Prosperity and Sunshine

Carlisle Chapter 1: A Shocking Situation indeed!

2010-02-10T20:49:00.000-08:00

As the sun marched brightly into the fresh baby blue sky, the two fair skinned blond girls romped around the freshly cut, emerald green grass. Their long hair hung loose and their eyes sparkled. They both took solace in the knowledge that all that separated their tender feet from the ground was a thin sandal.

"Push me Trin! Push me!" Anne Boleyn cheered as she hooked her hands on the orange bar. "And don't go easy on me! I am older than you too!"

Trinity smiled widely and tucked her feet into the ground, digging in deep and getting the best room to release. Anne braced herself and held on tightly to the rail, the gentle wind stirring her large curls.

After a few seconds of suspense, Trinity finally released and spun the little whirl-o-round wildly, sending Anne Boleyn hurling towards the opposite end and barely catching herself. Trinity gracefully hopped on and rode with no hands, taking in the feeling of weightlessness. When the spinning seized, Anne Boleyn hugged her sister close and kissed her cheek lovingly.

"Now THAT is how you spin! I about fell over with that one!" Said the young and beautiful girl.

The Carlisles are new crop in the fresh fields of Prosperous Acres. They moved from the quaint and scenic plains of France to respond to the call Adam had received on a hot July day. He and his wife, Melanie, were sunbathing on their elaborate veranda while the children played in the colossal pool that was located in the courtyard of the fine European mansion. Tipping his designer glasses up, he heard the gasps of his agent and publicist.

"Adam! Adam! It's bad! It's bad!" The man had choked out.

"Merl, settle down. Now, what is the issue? Another PETA member organizing a strike over Melanie's furs?" Adam had mused as he looked over at his wife, who had a bronze tan paired with a skimpy gold bikini that was laced with fox fur.

"No! No! Adam, it's worse! They found out about the money laundering! And the gambling! Everything!" The man stumbled on as the color ran out from Adam's face.

Instantly Adam knew that they had to leave. So in half an hours time, the family of four boarded a dirty bus, with dark hoods over their well known faces, not looking up but to quickly steal a look at each others sad faces. Their lavish furnishings were left behind and the front page reputations of them all gone without a trace. In fact, the only thing that existed after the move was their names. They figured that in the town of Prosperous Acres, they could at least hold on to one remnant.

Now to introduce you formally to the head of the Carlisle family.
Adam Carlisle, well known across Europe and Asia and most of America. He started his career at the tender age of 3, when his mother force fed him into child beauty pageants, and winning most with his charming good looks.

He met his wife, Melanie at a modeling event. She was the tall redhead with electric green eyes and wearing the days hottest couture. And him being the most eligible bachelor in Paris, asked the most beautiful woman in the modeling industry to marry him. Adam has two children, Trinity and Anne Boleyn. He loves his little Angels, but is openly detested of the fact that he needs an heir for the acting career that he is determined to remake in this new town. He just hopes he will do things a little better this time. After all, how fun is money laundering if you had already done it a thousand times?

And then there is Melanie. Having cut off her hair during the big move to conceal her identity, she is largely unrecognizable from the curly haired diva that strutted on the long runways.

Melanie is what you would call a "perfectionist." She takes great pride in her looks and hopes that one day she could live back in a sunny vista with expendable cash. After all, going from a 9000 square foot mansion to a 650 square foot cottage is a drastic change, especially for a martini sipping socialite like herself.

Melanie is lovingly married to her dashing husband and overlooks his shortfalls. I.E: breaking the law. Melanie is a proud woman and even the lowest conditions wouldn't break that. Back hand comments and offensive quips are her innocent pleasure.

And then there is the first of the Carlisle girls, Anne Boleyn. With wild curls and a sweet babydoll face, little Annie is the apple of anyone's eye. Just liking to romp around, she is glad they moved.

And lastly is Trinity, the youngest daughter to the Carlisle bloodline. Always one for a nice game of tag with her playful sis, she is adventurous and free-spirited with just a tinge of recklessness.

But as the introductions have been fulfilled, lets take a peek at the now un-famous family....

"I hate this stupid rain!" Melanie screamed as she jumped up and down in a small rain puddle, soaking her uncomfortable Payless ballet flats.

"Is there ANY sun?!" She wailed as she kept stomping, and wanting so bad that scorching European sun.

"Whats happening out there hon?" Adam called from the front window of the house.

"Nothing sweetie!" She called back in a sing-song voice as she walked over to the door and kissed him full on the lips. "Nothing at all."

After the kiss, Adam booted up the computer they had received as a welcome gift from a Mr.Humble man, who had dropped it off nonchalantly on their doorstep. Not questioning the sanity of that, Adam clicked on his old email account and was displeased but not surprised when a large red box popped up and said it was deleted. The FBI had probably nicked it during the investigation of his disappearance.

But looking through the classifieds, he found exactly what he was searching for. A job as a entertainer at a sports coliseum. It damaged his pride to be starting from the bottom once again, but he knew in his heart he was born to entertain. And that was exactly what he would do.

Meanwhile, on guidance of their mother, the girls practiced their finer skills. Both of them hated chess but since the rain was coming down, along with lightning, they reluctantly agreed.

"Whats this piece again Trin?" Anne Boleyn asked as she held up a small plastic chip.

"That one is a pawn. It can only go forward." The younger girl replied.

"So....I can't do this?" Anne Boleyn took the pawn and slid it all the way to the other side. She smiled.

"Nope, but that was kinda cool." Trinity said as she took one of her silver pawns and drug it to the other side of the board.

They both busted out laughing as they moved each piece any where they pleased, not caring about any rules. For them, this was much more fun.

As for Melanie, she was busy welcoming the guests that were there to welcome them to the neighborhood. Among them was Annabella LaRose and Olive Honeyluck LaRose. Melanie thought they were suitable company, even though she was freaked out by the ball joints that lined Annabella's body. She didn't know what to think of that.

And as the rain poured down, and bolts of white lightning shot from the heavens, another woman who had came to visit the Carlisles was caught up in a very shocking situation.

ZAAAAAAAAP!

A beam shot through her body, rocking her frame and casting a dark char across her skin. She convulsed for a few minutes after the strike.

Olive Honeyluck had watched the whole thing. With her heart beating, she steadied the old woman, who only had her undergarments remaining.

"Are you going to be OK?!" Olive shouted as the woman's eyes wiggled in all directions.

