The Ink Family Legacy: Generation 5, Chapter 9 Part 6
Wait, you actually read this far?! You deserve a prize. The prize is the knowledge that I was listening to Bottoms Up by Trey Songz as I wrote this. Your life is now enriched!
| Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five |
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For the younger set of Ink kids, this beach getaway was unmarred by the anxieties that plagued the older kids!
In fact, they were having a blast!
Technically the older kids were supposed to be watching them at all times, but the teenagers often went on extended trips downtown to get snacks for everyone. They'd be gone for hours at a time, but the younger ones could hold their own!
Jay and Finch were especially hyperactive, turning catch into an all out contact sport! At their age, fun meant pummeling each other into the ground.
Alex, of course, was an exception - he had no desire to play target practice with his cousins. He was a bit of a spoilsport, really.
"Alex~!" called Hope. "It's no fun to read all day! Come play with us!"
"I'm okay." he replied absently, never glancing up from his book.
"Do you think Alex is allergic to sunlight like Sobek and Jude?" Hope mused.
"Nah, he's just boooooring!" Dove giggled. "Plus, Jude and Sobek go outside all the time!"
"His loss!" Gwen shouted, messily destroying her sand sculpture. "C'mon guys! It's clobberin' time!!"
The girls dissolved into a giggling fit as sand flew everywhere, creating a dust cloud around them. Alex rolled his eyes at them.
Sophie, being twelve and a half, decided she, September, and Sen were much too cool for the younger kids! So the three of them decided to hang out close to the water, lounging about on the tree swings.
"C'mon Temmy!! Swing with me! You have to be going fast to escape Earth's gravity!!" Sophie yelled, swinging so hard that the rope creaked ominously.
September, however, was much more content staying grounded. Sen was good at keeping her company, anyway!
"That's an interesting theory, Sen."
"It's not a theory! Look, check it out."
"I've got the long ears and am invisible to everyone but you and Phee, right? I'm totally an alien!"
"I've never heard of any alien like that."
"That's 'cause you're just an Earthling." Sen laughed haughtily. "I'm probably from Jupiter or something!"
"Um, Jupiter's a gas giant. Maybe from one of Jupiter's moons..."
It only took another fifteen minutes for Sophia to jump off of her swing, clearly irritated.
"I'm BORED!! It's time we did something different!"
"Um, like what?" Ember asked cautiously.
"Duh - we go on an adventure!!" Sophie proclaimed. "C'mon - the beach! No parental supervision! That's all you need for an adventure, really."
"Where do you propose?" Sen asked.
"We should walk along the beach until we find something suspicious!! Like a cave or a dead body or something!!"
"D-dead body?!"
"Awesome, I'm so in."
"That's all the assurance I need!"
"B-but-"
"Nope, two thirds majority, Temmy! That's how we roll around here - democracy at its finest!!"
And that's how the three spent the afternoon - wandering along the shoreline looking for trouble. And very soon trouble presented itself in the form of a clearly barricaded gorge.
"Hell yeah!!"
"Now this is the kind of trouble I'm talking about!!"
"Phee, p-please. We have to be careful about these s-sorts of things!"
"Careful is for chumps!"
"And we're certainly not chumps!" Sen added.
"S-Sen, not you t-too!" Ember whined.
"Don't come then!" Phee said with a wave of her hand.
September anxiously shifted from one foot to the other, watching Sophie and Sen approach the barricade.
"I...w-wait...wait for me!"
"Hey Sen. Look check it out."
"How deep do you think this gorge is?"
"Crazy far." Sen replied. "Hey, do you think we could toss a rock and listen for it to hit the bottom?"
"Yeah!!" Phee said.
She looked around for a rock to throw, leaning on the rope barricade more than September thought was safe. Ember reached for her sister, hoping to pull her away from the edge...
...and the next thing she knew, she was the one falling.
"TEMMY!!"
"EMBER!"
"Oh my god oh my god oh my god!!"
"Ember, are you okay?!"
"I...I think so..." September shouted back.
"Are you sure?!"
"J-just a little banged up, I think."
"Oh my god. Okay. Okay, Sophie, think!" Phee muttered to herself. "I...I think we need to get help, Sen."
"What?! We can't leave her!"
"We have to! Sen, you know I couldn't find my way out of a paper bag - you need to come with me so I know how to get back!"
"But-!"
"Sen, let's just hurry, okay?"
Sen hesitated, then called down, "Ember, we'll be back with help, okay?"
"O-okay..."
September tried to steel her nerves, tried not to panic...
...but when the sun set and she was still alone, she couldn't help but feel scared.
Although it was an accident, Ember still felt pathetic. Here she was, snivelling and sniffling like a baby. She was sure that if it was Sophie down here, she'd be completely relaxed - laughing, even.
She sighed. Why couldn't she be more like Sophia?
Sophie was good at everything. She was brave, outgoing, and everybody liked her. She was sure Sen liked Sophie better, too. And even though her mother told her she was 'the responsible one', she didn't even have the courage to stop Phee from getting into this dangerous situation.
"I wish I was braver."
Her whisper was drowned out by the reeds rustling in the wind.
