Her Situation
As soon as she arrived home, she hurried to her room and shut the door. She made her way over to her desk and pulled open her laptop. As it powered on, she reached into her bag and grabbed her cell phone. "Something isn't right, the things that have been happening recently. I wonder if that mark has anything to do with what's going on." After logging into her computer, she popped open a web browser and started to type. She paused as she stared deeper into her screen, staring at herself in the dim reflection. "How am I going to go about searching for this- condition." Unsure of where to start, she sat motionless in deep though for a while. "I got it!" She swiftly opened the reverse-image search and attempted to draw out the figure that she had previously seen on her wrist. It took a couple of attempts before she got it just as she remembered it. "Just like that..." She whispered under her breath. She pressed SEARCH and eagerly awaited what would present itself. The results displayed on her screen as: This mark was once associated with the Human Specimens and Biorepository Lab. Before the lab was shut down in 1992 by the government, it was operated underground by two doctors and their staff, namely Dr. Fukuyama and his assistant, Dr. Fuji. HSBL's operations were found to contain illegal and otherwise inhumane tests and experiments on human specimens. The lab's goal was to create artificial organisms that were disease resistant and that contained cells that would constantly regenerate, ultimately resulting in an infallible immortal being. However, during the operation where the government confiscated the lab and its contents, much of what was actually produced was either destroyed or simply disappeared. "Weird, I wonder if any of their experiments went well, or horribly wrong." She closed her laptop and stared out the window. "This still doesn't answer my questions however." Pressing her fingers against the glass, she sat in deep though.
The next morning, she awoke to the sound of her alarm going off. "Time to get up I suppose." She said to herself as she slumped from out of bed. As she made her way to the kitchen, she noticed her father leaving. He always seemed to be in a rush for no particular reason. As he made his way past the door she called out to him. "Running a bit late today?" He stopped and without turning around replied, "It would appear so..." He then proceeded out the door, closing the door behind him. Rolling her eyes, she sardonically uttered, "No time for your own family, huh." Her father had always been a man of few words. Lately however he had become increasingly busier to the extent of working days on end and sleeping in his working facilities. He had become so immersed in his work that he seldom came home to see his friends or family on holidays. "Who would enjoy working like that. I mean he must really love his job to be that dedicated," She thought to herself.
On her way to school she unexpectedly ran into Akio. In one hand, he was carrying his cellphone and in the other an onigiri. He pranced alongside of her, half paying attention. "What's up!" He shouted. "Is today the big day?" She replied sarcastically. He looked back at her in satisfaction. "I'm so glad you remembered! Indeed, today is my thesis presentation." He remarked proudly. "If I have time, maybe I'll come see you." She replied winking. "You already came to my first one, so it's up to you!" He said. They continued chatting as they walked into the school building. As they opened the doors, they were met with the loud and bustling sounds of other students going about their business. "It's like a circus in here isn't it? I heard the renovations for expansion got delayed by quite a bit." He remarked. "I suppose it's quite small." She replied. "Anyways, this is my stop!" He said as he veered left into a classroom. She subtly waved and continued walking to her destination. As Hitomi continued however, she noticed something strange. It was almost somewhat of a faint ringing sound in her ears, but it felt as if the Earth beneath her was bellowing. She clasped her ears hoping to alleviate the disturbance although to her dismay, it only grew louder. "What in the world is going on?" She questioned to herself, now clutching her head in distress. All of a sudden, she heard a familiar voice speak. "Are you feeling okay, Ms. Hitomi?" At once her sensation stopped. "Professor Amayuku! I didn't see you there..." She said, surprised. "Looked to me like you had quite the headache." He replied, looking at his watch. "Yeah um, I didn't sleep- well last night. I'm just tired is all." She stuttered in embarrassment. "I must be going, I have a seminar soon." He gave her a gentle nod and walked off. She stood there, contemplating what had just occurred. Looking at her wrist, she once again observed the same figure that always arose to perplex her. This time, she only managed a glimpse as it quickly faded. "Am I going crazy..." She said in a monotonous voice under her breath.