Are you in there?

Alberta had to get away at least until the other students had hopped on the bus and disappeared. She stood in the toilet stall, the chemical scent of stale potpourri burning her nostrils. Admittedly it was not the best hiding place, but it got her away from Gabe Mellon and his glances at her.



It was only her first day at school with the rest of the city teens and already she had met the greatest terror in her life-- the unwanted attention of Gabriel Mellon, the son of the city mayor. The older boy had changed seats so that he sat next to her. As if that weren't bad enough he had actually talked to her.



To make matters worse, the teacher called on Alberta to answer a question she hadn't heard because she had been too busy nodding stupidly and saying "uuuuh" when Gabe kept trying to ask her questions. Gabe had tried sliding a note within her field of vision with the answer, but Alberta had noticed the note at the same time as the teacher. Ms. Kerr had laughed as she asked Gabe to stop passing "love notes" to Alberta so she could focus on the class.

Alberta could have died of embarrassment as the entire class giggled-- including Gabriel! She felt there was no way she could return to class tomorrow.

The bathroom door opened and Alberta tensed.

"Alberta, are you in there?" It was the soft voice of Kate, the girl with the blond short hair. She also lived on the hill. Her parents were not city council members or assemblymen, instead they were simply rich. And her mother actually sat on the board for the school which had determined that Alberta could come to their school with their children.

Alberta stood quietly for a moment before she unlocked the door and stepped out in shame.



Kate smiled at her. "Are you ok? You shouldn't take Ms. Kerr too serious. She knows Gabe was trying to help you. She meant to shame him, but he's got no shame."



Alberta only nodded though she didn't see how she wasn't meant to be ashamed.

"Gabe asked me to come in here and get you out before you miss the bus."

"Oh... I-- I don't take the bus." Alberta didn't add that she only lived down the street in the slum apartments where other poor service sims lived.

"Are your parents picking you up? We could wait with you. I'm sure the bus driver wouldn't mind."



Alberta was slightly horrified at Kate's attempt at kindness. "Oh no. I mean thank you, but that's ok."

Kate only shrugged. "Well, you better get out there anyway or Ms. Kerr will come looking for you with more of her jokes."


Alberta waited for the bus to pull away before she dared to walk home. She had caught Gabe's glance for only a second before he seemed to turn to his brother and start laughing in a way that made Alberta's cheeks redden further in embarrassment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alberta's grandmother was created to be a place holder for the cemetery, but I got a little carried away with the creation of that family.

Well, the kids needed a student at that high school who wasn't related to them anyway.

So on her first day, I had Samantha Kerr stand at the front of the class and "introduce" Alberta.


This was Gabe's face.


And when she went to take her seat, he couldn't take his eyes off her.

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Legacy Family Picture Spam

I have nothing to write about them since they've been rather happy (and Elizabeth hasn't stopped by recently *cough*). So I'll share a couple of pics.


I'm not one to fawn over my sims, but a shirtless Green Mellon holding one of the babies is too cute.




I don't have a lot of pictures of the boys, Pierce and Russel. I didn't really realize that both Green and his wife are S4 and they both have dark blue eyes. (I never think about such things when I'm pairing sims up.)

So both the boys have blue eyes and S4 skin. (I feel I should mention their sister here, so now I have.) I can't tell them apart! But it seems Russel is a bit more active. He hardly sleeps when he's put in the crib.



That's why I'm rather SURE (very sure) that this is Russel sitting with his father in the study. (Notice, no "zzz"s.) Cute aren't those? They're by MsBarrows over at TSR. I got them when she set them to free for forever. (But I warn you, if you have a butler, he will not leave the children on the floor. He just can't have it.)

Here's their mutt, Moody. I kept finding puddles in this corner and kept thinking, "Nuh uh!" I finally caught him in the act. I call this piece, "Adding insult to injury."