She supposed a quick nap couldn't hurt.
---
"Over here! She fell down here!"
Jude followed them, keeping his panic level as low as possible. As a vampire, he could easily climb up and down the ravine.
His heart dropped when he saw his sister lying motionless against the tree. He set his lantern down with a clatter, rushing to her side.
"Temmy! Are you okay?! Wake up!"
September stirred, opening her eyes a fraction. "...Jude?"
"Oh god." he sighed, relaxing in relief. "Look, you're going to be okay Temmy. I've got you, okay?"
"...'K."
Jude carefully lofted his sister over his shoulder, noting that she was at least warm and breathing evenly. She would be fine.
"Phee! Stand back, I'm jumping up!"
Jude easily scaled the side of ravine, making his way back to a frantic Sophie and Sen.
"Is she okay?!" Sophie asked. "She's not going to die, is she?! Jude?!"
"Calm down Phee, she'll be fine."
"But really, what the hell were you thinking?" he snapped. "Phee, you know better than this!"
"I-I...We were just..."
"You were being reckless! And look where it got poor Temmy."
Jude was about to continue his tirade, but he faltered at Sophie's trembling expression. She had cried herself out, eyes red and puffy, and her knees were scrapped from running too fast to get him.
He sighed and mumbled, "Let's just get you two home. I'll let Mom and Dad deal with it."
All the way home, both Sophie and Sen held September's dangling hands.
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With all the excitement over September and Sophia, Alex thought it prudent to slip out of the house in the early hours of the morning.
He didn't go far - the villa was still within eyesight - but it was far enough to get away from all the nervous energy. All of the kids were being scolded, especially the teens who left the kids alone.
Oh?
It seemed like someone else had the same idea.
Alex furroed his brow. This woman looked a little familiar. Where had he...?
"Ma'am?" he called.
She didn't respond, though.
In fact, she seemed to be talking softly to herself, absorbed in her own little world.
"Um...ma'am?" Alex repeated, drawing closer. He thought he heard her laugh before she turned around to face him.
"Nice morning, isn't it Alex?"
"You're...Aunt Amelié!"
"The one and only."
"I must say, I'm impressed you remember me!"
"Well, my memories are fuzzy, but there are pictures of you all over the house. It'd be a little hard to miss."
"Wow, you've gotten so big, Alex! How old are you now?"
"Eight."
"Geez, now I really feel old." she chuckled. "C'mon, give your aunt a hug."
After a quick squeeze, Alex asked, "Are you coming up to see the rest of the family, Amy? Everyone really misses you!"
"Well...not today, kiddo."
"Oh."
"But hey, tell you what."
"How about I give you a little gift, huh?"
Alex grinned - he was never one to turn down a present.
"Now, before I give this to you, let me warn you." Amy said. "This is very important! It's powerful magic and whatnot. Don't use it until the right moment."
"How would I know the right moment?"
"Oh, you'll know."
"Still want it?"
Alex felt like this was some kind of test. Never one to back down from a challenge, he held his hands out firmly.
"Ha ha! Alright, here you go then."
The box was a little worn and didn't make any noise when shaken. Alex wondered what possibly could be inside it that was so important.
"I'll take good care of it, I promise!" he assured her.
"Oh, I'm sure you will."
"Just be sure to remember your promise to me no matter what, okay?"
"Why would I forget?"
Amy smiled, and suddenly the crashing of the waves was very loud.
"I think it's time for a nap, Alex." she said sweetly, resting her hand on his head. "Oh, and pass my congrats onto your mom, okay?"
---
"Knocked him out, huh?"
"Hmm, maybe a bit stronger than I intended to. He dropped like a stone."
She paused to brush Alex's bangs back, looking wistfully at him. "He's gotten so much older. How could this much time have passed already?"
"Well Ames, he's only human. Time's gonna go quick for him."
"After all, not everyone's time can be stopped like ours!"
Amelié sighed and stood, shaking sand from her dress. "Our time hasn't stopped, Lyle. Just slowed."
"Hey." he murmured, jumping to her side. "Don't look so sad, okay? He's just a kid growing up. It's not like centuries have passed."
"I know. But before we know it, centuries will have passed. Too much will change."
"I'll still be with you. That won't change."
"I guess...I just wonder how long this can last."
The sun's intensifying rays caused Lyle to wince, and Amelié knew they had to move quick. With a quick kiss to Alex's temple, they were off.
And just as quickly as they came, they were gone.
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Ha ha, what do you mean that wasn't worth the nine month wait?
Ha.
Ha.
Ha...
*sobs*
But in all seriousness, I'm glad to have this thing out already! I struggled quite a bit with it.
So yes! Hopefully we've all learned more about Jude, September, Sophia, and Alex! Are any of them heir worthy? Will there be any more challengers to the throne? Will I write another chapter before the year's over?! Who knows. (Probably.)
But of note, I now have a sims-related Tumblr! A simblr, if you will. I am now 100% more accessible. And, without the pressure of writing, I'll probably post idle pictures of my sims' lives - Inks included! The link's up in my shiny new header - I'm inkwisteria.tumblr.com, unsurprisingly.
So, ah, yeah. How's everyone doing?