The woman just continued to convulse and shake, and refused the need for an ambulance.

And when the fast friends, Annabella and Melanie hugged (apparently they had missed the whole scene) the old woman swung her arm up and mumbled.

"I betta gow now..." She said as she felt her black hair. "Yeah...." And the woman loped back home, spurts of electricity coursing through her veins.

And alas, she survived.

So when the torrid weather had halted, it was a welcome thing indeed. Especially for little Anne Boleyn who was busy with making lemonade. Her family had always had lots of money, and now they were just normal. But Anne didn't really care. She actually didn't like the claustrophobic confines of the opulent mansions she had lived in. The fresh air of Prosperous Acres was so much more fresh.

Squirt, squee, squirt

The lemons produced a sweetly sour melody as she took each yellow fruit and crushed them in her grasp. She put 32 lemons worth of juice in the jug before adding in a full bag of sugar. She was a little worried when most of it didn't dilute into the liquid, but she wasn't about to quit now.

So she started squeezing in more fruit, her fingers aching from exhaustion. It wasn't exactly as fun as the shows projected them to be. Open a stand, make some juice and strike it rich at the age of ten.

"OW!" She yelled as a drip of it got into her blue eye, sending sour pain through her whole head.

But persevering, she managed to create a semi-normal looking drink. She raised the treat to her mouth with the long wooden spoon.

"Its delicious!" She beamed as she took a little sign from under the stand that read "OPEN" She smiled as she started to pour the jug into the eight green plastic cups.

"Anne Boleyn...restaurateur extraordinaire.." She mumbled to herself. She had heard the people at her old house use big, fancy words like that all the time. Now it was rubbing off on the petite blond.

"Annie's lemonade shop is open! We sell lemonade....and erm, lemonade!" She shouted to the passerby.

Melanie, meanwhile, was exercising her weary muscles on the leg extender that they had bought with their very limited funds.

"Adam, there is no way I'm going anywhere without a fresh manicure and some equipment to keep me looking hot." She had said to her husband. "And a Gucci purse. I absolutely need at least one of those." And he had agreed, not knowing how to say no to his wife who he never had to say no to before.

"So how do the peas get in the pod?" Trinity questioned, on the comfy white couch in the living room.

"I'm not sure hon. But I know something about that..." He trailed off and pulled his daughter to him.

"I know for sure that we are two peas in a pod." He said as he kissed his daughters forehead. "And that you are positively the sweetest girl in the world."

As he said this Trinity scrunched up her eyebrows and frowned.

"But daddy, if I'm the sweetest girl, what about momma and Annie?"

"Well Trinity, my sweetheart, your all different kinds of sweet. Like candy, Anne might be laffy taffy and your mom may be Hershys. And you may be...?"

"Sweethearts." Trinity said and smiled wide. "Right daddy?"

"Right, sweetheart." He said while his daughter giggled. But as he shared this tender moment with his favorite daughter, he couldn't help but feel an odd, implacable feeling. And whatever it was, it didn't feel good. Not good at all.

Squueeeeek!

The mop flew over the floor, cleaning up the puddle of dirty water, which had made its way through the roof and through a small crack in the ceiling, creating a huge mess in Trinity's and Anne Boleyn's new room.

"God, what does a girl have to do to enjoy herself on a Sunday evening?!" She yelled from the top of her lungs.

And truly, this was her first taste of manual labor in...well, pretty much her whole life. Besides her occasional yoga exercises, she had never cleaned up after herself and this role as "mom-maid" was largely unappealing to her. But someone had to do it, and she fit the bill. Well, at least she came the closest.

Meanwhile, Adam headed off to his first day on the job.

"Bye Angel!" He shouted to Anne Boleyn, who was still busy at the little lemonade stand, and was rather dejected at the lack of interest.

"Don't go daddy! Wait!" She wailed as she picked up a green cup, which was filled to the top. "Take this!" And she handed him the cup.

"Thanks Angel. I'm sure it's the best darn lemonade in the Acres." And the carpool sped off, leaving Anne Boleyn with a proud smile on her face.

And she felt even happier when her sister stopped by her little lemonade stand.

"Hey Annie, how much are they?" Trinity asked as she pulled out two quarters and a Chuck e Cheese coin from her pocket.

"It's nothing for best-sister-in the world." She said back as she handed Trinity a full cup. Trinity started gulping and smiled wide.

"Annie, I think you were made to make lemonade."

"Only the finest ingredients for the finest people." Trinity said as she giggled.

"That, and the fact that I put a lot of sugar in there."

When Trinity had finished her drink, she had the sudden urge to splash in the puddles that were lining the corners of the little house. She had never really had the chance before: her mother especially disapproved of rowdy behavior when they lived in Europe. She was still uptight, but things were a bit relaxed since they were now in a house the size of their old closets and they had a meager amount of money.

Anne Boleyn on the other hand had met a peculiar man, who had dark pink hair and blue eyes, along with gray skin. Anne Boleyn had been told to not talk to strangers, yet she couldn't not to this mystery of a man. He was just so....different.

"Hi! I'm Anne Boleyn. And who are you..?"

"I'm Wren. Wren Ying. It is a pleasure to meet you Miss.Anne Boleyn."

"So....your different?" Anne Boleyn asked, none to shy on offending.

"Why yes I am Miss. I was born half human and half...." He trailed off as he thought if he would tell her. "Half vampire." He said the words and hoped it hadn't freaked out the sparkly eyed girl.

"Vampire?! Eek! That is so cool! So your kinda like Edward?" Wren laughed at this.

"Not exactly, miss. Twilight was sorta....erm, skewed. My father, the full vampire, drank the blood from donation stations. He never had a drop of warm human blood. And myself, getting the recessive gene of my mother, doesn't need blood at all. I'm a pizza and hamburger type of guy actually." Anne smiled at this.

And just as she did so, Annabella LaRose jogged by in a pair of shorts and a tank top. Annabella stopped her.

"Annabella!" For she knew her from her first visit at her house. "There's somebody I want you to meet!"

"Well, sweetheart..." She checked the time on her tiny silver phone. "I guess I could meet the person. Who is she?"

"Actually Wren is a he. And there he is." Anne Boleyn pointed to the pink haired man, who was awkwardly looking at the cement below his feet.

Annabella was instantly taken aback at his appearance. They both stared at each other in awe for a moment until Anne Boleyn broke the silence.

