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OS: Day Nine < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Eleven
The knock at the door while the kids were at school startled Marnie while she was in the middle of cleaning the house. Dropping the vacuum, she wearily went to see who it was.
“Yoo-hoo, Marnie?” she heard.
Confused, she opened the door to find the one, the only, Bella Goth. At the MALONE’S house?! Before Marnie could figure out what to say, Bella waltzed in, dressed to kill in that tight red dress of hers, and Marnie inwardly cringed.
“I was .. uh.. cleaning.” Marnie stammered, indicating the vacuum next to a half-cleaned up dust pile.
“With all these kids of yours, I’m very sure you have to clean all the time! How about I help for a change. I’ll get the dishes, if you want to finish vacuuming?” Bella didn’t wait for a response, but simply started in on the mountain of dishes from the day before. Waspishly, Marnie wondered if she would chip a nail, but then decided to just buckle down and finish cleaning.
Once the kids got home from school (making more dishes), and Marnie had made some fruit salad for the kids, Bella apparently decided to join them for lunch.
Once Marnie actually sat down, Bella began slyly, “You and Myles are still coming to club today, right? I missed you last week.”
“Oh! I was so busy cleaning, I sent Myles on his own. But with your help this morning, I should be able to get some time to myself for the evening.”
“Great!” said Bella, “I have my car, I can drive us all back to Willow Creek, if you wouldn’t mind riding the bus home after?”
“Actually – ” Marnie began…. paused, then continued, “We can’t leave until Bennie gets home from work. Someone has to watch the twins, you know.”
Bella looked around, surprised, “Where’s your oldest?” she asked.
“Benji? Oh, he moved out this past weekend. He and his friends moved to the city.”
“Oh dear. You poor thing. How are you holding up without his help? I don’t know what I’d do without Cassandra.” Bella said, conspiratorially.
“I’m doing fine.” Marnie said , looking out the window at the kids playing on the monkey bars. “Bennie even got a promotion lately.”
Outside, Jaz was working off her lunch on the monkey bars, and trying to get all the way across them three times.
Success!! Jaz finished her aspiration, and just hung out on the bars, wondering why Bella Goth was at their house talking to Marnie, of all people. It seemed an unlikely match.
Once Bennie arrived home, Marnie brushed past him, ignoring his bluster about there being some fancy car in his parking spot (as if there weren’t other spots in front of their house…) – and called Myles.
The ride to Willow Creek was completed in a lovely heated car, and Marnie and Bella talked about World Peace, discovering they shared the “Good” trait.
Once arriving at the library, they played a couple rounds of chess, while all the kids did their homework without being asked, and played in the kid’s room at the library. Marnie felt like pinching herself to find out if she was still real.
Myles managed to get another point of Mental skill, but, more importantly, became good friends with Alexander. They practiced with their void critters for a while, finished their homework together, and obediently went to get their winter gear as soon as their mothers called them. It was late by the time the bus stopped near home, but the meeting had been so much fun. Myles didn’t bother to ask if it was bed time, and simply went in to clean up for bed.
Shaking her head, Marnie went in to find all the other kids in bed, and Bennie sound asleep. The table was filled with dishes again, but at least the floor was still clean.. mostly. Shrugging in bemusement, she went and got her night clothes and crawled into bed. ‘What a weird day,’ she thought to herself, and quickly drifted off to sleep.
OS: Day Nine < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Eleven
OS: Day Eight < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Ten
It was a sad morning at the Malones. Despite the fact that everyone knew why they were off of school and work for the day, there were no decorations up, and nobody had any illusions that any would suddenly appear. The recent move had left very little in the way of extra funds, and the family wasn’t exactly the best at remembering to celebrate holidays, anyway. Neither Bennie nor Marnie had said anything about it being Winterfest, and the kids didn’t really expect anything, especially this year.
Bennie, for one, was worried the bills had arrived on Monday, and it was now Wednesday. There was still no way he was going to be affording them. And he didn’t know how to tell Marnie. Winterfest was the farthest thing from his mind.
