Hysteria

Chapter 6 : The Return Home

Chiyo woke up with a headache, similar to the one she had earlier. But she woke up in an unfamiliar place, once she sat up in the twin sized bed, memories flooded in as she remembered the events from earlier. She held her head in her hands, holding back a sob. Her mother, the strongest person she knew, had gone through an unimaginable pain, and hiding that pain was even more difficult.

Chiyo looked at her hair that had fallen over her face, it made sense why she didn't look like her 'dad' and why she looked like a stranger she had only seen from visions. "You saw your dad?" Asked Arwynn "He was so stubborn about wanting you to live without him." she continued, "But it was for some prophecy that i have to somehow help you guys through, well i'm sorry to say this, but i'm just a human." Chiyo said.

"No you're not just human, you're the one who has to sacrifice herself for us." Astoria said, "I have to sacrifice myself, I'm not a selfish person, but I don't want to die anytime soon." Chiyo said to Astoria. "But what about us?" She asked, "I just met you, I don't know what your character is like, I don't know if you are a good person." Chiyo answered furiously. "But you're the one, you have to save us." Arwynn said Chiyo couldn't read her expression, but she knew that whatever expression it was, it couldn't be good.

"Look i don't want to be here, so how about we forget we even crossed each other." Chiyo said, walking to the door not waiting for a response. When she closed the door, the feeling of dread fell over her, like she was doing something wrong.

. . .

Once she was out of the forest, the green grass greeted her, as she saw the stone shrine on a hill a bit farther. As she stood in front of the shrine, the carving of the bear's face, looked at her with want, and hunger. A shiver went down her spine as she quickly went through to the other side. She stood under the shrine for a bit with her eyes closed. A sound of a twig being snapped sent her out of her peaceful state as she snapped her eyes open. There she was, in front of the dark forest by her house.

She ran through the forest to her house, the feeling of dread leaving with every sprint home. As she entered her peaceful home her mother stood in the doorway. Her face said everything, Chiyo was gone for more than a couple hours. "Where have you been?" she said irritated. "With some friends." Chiyo answered sheepishly, "Your teachers called, and Irene called as well, they all said that you weren't at school!" her mother said enraged. "So I ask again, where were you?" she asked once again.

"Where did you meet dad?" Chiyo asked, "Why are you asking me this, I've told you." she said "well then if you and dad both had dark hair, then how did i get white hair." Chiyo asked. Her mom's eyes widened, and Chiyo knew that she would somehow need to find a way to get this secret out. "And what's this curse you always talk about, what's so bad about my hair." her mom's eyes went dark and she turned around before telling Chiyo about her dad.

"He was magical and he came to earth because of a prophecy that a white haired child would have to sacrifice themselves to save the magical people. We met in a cafe in Japan. And he had hair as white as the snow, he told me his story and about a shrine. He left when I was about to have you saying that he had to save his people and that he didn't want you to live with him, as the second part of the prophecy was that his child would have to sacrifice herself." she said fantasizing about the younger days. "That doesn't make sense, why would the prophecy change between different generations?" Chiyo asked, "I don't know, but you're not the only person who noticed it." her mother said in suspicion.

Her mother got up and grabbed a small polaroid from the drawer in the kitchen and handed it to Chiyo. It was her parents at a younger age standing in front of a shrine, their smiles being directed to each other in romance. As Chiyo looked at the shrine, the carving at the top of it caught her eye, it was the same carving of the stag on the one in the forest.