NEVER Talk To Strangers

~ 7 ~

Mari took a deep breath, slowly entering the secret passage. She was very curious and wanted to know more about the secrets this house obviously had. She kept walking, not realising how long the tunnel was. She eventually reached a fork in the passageway. Left, or right. She chose to go left first. Eventually, she found a door. She opened it and went inside.

As she looked around, she realised she was in a lab of some description. Why it was here, though, she had no clue. She looked around for a few minutes before deciding to leave. It was quite eerie, and she didn't like it. She ran out of the room and back down the passage until she reached the fork again. She went right this time.

She entered a small room, looking around. Something instantly caught her eye on the wall. She looked up at it, gasping lightly. Hanging up on the wall was a portrait of her late mother. She heard footsteps coming from the entrance, and when she looked back she saw Mr Manson.
"Excuse me, but did Dr Casey know my mother?" Mari asked the older man, looking over at him. He looked up at the painting, nodding his head very softly.
"Yes, they were very close. Dr Shuyona and the master worked together many years ago, in fact." He explained. She nodded her head slowly, thinking long and hard. Maybe that linked to the strong feelings of deja vu she was feeling in this house.
"Okay then. Answer me this. Have I been in this house before?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips. He nodded his head.
"Yes, but you were very young at the time so I don't expect you to remember." He said. Her eyes widened slightly as she realised she hadn't been going crazy the whole time. She had been here before! Before she could ask more, Budo walked in.
"What's going on in here?" He asked, looking at them both. Mari folded her arms and looked at him.
"I need an explanation." She told him. He sighed and looked at her, nodding his head slowly.
"Okay fine, but not in here." He said firmly. She looked at Mr Manson, seeing his thoughtful expression. His gaze was on the portrait still. She sighed.
"Let's go then."

They went out into the dining room to continue their conversation. Budo made sure to shut off the secret passageway after Mari and Mr Manson had left it. Mari was sat down at the table, as was Budo.
"Do you need me here anymore?" Mr Manson asked Budo. The younger boy thought, shaking his head.
"No, thank you. You've said enough." Budo told him. Mr Manson nodded his head and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Mari turned to Budo, folding her arms.
"I need a proper explanation, Budo. What is your relationship with Dr Casey?" She asked. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, looking away from her.
"I told you, he's my friend," Budo told her. Looking at her face, it was clear she wasn't buying it anymore. He sighed. "Okay fine. He's more like a boss than a friend. He hired me to protect you and keep you safe." He explained. She made a realisation, Budo hadn't been looking at her because he thought she was cute, but because he had to.
"Keep me safe?" She asked. He nodded his head, still looking at her. She felt the trust she had for Budo slowly dissolving and the realisation that Ayano was right setting in. "What from, Budo?" She demanded an answer. He knew he had to tell her. He went silent for a moment, trying to figure out the right words before he told her the truth.
"The gunmen at the shopping centre. I knew it was coming but didn't know when." He admitted. She was so angry and upset and confused all at once. Budo has been lying to her from the start.
"I have to go home. Right now!" She told him angrily, running out of the room. He sighed and got up to follow her. He couldn't let her leave here.

She kept running through the fancy garden, trying to find a way out. She couldn't drive and didn't want to risk getting into trouble with the law when she didn't even know where she was.
"Mari wait!" He shouted at her, trying to get her attention. She stopped to take a deep breath before turning to face him angrily.
"If you knew then why wouldn't you tell me?" She shouted angrily. She wanted the truth, and she wanted it now. As soon as she had that truth, she could make him take her home.
"Because then you would've gone under lock and key. I wouldn't have been able to keep you safe!" He snapped back. He wasn't making any sense, surely it would be safer for her at home under lock and key than on the run with this stranger. Right?
"That would've been safer!" She yelled back, frustrated. Not just with these turn of events, but with the fact that she put her complete trust in him over her best friend who'd kept her safe since she was young.
"No, it wouldn't!" He shouted back, frustrated with her. She was going to shout back about how she would've been safer back at home but Budo cut her off. He had seen two familiar faces, two that he had to protect her from. "Get behind me." He ordered, getting in front of her and turning to the gunmen. They walked over to him angrily, knowing he was protecting Mari. She fell silent when she realised they were there.
"Give us the girl." One of them demanded. He shook his head furiously, standing strong against the two men who were here to take Mari. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way." He threatened, pulling out a gun on him. The other guy pulled out his gun too, but Budo didn't even flinch. Bullet wounds healed quickly for him anyway. Before either of them got the chance to shoot, there were two gunshots. The two gunmen threatening them fell down, revealing the two gunmen from the shopping centre holding their guns.
"That was close." Budo sighed, walking over to them. Jōhō watched a mixture of fear and anger building inside of her. These were the men who killed her father, and Budo was acting buddy-buddy with them.
"What the hell is going on here?" She shouted, watching Budo in confusion. He and the other two turned to her. He knew he had to confess the truth.
"They work for Dr Casey too..." he confessed. Mari shook her head, backing away in shock. This Dr Casey person had made these two men kill her father so Budo could bring her here away from them.
"Budo, you owe me answers!" She demanded angrily. He sighed and nodded his head. He knew she was going to get so mad at him, and she'll just keep demanding answers until she had what she wanted.
"Fine. Let's take it inside though." He said. She growled and stormed back inside. He sighed, glancing at the two gunmen before following Mari inside the building.