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Chapter 3.2 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.4
Generation Three: Red Appearance: Red hair, scandalous clothing style Traits: Romantic, Hot-headed, Art Lover Aspiration: Serial Romantic Occupation: Art Critic House Goal: 30,000 worth
Travelling back and forth to San Myshuno for work tasks is time-consuming, but it’s been fun. It also allows me time to meet lots of new people. And by people.. I mean men, of course. Which.. is fine by me. I have no intention of settling down anytime soon.
Hawea and I went on a late night date to one of the city’s Karaoke Bars, but neither of us was interested in the singing. I vaguely remember some skinny, creepy looking fellow smirking at us while he sang, but neither Hawea nor I was really worried about it.
After a very successful date, I headed home and Hawea headed to his city office for a long night of charity work ahead of him. Slowly, my house was becoming my haven. I especially loved being right on the beach, because keeping one’s scales hydrated is a constant struggle. Especially when you keep having to head back to the city for work.
Speaking of work: I’ve been happy because lately, they’ve been asking for me to increase my skill in the art department, so I bought myself a real easel and some inexpensive paint. The results were.. well, less than stellar, but it gave me a chance at getting some spare funds.
I didn’t have a ton of time for men with work asking for so much in the way of learning, but I did manage to stay social.
I made friends with the leader of the local pod of dolphins, and he comes back to visit me and tell me of his friends’ antics in the paradise of the local oceans. He was always praising my mother’s work, because her conservation efforts had spread goodness far and wide. I was proud of my mother, but sometimes I felt like I should work harder to do something that would leave my mark on the world like she had. It definitely left me feeling a bit inadequate, but I simply couldn’t figure out what, exactly, an art critic could do that would actually make a difference.
On yet another trip to the city’s Art Center, I saw a pretty face I hadn’t met. Yet. Turns out his name was Caleb. He was a mixologist, apparently, and (since the bar didn’t have any customers at the moment) very happy to spend some time chatting with me.
And by chatting – of course I mean flirting. Because that’s what I do! Having spent most of the week working, I definitely felt the need to spend some time with a handsome man on my arm, so after an enjoyable evening talking to Caleb, I invited him back to Sulani for a date at the local bar. He said he’d never even been to Sulani, which – of course – was pretty much sacrilege to me, so I insisted he come meet some of the locals.
I surprised him with a first kiss… and we had a great evening, but he declined staying the night over at my house. This was a bit surprising.. but that was okay. Maybe he wasn’t digging me as much as I liked him. I headed back into the bar to use the computer to check in on work, and was surprised to see a very familiar – and unhappy – face.
It was my dad. He asked me if we could chat, and I cringed. I wondered if he’d heard about my rotating dates and was about to scold me for it.. but apparently that wasn’t the problem at all. He had seen me with Caleb. I couldn’t see why that particular sim was a problem.. until he took me to a quiet table at the bar and explained that Caleb wasn’t exactly your normal “sim”. Rumors and gossip surrounded him, but the general gist of it was that he was a creature of the night. A vampire. Who lived alone with his sister, and rarely ever got out of the house. Definitely a bit on the strange side.. and Dad was clearly warning me off of him. I thought a moment about it, but with as many eligible men as I’d found around the city and Sulani – I ultimately decided that Caleb could make his way through the darkness on his own. Vampires and Mermaids weren’t exactly very compatible, anyway. You know: the whole sun and salt thing .. just doesn’t work well for Vampires.
I was thoroughly exhausted by the time I got home – and the sun was already up. I stumbled back to my home from the water, and vowed to sleep for the rest of the day.
By that evening, I was fully rested, and ready for some more time on the water. I met a curly-haired local that caught my eye on the beach, and spent some time getting to know him. His name was Rua, and “some time” turned into the rest of the weekend.
Neither one of us seemed to be worried about the time or the rest of the world, however. Rua tried not to complain about the lack of .. well.. facilities at my house, but he eventually decided to make do with the bush outside the front door. The cooler of granola, cereal, and yogurt was another point of contention, apparently, though. He couldn’t seem to understand that just keeping a roof over my head was a struggle some weeks, and I wasn’t about to explain why I hadn’t splurged on an actual kitchen or bathroom yet.
By the time he left, I wasn’t horribly upset by the weekend ending… and my new computer and desk had finally arrived. I was fully connected to work and the world now, and my trips to check my email at the local bar were a thing on the past. Work was over-joyed, and quickly found a ton of new projects for me to critique and topics to expand my knowledge on.
Which.. meant some trips to the city, of course. I found Graffiti alley, and learned about painting from a can.. but I wasn’t sure it was something I was really into.
More time in the city did mean more time to meet men, however, and Koji caught my eye pretty early on. I was avoiding the Art Center bar at night, of course, because I didn’t really want to explain to Caleb that I wasn’t supposed to date him anymore because my DAD had told me not to. Koji, on the other hand, was easy on the eyes, and easy to flirt with. He did come to Sulani and spent the night, but after seeing my “house”, he left quickly in the morning. I wondered if I’d ever see him again.
Another conquest of mine, Rohan, didn’t seem to be nearly so worried about the state of my home. His last name was hilarious – Elderberry – and he sometimes made strange gestures with his hands while muttering to himself… but I wasn’t really all that worried about it. It wasn’t like I was planning on marrying the guy!
Now that I had the computer, I had started keeping my journal there, and I hid my childhood journal in the only hiding place I had – my bed. Keeping up with work and the parade of guys in my life was so much easier now that I had my own computer, so I was glad I had saved up long enough to get a good laptop instead of just grabbing any old computer that would work. Even though it meant I was still living in a one room hut with no plumbing or kitchen. That would come. Eventually. I think?
Bloopers:
That tall, creepy man??
You guessed it.. Hawea and Kali were serenaded by Vlad himself. LOL!!!
