Insimenator.org

Hi, this is the introduction to my story "To Be Alone". Comments and suggestions are VERY much appreciated! Also, please point out any grammer errors you see... I'm not perfect at it.

To be Alone- Introduction
~
My life wasn't the way I pictured it to be. Ever since my twin sisters were diagnosed with Autism, I'd been like their own personal slave. My parents loved me, but their main concern was the twins. The twins (Lacey and Lana) had a milder case of Autism than most people. But every now and then, they'd break out into fits of rage, sadness, and loneliness. And the only thing that could soothe them was a teddy bear. Because of that, we had teddy bears ALL over the house. There were particularly alot of them in the entrance area of our house. Just in case we lost one. My bedroom was at the end of the house. It had plain wood flooring, no wallpaper, no pictures or posters, a small plain bed, and one of my birthday presents... an old wire spool that my parents found at the dump. I tried to be grateful, but it was so hard. My parents said they didn't have enough money to buy me any presents for my birthday, or for Christmas. And yet, they could still buy a new toy/teddy bear for my sisters. And school, oh my god. I had the worst grades in the entire class because I had no time to study. My parents both worked. My mother was gone all day, and my father left when I got home from school. So once I got home from school, it was: Feed the twins some lunch, watch the twins to make sure they're happy and don't get upset, grab a quick dinner (usually a bag of chips), and make the twins spaghetti, tuck the twins into bed, and go to sleep. The next day is the same thing, and the day after that, and the day after that, and it goes on until the weekend. My parents usually take a vacation from work on the weekends. So it's my job to take care of the twins. My parents don't hire a nanny, so they've counted on me to take care of the twins. I know they all love me, but... I just wish that they could treat me with a little more respect, like a much loved daughter, and not a maid...
~
Now that I've told you about what my life was like, I will let it unfold within this story that I tell you

-Liana McGregor

I loved it I mean I don't focus on grammar because I'm just the same way and always make some mistakes and spell check like crazy.If you want to create pictures to go along with next chapters would be perfect.

I honestly love where this is going.
I'd read it again.

Hey!  Glad to see found your way here.  I look forward to your pics - they'll add a lot of strength to an already good start.  ;)

good start, can't wait to read more :-)

Nice beggining, i can't wait to read more!

Aw, thanks! All I have to do before I post the first chapter is take the pictures... whhiiiiccccchhhhh could take some time. But I'm hoping to post it by this weekend. Should I post the first chapter here? Or should I start a new thread for it. And should I start a new thread for all the new chapters?

No - post all your updates here.  It gets confusing when people have several posts for one story.  Just edit your post to add pics to your intro.  If you need any help just let me know. ;)

Oky doky. Is there any way to edit the name of the thread? I named it "To Be Alone- Introduction". And I was hoping I could take out the introduction part.

Sure thing.  At the bottom when you edit, you'll see a 'Go Advanced' button.  Click it and it will allow you to change the title of your post.  You can also add links to your chapters that way if you want to.

Great introduction. Looking forward to the story :)

sounds interesting. can't wait to read the rest :)

This is my first chapter, hope you like it!
~

"Keep going Liana, keep going. It's the next house, I promise" Liana said to herself as she was struggling through the snowdrifts. (http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_750abf1f.jpg)
 It had started snowing at around 10:20am that morning, so school wasn't cancelled. The snow was fairly light until about noon. Then it started to get REALLY heavy. By the time school ended at 3pmish, almost 2 feet had fallen. Liana was also quite short for her age. At 16 she was only 5 feet tall. Being so short made it alot harder to get through the thigh-deep snowdrifts.

 School had been horrible, as always. Jeanine Linder had pushed, and teased her around as always. Liam Miller had walked by a troupe of girls and winked at them. They all almost fainted afterwards. And worst of all, she was supposed to do a report on Eleanor Roosevelt. She NEVER got any of her homework done because she always had to babysit Lacey and Lana. And today was friday, her parents always took a vacation on the weekends

She sighed, "I guess I'll get yet another F-".She perked up little when she saw she was home.(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_f50ac021.jpg)

As quickly as she possibly could, she ran up the driveway, opened her front door, and stepped inside. She threw her backpack on the floor, and yelled to the house,

"I'm HOME!"

"Liana? You're finally home?!?!?" her dad yelled as he ran into the mudroom.

"Yeah, sorry I was late. But the bus was delayed because of the snow, and I didn't want to wait for it. So I-" she started.

"NO, BUT'S!" her father cut her off. "I should've been at work an HOUR ago!".
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll27/KaiyanaBlack61213/snapshot_54f42894_b50fe393.jpg)

"But dad!" Liana started to say.

"NO, NO, NO! Don't try to think of an excuse!!!!".
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll27/KaiyanaBlack61213/snapshot_54f42894_950fe2ff.jpg)

Liana felt near tears, her father had NEVER yelled at her this loudly before!
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll27/KaiyanaBlack61213/snapshot_54f42894_950fe291.jpg)

"But it's not my FAULT!!" She screamed at him.
 
"You could've CALLED me and I would've picked you up! But NOOOO. You decided to walk the 3 miles home!" her father screamed back at her.
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll27/KaiyanaBlack61213/snapshot_54f42894_950fe1f8.jpg)

"B..B...Bu..But..." Liana stuttered.


