Settling Down

Some may feel the youngest member of the Newbrook family should be pitied due to the strange situation she was born in. And the odd tendancies she is picking up as she grows. First it was the obsessive checking of the sink taps, then the ritualistic stove-checking procedure and then next came the frequent trips to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Most people do this hygiene task twice a day. Ellena likes to brush her teeth after every meal, snack or drink.
But none of these are good reasons to pity this small girl because despite her difficulties, Ellena is a well behaved happy child, who is loved by those that know her. And there are much stranger sims in Riverview…

…a couple of whom Alice came upon one Friday morning. She was on her way to visit Carey to discuss a playdate for Ellena and Shannon. As she arrived the front door to the Carpenter-Rhodes’ house opened so she assumed Carey had seen her and opened the door to greet her. When Carey stepped out onto the porch in only her underwear (including a frilly pair of pink knickers) Alice blinked twice but was not completely surprised because her friend is well known for her inappropriate behaviour. It was only when Carey started running down the steps giggling like a little girl, did Alice suspect something unusual was going on… especially when a second later Alice’s uncle started chasing the frilly-pink-knicker girl around and around the outside of the house with a silly grin on his own face.
Alice stood still and watched the pair of them. And then something that had been a secret became obvious to her. This is why Carey had never told anyone who her son’s father is. It might of been thought it very wrong for this couple to be together because of the large age gap, but never-the-less it was obvious… Lando must be Shannon’s father!
As the crazy lovers rounded the house for the second time they spotted Alice watching them. Composing themselves (less so in Carey’s case) they walked over to greet her.

Alice was not so shocked by the scene she had wandered in on, but she was surprised when her uncle tried to make up a lie to hide the true explaination for what was going on. She didn’t understand why he still wanted to keep the blatant relationship a secret. Not debating Lando’s explaination for now, Alice simply arranged a time for her to bring Ellena over to play and left the two of them alone again.
The following day, after Alice dropped Ellena off with Carey, she went to visit Lando at his own home. She’d always gotten along well with her uncle and now felt there was something she could do to help him. If Shannon was his son then it would be best for everyone to know; know that he is in fact a Newbrook descendant.
But Alice did not know everything about Lando’s personality traits. He was ashamed of himself and his actions. Senility had brought on moments of craziness (like the one the day before), which meant he did things he later regretted. Lando has never believed it right to show acts of romantic affection to people you are not well acquainted with and NEVER EVER in public. So when Alice brought up the subject of his relationship with Carey, his embarrassment quickly turned to anger as Lando’s hot-headed trait kicked in.

His voice got very loud and he told Alice she had no idea what she was talking about and to mind her own business!
Having never seen this side of her uncle, Alice was very taken aback. Seeing him red in the face with rage she recognized a quick exit was the best thing for now.
Having decided it simplist to leave her uncle to his own affairs for the time being, Alice took a moment to consider the lives of those in her own household and it occured to her that their home could do with a bit of rearrangement. Seeing as there are three women in the house, it could do with a feminine touch. So Alice replaced the living room furniture and added flowers and lilac curtains.

Then she brought Imogen’s easel downstairs because there was no reason for her to be painting alone in her room anymore. The Newbrook house was their home and her cousin was no longer a little girl who had to tiptoe quietly around her mean dad.
Speaking of Imogen… her relationship with Joss is going well and from the moment they’d taken it to the next level they’d become a lot closer. Seeing as they’d started as friends back in high school, Imogen never experienced that thunderbolt moment, but somehow gradually day by day their friendship had turned into love. Imogen is in love! And she wants to make Joss happy, but isn’t quite ready for everything that entails just yet (Nemm: I’ll give you a hint… he is a family-oriented man). Joss is aware of her fear, so is being patient.

Alice was happy for Imogen, but seeing the two of them together sometimes made her feel lonely and she wished she had someone to share her life with too. She often thought she should stop torturing herself and move on, instead of finding ways to be near Jeb. They’d broken up almost ten years ago and he still hadn’t asked her to be with him again, so she had no reason to think it could happen.

Nemm: “They do say patience is a virtue though…”

A few days before Ellena’s birthday Alice and her daughter were visiting Shannon. It was almost his birthday too and Ellena wanted to give him her gift before anyone else. Carey had gone out, so Jeb was there looking after his nephew.
Striking up a conversation, Alice asked him how he was and how his career at the local newspaper was going. As Jeb started to answer Alice’s mobile phone rang. She quickly apologised and went to answer it but stopped abruptly as Jeb’s reaction reached her ears…

Jeb: “It’s ok. I heard you’ve been seeing loads of guys around town. It’s probably one of your boyfriends.”

At first all Alice could do was stare at Jeb in disbelief. Did he really just say that?! Then she looked over at Ellena and saw a confused look on her daughter’s face. That’s when Alice felt anger rise up inside her. Remaining calm she told Jeb to step outside with her and asked Ellena to stay and play with Shannon as she needed to talk with Jeb for a moment.
Walking away from the house to a distance where neither Ellena or Shannon could hear them, Alice turned on her heels to face Jeb who had followed her.

Alice: “First of all, do not ever EVER say things like that in front of my daughter again! And secondly, my private life is none of your business! You gave up all rights to be part of that years ago!”

She paused momentarily as Jeb recoiled in shock, ashamed of what he’d said. It had just sort of fallen out before he’d thought it through.

By now the floodgates had opened for Alice and she was releasing a whole load of pent up frustration.

Alice: “I know I messed up ten years ago, but I felt abandoned and alone. I’ve never been with anyone since that one time… Foolishly I’ve been waiting… hoping… … but I’ve just been torturing myself with silly girl dreams in my head!”

At this point she flew her arms up in the air above her head in unspeakable frustration and feelings of stupidity. Alice called out to Ellena who was now stood on the porch chatting to Lavar. Quickly hailing a taxi, both mother and daughter got in it and went home.

