2. The Exchange is back up (finally!), but I had half of this chapter written up already so I decided to finish this one on PowerPoint. Also, I’ve changed the font size this chapter. I made it a bit smaller. Tell me what you think! Recap!~~ In our last chapter, the Gen.2 kids moved to their Greek House, Hex Var Beta. Gabrielle and Ryan got engaged, and Shaun learned all about faeries. Abigail confronted Benjamin about the woman she saw him kissing, only to learn later that is was his fiancé and that he would be dropping out. Morté and Jena received a visit from Evi Ison, who claimed he had special information about the prophecy. After they gave him a small fortune, he agreed to give the information to them if they came to his master’s castle. Kyle Jordan was seen again, trying to learn everything he could about the faeries and fairies to save Abigail. Evi was seen giving all the money to a man, whose face we did not see. Now, on with the chapter! - Izzy
3. Abigail sat up on her bed and brushed her feet across the floor. She had been there all day, ever since Benjamin had told her that he would be dropping out. Now, that she thought about it, she knew that she might have overreacted just a little bit, but it wasn't enough to go down and talk to her twin brother. She had her reasons to be angry.
4. Ever since they had been little, she and Benjamin had done everything together. She could still remember the days when they drew pictures and built with blocks, and the days where they had helped each other with their homework. She had never thought of him as a big brother, but as her best friend. One that you could count on to bring you up when you were down, to make you laugh when you were sad, and Benjamin had certainly done that.
5. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she reached up and wiped it off with her hand. Best friends didn't leave you, did they? They stayed by your side until the very end, right? Gabrielle and Elle were definitely like that. Elle hadn't gone off and dropped out. But, even if she had, Gabrielle wouldn't have cared. She was too kind and sympathetic. She would have wished Elle the best of luck and gone on with her life. Abigail couldn't do that. She was too hot-headed, and she knew it. She almost considered going to find Benjamin and apologizing, but her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door.
6. Abigail didn't answer, but Gabrielle walked in anyways. She took one look at her little sister, put her hands on her hips, and sighed, "Ben's all packed up. His cab should be here in a few minutes.” There was a pause, and when Gabrielle realized she wasn't getting a response, she shook her head and said, "Just thought I'd let you know."
7. Before Gabrielle could leave, Abigail mumbled, "T...Tell him I hope he has a great life without me.“ Gabrielle stopped short. She took a deep breath, shook her head, and turned around.
8. "Oh my God, Abby...I can't even believe you! Get over this stupid thing right now and go say goodbye to him like a civilized person! He's your brother for crying out loud!" Gabrielle yelled. " Yeah, well he's not like a brother to me Gabby! We're more like the best of friends you can find, and now he's leaving me here with a bunch of people who don't even understand me! " Abigail screamed. "You're twins! You're supposed to be that close!“ " Em and Jess are twins and they're not this close! “ "They're polar opposites!“ " So? “ Gabrielle stared at her sister for a long time, then said, quite calmly, "Abby, what if it was Kyle?"
9. "What?" Abigail asked. " What if the only way you could spend the rest of your life with Kyle, someone you love so much, was to drop out and marry him. And what if we all supported you except for Benjamin, because you're too close to be separate. You're going to have to lead separate lives eventually! Why not start now? " Gabrielle said softly.
10. Abigail looked at her sister with utter disgust, "You have absolutely, unequivocally no right to bring him up! It's not like that! It's not like that at all!“ She was interrupted by a loud honk outside. Gabrielle sighed, " I'm gonna go say bye. “ She turned around to leave, then paused, and said, " Oh, and we do understand you, Abby. We look out for you all the time. ” Then she left and slammed the door.
11. Abigail let the words sink in for a few seconds, and a fresh wave of tears flowed down her cheeks. Wiping them away, all she could think about were Gabrielle's words. What if it was Kyle? What if it was Kyle? What if it was Kyle...
12. Abigail ran downstairs just moments later, and was elated to see that Benjamin hadn't left yet. Smiling, she went up to him and whispered, "I'm sorry I'm such a jerk, Ben. Really, truly sorry."
13. Benjamin whipped around and hugged his little sister, his smile a mile wide, "You're most definitely not a jerk, Abby. I'm gonna miss you.“ "I'm gonna miss you, too, Ben.“ An angry honk from the driver interrupted them. Ben gave Abigail a pat on the back as he let go and walked over to the cab.
14. After Benjamin had slid the door to the cab shut, Abigail waved and mouthed, "When's the wedding?“ Abigail could tell that he was laughing from inside the taxi as he mouthed back, " Soon, and you better be there. “ Abigail gave him the thumbs up and watched as the taxi pulled away.
