This document introduces Amarante Gestalt, a young woman who has experienced instability in her life since leaving home at a young age for unknown reasons. She is starting her first day at a new college, hoping for stability. The document follows Amarante as she settles into college life, makes friends, and eventually graduates with her degree in Performing Arts. After graduation, she moves to the town of Pleasantview and buys a home, hoping to build a new life for herself through finding work as a music teacher and pursuing opportunities to perform music.
2. This is the Romara Dorm of the esteemed Academie le Tour University.
This is also the September morning new students arrive for Fall
Quarter. While most of the students who will live here come from
normal, if affluent families..
3. One doesn‟t.
So this is it then…Amarante thought to herself as she stepped up to the door
of her new home.
It’s not so bad. Nicer than I would have thought. Probably nicer than I
deserve, given the circumstances.
4. Unlike her classmates, Amarante Gestalt had not seen her family for 6
years. Moving from foster home to her friends‟ couches and back to foster
homes, Romara Dorm would, hopefully, be her home for longer than
anywhere else since she left.
5. While most of the kids she met in the system left their homes due to abuse,
neglect, or were simply kicked out, Amarante‟s situation was a bit unique.
6. She had no idea why she left.
She remembered growing up, her parent‟s faces, the school she went
to, her first kiss. But when it came to the event that prompted her
flight…nothing. Just a vague notion of unease and a surety that she
would never go back.
7. Amarante had barely managed to do well enough in school to be
accepted to Le Tour, and that showed in a…necessity for an increased
focus in her class work.
8. Remind me why I decided to take sociology? It’s not nothing to do
with my major, and do I really need to know the difference between
the structural-functional and social-conflict approaches to
sociological research?
At least the TA is hot…
9. Difficulties in sociological exploration notwithstanding, Amarante
enjoyed most of her classes. One of the few constants in her life was
music, and from the minute she arrived Amarante declared the
Performing Arts major. Though her main goal in life was to ensure her
future children had it better than she did, she hoped to someday make
a living doing what she loved best: singing.
10. Despite her implausible and very dramatic background, Amarante
spent her college days like most do.
She worked at her crappy part-time job,
14. But as much as she tried to enjoy her stable, normal college experience, the
mistrust, doubt, and confusion that surrounded her past was inescapable. No
matter how much she tried to lose herself in her new life, Amarante often found
herself alone and dejected.
I don’t get it…what am I doing wrong? Why can’t I just move on from whatever it
is that happened to me? I’m weird, I get it…but that going to haunt me forever?
15. In spite of her angst, Amarante managed to graduate Summa Cum
Laude with a degree in Performing Arts. But with that success came an
even greater challenge…
16. She had no idea where to go next.
Now what? It’s not like I’ve got anywhere to go home to…and Sim City County’s
a big place.
The sirens of a passing ambulance momentarily interrupted her musings, but
Amarante‟s thoughts quickly turned back to the situation at hand.
17. After all, it‟s not like this was a problem she could run away from.
A dog? At the bus terminal? Because my life wasn’t weird enough, right?
19. At least one aspect of Amarante‟s decision was easy. There was no point in
staying outside, in any case.
20. Not that the decision was any easier there.
“Amarante? What are you doing here?”
21. “Mr. Barnes?” Amarante was shocked to see her sociology TA standing in
front of her. Though they had got along well enough at university, she still
didn‟t feel comfortable calling him by his first name.
“C‟mon, it‟s Jeremy. I was only your TA, not your professor. And I‟m definitely
not old enough for a pretty girl like you to call me Mister.”
“I‟m sorry, hello Jeremy. I didn‟t expect to see you here.”
“Likewise. What‟s up?”
23. “Transitioning…I like the sound of that. I guess you could say I‟m
„transitioning myself. Spring Quarter was my last one at Le Tour, so I‟m
headed back to civilization.”
24. “Which part of civilization, if you don‟t mind me asking.”
25. “To be honest, I have no idea. I‟m thinking…to wherever the next bus ends
up.”
26. “That sounds dangerous.”
“ Ha, I bet! Then again, it‟s not like I have anywhere else to be. I better get
going. See ya around kid.”
