Discworld LegacyChapter

17.2

...Something Wicked

This Way Comes

Welcome back to the Discworld Legacy. This is the second half of a chapter so go check out part one if you haven't already read it.

In part one Edward became a child and formed a close bond with Esmerelda, Esme became a teen and continued her investigation of the supernatural worrying her family and the twins, Errol and Evadne were born

"How's Esme doing, still fixated on all things strange?"

"She left last night, for good she said, I don't know where she is."

"Oh"

For a while Esme continued going out every night and then she just stopped. She either gave up looking

Or she had found whatever it was she was looking for

I know which is more likely.

We allowed ourselves to hope that she was finally content with her knowledge and things would improve, our little girl would be back.

They didn't. Esme didn’t just stop talking to us about the supernatural, she stopped talking to us at all. She kept herself shut away in her bedroom, what she did in there we don't know.

We’d hear her laugh at times, but it wasn’t comforting.

Laughter should be a happy sound, the noises we heard were chilling.

Meanwhile life went on. Errol and Evadne spent their time sharing secrets and making plans. So far they've limited themselves to small adventures, anytime they attempt to plan something bigger they'd get distracted by something else. Once their attention spans get longer they're going to be a handful.

Edward continued to stand apart from his siblings. After a while Errol and Evadne gave up trying to get him to join in, I only there had been more I could have done for my troubled son.

Dad and Amber are still very happy, I know dad wasn't always the most faithful sim in the world but he truly loves Amber, hopefully Roxy and I can still be that much in love when we're that age.

Being retired they where the ones to help the new twins grow up when their birthdays fell on the one day of the week Roxy and I were at work till late. We made sure to give them extra attention when we got home.

Once again there were very clear differences between the twins. Eskarina is a buddle of love, she'll lavish affection on anyone, family, friends

or complete strangers. We're going to have to be careful about teaching her what is appropriate and what isn't as she grows up, I don't want her sweet nature getting her in trouble.

Her favourite person in the world is Eric

much to his displeasure. Eric doesn't like attention, he grudgingly puts up with it from Eskarina, but she's the only one he's that accepting of.

Even the rest of the family is rarely able to snuggle him without a struggle and he's very vocal about his dislike for strangers.

We also got the happy news that Roxy was expecting again.

I say happy, it is happy news really, but I sometimes think that perhaps six children would be enough and we should concentrate on those already here but then I see the joy in Roxy's face and any objection I have melts away.

While all this was going on Esme became more and more distant, we soon stopped seeing her at all.

She stopped joining the rest of the family for meals.

Choosing instead to grab leftovers later and eat in her room.

She didn't catch the school bus anymore although we knew she was going to school.

The reports we got from the school were even more worrying. At first they just said that she had become more withdrawn, wasn't participating in class anymore and was always by herself during breaks.

Then it got worse, there were suspicions that she was a bully,

Nothing anyone could ever prove but it was certain that the younger kids at school were terrified of her.

As Edward got older the hurt inside him was turning to anger and he grew more and more desperate to know what had happened to the sister he once counted as his closest friend. A couple of nights before his birthday he got up the courage to confront Esme and waited outside her bedroom for her to emerge.

"What do you want?"

"What's happened to you Esme? You changed, we used to play and now you're never around, what have you got into?"

"I don't have to answer to anybody least of all you."

"But we were friends, I thought..."

"You thought what, that I cared about you, that I loved you?

You're just a stupid, useless little brat, I could never be your friend! I could never love you! It was pity and I'm beyond pity now!" With that she disappeared into her room, slamming her door as she went.

With those words all the hurt and anger he had stored up came to the surface and Edward couldn't stop the tears.

Attracted by the sound of his tears Roxy found him sobbing on the landing. She tried to calm him down but he'd been bottling up his feelings for too long.

In the end all she could do was hold him while he cried.

Last night was triple birthday - Edward was becoming a teen and the younger twins became children.

Edward was happy to let the twins go first, I think, despite everything she had done, he wanted to wait for the last minute to give Esme a chance to show up. She never did.

Eric and Evadne grew into happy, contented children, they're too young to have been aware of Esme'sproblems, and, much as it pains me to say it, with her gone they'll be spared the impact she's had on their older siblings.

Then was Edward's turn. He wouldn't tell us what he wished for, he wanted to give it every chance to come true, but I'm pretty sure I can guess.

He grew into a serious, quiet teen who was keeping any thoughts firmly to himself. I just hope I haven't lost Edward with Esme.

After the children had gone to bed Esme appeared in front of us. She looked so different from the image I have of her, it wasn't the makeover she'd given herself, it was the look in her eyes, cold and hard.

She announced she was leaving for university and without giving us a chance to say anything turned and walked out the front door into a waiting taxi.

We weren't the only ones to see her go. Edward had been woken by the arriving taxi and knew who it had come to pick up.

He watched her leave without saying a word

Dorfl paused and then looked directly at the woman opposite, a cold look in his eyes "But you already knew everything I've just told you." There was anger in Dorfl's voice.

"What? No, how would I?"

"This entire time you've been sympathetic, understanding, supportive, everything except surprised. Nothing I've said has been new to you.

I looked you up, the articles you claim to have written, the books, they don't exist, you don't exist."

"I..."

Dorfl interrupted "I don't know who you are, what you are or why I've been pouring my heart out to you for the last few hours. I want you to leave, now!“

The woman's tone became pleading "I'm sorry. I can explain, I really can."

"I don't care, I just want you gone.”

***

That's the end of this chapter, we'd better leave before sim!Widget bursts into tears (I think I gave her too many nice points).

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Just to show that Edward isn't always miserable. He's a popularity sim (introverted popularity sim, should be fun) with the life time want to become Captain Hero.

He's an Aquarius - 5 neat, 3 outgoing, 6 active, 10 playful and 7 nice.

I realised I didn't give Errol and Evadne's stats last chapter.

Errol is a Taurus - 4 neat, 10 outgoing, 5 active, 10 playful and 5 nice.

Evadne is a Scorpio - 10 neat, 3 outgoing, 10 active, 7 playful and 1 nice.

I wasn't kidding when I said they were different.

Here's Eric and Eskarina made over, they're both Sagittarius and pretty similar but with one major difference

Eric - 7 neat, 3 outgoing, 9 active, 10 playful and 2 nice.

Eskarina - 4 neat, 4 outgoing, 10 active, 10 playful and 7 nice.

If last generation was characterised by full outgoing this one is all about the playful points. So far only Esme and Evadne haven't had 10 (5 and 7 respectively).

With a picture from happier times I'll leave you.