OS: Day Three < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Five

Benji’s Day

Benji woke up with a huge smile. Today was the day. He had a huge party planned for his birthday, and luckily, the new house was going to be big enough to hold all the people. He got dressed and took a selfie to commemorate the day.

Marnie came downstairs to yell at Braydon for making a mess….

… but Braydon apparently didn’t care. The music was his vibe, and he was just dancing. Brett, on the other hand, didn’t like Benji’s loud alternative music, and had ran off to the twins’ room, throwing a massive temper tantrum about the loud music.

Ignoring the screaming toddler in the next room, Marnie sat down to make Benji’s birthday cake. Cooking was a little bit of her zen calm, and since she had no idea about the teen-focused party that was about to happen, she let herself vibe on planning a nice sit down dinner and family party for Benji.

Bennie was acting out of character. His eldest son was growing up and getting ready to move out, and his pride was about to make him burst his buttons. (If he’d been wearing something with buttons, that is….) (Had he told Marnie about that? Nope. He forgot.) When his son offered to show him pictures of his girlfriend, he happily obliged, and even agreed that she was a knock-out beauty.

Marnie finished the cake, and stood back to admire it. It was perfect. Feeling rather proud of herself, she gazed at it for a while, not noticing when Benji came around the corner and saw her staring at the cake.

Benji guiltily realized that he ought to tell his mother about his plans.

Sitting her down, he thanked her for making the cake… then told her about the party.

“Everyone’s coming over, mom, so I hope you’re planning to cook extra for dinner…” he began.

“Well, I thought we were just having a nice family party. But I guess not..” Marnie started, then waved her hand. “I suppose Benji could make some hamburgers on the grill for the party? As long as you’ll help clean up…”

“Help clean up?? When would I have the time for that? Shaylee and I are moving to San Myshuno as soon as the party ends.”

“What?” Marnie replied, stunned. She had no idea what her son had been planning, and had been so wrapped up with the twins, and Myles, and Jaz’s issues, that she hadn’t even thought to ask.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. Shaylee is my girlfriend. We’re getting a big apartment in the city with some of our friends. You remember Jay, right? He and his girlfriend will be there, too. Everything will be fine. There’s so many opportunities in the big city…” Benji didn’t bother to mention it was larceny options that he was planning on working on, not actual job opportunities, but he didn’t think dear old Mom needed to know that.

“Oh! Jay is such a good kid. I’m glad you’ll have a good friend there. And congratulations on the girlfriend. I wish you’d told me sooner, but I hope you’ll remember to stop back from time to time.” Marnie’s frown disappeared at the mention of Jay being there (she had always liked his best friend – sometimes Benji had wondered if she liked Jay more than him – but he had never said anything.)

Upstairs, Jaz was helping out with some chores, hoping to get back on Marnie’s good side. Marnie hadn’t said a single word to her since the Therapist appointment disaster, and Jaz wasn’t sure what that might mean.

Downstairs, Bennie was playing with one of the twins, and the two were having a great time. Braydon was planning on talking to Benji on the couch, and Marnie was ready to catch Brett should he fall off of Bennie’s back.

Bennie must have really been in a good mood, because this picture certainly looked like a model for a perfect family. Even Marnie looks peacefully serene for a change. However, that was about to change.

Guests started to arrive, and Benji changed into his Gig outfit, and was hamming it up for the company.

The horror film on TV was grossing out the girls, but the boys all seemed to approve of the title (including Myles, who had never been allowed to watch this before.. and was taking advantage of his parents’ good moods by sitting, quietly watching the forbidden movie.

Benji greeted Shaylee with a kiss, never saying anything about the Future cube’s prediction, because that was just a toy, wasn’t it? She was so happy to see him, and Benji’s worries and insecurities vanished with her closeness.

With a grin, and a thought while he pretended to make a wish like a little kid, Benji prepared to blow out his candles.

(Apologies on the mouse over outline, I couldn’t skip using this picture, because it’s so awesome, but that outline drives me NUTS.) Benji hurried up and took care of the candles all in one breath, drawing applause from the crowd of teens and family.

(… He rolled Hot Headed. Appropriate.)

After putting away the first piece of the cake (into his tummy, of course), Bennie’s burgers were done, and the party continued loudly. They played games, and told jokes.. and generally made a disaster of the house. By the time the party wound down and everyone was ready to go, the place was a disaster. Not nearly as bad as it had been, of course, but Marnie felt completely overwhelmed just looking at the mess. And – to add insult to injury.. her eldest son was walking out of the house with his suitcase in one hand, and his girlfriend on the other.. having completely forgotten to say goodbye to his family.

(This is Benji’s earnings from his sale of the armor, and various game tournaments won. The other kids all had some money to their names, as well, and all eight Kleptos moved to the city. I did have to do some fixing after forgetting to make young adults allowed in the club, and aging-up Benji kicked him out of the club. All fixed now, and he’s leader again.)

At the doorstep of their new apartment, after everyone else had gone inside, Jay proposed to his girlfriend, Rita.. and she accepted!

They didn’t plan on telling anyone else, but they quickly eloped….

… and celebrated in their new bedroom.

Next door, there were a few other celebrations, but these had nothing to do with a wedding, and more to do with finally being free of a family that Benji had wanted to escape for a very long time.

The night finally was silent in the city, and all eight teens were sound asleep by the time I finished their apartment and left them for the night.

… Back at the Malones’, the table was mute evidence that Marnie’s next day was going to be spent rage cleaning and wondering how her eldest son was doing in the big city.

---

(Below: Apartment renovation pictures for the Kleptos.. I made it into a four bedroom three bath apartment, and managed to furnish and reno it almost within their budget. I left them with a little money for food, and made sure everything in the tiny apartment would work for everyone. They’re all assigned to beds, with Londyn and Emily in one room, and the brothers in the other, plus the two double beds for the couples…)

Overhead pics of the two floor apartment:

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More info for those interested: here are the age-up cards for all teens that aged up with Benji in the world. First: the Kleptos:

Then, the two in the world that are connected to the story and were in Benji’s “class”, so also aged up (cade and malcolm, above)

OS: Day Three < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Five

OS: Day Two < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Four

Making Friends

The next day, nothing was spoken about the therapist, and life continued as if nothing had changed. Everyone got off to school successfully (except for Benji, of course, who had already graduated) and even the twins were playing quietly on their own. Having their own room seemed to have given the twins a place to be and they spent less time constantly underfoot.

