The Mysteries of Shooting Star

Chapter 15: Hitomi Tanaka

I wasn't always like this... Shy, non-social, and never speaks to anyone due to lack of self-confidence. I started normal at first when I was 7, I made friends with girls of my age, and I had no troubles during daycare. Everything was just sunshine and rainbow to my eyes. The teacher would often give me a gold star for my good behavior, making my parents proud of me as I took joy in seeing their Smiles and feeling my mom's warm embrace every time she picked me up after school. We would always hold each other's hand as I skipped down the same road we always take to get back home while she smiles and hums the melodic tune that always got me to hum that tune as well.

Our smiles and laughter could be heard and seen as we continued our way back to our house. I still remember it having the third floor, the interior was spacious and the kitchen is divine and filled with the complete set of Utensils that a Chef would use. My father was a popular chef in Shibuya and my mother worked as the vice president of one of the most successful business companies in Japan. But even with their busy lifestyle, our way of living was similar to any other normal family, we're wealthy but we don't hire bodyguards, maids, drivers, or even live in a mansion with a limousine. My parents loved to keep everything simple and I was satisfied eating my father's cooking as a complete family at one table. My mother and I would always bathe together, she would always wash my hair with shampoo and scrub my back with a clean towel before dressing me up in my favorite purple pajamas and tucking me to bed before kissing my forehead good night.

I never wanted anything special to be honest, I wanted what a very rare few people would want. A normal life, a life where our smiles and laughter would be heard as the years go by, I wanted a life where it would be my turn to watch over my parents and when the time comes, tell them my thoughts and farewell as I hold both of their weak hands on the hospital beds before departing from this world. That was the kind of life I wanted, nothing special, nothing exciting, just a normal way of living.

But everything changed in just one night. It was midnight at that time, I woke in the middle of the night after I heard strange noises coming from downstairs. It sounds like two males arguing. Curiosity took over me and I went downstairs, slowly creeping down the wooden stairs as I made my way halfway to the first floor, but upon reaching the center part of the last stairs, I saw my father. Tackled by a man of his size, wearing a black jacket, his head was covered with a black hood as he slammed my father on the ground, struggling to get up but he was pinned by the man. My legs were frozen and my hands were shivering, what is happening?

Soon the man pulled out a long Knife and suddenly stabbed my dad through his throat. Blood squirted out of his throat and stained the white walls of the house's interior after the man pulled the knife off his throat. My dad's body wiggled as he covered his neck with the palms of his hands, desperate to stop the blood from gushing out but after a few seconds, he stopped moving and became still. I realized that he was already dead, my heart raced, my arms and legs shivered before attempting to scream, but my mom's hand covered my mouth from behind before picking me up as we rushed towards my room. I could hear loud laughter coming from the first floor along with faint noise my father let out his mouth as he suffered his agonizing death. Once we arrived at my room, she dropped me off near my walk-in closet before she slammed the door behind us. Resting her head on the wooden door as she whimpered, faintly. My heart was still racing and my fear was still growing but I didn't want to see my mother cry, not ever. I walked towards her and held her hand tightly from behind, stopping her from sobbing before she turned to face my direction and knelt down to my level.

"Watashi no aisuru, Hitomi... watashi ha anata ga sono zyaaku na otoko ga anata no titi ni nani wo si ta no ka mi ta atokowai koto wo sixtu te i masu... (My dear, Hitomi... I know you are scared after seeing what that evil man did to your father... I am too... but you must be strong, Hitomi.)" My mother spoke with a soothing voice as small tears fell from her eyes.