Everyone had gotten up and taken care of the morning needs, helped out with the cleaning, and paid some attention to the twins, who really didn’t know what they were missing out on.
Then – at about 10 AM, the doorbell rang. Phoenix answered it.. only to find Benji and his girlfriend standing on the doorstep with a huge pine tree, and a large, lumpy trash bag. Benji swiped up his little brother in a big hug, and laughed. “Merry Winterfest, Phoenix!!” he said loudly, and the whole family was slowly trickling into the living room, completely agog at the spectacle.
Before you knew it, the tree had been drug inside, leaving a trail of pine needles and sap behind, and everyone was excitedly decorating.
The other bag proved to be full of wrapped presents with carefully printed gift tags, and nobody knew quite what to make of it. They certainly weren’t written in Benji’s handwriting, so Shaylee was clearly in on this surprise, too.
As soon as the tree was up, Benji announced that he couldn’t wait to give the gifts out …
… and promptly handed the first gift to little Brett. With a wonder only a toddler is quite capable of, he opened the box and found a new talking llama toy – which he put to use almost immediately. It even had working batteries!!
The present opening continued, with everyone exclaiming lavishly over each gift, and thinking in the back of their mind for ideas for something they could possibly repurpose to give to Benji in return.
Benji, who was clearly thinking ahead, told everyone that presents for him were NOT allowed, that he had certainly already gotten all he ever needed from his “new job’s sign-on bonus”, but Myles insisted.
They watched Benji open the poorly wrapped gift (that was clearly wrapped in paper that had come from one of the gifts they had just opened).. and everyone burst into laughter as one of Myles’ precious frogs leapt out of the box and hopped in terror towards the kitchen.
There was a minor rodeo as the frog was corralled, and Benji insisted Myles take it back and put it back with it’s froggy friends. The gift, however, was a roaring success, because it cheered even Bennie up.
Playtime began, and nobody noticed that Shaylee and Marnie had disappeared together until there was a ringing bell from the direction of the kitchen.
With shock, they realized they were getting a full holiday meal courtesy of Shaylee and Marnie, with ingredients Benji and Shaylee had thoughtfully brought in a small cooler that nobody had noticed.
The large family gathered around the flimsy table, and Bennie was seen helping the one of the twins into their high chair (although it’s anyone’s guess whether or not he actually knew which one he was holding..)
The happy twins were eventually shuffled off to bed, and Benji, Marnie, and Shaylee helped tuck in all the rest of the youngsters, then meticulously take down the tree. Marnie insisted that she would take care of the dishes in the morning, and sent Benji and Shaylee home with thanks and hugs. Nobody paid any attention to the two of them after they left the front door with assurances that they could take care of the tree and the cooler on their own.
It wasn’t until the next morning that Bennie found a notice in the mail… the bills had been paid. For two weeks….!
On the way back to the city, Shaylee and Benji giggled and whispered to each other the whole way, clearly riding on a high from the day. The proceeds from last night’s heist at the Landgraab’s vacant home had paid off handsomely. They knew they were in the clear because of club member Londyn’s surprising contact at the alarm company, that had made sure everything went smoothly. The Landgraabs would certainly be in for a surprise when they got home from their holiday vacation, but with no evidence other than missing things, there was little they could go on. It seemed almost too good to be true.. but Benji’s new “job” was a huge success. They arrived home, rode the elevator to their apartment, and climbed the stairs contentedly. Everyone else seemed to already be in bed, so they climbed into their bed contentedly and were fast asleep in moments. It had, after all, been a long 24 hours for them.
Bonus Image:
(Jaz did finally get to meet Father Winter, but only because she had gotten up to go pee in the middle of the night. Of course, I let her ask for a gift before he disappeared.. but I decided to not include the image in the chapter because – after all – the real Santa was Benji.)