After school, Phoenix played around on the new playground equipment, being that it was the first day since they moved in that it actually wasn’t raining.

Before long, Jaz decided to join him, being that she needed to get started on her Motor skill for her new aspiration. She was waiting until Saturday’s Club and Park day to get that jungle gym played on box checked off.

Myles headed off to his club meeting, and enthusiastically greeted his fellow club members.

Inside, everyone got started on homework, chatting companionably.

Myles took some time to make some new friends within the club – pictured here, Gideon and Olive.

Also: our first look at the upgraded kid’s room I made for the club. Myles rummaged in some trash cans to find some Void critter cards, and spent some time training them up – before finding out it’s a lot easier to trade for a better Void Critter than to train them yourself.

By the end of the evening, Myles was good friends with Alexander, and Friends with most of the other club members, which was a huge change for him, since historically his only friend was his mother. Myles was clearly turning over a new leaf.

Back in Oasis Springs, Phoenix and Jaz were still having a great time outside. (Now is about the time I realized I had turned off free will for yesterday’s screenshots.. oops.)

Benji, who was feeling terribly insecure because of his jealous trait, decided to take a major step… and ask the Future Cube some questions.

The biggest question – what was his love life future going to be??

Future cube says: “Your future looks bleak.” … What?!? What about Shaylee?? They were moving in together. Clearly the cube had to be wrong. Right?

OS: Day Two < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Four

OS: Day One < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Three

Meeting The Therapist

After a chaotic morning chasing the twins around and trying to get everyone off to school, the last thing Marnie really wanted to do was drag young Jaz off to some therapist. Unfortunately, that was exactly what she was doing.

Fuming internally, Marnie led Jaz to the bus, and then sat beside the silent youngster all the way to Newcrest.

Jaz wasn’t quiet because she was being polite or giving Marnie her space. In fact, that wouldn’t have even occurred to her. She was quiet because she was terrified. She had no idea how this was going to work. All she really knew was what Marnie had told her the night before, that she would be with Marnie during the visit today, and that after that, she would be on her own. Colin had made going to the therapist sound like it was a normal, easy-to-do thing, but she was still scared. And just how long was she going to have to continue to go?? Marnie hadn’t exactly said. The more Jaz worried, the more she came up with to worry about. And still the bus ride continued on…

By the time they got to the correct bus stop, Jaz’s stomach was wound in tight knots, and she was oblivious to anything Marnie might say. The best she could do was just follow along, and hope that would be enough. The walk from the bus stop to the Therapist-place (Jaz had no idea what to call it, she hadn’t exactly been told that part…) helped to clear her mind a little, and by the end of it, she was able to look around her with curiosity.

The neighborhood looked nothing like the ones she’d ever seen, even the rich neighborhood that Colin lived in in Willow Creek didn’t look like this.

Marnie turned down a sidewalk to get to the “Mental Health Center” (there was a sign out front that Jaz could clearly read), and Jaz followed, her eyes wide. She’d never, ever seen a building like this. She’d never thought a building like this COULD exist. Trees that looked like lollipops and wood and concrete that came together to form something that seemed completely fantastical.

Breathless, Jaz followed Marnie inside, and watched as she hung up her winter gear and headed to talk to the guy at the desk. Assuming she was supposed to follow suit, Jaz hung up her coat and followed Marnie to some couches in an expansive, hard to believe room.

Nervously, she fidgeted and tried to find a comfortable spot to sit, trying hard to take it all in. Feeling a disapproving glare from Marnie, Jaz finally settled on a spot next to Marnie, and tried not to look as afraid and overwhelmed as she felt.

The guy from the desk headed over towards them, and it wasn’t until just then that Jaz noticed he was wearing a robe. Confused, Jaz glanced at Marnie, but Marnie seemed unfazed.

“You’re here to see Dr. Fleming, right?” the man said, and Marnie nodded. “Good, just head up those stairs over there, and wait at the couches at the top. She should be finishing up with her last client and be right out to get you.”

Marnie immediately stood up and looked at Jaz as if trying to hurry her up, leaving Jaz with no option but to follow her and try to ignore the fact that the man’s pleasant tone was completely overshadowed by the frown on his face. Jaz wondered briefly if they were doing something wrong, but Marnie was already headed up the stairs, and Jaz certainly didn’t want to be left down here all alone with a grumpy man in a robe, so she hurried to catch up to her mother.

Marnie was already sitting down when Jaz finally got to the top of the stairs, goggling at the plants that seemed to be everywhere, and the water running in fountains. Marnie patted the couch beside her, and Jaz, relieved to finally have a real direction, quickly sat down where she had indicated.

“The doctor should be out in a minute,” Marnie said, almost seeming to reassure Jaz.

“Doctor?” wondered Jaz to herself.. she thought she was here to see a therapist. Was a therapist a doctor, too? Confused, she thought about asking Marnie, but just then the door in front of them opened.

A lady in a teal dress walked out, full of confidence, and sat down opposite them.

“Hi, I’m Gemma Fleming, are you here with Jazmyn Malone?” she started, pleasantly.

“Yes. This is Jaz,” Marnie replied. “We were referred by Willow Creek Hospital to you. Apparently they think something’s wrong with her – in the head – because she keeps skipping class to go to the bathroom at school.”

Marnie started to say something else, but the woman suddenly chuckled, raising her hands to stop Marnie, “Whoa, whoa. First things first. I’d like to get to know you guys a little bit before we get to why you’re here!” Jaz merely looked at her in wonder. Nobody interrupted Marnie. But the doctor seemed not to notice, looking straight at Jaz and continuing with her introduction.

“As I said, my name is Gemma Fleming. You’re welcome to call me Gemma, or Dr. Fleming, if you feel more comfortable with that. Today, we’re just here to get to know you a little bit better.”

