Chapter Nine - Clown Posse (Part Two) **NOT EDITED**
Mood: Paper Aeroplanes - Same Mistakes </3
~Mai~
I look at everyone as we sit across each other from around the fire; Naru directly in front of me, everyone having a good time. Juro starts handing out some hot drinks for us all because of the cold weather. I glare at Naru when he rejects it.
"I'm sorry, Juro. Naru only likes to drink tea." I bite, Juro's chuckle making me smile at him.
"I completely understand. Now that everyone has gotten their drinks, how about I play some soft guitar?" he offers, pulling out an acoustic guitar. That looks like mine.
"I wouldn't mine playing and singing." I offer right back, his smile widening.
"If you'd like to." Juro passes the guitar to me.
Once it reaches me, I tune it to the song I have in mind, everyone watching me patiently, smiles on all of their faces except for Naru and Lin of course.
"The song I'll be singing is called Same Mistakes. It's one I wrote a long time ago. A few years ago actually." I murmur, starting the songs.
"Save it, please. Savor sweet simplicity. And you'll rise up gently, to float like a bird on the breeze. And you'll climb down slowly, taking to feet gracefully; treading soft on the soles of your feet. And you won't make the same mistakes as me."
After I finish the song, everyone claps, with the excepting of Naru, making me smile. "What's that song about, Mai?" Ayako questions, taking a sip of her hot drink.
"Well, it's about how impulsive my emotions can be. The lyrics savor sweet simplicity relate to my emotions because I tend to get angry or sad rather fast, ruining the calm." I explain, Ayako's smile widening at my honesty.
After that, everyone starts telling pointless jokes, allowing me to look around our surroundings. I stare off into the woods where the practice station was for the circus members. There's something strange going on here, and Juro seems to know what it is. Maybe my perception is off or something, but I don't trust him, nor these woods.
"Mai? We're all heading off to bed." Monk voices, his hand going to my shoulder to wake me from my trance.
"Right," I mumble, standing up and saying a good night to Juro. Once we're all sure he's gone, we climb into the tent, all of us having changed separately into our pajama's.
"So, what do you guy's think about Mr. Isamo?" Monk whispers in case he's still around.
"I don't trust him." I immediately respond, everyone looking over at me in surprise. I continue my reasoning at their glances, "Maybe I'm still angry, but he seems to possibly know what's going on here. In the note Naru showed me, it seemed pretty clear then." I defend, crossing my arms and falling backward onto my sleeping bag, not knowing whose is next to me.
"Mai's right, there's something strange about him. Maybe it's just because he owned a circus. I'm not sure, but he is weird." Ayako sticks up for me.
"Well, I think he's a nice guy. He gave us hot drinks around a fire he started and was going to play some guitar music." John tries persuading.
"Why would he want to play guitar music around a fire at night?" Ayako argues. I ignore their arguing, thinking about it myself.
I start to remember the note. The beast lives, out of the raging storm in the dead of night. Come on Mai, think. The beast lives, night. Night. Guitar music. Campers. Circus. Wait, what? I stop my thinking, feeling I'm getting onto something.
Just then, the tent door opens and Naru and Lin climb in, Naru sitting down beside me, on his sleeping bag. I feel my face heat up at the realization of sleeping so close to him. Focus Mai!
"Naru, did you happen to bring that note with you from Juro?" I ask, turning to face him as he pulls it out of his pocket and hands to me, our thumbs brushing. I ignore it and take the note, opening it up, everyone staring at me.
"The beast lives, out of the raging storm in the dead of night. The ravenous blood-sick creature searches for its sacrifice. Those are the first two lines on this note. It says that the spirits come out at night, and are blood-sick. Children are reported to go missing from this very campsite. It seems as though in this note Juro is quite familiar with these spirits or creatures he's referring to. Now, thinking logically here, children are loud and rambunctious, meaning they're easier to find through thicket and woods in general. But since we're all older and tend to be quieter then kids at night, the spirits or creatures would have a hard time finding us, unless they have a keen sense of smell. But, if these are spirits, I'm pretty sure they can't smell. So, the only other way to find their sacrifice would need to be by music or some sort of louder noise. That's why I sang a rather quiet song."
