Introduction/Rules | Prologue Part 2

Spring 1888

in the parlour of the Tangle family home, Brindleton Bay

“For the final time, Stefan, I will not pay for any more schooling for you! Your brothers never needed any, so why should you? They’re all doing just fine as salesmen for the Lumber Mill. There’s no shame in a hard day’s work – I’ve been doing it all my life, and so shall you!”

“But – Father – I don’t want to join the business as a junior sales associate. You know I’ve never been good at sales.” Stefan tried to keep the whine out of his voice, but he was quickly losing patience with his elderly father.

“Balderdash. There is no such thing as being bad at sales. It just means you have to work harder. You’ve always been too lazy for your own good. A steady job would do you a world of good.” Newton Tangle adjusted his tie and went to the sideboard to get a drink before he continued, “What you need is to find yourself a nice woman from a respectable family and start a family. I need more grandchildren. There’s plenty of room in this house for you to bring in a wife and start on your heir.”

“A wife? But I’m barely eighteen!”

“That’s when your brothers got married! Why do you think you’re better than they are?” Newton threw his arm in the air and took a bracing drink of whiskey. “All your life you’ve been contrary – why should I have thought you would be any different now!”

“I’m not! I’m … ” Stefan reached for some semblance of control on his anger. He was tired of his father putting him down and comparing him to his perfect brothers. “I won’t do it, Father – I won’t be your lackey at the Mill like my brothers!”

“Then you’ll be forfeiting your inheritance! I’m not giving you a choice, here, son. You’ll join the workforce and the Mill, and find yourself a respectable wife. Or you’ll be finding yourself a new place to live. Now begone!”

Livid, Stefan stormed out of the parlor, grabbed his hat, and continued straight out the door of the house. He’d never considered that his father would be so opposed to him returning to school and becoming a lawyer – but to threaten losing his inheritance was extreme, even for his father.

After a long walk around Brindleton Bay to cool off, Stefan headed home, only to find his mother waiting in the Foyer for him.

“Why must you always fight with your Father, Stefan? He only means the best for you!” she asked before he could say anything.

“It’s not my fault. He always expects things from me that I’m simply not going to do!” Stefan replied, trying to keep a rein on his temper.

“What are you going to do instead, then? You know there’s no one in town that will hire you on if you’re not working for your Father!”

“I’m going to look, anyway. It’s not fair that the entire town always seems to be on his side! Next thing you know, he’ll be arranging my marriage because I’m ‘taking too long’!”

A guilty look from his mother was all he needed in reply to that. “Don’t you even think on it. I’ll find my own wife – in my own time!”

“Of course you will, sweetie.” His mother took his shoulders in her frail hands and patted them as if to comfort him. “But while you’re looking for that job you want – and a wife -perhaps it would be easier on everyone if you just reported to the Mill first thing in the morning. You know how hard Father is on me when you won’t cooperate….” She looked at him beseechingly, letting her sentence trail off.

Sighing, Stefan looked away and replied, “Fine.” Breaking his mother’s hold of him, he turned and headed up the stairs to his room, his mind whirling. Surely someone in town would hire him and he could quit working at the Mill for his father…. the entire town couldn’t be in his pocket, could they?

Fall 1888

in an upstairs bedroom at the Bates family home, BRINDLETON BAY

Juliet stared out the window, watching her little brother playing without a care in the world in the front yard. Wryly, she wondered if she’d ever been given time like that in her entire life. Maybe when she was small, before her father died. Before Mother remarried. … But even then, Juliet doubted it. She had never been the boy that her parents had wanted, and if felt like she’d paid for it dearly with all the daily chores she was expected to do. Wash the clothes, the dishes, the linens, the floor. It seemed like something was always dirty – and it was always her job to fix it. Never Mary. Poor, poor Mary.

Juliet rolled her eyes and walked over to her wall mirror. Her step-sister’s husband had died shortly after the marriage, and, bereft, Mary had run home to her father for solace. Not only did he comfort her, but he gave her the best room in the house, making Juliet sleep in the kitchen on a cot. He claimed it was so Juliet could be closer to where her chores were, but that didn’t exactly make her feel better.

