Strangetown, Here We Come: Chapter Thirty-Five - part four
Warnings: implied violence, possibly some minor continuity errors, having my way with Maxis canon
Chapter Thirty-Five
Part Four
"Someone has crossed the barrier from our realm to Faerie."
Samantha Cordial felt it deep in her bones, that familiar quivering. Though faint and imperceptible to most sims, her kind was sensitive to such things.
Across the room, Kimberley peered into her cauldron, stirring the eerie red brew of ancient, unknowable composition. "Yes, there's no mistaking it. That feeling is hard to miss."
"How peculiar," Samantha said. "It's been so long."
"I know," she said. "Not since the day Titania closed it off."
"So what was it? Sim or faerie?"
"Both, actually," Kimberley confirmed. "But not to worry. The faerie is one of Titania's."
"Well, that's a relief. I'm sure she has it all well in hand, then."
"Yes. It's reassuring, and it makes sense. Nobody should be able to enter Faerie unless she wanted them to."
"Did you really suspect the worst?" Samantha asked. "She's been sealed in stone. Locked away for all eternity. I have no doubt that even her ghost is trapped forever behind Titania's enchantment."
"I don't want to question her judgement, but even with Titania's immense power, I was never fond of her decision to seal Jennicor away intact," said Kimberley.
"I know." Samantha remembered that argument all too well. "And I agree with you, dear sister. Far better to destroy that power and break it into parts."
"Titania didn't think so," Kimberley scoffed.
"That's her right," Samantha said, "just as it's ours to ignore it. As it's her right to deal with one of hers as we deal with one of our own. Everything's better when people stay out of each other's business that way."
"Titania can bite my ass for all I care. At least we have some control over when and where those kids are reunited this way."
"You just wanted to blow Jon to bits," Samantha reminded her.
Kimberley laughed, with fond remembrance of that day. "True enough," she said. "Some things are just personal..."
"But we had to do the right thing to safeguard everyone against that source of evil. I'd hate for Jocasta to have died in vain."
"Dear sister, how I miss her..."
"And I as well," Samantha said softly.
"Well, never mind. That's a story for another day."
"Yes," Samantha agreed. "This one's about Bella. The mystery behind her disappearance."
"And Strangetown. Aliens. The sims who hate them and the sims who love them. Or those foolhardy enough to do both!"
"About death. And Death's son. And the terrible consequences of meddling with mortality. Oh, and about flowers. Don't forget flowers."
"I thought it was mostly about sex?" Kimberley laughed.
"No, really it's about identity. And family. And love. Aren't all stories worth telling really about that when it all boils down to it?"
"Yes, but now we're getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we?"
"Yes, indeed, sister. All in good time."
"Right," said Kimberley, turning back to her cauldron. "So we know where they came from, and where they're going."
"Now we wait."
Dina Caliente pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. Her fingers knew the keys without the need to look at them. She allowed the tears to fall; controlled, one by one. She felt herself circling the edge of the maelstrom, but held herself back, knowing that if she allowed herself to enter it, she might not pull herself back out.
He was gone. People could say what they wanted, and Dina knew that they would, but she had loved Mortimer Goth.
She heard the door open behind her. Without looking, she knew it was Nina.
Nina let herself in. Dina didn't look up. She continued to play.
Nina listened for a minute as Dina finished her piece. She hadn't heard it since they were children back in Veronaville. Their father's song. She hadn't realized that Dina had ever learned it.
Dina's hands stopped playing, and she slowly let them fall into her lap.
"He's gone," she said finally.
Nina nodded, though her sister could not see her. "I came as soon as I heard."
Dina stood and welcomed her sister's familiar embrace.
"Thank you," she said.
"Look, I know the thing with Don got out of hand," she continued. "I swear I never intended for it to go this way."
"And what good came of it? Anything?" Nina had not been a fan of the whole business, and she had never hidden this fact well.
Dina smiled the briefest of smiles, and turned to walk towards the bar. "Can I get you a drink?" she asked.