I can see Amanda saying to Green, "Really? You couldn't put a shirt on?" Oh and notice teh grilled cheese? Haha, I love the Servo Caliburst.



Sorry to anyone who actually reads this. I've been off all week, so I've been playing a lot and updating a lot. All of the story pieces I've posted though were written earlier, probably a couple of weeks ago. I'm just trying to stay ahead of myself?

(Actually, I should probably just take up another hobby like knitting or something.)

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A dream

She stood in the forest on the edge of town. In the distance, she could see the lake. Despite the chill in the air, a thought towards the back of her head (a tingle really) imagined how nice it would be to play in the chilly water with no one else around to invade on her privacy. Just the thought gave her goose bumps up and down her arm.

A sneaky shiver ran down her back causing her to shudder. It was more than the cold. She was being watched.





Slowly, she turned her head to glance behind her, trying as hard as she could to make no sudden movements. The back of her neck tingled.

There was no time to scream. He was upon her, his arms holding her closely in much the same way she imagined a python strangled its prey. His sharp teeth punctured the thin skin of her neck, and then he began to drink. He held her in this embrace for what seemed like hours.



Her eye lids grew heavy and the world became dream like. In this state, she became aware of various things that she hadn't noticed before. She noticed the smell of the flowers beneath their feet-- a sweet and oddly sour smell. She saw the stars through the trees above her head; they had never seemed so bright before. She felt his stiff costume through her clothes.

It was the brightness of the stars and the feeling of his odd costume that clued her into the fact that she had to be dreaming.


Then she was falling to the ground. It was cold and wet, and the odd smelling flowers surrounded her. He stood near by as if he were watching her, waiting for her to close her eyes. Would he be there when she woke up?

The stars shone brightly down through the trees. Her eyes could no longer stay open. Her entire body relaxed as she shut her eyes and drifted slowly to sleep.

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New House

Elizabeth stepped into the living room of their very first house. It was small and old, but she loved it. A small Victorian style house with a large yard, as soon as she had seen it she had seen the possibilities.

"It's perfect," she said with a large smile. "Isn't it?"



Aden came in and stepped past her. He had been quiet on the whole ride over in a way that made Elizabeth worry again. "It's okay," he said as he placed a small box on top of a larger one.

Elizabeth walked towards the little nook near the front door. The loan had gone through for the house, but it had barely paid for it which meant the wedding was delayed. Not that Aden had been in a big rush. Right before they moved, he had told her about Green's three babies and the one who hadn't made it. He wanted the wedding put on hold out of respect, and Elizabeth couldn't argue with that.



Essentially, it had been Richard Mellon, The Mayor, who had changed the course of their lives. He had refused to loan them any city funds so they were completely on their own. Now they were 20k in debt, in an old house that needed repairs which they lacked the funds to make.

It was rather unfair. The other council member (for there were currently only two) had a huge house on The Hill. The Mayor had an even larger house on The Hill.

Not that Elizabeth cared about such things as social status. She would be happy if Aden would just be happy. But he was certain that he was being held back by the mayor simply because of his mother. Aden's mother (who Elizabeth had yet to meet) had been a Non-Persona Class service sim. It was one of the lowest positions held in their sim society. As such, although it sounded like Aden's family was happy for the most part, they lived on farms outside of the city.

Aden had been happy in college. Elizabeth wasn't sure when he had suddenly changed into this angry sim that almost frightened her at times. She hoped that she hadn't been the one to sour him because now she was ready to spend the rest of her life with him.

An exasperated gargle sounded from Aden's throat at the same time that there was a loud bang on one of the boxes.



Elizabeth turned in surprise, but Aden only walked away silently.




Creepy Pic

Clearly, Aden is angry about something.

I went back to Aden and Elizabeth's old apartment, and although their apartment is now vacant, they game still thinks they live there.