Wild giggling outside brought her thoughts back to her brother. If only he hadn’t been born. He had been a late surprise for her mother, who had thought she would never have an heir, and he had been the apple of his parent’s eyes ever since. He could do no wrong – and he certainly wasn’t expected to do any chores. He had school, after all. He was destined to be a well-respected teacher, like his father. .. Or that’s what everyone expected.

Juliet didn’t plan on staying around long enough to find out. Surely she could find a husband before she ended up a spinster maid, always caring for a family she hated. She examined her figure in the mirror, smiled, and smoothed her blonde hair back. Somehow, she had to convince her mother and step-father to start letting her run the errands into town so she could see and be seen. She was never going to find a husband to take her away from here if she couldn’t actually get out of the house to meet the bachelor in question.

Spring 1889

Behind the Deadgrass Discoveries Museum, Brindleton Bay

Juliet stood off to the side, watching Stefan Tangle quietly. He was a hard man to figure out. She knew of his rumored temper, but she’d certainly never seen any evidence of it since he’d begun courting her. They’d met in town when he’d practically stumbled over her in the town General Store, and she had done her best to flutter her eyelashes and simper like the town girls who always had beaus. He had been attentive ever since, taking her for Sunday drives after church – when the weather in this cursed town cooperated – and, while he had never been the most talkative and affectionate of men, time with him had been enjoyable. At least while she was with him she wasn’t having to wash something else at home.

Her step-father had been reluctant to allow Stefan to court her at first, and it had taken the Tangle family reputation and all of Juliet’s powers of persuasion to convince him that this was a good idea. After all, getting on the good side of one of the more powerful men in the county couldn’t hurt his precious son’s prospects later in life. Or – at least, that’s what she’d told her step-father. He didn’t need to know that Stefan had already confessed to hating this town as much as she did. He worked for his father at the Mill, but all he talked about when he did talk was finding a new place to work and live. .. Which worked out just fine for Juliet. Getting out of this town sounded like the perfect opportunity to her.

She glanced under her lashes at other couples walking past, heading for the beach below. Perhaps she could convince Stefan to make their arrangement more permanent, to take her away from here. She was doing her best to be exactly what he wanted – or what she figured every man wanted – a respectable society wife.

She took him by the arm, and steered him away from all the other people on the shore. Maybe she could get them a more private area up by the lighthouse, and get him to pay attention to her and not the water below.

By the end of the evening, she had – hopefully – snared even more of his affections. She had even let him steal a private kiss when no-one was around, and with any luck, that would start pushing him towards proposing. She had no idea what men actually looked for in a woman, but certainly a girl who hinted at so much more than a kiss but never gave it would spark a man’s interest. No way would she allow more than a kiss – because she knew that was a quick way to be a mistress instead of a wife – but the kiss had seemed harmless enough.

Stefan escorted her back to her family’s home, and they said goodnight at the door under the watchful eyes of her mother in the window. She turned to watch him go in the dim glow of the street lamps, marveling at the fine figure he cut in his tailored suit. Then, before her mother could find something else to complain about, she hurried inside to take care of the evening chores.

Introduction/Rules | Prologue Part 2

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

Teenagers

---

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

Reconciliation

---

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

Surprise!

---

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 10 | Chapter 12

The next day was mercifully cloudy, and it allowed me some time to actually work on my painting. While working on it, however, I noticed that my shower was pouring water out of the nozzle without even being turned on. Figures. More going wrong. I laid down my paintbrush, and rummaged through my toolbox in search of a wrench.

I was just coming out of my shower, with the faucet fixed when I realized I had another unexpected visitor.

“Mariko!” I cried, and hurried to her side. It seemed impossible that so much had happened since I had last seen her – nay, since I’d last even thought of her.

I folded her into my arms, and tried not to burst out crying with another rush of inexplicable emotion. I let her go, pushing the tears away, and noticed that she didn’t look the slightest bit happy with me.

…. “What?” …. Bewildered, I just looked at her, “What did I do wrong?”

