Layla Harlow

[Layla Harlow]

NAME: Layla Grace Harlow
NICKNAME: Lay or Laylow
AGE: Eighteen (April 23)
GENDER: Female
ORIENTATION: Heterosexual
POSITION: Recently returned BA student
FACE CLAIM: Phoebe Tonkin

POWER:

Name of Power
- Enhanced Memory


Layla has the ability to recall a memory from her past with perfect clarity (as long as it was seven days prior to or any time after her manifestation). She can also enhance the memory of others. The only way currently that she can enhance memories is by physically touching someone. The over all affect is making it seem as though they are reliving the memory. All of their senses are heightened and the picture is crystal clear. 

Limitations

- Can only enhance memories of her own from seven days prior to manifestation
- Can only enhance memories of others as far as they can remember (birth is not one of those times)
- Has a tendency of growing faint whenever going too far back in memories
- Can only enhance memories if the person has an open and relaxed mind


Side-Effects

- Migraines
- Growing faint
- Tingling fingers and numbness on contact
- Vivid, jumbled nightmares
- Trouble sleeping (due to the nightmares)
- Trouble distinguishing between reality and memory at times
- Overlapping memories

Other info
The farther back she has to go for a memory, the more difficult it is for her to reach it and the more strain she puts on her mind. It's generally the same for her as it is for those who she is using it on. She's still working through the blur and haze that tinges the edges of the scape in front of them. Sometimes it's difficult to land on the specific memory that she's trying to enhance as well, which leads to flashes of several memories all at once as she files through them, both in her mind and the other person's. It's literally as though their life is flashing before their eyes. Layla is behind on her training due to her maternity leave, but is throwing herself forcefully back into training. She's absolutely determined to graduate with the rest of her class.



I remember your bare feet down the hallway
I remember your little laugh
Race cars on the kitchen floor, plastic dinosaurs
I love you to the moon and back

Come on baby with me, we're gonna fly away from here
You were my best four years

I remember the drive home
When the blind hope turned to crying and screaming "Why?"
Flowers pile up in the worst way, no one knows what to say
About a beautiful boy who died

Lucas Harlow, that was my little brother's name. He was about six years younger than me, but we were inseparable since the day I first saw him. I was a big sister, it was my job to protect him and keep him safe. That's what my mom and dad told me anyway. I loved it, that responsibility of taking care of him stayed with me and I was the most protective big sister anyone could imagine...responsibility at one point had been everything to me. Unfortunately, at ten years old, I didn't understand that I couldn't protect him from everything. When he was three, Lucas was diagnosed with a brain cancer, something I had no idea about. I was only nine at the time, but after nine months of fighting, Luc lost and I blamed myself for not saving him. A ten year old little girl with the weight of death on her shoulders. Bound to screw someone up pretty bad, eh?

Two years later, I was about to find out just how much worse it could get.

The miles just keep rollin'
As the people leave their way to say hello
I've heard this life is overrated
But I hope that it gets better as we go, oh, yeah, yeah

I'm here without you, baby
But you're still on my lonely mind
I think about you, baby
And I dream about you all the time
I'm here without you, baby

But you're still with me in my dreams

When I was twelve, I manifested. Developed these weird ass powers that enhanced memories. Mine, someone else's, it didn't matter. All I knew was that it made me sick and miserable, more so than I already was. Forgetting about Lucas had been a nightmare, everywhere I saw his face and I dreamed about him all the time. The ability that I developed made me think more and I tried so hard to focus on the memories I had of Lucas, but for some stupid reason they don't show up as clear as the others. I worry that my ability is going to erase all of the memories I have of my baby brother...and I'm not sure if I could survive losing him again. Even if it was just mentally.... But even if my conscious mind forgot him, my sub-conscious mind never did. The nightmares ended up blurring everything together, flashes of him and my parents.

All he could think about was I'm too young for this.
Got my whole life ahead.
Hell I'm just a kid myself.
How'm I gonna raise one.

All he could see were his dreams goin' up in smoke.
So much for ditchin' this town and hangin' out on the coast.
Oh well, those plans are long gone.

Stupidity. That's what came with my teenage years. Stupidity and naivety. I was one of those girls you see on television. Sixteen and knocked the fuck up, guess that's what I got for "rebelling" as my therapist called it. I try my hardest not to see it as all some cruel joke, but honestly, the guy who knocked me up is a cruel joke. I was drunk. He was drunk. We were both young and raging with hormones. I was on the pill and he had a condom. So the whole fucking idea of us getting pregnant was stupid, yet of fucking course it happened.

Don't get me wrong, I love my son, but his father? Well...I'm just going to not say much about him because I'd rather not swear up a storm. Trying to cut back and all. More or less, I found out I got pregnant, told him, he ditched and I kept the baby. Nicholas Ryder Harlow. And honestly, I wouldn't trade him for the world. Nicholas is my world, just like Lucas had been.

But Riley...well...

 Every time we lie awake
After every hit we take
Every feeling that I get
But I haven't missed you yet

Every roommate kept awake
By every sigh and scream we make
All the feelings that I get
But I still don't miss you yet

Only when I stop to think about it

I hate everything about you

That about sums up my feelings for him. It's been just about a year since I've seen him, and if I'm lucky, it'll stay that way. I'm back at BA to finish out my schooling and the last thing I need is that prick fucking things up for me yet again.....okay so I'm totally lying. This is more how I feel, but you can be damn sure he isn't going to know it.

