One Life: Episode 7 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT (last page)

[Zggs]

Yes sometimes sims eyes are quite alluring.

[babyblue1387]

I can't wait to get started on the part that comes next! I think I'll start writing it up tomorrow. The pics will be a challenge, though:(

[Zggs]

Sometimes a challenge is good.  And I hope you got my prize

[babyblue1387]

Ok, here's the deal. This might be a two part deal. This here might end up being book one, and book two might end up being V is for Vengance. Why? Because I haven't done much writing over the summer, and when I start thinking about this story, The ideas don't seem to stop flowing. So, here's another update!
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“No, no, no. There is no cure. Oh, how my heart lusts for one! How I would love to end this endless night that I’ve been confined to!”

“Do not play with my heart!”

There was such malice in his eyes that I thought, for a moment, he would hit me. He kept his composure, though, and eyes said all that he said aloud.

“Why would you need a cure?”

“There’s more to life than being able to walk in sunlight! I look at the man I love every day, and see more and more wrinkles! I look at my daughters and know that they are closing in on my age and will soon be older than me! I look at my son and see his life so full of the knowledge that he has found someone he can leave this world with!”

“You can still leave this world with your husband. We don’t need you here.”

“Why did you come here in the first place? Did you actually want something?”

“Why are you holding onto your mortal emotions? Do you wish that you were still mortal?”

“With every day of my life. And you do the same. Now get out.”

He nodded, and obliged, something I hadn’t expected him to do. As he reached the door, he stopped and turned to look at me, as if he had something extra to say. Instead, he only smiled and bared his fangs. Turning on his heel, he left, and I can tell you for sure that I was not sad to see him go.

I was left uneasy that night, so I finished off the pot of tea that he’d made. I found it disgustingly hard to believe that he just, out of the blue, decided to come here. He must have had a reason, but got caught in his own selfish need to pester people. There was no doubt in my mind that he thought to tell me of his reason as he stood at the door. There was something that he didn’t want me to know.

Over the next weeks, the boxes began to disappear, and with them, my girls. They’d be going away to college, and I knew this would be hard for them. They did agree to go to the same college, something that I am grateful for, though I can’t help but wonder if it would hinder them later in life. At least, this way, they’d always know someone is right there next to them if they needed help. Truly they are the best of friends, and I envy their relationship sometimes. The only person I’ve ever felt that close to was my mother, and now she’s half a world away from me.  But not for long.

I’d received a letter from her stating that she’d be coming back soon for a visit. She’d also be bringing a friend. In her letter, she said that this friend was someone I should already know about, and immediately, I knew that this is what that horrid creature was supposed to tell me. Given that a messenger was sent ahead of their arrival, I was sure that this was someone important. Unfortunately, since the messenger was that fool, I had no way of knowing who or what to expect, or what kind of preparations I’d need to make. Meanwhile, I had other problems to worry about.

Aiden wasn’t doing to well. He’d embarked on some secret project and spent nearly every waking moment working on it. The stress, I feared, was wearing him down. He would not tell me what this was, but always called it his greatest experiment. He promised me that I would love it once it was completed, but gave no further details. There were a number of things I thought it could be, but I didn’t waste time thinking about it. I was more worried about him. The grey in his temples had spread to nearly all of his head. He wasn’t eating right, he wasn’t sleeping. He had a weird schedule where he’d work all day, and sleep half the night only to get up and write furiously in his journal. He’d pace the halls during the day, and work again all the next night. I worried that this project was making him loose his mind.

He did take time to see the girls off, and they were thankful for that. I was thankful for someone to lean on when my legs gave way to grief. I tried to shield my pain from my daughters, but I knew they saw hurt in me. Poor Mira, I could tell in her eyes that she worried about me. Who would I talk to? Who would wait to make sure I came home well fed? Who would share a silent joke with me? Her reluctance was all to visible, and I wanted then to tell her that she didn’t have to go if her heart did not want to. Yet it was my heart yelling for her touch and the smell of her shampoo. I wanted her to stay for my own selfish reasons, and so I kept my mouth closed. I blew kisses to them and Aiden gave them one last talk about making sure they did their homework and always went to class. We didn’t have to worry, though. I knew they’d be in constant touch. Still, it hurt finally letting them go. Our house was eerily quiet from then on.

