EPOCH: Echoes

Friday, March 26th

     I peered into the words on my phone screen. Ignoring the reflection looking back at me as I thought back to how many times I’d told myself not to make such a big deal of it. But then again… It’s not like I was ever good at convincing myself to make the right decisions.

     Besides, I could just do what I always did. Go home and head straight to my room. I would just tell her that I had a ton of homework and a test to study for and she’d be sure to leave me be.

Just like she always does…

     As I gradually worked my way down the winding countryside roads of Kobe, the setting sun created a painting across the horizon that helped me feel at ease. But also made me feel terrified. I wouldn’t even dare look over at the river beside me.

     Standing at the front of my house, I struggled to fit my key into the door lock. I just couldn’t seem to get my hands to hold steady. That’s when the click of the lock gave me pause moments before the door swung open in front of me.

“I thought I told you to give me a call when you arrived at the station.”

     With my head pointed downwards, I stepped past my mother and into the house. I tossed my bag in front of me as I slipped out of my shoes.

“I can walk home just fine by myself,” I attempted to argue back.

     My mother’s aura permeated the narrow hallway. Her glare beating down onto the back of my neck. It was suffocating.

     The feeling that I was someone who needed help. Like I was lost somehow. Adrift in my own insanity. Drowning in my own depression.

I hated it.

I know she cared for me… But I hated it.

I know she was just trying to make sure I was okay, and that I wasn’t some traumatized girl making up ghost stories… But I hated it.

I know she was doing the best she could… But I hated her.

Because she wouldn’t believe me.

     As I waltzed up to my room, I slammed the door behind me and collapsed onto my bed.

     Stretching over to my laptop on the desk beside me, I pushed it open and the first thing that popped up was a search query about a local murder by the riverside from two years ago. I pulled the laptop over and began scrolling through the webpage. Briefly stopping on a link about talks of a strange girl with white hair and eyes with a red hue seen lurking around areas that people reportedly have died at. What caught my attention was that it was always in the town I used to live in back in Kyoto.

Shin-Tsubaki

     Sifting through the article, the details of the case oddly jumped out at me. I had a familiarity with the location of course, but even more so with this one piece of information…

"College student found dead in 'the old' shrine.

Evidence seems to point to the deceased having been locked away in the abandoned sacred structure for months.

Identified as missing Shin-Tsubaki native.

Toki Haruhi."

     I staggered a bit. Frettingly rereading through the article hoping I had misread, but it was written there clear as day.

That name…

That person was…

Me.