OS: Day Eight < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Ten
OS: Day Seven < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Nine
After the kids had all gone off to school, Bennie brought out a new toy of his – a microphone. Apparently he felt getting in some mic practice at home was important enough to buy a mic for at home. Braydon, as you can see, is more interested in dancing to the music from the stereo under the TV than listening to his Dad, however.
Marnie, as usual, was spending the day cleaning. There was always something to clean in this house, and today the basement desperately needed cleaning, so she was busy with her vacuum.
The twins, as usual, were mostly left to their own devices, and were playing on the Murphy bed. (These guys are so cute, I can’t even resist taking pictures of them!)
Later, after the kids got home from school, Marnie grabbed her coat, and told Jaz to grab hers, and they undertook the monster bus ride to Newcrest again. It would probably be dark before they got home, and Marnie was in a rotten mood about having to continually do this for Jazmyn.
Gemma seemed thrilled to see Jaz again, and came out to get Jaz for their appointment shortly after Marnie and Jaz arrived. Nervously, Jaz had been pacing over by the upstairs fountains.. partially because sitting next to a grumpy Marnie simply didn’t sound like something she’d like to do.
Jaz followed Dr. Gemma into the office, glad to get away from Marnie’s grouchiness.
“Well, hello, Jaz.” Dr. Gemma said pleasantly as they both sat down.
“Hi!” Jaz replied cheerfully, still working up the courage to say what she wanted to say.
“So, how was your week? Did anything special happen? Did you do anything fun?” Dr. Gemma asked.
“Well, my older brother, Benji, had his birthday party at our house, and then he moved out with his girlfriend. The house is definitely quieter now.” Jaz started.
“Oh, really? Do you know where he moved to?” Gemma asked.
“The big city. I think his friends are moving with them, too.” Jaz replied, “Oh, and I went to the Willow Creek Library by myself on Sunday.”
“Oh? All that way by yourself? Are you sure that was that safe?” Gemma asked, concerned.
“Oh, I’ve done a lot of riding the bus lines by myself. We used to come from Magnolia Promenade to Oasis Springs for Saturday club meetings – Phoenix and I, I mean.” Jaz said, dismissing the question. “I knew which buses to take because Myles has a club that meets at the library. But that’s not important.”
“Oh? What’s the important part, then?” Gemma asked, interested.
“I did some research. I’m pretty sure nobody saw me. I remembered what you said about that gender thing. So I looked it up.” Jaz said, a little hesitantly.
“What did you find?” Gemma asked with a smile.
“I think I’m actually non-binary.” Jaz said softly, as if afraid Marnie might hear through the door.
“She can’t hear us, sweetie, so don’t worry.” Gemma assured, “What did you find out about being non-binary?”
“It basically means you’re not a girl or a boy, that you’re somewhere in between, or just not either of the choices.” Jaz said, still softly.
“And you feel this describes you?” Gemma asked.
“Yeah. I mean – I know people say I’m a girl. But I don’t feel like one. And I’m not a boy, like my brothers, either. I don’t know what I am, but I know what I’m not.” Jaz replied, almost defensively, then offered a smile.
“I think knowing what you’re not is a great place to start from. Is this why you have trouble going to the bathroom with other people around?” Gemma asked perceptively.
“Probably.” Jaz replied, but didn’t elaborate.
“You know, with what you and I have learned today, I could probably talk to your school and get permission so you could use a private bathroom. Would that help?” Gemma asked.
“Really?” Jaz asked.
“How about I give them a call and see what I can do. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow, okay?” Gemma replied. “Meanwhile, our time is pretty much up for the day. I’ll call you tomorrow after school, alright? And I’ll see you next week for our appointment, we can talk about this more then if you’d like.”
“Wait.” Jaz said, suddenly worried.
“What’s wrong, Jaz?” Gemma asked, clearly concerned.
“My parents won’t have to know about this, right? I don’t want them to. Not yet.”
“No, sweetie. This stays between us. I will have to tell the school about your dysphoria, but they won’t be able to tell your parents without my – and your – permission.” Gemma reassured.