"NO! I'm leaving RIGHT NOW!" screamed her father. He quickly walked, no, STOMPED out of the kitchen, snatched his coat from the coat hanger. And 'BANG', slammed the door behind him.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_550fe474.jpg)

Liana burst into tears as soon as he left. How could he be so mean?? He had yelled at her before, but those times were NOTHING compared to this!
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_550fe4e6.jpg)

Liana just stood there for a few minutes in her misery. Then, she remembered her "duties". She grabbed a tissue, wiped some tears off her face, and went to the dining room.
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll27/KaiyanaBlack61213/snapshot_54f42894_950fe52b.jpg)


 The twins were there, with their lunch of chicken and broccoli in front of them.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_950ab622.jpg)

Liana went to the kitchen and grabbed a few paper towels to clean her sisters' faces. The twins were sitting in their high chairs, munching their broccoli as fast as humanly possible. The twins loved broccoli, so they were given a little bit at every meal. I mean, hey? If they like veggies, why not feed them veggies as much as possible? Liana grabbed one of the paper towels in her hand, and started wiping off Lacey's face.

 Lana -the most observant of the twins- had noticed a few tears still on her sisters' face. She reached out and touched it,

"Daddy be mwean?" she asked Liana. Liana looked at her sister,

"No, daddy not being mean. Big sister just got something in her eye".

"Oh," Lana said, "Me hope big sister get better soon.". Liana looked at her sister and smiled,

 "I already am.". She tickled Lana, and finished cleaning both of their faces.

The day went by the same as any other day. After the twins were mostly cleaned up, Liana took them to their playroom and kept them distracted by reading to them, playing with them, tickling them, etc. Then, when it was time for dinner, she prepared spaghetti. Her parents had only gotten enough for the twins, and not for her, so she settled on a bag of chips for dinner.

 After the twins were done eating, it was around 7:00 in the evening. So she took them to the bathroom and gave them a bath, she tucked them into bed, and she read them a bedtime story. Soon, they were fast asleep.

 After that, she went outside to look up at the stars. It was one of her pre-bedtime rituals. It helped her forgot about all the bad things that happened in a day, it helped her forget that she was the ill-favored child, it helped her forget she had no friends, it helped her forget... if even for a little bit. She stood there for a few long minutes, staring at the heavens, wondering if her life would ever get any better. Then, all of a sudden, there was a flash of light darting across the sky. It was a shooting star!

"Wow!" Liana exclaimed. "it's beautiful!". She sat there, wondering if it was some kind of reply to her question.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_150fe74e.jpg)

 "Well," she finally said. "I should probably go to sleep now. If mom and dad come home and find me out here, who KNOWS what they''ll do!". She looked up at the sky one more time, and then headed inside.


Once she got to her room, she pulled her bed covers down, layed down underneath them, and pulled them back up.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_550fe8ce.jpg)

She snuggled into her pillow and fell into a deep sleep, dreaming about shooting stars, and wishes coming true.
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll27/KaiyanaBlack61213/snapshot_54f42894_b50fe989.jpg)
~
Well, that was the first chapter! Hope you like it!

Comments, suggestions, criticism, etc. etc. are all most welcome!

Holly this is great!! You have a great writing ability! I love your pictures. I feel so bad for Liana...I hope she finds happiness soon.

I'm super impressed!  This is an awesome start.  You have a very sophisticated writing style for someone so young.  Solid and easy to read, well thought out and coherent.  And your pictures are fab!  Very good emotional captures.  You've already managed to create a feeling of sympathy for your main character, but also showed us that she's not bitter because of her mistreatment.  She has a good heart, and takes very good care of her baby sisters.  Very well done, girlie!  I look forward to the next chapter.

Aww, *blushes* thanks! I didn't wait for my dad to edit it, I did all of the grammer, paragraphs, etc. by myself. I read what you said in the "Whatdya plan on doing today?" thread at forumplanet. And I'll be sure to turn the graphics up next time I go on. =)

Very good stuff from someone your age.
Out of 2 possible thumbsup, you get 2 thumbsup.
(Did I mention I love the twins already?)

I'll compare you to the metal band Black Tide. A lot of talent for someone of their age. (Their lead singer is only 15, BTW. All their other members are under 20.)

Good job, HJ. I already feel for the lovely Liana. She has had an awful lot dumped on her for such a young teen.

I enjoyed chapter one mucho and look forward to the next one.

Hey ya'll! Sorry this update took so long, I didn't have enough time to take the pictures until now. And I still didn't take as many as I would've liked. But, here it is! Hope ya like it!
~*~

Liana woke up at around 3am the next morning. She had woken up because she heard Lacey crying out in her sleep. She got out of bed, and crept into her sisters' room. She went over to Lacey's crib. She was sitting up, crying. "Oh, Lacey" Liana started. "It's ok, the dream wasn't real. I'm here, go to sleep..." Liana kissed her sister, and waited until she settled back down.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_151f9059-1.jpg)

  When she was asleep again, Liana went over to check on Lana.She was snoring. Liana giggled, and bent over to kiss her sister. She quietly crept out of their room, and into the living room. She never got back to sleep when she woke up this early, so she usually read until her parents got up. She walked over to the bookcase, and was pulling out a book, when an idea came to her.

