A/N: Hi, again. I realize it's nearly been four years.
No, I'm not returning to this challenge. This is actually a post that's been sitting in my drafts for the past few years, one that I had completely forgotten about. It's not finished and it won't ever be, but I found it today and I thought I'd post what little I have left.
As for why I'm not returning to this- once again, I lost all of my Sims files, which means that Amelia and the kids are gone. I don't have the energy to recreate her, nor do I want to, so this unfinished chapter is the end of Amelia's story. Not to mention that I no longer have any sort of desire to do a 100 baby challenge- that particular passion died years ago. I'll still keep her and Ruby's blogs up of course, but the stories of the Falls' ends here.
Of course, I'm still writing! If you're curious to see where I've ended up, I've added another lengthy author's note to the end of this chapter, which contains a link to my new blog.
Now, please enjoy this final post from the depths of 2017!
*****
Lilac and Heather age up completely identical, right down to the eye color. Valentine's suggestion to dress them alike has gotten Oliver completely mixed up on who is who. However, it's easy for me to tell the twins apart.
Although they may look identical, they have very different personalities. Heather is always looking around, observing the objects around her. Lilac on the other hand, is usually wearing a sullen expression on her face and doesn't like the majority of the family. She's alright with Heather, but she can get downright mean if you annoy her.
Speaking of Valentine, she's developed a daring new style with a reckless personality to match. She's still the family loving girl that I raised, but I'm constantly finding her doing things like diving down the stairs and doing flips off the swing set. I'm terrified she's going to hurt herself one of these days, but she knows what she's doing. Most of the time.
Oliver keeps his hair short as he ages up. Like Lydia, he's developed the not so wonderful talent of forgetting everything, which I'm sure his teachers are going to enjoy. He's not all that motivated to help around the house or do anything that requires movement. He's perfectly content to nap and watch T.V. all day
William acquires a talent for cooking as he becomes a young adult, most likely do to the microwaved hot dog dinner. He plans to be a chef which is a bit of a shock, since he's so cautious. He adds a little paint to his half finished work and then he's out the door, ready to face the world. His grumpy personality will definitely be missed.
What we're quickly finding out is that Lilac likes attention. If Valentine's snuggling with Heather, she'll start screaming and crying. But as Valentine picks her up, she'll wriggle around until she's put down. Then she screams again. It's stressful for Valentine, who has devoted so much of her time to keeping both of the twins happy, which is a rare occurrence. She eventually just gave up and left the two to their own devices.
Microwaved ratatouille is the meal for dinner that evening, which the kids eagerly dig into. It's not either of their favorites, but it seems that it's a meal that they enjoy eating. It's not one of my favorites, but it's still a decent dinner. Lilac is quiet for the first time all day, which is a huge plus.
A clueless look that I'm all too familiar with spreads across Oliver's face as he looks around the room. He looks under the table and is in the process of checking the chairs when I ask him what's he's looking for.
"My homework. Have you seen it?"
"What are you talking about?" I asked him.
"My homework. Valentine said I'd start getting homework when I became a child. Where is it?"
"Oliver, you need to go to school before you get homework." I laughed.
"Oh. That makes sense." He paused. "Where are my shoes?"
It's a bit past ten now, the twins are asleep and I can hear the kids heading off to bed as I examine myself in the mirror. My hair has had some nasty split ends for ages and I hadn't had the chance to get them taken care of. I have a stylist appointment tomorrow morning, so the issue will soon be resolved. I'm in bed a few minutes later and I'm out in a matter of moments.
At nine AM sharp, I'm standing at a styling station, a Berry stylist looking over me.
"Oh, I see it." he says, waving a pink hand. "I know exactly what to do."
"Hey, I just need a trim." I laugh. "Not a entire makeover."
"Sure." he says with a nod, but he doesn't look convinced.
He gives me a magazine to read as I sit down in a chair. He pulls out his scissors as I undo the braid and he's quietly snipping at my hair as I read through an article about another celebrity marriage gone wrong. It's a drag, but I don't look up. At least, not until I see the flash of blonde falling to the ground. I lift my head up and look over.
The magazine drops.
I'm out of my chair in an instant, a look of anger quickly spreading across my face.
"I said a trim!" I shouted, earning a confused look from some of the other customers, but I pay no attention. "Not chop my hair off!"
"Look fine to me." he says offhandedly. "Besides, it's just hair."
Once again, I'm completely tongue tied. I clench my fists, but no words come out. None of my retorts sound good in my head. I'm standing there fuming, not saying a word.
Finally I gather enough sense to storm out of the shop, ignoring his insistence that I pay. I hop into the car and drive away as quickly as I can. I'm too angry to cry, I'm in a boiling rage as I arrive home. I don't say hello to the kids, I just go into my room and shut the door.
I can't help but flinch as I look at my reflection. I don't even recognize myself with such short hair. The only time my hair had been this short was when I was a toddler, and I didn't have bangs then. Now my hair was millimeters away from my eyes and it didn't even cover my neck. I looked so far from myself that it was hard not to cringe.
There isn't any way to fix it though. I don't have a super hair growth potion on hand, nor do I want to get extensions. I just had to hope that my hair grew back quickly.
Lilac doesn't seem to notice my new hairstyle, she's still as cranky as ever. I refuse to let her mood bother me, so I pull her up to her feet. Her whines are cut off as she gives me a confused look, but she starts screaming again as I back away.
*****
A/N: And this is how it ends. I wish I could tack on more, but I have no idea where this chapter was supposed to head, since all of my writing was oriented around game play at the time.
On the off chance that someone is curious- I'm writing SimLit again! After taking a few years off from the Sims 3, I've started up again with a new blog- The Fairwood Legacy. It's located on WordPress, and you can check it out here. I'd like to think that the quality of my writing has improved after four years.
This blog never gained much traction, but it's been a fun ride regardless. Ruby and Amelia were my first, tentative steps into SimLit, and I'll always treasure the stories I created with them. To everyone who has ever followed, commented on, or even viewed this blog- thank you. You've all inspired me in ways that you cannot possibly imagine. You all have my eternal gratitude. You motivated a tiny, scared teenage girl to put herself and her writing out into the world, and she will always be grateful for that.
This is the end of Amelia's story, but not the end of mine. If you need me, ask for Abigail Fairwood. She'll know where to find me.
-Amelia
(Yes, that's my actual name. What a shocker, right?)