“Oh. Good. So, talk to you tomorrow, then?” Jaz asked, smiling again.
“Definitely.” Gemma replied, going to the door to open it. “Have a good trip home, Jaz.”
“Okay!” Jaz replied, suddenly wondering to herself what Colin felt about going to the bathroom at school It had never occurred to her before that someone else might have a problem like she did. However, she wasn’t about to forget her promise. She wouldn’t tell anyone about Colin. Ever. Not even Gemma. Waving goodbye to Gemma, she followed a still-grouchy Marnie down the stairs and to the bus stop… all the while her mind lost with questions she couldn’t ask and thoughts she couldn’t share.
OS: Day Seven < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Nine
OS: Day Six < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Eight
Marnie was up early, cleaning and minding the toddlers. After the kids all got off to school, the morning was filled with fixing the washer and dryer, as well as picking up dishes left all over the house by the kids.
Benji also called, and talked excitedly about his new apartment and the fast pace life of the city. It put Marnie in a great mood, and she whistled while she vacuumed the house, getting rid of hidden dust bunnies as she went.
Later, after all the kids got home from school with their school projects and the twins had gotten bored with behaving, Jaz decided to call Colin over to chat and help her with her volcano project.
The worked in silence for a short while, then both started talking at the same time. After a quick laugh about it, Colin indicated that Jaz should go first.
“So, you know I talked to the therapist last week? I went to Willow Creek Library yesterday and did some research on something Dr. Gemma talked to me about. Something I didn’t mention to you. And it explains so much to me. But you have to keep it a secret. I’m not ready for everyone to know, okay?” Jaz started, hesitantly.
Colin readily agreed, very curious about something Jaz was hesitant to talk about, since she was usually an open book when it came to her life.
“There’s a thing called ‘gender dysphoria’ – it means that you don’t feel like you’re the gender everyone assumes you are. After reading more about it, I think I’m non-binary. I am not a girl. But I’m not a boy, either. I think I’m somewhere in between. It’s weird and I don’t know how I feel about it, yet.” Jaz continued, quietly, like she was afraid someone might hear if they were eavesdropping at the door.
Colin looked at Jaz in shock for a moment. Jaz started to say something, but Colin stopped her. “I won’t tell your secret if you don’t tell mine. My therapist and I have been talking about it for weeks now – I am not a boy. Or, at least, I don’t think I am. My therapist calls it transgender – that I’d rather be a girl. So, I know what you mean about the dysphoria. I feel it every day. But I’m too afraid to tell anyone. So, other than my therapist, you’re the only one who knows, now.”
Jaz looked at Colin in wonder, and the pieces started falling into place. “Oh. Oh, gee, Colin. I felt so much better finding that other people feel like I do, and here my best friend in the whole world is the person who could understand everything I’m saying – and I never knew. I was only telling you because I didn’t know if I should talk about it to Gemma some more.”
“Seriously, though, you have to keep this a secret. I’m so afraid of what the other kids might think if they found out.” Colin fiddled with a test tube from the project, then glanced at Jaz with a worried expression.
“I wouldn’t tell anyone. Telling would only mean my secret might come out, too. So should I talk to Gemma? Or not. I promise I won’t mention you to her.” Jaz assured Colin.
“I think you should. Talking to my therapist has really helped me. The more honest you are with them, the more they can help you. At least, that’s how it feels to me.” Colin replied, then stopped whispering and said with a laugh, “You think we’re ever going to finish this volcano?”
“Of course we are!” Jaz giggled, and both got down to work. They chatted about school, and the club, but the secrets seemed banished from conversation for now, as if both were a little overwhelmed by the feeling that someone else KNEW now.
Once the volcano was done, they tested it, cheering happily when it worked perfectly. They then decided to go upstairs and swing while they waited for Colin’s Dad to come pick him up.
On the way upstairs, they passed by Myles and Marnie in the hallway working on his castle diorama.
