Chapter 3 - Part 2: Have Love Will Travel

The concept of time had completely escaped the inseparable couple, so by the time they emerged from the tent, they were shocked to find it already late in the afternoon of Flora’s last day in Al Simhara.

They sat down at a nearby table in the shade to wait for her departure time.

“That was…” Drake began to say but paused, appearing to try and find the exact words.  “...simply magical,” he finished. 

A complete sense of calm emanated from his pale body.  He took a deep breath before he continued, “I had long given up the hope of being physical with someone.  I generally find teenagers abhorrent, and as you know, Sim law does not allow for affairs such as this.  To have this miracle occur with you is something I could never have dreamed of,” he beamed.

Flora wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, “it was quite a surprise for me, too,” she returned.

“Everything happened so fast," she continued, "One moment we were in the tomb, and the next we were in the tent.  But, I've always felt a connection to you, from the first time we met.  I didn't even think it was possible for us to…” she trailed off, still a bit embarrassed by the acts that had just occurred between her and this teenager.

“Anything can become possible if we want it enough, yes?” Drake asked pointedly.

Flora sat in silence for a few moment while her mind swirled with all manners of complex confusing and conflicting thoughts.  Finally, her mind settled on just one; “I want to see you again,” she said plainly.  “But,” she pointed out, “my parents can’t know about us.  My mother still blames you, and every Vampire, for my brothers’ deaths,” she finished, sadly.

“We require a secret rendezvous location where your parents can stay safely in the dark,” he conjured, his voice tinged with mischievousness.

Flora stood up laughing, “you’re going to enjoy this a little too much, I think,” she playfully scolded, then her face fell, “I should be going, though, I have a plane to catch,” she said unhappily.

“I’m going to miss you,” she sighed, as he placed her hand into his.

He looked up into her eyes and conveyed, “when your despair of not being at my side becomes unbearable, simply return here and I will come to you.  All of Egypt can be our secret,” he told her.

He pulled her in close for another passionate kiss.  His arms wrapped around her tightly as if it would be the last time he was ever to see her again.

Eventually she had to break off the embrace to make the dreaded call. 

Once he saw her into the backseat and the cab began to pull away, Flora took one last look behind her and waved, already regretting having to be apart from Drake.

“Hello?” Flora called out, many hours later.  "I'm home!"

There was no response.

She tried again, and yelled “I come bearing gifts!”

Thundering footsteps immediately came bounding down the stairs.  Her dad swooped in and pulled her into a huge hug.

“What’d ya get me, what’d ya get me??” he said, as he bounced up and down excitedly, like a Sim child.

“You’re looking at it,” she replied, jokingly.  “Ta-Da!  I got you a daughter who missed her daddy a whole bunch!” she laughed.  “It’s good to be home.”

Pete smiled, “I missed you too, hun. I’m glad you’re back safe.  I can’t wait to hear all about your trip and the amazing adventures you must have gone on.  Come inside, leave your bags for the butler.”

Flora took a few more steps inside and looked around at the living room.  Not much had changed while she was gone.  A few more things had been unpacked, but the place still had a very “new” feel.  She felt a pang of longing for their old house in Harmony, even though it contained some very sad memories.

After the butler (her dad) brought down the many trunks she returned with, Flora spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking her finds.  Drake had allowed her to take some of the artifacts that had been lying around the Pyramid of the Sea.  He figured they were only going to sit around in a sealed tomb, this way they had a better chance of being appreciated by someone with a pulse.

She covered the walls with pictures of Egypt.  Looking at them made her think of Drake, as if he was here with her in Charlton.

One thing was certain, though, if she planned to continue with these Egyptian adventures, she was going to need to get into better shape.  Busting up rubble is a tough job.

So she joined the Charlton gym and got to work building that upper body strength that slinging a sledge hammer required.

It was a lot harder than she thought it would be!  For a girl that looked like she was in pretty good shape, she sure was having a hard time!

At least she wasn’t the only one having a tough go of it.

However, over the next few days, her strength had improved enough to attempt the gym’s new rock climbing wall.  If she could tackle this beast, she could tackle anything.

Success!

She was ready.

She found herself eating breakfast (Autumn Salad, her favorite) with Pete the next morning.  Her stomach was in knots.  Better to just get it over with, like a band-aid.

“So, um, Dad,” she started off fumbling over her words, “I’m going to be going away again.  Just wanted to let you know,” she finished quickly, glad to have that conversation over with.

“That’s great, sweetie,” he replied casually, “now, go and tell your mother the same thing.”

Flora’s knots tightened.

That afternoon she offered to help her mom with her plants.  Replanting Faith’s garden had been a very slow process, considering the one in Harmony had been just about perfect.

Flora peered at her mother, and tried to gauge her mood before bringing up the subject of her leaving again so soon after just getting home.  Faith had still been somewhat easy to set off and she didn’t want to upset her mother or make her sad.

