Teens go out as the family preps for the heir challenge.

1. Ch 4
Music That Inspired This Chapter:
“Why Worry” by The All-American Rejects
“It’s About Time” by Lillix

2. Hey, everyone! Welcome back to A Specter Legacy. Don’t look like that, Andy, this
chapter’s supposed to be about happy times.
Not *my* happy times. I’ve seen the script. For me, everything goes downhill from
here.
Um, that’s not my fault.
Yes it is! Why can’t you write one of those legacies where everyone gets a happy-
As much as the readers love to watch us bicker, we do have a story to get to. Let’s
start with what happened after you guys got back from vacation.

3. Kaylynn was exhausted from the flight back to Crystal Springs. All she wanted to
do was flop on her bed and get a good rest. But as she walked into the tiny
bedroom off the foyer, she noticed the room looked a bit different. Nothing major
had changed; all the furniture was still the same, but the room looked… homey.

4. It was the paintings, she decided. Like that one over the dresser – it wasn’t there
before. “Hmm,” she mused as she stuck her head in the bathroom. “I wonder if-”

5. Yup. The bathroom was finished too. When she’d left the room only had a toilet.
“When did all this happen?” She wondered aloud.
“Kaylynn.”

6. Turning, she came face to face with Andy. “I see you noticed the room’s finished.”
“Yeah. But how? We’ve been gone-”
“Well, the club was open. All I had to do was ask the contractors to finish up while
we were gone. It was supposed to be a surprise, but, well… Since we’re not, you
know, speaking… I thought maybe you’d like to take the master bedroom upstairs.
They finished that, too, and it’s bigger.
“There’s a master bedroom upstairs?” Kaylynn questioned.

7. Andy assured her there was, so Kaylynn headed off. No matter how sweet the
gesture, she couldn’t back down. Her kids’ lives were at stake. She had to remain
strong.
And so she found herself wandering into the garage, up the stairs, past the study,
and through the empty game room to the quietest, most remote part of the house:
the master wing.

8. Another short hallway and she was at her destination. She couldn’t help stopping
in her tracks.
“Wow,” she whispered.

9. The room was elegantly done. Paintings and other small touches gave the room a
polished but inviting air.

10. Spacious and airy, the room had its own small study and office, and even a private
balcony.

11. Kaylynn didn’t look at the adjoining bathroom; she knew it’d look great too.
Collapsing on the bed she sighed to herself. Here was where she and Andy would
have spent there golden years, after one of the kids had been named heir and
preceded to take over the lower half of the house. Now it was the room where
she’d freeze out her husband.
“Things aren’t supposed to be this way,” she whispered. “Why can’t they be normal
– why can’t things go back to the way they were?” Kaylynn punched the pillow
next to her.

12. *****
Kaylynn wasn’t the only upset one in the house. There was another person whose
vacation didn’t go so well. His aspiration was practically red and he decided to
take it out on his little sister’s doll house.

13. “It’s not fair,” he yelled at no one. “Stupid Zephyr and his stupid girlfriend – I’m the
family sim! And now I can’t even stay home even though we just got back – noooo.
I have to go to school. Because it’s Monday.” Asher emphasized this last word with
another crushing blow to the doll house.

14. Aerith didn’t seem to miss the doll house; there were plenty of other things to
occupy her time.

15. Like bathtubs.
Still, Asher thought he’d better clean up the mess all the same. It wasn’t like him to
be so destructive and he didn’t want anyone to know he’d lost his temper.

16. So, no one noticed and life returned to normal, almost. The kids went to school
and played with the pets when they got home. Nina was pregnant and everyone
highly anticipated the arrival of puppies.

17. Though some were a bit more into themselves. Granted, Zephyr didn’t spend
loads of time admiring himself in the mirror, but it happened every now and then.
Usually though, he was chained to the phone, calling to check up on his girlfriend
Elizabeth from Three Lakes.

18. Remarkably, he still managed to put in some skill building time, spending most of
his free time banging away on the instruments in the music room.

19. And pretty soon, the house reached its limit with Nina and Charlie’s puppies.

20. Nina had a girl and a boy, Artemis and Apollo respectively. Good luck telling them
apart though, the pair are pretty much identical.