"Hey," she whispered to herself, "why not  work on my report? Maybe if I can finish it now, I could get at least a D!". She smiled when she thought of the idea.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_951f958e-1.jpg)

She pushed the book back into the bookcase, and grabbed one about Eleanor Roosevelt. She quickly, but quietly, ran to the entrance area (otherwise known as the mudroom) of the house, grabbed her backpack, and ran back to the living room. She sat down on the floor, opened the book, grabbed her notebook and pencil from her backpack, and began writing. (http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_d51f961c-1.jpg)

She was rushing to finish it.. because she never knew when her parents would wake up.
~

At 6am, just as she was about to start the last page, she heard her parent's alarm clock starting to beep. She started scribbling frantically, praying that her mother and father would stay upstairs just long enough for her to finish. She was halfway done with the page when she heard footsteps upstairs.

"Oh no!" she whispered to herself. "They're coming!". She was writing as fast as she could, as if her life depended on it. She was beginning to hear footsteps on the stairs.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_151f981c-1.jpg)

"Please, PLEASE stay upstairs long enough!" she said to herself. She FINALLY finished just as the footsteps reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Phew!" she said to herself, "I finally finished my homework for once in my life!". She was smiling as she stuffed her stuff back in her backpack, and put the book away.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_d51f9339-1.jpg)

Her mother came downstairs to find her sitting on the couch reading Impossible Love, a famous romance novel.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_f527a062.jpg)

"Had trouble sleeping?" she asked Liana.

"Yeah,"  Liana said, "I heard Lacey having a bad dream, so I thought I'd check on her."

"Ah," her mother said to her. "but did you do your chores?".

"No," Liana said, "I usually wait until everyone is up before I do my chores because some of them can be noisy.".

"Liana!" her mother said, "you KNOW there are quiet chores you could have done! I'm very disappointed with you!".
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_d527a16c.jpg)

Liana quickly closed the book, "I'm sorry mom," she said calmly, "I should've known better.

"Yes!" her mother started, "you should have! Now go do the kitchen right this minute!".

Liana looked at her mother, "Yes, mom." she started, "I'll do them right after I eat breakfast."

 "NO! Go do the dishes NOW! After the kitchen is clean, you can eat.".

 After 3 years of being treated like this, she was used to it. So she said quite calmly, "Yes mom, whatever you say". She put the book away, and went to the kitchen. While she was unloading, and loading up the dishwasher, she heard her mother go to the car, to clear it out; and her father loading up the car.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_b527a449.jpg)
-
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_9527a42c.jpg)
-
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_3527a2c6.jpg)

She finished with the dishes, and started to make some pancakes for everyone. She herself quickly had a bowl of cereal, because she had to do the rest of her chores. Her list of chores today was:
---------------------------------------
Clean the kitchen. CHECK.  
Clean the dining room.          
Clean the living room.            
Clean the mudroom.              
Clean the twins' bedroom.    
Clean the bathroom's.            
Clean mom and dad's room.
Shovel the backyard.            
Shovel the driveway.            
---------------------------------------
She sighed,

"Another day of work, oh boy". She put the list down on the dining room table.

"Liana!" her mother called from the dining room. "Where are those pancakes??!!". Liana quickly flopped the last pancake from the pan onto the plate, and walked quickly to the dining room.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_1527a531.jpg)

"There you are!" her mother said. "Finally! I was thinking about leaving without eating! The plane is leaving in 45 minutes you know". Her parents were going to "H20 dreams". It was a vacation resort for adults. It was a long ways away, so they were flying. They were driving to the airport though, because it was 15 minutes away. They didn't want to walk with all their luggage!

"Yes mom," Liana said, "I know". Liana put the plate of pancakes down on the table.

"Christine," said Liana's father, "we should probably eat on the way. We don't have enough time to eat here. And I still have to strap the rest of the bags to the top of the car".
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_b527a614.jpg)

Liana's mother looked at him, "You're right, we should go now." She got a paper plate, and 2 plastic forks from the kitchen. She grabbed two pancakes from the platter, and put them on the plate.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_9527a66f.jpg)

"I'll put these in the car" Liana's mother said. Liana quickly got 2 paper cups, filled them with coffee, and put a lid on each of them.

 "Here," she said as she handed the cups to her mother when she got back from the car, "you'll probably need these".

"Could you hold them for a minute? I'm going to go say goodbye to the twins". Liana pulled her hand back and said quite plainly,

"Sure, go ahead". Her mother quickly went to the twins room. Liana could hear her mother talking quietly to the twins. When her mother came back out, Liana grabbed the cups of coffee, and handed them to her,

"Here ya go" she said.

"I woke the twins up so I could kiss them goodbye, so you should probably make them breakfast soon". Liana smiled at her mother, even though she was hurting inside,

"Yup, don't worry mom" she said.

Liana's mother grabbed her purse and coat, and ran outside to the car. Liana could hear them pulling out of the driveway, and zooming off down the road.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_5527a6de.jpg)
-
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_3527a724.jpg)

 Liana put the rest of the pancakes in the fridge. She would probably eat one for dinner, and for breakfast the next morning. She then went to the twins bedroom. The twins were awake, but they weren't sitting up yet. They were still laying down, and rubbing their eyes sleepily.

"Hey guys!" Liana said to her sisters, "it's a new day! Time to get up! Time to get going! Go dogs go!". Liana had read that book many times to her sisters, so she said that line every morning to them. The twins finally opened their eyes all the way, sat up, and looked at Liana.

"It's dwaytime?" Lacey asked Liana.

"Yes," Liana told her, "it's daytime". Liana looked out the window, morning sunlight was already splashing across the floor. She pointed to the window, "See?" she said, "the sun is up!". The twins quickly stood up and started fussing to be let out.