It takes some sims ten seconds, others ten minutes, but there are the rare few who take ten years to realise their mistake. And when a pale shaky hand rang the doorbell to the Newbrook home that evening, reckoning had finally come to this lonely suitor.
As Alice opened the door she saw Jeb stood there looking very shame-faced. He asked for a moment to speak to her and so Alice stepped out onto the porch in the cold night air.
Jeb was sorry. He was sorry for what he’d said earlier that day; he was sorry for abandoning and rejecting her all those years ago. But most of all he was sorry for walking away from the only women he’d ever loved.
Although Alice had said it ten years ago, she said it again that night. She was sorry too.

Jeb: “Do you think we could start again?”
Alice : “No.”

Jeb looked forlorn, momentarily.

Alice: “Do you think we could pick up where we left off, skip a few steps and try to catch up a few years?”

Jeb looked up at Alice and smiled.

Minutes later they got in a taxi and went down to town hall. In a private ceremony in front of only a couple of staff who were working late that evening, Alice and Jeb made vows to never let each other down again.
When they told their respective families everyone was very happy for them. Even Ellena was happy. She liked Jeb as he’d always been nice to her. And she didn’t mind her mum marrying someone other than her own father because it had never been like that and even at her young age she could tell her mum was happier when Jeb was nearby.

Plus, they didn’t leave Ellena all alone. They’d go places, all three of them together, like the park and Jeb would push Ellena on the swing whenever she asked.
A couple of days later it was Ellena’s birthday, so there was a big celebration and everyone in the family came together. Alice’s cousin, Shannon, was there, now a teenager himself. And Lando had calmed down over time and admitted he was his son. He wasn’t willing to discuss his relationship with Carey with anyone, but no one really cared about that. The Carpenter-Rhodes had always felt like extended family anyway.

And of course Ellena’s father was there, but he hung back from the crowd of people as he’d always done. Donovan was delighted to see his daughter grow into a young woman.
Even as a teenager Ellena isn’t flamboyant in any way. Her neurotic tendancies are still her biggest quirk.

Unsettled

The atmosphere inside the Newbrook house altered almost immediately after that strange night. This is particularly due to the absence of Imogen’s uncaring father. The girls were no longer connected to Lucas’ criminal organisation and were now able to clear their family name from that type of activity.
The death of her father did not subdue Imogen’s dream to help the people of Riverview by protecting them from other criminals, by becoming an International Super Spy someday. Everyday she would work on her skills, which at this stage was mostly playing chess – a game that made her consider another person’s next move before they even knew it.

This dedication to her training soon paid off. In a very fortunate stroke of luck, the lieutenant assigned to review her performance had a good eye for individuals with enormous potiential – even those who’s were not obvious and were held back by their current physical limitations – he praised Imogen highly in his report, which earnt her promotion to Traffic Cop.

Imogen was utterly thrilled! She was finally getting somewhere and knew her mother – as well as her grandfather (Hal) – would of been proud of her. There was still a long way to go before she’d be able to reach higher-level positions and help a lot of people, but there were Sim-vilians in her own home who need her right now.
For example, the distressing scene from the other week when the size of the household had decreased by almost half, had left Ellena a little curious about this life and the next.

Ellena: “Cousin Imogen, will that man in the black coat be coming back to take you and mummy away like he took grandpa?!”
Imogen: “Not for a very long time sweetheart. He’ll only come back when we’re really old and have lived long lives.”
Ellena: “And me too? Will I have to go with him?”
Imogen: “Someday. But not for a really really really long time. You have nothing to be afraid of.”
Ellena: “Oh I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid of anything.”

Ellena smiled up at her aunt. And Imogen smiled back with a knowing grin that it would take a lot to scare her fearless young cousin.
This is a positive trait of Ellena’s personality, but she is still obsessed with ensuring taps are turned off properly. At least, that is all it was to begin with… an incident during breakfast one morning forced another neurotic habit to form as part of the small girl’s collection.
That morning Ellena was sat at the dining table trying to complete the last part of her homework. She isn’t very academic and often has to ask her mum to help her. So Alice sat down at the table with her breakfast of bread and jam and talked Ellena through the last few questions on her assignment.

Imogen was in the kitchen too, busily preparing pack-lunches. Pre-occupied with her task (making artistic adjustments to the colourful selection of raw veggie sticks to form pictures or smilie faces, as she liked to do) she didn’t notice the smoke rising up out of the oven! Alice had put a tray of cookies in there earlier and absent-mindedly forgotten about them when she’d sat down to help Ellena.
It was only when the smoke became flames and rumbled out of the oven engulfing it, did Imogen realise the emergency!!

Thinking quickly she grabbed the fire-extinguisher, whilst Alice yelled at Ellena to get out of the house immediately and then ran to the phone to call the fire department.
With fire engines on their way Alice ran back to her cousin to see if there was anything she could do to help.

Nemm: “Standing there screaming won’t help! Get another fire-extinguisher silly!!”

But Alice was frozen to the spot in shock. A few minutes later Imogen had put the fire out just as the fireman piled into the kitchen. Alice didn’t move. She just kept staring at the chargrilled stove until she felt a soft tap on her shoulder followed by a gentle voice saying her daughter was very scared and kept asking for her mother. She turned to face the fireman who had spoken, noticing his kind eyes and then quickly walked outside to comfort Ellena.
Once Ellena had been reassured everyone was fine and no real harm had been done (not that this changed the fact that Ellena would be triple-checking the stove was switched off properly from now on, when no one was using it – her new neurotic tendancy), Alice went back inside to check out the damage. She felt silly for causing all of the commotion and started apologising to the fireman who had spoken to her before.