“Wrong? What would make you think that? Why was I the last to know that you and Alex aren’t a thing anymore?! .. And where have you been!?” She burst out.

I cringed and looked away.

“I am truly sorry, Mari. So much has happened. I’ve hardly been myself these last few days. How did you hear about Alex and I?” I sighed deeply and tried to meet her eyes.

“The gossip is all over Windenburg. How you’re no longer human, you were seen drinking plasma.. and how you attacked Alex and wounded her gravely. It’s hard to even cross the street around town without hearing something else about it. People are afraid your art career is over, and, to be frank – they’re a bit afraid of you, too.” Her voice raised a little more with each statement, and I tried not to flinch away from her.

Her voice evened out, and she sighed. “All of Windenburg has always known about the vampires of Forgotten Hollow, and for the most part, those creatures of the night have always co-existed with us humans peacefully. People are now worried that you will change the balance.”

“I didn’t mean to – ” I began, only to have her interrupt me.

“- Dušan – I’m sure you didn’t. But it happened. And you should have come to me! How am I to help you – to be your friend – if you don’t even think of me in a crisis!” to my horror, her voice sounded near tears, and I reached out a hand to touch her shoulder.

“Did you ever think that maybe I was too far gone to even think of my friends?” I asked quietly, but then I thought of how I’d run to Sonia. I sighed deeply and looked away.

“I’m not very good at having friends.” I confessed miserably. “I’m not used to it. I’ve been a loner most of my life, and losing my mother didn’t help that. I’m not trying to excuse it.. but please, hear me out before you leave me to the wolves. Let me tell you what has happened since we last talked. Rumors hardly ever get the whole truth.”

I took her hand, and guided her over to the fire pit, motioning for her to take a seat. I lit the fire – mostly for it’s comforting presence, and started the story from the beginning.

She sat there quietly, sometimes watching me, sometimes watching the fire, but always listening carefully. Thankfully, she didn’t try to interrupt, or I’m not sure I would have gotten through the whole thing. After I finished, we both just sat there for what felt like forever.

She stood up abruptly a few minutes later, and started pacing in front of my little tent.

“Dušan. Oh, Dušan. I swear, this is not your fault. Don’t even think it. Damn that old vampire, anyway. How could you have known how dangerous he was….” she paused for a moment, then continued pensively, “I don’t think any of us truly knew – he’s always seemed to be harmless up in that old mansion, never bothering anyone. I had no way to know – to be able to warn you – that he had it in for your family. And as for Alex – she was only after your money, you know. Everyone knew it. Everyone – I guess, except for you. Perhaps it served her right for attacking you without knowing how hard you’ve worked to get where you now are. You losing control and feeding on her was probably inevitable.. and also completely forgivable, under the circumstances. How could you have known Vlad’s warning was so true? … You truly had no way to know.”

I watched her pace back and forth, wondering at her apparent unease.

“Mari – just so you know – it won’t happen again. I know I need to prevent hunger now. You’re safe.” I stood up, reaching towards her, but she stopped and pulled away.

“How could you think I was afraid of you?!” She burst out, clenching her fists.

Startled at her anger, I just looked at her speechlessly.

She took a deep breath, as if steeling herself.. and slowly continued, “Dušan – I have not been truthful with you. I should have been – but I think I was lying to myself, too. I have loved you from the moment I met you, but you couldn’t see me. You only saw Alex – so I took the part of you I could have. The friendship. And I held on to it in silence. There are so many things I should have told you about this town, about Alex, about everything.. But I said nothing. And that’s on me. I’m sorry. But it doesn’t mean I’m afraid of you. Never that. I don’t care that you’re not human. I don’t care that you still live in a tent. I never would have. I’m not like.. her.” Her words stumbled to a stop, and she turned away.

Blindly, I turned, and nearly fell into my chair. What was I supposed to say to that?? I felt off balance, out of breath, stunned. How could I have thought I was meant to be with Alex. How could I have ignored Mari so completely! She turned back and watched me warily, then, she too sat down.

We both sat there in silence, watching the fire burn itself out. Finally, I stood up and walked to my garden.