The new porch lights that had been installed made it so much more fun to play outside when it was dark, and they had a good time.
Then, it was time for Colin to leave. He waved goodbye, giving Jaz a little wink as he walked away. Jaz smiled back and pantomimed her mouth being zipped shut. Shortly after, Marnie called her inside to go to bed, and she obeyed quickly, feeling pretty tired.
OS: Day Six < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Eight
Updated: 10/7/22
OS: Day Five < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Seven
After the usual Malone Family rush to get everyone ready for the day, Jaz got Marnie’s attention and asked for permission to travel to the library to work on her “school project”. Marnie, frazzled as usual, said okay without really even listening, and Jaz quickly grabbed her backpack and left before she could change her mind.
Good thing she had remembered it was freezing in Willow Creek still, because there was snow everywhere around the library. Quickly, she headed inside, relieved to see several computers open.
She sat down, and immediately loaded up the typing practice program, dutifully working on her aspiration. But, as you often do when doing something particularly boring, her mind kept wandering. It was terribly hard to concentrate with so many other things she could be doing at a library this size.
Then, the conversation with Dr. Gemma popped into her head. And it wouldn’t go away.
Checking to make sure nobody was watching, Jaz sounded out the big words Gemma had used. “Gen-der dis-for-i-a” she typed in a search bar.
Luckily, the search engine immediately corrected her misspelling, and she was given a large list of resources to look at. Browsing slowly, she read all the information she could find.
Before long, she found a site that described what that was in terms she could actually understand, and went on to talk about things like transgender and other alternate genders. The more she read, the more she was sure she wasn’t really a “she”. But Jaz didn’t feel like a “he” either… Then, Jaz discovered “non-binary” and the different pronouns that people who didn’t feel comfortable being lumped into either “boy” or “girl” could use. With her interest piqued, she followed some more links to articles in teen magazines about people of different gender associations.
Before long, she even found chat rooms devoted to discussing it, and sat watching the chat go past her screen for a while. She wasn’t bold enough to actually talk, and was afraid to even sign up with a name nobody would guess was her… but reading couldn’t hurt, right? There was so much to learn… and there was, apparently, a whole world full of other people who didn’t feel like they fit into the “normal” genders. One she’d never even thought about possibly existing. All she knew .. was that she had never fit into what everyone said SHE was, and had never felt comfortable with it.
Then, from behind her, she heard a familiar taunting voice, “Oh look who decided she could show up in Willow Creek at the GOOD library and not get in trouble for it..!”
Jumping slightly, Jaz quickly closed all the web page windows she had opened and signed out of the computer. With relief, she saw that Billie had been too far away to see what Jaz had actually been looking at. Annoyed at the interruption, though, Jaz stood up angrily, ready to confront Billie once again.
She shoved Billie, and yelled at her that she had every right to work on a school project at the library.. that the library certainly wasn’t Billie’s.
“SHHH!!” warned a man playing chess, and Jaz looked over at him apologetically.
Billie, however, wasn’t about to listen to anyone she didn’t respect – and that pretty much covered everyone, apparently. Billie shoved back, and continued to berate Jaz for “being in a place she didn’t belong in.”
The librarian came over, physically separating the two youngsters, and emphasized that they needed to be quieter. Jaz went to sit at one of the computer tables, trying to get away from Billie, but Billie followed, hissing her insults. Jaz tried very hard to ignore her, but some of the words still hurt. Swallowing tears angrily, she stood up and went to another open computer.
She signed into the typing practice again, and got to work, trying to block out Billie. Eventually, Billie apparently got tired of taunting someone who wasn’t responding in any way.. or maybe she just needed to get home, because Jaz suddenly found herself on her own. Taking a deep breath, she shook out the tension in her arms and got down to typing. With determination, she was able to finish her typing practice, as well as managing to post a high score on the computer for the typing game, which was also required for her aspiration.
