IllusoryThrall's Sims 4 Hub
- Challenges, Tips & Stories
Sometimes a picture just brings to mind a storyline. Like this one… Where’s the bunny going? And why? Is he leaving his farm family behind to explore the wild, or is he off to find a little girl bunny and bring her home to meet the family? … Other times, it’s something that happens, or a character (or sim) that really just speaks to you. This section is where I’m at my most creative. It’s also, by far, the hardest to write. So – I have to be in the right mindset to write the stories listed here… and sometimes I get fully stuck in writer’s block mode for a while. So I can’t promise these will be updated with anything close to regularity… but each and every story listed below was crafted with love, and holds a special place in my heart. (and imagination!) I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them!
(more…)Chapter 3.6 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.8
Generation Three: Red Appearance: Red hair, scandalous clothing style Traits: Romantic, Hot-headed, Art Lover Aspiration: Serial Romantic Occupation: Art Critic House Goal: 30,000 worth
My day started with a phone call from work. I had stuff I needed to get to, but my time was so filled with toddler care and training, it was hard to find spare moments to get work things done, too. I disliked calling babysitters .. and there was no way I was going to rely on a nanny, so I was coping as well as I could.
I was working on other things, too, like my aspiration … and there was nothing wrong with supplementing my income with selling any treasure or shells I find while beach combing. The sand mural .. is for working at home. Sometimes I just can’t get to the city to do the required graffiti spraying, so I decided to do it at home.
Little Charlie continues to grow by leaps and bounds, both in what she can do, and size. She’s walking easily now, and has finally started talking. We’re still dealing with middle of the night nightmares, but they’re getting further and further apart.
My cousin, Grayson, came by to to chat – and announce his new baby on the way. I congratulated him, and we chatted for a long while before Charlie woke up from her nap and needed some dinner. I excused myself and went back into “mom mode”.
I was so busy, that even cleaning sometimes has to take a back seat. It didn’t really help my appetite, however, so I made sure to do a cleaning pass every night before bed.
Poor Charlie. She spent so much time with me today, learning skills, that her little body just gave out. I picked her up and carried her exhausted little self straight to bed.
Tucking her into bed, and reading her a story, she finally fell into a deep sleep, one I hoped would last the entire night. Crawling into bed myself, I reminded myself that the toddler stage couldn’t last forever. I just had to survive it.
When I had time, I also worked on my painting and writing skills for work. Both were really nice, and helped in the income department, because raising a kid is not cheap. Other parents never warn you about that part of parenting!
Day by day, little Charlie learned more about her world. She loved getting baths – and splashing me, so I knew she was going to make a wonderful mermaid. I specifically neglected to tell my parents and family that Charlie had been born human, because I figured that was personal info. If Charlie wanted to tell them someday, that was her choice. Plus, nobody would ever notice, because fins don’t show up until you’re a teenager, anyway, so as long as she eats the kelp on her birthday and changes right away, nobody will be the wiser.
Potty training has been a struggle, but I think we’re finally making headway on it. At least – she’s started letting me know when she has to go, so *most* of the time, we’re able to make it to the potty in time.
Rohan and I have made up after his little jealous fit on Love Day at the restaurant, and he still comes over from time to time to check up on Charlie and I. He’s a sweet guy, but certainly not “keeper” material. I’m still wary of his weird “spell-casting” and strange hand motions.
Finally, my day ended, and this time it was me who barely made it into bed. I prayed Charlie would let me sleep through the whole night. I certainly needed the break!
Chapter 3.6 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.8
Chapter 3.5 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.7
Generation Three: Red Appearance: Red hair, scandalous clothing style Traits: Romantic, Hot-headed, Art Lover Aspiration: Serial Romantic Occupation: Art Critic House Goal: 30,000 worth
Charlie wasn’t tiny forever, and I felt she was going to need a Dad.. eventually, and I had no prospects on that… so I needed to meet more men. On yet another trip to the city, I met Kado. He was married with kids, but didn’t seem concerned about leaving them behind to spend time with me. For a moment, I felt guilty, but then, I decided to just let that slide. If he felt guilty, that was his business, but I didn’t think I really needed to.
Therefore, when Love Day hit, he was first on my list to invite out to dinner. Kado was smart, and caring, and really seemed to put all his attention on me whenever we were together… which was music to my ears. I invited him out to Sand Simoleon Seafood, and he readily agreed to meet me there. We ordered our food, and were deep into conversation, when a nagging feeling hit me. Something was wrong.
Apparently all Kado and me flirting had not gone unnoticed. Rohan was sitting at the next table with a date, and, by the frown on his face, it was clear he had spotted Kado and I. Resolutely, I turned away and focused on Kado. What Rohan did was his business, and if he was going to get jealous.. well then, poo on him. I had never told him we were exclusive, so there was no reason for him to be jealous, in my opinion. Consequently, Kado and I had a lovely meal. He continued to be a great companion, and someone I could really have a full conversation with. I had SUCH a good night with him, that I was loathe to end the night. So… I invited him home with me. He agreed without hesitation, and we headed back to my cozy little red cabin on the beach.
I really only had one thing on my mind (ok, well two.. I made sure Charlie was well cared for before going to bed with Kado…) and Kado was quick to agree. Turns out: he was as attentive and skilled in bed as he was at conversation.
The next morning, Mom called to check up on how Charlie was doing, and I answered her questions, neglecting to mention there was a married man still sleeping in my bed behind me. I knew she wouldn’t approve, and since I was an adult now, her approval didn’t really matter to me, anyway. (At least, that’s what I was trying to tell myself…) So, instead of waking up Kado, I went for a swim. Charlie wasn’t up yet, and my scales were feeling awfully itchy.
Unbeknownst to me, while I was out for my swim, Charlie woke up, and Kado happily took care of her for me. He found a bottle in the fridge, changed her diaper, and gave her a cuddle. By the time I got back, he was still baby-talking to her and seemed to be having a great time getting to know her… which was … well, surprising to me.
Once he noticed me watching him, Kado confessed to having to go home for the afternoon, but he promised to come back later. I reserved judgement on whether that was going to happen or not.
While he was gone, Charlie had her first birthday. With very little fanfare, all of a sudden I had a toddler to take care of. I mean, I had some experience with toddlers because of my siblings.. but it was still a bit of a shock. I ended up calling into work and taking the rest of the day “off”, because I needed to concentrate on keeping Charlie busy and out of trouble.
That afternoon, the doorbell rang, and I yelled that the door was open, wondering who it was. Kado walked in shortly after my yell, with a rose in his hand, and a smile and a kiss on the forehead for Charlie.
A sudden urgent call from work a bit later, and Kado immediately stepped in to take Charlie outside to play so the two of them would be out of the way while I worked.
The next time I had a chance to look out the window, they were happily building a sand castle together, acting for all the world like they’d known each other forever. I wrapped up my work as fast as I could, and called them back inside as the sun started going down.
My way of thanking Kado may not have been the best example for Charlie, but I wasn’t going to change myself just because I had a child now. She would have to decide what was right for her as she grew up. Finally, she decided to head outside to play in the sand again, leaving Kado and I some time to .. well.. you can figure out the rest.
At bedtime, I went out to find her playing with a local toddler outside (in fact, he was a relative of hers.. but neither of them knew it, which I found hilarious. I located my cousin to make sure Charlie’s playmate would be cared for, and gathered Charlie up to take her to bed.
The next morning, I took Charlie out to play in the new kiddie pool after breakfast and Kado heading back to Mt. Komorebi for work and family duties. I noticed Charlie seemed a little unfamiliar with the water, and a sinking feeling hit my chest. She wasn’t a born mermaid. Luckily, I still had a supply of mermadic kelp that Mom had passed down to me, so – once Charlie was a teenager – she could change. I was still determined she would be my heir, whether she was a mermaid born or not. It wasn’t her fault her father was human!
Later, the contractors showed up for some work on the house. I knew that, since I had a toddler, I was going to need a bathtub, so I had ordered a full bathroom installed, and the start of a real kitchen.
After all, I couldn’t expect Charlie to grow up healthy and strong if I was only feeding her from the cooler of cereal, granola, and yogurt. Finally, my house was turning into a real home.
Chapter 3.5 | Rules for this challenge | Chapter 3.7
WC: Day Four < | Challenge Home Page | > WC: Day Six
Jaz was up early before school, and found out they weren’t the only one awake. They tried to draw Timika into conversation, but all they got for their effort was a weird look, so Jaz just shut up and ate breakfast in silence. Jaz wondered what Timika’s story was, but didn’t feel like they could ask, so … silence it was.
