Third Blogiversary

This is where I would have posted my Third Blogiversary Special. I had this really cool idea, that I think everyone would enjoy. However, I haven’t had the time to give this the proper attention that it deserves. As much as I dislike posting things late, I dislike posting something that was half-assed even more.

So I will hold off on the Third Blogiversary Special for now.  But before I leave you, I just want to say thank you for sticking with me.  This has been a crazy year, and it has been your kind and supportive comments that have meant so much to me.  So, thank you! ❤

 

 

 

 

 

yuou

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Chapter 3.19 A First Time for Everything

 

I instantly regretted yelling and belittling Mira the way that I had. Not because of what I said, or how I said it. I am not sorry about that (well… maybe just a tiny little bit). I was mad because all of my hard work is now ruined. I put so much effort into being fake nice to all of these unbearably stupid people. Why would they want to talk to me now? Or, more importantly, how could I get any of them to help me?

After the way I treated her, Mira will never want to see me again. If I am not friends with Mira, then Flint & Renatta will not want to see me either. I know that doesn’t sound like a bad thing, but what if I need Flint’s magical fairy dust? (at this point I will take all of the magical help I can get)

On top of that, Ryker and Camilla will most likely kick me out of the pack. That will leave me vulnerable to Alcander and the vampires. I will have no choice but to move far away from Moonlight Falls. But where else can I go?

I need to make things right with Mira ASAP!!

“That, and the fact that apologizing to Mira is the right thing to do!” Bert was quick to add in his 2 cents, as usual.

 

But I didn’t want to come off like I was desperate.  After waiting what I thought was an appropriate amount of time, I literally tucked my tail between my legs and sulked over to Mira’s home. I had rehearsed my speech with Bert. I knew exactly what to say, and how to sound so Mira will think that my apology was sincere. However, when those rainbow colored eyes caught my attention, everything stopped.

Mira answered the door, but not with her usual overly obnoxiously cheery greeting. Right away I noticed that she had been crying. And this was not the small, little, “I just saw ​The Notebook so now I am sad” type of cry. I am talking about the intense, deep, my dog died type of ugly cry. Mira’s hair was knotted and tucked behind an old dirty scarf, and her face looked like she hadn’t slept in days. She looked worse than she did when I first saw her cry at the library (which was the first type of crying).

In that moment something changed. I experienced something that I had never felt before; regret. Genuine remorse for my actions.   I swallowed my pride and felt the knot in my throat fall to the empty pit in my stomach. My heart hurt; not since Grandpa Ryan’s funeral have I felt so miserable. But it didn’t matter how I felt. For the first time in my life I didn’t think about myself.

“I want to say how incredibly sorry I am for the despicable way I behaved the other day,” I was sincere as I spoke from the heart, “I acted like a rude, arrogant jerk, and you did not deserve that. For that I truly am sorry.”

Mira’s hoarse voice cracked as she said, “I’m not in the mood for company right now.”.

 

Before I could say anything more, Mira closed the door in my face. I stood on her porch in stunned silence.

What the hell just happened?!?!

That is not how things were supposed to play out! This is the first time I am ​actually ​​ meaning a heartfelt apology, and this is what happens? I get a door slammed in my face?!?!

“Mira, please open the door,” I banged on the door as I called out to her, “Mira, talk to me. What is going on?”

No matter how loudly I called to her, or how hard I pounded on the door, Mira was not coming out. I should have given up and gone home; the old me certainly would have. “At least I tried” would have been my excuse for not caring anymore. But I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t just let this go. I couldn’t leave Mira that way, and not because I was under some supernatural spell.

I didn’t think about what would Fake Nice Linc do. I thought, What Would Mira Do?

 

I sprinted fast as I could, then returned with two hot coffees from the cafe. I do know that Mira orders the same thing each and every time, but for the life of me I couldn’t remember what that was. It is a good thing that the coffee fairy knew Mira’s order (and I made a mental note so I could remember in the future).

The coffees were the key to getting Mira to open the door to me. We sat at her dining room table, much in the same way that she had done with me. But her dining room was filled with more books than there were in the living room, and a different cat was using one of the chairs as its own personal grooming station.

“I know I said this earlier, but I want to say it again. I am so incredibly sorry for what I did.” I was amazed at how easy it was to apologize when I actually meant it. The words didn’t seem forced or over rehearsed. I just said what I felt.

Then waited for Mira to finally say something.

After the longest awkward silence of my entire life, Mira finally spoke. She talked so softly that even with my heightened sense of hearing I could barely make out what she said. But I am pretty sure she said, “thank you for the coffee, and for saying that you are sorry. Your words really hurt me, and I appreciate you trying make amends. But that is not why I am so upset right now.”

This is another first; I actually listened to what Mira said. Usually when she rambles on about whatever she happens to be rambling on about, I tune her out. I will reminisce about the good old days, when I was King of Twinbrook, with my future full of endless possibilities. I fantasize about still being able to become a Rock Star, and all of the perks that go along with that. This time, however, I couldn’t pull away. Those rainbow colored eyes hooked me in like a tractor beam. More than anything I wanted to get to the root of Mira’s sorrow.

 

“It’s just that everything feels like it is all too much. I don’t know how much more that I can take.” Mira was talking while absentmindedly fiddling with the rim of her coffee cup. “Alcander is becoming more forceful and trying to pressure me. Which means that my cousins are becoming even more nasty. And Papa seems to only be getting worse. He didn’t come to breakfast, and he was up all night working in the basement. On top of all of that, today is the anniversary of Momma’s passing.”

When it felt right to chime in I asked, “How did your mother die? Was it because she was…you know… not a witch?”

My questioning brought a surprised look on to Mira’s expression. Like she just now suddenly realized that I was sitting with her. She had no idea that it was me talking to her. It was as if she would be mumbling even if no one was here with her.

 

For a brief second I almost reached out my paw across the table for Mira to take it. But I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable or be obligated to have to touch me. So, I sat there as I waited for Mira to say something in response. However, Mira continued tracing the rim of the coffee cup with her index finger. She was lost in her own thoughts, a million miles away.

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to say. This was all very new to me; trying to comfort someone else. I want to help Mira. I want to take her pain away. But how?

With no better ideas, I did the first thing that came to mind; I went to her piano and started to play. I didn’t know how my newly gruff voice would sound, but I gave it my best as I sang a song that I thought would help.

 

After I finished the song the craziest thing happened. Something that I never would have  expected to have happen in a million years. Something so out of this world that if you would  have told me it was going to happen I would have thought that you were insane. Something I  didn’t ask for, and never would have asked for.

Mira sat down next to me and put her head on my shoulder.

 

SIDE NOTE: So, this is my first chapter that I had to rewrite after my laptop broke.  I am still torn up over it.  I kind of like this rewritten version better.  On the other hand, this chapter took longer to post than I wanted it to.  I am not sure where I am going with this; just please bare with me as I still sort everything out.

Also too, just in case you didn’t know it, the song Lincoln plays is The Beatle’s Let it Be.

And as always, have a great day or night depending on when you are reading this!

 

OC Photo Challenge & Getting to Know Tag

This Special Post has been inspired by Louise, and her OC Photo Challenge. Louise had used her current heir, Regina, as the model for her photos. I am going to be doing things a little different. Since Lincoln isn’t up for any photoshoots right now, I thought that this would be a good opportunity to check in on another one of our characters that we haven’t seen since Linc left Twinbrook. When we last saw Willow, she was a spunky child with not a care in the world. For some of the photos in this challenge I will age her up a young adult (let’s face it; the outfit choices for teens are ridiculously limited). But it should be noted that in the current timeline of the story, she is a teenager.

I don’t plan on completing the photo challenges in numerical order, and instead I am going to start with #4 & #5.