I picked a lone rose out of a tangled bush, and held it out to her.

“I’m sorry, Mari. Please. Please, forgive me. I never meant to hurt you.”

She looked from my face to the rose and back to me, then hesitantly took it. Taking a deep breath, she nodded.. and then left. Without another word. But – at least she had taken the rose. Maybe there was hope, yet….

I threw another log on the fire and sat there for the rest of the night. I don’t truly need sleep anymore, and I didn’t really feel like hiding away inside my tent, anyway. What was I to do now? If I’d thought I was confused before her visit, I’d been sorely mistaken. By morning, the fire had completely burned itself out, and I wandered off, walking mostly blindly about Forgotten Hollow.

I ended up at the “Point” – an area with a bench, and a dead tree that overlooked the bridge out of town. I sat down on the bench, deep in thought. The events of the last few days swirled in my head, and I let them fly. I thought of Alex’s form on the ground – of the feeling of slipping into a darker form of me. I thought of Mariko’s confession, and I wondered at the way her words had made my heart clench. How could I have been so wrong about Alex? About Mari? Would she forgive me, as her head nod seemed to have said… or was that wishful thinking on my part? I went back and forth in my head for a long while, then stood to leave.

To my astonishment, the cat from the other day was walking toward me purposefully.

“You’re an idiot.” I heard in my head. Blinking stupidly, I stopped and stared at the cat.

“… What?” I blurted out, and I would have continued, but the cat interrupted me.

“Yes, yes, I know you can hear me. And I know who you are. You are your mother’s son, after all. She was my friend at a hard time in my life, and I always swore if I could repay her, I would.”

Even more shocked.. I bent down towards the cat, letting it sniff my hand as if it were just any normal cat.

“You.. you knew my mother?”

“I said so, didn’t I?” the cat replied in my head, haughtily. “Now – enough of that. You are what you were meant to be. Now you have to do what your heart dictates. You must go after her, of course.”

“After who? .. My mother?”

The cat laughed in my head, and climbed up on the bench I had just been sitting on. I sat down next to it.

“No, of course not your mother. Your woman. Not the one you attacked, doofus. The other one. The one you are meant to love.”

“I’m meant to… what? Who ARE you? How do you know all this? And what’s this about what I’m meant to be?”

The cat merely stared at me for a long moment, then it left as suddenly as it had arrived.

Nonplussed, I stood up, noticing that sometime while … conversing?… with the cat, the rain had settled in, and now I was getting soaked. I headed home slowly, my thoughts whirling in my head, and my heart still in knots. I had some deciding to do.

Chapter 10 | Chapter 12

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

Wrecked

---

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

Bittersweet Teen

---

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

Chapter 9 | Chapter 11

By the end of my day I had nowhere to go, and nothing else to do but to run to Sonia again. I relayed the rest of my day’s story to her through tears.

“She’s truly gone, Sonia!” I wailed. “I’ve looked everywhere for her. Even her cellphone is disconnected, and all her personal things are gone from her home. I don’t understand how a person can move so fast. I mean – she left all her furniture, but it’s clear from what her landlord said that she has no intention to come back for it.”

“And the worst part is – I just sat there on my cooler as she left, and I said nothing. I didn’t even TRY to apologize. She’s gone. And I did nothing.” Miserably, I broke into more tears, and Sonia quietly patted the couch next to her. I made my way over there and sat down, still bawling like a baby.

“Dušan…” she began haltingly – “I’m not sure what to say.”

She shook her head sadly, then continued, “I had a feeling she wasn’t right for you from the beginning, but I didn’t want to step on your happiness. Now I feel like I should have said something. Anything. Maybe you wouldn’t be hurting like this.”

“But she seemed so perfect! Why did I let myself fall so hard, so fast?” Once again, I buried my face in my hands, but the tears seemed to be drying up.

“Ah, that’s a question we all ask at least once in our lives, I think, Dušan.” Sonia said with a smile.

Then, the smile abruptly disappeared. “I think you have more to worry about in your life right now than a runaway fiance. Aren’t you forgetting a little something about your new diet? How are you going to deal with that?”

