| 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. |
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| 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 move, because her first book has done surprisingly well. Seeing how it has treated her parents, the last thing Amber wants is stardom or fame. |
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| She completes another few chapters and submits them to Wendel before going to meet Billy on the edge of town. She always pushes herself at a near sprint to get to the private, little lake. She tells herself that it is to take advantage of the rough terrain to get a great workout. But she knows there is another reason. |
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| Billy obviously does not know about her finding the evidence that led to his father’s arrest. The video contained something heinous enough to convict the elder Jones, who is serving a lengthy prison sentence. Billy often talks about his father being “railroaded” by the new warehouse foreman, who Amber assumes is actually Brand. There clearly is some kind of connection between Brand, Billy’s father, and Mr. Dworkin. But she has not been able to discover what it is. |
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| Despite his cruel, creepy side, Billy does possess some redeeming qualities. When he is around other sims, he is a loudmouth jerk who takes joy in seeing others suffer. But when they are alone in the woods, far away from any sims, he is a different. He is a sim she could fall in love with. When she is able to pull him away from his “work” at the warehouse, she teaches him to discipline himself with meditation. |
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| She tries not to be disappointed when he reverts to the Billy she hates. But that is when she feels her efforts are being wasted. She refuses to let herself give up on him, however. She’ll just have to be patient and realize that he is a work in progress. |
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| She arrives at their spot by the lake and melts into one of his amazing kisses. She senses, at times, that he is just playing along; waiting until she finally gives in to his many advances. With her heart pounding in her chest, and electricity from their kiss jolting through her body, she fights the urge to let it happen. Regaining her senses, Amber works to center her emotions and manages to bring herself back under control. With the immediate crisis averted, she steps back and shifts gears away from the inevitable event. For the moment, at least. |
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| Sensing the need to take her mind (and his) off of the topic, Amber plants a curious little idea in Billy’s head. As she has done in the past, she starts off with a harmless question, and grows it into something much more useful. Billy is sure that the foreman is behind his father’s arrest. What he really needs to do is find some proof and present it to the authorities. There is still some daylight left. If they can get to the warehouse before the foreman arrives, Billy is sure he can pick the lock to his office and find the evidence he needs. Billy kisses her soundly on the lips and looks into her eyes, slyly commenting that he nearly had her. He flashes a wicked smile and asks her if she wants to join him. |
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| The obvious answer to both his spoken question and his implied one, is yes. But the other yes will have to wait for another day. |
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| Having entered through one of the many concealed doors hidden throughout the warehouse, Amber and Billy move quietly through the dusty, old corridors. He navigates through crevices formed by forgotten crates and containers, and broken down equipment. He knows this place inside and out, she observes. Doing her best to keep a mental map as they travel, Billy eventually stops at a door near the top of a flight of stairs. |
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| He deftly manipulates a slim, metal tool and opens the door, then motions her to get back. Billy does not need to ask twice. Amber had seen a number of interesting items along the way and backtracks silently to acquire them while Billy rummages around the foreman’s office. These are not just fancy goodies she wants for thrills. Rather, they are items that may score her some intelligence. The most curious of which, is an old framed photo hanging askew on the wall. She cannot understand why a dirt-encrusted portrait would capture her attention. But it did. She pilfers the items with ease, then hurries back to where she left Billy. |
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| The sound of voices impedes her path back to the office. Amber retraces Billy’s path behind crates and through a maze of empty shipping containers. Finding a dark spot to hide, where she can see the top of the stairs, Amber stops moving as the voices grow louder and more agitated. Billy comes flying part-way down the stairs, but catches himself before falling. Brand emerges from the doorway to his office, looking as though he wants to kill. |
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| Amber can hear shouting from a number of others whom she cannot see. They are arguing about Billy. Some of them are still loyal to his father, it seems. Brand moves in and out of her line of sight as the shouting continues. Then, as she cowers in the shadows, Amber shivers uncontrollably when a presence approaches. She knows of it, but has not yet met it. Its arrival here signals the impending death of a sim. |
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| It is not any spoken word she hears, but she obeys the command to flee as though it had been shouted at her. Terrified and panicked, and running faster than she thought possible toward the nearest concealed exit, Amber is gone before Brand’s frigid words can reach her ears. |
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| KILL HIM. |
Stories by Zoxell 
NO! DON’T KILL OFF BILLY! Grr. Stupid Brand……………
Sigh. Billy was starting to be such a good character too.
I’ve been reading this since the beginning, its been so good! 😀 Can you believe all the people you’ve went through to get to this point? They all have their own story. That is so weird and realistic at the same time.
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LOL! Thanks for the feedback!
Honestly, the thing that keeps me writing is the exploration of the different characters. When the sims 3 came up with the traits system, it was a perfect hook for me to begin writing. I think it’s a lot of fun turning the traits into a unique personality, then finding ways to get my sims into trouble with them.
As for Billy… well, the post really didn’t end on a high note for him, did it? 😉
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Aww..poor Billy. I was hoping for Amber to change him. XD Am I a romantic or what?
At least Brand did not catch her!
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