“Good luck.”
27. “What‟ll it be, honey?”
“Surprise me.”
“…the next bus for Pleasantview leaves in 5 minutes.”
“Why not…Pleasantview it is.”
33. “Thanks for meeting me here Ms. Leive.”
“Of course Ms. Gestalt. This product has been on the market for some time now,
so you can imagine the owners are eager to sell. Even to someone with less
than stellar references.”
34. “As you can see, the property is in decent shape. The large windows
increase the heating costs of course, and the floors need refinishing. The
wallpaper…”
Amarante‟s thoughts drifted away from the real estate agent‟s assessment
of 95 Woodland Drive and towards the place she might be calling home.
By carefully saving her grant money from college, and what little she
managed to save from her previous life, Amarante had scraped up
enough to purchase a starter home, albeit a cheaply priced one.
35. The house was fairly middle of the road compared to others homes in the
area. Woodland Drive was considered by many to be the dividing line
between Pleasantview‟s rich and not-so-rich residents. Though this property
was significantly smaller than those surrounding it, the grey stones and large
windows that dominated the exterior were certainly charming. As Amarante
surveyed it‟s exterior, a small of part of her dared to hope her long days of
restlessness could be over.
36. “The place comes with the basic furniture provided by the owners. It„s not
much, but it should get you through the first few weeks, at least.”
“It‟s a bit…” Amarante paused, trying not to offend the woman standing next to
her. “Grey, isn‟t it?”
“You‟re wearing grey, aren‟t you?”
“…what?”
37. Ms. Leive sighed. “Look, like I said, it‟s a fixer upper. But the price is right,
and given the price range you‟ve told me, there‟s not much else I can do
for you.”
“Is the neighborhood safe?” Though she had no reason to believe
otherwise, years of a certain lack of security in her life had left Amarante
with a slightly nervous temperament.
“Are you joking? Pleasantview is about the sleepiest area in the county.”
38. After touring the rest of the home, the women found themselves back
where they started.
“So, Ms. Gestalt. Do we have a deal?”
Glowing with a peace she hadn‟t felt in years, Amarante answered. “Yes, I
think we do.”
39. With the young woman carefully out of earshot, Clementine Leive took out
her phone, dialing a number she used so often she could do it blindfolded.
“Yes sir, she bought the house…no, I couldn‟t tell, but there‟s…something. I
can‟t say for sure, but she may be one of them…No, I can‟t imagine she is.
Something‟s missing, maybe a disconnect of some kind.”
40. “…I‟m sorry! I didn‟t…yes, I understand. If nothing else, I doubt she poses
any type of threat at the moment…yes, I put a tracer on her just in case. If
something comes up, you‟ll be the first to know.
42. Amarante began her life in Pleasantview in earnest by finding a job as a
music teacher. While it wasn‟t exactly performing per se, she hoped the
connections she formed in the business would help her land a gig at a local
club.
44. Amarante managed to make friends with her neighbors. Cassandra Goth
in particular proved to be a kindred spirit of sorts, and the two women got
along famously.
45. It wasn‟t long before Amarante‟s skill at performing was noticed by an
appreciative (and connected) fan.
46. “It‟s Amarante Gestalt, right? I don‟t know if you‟d be interested, but I
noticed you up in the booth and I think you‟d be a great act at my family‟s
club.”
Amarante hesitated. After all, how much pull could a teenage boy have at
a nightclub? “That‟s sweet, but aren‟t you a little young for a talent scout?”
47. The boy paused for a second, and though she wasn‟t sure, Amarante
thought she saw a malevolent look briefly cross over the teenage boy‟s
face. “Look, I‟m guessing you‟re new in town, so I won‟t hold that against
you. I‟m Brent Renfield, and my family owns about third of Sim City—and
we‟re talking the good third here. So,” Brent continued in an exaggeratedly
patient voice, “if you‟re interested in singing at Pale September this
weekend, send me an email and we‟ll set things up.”
48. Though she had her misgivings, perhaps rightfully so in this case, Amarante
knew she didn‟t want to stay a music teacher forever. So later that night, she
confirmed the date with Brent.
