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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#1 Old 8th Sep 2012 at 7:25 PM
Default Full House
Hello everyone! Back when Sims 3 came out I did my first story about a girl who lived in a house filled with ghosts, wich unfourtunaly didn't continue very far since the save-file got borked. Now, with supernatural out, I thought I'd reboot the thing with a "few" more elements. As I am writing this for both fun and as a training exercise I'd like to receive constructive criticism when possible. Enjoy!

***

Full House: Prologue


'Tell me about the Magical Land again!' Mia asked once more as she made herself comfortable beneath her blanket. Her father laughed and moved closer to tuck her in.
'Again? Didn't I tell you about it last night?' he asked, but he couldn't hide the mirth in his voice. It was his favourite as well.
'Tell me anyway!' Mia chuckled.
'Alright, as you wish, you little enchantress.' Bert smiled as he made himself comfortable at the side of the bed. 'Where did we leave the Magical Land yesterday?' he asked.
'The moon was full and there was a vampire and a werewolf and a powerful wizard.' Mia replied eagerly. 'The wizard told the others that they had to be nice to each other when the moon was full.'
'That's right. The werewolf and the vampire never saw eye to eye but the wizard knew that in the light of the full moon the most evil of all creatures would emerge. Creatures who didn't care how hairy you body was or how pointy you teeth could be.' Bert told his child.
Mia's eyes grew bigger and bigger as the story went on, and Bert felt himself fill up with a sense of pride as he noted that his daughter didn't frighten at all as he told her how the dead rose from the ground to eat the brains of the living.
As he told her how the brave werewolf fought to protect his friends from the undead, and how the wisdom of the vampire and the wizard came to save the day he wondered if he should, perhaps, tell her the truth...


'Are you two still up?' called a woman from the door. 'Mia, you where supposed to go to sleep a full hour ago.' Mia's mother, Felicity, said, but she did have a smile on her face.
'Sorry, sweetheart, your mother's right.' Bert noted and leaned down to kiss his daughter on her forehead. 'I'll tell you more next time.' As he stood up Mia pouted, but her sleepy face proved that she had to sleep soon.
Closing the door to his daughter's room Bert turned to his wife. 'She loves my stories.' He said with a big smile. Felicity didn't return the expression.
'Would she still love them if she knew they where true?' she asked, her face grim. Bert's face fell.


'I... Well, maybe. I mean, it's not that bad actually. I've seen worse since I moved and...'
'Worse than zombies?' Felicity interrupted. 'Worse than monsters?'
'Yes, honey, worse than monsters.' Bert replied firmly. 'And really, these days things are very... cordial. People obey the laws. I think she might even be disappointed to know it's not as exciting as she might have thought...' he stopped when he saw his wife's face. They both sighed.


'Anyway...' he said after a while. 'It might not be our decision to tell her or not. She might have gotten the gift. If she does, she must be told. Regardless of how we feel about it.' Bert took his wife's hands in his and gave them a reassuring squeeze.
'Don't you worry darling. Everything will be fine.'



***

Time passed. A girl grew. A man died.

***


Mia pulled her cap over her eyes as she walked outside. She walked out of her normal school into the normal sunlight and looked out at the normal town. Everything was normal. She gave a normal sigh, and started walking towards her normal home. Sunset Valley was normal. She wasn't sure she was supposed to live in such a normal world.
It was less than a week until her graduation, as her classmates constantly mentioned in various giddy ways. She felt less excited about it. She hadn't really been excited about anything the last three years.
Not since her father died.
Her father hadn't been normal. She felt that was a good thing. Her father had been almost... magical. At least that what she told people. When she was alone she left out the 'almost'.
As she arrived at her home she was greeted by Tammy the cat and her soft purring as she nuzzled against Mia's legs.
'I'm home!' she called as she scooped up the cat and stroked it's soft fur.
'Welcome home.' Felicity called from the living room. She held something in her hand and didn't let her eyes wander from it even as Mia came in and sat down on the sofa, setting Tammy down on her lap.
'What's that?' Mia asked half-heartedly as the cat arced to get her mistress to pet her in all the good spots. Felicity stayed silent for a while before she answered.
'It's you father's last will.'
Tammy meowed in protest as the pettings stopped abruptly.
'Dad's?' Mia asked, eyes wide. 'Is... is it important?'
'It's very important, but it hasn't been until now.' Felicity said, her face unreadable. She sat down next to her child. 'It concerns your future... as a witch.'


The word came as a surprise. Felicity had never wanted to talk about her daughter's gift before, and with her father gone there was no one else to talk about it with.
'Bert wanted you to get proper experience with magic.' Felicity continued before Mia could say anything. 'And you can't get it from me, or anyone in Sunset Valley. He... He wanted to let you study in his hometown after your graduation.'
'His hometown? Where's that?'


'It's called Moonlight Falls. He called it the Magical Land.'
Mia's jaw dropped. Then she laughed, but there was no joy in it.''Good one mom, I almost believed you for a second.' she chuckled. She grew silent when Felicity handed her the will.
It was all there. Her father's wish, the location and history of the Magical- of Moonlight Falls. And an address and a name.


'Do you want to go? I know you have been thinking about how you don't seem to fit in and I wouldn't want to disappoint you father but... ' Felicity fell silent when she saw her daughter's face.
Joy, surprise and just a tiny bit guilt shone through Mia's eyes as she asked;
'When do I leave?'

"Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life."

-- Terry Pratchett, Jingo
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Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#2 Old 10th Sep 2012 at 3:10 AM
Default Chapter One: Things That Go Bump...

Once Mia stepped out into the moonlight of Moonlight Falls a chill crept down her spine. As a child she had, indeed, enjoyed the stories of this magical land. But she had been in her home, in her bed, with her mother and father nearby and everything had seemed so magical...
She wasn't prepared for how real it would feel to be there... to be here.
The last few weeks had passed so quickly. The arrangements for the travel, her graduation, the last goodbyes to friends and relatives, everything seemed to have gone by in a blur.
She hadn't realised how nervous she actually was until she boarded the plane going away from Sunset Valley. Then there had been the bus. And then the train. And then another train, which had been an old locomotive that few other travellers had taken. It was, she had learned, the only way to reach Moonlight Falls. The entire city was almost cut off from the other cities, save for that old train.
It did, after all, have reasons to be hidden away.
Mia shivered again as the memories of her father's stories came rushing back, unbidden and unveiled. Stories of vampires feasting on human blood, fairies snatching away children from their beds, zombies rising from their graves, unrelenting in their search for warm flesh to consume...
Suddenly, normalcy didn't seem so bad.
The last bit of her journey had been by bus. After helping Mia getting all her luggage out from the storage compartment the bus driver gave her a friendly nod and got back behind the wheel and drove off. She had been the only passenger.
She looked around. The Town Hall of Moonlight Falls towered above her. It was here she was to meet Mr. Hallet, a man her father had listed as a trusted friend in his will. The will had contained contact information about Mr. Hallet as well as his address and the promise that he would, in the event that Bert himself couldn't, help Mia find her place as a witch.
A loud mewling noise came from the heap of luggage. Tammy was protesting about the lack of space for her to prowl.
Mia kneeled down and opened the cat's cage and picked her faithful companion up into her arms. The soft, warm body gave her some comfort in the cold night-time air. Tammy's purring was almost hypnotic, until the cat suddenly became quiet and stared intently into the darkness. Only when she followed the animal's gaze did Mia realize she was being watched.
'Miss Gilson, I presume?' a shadow in the darkness said. It stepped forward into the light of a lamppost before she could reply, revealing itself to be a man. Well, seemingly revealing itself to be a man anyway.


'I trust the journey went well?' the man said pleasantly, witch an equally pleasant smile gracing his lips. In her arms, Mia felt Tammy arc her back, fur standing on end. The man regarded the animal with unusually blue eyes.
'Easy kitty, I won't bite.' he said, and surprisingly Tammy relaxed completely at his words. Mia found her voice.
'A- are you Gregory Hallet?' She asked, wondering if the eerie atmosphere was getting to her. 'I am Mia Gilson, yes and, err, everything went well, I, umm...' she grew silent and drew a deep breath.
Gregory Hallet watched her with a bemused expression.
'This is your first time in Moonlight Falls, yes? Don't worry, normal people sometimes feel... uneasy when they arrive.' as he spoke, Mia caught glimpses of fangs in his mouth. She steeled herself.
'I'm not normal, I'm a witch. I'm just-' before she got any further the vampire started to chuckle.