"Yeah, okay." Nina reluctantly accepted. She had never liked visiting the Goth property at night, and she figured the ghosts would be even less welcoming to them now that Mortimer was gone.
"You're asking if it was worth it," Dina said. "It's hard to say. But some good did come of it, yes. Some people got what was coming to them. Some... creatures will now get what's coming to them. That much is certain."
"You mean...?"
Dina nodded. "I hear good things. Circe says that they've been successful. Now it's just a matter of time."
Dina reached the bar, and began to fix them some drinks. "There might soon come a day when our skies are empty again, and we won't have to fear them anymore. Innocent sims won't have their entire lives turned upside down and perverted into something that was never meant to exist in the first place."
Nina flinched at the last line. "And what about us?"
"What about us?" Dina mirrored back at her.
"What do you suppose happens to people like us when that day comes? Will they forgive the one part of us that's been tainted for the three parts that are pure?"
"Hard to say," she mused. "Maybe we'll get what's coming to us too." She poured a nice tall drink. One for herself, and then one for her twin.
"Just like Daddy did," she added.
Nina took the glass that was being offered to her.
"They hate us," she continued. "Don't think for a second that they don't."
"And you think that's right?" Nina asked.
"None of it is right. We shouldn't even exist. What did they think would happen to us? Sims have every right to hate the aliens. I hate them, too. For what they did to us. What they made us."
All was quiet as each sister drank, each considering this grim potential future in their own way.
Dina was the first to break the silence. "Sis, I know you two have a history and you really do care for him, but I wish you'd just leave Don behind."
Nina scoffed. "I can't see how that's going to happen."
Dina sighed and tipped her drink back a little deeper. "I see. Then there's no talking you out of it."
Nina waited, expectantly.
"I know where he's gone."
"What?!"
"Belladonna Cove."
"How?"
"Don't be angry..."
"How, Dina?!"
"It was Circe... He's been helping her."
Nina could barely contain her rage. "I can't believe you kept this-"
"I didn't know, I swear."
"This was NOT what I-"
"Bella is with him."
Nina stopped, Dina's words cutting right to her heart. Events flashed before her eyes and all the pieces fell into place suddenly. She nodded, holding back tears. Holding back the urge to punch her sister in the face, directly involved or not.
"Please, Sis," Dina pleaded. "Just let him go."
Nina shook her head and then continued to the door. The matter wasn't up for discussion. "Thank you for telling me."
"Good luck."
And then she was gone.
Dina would have plenty of time to consider her involvement in this turn of events. She'd be alone there for the rest of the weekend. It was a big, empty house, filled with ghosts both figurative and literal. Now she'd haunt it right along with them.
She finished her drink and headed upstairs, reaching the second floor just in time to hear the phone ringing.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Dina. I just got word of Mortimer's passing. My deepest condolences."
"Thank you."
"Did you get the flowers I sent you?"
"Yes, they were beautiful, thank you. Calla lilies. How exquisite."
"They're quite remarkable. I found them in this quaint little shop in Bluewater Village. I don't think you'll find anything quite like that in Pleasantview."
"You always did know how to cheer me up."
"It's because we're so much alike, my dear. I've always felt that perhaps I should have been your twin instead of Nina. It would have made so much more sense."
"You certainly have more of the Caliente ambition than Nina does," Dina said. "She's so clever, but she lacks direction. It's such a shame. I hate to see her wasting her life away."
"Well, not everyone can be as driven to succeed as we are," Circe said. "I suppose Grandma's spirit really does live on in me, as they all say."
"And so she should. The world lost a great woman the day we put Great Aunt Eurydice in the ground. They don't make women like that anymore."
"Well, we all have to go sometime, don't we?"
"For now, anyway." Circe's smile could be heard over the phone.
"Yes, for now."
"About that..."
"Yes, I've forwarded Mortimer's data to your people, as you requested."
"Excellent. Then the testing can continue. Just as soon as I can find a new scientist. Our last one..."