It was now or never, thought Flora.  She was either going to react well, or she wasn't  Being a grown woman, though, Flora should be able to do whatever she wanted regardless of her mom’s opinion.

She took a deep breath and dove in, “Mom, I know I just got home a few days ago, but I'v; already planned my next trip back to Egypt,” she started, a slight pleading in her voice.  “There’s just so much excitement over there; the scenery, the tombs, the…”

“Boys?” Faith finished for her.  “Or at least one boy, in particular.  Right?” she asked pointedly.

Flora was so shocked she almost dropped the mop she’d been using to dry up the sprinkler puddles.  It was impossible that her mother would have found out on her own.  And so soon!  How did she know about Drake?

“Um, why do you say that?” Flora asked tentatively and in what she thought was a completely neutral tone.

Faith stood up for a moment to look at her daughter squarely.  “Because, you've been giddy and smiling ever since you got back.  Like a girl who's freshly fallen in love,” she explained.  While her face and tone still expressed overall sadness, there didn't appear to be any anger or resentment hidden underneath.  “I know that look," Faith finished, "I had it once.  Or twice.”

There was no reason to lie, Flora thought.  She just didn’t have to tell her the whole truth.

“Yes, ok, there might be a boy,” she admitted shyly, realizing her mother's ironic choice of words, referring to Drake as a ‘boy’ in regards to him being being several generations older than herself.  

“A mother’s intuition,” Faith confirmed.  “Well, at least you’ll be able to spend a little time at home helping me get this garden started while you’re planning this next big adventure.  It’s nice having you home again,” Faith finished quietly.

Flora wasn’t sure how to break it to her mother, so she barely looked up and blurted out, “I leave tomorrow.” 

“Oh.  That’s wonderful,” Faith replied, a forced smile played across her face.

Title / The Sonics


OUTTAKES

Even in the afterlife, Morand still protects his family's home.

Chapter 2 - Part 19: Experiment No. 6

Charlton Island, a small landmass in the Simmean Sea, began its quiet history as a very small fishing village. Established in the early 1900's, the Island slowly became popular with a wealthier crowd who began buying up the land for their large vacation homes.

However, in the spring of 1936 a massive hurricane destroyed much of the island.  After the long rebuilding process was complete, the lower class construction and trade workers stayed on, making the island a permanent home and providing a working economy.

Throughout the more recent years tourism and the art scene had seen a big boom on Chartlon Island, making it a haven for all who find themselves there.

"Ugh, I hate it here," Flora whined.  "There's nothing to do!  It's too small!  There's not even a downtown, just your stupid Town Center," she emphasized with distain. "Who wants to hang out at Town Center, anyway?"

"People have survived with far less, Flora," her mother replied from the kitchen where she was preparing lunch.  It had been a long day of moving and the last of the furniture had finally been brought into the house.  Everyone was exhausted.

"I know this isn't easy for you. It's been hard for us all," Faith said as she continued chopping, trying to remain positive, "your father and I did what we thought was best for the safety of the family.  Who knows, you might grow to like it here, find a nice boy, perhaps?" she said light-heartedly.

Faith continued trying to lift her daughter's spirits, "They also have an excellent school system here.  I know you're graduating at the end of this year, which is coming up so quickly, but for the short time you're there perhaps you can meet some new friends or pick up an after-school activity."

It was several minutes later before Faith realized she'd been talking to herself.

One saving grace about this place, Flora thought, was that she got her own 'suite' downstairs.  She had her own bedroom and bathroom, as well as a large main area.  Unfortunately it was furnished with all the leftovers that couldn't fit anywhere else in the house, making her feel as if she was living in a thrift store.

"This place is so lame," she muttered to herself.

Making her way to the school the next morning, Flora tried putting on a brave face.  Being the 'new girl' this late in her senior year was so unfair.  She had been at the top of her grade back in Harmony and now she has to start over and work her way back up.  It would be impossible for her to get back up to top marks before the end of the school year.

I don't even know why I'm bothering to show up at all, she thought to herself as she made her way inside.

Once her uneventful school day let out she hopped on her bike and decided to take a ride around town to see exactly what this dump her parents had moved her to had to offer.

The small 'Town Center', as her mother had so endearlingly called it, definitely lived up to its small name.  Though, begrudgingly, it did seem to have some things to do, from what Flora could see.


She was passing by one of the many large brick buildings that seemed to fill every block, when she glimpsed a figure in a second floor window and immediately a strange feeling overcame her.  It was as if a tug coming from inside the building was forcing her to stop.

Once she went inside, she found herself inside a museum.  The pull was getting stronger as she made her way up the stairs.  Following the curious feeling, it lead her into an Egyptian artifact exhibit.

She rounded a corner and came face to face with the figure that had been calling her.

