Chapter 10: Attacked

I didn't even know he was following me until I was knocked down from behind, my groceries spilling down the alley.

"What the berry?"

"Shut up, bitch. I want to have some fun."

I got up and ran, grabbing my bag of onions. I turned around quickly and started throwing them at him, one right after the other. Some of the onions hit him and slowed him down, but some of them missed. None of them hit him hard enough to stop him.

"Ow! You're going to pay for that, little bitch!"

"Shit."

I started running again, knowing I wasn't going to risk my life trying to be a hero. Berry, was this alley ever going to end? I heard his footsteps gaining ground, so I pushed my body to run faster.

Brick wall. Crap. I looked around quickly and found a ladder which I hastily climbed. Too late. I felt a hand grab my foot, pulling me down. I tried desperately to hang onto the ladder, but my hands kept slipping.

"Damn it, you are feisty. Come on, baby, you need me."

I kicked at his hand, but it didn't help. He threw me down on the ground. I heard a crack, and then my left arm felt like it was on fire. Shit, he broke my arm. I pulled myself up with my right hand and started running again. He shoved me and I hit a dumpster, falling down face first.

He jumped on me, pinning me down. I struggled as much as I could. He hit the back of my head and tore my skirt. Then I felt him inside. My legs hurt from him pressing me into the concrete. I stopped struggling, knowing he would only beat me up more if I did. When he was done, he kicked me in the ribs and ran away laughing.

"You'll always remember me, baby."

I looked up and saw him blow a kiss at me. I put my head down on the cold ground and everything went black.

If I die young
Bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

~ If I Die Young by The Band Perry ~

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Chapter 9: Revelations

Mmmm... minty fresh. I had just had another bout of morning sickness. I felt a little better about it since I was wearing one of the new dresses that I had purchased from Raven 21. As a matter of fact, I was wearing the exact dress Joe had suggested I try on before... my lips turned into a wide smile when I remembered the incredible fitting room sex I'd had with Joe.

I was in a pretty good mood today despite the nausea. I was still feeling a little groggy so when I saw the ghost in my living room, I had to look twice before I believed what I was seeing. The ghost stood up and vaporized before I even had a chance to blink.

What the berry just happened? The ghost had a bright orange light surrounding it. Whose ghost was it? I hadn't remembered my realtor mentioning anything about this lot being haunted. Seriously. Did I really need more weird shit in my life? I picked up the pile of stuff I had brought home from my security deposit box and flipped through it. The only thing I had managed to look at closely was the letter from my mother. I glanced at some of the photos in the pile. They were all of fairly young Sims, some male, some female. I imagined they were probably taken a while ago, so who knows how old they were now? The only picture I recognized was one of my mother. She had the same hair color as I did, but she had bright green eyes. My father must have been the blue berry Sim, considering my skin looked nothing like my mother's and neither did my eyes.

I began to daydream about my father. I wondered if my mother had told my father about me or if she had just kept me a secret. Would he have loved me or been disappointed? What did he look like? What kind of person was he, flirty like me, or more reserved? Would I ever get to meet him? Could I even find him? Was he even still alive?

Alexandra spent the rest of her days locked in the dungeon room. Eleanor often forced men upon her, causing her to have four more children, who were all boys. Eventually, Alexandra committed suicide. Alexandra's oldest child, daughter Elizabeta, who had been born a witch, was also stripped of her powers. When Elizabeta turned eighteen, Eleanor banished her from the Zenteri estate, forcing her to fend for herself. Years later, Elizabeta was found hanging from the ceiling rafters of her small house. She left behind twenty children. Social workers split up the family and placed them in various foster homes.

The rest of the book read much like this, woman after woman committing suicide after having insane amounts of children, slowly giving up and then killing themselves. There were hangings, drownings, shootings, jumping off buildings, and overdoses. My family history was so depressing.

I wondered if my mother had also taken her own life. I hadn't gotten much information from the funeral home about her death, just that call asking me about the funeral arrangements. I had her buried at the Ravenview Cemetery on a small, humble plot. I didn't feel extravagance was necessary. I closed the book and the picture of the author caught my eye. He had the same bright green eyes that my mother did! I had seen this Sim somewhere.. the stack of photos from my mother! I jumped up, searching through the photos until I found the matching one.