"... left the position."
"So I've heard," Dina said, missing the full meaning of Circe's words. "It can be so hard to find good staff these days."
"Indeed."
"Oh, about that. Uncle Tango has informed me that he has a lead on a potential brain for your little project."
"Oh, really?"
"She's very young. Just entering the Académie this fall. Hippolyta Summerdream. She's one of the hybrids, but that shouldn't be a problem. She's from Veronaville, also part faery, and extremely talented. Our sources say she's quite the character. Very morbid. Plans to bring her father back from the dead, they say."
"Interesting. She sounds like our kind of gal."
"Exactly what I was thinking. I'll keep you informed."
"Please do."
"Well, it was good to hear from you, as always."
"Yes. Try not to be a stranger, okay? Us widows ought to stick together."
"Yes, us poor old widows," Dina said. Her tone was light, but she frowned as she thought about the fact that she was now a widow twice over. "Well, you take care now, Circe."
"You too, dear."
She thought once again of Nina's question. Had it all been worth it?
Nina. Now heading to Belladonna Cove after a man that was worth less than the dirt she'd tread on to get there. Someone who didn't deserve her affections. Dina loved her twin dearly, but she'd never understand her taste in men. Don was fun for a night or two, but hardly someone to chase after. She couldn't see that ending well for Nina, but what could she do? She'd have to let her make her own mistakes.
Dina went to run herself a bath, thinking that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to be free of men for a while.
"I believe we're in Faerie."
"Faerie?!" Vidcund said. "You have got to be kidding me!"
"Yes, I understand how crazy that sounds. I wouldn't have believed it either, but then..."
It had all come back to her. Her parents. Her life before Titania and Oberon. Just fragments, but she had remembered.
"I was born here," she said.
"What?!"
Bottom didn't respond, but continued instead to be lost in her thoughts. Had she simply remembered this place or had that been some sort of vision? It had been so vivid.
"Here, let me help you up," Vidcund said. He knelt down and helped Bottom to her feet.
"Thank you," she said.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked. "You seem a little... spaced out."
"No, I'm fine. It's just... I'm remembering. I'm having a little trouble taking this all in."
"You and me both," he said.
"I remembered something else," she said. "There were plants. So many specimens, with different properties, and none of them found in our... realm." She found it difficult to adjust to talking about Faerie as if it were a real place.
"Over there," she said, turning towards a patch of flowers near the edge of a pond. "Those are The Antirrhinums."
She remembered her mother's voice. Those are The Antirrhinums, who smell our intentions. They can do many things, but only when they're well looked after.
"Snapdragons?" Vidcund said. "That's not exactly what I'd call fascinating."
Be nice to them and they'll be nice to you. If not, then you'd better watch out.
"Shhh!" Bottom said. "Maybe not in... well, you know. I think these might be a little different. And I've recently come across some specimens that were quite interesting indeed. I think I'd like to gather some seeds to bring back."
As they observed them, Vidcund was sure he heard something like a whisper coming from the patch of flowers.
There was something not quite safe about them.
These are wild, so they answer only to their own laws. It would be reckless to meddle in their affairs.
"We need to be careful," Bottom warned. "Things work differently here and we know next to nothing about the rules of this place."
They made their way over to the snapdragons and Bottom immediately went to work searching for seeds.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Vidcund said.
"You'll have to trust me."
Vidcund could do that. If he could trust anyone in such circumstances, it would be Bottom. It was her element, he figured, and even if it wasn't, she seemed entirely capable of figuring it out. Vidcund trusted his own knowledge and experience, but this went far beyond anything he'd even encountered, and he figured he'd encountered more than most.
"If we stick to gathering fallen seeds, we should be okay," Bottom said.
"Okay," he said, watching several blossoms as they seemed to follow him slightly as he moved past them. Surely, they weren't watching him. He wasn't about to risk it.
"Here, see? There's plenty. It's almost as if they knew we were coming."
Vidcund wondered if that was truly a good thing, but said nothing.
