Taryn looked back to the mansion, even as Toya’s words still echoed in her head, that’s all that they were. Words.

And words could do little if you refused to listen.

It was a threat, but it could very well have been hollow.

“Taryn?” Rachael’s voice drew her from her thoughts as she cast a look into the mansion's interior, her eyes looking towards the mirror. Robert was no longer there. “What’s wrong? Did you see something?”

Inhaling from her nose, she let out a breath before turning around to answer. “No, it’s nothing. Let’s go.” After all, this is what Robert wants. And even if I were to go, what exactly could I do against him on my own? Toya’s not human. Not anymore. But I can’t do this. I can’t, I just want to go home.

For a second, she hesitated; part of her felt that this might be a bad idea. To just leave. But then, what would to alternative be? To fight Toya?

No, even if she did go and face him, the truth of the matter would be that she would die. Plain and simple. Or whatever equated to death at his hands. He mentioned how he intended to make her like him, that there was some kind of process. And she saw what that entailed thanks to the stone slab that she touched. Though it was through vague awareness, she wasn’t a fool.

Going back would mean certain death. She wasn’t about to give up her ghost just yet.

All this doubt and second-guessing would be the end if she kept letting it rule over her.

No, I’m done looking back. Taryn thought as she began to follow the others, leaving the mansion behind. Whatever is in there is not for me to handle. I can only move forward.

They then headed down to the village where the village’s Priestess looked surprised to see them as she was making her way up to the mansion. Her eyes were filled with shock when seeing Taryn like the woman hadn’t expected the girl to just up and leave. But that expression was only there for a moment, and in its place was one of understanding.

“So, you’re still alive,” she said to her in Japanese, bringing everyone pause. “A part of me thought you would be overtaken by death.”

Taryn, meanwhile, didn't look the least bit phased. “Not all options lead to death.” She said. “It all depends if you have the will to walk away.”

“That always tends to be the hardest part,” Fuyuko says. “But let us hope it was the right choice for you.”

* * *

The news broke of what had taken place in a secluded Japanese village, and many questions began to circulate, but it all fell on deaf ears for Taryn and the others. She couldn’t care less what the news outlets had to say, or even the police. She just wanted to head home.

And after subsequent interviews with the Japanese Police force, they were soon given the okay to return home. They now waited at the airport with her parents, the two bodyguards who kept the interviewers away, and Isaac as she read a Japanese book. It was something that caught her interest as she and the others and their families waited for them to go on the plane only to have her attention move to a widescreen TV as the mention of the missing people.

Sato was now wanted for the many kidnappings and subsequent murders. The police hope to identify the dead bodies discovered in a nearby garden on the mansion's grounds. The news soon began to talk about the people who had gone missing. Taryn heard mention of the woman June before her attention pulled away to Rachael’s.

“Hey, they’re saying that we can board now.”

“Okay, thanks, Rachael.” She cast one last glance at the image of June before turning away and following the others.

As they headed to the lineup with Stephanie and their families to board the plane, Rachael spoke. “I’m surprised that you didn’t mention anything about, well, you know?”

“I didn’t see much of a point,” Taryn told her as she leaned along the wall. “Besides, underground tunnels that people have been taken to is one thing. But that is another. No one would believe us anyway or call us crazy.”

Stephanie added. “Still, it makes you wonder, doesn't it?”

“What does?” Rachael asked.

“Why do you think all of that happened, I mean, they were people, right? Or at least, they used to be?”

Taryn was the one to answer. “I’m not knowledgeable enough to know, even then I don’t think I’d want to. Whatever he or they were, it doesn’t really matter now. We’ll be home, and then after some time, we can move past it. At least I hope too.”

“And what about his threat to come after you?” Rachael asked. “You mentioned that he said something along those lines when you escaped.”

