Twilight 月 Incandescent Moon

Chapter 1: Forks, Washington

(song - Dry Lake from Shiki Tv's Noir soundtrack)

Chapter 1: Forks, Washington

　

The office was small, enough for a desk and three chairs. The bookcases had been squeezed in on the sides, making the room look smaller than what it was. Various books of all titles sat on their shelves along with papers and other documents that had been shoved in. It was a very cramped room.

The doctor sat in the red velveted chair behind his desk. A single window provided the light for the room, slightly closed off from the world by half closed blinds. The light fell around him, illuminating only part of the faces of his clients that sat before him. They also sat in worn velvet chairs. The man and woman had been coming back to him for several years and followed every bit of advice he could give them.

His advice had been the thing keeping their daughter alive for this long.

When they had first been requested to him, a single file had arrived at his office. He was used to working with clients with terminal-ill family members. As a personal doctor, many of his patients he had taken care of that fell under this condition died off within a few years. It was unusual when he had taken this job, and their daughter didn't experience any of the effects of a close death. Over the years he had been able to watch the girl grow up into a young woman.

It was sad that so far into her life, after surviving so much, that her body was going to give out on her soon. The knowledge of her close approaching death weighed on his heart like none of his other cases. He couldn't help it though. The couple's child had been born as an albino. An early death hadn't been certain, but the risk was much higher than a normal person's.

The doctor kept his eyes on the wooden desk in front of him. It had nick-nacks scattered on top of it, with a large desk calander underneath them. The calander had dozens of scribles on it, reminding him when he was to call up clients to ask them to bring their family member in or such. On the side of the calander, minature versions of the months were lined up.

Circled in red ink was the day the girl would die.

It would be in late July or early August that she would pass. The cold nipping at the window and the couples wearing heavy jackets reminded him that it was January. Less than seven months to live. Her parents knew this as well. They had come to him in hope that he might be able to somehow extend her life. The girl had been left out in the waiting room, after the doctor had checked her heart beat and asked her how she was feeling.

The parents looked at him with desperate eyes, their faces seeking salvation by his words.

"Is there anything we can do?" The father finally asked.

His words, the only sound in the room, seemed to be like a dagger that held him hostage and had just moved closer to his throat. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to calm himself.

He started by getting out the papers he had brought with him."Her vital signs show that she is stable....for now." the doctor said, choosing his words carefully as he shuffled the papers once."It could be that all she needs, is to escape the city and live in the country. What I mean is, clean air will be key in extending her life. Getting away from New York city will help her health."

"We can't just pick up and move." The father said bluntly, but with no sign of hostility in his voice.

"I realize that." the doctor replied calmly."Instead, you could move her out to a relative's. Seperating yourselves from her might be hard, but her heath is what's important here."

"I have a sister that lives in a small town in Washington." The wife said, her husband looking over to his wife.

The husband couldn't believe that she'd let their daughter go so willingly.