Davis, the fireman, smiled understandingly back at her. He was also a single parent after his wife died due to complications during childbirth. He could tell Alice felt the same pressures he did to be a good parent and could not stop himself from wanting to be with someone who knew what that was like… so he asked Alice out on a date.
Just like Stacy, Alice agreed to a date with Davis, knowing she would have to move on someday. She had a good time with Davis and even planned a second date with him, but she was in no rush to start a serious relationship just yet. Deep down she still had not gotten over her first love. Even though it had been years since she and Jeb had broken up, secretly she still loved him.
It was inevitable that Alice would bump into Jeb from time to time… but everytime made her heart pound hard in her chest, desparately hoping that day would be the day he’d forgive her and reclaim her heart for himself. But that just wasn’t happening. And the pair continued to act like friends.

Alice politely asked Jeb about his family. His brother had recently celebrated another birthday and Alice thought it very sad Lavar had never found a girlfriend to share his life with…but he had his brother and sister. And they all stuck together.
On the other side of town, one Newbrook girl’s relationship WAS changing. Joss finally spoke up about how serious he was about having a romantic relationship with Imogen. One that might someday lead to wedding bells and dirty diapers. He wanted it all, but wanted it with no one else other than Imogen.

These were all good things to Imogen’s ears, but she asked Joss to take things slowly. She’d seen first-hand how much lives changed when relationships got serious and children were brought into the world. She too wanted it all with Joss, but needed more time to work on her career and fitness first.

This of course did not stop the lovebirds from giving in to their physical desires for each other.

Next: Settling Down

One Peculiar Night

For the most part Ellena is a typical little girl. She loves her mum and dad and the rest of her family. She went off on the big yellow bus for her first day at school without any fuss and came home happy, telling everyone about her new friends and her teacher, who were all wonderful in her eyes.

Ellena will cheerfully play with her toys in her bedroom without being a bother to anyone.
She does cause her mother concern at meal times however… It’s not so odd that this little girl will start collecting everyone’s plate up from the table as soon as they’ve finished eating, but her anxiousness for ensuring they are all washed up and put away immediately is. Especially as it is always followed by serious triple checking the kitchen taps to make sure they are turned off properly! Ellena doesn’t show much fear, but her worries about flooding are somewhat obsessive.

Perhaps her different situation (i.e. separated parents, one very confused grandparent and a great uncle who most people are afraid of) has something to do with her strange habits?… And these most likely weren’t helped by the strange night that followed soon after her birthday…

Since his wife died Lucas had become somewhat withdrawn and kept himself to himself, purely concentrating on only his work. He was waiting for his moment so he could be with her again. And when it came, no one else in the household even noticed initially. Sensing the impending moment whilst napping late one afternoon, Lucas got up and out of bed.

For the first time in many years Lucas found himself looking at the painting his mother had painted for him as a birthday present for his eighteenth birthday. Lucas thought he saw the image of his mother beside said creative piece of art.
He blinked.
Sure enough the image, although hazy, was there, slowly moving towards the ceiling. Lucas followed it with his gaze and as he did so a bright yellow light engulfed him. There and then he saw what he had been waiting for…

Lucas certainly had made more enermies than friends during his lifetime, but there had been a small few who had cared for him regardless. And they were waiting for him in that moment… his mother, his father, his sister and the only person he’d ever loved, his wife Karri.

Only one creature had witnessed this event, which as it turns out is not acceptable. Old Grimmy needs his work to be recognised… or there are consequences. Knowing the location of every soul in Riverview, the collector floated down the corridor to Alice’s bedroom. Alice had just finished practicing her guitar skill and received the shock of her life when she turned to see the black form in front of her.
Initially panic set in!… Had something happened to her father or Imogen, or (heaven forbid!) to Ellena!? This overwhelming feeling of terror strangely subsided. Alice started to feel dizzy and light-headed.

Just at the moment when she thought she would fall over, she felt a pair of ice cold arms wrapped themselves around her. Completely out of her control, her own arms moved to a position around the deathly form!

Nemm: “I can’t stand it! The Grim Reaper has now taken one step too far! Alice snap out of it!!! Better yet… take a big swing and send that unwelcome annoyance back to the abyss it came from!”

Gradually coming to her senses, Alice pushed old Grimy away, madly accusing him of manipulating her unwillingly. He took a step back in what appeared an aghast pose.

Then, as he stood up straight again, the temperature in the room dropped a couple of degrees. Alice shivered. She could tell he was now VERY angry. Before she could say anymore, the Grim Reaper waved his robe over her and then glided toward the door. Alice couldn’t move! She wanted to run desperately when she heard the door to Imogen’s bedroom open and close! But the little robe trick had left her stuck in the wall…!?

Unaware of the events that were going on inside the house, John was in Imogen’s room working on a new painting.

His hobby brought him some contentment in his elderly years, as he waited and hoped for the next stage. So when the Grim Reaper silently entered the room and waved his scythe, John was not afraid. To all those who loved him it appeared the ‘figure of death’ had punished an innocent man for things that had made it angry… but for John it felt like the right time.
Finally Alice escaped from her prison as part of her bedroom wall and she dashed next door. Ellena, who had been coming upstairs at the same time, saw her mother sprint into Aunty Imogen’s room with a worried espression, so she quickly followed.

Ellena: “Mummy what’s wrong? What is going on?!”
Alice: “Grandad has to leave us now sweetheart. Say goodbye.”

Ellena waved innocently at her grandfather, who turned to face her and Alice. He smiled and waved as his transparent form fazed away and John reunited with those who had gone before him.
The young girl stared at the spot where her grandfather had last stood whilst her mother wept uncontrollably. Alice felt vulnerable now her last living parent was gone. The family inside the Newbrook house was down to three. And all of them were in mourning.

Unfortuantely it is a sad fact that life can still kick you when you’re down. And it hadn’t finished with the Newbrook family that evening. For that night, about an hour after everyone had gone to bed, a burgular decided to break into the house.