Back in Veronaville, Puck and Hermia shared an evening meal before retiring for the night.
"And so they're Tybalt's?" Puck asked.
"There's no doubting it," Hermia said. "The girl, she looks so much like him."
"Let's just hope she has a better temperament."
"Yes, please gods." They both laughed. It was nice to have something happy to discuss after the events of the past week, and news of these new additions to Hermia's family line was something truly worth celebrating.
"I've invited Jules over tomorrow, with the children." Hermia said. "She seemed really nice. And the name... it's sort of funny, isn't it?"
"Yes, I'm not really sure what that says about Tybalt."
"Oh be good!"
"Red hair, too. She'll fit right in," Puck said. "Oh! Let's take them to see Titania and Oberon. You know they'll just love that."
"Yes, of course. They do love children."
"I've heard so," Puck said, with an impish smile.
"Let's make a bit of party of it, shall we?" he offered.
"Why not?" she said. "We haven't had much reason to celebrate lately. It would be nice."
As they continued to prepare for bed, they discussed the potential guest list.
"How about Kent and Bianca?" Puck said. "We haven't seen them in a while..."
"And Jason, don't forget."
"Oh right! You're good. Better than I am. How shameful of me to forget Kent's new beau."
"It's still pretty new. He just recently moved in with them."
"Three's company," Puck said.
"And also a crowd," she added.
Both were silent for a time, each thinking on that old saying, and how their updated version had also once applied to them.
"I don't think I'll ever stop missing him," Hermia said.
"I know," he said, "I loved him, too. Dearly."
"I thought he'd always be there," she said. "I guess maybe he wouldn't have anyway. You know how these things are."
"Yes, I know. I know..."
"But still. I wished it."
"And I as well." His smile had a way of warming her heart, in even the worst of circumstances. "And now we'll never really know."
"That's the hell of it," she said. "The not knowing. I think it's always better to see things through, for better or worse."
"Is that why you've asked me to marry you?" Puck said. "To see things through?"
Hermia smiled, and shook her head.
"My darling Puck," she said. "If I lived a million lives, I would ask you to marry me every single time."
"I'm going to hold you to that," he said.
"See that you do, love."
"See that you do."
Bottom and Vidcund had gathered as many samples as they could reasonably carry with them, and were looking in vain for a way out of Faerie. They had searched the clearing from one end to another for some sign of the thing that had brought them there, with no luck. They'd even checked the hedge maze again, or at least the version of it that existed in that realm, and had found nothing at all at the centre.
"So now what?" Vidcund said.
"I'm not sure." Bottom said. "Let's follow the path, I guess."
So they walked.
And walked.
And walked.
"Something doesn't seem right about this place," Bottom said. "Can you feel it?"
"I think so." He knew it was creeping him out, at least. Even more so than it had been since their arrival.
Off in the distance, they heard a sound.
Vidcund turned to Bottom. "Was that a-"
"A wolf," Bottom said. "Many wolves."
"There has to be at least a dozen of them to make that much noise."
"Do you think it's safe?"
"I guess we'll find out." It wasn't as if they had enough time to do anything about it.
Soon enough, they saw the wolves running through the forest ahead of them.
At the head of the pack was a reddish wolf with dark brown eyes.
The wolf came to a stop, seemed to bark some orders at the rest of them to send them on their way, then continued to walk towards Bottom and Vidcund.
The wolf stopped when it was directly in front of them, and eyed them silently for a couple of moments,
Bottom and Vidcund exchanged glances, but said nothing.
They waited.
Then, right before their eyes, the wolf transformed.
"Is that a-"
"A werewolf," Bottom said. "Yes, I do believe so."
"You're kidding, right?"
"I'm afraid not. All sorts of things exist here." Bottom was a little surprised that Vidcund had such a hard time accepting the existence of a werewolf, given his experiences with otherworldly creatures, but she thought it was hardly the time to bring it up.
Instead, like Vidcund, she waited to see what the creature's intentions were.
