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After a decent night’s sleep, Jaz woke up a bit late, and wandered downstairs to check their email. Nothing, of course, and – just on the off chance – Jaz also checked the pen pal site, and there was nothing new there, either. Jaz worried their lip with their teeth a little bit, then sighed and went back upstairs to get ready for the day. Hopefully their letter would get to Aguila just fine….?

Downstairs, everyone else was getting ready for the day, as well. Penny was setting the table while Wendy made breakfast, and everyone else was doing various other chores.

Layla had possibly woken up on the wrong side of her double bed, because she was scowling at the laundry as she carried it to the laundry room to get it started.

Carlo was quickly cramming for one of his first tests at school, trying to get the information he hadn’t learned in class – he’d been busy gazing at a pretty girl! – into his head in the off chance that he might be able to get a good grade on the test.

Finally, Carlo gave up and headed downstairs. The omelets smelled delicious, and he decided he couldn’t possibly get any more information into his head with his stomach growling so much.

After a delicious breakfast, everyone hurried to get ready for school and the parade of sims shuffled out the door.

It was quickly apparent it wasn’t going to be a lovely sunny day in Newcrest, however, and by the time the kids all got home from school, the skies had literally let go. Everyone raced inside, and Jaz and Wendy looked at the sky worriedly as they huddled under their umbrellas and ran to the bus stop on their way to Newcrest.

Arriving in Newcrest, the two looked to the skies with relief. It was cloudy, but it wasn’t raining. Jaz headed upstairs to meet Gemma, and Wendy wandered around downstairs, wasting time.

“So, Jaz, how did the week go?” Gemma asked, “Did you have time to sign up for a pen pal?”

“I did!” Jaz replied happily, and launched into telling Gemma all about their new friend.

Afterwards, Jaz told Gemma all about their new violin and the lesson they were eagerly awaiting come Friday afternoon. Then, Jaz sobered. Glancing worriedly at Gemma, they wondered if they should mention the fear of the dark or being sad about missing what had been their home situation for so long.

Gemma immediately asked what was wrong, and Jaz hesitantly told about the monster under the bed.. and when Gemma prodded, Jaz finally confessed to their thoughts of the past.

“Jaz, It’s only natural to miss your family. There’s no shame in being sad about them. And I’m glad you asked Ms. Bliss about your Mom. Not knowing if they’re okay must be the hardest part. Hopefully, Kayla will get back to you soon!”

“As for the monster under the bed, and being worried about the dark, that’s okay, too. You’re still growing, and an imagination can be a terrible thing when there’s shadows under the bushes. I must confess, living alone like I do, even though I’m all grown up, I still wait until morning to take the trash out for the garbage men.” Gemma said, and watched relief pass over Jaz’s face.

“Really? I thought there must be something wrong with me. I mean – back at home, I made friends with the monster under the bed… and this time, I couldn’t even stay in the same room with one.” Jaz replied, worrying the edge of their lip with their teeth.

“That’s absolutely normal, Jaz. You’ve had a rough few weeks. I wouldn’t worry about it, I’m sure the fear will pass again eventually. My text messages are always open to you, any hour of the day or night if you need to talk. Matt’s idea about being confident and strutting around the back yard was a good first step to getting over the fear!”

Then, it was time to finish up, and Gemma leaned down to give Jaz a huge hug. “I’m so proud of you, Jaz. For everything. Especially for standing up for yourself and who you are. I only wish everyone could be as brave as you are!”

Jaz hugged Gemma back, musing silently to themselves about Colin’s fears about coming out as Trans. Jaz thought about asking how they could help them get over that fear so Colin could finally be who he … well, SHE.. really wanted to be, but then remembered their promise to never say a thing about it to anyone, and remained quiet. Waving goodbye to Gemma, Jaz turned and headed downstairs to find Wendy.

Surprisingly, Jaz found Wendy in a Yoga class, and they waited outside the classroom for her to finish.

