Chapter 6
Mir slipped into the darkness and watched with mild amusement as the young reporter cursed and left the club. After she was sure he was gone, she slid into the elevator and made the short trip up two floors. The bouncer at the door said nothing as she passed him into the true VIP room of Elysium. The bouncer was not there for the vampires but to prevent any curiously foolish humans from invading the den of vampires.
As usual, Aaron Radtke was holding court on the small island in the middle of pool. Any vampire who wanted an audience with the Regis was required to cross the blood red pool to reach him. That was not a particularly difficult feat, it was mostly a symbolic way of putting himself on a dais. While she did need to speak with him, she did not join the small band of vampires at the edge of the pool. She barely glanced at him but could feel his eyes - and his mind - tracking her to the bar. "A negative." she said to the bartender.
A few newer vampires gasped and oohed as the Regis stood and leapt from the dais in a single bound. He landed on his feet, without a single hair disturbed. Mir didn't have to turn towards him to know he was coming her way. She could feel his presence tingling all over her and becoming stronger as he got closer. She barely felt his physical touch through the cloud of mental caresses. "Regis." she said with a discreet nod.
He nodded at the human behind the bar. "AB negative my dear." he said. She looked at him like a dog in heat and nodded vigorously. She clumsily prepared the drink for him, blood droplets splattering on the floor and bar. With no finesse or showmanship, she presented the glass to him with her head ducked down.
"I don't think your new girl is going to make it." Mir said smirking. She looked at the bar - where her own drink still hadn't been served - and then over at the bartender. One mental push and the girl's gaze snapped up to her in fear. She was trembling all over but quickly poured a glass for Mirelle.
"Now now Mir - no need to frighten the poor child. It's her first day on the floor..." Aaron said. He was looking over the girl, hunger and desire mingled over his face as he took in her small frame and ample endowments.
Mir tried not to look over disgusted. "I didn't know you fancied dumb blondes Aaron." she quipped.
His head snapped around quickly and he snarled at her. Mirelle knew he wasn't offended on behalf of the girl but because she had disrespected him - especially here where everyone in the room had exceptional hearing and had probably heard every bit of their exchange.
Before he could say anything, she made herself look appropriately repentant, looking down toward the floor and waiting for his body to stop pulsing with anger. 'There was a reporter,' she couldn't say it out loud so she continued to look at his feet as she spoke to him mentally.
He was silent - physically and mentally - for a few minutes. He nodded and then put his fingers on her chin, tilting it up to face him. He put his hand at the small of her back and navigated them toward the door. Their drinks were left untouched on the bar.
They were both silent as the elevator moved down toward the basement of the building where Aaron had a small private apartment and office space set up. This was in addition to the sprawling old mansion he had in the hills outside of town. Just inside the door, Aaron leaned in close to Mir, pressing her against the wall. He didn't say anything but his eyes were on fire and she knew he wanted her, possibly as much as she wanted him. "Tell me out the reporter." he said, his voice low.
Mir, not as quick to change tracks as he was, had to shake off the pulsing desire insider he. "He came into the club tonight - looking for you. Alex Garza?"
"Garza...of the Times right?" he asked, pushing off the wall and away from her. "Care for a drink?"
"Sure." she said, following him toward the bar. "Yes, he's a writer for the Times. Said he got a tip that you'd endorsed Pike...you didn't did you?" she asked.
He didn't respond as he poured them both drinks and passed one over to her. "And if I did?"
"Oh Aaron..." she groaned thinking about all the implications. "You know how much attention this will get - considering your rather outspoken political opinions. When this gets out half the reporters in town will be focused on you..." She'd put her glass back on the bar without taking a drink and paced the room.
"Aren't you going to drink your drink Mir?" he said. "What's wrong with having a few reporters around? It's good for business."
"It's not good for us though!" she snapped at him. His nonchalant expression slipped as he flared with anger at her outburst but was just as quickly gone again.
"I wasn't aware there was an 'us' anymore Mir - much to my disappointment." he replied.
She rolled her eyes. "No there isn't - you got married remember? And that wasn't the 'us' I was talking about and you damn well know it!"
"I didn't get married - I took a partner. And it was strictly strategic." Aaron easily navigated the conversation in the direction he desired.
