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Questioning

MEI'S POV ~

Mei let out a long heavy sigh. They had already been nearly an hour and a half into the trip and still had nearly another three to go. She supposed the good thing about Australia and Japan was the time difference wasn't huge like most countries. 

"So where is it we're going to be staying John?" Masako asked, as usual she'd have her sleeve covering her mouth and sitting in a very elegant manner. Mei looked continued to look out the window but payed attention to the conversation, thank goodness they were speaking in Japanese... She'd suspected that Masako could speak other languages because she was famous. But never the rest of them.

"Well we're going back to our home town, we'll be staying at the family home for the time we're here. My grandmother is currently owning the house and church. It's a big house so there will be plenty of room." John said. Smiling.

Mei couldn't help but notice John's excitement at having friends coming over, he really was childish for someone of his occupation, she had found him rather funny when they had first met. She could have sworn he was a new student. He only looked like he was 13 years old, But no... He was 19 and he was a priest! This had shocked Mei, as-well as Monk and Ayako he was older the Naru but never in a million years could look it. Plus he was on the short side.

"So, what's the name of the town we're staying at?" Ayako's question soon crashed through her thoughts. 

"It's called Gresford." John replied.

"Gresford huh? What's it like?" 

"Well. I'm going to be honest Ayako, it's probably not going to be your kind of town, but it's a small country town and not many people live in it." John explained. "But there's a market coming up this weekend and lots of people come around too attend. We'll be going so I'm sure you'll enjoy it." 

"A market does sound like fun." Masako said. 

"Yeah, their really great, there's music and stalls and they sell all kinds of neat stuff you couldn't buy in any store." John announced. 

Mei smiled, Australian markets must be much different. She couldn't wait to see more of Australia, she had never been to another country so this was going to be a great experience she could go home, get back to school and tell her friends all about it. It'd be great, the best part was she got to spend it with her friends.

 ******

Shortly they had arrived at a truck stop, where there was a small area with a few benches for sitting at and a gas station just across the road. Cody was still at the service station talking to someone while filling up the tank. John had brought a heap of drinks and brought them over to the table for everyone.

"Cody might be a while. He's just talking to someone he hasn't seen since highschool." John said, told them.

"Highschool huh? Is it true that here there isn't such thing as middle school?" Mei asked. John nodded.

"Mhm, that's right. We have Primary school and then Highschool. After that you want to go to tafe or university or just get a job." 

"Well that's different. No middle school." Masako interupted, John shook his head in reply. "Nope. Nothing like that." 

"Hm, I guess no country will ever be the same." Mei commented, opening up her drink, confused by the writing on the front, she was going to have to get used to this... 

"The chocolate milk brands are different here too, their called Oak. It's a really popular company. Here." He said, opening the carton for Mei and pushing the straw into it and sliding it across the table to her, meanwhile Lin didn't touch his orange juice he'd gotten, deciding he'd save it for later. Instead he'd taken out his laptop and started typing.

"So John, would you mind telling us what's been going on at your families home." Naru said, catching everyone's glares for a moment. 

"Yeah, I suppose now's a good time to talk about it, seen as Cody isn't too fond of the idea." John said. 

"What do you mean by that." Ayako asked, folding her arms on the benches old green planks and looking at the young priest.

"Well. He doesn't think it has anything to do with a supernatural haunting... But than again... Nana did say it only happens whenever us kids are there." 

This seemed to grab both Lin and Naru's attention, Mei found that weird but continued to listen to the conversation, wondering what about 'that' had gotten those two suddenly so interested. 
"And is your Nana skeptical about the whole ordeal aswell. Or is she buying it?" Lin questioned. 
"Oh no... She believes in supernatural forces, in-fact she's very open to paranormal activity. She just claims that whenever we aren't in the house and it's just her and Mittens, that nothing out of the ordinary happens." 

"What you mean like a spirit is attached to one of you or something, or more like it only becomes active because one of you, or all of you are there?" Monk asked.
John could only respond with a shrug, "I don't know what she believes, I've tried an exorcism. But it doesn't work... Strange things still happen regardless." 

"Are they violent things?" Naru questioned, looking at Lin's computer screen for a brief moment. Mei was guessing that he was typing down what was being said.

"Well, I wouldn't really say violent, more just things to get someones attention." John stated, scratching behind his ear. 

"Well... From what I've heard it sounds something like an attachment. But the problem is, which one of you is it attached too, and why?" Ayako said.

"Have any of you ever been able to see spirits before?" Mei asked.

"Yeah, Cassy used to be able too. I don't know if she still does, but she used to play around the church with children but we never saw them... However, you could hear their laughter." John said. 
"So it's the church on your land that's haunted?" Naru asked, taking a short sip of his orange juice.
"Well actually, we believed it to be both. The house has activity, but so does the church."

"Is the church still in use?" 

"No... Only when we have fundraisers. Our grand-father closed the church down, he said no one could go in there because of the dangers." John explained, Mei couldn't help but noticed how tense the priest was becoming. Was something... Wrong?

"Dangers?" Naru asked.

"Yeah, the chairs in the room would go flying across the room at random during Sunday church. It hit a lady really hard once, she got knocked out and we had to call an ambulance." John recalled the event like it was yesterday.

"I see. We'll discuss the rest of this later. Till then, if there's anything else. Let me know." 

John nodded assuringly, "sure thing."