15. Abigail waved long after the taxi had disappeared, and she was surprised when she realized that she had been smiling the whole time. After about ten minutes, she finally let her hand fall. Then, to no one in particular, she whispered, "You're a great guy, Ben. A really great guy, and you’ve got a great heart to be able to forgive someone like me in a second.“ ******************** Just a few days later, back in Domaine de Surprise…
16. Benjamin reached into the pocket of his new jacket and pulled out a cell phone. He took a deep breath, then carefully dialed a number. His heart was pounding, and he was shaking as it rang. He almost thought that no one was going to pick up, when, after the third ring, someone said, " Hello? "
17. "Emily? It's Ben.“ " Oh, hey! What's up? “ "Well, I just got back from D.V.S, and after I saw my parents I walked around a little and I found this tiny little shop. It's very nice, and they have this very pretty dress that will look-“ " Bennnn.... " Emily moaned. " We already talked about this. I'm going to buy my wedding dress, and you're not going to see it until our wedding! “ "I know, I know. But this isn't a wedding dress. It's a gorgeous red one and you'll look even more beautiful in it.“ " Ben, you're too sweet. Go ahead and buy it. You don't need my permission to but me stuff, you know. Especially stuff like purses, and rings, and earrings. Anything you think I’ll like, buy it.” Benjamin laughed, "I know that, too. But it's on sale, which means a no return policy. They only have one dress left, so...Maybe you could come down and try it on?“ " OK...I'll be down there in a few. Where is it? "
18. Benjamin smiled, "1862 Dustpix Street.“ " Dustpix Street? That's all residential! “ "I know. It's a home business type of thing.“ " OK, I'll be there in...10 minutes? “ "Great, see you soon.“ " Love you. “ "Love you, too," Benjamin said as he hung up.
19. A few minutes later, Emily dialed furiously on her cell phone, and when Benjamin picked up, she barked, "Ben? What's going on?“ " What are you talking about, Em? "
20. "I'm talking about the fact that 1862 Dustpix is just a nice little house. I don't see a shop.“ " I told you it was a home business. It's on the second floor. Just go ahead and ring the doorbell. "
21. Walking defiantly over to the door, Emily said, "All right. But I'm just doing it to prove you wrong!“ She knocked on the door a few times before it opened.
23. Slipping her phone into her pocket, Emily wrapped her arms around Benjamin and squealed, "I've missed you so much, Ben! So, so much.“ Sliding his fingers through her soft hair, he replied, "I’ve missed you too, Em.” A few moments passed, and he let go, slowly, “So, you like the house?”
24. Emily stared at him questioningly, "The house?“ "Yeah. I bought this place. For you. Me. Us.“ "Ben! This must have cost a fortune! How on earth did you pay for it?“ "Don't worry about it, Em. Come on, I'll give you a tour."
25. After their tour ended a while later, Benjamin grinned as he caressed Emily's cheek, "You like it?“ "Ben, I love it," Emily laughed. "So that's it! No more surprises?“ Ben smiled slyly, "As a matter of fact.."
26. He pulled Emily over into a room and said, " This is the study, Em. And that ," He gestured over to a large black dog that was looking out the window.
27. " Is River. “ Emily got down on her knees and rubbed River's belly, saying in a singsong voice, "Who's a good boy? Who's a good, good boy? You are, River! Yes you are! Yes, yes you are a good boy!“ River’s tail thumped the ground. Oh yes, oh yes! You humans have the greatest touch. Get in between my ears next, would you? And then under my chin? Ah…Life is good.
28. River soon returned to his window, and Emily walked over to Benjamin, radiant. "You got a house. A dog. I can't even believe this!“ Benjamin looked right into her light blue eyes, saying, "I also got you some ribs. You want to have dinner out on the porch tonight? I'll fire up the grill.“ Emily just smiled.
29. After the dinner dishes were cleaned up, Benjamin and Emily lay outside on the porch, looking up at the night sky while Benjamin pointed out the few constellations he knew, "That one right there is the Big Dipper...And that one's the Little Dipper, and over there in that corner is...Um, I'm pretty sure that's Cassiopeia.“ "Ben. Anyone could point those out. You just look for two pots and a 'W'," Emily said mockingly. "Ok. Well, how about that one over there. I'm almost positive that's Perseus."
