Chapter 3.21 Time

 

Time has no meaning for me anymore. Nothing has any meaning anymore. Nothing matters to me anymore. All I want to do is watch my family in the mirror. Be a part of their lives again. Be ​me ​ again. But just simply watching them isn’t enough for me anymore.

I want to hear my sisters laughing. I want to smell Grandma’s freshly baked cookies. I want to feel the Twinbrook sun on my face as I take Thor out on a ride. I want to play the guitar, or drums, or piano again. I want to be the old me again. The awesome me again. I want that more than anything. Sitting here, seeing my family live their lives without me, is just a painful reminder that what I want isn’t possible.

And that makes me angry. Frustrated. Bitter.

It is too much for me to take. But I can’t look away either. I can’t shut my eyes and turn them off. So I continue to sit here.

How long has it been? Who knows? Who cares?

Time has no meaning for me anymore.

 

Author’s Note:​

I am not ashamed to admit that I have had personal experience with depression, so I know how it feels. This disease literally cripples you to the point where even basic things like eating, showering, or getting out of bed are too trying to manage.

If you yourself, or maybe someone you know, struggles with this horrible disease, you need to know that you are not alone. There are people who love you, people who care about you. And I am one of those people. You are ​not alone​.

I have added a few links to the bottom that might be helpful to anyone who is struggling with depression, or thoughts of suicide. And if you ever feel like you need someone to talk to, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am always here.

US National Suicide Prevention Hotline:  1-800-273-8255

Resources to Help with Depression:  (this site has a ton of phone numbers and other sites to help)

https://www.everydayhealth.com/depression/guide/resources/

 

Chapter 3.20 Bert’s Magic

 

What just happened? What ​just​ happened? What the PLUMBOB JUST HAPPENED?!?!?!?!

Did Mira seriously just put her head on my shoulder? Yes she did; I can faintly smell her perfume. The mixture of old books and peony is still lingering on my clothes. But, why would she do something so strange like that???

I tried to make sense of what had just taken place, but my brain could not compute. There is no scenario in any alternate universe in which Mira willingly puts her head on my beastly shoulder for comfort.

 

Mira’s actions had caught me so off guard that I didn’t know what to do. At that moment I panicked, left her home without saying anything, sprinted back to my house, then ran straight into my room and slammed the door before Bert could say anything.

I needed to be alone to try to sort everything out. I thought about what set off this chain of events that lead to such unfathomable behavior. And there is only one explanation that I could come up with. Mira must have been delusional with grief.

Yeah, that’s it. Grief makes you do strange, out of character, things. She was so overcome with sorrow that she wasn’t thinking straight. Mira was so upset about everything that is going on in her life, mixed with whatever concoction they brew at the café, and that is what lead to her irrational behavior.

That is all, nothing more.

 

I didn’t want to hear the snarky comments Bert would no doubtingly have said to me if I were to tell him the truth of what had actually taken place. Therefore, I lied and told him that Mira didn’t want to talk to me.

Whether he believed me or not, it was hard to tell. He asked me, “Well, you were gone for a while. Where did you go?” to which I responded, “I just went for a walk.”

I knew how Bert was going to react, and I already had my lies planned out ahead of time. I told him, “I took a walk to try to plan out my next move.”

“Well, then why did you run home so fast, and slam the door to your room?”

“I thought that I heard Alcander or one of his goons following me.”

After that Bert didn’t ask me any more questions, so I guess he was satisfied with my made up story.

 

Weeks turned into months, and I still had not heard from Mira. Most likely she was too embarrassed by her actions and was not sure how to face me. Not that I blamed her or anything like that. In fact, I too was avoiding her like the plague. I still went out with Ryker and the pack, but I avoided any small talk from Camilla. Which left me with no one to talk to except Bert. Playing air guitar and singing with Bert isn’t as much fun as it was once before. It was during this time that my mind started to wander, and I thought about my family that I left behind in Twinbrook.

During this whole time I have been in Moonlight Falls, I had been able put them out of my mind. Every memory of my sisters, Mom and Dad, Grandma Cindy, even Thor were locked up in a small corner of my mind that I had no intention of visiting. And it is not because I didn’t care about them anymore.

