The family of three enjoyed the delicious feast prepared by Aunt Wendy for dinner. Their chatters and laughter resonated in the dining room until their plates were cleaned from any dishes.
After washing the dishes and clearing the dining table, they returned upstairs. Calix, Leslie and Calliope spent ti together in the lounge, watching one of the little one’s favorite shows.
But...
Calliope dozed off even before reaching the first half of the movie.
"Oho? You’re so sleepy already? Wanna go to bed?"
Calix’s voice was imbued with laughter. He carefully lifted Calliope from the couch to sit on his lap. The little one’s eyelids drooped, revealing tiny slits of her eyes.
"Sleepy... Papa... Haaa..."
Calliope shook her small head, trying to chase her drowsiness away but, the little one failed her attempt. Calix and Leslie exchanged a helpless look.
Cradling Calliope in his arms, Calix gently stroked the little dumpling’s back. Murmuring sothing inaudible, she nestled closer to her papa.
"Seems like movie ti’s over now," Calix chuckled, his eyes drifting to Leslie.
Leslie nodded once. She softly squeezed Calliope’s right arm, "Brush your teeth first, Poppy. Let’s go to your room."
"Hum..."
Calix and Leslie left the lounge, heading to Calliope’s bedroom. The man brought the little dumpling to the washroom. He stood nearby when his daughter sleepily brushed her teeth and washed her face.
At the sa ti, Leslie sat on the edge of Calliope’s bed. She ran her palm on the soft mattress before plumping the little one’s pillows.
Her eyes lingered on the familiar red fox crochet toy lying in between a strawberry and a dragon. A faint smile hung on her lips.
"Night, Mama... Night, Papa..."
"Good night, my buttercup."
"Sleep well, darling."
Calliope fell asleep once her head touched the pillow. She didn’t need her papa to read her bedti stories tonight. She lay with her plushies surrounding her.
Covering Calliope’s small body with the bunny-printed blanket, Calix uttered, "What did she play today? She’s more tired than ."
A faint hint of regret tinged Calix’s voice. He actually hoped to spend more ti with Calliope before his departure tomorrow. But, his daughter slept earlier than usual.
Leslie quietly glanced from Calliope to Calix’s side profile, taking in the dejected look on his face. She unconsciously clasped her nightgown as her mind weighed on the issue she wished to bring up.
"She accompanied Uncle Raymond when he trimd the bushes today," Leslie finally spoke after a short period of silence, "And... she read her books in your office."
Peeling his gaze away from the sleeping Calliope, Calix smiled at Leslie, "Should I set up a spot for her there? Hehe, she seems to like my office."
Calix didn’t mind Calliope going in and out of the ho office even when he was not there. He liked seeing the little one reading or playing in the seating area.
Occasionally, Calliope would seek Calix’s help when she didn’t understand certain words.
"You can try asking her later. I’m sure she’ll love it," Leslie smiled faintly. Words continued flowing from her mouth, "Poppy took sothing from your drawer too. Thankfully, she knew not to do anything to them."
Raising his brows, Calix asked, "En? What was it?"
Calix kept the important docunts or books in locked compartnts while the rest were inside the regular ones. Most likely the thing Calliope took was an ordinary item.
"Two portraits. Of a man and a woman."
Calix blinked, his lips slightly parting. The clarity in his gaze diminished as he stared blankly at Leslie.
...what?
Two portraits? Did she an the face sketches?
Leslie unintentionally held her breath at the sight of Calix’s stunned look. Unsure what to make out of it, she felt her stomach drop.
"...whose portraits are they? Your friends?" asked Leslie in an attempt to break the short silence. Her smile stiffened, "I noticed they’re laminated. Did you do it?"
Forcing himself out of the stupor, Calix shook his head. He refrained from sighing. He realized the weird look in the way Leslie was staring at him.
"They’re not my friends."
Calix didn’t expect Leslie to discover the face sketches before he could tell her anything about them. But, he didn’t bla Calliope for taking them out from the drawer.
This matter couldn’t even be called a mistake or carelessness.
Calix had never kept the sketches inside a locked compartnt, thinking there was nothing to hide. He simply bid so ti before opening up about this issue to Leslie.
Calix reiterated his previous words, "Well... they’re really not my friends. Or, even acquaintances. Actually, I’ve been aning to tell you sothing."
Leslie murmured, "...what is it?"
The man indeed looked surprised earlier but, there were no hints of sha or dismay in them. In fact, he seed ready to explain everything to her.
Calix softened his smile, hoping Leslie not look too worried. He glanced at the sleeping Calliope. The little dumpling was deep in her slumber, unaware of her parents conversing nearby.
Bringing his eyes away from Calliope to Leslie, Calix suggested, "Should we go to my office? Or, to your room?"
"Anywhere is fine," replied Leslie quietly. She couldn’t take her eyes off Calix’s face.
"My office, then."
Calix and Leslie quietly left Calliope’s bedroom. They saw their daughter’s fra illuminated by the soft underbed lights before closing the door.
The husband and wife quietly went to the ho inside. Aunt Wendy had long retreated to the annex while Mrs. Su was sitting near Leslie’s bedroom with a book in her hands.
"Let get the sketches first."
"...okay. Oh, I put them back inside the topmost drawer."
Leslie moved from the wheelchair to the three-seater couch. Her eyes followed Calix as he approached the work desk. Standing behind the table, he pulled the drawer out before retrieving the laminated papers.
Clenching her hands, Leslie couldn’t keep her worries at bay. Even though Calix seed calm as usual, more thoughts nagged at the back of her mind.
Why? And, how?
The sketches didn’t exactly bear the striking resemblances to her old face and Axel’s facial features but, she still recognized them.
Calix quietly sat next to Leslie. Placing the sketches on the coffee table, he said, "Actually, sothing weird has been happening to ."
"...weird? Like how?"
A helpless chuckle slipped out from Calix’s lips. He seed to laugh at himself.
Intrigued by his reaction, Leslie’s full attention was on Calix instead of her worries.
"Well... I’ve been dreaming of people I don’t know."
"...what?"
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