30. "And, that one that looks kind of like Utah? That's Pyxis. And the rectangular one is Telescopium," Benjamin continued, keeping his arm around Emily. "Now that's impressing. Where did you learn about those?" Emily said with a smile, not taking her eyes off the night sky. "My sister," Benjamin said with a laugh. "The first night we got to Hex Var Beta, she spent it outside looking through the new telescope. After a while, she wanted to learn about what she was looking at, for some reason. Said it would take her mind off a few things. She spent breakfast telling us everything. I learned a lot.“ Emily's smile faltered, "The same sister who hates me for pulling you out of college?“ "You mean Abby? Yeah, it's her. But she doesn't hate you, trust me. She apologized before I left, and I could tell that she forgives you, too.“ "I sure hope she does. I wouldn't want her to be angry tomorrow."
31. Benjamin sighed, “Em, nothing is going to go wrong tomorrow, I promise.” “ Of course, Ben. Nothing could possibly go wrong. It’s only our wedding.” Benjamin pulled his fianc é closer to him and whispered, “Exactly. It’s our wedding. Nothing is going to go wrong. My parents and my siblings will come a bit before it starts. You’ll already be in your dress. All the chairs will be set up outside and the cake will be here. Nothing is going to go wrong.” Emily nodded and said, “Okay. You’re right. It’s not like we’re having some big production. It’s just a little family gathering outside. You’re right. I hope…”
32. Benjamin wrapped his arms around her, laughing, “I’m always right. Don’t you worry.” “ Sure, Ben. You can think that as much as you want. Whatever makes you happy.” “ I love you, Em.” “ I love you, too.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
33. The next morning, after putting on her dress and clipping her hair up, Emily stood in front of the full length mirror that was in the room that she and Benjamin shared. She pushed away her bangs as she put the finishing touches on her makeup. Sighing, she fussed about with her hair and smoothed out her dress. She turned around and made sure that all the buttons were fastened. She was so worried. This was really the first time she was meeting Benjamin’s whole family. She didn’t want to make a fool of herself. They probably already hated her for making Benjamin drop out. Education was obviously very important in their family. But, as Benjamin had put it, with a Knowledge sim for a dad, it was inevitable. She stood up and took a deep breath. She herself had never gone to college. What would his parents think of her? She pushed away the thoughts and focused on remembering her vows. They were important. That was what today was about. She--she was getting married.
34. “ You look fine, Ben. Stop worrying. You look fine.” Benjamin fiddled around with his bow tie, hoping it was straight. He had taken off his glasses after he had taken out his tuxedo on as he didn’t want to wear them during the wedding. Trouble was, he couldn’t remember where he had put them. He was really freaking out now. How was he going to look Emily lovingly in the eyes when he said his vows if he couldn’t even see straight? He didn’t even know if he had a stray hair sticking straight up at the moment. Moaning, he ran a hand across his hair before the doorbell rang downstairs. Sighing, he stepped downstairs to go outside and marry the woman he loved.
35. A little while later, Emily and Benjamin stood under the arch, and all of Benjamin’s family was seated. Emily looked into Benjamin’s eyes with a nervous smile while his eyes landed about a foot away from where she actually was. “ Over here, Ben. You really should have worn your glasses. You look wonderful in them, “ Emily whispered. Benjamin followed the sound of her voice and tried to focus on a blur. Giving her a weak smile, he whispered back, “I know. But it’s our wedding and I wanted everything to be perfect for you.” “ You’re perfect with the glasses, Ben.” “ Shh! I think we’re just about ready to start.”
36. In the back of the crowd, Eden and Quinten sat together. Eden rubbed her palms together, looking down at her feet. Quinten shuffled nervously and asked, “Do you think he did the right thing? You know…Dropping out to get married?” Eden let her hands fall to her side as she said, “Usually I’m the one asking the questions, smarty-pants. But…I could help you answer this one.” She looked over towards him and whispered, ”Would you have done it? Would you have dropped everything you had worked for your whole life to marry me? To marry the one you loved?” “ I…Of course, Eden.” “ So, does that answer your question?” “ I guess so… But I still don’t think we should have given him all that money for the house.” “ Oh, he paid for some of it, too. And he said he was going to pay us back once he found a job. We were just giving him a little help. Now be quiet, the ceremony is about to start.”
37. Benjamin held up the gold ring that he had taken from his pocket and smiled. He didn’t need to see Emily clearly to know what she looked like. He didn’t need to see her clearly to have faith in what he was about to say. He didn’t need to see her clearly to know that he loved her. “ Emily Bolan, many people are so confused. No one had ever known that I even knew you before I told the world we were engaged. They may wonder about the night we met and how we got to know each other. But I, I will never forget the night I first laid eyes on you. How you were sitting in the corner with a drink and you let me sit next to you. How we talked late into the night. How your face lit up when I pecked you on the cheek and said goodbye. How much I was anticipating the night I would see you again.” “ All these people may wonder about us. Who you are. Who we are.”