 

#4 As a Child

These first pictures for the challenge are to show Willow in her more natural settings, and not really in a photo shoot setting. The first one was taken the night of Lincoln & Autumn’s prom. Willow saw her older brother and sister taking pictures, and she wanted to be a part of the fun. So, she put on her formal dress, and stole the show!

 

#5 As a Teenager

This is Willow in her element. She loves all animals, and all animals love her.  They seem to be drawn to her caring and kind nature.  And Lincoln left Willow has been spending extra time with Thor.

 

But wait, there’s more! Along with the Photo Challenge, I am doing the GETTING TO KNOW Tag, again using Willow. Since Willow is a teen in the story timeline, that is how she will be answering the questions.

My hope is that this will give you an interesting insight into how Lincoln’s sudden departure affects the rest of his family. You may remember that Autumn is the only one who knows exactly what happened to Lincoln. And as per his request, she told everyone that he left home to move to Bridgeport to become a rock star. So without further ado, here is us getting to know more about Willow!

Name? ➔ ​Willow Hope Charming

Are you single? ➔ ​At the moment, yes

Are you happy? ➔ ​Yes!  I am a “glass is half full” kind of a girl.

Are you angry? ➔ ​In general no.  Just mad at one particular person.

Are your parents still married? ➔ ​Yes. My parents are still as much in love today as they were the day they married. I can’t wait until the day that I meet my Prince Charming.  But so far, it has been nothing but ugly toads!

NINE FACTS

Birth Place? ➔ ​Roaring Heights

Hair Color? ➔ ​Black. I want to put pink and blue braids in my hair, but Mom                  said not until school is out for the summer.

Eye Color? ➔ ​Dark brown

Birthday? ➔ ​I have two birthdays, sort of. The day of my birth is May 19.  But my family also celebrates “Got’ya Day” (the day they officially adopted me) which is September 29th.

Mood? ➔ ​I like to think that I am a pretty laid back kind of girl who is generally happy with life.

Gender? ➔ ​I just said it, but in case you weren’t paying attention, I am a female.

Summer or winter? ➔ ​Summer, definitely summer. I don’t hate school, but I am ready to be done with it.

Morning or afternoon? ➔ ​Afternoons, for sure. I am not a morning person              (especially if I have to get up and go to school).

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

Are you in love? ➔ ​Right now, no.

Do you believe in love at first sight? ➔ ​My Dad says that he fell in love with Mom at first sight. Mom says that it took her a bit longer. As for me, I don’t know.  When it happens to me, I’ll let you know.

Who ended your last relationship? ➔ ​I have only had one boyfriend, and my cat is the one who broke it off. He was allergic to my cats, and complained that I always had animal fur on my clothes. He told me that I had to choose between my pets and him.  So, I chose my pets!

Have you ever broken someone’s heart? ➔ ​No, never. I have seen what a broken heart will do to a person. My older brother selfishly ran away to pursue his own selfish desires. And that broke my parent’s hearts. They haven’t been the same since. My grandma took it especially hard. I could never, and would never, wish that on anyone.

Are you afraid of commitments? ➔ ​First I need to find someone to commit to.

Have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ ​Yes, I’m a hugger. My parents are usually gone to work by the time I get up, but I still hug them  when they get home. And I hug my Grandma every chance I get. I hug my pets all of the time. I gave my big sister a hug when she left for college, but that was a few weeks ago.

Have you ever had a secret admirer? ➔ ​I don’t think so. Boys at my school aren’t very secretive when it comes to liking a girl.

Have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ ​I would rather break my own heart, than break someone else’s!

SIX CHOICES

Love or lust? ➔ ​* blushes* I haven’t had much experience with either.

Lemonade or iced tea? ➔ ​Grandma likes to mix them both together. I think she calls it an Arnold Palmer, whoever that is.

Cats or Dogs? ➔ ​I have both. Plus two horses, four birds, a school of fish, two turtles, one guinea pig, and one bearded dragon.

A few best friends or many regular friends? ➔ ​I have a few close friends.

Wild night out or romantic night in? ➔ ​*blushes again* I haven’t had much of either of those either.

Day or night? ➔ ​Day, just not mornings.

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS

Been caught sneaking out? ➔ ​I have never even tried. Although, I can guess that I wouldn’t be very good at it.

Fallen down/up the stairs? ➔ ​No

Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ ​there are times when I want my older brother to come back home. Then there are times that I wish for him to stay away forever!

Wanted to disappear? ➔ ​No, there has already been too much of that going on here!

FOUR PREFERENCES

Smile or eyes? ➔ ​both

Shorter or Taller? ➔ ​I’m pretty sort, so odds are he is going to be taller than                  me.

Intelligence or Attraction? ➔ ​Why can’t I have to both again?

Hook-up or Relationship? ➔ ​Right now there is not much of either.  Although I can’t imagine just hooking up with some guy. Or maybe I can.  Love, lust, hate are all very confusing emotions for me. I just don’t know what I feel. You know?

FAMILY

Do you and your family get along? ➔ ​I LOVE my family. I miss my big sister so much, and I can’t wait until summer break when I get to see her again. And I love my parents so much. Even though they didn’t give birth to me, Stella and Brandon Charming ​are ​ my parents. And I don’t care what anyone else says!

Would you say you have a “messed up life”? ➔ ​My life started out pretty messed up. I don’t remember my birth mother, but I have been told that she was a junkie. I was less than a year old when I was taken away, but things didn’t get better from there. I was bounced around from foster home to foster home. I had five different sets of foster parents before I had turned three, and I was placed into a group home. That was when I was adopted by Stella and Brandon.

Have you ever run away from home? ➔ ​I would never do that. I told you before that my older brother ran away from home.  And I hate him for it!

Have you ever gotten kicked out? ➔ ​I had to be removed from more than one home in my life, but none of that was my fault.

FRIENDS

Do you secretly hate one of your friends? ➔ ​I HATE my older brother for what he did! I don’t talk about it with my parents, but my older sister knows how I feel. And if I ever see him again, I will tell him how I feel. How much I hate him for running away. For making Mom and Dad and Grandma sad. Even his horse, which is now my horse, has been hurt (believe it or not animals have feelings too). And I wish that I could see him again just to tell him how much I hate him!!

Do you consider all of your friends good friends? ➔ ​I don’t have many friends, but they are all good friends.

Who is your best friend? ➔ ​I used to consider both of my older siblings my  best friends. I used to look up to both of them. Lincoln was so cool and popular, while Autumn is so very very smart. Now, it is just Autumn that I consider to be my best friend.

Who knows everything about you? ➔ ​My big sister. She is away at college right now, but we still talk on the phone at least once a week. And I tell her everything.

Chapter 3.18 W.W.F.N.L.D.

 

 

Operation Fake Niceness was going exactly according to plan. But it wasn’t easy. Playing nice with these intolerable townies was exhausting. I had to keep reminding myself that it would all be worth it once I trick Mira into finding a cure for my curse.  As much as I wanted to tell everyone what I really thought about them, I had to remind myself to play nice. Whenever I was struggling with that, I would ask myself W.W.F.N.L.D. What Would Fake Nice Linc Do?

And, believe it or not, I was really good at it. Better than I had thought that I would be. Fake Nice Linc had everyone fooled. Mira has been going out of her way to be extra over-the-top cheery to me.

Mira likes to come over, and sit and talk…and talk… and talk. She does most of the talking. About what, I couldn’t tell you. I never pay too much attention to her. I usually tune her out, and instead I focus on what my life will be like once I am back to my awesome self.

It is only a matter of time before I am restored to my full mind-blowingly awe-inspiring self.  Then I will be far away from this god forsaken hell pit. And far away from witches, and evil magic, and blood sucking vampires. The only thing I will have to worry about is where to put all of my awards when my albums go quadruple platinum.

And that time can’t come soon enough!

