Beneath the Skin

I can remember the feeling of loss. The pain can brighten one’s life to a point where all you can do is just smile. I can see the moment so clearly, I was about ten years of age and I could picture my mother lying in her laced bed. She whispered to my father about something grave, but it seemed as if my father had no care. Her completion was becoming pale as if she had tasted poison. Few weeks flew by and my mother grew weaker, eventually dying. We had a funeral for her the following week. We had no relatives attend the funeral, for all had died by some 'disease'. During the burying of my mother, a tear dropped down from my eye as if the world had changed meaning. Looking up at my father I had seen a faint smile upon his face. I knew from then on I had no one to count on, not ever.

“Smile, I am here now... no needed to worry." He whispered to comfort me while holding me in a loving embrace.

"How can you love someone who is always depressed?” I tearfully exclaimed.

“Well...." He whispered in my ear. "Because I love you, for you are the only star I see in the sky." He smirked lovingly towards me.

I grinned back as he kissed my cheek lightly. It has been seven years since my mother had died and by some miracle I met Ayame. We had been together for about eight months. Although, I have a feeling he won't always be here next to me.

We were in the Forest of Aokigahara, also known well as the Sea of Trees. Back then it was stated that this was the home of the dead. Though, in more recent times it took on the role of the Suicide Forest. The Forest is so dense with trees that it allows you to immerse in complete solitude.

After spending the whole day with him alone, looking up at the sight of Mt. Fuji from the forest, he walked me back home.

“Bye..." I whispered in despair standing in front of the door.

“You’ll see me again ... I promise." He smiled and kissed me on the forehead.

Ayame disappeared within the darkness of the night, as I stood there. I started to tear up, for I feared the worst. As I went into the house, I was instantly stopped as my father stood in my path.

“You are late for dinner..." He said with an uncaring tone.

“I’m sorry father." I said quietly.

Father turned around and started to walk towards a hidden stairwell just left from the main staircase

“Come with me child..." Echoed his voice as he opened the door.

I followed without hesitation. As we walked down the stairs, each step we took echoed through the dark. The further we went down the heavier the air got for us to breathe.

“I was never allowed down here...." I paused, hoping for an instant answer.

Silence filled the room. We headed towards a wooden door, down a long hallway after we stepped off the last step.

“What’s behind that door, Father?” I was curious.

“You ask a lot of questions… Tira.” He plainly stated, holding a torch light closer to the door.

I silenced myself for I knew of my father's anger. He opened the door with caution, like he knew someone was there.

“Stay here... “ He calmly said.

“Fine..." I whispered, looking down at the ground, kicking away the dirt which lay untouched.

He was in there for quite some time, so naturally I began to worry. I started my way into the room, but what I saw was unbelievable. There were surgical tools such as knives and needles which covered about four table tops. I then noticed a light shining on a wooden operating table, like a spotlight upon a stage. I slowly smiled, as I felt amazed by what I had seen. I inched my way closer to see more, when suddenly I felt a sharp pain upon my head, my knees slowly went weak and my vision drowned into a black abyss.

I could hear two voices, unrecognizable to my ears.

“She is waking up.” One of the voices said.

“How long will the effects last?” the other voice chimed in.

My vision became clearer as I started to awake from the depths of darkness. I looked around, feeling numb as my head throbbed more and more. I couldn’t move. I felt as if my limbs were tied down and my head was once cut open. The pain was unbearable which separated throughout by body. I looked down towards my hands but all I saw was my wrists tied to a wooden blood covered surface. I started to freak out but terrifying enough I knew that I was completely vulnerable. For then on, I welcomed the sweet embrace of death, for then I had closed my eyes in peace.

“Tira ..... Tira please wake up."

I opened my eyes, while turning my head to the voice that took me away from the darkness.

"Ayame?" I yawned with confusion

Ayame smiled and said, "It is love ..."

"Where am I?" barely focusing my view.

"You're in your room." He said patiently.

"How did I get here?" I followed up.

"Your father found you outside a cave near the house." He said with concern.