38. He continued as he slid the ring onto Emily’s finger. “ I don’t wonder, though. I know who you are. I know that you are a wonderful person with a good heart, but who cannot stop worrying about the smallest things. That you love life, and can make anyone smile, even when they are crying like there’s no tomorrow.” He looked up from Emily’s hand and figured that she was smiling. “ And I also know that I love you. That I love you more than anyone here can possibly imagine.” He heard a few sobs from the crowd, and decided that they were most likely coming from Eden, Gabrielle, and Jessica. He paused and looked up towards Emily, a huge smile on his face, “Do you, Emily Bolan, take me to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, through good and bad, ‘til death do we part, as your beloved husband?” Emily gazed at the ring on her finger as she said, loud and clear, without hesitation, “I do.”
39. Taking the second ring, Emily held it up and said, “Benjamin Forester, you have given up nearly everything you had worked for in life to stay with me. You will never need to tell me that you love me again, as just waking up and seeing you next to me will be enough. It will be more significant than a million ‘I love you’s. You are amazing. You always put everyone else first, and never act selfishly. I couldn’t have found a man more handsome and loving than you, and I’ll always be happy that I decided that to go to that party that night.” Emily felt the first tear fall down her cheek, thankful that she had worn waterproof mascara. She wasn’t quite sure whether or not her tears were of joy or sorrow. Was she happy she was marrying the man she loved, or was she sad that she had taken away all his hopes and dreams? She looked right into his deep green eyes, which were sparkling in the light. She didn’t know why she was crying, but she did know that she loved Benjamin. And that was enough for her to forget about crying and to focus on Benjamin’s radiant smile.
40. She carefully slid the ring onto his finger, saying, “Do you, Benjamin Forester, take me to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, through good and bad, ‘til death do we part, as your treasured wife?” Benjamin didn’t even wait until the ring was securely on his finger before proudly saying, “I do.”
41. All of Benjamin’s family stood up and erupted into clapping as Benjamin pulled Emily into his arms and kissed her passionately. In that moment, Benjamin couldn’t hear the girls’ sobs or Ryan’s whistling. In that moment, he felt like he was soaring above everything. He wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life, so that he could tell his grandkids that sometimes giving up one dream for another was the right thing to do. He wanted to tell them how amazing this moment felt. “ Hey! Bro! I’m starving! Go cut the cake!” It was Abigail’s yelling that brought him back down to earth. He walked over to the patio, hand in hand with his new wife.
42. Soon, the cake was cut, and Benjamin and Emily had taken turns feeding each other bites. All the guests had taken their pieces and congratulated the bride and groom. Abigail had even apologized to Emily and toasted to the newlyweds, all with a genuine smile. Eden and Quinten had congratulated their son and new daughter-in-law and wished him the best of luck, as had all his siblings. Benjamin had been right. Nothing had gone wrong at all, and it was definitely one of the best days of his life.
43. Then the first songs started playing, and the bride and groom had their first dance as husband and wife. Although everyone may have had doubts about the marriage before, they were all confident that Benjamin had made the right choice after watching the way the couple looked into each other’s eyes: with love and sympathy. And, above all that, Benjamin was sure he had made the right choice. The party lasted until the early hours of the morning, and even long after all the guests had left and the music had stopped playing, Benjamin and Emily remained looking into each other’s eyes, so happy that they were together at last. For forever… When at last they both admitted they were tired, they made their way back into the house.
44. But even being tired didn’t stop them from celebrating their wedding. ****************** The next morning, back in Hex Var Beta…
45. Gabrielle rested her fork on the edge of her plate and looked over at her younger sister, who was playing with the syrup on top of her pancakes and not taking her eyes off her plate of pancakes. Gabrielle finished chewing her bite of omelet, then asked, “What’s wrong, Jess?” ----- I got new eye defaults around this time, so if they look different, that’s why.
46. “ It’s Abby,” Jessica sighed. “She’s just so…Down all the time now.” “ Jess, you’re just overreacting. You’re always so concerned about all your family members that as soon as one of then just gets the tiniest bit upset or angry, you think that they need anti-depressants or therapy or something. She’s fine.” Jessica frowned, “No, she’s not, Gabby! She’s just so sad. Ever since Ben’s wedding she’s been sad.”
47. “ What are you talking about, Jess? It hasn’t even been a day! She’s probably…Just…Moody.” Jessica rolled her eyes, “It’s not like that, Gabby! No--something’s bothering her. ” “ How can you be so sure?”