It was nothing more than a statue of a male Egyptian Sphinx, she realized anticlimactically, yet she couldn't stop staring at it.

A faint sound began to fill the room, or perhaps it was only in her head.  It consisted of a whisper-like sound of sorts. It was impossible to make out the words, yet the feeling she got was that the voice was beckoning her to come to it.  To follow the voice.

"How?" she said out loud, "How do I follow you?"  When she realized she was standing in the middle of a museum talking to a modern day re-imagined creation of an ancient statue she couldn't help but laugh at herself.

Yet the feeling didn't go away.  That sense of being pulled, that voice begging her to find it.  It couldn't simply be shut off or ignored.  In a way it even brought her a kind of peace, a feeling of wholeness.  Purpose.

Flora broke away from the faint whisperings and made her way into the next room where several people were watching one of those boring historical movies that museums always seem to have.  It was currently explaining that while all the artifacts in this museum are cheap replicas, the originals still exist in their native homelands.

So these items still exist in their native homelands, she thought.  What is life trying to tell me?  That I need to go to Egypt and try and find this statue that seems for me to want to find it? That's ludicrous, her mind raced.

She left the museum more confused and exhausted than she had ever felt in her entire life.  She had just been spoken to by an inanimate object, that seemed to want her to go to the other side of the world to find its original. Welcome to Crazy Town, folks!

As she does every time she feels lost and confused, she went to her grandfather for help.  In this case, it was the attic.

"This is a really lousy monument, grandpa," Flora said apologetically to the urn sitting unceremoniously on the floor, "but I wish you were here to help me.  Am I going crazy?  This voice in my head won't stop!" she said, distraught.

When no reassurance came from the gilded urn, it was clear her grandfather was going to be of no help to her.  She was left to ponder this dilemma alone.

"CeeCee!" Flora squealed pulling her big brother into a hug as he came through the door, "Oh, I'm so glad you guys are here!" she said excitedly.  "Thanks for coming all this way, I know that Flora will be so happy to have family around for her birthday.  She's been feeling pretty alone here," she said, holding onto her brother tightly.

"Jett," Pete welcomed, shaking the elder man's hand, "it's so good to see you again.  How's retirement treating you?" he asked.

"Crappy," he replied, blunt as always, "guys on the force won't even let me carry my gun anymore.  Though I did keep all my shirts.  They can't have my shirts."

"How are you guys settling in?" Cecil asked, even though they both knew what he meant was 'How are you coping'.

Flora took a deep breath, she'd been going strong for so long now, it wouldn't do anyone any good to break down at her daughter's birthday party.

"It's been good," she replied, "getting the house set up has been quite a chore.  It's both bigger and smaller than our place before, if you can imagine that.  I can't wait to show you around!" she finished, leaving his true question unanswered.

Pete, on the other hand, still had trouble maintaining a simple conversation without drifting off, losing himself in thoughts of how much life had changed recently and how much he wished he could fix the problems his family were dealing with.

"How do you do it," Flora blurted out to her cousin, Leeann who was plucking away furiously at her laptop.

Barely looking up from the screen she replied, "do what?"

Flora tried to formulate the question she had been trying to ask without sounding like she was twelve years old.  "How do you know?  I mean, what makes you figure out what you want to do with your life?"

The younger girl paused a moment, thinking.

"It's a pull, I guess," she said casually, with a shrug of her shoulders.  "Something pulls at you, drives you to it.  Doing anything else other than what pulls you doesn't feel right," she finished, going back to her laptop.

Flora sat in quiet reflection.  If you had asked her two days before she would have thought nothing pulled at her.  Were things different now?  That little voice was getting louder.

The girls heard Faith calling from the other room, "Cake time!"

They were herded with the family out onto the back patio.

Once they were all gathered around the birthday girl, Flora stood with her eyes closed, silently making a wish.  It wasn't about making straight A's or wishing for a boy to ask her to Prom anymore.  This wish meant more than that.

This wish wasn't that of a little girl...

... but that of a woman.

Flora nibbled at her cake distractedly.  She was an adult now.  Life was completely open to her to do with what she wanted. An open book, so to speak.

"How about now?" Leeann asked her nonchalantly between bites.

Flora looked at her quizically.

"Are you feeling that pull a bit stronger now?" the quiet girl asked rhetorically.

A small smile played across Flora's face.

What was confusing a moment ago for a teenager to think about now made perfect sense to an adult.  In fact, she wasn't sure why she had been so scared of it to begin with. It was quite a simple thing actually.

She stood up from the table and cleared her throat.

"I have something I need to tell you all," she announced.

 Title / Lemon Jelly

OUTTAKES

Morand is still missed by Cecil, Khalilah and a gnome as well. 

Awww...  Wrinkly old elderly love. 

Clearly this stylist needs to expand her palette.