Mr. Kay sat upon the filthy fireplace mantle, starting at his blackened hands resting in his lap. White Space was locked away behind him, and he gazed up at the pinewood grandfather clock settled in the living room. It was 8:34 in the morning, the same time he had left into the dimension next door. Hua came out of the study, and she stared at her dirty father.

"Cleaning the fireplace?" she asked.

"Lots of ash built up."

Hua pursed her lips. "I didn't notice it was too dirty when I made a list of what we needed to clean, but if you say so."

"Lots more than we thought."

"Ah, I see." Hua mindlessly flicked her gray feather duster about, launching little bits of grime and hair into the air. "I am going to call Doctor Jaime later to set up an appointment. How does Monday sound?"

"I'll have to ask off, but I don't know if they will give it to me."

"Just say it's a family emergency. They'll find someone to cover."

"Okay."

. . .

A medical textbook sat upon Mr. Kay's thin lap, and his body was sunken into the tan suede arm chair in the study. He was refreshing on the different parts of the digestive system, and the glistening, inky images depicted the strange formations of the human body. Mr. Kay picked at a spot on his hand as he read over a passage about bile ducts for the fourth time, trying to memorize the words. Hua gingerly slipped into the study, a small paperback clutched in her hands.

"Can I come read?" she muttered.

"Oh, of course, of course." Mr. Kay gestured to the wicker rocking chair next to him.

Hua slipped a pink pillow off another chair and placed it into the seat before settling down. She peeled open her novel and looked down at what her father was busily interesting himself in. "Did all of this start because mom left?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, no, I am happy for her. She likes the volunteer work the church gave her." Mr. Kay smiled brightly. "She emailed me yesterday. Says the school she and the other ladies are building is coming along great."

"Oh." Hua turned back to her story and read a few pages, but the serif font turned blurry as her thoughts came rushing back. "Do you have any idea what is making you upset?"

Mr. Kay shrugged and frowned, his eyes wide.

"Maybe even a hunch?"

Mr. Kay shook his head and pushed the medical book closed, and the pages thumped together with a treble sound. "Back before you were born and mom and I met, I wanted to be a comic artist. Make stories, make people happy. But I was scared I would be poor, so I became a doctor. Doctors make a lot of money, eh? Never have to worry about being homeless."

"But you still draw."

"Not much time to. I don't have enough time to make a book."

Hua furrowed her brow and stared ahead, thinking. She put her novel on the floor and held her hand out to Mr. Kay. "To the basement. I wanna see your studio."

Mr. Kay frowned. "Why?"

"Let's see what you have been working on. I want to see with you."

"Oh, okay."

Mr. Kay got up from his plush chair and took Hua's hand before they descended down into the basement that guarded his creative hideout. He flicked on the numerous lamps that were scattered about the room, and as he filled the chamber with illumination, Hua slowly stalked about the perimeter of the room, gazing at the sketches on the walls. Countless characters and idea sheets were thumbtacked into the mahogany wood. Storyboard after storyboard were cluttered together in packs, and quirky dialogue was scribbled on the pages. The studio smelt of toxic fixative and dusty charcoal.

Hua stopped before one of the pages, staring at its details, before she looked to her father, who was organizing some tools and sketchbooks on his drawing desk. "Dad, who's this?"

"Eh?" Mr. Kay ambled up to her, squinting his eyes, and his stomach dropped. It was one of his drawings of Eve. He ripped it off the wall and folded it up. "Oh, not important."

"Dad, I wanna see." Hua grinned, thinking this was some sort of game, and she reached out for the illustration.

Mr. Kay shoved it into his pocket. "It is no concern of yours. She is villain. Big scary!"

"Dad, who is it?" Hua's smile dropped as she noticed the quivering horror in her father's eyes, and she slipped a kind hand over his shoulder. "Dad? Who is that?"