In fact it was the opposite: I did it because I care about them. I put my family out of my thoughts for their own protection. I didn’t want any repercussions to fall onto any of the people I care about. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if what happened to me also happened to them. I have come to terms with the fact that this new beastly self is my penance for dating a psycho witch. And the more time that passes the more I have to accept that this is my fate now. But plumbob forbid if anything happens to my family.

Bert did his best to try and cheer me up by saying, “I am very proud of you. That shows great maturity on your part.”.

However, I don’t think that there is anything that will pull me out of this funk. Even when Bert also said that he had a surprise for me.

 

“Think about one of your family members.” he told me. “Any one of them. It doesn’t matter.”

The first name that came to mind was Autumn.

Bert continued his instructions, “Okay, once you think of a name say, ‘mirror show me that person’s name’, and say that person’s name.”

I didn’t understand what Bert was getting at, but I played along and said, “Mirror, show me my twin sister Autumn.”

No sooner than I had finished my sentence, Bert’s face faded into a dark green fog. What was replaced in the reflection blew my mind. It was Autumn. Clear as day. Right in front of me. She was in her room, having a silly pillow fight with Willow.

 

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. My sisters right in front of me. It was almost like I was back in Twinbrook with them. I couldn’t believe how much time had passed since I had seen them. Willow is now a teen, and Autumn is a young adult.

Plumbob, have I really been gone this long? Have I been this beast for so long that I didn’t even remember my own birthday had passed?

More importantly though, I was overcome with joy at seeing their laughing, happy faces. It felt good to see my sisters again. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they were laughing and having a good time.

But quickly my joy was replaced with anger, that I immediately channeled toward Bert, when I realized, “you had this magic ability the whole time I have known you, and you wait until ​now ​ to share it with me. How could you?”

The sight of my sisters vanished, and Bert’s stupid ugly face returned.

Before he could say anything, I continued my verbal rampage. “You know how much I missed my family! How could you keep this from me?!?!?! And what about Alcander and his stupid vampire goons? I could see their every move, and prepare myself if they ever tried attacking me again!!!”

 

Bert has a lot of explaining to do, which he began by saying, “First off, my magic doesn’t work that way. You are only able to see the people that you care about and that love you in return. So, spying on the vampires is not an option. And secondly, do you remember how hard it was for me to get you out of the house before? What do you think would have happened if I had shown you this magic when I first met you? You would have done nothing but spend your days and nights staring at me like you were binge watching Breaking Bad. I revealed my magic now, because I was hoping that it would show you how mature you have become, and how much you have grown as a person, I mean a beast. And finally, if you spend all of your time focusing on the past, and what you cannot be a part of, then you will miss what is in front of you now. Watching your family isn’t going to bring you any closer to them. All you will ever be is a casual observer. So close, yet still so far. And that will only lead to more anger and frustration.”

Bert didn’t bother trying to conceal his worried expression. He waited for me to make what he thought was the right decision. He wanted me to give up on seeing my family. He wanted my to forget about his magic ability and instead go back to playing air guitar with him.

I looked Bert square in his stupid pale face and demanded, “Mirror, show me my sister Autumn!”

OUaL Special: Put on a Happy Face

This seems like a fitting time for another special look into the goings on in Moonlight Falls that Lincoln has no clue about. As you can tell by the title picture, this special will focus specifically on Mira. After the last chapter many of you commented on poor Mira’s state of mind, and many of you felt sorry for what she is going through. That gave me an idea. I want to show things from her perspective. What daily life is like for Mira. What it is like to be an Immundus in a town that loathes your very existence. This special will go into further detail of what/who is at the root cause of Mira’s suffering, and her struggle to constantly feel the need to put on a happy face.

This excerpt has been taken from Mira’s journal, and shows you first hand the struggles that she faces. It should be noted that the events of this journal entry take place after Linc gives Mira piano lessons and before he apologizes.

 

Oh Journal,

How can I adequately describe the day’s events? Things are starting to become overwhelming, and when that happens words seem to escape me. I suppose that chronologically would be the most logical means of describing my day. So that is what I shall do. In turn, by doing this I am hoping that I may be able make some sense of all that has happened.

 

I was woken up in the usual fashion: with Tolstoy’s boisterous meows signaling breakfast time.

The clowder was fed in the typical manner. First, Bronte, Hemingway, and Austen were given their wet food.  Secondly, Rowling, Fitzgerald, Shelley, and Tolkien were given dry food. After that, Twain, Dickens, Orwell, Christie, and Tolstoy were given a combination of both wet and dry food.