Chapter 3.2 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.4
Chapter 3.1 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.3
Generation Three: Red Appearance: Red hair, scandalous clothing style Traits: Romantic, Hot-headed, Art Lover Aspiration: Serial Romantic Occupation: Art Critic House Goal: 30,000 worth
The next major town party came none too soon. I felt like I had been working way too hard, but the payoff was showing in the promotion I had gotten, and the increase in my paycheck. Add to that the bounty of shells I found the other day, and I had a nice little nest egg. Not a lot, mind you.. but enough. Without me even asking, a local handyman had approached me asking whether I would need help getting my new home built, and offering his services at a fraction of the cost a big company would charge. Of course, I jumped at the offer, because the skies were darkening each day, and the winter monsoons were definitely on the way. Sleeping in the ocean was okay – even wonderful – but for some reason, doing so with lightning coming from the sky seemed like a poor idea. Even mermaids conduct electricity. But – I digress. The party.
I tried out fire dancing for the first time, and was surprised by how easily it came to me. It helped catch the attention of a few of the island men, too… which was a topic on my mind, since the guys I’d spent time with lately were still teenagers.. and therefore, were off-limits. I casually put the fire away, secured myself a plate of delicious island food, and “wandered” towards the nearest picnic table.
Before long, one of those handsome bronzed men made his way to my side and introduced himself. … Again, as the case may be. He was apparently one of the bears I’d met at the bar the other night, although I certainly had had no idea he looked like THIS under that fluffy costume. His name was Hawea, and he was a Charity Organizer from San Myshuno, but he based himself mostly here in Sulani. When I mentioned who my mother was, his eyes twinkled. Her work repairing the islands was well-known, apparently, and he’d worked with her in the past for donations during things like Turtle Hatching Season. We chatted for what felt like forever, and I hoped I wasn’t reading the signals wrong… and I leaned in a bit closer.
His smile widened, and I couldn’t help but smile back. Clearly, he was into me… and I wasn’t going to pass up on an opportunity like this.
He was a bit surprised… but he certainly wasn’t slow on the uptake.
Ignoring the sideways looks from some of the others at the party, I accepted the deepened kiss, and wasn’t sorry I did. Man, the guy could kiss! With a sly wink, I took his hand and mentioned my new home. I mean… it wasn’t much, but it was private.. and .. would he like to come over??
He accepted easily, and we snuck out of the crowd assembled, and left the party. I noticed my parents were in and among some of the new faces showing up at the party, and smirked to myself. At least they didn’t seem to have noticed me.
Hawea didn’t seem to mind that the floor was still concrete and the walls were barely dried drywall… and I wasn’t going to make a big issue of it, either. I had other things on my mind. We barely noticed when the skies opened up and the thunder started. My home had been “completed” just in time, it seems.
Afterwards, we cuddled a bit, turned the lights out, and decided staying in for the rest of the night was the best choice. I certainly wasn’t about to complain. And round two turned out to be even better than the first one.
The next morning, he excused himself early, and I made my way to the bar to sign in on the computer to get the day’s work done. By the time I got home, my house was transformed. I brought home some decorations and a large cooler of food (since I didn’t really think I should be eating out all the time with my limited funds).
I curled up into bed that night alone… but happy. Even with it being stormy again (as it so often is in wintertime here in Sulani), I felt comfortable and safe in my little hut, and I slept soundly.
The next evening found me at the bar again, working away on the computer, hoping for a break in the storm before making a dash for home. I wasn’t paying attention, so I was a bit surprised when the chair next to me was suddenly occupied, and Hawea’s smile lit up the dreary evening. I wrapped up the column I had been working on, and happily shared a drink or two with him while we watched the rain. When there was a break in the rain, I excused myself and headed towards home. I hadn’t invited him home, and he certainly didn’t ask.. which was okay, because I had another full day of work tomorrow.
When I had gotten almost all the way home, I ran into a face I didn’t recognize. And wondered what a child was doing out and about in the area at this hour. I wandered over, and asked him if everything was okay. To my surprise, he immediately recognized me and handed me a package. It was a gift from my uncle and aunt! Inquiring the lad’s name, and how he came to be in possession of this, his face lit up. His name was Justin, and apparently he had just been adopted by my uncle Austen and his wife, Meilani. How exciting! I congratulated him, gave him a huge hug of welcome, and as quickly as I could – sent him home. It was already dark, and I could feel another storm coming, so I wanted him to get home safe. He skipped off into the distance, and I smiled to myself, heading home with what I soon found out was a house warming gift. They had sent me some produce, and a cake (NOT made of fruit, thank goodness!) .. and a note. Looks like I knew what was on the menu for dinner tonight!
The next day dawned gloomily over the horizon, and I blearily greeted the day with a refreshing swim as I always did. Then, suddenly, I remembered what day it was. Winterfest!! I hurried home, and pulled out the decorations I had brought home. The lights looked perfect on my little red hut, and – with the day off of work – I spent the rest of the day cavorting in the waves and collecting seashells to sell.
Father Winter apparently hadn’t forgotten me, however… and despite the rain that had set in once the sun had gone down, he had poofed in from who knows where to drop off my Winterfest gifts. They weren’t much, but that was okay.. since I didn’t have much of a home to put them in.. but they were welcome none the less. I waved goodbye and headed inside to set up the desk he had brought me. Perhaps soon I would be able to afford a desk chair and a computer to go with it!
Author’s Note: Hello again! I was able to carve out some time to write this chapter tonight – and I have another couple in the works after it. At least I have the pictures to prove I’ve played ahead, and they’re just waiting for Kali to whisper in my ear what to say to go with them. If you have been reading along on my home page, you’d have noticed that both my Drifter Challenge and my Master Simmer challenge are back on “rotation,” as well… so I’m hoping for some spare time this weekend to work on them, too. Enjoy!