The good news though, is it wasn’t a very adept burgular… (firstly no one in their right mind would rob the house of Lucas Newbrook! And as the news of his passing was not public yet, she clearly wasn’t a person of logical thinking!) and she was rather clumsy and managed to trip over one of Ellena’s toys; she hit the ground hard, waking everyone in the house.
Now Alice is usually a pretty heavy sleeper and she’s not especially brave, but this time she heard the crashing noise of the burgular and something inside her just flipped! Before anyone else had time to get out of bed Alice was running downstairs ready to explain to the intruder just how much she’d had enough of life’s cruel tricks for one night.
By the time her cousin reached her, Alice had the spindly burgular – who was pleading with her capture to release her – in a painful headlock. Imogen convinced Alice it would be ok to let go and just keep an eye on the traumatised trespasser whilst she called the police station to get someone to take her away.

Nemm: “Way to go Alice! Nice way to stand up to the world! I bet you feel better now you’ve inflicted some of your built up anger on a deserving soul?”
Alice: “Maybe a little…”
Nemm: “And I think a well derserved reward just stepped into the room…”

Imogen’s call to the police station had been received by a colleague called Stacy Ritchie. Stacy was over to the Newbook house in a matter of minutes. Not only was he eager to make sure they were alright, but he was also excited at the opportunity to finally meet Imogen’s cousin who he’d heard so much about.
Once the seized burgular had been put in handcuffs and into the police car, Stacy went back inside the house to talk to Alice. Making sure she really was ok. And after a little small talk Stacy asked her out on a date.

 

Next: Unsettled

Coming Soon!…

It has been over a year, but I have not given up on my legacy entirely. I did leave it for quite a while because I didn’t feel like writing anymore at that time, but I picked up my pen recently and now have a few more chapters to share with anyone who remembers my legacy (or anyone who would like to read it from the beginning click here).
When I started the challenge I knew it wouldn’t be easy and I can’t promise consistency in putting up new chapters, but I will eventually get to the 10^th generation one way or another!

Check back for a new chapter coming this weekend!…

Slightly longer needed…

Sorry everyone, but I’m going to need a bit longer before returning to The Newbrook Legacy. I haven’t given them up altogether, I just have a lot of other things going on during the next 3 months.

I might post the odd chapter here and there over the summer, but I can’t promise consistancy. If this changes I will let you know.

Happy Simming Everyone! 🙂
Nemm

A Brief Interlude

Hi Everyone,

I thought it only fair to let you know that I’ve decided to take a short break from writing my legacy… only for a month mind.

Come back at the begining of June and there will be lots more from the Newbrook family 🙂

Happy Simming guys!
Nemm

Time Will Not Pause

Over time some normality returned to the household, but some things were irrevocable. Alice continued to struggle with her incessant motherly duties. Deep down she still felt young and simply wanted to have fun and enjoy what life had to offer. However she accepted her fate and did her best to raise Ellena in a good way.
There’d been little change in her father. In fact the only changes were for the worse and he was becoming more and more forgetful and confused by the day. He was quickly becoming another person who depended on Alice… when what she really needed was someone she could lean.
The members of the family who actually live in the house are not the only Newbrooks adjusting to changes. Annabel had received a double blow recently, first losing her mother, which was soon followed by losing her father-in-law and the grand house she lived in!.. After passed away, a young girl came forward claiming she’d been dating Aaron and Korey’s father before he’d died and had given birth to his daughter a few months ago. With a bit of powerful (probably expensive) legal work, the girl managed to claim all of Cruz’s assets for their daughter. Thus the Ferrell family had been forced to move out and into a much smaller house three miles down the road.

Annabel told her family, whilst they were gathered around in the living room playing video games one afternoon, that she didn’t mind the smaller house as much as she thought she would… but the stress lines (plus wrinkles revealing her age) had set in on her face.
Imogen was the only one having a slightly better time for a change. She felt confident that a promotion would come her way soon, which encouraged her to work hard on her skills. Being a large girl she chose to begin her physical training gently by swimming. Imogen had never forgotten the first swimming lesson she’d had when she’d been just a little girl, given to her by her Aunt Yana. Now she was ever grateful to have had those lessons. And thinking about her late aunt’s strength made Imogen more encouraged in her ability.

Her routine usually consisted of three to four trips to the swimming pool per week. On some of these visits she’d bump into a familiar face; that of Melissa Gee – Joss Gee’s sister. Melissa was a keen swimmer and was more than happy to share the pool. She liked Imogen and believed there was something going on between her and her brother, although neither of them had ever said anything.

Technically Imogen and Joss were seeing each other. They had been ever since high school, but never become more than romantic interests, as all they did was hang out and hold hands. Imogen wanted them to be more, but wasn’t totally sure what Joss wanted since they’d never talked about it, which didn’t really worry her right now because her main focus was on her career anyway.

At the Newbrook homestead Alice was preparing Ellena for a special moment. In a couple of days it would be her 2nd birthday and Alice was excitedly preparing a huge party for the occasion. She sat Ellena down to teach her important words for the upcoming event; balloons, cake, presents, ice cream…

Having her daughter’s father present at the party was very important, but Alice knew he wasn’t keen on large groups of people, so she checked her plans with him first.

Nemm: I really like this photo. It’s the only one I think I have of Ellena with both her parents.

Donovan is not a foolish man. He knew birthday parties are an important part of a child’s life and therefore something he went along with. Still one of the quieter guests on the day, however he’d grown more confidant around people in recent years as he felt his daughter’s happiness more important than his own discomfort.
Ellena’s parents were practically opposites in their view of socalising and getting to know new people. For Alice it was one of her favourite things to do. She’d always loved it and tried to befriend every person she met.
One of the most interesting people Alice had ever met was Karri’s mother.