I looked at the spine of the book. Christian Zenteri. I was excited. Maybe I could find him and talk to him about some of this stuff. Ever since Trent had died, I had kept my pain to myself. It would be great to perhaps have someone else to talk to about it. Maybe Christian could tell me more about our family, unveil some of the mystery that surrounds us. Wait... how the berry do I even find him? I had no contact information for Christian. I didn't even know if he lived in Ravenview.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

I doubled over, feeling that familiar pain again. This time it seemed to be much more severe than my previous experiences. I had another girl, whom I named Britannia.

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Chapter 8: Raven 21

"Which one should I try on first?"

I stood close to Joe, forming my lips into the cutest pout I could muster. I knew I didn't have to do much to convince him, but a little seduction couldn't hurt.

"How about the dress?"

I liked where Joe was going with this. I took off my shirt, shoes, and skirt. "Ooh, a nice big mirror!" I said nonchalantly. Joe was behind me grinning like a schoolgirl. I'm fairly certain he knew what my comment was about. I was reaching for the dress when he spun me around and kissed me.

He was a really good kisser. I ran my tongue along his teeth, breathing heavily. I liked the way he gently had his hand on the back of my neck. I was having a lot of fun and we had just started. I wanted to play a little before actually doing the deed. I checked out his ass in the mirror, and reached down to grab it.

Joe grinned at me. "Firm grip, Sicily."

"Ha-ha. Do you like that, baby? Do you want more?"

"I'd like a peek at those," Joe whispered, pointing at my boobs.

"Ooh, you are naughty!" I really liked how fun and playful Joe was. He was definitely the flirtiest man I had seduced so far. He seemed to have the same level of flirtiness as me.

"Do you have any special requests?"

"How about a striptease? You can be a sexy stripper, can't you, baby?"

Joe must have really liked that idea because he took his shirt off and started dancing. I kept thinking he had the most adorable little smile.

"I need more customers like you, Sicily."

Joe continued to dance, swinging his hips back and forth, occasionally turning around and sticking his butt in my direction. I laughed and clapped my hands. Joe danced his way over to me, standing really close, kissing me once before lowering himself onto my lap, gyrating his hips. I looked into his pretty green eyes, thoroughly enjoying myself. I touched his chest, running my hands up and down his torso. His muscles felt really nice and I was getting really turned on. I grabbed his ass again, with both hands this time, pushing him against me. He grabbed my boobs and took off my bra. I undid his pants, touching his groin. Joe got close to me and said, "Oh yeah." I tossed his pants aside and pulled him onto the couch with me, kissing him passionately.

I grabbed his thigh, starting at his knee and then moving up slowly. Joe groaned and whispered in my ear, "You are so hot, baby," which only served to turn me on more. I ran my fingers through Joe's hair and kissed him, enjoying every minute of our time together. He laid me down on the couch and got on top of me. We moved our hips together for a while until I suggested we switch positions.

Joe got up and stood by the mirror, winking at me and gesturing for me to join him. I grinned seductively, glad he had understood my fleeting comment.

Joe smiled and said, "I remembered what you said earlier.."

"Good," I said, kissing him again.

I watched Joe's reflection as he pressed himself against me. He smiled naughtily as he saw my expression. I raised one leg and rested it on Joe's waist, rubbing his ass with my foot. Joe picked me up allowing me to wrap both my legs around him. This was a fitting room experience I was definitely never going to forget.

---

Guest Starring: Joe Carella by annasommer

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Chapter 7: Shopping

"Holy Berry!" I screamed. Seeing someone get burned alive, even in a dream, was incredibly awful. This dream had felt especially real. Poor Alexandra. I had seen Trent die in front of me, but that was nothing compared to what she went through. How could people be so cruel? In a sense, I was glad my family had been the distant type because it sure seemed better than the meddlesome kind. I was a very independent person because of the way I was raised. I couldn't even imagine having someone control my life like that.

"OW OW OW OW OW!!!"

The familiar pain in my abdomen was here again. I was used to this, so much so that it was becoming a routine. I didn't think the routine was good, but I guess I knew what to expect. This must be what settling feels like. Ick. It didn't feel good.

This time I came home with a baby girl, whom I named Abriola. I put her in her crib and decided to curl up with a nice rom-com to cheer myself up. I needed to get the taste of settling out of my mouth.

---

"As for you, you insignificant little wretch, you are coming with me!"

Eleanor continues her hold on Alexandra and drags her back to the Zenteri estate. The gate is heavy so Eleanor uses a spell to open it since she has her other hand full carrying Alexandra.

"What are you doing, Grandmother?"

"I'm taking you home, where you belong, where you can't cause any more trouble to me or this family."