"Does Mrs. Radtke view it as a strategic endeavour?" Mir asked, trying to regain her composure. He was one of the few people who could rattle her cage in this way.
He seemed to think on that for a moment and shrug. "Can't say I really care." In a blur he set down his glass and was by her side, pressing her against the bar and twining a strand of her hair around his finger.
"Stop that!" Mir said trying to push against his chest. Even with her enhanced vampire strength it was like pushing against a wall. He was a vampire too and almost four times her age. If he didn't want to be moved by her, he wasn't going to be moved. "The reporter Aaron..." she tried to bring the focus back around to the original subject.
"Mmhmm, let's forget about the reporter." he whispered into her ear. Mirelle cursed her body's willing responses to him. His lips brushed against her skin and she let out a small, involuntary groan. "There's a good girl..." he teased.
"Why do you keep doing this to me Aaron?" Mirelle whispered, even as his strong hands ran along her pale skin.
Afterward, as they lay in the afterglow of the encounter, Mirelle's haze slowly cleared and her thoughts returned to the real reason she'd sought him out. "I don't think you can sex the reporter away Aaron..." she said as she climbed off the couch and collected her under things.
"Oh I don't know - he might swing that direction..." Aaron said with a grin on his face.
"Is everything a game to you Aaron?" Mir snapped. Inside she felt the sting of thirst since she'd left both her drinks go to waste and allowed Aaron to capture her attention for so long. She could feel the tug of encroaching dawn as well and wanted to be well away from here when she had to go to ground for the day.
"Not everything." he said, showing no sign of modesting or covering himself. "The reporter will be dealt with and I have Pike under control."
"That's exactly the problem." Mir said. "If the Concil finds out how much you're meddling in human affairs..."
"What about the girl?" Aaron said, brushing the topic aside. She knew that he thought he knew what he was doing but sometimes, though rarely, he let things go too far. "The one who snatched your dinner away last week."
"I went to her apartment like you asked." Mir said seething in frustration. As he was the Regis, she had to watch her words, but right now she just wanted to slap him.
"And..." he prompted.
"She wasn't there - but her apartment smells like Dog. Took me forever to get the smell out of my hair." Mir frowned and sniffed her hair again. It had been days since she'd been inside the apartment but she could still smell it sometimes.
"Dog?" Aaron asked raising his eyebrows. "Ah, were...do you think she's a were?" Mir was suspicious about Aaron unusual curiosity about this Lex but didn't say as much.
"No, I don't think so. I can...identify...Weres. Whoever, WHATever she is - it's nothing I've met before." she countered. "But she associates with Weres - extensively."
"Mhmm." Aaron said. He stood up, still not considering it necessary to cover himself, and walked over to her. "I want you to extend her an invitation..."
"Why?" Mir asked, feeling a sting of foolish jealousy at his interest. "She's nothing!"
"But she knows about us and is clearly a supe of some sort..." he said. "It merits investigation I think. And I'd like to meet her. No offense my dear Mir," he said, reaching out to stroke her cheek. "I'm several centuries older than you. Perhaps I'll be able to identify her."
Mir snarled and recoiled from his touch. "And if she refuses the invitation? She had no love of vampires on our first encounter."
"I'm sure you'll find a way to fulfill your Regis's wishes." Aaron said coolly. "I want the girl."
After several tense, silent moments, Mir nodded. "As you say...Regis." She collected the rest of her things. "I better be going before the dawn." she added, hoping he didn't object and try to keep her at the apartment.
He merely motioned to the door and disappeared into his bedroom, leaving her to show herself out.
------
The sun had been down for less than an hour when Mir returned to Lex's apartment. She could smell the hint of dog even before the elevator doors opened and snarled. "'I want the girl,'" she rolled her eyes. "Get your own damn girl Aaron..." she stepped into the hallway and approached the door, prepared to let herself in again. To her surprise the door was not only unlocked, it stood ajar. She glanced around the hallway before gently pushing the door in.
The apartment was in disarray with a few broken dishes and a few upturned chairs. There were deep claw marks slashed through the couch and the pictures on the wall were at all angles as if the place had been rumbled by an earthquake recently. The apartment still smelled of dog, only this one had a different, stronger odor.
None of this was particularly concerning to Mir. She didn't care in the least what sort of trouble the girl had gotten into. Except the girl wasn't here.
