"Italics like this" Japanese speaking
"Words like this" English speaking
'Words like this' thinking
Remember, I don't own Ghost Hunt. And out to those Nancy Drew fans you may recognize the similarities between the story line of this story and 'Blackmoor Manor'! But please, don't think it's the same because it's not! Enjoy the fic!
Chapter 1- Jolly Old England?
Mai watched the scenery fly past her as she sat in the rather comfortable seat of a Grey Hound like bus. She was on vacation and visiting a close friend of hers, Kim Lunar, who she had met when the girl had been in the exchange student program from England. When Kim had found out that Mai was on vacation from school she had all but demanded that Mai visit her at her family's old house in England.
It had taken massive begging on Mai's part to make Naru let her go. For some reason when he heard her destination was England he had become even harder to convince to let her go. When she threatened to quit and go anyway he had said she could go but she had a feeling it wasn't that she had threatened to quit. But rather that she had promised him a souvenir.
Mai gulped as lightening streaked across the sky. She felt her heart jumping into her throat as the bus stopped at her destination. She picked her duffle bag up and slowly got off the bus and listened as it drove away. The walk way up to the very large house made Mai want to run away but she took a deep breath and started to walk down the stone path wishing she hadn't agreed to come straight to the house.
'I thought England was supposed to be happy and peppy…this is downright gloomy. Perfect for Naru.' Mai couldn't help but think. She smiled as she began the ascent of the front steps before a growl caught her attention. She frowned and turned to look out at the large yard for the source of the growl. She shrugged before turning and knocking on the door.
Another, much louder, growl came from her right and she whirled around and went white with fear. Two red eyes were staring at her from the bushes. She screamed as the thing growled at her and she turned and began to pound on the door. She did not want to be eaten before she even got inside.
"Mai?" the door opened up and Mai felt relief wash through her as her friend opened the door to see her scared Japanese friend standing there before the brown haired girl looked over her shoulder expectantly.
"There was something out there!" Mai cried as she turned to her friend expecting to see her laughing. But instead Kim sighed before letting Mai in. Mai noticed that Kim had let her reddish-blonde hair grow to her waist and her green eyes seemed to be very tired but Mai had a feeling it was because most of Kim's college classes were at night.
"I see you've met our Mansion Monster." Kim sighed and Mai felt a shiver go down her back. That didn't sound good. "It's really odd, it started showing up right after my aunt got sick."
"Oh, maybe it's just a really mean stray dog, Kim." Mai reassured her friend and Kim laughed.
"I'm sorry, Mai. Here I am pouring my problems out to you. Come on, I'll show you to your room. Follow me." Kim said with a smile. Mai looked around the large entry room they were standing in. She saw several paintings on the walls. She saw on that on each side of the set of stairs Kim was leading her up were two doors. She wondered where they went before she and Kim reached the top of the steps.
There was a hallway that went left and right, Kim turned left and Mai followed her all the way to the end of the hall where a door with moons and suns were engraved on the door. Mai couldn't hide her delight at the etchings.
"This is your room, Mai. Mine's just down the hall, if you hear yelling from one of the rooms mine's to the left of it. Come and get me once you get settled and I'll order us something to eat. My great-aunt had the wild idea to remodel the kitchen and it's taking forever!" Kim said with a smile and Mai giggled as her friend was still as talkative as she had been in Japan.
"Okay!" Mai entered her room, glad that she had taken an extra class in English in preparation for her trip. Naru had laughed at her every time she tried to talk to him in English until she finally gave up and went to Lin for help. He had helped her a great deal and when she told Naru good-bye, in English mind you, she resisted the urge to flip him off.
Lin had told her during their tutor sessions that the reason Naru had refused to help was because he didn't want her going to England because he was worried. Mai didn't know whether to feel happy over the fact that Naru didn't want her to go because he thought she would get hurt or to be angry over the fact. Mai had decided to feel anger it was a much easier emotion for her to handle around Naru.