I finish my explanation, everyone staring at me, Naru and Lin included. "Man Mai, you're upping the ranks nowadays." Monk laughs, placing a hand on my shoulder. "What do you think about her reasoning, Naru?" Monk asks, making Naru turn to look at him for a moment than me.
"It's very possible. A spirit can't smell, and it's said that the children are led out of the camp and to the practicing arena. Mr. Isamo seemed very worried about us being this close to the practice site, seeing as the children's souls are lost there. And the case we did at the church for John a while back proves that children are rowdy. It's still possible for the creatures or spirits out here to use their sense of smell instead of hearing, but Mai's theory is quite well thought of." Naru sides with me, everyone else except for him and Lin smiling.
After another ten minutes or so discussing our theories, we all lay down, Naru turning off the little lamp we had, everyone getting comfortable for bed. I roll over to my right side, my back facing Naru as I think, running my finger across the sleeping bag bottom. After another half an hour, I can tell everyone is sleeping by their even breaths, slight movement next to me.
"What are you thinking about?" Naru mumbles, making me tense.
"I thought you were asleep," I respond, stopping all movement.
"I can't sleep. Now answer me."
"I'm thinking about this case and the eerie feeling I'm getting." I murmur, Naru's body seeming to come closer to me. I shrug it off for now.
I keep looking out towards the tent where the fire is at, casting a small orange glow against the tent, anxiety pooling in my stomach. "They're this way." I hear a quiet voice, making my body go rigid, my breathing stopping.
"Naru, did you hear that?" I whisper, scooting closer to him, the sound of crunching leaves and sticks getting louder.
"I did. Stay quiet and don't move." Naru eases, one of his hands coming up and resting on my side to keep me in place. Naru moves closer to me to give me more comfort, my back pressed against his front now, his hand that was on my side now resting in front of me.
We both keep staring at the side of the tent, watching as two shadows appear slowly, both seeming to be larger males. I start hearing heavy breathing, as if someone is sniffing the air, trying to get a scent. So, we're not dealing with spirits then. We're dealing with normal humans. Does that mean that they've killed the children... oh no. I close my eyes quickly, shrinking back in fright.
Naru's hand carefully laces with mine, keeping me grounded. "There is six of them."
I bite my lip in fear at the sound of one of the men's voices, his voice hoarse and eerie.
"We only need one for the ritual to be complete." The second man's voice comes through, making me shudder. After a few minutes of the shadows standing there sniffing, the two start to walk away, a third shadow joining them--a smaller lanky one.
After a while when we're sure the people are gone, Naru lets out a sigh. "I'm thinking about sending you home tomorrow. It's getting to dangerous for you here, Mai. You know it is. You just saw the men and heard them." Naru murmurs, keeping his hand and body where it is.
"I'm not leaving. You need my help." I retaliate, both of us still quiet for the other four who are sleeping away peacefully.
"Fine, but you're not leaving my side," Naru grumbles making me smile at his worry.
"I don't have a problem with that," I reply back, feeling sleepiness eat at me.
~Naru~
I slowly open my eyes and find brown hair in front of my face. I yawn quietly and look around, finding everyone to still be asleep asides from Lin, who is out of the tent typing away. I feel the hand that mine is in tighten, reminding me of last night's events. I slowly slide my hand out of Mai's, a sigh leaving her mouth, letting me know she's still asleep.
I sit up carefully and look down at her, smiling lightly. I'll let her sleep longer. She needs it after last night, and in case, she's dreaming of something. I climb out of the tent quietly and make my way to the side of the tent where the shadows were, seeing two different pairs of footprints. I follow them out little ways and see the third person's prints.