'Forgive me,' he said, still with a slight chuckle, 'but if you intend to stay here you'll soon find out that you are, indeed, normal, as you know the word. No matter how prepared people might think they are, everyone finds that this place is more than they thought it would be.' He put his hand to his chest and gave a small bow. 'I am Gregory Hallet, a vampire and your new landlord. Charmed.'
Mia found herself conflicted. One part of her felt offended, another found itself blushing against her better judgement.
'Now,' Gregory said as he straightened himself, 'no point in standing here all night. As much as I'd love to spend some more time getting to know Bert's daughter better, I'm sure you must be very tired after such a long trip.' He fished up a key from his pocket and motioned towards the road. There, almost invisible against the dark night stood a black car. It seemed almost like a car-shaped hole, not even the moonlight reflected off it.
Mia nodded and got her packing into the car. The vehicle was clearly built for style rather than convenience so it took a while to get everything to fit.
'How far is it?' Mia asked as she sat in the passenger-seat.
'Not far.' The vampire smiled.



***

'Now now, don't fall asleep just yet.' said Gregory's voice beside her. Mia shook her head, for whatever good that did, and looked out the window. There was nothing there.
'Other side.' Gregory told her, with a hint of amusement in his voice. She looked to the other side. A large, Victorian-styled house loomed in the darkness. She felt her jaw drop.
'Wow. This is where I'll live?' She asked, looking up the walls of the huge building. 'It's amazing...' she managed to say before a yawn rose in her throat. Gregory gave another chuckle.


'Come on in, I'll give you a quick tour so you can go to sleep soon.'
As she entered to house she let Tammy loose, smiling as the cat quickly surveyed the new area before finding a place to nap. Gregory led her into a room.
'This is the living room, here is the dining room, next to that is the kitchen...' As he spoke he pointed in the various directions of the rooms. 'On the first floor we also have a small study and an indoor garden, on the second floor is a hobby-room, on the third floor is a large study. The basement is that way, it is there I sleep and where you'll find the laundry room. Once you get to he third floor, walk around the hall and you'll find your room.' Gregory smiled as Mia looked around with an even bigger smile. He gave her a friendly pat on her shoulder.


'You should get some sleep soon. Try not to disturb the others.' Mia's smile fell slightly.
'Others?' she asked. Another chuckle.
'Yes, I hope you didn't think you'd be alone here. I am the only nocturnal one here, so the others should greet you tomorrow.' he smiled again. 'They are a friendly bunch most of the time, don't you worry.' Mia nodded and mumbled goodnight as she started to walk up the stairs.
'Oh, one more thing.' the vampire called. 'I found something that used to belong to your father. It's yours to keep if you want. I left it on you nightstand.'
She reached her new room. It was cozy enough, with a large mirror and a desk with a computer. She looked to the nightstand and felt herself gasp.
An old wand lay on a cushion.
She picked it up and examined it. It was much more beautiful that hers. A wand by itself is not magical, it is the witch that makes it so. A wand could be an elaborate work of art, or it could be an old twig found by the pavement. Hers was an old twig.
She put the wand back down. There was so much she wanted to do now that she was here, so many things she wanted to try. But, in this moment, all she wanted to do was sleep.



***

Mia woke when she heard something outside her door. She looked outside, it was still dark. Something went bump in the night outside her room. Probably another tenant, she thought. She tried to go back to sleep.
Bump.
Where they clumsy or where they doing something? Mia asked herself.
Bump.
Insomnia could be a real annoyance for many people.
Bump.
Still, that was no reason to disturb those who could sleep.
'Uuuuuh...'
Mia got up. If her new house-mates where up she might as well say hello and ask them why oh why didn't they let her sleep in peace.


She went into the hall. There was no one in sight.
'Hello?' she said quietly, not wanting to disturb those who still slept. The same feeling of unease she had felt when she arrived started to creep up her spine.
Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Some sort of light. She turned and looked across the hallway into the face on a ghost.
Something came over her. Something primal that spoke to the very core of her heart and mind. All the bravery she had felt as a child listening to stories evaporated. What was left was only the nothing that something dead was in front of her and she had no way of knowing whatever killed it was still there or not.


She screamed. Whatever reason was still there in her mind told her she shouldn't but it was overcome by the pure instinct that told her to flee.
'Can I help you ma'am?' A voice that made the listener think of gravel on a graveyard came from behind her. She turned around, eyes wide in terror. A skeleton, dressed in a rather fetching maid outfit stared at her with empty eye-sockets.
Mia didn't even realise she had run away until her hands twisted the lock to the door of her room. Her body and her mind where in conflict which left her confused and frightened. Her head was spinning, her stomach heaved. She managed to reach the bed before she passed out.