 

Renatta had once made the feeble attempt at a joke when she commented that Moonlight Falls has two seasons: fall and winter. Well, right now we are in the middle of one of the coldest winters in Moonlight Falls’ history. Our trips to Cauldrons & Cappuccinos Cafe have become more of a frequent tradition. But it is getting harder and harder to keep up this fake nice charade.  Especially while being surrounded by all of this over-the-top obnoxious Snowflake Day decor.

For the season, the cafe has been transformed into an extremely excessive Winter Wonderland.  It is so horrendous that even my mom (who is obsessed with Snowflake Day) would be sick.  From the new stupid wall paper, the stupid table clothes, to the stupid trees in every corner.  It makes an annoying situation even more aggravating and unbearable!  I would rather have to sit through more of Bert’s stupid stories than sit in this stupid cafe.  But I have to keep reminding myself W.W.F.N.L.D.?

So, Renatta, Mira, Flint, and I always sit in the same corner table, order the same silly concoctions, and talk about the same silly bullshit. Again, with me mostly tuning them out.

One thing I can’t tune out is that piano in the corner.

It calls for me every time I am in the cafe. And that damn siren’s song is getting hard and harder to ignore. My fingers ache to play the piano once again. It has been too long since I played any musical instrument (not including air guitar jam sessions with Bert).

“Do you think you might want to play this time?” Renatta asks me every time she sees me fixated on the piano for too long.

And every time my answer is the same, “no.”

“Oh come on,” Flint pressured. “You stare at it constantly. At this point you can either play the damn thing, or buy it a drink.”

“Yes, please play the piano,” Mira usually keeps out of this part of the conversation, but today she made her opinion heard. “You have been so down in the dumps lately. Playing the piano might make you feel better.”

I locked onto Mira’s rainbow colored eyes as they bore holes into my soul. I really didn’t want to draw attention to myself. But once again I thought W.W.F.N.L.D.?

 

With a defeated sigh I got up out of my corner chair and walked over to the old wooden upright. As I made my way through the crowded cafe I could hear Mira whisper to the others, “no matter how good or bad he sounds, at the end of the song we need to stand up and cheer for him.”

It annoyed me that Mira was going to applaud no matter what I sounded like. Well, I don’t need her charity, and never in my life have I ever needed a pity clap. I sat at the old wooden bench already knowing exactly what song I was going to play. I remembered a classical piece, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, that both Miss Melanie and Grandpa Ryan said was their favorite.

I started to play the song and as soon as I hit the first note of the piano keys that I knew would bring the house down!

 

As I played I closed my eyes and thought back to when I was a young kid. It seems like it was so long ago when I was just a little child sharing the bench with Miss Melanie. My heart fluttered when she would pat me on the back and say how astonished she was at my gift. Or how I beamed with pride when Grandpa Ryan and Grandma Cindy cheered after I played this song for them. It made me feel a warm sense of joy to know how proud they were of me. Not the same empty praise that I got from the kids at school. This was genuine.

It was love.

 

When the song was done I opened my eyes to a booming round of applause. Not just Mira and her dopey gang, but the entire cafe was clapping for me. They were acting as if Beethoven himself had just come back from the dead to play for them.

The old me would have loved all of this attention. I would have taken a bow, then performed an encore, just so I could hear the applause all over again. But this time I put my head down, and walked back to my seat as quickly as I could. My itch for playing was scratched, but another part of me was not liking all of this attention.

“Linc, that was incredible.” Mira gushed “Why didn’t you tell us you could play like that?”

“Who knew you had it in ya” was Flint’s response as he patted my shoulder.

And for the first time since I met her, Renatta was silent.

“It’s nothing, really,” I tried to get them to drop it and talk about something else, “I learned that song when I was 7. No big deal.”

 

I wanted everyone at the table to stop talking about me, but when Mira said, “I have always wanted to learn how to play the piano,” I knew that we were not going to drop it anytime soon.

“It was easy for me,” I replied. The old me was slowly starting to come out and I was not hating this attention, even if it was just Mira and her dopey friends. “My mom made me take lessons when I was a kid.”

“We have a piano at home,” Mira continued. “But I don’t know how to play it.”

“I wanted to just play the drums, but Mom insisted that I learn piano as well.”

“If only there was someone who could teach me to play the piano.”

“I liked playing the drums and when I got older I enjoyed the guitar the most, but learning the piano wasn’t hard for me either.”

“Dude, do I have to spell things out for you?” Flint waved his hands in my face, “Mira is asking you to give her piano lessons!”

 

I didn’t know if I wanted to be a piano teacher for Mira, but once again I thought: W.W.F.N.L.D.? Plus, it will give me an excuse to be at her house more often, and I will be able to talk to her one-on-one. I don’t have to deal with Renatta’s insufferable questioning, or Flint’s sarcastic comments. I can casually mention that I am looking for a way to reverse a certain spell. Then bam: it will be hello to my awesome self, and goodbye to this stupid town and all of the stupid townies in it.

So the very next day I went over to her house to start the lesson.

“I don’t have any sheet music,” I confessed as Mira lead me to the living room. “I was always able to memorize the music, so I never needed any.”

“That’s alright,” Mira responded with her signature cheery smile, which is still as annoying as ever, “I managed to find a few sheets of music when I was clearing off the piano.”

I looked at the music trying to find one that wouldn’t be too difficult to start out with. ​Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star is a pretty basic piece of music that even Willow could have played on her toy keyboard. As we sat down I noticed that Mira was a bit too close for comfort. Half of me was hanging off the bench, but Fake Nice Linc just smiled as I pointed to the different keys and what notes they made.

 

There is a saying that people who can’t dance have two left feet. Well if that is the case, then Mira has two left hands!

Plumbob, she was bad. Mira pressed too hard on the keys, and instead of beautiful notes she produced a loud racket. She was out of rhythm and only 1 out of every 6 keys were in the correct note. I tried to be patient, I tried to show her the correct keys to lightly play. But before long my patience had run out.

“What is wrong with you?” I growled. “Did you not pay any attention to my instruction? How hard it is to play a simple G?”

“Wait, which one is G again?” Mira smiled her dopey smile thinking that she was being funny. Well, I am not laughing.

“You are so bad at this, I can’t even properly put it into words. This song is not that hard. My sister could have played this song on her toddler play piano” I growled. “What made you possibly think that you could play the piano? What is wrong with you? My horse’s farts sound better than you, and are more on key!”

 

“Listen here, you self centered, condescending jerk face!  You want to know what is wrong with me.  Well I want to know who the hell do you think you are!?!?” Mira was no longer cheery. She was down right pissed off. “Not everyone is as naturally talented as you are. That does not give you the right to be so critical.”

I didn’t know what to say. I have never seen this side of Mira before. Even while dealing with Alcander.

“Do you think that your precious Beethoven composed any of his symphonies on his first try? No. No, he didn’t!”

Mira wasn’t done with me yet.  She concluded her verbal assault by saying, “I have been nothing but nice, and friendly, and kind to you.  And THIS is how you repay me!  Further more, I have put up with a lot from you.  I have gone over to your house, and introduced you to my friends, in hopes that you might feel less of an outsider in your new town. But you couldn’t care less! You can’t be bothered to engage with us! Don’t think I don’t see you zone me out when I talk.  Friendship is supposed to be a two way street, but I get NOTHING from you!  I know for a fact that you don’t listen to even half of what I say.  But for the sake of our  so-called friendship I smile and try to be nice.  Well, no more!!  Until you can learn some patience I think that you should leave!”

 

I guess that there is nothing left for me to do now but go. I tucked my tail between my legs (literally) and sulked out of Mira’s home. I regretted my actions the instant that I got outside.

That is not what Fake Nice Linc would have done.