"Well damn." Mir said. "Now I'll smell like dog again and still have nothing to show for it..." She checked the apartment one more time and left, sure not to touch another more than necessary. On the way out of the building, she detected the unmistakable smell of Were and whipped around. He sensed her at the same time and their eyes locked on each other - each with an equal mix of disgust and anger.
End Chapter
Chapter 3
I started feeling a bit better in a few days and gave Val an "I told you so" look. Doctors? Pfft!
Val smirked at me and shook his head but didn't push the issue. "Why don't we go out to the theater now that you're feeling better?" he suggested. I'd been talking about some show I'd wanted to see for weeks and I was pleased to see he remembered.
Unfortunately our evening was cut short when the stomach flu came back with a vengeance. I spent the whole second act in the restroom with Val pacing outside in the hall. As soon as I emerged, he looked me square in the face and sternly told me I WOULD be going to the doctor this time.
The following day, I went to the doctor alone because Val was working with Jag on business matters. I considered leaving, since Val wasn't here to force me to go. Surely I could just tell him I went and be done with it, but by now I actually wanted some relief.
I wasn't expecting the news I got - though I'm not sure why it came as such a surprise. "I'm having a baby" I said in a dream like state. I don't know if anyone was even around to hear me but I hadn't said it for their sakes - merely my own.
When I told Val, he was very excited at the prospect of us having a baby. I'd been given dozens of handouts by the doctor but Val soon declared they weren't enough and we needed a pregnancy book or two. Unfortunately funds were a bit tight for a trip to the bookstore so we headed to the library.
After reading all the various worst case scenarios, Val tried to keep me out of the garden - arguing that the extended sun exposure, the chemicals, the...well everything...would be a threat to the baby but I used all natural fertilizers and would not give up my garden for nine months unless the doctor said I had to. Thankfully the doctor sided with me.
The six months or so of the pregnancy seemed to rush by in a blur. We both wanted a girl but had chosen to be surprised at delivery. Val started working on one of the extra bedrooms right away and when he refused to let me help - I didn't really protest. I told him, more or less, what I wanted and let him do the work.
I was at the end of my second trimester when he suggested we go for a walk one early summer evening. We found our way to the park and I was feeling kind of tired so we both sat on the bench to rest before heading home.
If early pregnancy flew by, it came to grinding halt about the time I reached my eighth month. Suddenly it seemed as if time had stopped as we waited for our little babe to join us.
Val, ever interested in my expanding belly and our baby, didn't seem to notice that time had stopped. He gave me back massages and spent many moments talking to our baby and reassuring me that he or she would join the world soon enough.
All that was fine and dandy until my due date came and went. I was officially overdue and I was convinced I would be pregnant forever - or at least for two years or more like elephants. Maybe I'd also deliver a fifty pound child - it felt like I was already carrying fifty pounds of baby as it was!
I spent some time online at various pregnancy and baby forums. While I rarely posted anything, I lurked extensively and saw many recommendations to jump start labor. Some of them sounded horrifying but there were a few more basic ones, like exercising. Exercising, in moderation, couldn't do any harm...
I don't know if it was the jumping jacks, the evening Val and I had spent in bed or if it was just time - but I woke up in the wee hours of the morning feeling horrible and sore. I waddled my way downstairs to get a drink and felt the first of many contractions to come.
Val heard the shattering of glass as I dropped the cup of water and came stumbling down the stairs. "Cin?!" he asked frantically looking around for something. He told me later he thought someone had broken a window or something.
"Val..." I said through gritted teeth, "Val, I think it's time..."
As leery as I was of doctors, Val was not agreeable to a home birth (this time), so he grabbed my hospital bag and we were off. We weren't even in a labor and delivery room when I felt the urge to push. "No Cin! Not yet!"
"I can't exactly help it!" I shouted back at him. A young looking nurse started directing us to a room and started to hook me up to all sorts of monitors and devices. "No time!" I screamed at her. "The baby is coming!"
"Oh I doubt it ma'am...but I'll check..." she took her sweet time pulling on a pair of gloves. But in a moment her face was replaced with shock. "Um..." she looked toward the door in panic - there was no doctor to be found. "I'm going to go find a doctor." She was out the door before either of us could protest.
