NEVER Talk To Strangers

~ 6 ~

Mari found herself back in the pink bedroom after breakfast. She couldn't stop thinking about this room ever since she came in here. This room felt so familiar to her, yet she was sure she'd never been here before. This wasn't even similar to her bedroom back home. Speaking of home, she wanted to check on her father. Budo had told her back at the hotel that Ayano had been discharged, but hadn't said much about her father. She was worried about him quite a bit. There had to be a phone here somewhere she could use to contact him. She left the room quickly, not even realising she could use the laptop placed on the desk in the pink bedroom.

She searched the entire house, not finding any phone. She was getting frustrated. She hadn't seen anything she could use to contact the outside world with. No T.V's, no phones, no computers. She really was isolated and cut off from the outside world here. Suddenly she remembered the laptop in the pink bedroom, mentally facepalming.
"How could I be so stupid? There's a laptop in that bedroom." She said quietly to herself, running to that room. She had to get there and contact Ayano.

She sat at the desk, logging in to a chat site she used back in boarding school to talk to Ayano. She didn't have any other friends to talk to, so she was almost always on her phone texting Ayano.
Mari: Hey Ayano. I'm letting you know I'm safe with Budo.
Ayano: Where are you?
Mari: At Budo's friend's house.
Ayano: Where is it?
Mari: I don't know. Budo said it was the other side of Japan.
Ayano: You need to leave as soon as possible. You cannot trust him.
Mari: I can trust him, Ayano. I trust him with my life.
Ayano: Who is this friend of Budo's anyway? What's his name?
Mari: He said his name was dr. Casey, I think...
Ayano: You need to get out of there. Ask him to bring you home. Now.
Mari: I will.
She logged out and sighed. She didn't know why Ayano was so suspicious of Budo after she had seen him take her safely out of the building when they were being shot at. She turned off the laptop and sat in silence, looking out the window until she heard a voice.
"Mari! I'm back!" It was Budo's voice. He was back and had her medication. She got up and ran to the front door where she had heard his voice. Maybe he had news on her father.

Mari ran to the main entrance, seeing Budo taking his shoes off. He looked up, smiling when he saw her.
"Hey. I got your medication." He told her, taking the bottle of phoney pills from his pocket and handing it to her. "It wasn't too much trouble to get." He told her proudly. She nodded her head, holding the bottle.
"Can you give me a minute?" She asked him, not wanting to take her medication in front of him. He nodded his head, not minding at all. She took herself off into the kitchen to get a glass of water to take her pills with. She only took what she would usually have, not wanting to accidentally overdose. She went back to him, remembering what Ayano had told her to do.
"You good now?" He asked, giving her a pleasant smile when she returned. He had waited for her in the entrance hall so she would know where to find him once she had taken her medication. She nodded her head, looking up at him.
"Yeah. Can I borrow your phone so I can call my father?" She asked. He shook his head and sighed, seeing she wasn't going to let that go. He had to tell her.
"No, but I did call the hospital while I was out to check for you." He started, looking at her. He stepped closer, sighing. "I'm sorry to tell you that he died early this morning." Her eyes widened, quickly filling with tears.
"No... he can't be dead!" She cried, breathing deep. Ayano had never mentioned her father's passing, which didn't even cross her mind. "I have to go home and sort the funeral and everything." She ran out of the room, heading up the stairs.
"You know you can't." He sighed, following after her. He had to make her stay at all costs.

He walked into her bedroom and found her packing all her belongings into a case. Tears were streaming down her face as she packed.
"Mari..." he sighed her name as he watched her. She turned back to him, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
"I can't believe he's dead... I didn't even get to say goodbye..." she said tearfully, bursting into sobs and tears. He pulled her into a tight hug, gently rubbing her back. He felt so bad for her. "I have to go back..." she repeatedly cried quietly as he comforted her.
"Listen. It isn't safe for you to go back right now. In a few days, if you're still desperate to go, I'll take you there myself." He promised. He didn't intend to keep that promise, knowing he had to keep her here. She nodded her head sadly, letting go. Most of the crying had stopped right now, but that depressed feeling still hung over her like a cloud. "I'll make you one of my famous grilled cheese's, how about that?" He offered gently. She nodded her head sadly. He let her go and went to the door. "It'll be ready in 15 minutes." He told her, leaving the room. She left not long after him, deciding to go to the library to take her mind off what happened.

She looked around the library, going straight over to the lone bookshelf on the back wall. She looked at the selection, seeing mostly medical records. There was a couple of fiction books though. She reached for one that seemed to interest her the most. As she pulled it out the bookcase swung forward, sending her to the floor. She stood up, looking at what she had discovered in shock and awe.
"A... secret passage?"