 "Me want OUT!" they both screamed.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_1527a7ca.jpg)

Liana quickly ran to Lacey's crib and pulled her out.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_b527a7f0.jpg)

"Why did SHE get to gwo out fwirst??!!!" Lana screamed at her sister.

"Because I was closer to her Lana," Liana said as she ran over to Lana's crib, "you were further away".

"AAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ME wanted to gwo out FWIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!" Lana screamed.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_1527a828.jpg)

Liana pulled her out of her crib. She was kicking and screaming in Liana's arms, and Liana KNEW this wasn't normal. Lana was having a fit again. She quickly put Lana on the floor, and ran over to one of the teddy bears in the room,

"Look Lana!" she said to Lana as she handed the teddy bear to her, "Teddy is worried about you!". Lana stopped her screaming for a moment, and looked into the teddy bears eyes.

"Tweddy worried about mwe?" she looked up at Liana with big blue eyes.

"Yes," Liana said, "teddy don't want you to be upset anymore. He gets worried when you're upset". Lana cuddled the teddybear,

"I'll stop teddy, don't worry". She was snuggling the teddy bear when her stomach started growling. She put her hand on her stomach, "Mr. Tummy is hungwy" she said to Liana. Liana took her hand, and took Lacey's hand,

"How about we go get Mr. Tummy some yummy milk?" she said to Lana. Lana smiled at her,

"Ok".

Liana smiled back at her, "Ok, then. I'll put you and Lacey in your chairs, and then I'll get some milk for him". She took them to the dining room, put them into their high chairs, and grabbed 2 bottles of milk from the fridge. She warmed them up on the stove for a minute, and then she took them to the twins.

While they were drinking, Liana got their favorite book and started reading to them:

"Once upon a time, long ago and far away, there lived a girl named Cinderella, who lived with her wicked stepmother, and stepsisters."

The twins eyes were already wide. They loved this story so much, they wouldn't go to sleep at night if they hadn't heard it!

"Cinderella was treated like a maid, because her stepmother, and her stepsisters hated her."

The twins gasped. They were always surprised when they heard that part...

Liana kept reading Cinderella. Until, finally...

"... and they lived Happily Ever After. The End."

The twins were yawning, and rubbing their eyes sleepily. This story also made them tired.

Liana got up, put the book away, and picking them both up. It was a struggle, but she didn't want another fit from one of them. With one of them on each hip, Liana walked to their bedroom. It was only around noon, but the twins still took naps. So, Liana went over to Lana's crib, and tenderly placed her on the soft bed, pulled the covers up, and tucked them around her. She then went over to Lacey's crib, put her in, and tucked the covers around her. She quietly crept to the window, pulled the screen down, and crept out of the room.
~*~

Well, I hope you enjoyed it! Sorry there weren't all that many pictures, I wanted to post it TODAY, and I didn't have enough time to take more pictures. Anyway, thanks for reading! ::smilieiforgetwhi::

I love this story ! =] I feel so sorry for Liana =[

Very cute, hon.  I really like Liana, and I'm happy she doesn't take out her frustrations on her sisters.  What horrible parents she has.  I hope the poor thing can hang in there.

Great writing! your pictures have improved alot! Try hitting tab before you take a picture, it gives you tons more angles and stops things like staircases disapearing when you're close to them. once in tab use Q to bring yourself lower and Z to move closer to your subject. Enjoy some fun angles!

what ^said above, and remember that CTRL + 4 to 9 saves a camera setting. (you can save one setting per number, both in free cam mode and in normal mode - 12 in all)

Thanks for all your comments! I currently have an EXTREMELY rough draft of Chapter 3 that I'm hoping to work on more today. (along with simming of course)

I actually used the Tab button for most of the pictures. I didn't change the angles too much, but for instance, the one where Liana is carrying the plate of pancakes, I used Tab to make it look more like I was looking down upon her. I didn't know about the Q and Z option though, thanks for telling me! And thanks for telling me about the CTRL + 4 - 9 camera setting. I'll certainly be using that!

Q lowers the camera, while E takes it higher. W makes it go forward, and I think A makes it go backwards. you can also use the mouse to some extent to move the camera around (tilt it/turn it and such). the arrow buttons can be used for the camera too.

Poor Liana! Such a dear girl in such a sad predicament!
She remains a strong and patient teen, considering her parents are so self-absorbed and unappreciative of her.
It's a shame they don't see what a treasure they have in their oldest daughter.
Like Astral Faery, I really like Liana.

Keep up the good work. I enjoyed chapter 2 of To Be Alone, H.

And again, this lives up to the standards Chapter One set.

BTW, Liana's PJ's in Chapter One, where can I download them?

Aw, thank you all for your wonderful comments. They mean so much to me. =)

SecretAgentZero (can I call you SAZ?), I'll have to check where I got them. I'm not sure.

I really don't care what people call me. I've been called both.
Get back to me soon, will you?

Yup, next time I go on I'll check for you. =)

Btw, your icon is HILARIOUS!

Indeed, it is.
I found it on Photobucket a long while back,

Hey guys! Been awhile, huh? I just finished Chapter 3, but unfortunately, don't have any pictures. I hope you'll still read it, though there aren't any pictures this time.

