#Anathema Anthology Outside of Satsui's room is the sound of shouting growing louder and louder as her parents argue. It's all too muffled to make out through the closed door, but she knows it's about her. She messed up. *Again*. *You know they want to get rid of us.* At the foot of her bed sits what could easily be mistaken for a twin or maybe a reflection missing a mirror, but everything is just a little wrong. On the surface they were identical. There certainly weren't many girls her age with a full head of white hair. It was in the small things that no one would give a second glance that it gave itself away. It's posture is too straight. It's eyes are too cold. Its tone is unsettlingly neutral. It's altogether too inexpressive to be human, let alone be the girl curled up in the center of her bed with teary eyes. Rather than a little girl, it feels more like something taking the form of one. "That...That's not true." *They won't even touch us. They'd kill us if **I** wouldn't stop them.* "That's not true!" *Then prove it.* It stands and walks to the door, beckoning Satsui to follow with its hand. So she does, following it out of her room and down the hall until she's standing before the two arguing adults. They look angry and tired and they look nothing like her. It was remarkable how *little* she looked like them. Eyes, hair, face — nothing about her seemed to come from them. They don't notice her, so she continues to move forward. When she's close enough she wraps her arms around her mother's waist. An unfamiliar warmth fills her, but before she can enjoy it she finds herself pushed away back into the cold. Her mother looks at her with horror. Her father puts himself between them. It almost looks like he's protecting her from something, but that can't be right. This situation was all wrong. They were her parents and they loved her. There was nothing to be afraid of. *They recognize what we are. You should too.* But all she wanted to be was a daughter, so why were they treating her like a monster? --- --- Her head throbs with pain as her vision focuses. Several kids stand around her, quickly adding distance with each passing second. A teacher tries to herd them and yells something, but she can't make it out. In fact, she can't hear anything over the sound of screaming. It stands at her side, looking at the frightened crowd before turning to her to reveal a smile. It's *never* done that. *They won't bother us anymore. You're welcome.* Then, she sees. No, that's not right. She could always see it, but she didn't want to accept it. In front of her lies a girl. A classmate. Her body is crumpled and motionless like she'd been broken and thrown away without a care. The life seeps out of her through too many lacerations for Satsui to count, pooling at her feet. Though, she isn't the only one who looks broken. Satsui notices the bruises and cuts covering her body as she remembers the source of the pounding in her skull. A rock — thrown by the girl lying before her — had struck her. It was one of many, but it was the tipping point. She wanted it to stop and she...no, **It* did this. She wanted to scream, but her voice was too strained to do so anymore. --- --- "Rest assured, your daughter will be in good hands. We've helped many like her and we can help her as well." A well-dressed man sits across from Satsui's parents. It'd been hours since he'd shown up and she'd been sent to her room while they talked. At least half an hour since It managed to convince her to creep out and listen in on them. *We should get rid of him and leave.* "No! If someone can help then I have then that's good." *We don't need help and he doesn't want to help us. He wants to control us.* "Maybe...Maybe I need to be controlled." Satsui stands from where she's crouched, tremors running through her body due to her uncalmable nerves. *Don't.* The 'other her' stares Satsui down like a predator ready to pounce. Even though she's already shaking like a leaf, she can't keep herself from flinching. Her lungs burned as they refused to take in air and she felt like she was being crushed. *I won't let you keep running from what we are. Not to be someone's puppet.* She braces against the wall to keep herself from collapsing. Her mind screams at her to relent. To close her eyes and let It take over. That It knew what was best for them. Her fear was proof that she didn't trust that man. But this wasn't about trust. Even if the worst happened to her, it was better than listening to It. Slowly, Satsui forces herself to stand and return the look, taking in strained breaths. 'I-I won't hurt anyone anymore." Hands covering her ears, she rushes forward and past the other her into view. Her parents wear shocked expressions, fearing the worst as their daughter looks at them like a madwoman. She didn't even notice the blood dripping from her nose. However, their guest remains calm as he looks her over. "I want to go." The man raises an eyebrow in surprise but smiles. "Excellent. We'll be ready to receive you as early as tomorrow." *You will regret this.* --- --- *Wake up.* Satsui's eyes flutter open. The night sky greets her and grass tickles her skin. She looks around her surroundings in an attempt to orient herself, but all she can see are empty fields. Worse than not knowing where she is, she doesn't have any idea how she got here. The only thing she does know is that It was responsible. It looms over her, an unplaceable look on its face as usual. "What did you do?" *I freed us. You're welcome." She scrambles to her feet and snaps her head around in a panic. That couldn't be right. She couldn't *really* be out. She wasn't supposed to be. For her own good, and everyone else's. "No...No...No! Why? I have to go back before I hurt someone." *Don't be stupid. You should've realized by now that they're not interested if we can't be a tool for them. Besides, they won't let us off lightly after what I did.* "What did you do!?" Her breaths are rapid and her chest drums with pain as her heart threatens to burst. She grabs desperately at her white locks, trying to focus. Just as tears start to form, It grabs her by the shoulders and forces her to look It in the eyes. Though, rather than the usual look, Its eyes are softer. It slowly pulls Satsui's hands away from tearing out her hair and takes them in Its own. *I did what I've always done: Protect us.*