Eleanor heads up a winding spiral staircase that spans many floors. She goes down a long hallway until she reaches a dungeon-like door at the end. She unlocks the massive padlock with her wand and roughly throws Alexandra into the room. Alexandra glares at Eleanor, her eyes shooting darts in Eleanor's direction.

Then she points her wand at Alexandra and calmly says, "Pouvoirs disparaissent."

Alexandra doubles over, and starts screaming in pain as Eleanor shuts the dungeon-like door, grinning to herself.

---

I woke up, unaware that I had at some point fallen asleep again. I must have been more exhausted than I thought. These dreams were getting so intense. It seemed like the stuff of fairy tales and fantasy, not a regular girl's family history. I sat on the couch for a while, annoyed at my stupid life. Hm, at least I'm getting laid. I chuckled, glad I could still find laughter these days.

Shopping. Every girl needs a good shopping day. I hadn't had one of those in a while. Maybe that was the cure I needed to relieve my irritation. I was getting bored of my maternity clothes. I think I had maybe two different outfits. If this baby thing was going to keep happening to me, I really wanted some new clothes. I might as well make the most of this situation, weird and annoying as it was.

I was still a young woman, so I decided to hit up Ravenview's premiere clothing store for young people, Raven 21. The last thing I wanted was maternity wear that made me look like an old lady. When I stepped into the store, a young man with silky dark hair greeted me. He asked if I needed help with anything, but I declined, keeping him in my sights. I browsed the store for a while, then went up to the counter where he was sitting.

"Hello. I'm looking for something I could wear if I was pregnant."

"Well, most of the clothes are pretty tight fitting, but I think if you bought a size or two bigger, it would work."

"Thank you," I grinned shyly at him and continued to look through the racks. I could feel him watching me and I liked it. I spotted a shirt that was on a hook a little too high for me and purposely reached for it.

"Here, let me help you with that."

The young man was behind me in a flash. He took the shirt down and handed it to me.

"Thanks, again."

"My name is Joe, if you need anything else." He smiled, and I noticed his green eyes.

"A fitting room would be great."

"OK. Jane! I need cover on registers! Right this way. How many items do you have?"

"Hmm.. 5 I think."

"All right, here you go," Joe unlocked the fitting room door and held it open for me. "What's your name?"

"Sicily."

Joe wrote my name on the marker board that was stuck to the door. "Let me know if you need a different size."

"Actually, Joe, I was thinking you could stay in here with me. I need a second opinion on these clothes."

"Wow, I don't think that would be right. But I like the idea." Joe flashed me a naughty grin and shut the door behind us.

I began to get excited. Joe seemed to be just as risque as me.

---

Guest Starring: Joe Carella by annasommer

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Chapter 6: Questions

"Uh, ma'am, I'd appreciate if word didn't get out about uh, this. I'm uh, kinda married."

"Please, call me Sicily. We did just see each other naked," I winked coyly. It was incredibly adorable how shy he was considering what we had just done.

"Oh, ok... Sicily."

"Robert, don't worry. Mum's the word. I have no intentions of breaking up any marriages, or getting married myself. I'm not looking to hook you into an affair."

Robert sighed, most likely a sigh of relief, and smiled at me. I got off the table and walked over to him. We turned our respective keys and heard a click. Robert opened the door and pulled out the box. He put it on the table and gestured for me to open it.

"I will leave you to your box now, Sicily. Have a good day. Use this phone when you are done, I will come back to let you out."

"Thank you, Robert."

Robert smiled and left the vault.

---

The contents of the box were a few pictures, I guess of family members. It was hard to tell since I didn't know most of them. There was also a letter in the box that had my name written on the envelope.

My dearest Sicily,

You are 18 years old today. I am writing you this letter to prepare you for what is to come. I cannot do this anymore. I am unwilling to raise any more children. You know I love your brothers and sisters, and you, very much, but thirty-two children is enough. You are going to be my last child. I'm going to succumb to my fate and live the rest of my days alone..

I'm sorry I have been so distant and I'm sorry that I don't know you better. I'm sorry that I never gave you a father figure to look up to. Please understand that it is something I had to do. I worry about the day you will leave the house and start your own life because I know that it will be a hard one. You will face the same fate I did, bearing child after child with different men. I don't know why this is, but my mother also did this. I was raised the same way you were. My mother simply told me this is the way our family has to be, the way it has been for many generations. I wish I could tell you more, but there is no more to tell.

So it was coincidence that the safety deposit key was numbered 1875. Clearly my mother knew nothing about our family history. I couldn't believe my mother wasn't the least bit curious about everything. Maybe my dreams were actually a blessing.

