The Story Continued (Ghost Hunt)

Chapter 58

In front of her Mai saw a large three-story mansion with a distinctive Edwardian architectural style, constructed from traditional brick with red and orange hues. The windows were framed in white. The roof was steeply pitched and covered with shingles, complemented by chimneys indicating fireplaces within the house. The dormer windows made Mai wonder whether it was the second floor or the attic. Even though it was already dark outside the laps hanging on the outside walls of the house lit it up enough for mai to see. The distribution of windows on each floor was symmetrical, a central door framed by a decorative portico enhanced the grandeur of the entrance. In front of the house was a well-maintained garden filled with vibrant orange flowers, bordered by a black wrought-iron fence. Mai noticed the decorative brickwork around the windows and along the roofline. "This is where we will be staying." Naru said bringing Mai back to earth. "This is where you lived?" The girl asked, taking in more and more details. "Come on everyone, let's head inside!" Luella said happily, opening the front door. Mai followed the woman inside and to her surprise the interior design was much more modern than she expected.

Upon entering the house, she arrived in the hallway, which provided access to different parts of the house. To the left of the hall was an archway to a dining area, which was equipped with a large dining table. Adjacent to the dining area was the kitchen, only separated by a half wall. In the hallway, right in front of the door, was a staircase to the second floor and right behind it Mai saw a door to a yet unknown room. Luella took the group to the room that was to the right of the hallway. Another archway leading to a spacious living room. This room featured two large sofas and two armchairs, providing a comfortable seating arrangement around a central table and a fireplace in front of it. At the end of the room Mai noticed a glass door leading to the backyard of the house and on the wall opposite to the archway was another door. This one was open and Mai saw what she assumed was Mr.Davis's office. A wooden desk with a computer on it and many bookshelves in the back. "It's pretty late already." Luella started once everyone was in the living room. "As much as I wish we would have the time to get to know each other, I'm afraid we will have to get onto the case as soon as tomorrow." she added. The woman nodded her head in the direction of the twins. "We will show you your rooms." Gene said as he already discussed sleeping arrangements with his mom. "Let's head upstairs."

Up the stairs, a long hallway stretching to both the left and the right side appeared in front of Mai. The girl looked to the right and saw four doors in total indicating four rooms. Two on each side. She turned around and saw the exact same on the other side of the staircase. "What do your parents need all these rooms for?" Mai asked quickly, following after Naru. The boy waited for her in front of the door down the hallway before he opened it letting the girl in. "Is this my room?" she asked, looking around and immediately seeing the similarities to the SPR office. "It's my room." The boy corrected. "Well, our room for now." Mai turned around stunned. Sharing space with Naru was not new but this was his room, the room he grew up in, in his parents' house. "I see." she said softly, walking towards the window and taking in the view of the backyard. "Mai." Naru tried to get her attention. "What are you thinking?" He asked, not really needing an answer as he knows what Mai is thinking most of the time. Right now she is probably embarrassed about the room-sharing. "That I love you." she answered. Naru's eyebrows furrowed for a second in surprise. He stepped closer to Mai, placed his hand on her shoulder and placed a kiss at the top of her head, looking for the reaction he wanted to see. "I love you, too." Soon enough Mai looked away trying to hide her blush, making a smirk appear on Naru's face. The girl turned around to face him. "You're unbelievable, you know?" she started. "You're doing it just to see me embarrassed. I know you are because I also know you don't particularly enjoy physical touch or talking about your feelings." she claimed. Naru couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. She was right and it did impress him. But it also made him wonder what other of his habits Mai knew about. Did she know that Naru would mostly show his care through actions since he didn't like putting it in words? Which in itself was contrary to his usual self. Did she know that his protective nature became more pronounced since he realized how much he cared for Mai? That he was now more attentive to Mai's well-being, ensuring she was not put in harm's way during their cases? Probably. And did she know that in rare moments, he might open up to her more than he does with anyone else, sharing his thoughts and feelings, which he typically keeps guarded, because it's her. "Maybe, but it's worth it to see your reactions." he smirked, making Mai roll her eyes.

In the hallway right in front of Naru's door, Gene was making sure everyone knew where their rooms were. His own room was opposite Naru's and for the duration of their stay Yasuhara was going to join him there. Next to theirs was John's room and Masako's was located next to Mai. All of these were to the right side of the staircase. Now on the left side in the far corner was the room of the hosts. In front of their room was what used to be Lin's room, but is now also Madoka's room and next to them Gene placed Ayako and Takigawa. You would think that following the math there would be one extra room. An empty room next to Luella's and Martin's. And it's true. Used to, actually. Since Luella had this room remodeled into an additional bathroom about a month ago. As if expecting a large amount of visitors. Getting situated took the team a while, so long in fact that the last light to go out in the house was around 3 am and for once it wasn't Naru. But just because Mai didn't let him.

In the morning, late morning, the team gathered in the living room. Martin went to grab something from his office before joining the group. He handed the copies of the case files to Naru who then passed them on. "For the past month we've been investigating the Cromwell hospital here in London." Martin stated. "The hospital is a three story building. It's on the older side, built in the Victorian era. There are multiple small departments like ED, OPD, IPD, ICU, Surgery Department, Cardiology, Neurology, Radiology, Laboratory and Pharmacy."

"That's a lot." Mai commented.

"That's standard." Naru whispered in response.

"Most of the patients and staff have been transferred to other hospitals in the area. The ones we can not move are patients who are either in a coma or in a vegetative state. So other than the Neurology Department the place is ours." Martin continued going through the files. Naru was reading ahead of what his father was saying. "So, what do you need us for?" he asked. "Most of the patients admitted in a coma ended up like that after, what we assumed, a possession inside the building." Martin explained. Naru let out a long sigh while pinching his nose. "The longest one?" he asked. "Three months." his father answered. "That's when the first possession happened according to the statements we have."

Naru noticed the look on his fathers face and knew there was more to the story. He already didn't like the case and he had a feeling he was going to like it even less. "What more is there?" he asked. Martin cleared his throat. "We've been investigating this case together with another team. Friends of ours. One of their staff suffered and fell into a coma last week." The team looked unfazed but Naru fell silent. Mai noticed the look on his face. He wasn't happy about the circumstances. "There is a frown on your face." she pointed out jokingly. Naru put his head in his hands and took a deep breath. "Anything else?" he looked back up. "We have nothing else. Just possessions." Martin answered. "I'll give you some time to read the rest of the files, get familiar with the case line. We will head out in an hour."

As his father finished speaking Naru removed himself from the room. The feeling of excitement that all the cases brought him before was now replaced with fear. And he did not know how to deal with it. He felt an emotional conflict as what he was feeling didn't align with his usual detached and logical approach. "Naru? Are you ok?" Mai asked as she followed him all the way to their room. The boy turned around and put both his hands on Mai's shoulders. "I know I told you you could act on your crazy ideas here in England." he started. "But if you move past my arm's reach I'll..." he stopped not knowing what he would do. Up until then his voice was calm, under his control. Mai looked at him understandably, not fooled by his collected demeanor. She suspected Naru was going through some sort of crisis, conflict or whatever he had to come to terms with. And she didn't wanna make it harder on him. "I get it. No crazy ideas." she reassured him looking into his eyes. Naru let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Thank you." he said placing a kiss on her forehead.