Everyone was staring at her. She could feel their stares like needles in her skin. She hated it. They were looking at her with pity and sympathy. She could feel it like whips Ryoshi used to hurt her. She rubbed her arms as if she could rid herself of the feeling of needles in her skin. It didn’t help. The sensation only grew worse. She began to scratch at her skin desperate to rid herself of the sensation. It just continued to get worse. Red lines appeared on her skin as she continued to scratch. She was beginning to draw blood.

“Make it stop,” she murmured. “Stop staring at me. It’s getting worse. The needles, they won’t stop. Make it stop!”