*WARNING* Be warned that the ending is a bit startling.
~
To Be Alone- Chapter 3
~
Liana always used this time to do her chores. She looked at her list to see what she was supposed to do next:
---------------------------------------
Clean the kitchen. CHECK.  
Clean the dining room.          
Clean the living room.            
Clean the mudroom.              
Clean the twins' bedroom.    
Clean the bathroom's.            
Clean mom and dad's room.
Shovel the backyard.            
Shovel the driveway.            
---------------------------------------

She frowned, the dining room was the worst chore she had. She had to clean the walls, clean the table, clean the chairs, clean the floor, wash off the twins' high chairs, and dust the chandelier.

"Well," she said, "better get started...". She grabbed the list, stuffed it into her pocket and sighed. She went to the cleaning closet, and grabbed a mop, sponge, duster, rag, and she got a bucket of water from the kitchen. She went to the dining room, and started...
~

About 2 hours later, the dining room was done. She was panting because of the hard work.

 "Phew!" she said, "at least THAT'S done."

She leaned the tools against the closet door while she pulled the list out of her pocket, and read:
---------------------------------------
Clean the kitchen. CHECK.  
Clean the dining room. CHECK.        
Clean the living room.            
Clean the mudroom.              
Clean the twins' bedroom.    
Clean the bathroom's.            
Clean mom and dad's room.
Shovel the backyard.            
Shovel the driveway.            
---------------------------------------

She sighed again, "Well," she said, "I really shouldn't be surprised. I mean, they gave me less chores then usual. The 'list' usually says to just clean the entire house!"

She grabbed her 'tools', feeling a burst of strength pass through her. She was going to finish today, whether she wanted to or not.

She was in the middle of cleaning the living room when she heard the twins wake up and start to howl.

"Me want OUT!" Lana screamed. Liana quickly dropped the duster on the ground, and ran to their room. Liana went over to Lana's crib first, because she was the one who was wacking the side of the crib because she wanted to get out so badly. Liana pulled Lana out, and ran over to Lacey's crib and pulled her out. They both rubbed their eyes, but only Lana looked at Liana,

"Mworning" Lana said to her.

"Morning" Liana said, "did you guys both sleep well?".

"Well," started Lana, "I had a dweam about awl of us being pwincess's living in a bwig castle. And mommy and daddy were da King and Qween of da castle".

"Cool!" said Liana, "it sounds like you had a fun dream, what about you Lacey?". Lacey had her head stuck between Liana's arm and the side of her body. She was shivering, and Liana could hear some sniffles.

"Lacey?" Liana walked quickly to the dining room, put Lana in her high chair, and looked at Lacey curled up in her arms. Lacey finally looked up at her sister. Big fat tears were rolling down her face.

"Oh, Lacey!" Liana said, wiping her sister's tears, and hugging her, "It's ok! Tell me what happened, and maybe I can help". Lacey stopped crying, but her sniffling had yet to stop.

"It was HORRIBLE!" Lacey cried out, "Ow house was burning to da gwound! And we was all on fire!". Liana hugged her sister again,

"Oh, Lacey..." Liana started, "That wasn't a nice dream was it?".

"NO!" screamed Lacey, "I never wanna fawl asweep ever again!". Liana cradled her sister,

"I'm sorry Lacey. It must've been scary, but don't worry, it wasn't real, and it will never happen. Mommy and Daddy have a fire alarm in the house even IF it happens. So don't you worry, we're all fine, and we always will be."

Lacey burst into tears again, "It was STILL scary!"

Liana felt her sister's forehead, it was burning hot.

"Oh dear, Lacey! You're burning up! Back to bed with you!"

Lacey looked at her sister with tired eyes, red from crying.

"My eyes hurt, Wiana".

"Why don't you close them Lacey, they might feel better...". Liana answered

Lacey nodded, and closed her eyes. Liana carried her to the nursery, and put her in her crib, pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, and went to the bathroom to get the thermometer, and the Ibuprofen from the medicine cabinet. She walked back to her sisters' room, put the bottle of medicine in her pocket, and lifted her sister's back up, so she was sitting. She pushed several pillows behind Lacey, so she would be supported enough to sit up.

"Ok Lacey, open wide!"

Lacey looked at her sister, with half-open eyes, and opened her mouth halfway.

Liana put the thermometer in, and waiting about 2 minutes to pull it out.

"Well, looks like YOU wont be playing outside for a few days," Liana said to herself, "you've got a temperature of 101.3!"

Liana got a glass of water, and a measuring cup from the kitchen, and went back to the nursery.

When she got there, Lacey's head was hanging back, resting on the pillows. Liana pulled the medicine from her pocket, measured a teaspoon with the measuring cup, and lifted Lacey's head.

"Lacey," Liana said, "you have to have some medicine, ok? It'll make you feel better".

Lacey opened her eyes, and opened her mouth. Liana put the spoonful of medicine in Lacey's mouth, and gave her the cup of water right after she swallowed it painfully.

Lacey drank the water thirstily, and gave the cup back to Liana right after she finished drinking.

"My thwoat hurts!" Lacey said.

"Don't worry Lacey," Liana said, "the medicine will help".

Liana put the pillows back where they were, and helped Lacey pull the blankets around herself. Lacey fell asleep very quickly, so Liana thought perhaps she was also ill from staying up late during the freezing cold nights.

Lacey was the kind of person who didn't fall asleep right away. Unlike Lana, who fell asleep the minute she was in her crib, Lacey would just lay down, and wait in the dark for a long time, until she finally got too tired to stay awake.