Once breakfast was over, it was time to get ready for school, and at least there was Penny to talk to while doing that. Penny was about Phoenix’s age, an orphan, and apparently – until recently – they’d been in a home with mostly toddlers. Talking about them made Jaz feel even more lost without their siblings, and Penny empathized with them, remarking that she was glad she had no siblings to miss. Being moved to a new home was bad enough without feeling like they’d been ripped away from family. Jaz agreed with Penny sadly, and the two went out to wait for the school bus.
As the youngest in the house, and the only one to stay at home with Wendy during school hours, Jimmy was able to get a lot of attention during the day. Matt worked in the business industry, and between his paychecks and the payments from the foster agency, Wendy was able to be a stay at home parent like she really wanted to. After Layla, they had been unable to have another biological child, so the decision to become foster parents had been easy, really. So many kids these days were in need of a stable family life after falling on hard times.
After school, Jaz and the other kids all sat down to finish their homework. It was a rule in the house that homework had to be done before anything else, and it was one Jaz wholeheartedly approved of. Jaz was done first, and sat down for a moment to enjoy the peace and quiet of the house, wondering what to do with the rest of their afternoon. They decided that maybe they’d work on their Creativity aspiration, which needed Jaz to play with several different toys. With a sigh, Jaz got up and headed for the toybox they remembered seeing in Jimmy’s room.
“Oh, there you are, Jaz!” Wendy said cheerfully, “I was just coming to find you.”
“Oh? What for?” Jaz asked, hoping it wasn’t anything bad.
“I just talked to Penny, and I’m going to take her shopping. I thought maybe you’d like to get a bit of a makeover. I understand times have been rather hard lately, and I noticed your clothes aren’t the newest. Perhaps something new would be good?” Wendy asked, hoping Jaz wouldn’t take the offer wrong.
“Really?” Jaz replied, unsure of what really to say.
“Of course. We could make a whole afternoon of it. Maybe get hair cuts, if you are interested, and then go to Magnolia Promenade to see what we can find for new clothes.” Wendy replied with a smile.
“Magnolia…? Not the thrift store?” Jaz asked, astounded that they’d actually get to go shopping at a REAL store, not just get hand me downs or thrift store castaways.
Wendy chuckled, “No, honey. I meant new clothes.”
“I’ve never had new clothes.” Jaz commented quietly, then reached up to touch their shaggy hair, “And a haircut might be nice.”
“Well, let’s go then. Let me get my purse and keys. I’ll meet you at the car, okay?”
Jaz nodded, and went to find Penny excitedly.
After a short drive to the shopping district, they all got out of the car and followed Wendy into the store.
Both kids browsed for new clothes, surreptitiously looking at price tags. This was so much money, and both worried that this was just too much expense when there were other kids in the house. Wendy caught them, and told them to stop looking, and not to worry about it for today.
Jaz’s jaw dropped, and tried to not feel weird for doing actual shopping without being given a budget.
As if sensing a big sale, the saleslady came over, and insisted on helping Jaz and Penny find styles that would fit. Before long, even Jaz had gotten into the retail therapy, and happily picked out some new outfits that would fit closer with the boyish style they felt more comfortable with.
After picking almost a whole new wardrobe, Jaz felt horribly guilty about the total cost, but Wendy assured her that it was easily covered in the budget. They then went around the corner, to the salon – a place Jaz had NEVER been to. Marnie had always cut Jaz’s hair to save money. Not even sure what to tell the stylist they wanted, Jaz pored over style magazines until they found a style they felt would work. The style seemed more appropriate for a boy, which fit well with their new outfit style. Since Wendy seemed to be okay with it, Jaz sat nervously while the scissors snipped. When the stylist turned them around, Jaz’s jaw dropped. They looked so different! With a hesitant grin, Jaz showed Penny and Wendy, to resounding compliments. Both seemed to really like what Jaz had picked, to their relief.
The drive home in the dark was noisy, with all three of them chattering excitedly. Jaz had completely forgotten about calling Kayla. When Jaz finally remembered, they were already curled up in bed. Promising to try to call the next day, Jaz drifted off to sleep, happily fingering the ends of their new haircut and feeling so much older in their new pjs. Being able to get rid of that ridiculous rainbow bunny suit and slippers felt like actually growing up.
Bonus shot: Post-makeover Jaz
And: an outfit tour for both Jaz and Penny.
WC: Day Four < | Challenge Home Page | > WC: Day Six
WC: Day Three < | Challenge Home Page | > WC: Day Five
Jaz woke up the next morning feeling far less disorientated than previous mornings. Perhaps they were getting used to their new home. Rolling over, Jaz, noted that Penny was already up and gone for the day, so Jaz decided it was probably past time to get up. Getting themselves dressed in their normal clothes, Jaz made a face at the thin-ness of the fabric. It had been getting close to time for another thrift shop run, but that seemed out of the realm of possibility now. Jaz wondered if they should mention it to their new foster mom. After a moment of thought, Jaz decided not to. Things were still tense, and asking something about money just seemed.. wrong.
All dressed, Jaz headed down to the living room, and found their new foster mom, Mrs. Judd, hanging out with her daughter, Layla – while Layla watched some questionable TV. Jaz said good morning, and Mrs. Judd immediately told Jaz to call her Wendy, and patted the spot next to her on the loveseat.
“How are you settling in, Jaz? Any problems so far?” Wendy asked in a friendly tone.
“Oh, no, Mrs. – I mean Wendy – things are going just fine. I just miss my brothers. Especially the twins. They were fun to play with.” Jaz replied, then continued, “I really appreciate you making room for me in your house, .. um. .. Wendy.”
“Oh, Jaz, you are so sweet. Of course we have plenty of room for you. Perhaps you should talk to your caseworker, Kayla, and see if it would be okay for you to get the numbers of your siblings. I am pretty sure they’re not in the office today since it’s a Sunday, but you could always call them tomorrow after school?” Wendy suggested.
Jaz paused, thinking about Colin mentioning the same thing. “I think I will do that. Thanks, Wendy. Is it okay if I go grab some breakfast?”
“Of course, sweetie! There’s some leftover pancakes on the stove, and they should still be warm.” Wendy replied with a smile, then got up and continued, “Here, I’ll go with you and make some bacon and eggs to go with them. We need to get some meat on your bones!”
Confused as to what “getting meat on your bones” meant, but unwilling to ask, Jaz followed quietly, equally unwilling to turn down freshly made food.
Layla shook her head to herself, wondering at her strange new housemate. This non-binary “they/them” thing was kind of weird, but Jaz certainly seemed like a sweet, genuine person. How sad they had lost their whole family in one really bad week.
Later that day….
The entire family packed up and headed to the park in the middle of Willow Creek. Jaz was handed a ticket for a concert, and looked at it curiously. They’d never been to a concert before. Heck – they’d never even heard of such a thing happen. This was terribly exciting.
Wendy immediately went to get some t-shirts, and some food for herself, while everyone else went to gather around the stage. Before long, the first performer showed up, and the music was … unreal. Jaz had never heard live music before, and this was amazing.
The whole evening was utterly magical. Jaz would never forget it. Jimmy, the toddler in the household, seemed to be stuck to Jaz’s side for most of the evening, and Jaz really didn’t mind. He reminded Jaz of Brett and Braydon. Which was both a good and a bad thing. Jaz decided they would definitely have to talk to Kayla at some point this coming week… because losing track of their brothers was out of the question in Jaz’s mind. Heck, Jaz even missed Phoenix, although telling him so wasn’t exactly high on their list of priorities.
Once they all arrived home, everyone filed silently off towards their own area of the house, focused on getting ready for bed and just falling into sleep as quickly as possible.
WC: Day Three < | Challenge Home Page | > WC: Day Five
WC: Day Two < | Challenge Home Page | > WC: Day Four
To Jaz’s delight, the next day they were allowed to travel to Oasis Springs Desert Bloom Park for their club meeting. Above anything else, Jaz was really excited to spend some time with their best friend, Colin. It was hard to spend more than a few minutes together at school, so hanging out at club meetings was at the top of Jaz’s list of favorite things to do. After a big, relieved hug from Colin, they set out to enjoy the day.
They played some soccer, swung on the swings, and then played some Space Pirate. Then, Jaz noticed one of the newest club members, Pierce, seemed to be trying to get Jaz and Elsa’s attention.
Walking over to him, he hailed them enthusiastically, and asked them if Elsa had told them the news. Baffled, Jaz shook their head.