“I wish I knew, Sonia. Despite the temptation, I doubt I’ll be feeding off of humans. And I don’t need Vlad to show me how to make Plasma packs. I learned that in my research … I just wish I didn’t have to know. Moot point, I suppose, right?”

“Mroooowll.” I heard behind me, completely interrupting my train of thought. I turned around, expecting to see Prissy. I was shocked to see a black cat, wearing – of all things – a top hat and a neon green bow tie. I stared at him for a moment, wondering if I was just really hungry again and hallucinating.

“Sonia, do you see the cat with the hat and the bow tie??” I said softly, and heard her chuckling behind me.

“Of course I do, Dušan.” Sonia replied, “I’m not blind! He’s been hanging around since Prissy came to live with me. Him and a few of his friends.”

As if on cue, a dirty white cat jumped up onto the cat tree to join the black one. This one ignored me, though. “Mrrroooowllll” The black cat insisted, this time much louder. I got up and walked over by him, never losing eye contact. This was weird. I wasn’t really a cat person, but this cat clearly wanted something from me.

I put out my hand to let him smell it, and he jumped down off the climbing tree and approached me. After a brief sniff, he twitched his tail and ran out the cat door that I hadn’t even noticed until now. Blinking in confusion, I stood there for a long moment, then turned back to Sonia with a sigh.

“I don’t know what to do now, Sonia.” I said, miserably remembering the sight of Alex’s crumpled form at my feet. “I thought I had everything worked out. Now it’s all a big mess.”

Sonia stood up and came over to me, taking my shoulders in her hands. “Never fear, Dušan,” she said, “You will figure that out in time. You will, perhaps, even forget Alex. However – you should never forget the lesson that she taught you.”

I sighed, and looked away. “I don’t think I’ll be forgetting her. At least – not any time soon.”

Noticing that the sun had gone down, I suddenly realized the time. Sonia was probably exhausted. “I should go.” I said, and turned back to her. “It’s getting late for you.”

She smiled, and patted my shoulders one more time. “Yes, it is. But remember, you are welcome here at any time of day or night, my friend.”

After giving Sonia a quick hug, I headed home, thinking furiously to myself. My world had been turned upside down too many times in the past couple of days, and I felt disoriented, like the snowflakes in a snow globe after it’s been shaken violently. I was so befuddled that I apparently couldn’t even start a fire in my firepit without lighting my arm on fire. I quickly put it out, and tried again.

Something about sitting by a fire is comforting, and even though there was no real reason to have it lit – it’s not like I needed to cook dinner or anything – it made me feel better. I pulled out one of my limited supply of Plasma packs and drained it, then sat pensively looking into the fire. After a while, I realized how tired I was, and I extinguished the fire carefully and climbed into my tent.

The next morning, I tried to go back to my routine. Gardening, painting, saving money for my house. Because I truly didn’t want to live in a tent forever. However, I had forgotten one small detail.

As the sun rose in the sky, and the clouds moved away, my skin started smoking. It felt a little bit like the worst sunburn you’ve ever had. There was no way I could stand outside and paint all day like I had been doing. I retreated to my tent for a while, trying to figure out what to do – at least in the short term. My thoughts finally turned to the Windenburg library – and I made up my mind to go and expand my knowledge of vampires. I was going to need to know more now – a lot more.

By the time I got to Windenburg, a massive thunderstorm had rolled in. At least my skin isn’t burning, I thought wryly and headed inside.

After finding the section on vampires, I settled in to read… only to realize I had an audience.

“Are you Dušan Bratan – the artist??” the young boy asked.

Sighing, I put the book down. “Yes?”

“Can I have your autograph!?”

Inwardly, I sighed in relief. At least he hadn’t taken one look at me and noticed that I wasn’t human or something. I reached out and took the pen and autograph book he held in his hand. Smiling in the least threatening way I could, I quickly scribbled my name and handed back the autograph.

Thankfully, this seemed to mollify the boy, who ran to a woman I suspected was his mother, jumping about with excitement.