After Liana was sure Lacey was fast asleep, she went back to the dining room, and picked up the now almost screaming Lana, who was furious that her twin was getting more attention than her.

"WHY DID LACEY GET TO GO TO BED EARWY??!!" Lana screamed.

"Because she's sick Lana," said Liana calmly, trying not to upset her sister any more than possible, "she has a fever".

Lana's twisted, red, scowling face suddenly turned pale, and worried.

"Is she going to be ok???" she asked fervently.

"Of course she is, Lana!" Liana replied fiercely, "It's just a fever. And I gave her medicine to make her feel better. She's asleep now, so we can't go in there. But you can watch TV if you want, and I can get you some toys and a teddy bear to play with".

Lana looked relieved that Liana said Lacey was fine, so she nodded her head with a smile on her face, "Yes! I wanna pway out here!" she said happily.

Liana smiled at her sister, and put her down on the floor in the living room. She turned the TV on, and put it on Noggin, the little kids channel. Then, she decided to finish her chores while the twins were both happy. She picked up the last few things in the living room, and then set off for the mudroom.

Liana was glad that Lana was occupied, so she could continue with her work. She grabbed her cleaning tools and started on the mudroom.

It took her about 2 hours to do the mudroom, and clean all the bathroom's. She stalled cleaning the twins bedroom because she didn't want to risk waking Lacey up. She was making her parents' bed when she randomly looked outside, and saw white snow clouds. She stopped flattening the sheets, and went to the window. Tiny white, glistening snowflake's were falling to the ground lightly.

Liana decided she should probably do the shoveling now, before it started snowing too hard. She finished making her parents' bed, and went downstairs to get on her jacket, and snow pants.

"Lana, if Lacey wakes up, just press this button," Liana said as she was showing her sister how to use the walkie-talkie she gave her, "and tell me to come in. Ok? I'll have a walkie-talkie too, so we can talk even if you're inside, and I'm shoveling the driveway".

It was Liana's idea to use the walkie-talkies her dad had given her long ago -before the twins' were born. That way, if Lacey woke up, Liana would be able to come inside right away, and help her.

"Ok, Wiana". Said Lana, too engrossed watching Dora the Explorer to say anything more.

"Ok, Lana," Liana said, "thanks".

Liana kissed her sister on the forehead, checked on Lacey one more time, grabbed the snow shovel, and went to the front door.

When she opened the door, Liana felt cold wind whip across her cheek before she even stepped outside. Her parents had never bought her a hat, or a neckwarmer, OR a scarf, so her whole head was exposed to the freezing cold wind and snow.

Liana's eyes started watering, and her cheeks were already numb, but she stepped outside, and started by shoveling the steps.
~

She was just about to reach the sidewalk that ran all through town, when she heard static coming from the walkie-talkie in her coat. She put the shovel down, pulled off one of her gloves, and pulled out the walkie-talkie.

"See's awa- *static* -crying alot. HURRY WIA- *static* - URRY!".

Liana stuffed her glove into her pocket along with the walkie-talkie, she snatched the shovel up, and she ran to the front door.

When she opened it, the first thing she heard was a sharp, high pitched screech coming from the nursery. She dropped the shovel, and was running to the nursery, when she heard a loud, "MOMMY! HELP ME!" coming from the room. and than, a loud *THUMP*.

Liana ran into the nursery, but stopped in her tracks halfway into the room... There was Lacey...

Thick, red blood trickling down her head.

Her body, limp.
~
If you see any grammer errors, please tell me. And I hope you don't think I'm evil, or cruel or anything for that last part of the chapter. I'm just trying to build suspense.

Well you've certainly done that!  I'm on the edge of my seat here, girl - write more write more!!

Welcome back, Holly - glad to see that you're continuing with your story.  Nice job.

Wow.......just......wow. That's all I can say about this chapter's ending.
Really unexpected.
:spanish:
^Like these guys.

oh my gosh! i hope that she is okay!! this is great story telling for sure! please keep writing!! :)

*PHEW!* I'm glad you liked that chapter. I was worried that the ending was a bit too much for a story that's just started. I guess I kinda like to get to the action really quickly, lol.

I swear that the next chapter will have pictures. I just really NEEDED to post that chapter, because I hadn't posted since May.

Thanks so much for the comments, I really appreciate them, and they make me really want to write more more MORE!
~

Saz, I completely forgot about checking where I got the pj's. I'll check today when I go on.

Way to build suspense! I like this story. I don't mind if there are no pictures. And like the others: poor, poor Liana. And evil, evil parents! Can't wait for the next update. :happy8:

Not that I'm an expert or anything but just a tip on taking pics inside: try to take them with the walls up - it usually makes pictures look a bit tidier and... stuff. You can tell me if that's bad advice lol. I won't mind.

Omg. Very unexpected! It was really good though. I hope Lacey's okay =//

Oh, dear! Poor little Lacey! Things just keep getting worse and worse for poor Liana. I have no doubt she'll be blamed completely for the mishap.

You've left us a bit of a cliff hanger. Keep up the good work and like AF said, "welcome back".  :thumbrig:

o wow, i hope she'll be okay!

LOL! I KNOW! I hate the house I put them in. It's built in such a way, that it looks like the walls are down, when they're not! In one of the future chapters, I'm going to have to make them move to a new house, I just can't stand this one! It's the 'Helluva Haccienda' one, or whatever it's called.

