Amira Wayne

Chapter 23: Family, Friends and Identities (2)

And yet why was everyone so insistent in saying the opposite?

Damian decided to not dawdle into the thought for long, circling the room one last time before stopping at a door that he had yet to investigate.

The placement of the door had thrown him off; the layout of his father's bedroom wouldn't have needed a door to the right as his wardrobe and bath were at their optimal place.

So there was only one way to get his answers.

Testing the doorknob, he let out a sigh of relief when he found it opened, slowly pulling the door forward to see what was inside the room.

A crib.

That's the first thing Damian notes when he steps into the room, the mosquito net draped over it slightly obscuring the items within.

The large cloth hung from the ceiling straight to the floor, Damian slowly walking up to it, pushing the net aside.

It felt awkward as his hands tried to settle against the wooden frame, his hands hovering over the frame as he peered into the crib.

A stuffed sheep stared back at him, mismatched buttons boring right into him.

Now why would his father need a room like this? He wasn't expecting another child...was he? If anything, he shouldn't be. If the files he read on Kyle meant anything, his father had yet to procure another being as they are...engaged...

Damian felt his nose wrinkle at the thought.

His father, marrying a thief. Out of all the women his father could have settled with, why a thief? Why not a woman of his stature? Of his league?

"The heart is a feeble thing, emotions even more. Make sure you never let those things dull your sense of duty."

That's right.

Grandfather had always warned him of emotions and the heart making one soft and causing one to stray away from their potential.

Perhaps he could help talk his father out of this. Maybe help him look for someone else who could- a faint glare snapped him from his thoughts.

Damian quickly picked up the sheep that was staring at him all this time, lifting its ear up to see a name embroidered in gold into the inner portion of its ear.

Amira.

Quickly scanning the room, he noticed the walls covered in photos, drawings and diplomas displayed for everyone to see. Books lining the shelves of a nearby bookcase and other odd items adorning the floating shelves on the other side of the room.

What seemed to be a table of some sorts had padding on its top, empty crates next to it.

It was then that it dawned on him.

This was Amira's nursery.

He quickly went over to the frames, absorbing the photos of Amira looking straight at him with large doe eyes or a huge toothless smile. Or with a single tooth in some photos.

Pictures of Amira wearing overalls and tiny frilly dresses, sometimes wearing a smock with paints or food thickly covering her small hands.

There was one picture with the very same sheep he saw early, only this time, the doll was covered in mud and had lost a limb during play time.

There were drawings of all sorts hanging about, some of random strokes of paint covering a canvas while there were a few of more detailed scenery, Damian being able to tell his sister was at an age where perspective was yet to be her forte, but he could see her improvement throughout the years...