I hated coming in from feeding. I dreaded the moments when I’d open the door to an eerie silence. The house seemed so dead. Even the dog’s quiet snoring didn’t seem to make a dent in the empty space left by the girls. The only thing I had to look forward to was my mother’s return. Even then, I was uneasy, not knowing what was in store once she returned. I’d nearly lost track of the time since she left. It’d been nearly a year. A whole year had passed, which would explain some of the grey in Aiden’s hair, and the more mature appearance of my daughters. Not to mention Bartholomew would be coming home soon for his wedding. Hopefully, there would be grandchildren on the way to occupy my time as well…

Time never seems to make itself known to me anymore, so I was surprised when there was a knock at the door late into the night. A quick glance at the calendar told me that, yes, it was time for my mother’s visit. At once, I was excited and anxious, wanting so much to sit with my mother and talk for years about what she’d seen and done, and yet afraid of what might be standing on the other side of the door with her. I’d taken necessary measures to get a secure place for my mother to sleep, at the least. Without knowing who this guest would be, mortal or vampire, I didn’t know what to do. I’ll admit that my hands did tremble as I opened the door. My mind didn’t register her at first, but it didn’t take long for confusion to settle on my face and in my mind. How could this be? What cold heart could have done this?

[babyblue1387]

'Nother update today. Sure hope you guys aren't getting tired of it:(
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A child! She stood on the porch next to my mother, looking at me, her eyes seeming to pierce my soul as if she’d seen and known me before. I couldn’t help feeling a chill go through my body when she looked at me. There was none of the childish innocence in her eyes, and I doubt this child could have pretended even if she wanted. There was, however, a worldly knowledge that I could never hope to have. Not for a long time to come, at least. Her hair was flaming red, her eyes, a light purple, almost giving the impression that she was blind. I’d hardly looked at my mother, for this child immediately drew my attention.

“Have you nothing to say after all this time?”

I looked at my mother, and she waited with open arms. I couldn’t help smiling at seeing her. I was vaguely aware of the child stepping aside so I could hug my mother tightly. Her body was slightly warm, so I knew that she had fed already. There would be time to talk before she had to sleep. Oddly enough, I didn’t know where to start. There was so much that I wanted to tell her and to ask and to understand.

“May we come in?”

I nodded, eagerly, stepping aside so that my mother and this child may enter. Again, I felt my eyes being drawn to her, and the oddness of her being. She didn’t walk like a child. There was no spring to her step, no bounce that was so characteristic of children, and as she passed me, she turned to look on me. Even though she tilted her head in the way that a curious child does, there was nearly no curiosity in her eyes. She was very much like a porcelain doll. Her features were delicate, with all the plumpness and youth that one would expect, but with every hardness of someone who’d lived for many, many years. She could be no older than 10. It pained my heart to see this child so mature so young.

“Well, Dahlia, this is the friend that wanted to meet you! The one you were told about!”

“He did not tell her. Just as I did not expect him to.”

I imagined my heart stopping then. My mother didn’t seem to be at all bothered by this older voice coming from this child’s body. I heard a slight accent, but it was not a childish one. Her voice held wisdom, and I knew then that she was older than me, older than I’d ever be, even if her body might not age. My mother frowned for a minute, thinking about this new development. So this was the surprise that waited for me, and I was worried. She was a vampire, and yet I didn’t have sleeping arrangements for her. She seemed to understand the worry, undoubtedly evident on my face, and smiled.

“I have brought my own coffin. I could hardly expect you to have proper accommodations for me. The limits of this man often sicken me.”