"Annabella LaRose, meet Wren Ying."

The two strangers smiled at each other warmly. They then commenced a lively conversation with smiles and small flirty actions spread throughout.

Anne Boleyn left when things started getting a little PG-13 rated. But, she was still happy that she had possibly created a couple. A doll and a half-vamp, pretty original. At least, Anne thought so.

Anne, proud of her grade school matchmaking skills went inside to tell her mother, who was busy serving snacks and wiping down counter tops.

"Momma! Momma! Guess what happened? I got Annabella and this guy named Wren together! I made love happen!" And she crossed her fingers together and got a distant look in her eyes. "I wonder what love feels like....."

"It's hard to explain." Said her mother as she patted down her daughter's unruly curls. "But as long as you keep your hair like that, you'll never find out, huh?" And Anne's light heart got a little heavier. If there was any word to describe her mother, it wouldn't be soft. Even her body was hard and slim, the product of constant and strenuous diets.

But she didn't let it get to her for very long. One of the things they had bought at a Wal-mart a few days ago was a Betty Mack oven, which was supposed to be perfect for little girls of all ages. But as she opened the little door, a cloud of black smoke erupted and made her choke and cough.

And it was an even worse situation for the puffy muffin, which had had it about as bad as the little old woman who had felt the brunt of the Heavens wrath upon her.

Anne Boleyn broke off a small bit and slipped it into her mouth. Tasting a starchy bland mess, she quickly spit it out.

"Man....why is it so hard to make a muffin around here?!"

Beats me too. It seems that all the children of Prosperous Acres have a very difficult time with producing quality muffins.

"La la la....woke up feelin' like P diddy....La la la..." Melanie mumbled as a gray haired woman appeared from the back door. "Erm, lady what the heck are you doing in my house?" Melanie asked as she continued to rifle through the scanty fridge.

"I'm here for the childrens." Said the woman with a thick russian accent. "Where are the childrens?!" She asserted as she looked all around with prying eyes.

"Lady, I don't know who you are but you are really freaking me out and have, like, violated about a hundred crimes by coming in here without my permission." Melanie grabbed a large knife from the drawer. "Wouldn't want anybody getting hurt, right?"

The woman looked panicked as she backed out of the house.

"No childrens here....I'll be going now....Good night..." And she ran far, far away, and was never seen again by the citizens of Prosperous Acres.

"So how is it going with Wren and you?" Anne Boleyn asked the peppy doll.

(See LaRose chapter one)

"Oh, it's splendid! I haven't talked to a man like that in....My whole life." Annabella said as she smiled wide and had a glow about her.

"YAY!! I wonder if you and Wren get married, and had a baby, if I would be it's Godparent or something? Than I could be, like, a parent at 10!" As she said this Annabella blushed.

"If Wren and I do have a baby, you can be the Godparent." And she hugged the little girl, whom she barely knew, yet felt a certain fondness for.

Actually, it had been going very well with the sweet Miss LaRose and the strange Wren Ying. There was a connection that ran between them that all the Carlisles could see.

It was quite a few types of odd, but it was nice to see.

Especially for the youngest Carlisle.

"Trin.....do you think that maybe....I will fall in love?" Anne asked as she rubbed her tired eyes and slid under the thin sheets. Trinity didn't answer.

"I mean....It looks so nice. Like all those flowers that were mailed to the mansion. You know how they were so colorful and vibrant? That's how I imagine love. Like a rainbow of harmonious colors....stunning." Anne mused as she heard a soft snore from the sister in the bed beside her.

"I love you too Trin, I love you too."

That night, Adam came home, unsurprisingly with papers for promotion.

It wasn't a surprise to anyone. His defined good looks and seemingly spotless personality made everyone want a slice of the dashing man. None of them knew about his past, go figure, but all of them could guess at his gleaming future that was so surely set out in front of him. It was just a given.

That night, Adam had come home with a homely looking woman, with cotton candy pink hair that was woven into two messy braids. She had been the woman who frantically passed out papers and filed business cards at his new job. He heard that she had been working that same job for 12 years. And Adam, on his first day, had been given the promotion that gave him twice as much pay as this woman. Some may argue that this isn't "fair", but Adam, he didn't much care. After all, who was he to care about anyone besides himself?

When Adam had opened the door, he was instantly bombarded by his wife, who kissed him with red hot intensity. He could even tell what flavor of lipstick she was wearing. Coconut strawberry, with just a hint of vanilla. Oh yeah, he was good.

When the kiss ended, Adam still held his terribly beautiful wife in his arms. He raised his eyebrow when she gestured to their bedroom door. Trinity coughed as she saw the ooey-gooey icky grossness that was her parents.

"Um mom, can I use the easel? I wanna get in some midnight painting." Trinity said awkwardly as the R-rated advancements of her parents continued.

"Yeah, sure hon. Me and your dad are going to go...." But she didn't finish as she was literally swept off her feet by her husband. Trinity just shook her head and painted.

The next morning, the bus arrived for the young girls. They were happy to be entering a new school although they knew they were going to be quickly changing to private school when the headmaster met them this evening. Even so, they both tried to make their one and only day in public school worthwhile.

Adam, on the other hand, was practicing for his advancing career as an entertainer. He already had his skills down and memorized, naturally, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to get a little extra practice in. He headed into the bright white bathroom, which was sparkling clean and was neatly organized. He stood in front of the gleaming mirror and made a face.

"So...How ya doing Adam? Lookin' good, lookin' good I see." He made small talk with his reflection.

"If anyone is seeing this, then I'll be ruined again..."He laughed as he reflected on that period of his life. "How stupid can you get? Why did I scam money when I had a world of it already?" He shook his head. "I'll never make that mistake again..."

But something that surely wasn't going to crumble any time soon was Melanie's strong mind. It was perfectly manicured into the ideal Stepford wife archetype. She had thought that settling into the binding role as the motherly type would restrict her. But she found it surprisingly easy. And leafing through the sweet recipes of the desert section of a recipe book, she kind of liked the soccer mom type. As long as she stayed hawt, she was alright with it all.

"Well hello there, my fine Melanie." Adam cheered as he waltzed out of the bathroom.

"Had a good conversation with yourself sweetheart?" Melanie sniped as he slipped his body on top of hers, the couch cushions deflating.

"Aw, very enlightening hon." He kissed her tenderly, and carefully pulled off his jacket and shirt, exposing a toned and hard chest.