Nemm: “I’ll be impressed if you can tell them apart!… they are virtually identical aren’t they?!”

Mrs McQueen was proving that a lifestyle of late night partying and extreme sports (both of which she’d done a lot of in her youth) were not all bad, as she’d outlived her husband and was still breathing despite the fact both of her children were in their elderly years. At the rate she was going she’d outlive them too.

Tragically, as it turned out, that sentence was half true…

When Lucas’s mobile phone rang in the middle of a romantic meal that Karri had prepared for them early one evening, he did not hesistate in getting up from the table to answer it in private. Being the ‘Emporer of Evil’ was a demanding job which Lucas thrived on, but tried to keep separate from his home life. He took the call in the bathroom, leaving his disappointed wife alone.

The conversation between Lucas and the gruff voice on the other end of the phone was quite typical. His ’employees’ had successfully completed their ‘job’ for the evening, but on that particular occassion they’d had to leave a man behind who’d been collected up by the police. The new boy apparently had been more worried about the muddy footprints they’d created than the job in hand. The man on the other end of the phone muttered something about the boy being not quite right in the head.
During this conversation Lucas heard a loud shriek followed by sobbing. Thinking it was most likely his niece’s annoying daughter, probably bumping her head on something again (Ellena had just learnt how to use her legs… sort of. She is still somewhat unstable), he ignored it. Business needed to be taken care of first.
However he came to regret that decision the moment he walked out of the bathroom and turned the corner into the kitchen. He was greeted by the most tragic sight he would ever see…

Something more intimidating than Lucas himself had arrived to take his wife to the other side.
Seeing that she was a lot younger than her husband and should have outlived him by many years, it could be believed that her heart had finally broken when he deserted her at the dining table that evening… again… … and she could no longer go on. That is of course only one theory. The truth we’ll never know.
The heavy sobbing that Lucas had heard before was coming from their daughter, Imogen, who had been the one to find her mother in the company of the deathly figure of the Grim Reaper hoovering in the kitchen doorway.

Nemm: I must warn you now, dear reader, to arm yourself with tissues at hand for the next scene because what I saw was so touching and heart-breaking at the same time…

Karri’s ghostly form heard the sad cries coming from her daughter, and so, as her final action within the realm of the living, she turned and floated over to her child and proceeded to whisper words of love, comfort and strength into her ear.

When the Grim Reaper deemed it finally time to go, Imogen’s beloved mother disappeared from the Newbrooks forever.

It goes without saying that Imogen and Lucas will need time to moan their loss and adjust to their worlds which have changed forever. However this legacy story must go on, so we will turn our attention to the youngest member of the family as she tries to make her first friend although still just a toddler.
They were born within hours of each other and their mums have built a good friendship so inevitably Ellena and Shannon met whilst still in nappies and played together on numerous occassions.

Another inevitability was that Alice and Jeb would someday come across each again because the young mums with their respective child were hanging out so often.

There was an intial silent awkwardness between them, but being the friendly pair they are, they overcame this and chatted together in a civilised manner. Alice asked Jeb how his job was going; to which he informed her that progression for him was very slow. Currently he is an Automated Spell-Checker Checker for the local newspaper, but has been trying to become a Freelance Writer for some time.
Jeb tentatively asked how she and her daughter were doing, which gave Alice an opening to put forth an idea which had come to her during their conversation. She invited Jeb to attend Ellena’s birthday party and was delighted when he accepted.
The birthday party was going ahead as planned even though Imogen’s mother recently departed, because Imogen knew her mother would have wanted it that way. In respect for her late aunt though Alice tried to keep it simple and invited close friends and relatives only. She ordered pizzas instead of laying on a formal buffet, which made Shannon happy as it was the first time he’d tried pizza seeing that he’d celebrated his birthday just hours before. (He is the kid sitting down in the photo below)

After the guests had eaten, the birthday girl was cheered and applauded and then she presented herself in her new light blue dress. Everyone expressed how pretty they though Ellena looked and many congratulated Alice on raising her daughter so well, with no negative characteristics… well no obvious ones.

 

Next: One Peculiar Night

The Reality Of Adulthood

Carey Carpenter-Rhodes was one of the few people who Alice’s unplanned pregnancy had not upset, which was surprising since it was Carey’s little brother who Alice had cheated on. But Carey has never behaved in an appropriate or expected way. Plus she couldn’t criticise someone in the same situation as herself. Carey’s pregnancy had also been unplanned, but not unwanted… by her or her baby’s father. However, at his wish she still would not reveal the identity of her son’s father.
Having had their babies within hours of each other, the young mum’s friendship had developed as they shared tips and baby development stories. Mostly they chatted via the phone as Alice didn’t want to bump into Jeb and create awkward situations or refresh the feelings of pain and guilt she’d last felt in his prescence. However, when Jeb started working full-time during the day, Carey invited Alice over to their place. Her family (i.e. Latonia’s three children, Lavar, Carey and Jeb, plus Carey’s son) had moved recently to a bigger house and Carey wanted to show it off. She also wanted to introduce Alice to her son now that he was a toddler.
The morning Alice had agreed to see Carey, when she was ready to leave, she went to Ellena’s crib to get her daughter dressed for their visit, but found her sleeping soundly. Not wanting to disturb her, Alice crept downstairs in search for her father.

Finding him in the living room, still in his pajamas, she waved good morning and then asked if he would mind watching Ellena while she went out.
John hadn’t been the same since Yana’s death and quite often found himself sitting doing nothing, with no motivation to move. Even getting out of bed was sometimes nearly impossible because he couldn’t see what the point was. Alice still hoped her father would snap out of it. And maybe a morning with his only granddaughter was exactly what he needed.

Alice: “It’s a lovely house Carey!… and it has a good size garden for little Shannon to play in when he is a bit older.”