“Why do you still put up with him?”

“Because, for the moment, I need him. But I won’t for much longer. I have you, now. Right?”

I admired the ease with which my mother spoke with this little lady. It was as if they’d spend a lifetime together. Yet there was still a distance between them. The distance that no amount of time together can bridge. I offered them seats and got a put on a pot of tea.

“If you have chamomile, I would very much appreciate that.”

I nodded in the general direction of this wonder of nature. Had some cruel fate befallen her? Had someone given her a second life in order to save her first? Who had created her? How long had she been around? I was lost in my thoughts, so I barely heard my mother telling her that I made really good tea. I only bought fresh tea leaves and, of late, I’d taken to attempting to grow my own in a little greenhouse I’d built out back. I’m sure my mother had to call my name a couple times before she got my attention.

“So much has happened since I went to Europe, but I’ll let Ina tell her story since you’re undoubtedly wondering.”

I sat down at the kitchen table where I could keep an eye on the tea and still see this child, Ina. I waited as she studied me momentarily, taking in my features.

“You look very much like your mother. She is a wonderful lady. But, ah, the sun will rise sooner than we will expect, and there is much that you would like to know. My name is Inamorta. It is not the name that I was born with, but one that I’ve chosen myself. I will admit that I was young when I first chose that name. Inamorta, immortal. Over the centuries, though, this name has grown on me, despite my momentarily annoyance with it. During those times, I went mostly by Ina.”

Centuries! Centuries, she said! I couldn’t believe my ears, and yet the irony was not lost on me. She was the oldest and the youngest vampire, I thought. But then, that could not be true, because she had to be made into a vampire. She couldn’t have been born that way.

“Well, my father was a wealthy man, and he’d made some very powerful people angry. They were a small group, seen as eccentric by many other politicians. They were known for their violence against those who did not totally agree with them. I heard others warning my father to listen to their advice, but he would not listen. He was such a stubborn man. He had his own ideas and he would not yield to those he deemed beneath him. Unfortunately, we suffered for his blindness. Politics is not about change and helping others! It is about money and power!”

I watched as her face became contorted with anger. How strange it was to hear these words come out of a child’s mouth! My children knew nothing of, nor cared for politics at her age! It was a shock to me to have to adjust to this new phenomenon. At any rate, the tea was done, and I got three cups, setting out cream and sugar along with the tea. My mother and Inamorta joined me at the table. The look on the child’s face was solemn, and the mother in me wanted to pull her into a hug, but I knew she did not need it.

“Your tea is exceptionally good. Your mother was right to brag.”

I smiled at the praise. She almost had a motherly air about her, much like I remember from my childhood. And yet, was she not a mother to us all in a way? If she truly was centuries old, how many vampires had she created?

“My father’s contemporaries warned him of Lady Baudelaire who had married the wrong man after her first husband died. Moving would not simply solve our problem, for this man had moved across several continents and untold cities, and still they hunted him like hounds. In the end, they killed her and her unborn child, and burned down the castle. He didn’t want that to happen to us.”
   
She paused and stared at her cup. I waited for her to continue, wanting to know more, but unwilling to push her. We sat in silence for a few minutes, my mother looking on pleasantly as if she were being told a bedtime story. Undoubtedly, Inamorta had told her this before.

“My father was unwilling to give in, the foolish man. I loved him though. I loved him only as a child can love her father after loosing her mother. He was all I had and all that I’d known. My mother died birthing me, so my father had been my world. This group did come for us, but we were not killed. What hate they must have held for my father for them to turn us so! There was a fire, as they are wont to do, but I’m not sure what happened that night. When I awoke, I felt like I’d died. It was a terrible feeling! My body was rejecting anything, and I was cold. After the grace period, others began to see us differently and called us devils. They beheld us with awe and fear. After seeing our house, I knew we were not meant to survive that fire. I knew because there was nothing left save ash. There was nothing! Even the ground was scorched beyond any decent repair.”