When the time is right, you will receive this letter and I hope it will open your eyes a little to some of the strange happenings you will face in your life. I hope you do not end up like me, miserable and alone. I hope your ending is different, and that you find your true love someday.

Love,
Mom

My thoughts turned back to Trent. True love. Was that what I had with him? I had jumped his bones in a therapy session, that didn't exactly scream love. Yet I had been so devastated when he died. Was that shock? Or love? I did miss him. You don't miss people you don't love, do you? I was so confused. Did I even want to get married, settle with one guy? Would I have been married to Trent if he hadn't died? Do you consider it settling if it's your true love? Maybe I just didn't know what love was.

The letter did give me a little more insight into my mother and why she was so miserable all the time. I wondered why she never went looking for love. Was she unable to? Although my relationship with Trent was incredibly short lived, it was probably more of a relationship than my mother ever got. The few months I spent with him were the best of my life. Unwilling to raise any more children. Succumb to my fate. I didn't like those words. They sounded like a death sentence. She had just given up. She wasn't willing to fight for her own happiness, and there was no one there to help.

"Mommy, why are you crying?"

I looked down  to see Augustine standing next to me, looking concerned. I hadn't even realized that I had started crying.

"Oh. I just miss your Daddy."

"Where is he?"

I cried a little more, pointing to the picture on the wall above the bookcase.

"He's in the picture frame over there because that's all I have left of him. Augustine, I'm sorry, but he's dead. He's not here anymore."

Augustine looked at the picture, and smiled.

"He's orange, like me."

"Yeah, baby, he was. I'm sorry you never got to meet him."

"It's ok, Mommy. It's not your fault."

Somehow I felt it was my fault. Maybe if I hadn't been cursed, Trent wouldn't have died. Maybe his death was the curse punishing me for finding happiness. I still thought the idea of a curse was a little far fetched, but it appeared to have affected my mother heavily so maybe it really did exist. The terms were lifelong misery and pain, which were pretty accurate so far... ugh, I needed a distraction. I decided to research a little more and possibly find a way to lift the blasted thing.

I do not know if the curse can be lifted. Alexandra never found out either. She lived out the rest of her days as a human after Eleanor completely stripped her of her magical abilities. It is said when any occult life state loses their abilities, it is very painful for them, as it feels like a part of them has been physically ripped away. They never forget it existed though, so they spend the rest of their lives in chronic pain. This was Alexandra's fate. Some occult life states feel as if they are inferior beings when they lose their abilities, wallowing in self pity and shunning other humans, whereas some blend in, choosing to make the most of what they have, grateful that they are still alive.

---

"Grandmother, please! I beg you, don't hurt us!"

"Silence, Alexandra!" Eleanor pulls Alexandra off of Vincent and tosses her aside violently. Alexandra falls to the ground face down.

Eleanor points her wand at Vincent and says two simple words. "Feu eternel!"

Vincent looks at Eleanor with terror in his eyes, unsure of what is going to happen. Suddenly he feels a searing heat coming from his lower back.

Vincent panics, and starts patting himself to put the flames out. He gets even more worried when he notices the flames are getting larger instead of smaller. Eleanor laughs in delight.

Alexandra gets up, and hears the whoosh of fire. She screams and reaches out to Vincent. Vincent starts crying from the pain and the knowledge that he is dying. Alexandra runs towards Vincent, but Eleanor grabs her and pins her arms behind her back. 

"GRANDMOTHER! Make it stop! Don't kill him!"

"No, you have to watch this. This is what happens to people who don't listen to me!"

"I don't want to live if he's not here! Let me go so I can die with him!"

"HA! Your fate will be much worse. Death would be a blessing for you. No, I have a much more effective punishment for you, my sweet."

"VINCENT!!! NOOOO!!!"

Alexandra bawls, tears streaming down her face as she sees Vincent's hand reach up one last time through the flames before he disappears in a cloud of smoke.

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Chapter 5: The Key

Alexandra stands on a hill wrapped in Vincent's arms. Eleanor recognizes her and goes over to interfere.

"ALEXANDRA ZENTERI! What the berry are you doing? Socializing with this scum? I can't believe you would taint our species with his disease!"

Eleanor shoves Vincent off to the side and looks at her hands, disgusted that she has touched him.

"Vincent is NOT a disease!"

"His kind DRINKS BLOOD! Don't you find that the least bit disturbing?"

"He's a good man, Grandmother!"