Looking out the library window, she noticed that the sun had already gone down, and she quickly packed up and caught one of the last buses back to Oasis Springs. Nobody seem to even notice she’d been gone. Typical. Sighing, she put away her backpack and winter clothes, and headed downstairs to go to bed. School was tomorrow, and she had SO much she wanted to talk to Colin about. Mind whirling, it was a while before the calming light of her nightlight lulled her to sleep.
OS: Day Five < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Seven
OS: Day Four < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Six
The morning after Benji’s party was a rush of activity. Luckily, it was a Saturday, so all the kids were able to help with the clean-up. Jaz collected laundry, then did the dishes, wondering where everyone else had gone. Marnie had started cleaning up the dishes, but left them behind. Myles was last seen emptying the toddler’s potty, then he pretty much disappeared. Phoenix took the trash out, then also seemed to go missing.
Once the house was clean, Jaz wasted some time on the Monkey bars before it was time for the club meeting. Elsa had asked that it be a little later in the evening, so there was time to kill before it started. It also certainly helped that Jaz didn’t have to ride the bus from Magnolia Promenade anymore. She could just walk down the road to the park.
Myles had decided he needed to work on his Mental skill before scouts, so that’s what he had been doing.
Phoenix, on the other hand, was brazenly watching TV in the living room after doing very little to help the clean up.
Outside, on the other hand, Bennie was having a grand time. It was Neighborhood brawl day, and he was taking full advantage of it.
One fight won! And after some practice with some of his joke material, Bennie went to find his next victim.
Fight # 2! Another win for Bennie. Some more jokes… and another target sighted.
Fight # 3! Bennie dusted off his hands, and gave the fella a hug for his participation. A few bad jokes later, and a dazed townie was walking away, nonplussed.
Fight # 4! Bennie decided that, since he’d completed part of his aspiration, and gotten gold on the holiday, he was going to quit while he was ahead, and wandered off home to watch some sports.
Myles returned from scouts, one more badge richer, and only one badge to go.
He bragged a little too much to his younger brother, though, and Phoenix decided that if Bennie could fight, so could he. Of course, Marnie saw the whole thing and then grounded the boys.
Later, at the club meeting, Jaz noticed Colin sitting sadly by himself off to the side of the playground. Worried about her friend, she headed over to find out what was wrong.
“The divorce was finalized today. Nobody has said who is moving away, but I’m sure one of them will. And I don’t want either of them to go.” he admitted miserably.
Jaz sympathized, but internally wondered if Marnie and Bennie would ever go that same path as Colin’s parents. It was no secret they didn’t exactly get along most of the time.
Jaz put those thoughts aside, and concentrated on cheering her best friend up.
By the end of the night, Colin was all smiles again… at least until he got home, Jaz supposed. She hoped she’d helped at least a little bit. Frowning, she turned and walked home in the dark, her thoughts a jumble in her head. So much had happened lately – it was hard to process everything. Suddenly realizing she was completely alone (Phoenix was grounded, remember?), she decided maybe to jog the rest of the way home.
Everyone was already getting ready for bed, so Jaz joined in. Luckily, the shower was still hot – it usually was in this house, and she felt like she actually got CLEAN for once. Putting on her old rainbow bunny-suit, she climbed into bed. While at the park, she had finished the first part of her aspiration.. now she had to practice typing. The only way she could think of to do that was to go to the library. Good thing tomorrow was a Sunday. She could say she had to research for a school project and head to the library then. Glad to have a plan, she drifted easily off to sleep.
OS: Day Four < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Six
OS: Day Three < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Five
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:
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
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
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.
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!
Chapter One – Starting Anew
November 2025 Dev DiarySuperSweetBot Commands for Mods & BroadcastersOctober 2025 Dev DiaryProgress Report!Hacking Situation ResolvedHey all…
Welcome to my new webhost!!
Progress Report on Not So Berry & TimelineExtended Not So Berry 2.0 is coming!!
OMG A Thrall Post?? What?Not So Berry Updating
Jaynie’s Gems: By-The-NumberToday