48. “ Well, for one thing, last night, when we came home, I went upstairs to talk to her, because I hadn’t seen her all night. And when I opened her door, she was just sitting on her bed, and her cheeks were tear-strained. When I came over and tried to talk to her, she just whispered, ‘Go away.’ and so I did. Something’s wrong, Gabby, I’m telling you. It’s just not like Abby to act like that. ” “ Jess… That is like Abby. She’s got a temper, and you know it. She’s fine. I bet she’s just sad about Ben being gone. There’s nothing to worry about. Trust me. ” Gabrielle said nonchalantly.
49. “ Gabby! How can you say that about your own sister? I know you two have had some rough patches, but you can’t just ignore her feelings like that!” “ Rough patches ?” Gabrielle said angrily.
50. “ We haven’t had any rough patches! We happen to be pretty close, Jess!” Gabrielle yelled. “I’m worried about her all the time for reasons you don’t even know about!” Gabrielle shook her head and said calmly, “I’m sorry Jess. We have had a few bumps in our relationship. I’m just getting too defensive. Maybe we should be worried.” Gabrielle did not like to get mad, which she figured must be a good thing most of the time. It stopped a lot of arguments.
51. “ Oh Gabby, you don’t need to be sorry! You’re--” “ Hey family! Wazzup?” Emma said happily as she strolled into the dining room with a bowl of cereal. “ Oh nothing, Em. We’re just talking about how Abby’s so depressed she should be in therapy and how--” Gabrielle said sarcastically. “ Woah, wait, what?” Emma sat down and gave a questioning look to her sisters.
52. KHM, “ So…” Emma said as she spooned some of the cereal into her mouth, “Mmmm frmmmm Rabby?” “ Um…Excuse me? ” Gabrielle said with a dumbfounded expression. “ What the hell is going on with Abby, ” Jessica said. “ You couldn’t tell? Well, anyways. She was super bummed yesterday after Ben’s wedding. Crying, wouldn’t talk to anyone, seemed really lonely. ”
53. “ You’re kidding, right? You don’t know what’s wrong with her?” Jessica and Gabrielle just stared at Emma and shook their heads. “ She needs some love !”
55. “ Hey! I’m talking about a boyfriend, dumbos!”
56. “ What?!” Gabrielle yelled. “A boyfriend!? What? Who? Why? How!?” “ C’mon, Gabby! It’s what she needs! Don’t you understand why? ” “ Um…No! That’s why I’m asking all these questions!”
57. “ Look. You’re engaged. So is Ryan. Ben’s married . Orlando is about to propose to Jess any second now, even if she doesn’t want to admit it, and, well, let’s face it, I’ve got more love than all of you combined. She’s the only one of us who doesn’t have a….Significant other or whatever people call it. And, on top of that, the one she did have practically ran away and left her all alone. She needs a boyfriend.” She smiled slyly, “And I know just where to find one.”
58. “ You know…” Gabrielle said as she turned from Emma to Jessica. “That idea might just be stupid enough to work.”
59. “ Y…Y…You want to…” Jessica stuttered, immediately figuring out her twin sister’s plan.
60. “ Ugh, fine. Just make sure I don’t regret this.” ******************** That night, back over in Domaine de Surprise…
61. Emily brushed her teeth as she mumbled, “We really do haf ta fic tis mior, Ben.” Benjamin looked up from where he was washing his hands, “What?” “ We have to fix this mirror. I can’t see anything with this giant box in the way.” “ That ‘giant box’ is a medicine cabinet, Em. And you know that the ones with the mirrors are too expensive.” “ I know, but then what’s the point of having the mirror behind it?” “ It came with the house,” Benjamin sighed as he walked out of the bathroom. “I’ll fix it when I have the time! And money!” “ You still haven’t found a job, have you?” “ None of the local schools have any openings, but I’m still looking, don’t worry.”
62. “ You’ll find a job soon, Ben. Don’t-Oh!” Emily groaned. “ Em? What happened? Are you okay? Should I call a doctor?” Benjamin yelled, panicking. Emily had been nauseous the whole day, and he did not want to lose his wife so soon. Emily slowly stepped out of the bathroom and in front of the bed.
64. “ You’re just pregnant…” Ben had been out of bed and at his wife’s side in a flash. He grinned stupidly as he rubbed his hand over Emily’s stomach, “I can’t believe this. We’re going to be parents.” “ Yeah, but we really do have to fix that mirror. Wouldn’t want our child growing up with that terrible thing, would we?” ********************* Far across town, on a small island…
65. Mort é and Jena stood in front of a huge gate, staring blankly ahead, “ How--I thought--Jena!” Mort é barked. “ What, honey?” Jena replied, her voice overly sweet.