The trip home was quiet, and Wendy decided not to pry into the youngster’s thoughts. They both made faces at the skies upon getting back to Willow Creek and finding it still pouring. Wendy opened the umbrella, and protected Jaz from the storm as they both ran for home.

Jaz had just enough time left before bed to check their emails, do their homework, and spend a couple secret moments gazing at their new violin with pride. Then, as Penny came in to get ready for bed, Jaz’s phone rang, so they stepped into the hallway to answer.

“Hello?” Jaz asked, wondering who would call this late.

“Jaz! I’m so glad I caught you before bed. I just wanted to tell you I’ve been in contact with your Mom, and she’s agreed to let you call to check up on her. Do you have a piece of paper handy?” Kayla replied on the other end of the line.

“Oh! Sure!” Jaz replied, and dashed back into their room, pulling a spare piece of paper out of their backpack. They scribbled Marnie’s new number down, said goodbye to Kayla, and glanced at the clock. It was probably too late to call now. Maybe they could call tomorrow?

With a small sigh, Jaz quickly changed into their PJs and crawled into bed. They were soundly asleep before Wendy got to their room on her nightly tuck-in rounds. Wendy softly kissed Jaz’s forehead, and pulled the blankets snug around the youngster, hoping that some peaceful sleep would help smooth away the worries of the day.

Much, much later that night, in Del Sol Valley:

Marnie wiped sweat off her forehead, and exhaustedly glanced down at the baby in front of her. With no Bennie, no job, and no prospects… the only thing she could do was make a phone call. Sadly, tiredly, she dialed Kayla’s number.

“Yeah, sorry to call so late.” Marnie started, and glanced over to the other cribs that had been hastily pulled into the birthing room. “The baby.. uh.. babies are here. I don’t know if they’ll be able to keep their names, but Nicole, Tyler, and Eric are all seem quite healthy.”

Kayla was quiet for a moment, a little bit stunned. “Triplets?” she finally blurted out.

Dryly, Marnie replied, “Obviously. Just what the world needed. Three more Malones.”

Kayla wondered if she ought to congratulate Marnie, but knowing that Marnie had truly not wanted these babies anymore after the disaster that had befallen her family… she felt that perhaps congratulations might not be taken well. She took a breath, and switched on her professional voice. “Can you take care of them tonight? In the morning, I will come around to pick them up, take them to the doctor for their mandatory after birth checkup, and find them foster homes.” Kayla cleared her throat and continued, “I still advise taking some more time before you give up parental rights – you might change your mind.”

Turning her back on the babies, Marnie muttered angrily, “Not likely.” Walking a few steps away from the now-fussing babies, she continued, “There’s no way you can’t get them tonight?”

Startled at Marnie’s obvious reluctance to be around her own babies, Kayla tossed the covers back and stood up. “If you’re sure… I can make the trip to pick them up now. I just.. I just thought you might want to take some time to say goodbye.”

“No. That ship has definitely sailed.” Marnie said, “I just want them gone.”

“Alright then.” Kayla said, trying to stick to her professional voice, “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Good.” Marnie said, and hung up the phone. Without even a glance back at the tiny, helpless triplets, she dashed an angry tear from her eyes, and strode out of the birthing room.

“Kayla should be here to get them soon” Marnie bit out to Sophia, who was standing outside the door wringing her hands, then, with nothing else said, Marnie walked out of the main house resolutely, heading for her own room – and some damn peace and quiet.

Sophia walked back into the birthing room, and picked up a fussy baby boy, noting the name that had been hastily scrawled to his little blue bracelet, cuddling him close. Lord only knew what would happen to these youngsters, but she doubted they would be placed together. She wondered if the poor babies would ever even know that they had shared a womb with two siblings for all that time. Shaking her head sadly, she quieted little Tyler, then turned her attention to … (with a glance at their bracelets) … Eric and … Nicole, who were starting to whimper in their cribs.

WC: Day Twelve < | Challenge Home Page | > WC: Day Fourteen