16 December 2023
I wake up; it's around 9 in the morning, and my alarm is blaring in my ear. I turn my face towards the sound, stick my tongue out, and get ready to slip back into sleep.
Koko-chan, get up! No sleeping in today, Kylie says to me. I'm not letting you miss a chance to be social
"I don’t want to," I answer blearily.
The nurses are at the door, cherie. You have to get up, says Jolie kindly.
I roll over in my bed and stare at the ceiling. It’s been three months since I last lost control, eight months since I was sent here. I never protested, though. I think…maybe it’s for the best. It’s mostly quiet here, and they allow me enough alone time for me to keep my mind. And I’m allowed to sleep as long as I like…most of the time.
“Koko, breakfast was started half an hour ago. Would you please come down now?” The nurse at my door asks me politely, but I hear the true message beneath: “Come to breakfast, or we’ll assume something’s wrong and schedule you another meeting with the doctor.”
“I’m coming,” I say just loud enough for her to hear, and shuffle out of the bed.
I don’t see why they force us to eat breakfast with the others, I mutter in my mind.
Social interaction is key to correct human development, dovey, says Kylie cheerily.
Says the one with narcissistic personality disorder, retorts Jolie.
But I have you for social interaction, I answer gloomily. I don’t need other people.
I throw on a pair of grey sweatpants and a soft cotton T-shirt. I briefly wish for a mirror to assess the state of my hair, but decide it’s a moot point anyway. Nobody would be looking.
I sigh, and Kylie speaks up again. What about your friends? You really should hang out with them more, and take more pride in your appearance! Breakfast is the perfect time to socialize and make yourself more well-known.
“I don’t need to socialize, Ky,” I mumble as I wearily open the door. I plaster a phony smile on my face as I turn to the nurse. She smiles back at me. How annoying.
“How was your night, KoKo?” she asks. They all call me by my nickname, “KoKo,” from the ends of my name, Michiko Kumiko.
“Fine,” I answer simply as we walk to the cafeteria. The rest of the walk is spent in silence.
We arrive at the cafeteria. Unlike my high school cafeteria, this one is orderly and relatively chaos-free. The nurse leaves me at the line for food, and I pick up a tray, albeit unwillingly. Kylie forces me to eat.
If you don’t eat, I’ll start messing with you, she warns.
I sigh, and grab a bowl of rice, along with a small bowl of miso soup and some tamagoyaki. Turning away, I look for my usual tables of friends.
There’s Nicola Vespertucci and Tisha, his friend. The doctors say he’s a paranoid schizophrenic and that Tisha is just another hallucination. Nicola says that Tisha is real, that he's not schizophrenic, and Tisha tells him things he wouldn't have know otherwise. I believe Nicola, not only because he's my friend, but because I'm not one to judge people like that. People have done that to me too many times.
"Buon g-g-giorno, b-b-bella," he says to me. He's Italian, but when his mother died, his father moved him to Japan, where he met another woman, and remarried. The father is dead now, and his new wife could have cared less about Nicola. I think KIRA killed his father, a rather corrupt man who abused his son and was wanted for several rapes, but I've never told Nicola about my suspicions. Somehow, I think he already knows, and accepts the fact.
"Ohayo gozaimasu, Nicola," I answer. "How are you feeling this morning?" He's prone to nightmares, and sometimes they get really bad.
"I'm f-f-f-fine," he says. "No n-n-nightmares l-l-last n-night. "
Two more of our friends, Phineus Attrell and Dante, come over to sit with us. "Mornin'," says Phin. Typical American.
"Ohayo...Phin?" We're never sure if it's Phin talking to us, or his split personality, Maximillian Fortuna. Phin is the happier of the two, Max is rather violent, and they constantly switch, but we all love them both. This morning, it seems to be Phin. He nods.
Dante Niedame sits down with a quiet, "Hello," and then stares at his hands. He has avoidant personality disorder, but has been doing better since he met Phin. He's still very quiet, though, and still avoids contact with other residents.
"So did you hear the news, Michiko?" Phin asks. "I know how you like to sleep late."
I shake my head, and Phin continues. "That Natsuhiko Takamura? The killer that had his case yesterday? Well, he got off right? And then--"
"If you don't stop asking questions, oni-sama, she'll never hear the story," says Dante quietly. We know him well enough to know he's joking. Dante trusts Phin enough to know he won't hurt him for it. Dante is a very fearful boy, only a year younger than me.
Phineus rolls his eyes and continues. "Point is, all of a sudden he flips a shit and grabs this one reporter lady. He starts dragging her off, and then all this blood starts gushing from his nose, his eyes, his mouth--everything! Minutes later, the guy's dead. Is that crazy or what?"
I frown a bit. "That is...pretty weird," I say. "Do they know what it was? An aneurysm, or something?"
Phin shook his head. "Nope. They have no clue at all," he says.
"That's s-s-such a s-s-strange way to d-d-die," comments Nicola. He turns to the side a bit, and then says, "Tisha s-s-says he thinks it s-s-sounds awfully uh-uh-uncomfortable."
I can't help but think about my idol, KIRA, at his words. Even though it had been ten years since the entire KIRA case, I still hoped that some day, some one would take up the role again, and this time, do it right. I would do it myself, but I know I can't trust myself, with my volatile nature. Just the mere thought of killing someone makes Dolce act up; she would never be satisfied with just writing and dictating the deaths of people. She's more of an action person.
Still, this death really is too strange for it to merely be chance. If KIRA is indeed back...then this could be my chance to help him or her. KIRA would be the one to bring in a new world, one where people like Nicola, Dante, Phin, and myself wouldn't be forced to fracture our minds in order to survive the cruelty of others. I would do, will do, everything I can, offer all of my talents.
"Nicola, Phin, Dante, I think I'm going to leave early today," I say, rising from the table.
Nicola frowns at me. "Y-y-y-you're leaving? Going out?" He looks upset. I think it's because he likes me. I don't mind. I kind of like him too.
Nodding, I answer, "Yes. If you want to come with me, you would keep the others from talking to me. If Tisha doesn't mind, that is?"
He smiles ruefully. "T-t-tisha won't mind. H-h-he l-l-likes you. S-s-says you're g-g-good for m-m-me," he mutters.
"Hai, then meet us--I mean, me, in the front in twenty minutes," I say. Hopefully, I can gather some information on my hunch. Hopefully, KIRA has returned.