66. “ How can someone have a bigger castle than the king of fairies does? A better castle than the king of fairies does?” “ We were supposed to renovate, remember? But then you spent all that money to pay this guy.” Jena rolled her eyes. “ Well then find some money! We’re supposed to be the richest of all the fairies! We’re moving!” “ We can’t afford a new place!” “ Well we will .”
67. Mort é and Jena walked up the tall hill to the main door, to find it unlocked. When they stepped in, they were met with a stern look from a tall woman standing on the stairs. “ Ever heard of knocking?” She asked shrilly. “ It was ajar,” Morté lied. “Who are you, anyways?” “ The maid, Soley. Are you here the ones here to see Evi?” “ If by ‘the ones’ you mean the king and queen of fairies, yes.” Mort é said, giving the woman a look. Soley’s face remained emotionless after the comment as she made her way up the stairs, “Follow me.”
68. Soley led the couple into a large room on the third floor. The trio entered through the archway into a small enclosed area only big enough for a sofa and a small table. Mort é tried to look over the tinted glass separating him from the other side of the room, but Soley moved in front of him and said, “Evi will be with you shortly. Oh, and he requests payment now.” Without even thinking twice, Mort é handed over the sack of money. Jena shot him a look which he ignored.
69. Soley pulled the large bag out of the room and then snapped her fingers. It disappeared instantly. Her lips curled into an evil smile as she whispered, “That was most generous of you, brother mine .” Then she walked away, the evil grin never leaving her face.
70. Jena sat down on the sofa, picking the spot the farthest away from her husband. Keeping her face emotionless, she placed her hands in her lap and stared straight ahead. “ What’s wrong with you?” Mort é asked. “ You just gave away 10,000 sorkals to this woman we’ve never even met! How do we know that she’ll get them to…Evi, or whatever his name is? That was the money we needed to buy your new castle, which you won’t be getting now.” Morté looked awestruck, “I will be getting that new castle, Jena. No matter what you say. You’re royalty. Surely you have money stashed away somewhere.” “ Just because I’m royalty doesn’t mean I’m the richest person in the world Morté! Just because you’re married to royalty doesn’t mean you get to have everything you want in the world! Just because-”
71. “ Are you finished?” Evi asked, visibly annoyed. Jena looked up towards him, “Well, I am. This one over here is annoyed with the fact that he can’t get everything he wants and-” “ Wonderful. Hope you guys have fun doing that later. Come with me now.” Evi snapped his fingers and a gate appeared in the corner. He led the couple through it, and they found themselves in a large room. A fireplace was in the corner, and a table and three chairs were in the middle.
72. Evi bent down to light a fire in the fireplace, and the moment he did, the whole room went black. Jena took a seat in one of the chairs while her husband examined the tall metal bars separating another corner in the back of the room. Making sure no one was looking, he grabbed a hold of two of them and tried to break them, using all the magic he possessed. “ Magic-free zone, “ Evi announced nonchalantly, as thought it was obvious. “Except for me, of course. You’re not going to be able to get in there, so come take a seat over here and I’ll tell you what I know.”
73. Soon, everyone was seated around the crystal ball, and they were ready to start. “ Now listen, Mister,” Jena said menacingly. “You tell us the truth right now, okay? We paid you a fortune, and if you tell us boloney, you’ll regret the day you were born, got that?” “ Yes, Miss, “Evi sighed. He knew that there was no way that these two fairies could possibly hurt him, so he focused on what his master had told him that morning instead. “Are you ready?” “ Uh, yes! ” Mort é yelled. “ I’ve been ready for decades. ”
74. “ Well then,” Evi said, reaching out to grab the golden orb.
75. “ Let’s begin. ” Slowly, an image formed in the crystal ball. As Jena and Mort é peered closer, they could make out a nice house surrounded by trees. “ This is the home of the current heir to the Forester Legacy. He recently married a young woman from Belladonna Cove, and they are expecting their first child. ” “ Wait-Legacy? What do you mean by legacy? ” Morté asked, intrigued. Sighing, Evi swept his hand over the ball and a new image appeared.