 

SIDE NOTE: This might be my last chapter for a while.  I had all of my notes, the entire generation outline, and tons of chapters written on my tablet.  Then I spilled soda all over said tablet, and now all of that hard work is gone.

I still have my desktop computer that has the game saved on it.  And I have every intention of continueing this legacy (Lincoln’s story is far from over).  It will just be at a slower process than before, because I have to rewrite everything from scratch.  Hopefully you can stick with me, but if not then I completely understand.  If anything this will give me an excuse to work on a few other side projects and help me catch up on all of your stories I am so far behind in.

 

Chapter 3.17 Something’s Gotta Change

Side Note:  Just a small warning that there are more than a few swear words in this chapter.  But after all that Lincoln has been through, can you really blame him?  Also, in the first picture, please ignore the beer bottle that Linc is drinking and imagine that it is a cough syrup bottle.

I was so irritated; I couldn’t think straight. My paws were shaking, and my ears were droopy. I needed something to calm me down, but after tearing apart the kitchen all I could find was some children’s cough syrup that had long expired. It smelled foul, and the cherry flavor was replaced with a bitter flavor. No matter, it would have to do the trick. After a shot or two (or six) I started to feel less flustered, but I was still mad as hell.

“Fuck, shit, monkey, damn,” all I wanted to do was curse, and when I ran out of curse words I started shouting random words. “Hell, bitch, spoon, fart balls.”

 

“What is wrong with this town?” I asked myself once I began to stop shaking. I paced back and forth in frustration as I tried to make sense of the events that had just unfolded on my front lawn. “Has everyone lost their ever fucking loving minds?”

These were, of course, rhetorical questions. Yet Bert still felt the need to chime in with his two cents.

“I don’t ​want to say I told you so… but I did. I very much told you so. And I fear that this is not over yet. Not by a long shot.”

“Why do these things always happen to me?” I pretended to ignore Bert, and kept up my self pity rant. “Why do bad things happen to me? What did I do to deserve this? I know what went wrong; it’s me. I always do this; I get too involved. I care too much! I am too nice to people.”

 

“I need to stop being too damn nice to people.” I resolved. “I am done with being everyone’s friend. I don’t need any of these stupid townies. Ryker, Camilla, Flint, Euclid: they can all go to hell. They can all fuck themselves for all I care. All I care about is trying to break this stupid curse that I’ve been put under.”

“Well, how do you plan on doing that?” Bert always has a reply for everything. “And while being all on your own? I don’t see any spell books laying around here. Do you?”

Damn it, Bert had a point. I didn’t have a clue on how to break this spell, or where to even start. I tried the library; it was a bust. Not to mention, me going to the library is how this whole cluster fuck thing started. Then it dawned on me…

Mira.

 

“Mira is a witch.” I realized. “I can use her to find a spell to break this curse! She has probably over a million books in that stupid house of hers. One of them must be of use to me. Of course, why didn’t I think of that before?”

“I don’t know if ​using her is the right thing to do.” Bert once again had voice his opinion that no one asked for. “She seems like a nice girl. Did you ever think that maybe she would help you if you just asked nicely? No strings attached.”

“I know that you have been stuck in that mirror for plumbob knows how long. But I have a newsflash for you; no one does anything for anyone else without strings attached. People don’t do things just for the sake of being nice. No, I will only use Mira for her magic. Nothing more. But in order to do that I will have to go on like nothing is the matter. I have to be her best friend. I will lay on the Charming Charm so thick that she will be eating out of my hand, I mean paw, before long.”

“What about Ryker and the pack? At times like these, you can never have too many allies.”

“Ugh, I guess I will have to keep being a part of that stupid pack. I will put up with them too, I guess. Plumbob, this also means that I will have to put up with those insufferable friends of Mira’s; Renatta and Flint too. And her loony toons of a father. But it will all be for the sake of finding me a cure.”

“I still don’t think this is such a good idea. Deception is never the answer.”

“And when the curse is gone, and I am back to my former awesome self, it will be good bye Moonlight Falls forever!!”

 

So that is exactly what I did. I texted Mira right away and asked her to come over. When she showed up I played the part of scared, helpless werewolf so well that I even started to convince myself.

“Thank you so much for stepping in when you did.” I whimpered. “I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn’t helped me… and Ryker.”

Mira had two cups of coffee from her stupid coffee shop that she loves so much. She placed my cup in front of me, but I moved it to the side. After all of that expired cough syrup my stomach was doing somersaults.

“Are you still hurt?” Mira extended her hand across the table to reach mine. As a reflex I pulled my paw away. At first I thought that Mira was going to be offended, but if she was she didn’t let it show.

“I can put some warding up around your house.” she politely offered with a smile. Her rainbow colored eyes regaining that sparkle. “It won’t keep Alcander out, but at least it will keep the vampires at bay.”

I flashed my best sad puppy dog look and timidly said, “that sounds very nice of you.”

All the while I was proud of my charade. And the Academy Award for Best Actor goes to… ME!!

OUaL Special: Elsewhere in Moonlight Falls

I am enjoying writing for Lincoln using the first person narrative (it really fits his narcissistic personality; don’t you think?). But because we only get to see Lincoln’s point of view we miss a lot of other details that go on in Moonlight Falls. Plus he is so consumed in his own life that he misses important cues that are imperative to the narrative.

I came up with a solution to this problem by including this special chapter to show what else is going on in Moonlight Falls. I will touch on different chapters in chronological order and fill you in on points that Lincoln glossed over, or a different character’s point of view.

On top of that, this post is extra special because it is my 100th post.  I will try not to get overly sentimental or emotional.  I just want to say that I would not have gotten this far if it had not been for all of the constant support from you amazing readers.  Thank you! 🙂

But wait, there’s more!  Today is my Birthday!  

 

The Unofficial Welcome Committee

Lincoln’s first interaction with his neighbors was not a pleasant one. Mira, Renatta, & Flint show up at his door announcing that they are the Moonlight Falls Welcome Committee. Any simmer knows that as soon as you start a new game, random townies show up at your door. So why did Mira take in upon herself to start a welcome committee?

As an Immundus Mira knows first hand what it is like to be ostracized in the town that you love. Since Grendel’s rise to power she has seen more than her fair share of families being broken up, and too many lives that were lost. She knows what has happened to other Immundus families, and the horrible things that happened to the family that lived in that house before Lincoln (more on that later).

Mira, along with her two very best friends, has made it her personal mission to ensure that every new household that moves into Moonlight Falls has a warm, overly cheery, welcome. To overcompensate for the horrible things that are also going on in the town.

 

 

 

A Sim Once Known as Bertwalten

In the beginning of chapter 3.11 Lincoln told Bert about his past, and why he came to Moonlight Falls. But when he asked Bert about the family that lived in the house before him Bert quickly changes the subject. Lincoln has never been good at asking other people questions to get to know them better. That is usually because he only cares about the part of their lives that revolve around him. Since the family before Lincoln is gone, Lincoln didn’t bother asking Bert any other follow-up questions.

I wrote a whole background story on Bert detailing his past, how he gets trapped in the mirror, and who the family was before Lincoln showed up. However, real life commitments haven’t given me the time to properly share this side story. Basically, here are the bullet points on Bert:

• He was the only son of a poor, but happy, sheep farmer. Bert never had any desire to become a farmer, he dreamed of riches. Because with those riches he could marry the woman of his dreams.
• This woman is the most beautiful sim in all of the free world. She also happens to be a nobleman’s daughter. And as you can imagine the price of her hand in marriage is steep. But Bertwalten didn’t let that stop him.
• Bert is a very perceptive sim, which comes in handy when you are trying to hustle people at the poker table. Overall Bert is successful, but the money is never enough for him. He always wants more. Soon his greedy obsession becomes less about marrying the love of his life and all about winning as much money as he can.
• Bert travels from town to town trying to win as much money as possible. It isn’t until he comes to Moonlight Falls that he hustles the wrong person. The gypsy in the story didn’t appreciate being taken advantage of (even though she too was cheating). She threatens Bert with cursing his family’s farm, but Bert pleads with her to reconsider. As a tradeoff, Bert becomes locked inside the mirror.
• Time passes, things happen, and Bert ends up in the house with a very happy and loving family. They have one son, and the family reminds Bert of his own. For the first time in a long time Bert is happy again.
• But this family is Immundus. The mother is a fairy, the father is a human, and the son is too young to know. It isn’t long before Alcander and his goons come to the home to chase the family out of Moonlight Falls. The family tried to put up a fight but in the end they are all killed. And all Bert can do is watch helplessly.