“I’m afraid to tell you, I’m going to have to leave the club. I am very glad for the offer to join, and you guys are amazing, but I know it’s currently kids – only, and my birthday’s coming up this week.” Pierce explained. “If it’s okay with you, I’d still like to be friends, though!”
“Oh.” Jaz replied, taking a moment to take all the information in. “I’d forgotten you were older that us, Pierce! I’ve had such a good time getting to know you. Good luck in high school!”
“Thanks a bunch, Jaz!” Pierce replied, and wandered off to talk to other club members.
Elsa, who appeared to have other things on her mind, asked Jaz if they had any ideas of who could replace Pierce in the club, now that there was an extra spot.
“Shouldn’t you be deciding those kind of things, Elsa?” Jaz asked, confused. “Aren’t you the leader?”
Elsa’s face fell. “Jaz, I really wanted to talk to you about that. I think, truly, you would be a better leader for the club at this point.”
“Wait. What??” Jaz asked, stunned. “You’re a great leader, Elsa, why would you want to step down?”
“Well, it’s no secret that I’m older than you by a year. That, and my parents are sending me across town to a private school, so I’m not sure I’ll be able to put my full attention into being a leader. I’m not leaving the club, and I’ll still try to make meetings on Saturdays, but.. yeah, I just think you should be the leader, not me. You’re the one everyone looks up to, after all.”
“I am?” Jaz squeaked.
“Definitely.” Elsa said, decisively, “I’ve already talked to everyone else, and they all agree you’re the best choice. So, what do you say?”
“Um… sure. I guess I can give it a whirl. At least I have your excellent leadership skills to pattern mine after.” Jaz replied with a smile, “I guess that’s why you were asking me who I thought would make a good new club member, huh?”
“Yep!” Elsa replied with a smile. “So, you have anyone in mind?”
Jaz thought for a moment, and then an idea occurred to them. “Give me a minute, I think I know who would be perfect.”
Jaz wandered away, made a quick phone call, then waited by the front of the park.
“Get this, Penny.” Jaz said excitedly when their foster sibling, Penny Forrester, arrived at the park. “There’s an open spot in the club. Would you be interested in joining?”
Penny broke into a smile, “I can’t believe that you’re asking me to join, of all people. I’d love to!”
“Cool!” Jaz replied, then pointed out the other club members, suggesting that Penny go get to know everyone.
Colin came over to congratulate Jaz on being club leader now, then, since nobody was around, he leaned in close to whisper, “So, we really need to talk, huh? My Dad got remarried and his new wife is already expecting. I feel like they’re replacing me and my other siblings, since we chose to stay with Mom. And.. seriously, what’s been happening with you to make you so cheerful? Is everything okay?”
“Things are great. In fact,” Jaz said, waving Penny over, “This is one of my new sisters, Penny. Penny, meet my best friend of all time, Colin.”
Penny broke into a smile, and greeted Colin happily.
“New sisters? Now I really need to know what’s going on!” Colin replied with a chuckle.
Jaz pointed at the chess tables, which were almost empty, and suggested a round of chess with some chatting on the side.
Colin readily agreed, and the two waved a temporary good bye to Penny, who seemed perfectly happy to go mingle with the other club members.
Jaz insisted on catching up with Colin’s life first, and Colin spilled all the details. He even mentioned that seeing Jaz doing so well as non-binary was inspiring him to maybe pursue coming out as trans. Jaz broke into a smile, and ran around the side of the table to give him a hug. “That would be amazing, Colin! Congratulations!”
Colin hugged Jaz tightly. “Now, I absolutely have to know. What happened to make you so much happier??”
Jaz launched into the whole sad story about Kayla Bliss and Gemma coming to the Malone’s “rescue”. Jaz expressed their worry about their other siblings, and even poor Marnie, in their new places, but especially how much Jaz was missing the twins.
“Why don’t you contact Kayla, and ask for their numbers, that way you can check up on everyone. Maybe you can even go visit them sometimes?” Colin suggested.
“Oh, Colin, what a great idea!” Jaz replied, “I didn’t even think of asking her.”
The conversation continued, the chess game ended (with Jaz as the winner), and Colin and Jaz joined the other club members for some more playtime.
By the end of the day, Jaz was exhausted, but happy. It had been a busy day, but by far the best part had finally been being able to catch up with Colin. After a big hug goodbye, Penny and Jaz headed home to Willow Creek, chatting happily about the day.
Wendy had food waiting for them, and they watched some cartoons while eating. Then, with tired but happy souls, both climbed the stairs to go to bed.
Author’s Note: Sorry I’m behind a few days, I’m working on catching up. I had a major inspiration slump this past week, and, on top of that, when I moved the kids to their new homes, I used the “adopt child” interaction on MCCC. Unfortunately, this resulted in EVERY relationship – family, friend, etc, being wiped from all the kid’s memories. By the time I noticed it, it was too late to revert the save. So it took AGES of painstaking work to fix the family and friend relationships for each and every Malone kid, which didn’t help my writer’s slump any. I’m happy to report, everything is now fixed, though, and inspiration is coming back (as evidenced by being able to finish writing this today. I will have another chapter up later, too.)
WC: Day Two < | Challenge Home Page | > WC: Day Four
Magnolia Promenade Recap < | Challenge Home Page | > Newcrest Recap
Marnie spends some time cleaning up the house’s garden, planting with plants that are better suited for the desert. Then, her priority was making the dryer lint-proof and safe. Bennie tries to talk to Benji, only to find out that Benji is planning on moving out as soon as he can after becoming an adult. Marnie then tells Jaz that their first therapy appointment is tomorrow, others will be after school, but this one is during, so they’ll have to stay home. Jaz is shocked that therapy isn’t just a one time visit. Phoenix and Myles find a monster under Myles’ bed, and monster lights quickly go on the shopping list.
The next day, Marnie and Jaz take the long bus ride to Newcrest to the Mental Health Center. Jaz gets more and more worried, and Marnie is no help (as usual). Jaz finally meets Dr. Gemma Fleming, her therapist, and immediately finds a kindred spirit. Gemma concentrates on Jaz and her needs, immediately pinpointing why she won’t go to the bathroom with others around, and brings up the possibility of alternate genders. Marnie, on the other hand, shows off her ignorance and laughs at Jaz contemplating not “wanting” to be a girl, telling her that since she was born that way, she was stuck with it. Gemma disagrees, and scolds Marnie for laughing at her daughter, immediately solidifying Gemma as a friend in Jaz’s mind. Gemma ends the appointment by offering Jaz a real handshake, and a positive interaction with an adult who is willing to advocate for her (something Jaz is completely unfamiliar with).
Myles has his next club meeting at the library, and Marnie decides not to attend with him. Myles puts all his energy into making some friends and getting his homework done with them. This is a new thing for Myles, because he’s never really had friends before. He finds he likes it. Later, Benji asks the Future cube about his current romance with Shaylee, and the cube does NOT respond favorably, to Benji’s dismay.
Benji’s Young Adult birthday party was the next day, and he wakes up in a great mood, having forgotten about the future cube. Bennie is proud of his son, and therefore is in a great mood, and Marnie keeps planning her family party blissfully. She makes a cake, and plans the dinner.. only to be told by Benji that not only are all of his friends coming over, but he’s also packed and ready to move to the city at the end of the night. As the friends arrive for the party, everyone dresses in their best and has some fun socializing. Benji ages up, and everyone enjoys cake and games for a while after dinner. Then, Benji gathers his things and leaves with his friends. All of them have gotten an apartment in the city. (I decorated it and remodeled it to hold all of them.) At the last moment, Jay and Rita elope without telling anyone.
The next day begins with a mass effort to clean up after the party. Since Jaz’s club meeting is later in the evening that day, she plays on the monkey bars in the back yard for a while to kill time. Out in the front of the house, however, is a not-so-peaceful scene. It’s Neighborhood Brawl day, you see, and Bennie takes full advantage of it to get into as many fights as he can, winning all of them. Myles comes home from Scouts bragging about his new badge, only to have his younger brother beat him up for it. Jaz finally heads to the park, and finds Colin sitting off to the side of the park, not playing with anyone. She finds out that his parents divorce was finalized, and does her best to cheer her friend up.
The next day, Jaz uses a “school project” as an excuse to go to the library. She uses the time to work on her typing practice for her aspiration, but gets curious and starts doing some googling for information on the gender dysphoria and alternate genders that Gemma had talked about in their therapy appointment. Very quickly, Jaz realizes that they no longer want to go by “she”, and that they identify strongly as non-binary. Billie, her nemesis, is also at the library, however… and Jaz is exceedingly lucky that Billie doesn’t see what Jaz is researching. After a small argument that gets both of them in trouble with the librarian, Jaz goes back to typing practice, and finishes out all the stuff for their aspiration that requires a computer.