76. “ A decade or two ago, Eden Forester, the woman on the right, went on a quest to destroy the fairies, you, me, us. She is the last living faerie in the world, but she’s only half-faerie, hence why her power surge was not strong enough for you two to find her. ” This earned a questioning glance from Mort é, “ Half-faerie? With what? And how did you know we were trying to find her? And I thought this was about the prophecy! ” “ I can see everything, remember? And this is a key element to the prophecy. She’s half-faerie, half-human. No one knows who the father is, except— ” “ Except who? ” “ No one. Forget about it. Anyways, it is Eden’s destiny, according to prophecy, to bring the faeries back to power, and, along the lines of the prophecy, she must have ten generations of faerie descendants to do so. She married Quinten Majekodunmi, the human on the left, and, to our knowledge, he is the only human to know about the existence of faeries and fairies. ” Evi wiped his hand over the orb once more, revealing a new image.
77. “ They would go on to have six children. In birth order: Gabrielle, on the bottom right, Ryan, top left, Benjamin, bottom left, Abigail, top right and Benjamin’s twin sister, Jessica, top middle, and Emma, bottom middle and Jessica’s twin sister. 5 of them are currently attending Domaine de Surprise’s D écouverz-Vous State. The heir dropped out a few months ago and is currently married, and the two eldest children are currently engaged. ” “ Who’s the heir? He’s the one we have to get, right? ” Morté asked, his face full of excitement. Evi grinned. This was going just as planned. His hand passed over the golden sphere for the third time, the image changing again.
78. “ This is the heir, Benjamin, and his wife, Emily. They’re currently expecting their first child, so the legacy is moving along quite well. ”
79. “ That goon is the heir?” Mort é questioned with a confused look. “Him? He doesn’t look a thing like a faerie! No elf ears, for one thing. None of them look like faeries at all!” Evi sighed, “ Well they are. Eden and Quinten chose the ‘goon’ to continue the legacy, and the third generation is approaching, so you two must act. Now. ” “ What do we have to do?” “ Kill al– Kill the heir and his wife. Only. Eden is too old to bear any more children, and none of the other children carry the faerie gene. You’re fine with just the heir and his wife. ”
80. Jena had a gleam in her eye as she asked, “When and how?” “ Well, one of the older two is bound to get married sooner or later. There always has to be a wedding crasher, hm? ” Evi said with a malicious smile. “ That answers the how, not the when. ” Mort é seethed, on the edge of his seat with excitement. He was so close to finally getting rid of the last faerie, getting one step closer to his dream of becoming the almighty fairy.
81. “ Tell you what,” Evi said, a malicious smile appearing on his face, “I’ll keep an eye on them, and then contact you when the time is ready. For a fee, of course.” “ You’re a cunning little boy, ” Mort é said. “ How much? ” “ Hmmm….How’s 25,000 sorkals until the time is ready. That’s covering either a minute or 10 years, however long it takes. And then an additional 8,000 sorkals for the both of you to come here to hear the information.” “ No! We can’t afford that! ” Jena yelled. “ Well then, I’m sorry to say that you will not be able to afford my services, either.” “ Don’t listen to her; she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. We’ll send over the 25,000 tomorrow. ” Morté immediately retorted. Jena opened her mouth to say something, but Morté shot her a look and she closed it. “ I request payment now.” “ But I don’t have that much on me, ” Morté replied. Evi snapped his fingers, “This magic-free zone is no more.” And within a few minutes, Evi had his required funds.
82. “ That is all. Soley will be with you shortly to escort you off the premises. I look forward to seeing the both of you again.” Evi announced. Abruptly, Jena stood up and walked over toward the sofa with a stern look on her face. Mort é got up from his chair bearing a huge grin, and he turned to Evi and said, “Thank you s--” But before he could finish his sentence, Evi had snapped his fingers and disappeared.
83. Soley had escorted the king and queen to the front door shortly afterwards, with a nonchalant look on her face the entire time. “ Tell Evi that his services were most satisfactory,” Mort é sneered, “ Sir Hainiam, I am not on a talking basis with Mr. Ison,” Soley said softly. “ Well then--” But Morté was cut off by a sharp tug on his arm from Jena, who was almost out the door. “We have things we need to discuss, Sir Hainiam .” Within seconds, Jena and Morté were out the door and on their way home. Then, a loud snap was heard.
84. Soley now appeared as a tall, lanky man. “ You sicken me, Morty. Sicken me. I don’t know how you were ever Mom and Dad’s favorite.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
85. Later that night, Evi was seated at the dining table with his master as a reward for that day’s success. Although his mouth was salivating just looking at the wonderful lobster in front of him, eating was obviously not the main thing on his master’s mind. “ Did you tell them everything we discussed, boy? False heir, false information, an--” “ Yes, Master. Everything we went over before they got here. I also managed to make 25,000 more sorkals, Master. And they are waiting in your room.” Evi said. The beginnings of a malicious smile appeared on the man’s lips.
