(.)
That night, Yu Sheng slept deeply, though not peacefully.
Maybe he was just exhausted after everything that had happened. He drifted off fast, but his sleep was filled with strange, jumbled dreams. Sotis, he dread he was back in the museum. At other tis, he walked through mories of his hotown. A few were even about the Black Forest. More than once, he thought he woke up, only to see Irene muttering in her sleep—yet each ti, he slipped into another bizarre dream.
This uneasy sleep went on until late in the night. Suddenly, he felt a calm presence settle over him. The frantic, foggy dreams died down, replaced by a shallow, quiet rest that lasted until late morning.
When he finally opened his eyes, he found a peculiar sight: two Irenes, one on each side, both sprawled across his arms. His arms felt completely numb.
It took a while before he managed to wiggle free. As soon as he did, painful tingles shot through his arms, making him grimace.
Rubbing her eyes, Irene—her hair sticking out in all directions—mumbled, “Good morning… yawn. You were super restless last night. What were you dreaming about?”
Still shaking out the numbness, Yu Sheng paused, then turned to her with a sudden realization. “Wait—did you do sothing about my dreams last night?”
“They were too loud,” both Irenes complained in unison, their voices overlapping. They sat up together, smoothing their bed-tousled hair. “It was annoying, so I had to step in and quiet them down.”
Yu Sheng blinked. Surprise flickered across his face, followed by appreciation. After a beat, he coughed awkwardly. “Well… thanks.”
“No big deal. Now help
brush my hair.”
“Are you serious?” Yu Sheng protested, trying to get blood flowing back into his tingling arms. “I could barely move my arms just a minute ago. I bought those little combs for you, didn’t I? They’re on the nightstand. You’ve got two bodies now—can’t you brush each other’s hair?”
“Oh.”
Both Irenes scrambled over to the nightstand, snatched up the small combs, and started brushing one another’s hair. “Humans are so fragile,” they griped while working, “a bit of pressure and boom—dead limbs. We dolls can crack in half and not make a peep…”
Yu Sheng let most of their chatter wash over him, mostly amused.
Sunlight poured in through the window, lighting up the two nearly identical gothic dolls as they carefully smoothed each other’s hair and dresses. It would have been an elegant scene—if only they’d stop talking so much.
Yu Sheng watched them, letting his mind wander. There was sothing oddly peaceful about the mont. Then a silly thought struck him: if two Irenes made his life this chaotic, what if he ended up with a whole crowd of them? He pictured dozens of Irenes swarming through his house, yamring. A shudder ran through him. Definitely not.
Once he’d washed and stretched enough to revive his arms, Yu Sheng made a quick breakfast (though it was almost noon by then). Foxy, of course, appeared the mont she slled food and happily devoured her share. After that, Yu Sheng got ready to go see Little Red Riding Hood at the address she’d given him.
“Should I bring sothing along?” he wondered aloud as he slipped on his shoes. “It feels rude to show up empty-handed.”
“Good idea,” Irene remarked from where she perched in Foxy’s arms, trying to pass herself off as a regular doll. “Cookies or candy, maybe? I heard she lives with lots of kids.”
“That might be a little cliché.”
“Better than handing out vials of blood,” Irene retorted. “Unless you want the police called on you.”
Yu Sheng rolled his eyes but admitted she had a point.
He left, taking Foxy (plus Irene P2) with him. Irene P1 stayed behind, content to lounge on the couch and flip through TV channels. She seed to have no trouble managing two bodies at once.
It was a long ride to Little Red Riding Hood’s address, but not too bad. After about half an hour, the taxi dropped them off.
The first thing Yu Sheng noticed when he stepped out was how quiet the place was.
Following Little Red Riding Hood’s directions, he moved along a path that led into an older part of the city. He started in a busy intersection but soon ventured past the bustling main road into a calm neighborhood with worn-down streets. The area looked a bit more modern than Wutong Road 66, but not by much. After walking for about ten minutes, he hadn’t seen a single passerby.
Finally, the street opened up into a large compound.
Two long, attached buildings stood with a few smaller structures around them, all enclosed by a tall periter wall. The gray-white buildings seed old but sturdy. The wall’s paint had mostly peeled away, leaving faint outlines of once-bright murals.
A tall tal gate blocked off the entrance, but what really caught Yu Sheng’s eye were the row of tal obelisks lining the wall.
They were nodes—Special Affairs Bureau equipnt.
The street’s deserted state instantly made sense.
Whatever this place was, it was hidden behind “cognitive isolation,” part of a larger system that kept ordinary people away.
A flash of red appeared ahead of him: Little Red Riding Hood. She erged from a small booth near the gate, then stepped forward to unlock a side door.
“You’re earlier than I expected,” she said, greeting him with a slight smile, though she seed a bit uneasy.
For the first ti, Yu Sheng saw a trace of self-consciousness on the usually calm teenager’s face.
“Didn’t want to be late,” Yu Sheng replied, peering past her at the compound.
Faded letters on the wall seed to read “XX Welfare Ho,” though they were barely legible now. There were no other signs or plaques.
So it was an orphanage—tucked away behind tall walls and protective wards.
Yu Sheng wasn’t surprised; he’d already guessed it might be sothing like this, given the address.
“Co on in,” Little Red said, standing aside so he could enter. “I already told everyone you’d be visiting today. I’m free all day, so I can give you a tour.”
Yu Sheng and Foxy walked through the gate.
Inside the booth, he glimpsed a girl around Little Red Riding Hood’s age, half-asleep at a small desk. She blinked lazily at them as they passed.
“That’s Cinderella,” Little Red explained with a wave of her hand. “She’s always sleepy during the day, but don’t be fooled—she picks up on everything. Normally, the Council sends staff mbers to guard the entrance, but on weekends, we older kids take turns. Really, we’re the ‘parents’ of this place.”
Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow. “The Council sends people here?”
“Fairy Tale is independent,” Little Red said matter-of-factly. “But we’re all still kids looking after other kids. There are all sorts of things we can’t do alone. The Council wants to keep an eye on us, and we need their help with funding, staffing, and to be honest, basic paperwork. The arrangent keeps everyone safe. If a child gets targeted by a curse, it’s easier and safer to keep them here together, behind the wards.
“So the Council provides the land, so money, and staff support for things like school or dical care. But we manage ourselves inside these walls.
“We accept children they send us and use our own thods to control—well, or at least contain—any serious incidents that co up.”
She gave a small shrug. “Basically, we handle the unusual parts of life, and they handle the normal ones.”
Yu Sheng nodded, walking with her across the courtyard. After a quiet mont, he frowned and said, “This isn’t what I expected.”
“You only understand how things work here by experiencing it firsthand,” she replied. “For us, this setup works well. We get to live how we want, and the city governnt can carry on without worrying too much. It’s good for everyone.”
“No, I ant… I expected the Special Affairs Bureau to be in charge. They’re the ones who handle supernatural matters, right?”
Little Red paused.
“They do work with us from ti to ti, and yes, they’re the experts. But we usually solve our own problems. They only co in if things get really out of control. We have more routine contact with the Council’s staff, because everyday life is actually pretty normal here.”
Yu Sheng nodded thoughtfully. “I see…”
She flashed a small, almost wistful smile. “Right. It’s not just kids like
in this orphanage. Most of them are just children who happen to have nightmares.”
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