“I thought about it at first, but I knew the more I did that, the more I would fear it. Whatever it would be that my mind conjured up in that frazzled state. I could have very well done something incredibly stupid if I did. He said he knew where I lived, but I honestly doubt he'd go that far. I mean, the man has been in that mansion for who knows how long. The chances of him coming after me are slim at best. Besides, he’d be a fool to do so regarding my family.”

“Still, I hope you’re right. If I see another doll after all this, it’ll be too soon…”

* * *

A year had gone by since then.

Taryn and the others had done what they could to look past the horrible events within the mansion as things in their lives took hold.

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Dwelling on it would do no good, they all knew that, but they found it hard to forget at times. But then that within itself would be impossible. It was all that they could do to return to some form of normalcy if one could call it that.

One mid-afternoon, Taryn poked her head into her mother's home office. She had decided to stay home for the day. “Hey, Mom? I’m just going to head out to the mailbox for a bit. I want to check to see if I’ve gotten that information on school programs.”

“Hmm?” Her mother paused in her work to look at her daughter, blue eyes framed behind a thin pair of glasses as her blonde hair left down. “Oh sure, the key is on the kitchen island. Though I did check this morning when walking the dog. I didn’t see anything.”

“Well, you know how things are, we usually get mail delivery in the afternoon anyhow. Besides, I could do with a bit of exercise.”

“All right, it’s still raining, so take an umbrella.” Then she turned back to her computer to continue her work.

As she grabbed an umbrella, she noticed Isabella throwing on a raincoat, only to stop when Taryn said. “Isabella, it’s okay, I can go by myself. There aren’t any reporters anymore. Besides, it’s just down the block.”

Isabella looked at her. “Still, we should be cautious, who knows whose out there. I know things have relaxed somewhat in the past month, but you should still be careful.”

“I am, but… I just want to be alone for a bit. Get some fresh air, and clear out my thoughts. Both Roy and Robert’s anniversary has passed, but I still feel like such a mess.”

“Have you spoken to your therapist about it?”

“I have, but sometimes it’s not enough. And right now, I just want to clear my head.”

Isabella didn’t seem all too thrilled at that but relented since Taryn was considered an adult at this point; the other woman couldn’t push the issue like when Taryn was younger. To a degree, at least. “Very well then, but if you feel you need help, you what to do to reach me.”

Taryn smiled; Isabella was so much like a second Mom to her. “I will don’t worry; the mailbox is just a five-minute walk from here. I’ll be back soon.”

With an umbrella in hand, Taryn headed outside. A light rainfall followed by that a small amount of mist. It was almost entirely autumn, the leaves now just starting to change. She took a deep breath. This type of weather, and the dead of winter when the snow softly fell, always relaxed her the most.

She looked around her street. Within a suburban area of Toronto, away from most of the bustle and busy city streets, she found that there weren't many people outside today. As she walked down the sidewalk, Taryn wondered briefly if it was because of the rain. Well, it might have been that or other things that she wasn't aware of.

Walking at a slow pace, she decided to take her time with this; she wasn’t in any kind of rush after all. The mailbox was near a park; usually, there would be kids playing, but no parent would risk their kids getting all wet and muddy with the weather.

Along with the rain, Taryn found herself enjoying the solitude that the weather brought. Since returning home, she found it almost suffocating when having to deal with people. Reporters and journalists she understood. But it was the pushy strangers that tried to dig for information for their own gain and enjoyment that bothered her. Some meant nothing by it; they just wanted to know more of what happened that the news could never give since they only had incomplete information—those who merely wanted to gauge a reaction and use that to judge the girls that Taryn hated.

However, it died off within a few months. The fewer people came to bother her, the more grateful she was for it until finally, no one approached her.

A calm summer wind caused Taryn to hold her umbrella against it as she walked. Only to stop when she saw someone standing in front of her. She only saw the lower half of the person as she walked past saying. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you there.” She walked past the man as she headed towards the park.

When she finally reached the mailbox, the rain finally came to a halt as the wind was now tapering off to a faint breeze. Closing her umbrella, she placed the arm strap along her wrist before digging out the key for their mail from her skirt pocket. Opening her home’s slot, she looked inside to see that there had been nothing and let out a sigh.