"You seem to have strayed from your path," said the werewolf, with its deep booming voice. "Are you lost?"
"Yes," Bottom admitted. "We apologize if we're trespassing on your territory. We're seeking an exit from Faerie."
`"Oh? You're from... the other side, are you?"
"Yes. And we'd like to return. If you know a way out, please tell us."
"Well, in that case. Since you said the magic word..." The creature smiled, and seemed suddenly far less ominous.
"Magic word?" Vidcund asked.
"I think he meant... please?" Bottom said.
"That's right," the werewolf said. "We mustn't forget our manners."
"You have got to be kidding me..." Vidcund muttered.
"Shhh!" Bottom said, jabbing him in the ribs. She didn't expect him to fully understand the importance of ritual and manners to her kind, but she knew better than to risk offending the creature. "So how do we cross back to our realm," she said, to the creature. "Please tell us."
"It's really quite simple," he said. "There is a tower to the west of here. When you reach it, climb to the top, and you will surface in the sim world."
"That's it?!" Vidcund asked.
"That's all you'll need to know." The creature laughed, and quickly vanished.
"Well, that was simple enough," Vidcund said, as they reached the tower. "That seemed... too easy. This magic stuff is all a bit nonsensical, isn't it?"
"Of course it's nonsense!" Bottom snapped. "It's magic! It doesn't follow reason. And couldn't you try to hide your disbelief from him a little better? You almost offended him."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude to that... thing. Werewolf. Whatever. I'm out of my element here, to say the least."
"It's okay. It's new to me, too... in a sense." She smiled. "Well, shall we?"
"After you..."
They entered the tower.
And surfaced back in Veronaville. It was just becoming morning.
"Bottom? Bottom! I've been searching for you."
It was Oberon.
"Where have you two been? I've been looking all over."
"We went... a little far afield." Bottom said.
"I warned you, didn't I?"
"Yes, but you know me..."
Oberon simply shook his head.
"Thank you for coming for us," she said.
"That's what fathers do," he growled. "Now let's get back home. Titania must be worrying by now."
They returned to find Puck and Hermia talking to Titania on the front step.
"So you've decided to return," Titania said. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever come back."
"We're sorry to worry you," Bottom said.
"Well, no matter," her mother said. "At least you're here now."
"Well, I think you're just in time!" Puck said.
"In time for what?" Bottom said. "What is it now?"
"Well...," he deferred to Hermia, "Would you like to tell them, or shall I?"
"We've decided to have the wedding today," she said.
"Today?!" Everyone reacted nearly the same way. Their wedding was being planned for the following year.
"Yes, why not?" Puck said. "An impromptu wedding party! Just like Titania and Oberon had!"
"Well, I'm charmed," Titania said.
"I'll gather the masks," Oberon said, "and tell Morgan and Nuala to get the children to help set up the arch."
"We'd only be too lucky to have a marriage as happy as my parents," said Puck. "And why wait? We can get married today!"
Bottom and Vidcund followed them into the house. Titania hung back for a moment and took Oberon aside.
"So I take it you found them without any trouble?" she asked.
"It's easy when you know exactly where to look," he said.
The two shared a knowing smile and then followed the others.
Hermia lead Bottom into the library with her.
"Will you help me into my dress? As my soon to be sister-in-law?" Hermia asked.
"Of course."
"Even after all that's happened, I'm so happy right now. I couldn't be happier."
"You were made for each other."
"Can I tell you something? Just between us?"
Bottom nodded. "Please do."
"I did give it some thought, briefly, after discovering that Juliette had died. I was the last of my family line, and that's very important to me. Having children to carry on our name has always been something I've dreamed of."
Bottom nodded.
Hermia continued. "But the thought passed. I love Puck more than anything, and though I know we will likely never have children, there's no hesitation in this choice for me. Even before I learned that Tybalt had children we weren't aware of, I was still okay with it, to be with Puck."
"You don't know for certain that he can't have children. Maybe you'll be lucky."