"You just can't keep your hands off of me lately huh?" And she kissed back, and lined her hand across his back.

"Can I ever?" And for a few minutes they kissed until he caught sight of red leaves falling from the birch tree outside. He pulled away.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" Melanie picked up her lacy bra and clipped it back on.

"I'm just gonna go rake up those leaves. I just blanked on the headmaster coming here tonight. God, why must you be so distracting." He smiled as he looked down at her sculpted and feminine figure, which was clad in pink satin underwear.

All distractions aside, Adam head out with a brand new rake in the sprinkling rain and quickly gathered the leaves into a large pile, green, amber and maroon, all blended into one. For a second Adam had a moment of childish immaturity: He thought about jumping in and kicking about. He knew it would only make a mess that he would have to rake up again, but still, the urge was there.

When he was done with the hard work in the yard, Adam returned to the house, which was air-conditioned to a perfect temperature and smelled lightly of citrus and pine, and tinged with the unmistakable odor of bleach. Cleaning supplies were scattered across the counters, every logo promising clean surfaces stood there in a neat little row. Adam picked up the cordless phone and begun dialing.

"Hello Mr.Hoover, I just wanted to make sure our plans for tonight are squared away." Adam said to the man.

"Aw, yes Adam, I'll be there tonight at 5:00 sharp. Not a moment late. Now, I must get on to my other pressing matters." Said the man on the other end, with the audible sound of papers ruffling.

Adam hung up the phone and sauntered over to his wife, who's hands were still busy scrubbing the already immaculate sink. Adam took her waist in his arms.

"Big night tonight, big night." He said as he kissed his lover's ear.

"I know this Adam, kind of explains why I'm working extra to clean this place up. I mean for Gods sake, how are we supposed to get Trinity and Anne into a decent school if we live like...well, white trash." She said the word in a disgusted tone.

"Gosh sweetheart, just relax. And you know what, I think you deserve a trip to the spa. I'll handle the headmaster while you get a facial." He kissed her. "And don't you dare fret; I got this all in the bag, even though I'm sure your rocking good looks might sway his decision." Adam concluded as Melanie, who never could resist a chance to be pampered, grabbed her purse and said her adieus.

The girls came back from school, their faces rosy and their bodies aching from a tough thing known as "public school". They had enjoyed their day, yet looked with vigor to the prep academy with the pretty manicured grounds and big easy boy chairs and sleek laptops instead of rigid wood desks and the terribly ordinary pen and paper.

"Hey Trin, what do you suppose I do with this homework I got? It's not like I'm going to be seeing Miss.Ruffie again or anything." Anne Boleyn held out a pink packet which read in fat bubble letters "Anne Boleyn Carlisle's Homework!"

"Um, I think you should do it. All." Trinity said sternly as Trinity blinked, surprised.

"Ha ha ha! I'm just kidding Anne, I say you just throw it away. Or burn it."

And after doing the less destructive of the two, they flopped down on the comfy couch and flicked on the small television. A slapstick cartoon popped on.

"Ew....Is it just me, Trin, or do I hate all this fighting and icky humor? I mean, whatever happened to the fairy channel?" Anne turned to her sister, who was staring through the large window at the drizzling rain that was pitter-pattering against the roof. Anne sighed.

"Must you always be a space cadet Trin?" Anne waved her arm in front of Trinity's face. Trinity just sighed wearily.

"Anne, we better comb out our hair and clean our faces, the headmaster is coming." Trinity said with a perfectly level voice.

"Alright....." Anne said sadly as they both got up and clomped over to the bathroom.

And it wasn't long before a glossy car arrived in front of the Carlisle homestead, the light rain blotting the stately looking man's purple jacket. He stood in front of the house scrutinizing the exterior and making mental notes of everything he saw. He checked his Rolex and brushed a leaf off the shoulder of his sleeve. But then he saw blinds being drawn from inside and the blond man traipse outside, a smile radiating from his face.

Adam approached the man and shook his hand, relieved to see a grin on his face as well.

"Well hello Mr.Carlisle. I have heard of your two girls, which I also heard to be of excellence." He raised his white furry eyebrows. "Is this true?"

"Trinity and Anne Boleyn are some of the brightest girls I am sure you will ever see."
Adam said, proudly. "Now, Mr.Hoover, let's get inside, this rain is unpleasant."

And the stately headmaster followed, VERY excited indeed.

Actually, the headmaster was very exuberant throughout the tour. He showed this by pounding his hands in the air and yelling. Between outbursts he would pick non existent pieces of lint off his clothing and leaf through a small notepad that was filled with scrawls of classical cursive. He was truly a perplexing man.

"And so I think you should think the school satisfactory." The headmaster concluded after the quality meal of microwave burgers. Adam hated the idea of burgers and hated even more the idea of serving it to an influential headmaster, but Mr.Hoover had hoisted up the freezer and exclaimed with delight:

"Munnie's Burger Flips?! Where do you get these?! I say, I haven't eaten these in.....13 years! We must eat! I just flip over Munnies" Adam had tried to persuade him, but he wholeheartedly insisted.

And after the rousing conversation, the headmaster grasped Adam's hand and wobbled it up and down, Adam, not quite sure about what had happened that whole evening.

"Mr.Carlisle, I am pleased to admit your two daughters.." He quickly pulled out the little notebook. "...Anne Bolem and Tracy..." The man said as he half-smiled up at Adam.

Adam just pushed the man to the door, not bothering to correct him.

"I love that particular brand of cologne by the way Mr.Carlisle. Very.....earthy."

And the headmaster officially departed leaving Adam a bit confused but very happy that his two daughters could enjoy a more proper school.

And a proper school demanded skills beyond reading and writing. Trinity was instantly shocked when she scanned through the lengthy course information she would be taking.

Ballet....Art....civics...economics...The list seemed to go on and on. She sighed as she picked up a few bottles of paint and lazily started spreading it across the easel.

Actually, over the next few days, the cram to learn was full fledged and ugly. The girls found it hard to adjust. The ivy covered school breathed the very essence of intelligence and stretched the minds of two little girls who just wanted to play and romp around without the itchy skirts that they were forced to wear. And yes, they were plaid.

Adam also tried to advance his skill set and painted vigorously, even though most of it bled together into a blob. But, if it helped his job, he would try pretty much everything. Being an up and coming celebrity figure was hard work. And now that he was going to be going toward the magician line of acting (he heard it payed well) it was a huge mountain to climb.

