Death, Devotion, Dissonance

Layla did not know of the delusional spirit that lived together with her. After she had finished her work, she began to focus on her official job, while also keeping an eye out for a man she might fancy.

The task turned out to be much harder than she anticipated. The only men she ever met were from the police, and practically all of them were certified assholes. Layla really could not udnerstand how they found the free time to nitpick at every single aspect of her work when they met.

As for others, they were not so welcoming to date a woman with so many gossips surrounding her. Her sharp features also did not help her situation. There were obviously some people who pitied her situation and tried to get to know her a bit better… But they would immediately change their minds after a single visit to her house. The smell of decay and the row of mummies felt a bit too much for the young men to handle. They also felt an extremely hostile presence in the house, forcing them to reconsider their choices.

Although this did not affect the Layla herself, it did affect the promise she gave to her father. But after pondering about the matter for a bit, she found a perfect solution: she just needed to adopt a child. She didn't need to go through a year of pregnancy, and she could also skip the worst years of raising a child.

Making up her mind, she immediately headed towards an orphanage. The sight inside pained her heart, every child looking at her with hope and desperation. A row of battered children, thin and malnourished, wearing thin rugs that could barely cover their tiny bodies. Had she been a millionaire, she would have adopted them all, but sadly, her finances told her that she could only afford to raise a single child comfortably.

She checked the children's hands and faces one by one and found two children that met her criteria. A boy and a girl. The boy was only six years old, but the strong grips of his fingers and unparalleled dexterity greatly shocked Layla. She guessed that the boy had tried his hands in pick pocketing, but in these desperate times, what kind of child did not do such things.

The girl, though, was much younger and seemed to be in a more dire need of help. Her belly bloated due to the excess fluids and a pale, her dry, cracked skin that was peeling off at some spots. But all of that did not affect her deft hands and sharp mind. Even though she was only four years old, her gaze was akin to a predator.

In the end, Layla decided to adopt both of them. Although her salary would not be enough to feed three mouths, she had enough in her savings to last until the two of them were able to start chipping in.

The boy's name was Zack, and the girl was called Pebble. But under the insistence of Layla, she was renamed to Penelope. The girl didn't seem to mind that much.

The two children collected what little possessions they had, and the three went to their new house. A row of jealous children stared daggers at the two.

"Zack's a pickpocket! You can't take him with you, he'll ruin your life!" one of them shouted.

The culprit squirmed uncomfortably, but Layla could also see the boy mouthing something at the child.

"Is it true?" Layla asked with a thin smile. 

Silence was the only answer she got from the boy. Zack was thinking about what kind of excuse he should make, what kind of face should he make when talking about it and how badly should he beat that meddling boy later. But the next question from his new "mother" shook him out of his silence.

"Have you ever got caught?" Layla made sure to add the friendliest tone to her voice.

"No," Zack blurted, since he used to brag about his deeds all the time. He promptly closed his mouth and glanced at Layla warily.

"Then that means you're innocent," Layla shrugged and prompted the boy to follow after her while she carried Penelope in her arms.

Despite expectations, the two children fit into Layla's life well. Especially Penelope. She was a rather unemotional child, so she wasn't much affected by her new environment and her new mother figure. Even seeing the dead bodies, she was unfazed. Layla worried that there might be something wrong with the child, but that wasn't so. The little girl turned better after Layla fixed her extreme hunger.

Over time, she started to open up to Layla, turning more and more talkative. And occasionally, she would show glimpses of sharp intellect and single-minded curiosity. She sometimes even spoke back to Layla when she found something she didn't agree with. Surprisingly she was very vocal about her opinions. 

In a way, she was very similar to Layla. Thus, her mother tried her best to pull the little girl's interest into the field of medicine and forensics.

It was a different story for Zack, though. He was very suspicious of his new foster mother during the first few months of his stay. He seemed to believe that there was some kind of catch to Layla's kindness. The row of dead bodies did not help his worries too, despite Layla clearly explaining their story and traditions. 

Obviously, he didn't invite trouble because of it. He was always obedient, never crossing a word with his new mother, even if the latter asked him to help out with some rather scary stuff. 

But at the same time, he couldn't not be thankful either, since Layla was the person who sheltered and fed him. And, half a year later, this thankfulness turned to love. 

Perhaps because they were orphans, they seemed unused used to receiving such care and attention from someone else. 

Funnily enough, after three years of living together, the two children ended up with completely different personalities compared to before. The vocal Penelope turned silent and obedient. After arguing with Layla for so many times and always ending up on the losing side, she decided that it was fruitless to argue. 

On the other hand, the obedient Zack became more and more wild. Layla was glad the boy opened his heart to her, but that came with various other extra things. The boy originally had a very active and out-of-control personality so after he learned that Layla wasn't going to be so harsh with her punishments, he let his mischievous side out.

As for Evan, he was happy in his delusions. At some point, Penelope and Zack became his and Layla's children. It was a convenient lie that he was quick to believe in since there was no other male in the household. 

But there was an event coming that would shatter his little delusion into pieces.