50. There’s so many people here…why do I feel like I have no idea what I’m
doing?
51. As she climbed on stage, the rolling sensation of fear refused to leave her
body, preventing her from opening her mouth, much less singing. As she
gazed out into the crowd, each face looking less and less forgiving, she
found herself settling on the final table to the left.
52. And the smiling face of her friend gave her the courage to go on…
53. Give me a reason to believe that you're gone...
I see your shadow so I know they're all wrong.
54. Moonlight on the soft brown earth,
It leads me to where you lay.
They took you away from me but now I'm taking you home...
55. I will stay forever here with you,
My love.
The softly spoken words you gave me...
Even in death our love goes on.
56. Some say I'm crazy for my love, Oh my love...
But no bonds can hold me from your side, Oh my love...
They don't know you can't leave me
They don't hear you singing to me
57. I will stay forever here with you,
My love
The softly spoken words you gave me...
Even in death our love goes on
61. People die, but real love is forever.
“Even in Death” -Evanescence
62. It’s over. I did it…
“Thank You, everyone!”
As she ended the song, Amarante blushed to the applause that filled the
club. Though she enjoyed herself, she was just as quick to leave the stage.
63. Before she could make it over to Jeremy, Amarante was accosted by an
older, obviously refined woman who seemed completely out of place in a
Sim City nightclub.
“Wonderful performance dear. As we watched, my group couldn‟t help but
notice that you look dreadfully familiar. I‟m Marissa Cleveland…does the
name ring any bells?”
64. Though the woman hadn‟t done anything wrong, as soon as she started
talking Amarante felt a sick…something…crawl into the bottom of her
stomach and stay there. “Um, no. I don‟t know you. Sorry…”
65. “There‟s no need to be sorry, dear. Again, a wonderful performance.”
As soon as the woman turned away from Amarante, whatever it was that
took hold of her senses disappeared immediately. She stood still for a
moment, unsure if she even wanted to know why Marissa Cleveland terrified
her.
66. But a moment later, comfort ruled out over self-knowledge, and Amarante
found herself in front of the two closest (and in many ways, only) friends she
had in Pleasantview.
Before Amarante could speak, Cassandra interrupted her.”I‟m so sorry I
wasn‟t here when you started, I had family problems you would not believe.
You were absolutely great up there though!”
Jeremy seemed at a loss for words. “…You must be thirsty, how bout a
drink?”
67. “I‟m glad to see you made it out of the bus station,” Jeremy commented
with a smile. “Where did you end up?”
Afraid she would sound like she moved to Pleasantview just because Jeremy
did, Amarante briefly considered lying. But the thought passed, and after
taking a (hopefully) inconspicuous deep breath, she answered truthfully.
68. Jeremy laughed. “No kidding? You know, I was kinda hoping you‟d head
there.”
Amarante‟s breath caught in her throat. “Really? I mean, you don‟t, um..”
“Well, yeah. It‟s always nice to see a friendly face, isn‟t it.”
“Oh, yeah. Of course, I agree.”
69. “Pardon me for interrupting, but your song was absolutely divine.”
Amarante quickly stood up at a melodic voice behind her. As she
turned, she was taken aback by the pale woman in front of her. Unlike
the feeling of dread the older woman at the stage caused however,
Amarante immediately took a shine to the interrupter.
“Thanks so much! It sort of came to me one night, I can‟t really explain
it.”
70. “In my experience, the best parts of life just appear to us in the night.”
The woman spoke slowly and deliberately, thought a hint of joie de vivre
shone through her carefully considered words. “I hope we‟ll see more of
your songs around town, the scene‟s become so dull lately, and I always
appreciate a hint of new blood. But I‟ll let you get back to your date,” as
she ended with a sensuous grin.
“Oh, we‟re not…uh, thanks again,” and before she could say anything,
Jeremy whisked Amarante off in the other direction.
71. As soon as Amarante was out of earshot, a similarly pale teenage boy
snarled, “What the hell do you think you‟re doing Jennail? You know
she‟s off-limits!”
72. “Calm down Fricorith, it was just a bit of harmless fun. Honestly, with your
constant grumbling and going on, one would think you‟re an old man”
Jennail laughed.