Finally, once I was satisfied that the heard was properly nourished, I went to find Papa.

 

As per his usual routine as of late, Papa was found in the basement absentmindedly tinkering at his invention table.

“Oh, is it morning already,” is the same response that he gives every time he sees me bring the tray of scrambled eggs and toast. He then follows that by saying, “InventCon is only a few weeks away, and I must work though the night until I am ready.”.

This breaks my heart every time that I hear it, the same way that it did the first time Papa and I had this same discussion. The first time that I had to remind Papa that InventCon came and went months ago.

As you may recall Journal, the first time that I told him that InventCon had passed Papa became extremely irate with me. He proceeded to destroy the little scraps of metal that he had on his workbench, all the while calling me a nasty liar. Then, Papa stormed out of the basement and locked himself in his room for the rest of the day. But not before grounding me for a month (sometimes I think that he forgets that I am a young adult). The next day I found him back at his work bench with no recollection of the previous day’s conversation.

So instead of starting another fight this morning I smile, put on my happy face, and ask Papa what he happens to be working on today.

It was during this point in the day, when I finally managed some time for myself to practice my magic. And Journal I am extremely vexed to inform you that the blasted Transportation Spell continues to allude me. I have had no choice but to resort to utilizing a magic wand.

Now Journal, I know what you are about to say. I have not needed a magical wand since my first year of magic class. Nonetheless, you have witnessed, first hand, the trials and tribulations I have faced while trying to conquer this spell. Every time I attempt the spell, it never fully transports the object.

I have moved an apple with no core, less than half of a pear, and only about a third of the bushel of bananas transported correctly. I was hopeful that the wand would help harness my power, yet so far, all of my efforts have been fruitless (no pun intended).

I am reminded of what Mr. Aberdeen, my first year magic teacher, would always tell us, “Magic power comes from your emotions. Powerful emotions lead to powerful spells.”

Right now my emotions are a volatile concoction of frustration, anger, and exhaustion. Which does not equal to anything close to resembling a powerful spell.

I take a few deep breathes, smile, and put on my happy face. Then I try the spell once more. I had the apple glowing a bright shade of pink (which has never happened before). The spell was about to take, when I was interrupted by my cell phone.

I sigh, because I know that my spare moment to practice my magic is over for the day, as I look to see who is calling me.

I was equal parts relieved and yet saddened by the fact that it was not Linc calling me.  Even after all this time, I still don’t know what to think about Linc Ryan. He is an enigma wrapped in a conundrum, tied up with a bow of mystery.

I could tell from the start that Linc was hiding things, keeping everything about his past and present life close to his chest. And I respected that. I never minded going over to his house every time that he asked me to. I could tell that he needed a friend, so I tried being that for him. And even though I could tell that he only payed attention to about half of what I said, every so often he would let his guard down. Even if it only ever came in small doses.

Remember Journal, when I told you about Snowflake Day? The way Linc reacted to the guitar that Papa made for him? No one else saw it, but for a split second Linc looked happy. He was humbled by my act of kindness, and I could tell that that simple guitar meant the world to him. His eyes lit up brighter than the tree as they met mine. But just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. An emotionless “thank you” was the only part of Linc’s response that Renatta and Flint saw.

They tell me that I am wasting my time. Maybe it is true. Maybe Linc really is a lost cause. But something inside is telling me not to give up on him. Call it a gut feeling, or magical premonition. Whatever it is, I am going to continue to be a friend to Linc.

It has been a long while since I spoke to Linc. Call me strange, but I am really starting to miss my friend. That is why I was saddened when I saw that it was not Linc calling me. Yet at the same time, I was relieved since my last interaction with Linc was not a pleasant one which resulted in us yelling at each other and me kicking him out of my home.

 

The caller was, in fact, my very dear friend Renatta. She was wondering if I would go to the store with her to which I replied, “sure, and while you are at it, why don’t you ask Flint if he wants to come with us as well?”

“Oh, goodness no!” Renatta cut me off. “What I need at the store is for Flint.”