"Val! You need to get down there...this baby is coming with or without medical personnel!" Val looked startled and a little horrified but nodded finally.
The doctor came in, ushered by the nurse, two minutes after our son Rum was born.
I checked myself and Rum out of the hospital only a few hours later and we all went home.
End Chapter
Chapter 2
I know what you're thinking...
Didn't he JUST reject me? I know because I was thinking the same thing when he called me up the next day. I ignored him that time but he's a persistent one because he called again that night and the next day until I finally answered. "Just meet me at the gardens okay?" he said.
Curious and hoping to salvage the threads of our budding relationship, I did as he asked and was waiting for him at the gardens. As the time he said to meet him came and went, I was sure I'd just been rejected again and could feel tears in my eyes already. I turned to run from the place and there he was, with a small, apologetic smile on his face. "Don't cry, sorry I'm late..." he glanced at his watch. Before I could turn away from him, he closed the gap between us and captured me in his arms.
And he kissed me! He was shy about it at first and I didn't expect it until his lips were on mine. "There now, that's better than a first kiss in the bathroom isn't it?" he said with wink.
"So that's why...?" I stammered, still trying to regain coherent thoughts.
"I didn't mean to upset you Cin, you have to believe that. I figured we'd go sit on the couch and watch a movie...but you ran off..." Val said, holding my hands firmly.
"Oh...okay..." I replied lamely. I knew I was an idiot sometimes...
------
After that we started dating "officially" but things weren't much different than before. We hung out, we gardened together, we talked.
I told him everything about where I was from and how much I missed Ma and Pa - but not so much "home". Sugar Valley was becoming my home now and I wasn't sure I could return to the colorless existence - even if we had an inkling as to how to get there.
Val told me about his own family and home back in Nectar Hills. The way he talked about the dozens of grape varieties made me want to uproot my feeble garden and start fresh with grapes, grapes and more grapes. "So you came here to find a wife?" I asked, looking at my feet. Of course I'd thought of marriage and kids - I was a romantic like that...
"Mmhmm," Val said, without much comment.
Aside from the normal stuff, there was one difference from how things used to be and how things were now that we were dating...the kissing.
We kissed everywhere...all the time. As if I didn't get enough looks because of my color - or LACK of color as the case may be. Val and I together was like a sideshow act at a circus. But we didn't let it bother us and no one made any direct comments to us.
In time I had confided in Ella about my relationship with Val. She'd met him of course but at the time we'd just been friends. It wasn't long before she confessed to similar news - apparently she'd met her own McWine in the chilly night air.
------
Months of happiness past and I was beginning to imagine that blessed moment when Val would propose. I constructed quite a scene in my head involving flowers of every size and shape and music coming from some unknown source.
But my little dream didn't materialize.
Finally, tired of waiting on Val, I decided I could have my dream all on my own - slightly modified to fit my non-existent budget. I reassured myself with a veiled conversation with Jag about Val's intentions - he assured me that Val wanted all the same things I did so I went ahead with my arrangements.
"Let's go over toward the pond." I suggested as Val and I strolled through the little gardens. It was the same place we'd met and the same place we returned to often. I glanced over at Jag - for whatever reason he'd decided to tag along with Val today and I wondered if he knew what I was thinking.
"Cin - I love you so..." Val started
"Val, I wanted to...." I said at the exact same time. We both chuckled and he nodded toward me to proceed. I fumbled with the little ring box in my pocket and then got down on one knee. This whole thing felt awkward and clumsy.
"Will you marry me?" I asked, holding out the ring. It was a simple gold band but it caught the sunlight just like a diamond might.
Val was chuckling and I swear I heard Jag laughing in the background as well. "Oh Cin, I love you..." As I stood up, holding out the ring to him for an answer, he pulled out his own ring from his pocket. "But you sort of stole my line." he said opening the box for me to see a perfectly simple ring, set with a beautiful purple stone. "Will YOU marry ME?"
"Yes of course!" I shouted, throwing my arms around his neck.
------
It's possible the boys conspired to propose at the same time or it may have just been luck - but El came bounding in the house that night with the largest grin on her face. "I'm getting married!" she shouted up the stairs and again into the kitchen. She held out her hand to me and shook it so violently I was afraid the ring would fly off of it!