Jaz has Colin come over after school on Monday, ostensibly to have him help with their volcano project. However, Jaz takes this time to “come out” to her friend, only to be completely shocked that Colin is actually Transgender, but still very much in the closet. Both friends swear each other to secrecy, and the project is finished beautifully. Colin and Jaz get some outside playtime while waiting for his dad to pick him up.
Tuesday, Bennie shows up with a microphone so he can practice his comedy routines at home, without saying how he got it. After a day of cleaning, Marnie accompanies Jaz to Newcrest for their next therapy appointment. Jaz confesses to doing some research and discovering the term non-binary. Jaz then admits that Non-binary describes what they feel they are perfectly. Gemma is supportive and offers to try to get Jaz a pass to use a private bathroom during school hours. Jaz decides not to tell their friends and family yet, however. Despite the fact they were talking about pronouns and genders, Jaz 100% keeps her promise to keep Colin’s secret.
Winterfest arrives with very little fanfare in the Malone household. It’s not even celebrated due to financial concerns. Bennie is worrying about paying bills and the power going out soon, and the kids are afraid to expect anything. Then, out of the blue, Benji shows up with a tree to decorate and a bag full of presents for everyone. There is very little mention of how he got the money for this extravagance, other than a brief mention of a “bonus at work”, but nobody is willing to turn down a great Winterfest. In thanks, Myles gives Benji a frog he’s bred, and it escapes while everyone chases it. Shaylee helps Marnie cook a grand Meal with ingredients that she and Benji had brought with them. Bennie then finds out the next morning that Benji had also paid their bills for the next two weeks without knowing how truly dire the need for money really was. At the end of the day, an interlude shows how Benji got the money – robbing the Landgraabs.
The next day, Bella Goth shows up at the front door, to Marnie’s wonder. She helps clean the house, and tells Marnie she missed her presence at last week’s club meeting. Jaz finishes her Motor aspiration just as Marnie, Bella, and Myles are leaving to go to the club meeting at the Library.
At the end of the week, Bennie is in a great mood, and Marnie is reluctantly cleaning house while he spends time with the twins. Everyone else is also doing really well, and goes about their daily activities without issue.
Saturday is New Year’s Even, and everyone gets in their resolutions. Jaz and Phoenix head to Oasis Springs park for their club meeting. Jaz has a great time other than getting picked on by another kid for a while, and Phoenix makes nice with Wolfgang Munch. Phoenix eventually completes his aspiration, and both kids head home.
Sunday, Bennie practices his comedy and ignores the kids, while Marnie cooks breakfast and cleans house. Jaz gives the Future cube a try, and it tells them that their future looks bleak. Jaz tries to convince themselves that they don’t actually believe in that sort of stuff, but it worries them nonetheless.
The next day shows Bennie worrying about bills, but that yes, Benji had paid this week too. Bennie has concerns for the next week, though. All the kids end up watching TV together and chatting, then they split off to do other things. Myles goes to work on his Mental skill, being very close to getting his aspiration complete. He had already gotten his last scouts badge. Finally, he finishes that Mental aspiration, and heads to bed. Marnie, however passes out on the floor, and unbeknownst to everyone else, is feeling a little under the weather.
The next morning, Marnie announces to Bennie that she’s pregnant, which makes Bennie furious. She claims it’s an accident, and seems un-naturally happy about another addition to the family, while Bennie gives into his rage and throws a plate across the room. After Jaz gets home from school, they go with Marnie to their next therapy appointment, unaware of Marnie’s drama. At the appointment, Gemma confesses that the school refuses to allow a special bathroom pass without parental approval. We have a side moment where Marnie is sitting outside the therapy room, waiting on Jaz, and considering their decision to try for a baby. Marnie isn’t about to tell Bennie, but this baby is all her doing again, and she’s looking forward to raising her new baby alongside Bella’s youngest. All Marnie can focus on is that it’ll make her “closer” to her new friend, not the fact that she is lying to her husband. Again. We swing back to Jaz, who has come up with the idea to come out to their parents. Gemma expresses doubts, but Jaz is convinced that it’s a good idea, and can see no reason why their parents wouldn’t support them. Once home, an exhausted Marnie joins everyone else in the living room to hear Jaz’s announcement. Jaz blithely announces their decision to go by they/them pronouns, to the hilarity of the rest of the family. Jaz doesn’t understand why they think it’s funny, and protests angrily against the hurt of being laughed at by the people closest to them. Marnie, however, decides to over-ride this by shocking everyone with an impromptu announcement about her pregnancy. Everyone but Jaz forgets Jaz’s announcement, and they head to the bathroom mirror to give themselves a pep talk. After that disaster, Jaz firmly decides not to come out to their friends the next day as they had planned.
Overnight, we see an interlude. The entire Klepto club has descended upon an empty house and are robbing it blind. An astute reader will notice that it’s the Goth’s home, and Cassandra’s family heirloom violin is one of the things stolen.
The next day sees Bennie working on a new comedy routine – one based on Jaz’s failed “coming out” announcement. Max (Phoenix and Jaz’s friend) is over, and hears the practice routine, but all of the boys decide not to warn Jaz, so Jaz is completely unaware of the disaster in the making, and in a fantastic mood despite the mess of the previous evening.
Bennie is practicing his routine the next day again, and Jaz catches him at it. Hurt and furious, they make Bennie promise to never perform the routine. Bennie, baffled at Jaz’s hurt and anger, promises, and walks away, still not really understanding. Later, Marnie and Myles go to club meeting, and Marnie notices that something’s wrong with Bella. Bella confesses that they were burglarized, and that Cassandra’s precious (and priceless) violin has disappeared. The alarm company never reported a problem, however, and the police appear to be at a dead end with their investigation. Marnie expresses concern, and asks for more details, worried about her friend. Bella admits that the police also mentioned that this burglary seems to be part of a series of heists in the area, and that the Landgraabs had also been victims while they were on Winterfest vacation. Marnie starts putting two and two together.. and finally gets four. In concern for their friend, they forget that ratting Benji out is a betrayal of her own family, and she tells Bella about Benji (who has stolen things in the past) and his Winterfest windfall. Bella, being smart, immediately realizes what is happening, and, to Marnie’s uneducated horror, plans immediately to go to the police. Marnie tries to back pedal and promise to get the violin back, which is what she had intended to “make things right”, but Bella laughs at her and leaves the club meeting to go to the Police Department. There, we meet the Police Chief, Scott Barrier, who is investigating the case on his own because of how high profile the case is, and Bella tells him about Benji and the money he has suddenly come into. Scott isn’t dumb, and plans to investigate immediately.
The next day.. everything that shouldn’t happen.. does. We see Phoenix eating burnt popcorn for breakfast because there really isn’t anything else in the house, and Jaz calling Gemma to tell her about their failed coming out attempt. Gemma is appropriately horrified, and it gets even worse when Jaz tells her about the comedy sketch and Bennie’s promise. Gemma offers to talk to Jaz’s parents for them, but Jaz is dubious about the prospect, and afraid it would make matters worse, so they say they’ll think about it. Then the camera swings to a café in another town, where Benji is scoping out their next target. Unfortunately, it seems the police are onto him, and he ends up getting arrested instead. We see him fingerprinted, searched, and getting his mug shot taken. He’s then thrown in a cell. Later, back at the Malone’s Bennie gets a phone call from the jail – Benji begging for his dad to come bail him out of jail. Bennie admits to not having the money, and then heads to work. Amazingly, we then see Bennie get a chance card at work to film a live on TV comedy sketch and get promoted to the top of his career. Of course, he agrees, and picks his “best” routine – the one he promised Jaz he would NEVER perform. The studio, being all about the ratings, allows the performance to stand, and Bennie is awarded a huge bonus to both his fame and his pocket money. The last we see of him this evening is him drinking champagne liberally in the back of a limo on the way back home from Del Sol Valley.