21. Though it seems a mother always knows which child is which.

22. The kids didn’t care who was who either, though. The puppies were cute and
cuddly and that was enough.

23. Everything they did was adorable, if only because of their tiny sizes.
Okay, the puppy pictures are over, I promise.

24. In the few days after the vacation, a certain someone took to bringing home a
different friend everyday.

25. They were all girls.

26. It was almost like he was hinting at something. Like maybe, just maybe, he wanted
a girlfriend.

27. “Why don’t they like me?” Asher said into the mirror. “I’m cute, right?” He tested
out a smile. “Yeah! I’m just as good-looking as Zeph – Mom says so all the time!”
Feeling sorry for Asher, I decided to hook him up with the next girl he came home
with.

28. The lucky girl was Alicia. …What? Don’t look at me like that. I thought she was a
family sim – I mean, look at that dress! But I was wrong. She’s a lazy romancer.
Ugh.

29. Asher didn’t seem to care much about Alicia’s personality or life aspirations,
however. At this point, he was so desperate, anyone would do.

30. “Alicia! I don’t want to waste your time, so let’s just skip to the end, okay? You’re
hot, I’m hot – how’d you like to be my girlfriend?”

31. Apparently Alicia liked Asher’s desperate nature and by the end of the night she
was making out with him on the front lawn.

32. Asher didn’t care who saw, though. He’d gotten his first kiss and a girlfriend –
according to his family sim mind, life was right again.

33. Things weren’t going so well for other people.
Stupid chance cards.
Tell me about it. This is the second time Andy got fired due to a bad chance card.

34. T-That’s o-okay- *Sniff* I d-don’t n-n-need that job any- *Sniff* way!
It’s true. They don’t need the money anymore; Andy still has the business and
Kaylynn’s still working. And anyway, Andy’s LTW is to max all skills. I was going to
have him complete it after he transitioned, so he’d have something to do as an
elder, but there’s no reason he can’t get started now.

35. Plus he has important legacy stuff to do.
Is this seriously necessary?
Yes. Andy needs a 10 interest in fashion, crime, and sports for the Well Dressed,
Fearless, and Physical Fitness handicaps. Luckily, interest points don’t take all that
long to earn – I just need to make sure he doesn’t lose them.

36. And then there was the matter of the family hobby. Andy, you’re an excellent
dancer. There’s no need for you to be so shy.
I can’t dance when someone’s watching!
There’s no one in the room with you!
Yeah, but you can see me.
*Eye Roll* Sure. Next time I’ll just leave the room so you can get your groove on.
That’s all I ask.
In case anyone forgot – and I know I do – Andy has zero outgoing points.

37. Thankfully, that didn’t stop him from maxing his enthusiasm. And who knows?
Maybe now that he has his own personal cheering section every time he plays,
he’ll open up.

38. Finally, the portraits had to be done. So even without a job, Andy managed to
remain pretty busy.

39. The kids kept busy, too. They didn’t understand Andy’s reasoning, but the boys
made sure to learn fire safety just like their dad told them to. They didn’t mind too
much; in exchange for a few hours of studying, their dad pretty much let them do
whatever they wanted.

40. Skye learned it, too (though I seem to be missing the picture of the doodad over
his head), putting aside a few hours of play time to study.
*****

41. And, late one night, two limos showed up in front of the Specter house. The boys
decided it was time for a bit of nighttime fun. Well, Zephyr decided and conned
Asher into going out, too – something about a teenager’s right of passage.

42. In any case, it seems that Kaylynn didn’t share Zephyr’s ideas. He was caught on
the way out.
“Zephyr Specter, just what do you think you’re doing? Do you have any idea what
time it is?”
“Aw, mom-”

43. “I don’t want to hear it! I can’t believe you would violate my trust-”
“But Mom-”
“No buts! You’re grounded, mister!”
“Mom!” Zephyr groaned as he was forced to listen to a lengthy lecture.

44. Asher, however, was more lucky. He had seen his brother get cornered by his
mother in the dining room and so decided to sneak out the side door, where
someone had conveniently installed a new gate to the front yard.
“I don’t know where that gate came from, but I’m not questioning it.” He sprinted
toward the waiting limo and managed to get away quietly.

45. He snuck back in around four with no problems. And when his father caught him in
the dining room wolfing down a midnight snack a half hour later, Andy didn’t even
blink an eye. “Try and get some rest before the bus arrives,” was all his dad said.
Asher didn’t know how his dad seemed to know everything that went on around
the house or why his parents had such differing views, but again, he didn’t
question his luck – he knew his mom would ground him like she had Zephyr.
*****

46. A few days later, it was time for fun of a different sort. Aerith and Skye would be
growing up and Andy was determined to throw a big party. Lots of party favors
were bought and Aerith was eager to try them out. She seemed to figure out a way
to use the sparkler without actually touching it.