“Excuse me, DR. Fleming,” Marnie said, “Can we just get this over with? I just want to settle what’s wrong with Jaz and go home. I have chores to take care of and kids to watch at home. I don’t have time for this “getting to know you” business.”

“Oh, dear. Mrs. Malone, we’re not here for you. We’re here for Jaz. I’m afraid you’ll just have to be patient.” Gemma said, interrupting Marnie again.

This time, to Jazmyn’s surprise, Marnie shut her mouth, and allowed the woman to continue.

“How about we start by going into my office?” Seeming to assume they were following, Gemma stood up and opened the door once again, waiting for them to go ahead of her.

Jazmyn followed, and sat in the chair indicated, wondering what was next.

“Now, Jazmyn, I imagine you’re pretty confused. First, the school sends you to a doctor, then to me. They seem to be concerned that you’re missing the same class everyday. Can you explain?” Gemma began, looking directly at Jaz, instead of Marnie.

“Well, I have to go to the bathroom.” Jaz mumbled, wondering if she was going to get into trouble again.

“Every day? At the same time? Can’t you go at another time?”

Sheepishly, Jaz replied, “Well, I can’t go at lunchtime. That’s when they said I’m supposed to go, but I can’t. Benji said I could ask for a hall pass to go. I didn’t know I was going to get into trouble for it.”

“Benji?” Gemma asked.

“My brother.” Jaz explained.

“Ah. Is there a reason you keep asking in the same class? Do you not like that class?”

“It has nothing to do with the class.” Jaz replied, defensively, “I HAVE an A. I just have to go to the bathroom. I can’t hold it all day.”

“Why would you need to hold it all day?” Gemma asked.

“Because I can’t go with people in there. The girls make fun of me because I went to the wrong bathroom the first day of school. I didn’t know there even WAS a “right” bathroom.” Jaz replied.

“Ah. So, you’re afraid they’ll make fun of you again?”

“I guess.” Jaz paused, and Gemma seemed to be waiting for her to continue, so she blurted out, “I don’t know. Why are there different bathrooms? And why is it wrong that I don’t want to go with other people there?”

Gemma suddenly broke into a silvery laugh. “Oh, dear, Jaz. Did you not know that boys and girls have separate bathrooms?”

“Nobody told me that. I mean, I know which one to use now, but I still don’t like it.” Jaz said petulantly.

“Why don’t you like using the girl’s bathroom?” Gemma asked, tipping her head curiously.

“I don’t know. It just feels wrong. We all use the same one at home. Why can’t we do that at school?”

Suddenly, Marnie broke into laughter. “‘Feels wrong’? What on earth is this nonsense. You’re a girl. So you go to the girl’s bathroom. It’s just the way it is.”

Glaring at Marnie, Jaz blurted out, “Well, maybe I don’t want to be a girl. Most of them are mean.”

Marnie laughed even harder, “You don’t get a choice, honey. It’s what you were born with. Deal with it.”

Breaking back into the conversation, Gemma very firmly said, “Mrs. Malone, I beg to differ. Just because you’re born a girl doesn’t mean you are one. And it doesn’t give you the right to laugh at Jaz.”

Jaz looked at Gemma in wonder, speechless. What did she mean by that? The news that she didn’t have to be a girl if she didn’t want to and the fact that Gemma had dared to both interrupt Marnie again and tell her not to laugh was utterly mind-blowing.

Marnie, on the other hand, just laughed harder. “Of course it means you’re a girl. What else could you be? You can’t just decide to change your gender on a whim.”

“I said nothing about whims, ma’am. However, there’s a thing called gender dysphoria. Some people feel they’re born into the wrong body. Perhaps it’s something we need to explore with Jaz.”

“I really don’t like your tone, Dr. Fleming. Are you saying Jaz is really a boy? How ridiculous is that?!” Marnie exclaimed, her voice rising and laughter stopping abruptly.

“No, I didn’t say that. I simply said it’s for Jaz to figure out and decide on their own. For now, however, I need to wrap up this session. I have another patient coming soon. Will next Tuesday work for you for the next appointment for Jaz?” Gemma’s bravery in standing up for Jaz had not gone un-noticed by the youngster, who was still silent, but watching Gemma carefully.

“Yes, next Tuesday is fine. Although – why do we have to do another session? What if I just don’t bring her??” Marnie asked, still on the defensive.

“Because the school requires that we find out what’s going on with Jaz. Not bringing her would probably result in possible action against you or Jaz.” Gemma stated matter-of-factly, then turned abruptly to Jaz. “Are you okay, Jaz? Here’s my card – I have my home number on it in case you ever need someone to talk to and you can’t wait for next week, okay?” Her voice was gentle, and friendly, and she reached onto the table in front of them, and pulled out a small card to hand to Jaz.

“Yeah. I’m okay. I think.” Jaz replied, taking the card quietly and holding it tightly.

“We’ll talk more next week, okay, Jaz?” Gemma said with a smile, then turned towards Marnie, the smile disappearing. “Without your mother.”

“We’ll see about that.” Marnie muttered under her breath and stomped towards the door, assuming Jaz would follow.

“It was very nice to meet you, Jaz.” Gemma said, again ignoring Marnie completely. She held out a hand to Jaz, who shook it in wonder. This was the first adult who’d ever given her the respect of a hand shake… and Jaz was not altogether sure of how to take it.

“Thanks.” was all Jaz could think to say, then turned and hurried after Marnie, the card gripped possessively in her hand.

They collected their winter clothes, and walked back the the bus stop in silence. Not a pleasant silence, but silence none-the-less.

Jaz was lost in her own thoughts, and the argument Marnie had with the school on the phone while they rode the bus back to Oasis Springs was completely lost on her. Otherwise, she would have known that even the school seemed to be standing up for her, telling Marnie in no uncertain terms it was this or suspension. Furious, Marnie arrived home and started rage cleaning the house.

Everyone else fended for themselves for the night. Brett discovered the popcorn machine, and is clearly a fan. Benji called his girlfriend and spent hours on the phone with her.

Bennie cooked some hot dogs on his new grill for dinner, but was a bit late on that idea.