I move to the firepit and sit down in a chair, the fire still going with a small medium flame, hot water warming up for my tea. I pull my laptop out of the double sided bag of Lin's and open my e-mails, getting ready to fill Lin in on the events of the night prior.
Me:
Mai and I were up last night and three men came up to the tent. One said 'they're this way'. I'm positive Isamo is working with these people. It's not spirits Lin. Two were large men and the third was lanky. Their footprints are by the tent on Mai's side. They use their smell to determine things. One guessed how many of us there are correct. The second large man said they only need one for a ritual. I want to send Mai home but she won't go. She has to stay by me at all costs.
Lin:
So that means that these men have killed children? This is really dangerous Naru. We should call the police to join us.
Me:
We need more proof of that. Today we ALL are going to go check out this place. Since there's six of us, we're breaking up into teams of three. You're going to go with John and Miss Matsuzaki. I'll take Mai and Mr. Takigawa.
Lin:
I'm going with you Naru. In order to protect you.
Me:
We learned the other day Lin that these people only come out at night. We'll be fine.
I log off before Lin can send another message. I put my laptop away and stand up to stretch. Once I finish, a loud scream comes from the tent. Lin and I both run to the tent door and throw it open, finding Mai hyperventilating and everyone trying to comfort her. I make my way inside and sit next to her, grabbing a notepad and pen out of my bag.
"Mai, I need you to tell me what your dream was. Take it easy." I console, my voice neutral, however, Mai's eyes wide as she looks at me.
~Mai's Dream~
I blink my eyes open slowly when a bright white light flashes in them. The blurry effect my eyes have currently dissipating after a moment of blinking. Once it's gone, I look around and find myself in an old backroom of some sort, the walls painted with multiple clown faces, blood on the walls, and multiple different sharp tools lingering around hanging on nails.
I try sitting up, only being pulled back down because of the wrist restraints that are on me. I start viscously thrashing my hands around, the chains on the restraints clinking against the hospital bed I'm on.
"Relax." I turn towards the voice and find a heavier man with strange clown paint all over his face, a doctor's mask on, and blood seeping through the mask.
I let out a scream when the man brings a needle down towards my neck. "This'll relax you, baby." the man murmurs, shoving the needle into my throat and injecting me with the clear liquid, the world around me fading.
~End Dream~
~Mai~
I finish telling Naru and everyone else of my dream, hiding my face in Naru's shoulder since he's closer. I feel a hand rest on my side carefully, the size automatically telling me it's Naru's. I wonder if he doesn't care anymore that everyone else is around.
"We all need to get ready to go to this site where Isamo says the group practiced. The sooner we get this case solved, the quicker we can get Mai to safety." Ayako pursues while helping me out of Naru's grip, making a cold chill run through me.
"I've already discussed this with Lin. We're splitting up into two different groups of three Mai will be with Mr. Takigawa and I. John, Lin, and you, Miss Matsuzaki will be in a group together. When we get to the site, the two groups will be separating. Let's have the girl's get dressed first then the guy's will come in. Once we're all ready, we'll head out." Naru informs, standing up, ironically ending up right in front of me.
Naru and I lock eyes as the group agrees, both of us staring at one another, a hidden emotion laying deep within his eyes. I watch him blink slowly before walking out before Lin, the others following him--leaving Ayako and myself.
I sigh and turn away from Ayako and slip on some jeans and Naru's shirt from a while back he lent me, deciding it'd be best for today. "You still have Naru's shirt?" Ayako questions, the sound of a zipper going up telling me she's finished as well.
"It's comfortable, and long sleeved." I come up with an excuse, turning to face her after slipping on some boots.
"Whatever you say, Mai." Ayako laughs, unzipping the tent door and heading out, me right behind her.
Once we're out, the guy's go in and get ready, silence is the only thing that comes from the tent with all of them in it. I look out and down the path when seeing something move. I tilt my head and stand up, ready to walk over when the guy's get out.
"Alright, let's go."
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