47. While other people may not have liked the new favors, Aerith certainly had fun
using them.

48. Although some people did not.
“Argh, Mom, I don’t want to say hi to all these people – I wanna go have fun!”

49. Skye didn’t have to suffer for long; it was soon time to blow out the cake. Friends
and family gathered around, including Zeph’s and Skye’s friend Marissa (the one
blowing the horn in the back), and Aerith’s one and only best friend Tazama (bowl-
cut boy with his back to the camera).
“Make a wish, sweetie!”
“Okay, mom!” Aerith thought for a moment, then blew out the candles.

50. And while she lost her custom hair and though her outfit could have been better,
Aerith had grown up into a very cute young lady. She rolled knowledge.

51. Skye followed right after. And he, too, was impressed with how he turned out.
He got a cake, too, but you know how pictures are – you take a million of them,
then you can never find the one you need when you need it.

52. “Hey townie dude, get out of my picture!” *Shove*

53. *Sigh* “Oh, well.”
Skye rolled popularity, which kinda makes sense considering he and all his 5
outgoing points are the most outgoing of the kids.

54. The twins weren’t the only ones who grew up at the party, either. Taz grew up with
Aerith…

55. And apparently, thought this party was for him too. *Shrugs*

56. The important thing was that the party was indeed a success and everyone, even
Kaylynn, had a good time.
And nobody, nobody, remembered that awful disaster of a party way back when
Skye and Aerith became toddlers.
What are you talking about? I-
Hush, Andy.

57. After the party wound down and the backyard was cleaned up, Kaylynn insisted on
some family photos of the newly teenified pair.
After the twins grew up, it became more apparent then ever that all the kids are
clones! Skye here has Asher’s face and I suspect Aerith has Zephyr’s.

58. Here they are, all the Specter kids. From left to right: Asher, Zephyr, Aerith, and
Skye. They may look the same, but their personalities do vary, and luckily, so do
their aspirations.
Asher – Family, Virgo 10/0/7/4/6, LTW: Top Education
Zephyr – Pleasure, Virgo 10/3/7/6/6, LTW: 50 Dream Dates
Aerith – Knowledge, Aquarius 7/0/7/10/10, LTW: Top Oceanography
Skye – Popularity, Pisces 3/5/9/3/6, LTW: 5 Top Businesses

59. See? So much alike. Anyone else think these two are clones? Or am I just going
crazy?

60. *****
The sight of Mrs. Cumplebuttom could only mean one thing – well, two things.
First, it meant she’d rolled a strike. Second, it meant someone was on a
community lot.

61. Asher had decided to take his girlfriend Alicia downtown, but didn’t seem to enjoy it
much. He didn’t have Zephyr’s three outgoing points so he was much more
anxious around people. It wasn’t that he didn’t like to talk to people; no, he was
much more concerned about making a fool of himself in front of Alicia and all these
other people who seemed very intent on watching his date play out.

62. Poor Asher was so nervous, he couldn’t even get excited about kicking Alicia’s but
at bowling.
…That, or he had a face glitch.

63. Eventually, though, Asher was able to get over his nervous glitch, relax, and have
a good time. He met some cool people and shared a bowling tip or two. And what
date didn’t have a good old fashioned pillow fight?

64. In the end, Asher loosened up, happy to get out of the house and to have a
girlfriend at last.
*****

65. Dear Diary,
All Asher does is talk about his girlfriend! It’s super annoying – especially because
she’s super annoying. And worse, Zephyr does it too! He’s always hogging the
phone, talking to Elizabeth or bragging about all his crazy downtown adventures.
At least he got in trouble for that, though; mom didn’t know about these
adventures, so she was pretty pissed. But still.

66. My weekends seem so dull in comparison. Maybe I should try to go out, too. But I
don’t know. Just the thought of all those crowds and people… I think I’ll stick to my
bathtub adventures for a little while.
- Aerith

67. It was true; Zeph had insisted on going out and having fun that weekend. He met
up with a couple of friends and…

68. Of course he dragged his twin along.

69. They met all sorts of people in the bowling alley/club, and had a few interesting
conversations, too.

70. They stayed out until dawn and had a brotherly breakfast at the local café, which
was probably why their mother was so upset – she didn’t even know they were
gone.

71. Dear Diary,
Tonight, I’m gonna have an adventure of my own – I’m sneaking out! Zeph is too,
even though he got caught last time – he says sneaking out is a teenage right of
passage. I don’t know. I just hope mom doesn’t find out. But she has been
distracted lately; I think she and dad are having a fight. Ugh – I don’t wanna talk
about that. Let’s just hope she’s too distracted to notice.
- Aerith

72. “Hey, Aer? Have a good time? Where’d you go?” Zeph asked as the pair came
back late that night.
“Oh, just to the Starlight Café – it has a really good book section-”
“Aw, Aer, that’s lame. You got to get out more. Go somewhere fun for once-”
“I did!”
“Please. This from someone who spends all their spare time in the bathtub?”

73. “Hey!” Aerith exclaimed as she thought back to the previous afternoon.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, bathtub pirating is awesome, but there’s so much
more to do around here, you know?”
“I guess…”
“You should ask that guy you like out. What’s his name? Oh, yeah -Taz.”
“How did-”
“Please, baby sis. I know things. Just ask him. Don’t be so nervous.”

74. *****
“So what’d you do yesterday, Aer?”
“Oh, you know. Did some studying, a bit of bathtub pirating.”
“On a Saturday? That’s pathetic, Aer!”
“Hey! I do stuff. I snuck out the other day-”
“Yeah, yeah. Zeph told me about your snooze fest. You know, Aer, you’re turning into a
homebody. Why didn’t you tell me you had no plans - I’d have taken you out with me.”

75. “Where’d you go?”
“Loads of places. First I went to check out The Corner Shoppes. I’ve been dying
for a cell phone and dad finally said I could get one.”
“Oh? And what did mom say?”
“She didn’t say anything and you’re gonna keep it that way, ‘kay Pinky?”

76. “Anyways, then I went to Comandgo – a bunch of kids from school like to hang out
there. I met loads of people and I even ran into Marissa.”

77. “I think she has a thing for me.”
“Skye, please.”
“No really. It’s like we had this unspeakable connection.”

78. “We really hit it off – I’m going to ask her out later. I woulda done it then, but…” He
shrugged. “She seemed a bit preoccupied.”
“I can’t believe you’re getting a girlfriend, too.”
“You should have come with! Hey, I know, let’s go out tonight – I can totally find
someone for you.”
“Um, no thanks. I don’t need your help to find a boyfriend.”

79. “Aerith-”
“No, really. I have a bunch of studying to do. I’m the only one who didn’t learn fire
safety yet.”
“Alright, fine.”
So, Aerith stayed home that day.

80. But the Specter house was far from quiet – Zephyr got an unexpected visitor.
“Elizabeth!” Zeph exclaimed when he saw his girlfriend. “I can’t believe you’re
here!”
“I thought I’d come visit you. I feel like it’s been ages since I last saw you!”
“Likewise. Hey, let’s get out of here – I can show you around.”

81. And so the pair took off for a romantic date on the town. They decided to get
dinner at the café before Liz had to catch her night flight back home. It would have
been a great date, too.

82. If this hadn’t happened.

83. YOU! You are always doing this! No matter what hood I’m in, it’s never anyone
else – just you!
S-Sorry! I’m so sorry, really!
Mmmhmm. You don’t look sorry – you look like you’re hiding a smirk. You better
start watch your back, missy.

84. Zephyr, though, seemed unfazed by the whole ordeal. And even though he was
positive he hadn’t ordered anything with a salad, he decided to let the incident go.
Elizabeth was only going to be around for so much longer – he didn’t want to
waste his time arguing with a waitress.

85. “Oh, Liz I can’t believe you’re leaving so soon. You just got here.”
“I know, but I gotta go,” she said, barely audible due to Zeph’s squeezing. “Let’s
just enjoy this moment while it lasts.”
And that’s just what they did.
*****

86. “Woot! I win again! So what do you think? Skye’s just teasing right?”
“I don’t know, Aer. Staying at home’s fun and all, but you really should get out
more. Meet new people, do new things. Play rock, paper, scissors on other lots.”
*Snort* “Yeah, well, what about you? You may have a girlfriend but you’re just as
shy as me and you even had your first date on the lawn.”
“True, but I’ve also been out loads of times.”
“What? When?”

87. “I go out with Zeph sometimes. Plus yesterday I went to hang out with all my
friends.”
“Really?”
“Really.”

88. “There was a bit of trouble at first; I didn’t realize that JJ and Trina don’t get along
so well. They were picking fights the whole time.”

89. “But once we got something to eat, they mellowed some and everyone had a good
time. And let me tell you, Aer, it’s fun to play rock, paper, scissors with new people
every now and then.”
“I guess…”
“What happened around here?”

90. “Oh, nothing much. Wait - Artemis and Apollo grew up. They’re identical, too. We
really need to get them some collars or something. Oh, and it’s your turn for dog
training.”
“Wha? Come on!”
“Well, it is. And fyi, Mom said she’s going to start withholding allowances if
someone doesn’t teach them to go outside soon.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
*****

91. Aerith lay on her bed thinking. Despite the dark walls of her bedroom, she wasn’t a
depressing person. But it seemed that all of her brothers had had these fabulous
outings around town, all while she was still at home. And worse, they all had
girlfriends! Pretty soon, it’d be time for the heirship challenge and she wouldn’t
even have been kissed yet. She wouldn’t have been anywhere! Well, I may be a
lot shyer than my brothers, she thought to herself. But that doesn’t mean I can’t
have fun with my friends. Or friend, rather, as Taz is my only friend outside the
family. But still! We can hang out. We can go some place and have fun… I’ll ask
mom to go out tonight at dinner.

92. Aerith had resolved to do the one thing her brothers didn’t: get permission to go
out. They seemed to understand that Andy would be okay with whatever they did,
within reason. They didn’t bother asking their mom – she was by far the more strict
of the pair. And with a house as big as theirs, why, she’d never know they’d left the
house - most of the time.
But Aerith didn’t seem to be thinking about any that. That night, when everyone
was gathered to eat together for dinner – a rarity for the household, – she decided
to ask her parents to go out.

93. “U-um would it be okay to go out tomorrow, Mom? Dad?”
“Of course.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Huh?” Aerith was confused by her parents’ varied responses.

94. “No,” Kaylynn clarified. “You’re too young to be going out alone.”
“But Skye’s been out loads of times by himself,” Aerith protested.
“I agree.” Andy interjected. “She’s-”
“Skye shouldn’t have been going out and won’t be going out anymore, either! If he
had asked me the first time, the answer would have been no.”

95. “Mom-”
“I’m sorry, Aerith, but you guys are still young and tomorrow’s a school night
besides.”
“But Zeph and Ash-”
“Are older. They are about to go to college soon, so it’s not unreasonable for them
to go out – as long as it’s not a school night, they ask permission, and they obey
curfew.” She gave her eldest boys a stern look.

96. “Oh, come on, Kaylynn, don’t be so uptight,” Andy tried again.
“Excuse me?”
“They’re young! They’re supposed to be going out and having a good time. It’s a
right of passage.”
“Andy, that is a load of crap. That line didn’t work when Zephyr tried it and it’s not
going to-”

97. “It’s not a line. It really is a legacy right of passage. It’s in the rules.”
“Are you kidding me? Another legacy rule?”
Andy nodded. “Yes. Their teens; they’re supposed to have at least one outing.”
“Andy, this is-”
“You gotta learn to trust them Kaylynn. I’m sure Aerith’s not planning on doing
anything that would get her in trouble.”

98. “Are you honey?” he asked, looking in her direction.
“Um,” Aerith looked back and forth between her parents. “No. Taz and I were just
going to hang out.”
“Right, see, Kaylynn? Day after tomorrow’s fine then, Aerith.”
“But-”
“It’s a Friday,” Andy interrupted his wife. “Just be back at a reasonable hour and
don’t forget to do your homework.” And with that, the conversation was closed.

99. *****
Later that night, as Aerith was having her nighttime tub session, she thought about
dinner. Even though she got what she wanted, she couldn’t help but feel guilty. It
seemed she was always starting a fight between her parents – first her hair and
now this. She decided to put it out her mind for the time being, though. She was
sure her parents would work things out, just like last time.
*****

100. “So what do you wanna do?” Aerith asked Taz the next day after school.
He shrugged. “I don’t know, what do you wanna do?”
Aerith sighed. “Okay, that attitude isn’t helping.”
“What? I don’t see you coming up with any brilliant ideas.”
“Okay, okay, let’s just go. We’ll walk around downtown and just stop where ever
there looks like there’s something fun.”

101. Minutes later, Aerith had stopped Taz outside of the Lucky Shack.
“Come on, it’ll be fun!” she exclaimed.
“I don’t know… I can’t even sing. I’d just embarrass myself.”
“That’s the point! Besides, I’d be there with you.”
“Eh…”
“Okay, then, only one way to solve this.”

102. “One… Two… Three… YES! I win! I win! Come on, we’re going in!” Aerith pulled a
groaning Taz into the building.

