What'll you do when you get lonely, And nobody's waiting by your side? You've been running and hiding much too long You know it's just your foolish pride.

mercy was her greatest weakness.

Tried to give you consolation
Your old man had let you down
Like a fool, I fell in love with you
You turned my whole world upside down

*   BIOGRAPHY

layla grew up in an affluent household in california , under a catholic household she lived with both her parents as well as her elder brother .
like many affluent families - image was everything ; and of course this fell onto the shoulders of both layla and her brother . like a doll , layla was brought up without so much as the freedom in deciding what she would wear .at a young age , layla was sent off to join her brother at St Lazarus Mercy Academy a catholic boarding school located in a small town outside of the hustle and bustle of california .
Mercy , for short was a strict school which promised the success of it's graduating students ; it's halls filled with the children of many prosperous and affluent families -- as the price of it's attendance was only obtainable by those considered ' elite .'being a private academy , funded by the families of rich individuals - Mercy was able to dodge regulations that most - if any boarding schools had to follow .
corporal punishment still very much being practiced with students who were deemed ' out of line .' the darker reality being that the funding families also supported this ideal .with the prospect of great success outside of graduation , studying at the academy was a grueling process ; it's criteria being unforgiving - and even falling ill could set you back .
students who were unable to keep up would be inserted into an after hours program ' cram session ' where sleep would be replaced with more work .some students , like layla were lucky , gifted and able to keep up with the academies vision of poise and difficult workload .
viewed as a model student .her brother unfortunately fell behind and was pinned as a troublesome student - causing issues for mercy and was often left punished because of it . such was the fate of many students - although often swept under the rug and completely unbeknownst to the others -- this caused a resentment between ' good and bad ' students .layla would try to help her brother where she could after hours , it wasn't until she was around 14 that she realized just how much he'd been struggling . although the moment he could - her brother packed his belongings and snuck out to enlist ; being the black sheep of the family .she would continue to study at mercy until she was 15 - and in the middle of the night she was awoken by blaring alarms and the screams of students .
the entire academy was set ablaze and the infrastructure didn't take long to begin crumbling - as it was a generational building .layla was somehow able to survive by finding her own way out - but not before seeing those who she'd essentially grew up with either trapped and perish in the fire , or crushed by beams or debris ; visuals which would follow her into adulthood .only a handful survived amongst the faculty and students alike .
subjected to hypnotherapy , a pulsing light before her eyes - layla would learn how to come to terms with what happened ; although it took an entire year to do so .she would continue schooling at the age of 16 ; although this time through a private instructor .from now on , layla would have a deeply rooted fear of fire .

after graduating , layla would set off all the way in boston to study at harvard medical ; although she was reluctant at first - memories of her last school very much still in her mind .once again , layla was a model student .
she was gifted , focused , but obsessed . her studies always came first ... until she realized that she had more freedom - her workload was hard , but nothing compared to mercy ; this is when layla finally began exploring who she was as a person , up until now she lacked any real identity --
and so , in front of a bathroom mirror and with a pair of dulled scissors she'd chopped her hair off , locks of blonde cascaded into the sink below herself .she'd start getting to know her classmates more intimately; spending time with them afterhours , which led to her being invited to parties , and sororities going to her rather than the other way around . eventually joining lambda delta psi .parties led to drinking , something that layla took up heavily ; and though it took a rather large toll on her initially , layla was seen as a ' fun drunk ' and had been encouraged and pressured into the lifestyle further .
she built up a tolerance pretty quickly however .unfortunately , her grades began to falter uncharacteristically . causing her professor to seek her out personally . he knew layla was a special case , and opted to help her after hours .
they grew close in the process .with no real concept of love ; layla fell for the first man to show her affection . call it as you will , a lack of proper parental guidance , or simply naivety ... layla fell in love .these feelings were reciprocated - and the two formed a relationship ; a secret one .
they would meet up privately at hotels which he'd book overnight stays for - dates could never be public .
Layla understood , as it wasn't deemed appropriate for a professor to be dating his student - and he'd promised her once she'd graduated he'd be there for her.
it was all the motivation she needed , really .she'd been only months away from graduating , and layla found herself frequently nauseous - being a med student it wasn't hard for her to acknowledge the signs of early pregnancy . a test was more or less a formality ; while elated , layla was nervous to keep this from her professor , seeing as he'd been the only man she'd been intimate there was zero question .so she hid it from him . until graduation .and on said day , layla was prepared to pour her heart out for him ; tell him how much she'd loved him before finally admitting she was pregnant with his child .
it was all set in motion , until she'd spotted her professor behind the scenes with a woman and a child clinging to his leg . her heart shattered instantly , and all she could do was stare from the sidelines and try and come up with any excuse as to why he'd be with them .
although it didn't take a doctorate to realize that he'd had a wife and child .and although she'd cut ties with him immediately afterward , he'd try to contact her ; try to tell her he wanted her to know , wanted to be with her - layla finally knew better . but hated how it took her so long to finally learn such a harsh lesson .
she never told him she was pregnant ; and layla was going to keep the child and raise them on her own . her maternal instinct promising to protect her child from the cruelty of the world .upon learning of her pregnancy , layla's parents viewed her no better than her delinquent of a brother who ran off to the military - shunning her until she either rid herself of the child after birth or married someone suitable to help her raise it .
although she'd refused ; cut from the affluent wealth her parents kept - layla had to work full time in order to prepare herself .perhaps the world had something against her , or perhaps she simply wasn't ready - but during her first trimester layla would pass out at work ; and how strange it would be to find herself on the receiving end of care , laid out on an hospital bed and hooked up to ivs ... it was a blur , waking up to a familiar pulse of light from when she was younger . her ears ringing while doctors explained to her that she lost her child .
even now , she doesn't remember what they said or how they told her - but she knew .an already defeated layla was brought back in by her parents ; although against her wishes .
only to have the news shared with her that her older brother was killed in action -
and at his funeral ; it was only then that she learned he wasn't apart of the american military at all . instead , she stood across a man who claimed to be the CEO , paying respects to his sergeant .Phillip Graves .

*   SHADOW COMPANY

layla is currently one of shadow company's best doctors; capable of joining missions when needed as a combat medic, or staying behind on base.more often than not, she's dedicating any and all of her free time to shadow company, rarely leaving base unless on mandatory leave where she'll stay at an old apartment she rents for just the occasion.
because of this, the name 'charity' stuck with her due to how she gives up her own time in order to help others.
unbeknownst to them she simply doesn't wish to go home.her place in shadow company is secure, earning her keep fairly early on after saving a squadron of injured soldiers during a rough dispatch. unfortunately layla knows she isn't so easily replicable, and tends to speak her mind freely because of it.if asked ; layla still doesn't know why she joined - perhaps this was the only way she was able to feel closer to her brother .

despite everything it's still you   //   VERSES

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