“Grow up.”
73. A momentary distraction notwithstanding, as she and Jeremy danced,
Amarante was surprised at how irrationally happy she was when Jeremy
admitted he was happy to see her.
Of course he was, he doesn’t know anyone in Pleasantview either. Stop
reading too much into this. Besides, you don’t even really know him that
well…
74. As much as Amarante told herself to stop thinking too much, she was far
too interested in her dance partner to notice the trouble brewing near
the club‟s entrance.
“Well, well, well,” Kvornan Tricous‟ smooth voice uttered. “Looks like the
beasts are out in form tonight! But this is a people club, not a pet store.
Did you get lost, boy? I don‟t see your owner around.”
75. “You‟re not a person, you Goddamned parasite,” Max Were growled.
“You might be able to hide your perversion a little better than we can,
but we‟re still a hell of a lot more human than you‟ll ever be.”
“Aww…what brave words for a little doggie. Look around sweetheart,
you‟re obviously outnumbered. Run along home.”
“You think we need numbers to slaughter you?” Max‟s brother Henry
chimed in. “What are you going to do, bite us? We‟d rip your face off
before you got near our throats.”
76. “Dear boy, you aren‟t picking on animals again, are you?” Nylissit Tricou
replied in a syrupy tone of voice.
The male vampire next to her continued. “Honestly, Kvornan I can‟t see
why you would waste your time on these mongrels when there are so
many pretty young things around to entertain us. Then again,” Kiernan
Tricou continued menacingly, “I suppose a good tussle now and then is
good for the soul.”
77. Before either party could turn their threats into reality, an eminently
dangerous presence in the form of Jon Tricou appeared behind the
Were brothers and their sister Elisha.
“While I have no doubt you three would put up a nasty fight, neither your
alpha nor your other acquaintances are here to back you up. I think it‟s
time you left, no?”
78. The werewolves growled as they passed Tricou, but they weren‟t stupid.
Though individually a were could beat a vampire blindfolded, three of
their pack versus the six of them, in a crowded area no less, was a
pointless fight. Still, Max couldn‟t help but include a passing word to the
Head Vampire of Sim City as he left.
“I don‟t give a damn who you and your little pets think you are, but this
isn‟t over,” he snarled under his breath.
“Of course not,” Jon replied in patronizingly.
79. Once the pests had left, Jon turned angrily to his “family.”
“I‟ve told you before, and this will be the last time I do so. Do not pick
fights in public again, or you won‟t be allowed in public. Am I
understood?”
81. Oblivious to the supernatural goings-on around them, Amarante,
Cassandra, and Jeremy headed outside.
“I‟ve got to get going, if I‟m not home before light out Daddy gets
nervous,” Cassandra sighed. “But call me, ok?”
“Sure thing,” Amarante grinned. Thanks again for coming!”
82. As Cassandra walked away, the rest of the group found themselves
alone.
“So, have I mentioned you look fantastic?” Moving closer to his friend,
Jeremy cleared his throat before continuing. “You know, I could give you
a ride home, if you need it. PV isn‟t too big, I‟m sure your place is on the
way home.”
83. Though she wasn‟t particularly experienced with men, and she certainly
found Jeremy attractive, Amarante didn‟t want to seem too easy-to-get,
as it were.
“Thanks, but a big girl like me can find her way home on my own. I‟ll be
seeing you around.”
Slightly dejected, but still hopeful, Jeremy replied. “Definitely.”
84. In the coming weeks, Amarante continued to work on her career,
making sure to spend time with friends. Yet, like any red-blooded family
sim, there was only so much a successful career could do before she felt
something lacking.
I’m doing great, right? So why do I feel empty? Then again, what good is
a great job and a nice home without anyone to share it with? Ugh, get a
hold of yourself. You don’t have anyone, remember?
85. As much as she wanted to deny it, there was someone she had come to
rely on. At least, as much as she allowed herself to rely on anyone. A
quick call and a few minutes later, that someone made his way to the
park.
“What are you doing?” Amarante laughed.