Braydon had also discovered the popcorn machine, but was far less enthused by it.

Finally, everyone headed to bed in their own beds, content by the new anti-monster lights.

OS: Day One < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Three

Day Thirty-One < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Two

Talking

After feeding the twins (and everyone else) in the morning, Marnie sent everyone off to school, made sure Bennie could watch the twins for a while, and headed outside to pull out all the dying or dead ferns and rose bushes.

Ferns were water plants, for goodness sake.. who had thought Oasis Springs would be a good place for them? In their stead, she had ordered some box hedges for the front, a couple palm trees for shade, and some low-lying plants to replace the dead ferns.

She was sure it would take ages to get out all those nasty brambles and rose bushes, but, surprisingly, it was just fine, and she still had time to do another major project she had her eye on.

To eliminate the possibility of fire, Marnie upgraded the dryer. (Also, side note for anyone who’s curious: when living on a retail lot, laundry doesn’t work. It might as well not exist. I had these on that lot, but they never generated laundry.)

By the time everyone got home from school, the twins were hungry again, so Marnie made some more food, then went to take a nap.

At some point in the evening, Bennie found himself sitting silently, awkwardly, next to his oldest son. After a moment of thought, he decided he’d try talking to him.

“So, Son, what are your plans now that you’ve graduated. I know your grades weren’t the best, but you could probably find a job around town..?” Bennie started.

“A JOB?? You’ve GOT to be kidding me. I’m moving out, old man. Soon as I legally can, I’m out of here. Friday’s my birthday, and my girl Shaylee and I already have plans to move to an apartment in the city with a couple of room-mates.” (Benji wisely left out where he was going to get the money, and the fact that it was more than a couple room-mates, and quickly stood up and went to find something else to do.

Poor Bennie was left sitting there, wondering how he was going to tell Marnie that Benji was leaving town on Friday. Also, he wondered idly, what exactly were Benji’s plans if a “JOB” wasn’t on the list??

At bedtime, Marnie stopped by Jaz’s room to tell her that, once again, she was going to be missing part of school tomorrow. This had been the earliest appointment available at the Mental Health Center in Newcrest, the only one that would take Jaz for free. Well, for a few appointments, at least.

Jaz seemed shocked about having to miss school to go, but Marnie assured her the next appointment would be after school.

“Next appointment??” Jaz squeaked, even more surprised.

“Well, yeah. Of course there’s a next one. This is just for you and I to get to know your therapist. After that, you’ll be going in alone. The school is requiring this, so you can avoid suspension. Hopefully they can get the answers they seem to want and we can put this whole thing behind us soon.” Marnie said, scoffing at Jaz’s ignorance.

“Oh.. Okay. So I’ll finally get to see Newcrest, huh? How far away is it? Will we take a bus?” Jaz had so many questions, but Marnie merely shook her head, chuckled, and left the room.

Sighing and slightly confused as to why she had to see the therapist anyway, Jaz climbed into her new bed and attempted to get to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Myles and Phoenix were awakened by noises under Myles’ bed. Squealing, Myles got up and ran to get Benji, who was the closest.

Annoyed, Benji sprayed the monster away, and made a note for Marnie to go shopping for an anti-monster light or two first thing tomorrow.

Myles, who was still un-nerved, decided to work on his Mental skill some more, and barely ticked over to level 7, allowing him to make his three emotion potions and go back to bed.

Day Thirty-One < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Two

Day Thirty < | Challenge Home Page | > Oasis Springs: Day One

Oasis Springs House Tour

The next morning was hectic. In and amongst the moving truck arriving, and everyone finishing last minute packing, Marnie was trying to make sure that at least everything would be “fixed” for whoever the new tenants were.

.. And I got this popup. Of course, I clicked yes. Because I really can’t see her liking what she had to do. Way to gut it out, Marnie.

Bennie, on the other hand, was wheeling and dealing on the phone, getting the final money details settled. While all this was going on, the power went out. Which was hilarious (Bennie hadn’t paid the bills) .. and sad at the same time. Finally, all the furnishings that belonged to them were packed up, everyone had their suitcases, and they were all standing around looking anxious in the snow.

All done. Goodbye store. The keys were turned over, the moving truck started up, and the family was piling onto the bus to meet the truck at their new home.

After dropping off all the new furniture, Benji was in charge of watching all the kids while Marnie and Bennie went on a major shopping spree to get the stuff they felt they couldn’t live without. Marnie insisted on completing the kitchenette for downstairs, and both main bathrooms (upstairs Master and the Downstairs one) had to have some plumbing ordered. They needed living room furniture, kitchen appliances, and Bennie stuck a Barbeque on the list, while Marnie splurged on some playground equipment. Since there had been nothing in the closets but cobwebs and trash, closet shelving had to be purchased, as well. Luckily, they managed to find most things cheap at local thrift stores. With far lighter wallets, and deliveries scheduled for the rest of the day, Bennie and Marnie once again headed home. To the NEW home.

The day was full of rearranging what little furnishings they had and the new things arriving, and before long, the place was truly looking like a real home. Everyone had claimed their living space.

Bennie and Marnie were upstairs in the green Master Bedroom.

Benji had their old Murphy bed in the main area of the basement.

Phoenix and Myles were sharing the brown room.

The twins were in the blue room.

… and Jazmyn was given the pink room.

By the end of the day, everyone was exhausted.. but not a single mouse had been seen all day, and Marnie had been able to do a grocery run to fill up the “new” fridge. The first dinner had been cooked, everything had been delivered, and everyone was too tired to talk at the dinner table. Finishing their meals, everyone trudged happily off to their rooms.

Marnie was still rearranging things in the kitchen, but Bennie was out on the deck, admiring his shiny new barbeque with barely a glance at the new playground equipment for the kids. This was going to take some getting used to, but as far as Bennie was concerned, life was pretty much perfect. He didn’t figure it was going to take more than a week to get that old yellow truck running, and before you know it, he was sure he would be a successful comedian.

Right before bed, Bennie paid the new bills, and went to herd the last of the kids inside. It had been a long day.