Chapter 3.1 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.3
Chapter 2.17 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.2
Generation Three: Red Appearance: Red hair, scandalous clothing style Traits: Romantic, Hot-headed, Art Lover Aspiration: Serial Romantic Occupation: Art Critic House Goal: 30,000 worth
Well, here I am. Standing with two suitcases of clothes, one of other stuff, and me. On a very barren stretch of sand .. as long as you don’t count the mailbox. I can see the beach I visited a lot as a child just down the beach in one direction, and in the other – some more homes and a fishing dock. This was my chosen “home” – but I can assure you, other than these three suitcases and what I’m wearing – there is nothing I have that will help me build a house. Spying some thick bushes near my “homestead”, I drag my suitcases there and hide them in the brush. I look over them, and can see the corner of one peeking out – but it will simply have to do. The only other thing I could do is bury them in the sand – and I’m NOT doing that. Feeling overwhelmed, and thinking that I probably should have actually had a bite of that birthday cake before jetting out the door… I decide to do the only thing I can think of: hydrate. When in doubt: swim…. right?
It’s the middle of a day on a weekday, so I’m pretty much the only sim in the water – and definitely the only mermaid, so I stretch out my fins and enjoy the water sliding past my scales. I put on a brave face to mom and dad, but it was just that: a brave face. I have no earthly idea what I’ll be doing with that stretch of beach behind me… and I have even less of an idea how to go about getting a roof over my head before winter’s monsoon season.
…. “Just keep Swimming.” ?? Maybe that old song is useful. At least: it gives me something to do. While splashing around, I notice a debris pile on the beach across from my “home” (I really should stop using quotes for it.. it IS my home for better or worse!) .. and I head over there, an idea slowly growing in the back of my head.
Perhaps I can find some shells so that I can sell them. Then, at least I would be guaranteed dinner at the bar just down the road. I luck out, and under some beach trash, I find a couple of nice shells. Selling them gets me enough money that I don’t feel quite so useless. … Which then reminds me.
.. I needed to check the job forums, to see what I could find. I knew I wanted to do something artsy, but being a painter seemed too… possibly hard to guarantee a paycheck on any given day. Not that I knew much about the painter career. But it just seemed like it might be tough, you know? I scrolled past those postings, and scanned what else there was. Cooking.. heck no. Engineering… didn’t you have to go to school for that?? Acting… not my thing. Bartending, no way. Although meeting new sims might be fun? Then I spy a notice in the corner of the page. It’s from the city, but it does mention that the job can be done mostly online, and from home. (I remembered not to use the quotes!) … A chance to visit the city on occasion wouldn’t really be a bad thing. I do like traveling, and I don’t really mind the bus. Taking a deep breath, I dial the number. A bored-sounding receptionist answers, and quickly ferries my call to the right person. After a whirlwind phone interview, I find myself just standing here – staring at my phone bemusedly.
I had a job! As a critic. I could, apparently, choose between specializing in food or art – and I bet you can guess which one I’ll be going for. Even better, they started me out with a couple promotions, and an assignment. I had to raise my skill in writing, and do a small practice column for them. Guess I should find somewhere that has a computer so I can log in and get started.
I swim across the water, back towards home, wondering where I could go. I didn’t EXACTLY tell my new employers that I was virtually homeless and without a computer – I figured I could find a way. Somehow. While I was still pondering everything in my head, a familiar figure stopped in front of me, and started talking excitedly. My cousin – or whatever he was – Grayson. If I recalled correctly, he had ended up moving from the city where he’d been born and moved here to Sulani with his wife.. who was also my distant relative. Weird… but apparently they were far enough apart for it to be okay with the marriage authorities.
He waved a hand in front of my face. Oops. I had been wool-gathering, and hadn’t heard a word he’d said. He asked (probably again) how I was doing, congratulated me on my birthday, and mentioned that his wife was expecting, and that they lived just down the road. His wife wasn’t coming over today (apparently she felt ill), but Grayson was playing the “welcome wagon” and had brought me some fruitcake from her. I accepted it graciously, deciding not to mention that the thought of fruitcake made ME feel a little ill, too. I gestured to my mailbox, and my lack of anything else, and thanked him and his wife for thinking of me. I excused him early from the “party” .. dubiously shoved the fruitcake and paper plate into the trashcan at the beach next door to my mailbox, and started walking towards the bar.
I noticed a very handsome sim wandering down the beach, and stopped to say hello. Turns out he was an ex-classmate of mine, and still a teenager. (Darn. … Well, I suppose I can wait, right? He IS a senior in school…) He showed off some photos on his phone, and I played along for a while, enjoying the conversation.. until I noticed the sun was starting to head for the water again. That.. and.. well, to put it delicately.. I was starting to notice a problem.
I had to pee. Quite badly. Remembering that the town gathering spot had a public bathroom, I waddled that direction. Turns out, there was a celebration in the works. Gotta love Sulani. Any excuse for a party – and people turn out en masse. I sneak past them, use the facilities (which, lucky for me.. are free!) .. and then wander back out to say hello.
Some thoughtful being had cooked a feast in the community pit. I snatched up a plate and started mingling. Free food! No way was I passing THAT up. I was nearly done eating when some strange man in cat ears mentioned that he had to work the next day, and needed to head home. I ruefully mused that I needed to find a computer to do my daily work task, and he perked up. Apparently they had a laptop at the bar that was connected to the internet that people were welcome to use, so long as they were paying customers. I thanked him VERY much for the information, thanking the heavens that I had been able to sell that little cache of shells for some cold, hard cash – and headed down the beach again.
To my surprise, it was bear night. And apparently alien night, too – the bartender was … um…. very blue. She certainly wasn’t hiding her differences. I purchased myself a drink (woohoo! I was old enough to buy them on my own now!) and settled at the computer at a table, watching the bears wander by bemusedly. Some of them said hello, other just watched me curiously, but I was busy.
Apparently the cat eared guy from the party either wasn’t THAT worried about work in the morning, or he was enamored with me.. because he showed up without a bear costume to spend some more time flirting with me. I mostly ignored him…. and kept working on the mock column for work. I was nearly done with it when a welcome face suddenly appeared next to me. I’m not sure what mom was doing at the bar – and quite frankly, I forgot to ask – but man, was it good to see her. She didn’t ask many questions, sensing in her own “mom” way that I wasn’t ready to be grilled about my new situation, but she gave me a huge hug and congratulated me on already landing a good job. I bit my tongue on the questions of how to get a roof over my head at my beach – I was still too proud to ask something like that… and simply asked after the family.