86. “ And they believed every word?” “ Oh yes, Master. They are even more gullible than I imagined. ” “ Perfect. It was a good idea to take you in, Evi.” The man sighed for a second, and one might have even thought that he was showing compassion for Evi But the expression didn’t last longer than a split-second, and no one could make anything of it.
87. Evi stared for a second, before mumbling something about having to eat his dinner before it got cold. His master had never even showed an inkling of compassion before. He shook it off and reached for his fork. Suddenly, the man bellowed, “ No, boy! We have work to do. ” He snapped his fingers and the food disappeared, yet Evi’s stomach felt instantly full. He licked his lips. It would have been so much better to have tasted that juicy lobster. “ To the crystal ball .” The man stated.
88. A few minutes later, the two men found themselves in the room where Evi had talked to Mort é and Jena that very same day. “ What would you like to see, Master?” Evi asked, gesturing to the crystal ball. “ Just...Just the ones I need to see, Evi.” The man said with a smile. Evi moved his hands around. Slowly, two crisp, clear images appeared in succesion.
89.
90. The man arched backwards and let out an evil laugh, “Eden, Gabrielle, and Abigail Forester, you will never know what hit you. And neither will Mort é and Jena Hainiam. All beware the wrath of Serpi Eliker!” ************************************ A few days later, in a large house on the campus of D.V.S…
91. Emma’s fingers moved swiftly across the keypad on the phone, and a smile appeared on her face. “ Oh Emma!” Jessica whined. “This better work! What if it doesn’t work? What if Abby doesn’t like him?” “ Stop worrying, Jess!” Gabrielle said. “There’s nothing to be worried about. Everything is going to be just fine.” Truthfully, however, Gabrielle was very worried. But she knew that as the older sister, she had to be strong for her little sisters, no matter what the situation was. Emma put the receiver to her ear and whispered, “It’s ringing! Go! Now!” Gabrielle and Jessica walked swiftly over to the study. “ Remember,” Gabrielle whispered, “act natural.”
92. “ Abby! What’s up?” Gabrielle exclaimed as she reached for the chair across from her sister, who was playing chess with herself. “ Hi Abby!” Jessica yelled, waving. Drops of sweat were appearing on her forehead. This plan had to work. It had to. “ What do you people want?” Abigail asked, visibly annoyed. “ I can’t talk to my sister and play a game of chess with her?” Gabrielle questioned. Abigail grunted in response.
93. “ Well, anyways,” Gabrielle continued, “there’s this nightclub downtown that everyone says is fun, so we were thinking that we’d go together. We’ll go shopping for new dresses to wear after class today -my treat-, and tomorrow we’ll head over around 8. All together.” “ Yup! All together. Emma and Gabby and me and you and Mona, too!” Jessica said nervously. “ Mona?” Gabrielle whispered. Abigail was also looking at her younger sister questioningly. “ Um….Well, I mean. She doesn’t have to come. We-- We can leave her behind.” “ She’s got finals, anyways, so she can’t come,” Gabrielle announced. After Abigail looked back towards her chess game, Jessica mouthed, “Sorry-- I’m nervous!” “ So, what do you say?” Gabrielle asked, trying to make Abigail forget about Jessica’s mistake.
94. “ Hold on. Let me get this straight. My sisters want to take me out for a ‘fun night’ downtown and treat me to a new dress. Are you guys getting sick or something?” “ C’mon Abby! We love you and we want to spend some quality time with our sister! It’ll be fun! The boys will all stay here and pig out on Chinese food and watch football or something, “ Gabrielle persuaded. “ Yeah, Abby! It’ll be so much fun!” Jessica added. “ Oh fine. But if it sucks, you guys won’t be happy.” Abigail actually had been planning to go out that very night. She had so much on her mind, and a dance sphere was always good for nerves.
96. And that’s where Chapter 2.1 ends! Some questions for next time: What will Ben and Emily’s baby look like? Will Abigail ever be happy again? Will Jess, Gabby, and Emma’s plan succeed? What is their plan? Who is Serpi Ison? What connection does he have with the Hainiams? With Evi? What is his plan to destroy the Foresters? Why does he want to destroy the Foresters? The answers to most of these questions will be in 2.2! And I’ve got one more question. Do you guys like the chapters on PowerPoint or the Exchange better? Now that the Exchange is fixed I can go back to it, but PowerPoint is very nice. Your views? Thanks for reading and please comment and give me any constructive criticism you have! -Izzy