It seemed an obvious choice to have a double wedding after all that. Two sisters marrying two brothers - engaged on nearly the same day - it was fate or something like it.
Since none of us had really befriended anyone of importance in town, we planned a small private ceremony out at the planetarium. It was appropriate - we all felt - to get married at night seeing as we'd all met at night. So with the stars as our witnesses, we exchanged our vows and rings.
Val moved into the old house with me and Ella moved out to live with Jag. I was going to miss having my sister so close but Val made a fine substitute.
Long before I'd expressed my desire to wait for marriage and Val had accepted my feelings. He'd never once pushed me. So the eve of our wedding, Val carried me into the little run down house and even though I protested that I could surely walk up the stairs - he carried me all the way to the bed before setting me down.
I woke up starving a few hours later and realized I hadn't eaten since a small snack just before the wedding. I slipped carefully out from under Val's arms and down the stairs. I skipped the third step because it creaked loudly under the smallest pressure.
In the refrigerator, I found plenty of fruits and vegetables at my disposal but none of them sounded appealing at three in the morning. Finally I found a box of mac and cheese buried in a cabinet. I wondered if El had gotten it or had it been in the house before we'd even arrived. Being three in the morning, I didn't give the later too much thought.
I was almost done preparing my late night feast when I heard the telltale creak of that third stair. Val came into the kitchen, still rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Funny thing - I woke up to find my wife missing." he teased.
"Sorry, I was hungry..." I held out the wooden spoon for him to taste. He looked a little leery - like me, he generally preferred fresh vegetables or even meat - but he took a taste anyway and nodded approvingly. "Want me to make you a bowl? There's more than enough..."
So it happened that our first meal as husband and wife was Mac and Cheese made from a box that may or may not have been a dozen years old.
------
It didn't take long for us to grow accustomed to living together in wedded bliss. I confessed to Val that we were squatting in this house and he told me about the offer he and Jag had received when they'd arrived. A quick trip to the housing office and we were now the legal owners of this house under the understanding that we would fix it up in due time.
I set about expanding our little garden and Val painted dozens of pictures we could use to decorate the house in time. Occasionally neither of us would particularly love the outcome so he'd take it down to the consignment store to sell. He was building a small reputation with the owner, Blueberry Muffin. She was eager to sell his paintings and asked if he could paint a few more. As we had very little source of income - this was a wonderful arrangement.
All was going well in our little world until I came down with a horrible stomach bug. For days I laid in bed, trying to beat this thing but I always ended up back in the bathroom. "I think it's time you go to the doctor..." Val suggested as another round of nausea had me running.
"No!" I shouted back just before I retched over the toilet. I was stubborn on this particular fact - I'm not really sure why - I just didn't want to go to the doctor.
"Cin..." Val said, his voice edged with warning.
End Chapter
Introduction
Once upon a time, the world was full of life and color. This tale begin in such a time, sad to say. There was a great darkness and over the course of several decades, everything began to fade. The population was decimated as the plants and animals died off. Very little survive the darkness and what did - was different.
Small pockets of survivors surfaced and started to replant the barren wasteland. Their task was great if they hoped to survive. With great trial and persistence - the world began to revive. It was not the same as it once was though.
The one thing they could not bring back to the world was Color.
Fact was, the last person who knew anything about Color had long since passed away when our story begins. As such, these two sisters know nothing of it - not even a whisper or a fairy tale.
------
"El!" I called down the cellar steps once more. She'd been down there for nearly twenty minutes and had only gone down for a jar of jam! "Ella! Ma's been callin' for you for fifteen minutes!" I said stomping down the stairs.
I saw the jar of jam sitting on the table and picked it up curiously. "Ella Dust! What are you up to? Come on out!" I knew she had to be hiding - waiting to scare me out of my wits no doubt. After several more moments of utter silence, I began to wonder. "Ella?" I looked around the table and under it...
She jumped out from under it with a shriek! "Boooo!"
The jar flew from my hand and smashed into the floor, sending glass flying every direction. I stumbled backwards, reaching out for anything to catch my fall. My fingers found purchase against cold metal just as I heard Ella snickering.
By the time I righted myself, she was cleaning up the shattered jam jar with a broom and a dust pan. "I scared you!" she said triumphantly, standing up. For a second I could see utter glee in her eyes and then she looked past me in confusion. She dropped the dustpan and hurried toward me.