Thank you all so much for your comments! They mean so much to me!

A little hint of what's coming in the next chapter...

"Lacey!" screamed Liana as she ran towards her sister. She lifted her sister out of her crib, and layed her on the floor.

"Please, Lacey! Don't do this!" Liana said in a shaky voice, as she felt her sister's pulse.

Oooh, i can't wait to read it!

Lol 'Helluva Halenciaga' sounds like a helluva pain in the bum <-- look I made a pun isn't it brilliant? *cough* just ignore me... school hols are doing my head in...

I can't wait to read it as well. *update* *update* lol. Just kidding. Take your time.. I'll just lurk...
:lurk: because it's what I do best... XD

Lol, nice pun... lol.

Yes it's brilliant coughsarcasmcough!

LOL.
~

Ok, I have a question for you guys, would you mind if the next two chapters don't have pictures? The computer I play sims on is my mom's computer, and she's so busy now, that she can't let me use it anymore. My dad is gonna transfer the data from my game onto the family computer in a few days. But until then, no sims, or pictures.

If you guys don't care about the pictures, then I can post the next two chapters anytime... I already have them finished. I'm currently working on chapter 6, and am about a quarter of the way done with it.

I guess that means you dont' care about pictures. So, here's chapter 4...
~*~
To Be Alone- Chapter 4
~
"Lacey!" screamed Liana as she ran towards her sister.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_d57eb131.jpg)
 
She lifted Lacey out of her crib, and layed her on the floor.

"Please, Lacey! Don't do this!" Liana said in a shaky voice, as she checked her sister's pulse.

*....Bum bump....bum bump....bu-*

Liana didn't need to hear anymore. Lacey had a pulse, that was all that mattered.

She examined the cut on Lacey's forehead. It looked like she was thrashing her head about, and accidently hit something like a screw, or a nail. Liana went over to the crib, and looked inside. She saw a nail, that was sticking out the tiniest bit. Just enough to hurt somebody, but not enough to notice very easily.

Liana then went back to her sister and looked at her injury. It didn't look too bad, just a small cut. Cuts on the head always have alot of blood, so that's why it seemed worse then it was.

Liana picked up Lacey, and went to the bathroom. She opened the medicine cabinet, and grabbed a large band-aid, and an antibiotic wipe. She put Lacey on the floor, and she kneeled beside her. She opened the wipe, and tenderly cleaned up Lacey's face. After all the blood was cleaned up, she put the band-aid on it. She felt Lacey's pulse one more time -even though she didn't need to- and then picked her up, and went back to the nursery.

She gingerly laid Lacey in her crib, and pulled the blankets around her. She didn't even have to check her pulse now to see that she was breathing. She could see quite clearly that Lacey's chest was moving up and down. She figured that she was just knocked unconscious when she hit her head. And she was glad that Lacey was ONLY knocked unconscious... it could've been MUCH worse!

After half an hour of watching her carefully, Liana decided that she should probably get back to her chores. Lacey had been thrashing around, and moaning in her sleep the first 10 minutes after she had hit her head. But afterwards, she fell into a deep sleep.

Liana hadn't noticed that Lana was standing just outside the nursery. She was pale, and there were tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, Lana..." Liana said to her sister as she embraced her, "it's ok. Lacey just got a cut on her head, but she's ok now, if you wanna come and see her".

Lana looked extremely scared, and mad.

"You said she was fine!" She yelled at Liana, "You said she was gonna bwe awl better soon!"

"I know Lana," Liana said, sadly, "I was wrong. But she's fine now, and I promise she's gonna be fine this time, ok?"

Lana still looked scared, but she didn't look mad anymore.

"....Ok, as long as you're sure". Lana said.

"I'm positive." Liana said with a smile, "C'mon, let's go see her".

Liana took Lana's hand, and they walked together into the nursery. Lana's eyes widened as they walked closer to Lacey's crib. Liana lifted Lana up, and set her in the crib beside Lacey. Lana tenderly touched her sisters head, where it was bandaged. And then, she gently layed down, and cuddled up next to Lacey.

In just a few minutes, Lana was also fast asleep. Liana was just walking out of the room, when she remembered she hadn't done something about the nail on the crib. She went to get some cardboard, a hammer, some plastic wrap, and a block of wood.

When she went back to the nursery, Lana was starting to push Lacey towards the side of the crib. Lana did that in her sleep all the time, because she was used to spreading out on her stomach. Liana didn't want Lacey to wake up, so she went picked up Lana, and put her in her own crib. Lana woke up for just a moment, but soon, she was yet again in a deep sleep. Liana then went over to Lacey's crib and began to cover up the nail, so that Lacey wouldn't knock herself out again if she started thrashing about.

Once she was done fixing up the crib, Liana noticed she was still wearing her jacket and her snowpants. She was so scared when she heard Lacey screeching, that she forgot to take them off.

She decided that since she already had them on, that she should finish the shoveling. It had been at least an hour since she came back in from shoveling, so she suspected that the snow drifts would be deeper. She grabbed the shovel -which was in a puddle of water because the snow that was on it had melted- and went to the front door.