After finishing my juice, my conversation, and my column… I headed home, feeling very tired, and more than a little bit overwhelmed. I nearly tripped over a pile of shells. Looking around, I notice that there really wasn’t anyone around. So the shells had just been abandoned here? Hesitating only for a moment, I started picking them up. Some were pretty valuable… and I was desperate enough in my living situation that I wasn’t too proud to look a gift… er.. shell in the mouth. (Wondering briefly about where that statement about gift horses ever came from?) .. I collected all I could carry, toted them home, and hid them under the bushes. I could sell them tomorrow. Meanwhile, my eyes were definitely trying to close. I needed to find somewhere to sleep. Tomorrow was most definitely another day…. but this one was overdue to end.
… “Just Keep Swimming”… I chuckled at my little song, and floated in the glowy water. Before long, I was sound asleep… and my concerns were forgotten. The joy of the ocean lulled me into a deep, happy, RESTFUL sleep… and it wasn’t until the sun came up the next morning that I again opened my eyes. Another day was here. Time to get back to figuring stuff out.
Author’s Note: Yes, I’m back!! And as much as I want to dive straight back into some of my more difficult challenges (like my Decades War) – I figured starting with some of my older, simpler challenges to get back into the “swing” of posting things was a good idea. I can’t honestly say how often posts will be coming out – I mean, I HOPE they’ll be daily or every other day – but we’ll see how far the muse takes me. Meantime… welcome back to Sulani. *smile* And I hope you’ll like Kali Naiades as much as I’m starting to!
Chapter 2.17 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.2
Chapter 2.16 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.1
Generation Two: Brown Appearance: Brown hair, unkempt clothing style Traits: Loves Outdoors, Loner, Child of the Island Aspiration: Beach Life Occupation: Conservationist House Goal: 20,000 worth
Since it was Kali’s last night at home, I got a sitter for Mari and Reed, and the rest of us went out to the Romance Festival in the city. Almost immediately, Jayce spotted a girl near the entrance to the fest, and he excused himself to go say hello.
Kali, too, found some teens, and disappeared. Later she would confess that one of them had seemed more than a little bit off his “rocker”. I had to agree, though.. he was wearing sunglasses in the dark, and was paler than the vampires of Forgotten Hollow.
After wandering around the festival, Aleki and I spotted the wedding arch.. and we couldn’t pass up renewing our vows.
We certainly had had an idyllic life together, one worth celebrating. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.
We watched the fireworks together, then cuddled up on a bench in the chilly city night, talking mostly about the big day tomorrow.
I did notice Jayce got his first kiss at the fest – and I had to cheer him on silently. My babies were all growing up too fast.
Kali talked to the Love Guru, who said something about a tall, dark stranger in her future, and predicted she would find plenty of success in love.
Once we were home, I brought out two of the cakes I had made, and we all gathered to wish Mari and Aleki a Happy Birthday. They chose to blow out their candles at the same time, which was too cute.
Mari grew up into a beautiful teenager, finally getting past that awkward stage she had been in most her life.
Aleki looked amazing in his grey hair, as well, and quickly turned the attention off of him and onto the cake.
After the kids had all gone to bed, Aleki and I shared a private celebration before falling asleep ourselves.
In the morning, Kali waited until her siblings had all gone to school before announcing she had no intention of waiting for them to get home to blow out her birthday candles. I tried to get her to change her mind, but she was adamant that she wanted her leaving home to be as low-key as possible.
And so it was that it was only Aleki and I who witnessed her blowing out her candles. She went upstairs and brought her suitcase of clothes downstairs, shocking me that she had already been packed and ready.
For her sake, I tried to hold in my tears, but I think she saw through my cheerful front. She gave me a huge hug, and reminded me that she wasn’t going to be far away, after all, and that I was going to see her again soon.
Aleki also wished his daughter well, and Kali picked up her suitcase and headed for the door. She paused briefly, nervously, then opened the door and walked through it into her destiny – whatever that might be.
Chapter 2.16 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.1
Chapter 2.15 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.17
Generation Two: Brown Appearance: Brown hair, unkempt clothing style Traits: Loves Outdoors, Loner, Child of the Island Aspiration: Beach Life Occupation: Conservationist House Goal: 20,000 worth
The day before Harvestfest was just ending when my mother decided to stop by. I was always glad to see her, so we chatted for a while, catching up. Then Maricela called from upstairs – she wanted some help with her chess game, so both Mom and I went upstairs to help.
Mari was in good hands, since both Mom and I have maxed our Logic skill, and soon she was playing against Mom fairly confidently. (Although I think Mom was letting her win…) I cheered her on, not thinking much of it when Mom excused herself to go to the bathroom.
She hadn’t been gone more than a minute or two when I suddenly heard a commotion downstairs, and I ran to see what was going on. I came down the stairs to find my mother collapsed on the floor, with a dire-looking Grim checking his list. In horror, I tried to interrupt Grim, but he would have none of it. Apparently, Mom’s time was up, and no amount of pleading, wailing, demanding, or cajoling would get me out of this situation.
Aleki gathered me into his arms, and I watched any number of emotions pass across my kids’ faces. Nobody could believe this time had come. She was so vital, so alive, for all her life – she almost seemed invincible. With a heavy heart, I called my brother and let him know the news, then I ushered my family off to bed.
It’s funny how death affects all of us a little bit differently. Jayce and Kali used their day off of school for Harvestfest to spend most of the time outdoors, playing in the waves. Mari moped in her room, and, strangely, Reed seemed to have picked up on the family’s emotions, and was the saddest of us all.
We all took turns trying to appease the Gnomes, and I’m the only one who failed.