Lavar: “It’s much better for star-gazing out here away from the lights in the centre of town too.” He remarked as he walked into one the three bathrooms their new home contained.

Lavar was the one who had bought his family the large farmhouse which sat in the far outskirts of town. His book on astronomy was astonishing physicists everywhere, as his theories and discoveries were read and substantiated… changing the shape of the universe as everyone had thought it. The money from his book along with an occasional lecture at the local university provided enough to buy and maintain their new house with ease.
The family had needed a bigger place since the birth of Carrie’s son, Shannon. (Nemm: “What is it with this family and ridiculous names?!”) Alice liked Shannon and thought him an adorable kid – he just loved being tickled. And she looked forward to bringing Ellena over at her next visit, so the two children could play together.

Imogen began her time as a young adult in a different way to her cousin. From the moment she’d blown out the candles on her birthday cake she knew what she needed to do with her life. And even arguments and cruel words she’d undoubtedly get from her dad when he found out, would not deter her.
She hated knowing what Lucas did for a living. However, she knew her grandfather (Hal) had been a policeman and she wanted to do something for the community… and protect it from people like her father.

Unfortunately when she walked into the Police Station to apply for a job on the force, she found out she couldn’t qualify due to the tough physical section of the enrolment test. She just wasn’t in good shape and therefore wouldn’t pass…

“Unless you have useful information which could help with any of our cases…” winked the lieutenant in charge, who knew who Imogen Newbrook’s father was and that they’d been trying to put him away for years, but didn’t have enough evidence.
Despite Lucas’ poor treatment of her and also despite her strong desire to stop him for hurting other people, Imogen wouldn’t rat him out, simply for her mother’s sake – it would break her heart. So the only position the lieutenant could offer her was that of a Snitch. She accepted and vowed to work her way up the ranks by improving her physical fitness and other skills. She wanted to be an International Super Spy someday and stop the criminal workings of people like her dad from hurting people.
When she left the police station Imogen went straight to work on her training by visiting the library.

She read the first two chapters of ‘Detective Work: The Logic Behind It’ and would come back the following afternoon to read ‘The Tragic Clown: A Logical Case’. For the time being these were the tools that would help her in her quest to stop crime.

The young Newbrook girls were quickly learning what it meant to be a grown-up. For Imogen it was hard work, paticence and a lot of detemination. For Alice it was the highs and lows of being a mother and her responsibilities within that role. One of which is choosing babysitters cautiously… this she learnt the hard way when she arrived home after her visit to her friend’s house.
It was hard to accept, but her father was not the man he was before her mother died. And now he could barely look after himself, let alone a small child. Hence Ellena stood in her crib after waking from her nap and screamed and cried for someone’s attention. John had gone into one of his trances half hour before and wandered out the front door forgetting all responsibility of watching his granddaughter.
It may or may not be considered a good thing that Lucas was at home that day, sleeping after a busy night’s work. Irritatingly disturbed by Ellena’s cries, he got out of bed and followed the sound to Alice and Ellena’s bedroom.

Ellena wasn’t easily frightened by anything, even scarey old Uncle Lucas and just wanted to get out of her crib so she could play with her toys. So even with Lucas starring down at her telling her to be quiet as he was trying to sleep, Ellena continued to cry as loudly as she could.
VERY reluctantly Lucas picked her up and carried her downstairs to the living room. After putting her down on the floor, not only did Ellena stop crying but also Lucas heard the front door open and seconds later his wife walked in – back from her trip to the grocery store. Incredibly annoyed by this point, Lucas looked at his wife sternly and pointed his finger accusingly at Ellena, who was playing happily. Then he stomped back upstairs to bed.
This is why Alice came home to suffer a massive row with her uncle later that day after he’d woken up again to get ready for work. Unsurprisingly, Lucas accused her of being an un-fit mother who should have gotten rid of her baby before it was born because she was not married and couldn’t even hold down a job.

Alice struggled to stand up to Lucas. She was still filled with guilt over her actions which had created her daughter. But she wasn’t sorry she’d had Ellena, so she wasn’t going to allow suggestions that she shouldn’t have had her – one day Ellena would be old enough to understand these kind of words and she didn’t want her thinking her mum hadn’t wanted her because she’d been an accident. She promised to ensure Ellena did not wake him ever again, then promptly turned and picked up her daughter and took her upstairs to bed.

As she was getting into bed that night, Alice paused for a moment and looked down at her precious little girl asleep in the crib. Until then she had not stopped to think about the responsibilities that came with being a mother and what needed to be sacrificed for Ellena to grow up well.

Every decision made no longer impacted just on her own life but Ellena’s too. Alice had thought about going back to work so she would be able to buy nice clothes and toys for her daughter, instead of relying on her cousin’s generosity – Imogen gave Alice part of her wages every week so she could get whatever Ellena needed. But now she realised that, for a little while at least, Ellena needed her mum’s full attention to teach her life skills and be there everytime she was upset, hungry, lonely, tired etc.
Ellena had been born into an unconventional situation, which Alice didn’t want to effect her (in a bad way) as she got older. Although Donovan was a good man and no one could ask for a more doting father, he wasn’t there all the time and he was getting on in his years, so Alice couldn’t help but worry about Ellena’s emotional development under these circumstances.

The only fourth generation Newbrook appeared quite content however. There wasn’t much that could unnerve her. And although she had the same unsteady legs condition as her (late) grandmother when it came to learning to walk, she wasn’t otherwise disadvantaged.