Time continued to tick by, the leaves of Fall still trickling down from the birch trees hitting the ground gracefully. Adam was the one who always raked them up, neat piles stacked high. One day, after another hard day at school, Trinity eyed one. She looked back and forth for witnesses but only saw her sister, who was busy searching for bugs in the dew kissed grass.

"WEEEEEEEE!"

She grabbed up armfuls of the leaves and tossed them in the air, feeling the wind on her cheeks and the copper rainbow above her. It was an amazing sight. Breathtaking actually. She captured the image in her head so she could paint it later. Her art teacher would be proud.

And just as fast as they had ascended, they fell. Their colors spilled onto the ground and the fun was over.

"Trinity! Trinity? Where are you? I need you to show me your pirouette. I hear your ballet is slipping." Melanie yelled through the front window.

And carefully picking up her backpack, she headed inside, a silent smile playing on her lips.

Anne Boleyn was not having as much fun.

"Stupid Claire Ursine, she totally just rejected me when I wanted her to give me a friendly hug." Anne folded her arms across her chest.

"Stupid Sims 3, I will never like it.EVER." And she turned off the bulky computer, glad to be rid of such 'stupid' games.

Wondering what Melanie has been up to? Well, after her expensive spa treatment, she recommenced her the super cleaning, brushing, wiping, and bleaching every surface and object until she could see her reflection in it.

"Darn this stupid shower! Do you see this shower curtain?" She turned angrily to the curtain which was a dull gray. "Do you know how many times I've cleaned this?"

She then started madly scrubbing again, and if you didn't know better you would think she was doing that her whole life.

But it seems that Anne's playing time on the computer payed off. A mysterious stranger walked through the front door and didn't set off any alarms. Maybe it was the heavy blue suit he was donning, which was covered in green wires that crisscrossed in a microchip-y kind of way. He approached the curly blond girl and shook her hand, which she could feel was sweaty, even though he was wearing thick gloves.

"Miss Boleyn, I have heard about your skills in the art of gaming. I have come to bestow upon you the amulet of our clan." He handed her an off white business card that was stained with a yellow substance. It had the name 'Arnold Deskamp' and underneath said 'Clan leader'. A small picture of a ruby red amulet necklace also cluttered up the side.

"Um, thanks. I'll keep this." And the man smiled and left, while Anne chucked the card into a nearby trash can.

That night at the stroke of midnight, when the girls and Melanie were fast asleep, Adam was still doing prep work for an audition the next day. The desk lamp burned his skin and he rumpled his hair and stood up. He opened the door and lugged the trash out to the silver can on the sidewalk. The air had a light chill and the whole neighborhood was silent. Except for a small black haired girl who was busy swinging around Anne and Trinity's whirl-o-round. He furrowed his brow.

"Um, sweetheart, it's a little late for this." He awkwardly shifted his weight. The girl stopped spinning and checked the purple watch on her left wrist.

"Oh....OK! See you tomorrow!" She said cheerfully and skipped off. Adam just shook his head and wondered if the whole thing was just his imagination. Maybe he was going mad.

So he decided to make a quick stop to a nearby night club, something he had done so much before they had lost their fortune and status.

The colors burned into his head and the whole place held the sickly sweet smell of hard liquor. He nodded his head at a mousy brunette who raised her right eyebrow when she saw him. She could see her peaked interest when she handed him a menu, fumbling slightly.

She seated him in the area by the dance floor and went on about the days specials.

Adam just felt like rolling his eyes when he noticed that none of the other customers had picked anything to eat. They were all clutching sloshy bottles and cups of liquids. They were all incredibly tipsy.

She scrawled out his order of a plain beer and headed back into the dingy kitchen.

But Adam wasn't much paying attention. His gaze had met a pale skinned beauty, who's ruby red eyes scanned her surroundings like the prey she would stalk. His eyes connected with hers. It was like the parallels of fire and ice breaking and meeting in a terrible smash.

She quickly looked away. Too soon, Adam thought. Looking into her eyes was like looking into the future. Hidden, mysterious, yet dangerous and new. He watched intently as she talked to the woman in front of her who was wearing a badge and a tight fitting blue vest.

Adam guzzled down three beers and ordered a shrimp salad to help mend the drunken feeling that was overcoming his whole body. He could feel her body near him and even though he didn't even know her name he was overcome. By a feeling he had no idea how to place.

Finally he couldn't take it any longer. His knees buckled as he approached her.

She was busy with a conversation with the cop. He laughed because it sounded really ironic. Because she was definitely no human. She looked back at him and again their eyes connected.

"What do you want?" Her voice was deep and bordered on a man's.

"I just....wanted to talk to...you." Adam had never felt this nervous around....well, anyone. His cheeks blushed.

"Karen, I am going to have to get back to you." She checked the stainless steel clock on the wall. "And anyway, I am feeling awfully tired." She twisted out of her chair and rushed to leave. Adam caught up, but just barely.

"I wanna talk!!" He huffed for air. She sighed and handed him a number printed on dark black paper. Conchetta Braven. He slipped it into his pocket.

"I never do this...but you seem different." Conchetta said as she looked out of a window. It was a few minuted until sunrise, the clouds barely keeping the sun at bay.

"I must go. Goodbye.." She looked into his eyes.

"Adam. It's Adam."

"Goodbye Adam." And she sped off, just as the sun was poking through.

And he was struck by that mysterious feeling again.

His cell phone rang. He popped the cruddy little flip phone open and saw his wife's number. He talked into it, seeming to return back into reality.

"Adam, I'm pregnant....It's triplets." And that's all Adam needed to hear to officially have enough of reality.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading Carlisle Chapter 1!

Tune in next time for the Scarlet family who might be rushing into a life of riches and temptation which could mean trouble!

Songshaper Chapter 1:Waddling along, looking Kute

2010-01-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

Quietly, Brent stepped up to the little wood bench and blew the dust from its top. He smelled the scent of pine and paint covering the large desk area and momentarily got lost in it's old memories.He saw the stubby old pencils in the little cup, bite marks still on the bodies of them. Carefully he pulled one of them out and heard the familiar sound of metal clinking together.

The little red doors opened noisily and exposed the drawers which held the old blocks of wood and small saws, and other tools. Brent smiled widely. He couldn't believe the old toy bench he had built so many things on as a kid still functioned. He had expected it to be ruined through all the years.