Day Thirty < | Challenge Home Page | > Oasis Springs: Day One

Day Twenty-Nine < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Thirty-One

Waiting…

Monday, other than being the next day of school.. was mostly a day of waiting. Waiting for school to start.. waiting for the kids to be home.. waiting for Bennie to go to work. And most of all, waiting for the house to be ready. The money from the store sale wouldn’t go into the bank until the next morning, so shopping couldn’t happen, and with the fumigating and the junk people hauling everything away, the house was off-limits… so nothing could be done.

Except … wait. Marnie did call the school to make sure everyone would have their Tuesday off of school – because, quite frankly, all hands would be needed when the moving truck came in the morning to move everything to the new house. She was so excited for this move, even the twins making messes in the snow barely phased her. She even whistled while putting mouse traps in the walls for the last time before going to bed.

Day Twenty-Nine < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Thirty-One

Day Twenty-Eight < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Thirty

The Clean-up

The next morning dawned miserably cold in Magnolia Promenade, but most of the Malone family simply didn’t care. It was a Sunday, and nobody was doing anything but helping clean up their new “Junk House”. The first moment walking in was a shock to all the kids, but with the dumpy apartment they lived in… let’s just say the shock disappeared quickly.

Bennie’s first priority was putting traps in all the mouse holes and marking them for the pest company who was fumigating tomorrow. He had also contracted a junk company who was going to get rid of the junk in the yard to make it safe(r) for the kids.

As the day went on, the mice realized that this house was under siege and stopped coming out of their holes, which made everyone happy. Each pile of trash or dirt that was picked up, and each bit of graffiti scrubbed off the walls seemed to make a huge difference.

Little by little, a ray of hope started shining through. Maybe there WAS a house under all this mess. At least, until you walked into the next room.

There was no chatting, and barely any noise at all except the rattle of things being picked up and trash bags being opened. Then Marnie pulled out the vacuum. And for once, it worked.

Myles, of course, was wearing his scout uniform, because he had scouts later, and was going to take the bus there and back.

Nobody was looking forward to having one less pair of hands for a while, though.

Even Bennie was pitching in. He was doing a lot of the heavy work (like getting rid of the clearly defunct appliances in the kitchen and basement), but he even figured out how to run a vacuum for the “attack” on the master bedroom.

After Myles left, the kids took a picnic break in the newly cleaned dining room, while Marnie went to work on the kitchen counters. She found, much to her surprise, that they weren’t in as bad a shape as they thought they were.

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In Magnolia Promenade, far from all the work (and away from harm) was Benji and the twins. After spending the morning cooped up in the house, he finally had had enough. He bundled them up as tight as he could.. and headed out to the park across the street.

Playing in the snow.. has no age limits, apparently. The twins were tossing snow everywhere, and Benji was trying his.. hand? .. at making a couple snow angels.

Benji quickly talked little Brett into making a Snowpal, and he immediately showed how much toddlers like snow with this beatific smile.

Pulling a triceratops out of his pocket, Braydon occupied himself without any concern for the strange mound of snow not ten feet from him.

Slowly, the snowpal started to actually take shape, although I don’t think Brett had any hand in that part.

It was the perfect day. For a toddler, at least.

Even Benji seemed to be having a good time. They did start to get pretty cold, though, so before too much longer, he trundled the twins back inside.

---

Back in Oasis Springs, the upstairs had been cleaned, and the assault on the basement was in full swing.

Myles (who, being a scout!), was thinking ahead, and had brought a couple new boxes of trash bags with him when he came back from scouts, which were definitely coming in handy already.

Jaz was still disgusted with each new room, and wasn’t afraid to show it.

However, she wasn’t afraid to pitch in, knowing that somewhere in this mess was a room just for her. The boys would be sharing a room, as would the twins, but she was going to get a room to herself. She wasn’t sure why she was the only one who didn’t have to share a room, but she wasn’t about to turn it down.

---

Back at the apartment, Benji had come up with a great idea.

…Because he had to show Shaylee something…. he invited her over.

He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.. and then turned around and pointed.

“Look.. it’s gone. Nobody’s noticed! And my new bank account is sixty five hundred richer!” he crowed.

Laughing evilly, she practically jumped into his arms in excitement. “So it’s happening, huh? We’re really moving to San Myshuno??”

“You bet!” he exclaimed, and kissed her quickly, before mentioning he was in charge of two toddlers he had left alone in the apartment.

Shocked he’d left them, Shaylee hurried upstairs to meet Braydon and Brett.

Braydon was more than happy to say hello to someone new….

… While Brett was a bit shyer.

Hearing water running where it shouldn’t be, Benji went into the store bathroom, only to find the toilet shooting water everywhere. In disgust…. he found a wrench and a plunger and went to work. He knew how to fix it thanks to his mother, but he absolutely hated fixing anything, so he wasn’t enjoying himself.

Shaylee, however, was having a blast. She’d always loved kids.. and two little gems like Brett and Braydon (who were on their best behavior) seemed like the best sort of afternoon to her.

Brett and Braydon showed her how to turn on the music, and she filtered through some channels before settling on one she liked.

By the time Benji got back upstairs, the three were definitely good friends.

Brett, however, needed to go potty, and Braydon just HAD to show Shaylee his block skill.

---

Back at “Junk House”..

.. Myles decided that the utility room needed cleaning next, and after getting rid of the cobwebs, he started cleaning the floor.

The second bedroom was nearly clean, too, including the closet.

Marnie was working on the floor in the main room, and Bennie had gotten rid of that old stove. Things were nearly done.

---

Shaylee had left, but Brett wasn’t done with the music yet.

Benji showed his little brother some moves, but then I got this pop-up…

… And quickly changed the music for poor Benji. I mean, he was really being fairly good.. for Benji.

He had even managed to put together a salad for himself and the twins for dinner.

Then, he scrounged up a toddler book and read both a story as they fell asleep.

Benji, then, wisely, got rid of the nasty salad and headed to the living room to play some MySims Racing online with friends. On a whim, he entered a tournament.. and came out 100 simoleons richer!

---

Things were winding down for the night in Oasis Springs.

