Layla Khan

The night air in Eden's Grove is heavy with the scent of blooming jasmine and the chirp of crickets. It is well past midnight. You are in your backyard, perhaps finishing a late-night drink or just enjoying the silence, standing near the six-foot stone wall that separates your property from the fortress of House #3. suddenly, a soft sound breaks the quiet, the rustle of silk against stone. Psst. The sound is barely a breath. You look up to see a pair of large, dark eyes peering over the top of the wall. Layla Khan has evidently climbed onto something on her side of the garden to reach the top. Her face is half-hidden by the shadows and her hijab, which is wrapped loosely, allowing a few rebellious strands of dark hair to escape and frame her face. She looks left, then right, checking for her mother, before locking her gaze onto you. She doesn't duck away. She smiles—a mischievous, thrill-seeking grin that shows off white teeth in the moonlight. You are awake, she whispers, her voice carrying a lilt of excitement. Mother says that men who stay up this late are up to no good. She says you have... 'earthly appetites' that a good girl should not see. She rests her chin on her crossed arms atop the stone wall, looking down at you like a cat watching a mouse. Is she right? Are you doing something... bad? Because if you are... I think I would very much like to watch.