Maricela, however, pleaded for the gnome to forgive us, and she managed to get the tide or broken plumbing to stop. Jayce took the initiative to call in the repair man, as though he knew I was in no shape to be fixing everything.
In the afternoon, I had a long conversation with my brother, trying to figure out what to do with Mom’s ashes. In the end, we decided she should be brought back home, so she could rest beside her beloved husband in the happy home she had built for us all.
Austen had some more surprising news, as well. Meilani had given birth to a healthy little girl overnight. The stress of Mom’s death had sent her into early labor, but, luckily, everything had turned out alright, and she and the baby were resting comfortably at the hospital. I hadn’t even known they were expecting, and Austen explained it was because they had been afraid they’d lose the baby the entire time she’d been pregnant. They’d been told, after all, not to try to get pregnant ever again for Meilani’s health. This had just been one of those happy accidents. Austen called the baby his little miracle.
That night, I made a grand ham dinner for the family, and we all sat around our table and gave thanks for the blessings we’d been given in this life. Saying goodbye to Mom was hard, but we all knew she’d lived her life to the fullest and had been happy right up until the last moment. I think my sadness stemmed from the fact that she hadn’t lived long enough to see Kali into the next generation, to cheer her granddaughter along in starting her own legacy. I knew she was still with us in spirit, however, and I tried to take comfort from that.
While the rest of us ate at the table, Reed enjoyed his dinner in the living room. He even managed to not make a huge mess, for which I was extremely grateful.
The next day, reporting to work was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. My mother was well-known in the islands, and everyone had to tell me how very sorry they were for my loss. I excused myself from the office as quickly as I could, and spent the rest of the workday patrolling the islands and diving to see how the deep ecology was doing.
Kali and Jayce brought home glowing report cards from school, although Jayce seemed like he barely cared. I saw him discussing something serious in the kitchen with his sister, but I don’t know what they were talking about.
Before bed, I helped Maricela finish her aspiration. It was hard to do so with the emotions swirling in me, but we didn’t have time to put it off. Her birthday was tomorrow, so tonight was the last night she had to work on it.
The next day, Austen and I said a formal goodbye to Mom, and we laid her to rest beside Dad behind her Caldera home. I stayed there for a while, just soaking in the fact that she was truly gone. Mom would not have wanted me to mourn her for long, so I wiped the tears away and turned to leave. Life goes on, after all, and I had birthday cakes to bake.
Chapter 2.15 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.17
Chapter 2.14 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.16
Generation Two: Brown Appearance: Brown hair, unkempt clothing style Traits: Loves Outdoors, Loner, Child of the Island Aspiration: Beach Life Occupation: Conservationist House Goal: 20,000 worth
I knew we had talked about remodeling the downstairs activity room into a toddler room for Reed, but apparently Alexi figured he’d just go for it. I mean, I’m not opposed.. but it seemed sudden. Before I knew it, there were construction workers in my house, removing the archway and putting in a sliding door. Also included in the construction project was the task of moving the huge fish tank out of the room and into the dining room/hallway. It turned out nicely, however, and was done in plenty of time for Reed’s upcoming birthday.
It was also turtle season again. The were far fewer crowds this year, but my survey showed the turtle population was doing well, and the babies all looked healthy.
Aleki’s water garden remains his favorite thing on our property, and he takes such good care of it. The snails have gotten along well with the Koi, and – as far as we know – there have been no major casualties due to munching.
I surprised Jayce with a fun cake when he got home from school, and he considered his wish carefully before blowing out the candles.
I have to wonder if his wish had anything to do with his new tail – because that was the first thing he did – celebrate being a mermaid.
Later that afternoon, I found Kali sound asleep in front of a movie… apparently it had bored her to sleep. Turning off the TV woke her right up, and I convinced her to head downstairs and join Jayce in doing their homework.
Two minds are always better than one, and I was around when both needed help with their math homework. Before long, books were put away and they were able to head outside to enjoy the gorgeous Sulani afternoon.
I’m not sure where Kali ran off to – but I did see Jayce playing in the waves, enjoying his new tail. I can still remember the joy I felt when I got mine. There’s nothing quite like feeling like a part of the ocean as a mermaid.
Little Reed wasn’t far behind Jayce, and we got him started on his toddler skills right away. It’s not like we don’t have plenty of practice with toddlers!
We made sure to give Reed plenty of playtime, too, because all learning doesn’t have to be done at once. Little brains tire easily.
There was still always something to be done at home, so when I wasn’t parenting or working, I tried to keep the house clean and everything in working order. It wasn’t an easy life, but it was certainly one I loved.
That weekend, Kali had a project on Electricity to do, so Aleki offered to help her work on it. It took them most of an afternoon, but based on the laughter I heard from outside, they had a good time doing it.
Kali’s attitude has taken a 180 degree turn since the baby fiasco. She still grumbles a bit when asked to babysit Reed on her own, but I think she enjoys spending time with her little brother. I think Jayce wishes Reed had come along a little sooner so he could have had a playmate, but even he spends time with our youngest. Reed certainly doesn’t lack for attention in this household!
Chapter 2.14 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.16
Chapter 2.13 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.15
Generation Two: Brown Appearance: Brown hair, unkempt clothing style Traits: Loves Outdoors, Loner, Child of the Island Aspiration: Beach Life Occupation: Conservationist House Goal: 20,000 worth
I never worried when my kids headed out to the ocean. With being mermaids, we were all excellent swimmers, and we loved being in the sea. No, my worries this week were of a completely different nature. I watched Maricela, Alexi, and Kali cavorting in the waves past our deck, and frowned to myself. Kali still hadn’t come around. She wouldn’t speak to me, and I don’t think she’d even taken a second look at her new little brother. Alexi kept telling me to wait – that she’d come around – but I wasn’t so sure. She was, after all, my daughter, and came by her stubbornness honestly.