The next morning, we see a hungover Bennie alone at home (Jaz and Phoenix are at club meeting, Marnie and the rest of the kids are at the grocery store) searching for a cure for his headache. Instead of pain medicine, he finds an un-used prescription for Marnie’s birth control, hidden in the closet. He’s not that stupid that he can’t do the math on this one, and immediately, the hangover is gone in a rush of rage at being lied to. He sits and waits for Marnie to get home, getting angrier by the moment. Meanwhile, while at the park for their club meeting, Jaz runs into their enemy, Billie, and finds out about Bennie’s comedy special. Their secret is out. And it’s out in a big way. Jaz attempts to rectify the situation by admitting to being non-binary, but Billie won’t hear anything of it, and just keeps making fun of Jaz. One of Billie’s friends steps in to Jaz’s defense (Pierce), writing his ticket out of Billie’s club. Olivia, another kid in Billie club, steps in to Billie’s defense. Things are looking bad, but then Jaz’s friend Lucas shows up to alter the numbers, backing Jaz and Pierce. As Jaz walks away from the confrontation, still reeling, they find out that most of their friends support their decision. Mika, and Elsa weigh in on Jaz’s side of the argument, whereas Max and Phoenix, Jaz’s own brother, take Billie’s side. Overwhelmed, Jaz heads home, only to have two other young girls step in and show support for Jaz. Once finally home, Jaz walks into a horrible situation. Bennie and Marnie are fighting – loudly – in their bedroom, and every word can be heard. When the fight comes to blows, Jaz tries to stop it, but things have gone too far. Bennie claims to be “done” with Marnie’s lies (because it’s now come out that all but the twins’ pregnancy were planned by Marnie, including the first one that “trapped” them into a marriage at a young age.) and goes to sleep on the couch. in the living room. Jaz accuses Phoenix of not backing them up at the park, and they, too, get into a big argument about it, causing Jaz to be very angry and bitter towards their brother.
The next morning, Bennie is gone. It’s also his birthday, so everyone assumes he’ll be back for his party in the evening. Party plans continue, and decorations are put up, and presents appear on the table, along with a cake and a meal. Bennie never shows up, however, and everyone goes to sleep worried.
Bennie never shows up, his cake spoils, and Marnie, dejectedly tries to pay the bills and pick up the shattered pieces of her life, only to get a call from the bank that there’s no money to pay the bills. She gets groceries with what little money Bennie left for her, and wonders what to do next. At the police department, we see Benji get questioned by the police chief. Thinking he’s saving Shaylee, Benji eventually confesses to everything, including the fact that they had an inside man at the alarm company for the heists, and the fact that he stole the suit of armor from his father’s store. After all this, Benji “negotiates” for another phone call, and calls his mother, unable to get in contact with Bennie. Consequently, Marnie is blindsided with the news that Benji is in jail. Benji finds out that his father is missing, and suggests Marnie talk to the authorities. He tries to get Marnie to get him a good lawyer, (a little late on that one, Benji), but Marnie admits to have no money to do so. We then see that Benji isn’t the only Klepto in jail. In fact, they all are. And not only that, but Shaylee seems to be pregnant, and it’s not Benji’s child. The last photos of the day are Marnie, reporting Bennie missing and the money gone at the police department.
The power goes out at the Malone household the next day due to non-payment of bills. Marnie is at wit’s end, and mentions she would even be okay if Bennie came back. At the jail, Benji is finally meeting his public defender, Nikolai Delossantos. He finds out that the cop who interviewed him lied, or at the very least, stretched the truth about Shaylee needing saving, and that he really shouldn’t have confessed to “Save” her. The lawyer also mentions Shaylee being VERY pregnant. Benji does the math, and concludes the baby can’t be his. Furious, he refuses to participate in his own defense and leaves the room. At bedtime in the Malone house, Jaz asks Marnie why they couldn’t go to therapy that day, and Marnie lets them believe it’s because Bennie is gone. (When it’s more that Marnie just can’t handle anything right now, especially not taking Jaz to a therapist that Marnie hates.)
Then.. the water gets shut off. Marnie invites a thrift store purchaser to come over and buy their electronics and un-necessary appliances, and barely squeaks by making enough money to pay the over due bills and another round of groceries. She wonders how on earth she is going to get the money if Bennie can’t be found to pay child support, because she has no employable skills at this point in her life. With low energy, trying to clean up the house is too much for Marnie and she ends up passing out several times before finally giving up taking a sleep replacer potion so she can actually get some work done.
The day for Benji’s courtroom trial arrives, and Marnie takes the kids out of school so they can all attend. There are no major surprises during the trial – other than just how pregnant Shaylee is. Benji is livid and sad all at the same time. By the end of the trial, his lawyer’s inexperience has only tightened the “noose” around Benji’s neck further. The jury stays out for barely any time at all, and comes back with a guilty verdict on Felony Larceny. Benji takes out his frustration on his lawyer before being led away to jail. Marnie decides that after such a disaster of a trial, she doesn’t need to see the sentencing tomorrow.
The next day, after school, Jaz finds some personal time to call Gemma, and takes advantage of it. She fills in Gemma on what has happened, including the disaster of Bennie outing them and then disappearing. Gemma is horrified, and it only gets worse when Jaz mentions the power outage from earlier in the week. Phoenix comes out, and Jaz has to cut the phone call short. A bit later, Jaz’s phone rings, and they answer, only to find Colin calling. He asks if he can come over, and Jaz, of course, agrees, and runs out to meet him with a Daisy for Love Day. Colin is clearly upset over something, though, and the flower does little for his mood. He goes on to say he feels that he cannot be friends or associate with Jaz anymore. He is terrified he’ll be outed as Trans. Jaz tries to tell him that she hasn’t told anyone, and never will, but Colin will have none of it. We then see Shaylee being released from jail, and running straight into Cade’s arms. He proposes, and Shaylee accepts – news that will certainly be circulating through the police department and the jail soon. The day ends with Marnie getting a phone call about Benji. He’s been “made an example of” and was sentenced to 6 full years in jail. Marnie, distressed, hangs up before remembering to mention Bennie’s disappearance.
The next week begins with Marnie checking the mail. she finds, to her horror.. divorce papers. After a good cry, she tries to pick herself up and continue with life. Furious with Bennie and his selfishness (let’s not even talk about how hypocritical this is of Marnie – who was so selfish she didn’t even let Bennie in on the decision to have kids or not…), Marnie signs the papers and mails them out without taking a moment to actually think. At the park, Jaz looks around, hoping to find Colin and convince him that he is not in any danger, but Colin is missing in action. Jaz asks Elsa if she knows anything, and Elsa is clueless, but sympathetic. Jaz won’t tell her why Colin won’t be coming back, just that they had an argument. Elsa tries to console Jaz, but it doesn’t help much. Jaz ends up sneaking out of the meeting early, and walking home slowly. Then, remembering Gemma, Jaz tries to call her, only to find out their phone isn’t working at all. Asking Marnie about it, Marnie admits that she can’t pay the bills for it, so they’ll have no more phones. Sadly, Jaz tries to go get dinner, and finds only stale cereal with water. Depressed and lonely, they tuck themselves into bed.
The next day, Marnie starts the day with selling another couple things and going to buy a cooler. The kids rebel at the idea of only having cereal, yogurt, and granola, but it’s all that Marnie can do. She is hoping to get some child support, but has no idea of how to find Bennie. Colin, dejected, shows up at the front door and begs Jaz to forgive him. Jaz, of course, says there’s nothing to forgive, and ends up telling Colin about the situation at home. They make up, and spend some time playing in the yard before Colin has to go home. Colin is beside himself with worry, and wonders who he can trust to do the right thing by Jaz. Jaz tiptoes past her brothers and just goes to bed without dinner. Marnie never notices.
Marnie sadly pulls the unpayable bills out of the mailbox the next morning, and hides them in her closet, ironically right next to the offending birth control pills that gave her away to Bennie. Marnie is clearly falling apart at the seams, and we watch as she just crawls back into bed and pulls the covers over her head. We see Colin at his therapy session with his therapist, Mindy Altman in Newcrest. She notices something is wrong, and tries to ask Colin about it. After some serious thought, Colin confesses his worries about his best friend, Jaz, and Mindy is appropriately horrified to hear about it. Colin finally tells Mindy what Jaz’s last name is, hoping against hope that she can do something.. adult.. and hopefully help Jaz out of her situation. Later, Mindy goes to the Social Services center to report endangered minors. The officer takes down the information, but Mindy has no idea when she will actually investigate. Sick with worry, Mindy goes home.
The next day, Marnie never gets out of bed. Thinking she’ll get up to take care of the twins at least, the other kids make sure they’re fed before leaving for school, and leave the twins literally alone. Luckily, the worst thing that happens is the twins making a big mess of the house and being desperately hungry by the time the other kids get home from school. Jaz immediately recognizes the problem, and vows that if Marnie is still in her room the next day, that Jaz will stay home to care for her brothers. They can’t stand to think of them home literally alone all day again. Jaz, as young as they are, still understands that toddlers shouldn’t be left alone. Later, at the Social services center, the same officer takes a report from Gemma this time, again blowing the whistle on the Malone family. The officer, Kayla Bliss, tries to put the whole thing off again, but finding out that the police have already been contacted makes her rethink her position. She moves the Malones up on her investigation list. That night, Jaz’s bed produces a monster, and they have nowhere to turn but to themselves. The eventually talk the monster into leaving them alone, but it’s a long terrifying night until that happens.
The final day of this month.. Marnie is still a no-show for the twins, and Jaz stays home.. in the dark, because the power is out again. They manage to take care of the twins and do a considerable amount of house cleaning before, later in the afternoon (after Jaz’s brothers come home from school), Gemma and Kayla Bliss from the Social Services arrive like the cavalry to save the kids. Jaz missing school that day was the trigger to initiating an unannounced visit. Gemma is called to come along to smooth things out during the visit. After seeing the condition of the house, the amount of food provided, and having a long, nasty, conversation with Marnie, Kayla decides the children must be removed from the home for safety. Kayla also discovers Marnie’s pregnancy and promises to come back for her later that evening. The kids are taken in a van to an emergency foster family in Newcrest, where they stare in awe at all the fun things in the house. They are treated to a fresh, HOT meal, and tucked into their beds. Kayla then takes an exhausted and at-the-end-of-her-rope Marnie to a women’s shelter in Del Sol Valley later that night. Marnie falls into bed without bothering to ask questions or even learn the name of the owner of the shelter.
… The week will continue in next month’s summary.
Magnolia Promenade Recap < | Challenge Home Page | > Newcrest Recap
WC: Day One < | Challenge Home Page | > WC: Day Three
Jaz woke up for the second night in a strange bed, and felt an overwhelming sense of disorientation wash over them. Only this morning, there wasn’t even a familiar face to count on. They weren’t alone, but it felt like it, because Jaz didn’t know any of them other than the rudimentary details – like names. Jaz slipped out of bed without waking their room-mate, and headed downstairs. Jaz hoped someone they knew would be in the kid’s chat room, but no dice on that one. Sighing deeply, Jaz went back upstairs to get ready for school. Penny greeted Jaz cheerfully, and offered to help Jaz organize their stuff in the closet. Jaz shrugged, and declined, not wanting to show how depressingly empty their small backpack of personal things really was.
From downstairs, there came a clear call to breakfast, and, realizing that once again they were going to get a hot meal before school, Jaz hurriedly stuffed their feet into their worn out sneakers and tried to tie them while running for the stairs. Giving up, they just were careful to not trip, and grabbed a plate of Eggs and Toast.
Everyone headed for the living room, which seemed odd when they had a REAL dining room, but who was Jaz to say? At least tying the shoes was finally accomplished, then food quickly disappeared. Jaz tried to help with dishes, but was summarily shooed out of the kitchen to head to school. Feeling even more disoriented, Jaz grabbed their school books and followed their foster siblings out of the front door.
In Del Sol Valley, Marnie’s phone rang:
“Hello??” Marnie replied, grateful that at least her phone was actually working again. Finding out it was the bank definitely wasn’t the best “welcome back” to phone calls, however.
Marnie listened, and the longer the phone call went on, the more her face fell. So much so, that the actress woman who ran the shelter seemed to feel the negative emotions and came in to investigate.
“Are you okay, Marnie?” she asked after Marnie hung up the phone.
“I am. I guess.” Marnie replied, “Just not a nice phone call. More things going wrong.”
“Oh? I’m so sorry. What is it this time?” the woman asked sympathetically.
“The bank was just calling to let me know the house was foreclosed upon and if I can’t pay the balance due by next week, it goes up for auction. Apparently Bennie hasn’t paid a single payment on the mortgage since we moved in. There’s nothing I can do about it. I will be homeless – and jobless – after I leave this shelter.” Marnie stated matter-of-factly. Looking away, she followed it up with a muttered, “And since I’ve lost the kids, I’m not sure it matters anymore.”
“Oh, sweetie. Even though the kids are in care, you know you could always work to get them back! What can you do? What are your skills?”
“Cleaning? Feeding kids? … and apparently I’m not all that good at that, either.” Marnie said drily.
The actress gasped, and asked, “Nothing else? Hm. Well, there’s plenty of things you can learn to do here. And I suggest you take advantage of Dr. Altman, a local therapist who donates her services here once a week, talking to our guests when they need someone to talk to. I can set up a time for her to meet with you, if you’d like.”
“Oh. Well, I’ll think about it…” Marnie said, then turned to look at the front door, where someone was knocking.
The actress answered the door, then turned to Marnie. “It’s for you, honey.”
Marnie looked in shock as none other than Bella Goth walked through the front door jauntily. “Marnie, sweetie, am I glad to have finally found you!” she said, holding out her arms as if to hug her.
Marnie dodged her, and went to sit down in the TV room, leaving room for Bella to sit beside her. “How are you, Bella? Better since Cassandra’s violin was found, I’d imagine?” Marnie commented.
“Oh, sure. Things are much better now. Although I’m terribly sorry about Benji. And then Bennie leaving you high and dry. You poor thing. I wanted to stop by and give you an offer.” Bella said, then paused to give Marnie a chance to respond.
“… An .. offer?” Marnie said, suspiciously.
“Yes. I’ve been looking for a housekeeper. We’ve also been talking about putting in another bedroom or two on our house, to accommodate the baby, and possibly to house live-in help. I know you’re good at cleaning, and .. well, without the kids, I figured you would need something to do. We could offer you room and board as well as some money for the position. You would have time to yourself, too, for improving yourself and working to get your babies back.” Bella stopped, and took a nervous breath, looking expectantly at Marnie.
“Bella….” Marnie sighed again, then continued, “I’ll definitely need to think about it.”
“Oh. Um, of course.” Bella said, looking extraordinarily disappointed, “I just figured, since your home was going up for auction.. you would need a place to stay…”
Marnie looked at Bella, considering what her friend had said. “How did you find out about that?” she asked, unhappy that her business seemed to be all over the town.
“Oh, I went to your house to see you… and I found the foreclosure notice. So I called the bank, and they told me the rest. I also was able to find out where you were. I hurried right over. I mean, obviously, we’d have to wait to move you in until either Cassandra goes to college next year, or the addition is done, but I wanted you to have some hope of a home coming soon.” Bella said, blithely.
Trying hard not to show their annoyance, Marnie mumbled something about being tired, and that she would definitely think about it. “I’ll.. uh, call you.” Marnie finished, and got up to retreat to her cottage where she could be alone for a while.
Bella sat there for a moment, looking rather confused at her friend’s obvious depression, and uninterest in the charity offered to her. Finally, Sophia Nelson left the company of the other two young ladies living with her, and headed over towards Bella. “Everything okay, ma’am?” she asked, curiously.
Bella dusted off her dress, and pasted on a smile. “Of course, Ms. Nelson. I really appreciate all you do for the women here. Can I offer you a donation?”
Sofia brightened immediately, and showed Bella to her office for a more private chat.
Back in Willow Creek:
By the time Jaz got off the school bus, the skies had let loose. All of the kids piled off the bus and made a mad dash for the front door, all glancing worriedly at the sky.
Jaz and Penny chatted after coming in through the door, but Penny then remembered her homework, and wandered away. Jaz shrugged, and went into the front office to check the computer. Having a computer in the home was still a novelty, and, after checking for Colin on the chat app, they got up, and accepted a bowl of fresh salad from Layla.
“Thanks, Layla. I am hungry.” Jaz said, then cringed at the clap of thunder from outside. “Yuck. I hate storms. How about you?”
“Actually, I like them.” Layla said, with a smile, then she rolled her eyes, “Most of the other kids are afraid of them, so my bed is often a safe place to hide at a midnight storm. At least it’s big enough for most everyone to hide under the covers together.”
Both turned to look as the phone rang, and then, amazingly, Wendy Judd came in with the phone, “Jaz, phone call for you!”
Looking very confused, Jaz answered the phone timidly. “Hello?”
“Hiya sis! How is your new home??” Myles asked, then, without a pause, “I have the best home, in fact, my new foster parents are letting me throw a party for my birthday tonight! Can you come?”
Jaz paused, then asked Wendy. They had never been invited to, or even had, a birthday party. Jaz didn’t really want to go to Myles’ … but who knew when they’d ever get another opportunity, so they’d better ask. Wendy agreed, and called Matt in, asking if he’d be willing to drop Jaz off. Matt agreed, as well, and asked where the party was.