 

 

 

Camilla’s Favor

Lincoln finally agrees to meet Mira’s friends. They visit Cauldrons and Cappuccinos Café where he meets Camilla. She reluctantly agrees to introduce Linc to Ryker on the basis that she owes Mira a favor. Did you wonder what that favor was? Well, here are the details:

Werewolves have a 6th sense known as imprinting. It is something that, when it happens, the werewolf has no real way of controlling it. Which can make for some very awkward relationships. One such awkward relationship happened when Camilla imprinted on Ryker. Imprinting on your Alpha can be bad enough, but what made it worse is that Ryker is married with children (2 boys and a girl on the way). As much as she tried to fight it, Camilla couldn’t shake her feelings. So, she turned to magic.

The Crumplebottoms are legendary wizards and witches, and Mira’s kindness is well known in town. Camilla pleaded with Mira to help her to try to remove the imprint. Mira agreed to help, but as you know, magic always comes with a price. The spell meant that Camilla might never imprint again, and would most likely never find a mate. Without hesitation Camilla agreed that the risk was worth it.

The spell worked, Camilla no longer felt the imprint, and could once again be the Beta Alpha. Although the imprint is removed, Camilla still knows what it was like to long for Ryker, and those feelings might never go away. Also, Ryker doesn’t know any of this, although he did have his suspicions.

 

 

 

Linc’s First Full Moon

Lincoln’s first full moon with the pack was eventful, to say the least. Not many people mess with Osiris & Reina and live to tell about it. What you didn’t see was what happened after Ryker stood up to the two vampires.

As promised, Grendel heard all about the interaction. Despite what Lincoln thinks of them, Ryker and his pack are on the Supreme Commander’s radar (which for them is not a good thing). Ryker’s father, Alpha of the pack before him, lead the revolt against the Saavedra-Petrov alliance. He was killed in the unsuccessful assault, and Ryker has been on Grendel’s shit list ever since.

Osiris & Reina demand that Grendel take care of “the problem” once and for all, but Grendel is hesitant (he doesn’t want to start another war with the werewolves). Of course this does not sit well with the vampires. Outraged they threaten Grendel. For he might be in charge because of his title, but everyone knows who ​really has all of the power. To calm the situation, Alcander offers to go to Linc’s home and shake things up a bit. And we all know what happens when he gets there.

 

 

 

Things as They Currently Stand

The situation right now can be best described as an active volcano. At any moment, at the slightest disturbance, the entire thing will blow up.

The vampires are angry with Grendel for not doing anything about Ryker and his pack. To them Grendel is seen as a coward, and this leads Osiris & Reina to reconsider their current alliance.

Grendel doesn’t appreciate being taken as a weakling. He is currently stuck between a rock and a hard place. First, you have the vampires. Grendel knows that he needs the vampires if he wants to stay in power. On the other hand, if he goes to war with the werewolves there is a good chance that he will lose. Ryker is a stronger Alpha than his father was, and the werewolves could easily get the fairies on their side. Either way, there would be no possible outcome that has Grendel keeping his power.

Alcander is hungry for power, and sees his father’s weakness as an opportunity to try to take power by getting the vampires on his side. And if he were to marry Mira then he would have not only the backing of the powerful vampires, but marrying a Crumplebottom would garner the support of any remaining witch families that were not on Grendel’s side. Having Mira as his wife, would give Alcander everything. Too bad for him she doesn’t see it that way.

Ryker will always choose to defend any member of his pack, and any werewolf for that matter, against Alcander. But he is in no hurry to start another war. Losing his life fighting is one thing, but he will not be responsible for anyone losing theirs.

Each side is waiting for the other to make the first move; draw first blood. And each side is prepared to unleash hell when they do.

 

 

 

So, now you are all caught up with everything else that has been going on in Moonlight Falls. If there is anything that you are unclear about or what to know more about; feel free to let me know. I am always open to constructive criticism (I am a big girl, and you won’t hurt my feelings).

And as always, have a great day or night depending on when you are reading this.

 

GETTING TO KNOW: Alcander

I love these fun tagging games, especially the ones where I get to go into the mind of so many fascinating characters. This time I was tagged by the very talented Kymber. I       was also tagged by the very lovely Louise. Thank you both for the nod.

These tags occurred some time ago, so please don’t think that I had forgotten about the tags. I really wanted to do this character questioning with Alcander, but it wouldn’t have made sense until he had his official OUaL debut.  So here we are, getting to know about Alcander!

Warning: there are more than a few swear words.

► Name? ➔ Alcander Saavedra the First, Moonlight Falls’ Chief Tenet Enforcer.

► Are you single? ➔ Much to my dismay yes.  But not for every much longer. I have a plan that will finally get her to agree to marry me.  Then, I will be unstoppable!

► Are you happy? ➔ I guess.

► Are you angry? ➔ Yes, that too. I guess.  I don’t spend my time fixating on such frivolous emotions.  

► Are your parents still married? ➔  Yes, Mother knows better than to leave Father.

NINE FACTS

► Birth Place? ➔ Moonlight Falls

► Hair Color? ➔ All of the most powerful warlocks in my family have white hair with blue streaks.  Anything less is unacceptable.

► Eye Color? ➔ Grey, just like my ancestors before me.  

► Birthday? ➔ June 28

► Mood? ➔ I don’t care to waste my time on such silly things as caring about what mood I am in.  And I don’t care to answer anymore asinine questions on the topic either.

► Gender? ➔ I am all man!

► Summer or winter? ➔ Moonlight Falls has mainly two seasons; fall and winter.  

► Morning or afternoon? ➔ It is best to hunt at night.  That is when the real predators are out.

EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE

► Are you in love? ➔ Love is a meaningless feeling that was made up to prey on the idiots who buy in to all of that stupid shit like romance movies and Valentine’s Day.

► Do you believe in love at first sight? ➔ What is with all of the these stupid ass questions about love and feelings?  Wouldn’t you rather know how much I can bench press? I’ll give you a hint: it’s over 300 pounds.

► Who ended your last relationship? ➔ I am in control.  Always.

► Have you ever broken someone’s heart? ➔ I have crushed many hearts using only my bare hands.  

► Are you afraid of commitments? ➔ I am not afraid of anything.  And fuck you for inferring any different.

► Have you hugged someone within the last week? ➔ Who the fuck do you think I am?!?!  

► Have you ever had a secret admirer? ➔ I have many admirers.  That is no secret.

► Have you ever broken your own heart? ➔ Why the fuck would I want to break my own heart?  

SIX CHOICES

► Love or lust? ➔ Were you not listening when I told you how I feel about that shit?

► Lemonade or iced tea? ➔ Beer.

► Cats or Dogs? ➔ Neither.  Some lesser witches and warlocks need cats as familulars.  But I am more powerful than that. And I don’t need a dog either.  One would only slow me down. Besides, they remind me too much of wolves.

► A few best friends or many regular friends? ➔ I don’t need that shit either.  I have many people who jump every time I tell them too. But I wouldn’t call them friends.  

► Wild night out or romantic night in? ➔ Every night with me is wild.

