2 CHAPTER 1: Vanessa

Soundtrack: "Come Out and Play" - https://youtu.be/R1jG99z7lVY

Nursing the human child will not be an easy task. Her needs and necessities differ greatly from the monster's kind. If she were to take full responsibility for the child's nurturing and growth from now on, she's gonna have to start by stepping out into the living realm and obtain the required supplies.

Luckily, she managed to make the babe fall deep into slumber. Now all she needs is someone to look after her while she's gone. Then as if fate had arranged it, the dark oak door opened and an eye rolled in, followed by its owner who seems to be carrying his right arm with his left hand.

"F*ck, I thought I stitched everything tight enough. If this keeps up I'm gonna try sticking them with concrete. But then I wouldn't get to move that much! Damn it!" Complains the owner of the separated body parts.

"Wesley. Language." Scolds the other and taller female.

"Sorry mom".

She sighs. "We talked about this countless times already. Anyways, please do me a favor and look after this youngster while I'm gone. I'll head out for a bit to get her needs".

He looked at the baby in a confused state before his expression changed into disgust. "But this is a human. Why is she in a cradle, shouldn't she be served in a silver platter for dinner instead?".

"No Wesley. She's different. From now on, she is your little sister and not food okay? Now I must really be going before she wakes up". And with that, the Lady of the House disappeared.

"Tsk, what a nuisance." He sighed in annoyance as he walked closer to get a better view of this pathetic new addition to the family. He bent over the cradle and grasped his left hand to a handle tightly (for it was the only hand intact as of now). He glared daggers at the sleeping baby with his remaining right eye as if he was debating whether to eat the child right now or do it later.

Suddenly, the human's cute eyes flickered open and let out a short yawn, indicating that she's slowly awakening. Nevertheless, the ghostly male didn't move from his current position, nor did he alter his current facial expression either. He awaits to see the child's reaction when she sees his terrifying form. Will she cry? Will she scream? That would truly be a pleasure to watch.

So imagine his shock at that moment when her reaction was completely far from what he expected.

Instead of sobbing out of fear for the monster's features, the young lass simply stared at the male's empty eye socket in confusion, before her puny arms reach out slowly to touch it.

Overwhelmed, he quickly stood back up, but never taking his eyes off her. The baby noticed the subject of her curiosity suddenly disappeared from her touch, causing her to start crying. The male now had mixed feelings of shock and confusion. This was definitely not how a young human would usually act around someone like him.

This sparked a peculiar feeling of interest in him, so he lowered himself closer to the child again. But this time, he kicked his detached right arm away and slowly carried the baby carefully using his left arm alone.

The female stopped crying, and they both stared at each other for a few moments before she gradually smiled and laughed. He tried to make his face scarier by rolling out his long, black, slit-tongue and reaching it to his left eye, he pushed the eye roughly with his tongue, making the lifeless orb pushed back into his skull in a horrendous manner as some black goo oozed out.

This still didn't scare the child one bit. Instead, she reached out her arms and her tiny hands twitched open and closed, hinting that she wants the male to carry her higher. He did just that and moved his left arm, now the young lass is inches closer to his face. And what she did next astounded the male.

She hugged his face.

Then made some happy noises.

Cute happy noises.

And just like that, his dead heart exploded. Hyperbolically.

~♥~

Dinner time. The Dutchwell mother has returned from her errands. She was the only one missing in the dining room at the moment. All the other family members except for the father sat on their designated seats and waited for her. Even before the mother's appearance with the child, they can already sense that something is odd.

Wesley never looked that happy before. It was weird. He was smiling not in a sinister way, but something that resembled... Fondness.

Unarguably strange.

Before someone could ask about his strange behavior, the dining room's gargantuan dark oak doors opened. Cold mist accompanied the new arrival as it slowly fades away when the doors closed back on their own. The sound of her deathly black heels echoes throughout the room, creating an eerie, dramatic entrance.

The Dutchwell mother stopped when she was now directly facing the others at the end of the dinner table, next to her seat. Everyone saw what she was carrying in her arms. There were several questions lingering in their minds yet no one uttered a single word unless the Lady of the House speaks what she has to say.

"Good evening to all" she began. "I do not wish to waste too much time with this announcement for I assume that many of you are eager to relinquish your hunger as soon as possible. So I'll keep it short. But you are free to ask questions." She took a deep breath and exhaled before continuing. "As you can all see, there's this child in my arms right now. And from now on, she is to be an addition to our family."

Shocked expressions could be obviously seen in multiple faces. But not Wesley's. He already knew about this. As he continued to smile at the infant, he heard someone clear his throat.

"Is that human the reason for your peculiar smile, Wesley?" the other male asked. "That human is truly a joy Christopher, I'm sure you will love her too... You all will". He answered with certainty.

"Hmmm... Then if even Wesley the Cussing Machine likes her, I don't see that we can't as well?" a feminine voice said as she simply watches the infant as the little lass stayed quiet and stared at them all while sucking on her tiny milk bottle.

"I suppose it's not that hard to adjust to this new arrangement... I guess"

"... Meh"

"Hehe... She's cute"

"Living marshmallow lmao"

"What's her name though?"

That question attracted everyone's attention. They all turned their gazes to the mother who also seems to be in a state of bewilderment. "Oh dear, looks like I almost forgot that matter. The other reason I formally introduced her to you all is to decide on her name together!" she exclaimed happily.

"Oh I know! Her name should be Hermione!"

"I prefer Cassandra"

"Pfft... Morp... Lmao"

"But what if her biological parents already named her?"

They all fell silent.

"It doesn't really matter anymore cause we don't even know who her legitimate parents are. And I don't give a f*ck about it. She's a Dutchwell now. And if her last name can change, so can her first name." Wesley snapped. They were surprised at how he became so attached with this young human at a short span of time. The entire dining room is now filled with arguments and bickering, Lady Meredith has had enough.

She cleared her throat loud enough for everyone to hear, they all got the message and zipped their mouths at once. She sighed and sweetly smiled when she bowed her head to look at the unnamed lass.

"She barged her way in to our lives—"

"But we're not even alive— Ouch!"

"You dimwit let her finish!"

She roughly sighed in annoyance and went back from the top. "She barged her way in to our lives and stole our affections. And she's not afraid to face even the darkest corners of the world. Her bravery and curiosity for a human is indeed worthy to be admired. Thus, she reminds me of a butterfly. So fragile and vulnerable yet still flaps her wings to the ugliest truths and takes them on with courage and a determined smile on her face." She finishes and caresses the child's left cheek with her cold hands.

A hand rose up which made everyone turn their heads to listen to what its owner had to say. "... Vanessa means butterfly... Or so I've heard... Fit for a pretty one like her wouldn't it?" the creature suggests before combing her golden locks of hair with her dead, pale fingers. No one seemed to protest against it. Leading it to a conclusion.

"Welcome to the family, Vanessa S. Dutchwell"

And as if little Vanessa can understand it, she giggled.