"It still works hon!" Brent yelled out to his wife, who was downstairs watching t.v.

Brent grasped an old cube of brick and began tapping on it with a small hammer, a little hypnotized by the fondness he had with every little dent he made in it.

"This is pretty fun...." He mused to himself, now completely enamored by the childish activity.

The Songshapers just moved into the sweet and cozy little nook of a cul-de-sac in the neighborhood of Prosperous Acres. Back in Riverblossom Hills, their old neighborhood, they had lived a bountiful and fulfilling life.But their reputation was not so pristine. Their neighbors ran them out of town, saying they belong in a place like Strangetown, where the "freaks of nature" live.

Almost out of hope, they packed their possessions and headed to the belated desert town. But as they rode the greyhound, a small miracle happened in the form of a newspaper, one that a passenger had left behind. In it they found the listing to a cream colored cottage, in a place where no one would know of their previous escapades.

This is where they now call "home"

In the house, are three people. One of them, whom we already saw a little of, is Brent Songshaper. Brent is what you could call, a, erm, free-spirit. Always trying to invent something that could sell on t.v., he is always trying to use his community college knowledge to advance his families limited funds. That, and the fact that he has a thing for the XX chromosome, erm, women. Brent loves his wife, Mistale, but just can't seem to get enough of the lovely woman silhouette. His casual flirting hasn't gotten him into any jams yet, but only time will tell.

Then there is his wife, Mistale Songshaper, an affectionate young woman who puts others before herself. She is a gentle person and doesn't like confrontations.
Mistale is the descendant of the Songshaper clan, comprised of elves, which explains her pointy ears which are hidden behind her short brown hair.She doesn't mind the fact that she was born this way, and most people accept her for she is fairly "normal". To bad the same can't be said for her daughter.

Illiana Songshaper. The heiress to the Songshaper's, she was born different, just like her mother. But unlike her mother, she can't hide a few wisps of hair over the evidence and fit in. Her skin is as pale as a winter sunset and her eyes a piercing blue.

It is terribly obvious she inherited the old genetics of Akkar, the greatest ancestor in Elven history. Illiana is the only one ever to posses the coveted mark, a swirl of ribbon like lines that cover her face.

It is unclear why, after so many generations Illiana, born from an elf and a human, presented the mark. Mistale and Brent, seeing the jealous look in the eyes of the elven clan, fled to Riverblossom Hills for fear of Illiana being hurt...or worse.

Illiana has avoided contact with the children her own age, yet she craves friendship. Just wanting to fit in, she only wishes her differences could be a little less obvious, spilled across her face. She hopes that someday people will see her mark as something beautiful and not an anomaly.

And last but not least in the cozy Songshaper homestead are the cats: Melody (the white one) and Symphony (The black one) The Songshapers have always loved cats, and Illiana was always the one who brought them home after riding her bike through the park and seeing their lonely eyes and instantly falling in love with them.
Mistale and Brent never really learned to say no to the little sweetheart.

But introductions are boring, let's move on to the Songshaper's new front lawn, where Mistale and Illiana were playing a classical game of 'swing around'.

"WEEEEEEEEEE!" Illiana screamed as her mother swung her around on the front lawn.

Illiana always loved this game when she was little. It made her head spin but it was all worth it. But suddenly the speed increased, Mistale sending her daughter higher into the air, a solid 80 degrees when she really kicked it up.

"MOMMMMMMMA!" Illiana screamed, feeling sickness rising in her throat.

"What's that sweetie? Faster? Well, OK!" And with all her strength, she flung Illiana's body into the air.

"MOMMMMMMMA!!!" Illiana screamed again as she went vertical into the air. Suddenly Mistale's grip failed, sending Illiana's body flying in the air.

She was about six feet up, about to land on her head. Mistale cried out, trying to catch her daughter. But it was to late. Illiana had hit the hard ground. But instead of on her head, she had fallen square on the balls of her feet, absorbing the impact like a nimble cat. Mistale rushed to hug her daughter, who had vomited and was a distinct shade of green.

"Oh my baby! You look like Shrek! I'm so sorry." And she kissed her forehead profusely,glad that she was all in one piece. But when she thought about what happened, something odd stuck out.

"Sweetheart, how did you land like that?" She asked as she scratched her head.

"I don't know....It was all kind of a blur. But I had this weird feeling and then I landed it. Is that bad?"

"Bad? Sweetie, no! If it kept you from getting a concussion that's what matters.
But...I just have this odd feeling about it. Akkar had powers similar to that. He could move things with his mind and fall from distances and not have a scratch on him."
She hugged Illiana closer. "I always knew you held more of him in you than you're beautiful skin."

When Illiana had dried herself off and took a few aspirin to dull the pain on her wrists.

She zipped open her old pink duffel bag and withdrew her favorite book: Jane Eyre.

It's cover was worn and the text now a dull gray. She had been entrusted it when she was seven, it was the first Human book she ever had read on the clan's land. She had been used to reading Phantyni script, the Elven language. The squiggly lines confused her at first but she quickly picked it up, she was an intelligent girl after all.

Jane Eyre was still her favorite, even though she had raided the Riverblossom Hills library and devoured many novels and texts. It represented love and regret. It explained the complex mind of a woman who you could not help but cry, laugh and love with.

Simply put, it was Illiana's sweetest thing to do on a rainy afternoon.

Upstairs, Mr.Songshaper continued his work on the large block of rock which he chipped away at with a hammer. He found that seeing the bits of pebbles crumble off was a good source of stress management.

"Ta Da!" He sang as he drove the last blow into his project.

And the stone was transformed into a small brick shaped object with a mouth, eyes and a brown mustache. Er, beard. Brent looked very happy by his handy work, evident by the Cheshire cat smile on his face. He held up the little guy and danced around with it to the Oldies song on the nearby radio. Every neighbor who saw him through the cottage windows probably thought he was insane, which judging by this moment, isn't far from the truth.

"Misty! Illiana! I have created a masterpiece!" He kissed his fingers like a chef might do after he perfected a perfect dish of rigatoni. But Brent, he was perfectly ecstatic about the little brick which, quite honestly, Illiana could have created in half the time. He would have kissed the little thing but didn't want to look like a total loon. Even Brent had his limits.

Munch Crunch Munch

Melody scarfed down his food sloppily as his tags jingled noisily. He looked up periodically as he swallowed his food. It was in the same bowl they had used in Riverblossom hills where he had met his one and only true love.