103. And he was right. He did suck. Lucky, Aerith was a lot more talented.

104. “So what do you wanna do now,” He asked.
“Oh, I don’t know, how ‘bout we stop by the park?”

105. The park was very eventful.
This was all Aerith, folks. I had her check him out to set her gender preferences
and as soon as I turn my back, she pounced on him. And I had a whole story line,
too. At least a week of slow build up… *Sigh* Oh, well - she’s made it clear she
wants a boyfriend, so why not?

106. And since the two were already BFFs, it didn’t take much for them to fall for each
other.

107. But don’t worry, the pair wasn’t intent on moving too fast.
“Yes! I win again!”
“Aw, man, how come you keep winning?”
“Man, Asher was right; rock, paper, scissors, is fun on other lots!”
*****

108. Meanwhile, another Specter was having a date of his own.
“Hey, Marissa, thanks for meeting me here.”
“No problem. It’s always fun hanging out with you.”
“So, um… do you wanna get something to eat?”

109. The pair settled down for a nice meal and got to know each other… though
technically they knew each other pretty well, since, they, too have been best
friends since they were kids.
Is it wrong of me to set my sims up before they even turn teens? And man, look at
Skye’s face – it’s like he knows he’s been watched.

110. Anyway, though Marissa wasn’t exactly impressed with Skye’s table manners
(Skye has the least neat points of the kids too), dinner went well.

111. A little handholding and flirting and hearts went flying.

112. “So, Marissa - would you like to go steady with me?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
******

113. Time was passing quickly in the Specter house. Everyone was so busy that the
vacation and bonfire night was like a lifetime ago. Kaylynn had stayed busy by
skilling, putting all her energy into earning that last promotion. She seemed out of
it most of the time, leaving things up to Andy since he was home. She and him
never seemed to have time to talk properly, though, so things between them
remained unresolved.

114. Andy was all too aware of this and the fact that time was running short. Everyday
there was some new reminder that his kids were growing up – that the heir
challenge was imminent. He was always doing legacy stuff – writing his novel,
practicing the family hobby, and reading magazines to keep his interests up.

115. And before he knew it, the portraits were done.

116. It was symbol that his time was up. There was a new generation and it was time to
pass on the reins. Aerith and Skye were halfway to adult. It was time to throw the
B.A.R.F. party.

117. It was time to make amends with his wife.
“Andy,” Kaylynn said, surprised. “What’s up?”
“It’s time, Kaylynn. For the challenge-”
“No, no, no. I told you not to talk to me about that.”
“Kaylynn-”

118. “Andy, I told you that I didn’t want to talk to you unless you call this whole thing
off.”
“But-”
“No buts. I mean it.”
Andy sighed. “Kaylynn. I have to do this. I’m going to throw the party tomorrow.
You should come-”

119. “You really think I’m going to go to this party? To participate in some stupid ritual
that I don’t even believe in?”
“Kaylynn-”
“No, Andy. I’m not coming. And this challenge isn’t happening – not if I have
anything to say about it.”

120. “Honey, please, be reasonable. This is your last chance to say goodbye to the
kids-”
But Kaylynn just shook her head, interrupting him. “No, you be reasonable. This
thing is insane. I can’t believe you can’t see that. There has to be another way. I’m
not coming and I’m not participating.”

121. “But you should be there. Think of the kids-”
“I AM! I am thinking of the kids, Andy, something you seem incapable of doing! I
won’t give in – I won’t put them through this.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
“I do have a choice.”

122. “And I choose not to talk about this anymore, not until you tell me you’ve changed
your mind.”
“Kay-”
“Have your little party, Andy, whatever. But I won’t be part of it. And I won’t send
the kids away. They’re staying here. This conversation is over.” With that, she
stormed out the room, leaving Andy looking after her dejectedly.
*****

123. And so the next morning Andy found himself alone with the kids in the backyard.
“Well, kids. We’ve talked about this before. You all know what day it is.”
“Where’s mom?” Zeph couldn’t help asking.
“She’s… She’s not coming. We have to continue without her. It’s time for the party.
It’s time to start the heir challenge.”
The End.

124. Look at all these townies, still confused about time period they’re in. *Sigh* One of
these days, a Specter is going to have to start a boutique – this is starting to get
annoying. Anyways, sorry if this chapter seems a bit boring and all of the place,
but tune in next time for chapter five, when everyone finally learns just what this
deadly first challenge is. Later Simmers, and happy reading.