Open Last Stop Home

[UmbraSight]

“Excuse me?“ The girl’s shoulders quivered, her face buried in her hands as a choked sob escaped her lips. Sayako reached out, her hand lingering in the dead air between them as uncertainty gripped her. Sayako swallowed as she forced a smile onto her lips. “Are you okay?”

The girl fell silent. She swayed in place, slowly in time to the drip of a nearby faucet, her fingers twitching. Sayako felt something fluttering in the pit of her stomach, prickling along the hairs on the back of her neck, her breath caught. She attempted to pull back, but her legs felt as if they had been weighted. In the soles of her feet Sayako could feel the rumble of a subway train sliding away from the station.

“I don’t want to go home,” the girl’s voice was light, but cut so easily through the silence of the bathroom. For a moment she thought she saw a flash of the girl’s eyes between her fingers. Sayako swallowed air, a bitter taste of disinfectant lingered on her tongue.

“That’s okay, I don’t either.” Sayako heard herself say. Her heart dropped a beat. Why had she said that? Why had she felt that? Her lips parted but no words came. It was true, wasn’t it?

“Really?” The girl lifted her head, her hands sliding away. Spiritless eyes. Pale skin. A face as smooth as painted pottery. Sayako felt her voice catch in the back of her throat. She attempted to pull her arm back, but her joints felt like they had been locked in place. She attempted to scream, but all that escaped her was a rasp of air. The girl reached out, her hand catching Sayako’s wrist. So cold that she could feel it biting into her bones.

Sayako tried to pull away but she fell and no ground rose to catch her.

——————​

Home is a place of warmth, isn’t it? A place to feel at ease, far away from the demands of the world. Where you can rest and ready yourself for the day to come. Though, that isn’t always true, is it? No, for some home is a place full of dread, a place you desire to never return to. Perhaps it’s the cause of a strained relationship, a memory trapped within the mind, or even something as simple as the grip of loneliness. There are many reasons why you wouldn’t want to return, and you have your own, don’t you?

There have been more missing persons reports lately, and I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors. They were problem children, the sort who skipped school or had troubles waiting for them at home. The sort you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that they had run away from home. And, maybe that’s all this is? Problem children choosing to vanish into the bustling streets of Tokyo. Only, there are a lot of missing posters you know? A lot of people not turning back up.

If you want to know what I think, I think there’s something else going on. I don’t know what, but I feel like there’s something. So, be cautious, yeah? It’s hard to say what might be brewing, or who might be the next to disappear.

Oh, and I have one last question for you;

Do you ever feel like you don’t want to go home?

 

[UmbraSight]

CS
Name:
Gender:
Age:
Home life:
Discomforts:
Biography:
Appearance:

 

[UmbraSight]

Name:
Seika Yanagi

Gender:
Female

Age:
16

Home life:
Seika never knew much about her father, he passed away in a traffic accident not long after she had been born, and her mother never remarried. She is an only child, and though money has been tight from time Seika has never particularly wanted for much. Her mother worked hard to provide for her daughter, so Seika has grown used to returning home to an empty house. Though the two are close, this omnipresent loneliness which has grown with Seika over the years has placed a strain on the two’s relationship. But more of that strain has perhaps been the cause of the demands that Seika’s mother has put upon her.

Driven by a desire for her daughter to have an easier life than the one that she had, Seika’s mother has always driven her to achieve. She has always pushed her to make the best grades, to focus hard on her studies and to be at the top of her class. Such things weren’t as bad when she had been a child, back then good enough was simply that. However, possibly due to the stresses of her own job, the pressures of what her mother sees as acceptable has only grown.

It’s something that builds, a stress that never quite seems to go away even when classes finally come to a close. And, conscious of it or not, there are days that Seika feels relieved when her mother sends a text that she would be working late that day, or would be out on a business trip. Her joining the school’s track team was likewise a way to keep herself away from the house.

Discomforts:
She never liked the feeling of needing to know what she aims to do with her life and will often lock up when pressed to answer. She also doesn’t like to be alone, and extended periods have negative effects on her mental state.

Favorite Memory:
When she was younger Seika fondly remembers helping her mother cook dinner on some lazy Sunday or another. Her mother had carefully walked her through how to prepare certain foods while they chatted about little things like Seika’s friends or her dreams, before laughing as they enjoyed the food that they had made together.

She doesn’t really remember when the last time they had cooked together was.

Appearance:

 

[Ghostly]

Name:
Ayami Yoshida

Gender:
Female

Age:
16

Home life:
At home, Ayami is the star of her household, with her accomplishments in competitive sports being a source of much pride and happiness. Both of her parents are blue-collar workers, working hard to keep the lights on, while their daughters, Ayami and Saori. Their family lives paycheck to paycheck sometimes, which means things are tight and a bit stressful. Often, her family has had to move as rent is raised and her parents look for better paying jobs. This has made keeping friends difficult, but Ayami has gotten used to starting somewhere new, while her sister still struggles at times.

Ayami’s parents did not succeed in school, with her father dropping out before he could finish and her mother only barely graduating. To them, they’re happy to see Ayami still in school and “flourishing” where they struggled. Saori is doing quite well with her schooling, and is beginning to take a liking to music, which delights their parents. Ayami however, struggles in the classroom, and has tried to hide this from her busy parents in an attempt to prevent them from thinking less of her and to avoid placing stress on her family.

Ayami is the older of the two sisters, and does everything she can to be a good role model for her sibling, always urging her to do her homework, try her best, and to be kind. Underneath that, she’s struggling with her own feelings that she isn’t her best, she isn’t trying hard enough and one day everyone will see that.

Discomforts:
Ayami is easily frustrated by complex or indirect issues, especially when the solution to a problem is not straightforward. Ever since she was young, she was taught to solve problems as simply as possible and without any complications, so when something challenges this logic it makes her feel overwhelmed. This isn’t something she shows to others often, as she does not want to appear like she needs help or she can’t handle herself.

Favorite Memory:
When Ayami was eleven, Saori was five, just old enough to understand how special it was when her big sister got up to bat and hit a homerun with bases loaded and turned a losing baseball game into a win for her team. For Ayami, the admiration of her teammates, coach, and parents, were nothing compared to the look of wonder and pride in the eyes of Saori. Although she knew Saori didn't fully understand the rules of baseball or why it was special, making her proud was one of the most important moments of her life.

Appearance: