The Life of Veronica Grey: Part 3

I don’t know why I thought stealing and sailing a boat to an unknown location would ever be a good idea, especially since I didn’t know anything about sailing. Heck, I’ve never even been on a boat before.

I guess desperate times call for desperate measures and I thought this was my only chance to escape and create a better future for my young son.

I was a fool. As soon as I started to figure out the controls, a huge storm appeared and I lost control of the boat. A few days later, Gabe and I washed ashore on some island. In reality, it was worse than that. Much, much worse.

See, I lost consciousness at some point and I don’t remember anything that happened after that. I only remember seeing Gabe and two individuals surrounding my body on a beach and I was shocked to see my ex-boyfriend Jaden being one of them. I had so many questions, yet I found myself unable to utter a word.

“Veronica?! Is that you?” Jaden began. “Oh, I hoped you’d find your way here, but this is not what I wanted at all! Please, be alive…I need you now more than ever. Don’t leave me like I left you. Moon, please call the others – we need help.”

I proceeded to follow the young woman I presume is Moon to wherever she she was heading. When she reached the others, I found myself standing in a seemingly off-grid area that looks like nothing I’ve ever seen before. “Sun! River!” Moon called. “A young woman is lying unconscious on the beach! Please come help!”

The elderly couple rushed to the beach, where the old man knelt down and tried to revive me. “No pulse,” he said. “I’m sorry…she’s dead.”

I thank the Watcher that Gabe is still alive. He was sobbing now and I just wanted to fold my arms around him and hold him close. Tell him that I’m not really gone. That everything will be okay.

Jaden was shattered, too. After burying my body in the garden, Moon tried to console him. “Her physical body is no more, but I can feel her spirit around us,” she said. “She’s not truly gone.”

“Hey buddy,” Jaden greeted and embraced Gabe. It was the first time they spoke to each other. “What’s your name?” Jaden asked.

“Gabe,” Gabe answered. “Ga-biel.”

“Gabriel,” Jaden corrected with a smile. “Do you know who I am?”

Gabe shook his head.

“I’m your daddy and my name is Jaden. Daddy promises he’ll always be here for you and that he’ll never, ever leave you again.”

As time passed, I started to puzzle the pieces together: Jaden told his parents about my pregnancy right after he found out, whereafter they disowned and kicked him out of their house.

He later read about Serenity Isle in the Newcrest Observer, an island whose inhabitants were seeking fresh new residents who don’t really fit in in the outside world. Those who have no place they can call home and want to form new bonds with a group of people who welcome them as family.

He decided to leave to Serenity Isle and learnt about my whereabouts, sending a letter and a treasure map my way. In the letter, he told me what happened with his parents and asked me to come with him. The letter was lost, but the map miraculously found its way to me.

It was hard seeing Jaden and Moon getting close. It was a tight friendship at first, but over the years it blossomed into love. I was happy for them, though – Jaden deserved someone special in his life and Moon was that person for him. She was also a great caretaker for little Gabe.

The years flew by and Gabe was no longer a helpless baby, but a young boy of seven. He often stood in front of my grave, looking really glum. Little did he know that I was there all along, watching him every step of the way. He grew up to be such a sweet young boy and I’m incredibly proud of Jaden for raising him the way he did.

Gabe had everything he needed and more: a doting dad, a nurturing mother, a fun-loving grandma and all the playtime a boy of his age could only dream of. I no longer felt the need to watch over him – I know he’s in great hands.

As for Jayne, it turns out she was arrested after one of her contacts tipped off the police. “I will get whoever betrayed me,” she groaned while getting her hands cuffed by a police officer. “Of that you can be sure…”

I decided to pay her a visit. First, I possessed and broke the toilet. A few days later, I broke the sink. Jayne became more paranoid each passing day and thought she was completely losing her mind.

Floating above her and looking into her eyes, I made sure she was aware of my presence. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Jayne was absolutely petrified.

“Hello Jayne,” I proceeded to speak. “We seem to have some unfinished business…”

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Author’s Notes:  Thanks for reading! I have decided to participate in the Monthly SimLit Short Story Challenge this month, organized by LisaBee, EA Game Changer for The Sims 4 and fellow SimLit writer. The theme for this month is to continue the story of your protagonist from January and February and include another writer’s character as a supporting character to help resolve the conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist from last month. I have decided to use Charliimai‘s Moon Beam as the supporting character and including breckenridge‘s Jayne Ayer as the antagonist again.

In my story, however, the conflict was never really solved between Veronica and Jayne. It was more that the conflict caused Veronica to die tragically, leading to Moon taking Veronica’s place as Gabe’s caretaker. I knew from the start that this story would have a bittersweet ending and not everyone may like it, but that’s just where I decided to go with it.

I kindly invite you to please read all the stories entered for this challenge at the end of the month and vote for your top three choices in both categories (Novice and Veteran), meaning you will have a total of six votes. Any vote that doesn’t contain three votes in each category will be thrown out, so please vote for three Novice stories and three Veteran stories!

Credits:

• Lonely Girl of the Windy Isle
• Serenity Isle family by charlii-mai on The Gallery
• Serenity Commune by charlii-mai on The Gallery
• Jayne Ayer by krowdhc on The Gallery
• Jail by xou-mimille on The Gallery

The Life of Veronica Grey: Part 2

I realized that if I don’t want my parents to ever find me, I’d have to actually leave town and go somewhere they’d never think of looking. I always hated coastal towns – they were always reeking of raw fish and just generally disgusted me.

So, I took the last Simoleons I stole from my parents to book a one-way ticket to Brindleton Bay. As I explored the town, which I hated by the way, I met a red-headed woman named Catarina Lynx. She was the kind of lady who’d constantly adopt stray cats and let their kittens sleep in the same bassinet she was born in.

She seemed nice enough, though, and invited me to her home. There, I told her my sad little life story and she immediately offered to let me stay for as long as I needed to. She was also the proud owner of the Salty Paws Saloon and suggested I play my guitar there – perhaps I could earn some tips.

I started playing there every Friday and Saturday night, when people would flock the place. They really seemed to enjoy my music and tipped well. It looked like things were finally looking up for me.

One evening a particular tipper caught my eye. She was young, around my age, and drop-dead gorgeous. She seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and was really mysterious to me.

A few weeks later, my water broke and I went into labour. Neither I or Catarina could afford to go to the hospital, so I had no choice but to give birth at Cat’s home. I didn’t know anything about the whole process and Cat, who assisted with the birth of Josi’s kitten, didn’t know much either.

It was a long and exhausting day, but eventually my little nooboo entered the world. I named him Gabriel (and nicknamed him Gabe), because he was my gift from heaven. I cradled him in my arms and promised to love and protect him until my dying breath.

I felt that it was the perfect time to count my earnings, as the day finally arrived for me to buy diapers, bottles and all sorts of baby necessities. I could recall the mysterious young woman throwing quite a handful the other day and I also found a note in my suitcase, where I kept all my tips. It read:

“There’s plenty more where that came from. If you’re interested, meet me at the abandoned boathouse.

-J.A.”

Intrigued, I made my way to the boathouse. It seemed isolated, but still I knocked on the door. “Come in,” a voice called.

The young woman was sitting on a blue sofa in the poorly lighted living room. Quite frankly, the whole place was really dark and sparsely furnished.

“Sit,” she said and pointed to the couch. She introduced herself as Jayne Ayer and told me what she actually does for a living. I wanted to make a run for it, but she piqued my interest when I realized just how wealthy she was.

She taught me all the tricks of the trade and soon we were robbing malls, stalls, grocery stores and even people’s pockets. Nobody ever caught us. We were the dream team; we were unstoppable.

The days flew by and before I knew it, it was Gabe’s first birthday. It was the day where I would finally stop worrying about money and start planning our future. Gabe had his father’s eyes and nose, but otherwise, he looked just like me.

Jayne had a big heist planned for the evening. The biggest one the Bay has seen in years. We would rob one of the biggest jewellery stores in the world and we’d be billionaires in the next few days.

Jayne planned everything to the finest detail and made sure the store would be quiet. No one was there. It was practically a piece of cake.

Jayne handed me a baseball bat and commanded me to start smashing the jewellery displays. I followed her word like it was law. We took everything and escaped without a trace.

I snuck into Cat’s home like I did every other night on duty. This time was different – in her PJ’s, Cat awaited me at the door.

“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!” she started yelling. “And don’t even think of another lame excuse – I know you’ve been lying to me.”

She started pointing out what a horrible mother I was and that she was practically raising my son. Worst of all, she was completely right. I also haven’t been doing my part around the house and she’s had enough.

“You have a few days to prepare and then you’re out,” she said and went back to bed. I didn’t have a home, but soon I could buy my own one. I could afford the biggest, fanciest house in Del Sol Valley. Who cares if the crazy cat lady throws me out into the streets for a couple of days?

The day arrived where Gabe and I had to part ways with Catarina and my bank account was still empty. Worried, I called Jayne.

“Hello, Jayne,” I greeted. “Didn’t you say the money would be in my account in no more than five working days?”

“I did,” Jayne answered. “But I lied. Next to stealing, lying is one of my primary talents. I took all the money for myself and now I’m living my best life. Oh, and don’t even bother looking for me – you’ll never, ever find me.”

“When you go to hell, send my regards to my parents,” I said, boiling with anger, and ended the call.

Starting to lose every sense of hope, I noticed a piece of paper, half buried in the snow. It was a map, leading to a destination not far from here.

I grabbed Gabe, stole a boat at the docks and made my way there. I didn’t know whether this was a sign or not, but it had to be. It just had to.