“Myles? Where’s the party?” Jaz asked, obediently.
“The Landgraab house, in Oasis Springs. So, can you come? We’re going to play games, and have CAKE, and, yeah, it’s going to be GREAT!”
Confused as to why it would be at the Landgraab house, but unwilling to ask, Jaz turned and relayed the information to Matt. He looked as surprised as she was. “Sure, I can take you there. What time?”
Myles, who apparently could hear Matt, replied “6 o’clock, okay? I’ll see you then! Gotta go, I have other people to call!”
Jazz pulled the phone away from their ear, and looked at it bemusedly. “It’s at six, apparently.”
Matt nodded, smiled, and suggested Jaz go get ready, since that was less than an hour away.
Later, at the Landgraab’s mansion in Oasis Springs:
The fun and games had already started by the time Jaz got there, but clearly Myles had been waiting for them. He handed Jaz a controller without missing a beat, and Jaz was quickly swept up into multiplayer party games.
Myles’ whole club was there, and so was Phoenix, but Phoenix seemed to have mellowed out in the last day or two, because no mention was made of Jaz’s new gender. The party continued until they were called to the kitchen by a caterer.
Myles, who seemed to have adjusted easily to the high life, gathered all his friends, and ran to blow out his candles.
There were presents, and cake, and food.. and then they were handed “party favors.” Jaz’s head was spinning by the time it was nearly time to go. They bid their goodbyes to their brothers, and it wasn’t until Jaz got to Matt’s car that they realized they’d never asked exactly WHY Myles was at the Landgraab’s house.
Bonus image:
Myles’ teenage Makeover. He got the Perfectionist Trait, and the Curator aspiration. I will update this info to the cast of characters, along with his other outfits, in a couple of days.
WC: Day One < | Challenge Home Page | > WC: Day Three
OS: Day Thirty < | Challenge Home Page | > WC: Day Two
In the morning, everyone woke up a little blearily, and were called down for a HOT breakfast, unbelievably. The quality of the food was evident in the silence with which everyone ate. They then wandered the house, finding things to do.
Jaz checked in on her twin brothers, happily sleeping in in comfy beds upstairs. They worried about what was going to happen to all of them, but they had to trust that Gemma and Kayla only had their best interests at heart.
All of them were out of school for the day, but at least it was excused this time. At around 8 AM, Kayla showed up to pick up the eldest of the brothers, Myles. She explained that, no matter how hard she tried, she had been unable to get the five of them into the same home, especially at such short notice. She did explain that at least the twins would be kept together. Jaz said nothing, but was secretly glad they hadn’t been placed with Phoenix in the same house.
Myles found out on the way he had been chosen specially by the family he was heading to, and he wondered why. It turned out they were headed to the fancy side of Oasis Springs, and when Kayla pulled into the biggest house on the block, Myles couldn’t help but let his jaw drop to his chest.
Trying to slick his hair back and smooth his hand me down clothes down, but there was very little he could do to make himself look anything like he belonged here. Why would people like this have asked for HIM?!
Swallowing awkwardly past the huge lump in his throat, Myles trailed behind Kayla and tried to not look terrified.
Inside, he was introduced to his new “Mom”, Nancy Landgraab. She greeted him with a smile, and took him to see where he would be staying with his new toddler foster brother.
There was a big playroom with beds in it at the top of the third floor staircase, with more toys than Myles had seen in one spot in his life.
He was also introduced to his older foster brother, Malcolm Landgraab, who had recently gotten married.
Malcolm’s wife, Ayumi, was entertaining young Shane Landgraab while Myles was given his tour of the house, and waved jauntily at Myles when introduced. After his tour, Myles was given free rein of the house to unpack and explore and get acquainted with his new home.
Kayla bid him goodbye, and gave him her number, saying that if he needed anything, to call her on her cell phone. She then drove back to the Williams’ house to pick up Phoenix.
At the house, Jaz had installed themselves in front of a huge TV in the family room, and was watching cartoons happily, not at all worried that they were alone.
Kayla pulled into the driveway, and called for Phoenix.
Phoenix, on his best behavior for a change, grabbed his stuff and followed Kayla to the car obediently. The trip wasn’t very long, and soon, they pulled into the side driveway of a (in Phoenix’s mind) huge house. His new foster mom, Cecelia Cornwell, was there to meet him with a couple toddlers at her heels.
Trying to play at being well-behaved for a change, Phoenix greeted her nervously.
He then followed her and Kayla to the front of the house, trying not to gawk like an idiot.
Walking into the house was an eye-opening experience, and Phoenix couldn’t help it when his jaw dropped at the fact there was an actual formal Parlor in the front of the house.
During his house tour, he found that for the first time in his entire life, he was being given a room to himself, behind a laundry room on the main floor of the house. He looked around, dropped his backpack, and followed Cecelia around the rest of the house.
One of the other kids in the house, Claude, said hello sullenly, but didn’t seem interested in being friendly.
Claudia seemed very shy, and not in a great mood. Phoenix tried not to laugh at the fact that there was both a Claude and a Claudia, and instead sat down to chat with them for a short while.
He managed to get a smile out of Claude, who finally seemed to be warming up to him. Claude led him downstairs after Kayla said goodbye and left Phoenix her card in case he needed anything.
Downstairs, he met Rihana, and Ace. Apparently Bryce and Jade Elaonora (the two toddlers in the family) were taking a nap now and he would have to meet them later. He looked around the playroom in astonishment, and took note of all the fun toys scattered around. This was going to be AWESOME.
Kayla answered the phone on the way back to Newcrest, and had to change her plans in a hurry. The twins would have to be dropped off next because of a prior engagement that their foster parents had forgotten about. She collected the toddlers, strapped them into their car seats, and drove them all the way to San Myshuno.
It was the first time the twins had ever been in an elevator, and they followed Kayla with wide eyes, not sure of what to expect. They were more amazed at what was going around them than thinking about the fact that they had been taken away from the only family they’d ever known.
Lana McKinnon, and her husband Enele were waiting outside their apartment with Christy, one of the twins’ foster sisters. Christy seemed cheerfully ready to meet her new foster siblings, and Enele seemed to bond easily with Braydon.
The oldest of their foster siblings, Caitlyn, said hello headed back inside. What she thought of two new additions to the house, nobody could tell, because she hid the faces she pulled as she turned away.
After meeting their new family, they followed Kayla into their new apartment willingly enough, comfortably furnished with children in mind.
They had a small room to themselves, but there was plenty of toys in the rest of the house to keep them occupied.
In fact, their other new sister, Parker, was actually playing in the twins’ new toybox, and invited the two of them to join her without any hesitation.
Relieved to have her afternoon almost over, Kayla headed back to Newcrest for the final trip to get Jaz. Jaz was finally dressed and ready to go by the time Kayla got there, and expressed their worry about their siblings, asking how each of them had fared in their new homes.
Jaz was especially worried about Brett and Braydon, who had never been away from family their entire life. Kayla assured Jaz that the twins had been playing happily when she had left, and that Jaz would probably be able to visit them from time to time if they chose.
Jaz chattered happily about their club friends (although they kept Colin’s secret safe) all the way to Willow Creek, explaining how so many people had been supportive of their new pronouns. Kayla was curious, and asked a few questions, but before Jaz was even ready, pulled into the drive of a beautiful house in a nice neighborhood of Willow Creek.
Wendy Judd was the first to meet Jaz, and readily took to using the correct pronouns, to Jaz’s amazement.
Wendy introduced Jaz to her husband, Matt, and a girl named Penny who was, apparently, another new arrival in the household.
Layla Judd, the Judds’ teenage daughter was making some dinner in the massive kitchen, but took a moment to cheerfully say hello to Jaz, also seeming to be perfectly comfortable using Jaz’s they/them pronouns.
While touring, they had to take a detour to find little Jimmy, who was playing stealthily in the toilet in the downstairs bathroom/laundry room. Jaz snickered at his guilty face, and took him by the hand to have him come along for the rest of the tour.
Wendy gave Jaz a grateful look, and led them to the living room, where Jaz met Carlo, who was cleaning up some dishes.
Back in the kitchen, they finally met the last member of the household, Timika, who seemed a cheerful sort of girl. Kayla begged off for the day, leaving Jaz with her card in case Jaz needed her number. This concluded the tour, and Jaz was allowed to drop off their stuff in their new room, and wander the house at their leisure while dinner was cooked.
Jaz’s first priority was spending some time with their new room-mate, Penny. They played some chess for a while, although it was hard to concentrate with the cartoons from the other room being turned up a bit too loud.