Next: Time Will Not Pause

Little, Big

John went to the graveyard everyday. He stood in the same spot as the day before (and the day before that, at the funeral) and again wept by the gravestone.
He had never imagined he would have to live his life without seeing his beautiful wife’s face every morning. As Yana had lived a very healthy life, John had anticipated he would be the one (sadly) leaving her behind to carry on without him. But the tragic accident at the stadium had changed all of that and now John was left to pick up the pieces of his distraught family… If only he could hold himself together long enough to find a way to do that..!
The sadest part of Yana’s early departure was that she’d never quite achieved her lifelong goal of becoming a sports superstar. Her name was reasonably well known in the sporting world (and there had been a short piece on her life and career published in the local newspaper the week after her accident), but she’d never earnt the title she’d strived so hard for… …a fact that did not go unnoticed by the younger members of the family. Which in time made them work harder toward their own goals so the same thing wouldn’t happen to another Newbrook again.
Everyone was coping with Yana’s death in their own way. Besides John, Alice was the next person who was taking it hardest. The added burden of being a new mum was a lot for this young women to bear. And since her father was falling apart, Alice looked to her (favoured) uncle for support.

To a stranger looking from outside the family circle, Yana’s life may have appeared simple and unimportant, but to her family she had been the one holding the Newbrooks up. In her later years she had been a good counsellor and comforter. Lando himself had borrowed Yana’s ear on a few occasions. He’d once thought his life would become simpler as he got older, but in fact the reverse was true. And at the time of his sister’s passing he felt the loss more acutely due to a new worry, which he wished he could share with his primary confidant.
Karri was another who grieved the family’s loss. For many years Yana had not only been her sister-in-law but also a good friend. She’d supported her through her pregnancy and the difficult moments with Lucas after the birth, which had brought the women together in a united understanding.

Yana had been the only person who Lucas never upset directly, as secretly he had a lot of respect for his big sister because he’d never felt judged or a disappointment in her prescence. Now Lucas was expressing his grief… in his own unique way. Alas, it usually came at Imogen’s expense as her father found new reasons to argue and yell at her.

Lucas: “There were fingerprints of paint all over the staircase handrail this morning! I had to pay the maid overtime to stay and clean it off!! Also, I heard you whistling in the shower last week!.. have you forgotten I sleep through the day because I work hard at night to provide for the family!!! (Nemm: <sarcastically> How could Imogen ever forget what you do for the family?!..) AND I saw you on the front porch last week holding that boys hand! I won’t have any more illegitimate babies born under this roof! Do you hear me!? Stay away from that boy!!!”

If only the last remarks were just to protect his daughter from messing up her life… but in truth Lucas meant exactly what he said and didn’t want any more reminders of Imogen’s existence.
The fact that Imogen hadn’t actually done anything wrong wouldn’t make any difference to Lucas – the paint found on the banister had been accidently put there by John after painting more family portraits; the whistling was Karri whilst she’d been cleaning the upstairs bathroom and… well, it is true Imogen had been holding Joss Gee’s hand as he walked her home from school one afternoon, but that was all they did. Lucas’s grief forced him to find anything to get upset about.

The family was falling apart. And if not for the sake of Ellena, Alice probably wouldn’t have tried to sort their problems out.
For starters she rang Donovan. Greeting him on the porch, it was clear he was still upset.

On top of the fact that Alice would not agree to marry him and make the three of them a nice neat family unit, this was also the first time she’d invited him over since Ellena had been born. Of course, he had met his daughter the night she was born at the hospital, but then with Alice’s mum passing away, followed by all of the funeral arrangements… asking Donovan to come over to see Ellena again had just slipped Alice’s mind.
It was all clear now though. After apologising for the lack of communication and explaining the family’s recent loss, Alice said what she wanted to say.

Alice: “This isn’t the traditional way of doing things, but it is how it is and Ellena deserves the best we can give her. So you need to be a part of her life and be there for every birthday and every other special event. No matter what else, she should know both of her parents love her.”

Obviously Donovan couldn’t argue with that, so Alice invited him inside as it was time for Ellena’s first birthday.
The mood was still low inside the house, so the only people there for Ellena’s first cake experience were her parents plus John, Karri and Imogen. Alice nestled her daughter in her arms and carried her over to her birthday cake.

Everyone could not help the smiles that crept onto their faces (the first for some time) as they watched Ellena grow into a small toddler, realising there was still hope as life went on and had only just begun for this little one.

Besides her hair colour, Ellena looks very much like her father at this stage… well, maybe she has her grandfather’s nose too.
And although their proper introduction came a little late, Donovan and Ellena now spend plenty of time together. It came as no surprise that Donovan took to being a father naturally and came over most days to play with his daughter, who would always giggle with delight everytime she saw him arrive.

He was practically part of the family and it wasn’t long before Alice and Donovan’s relationship was on the mend and they were friends again. This pleased Alice no end as she really didn’t like to lose friends (she had more than enough bridges to mend since getting pregnant and disappointing so many people). She invited Donovan to Imogen’s birthday party, which took place two days after Ellena’s.
Imogen’s birthday was a big deal. Her family and friends had had their concerns about how this young girl would turn out after the issues (i.e. Lucas) she’d suffered through her childhood.

Anxiously Imogen took her place in front of the birthday cake. She wasn’t worried about the crowd of faces in the room cheering her on to blow out the candles, but she wasn’t sure if she was quite ready to be a grown-up just yet…

As the colourful, twinkling transition sparkles drop steadily to the floor, there was a slight gasp from every person in the room. To everyone there, they thought they could finally see the excess (emotional) baggage Imogen had been carrying around during her childhood years. Her appearance was unlike any Newbrook before her (although her grandmother had been on the slightly plump side).
But for the first time in her life Imogen felt more confident that she had ever before. The looks of shock and surprise did not phase or worry her now as she knew just what she wanted to do with her life. And the courage that flowed through every cell in her body was not going to allow anything (or anyone) to stand in her way!

Next: The Reality of Adulthood

A New Begining & An End

Alice: “I’m pregnant. I’m going to have a baby… …your baby.”