Hermia shook her head. "I'm not one for false hope. I never have been. I know the odds are against us."
"There's always a chance," Bottom said. "We never thought Oberon would."
"I guess we'll find out." Hermia smiled. "It won't be for lack of trying."
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
"The balloon's all fired up," Morgan said. "Would you like to go for a ride?"
"Balloon?" Vidcund turned to see the hot air balloon at the edge of the garden. "Where did that come from?"
Bottom couldn't help but laugh at his expression. "What, you mean you don't have one in your backyard? I thought all families did."
"Well, we do have an observation tower..."
"So how about it? A balloon ride over Veronaville," Bottom offered, making it clear he would be the one to decide.
"Yeah, sure," he said. "I'll give it a try."
Once in the air, he was more than happy with his decision. The scenery was breathtaking.
"Isn't this a beautiful country?" Bottom asked.
"Yes, it's very beautiful."
"Vidcund, can I ask you a personal question?"
"Sure."
"Why is it that you've never been married?"
"It's never come up," he said.
"So you've never had anyone in your life?"
"I did... once. I used to."
"What happened?" she asked, then reconsidered. "No, I'm sorry. That's really none of my business."
"No, it's okay," he said. "It's... well, life happened, I guess. Things change. People change."
He lost himself to his thoughts for a moment. Circe and him, in their university days, when he thought they had their whole lives ahead of them. He had never once doubted it.
Bottom reached over and took his hand. "Would you like to go out with me sometime?"
He smiled. She was clever, like Circe, and she reminded him of her when they were younger. She had the same spark, the same commanding presence. But there was something else. Bottom was open to him in a way that Circe never had been, and perhaps never would be.
"You know," he said, "as someone who's looking to secure a permanent position at La Fiesta Tech, it's probably not in my best interest to get involved with one of my students."
"I guess I'll have to make sure I'm never your student, then," she said.
"Aren't you in the accelerated Biology program?"
"Do you doubt it?" she said, with a smile.
"No."
"I guess I'll just have to be creative about which courses I sign up for. Or wear a mask. You know, we Summerdreams do love our masks."
"So I've noticed."
"So, my question still stands. How about it?"
"Okay," he said. "I'd like that."
Bottom barely missed a beat before adding, "It'd be a terrible shame to waste this romantic balloon ride, don't you think?"
"Well..."
She reached up to Vidcund's chin and pulled it down towards her, pressing her lips to his.
Vidcund found himself rethinking his opinions on magic, just a little.
When they returned to the ground, they once again found Oberon waiting for them.
"There's someone on the line for you, Vidcund," said Oberon. "Your brother, Pascal."
A chill went over his body. The timing of the call was all wrong. Pascal would never have called him at this time of day, never called at all, unless...
He quickly accepted the phone from Oberon's extended hand.
"Pascal? What's going on?"
"You need to come home right away," he said.
"Why?"
"PT is dying. He has the alien virus."
"How in the name of... never mind, I'm on my way." There'd be time to worry about the hows and whys later.
For now, all he needed to know was that it was bad news for his family.
Very, very bad news.
Notes:
I was seriously doubting whether this update would ever happen, and now that it's completed, I can't think of much else to say about it. I can't believe it's been two and a half years since the last proper chapter update. This one was quite a struggle, but I'm glad I stuck with it and finished it. I think I achieved something here in that alone. I feel like I had more to say about this chapter, but it's not coming to me right now. I'll probably follow up with some better notes at another time.
Thank you to my kind and generous beta readers, sophie8 and w_sims. You've really helped me bring this together these past couple of days and have made the finished product a much better one. I greatly appreciate your efforts. And dare I say it, but I actually had fun editing with you. :)
And thank you to anyone and everyone that has followed this story along with me so far, those who have been here since the beginning and those who may be new to it. I am very lucky to have readers like you, who have discussed things and reacted and pondered over plots and characters right along with me. I hope to be able to continue to tell an interesting story for you.
Thank you for reading. :)
(Continue to Chapter 36)