As she closed the box, she thought about contacting the school, but all of that thinking suddenly came to a stop when she felt someone behind her.

That feeling became a reality when a pair of hands reached out, resting along either side of the mailbox, trapping her. Taryn silently placed her hand back into her pocket to her phone to send a message to Isabella, but such a thing came to a halt when Taryn heard a familiar voice speaking in Japanese.

A soft voice crept along her spine and into her ear like an ice-cold spider. “At first, I thought I might have been mistaken. But now I’m sure of it. It is you.”

That feeling of dread came over her as the wind picked up once more. She found herself unable to move from where she stood, her whole body frozen as she slowly reached to press one singular button for Isabella’s aid. The wind broke the sudden silence through the rustling of damp leaves before those hands encircled her further, bringing her back to press against a man’s firm chest.

Before those hands moved, one resting along her waist, while the other travelled up, lightly touching her jaw and having her look upwards into those familiar jade green eyes.

Toya smiled down at her. His expression was one of admiration and love as he continued to look at her face filled with fear and shock. He was dressed in simple black dress pants and a dark crimson dress shirt and a matching black jacket as his dark hair cut to just stop partly past his shoulders.

“I told you I would find you, no matter where you’d go. I’ve kept my word, and now that I have you again. I won’t let go.” His hold tightened like a viper grasping a mouse that was about to be swallowed whole as he gently pulled her hand out of the pocket from the wrist, giving her only escape to be lost in the late summer wind. “Now then, shall we go?”

The wind picked up as the sound of thunder rumbled off in the distance. An elderly woman walked by only to stop and look at the mailbox. No one was there, but something caught her eye. “Oh dear, it looks like someone left their umbrella. Such a shame, hope they’ll be alright without it…”

* * *

It was dark.

She couldn’t move.

Even when she tried, her limbs wouldn’t listen to her mind, it was as though her limbs had been removed from her body.

The last thing she remembered was seeing Toya, then…

Nothing.

But now, in the hollows of the darkness, she could hear something. Someone's approach, and with it, singing. A familiar voice singing lovingly to her.

Sakura, sakura,

noyama mo sato mo, miwatasu kagiri,

kasumi ka, kumo ka, asahi ni nio.

Sakura, sakura, hanazakari.

Sakura, sakura,

yayoi no sora wa, miwatasu kagiri,

kasumi ka, kumo ka, nioi zo izuru.

Iza ya iza ya, mi ni yukan.

She could feel warmth along the back of her head and neck, it did not reach anywhere else, even though she could see what had been done to her as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Her limbs, her body, while she was wearing a white underrobe of a kimono, she saw that the areas of her joints were dyed red, she could smell the distinct copper tang of blood. Her blood.

She wanted to scream but her voice wouldn’t come out no matter how hard she tried.

And she did try.

Everything was wrong, and broken, nothing worked as it should. As though the most important parts were missing. Not even her tears would fall.

In the midst of his singing, he had lifted her so effortlessly into his lap as he swayed singing that lullaby. He sounded so happy; his voice filled with relief and joy, joy that he now had what he wanted.

The swaying continued as did his singing, as if he were singing, his lover to sleep.

But through that singing, she vaguely could hear something else. Something that permeated through the darkness.

It was sobs, the broken sobs of people. People that were like her.

“The process isn’t finished yet.” He said softly as he continued to sway. “I thought you needed a break. But don’t worry. It’s almost over. And when you go back to sleep, I'll be sure to finish what’s left, you’ll wake up in your new life. It’ll feel strange a first, but don’t worry, you’ll get used to it, just like all the others. I’ve made sure to keep you as you were, I would never dare to change your physical appearance. Then after a while, I’ll teach you all that I can. How to speak, how to walk. Everything.” He wrapped his arms around her and she felt his lips brush against her temple. “You’ll be like new. A new self. A new life with me. Forever…”

BAD END.