Timika apologized, though, and turned things down as soon as she found out that Jaz’s head was actually hurting a bit.
Jaz, however, exhausted both physically and mentally, begged off of dinner and trudged up the stairs to their new room, falling into the comfiest bed they’d ever laid on, asleep before their head even hit the pillow.
Once they had woken up from their nap, Wendy made Jaz a FRESH salad with actual crunchy lettuce (a novelty for Jaz in all ways), and helped them upstairs to bed. The rest of the night passed peacefully, with Jaz too tired to be worried about sleeping in a strange new place. They would have time enough to adjust in the next few weeks.
I wanted to do a quick house tour, since this is where Jaz will be staying now that we’re into the Willow Creek month. I did not build any of the houses mentioned in this post, although I did update the apartment to make room for the twins, and the Landgraab’s house to make room for their toddler and Myles. All of the other houses were found on the gallery under the search for “foster house” or “foster home”. I did update each to make sure they were appropriate for the children in each home. All of the families except the McKinnon/Akana family (where the twins are) were also found on the gallery. I won’t even go into how long this has taken me to get “just right”, but I will apologize for this post being awfully late.
Overhead look at the floorplan:
OS: Day Thirty < | Challenge Home Page | > WC: Day Two
OS: Day Twenty-Nine < | Challenge Home Page | > Willow Creek: Day One
Marnie was still in her room, sleeping, by the next morning, so, without any other choice, Jaz stayed home from school. Phoenix and Myles laughed at them, and wished them “luck” with the twins and the granola… but Jaz’s mind was made up. The twins could not be left alone again. So, through the long day, Jaz did what they could. They cleaned up the piles of dishes, picked up some messes the twins had made, and made very sure they were safe, and fed, and taken care of. Sure, it wasn’t Jaz’s job.. but someone had to do it, and clearly Marnie wasn’t going to.
By the time school was out, Jaz’s absence and the lack of information from the family had definitely been noticed. Kayla Bliss, the Social Services officer had now heard more than enough to know that an emergency, unannounced visit was the order of the afternoon. Excusing herself from her other priority cases, she called Gemma Fleming up on the offer of coming along to introduce her, and hopefully make the visit easier on the family.
The arrived at the house on the outside of Oasis Springs, and listened for the sounds of kids playing. You know, what one would expect from a house with five young children in it. There was nothing. Even more worried than they had been, they approached the house and knocked. Hard.
A muffled voice called out that it was open, and Gemma walked into a disaster. It was clear the power was off, and there was no sign of the kids. Angrily, Gemma rounded on Marnie, and ground out, “Where’s Jaz? Where are the others?”
Marnie looked at her bleakly, then shrugged, and sat down on the couch.
One unspoken look between Gemma and Kayla was all it took, and they both picked a direction, looking for the kids.
They found Myles in the back yard, playing happily (although very quietly) on the monkey bars – without any sort of supervision at all.
The trip downstairs into the darkness was less than pleasant, other than the fact that they managed to find the rest of the children.
Jaz was trying to clean up some messes that were on the floor, the twins were playing in their room quietly, and Phoenix was experimenting on the science table.
Rounding everyone up, they got everyone started upstairs, where it was at least lighter, where they could talk.
Arriving upstairs to find Marnie in tears on the couch, Kayla immediately tried to calm the woman down. No matter what she thought of her, she couldn’t stand to see someone this desolate.
Jaz treated Gemma with a huge, relieved hug. “I wasn’t sure I’d see you again, Gemma!” Jaz commented, to which Gemma laughed.
“Not a chance, sweetie. I will always be here for you, even if I’m not your therapist anymore.” Gemma replied with a smile.
Kayla was immediately aware that there was another child who was in danger, as well. This was going to be a lot more complicated than just removing the children. Sighing, she sat Marnie Malone down on the couch, and tried to explain what was going to happen.
Aware that this wasn’t talk for the kids, Gemma took the youngsters outside to play in the back yard for a while.
One very unpleasant conversation later, Kayla bundled all the children up, and herded them outside with a promise to return for Marnie later. Each child had been given enough time to pack a small backpack and grab their favorite toys, and that was it. It was time to go.
Jaz looked at Gemma’s infectious smile, and tried to smile back. They felt an immense relief that at least their siblings and them were going to be safe, but all the uncertainty and the upheaval was upsetting. Taking a longing glance back at what had been supposed to be their dream house, Jaz sighed and walked to the big van waiting for them.
During the car ride to Newcrest, Kayla Bliss tried to explain what was happening to the kids. She explained that they hadn’t been in a safe or healthy situation, and she was there to fix that. They were being taken to a safe place for an overnight stay, and by tomorrow Kayla would find places for each of them to call home, temporarily. She explained that it was probable that they wouldn’t be all going to the same home tomorrow, but she would TRY her best to place as many of them as possible in each home.
Finally, pulling into a large and cheerfully well-lit house, Kayla took a deep breath and helped everyone get their things out of the back of the van. Every time she had to do this, she hated to see the hurt, confused, and lost expressions on the kid’s faces. Having so many of them this time made it so much harder.
She knocked on the Williams’ door, and they answered immediately with a big smile.
“So sorry it’s so late, Elizabeth.” Kayla apologized, and started shooing all the kids inside, “And on such short notice, too. These youngsters simply couldn’t stay where they were at any longer.”
Elizabeth Williams smiled, and shushed Kayla, “You know it’s not a problem. We’re here at any time of night for” she paused with a gasp, as her eyes widened at the state the kids were in… “any one in need.”
Each of the kids were introduced, and to Jaz’s delight, they were introduced with the correct pronouns and gender. The toddlers immediately located the toy box, and happily picked out toys.
There was apparently another kid in the house, too, but she didn’t seem to be very sociable, and avoided the living room for now.
Elizabeth asked when the last time the kids had eaten, and was horrified to find out they’d been surviving on cereal, yogurt, and granola from a cooler filled with melted ice. Excusing herself, she went to make a hot meal.
Jaz and their brothers sat awkwardly, looking worriedly around the room. There were fun things everywhere, but they didn’t feel comfortable enough to even grab the toys on the table in front of them.
Kayla finished her explanations, and instructions, and bid them all a temporary goodbye, promising to see them all tomorrow, and went to get Marnie to take her to her new home, too. Being that there was another life at stake, Marnie wasn’t going to be allowed to stay in the home situation she was currently in.
Gemma, also, said goodbye to everyone, with a huge hug for Jaz in particular, and promised to leave Jaz’s Tuesday appointment free for them. “As soon as you can come back, just show up, you don’t even have to warn me. I’m always ready to see you, sweetie!”
Before long, Elizabeth called everyone to a freshly cooked, hot meal. She’d made some homemade Mac N Cheese, a delicacy the Malones had NEVER had. The dish was polished off before long, and everyone, including the quiet blonde girl had smiles on their faces.
The twins didn’t even bother with the formality of finding a chair – both plopping themselves down on the kitchen floor and polishing off a full plate of Mac N Cheese each.
Elizabeth’s husband invited the boys upstairs to go to bed, and Elizabeth directed the blonde to bed, and turned to Jaz. “Ready, sweetie?” she asked.
Jaz nodded mutely, and went to grab her backpack.
With Phoenix and Myles in their PJs and ready for bed, both were lovingly tucked in and assured that the nightlights were working by each bed.
Through an open doorway, Jaz was tucked into another bunkbed, able to see their brothers to feel safe, and knowing the twins were just down the hall.
Speaking of the twins, They were tucked in with full bellies, and happy smiles, and read a bedtime story in a cheerful room just around the corner from the rest of the Malones.
Later, in Del Sol Valley, Kayla dropped Marnie and her meager belongings off at a women’s shelter designed for homeless, pregnant, and endangered women.
She introduced her to the retired actress who ran the shelter, but Marnie was so tired and distracted she couldn’t remember the woman’s name. She would have to ask again tomorrow.
There were two other pregnant women there, both much younger, and both not as pregnant as Marnie, but it felt better to know she wasn’t alone.
The actress showed Marnie to her cottage, pointing out the small laundromat and the pool and garden on the way there. There was even a small, well-stocked kitchenette in the cottage in case Marnie got hungry later. Exhausted and overwhelmed, Marnie apologized and begged to be allowed to get some sleep. The woman apologized, and left Marnie to herself. Marnie fell into bed in her clothes, and was asleep almost immediately.
Just a bonus image:
THIS… is the disaster that the Malone’s basement was when the kids were taken. (None too soon in my opinion!!)
OS: Day Twenty-Nine < | Challenge Home Page | > Willow Creek: Day One
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