The corners of Donovan’s mouth twitched, then the excitement started to shine through his eyes. He smiled proudly and thought to himself that this wasn’t the way he’d wanted to start a family, but… he was going to be a dad!
Alice was releaved that he wasn’t angry, but saying the words aloud brought tears to her eyes as she remembered the pain of what her actions had cost her. Misunderstanding her grief, Donovan responded with the words he thought she wanted to hear.

Donovan: “It’s ok Alice. I love you. We can make this right. I can book the wedding ceremony this very afternoon and we can be married by…”

Alice took a step back in shock and surprise. Cutting Donovan off mid-sentence she explained he had the wrong idea.

Alice: “I am really sorry Donovan, but I love Jeb. I made a mistake the other evening and shouldn’t have let what happened happen. Now I may have lost Jeb forever… but I can’t marry you.”

Donovan was very disappointed, to say the least, but more unusally for him he was somewhat angry. He didn’t want his child to be born to unwed parents! It just wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair. Seeing that Alice would not change her mind, he left hurt and irate about the situation.
Alice heaved a heavy sigh. Her mind a boggled mess of confusing thoughts and emotions.
If she had been more aware of her surroundings, Alice may have heard the quiet creak from a floorboard as her cousin shifted her position on the first floor landing.

Alice hadn’t told anyone except Jeb and Donovan about her pregnancy directly. She was worried what people would think of her and even more concerned about what her parents would say when they found out. No one in the family had ever had a baby before getting married. And Alice certainly did not like the idea of being the first.
But now Imogen knew what her cousin had got herself into and she was very upset about it. In fact, she was angry. From her perspective all she could see Alice had achieved was to hurt two decent, kind-hearted guys, as well as the rest of the family when they found out.
Coincidently, Imogen was the next person Alice had planned on confiding in because they were so close (they had come to be as close as sisters). She asked Imogen to accompany her to the grocery store that very afternoon, thinking that she could break the news on the way there.
However since Imogen already knew, she was still upset with her cousin and was therefore suspiciously quiet during most of the journey until Alice stopped to ask her what was wrong. At which point Imogen quickly worked herself up into an over-emotional state…

Imogen: “I can’t believe you can do this to Jeb. He’s a good guy and you’ve probably broken his heart! And Donovan, who was obviously infatuated by you, has lost his only chance of having a proper family. What you’ve done is horrible and mean… just like my father!”

The last four words of Imogen’s rant had an extra sting to them, which made Alice’s eyes well-up with tears. But she forgave her cousin for what she said though, as she knew Imogen didn’t mean to hurt her, she was just (understandably) disappointed.

Another member of Alice’s family who was disappointed by her actions was her dad. Her mum took the news ok enough, simply saying she was sorry her daughter had to become a mother at such a young age. But John made his disapproval clear, by giving Alice the silent treatment for a while.

She received negative responses from almost everyone when she told them her situation. She even lost her job at the hospital as they needed someone who could be on call 24/7.
With that, Alice spent most of the days of her pregnancy confind to her bedroom. Being there gave her an opportunity to start learning to play her guitar. It was one of the few things which could take her mind off of her problems and help sooth her worries, briefly.

The thought at the forefront of Alice’s mind everyday of course was Jeb. She knew he had to be suffering because of what she’d done. Even though he’d broken up with her, she was still in love with him.
Her love for Jeb and not her baby’s father, Alice believed, was why she had such a difficult pregancy. After days of morning sickness, followed days of dizzy spells. Once or twice she even fell over, hitting the ground hard as she got bigger day by day.

To make matters worse, Uncle Lucas took pleasure in tormenting Alice about her unfavourable situation. He would remind her she would soon be an unwed mother and imply that no man would ever take on the responsibility of someone else’s child.

Alice could only hang her head in shame when he spoke to her so, because the way she felt with her huge waist continuously expanding, there was no way she could believe in happy endings. She was too tired and miserable to stand up to her uncle.

After a very long wait the moment finally arrived and Alice went into labour. Unluckily for her she was home alone that evening and had never felt such excruciating pain in her whole life.

Struggling to move or even breath properly, somehow Alice made it to the phone, called a taxi and very slowly went to the front of the house to wait for her ride to the hospital.

Nemm: “This little innocent baby may not have been planned. And maybe it’s mother is unsure right now of her readiness to be a mother, but never-the-less this bundle should definately be welcomed properly. So I’d like to introduce the newest member of the Newbrook family… this is Alice’s daughter, Ellena.”

The good news of Alice giving birth to a healthy baby girl, sadly was followed immediately by a tragic event. Less than an hour after Alice arrived home from the hospital and put Ellena down in her crib (set up bedside Alice’s bed), the phone rang. Answering it, Alice heard her father’s voice… two minutes later she wished he was still not talking to her, so he could not of said what he’d just told her.
There had been a accident at the stadium and Yana had been involved. Her high level of fitness combined with the fact that she was in better shape than anyone else in the entire household should have meant she’d live to a very old age… but unfortunately her clumsy nature had finally taken it’s toll, when Yana fatally slipped over in the showers at work!
The dark figure of the Grim Reaper hovered outside the stadium, waiting to take her to where Yana’s parents had gone years ago.

Nemm: “No, no! This cannot be happening yet!! Yana has been so athletic all her life. She’s in top condition and should easily have become a Superstar Athlete during her lifetime – achieving her lifetime goal… <sob, sob, sniff>”

And so Alice’s first night as a mother was not as she had imagined it would be. She wept over Ellena’s crib as she starting moaning the death of her own mother. Alice was consumed by grief and worries as she thought about the future. She felt so alone that night. Her mum had been a staple support for every difficult ordeal Alice had ever had. She had been such a brave person and that fearlessness had always made Alice feel somehow stronger… but now that strength was gone and Newbrook family would never be the same.

 

Next: Little, Big