Here she smiled grimly, and I knew she was remembering clearly in a way that only we, as vampires, could. I leaned forward now. Her story captured me, and my mind ran wild with excitement.

“My father was unwilling to accept the changes that he’d seen in himself, and, apparently, in me. He was afraid and without guidance. He said he no longer saw in me the innocence that I once had. Though I held him the same as always, he said there was no longer comfort in my embrace. It is true when they say that some are not made to live forever. He was not, and so denying the changes, ran out into the sun. I did not see my father die, for I did not fight off the death sleep as it came over me. He did, if only long enough to run out into the day. I am glad that I did not see my father die. When I awoke that night, all I saw was a pile of ash. There was nothing but ash and so I gathered him up and placed him with the ashes of our house. How he loved that house! It was the place he’d first seen my mother, later asked her to marry him, married her, conceived me, I was born, and my mother died. That house was his life, and so I left him there. With my father gone, I knew they servants would not accept me. They barely tolerated me with my father around. He was the one thing that protected me in this world, and now that protection is gone. I knew of only one place to go, and I loathed the idea of it. Yet who else was there to teach me all that I needed to know? I knew that I had urges that I’d never had before, that I needed things that I didn’t need before. I was hungry and my body was weak. The food that I’d so enjoyed before seemed repulsive to me and no matter how hard I tried, I could not force that stuff into my body.”

She looked sad. Sad as if the weight of her years pressed down on her. I started to reach out a hand to her, but caught myself and pulled back. My gesture did not go unnoticed, but she did not chide me. Instead, she smiled sweetly and put a tiny, delicate hand on mine. Her eyes were kind, and I wanted her to hold me and tell me that my second life won’t be so bad after all. She did no such thing, perhaps knowing there was much that I needed to adjust to.

“I came to them dirty, and tired, and starved to death. They said they had been expecting me, and took me in. They gave me the sweetest nectar I had ever known, and in those moments where I first fed, I knew that I hated them. I knew that I hated them for making me what I am, hated them for making my father, for making the others hate me, for making my own nanny, who’d been as a mother to me…for making her turn her back on me when I plead on my knees! For making her turn her back on this…demon! She said she did not know what I had become, and feared that my soul was damned. She feared for me, and there was pity in her eyes, but she would not hold me, would not come within 5 feet of me! I cried because of the pain of hunger, begged her for food, but she only shook her head. I hated them for making her act that way to me. I hated them for making my father kill himself. And yet, I needed them to survive. I wanted them dead."
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So there we have it for this installment. I'll try to do another update tomorrow, but if I do, it'll be a short one. Still looking forward to hear what you guys have to say!

[babyblue1387]

There'll be an update tomorrow. My computer pooped out on me when I was going to update today, so I ate dinner, then watched some tv, then came back and found out my firefox pooped out, too, so hopefully, nothing more serious has gone wrong. I've spent the better part of an hour and a half trying to regain my bookmarks. I've got most of my sims ones, but for everything else? Lost somewhere in the hell that is computer brain farts. So for the one of you that's still checking this thread, I'll probably update tomorrow.

[babyblue1387]

“I stayed with them for a very long time. It was always in my mind that I would not be able to do the things that I needed, to move around in the mortal world, without someone who appeared as an adult. A child could not get a hotel room, could not pay for things. I wanted to get as far away from my father’s house as I possibly could. I wanted to network with the other vampires who came to do business with this small, yet violent group. So it was, one night, when another, younger family came that I approached them.”

Having finished her tea, Inamorta stopped and looked at her empty cup. I watched her tiny hands hold the tea kettle which seemed almost too big for her. Her brow was wrinkled as the tea swirled into her cup before she added sugar and crème. I watched as she held her hand over the steam for a moment, seeming to relish its warmth. She looked out the window longingly as the first clouds of morning came into view.

