerine, Mai?" Gene asked, peeling the citrus fruit.
"No, but if you want one, you can go ahead and eat it," Mai said jokingly. They both laughed along.
"Luella-san will be here shortly. Save some for her, Gene," Mai chided. They started to call each other without honorifics. She thought, being a foreigner, it might be easier for him to switch to a first-name basis. She remembered something like that. 'It felt like a dream,' she smiled sadly. Yet she couldn't contain the happy feeling that Gene was there with her in real life. It was a very contradictory thought. 'If only he had a chance like her.'
"So, Mai, how about you consider it again?" Gene eyed her cautiously. "Come with us to London. You've a life ahead and have yet to finish school. And, no, you don't need to be worried about being a burden. We'll take better care of you. Leaving you here will only make us restless about your well-being. Mother and I discussed it with our family. We'll be happy to have you." He finished with a warm smile. Although in his mind, he's trying not to think of one person who could object. They'd win over that person anyway.
According to Luella, the Davis family came there after hearing about the accident. But as Mai was unstable and unconscious back then, they had to regrettably go back to their respective jobs for their tighter work schedules. Mai met Martin, though. And then it was Luella and Eugene who stayed. Eugene was in Japan for his awaited vacation. Experiencing something terrible on his first stay in that country had the others worried. Eugene, along with Luella, wanted to be there for Mai. Mai remembered both of them insisting on staying with the latter's family. They're such nice people.
Although they had carried the expenses of her medical bills, Mai didn't want to impose on them any further. She already hated the fact that she couldn't support herself. There were other issues, too. Firstly, she didn't remember having a passport at that age. There's also the fact that she's very familiar with them without their knowledge, although she didn't know anymore. It would make her uncomfortable to no end, as it was making her then.
The thought of her parents made her want to stay closer to them more. Yes, she'd have to be prepared for it again, although she had a long road ahead. For the things at hand, she believed that she'd have the resolve to face it all over again, albeit reluctantly, but with much preparedness. However, she was not sure about some things if that'd happen at all in the future anymore. She just had to avoid being sent to an orphanage; she didn't know how, regarding her circumstances.
'It's not like it's the first time, though,' the thought made her a little tired and lonely. As though sensing her train of thought, Luella entered with a man in black in tow.
"Mai dear, this is Mr. Hara. I met on my way. He is your late father's friend," Luella said as she introduced the man in business attire.
'Just how many things-' Mai thought after another shocking revelation.
"He wants to take care of you if you're okay with it," Luella added with a grim smile. She wanted the girl to choose them over the man. But maybe it was for the better, as the girl could live peacefully without the further shock of living in a more unfamiliar setting.
Mistaking her shock for confusion, Mr. Hara introduced himself.
"I'm Hara Tatsuo, owner of Hara Business Corporation. Your late father was my friend," he continued remorsefully. "As my friend and his wife had passed on, I considered it my sole duty as a friend to take care of their only daughter. Don't be afraid, my dear. I have a daughter around your age. Her name is Masako. You might not remember playing with her when you were little. Please let us take care of you."
If it were any other time or universe, she'd have laughed at the oddness of the situation. However, she didn't know what she needed to think anymore.
'Just where am I?'
A/N: I don't own Ghost Hunt. However, I tried to write my new case here. Writing this in my own way makes it more enjoyable. I hope it'll be enjoyable for others too. Please R&R!