I turned back to my book, and lost a few hours in reading. I found out a little bit more about vampires, but nothing hugely exciting. I had a feeling that I was going to have to learn how to be one from an actual vampire…. and there was no way I was going to approach Vlad willingly again.

Sighing deeply, I put the books away and returned to the chair, wondering what to do next. The question of the ages, I suppose. The storm still raged outside, and the after school crowd seemed to have dissipated. It seemed that not many other people were out and about, braving the weather.

Looking around, I noticed that one of the library computers was available, and it occurred to me that I should check on the status of my house permits. Surely I had gotten some sort of answer by now?…

I sat down, typing in the password to my email, and scanned through the junk mail. Unfortunately, there was nothing from the city. And there was nothing from Alex, either. (I mean – I had to check. There could have been something…)

My stomach chose that exact moment to remind me that I needed to keep myself full, so I signed out of my email, returned to my chair by the window and pulled a plasma pack out of my pocket. As I started drinking, I heard a loud gasp beside me. A red-haired woman was sitting in the other window seat, staring at me in horror. In confusion, I stared back, then I glanced down. That was when it dawned on me that my snack didn’t look anything like something that was consumable by humans. Embarrassed, and, yes, a little afraid at being found out, I left the library as quickly as I could. I finished my snack on the way back to Forgotten Hollow, glad to see that my new enemy – the sun – was going down.

In the dark, I took care of my garden and my bees, and stared miserably at the half finished canvas on my easel. There was no way I could paint in the dark. How was I going to survive if I couldn’t paint. I needed that house. At least I had plenty in savings now, but I really didn’t want to have to spend it on everyday expenses.

At a complete loss, I finally crawled into my tent, and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, I checked my mail. … And yes! There it was. A note from the city.

I stared at the letter for a long moment, rereading it several times. Things just couldn’t get any better, could they?! My anger started bubbling up inside me slowly, and I don’t know what I might have done if Sonia hadn’t chosen that exact moment to walk by my campsite.

“Dušan! What’s wrong?” she asked, immediately concerned.

Wordlessly, I showed her the letter. She read over it, then frowned. I walked to my tent, and pulled out the copies I had of the house plans and the application. Everything was filled in, the plans were complete.. there was nothing wrong with them. Both of us were baffled. After a long conversation, the only thing we could figure out was to re-contact them, to try again… but to do that, I would need to go back to the library. And I wasn’t ready to do that yet.

I lit the fire again after Sonia went home, and sat there miserably. Poking at it with a long stick, I sat there most of the next night, lost in thoughts that kept going in circles. I couldn’t help thinking that I must have made the worst mistake of my life – moving here to Forgotten Hollow. At the same time, I still wasn’t ready to give up on rebuilding my mother’s legacy. There had to be something I could do….

---

Blooper:

Mid-conversation at Sonia’s house, one of the stray cats attacked her. And yes, the cat with the hat really did just show up out of nowhere and interrupt the conversation.

Chapter 9 | Chapter 11

Chapter 2 Interlude 1 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.12

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

(A/N: This post marks my halfway point for posts goal for Simnano, and I’m way past halfway on words!)

A Great Weekend

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The school week was over, the house (and the kids) were clean, and it was promising to be another gorgeous evening in Sulani. Unbeknownst to me, Aleki was making plans. You see, I had forgotten it was Love Day – but he hadn’t. In the solitude of his office, he made a quiet call for a nanny for the evening. He then snuck upstairs and got changed.

He then approached me in Maricela’s room – where I was playing with her at the dollhouse – and surprised me by asking me on a date. Of course I was immediately concerned about leaving the kids behind with Mari being so little still, but he had timed things perfectly. The doorbell rang and the nanny was here.

I hurried upstairs to get changed while Aleki squared away all the instructions with Ms. Ausage. Obviously, I had to double check that she had all of the details she might need to know, but she seemed to be on top of things. You can’t blame me for being over-protective and worried, though – it was the first time Aleki and I had left the kids with a nanny.