I was playing the apartment of Alberta Ferguson and her grandmother when I unwisely unlocked the door for only one second. Elizabeth came in to grab food off the family's little dining table. Then the girl passed out right on the floor! I wish I had gotten a pic. She looked like some hobo living on the street. They are indeed poor, but I didn't realize they needed to beg for food from former neighbors who are still living in the cheap apartments in the slum!

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The Sea Speaks

Ann Mellon walked down to the ocean with a precious package in her arms.



The light of the full moon shone down on the pale sand as the dark water of the sea gently rolled back and forth. Unlike other sims, the darkness of night did not frighten Ann. It was a time for great power if one knew how to wield it. And if one had the strength of blood required, miraculous things could happen.

Most people feared the night, but Ann refused to be afraid. Now was the time for a new beginning.




Ann held the baby before her to look into it's eyes as she explained, "Tonight we give you a new powerful name."

Ann listened to the sound of the waves splashing against the shore as the fine cold mist spritzed Ann and the baby in her arms. The ocean seemed to suck at the air, gathering its breath to speak to her. "Moon...." It gasped. "Moon... glow... Moon... glow..."

The sound was so gentle and soft that the words bounced around inside her head before the name came to her. It certainly was magic, but it was not the sort of magic she could control.

Ann held the baby before her again to look into her deep blue eyes. Perhaps she was the one calling the magic of the night to the two lone figures. It was as if they stood at the edge of the world, and the young baby were the one with the key into the next world.

"Oh my little heir, you are powerful indeed. The sea has named you after the night it seems. Moonglow. Yes, that is perfect, I think."

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The End of Summer 2 Amberle's Problem(s)

Amberle had just built up the campfire and sat down in front of it when out of the darkness, Ash Stratton appeared. The light from the fire lit up his pale face as he came within the ring of its warmth. "This seat taken?"



"No; please." Amberle gestured to the sand next to her with a smile. Although she hadn't seen him since long before the Great Move, Amberle's memories of Ash were fond ones. He had been the first person to welcome her when she had first moved out on her own which meant he was also the first (other than the woman she had called "mother") to be truly kind to her. It was not something she was likely to forget.



"Where is your wife?" Amberle said as she absentmindedly itched at her sun burned skin.

"At home with the kids-- er, well I mean the girls. They aren't exactly kids anymore, and so they didn't want to come. Said something about us embarrassing them. Aurora stayed behind to keep an eye on them."

Amberle smiled at him, but the mention of his wife and children brought up a twinge of jealousy that surprised her. Had she known she would have that reaction, she would not have brought the subject up.

Ash didn't help when he said, "So are you married yet?" He smiled at his joke without realizing just how cruel it was.



"Well, no. Dating is... still very awkward."

He waved his hand, his smile gone now. "Don't feel bad. It's always awkward. If it isn't, then you've either found your perfect mate or you've found someone too practiced."


They sat quietly for a while with the fire crackling at their feet. Amberle could almost imagine it telling her a story in an attempt to comfort her in her loneliness. None of that would be necessary, she thought towards the fire, if he hadn't shown up.



Perhaps it was partially her fault as well; she should have known better than to come back. She remembered his words, harshly spoken in her memory. "We're not worried about the Sims, we're more worried about your return," he had said. She wasn't sure if he was honestly worried about the Sims knowing the location of the elves or if he was only taking a dig at her famously (and very un-elven like) bad luck.

Of course he had also mentioned the council. "You know the Council needs to approve of the settlement here." What would they do if they didn't approve? Amberle's experience with "her people" (if she could really count herself among them) had been limited, but she knew of the council. They made tough decisions and then had others carry them out. She was not sure what they were capable of doing because what was done depended on who was chosen to do it.

Despite the heat from the fire, Amberle shivered. She tried to pull herself back into the present where Ash was asking her if she was ok and others were joining them around the small fire, but she found that she couldn't look them in the eyes while worrying about something she knew that they didn't.