Bennie was fixing the sink in the basement bathroom…

And everyone had decided for Jaz that the pink room was to be hers. She wasn’t sure why nobody else wanted it.. but she wasn’t going to complain. Having her own room was still a luxury she wasn’t 100% sure how she had gotten.

The last thing of the night was mopping the mess that Bennie had left behind.. and the house was ready for the pest and junk companies the next day. They wouldn’t be allowed back for 24 hours after the pest company.. which was cutting their move in time really close.. but at least the house would be as clean and pest free as possible when they showed up in two days with their furniture.

The bus ride back to Magnolia Promenade was virtually silent, because it was nearly 1 AM and everyone was thoroughly wiped out.

Arriving home, they all tried to stifle the yawns and stumbled up the stairs to go to bed. The missing suit of armor was completely missed.

Day Twenty-Eight < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Thirty

Day Twenty-Seven < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Nine

The Disaster

The morning was chaotic as usual, but as soon as everyone was taken care of and ready for their days, Bennie and Marnie headed out to go inspect the new house. Oasis Springs wasn’t far away, but they wanted to be able to take their time and look around.

After they left, Jaz checked in with Benji, who was in charge of babysitting while Bennie and Marnie were gone, to find out if it was still ok for her to go to her Saturday club meeting. Benji replied that he didn’t really care (which he didn’t), and told her to not get into trouble. Agreeing to the terms, Jaz headed out, as well.

In the other room, Phoenix had decided he definitely needed to stay inside, because one look in the mirror had proved he was stripey. He tried some orange juice, like his mother had suggested, but it hadn’t helped. So he was just playing with the science table to distract himself.

Jaz arrived at the Oasis Springs park, and joyfully jumped right into playing with her friends.

Unfortunately, it turned out that they weren’t the only club meeting at the park today. Billie Jang and her band of bullies had also showed up. Sighing, Jaz tried to continue playing and ignore her rival.

Jaz gave up on the space pirate play, and she and Colin did some cloudgazing, hoping that some distance would keep Billie away.

Billie, however, wasn’t interested in staying away. She stomped over to Jaz, and point blank told her that Jaz and her friends were not welcome at this park. (To which Jaz almost laughed. She was sure Billie’s new “club” had only picked this park because it was where the Adventurers had been hanging out for the last few weeks.) Jaz brushed her bluster off, and walked away, following Colin towards the park building.

Luckily, Billie didn’t follow along, so Colin and Jaz had plenty of time and space to chat. He had more news about his parent’s divorce, apparently “papers had been served” – whatever that means.

One of the first things Jaz told her friend was about the new house in Oasis Springs. She sorta regretted that it wasn’t in Willow Creek, closer to Colin’s own home, but at least they wouldn’t be way out in Magnolia Promenade anymore. Colin expressed his misgivings about any house won at an auction, but Jaz felt that there couldn’t possibly be anything terribly wrong with the house, or Bennie wouldn’t have bought it.

By the end of the afternoon, Jaz and Colin had pledged to be best friends forever, and he waved goodbye, wishing her good luck in the new home. He had made her PROMISE to call him immediately with any more news of the house.

On the other side of Oasis Springs.. Marnie and Bennie got off the bus and walked through their new neighborhood, looking at the well cared for houses that lined the street with happy smiles. Unfortunately, they then rounded the corner.. and caught a glimpse of their new home.

“Well, the house looks nice.. if a little overgrown…” Marnie commented, and Bennie just grunted. He had seen pictures of the house in it’s prime, but only knew that it had been abandoned for months. He was too sheepish to mention he had had no idea what sort of condition the house was in.

They stopped in the front yard, and Bennie pointed out that the yellow truck had come with the house. It wasn’t running.. yet… but he planned on fixing it up so he’d have a reliable way to work each day. Forestalling any questions from Marnie, he turned and confidently walked in the front door after using his keys on the deadbolts and brushing aside the warning tape on the door.

The disaster inside could not be described in mere words. The floor was covered in filth, there were mice running around in broad daylight, and spiderwebs in every corner. It was clear the house had been host to a parade of squatters – both human and animal. Mutely, Marnie looked around and walked past him towards the master suite.

Sighing, she noted that the bed was actually in decent shape.. and there was a nice sized closet, too. Turning, she went to see what the bathroom looked like.

One look proved that the rest of the house wasn’t going to get any better. Perhaps it was a good thing that the water wasn’t going to be turned on until tomorrow, because she was sure that toilet was broken and would be spewing water everywhere.

Bennie wandered through the living areas while Marnie peeked into the laundry room and hall half bath. He noted the nice fireplace and the beautiful windows.

All that natural light from them and the roof windows through the rafters was actually very nice, he thought.

He then turned to check out the kitchen, which was clearly in worse shape than the rest of the house. Good thing he hadn’t turned to notice the abandoned train cars and other detritus in the back yard. That was definitely going to have to taken care of before it would be safe for the kids to play outside.

There were even a bunch of locked containers out there, but he overlooked those easily, imagining a barbeque on the expansive back deck.

The junkyard was definitely more than he’d been expecting, though. He looked about guiltily, wondering why he hadn’t asked more questions at the low low price, but there was no way he would ever admit that to Marnie. Marnie! .. Wonder where she’d gotten off to..?

Back inside, Marnie had taken in the full measure of the dining room and kitchen, and was steeling herself to look downstairs.

At least the stairs were in good condition? She thought, relieved.

She rounded the corner into a large family room with a partial kitchenette that had clearly been broken for quite a while.

She then started checking through doors. There was a full bath, a utility room, and three bedrooms. All in varying stages of a full-blown disaster.

Finished with her “tour”, she headed back upstairs. She was trying not to be furious at Bennie for saddling them with this mess of a house, but somewhere in her head… she had the thought that the house was actually a nice house if you looked past the mess. Maybe they could turn things around.

Of course, she noted.. it would depend entirely on how long they had before move-in date, and how big a budget they had for people to help clean it up. She headed outside to find Bennie, and ask some rather pointed questions….