► Day or night? ➔ I feel that I am repeating myself with a lot of these dumbass questions.  Nighttime is when the true predators come out and hunt. I include myself among them.

FIVE HAVE YOU EVERS

► Been caught sneaking out? ➔ No one has ever been able to catch me.  Ever!

► Fallen down/up the stairs? ➔ I don’t fall.  Ever!

► Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt? ➔ Nothing hurts me.  Ever!

► Wanted to disappear? ➔ I have never wanted to disappear.  Ever!

FOUR PREFERENCES

► Smile or eyes? ➔ Fuck

► Shorter or Taller? ➔ Your

► Intelligence or Attraction? ➔ Stupid

► Hook-up or Relationship? ➔ Questions

FAMILY

► Do you and your family get along? ➔ When they know their place.  Father has grown weak, and is too afraid to start another war with the werewolves.  But do not fear.  I already have a plan brewing to take over.  Soon, everything will be set.  Then nothing and no one will be able stop my rise to power!!

► Would you say you have a “messed up life”? ➔ Nothing about me is messed up.  I am the peak physical specimen of a man. I am the most powerful warlock in the world, not just in Moonlight Falls.  And once I finally have my bride, my plan to take over as Chief Commander will be complete.

► Have you ever run away from home? ➔ Run away?!  What kind of pussy do you take me for?!

► Have you ever gotten kicked out? ➔ No one would ever dare and try and kick me out of anything.  

FRIENDS

► Do you consider all of your friends good friends? ➔ Friends are just as useless as feelings and love and happiness.

► Do you secretly hate one of your friends? ➔ I hate many people, and that is no secret.  I hate anyone who tries to get in my way. And right now that list keeps growing. And this interview better end soon, before you end up on that list!

 

Author’s Note:

I better end this interview now, before Alcander gets mad.  Or, should I say, before he gets madder than he already is.  I feel like this tag has been out for so long, that I am not going to nominate anyone.   However, if this inspires you to do a Character Tag, then more power to you.

And as always, have a great day or night depending on when you are reading this!

 

Chapter 3.16 Rule #1

 

“It was so fucking awesome!! I was so strong. I took on two vampires. I don’t know what you were talking about earlier. Vampires are not ​that scary. Ryker was there too, but I was all like ​Who’s the fur coat now, bitch?!”

I was overly animated as I reenacted my night’s events for Bert. The sun was starting to rise over the mountains, and I had been up for almost 18 hours straight. I should have been tired as hell, but I couldn’t fall asleep now, even if I had wanted to. The adrenaline was still coursing through my veins. I was super pumped about what had just happened, and I was still feeling the effects of the full moon. I still had so much energy that I could have run a marathon. However, Bert was not amused.

“You shouldn’t mess with the vampires,” Bert reprimanded me now for the 100th time. “You humiliated them, and vampires don’t take that lightly. They will surely be seeking vengeance. That troubles me verily.”

Before I could think of something reassuring to say, I was interrupted by a very loud banging on my front door.

 

It was daylight outside, so I assumed that it wasn’t the vampires seeking revenge. However, a small large part of me was nervous to see who was at the door.

“Vampires can’t come in unless they are invited, right?” I asked Bert, making sure I had my vampire lore correct.

“Nope, that is just a myth.” Bert said in his​ I told you so tone. “And they don’t give a shit about garlic either.”

“What about a stake through the heart?”

“Umm duh, a stake through the heart will kill pretty much anything. You wouldn’t happen to have any just lying around the house, would you?”

 

Bert doesn’t breathe, but if he did he would be holding his breath right now.

Quietly as I could, I walked over to the front door to see who was there. Relief immediately swept over me when I saw who was at the door.

“It’s just Ryker,” I called to Bert to reassure him everything is alright. “He’s probably here to congratulate me on my awesomeness last night. Maybe even to tell me that I am the new Alpha. That wouldn’t surprise me.”

I cracked open the door, ready share in my awe-inspiring performance of my first full moon. But as soon as Ryker could get his hand through, he swung the door open and pushed me up against the kitchen counter. All in one quick motion.

“You arrogant little shit,” Ryker shouted at me, his face inches from mine. “What is your major malfunction?”

I tried to talk. I tried to move. I tried to catch my breath. But I couldn’t do any of that. Ryker was too strong. I was using all of my strength to try to fight him, but it was no competition. He had me up pinned against the counter, and it looked like he wasn’t even trying.

“Do you have any idea what you have done?” Ryker demanded.

 

“What are you talking about?” I was truly flabbergasted at Ryker’s actions. “I was awesome last night. If anything it is ​you who should be apologizing to ​me for leaving me after everyone shifted.”

That comment did not sit well with the Alpha. For a second I thought that he was going to hit me. He almost did. But instead he flung me from against the counter and on to one of my dining chairs. I was free to get up, but I dare not move a muscle. Ryker was tossing me around the room like I was an old rag doll. And he wasn’t even breaking a sweat.

“You are an obnoxious, arrogant son of a bitch. You know that?! No one left you. Camilla had eyes on you the entire time. Rule #1 is: never leave a member of your pack behind. But you wouldn’t know anything about that would you; caring about something other than yourself? Duty is a 4-letter word to you isn’t it?”

I didn’t know how to respond. So, I just sat in silence. Too terrified to even blink.

“Camilla was watching you as you acted like a complete jackass. I ordered you to stay south of the river, but you couldn’t be bothered to listen. I don’t owe you any sort of explanation, but since you have your head so far up your ass I will have to spell things out for you. The vampires have all of the power! You are a guppy in a giant shark tank, and if you don’t wise up you are going to be eaten alive my friend. And of course you couldn’t piss off just any vampire. No, you had to get into it with the MOST POWERFUL vampires in all of Moonlight Falls!”

 

There was more that Ryker wanted to say to me. He was just getting started in on my verbal onslaught, but he was interrupted. Once again there was a loud knock on my door.

Who the fuck is it this time?

“Open this door,” demanded a deep, gruff voice. “Open up in the name of your Supreme Town Commander, Grendel Saavedra and his son Alcander; The Chief Tenet Enforcer.”

Ryker swore to himself, but loud enough for me to hear him say, fuck me.

“Open the door this instance.” the gruff voice grew louder and more impatient. “I will not ask again!”

Ryker went to open the door, while I followed close behind him. Before he opened it Ryker whispered, “Don’t say a word. Let me do all of the talking. And don’t make any sudden movements either. Alcander is faster than a rattlesnake, and his magic is ten times more deadly.”

 

“Nice to see you today, Alcander. What brings you by on this lovely morning?” Ryker’s fake greeting was overflowing with sarcasm. It took all of my willpower not to laugh.

“What are ​you doing here?” Alcander demanded. He was visibly enraged by the fact that Ryker was at my door. And Ryker’s disrespect only made Alcander more furious.

What I really want to know is what any of you are doing here? This is my fucking house after all. Or did everyone suddenly forget that?!?!

“Not that it is any of your business, but if you must know: I am here visiting a member of my pack.” As Ryker spoke he made his way past where Alcander was standing and down to the middle of my front yard.  At the same time, I made sure that I had him as a buffer between myself and Alcander.

I couldn’t help but notice that Ryker was talking louder than normal. Loud enough for more than just myself and Alcander to hear. Whatever was about to go down, Ryker wanted to ensure that the entire neighborhood was outside to witness it.

“That fleabag of yours violated the law last night,” Alcander pointed his finger in my direction. “Therefore, he must suffer the consequences!”

 

I thought that I was done for. I assumed that Ryker would have given me up to Alcander without hesitation. After all, he had just spent the better part of the morning yelling at me and telling me what a worthless piece of shit I am. Yet, Ryker put his arm in front of me to block me from going anywhere.