Her foot caught on the table leg - she always was a clutz - sending her careening into me. Together we tumbled backwards...into the wall - except the wall that ought to be there didn't stop our fall.
We reached for each other, holding tight to the other's hand, as we fell through space. Surely we ought to have hit the floor of the cellar by now...
------
When we did finally crash into the ground, the grass around us was a few feet high and there was dirt everywhere. We were outside! Only how could that be as we were just inside our house!?
I straightened up, dusting the dirt and pebbles from my dress as I did so, "What just happened?" I asked aloud.
End Intro
Chapter 1
"Woah" I said as I took in the vibrant colors all around me.
"I know! What a dump right?" Ella said. I couldn't understand how she could think this beautiful place was a dump until I spun to face her and followed her line of sight. Okay...so the house wasn't in pristine condition. I could see it's potential though...
We would soon find out that we'd landed in Sugar Valley - though neither of us had ever heard of such a place or all the colors that existed here.
Unsure where to go, we spent the first night sleeping outside the very house we'd landed in front of. No owners ever came home that night, or in the following nights. After a couple nights outside and under the threat of rain - we tried the door of the house seeking shelter. It swung open without resistance!
------
From the few people we saw pass our way, it was obvious that we would stand out in this town. Ella, who was always a bit shy around strangers, was unwilling to venture off the little lot but there was only so long we could go with a few bits of wild berries. In an effort to compromise, I went in search of other foods sources - but always within sight of the house.
I found several seeds but I knew it would be weeks before any of them even sprouted and still longer for any fruit - assuming there was fruit to be had - would come of them. Still, I planted them on the side of the house; hoping that the owners - whoever they were - wouldn't care about our minor improvements. I dreaded the day they finally returned, where would we go then?
Eventually, I had no choice but to go into town in search of a real food source. I waited until Ella was asleep and slipped out of the house in the dead of night. I was as leery of encountering the colorful populace as she was but it was looking more and more like this place might become our new home.
I found that there were plants of all shapes, sizes and colors planted all through the town. There didn't seem to be anyone out at this hour, so I picked only a few things to get us through another few days and found a few more seeds.
This routine continued for some time - Ella never asked where the food came from and I never offered an explanation. I suspect she knew, as there was only one rundown bed in the house that we shared. She must have noticed that I'd left at least once in all those weeks. As a result of my nightly adventures, our own little garden was growing.
Most of the time, I didn't see a soul while I was out. Who would be up at this hour anyway? But one night, I wasn't the only one lurking about the community garden.
His name was Valentino McWine.
He'd watched me for some time before I'd noticed him apparently - his dark purple skin allowing him to blend into the darkness fairly easily. "You should get some of the grapes - they're at their prime right now." his voice had startled me so badly I dropped my basket and fruit spilled across the grass.
I may not have welcomed his intrusion very well....
But if he was offended by my ire, he didn't show it. He helped me recollect my pickings and then introduced himself. "So Cinder is it?"
"Um, yes." I said softly. After a moment of awkwardness, he recommended the grapes again before taking his leave for the night. But he returned the next night, and the next. Over the course of a couple weeks - we developed a friendship and could spend the chilly evening hours chatting about our lives.
If it hadn't been for him, I may never have been willing to venture into town during the day but he encouraged me - telling me of his own arrival with his brother. While they were outsiders, they'd never suffered any ill will from the population.
Ella was a little harder to convince though. I could tell she'd become rather restless in the town though and finally confessed to all the things I'd seen in town in the evenings and she finally agreed to come with me into town one morning.
I even took her to meet Val, partially in hopes of meeting the brother he spoke of so often. Jagger was out when we arrived but Val entertained us both with a quick tour of their house and his guitar.
------
It wasn't long before Val and I had transitioned from just friends into something more. Our conversations became deeper and our jokes became more flirty. I had visions of weddings, kids and a happily ever after and it seemed as if Val was on the same page with me.
At least I thought so until one night when I broached the subject of actually becoming a couple. I had little experience with men and even less of men of this area - perhaps I'd made a faux pas! He seemed agreeable to the idea but then...
Oh I must seem like such an idiot! I ran out of his house without giving him a moment to say anything. I barely heard his footsteps behind me or heard him calling out for me to stop.