'Jerk!!' she thought as she put her bag down on the bed. She realized suddenly that her room was Asian in decorations and she couldn't help but smile. The walls were red and had several Japanese wall hangings. Her bed had a canopy that was a deep gold color that matched the bed spread. Mai smiled before quickly unpacking her things and lying down on the bed.
'Maybe this vacation won't be so bad. Maybe I should call Ayako…she told me to call her once I got here.' Mai sat up and rummaged through her purse and finally found her cell phone. She sighed when she saw it was almost dead. She turned the device off and saw there was a phone by her bed. She picked the receiver up and dialed Ayako's number.
"Hello?" Ayako finally answered and Mai could imagine her confusion when she saw the caller ID that would undoubtedly say 'England' and whatever Kim's number was.
"Hi, Ayako. You told me to call when I made it. Well, I'm here." Mai said and she heard Ayako breathe out at Mai's voice.
"Great! Takigawa has been driving me crazy! He came over to my house to wait for your call! Would you quit?! Ouch, hey I should get to talk to her! I'll let you talk to her in a minute!" Mai giggled as she could imagine as Ayako tried to keep the phone out of Takigawa's grip. "How's your friend, Kim? And the house?"
"To be honest, it's kind of creepy. There's this…thing outside and it started showing up when Kim's aunt got sick. I might just be imagining things but that seems extremely weird." Mai stated and she heard Ayako laugh and she felt her anger rise up ready to strike.
"You've spent too much time at SPR, Mai-chan. Don't worry about it. And if something is really odd, call Naru! Or me…or Takigawa. You're probably just tired…don't talk to Takigawa to long." Ayako finally handed the phone over to the monk and Mai talked to him for a few minutes before hanging up and she decided that she would find Kim.
She exited her room and frowned as she heard yelling. She followed the sound and found a closed door, closest to the stairs. She couldn't understand what was being said as they were talking extremely fast but what caught her attention was on the floor in front of the door. Muddy footprints from a person that Mai decided had been outside. She heard something slam down and she realized this was the room Kim had told her about. She looked to the left of the door and saw the stairs but on the other side of the stairs she saw another door.
She knocked and was relieved when Kim's voice called for her to come in. She opened the door and saw that Kim's room consisted of a double bed and a desk and chair. There were no decorations and clothes were scattered everywhere. A college student's room to be sure. Kim turned around in her seat where she was at her desk and smile at Mai's look.
"Yeah, I know my room's a mess. But finals are coming up and I need to study. But don't worry, they'll be over by tomorrow and then I'll be able to show you around, okay?" Mai nodded with a smile. "Come on, let's go see if my great-aunt is ready to call for dinner. I'm starved."
"Hey, Kim, why was your aunt yelling? I thought she was sick." Mai said as she followed her friend down the stairs and through a doorway that was between two of the paintings in the main hallway.
"Well…she's not the conventional sick. See it's a bit of a mystery. I heard you were a Ghost Hunter now and I thought you might be a little bit of help. A couple of weeks ago my aunt started hiding in her room and in her bed. At first we thought she just had the flu or something but then she started hiding behind this curtain and she's so grouchy!
"If you knew my aunt you would know that isn't like her. She's the friendliest person I know. I mean she never argued with anyone in her entire life until she started acting so odd. Not even my Uncle, who's on business, was ever in a fight with her. But now whenever he calls that seems to be the only thing they do. I have to put ear muffs on just so that I can sleep." Kim said with a sigh.
"That's terrible, Kim." Mai said. "It's odd…I've only heard of…do you have any reason to believe that she may just be sick?" Mai asked and Kim shook her head and the brown headed girl frowned. This did not sound good.
Mai flipped through the library book she had on her lap. She was sitting in the library of the large house looking at, of all things, a book on lycanthropes. She squeaked as her phone suddenly went off in the silence of the library. She checked the number and she saw it was an England number. She answered it interestedly.