“I’ve talked much longer than I intended to. You must forgive me. I’ve lived alone for a very long time and I find it comforting now to talk to others.”

I nodded, letting her finish her story in her own time. After all, didn’t we have forever to hear it?


“They took me in, and were all too willing to help me in whatever I needed. Most of their willingness, I suppose, was due to the novelty of having a little doll to play with and gaze on. A child to spoil and grant her every wish. Much of it, I also believe, had to do with the large sum of money that I would get from my father. ‘Demon’ or not, I was still…alive, insofar as it could be called, and still inherited the money that my father had upon his death. He’d been “gone” for some years, and his accountants could not deny that it seemed he was either, truly dead, or not coming back. Either way, they respected him, for my father was a great man, and they passed his large sum of money onto me. I made it clear to the clan I was now staying with that my money was my own and I would do with it as I wished. They tried, for a few years, to tell me that I was a child and did not know what to do with such amounts of money. They claimed that I would spend it on toys and candies and darling little dresses, but I had no use for those things. I wasted no time in reminding them that I was the same as them, and would not age. Besides, I only needed one of them to stay with me once I decided it was time for me to move on.

“I cared not for the opinions of the others, and from time to time, let them treat me as a doll so that they would be satisfied. Their fascination with me wore off within 50 years of me staying with them, so my companion and I, a wonderful young lad named Mikael, set out to see the world. Their interest seemed to have been renewed in me, for they begged and pleaded for their little doll to stay with them longer. I knew though, that I had learned from them all that I was likely to learn. I yearned to get out and to be further away from the place and the people who’d caused me so much pain. Before I did, though, there was one last task I had to undertake.”

I did not ask what this task was, because I already knew. She needed her vengeance; just as we all do sometimes. And she was successful. This was, of course, my mother’s least favorite part of the story. The poor dear had always been a romantic, and did not want to think of Inamorta as a killer. Even though her face was turned away from us, I could tell she was trying her hardest not to listen. Inamorta, however, only laughed.

“The night is already giving way to the daytime! Oh, dear Bella, forget this image of me if it makes you smile again! Come, I will not speak of it, save to tell Dahlia that I was successful in my task. My coffin now, love! We must hurry before the sun begins to rise. I can already see the colors of the sunrise, and though my heart wishes dearly to see it again, if only for one moment, my brain knows that this must not be.”

[Pandora Moon]

Hi. I've read this a few days ago but I've forgotten to comment until now.

Wow. These stories are very good! I can't wait until your next one. I wonder what have in mind for your next one?.

See ya.

[babyblue1387]

Oh, thank you so much! It really makes me feel good to know that people are enjoying my stories as much as I am! For my next one? Honestly, I don't know. I've been throwing around a couple ideas, but nothing I'm entirely pleased with. Since I've started working on my second novel again, I've been a little low on creativity. I've even been at a loss as to what to do for the contest I've entered! Still, though, I do appreciate your kind comments!

[Pandora Moon]

You're welcome babyblue. Good luck in writing your novel and with the contest you've entered.

[babyblue1387]

Sorry it's been a while since the update, all. College has been kicking my butt with this new fangled dangled contraption called homework (seriously, the last time I've REALLY done homework was my sophomore year of high school). I'll be busy this weekend, but maybe I can squeeze in some more next week or (if I'm lucky) sunday. Thanks for being so patient and sticking with this thread even though I update once every blue moon! You all give me the fuzzies!

[babyblue1387]

I was done with homework early, so I was able to squeeze in an update:)
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I watched quietly as my mother and this new wonder Inamorta went off to sleep. I was happy for her. My mother. Happy that she had found some sort of peace or at the very least a companion. And yet, for myself, I couldn’t help feeling sad, and increasingly alone. Aiden, for whatever reason, has kept me away from his recent work. He says it is a surprise, and yet, all this does is leave me alone. Ever since I was brought into this new life, I’ve been alone. Even those years I’ve spent with my mother were truly alone. She could not hope to understand the situation I am in, or what it’s like to be stuck in a doorway, unable to choose a side.