"What! really?" I said with surprise.

"Yeah... “ He paused, "Your father said you were in a fight.... so I came over as soon as I heard."

I couldn't stop smiling, he had such a kind heart but the problem was I don't remember doing anything like that. So I thought to just go with it.

“Ayame... “ I paused." Can we go for a walk?"

“Well....do you not feel tired from getting stitches?" He said quietly then continued," How about you lay down while I'll go make ......" He stopped as he watched my eyes grow huge in the thought of knowing what he said.

“I have stitches?” I shouted as I leapt from my bed to my mirror.

I checked my head as I remembered a burning sensation pounding against my skull. I could see stitches from the back of my left ear to the far side of my head.

“How am I supposed to cover that!?” I whined.

“Tira don't worry, if it makes you feel better I can go buy you something for that." He smiled brightly at me.

“Really..." I whispered in embarrassment, not wanting him to look at me.

He walked forward, reaching for my face. He gently held his hand on my cheek, his eyes gazing into mine. He then spoke in such soft tones.

“You are still the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on." He paused," Do you still want to go for a walk?"

My ears burned as I replayed his words in my mind. I nod my head as an answer in return.

“ Let me throw on a hat and we can go” I smiled , putting on a black beanie

We walked for quite a while in the Aokigahara forest as we talked about our past. The roundest moon I have ever seen was shining brightly in the night sky as if it were the sun blinding our eyes. For quite some time of walking I had felt a sudden urge to yell at him, telling him he needs to leave me forever. I felt burning rage fired inside me. He looked at me in wonderment, not knowing if I was joking or not.

“Leave!!" I shouted as my vision blurred

Vision, visions come back to me! Light shone into my eyes once more. I looked around seeing no sign of Ayame, and then through the wind I could smell a huge amount of decay. My nose directed me to the forest floor in front of me. Laying there was the love of my life. Ayame in shreds, blood covered his body as parts of his bones showed through his severed flesh.

“A......A......A......Ayame...." My voice shook and my lips shivered while tears silently poured from my eyes, like waves crashing against the shore.

The Circus, a new mental hospital for the critically insane. I was a part of their new program, called ' The Animal Control.' I now found a new way to look at death. This program was said to lock up one patient in a room, once a day, to be recorded or studied for about five hours. I actually enjoyed this program because it was relaxing and peaceful. I was transferred here after Ayame was discovered dead, three years ago. I was held guilty by my father who had also forced me into seeing Doctor Zero. Doctor Zero prescribed this new asylum to cure me from my insanity. I never really figured out who this doctor was.

“Tira that is all for today, you can go back to the pen." Nurse Six barked over the loudspeaker.

Nurse Six, lovely woman unless you’re a patient of hers. Each nurse here was stripped from their lives and were given a job, with an assigned number for a name.

I was held in a white cushioned room with a one way window, a camera and a double steel locked door, which would be impossible for me to ever taste freedom again. Upon being alone in this room the nurses who had taken great care of me, left art supplies for me to work on.

“Tira… Tira …. You can go now ...” the loudspeaker squealed as Nurse Six spoke.

The guards came through the door, ready for anything as they willingly escorted me to the outside pen house. This pen was for patients who deserved free time, and that’s where I met up with my new found friends.

“Hiya…Tira-san … Did I say that right…..”Emi giggled.

“Umm... Sure...” I mumbled.

Emi, she deserves to be here, a true nut case. She came from Russia, so anyone can imagine a strong accent. She never knew a life outside of a circus but after having the tents engulfed in flames, she had thought nothing of it, but she had every part of killing her home.

“How was lock up?” she stated with some interest.

“Peaceful... Emi … peaceful” I said without thought.

“Peaceful… how?” Haru’s voice chimed in.

Haru, a Korean thief, always found new things to steal. I would think he would be in jail instead of this nut house. He doesn’t have much of an accent for he was not born in Korea but in a lab, some would argue this while others believed.

“Yes… Haru... it was peaceful for I have been performing my dark arts” I smiled with enjoyment.