And the sun rose over Moonlight Falls.

***

"Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life."

-- Terry Pratchett, Jingo
Lab Assistant
Original Poster
#3 Old 26th Oct 2012 at 1:44 PM
Default Chapter two: Welcome To The Family
The bright sunlight made Moonlight Falls glow as the sun stood high up in the sky. The soft breeze made trees sway gently, birds sang and sims everywhere in Moonlight Falls could find the time to take in a deep breath and say 'what a lovely day'... except the vampires of course. And Mia.
Her head was pounding as she woke up. Sunlight streamed in through the window as she tried to find acceptable answers to all the questions people ask themselves when they wake up.
Answers where found. Memories tagged along with them.
She sat bolt upright, franticly looking around the room for any trace of the apparitions she had seen yesterday.
'Nothing.' she sighed in relief. Maybe it had been a bad dream? She glanced at the clock mounted on the wall, it was well past noon.
'Darn it! Way to go, I wanted to get up early...' she said to no one in particular as she got up and started to dress for the day.
Once she was done she moved towards the door... and stopped dead in her tracks. She carefully pushed the handle down, trying not to make a noise, and gently pushed to door open ever so slightly. She peeked out.
There where no ghosts, nor any skeletal maids outside. She stepped out.
The first thing she thought was how big the house was. The day before she hadn't really gotten a chance to look around, but now she took her time. There where four floors, with her room on the third, and from the hallway you could look down the stairs all the way to the first floor. She was about to explore further when she heard a noise from downstairs.
Still slightly shaken about last nights discoveries she cautiously followed the noise all the way down the stairs and into the kitchen.


A woman stood by a kitchen counter, preparing food in a blender. She was not transparent. She was not a skeleton. So far so good. A toddler sat in a high-chair beside the woman. The kid was equally solid and fleshy.


'Are you the new girl?' the woman called out over her shoulder, without turning to look at Mia. Mia was standing half-hidden behind a wall.
'Er..'
'You can come out, I promise I won't bite you.' the woman turned around 'But I can't make any promises about Michelle, she's that age where everything goes in her mouth.' she smiled. She had a nice smile and a deep voice, Mia felt herself relax.
'What's you name, sweetie?'
'Mia Gilson, and you are..?'
'Shae Marquez, nice to meet you.' Shae extended her hand, a friendly enough gesture. Mia stepped forward and shook it. 'I'm Micelle's mom, and I'm generally the one to take care of Audry as well.' Shae continued.
'Who's Audry?'
'She's outside.' Shae jerked her thumb towards the window. Outside in the yard, unnervingly close to a treehouse, was a large cowplant. Mia had only heard about these carnivorous creatures before. It was much larger than she thought it would be.
'Don't try the cake. It's a lie and it'll be the last thing you'll try to eat.' Shae said as she turned back to the counter, pouring baby-food from the blender into a bowl.


'I heard your first night here gave you quite a scare.' she added pleasantly. Mia felt herself blush.
'Oh, you heard me scream?'
'Sweetie, I think the whole neighbourhood heard you.' Shae placed the bowl in front of the toddler. 'I got up and found Hilda, our maid, standing outside your door. She seemed quite worried, said “the lady in the room seems distraught about something”. You met her? She wears a maid's outfit, quite thin, good at staring contests.'
'I met her.' Mia sighed. 'And... someone else, I think. We didn't really hit it off.'
'One of the ghosts?'
'One?'
'We got seven. They're nothing to worry about, though they sometimes enter one of the bathrooms through the walls, and they don't knock.' Shae explained, fussing over Michelle. 'I take it Gregory didn't give you a proper tour?' she said with a slight frown. Mia shook her head.
'Okay then, I'll show you around in a bit.' Shae smiled as Michelle wolfed down her food.