He was actually looking up at her that moment. With her snow white fur and beguiling half green half blue eyes, she was the owner of his heart. But as she lazily picked from her own food bowl, she failed to notice the loving gaze of her suitor who so desired her attention.

In the kitchen, Mistale opened the newly stocked stainless steel fridge and pulled out a box of cookies. They were those kind that kids are supposed to sell to their neighbors and family to raise funds for the school. But Illiana, being a shy kindergartner, didn't sell a box and instead had her mother lovingly buy 125 of them. Little Illiana even got a ribbon for her achievements in cookie sales.

"Hey Ily, watcha making over there?" Mistale said as she looked over at her daughter who was also whipping up something to eat on the easy bake oven she had bought her for Christmas the year before.

"Well the booklet says it's making the "Super Duper Muffinlicious muffin. But mine looks FAR from super, let alone super duper." Illiana said glumly.

"Oh sweetie, I'm sure it will come out beautiful, just like you." And she started to roll out the cookie dough, glad that they had made it easier than actually mixing all the stuff together. Back on the clan's base, they made everything from scratch, including their clothing and toilet paper. It was alright while they were there until they left and found how much easier things were. Let alone cleaner.

That night, when the cookies finished baking and the muffin too, (which turned out charred, black and anything but super), Adam and Melanie Carlisle showed up to welcome the Songshapers to the neighborhood, bearing a lily bouquet and wide smiles. Mistale was happy to see friendly faces in her home though she felt a twinge of falseness in their acts. They were nice but hidden people. That was clear.

"You have a lovely home, very cozy." Melanie, the green eyed redhead woman commented with a strange edge to her voice, with the slightest microscopic sign of sarcasm, so well covered up that Mistale and Brent didn't even notice it. But Illiana, being the clever and insightful young lady caught it in the filters of her mind.

"We do like our house, right mom and dad?" She looked at them with a clever smile on her face. "Mom and Dad had a hard time to pick between this one and 42 Rochester Way. They ended up picking this one since it was a lot prettier." Melanie and Adam seemed caught off guard for a few seconds.

In fact, they were also a new family in the neighborhood. And they were the ones who had bought 42 Rochester Way. Illiana was just the kind of brilliant fourth grader to took a back handed insult and served it back. Her parents just looked at her, not quite sure of what she had just done. Illiana just smiled proudly as the Carlisle's struggled to regain their full composure.

Mistale, sensing the awkward situation, even though she had no idea why, tried to carry on the small talk.

"So Adam, your an entertainer?" Mistale asked as she shoved a cookie in her mouth.

"Yeah, my dream is to become a prestidigitator." The handsome blond man said in the winning accent that blended smooth south and cool West smiling wide.

The conversation freezed for another few seconds while Mistale tried to think about what a "prestidigitator" was. But young Illiana, once again, didn't miss a beat. She looked up from her puffy muffin, another sparkle in her eye.

"So that means you want to do magic tricks?" Illiana said evenly, seeing the impressed look on his face, and feeling smart that she hadn't let her family fall into his little traps. She was educated, and by Gosh, she would show it.

"Yeah." Adam said while smiling at the girl. "Your a smart young lady. A very smart young lady" He mused as he looked into her eyes and seeing the lines on her face.

Illiana stepped out of the room after he was done complimenting her. You could only take so much of a few proud people who took solace in embarrassing people.

Illiana felt bad for those kind of people. She knew they had pain in their hearts or they wouldn't be firing off venom soaked insults.

Illiana was glad her family wasn't like that.

Instead she went back to her painting, happy to be alone with her precious watercolors, which she had been amassing since she was a toddling child. It was a sort of escape for Illiana. She could almost taste the sweet citrus oranges or smell the greens that reminded her of noble forests, thousands of years of growing.

And while Illiana painted, Mistale, full from her dinner from the Carlisles, held little Melody in her arms staring into her odd eyes.

"Your a special cat, I've always liked that about you Melly." And she kissed it's wet nose.

"Meeeeow." Melody purred as she was scratched behind the ears.

"Does Melly wanna play? You wanna fly Melly?" Melody just cocked her head. Mistale took this as a yes.

And she lifted the skinny cat into the air, Melody not quite sure about what was happening and why she was a million miles from the ground. She rapidly flailed her paws around, finally meeting skin and drawing blood. Suddenly she was catapulting through the air......

But luckily she landed on the ground gracefully, the pads on her feet absorbing the impact. Mistale sucked her wound, which turned out to be a strip of a scratch on her hand. Melody meanwhile, probably should have taken some Dramamine, for she felt her head swirl and then a disgusting roar sent up her throat and a chunky substance poured over the vintage rug, something Mistale had found at a flea market a few weeks before.

"I'm sorry Melly. I guess I shouldn't be doing these kinda things anymore, huh?

I almost killed my sweet Illiana and now I got you vomiting all over the rug."

Just a little bit later, Illiana stood up at her creation. It depicted a small wooden house that has it's inhabitants being swept off with an Alien Spaceship by a brilliant yellow ray. Illiana smiled wide at her "masterpiece."

"It's so beautiful! And HA to all the non-believers! Aliens rule!" Illiana exclaimed as she hip hip hoorayed. Truly, it was one of her life goals to become an alien but she learned early from silly teachers that there are no such thing. Illiana still had a whole heart of hope for her UFO flying green dudes.

But as she stopped gazing, she ended up going into her room, which smelled of faint paint and new homeyness. She liked the smell. And the room was pretty and pink, her second favorite color other than blue. When she opened the door, she found Melody resting lazily on her bed.

"Hey Melody! How are you doing girl?" Illiana said as she played with her fur and hugged her close.

"Meh...Just sickish right now. Your mom nearly killed me. She likes to overdo things, huh?" Melody said drowsily as she rested her white head on Illiana's shoulder.

"Yeah, but I think she does it because she has so much love, she has to show it somehow. Even if it means accidentally killing us in the process." Illiana said, or rather thought.

Illiana, if you hadn't already guessed can talk to animals. She hears what they are thinking in her head, sorta like a radio. She can then project something back and have conversations with the critters. She has never told anyone about this skill. She doesn't want to seem like an even bigger freak than she already is known as. And anyway, she kind of wanted to stay a secret thing between her and the animal kingdom. It felt special to her.