"Uh-uh, Alexandra! No vampire is good! Don't believe the lies he tells you. Don't you know he can hypnotize people to make them do his bidding? He has you under his control!"

"Grandmother! He is NOT lying to me! Don't you DARE imply that Vincent is with me for any reason other than love!"

"Ha. You think you love him, but he is just being nice to you so he can either turn you into a vampire or kill you!"

Alexandra glares at Eleanor, then quickly runs over to Vincent and grabs his hand. "Come on, my sweet, we are leaving."

"No, you're not going anywhere."

Eleanor grins evilly,  pulls out her sorceress wand and aims it menacingly at the couple.

---

I shot up like a rocket, not wanting to see where my dream was going. I had a sinking feeling that my subconscious was ready to show me how Vincent died. I was sweating bullets at the thoughts of what horrifying circumstances my ancestors had to put up with. Was love even worth it? Alexandra and Vincent definitely thought it was.

The apricot scrub felt good against my skin. The little beads massaging my face were soothing after the night I just had. Things seemed to be going a little better since Antonio had given me the 6,000 Simoleon check. He was such a generous man. Little Barium had his hair and skin color and my ice blue eyes. I had plans to deposit the check at my local bank, the Ravenview Credit Union. While I was waiting in line to deposit my check, I saw a stack of pamphlets on a side table that caught my eye. They had pictures of keys on them and they looked very familiar. I took the pamphlet with me when I left.

Safety Deposit Boxes

Have valuables you don't trust in your home? Get a secure safety deposit box here at the Ravenview Credit Union. We have many boxes available in our maximum security vault. Come down to the Credit Union to sign up for one today.

I looked closely at the picture of the key on the pamphlet and then at the key I had in my rock. They were identical. Who did this safety deposit box belong to and why would they give me their key? I swear, the things that happen to me. I wished I had been able to get a glimpse of the stranger who put the rock on my front lawn. Oh well, no use worrying about that now. The next best thing I could do was go to the credit union and see what was in the box.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

"I would like to open my safety deposit box."

"All right, ma'am. Please follow me."

The bank teller got up off his stool and gestured for me to follow him to the vault. He was wearing a smooth silky green button down shirt. He hadn't buttoned it up to his neck, so it gave me a chance to admire a little bit of his pectoral muscles. I looked over to his name tag while imagining myself grabbing his chest. Robert. What a sexy name. He had adorable hair, the kind that looks messy but you know the guy spent an hour getting it to look that way.

I took a moment to check out Robert's ass as I followed him into the vault. He had really good posture even though he had to sit at a teller window typing on a computer all day. I wondered what his muscles felt like.

"Ma'am?"

I was momentarily distracted from my fantasy as I realized Robert was asking me a question.

"Hm? Yes, sorry?"

"Which number box do you have? We need to put both of our keys into the locks to open the box."

I looked down at the key I had just taken out of my purse. 1875. What? Was it just a coincidence that my key was the same number as the year of Alexandra and Vincent's romance?

"Ma'am? Are you all right?"

I realized I must have looked silly staring at my key as if it was some sort of alien substance. I brought my key over and stood next to Robert. He was wearing cologne, and ooh, he smelled good. He put his key in the lock and when I put my key in I purposely brushed his arm roughly.

"Oh, ma'am, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump you."

"That's all right," I said, a little closer to his ear than I should have been.

I grabbed Robert's hand and spun him around.

"Whoa!"

"Shh, let Mommy play," I purred.

I could see from the look in Robert's eyes and the shy smile he was giving me that he was open to my invitation. I took this as my chance and pulled him close to me. His muscles felt better than I had imagined earlier. I felt him reciprocate my embrace. His hands were so strong as he rubbed my back and ran his fingers through my hair. I put my mouth close to his and kissed him passionately.

I rubbed Robert's back for a while then moved my hands down and put them in his back pockets. I could feel him getting excited as I pushed his body against mine.

"I want you."

"Where? The vault isn't exactly comfortable."

"Oh I'm sure a handsome man like you can get creative.."

Robert took his shirt off. Then he slipped my dress off. He placed both items on the solitary steel table that was in the middle of the room, making a cushion with our discarded clothes. I looked at his sexy body as he laid me down on the table.

I smiled as he climbed on top of me after dropping his pants. He felt warm and gentle, his kisses littering my soft skin. I put my hands on his butt, guiding the pace of his movements. Then I moved my hand to his arm and I could feel him flexing. I don't know if he was trying to impress me, but I liked that he did it.

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