**

'So, what brings you to our little slice of heavenly hell?' Shae asked as the two women ascended the stairs to the second floor. Mia felt herself smile at the description of Moonlight Falls, it was quite similar to how she had felt about it in the stories.
'My father lived here, he wanted me to learn how to be a witch here.' she replied.
'Oh? Why isn't he here with you then?'
'He's dead.' Shae paused for just a moment.
'That's quite a good excuse I guess... Most of the time. I take it he didn't live here at the end of his life?'
'We lived in Sunset Valley.' Mia said, wondering if death was treated more like an inconvenience in Moonlight Falls.
'Huh, that explains it then. Few people try to do anything with their afterlife there. This is the hobby room.' Shae opened a door, revealing a room that was mostly occupied by a large table filled with miniature houses, roads, train-rails and a train. It was very well made. Shae proceeded towards the next room. 'And this is Micelle's room, mine is just next to it, right here.' Mia peeked in.
'It's bigger than my room.' she said, more to converse than to complain. Shae just laughed.
'Well, I probably shouldn't show you Hilda's quarters then. Moving on.' Shae motioned for Mia to follow her. They moved up to the third floor.
'There's your room, as you know. There's a bathroom next to it. This is where Henry stays.'
'Who's Henry?' Mia asked.
'Hery is--' A soft boom interrupted them, followed by a soft curse from the room beside them. Shae smiled. 'Why don't I just introduce you to him?' She opened the door to the room, letting out a small cloud of smoke in the process. 'Oh Henry, I'd like you to meet someone.'
Mia stepped inside. It might have been a large study, but it was so cramped it was difficult to tell. The walls where obstructed by bookcases and posters detailing the anatomy of plants or constellations of stars, the floors where covered by a few rugs and many, many books that couldn't fit onto the shelves. A large fireplace was there too, the mantle was also used for storage of miscellaneous items. At the back of the room was a bookstand and a cauldron. And Henry.


Henry was a young man, probably not much older than Mia. He stood bent over a book, his hands stained by whatever it was bubbling in the cauldron.
'Henry!' Shae shouted, making the young man jump. 'The new girl is here, say “Hi”.' she instructed.
'Hey.' he greeted, tossing one worried glance at the bubbling... whatever it was before looking at Mia. 'Hey.' he repeated. There was an awkward silence.
'He's not really shy, he's just very focused when he works.' Shae said when the lack of interaction went on for a bit too long. This seemed to motivate the young man into speaking.
'Err...' was all he managed to say before a glooping sound came from the cauldron. 'Ah, bugger.' he swore as he turned back to his work.
'Sorry about this,' he called out over his shoulder 'but this elixir is extremely volatile at this stage. Gregory doesn't like having the fire department come over, so I'd like to be careful.'
'O-kay...' Mia took a few steps back. She looked at the cauldron and the bookstand again and saw a wand lying next to the open book. 'Are you a wizard?' she asked, half to make small talk, half out of curiosity.
'I am.' was the short reply as Henry produced some sort of herb from a bag and dropped it into the bubbling mess. Another soft boom came from the cauldron accompanied by a fizzling noise as the concoction subsisted. Henry beamed.


'There,' he announced 'it's done. Nice to meet you, by the way, miss..? '
'Gilson. Mia Gilson.'
'Nice to meet you Mia.' Henry smiled. He had a very comforting smile. 'I hope you've been able to settle in nice-' He was interrupted by the honking of a vehicle outside. The sound of a bus-door opening and children's shouts and laughter made his face fall like a stone. 'I hope you like kids.' he said in a tone that suggested it would take something big to cheer him up again, like a flame-thrower and diplomatic immunity. The sound of children's laughter took over as the bus drove away. Shae stood by the window, beckoning for Mia to join her in her observation.
A child was walking towards the hose, laughing to himself and making all sorts of gestures in the air as he spoke. The child was blue.


'That's Jeane'. said Shae as he watched the boy. 'He's a genie.'
A white globe was hovering around him, following his movements, leaving a glittering trail behind it.
'And that's Fa.' Shae added. 'A faire.'


As Mia watched the globe grew, taking a humanoid shape and size until it was as big as Jeane. The faire was as white as snow, apart from her wings that had a pinkish hue to them. She laughed along with the genie, clearly occupied with their own world as children of all species are.
'Be careful, they're cute from afar' Henry said from the back of the study 'but they are horrible little monsters up close.'
'You just don't share their sense of humour.'
'Neither do you Shae, you just scare them so that they won't bother you.'
Mia listed with half an ear as her new housemates argued. Moonlight Falls might not be quite as she had envisioned it, but she was certain there was going to be quite an adventure to live here.
She smiled.

"Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set fire to him and he's warm for the rest of his life."

-- Terry Pratchett, Jingo
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