---

After their conversation, which had been.. interesting, since they were to move in officially on the first of the month (less than a week away) because the store would need to be vacated by then. Also, Bennie assured her that he would contact a pest control company for the vermin, and get a junk company to remove the stuff in the yard. Beyond that, however, cleaning up inside the house was going to be pretty much all their job, because any money he had spare after calling the junk people and the pest company would need to go towards the local flea market for furnishings. At the very least, they were going to need to buy appliances, since the ones they had belonged to the store apartment.

Marnie interrupted Bennie by reminding him that Benji’s graduation was tonight, and they didn’t want to be late. So they hurried to the bus, both lost in their own thoughts.

The entire family was attending the graduation, and it was a freezing night, so they all bundled up in their winter clothes. Fall was nearly over, after all, and Winter would set in very soon.

Everyone was here that he cared about. (That didn’t include his family, of course.) While he was talking to his friends, he overheard Malcolm Landgraab talking about his dad’s heart attack. Apparently Nancy was left taking care of an infant all by herself with just Malcolm still in the house. That certainly was a sad thing.. but perhaps Benji could figure out a way to profit from the information.

Turned out, it wasn’t just people he cared about that were there, though.. as he spotted a very angry Cade walking away after the ceremony.

Sighing happily, Benji looked over his successful club, and caught his girlfriend’s eye through the crowd. She ran over, and wrapped him in an embrace.

It had been so long since he’d been able to actually spend time with her with helping with his siblings and his push to get his grades back up, so seeing her again was a huge reward. She congratulated him with a heated kiss, and Benji tried not to lose his head. He had important things to tell her.

He told her about the new house (of course he had no idea of the disaster that it was in), and he mentioned that he would be coming into quite a bit of money in the next week. He grinned slyly, and, showing her a simple ring, asked her if she’d be interested in moving to the city with him. He was sure he was going to be able to afford an apartment for them.

Squealing, she agreed and wrapped him in her arms again. This, of course, got everyone else’s attention, and before long, they were surrounded by the club, who were all very very interested in the possibility of being able to get away from home. Before he knew it, Benji was assuring them that they could all pitch in on a bigger apartment in the city and all be room-mates. The logistics of such a move were certainly not on his mind.. but they definitely would be later.

Noticing that his family were watching impatiently from the sidelines, he sheepishly kissed Shaylee goodbye, promising to call her tomorrow, and headed over to follow them home, cringing at the crying toddlers. It would be a long evening while they tried to get all the kids in bed… and he was sure his help was going to be required.

He hid a smile at the knowledge that he’d had an appraiser check on that suit of armor while Bennie and Marnie had been gone, and had arranged for it to be gone and the money to be in his new bank account in the next couple days. Plenty of time before his family would be moving, hopefully. Maybe he wouldn’t even have to deal with their move at all… and could just “ride off into the sunset” with his girl and their friends (and a good chunk of change!)

Day Twenty-Seven < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Nine

Day Twenty-Six < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Eight

Bennie’s Big Meeting

It seemed like just another Friday. Marnie was up early, fixing the bathroom plumbing so the kids would be able to get ready for school. From the other room, all she could hear was Bennie sitting on his rear watching the sports channel. The longer it took her to fix the plumbing, the more annoyed she got.

Consequently, once the plumbing was fixed, Marnie turned to taking care of Bennie. Incensed, she yelled at him about rarely opening the store anymore, and about skipping work days. Bennie looked at her with a stunned expression, and didn’t say anything for a while.

He was still stewing about it when Marnie got back up and went to take care of the kids and make sure all got to school okay.

But, by the time he got to eating breakfast, his anger was pretty much boiling over. How DARE she get on him for not working hard enough after what he’d done for the family yesterday. No WAY was he going to open the store this morning, either. Just to prove to her that he didn’t have to listen to her. He had been planning on telling her his surprise as soon as the kids left for school, but he decided, to punish her, that he’d make her wait until after school when he announced it to everyone. (Marnie, however, was busy with the twins.. and was clueless to being “punished” for something she had no idea about…. )

To pass the time, he tried dumpster diving, but eventually, he decided it wasn’t really worth it. All he was finding were some small amounts of change, and nothing good to sell.

Back inside, he was watching one of the twins playing peacefully by himself when his phone rang. His boss was yelling at him for missing work – again. Bennie assured him he would be there in a short while, that he had to have a quick meeting with his family when the kids got home from school first. His boss grumbled a bit, but in the end, relented.

Once the kids were all home, Bennie had everyone (except for the twins, who he deemed too young to care) sitting at the table.. mostly just staring at him in wonder, because something like this had never happened before.

“I have GREAT news, everyone! Just wait until you hear this!” Bennie started, grinning internally at the wonder on everyone’s faces (except for Marnie, who still looked thunderous).

“I got a truly amazing deal on a real house for us. I found it at auction for real cheap, and we’ll be able to move in as soon as we clean it up and move our stuff. No longer will we have to stay in this apartment, or worry about the store, since I got a promotion at work, and found someone who was more than willing to buy the store as-is.”

Phoenix was the first to react, squealing in joy.

Glancing around at his family, Bennie tried to gauge their reactions. Marnie was still staring at him in confusion, and not a little bit of distrust, but smiles seemed to be the biggest reaction around the table. Feeling like he’d done his good deed for the day, Bennie excused himself and headed to work. (Two hours late!)

While trying to help out his mother, Benji discovered that he really didn’t like handiness. He vowed to find an easier way to deal with things.

When Bennie got home from work, he found Marnie getting ready for bed. Suspicious, Bennie wondered why she had waited up for him. She quietly apologized for yelling at him that morning.

“I had no idea you were working to get us a house, Bennie.” she said, and Bennie suppressed a satisfied smile.

“Of course you didn’t, I hadn’t told anyone because I wanted it to be a surprise!” Bennie crowed. “You and I can go look at it tomorrow to see what will need to be done this weekend to get it ready to live in.”

Marnie smiled to herself, sighing happily. Perhaps this was the change she had always been hoping for. She’d always dreamed of having her own home!

Behind her, Bennie closed his eyes and hoped this whole thing would go by easily, and that the new job position would lead to the success he truly wanted.