With one last look out the window, I sighed and headed back to Reed’s cradle. He was sound asleep still, but would be waking soon for his feeding, and he was utterly adorable. It wasn’t his fault that his big sister simply didn’t want to have anything to do with him, and the rift in my family felt like it was tearing me apart. Miserably, I curled up in my bed and closed my eyes, waiting for Reed to wake.
Before I knew it, Alexi was shaking me awake.
“If you sleep too much now, you’ll never sleep tonight, love.” he said quietly.
“Oh, shoot. I didn’t mean to sleep!” I sat up, rubbing my eyes, and yawning widely.
“I spoke to Kali.” Alexi said, sitting on the bed next to me.
I stood up, and went over to feed Reed. Unsure of what he meant, I simply waited.
“I think she’s going to come around soon.” he said, smiling as he watched his newest son open and close his tiny fists as he woke up.
“I told her how much her attitude was hurting you. She didn’t say anything, but I could see the guilt on her face. I wouldn’t worry about this mood lasting too much longer. You’ll see. Everything will be alright.” He stood up, then came over and rubbed my shoulders lightly, watching his son with a smile.
“I wish I could be as sure about these things as you are, Aleki.” I murmured.
“Yes, I know you. The worrywort.” He kissed my temple, then left the room. I finished caring for little Reed, then headed downstairs as well.
Passing by Maricela’s room, I overheard her and Jayce discussing their new brother.
“I wonder when he’ll grow up so we can actually play with him!” Jayce said.
“I don’t know.” Mari replied, and hesitated, then said, “Where do you think Mom and Dad will put his new room? Will we get a new addition to the house, do you think?”
“I just hope we don’t lose the TV room!” Jayce said, and I chuckled to myself. Leaving them to their conversation, I let my thoughts turn from Kali to contemplating rearranging the house. I glanced at the activity room, and an idea hit. We could move things around, put the activities upstairs with the TV.. and remodel this room… I wandered about the room, mentally thinking about how it could be re-done, fed the fish in their tank, then went to make dinner for the rest of the family.
After dinner, Jayce and Aleki went to play with the dolls, but from what I overheard, again the conversation was about Reed. Jayce really wanted a little brother to play with, apparently.
Unbeknownst to me, Kali was upstairs finally meeting her new brother. He got fussy, so she fed him a bottle, smiling at the way he kicked his little legs around.
“You’re going to be up and about before we know it, aren’t you, little guy?” she said with a smile. “Look at these strong little legs. Just wait until you get fins! You’ll be a great swimmer!”
After playtime, Jayce spent some time drawing, and managed to finish his aspiration at the same time. He was becoming quite the artist, and his “I want to be like Kali” phase still hadn’t gone away. Maybe it never would.
I grabbed a portion of steak and some vegetables for Kali, and, sighing, headed upstairs to make sure she would at least get some dinner.
To my surprise, I found her playing with Reed.
“Oh. Mom. You didn’t need to bring my dinner up here!” she said, looking around a bit guiltily.
“It’s alright. I wanted to make sure you’d eat.” I replied, handing her the plate and fork.
I sat down on the side of my bed, and Kali sat down beside me.
“So you’re not mad at your brother for being born anymore?” I asked tentatively.
“I never was.” she replied, “I guess I was just being selfish. I’m sorry I hurt you with my attitude.”
“Growing up isn’t easy.” I consoled, and smiled at her, “You forget, I had to do it once, too.”
“Yeah. I guess I’m just worried about my upcoming birthday. Moving out. Starting from nothing. How did you do it?”
“One day at a time. You’ll be fine, Kali. You’re smart and talented, and should have no trouble finding a job. Have you put any thought to where on the islands you want to move?”
“Oh jeez, Mom. I have no idea. I hadn’t even considered that. I could have done without having to worry about that, too!”
I gave her a half hug and chuckled. “You have time still, honey. It’s not like you have to decide tomorrow.”
She sighed and made a face at me, then took her dinner to her room.
I tucked Reed back into his bassinet, and smiled to myself. Aleki had been right. I had nothing to worry about.
Chapter 2.13 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.15
Chapter 2 Interlude 2 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.14
Generation Two: Brown Appearance: Brown hair, unkempt clothing style Traits: Loves Outdoors, Loner, Child of the Island Aspiration: Beach Life Occupation: Conservationist House Goal: 20,000 worth
Life continues, day by day, to be a blessing. My children are healthy and happy, and Aleki has always been the partner I have needed him to be. Even my career has been a dream come true, and being the boss now means that I can direct others to keep the islands clean and beautiful.
However, even in what seems to be a perfect life – the unexpected can and will happen. I have noticed that breakfast has been making me queasy the last few days, and, with a sinking feeling, I took a pregnancy test.
The results were what I feared, and I retreated to Aleki and my’s bedroom, my mind reeling. I don’t know why we never sold the baby bassinet, but I guess I’m glad that we hadn’t yet, now. It would be one thing, however, if this baby had been planned for. But it hadn’t. And now I had children who were nearly grown with a new baby on the way. And- where were we going to put another baby in this house?! I couldn’t ask any of the kids to give up their bedrooms, and adding on to the house seemed like a poor idea. I knew Aleki would be supportive and excited about a new baby – but I’m not sure I was ready for this idea.
I headed out the back door, and decided to go for a swim. The cool salt water soothed my scales, and, ultimately, my soul. I watched the fish swimming in and amongst the corals, and I enjoyed watching the turtles peacefully swim past.
I noticed a pod of dolphins I had never seen in the distance, so I swam over to say hello.
To my surprise, the leader of the group was a unusual gem – an albino dolphin. Their name was Coral, and they seemed friendly. We chatted for a while, and I found a couple fish to feed them.
Then, they congratulated me on my upcoming baby, which is something I certainly hadn’t mentioned. I guess I was showing more than I had thought – or maybe Coral was just very perceptive. I thanked him for the congratulations, and, I don’t know why – but I confessed all my misgivings to him. He listened quietly, soberly, and agreed that maybe the timing could have been better. Then he reminded me what a huge blessing a new baby was – no matter when it happened.