"Hello?" Mai answered curiously.
"Mai! It's Madoka! I heard you were in England! I just wanted to know if you made it in already!" Mai recognized the voice of Madoka Mori, Naru's mentor. Mai didn't know that Madoka was back in England.
"Madoka! I made it in fine…but my friend's house is sort of creepy. I'm staying with Kim Lunar, in one of the large mansions. And something is awfully odd." Mai said and she heard Madoka's breath hitch.
"What do you mean, odd?" Madoka asked and Mai frowned as she tried to think of a way to explain.
"I mean…Kim said her aunt started acting odd not to long ago and when I got here…there was a monster that growled at me." Mai said as she kept reading through the book as she balanced her phone on her shoulder.
"Mai, don't tell me what I think your thinking. There hasn't been a documentation of a werewolf in a hundred years." Madoka said and Mai groaned before she closed the book and stood up stretching her back until it popped.
"Maybe it's just my imagination…her aunt could just be sick and grouchy because of it. That's probably it. Maybe I really do need this vacation." Mai joked and she heard Madoka laugh.
"I should call Naru and rip into him for making you work so hard that you imagine that you are on a case while actually on vacation! What's the address, I'll come and visit you in a couple of days!" Madoka offered and Mai gave her the address before saying good-bye and putting her phone into her pocket.
She quickly replaced the books on the bookshelves and looked at the clock that hung on the wall beside the window. She saw it was nearly midnight and she realized how tired she really felt. She started towards the door before stopping as the door buckled slightly and there was a scratching sound on the door. She stayed still and heard the same growling from before.
'What's going on?' she thought before the lights flickered and she pressed herself against the wall as all the shelves began to shake angrily. She clutched at the wall she was pressed against as even the ground began to shake.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" a ghostly wail caused shivers to go down Mai's spine before suddenly it all stopped. Mai slid to the floor with her heart pounding before pushing her bangs out of her face and standing back up and heading for the door. She opened the door and looked out into the main hallway that the library connected to.
She looked down at the door and felt her eyes widen in surprise. On the door was several deep gash marks. She was surprised that the door had withstood whatever had attacked it. She looked back out into the hall and was glad that it was still lit. She quickly left the library and dashed up to her room and locking her door tightly.
'This is not good.' Mai thought as she leaned against her door. 'I need to call Madoka back!' she pulled her phone out of her pocket and hit the redial button and waited anxiously as the phone rang before Madoka finally answered.
"Um, Mai can I call you back?" Madoka sounded ruffled and Mai wondered briefly was wrong before she pushed her curiosity back and told Madoka what had happened.
"Alright, look we can talk about this when I get out there…and I may have…some assistants. Speaking of which, I have to go. Stay in your room until morning. Bye!" Madoka hung up and Mai looked at the phone as it played the dial tone at her and Mai sighed before she went over to her bed and curled up and went to sleep quickly.
Mai woke up and yawned widely. She sat up in the bed and climbed out before she got her clothes and somehow found out where the bathroom without getting lost and when she exited the room she found Kim waiting on her with a smile on her face.
"Hey, you have a couple of visitors." Kim said and Mai smiled before she followed her friend down the steps and saw Madoka standing in the hallway and Kim turned to Mai.
"I have class, I'll be back in about three hours. And if my aunt starts screeching, hide in the library, not even guests are safe from her rages." Kim said before she exited and Madoka nodded before smiling at Mai.
"I did some research on this house. It has quiet a history to speak of." Madoka said and Mai could feel her interest peek at the glint she saw in Madoka's eyes, the woman had obviously found something of interest about the house.
"Wait a minute. Kim said I had more than one visitor." Mai said and Madoka smiled and nodded before the main doors opened and she turned to look at her assistants and Mai felt her eyes widen in utter surprise and dismay.
"Lin-san?! Naru?!" she cried as the two men walked inside and she felt like she was going to faint.
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