DEATHMARK

Yuki didn't sleep. She just lay there, eyes wide open, waiting for the sun to come up. She was in a dark, restless kind of mood. Five hours ago, Miss Nishimura had called the police to come over her house. That's when the paramedics ran to her house with their stretcher in hand.

Her parents didn't speak, but they were breathing. That was supposed to mean they were alive—at least, that's what she told herself. Then Miss Nishimura spoke to her briefly and said something about their condition and how she should keep her hopes up. But in the end, Miss Nishimura walked out with the paramedics and said her goodbyes.

Now she stood in the middle of the living room, staring at all the trash bags around her. One of them oozed a dark liquid that smelled like spoiled chocolate milk, and it made her gag a little. It was the first time she'd really recognized the smell. She'd developed nose blindness for so long that the stench hadn't been a problem—until now.

However, she walked past it careful not to step on the stain. She was now in front of her parents bedroom, debating whether to go in. 

"No... I shouldn't, they just got taken to the hospital. This doesn't feel right at all..." 

But after circling the hallway a few more times, she ended up going in anyway. The bed was bare now just a plain mattress with a deep dip in the middle where they used to lay. She looked around and spotted her two dolls still sitting on the nightstand. One wore a gray suit, the other was a girl in a blue dress.

Her fingers hovered before she picked them up.

"What do I do with you two?"

***

She then made her way back to the living room, as she walked straight to the window. Two dolls were there, sitting together near the window. She gathered the last two dolls and walked back to the living room couch and placed all four dolls in a row. Then sat on the floor in front of them, legs crossed.

She just stared at them, back hunched, arms resting in her lap. 

Suddenly, one of them tilted their head.

Just a soft tilt, like it had nodded at her. Yuki froze in place. She couldn't believe her eyes.

Did the doll just move? 

She rubbed her eyes and looked again. But on second glance, it looked like she was wrong—the dolls were in the same pose she'd put them in.

I must be imagining things.

Yuki got up and picked the phone. To her surprise, it was Miss Nishimura calling but something didn't make sense. Did she not check the time? It was around 4 in the morning. She could've been sleeping at this hour… but maybe she took a gamble, assuming she would be too depressed to actually sleep after everything that had just happened. in any case, she answered : 

"...Hello?"

"Oh, thank God, I was really worried," Miss Nishimura breathed on the other end.

Yuki didn't know what to say, so she didn't say anything.

"I know last night was... I mean, it was a lot but listen I called someone for you. A therapist. Someone I saw when I was younger," Miss Nishimura said.

Yuki looked confused.

A therapist. Of course. If anything could help me at this moment, it's therapy, right? Yuki thought sarcastically.

Still, her mouth didn't work. She couldn't even think of anything to say back.

"He really did help. But he is a little strange."

Yuki raised an eyebrow.

"Strange how...?"

There was a little pause on the other end, like Miss Nishimura was choosing her words.

"He opens his therapy clinic at five in the morning and closes at seven-thirty. That's it. No afternoons. No weekends."

"...That's weird," 

Yes, but the weird thing is that he's always seen wearing a black suit. And not like occasionally I mean always. It's like that's the only suit he owns."

Yuki looked back at the dolls. They still hadn't moved.

"Lastly, he has this receptionist too that seems to never speak. I don't know if she can't, or just chooses not to. But there's something strange about her..."

Yuki almost smiled, but it didn't quite reach her mouth.

Miss Nishimura's voice got a little softer.

"But, if you can get past all that... he helped me through something when I was a mess. He told me things no one else did. He saw through me like glass. It was scary at first, but... it worked."

Yuki leaned against the wall and looked at the clock. It was 4:50 a.m.

Uhm... I guess I can see him and still make it to school on time, she thought.

However, she didn't feel like talking or moving. But something about the way Miss Nishimura said it—like she really meant it—like she really believed it could help—got stuck in Yuki's head.

"You don't have to go if you're not ready... but I'll send you his contact for whenever you are. He's the kind of person who knows how to listen," Miss Nishimura said.

"...What's his name?" Yuki asked.

"Sasaki," Miss Nishimura said. "Sasaki Shin."