Journal, it still boggles my mind as to why these two have not come to terms with the fact they are both madly in love with each other. It is obvious to everyone, well that is to say that these feels are obvious to everyone but themselves. It all comes down to the silly fact that Flint doesn’t feel that he is good enough for Renatta, and Renatta feels like she broken and therefore not worthy of Flint. Which to me is utterly absurd, but I am starting to digress.

Back to the topic at hand: I let Renatta know that I will be at her home in a few minutes. Before I headed out I went downstairs to check on Papa one last time, only to find him still tinkering away just as he had been this morning (the plate of eggs and toast still sitting on the side table uneaten).

As we walked to Sam’s General Store, I called Sam to let him know that we will be stopping by for a few things. Renatta and I each give him our shopping list, so he can have everything ready and waiting for us out back behind his store.

Sneaking around to the back alley behind the general store is yet another painful reminder of how bad things have gotten in this town.

It all started right after Grendel took control by giving himself the title of Supreme Commander. The changes were subtle at first, so most of the people never saw it coming.

First came the whispers of judgment. The looks of disgust behind the backs of every human in Moonlight Falls. The hate was there, but not out in the open.

It is unclear as to exactly where or how the term Immundus came to be. Both Grendel and Alcander lay claim to creating the term’s new hateful meaning, however I believe this to be untrue since neither one is cleaver enough for such a thing.  Nonetheless, the hate filled whispers became hate filled shouts. Before long the bigotry became a secret no longer; it was out in the open. In fact, most of the time it was encouraged by the ones in power. It wasn’t until after the unsuccessful Werewolf Revolt that things went from bad to worse. And Journal, I fear that things may never be the same again.

But once again, I am starting to digress.

As you know, Sam’s wife is blindly following the angry mob, while Sam is more empathetic. She would rather lose her store than let my type set one toe inside. So, Sam leaves our groceries out back behind the stack of crates.

Renatta and I put our money in the witch gnome, as per our prearranged agreement with Sam, and head back home. Then just as I was turning around to leave the alley, Renatta and I are met with, “What are you doing back here?”

As I have mentioned before, the intolerance in Moonlight Falls is getting worse and worse by the day. Even so, most of the time I am able ignore it. I can smile, put on a happy face, and pretend the words don’t bother me. I won’t mention all of the different ways people have found to let me know how much my existence disgusts them. For if I put them to paper I give those evil words life, and I choose not to give the hate that kind of power. However, the only time it is too hard to just put on a happy face is when those words come from my cousins.

Beatrice, Belinda, Bianca, and I grew up together. We shared everything with each other. They are a few years older than I, and for as long as I can remember I have always looked up to them. We were closer than sisters. And now with hate in their eyes and hate in their hearts they call me the most horrible names imaginable.

“What are you doing here?” Belinda demanded. “Your Immundus is infecting the vegetables!”

Beatrice then added, “Yeah, you ugly Gold Digging Slut.”

My cousins’ dislike of me not only comes from my human mother, but it is also fueled by the fact that Alcander is dead set on making me his wife. Even though the very thought of that makes my skin crawl. He is not taking no for an answer, which makes each of my cousins more and more jealous with each passing day.

“Why don’t you do this world a favor and just kill yourself?” Bianca added her hateful comments. “And take that failed science experiment with you!”

The hurtful speech would have continued, and I can only assume that it would have gotten violent like the last time, if it weren’t for Alcander.

Yes Journal, that is right. Alcander stepped in acting like my hero, rescuing me from my cousin’s attacks. In fact, I would not be surprised if he had been watching the whole time, waiting for his cue to come in and “save me”.

“As Chief Tenta Enforcer, I aught to have you all arrested.” Alcander mused. “So many beautiful women in one place aught to be against the law.”

Alcander’s words of empty flattery made me sick to my stomach. What’s worse though, was seeing my cousins’ demeanor chance from hate to lust in the blink of an eye. Their response to Alcander’s flirting was a silly mix of school girl giggles and seductive poses trying to highlight their “assets”.  Belinda went so far as to attempt, yet fail at, the Bend & Snap.

“Why hello there Alcander.” they flirted. “My oh my, your muscles are even bigger than the last time that I saw you.  And is that a new tattoo?”

As hard as they tried, Alcander didn’t give my cousins any more attention. He instead focused his attention on to me.

Alcander sauntered past my cousins as if they weren’t even there and said, “Mira, your beauty is even more enchanting today than the last time that I had seen your face. Of course standing next to this ugly, horribly disfigured creature would make even the ugliest of dogs look like Helena Troy.”

