~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 40 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dressed in a set of completely ill-fitting casual clothes, the girl Henry had brought home sat at the dining table with a deeply aggrieved expression.
She stuffed food into her mouth at an alarming rate while shooting resentful looks at the only man present.
After BB's vigorous cleaning session, her complexion was now fair with a healthy flush.
Not the pale complexion of a Caucasian, but the lighter skin tone common among East Asians.
As for the flush?
That was entirely BB's fault.
She had practically been scrubbed red.
Her skin still stung.
Anything less aggressive simply wouldn't have removed the thick layers of grime that had accumulated on her body.
Her hair was dark brown.
Getting rid of the grease and dirt embedded in it had taken BB considerable effort.
Since Katie didn't have long fur, BB's grooming functions weren't particularly suited for long hair.
The robot had ended up shampooing and rinsing it over and over again.
Afterward, Henry had gone into the kitchen to prepare food for both the girl and himself.
Now the two sat across from each other, eating their respective meals.
The reason the girl was behaving so quietly was undoubtedly the "tabby cat" lying at Katherine Hepburn's feet.
In other words, Katie.
Back when she was causing trouble outside, the brat—now revealed to be a girl—had only dared throw things from a distance whenever Katie was involved.
One roar from the tiger and every child she brought with her would scatter.
As for the girl herself, years of never knowing where her next meal would come from had left her incapable of moderation.
Even though she was already full, she continued stuffing food into her mouth.
Henry, meanwhile, had eaten several times her portion at several times the speed and had already finished.
He was now lazily picking his teeth and even let out an unceremonious belch.
BB emerged from the bathroom after cleaning up and began collecting empty plates.
Immediately, Katherine Hepburn fixed Henry with a questioning look.
"Alright, child. Explain. What's going on here?"
To be honest, Henry was struggling with the situation himself.
He had thought he was bringing home a troublesome boy.
Instead, he'd ended up with a troublesome girl.
He still had no idea how best to arrange things.
So when Katherine asked, he simply answered.
"Kate, do you know about the Sewer World beneath New York?"
"The Sewer World?"
Though she wasn't a native New Yorker, Katherine Hepburn had lived in the city for more than fifty years.
The moment she heard the term, she immediately understood that it referred to more than just sewers.
It was an entirely different world operating under its own rules.
"I only know that even the street kids from Hell's Kitchen think it's a terrible place."
Henry nodded.
"That's not far from the truth.
"It's worse than any Los Angeles slum I've ever seen.
"I haven't really looked closely at Hell's Kitchen, but I doubt the difference is significant.
"This child lived in a place like that with a friend.
"Everything she did before was simply because someone paid her to cause trouble, same as the others.
"But today her friend died in an accident.
"So I brought her back here. My thought was to take care of her until she reaches adulthood and can live normally."
At that point, Henry explained his original plan.
"Since I'm the one who decided to bring her back, I initially thought I'd rent an apartment or buy a house and live with him.
"But I thought he was a boy.
"A grown man living with a boy isn't particularly problematic.
"Now that I know she's a girl, maybe I should find a suitable foster family instead?"
The girl immediately shouted through a mouthful of food:
"No!
"I don't want to go to a foster family!
"If you don't want me, just throw me back onto the streets.
"I know how to survive."
"So you're willing to stay?"
Henry stared at her strangely.
Did this count as a situation where the second-worst option suddenly became acceptable because the worst option was even worse?
The girl immediately realized the flaw in her argument.
"No!
"I don't want that either!
"Just give me some clothes and let me leave.
"Even if you won't do that, I'd rather run out naked!"
Katherine clapped her hands sharply.
"Language, young lady.
"And what kind of behavior is that? Letting a girl walk out like that?"
Then she turned to Henry.
"You don't need to start thinking about moving out either.
"There are spare rooms in this house.
"One more girl isn't a problem.
"To be honest, I'd worry if you were living alone with her."
Given the girl's fierce reaction to the idea of foster care, Katherine could easily guess certain things.
One of her close friends had spent the final years of her life advocating for children's welfare around the world and had even served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Why was child welfare still such an important issue?
Because children were powerless when facing adults.
No matter how many social workers devoted themselves to helping, countless children still suffered abuse in both biological and foster homes.
Very few children had the courage to run away and survive in places like the sewers.
Most simply endured.
Much like the tragic lessons demonstrated in Harry Harlow's infamous rhesus monkey experiments.
Katherine naturally approved of Henry's decision to remove a child from the Sewer World.
And rather than having the two live separately elsewhere, she preferred keeping the girl where she could see her.
The house would be livelier that way.
She liked the idea.
And thus, the girl's future was casually decided by two unrelated adults.
Neither saw anything wrong with that.
She was a minor.
If she refused to cooperate, the alternative was entering the government welfare system.
Returning to the streets—or worse, the Sewer World—was never going to be allowed.
---
"Child, what's your name?" Katherine asked.
"You must have some kind of name.
"How else would your friend have called you?"
Perhaps Katherine's warmth was simply on an entirely different level from Henry's.
After hesitating for a while, the girl finally answered.
"Poots."
Poots, derived from Irish, meaning stern of a ship.
Katherine immediately followed up.
"That sounds more like a surname than a given name.
"So what's your full name, child?"
With the defeated air of someone giving up entirely, the girl answered:
"Mary Sue Poots."
"Mary Sue?"
The moment Henry heard it, he burst out laughing.
The term Mary Sue originated from a 1973 Star Trek fanfiction.
It described a character who was impossibly perfect, unrealistically idealized, and often served as a vessel for the author's fantasies.
In modern usage, the term was decidedly negative.
A character so flawless that they became shallow and uninteresting.
Naturally, Henry found it hilarious.
The laughter instantly irritated the girl.
"That's exactly why I hate that name!"
She crossed her arms angrily.
"And the orphanage gave it to me.
"My real parents didn't."
As she said the last part, her mood visibly darkened.
Then she added quietly,
"Don't call me that.
"I don't like it."
Katherine immediately nodded.
"Alright, alright.
"Then what would you like us to call you?"
The girl answered without hesitation.
"Call me Skye.
"Just Skye."
To honor her deceased friend, she had decided to live under that name from now on.
It was her way of keeping Sky with her.
A way for them to continue living together.
Not necessarily here, of course.
If she eventually ran away again—and she fully intended to try eventually—she would still use the name Skye.
As for Henry...
Upon hearing that answer, he suddenly found himself speechless.
Wait...
Did I actually just pick up Daisy Johnson?
Quake?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
🎉 Power Stone Goal Announcement! 🎉
I'll release one bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones we hit!"
Let me know what should I do
Your support means everything—let's crush these goals together! Keep voting, and let the stones pile up! 🚀
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~