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Author’s Notes:  Thanks for reading! I have decided to participate in the Monthly SimLit Short Story Challenge this month, organized by LisaBee, EA Game Changer for The Sims 4 and fellow SimLit writer. The theme for this month is to continue the story of your protagonist from January and include another writer’s character as an antagonist. I have decided to use breckenridge‘s Jayne Ayer. I had a blast with this character and wrote something I would never have written otherwise – I really love this theme!

I kindly invite you to please read all the stories entered for this challenge at the end of the month and vote for your top three choices in both categories (Novice and Veteran), meaning you will have a total of six votes. Any vote that doesn’t contain three votes in each category will be thrown out, so please vote for three Novice stories and three Veteran stories!

Credits:

• Meet Jayne Ayer
• The jewellery store and all its CC can be found here: http://sims4downloads.net/sims-fans-jewelry-store-by-sims-4-fun/
• Jayne Ayer by krowdhc on The Gallery
• Wendy Charring by Qnshr5 on The Gallery

Here’s a few images just for the fun of it. I really like this image of Veronica jamming her guitar.

Jayne looking at me deviously before she threw her tip in Veronica’s suitcase. You can also notice Qnshr5’s Wendy Charring as the bartender in the background. I added everyone’s Sims to my game, lol.

The Life of Veronica Grey: Part 1

I wish I weren’t me. I wish I had a different life. I wish I knew what the future holds and if there’s any hope at all. These are the thoughts running through my mind on a daily basis.

A few days ago, I left home and I don’t know where to go or what to do next. As you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering: “What’s this chick on about?”

It all started with my parents who never wanted kids in the first place. Father hated children as a matter of fact and Mother was so absorbed with herself that it blows my mind how she got a man anyway. They hated me – not because I was disobedient or did anything wrong, but because I wasn’t a part of their plans. Because I was a child who constantly sought their attention and tender loving care. I was an accident; a gift no one asked for.

They used and abused me. I’d work like a slave cleaning up after them and had to hear what a pathetic dissapointment I was every single day of my miserable life. Some days, they’d physically shove me around and violently hit me when I wouldn’t listen. Behind these stoned walls, no one could hear me scream.

Luckily they were wealthy, so they signed me up for multiple afterschool classes so we’d see each other as little as possible and planned every aspect of my life, like what I would wear, which subjects I would choose, who I could be friends with, which college I would go to after graduating high school, which career path I would take – you name it.

I was enrolled in the University of Britechester, only the finest educational institute for young adults who want to be successful in life (according to my parents, anyway), where both my parents were back in the day, as well as their parents and grandparents. I saw it as a chance to escape from them and truly be myself. I changed my wardrobe and even got a few piercings. It felt liberating.

I met a guy there who I fell in love with. He was the first person who really got me, you know? After having way too many drinks one night, one thing led to another and we hooked up. When I started getting sick in the mornings, I took a pregnancy test which confirmed my suspicions.

I knew my parents would tell me to abort the baby or worse, have us both killed by one of their many contacts, so I dropped out of college, headed back home to collect my last belongings and take some money from my parents while they weren’t there and now I’m on the road to nowhere.

I’m glad to finally be rid of those hateful monsters and having to meet all their expectations, but now I have other problems. My boyfriend suddenly had to move away and I don’t believe in long-distance relationships, nor do I want to trouble his parents with this mess. Maybe he just wasn’t up the task of being a father. I guess I’ll never know, but I do know that he’s out of my life for good.

I learnt quite a lot of skills growing up and I’m a creative spirit, so you’d think getting a job wouldn’t be that hard, right? Wrong. I’ve already sent hundreds of applications on job listings online with no results. I guess I’ll just have to keep looking – my last Simoleons are running out and and my unborn child needs a real home to grow up in.

If I need to resort to stealing things I can sell for a profit, so be it. It’s not about me anymore –  my child deserves a bright future in this dark world and I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure that happens.

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Author’s Notes:  Happy new year and thank you for reading! I have decided to participate in the Monthly SimLit Short Story Challenge this month, organized by LisaBee, EA Game Changer for The Sims 4 and fellow SimLit writer. The theme for this month is to create a character and write their backstory, which another writer will include in their own story in the next few months. I will also continue my own version of Veronica’s story and include other writers’ characters.

I look forward to reading what other writers do with Veronica! If you plan to include her in your story, all I ask is that you credit me (a link to my blog would be nice). Feel free to contact me on The Sims forums with any questions you may have – otherwise, the rest is up to you! She is uploaded to the Gallery under the hashtag #MSSSC (my Origin ID is divanthesimmer and the household name is Grey).

I kindly invite you to please read all the stories entered for this challenge at the end of the month and vote for your top three choices in both categories (Novice and Veteran), meaning you will have a total of six votes. Any vote that doesn’t contain three votes in each category will be thrown out, so please vote for three Novice stories and three Veteran stories!

Credits:

Veronica’s childhood home, Family Mansion, was originally created by findjoo and modified by petrucelli76, which can be downloaded from the Gallery.