This was not the first time that Alcander had used such derogatory language towards Renatta. I could feel her cower even further, while I on the other hand am not going to stand for it.

“You will NOT speak to my friend that way!” I demanded, and then I added. “And I believe that it is Helen of Troy whom you are referring to.”

“You know, when we are married you will have to stop trying to correct me in public.”

“For the millionth time, I will never marry you Alcander! And there is nothing that you could ever do that would ever make me change my mind!”

“Oh, you are so pretty when you are talking nonsense. You can’t fight the laws of nature. For you are a beautiful yet helpless gazelle, and I am a strong proud male lion, on the hunt for my prize.”

“I can’t even begin to properly tell you how ignorant you sound. We are not in the savannas of Africa. This is Moonlight Falls. Secondly, it is the female lions that do the majority of the hunting.”

“Hahahaha. Now you are just talking crazy! A female hunter. Have you heard anything so absurd?!”

That right there was the last straw. I had had enough.

I stood my ground, but still put on a happy face, and said “It has become increasingly clear to me that you do not wish to engage in meaningful conversation. Furthermore, based on today’s exchange and conversations from the past, I doubt that your brain has the capability to do so. Therefore, I would like to end this conversation. Come Renatta, let us depart from this Neanderthal. Enjoy the rest of your day, Cousins.”

I spent the rest of the day with Renatta at her home. She was still pretty shaken up over what had just taken place, so I prepared some herbal tea and tried to get her to relax.

“Did you see Alcander’s face when you told him about Helen of Troy?” Renatta joked which was a good sign that the tea’s calming properties were starting to take effect. “And I bet you he understood less than half of what you said. The again, Neanderthal is too big of a word for his tiny brain cells to comprehend.”

I was enjoying the time with my friend, that before I knew it, it was time for me to get home. It was getting late, and I still needed to fix Papa his dinner.

As I walked home I was all smiles. No need to plaster on a fake happy face, I was genuinely happy. However, my mood completely changed once I saw who was at my front door.

“Hello again, Mira.” Alcander was no longer flirty as he leaned against my front porch with his muddy boot propped up on the siding.

I had hoped that I was done with Alcander for the day, and I was less than cordial when I demanded to know “what do you want now?”

“There is no more need to play coy with me.” Alcander said as me slowly moved closer to me.  “That science fair reject, or mangy lap dog, that follow you around are not here hiding behind you. So why don’t you just admit that you want me, so we can be married already?”

“I have told you countless times before, I am not going to marry you. No way. Why do you insist on making me your wife anyway? We have nothing in common, thank plumbob. You only want me to be your servant. Barefoot and pregnant, catering to your every demand.”

“Nonsense,” Alcander said in his signature condescending tone, “what do I care if you wear shoes or not?”

“I don’t even know how to respond to that.” I had to roll my eyes as I spoke.  “Your ignorance is beyond all comprehension.”

I wanted to go inside, cook Papa’s dinner, take a long hot bubble bath, and read a good book before bedtime.  However, Alcander had other ideas.

With his legendary quickness, Alcander had me by my throat as he backed me into my jellybean fern.

“Listen here you Immundus Bitch,” Alcander towered over me as he choked my neck. “It is only because of me that you and that senile father of yours have not been run out of town yet. And it is only through my protection that you are safe, for now.”

I was fighting to breathe, and quickly losing that battle. I was seeing stars, yet Alcander squeezed tighter as he spoke, “So instead of talking back to me, why don’t you get down on your hands and knees and thank me. One day you are going to need my protection, and I won’t be here to save you!”

And that brings me here, sitting in my room wondering how much longer I can put on a happy face?

 

 

 

 

OC Photo Challenge Part 2

I am back with a few more pictures for the OC Photo Challenge, first shared by the lovely and talented Loise, author of NotJustaBookSims.  This time around I have completed #6, 10 & 11.

#6 With Their Best Friend

Willow isn’t the most outgoing sim, and most of the time she feels like an outsider at school.  She loves her family, and her very best friend is her big sister Autumn.

 

#11 With Their Family

 

#10 With Their Love Interest

Willow is just a teen (barely a teen), and has not met her love interest yet.  So, she is wondering who this mystery man will be.

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

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.