When she opened it, she was surprised to not feel any wind against her cheeks. She stepped out onto the steps, and was greeted by bright sunlight in her eyes. Liana covered her eyes, and looked around her. The snow had already melted a fair amount. At least an inch of snow had fallen while she was shoveling, and now, that was all gone! She could see the concrete walkway that led to the sidewalk, and their mailbox was now gleaming in the sunlight.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_357eb8da.jpg)

Liana smiled when she saw this, and looked up at the sky.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii81/Kaiyanablack900/snapshot_54f42894_d57eba3c.jpg)

"Thank you!" she whispered at the sky as she walked towards the mailbox, where there was only a little bit left to shovel.
~

Liana  finished all her chores within an hour -record time. It probably would've taken longer if the twins had woken up. But luckily, they stayed asleep the whole time! When Liana had finished her chores, it was 6:15 -right around the twins' dinner time. They always woke up when it was time for dinner, so Liana decided to start making their dinner BEFORE they woke up. She went to the kitchen and grabbed some broccoli and carrots to steam as a healthy addition to their meal of spaghetti and meatballs.

As Liana was putting the pot of water on the stove, she heard some whining coming from the nursery. So she put the burner on high, and went to see if the twins' had woken up.

She didn't even have to get close to know that at least Lana was awake. She heard someone yelling, "LET ME OUT!" and she heard some banging, which probably came from Lana banging the side of her crib. Liana ran the rest of the way to their room, where she found Lana standing up, and screaming, and Lacey curled up into a ball, sleeping peacefully.

Liana ran to Lana's crib, and quickly pulled her out so she would stop screaming. She didn't want Lacey to wake up after being asleep for so long.

"Good mworning." said Lana.

"Good morning," said Liana as she smiled at her sister, "did you sleep well?"

"Yup," said Lana, "but Mr. Tummy woke me up".

"Well," said Liana, "lets get Mr. Tummy some food so he'll be happy again".

"Ok," said Lana, "we need to hurry!"

"Alright!" said Liana as she took Lana to the dining room, and put her in her chair.

Liana finished preparing the spaghetti in about 15 minutes. She warmed up some of the frozen meatballs her mom had made a week ago, and she grabbed the veggies from the steamer.

After Lana had eaten, and Liana had put her in the living room to play, Liana decided to bring some food to Lacey. The poor thing hadn't eaten since breakfast. Liana put a little bit of spaghetti in a bowl, put some chopped meatball in, and cut up the spaghetti. She put some broccoli and carrots in a small bowl off to the side, and grabbed a bottle of cold milk from the fridge. She put all that on a tray, and walked into the twins' room. Lacey was still in a deep sleep when Liana entered the room. Liana could hear her snoring, so her nose was obviously stuffed up. Liana put the tray down, and bent down to pick up Lacey.

Lacey curled up in Liana's arms at first, but then, slowly, she began to open her eyes. She finally sat up, and rubbed her eyes.

"My head huwrts." she said to Liana.

"It's ok, Lacey," Liana said, "you just banged it while you were sleeping".

Lacey looked up at Liana.

"Oh, ok." she said calmly, "I'm hungwy".

"I've got some spaghetti for you," said Liana, "did you want to eat in here, or with Lana?"

"Wif Wana," said Lacey sleepily, "I wanna make sure she not worried abwout mwe".

Liana kissed her sister and said, "Ok".

She picked up Lacey, brought her to the dining room, put her in her high chair, and gave her her food.

Both Lacey & Lana reached for their milk first, because even though they were almost 4, they still drank milk at every meal

When Lacey was just starting on her veggies, Liana remembered she hadn't taken her temperature since that morning.

"Hey," Liana said to Lacey, "we need to take your temperature before you eat anymore".

"Why?" asked Lacey as she started munching on a piece of broccoli.

"Because if you're temperature is down," Liana said, "then we MIGHT be able to go play outside tomorrow".

Lacey looked at her sister with big, big eyes.

"REAWLY?" she asked, in awe.

"Well, MAYBE. But ONLY if you're temperature is down".

Lacey immediately put her broccoli down, and opened her mouth as wide as she could.

Liana laughed,

"Oh, Lacey!" she giggled as she walked to the nursery to get the thermometer.

When she went back to the dining room, Lacey still had her mouth wide open.

"OK, Lacey, you can close your mouth now." Liana laughed as she placed the thermometer in her sister's mouth.

2 minutes passed, and Liana took the thermometer out.

"Well, Lacey!" she said in surprise, "It looks like we'll be playing outside after all!"

"YAAAAY!" the twins screamed as they grabbed a handful of veggies, and stuffed them in their mouth's.

Once the twins were done eating, Liana grabbed a chocolate bar, and picked up Lacey & Lana to go back to the nursery.

"Do you guys want some dessert?" Liana asked as she set Lana down in her crib.

"YES!" they both cried at once.

Liana had known it was a stupid question, the twins ALWAYS wanted dessert. She gave the twins each a third of the chocolate bar, and saved a third of it for herself. She thought she deserved a little treat.
~*~

Hope ya liked it!

(edit) Oopsies, I forgot about 3 pics I took last time I played sims. I'm adding them now.

Awww, im glad Lacey's okay! Great update, even if there wasn't pictures :) It's the writing that counts, right?

Yay! So happy Lacey is... well... alive! Good update. Don't mind about the pictures... but it would be nice just to have some you know. However like mbp said it's the writing that matters. :-P

Lacey lives..........had me thinking she was seriously hurt and/or dead, I'll admit.

oh phew!!!! i thought somthing WORSE happened!!

that was a good chapter!

Nice job, hon.  You built up a lot of suspense, and handled the situation well.  Good dialogue, and silky smooth writing.  You're a natural!