“Damn, I was trying to sneak up on you…there‟s only so much fun I can
have subbing for high school history teachers.”
86. “That sounds…awful actually. Have you found a place to stay yet?”
Jeremy sighed. “Nope, I‟m still at the Simaday Inn. There‟s practically
nothing out here in my price range—you probably got the only place I
could afford.”
“Awww, poor baby,” Amarante teased.
“So,” Jeremy continued. “I don‟t often get the pleasure of late night
phone calls from nice girls, if you know what I mean.”
87. “I, uh…” she didn‟t know how quite to continue. “I guess I just, I don‟t
know, I needed someone to talk to.”
“To talk to, huh? Isn‟t that what phones are for?” he replied with a sly
grin.
Amarante blushed. “Oh my God, you‟re right. I don‟t even know why…”
88. “That figures,” Jeremy muttered.
“You know…” Amarante shyly smiled. “If you want to get out of the rain, I
live across the street.”
93. “Darn, I was hoping to have this done before you woke up. I hope you
like scrambled eggs and ham,” Amarante confessed, still a bit giddy
about the night before.
I love scrambled eggs!” Jeremy too eagerly replied.
94. For a while, both ate their breakfast in silence. Desperately searching for
a topic of conversation, Amarante blurted out the first thing she could
think of. “You know, since you still can‟t find a place, you‟re welcome to
stay here if you like. I have a spare bedroom and all, so it wouldn‟t be a
problem.” By the time she was finished, Amarante was beyond
embarrassed. Ugh, I must sound so desperate, please don’t think I’m
weird, please don’t think I’m weird!
95. “Wow, I‟m so glad you asked first.” Jeremy breathed in a sigh of relief. “I
didn‟t want to seem like some creepy stalker type, but I noticed your
spare bedroom last night, and I wanted to ask but then I thought, of
course, you know, she‟d think I was crazy and everything, so I did—”
96. Relieved, Amarante cut Jeremy off with a squeeze of her hand. “It‟s
settled then,” she smiled.
97. Soon after he moved in, Jeremy quit his job teaching and signed up at
the local police academy. Though his degree was in sociology, Jeremy
had focused in criminal justice theory. Now that he finally found a place
to (maybe) settle down, he felt it was time to take whatever it was he
gained from his long years in school and put it to good use.
98. Most of the time he didn‟t spend at work or with Amarante was spent
painting. Like his roommate (or was it girlfriend at this point?), Jeremy was
committed to culture and the arts. While Amarante expressed her
interest in performing music, Jeremy preferred more personal reflection,
and sought to create something that would last.
99. Neither Amarante nor Jeremy were quite sure what their relationship was
to one another, but let‟s just say the spare bedroom didn‟t get much
use.
100. Though the exact definition of their relationship was uncertain, one thing
was for sure. Jeremy was certainly devoted to his new love.
“Jeremy?” Amarante called, just after arriving home from work. “What
are you doing out in the dirt? Isn‟t your patrol soon?”
“Just in time! I‟ve gotta go, but I wanted this finished by the time you got
home,” he replied, slightly out of breath.
101. “Flowers? But, why?” Amarante asked.
“I thought the place could use a bit of color, and last week you said the
sunflowers at the park were pretty, so I picked some up this morning,”
Jeremy replied cheerfully.
102. For a moment, Amarante didn‟t know what to say. When Jeremy saw
the tears in her eyes, he scooped her up in his arms, ignoring the fact
that he was now late for work.
When she found her voice, Amarante could only say “I love you.”
“I love you too babe.”
Though neither were aware, this was the first time either of them had said
those words.
103. For all intents and purposes, life was going great for the new couple.
Until, one morning, a surprise woke Amarante out of bed…
105. So that‟s it for the first chapter of the Gestalt Legacy. I know I‟m a bit late
getting into the game, but I‟m feeling inspired at the moment
Thank you all so much for reading this, even though I‟m an English Lit
major I have next to no experience with creative writing, so this is
definitely a scary challenge for me! If you liked this enough to comment,
or even hated it enough to comment, you can do so on my
boolprop.com thread or my Livejournal (SunshinePacific).
Thanks Again!!!!