“That land belonged to the Beaumont Pack. It had been that way for generations,” Ryker stated. “Your father had no right to hand that land over to ​anyone, especially not to Osiris.”

To my surprise Alcander didn’t get mad. No, instead he actually smiled at us.

And then everything went black.

 

Ryker wasn’t kidding when he said that Alcander was faster than a rattlesnake. With one flick of his wrist Alcander had Ryker on the ground clutching his heart. With the same motion Alcander also had me gasping for air as if my lungs were being crushed by a 20 ton weight.

I thought that the worst pain I would ever experience was when Becca cursed me. But that pain was only a slight tickle compared to how helpless I felt under Alcander’s magic. And the pain only became more and more intense with every breath I tried to take. My muscles burned as they craved for oxygen. Blood was rushing from my head, I was seeing stars, and all I could hear was my rapid heartbeat pounding in my ears.

Then as quickly as it started, the pain suddenly stopped.

 

It took me a few moments to regain my proper sense of sight as well as my hearing. My legs were too weak to be able to stand on my own, so I had to lean on Ryker for support. Who, by the way, looked like he had made a full recovery. Almost as if Alcander’s magic didn’t even phase him. As much as I hate to admit it, the Alpha had me impressed.

When I came to I noticed that a small crowd had gathered across the street. If Ryker wanted the town’s attention, then he succeeded (but notice how none of them actually stopped to help us). I saw Renatta looking terrified, while Flint tried to comfort her. Camilla was with another female werewolf. Two other members of our pack were holding that other female, while Camilla was trying to care for two hysterically crying children. There were several others that I didn’t recognize, and didn’t bother to care about. Then there was Mira running over to us with a pleading look in her rainbow-colored eyes.

 

“I must say, you are looking positively exquisite Mira,” Alcander tried to hold her hand, but she quickly pulled it away. “I see that last night’s full moon did wonders for your beauty.”

Whatever Alcander was selling Mira wasn’t buying. That didn’t stop him from trying to charm her with empty flattery though. As he talked Alcander flexed his steroid induced biceps. He was laying it on thick; as thick as molasses in the middle of winter.

“What is going on here?” Mira asked as she glanced over at Ryker and I.

“I was just dealing with some disrespectful hooligans. I am the Chief Tenet Enforcer after all,” Alcander flexed his biceps while still trying to work his charm, and still with no success, “there is nothing here to worry your pretty little empty head about. Why don’t you run home and bake me some of those famous Crumplebottom blueberry tarts.”

 

Whatever Alcander said seemed to hit a nerve for Mira. She was mad, madder than I had ever seen her. Madder than I thought someone who is always so cheery could be. Through clenched teeth she said, “You’ve made your point, and now I think that it is time for you to leave.”

“I’ll go,” Alcander conceded, but not before trying to kiss Mira’s hand one more time. “Just keep that mangy mutt away from me. And remember what I said before Mira. My offer is still open– for now.”

 

“Linc, are you okay?” Mira asked me once Alcander had left.

By that time I was able to stand on my own. And I was cursing myself for ever getting mixed up in this whole stupid shitty mess. I cursed Alcander for his witchcraft. I cursed Ryker for making me a part of his stupid pack. I cursed Camilla for introducing me to Ryker in the first place. And I cursed the day I said yes to Mira and her stupid friendship. I don’t need these assholes in my life. I am done with them. All of them!!

“I want everyone off of my lawn.” I growled. “Now!”

Mira didn’t say another word. She just smiled her stupid meek smile at me and walked home. I could see that Ryker wanted to say something to me, but for whatever reason he declined to comment. However, before everyone goes there is still one thing that I need to know.

“Why did you stand up for me?” I asked Ryker’s back as he was walking away. “Why didn’t you just give me up when Alcander demanded it?”

Ryker turned around and said, “I told you, you never abandon your pack.”

 

Side Note:  You may have noticed that Alcander looks a bit different from the way he did when I first did my character introduction special. There is a reason for that.  During my massive CC Hunt I somehow downloaded a corrupt file.  Unfortunately, since I had downloaded so much all at once there was no way for me to see which one of was bad one.

I basically started from scratch, putting in a few CC items at a time.  At the same time, I continued to look for new CC, just to use as backup.  The look I was going for can be described as a  “Toxic Masculine Douche Bag”.  And I really think that I achieved that here.   And don’t worry, we will get to learn more about Alcander in my next post.

And before I go I have to once again say a huge THANK YOU to Jowita, who created the kissing bicep pose for me.  You can find the pose here, along with the other poses she was so nice to create for me.

Chapter 3.15 Bark at the Moon

I held my breath in anticipation for the full moon to completely set; signaling the opportune time for the werewolves to shift. I still wasn’t sure where that was going to leave me, though. I am not a werewolf, and I had no idea what was about to happen (if anything). What’s more, I didn’t know what Ryker and the rest of the pack would do once they found out that I was in fact not one of them.

I shut my eyes as tightly as I could when I heard the other members of the pack shape shift into wolves.

Then something weird happened.

 

 

I could feel myself start to change as well. I didn’t shape shift into a wolf or anything like that, but I was still affected by the full moon nonetheless. My jaw grew stronger and more defined. My nose narrowed and my heightened senses were taken up to a whole other level of strength and power that I had never felt before. I never knew how dull my teeth were until tonight. Because they are now stronger, sharper, and are too big to fit in my mouth. Yet, it wasn’t just my physical that had changed with the full moon. I felt different on the inside.

It is hard to describe, but I will try my best. Have you ever jumped into a freezing cold pool? You sort of shock your body, but it is refreshing at the same time. That is how I felt.

In other words: I felt ​alive!

I wanted to run. I wanted to hunt. I wanted to howl at the moon. So I did.

 

The rest of the pack joined in a chorus of howls. I also heard howls from other wolves deeper into the woods. I was filled with relief knowing that I was not about to become puppy chow.

I felt strange looking around at the pack of wolves all around me. I wished I had paid attention when Camilla was introducing everyone to me, because now that they are all in wolf form I can’t tell them apart. Except for Ryker, who was about three times larger than the rest of them.

So that is the reason he is Alpha.

They all stopped howling and drew their attention to Ryker. Camilla (or at least I assume it was Camilla) stood next to him as he “spoke” with the pack. He was doing the same thing that he did with Camilla the day I met him; communicating without speaking. I could tell that he was communicating with the rest of the wolves because they moved their ears and perked their heads up every once in a while. It was the same thing that our dogs did every time Willow said the word “treat” or “walk”. Then all of a sudden, without warning, the pack all took off running.

 

I ran behind them, sprinting as fast as I could, which is faster than I have ever moved in my entire life. Usain Bolt has got nothing on me! It was awesome. For the first time since being cursed I was happy. Truly happy. I felt physically stronger than I had ever felt in my entire life. I felt like I could do anything. I climbed up a giant oak tree like it was nothing. I jumped over fallen logs like they were nothing. I leapt from place to place, like I had springs in my hind paws. I crossed over the small brook splashing and making as much noise as I could. I didn’t care. I felt invincible.

Then, like a bolt of lightning, it dawned on me: I am totally lost.

 

Ryker and the rest of the pack were no where in sight, and I was all alone in the middle of nowhere. I have never had the best sense of direction, and I had no idea how to get back to town. I could be lost in these woods until the end of time if I didn’t find my way home soon.

What did Ryker tell us about the river? Something about staying south? Or was it north? Plumbob, I really should have been paying attention.

 

“Well, well, well,” I chilling foreign voice came from behind me. “What do we have here?”

I turned to see two vampires standing on the other side of the river. They looked fresh from a kill. Blood still dripped from their mouths, displayed like little badges of honor.

They moved faster than lightening, and ran across the water like it was nothing at all. How did they move so fast? Before I could figure out what had happened they were surrounding me. There was only the two of them, but yet I still felt trapped. I didn’t know what to do. I can’t fight off one vampire, let alone two. And what if there were more of them around here?