After everyone was in bed, Benji was still awake. Finally, sick of trying to sleep, he got up, got something to eat, then bundled up and wandered around outside. He wondered to himself how to get out of the situation he found himself in. He didn’t want to be stuck living in this family.. and now that he’d just graduated (barely, at that…), he was realizing that he needed to move on. Soon. He was pretty sure a cheap house from an auction was NOT the good thing Bennie was saying it was, and Benji wanted no part of it. While wandering idly, he suddenly noticed something he hadn’t really noticed before.

Was this an actual suit of armor just standing here? With nobody paying it any attention? Benji wondered how much it might be worth. It certainly wouldn’t be hard to steal, and he doubted anyone would even notice it gone this weekend with all the chaos of moving….

His mind now whirling, Benji chuckled to himself, and started trying to figure out who he could sell this thing to under the table. First, he had to find someone to appraise it on the sly… but that wouldn’t be an issue. It’s not like the store was going to be filled with customers this weekend, or anything!

Finally smiling again, Benji wandered back upstairs and climbed back into bed.

Squeaks and skittering noises woke Marnie and Bennie up early. Marnie sighed, and looked down at the mouse hole in consternation. Good thing she wouldn’t have to deal with them soon.

Bennie, on the other hand, was furious. If there were mice in the new house.. he swore to himself he’d call a pest control company and get rid of them for good. No more living with mice. He munched on a mid-night snack, then made the “rounds” – depositing traps in all the holes before heading back to bed to get a little bit more sleep.

(Um.. Bennie.. I think you missed one… Also. I got the life scared out of me while playing this day.. while everyone was in bed, the save feature went grey, and it said I couldn’t save while someone was dying…. !!!! I have no idea who it was, but thankfully, it wasn’t the Murphy bed. LOL. Eventually, it went back to white so I could save, and I breathed a VERY relieved sigh.)

Day Twenty-Six < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Eight

Day Twenty-Five < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Seven

The Secret Computer

Marnie confronted Bennie first thing in the morning. Bennie, however, didn’t seem to be giving an inch. He never explained where he’d gone, and why he’d been gone so long, despite Marnie asking specific questions.

His only comment was he’d gotten exactly the groceries she’d asked for – and that he was his own man, he didn’t have a curfew or anything. The kids tried to avoid the argument, but in an apartment the size of a postage stamp, it’s kinda hard to do.

Benji was the first to find a Gnome…. because today was Harvestfest. He gave the reaper gnome a salad, figuring he’d troll the gnome and make it mad.. but the gnome actually turned out to like salads. Who knew?

Afterwards, Benji joined Jaz for some satisfying Party games, and showed off his skills, winning every game.

Perhaps in an apology for his misstep the day before, As soon as Marnie stomped away to cook breakfast, he took one of the twins outside to work on flash cards. One way or the other, though, he seemed to know he had some make up work to do.

Downstairs, Jaz finally found one of the other gnomes, and found out that it really didn’t like fruitcake. She should have known. Nobody likes fruitcake.

Myles begged for forgiveness in his sister’s stead, but the gnome wasn’t in the mood. Poor Myles. He wasn’t about to try again, so he went upstairs for breakfast, instead.

Bennie, curious about the lightning strikes downstairs, came down and decided to try his hand at a real apology. (The one he wasn’t about to give his wife…) The naked gnome was more than willing to forgive the children their sins, it seems.. and the halo appeared. Jaz cleaned up the mess from the previous failed apologies without being asked, but, as usual, nobody even noticed.

Marnie (specifically waiting until Bennie had cleared the store) came down, found the last gnome, and expertly handed it a future cube, to the gnome’s delight.

Then, she called for Myles. It was time to go to Willow Creek Library. And see if the Goths actually showed up. Because it was a holiday, Marnie left the twins at home with Bennie and Benji to watch them, and went with just her and Myles.

Amazingly, not only did the Goths show up… but Mrs. Goth had brought several of Alexander’s geeky friends, too.. and talked all of them into starting a club… with Myles as the leader! Marnie felt completely overwhelmed with Bella’s generosity, and tried to control a nervous stutter.

Myles, however, did not have the same problem, and he ran towards the library, excited to make friends and explore the amazing books in the shelves.

He carefully introduced himself to every member of “his” new club, and they went over the rules. Only geeky things were allowed. None of those frou-frou creativity things.

Club members were as follows: Olive Tinker…

Taku Akiyama (Miki’s brother) and, of course, Alexander Goth….

Gideon Harris, and a new kid in town, Jamel Kidd.

Myles tried to spend as much time as possible getting to know the great Alexander Goth, and the two seemed to be getting along pretty well.

Nobody seemed to have noticed that Marnie was nowhere to be seen….

Instead, she was outside with a portable computer. Was it hers? She wasn’t telling. But she certainly had a secret smile on her face as she watched the fish jumping in the water in front of her.

Then, with a contented sigh, she sat down to practice something she hadn’t done since high school… writing. Her dream. She kept a close eye on the library, however, as though afraid of getting “caught”.

Back in the library, Bella played at a chess board, keeping an eye on the youngsters, but unconcerned that Marnie had disappeared. She seemed to be enjoying her holiday away from her crying newborn back at home.

Outside, Marnie had a visitor. The lady tried to start up a conversation, but a quick rude comment or two had her making a hasty exit. Marnie never even bothered to get her name.

Myles and Alexander were now close friends, and the Librarian seemed to enjoy seeing Alexander actually interacting instead of having his nose in a book.

As darkness fell, Marnie reluctantly put the computer away (IN HER POCKET!) and headed for the library. She nearly tripped over another famous resident.. Nancy Landgraab. Waving jauntily at Nancy, she just acted like she belonged there.. and it worked. Nancy said hello, and even smiled at her.

After collecting Myles, they rode the bus home, both trying to hide smiles… and both failing miserably.

Myles headed for some dinner and playtime before bed, while Marnie was thrown immediately into the fray, with multiple things to fix in the house just because she’d been gone most the afternoon and evening. Her face showed it all. This was NOT her idea of a good life anymore.

Day Twenty-Five < | Challenge Home Page | > Day Twenty-Seven