So I sat, and resumed reading my book. Sleep had not yet come to greet me, and I felt that I might not sleep at all this night. Feeling a little mellow, I poured myself a glass of wine and attempted to loose my thoughts in the words of another, but I was unable to. So I sat on the couch, drinking my wine, and waiting.

I hadn’t been waiting for too long when Aiden came in the house, his hair messy, and his face alight with exhaustion and excitement. To see him as he is these days breaks my heart. I know that he is engaged in the work of his lifetime, that he is working on some large project, but to know his limits, and yet see him push himself so far beyond his own breaking point…. I could not contain myself any longer, so I spoke to him, startling him. He hardly even notices his surroundings anymore.

“Aiden, love, what are you doing that takes so much out of you?”

He turned to me, and I couldn’t help realizing just how old he was. His face was deeply lined, and his hair completely grey now. How quickly time passed for me! How long had it been since I’d truly looked at my husband last? And what would my children look like now, if I stepped back and looked at them? Perhaps some of it was the wine, but mostly…mostly, I realized, I hadn’t paid enough attention to my family.

“What I’m doing now, is making you a present. Something so spectacular…well, words just can’t describe it. Consider it a testament to our love, done all in honor of you! All that I do now, working day and night, fighting off sleep, keeping careful records, all of this is for you!”

I smiled, but sadly. Maybe he couldn’t see it. Maybe he didn’t want to see the way this was affecting his body. How much longer could he take this? How much longer before his heart gave out, and could no longer sustain this ridiculous working pace?


It wouldn’t be long before I found the answer. I dreaded this moment, knew it would come, yet feared and dreaded it all the same.

I was with Inamorta that night, four years later, sitting at the kitchen table.

“Why do you put up with him?”
“He is young. He’s lived his eternal life for only 75 years. Foolish. An idiot! He was decent enough as a human, if not somewhat overly proud of himself. The only reason I turned him was because I needed someone to take care of the things I could not. So, for 75 years, I was forced to live with this mistake whenever I traveled abroad.”

“So then you were here the night he turned my mother, and came to kill me?”

“No! Oh, no, child! Had I been here, that foolish idiot would no longer exist. He must feed to survive, this I know, and he knows as well. He also knows the rules that I set for him. Yet he cannot get over, in his head, my appearance. How would it look, he said to me once, if I were taking orders from a 10 year old? I made him remember that I was 10 only in body, not mind and power.”

She was quiet for a while, and I did not push her. Over those four years that Inamorta and my mother stayed with us, I came to understand the way that Inamorta works. The only time she knows is the sunrise, and, the sun just having fully set, she knew that time was hers to command. She did things when she was ready to, and I admired her for it.

“I was at home. My castle in the English countryside. I was keeping tabs on him since he left in such a foul mood. I was certain that he’d go off and do something stupid. Something to prove to himself that he could exert such control over others as I could over him. A foolish thing to do. It was a false security that he wanted, and one that I was not going to give him under any circumstances. We cannot afford false securities.”

We were quiet for a long while, and I tried to imitate Inamorta’s coolness. She seemed so at peace, and yet, I fought hard to continue with the life I have always led. I continue to be stuck in a world neither full of light nor darkness, and yet still no balance between them. I watched as Inamorta sat, statuesque, for hours, lost halfway in my own thoughts, when she spoke again.

“I must return to England. I have affairs that need to be taken care of back home. My house is open to both you and your mother. She has expressed her wish to return to Europe with me, and said that you and your husband would do well with a vacation.”

[Pandora Moon]

Hi. great story. It can be hard to remember that Inamorta has lived for centuries when she looks around ten years old.

Good work. I'll be looking forward to reading your next update.

See ya.

[babyblue1387]

Aww, thanks so much!

[babyblue1387]

Update tomorrow! Had to go advance some more lives for the story...