 

“We don’t normally see a…whatever you are.” the male vampire spoke with a thick Eastern European accent. His sinister voice sent chills down my spine. “What shall we do with him?”

“Winter is not far off,” the female showed off her razor sharp fangs as she spoke, also with the same accent. “I could always use a new fur coat.”

“You deserve a million fur coats Moje Laska, but not with ​that. He smells vile. Like an old, moldy, washrag.”

“You are right, as always Vecny. But still, I could use a new bath mat.”

I grew more and more terrified with every word that the vampires said. I couldn’t decide which one of these vampires is scarier, the male or the female. I stood paralyzed with fear, not knowing what to do. Bert had warned me that vampires are not to be messed with. He said that they are ‘fast, cunning, and blood thirsty’. I know that they are not his most favorite type of supernatural (for reasons he won’t talk about). And standing in between these two creatures brought that message home.

I was trapped between two very terrifying vampires, with no escape in sight. They knew that they had me, and were closing in. They moved slowly, savoring the fact that they knew perfectly well that I grew more and more terrified with each passing second. One more moment longer, and I would be a bathmat right now.

 

Until a chorus of wolves snarling behind me stopped the sinister vampires in their tracks. There were more wolves than I had seen in my lifetime. It couldn’t just be Ryker’s pack that currently surrounded us. Wolves from other packs were here as well.

Wolf Ryker stepped in front of me, separating me from the two vamps. His growl was louder and deeper than anything I have ever heard before. Even though I knew he was on my side, Ryker still intimidated me. He exposed all of his sharp teeth, way sharper and scarier than the pathetic vamps.

They knew that they were defeated but before they ran off deep into the woods the male vampire said, “This isn’t over.  Grendel will hear about this.”

 

That was AWESOME!!! We took on two stupid vampires, and we won!!!

Yeah you better run. Who’s the bathmat now, bitch? I got your fur coat right here!!

I fucking love the Full Moon!!!

 

Side Note: There really isn’t much of a note from me this time for once. I know, please don’t faint from the shock of it.  Just in case you didn’t recognize them, those vampires are Osiris and Reina Petrov and they were speaking with a Chez accent.  In fact, Osiris calls his wife My Love, which in Chez is Moje Laska.  Reina refers to Osiris as Vecny, or Eternal One (referring to the fact that vampires life forever).

I also want to let you know that I added a few unedited pictures of Lincoln’s first full moon.  If you thought that Moonlight Falls looked cool at night, then you certainly need to check these pictures out here.

Lastly, I want to leave you with an unedited photo of Full Moon Lincoln. I think that like this version of Lincoln even better than before. And those glowing eyes are just so cool.

And as always have a great day or night, depending on when you are reading this.

 

 

Chapter 3.14 Not Awesome When You are Not Alpha

 

The very next day I met Ryker. Camilla showed me the way to his “office”, but before she let me in she had a few instructions for me, “stand up straight, only speak when spoken to, and don’t lie, because Ryker can smell it if you do!”

Ryker was big and tall, almost as tall as Camilla. But just as hairy. His eyes were a glowing orange.

He didn’t look so tough. Nothing special about him. Certainly not alpha material. I wonder how tough it would be for me to take over as alpha? It wouldn’t take very long before I am running this pack. I was the Alpha of Twinbrook after all.

“Stand at attention so I can get a good look at you.” Ryker ordered.

Being the son of a soldier, I knew what he meant. Camilla was standing in the corner giving me death stares that made sure I listened to Ryker’s every order. I did as I was instructed, while Ryker walked around me looking me up and down.

I have to say this about him; he is the first person I have met that did not freak out at the sight of me. And I do appreciate that.

 

“When exactly were you bitten?” Ryker asked me, allowing me to stand at ease.

I gave him a confused look. What was he talking about? I didn’t understand the question.

“We need to know who bit you?” Ryker rephrased his question. “There is no use in protecting them. The guilty party will be found. And they will be punished for performing and then abandoning an unsuccessful transformation like you.”

What? Wait…. Do these guys think that I am a werewolf?

I thought back to how long it had been since Becca cursed me. “Less than a month ago?” I sounded more like I was asking a question than giving an answer.

“So, you have not gone through a full moon shape shift?”

I shook my head no. Ryker and Camilla exchanged several looks between them. I could tell that they were having an entire conversation without either one of them saying a single word. After their wordless conversation Ryker directed his attention back to me.

“It will be a full moon two nights from now.” Ryker leaned against his desk, while I still stood at ease. “Camilla will tell you all that you need to know.”

 

“They thought that you are a werewolf?” Bert asked me after I came home and told him everything. “What did they say when you told them the truth?”

“I didn’t say anything,” I replied. “If they want to think that I am a werewolf then good. I don’t want anyone knowing why I am here or how I became this beast.”

“But what is going to happen on the night of the full moon?”

I hadn’t thought that far ahead. What will happen when Ryker and the pack turn into wolves, and I am stuck like this? Will they rip me to shreds? But if I don’t show up to their “full moon party” in the forest they will rip me to shreds anyway. Guess it is too late to turn back now.

I faked confidence as I said, “I will cross that bridge when I get there. But I can tell you one thing for sure: if anyone tries to sniff my butt, I will punch them in the face!”

 

There was still plenty of light outside when Camilla lead me to a random spot deep into the woods far from the outskirts of town. Camilla thought it would be a good idea for the two of us to meet before the rest of the pack shows up. “I am not going to sugar coat this. I don’t know how it will go for you. I have never met a werewolf that was not fully transformed before. So, I don’t know how successful your shift will be.”

“I don’t even know how to shift.” I played along. I have to say that I was proud at how well I played the part of pitiful, helpless, werewolf pup.

“Don’t worry about that, it will come naturally.” Camilla tried reassuring me.

She seriously thought that I was worried. What a moron.

 

Quick introductions were made to allow me to meet the rest of the pack. Mira had said that this was one of the best werewolf packs in Moonlight Falls, but I just didn’t see it. They looked like a pack of straggly, mangy, mutts. And that is me describing them while still in their human form.

Ryker called us all to attention to go over some of the full moon ground rules. “Grendel has restricted our hunting ground even further this month. No pack is to go beyond the north creek where the waterfall meets the Villeneuve River. More land has been given to the vampires.”

That last comment was met with groans and huffs of anger from the pack. “What about the pack that was there before?” one of the guys in the back asked.

“That pack is no more.” Ryker said in a tone that meant that he didn’t want to discuss the matter further.

 

“The moon is almost set,” Camilla spoke up, “ladies follow me.”

Camilla took the women and teenage girls around the corner to shape shift in privacy.

I looked up to the sky and held my breath. The moon was almost right above us, signaling the time for the shape shift. Here’s the moment of truth. Ryker and his pack could rip me apart in a matter of seconds, and I would be helpless against them. In the last moment I thought of Mira, of all people.

She had been so nice to me, even though I was an ass to her when we first met. She was the one who introduced me to Camilla, because she thought that belonging to the pack would help me. I wondered what would they tell Mira once I was gone? Would they lie and tell her it was an accident? Would Mira feel responsible for my death? At the final second before the moon fully set my last thought was: I hope Mira doesn’t feel guilty over this.

3…..2…..1….. Here goes nothing!

 

Side Note:  Now that the craziness of the holiday season is over, I can try to get back to posting on a more regular schedule.  And I know that I am so far behind on so many of your stories.  I will try to catch up as fast as I can.

Other than that, I am wishing everyone of you a very happy and healthy 2019.  I don’t know how last year was for all of you, but for me it was not the greatest.  I think for the world, and for me personally, I hope there can be some big changes in the new year.  Changes for the better.

And as always, have a great day or night depending on when you are reading this.  🙂