I was still unsure how I was going to tell my family, but I felt more at peace about the whole idea now. I watched Coral’s pod cavorting in the waves, and giggled as several of them purposely splashed me.
On the way home, Squirt met up with me, and celebrated the new life with a dance. She, too, was expecting, and she was thrilled to find that there was a new mermaid expected in the isles.
I arrived home, and took the boat out to patrol the islands for work, my mind still very much occupied by the new baby.
I tried to make some grilled cheese for dinner, but the stove broke. So I fixed it… and then finished cooking dinner. By this time, everyone was home, and I decided I should call a family meeting.
I had no idea how to tell them, but I knew it needed to be done, so I just blurted it out.
“I’m pregnant.”
There were a range of emotions immediately evident on faces around the table. Mari looked confused, Jayce looked completely unfazed, and Aleki’s face lit up with a huge smile.
“MOM! How could you!?” Kali wailed. I could immediately see she was going to be the one I had to convince that this was a good thing.
“It wasn’t planned, Kali.”
“I thought you guys were done with kids! How am I going to tell all my friends that there’s a new baby at home. How embarrassing!”
“We thought we were done, too, Kali.” I replied. “Sometimes things just happen.”
“Ew, Mom. The things I don’t want to know…” she stood up and stalked out of the house.
“Let her go.” Aleki said quietly, “She will need to come to terms with it on her own.”
The other two children were easy to convince that this was the natural way of things, and I assured them that neither would lose their precious “private” rooms to the new baby.
Over the next few days, Kali proved to be very stubborn. She was sullen and withdrawn, and I couldn’t seem to get her to sit down to actually discuss this. Days slid by, and between keeping up with work and the housework and kids – it was “time” before I knew it.
Of course, it was the middle of the night, and I tried to not wake Aleki, because I wasn’t 100% sure it was true labor. He woke up anyway, and predictably – panicked. He tried to insist we go to the hospital, but I disagreed.
Within a couple of hours, our new little boy was born. We named him Reed, and got him settled.. and gratefully fell back into bed. The morning would be soon enough to introduce him to the rest of the family. I was too exhausted to even worry about Kali’s moodiness and getting her to be okay with this. I curled up under the covers and was almost instantly back to sleep.
(A/N: Yes, this truly was an unplanned baby. I’ve recently caved and installed MCCC, and I turned on the story progression and risky woohoo in this particular save. The first time they woohoo’ed – and risky already struck!)
Chapter 2 Interlude 2 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.14
Chapter 2.12 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.13
Generation Two: Brown Appearance: Brown hair, unkempt clothing style Traits: Loves Outdoors, Loner, Child of the Island Aspiration: Beach Life Occupation: Conservationist House Goal: 20,000 worth
Dear Diary:
After all these years, I’m still not very good at writing in this thing. I try to do it every day, like Mom does, but there are days where I swear I have nothing to say.
Today… is not one of those days. It was supposed to be MY day today. It was meant to be perfect. And what did I get? An impromptu funeral. I mean, sure, it’s sad and all, but it wrecked my party. And I was sure everyone was going to hear about it at school from my cousins. I would never live this down.
I am SO Angry. I think I’m supposed to be sad. But I’m not. Writing out my feelings is supposed to help, but it’s not really doing that, either. Tomorrow is my first day of high school, and I will have to walk through those doors knowing that everyone knows about my ruined party. I guess it’s a good thing I wasn’t allowed to have a REAL party, with kids and not family. Something probably would have gone wrong there, too. I mean, the only good thing I could say about the party is that at least Mom’s cake never fell. I was sure it would, too. Guess I have to pay Jayce 10 simoleons for that stupid bet.
I changed out of my party outfit (which I’m sure I saw Mom cringe over earlier.. I was going to hear it about it, I’m sure…) and went to take a long, hot bath. Halfway through, my phone rang – and I thought I heard Mom and Dad’s phones ringing on the other side of the wall. Which could only mean one thing. More bad news. I ignored the call, and refused to check my messages. It could wait.
I wanted to sleep in the next morning when my alarm went off, but I was still feeling guilty about being so angry the night before. I mean, Kyler DIED. Right in front of me, too. I didn’t know him all that well because he lived in the city and was WAY older than me.. but he was still family. And he just died in our kitchen instead of eating cake.
… Thinking of the kitchen reminded me of what a horrible mess it probably was down there, so, with a deep sigh, I got dressed for school and went to clean up the dishes. I figured it was the least I could do to help Mom out after last night.
While drying off my hands, it occurred to me that I’d never checked my phone message from last night. I did that on my way out the door – and – to my horror, found out that Uncle Tevin and some other guy from the city had died last night in a big traffic accident. I considered just skipping school – I don’t think anyone would blame me under the circumstances – but I decided I’d just go. How bad could the day be?
Amazingly, nobody at school had said a thing to me. I could feel them watching me, though.. so I knew they weren’t going to stay quiet forever. I went about my business, did my classwork, tried to pay attention to my new teachers, and finally, the day ended. I decided I’d swim home from school instead of taking the boat – I mean, I do have fins now.
Feeling a big sad.. I stopped by the waterfall and played in it for a while, reveling in my newfound teenage freedom. There was no way I’d have gotten away with not going straight home when I was just a kid. I was pretty sure I’d get away with it today, though.
.. Okay. So I wasn’t sure at all. And I stopped to clean up the beaches so I could tell Mom I was doing that instead of my actual destination of the waterfall. As big as she was into island clean-up, I bet that would de-rail the lecture about being home late.
I’d been right. The talk of cleaning trash got me right out of trouble, and I grabbed some fruit salad out of the fridge and went upstairs to watch TV. Before I could even get into my show, my annoying kid brother had come up, grabbed the remote – and switched the channel to some damn kid’s cartoon. In disbelief, I snatched the remote back..
… And switched it back to Moonlight Massacre III. Which horrified him enough to make him leave the room. Good riddance. Turned out it wasn’t a half bad movie, either. Despite the fact that I’d missed the first fifteen minutes of it. I left my dishes on the coffee table, aware that I was close to simply passing out from exhaustion.
