Amber stares at an old, dusty portrait she found at the warehouse, as though the subject could speak his name.   He is strikingly handsome, and exudes supreme confidence even through the dirt and grime his frame has accumulated over years inside the old warehouse. She spotted the small painting hanging askew on the wall, behind a stack of crates and shipping containers. There is no telling why it was hung there in the first place.   The man depicted in the painting smiles slyly at Amber, challenging her to learn more about him. She can almost hear him taunting; asking … Continue reading Chapter 7.9 – Checkmate

Lisa watches with discomfort as Amber hugs and kisses on Billy Jones, who is in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound.   Ben’s brother-in-law, Ricky Nava, had divulged that he was injured during a rival gang shoot out the previous evening. Billy was lucky to escape with his life, seeing how a number of other sims did not walk away from the gunfight. Lisa has tried her best to be understanding and respectful of her daughter’s choices. But to be romantically involved with a gang member crosses the line.   She had taken Amber to see him the moment news … Continue reading Chapter 7.8 – Billy

The pages of Amber’s book seem to almost write themselves, as she taps into her fascination with the mysterious activities going on at the warehouse.   Wendel Colt, Amber’s publisher, continues to praise the teen for her skillful and captivating writing. She has never actually met Wendel. Their business has been conducted mostly by phone or mail. Amber wonders how he would react, were he to learn the origin of her muse. Because of her age, Wendel has insisted that she publsh under the pen name Barbi Meerman, to protect her from potential weirdos. It has actually been a brilliant … Continue reading Chapter 7.7 – Evidence

Despite the feeling that she ought to know better, Amber begins to spend a lot more time with Billy Jones after their encounter at the warehouse.   She has been preoccupied, thinking about the possible consequences of getting caught by Brand inside the warehouse. Something in her gut says that he is an incredibly dangerous sim. The fact that Billy found her first may have just been a completely random coincidence; but it may have also saved her life.   Looking past the fact that Billy is a colossal jerk, she begins feel that he really isn’t all that bad. Thanks to … Continue reading Chapter 7.6 – Grudge

After submitting the first few chapters of a new mystery novel based on the school cheating scandal, Amber finds at least one publisher interested in purchasing the remaining chapters of her story.   Wendel Colt, the editor and owner of a small publishing house, comments that he has not seen such a purely entertaining sleuth story in quite some time. Amber laughs during her phone call with Wendel, when he suggests that the next teen-vampire-romance story he sees will promptly have a wooden stake put through it, before it gets tossed into the fireplace. But with kidding aside, he liked her story enough to pay her … Continue reading Chapter 7.5 – Misdirection

Amber lay awake that night, thinking about her encounter with Brand.   Normally, she has no problem meeting new sims. She enjoys learning about their mannerisms and watching how they talk and communicate. Most of the time she can learn more about a sim this way than by what they actually say. But Brand is different; and not a good different. He is exactly the kind of creep that little girls are taught to be afraid of. Just making eye contact with him felt gross.   It is now clear to Amber that poor Mr. Dworkin has been used for some … Continue reading Chapter 7.4 – Chess

Most sims tend to see the park as a place to come and relax, play, and get away from things.   Amber sees it as a learning opportunity. In very much the same way a gardener harvests her crop, Amber enjoys picking details and information from those around her. She has learned how to get rid of the weeds, and keep only stuff that bears fruit. She still has not learned how to plant seeds or how to fertilize. But that is very likely to change in the matter of only a short time.   Mr. Dworkin has been at the park a lot … Continue reading Chapter 7.3 – Pawn

It can be kind of fun, “noticing” things that other sims usually overlook.   But sometimes, it can be downright annoying. For example, Tina left the house today with a button on her shirt only half-buttoned. Who notices those kinds of things? Or more importantly, who cares? Evidently, both are true of the Barimen heiress, because it bothered her the entire morning. She’s thankful that she’s not also a perfectionist. Because that would just be cruel…   But honestly, most of the time it is not so bad. She possesses an amazing aptitude for figuring out how to do things without … Continue reading Chapter 7.2 – Truth