| Guilt, shame, disappointment, hypocrisy, betrayal; these words float like rotten driftwood through Luke’s mind while he holds Sandi and drifts off to sleep after spending the evening in bed with her. |
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| Learning about Sandi’s pregnancy with his child has introduced a whole new world of confusion, uncertainty, and doubt. His thought processes had always been so clear and direct when the entity was a part of him. Luke’s personality is such that he only speaks when there is a tangible, concrete thought he is able to express. And right now, the entire situation seems to have decayed into an unworkable mess. So he says nothing, being careful not to destroy Sandi’s joy in celebrating her newly awakened maternal instincts. At the same time, he works to conceal the sick feeling stirring deep in the pit of his gut. |
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| Not only had the entity been his constant guide and companion; it seems to have been his moral compass, as well. Luke’s mood darkens as each day passes without telling Sandi about Anna. But if nothing else makes sense to Luke, he at least begins to understand what happened to the entity. Before Luke was conceived, the entity had passed from child to child over the course of several generations. Could it be that the entity is no longer with Luke, because it has already moved on to the next generation? |
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| He remembers Amber talking to him about feeling the same sense of loss when she first became pregnant. Luke masks his melancholy from Sandi, who has started talking about marriage and nursery furniture. There is a question which continues to plague him, however. And it is a question he has no good answer for. How do you tell the mother of your unborn child that you’re in love with another woman? |
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| After nearly a week of staying with Sandi at her house, Luke wakes up early, one morning, with the determination needed for setting the record straight. He prepares breakfast and makes small talk about baby names before moving on to the more pertinent topic. Jiang Xi had warned him that there can be no balance without truth. Any potential future he and Sandi have together must be built on honesty, truth, and trust. |
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| Luke can sense the extreme downturn in Sandi’s mood during the long explanation concerning his encounters with ghosts, the dream with Ying, and the entity. He tries to explain that the child she carries may be more than just a sim. It could very well be one of the last pieces in an ancient, cosmic struggle against evil. Finally, he suggests that they would both be safer staying at the estate. He talks until his voice grows tired, and there is nothing left to explain. |
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| Having lost the supernatural powers granted to him by the entity, Luke fails to sense the unwelcome presence lurking nearby, within earshot of their conversation. It could be that some measure of good luck keeps the intruder from immediately acting upon his newly gained informational leverage. More likely, it is the spineless cowardice of the intruder, and the painful memory of previous outcomes against Luke, that causes hesitation. Regardless, the damage is done. The shadowy henchman listens in, hearing every word Luke speaks to Sandi. |
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| Sandi has sat expressionless the entire time, looking at the remnants of breakfast. The words she wants to say never materialize (which is probably a good thing). Instead, all she can manage is exasperation, disbelief, and a profound sense of disappointment. Finally, she closes her eyes, shakes her head disapprovingly, and quietly tells Luke to leave. |
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| Author’s Note: Anna (aka Peanut), has been a playable sim ever since turning from Luke’s imaginary friend into a child. She has built up enough lifetime happiness to purchase the “Mid-Life Crisis” reward. Her original traits (Neurotic, Excitable, Hot-Headed, Flirty, Handy ) have been changed to (Good, Brave, Charismatic, Flirty, Handy) |
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| Anna has woken up every single morning with the intent of visiting the campus clinic and taking care of her little problem. It had become a daily ritual for her. She would stand inside the shower cradling her belly, apologizing for not being strong enough to go through with motherhood. But by the time her shower was finished, she had talked herself into waiting just one more day. |
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| Soon, it becomes visibly evident she is carrying a child, and Anna brings these feelings to her therapist. She had actually been looking for somebody to validate her decision to end the pregnancy. But what she receives instead, is the validation of her natural ability to become a wonderful mother. And it scares the hell out of her. |
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| Anna had never expected to tell anybody about her previous pregnancies, and the parts of her soul that had become lifeless and dessicated after terminating them. Remarkably, she finds by exposing this, she has unearthed another source of pain that has driven her continued spiral into moral and emotional anesthesia. She works with the therapist, both of them choking on stifled tears, as Anna names her lost children. It is only after she has said goodbye to each one, that she feels the final, terrible weight being lifted from her back. |
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| Anna’s time in rehab has been both exhausting and enlightening. She had chosen to serve some very frightening demons in her past. Evicting them from her life has been a difficult process. And it is work that she will likely need to continue throughout her whole life. But at least, she now has more to look forward to than “the next guy and the next high”. Oddly enough, it is a song that Anna had heard coming from a neighbor’s window, as she lay dying, that she will remember most when looking back upon this experience. |
| I once was lost but now am found. Was blind, but now I see. |
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| — |
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| **gospel choir singing** T’was Grace that taught my heart to fear. And Grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that Grace appear The hour I first believed** |
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| …don’t **static** of SIN steal your soul! SAVE your HUMANITY!**static** |
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| **gospel music plays** Listen to me now, **static** DEVIL is after your HUMANITY! He wants to corrupt your SOUL! **static** |
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| …the TRUTH! the LIGHT! and the WAY! **all sing amen** …TEMPTATIONS **static** …the agents of SIN… **static** |
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| **shouting** …the ANGELS in HEAVEN sing and rejoice.. **static** …and SAVE your **static** …eternal SALVATION!!**static** |
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| **gospel music **static** all shouting HALLELUJAH!! **static** |
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| **static** |
| Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail, And mortal life shall cease; I shall possess, within the veil, A life of joy and peace. – John Newton, c. 1779 |
Stories by Zoxell 
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Very powerful scenes, but WHATTTT?? Not Sandi! T_T Her father drowned her didn’t he?? See, this is why she should’ve listened to Luke…man…that’s depressing. I guess its easier to go back to Anna then…
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Yea, it was her father. In my experience, evil doesn’t make exceptions for family.
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i did like Anna more than Sandi, but no one deserves a death like that. Sandi should have listened to Luke. He did warn her. Her father is truly evil.
I am happy that Anna is recovering from her past. And that she waited long enough before deciding to terminate her pregnancy. I am personally excited to meet the next generation. I also cant wait til anything and everything is understandable for the not as smart people so that it can all make sense in my brain.
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I’m pretty sure the next post will begin to tie it all up. I know it has been long and convoluted at times. Thanks for the encouragement!
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Well, it’s true I’ve never liked Sandi, but I am sad to see her go like that. I was hoping she was seeing someone else and it wasn’t Luke’s baby…but you’re the writer with the plan, and it has been great so far! So good bye crazy Sandi. Keep up the healing, Anna, Luke and the baby are going to need you to be strong. 🙂
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LOL! I’m actually just kinda winging it 😉
But seriously, poor Sandi’s fate was sealed from the very first few chapters after Anna’s family left Sunset Valley in 8.1
Sandi’s father (purposefully not given a name in the story) was the main antagonist from the very beginning (with some help from Corwin).
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Nooooooo! Sandi!!! She can’t be dead!will the entity go to Annas child then? So pumped for the next post. Keep up the amazing work!
I am also enjoying a sims series called “rachels sims stories; the story of Edith Prescott” you should totally Check it out.
Emily;)
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Wow. After all of that, Sandi dies. It’s so sad that the unborn baby died, too. What guilt Luke is going to feel after this! Sandi, as much as I never liked her, didn’t deserve that end.
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Aye, poor Sandi and her mother were both disposable in Corwin’s master plan. The dad will get his “what comes around- goes around” moment.
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