She excused herself and headed up the hill towards the road. Those at the campfire sweetly smiled and bid her good bye as if they had always known her even though she only knew Ash formally. It was a gesture that strengthened her love for the people she called neighbors and made her promise that she would do whatever she could to protect them.

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The End of Summer 1 Summer Festival

In the dying heat of the sun, people gather together on the beach to congratulate ech other on a job well done. The summer previous they had arrived in the bay. With the help of the natives, they had built up the town and turned it into their home. Summer was now the offical holiday of the city. And that required a special government supported celebration.



A smaller replica of the ship they had traveled over in sat in the water so that sims could walk up and down and enjoy the view. There were food and games, and Richard Mellon, Jr., The Mayor, had one of his council members host the entire event so that everyone could partake in the joy and luxury provided by their own city government.

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Green says goodbye

"I'm sorry Mom isn't here," Water said to Green as he scooped him up in a "long time seeing you sorry to see you now" hug.



Green only shrugged and turned his head to look over at his wife, Amanda, who was shaking hands and accepting condolences from Richard, The Mayor. "You know, she should be here. She made such a huge deal about the babies. She wanted a girl."

Water only stood silently near his younger brother. There was not much he could think to say. His own wife was due any day now to deliver their second girl. He could only imagine how it would feel if they lost her before they knew her.

But Water expected his wife to deliver a healthy girl. Green had only known about two of the babies for sure, the third one was something of a surprise. Water was sad for his younger brother, but he couldn't help thinking that Green had two other children. Two strong boys who had probably crushed their younger baby sister in the womb. Guilty at his thoughts, Water looked over to his brother.



Green stood still, but his eyes betrayed him. Even with the sun at his back casting a shadow on his face, Water could see the tears brimming in his younger brother's eyes. Water placed a hand over his brother's back, and at his touch Green snapped. His shoulders hunched as he started to cry softly. Amanda glanced over, but seeing Water comforting her husband, she did not move to help.

There wasn't much that could be said. They stood in the grass before the small grave. Water's eyes kept reading over the name imprinted on the tombstone-- Lyrisa Ann Mellon. In the grass next to her tombstone, a small stone fairy sat protecting the young child buried under the ground.

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Alberta

"So ostentatious!"

Alberta's grandmother scowled as she did at everything that did not meet her approval. Alberta only stood quietly beside her.



"Like they're so much better than our family. So much better than my daughter that they have to get this huge tombstone that's larger than two plain ones for someone who's smaller than all the rest."

Alberta wisely said not a word, not even rolling her eyes as any normal teen would do. She would never dare.

Her grandmother became quiet and stared off into the distance. During the silence, Alberta respectfully prayed for her family, as she always did, and for this new addition to the cemetery. It was always going to be sad to see a new resident at the cemetery.

Alberta was young, but she had known more pain than any one person should know in such a short time. It was a lifetime's worth of pain that resulted in the loss of her mother, her father, and her brother, who had been older than her at the time. Now she was older than he had been when he had died.

Her pain was a part of her. It wound and twisted through her shaping her reactions and responses. She was a different person than she could have been. Now she was meant to take over the cemetery when her Grandmother passed away. Something her Grandmother was certain would be coming soon.

Her Grandmother glanced at her, allowing her another moment to her own thoughts. So it was often between the two who had both suffered. Without a word, they went to visit the grave stones at the back of the cemetery.



A small goup of people arrived and stood around the grave bowing their heads. Alberta stood behind a tree, watching them deal with their grief. It was clear who the father was. He was crying, and another man put his arms over his shoulders. Alberta was not certain which woman was the mother, but she guessed that it was the woman standing alone, chatting with the couple before her. She did not appear to be crying, though Alberta had to admit it was difficult to tell from such a distance.

She wished she could offer her help to them. Even her condolences would be kinder than simply standing back and watching them suffer. But her grandmother had strict rules about bothering those visiting their loved ones, especially when those visiting were from on The Hill. She was only to remain in the background, never speaking or disturbing anyone.