“Wow...” Emi chimed in while she bounced up high with excitement.

“Save your energy….” Haru scowled.

“Right the plan… how long ago did we make this up again?” Emi said, barely remembering details .

“Silence…. Emi, we need for no one to catch on to this...” I sternly stated.

As planned for months our mission was to leave. First, Haru had to scout the surroundings near the main gate where only three guards stood at the entrance. To make a distraction, we needed to have Emi, to start a fire. Being the pyromaniac that she is, she commenced to light a fire, Haru and I started our way out the gate, and at that moment Haru can then use his skills to gain access to their weapons and keys. Where we can then use those weapons to take down the guards, so Emi can follow close behind.

Not realizing that this escape was harder than we expected, we proceed to do as planned. We got as far as setting a fire, suddenly the alarm sounded. Guards surrounded from every angle. Emi being the circus freak she is, jumped over ten guards, while in the air one shot of a bullet hit her in the chest, making her fall to the unforgiving ground.

“Emi” Haru screamed.

Haru ran towards Emi to help her from the ground.

“I'll be fine, they missed my vitals ” she shouted “You won’t be, if you both linger here.”

As I stood in shock, I saw Haru knocked over in pain. Blood covered the ground where they had laid. Haru’s eyes began to grow dim. As for Emi, she had been beaten harder with the butt of a guard’s gun. Causing her to pass. Anger flooded my senses as they both lied there. My friends were taken from me by an unforgiving world. Abruptly my vision shadowed itself, as my mind blackened into the depths of the abyss, they will pay with their life...

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Beneath the Skin was a highschool, freshman short story writing assignment.

It involves a deep mystery surrounding the main character, Tira.

Tira is a character I've been planning since I was very young. She's someone I want to be able to write into many different stories and versions of herself...

I have so many more stories that I've been working on as well!

This story is going to be eventually re-edited so any thoughts about pacing, grammar, character development ECT.... Let me know !

I'll post the finished product as pay to view once its finished..

***Please check out my Website below, I'm currently in the midst of writing a book and any bit of support truly helps! ****

You can also buy my original art & crafts from my shop, buying helps support me as a small business owner.

Shop: https://ko-fi.com/ghoulishtalestudios/shop

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!!!CHECK OUT THE PROLOGUE AND 1ST CHAPTER OF MY NEW BOOK!!!!

Tira in this short story had always been an idea or rather a name to something bigger! But here she's present in this new tale!

Blurb: "When the Wolf Spoke"

“When the wolf spoke… his voice shook the night sky.”

That voice belongs, once, to a dying world. Manya is the last of a Norse-bred Volkolak tribe driven east into Siberia, carrying in her blood the memories of a homeland and the weight of a vanished people. At her side are Storm and Shadow—two ancient dire wolves, white and black, living echoes of Sköll and Hati whose presence is the only unbroken thread to the old rites. They have chased the sky in legend; now they chase survival at Manya’s heels.

She flees fire and human cruelty, seduced and betrayed by a feline stranger from beyond the stars whose experiments scar her body and twist her child. The daughter, Tira, is born at the ragged edge of two worlds—wolf and alien, myth and mutation—and the wolves bind themselves anew to protect her. “Plumes of clouds danced and swirled as he howled into the void.” In every howl, the past answers; in every silence, the future waits.

Tira must learn the old pack’s discipline and the ruthless cunning seeded into her bones. Storm teaches restraint and the slow gravity of protection; Shadow teaches the clean, terrible necessity of the strike. Between them she inherits more than guardianship—she inherits an inheritance: the last living myth, carried into a world that would rather name it monster than savior. “And when the wolf spoke.. the stars bowed.” The celestial chase is not only story but omen: as darkness gathers, the old songs begin to stir, and eclipse-shadows fall across both sky and conscience.

Bold, lyrical, and uncompromising, When the Wolf Spoke is a tale of mothers and monsters, of sacrifice and survival, and of a child who must teach a dying myth how to live again. It asks: when the last of a people becomes a story, who keeps the story true—and at what price?

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