I hadn’t bothered to ask where we were going, because – quite frankly, my thoughts were still with the kids – so it was a pleasant surprise when we arrived at the local seafood restaurant. He presented me with a rose, and an obviously rehearsed little speech. Maybe even a little over-rehearsed, but it was still sweet. After all this time and all those kids – he still had a romantic side.

Aleki went inside and requested a table, while I said hello to my sister-in-law. Apparently Aleki hadn’t been the only one to have thought about Love Day for his sweetest.

We ordered some white wine and the Trout, which sounded delicious, and made small talk while we waited for the food. Most of the chat was about the kids, of course, but I certainly didn’t mind. Between the kids and the environment, I’m pretty well easy to please with favorite topics of conversation.

My nephew, Barry (in the pink) was also there, so I waved at him across the room. I didn’t notice who he was with, though, because just then our food arrived.

The trout was delicious, and the wine a rare treat, which I heartily enjoyed.

It was fully dark by the time we finished our meal, and even later before we finished our conversation and paid the bill. The night breezes were sweet with the scent of tropical flowers, and the restaurant was still crowded.

We made our way outside near the archway where we’d gotten married, and lit the bonfire. We cuddled by the fire as we watched the embers die out, and just enjoyed the quiet of the evening.

With one last kiss, we admitted it was time to head back home to relieve the sitter, and wrapped up the evening with a boat ride home. It was one of the few times I’d actually used the boat I’d been given as a promotion bonus, so both of us were a little rusty on the sails, but we made it home safely. I hurried inside like a worried mother duck while Aleki agreed to furl the sails and anchor the boat.

Of course everything had been fine, and the kids had seemed to hardly even notice we were gone. Jayce and Kali had finished their homework, Mari had had her bath and gone to bed early. By now, even Jayce and Kali were asleep, and I tiptoed in to give both a kiss before retiring for the night.

Saturday was a lazy day spent at home for everyone, and I had time to go do some more photography dives. Jayce played on the dollhouse, Aleki worked on a commission, and Mari was busy with her blocks.

Kali – of course – was busy drawing more pictures for an already full refrigerator door. She definitely got her love of art from her Dad, and despite wanting to work on her Mental skills, she almost always defaulted to drawing or making crafts on the activity table.

Sunday – my birthday – dawned clear and bright and I took some personal time off work. We packed up a picnic basket and headed for the local beach in Ohan’ali Town, something we should have done more of in the past.

After arriving, almost everyone scattered to do their own thing. The children played on the swings together, Aleki went for a dip in the sea, Mari found a sandcastle to stomp on – and I went to check on the local wildlife. I guess I can take a day off work, but still never forget who I was.

The reef was healthy and vibrant, and a pod of dolphins (not Squirt’s pod) were in the area hunting for lunch. The leader took some time out to chat, and allowed me to pet him, although his young ones kept their distance warily.

By the time I got back to the beach, Kali had corralled little Mari into actually building a sand castle, and Jayce was playing with a toy dinosaur he’d brought from home. My stomach reminded me that it was past time for mermaid lunches, too, so I headed to the picnic area and set about grilling the chicken we’d brought.

Meanwhile, Aleki had discovered a treasure trove of seashells around the beaches, and was refilling the basket we’d brought with the bounty. It would turn out to be worth a couple thousand dollars, not including the specimens we kept for our nick knack shelves at home.

Kali ate her lunch quickly, and excused herself to go take a swim. Somehow, despite the fact it was a weekend and a beautiful day, the beach was practically deserted, but I didn’t have to worry about Kali’s swimming skills. We are mermaids, after all.

Lunch turned out amazing, and I sat around chatting with some locals who were interested in Island Conservation. Or – rather – I got them interested in it.

The sun was setting by the time we packed up to head home, and I was officially an adult. I didn’t even mind the fact that I hadn’t gotten a cake and candles to blow out, because the day had been perfect just as it was.

The kids were practically asleep before little heads touched pillows, and they slept soundly through the night for a change – even little Mari. There’s nothing quite like a busy weekend to wear one out – but I don’t think any of us minded.

Chapter 2 Interlude 1 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 2.12