Her grandmother meant it for the best. "We're hardly higher than the Service NPCs," she had told Alberta just before they headed over to the cemetery. "Never forget that."

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Leander Hazlebone

He stood still at the fence watching her. She didn't look like the young one he had known so many phases previous. Her silky hair was cropped short. Each time she moved her head, her ears were visible. He winced at the thought. Did the sims here believe that she was a true representative of the elves?



Once the bus left, she glanced around quickly as if she were expecting someone. Her eyes fell on his still form just as the bus pulled away.

For a heart beat, they stood still staring at one another. Her arms dropped to her side as her eyes widened. It only took a second before her surprise turned into a grimace.

He stepped through the gate and walked towards her. Although he tried to walk slow, to give her time to work on her forced smile, he realized that she would need more time than he could give.

He stood before her and crossed his arms. "Amberle."



"Leander." Her small lips curled cautiously into a smile. "What're you doing here?"

He found her lilac eyes brighter than he remembered them. "I think the question is, what are you doing back?" His crossed arms made his slender body appear wider. It seemed to have the desired effect.

Amberle stumbled over her words as she tried to come up with some sort of excuse. "Well... everyone moved here, and they invited me along as well. This is my home now. Why shouldn't I have come with them?"



"Because you were sent away. The Council fears for our safety."

Amberle raised an eyebrow at him. "And so they sent you out to walk around with your ears showing? I haven't told anyone anything, but don't you think they'll wonder why there is another elf with ears like myself wandering around town?"



Involuntarily, his face scrunched up angrily at her stupidity. "You know they can't see my ears. The S.E.P Charm won't allow them to see what they don't want to see. Besides, we're not worried about the Sims, we're more worried about your return." He kept his arms crossed as he waited for her reaction.



She simply turned away from him. Her voice became flat and lifeless. "Don't worry. I'm not going back. Ever." He had expected her to yell and to hit him, possibly tripping and falling on the concrete, but he hadn't expected this reaction.

She refused to look at him. Her hair slipped over her eyes letting her small elfen ear peek through.



"Well, I'll be in town for a short while. You know the Council needs to approve of the settlement here." When she still refused to look at him, he simply walked away to check out the rest of town.

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Amberle Waits

Amberle Silverring felt nervous the entire day. She had class to teach, but it was not the reason why she felt nervous. It was something else. The problem was that she didn't know what was making her so nervous.



For the millionth time that day, as she stood in the school kitchen listening to her three students chatting over lunch, she glanced out the window. It was a stupid gesture that she knew would only give her the view of the back of the house beside the school. Still, she couldn't help peeking as if she would be able to catch a glance ahead of time of whatever she felt she was waiting for.



The kids munched on their lunchmeat sandwiches as they unwisely discussed the bugs they had caught earlier in the morning. Sweet little Amália Centowsky made a point to be as disgusting as she could, and poor dark haired Jason looked a little queasy.

The rest of the day, Amberle did her best to continue teaching the class without glancing out the window. She still snuck glances though when her students weren't looking. As the time got nearer to 3, Amberle found herself more nervous.



"Ok, class!" She smiled brightly at her three students. "Let's say we end class early today."

Amália's mouth dropped open. It was no secret that school was not her thing. Amberle was certain that Amália simply enjoyed the enforced company that had to put up with her. "But, It's only 2:30! The bus won't be here."

"Don't worry. I called the school bus driver at lunch, so she should be there in a few minutes. Let's start cleaning up, shall we?"

She gathered her students and ushered them out the door to the waiting school bus despite Amália's weak protests. Amberle stood in front of the school house, pretending to watch the kids loading on the bus as she sheilded her eyes from the sun with one hand. But her racing heart made it hard to concentrate.

She was sure she wasn't alone.




*********************

Since Amberle is a character with a bit of a history, I have posted a quick profile on Amberle here. Not really needed for this story, but nice to have I figure.

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