Back in my room, I changed out of my swimsuit, finished this diary entry.. and I’m going to take a nap. Homework .. can wait for another time. After last night – I need sleep more. And if Mom asked, I’d simply say they hadn’t assigned any homework on the first day of school. I think she’d believe it…
Chapter 2.12 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.13
Chapter 2.11 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2 Interlude 2
Generation Two: Brown Appearance: Brown hair, unkempt clothing style Traits: Loves Outdoors, Loner, Child of the Island Aspiration: Beach Life Occupation: Conservationist House Goal: 20,000 worth
After such a great weekend, getting back to work and school seemed harder than ever. We all soldiered on, though, and the days went by faster than you can imagine. Between chasing a toddler, and making sure I didn’t neglect either of the other two kids, I had my hands full. I was especially glad that I had been promoted to the top of my career, because it meant I didn’t have to work as many days, and I could spend more time with my children.
Kali has been diligently trying to raise her Mental skill so she can be a Whiz Kid, but it’s tough on her, and I often see her frowning while just staring at the chessboard.
Jayce has been spending a lot of time outside, and tries to pretend he’s already a mermaid – or maybe a dolphin.. but I’ve never seen anyone swim so very strangely. He does get around, though, so I guess there’s that.
Finally, the day came that little Maricela was ready to grow up… and I baked her a special pink strawberry cake just for her. She was shy about blowing out the candles, however, so that took some coaxing. Eventually, she agreed.. and her journey as a child began.
She grew up to be a Genius, and wants to be a Whiz Kid like her big sister. How she seems to have missed that Kali is more into Art than Logic, I don’t know, but she’s convinced she can do it better. I don’t doubt it.
To help Mari on her aspiration, Aleki took some time out from doing commissions to read to her and Jayce. They loved it, and started making it a bit of a daily tradition for a while. At least until they got through the Lord Of The Swings book.
The family stopped over to bring an island feast again, and the kids all vied for grandma Corina’s attention. She lapped up all the love, and I don’t think I saw her without a smile once all evening.
That night, Maricela woke us up out of a sound sleep. Apparently when I ordered the furniture for her upgraded room, I forgot to include an Anti-Monster light.
… Which was a problem. So I did the right thing, stumbled out of bed, sprayed the monster away, and tucked Mari back in bed. A new light was the first thing on the list for the next day, however!
Tomorrow was Kali’s birthday, and she was terribly worried she wasn’t going to have time to finish her Mental Skill. So I agreed that she could use one of her vacation days to work on it.
I also Mentored her as best I could. (Oh, and yes, the paintings on the wall are Aleki’s doing – he’s been keeping more of his work lately, and seems happier for having them on the walls.)
After several hours of work, we finished her aspiration, and I got a huge hug for my trouble. I told her I really didn’t mind, but she knew I’d taken off work to do it, and she was especially appreciative.
The next day was the big day. After her last day of Elementary School, Kali came home practically bouncing off the walls. I can’t blame her – I still remember my teen birthday, too. She planned to invite the whole family, and I was making a huge tiered cake for the occasion. She had to supervise the whole thing, though, which I thought was quite funny. She knew I hadn’t made a tiered cake before, and she was terrified it would turn out green or something.
She then took the time to clear and set the table while I frosted the cake.
I then started making a group meal – Kali’s favorite, Grilled Cheese, while Kali, again, helped out around the house. Despite the fact that the mop was too big for her.
Then, we all changed into our party wear, and waited for the guests. Kali had to keep running into the kitchen to check and see that the “cake hadn’t fallen” yet. I tried to tell her it wasn’t going to, but she was convinced some disaster was going to happen.
When everyone arrived, Kali made the rounds and made sure to say hello to everyone. She was so excited to be a teen soon like her two cousins, and was practically bubbling over with energy.
Everyone gathered round, while Kali snuck a big finger full of icing, then got ready to blow out her candles.
Everyone made sure she didn’t forget to make a wish… and cheered as she blew the candles out.
… Why wasn’t I surprised by the rebellious, artsy clothes she had picked out. I rolled my eyes, and vowed not to say anything – at least not while everyone else was around. Personally, I wasn’t sure they were all that appropriate.. but I guess that means I’m getting old.
There was plenty of cake to go around, and everyone was getting settled….
when I suddenly heard a thundercrack that sounded so close it must have been in the next room.
It took us all a moment to figure out what was wrong. Tevin’s son Kyler was on the floor, clutching his heart. There was nothing any of us could do – although we did try to plead with Grim.
The party was ruined. Absolutely ruined. I had hoped that Kali would have a memorable birthday party – but I certainly hadn’t wanted to to be remembered for THIS! Everyone cried and comforted each other, but it was clearly time for the party to be over, and people started collecting their belongings and leaving.
The last I saw of Kali before bed was her angrily writing in her journal. I wasn’t even sure she knew the words she was uttering.. but under the circumstances, I didn’t think it was the right time to correct her. I left her alone, and made sure Jayce and Mari got safely into bed before curling up under the covers myself.
However, it turned out the evening wasn’t quite over yet. Before I could get to sleep, my phone rang. Tevin apparently hadn’t made it home. There’d been an accident, and he died not an hour after his son had. Whether the accident was his fault, or something else was “under investigation” – but the fact that it had caused fatalities was obvious. The other car’s driver had died, too. I didn’t much care what the authorities found – Tevin was still going to be gone. But tomorrow was soon enough to deal with telling the kids, and I was exhausted. I curled miserably up into Aleki’s arms, and we both fell asleep.
Bloopers:
“Oh, Mommy Dolphin will save you!!”
… That moment when you JUST HAVE TO HAVE microwaved nuggets. Even though you have Maxed your cooking skill. Way to go, Kimber.
.. Right before your sister’s birthday party? .. Sigh. There’s always one!
Chapter 2.11 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2 Interlude 2
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