He caught up to me and asked me to come back inside but I just shook my head. "I think I need to go home."
"Cin!" Val called after me as I started backing away from him again. "I just.... Cin come on back!" I didn't hang around to hear anything else.
When I got home, I did what all women do in such a situation. I turned to ice cream...
End Chapter
This rainbowcy challenge is based on the Difference in the Family Tree challenge created by TheUsernameFound but I have modified the generation objectives somewhat to suit the story line I have in mind.
Generation 1: The Gardener.
"When you have nothing, you start with nothing and plant the seed - literally and figuratively."
Objectives:
-Grow garden with all plants from store.
-Get married, do not woohoo until marriage.
-No divorce.
-have at least 1 boy and 1 girl.
-master garden skill
-reach level 10 of gardener career
Generation 2: The Superstar.
"I never could get into that gardening thing, no one gets an Academy Award for watering the plants!"
Objectives:
-Obtain level 10 in Film career (either actor or director path)
-Master charisma skill
-Get married, woohoo, and have kid(s) (in any order)
-Become 5-Star Celebrity
-Woohoo with coworker/co-star/director
Generation 3: The Photographer.
"I barely knew my parents. Can you say abandonment issues? Still, she could make the desert sound gorgeous!"
Objectives:
-Master Photography skill
-Visit all three travel locations at least once
-Have photography studio to showcase work (can be on home lot or purchased community lot)
-Met and marry a foreigner
-Have at least one child
Generation 4: The Writer.
"They say a picture is worth a thousand words - me? I prefer the words personally."
Objectives:
-Master Writing skill
-Write at least 15 books
-Gain at least 10K in royalties
-Master Painting skill
-Paint at least 10 paintings
-Have at least one child
Generation 5: The Rock Star.
"Despite being a best selling author, my parents avoided the spotlight - well that's not me!"
Objectives:
-Master at least two instruments
-Learn all songs for mastered instruments
-Form band and practice for/have gigs.
-Get tattoo
-Become celebrity
-Have at least three kids
Generation 6: The Suburbanite.
"I just want a simple life at home. Is that so much to ask for? I hope not!"
Objectives:
-Start a daycare
-Marry and have at least three kids
-Adopt at least one kid
-Reach max level of daycare business
-Teach toddlers all skills
-Help children/teens with homework
-Do not work (aside from daycare) until all children are in school
Generation 7: The Hacker.
"My parents were so clueless, wrapped up in their perfect little cookie cutter life, they never even noticed me! Not really anyway!"
Objectives:
-Master logic skill
-Begin hacking at a teenager
-Reach level 10 of criminal career (either branch)
-Pull pranks as a teenager
-Throw teen party if the opportunity arises.
-Stay out after curfew and get picked up by cops
-Have at least one child
Generation 8: The Politician.
"I was barely out of law school when I had to defend my parent in court. That's not how I want to start my career!"
Objectives:
-Master Charisma skill
-Reach level 10 of political career
-Host campaign parties regularly to raise funds
-Receive at least 10K in funds
-Steal from funds at least once
-Don't marry until adulthood so you can focus on career
-Have at least 3 children
Generation 9: The Party Animal.
"Being the child of the President isn't as easy as I make it look! It takes a lot of work to look like this all the time!"
Objectives:
-Only hold part time jobs
-Throw parties every other weekend
-Go out clubbing the other weekends
-Have drunken woohoo with at least three sims
-Have at least one child, do not teach them skills (others in household may)
Generation 10: The Mixologist.
"I started learning my trade from a young age - I rarely touch the stuff myself but I won't say no if people pay me for it."
Objectives:
-Master Mixology skill
-Master cooking skill
-Moonlight as a mixologist
-Buy a bar/club/lounge
-Renovate the bar in your own image
-Get married, woohoo, have kid(s)
Generation 11: The Occult.
"Mom and Dad always said to walk home from the bar with someone else at night - I guess I should have listened to them huh?"
Objectives:
-Get fed on by vampire
-Get turned to vampire
-Feed on someone else
-Master all base skills (hey you've got time!)
-Have at least 2 long term lovers
-Turn at least 1 person
-Have a child
*I may add in additional generations from the challenge later on after I consider the color order again.*