Guess it's true I'm not good at a one night stand
But I still need love cuz I'm just human
These nights never seem to go to plan
I don't want you to leave, will you hold my hand?

Oh won't you stay with me?
Cuz you're all I need
This ain't love it's clear to see
But darlin' stay with me.

Why am I so emotional?
No it's not a good look gain some self control
Deep down I know this never works
But you can lay with me so it doesn't hurt...

I've had some regrets in my life, being naive, almost too trusting and now not trusting enough. I'm not the closest with my parents, even if they do help me with Nicky on a daily basis. I probably over-protect and shelter him, but I have a severe case of 'not wanting my son to end up in my position' syndrome. Responsibility wasn't my thing growing up and now here I am with not only myself to be responsible for, but also a son who is almost two years old.

Despite the hardships I've caused for myself, I'm working through things, just like I always have. I'm a fighter and if Nicholas gets anything from me I really hope it's my strength to pull through. I've lost all of my mommy weight, I'm back in school, working towards graduating as close to 'on time' as possible. And I'm doing the best I can with what I've got for Nicholas, even if I have to do it without a man, I'm going to raise my son to be a little gentleman, polite as can be and the complete opposite of his father...and myself on some things. God if this kid starts swearing at a young age...I'm screwed. But hey! Maybe he'll fall madly in love with the idea of superheroes the way that I did? If he hates superheroes, I'm fucked. I mean...uh...shit...fuck. DAMMIT! I'm just yeah...

On a lighter note, here's my baby boy! He looks more like me than he does the sperm donor, same hair color and same eyes. My tall, dark and handsome boy. I guess he gets the skin color from both of us but blah. He's my little hunk, gonna be a heartbreaker....just like his daddy.



SAMPLE: Show us an example of what you can do! It can be anything, either from this character or another site.
USERNAME: Mickie!
AGE GROUP: Legal!
EXPERIENCE: Five or so years
WHERE DID YOU FIND US? Blame Mel!

Template made by MEL, inspired by NU

[Puppy *]

You're good to go, Mickie!
Get your CLAIMS on and do it up!

[Layla Harlow]

NAME: Layla Grace Harlow
NICKNAME: Laylow
AGE: nineteen years old
ORIENTATION: Heterosexual
POSITION: Student


Over the past year Layla has been taking the courses from her sophomore year at Bellefonte as well as catching up with her senior year classes. Her ability is still mildly out of control, memories fusing together and not lining up exactly with what happened. She's gotten better at projecting others' memories in detail, but it causes a massive migraine. Layla should be able to finish senior classes by the spring and is set to graduate and go onto college after to continue working on her ability.

Nicholas is three years old and they're both looking for their first place together! Layla is not speaking with her parents, has had no contact from Riley, who is also not paying child support and overall she is struggling with finding a stable job to help support herself and her baby. Things are as hard as they can be, but she's still as determined as ever to get herself back on the right track.

[Layla Harlow]

NAME: Layla Grace Harlow
NICKNAME: Lay, Laylow
AGE: Twenty-two
ORIENTATION: Heterosexual
POSITION: College student

POWER: Over the last three years, Layla learned how to project a slideshow of memories, both of her own and of the person she is projecting to by pulling from their own memory bank.


How do I live? How do I breathe?
When you're not here I'm suffocating
I want to feel love, run through my blood
Tell me is this where I give it all up?
For you I have to risk it all
Cause the writing's on the wall

Dear Isaac,

Three years together, and not even a month apart. I've done this before, dealt with the pain of losing someone who meant so much to me even if it was in such a short amount of time that it happened. The only way I know how to handle so much pain, while still staying as strong as I can for Nicholas, is writing it all down and shutting it away. So here I am, writing down how I feel for you even now that you're apart from me. I've come to the conclusion that I hate this.

I feel like I'm gasping for air again and there's no oxygen to be spared for me. This is the second time I've lost part of my soul and I fear that there isn't much left of me. What if I'm not really a person? I'm just a puzzle made up of pieces from all of the people who touch my life. Without one puzzle piece, the puzzle is not finished. First it was Luca, then my parents...all leading to you. I feel like eventually with so many pieces missing, I'm just going to be tossed aside. Thrown away because who wants a puzzle with so many pieces missing?

I'm scared for Nicholas, Isaac. He's only seven and he's already lost so much. You were so good with him.... I feel like you both were good for each other. You were the kind of figure in his life that taught him things I'd never be able to. And he let you experience things that perhaps you never would have. I guess that's the beauty of what we were, huh? We made each other experience things that otherwise, we may not have. Those three years were filled with more happiness and more love than some people will ever get to know in their lifetime. And I'm thankful for that. But Nicholas won't understand that. All he understands now is that I'm sad all the time and that you're gone. 

I don't want to depend on him so much, but I do. He's the only thing keeping me upright. The only thing that's kept me from losing my grip. But he's going to grow up too fast because I can't take care of myself...and I just want to preserve his innocence, just a little longer.

I wish you were here... I wish we could have enjoyed our time together longer. I miss you. Your rare, but encouraging smile, hearing you and Nicholas playing in the living room of our apartment (which I can't bear to sell). Watching us through your eyes and living your memories with you.... How am I going to ever find anyone else that will compare to what we had? I'm not sure I'll ever be able to let go.

I'll try though. For you. I'd do anything for you.

Forever yours,
Layla Grace Monroe Harlow