The next morning, walking through wee hours, a strange and fabled guest appeared. He crossed through the neighborhood as if he had done it many times before.
He wore a spiffy tuxedo of slick jet black and had sweet baby blue eyes. No, he is NOT a lounge singer though he does have an appreciation for music. No, he is a penguin, straight from the South Pole. Erm, North Pole. Antarctica?

But anyways, he was here, and it was a once in a lifetime moment.

I em jut walttying along lookeing kute

The little guy thought as he sauntered, er, waddled along.

And OK, I have to admit, that penguin is wickedly adorable. Just look into those big blue eyes and you have fallen deep in love. Maybe it's a trap. After all, good looks can be deceiving and to die for cuteness is not to be trusted. Ever.

Back inside, we have some more animal business. Sweet Melody has finally learned how to use the litter box. Once in a lifetime moment?

Erm....Let's just move on OK?

And as if we need anymore monkey business, we have Mistale and Brent here.
Their lips smacked as Brent's engulfed Mistale's, leaving her out of air and woozy headed. They both smiled when it was done.

"I love you Angel." He said as he lightly caressed her cheek and her shoulder.

"I love you to honey. And, erm thanks for the kiss. Just warn me next time Okay?" Mistale said as she giggled. "Wouldn't want me to choke to death right?"

"Course not, love. Now I gotta get ready for work, remember the thing at the local comedy club? I called and they said they got an opening as a stand up comedian. Pretty cool, huh?" He said excitedly. Mistale just giggled.

"But honey, isn't that hard work? You have to make up your own jokes and stuff? Be funny?"

"I am funny! And my jokes are top-notch, straight from the best source." He said as he pointed to his head.

"Oh, well, if it makes you happy then I'm all for it. Hahaha right?" And she kissed his cheek. "I have a job I was accepted for also. The Prosperous Acres police department seems to be paying well. I'm starting out as a security guard for the local mini mall. Hey! Why are you laughing?!"

Brent grabbed his chest and suppressed more laughter.

"Now tha's FUNNY! Forget me, YOU should be the comedian!" And he bent over laughing, Mistale eager to show that this elf has more than some prickly ears.

In the livingroom, a different couple had connected.

"I have to tell you something Melody." Symphony said in his deepest voice.

"Erm, can I guess? You have a deep and irrevocable love for me?" She said as she looked at him in his golden eyes.

"HOW DID YOU KNOW?!?" Symphony chocked out, feeling relieved but also nervous.

"You kind of talk about in your sleep. Your so cute when you sleep, muttering gibberish about everyone." Melody said warmly, a purr emerging from her throat.

"I feel the same way Sym."

And they kissed. Well, they sorta pushed their faces into each others noses but it was a beautiful moment none the less. And because they were in the heat of the love and they were already near it, they both ducked into the wooden doghouse, disappearing into feline fantasies.

Beep! Beep!

The bus rounded the street with a few loud honks and opened it's glass doors in front of the Songshaper's house. Illiana, emerging from her first day at Prosperous Elementary, had a smile on her face.

"Bye Mr.Dave!" Illiana said as she waved at her driver, a blond man who smelled of liquor and cologne.

And skipping off the final step she did a little dance and then spun around back to the bus yelling at the girl who also stepping off the bus.

"Lyndsay! Lyndsay! I wanna show you everything!" She yelled to the young girl who was now stepping off the bus.

"I'm comin' Illiana!" The tan redhead said as she bobbled off the bus.

They both hugged each other on the front lawn as they rushed inside, Illiana eager to show her everything about her new house.

"So you have, like, the coolest house in the world!" Lyndsay said as she looked all around the large robin egg room. "Seriously, my house is, like, as big as this room!"

"I'm just getting used to it too. I grew up on the elf clan's land and we lived in tents. It wasn't very comfy."

"You belonged to a clan?! You mean like a commune sort of thing?"

"Erm, kinda I guess. Everyone was really nice there though. We made our own clothes and stuff. Bathed under waterfalls and had our own hot tubs made from hot springs."

"Right on Illiana! You must be, like, the coolest girl I've ever met!"

And they high-fived each other, happy to have each others company.

Illiana enjoyed all the time spent with Lyndsay, who was always asking about the elven culture and all that stuff. Illiana happily answered. Illiana even got the chance to show Lyndsay her ever improving painting skills.

"Look Lyn, I can do it without looking!" She giggled as she looked up at the ceiling, her hand slapping more paint on the canvas.

"Oh em gee! You can paint to? Your like wonder girl, Illiana!" Lyndsay squeed as she checked her watch."I have to go Illiana, can I come over tomorrow?"

"Of course Lyn, your my friend now, and friends can always come here." She said as she hugged her and watched her head towards the door.

Illiana picked her paints back up, ready to paint her new best friend. She thought it was funny what watercolor bottle held Lyndsay's hair color. "Ancient Ember." It was such a regal sounding color. Illiana's was "pitched black." It didn't have the same ring to it.

"Hey sweetie pie." Mistale c.ame from her room in a spiffy ironed uniform. "How was your little playdate?"

"It was really fun." Illiana said as she hugged her mom. "Where is mommy going?"

"Tonight's my shift at the mall. Just go to sleep tonight as usual. I'll be there in the morning to get you all ready and get your lunch packed. OK? There's a few pizzas on the counter, Your dad is downstairs on his toy bench." And they hugged, Mistale catching her carpool.

And now back in the kitchen, we have Symphony, who is now hungry after an unexpected mating session between him and Melody. He eyes the plate carefully but keeps away from it. Now that is an obedient cat.

Clink Clink Clink

The loud sounds of hammer against rock once again started as Brent kept banging on the large cubes of stone, hoping one day he would be enlightened enough to make something different. Melody just stared up at him.

"%*#@ this stupid thing! I wanna make something else! My hands are bloody! I need change!" He yelled up at the great God, who didn't seem to be listening.

"One day, one day, I will create toys and they will sell in all the stores. The very name of Hasbro toys will bow down to my utter awesomeness." He muttered to himself.

But for right now, he busied himself with the blocks of rock.
The litter box on the other hand, became the very essence of the word "neglected."

But Thank Goodness they have Mistale, who, in the dead of night, emerged from her carpool with a beaming smile and a promotion under her belt.

And, tucking under the thick cotton covers, she quickly fell asleep, drained from her day as a security guard. It was a tough job after all. But as he heard her snores begin, Brent tiptoed out of bed and dialed the number for a taxi cab. He had an itch that only a few bright lights and some cheesy pop music could satisfy. It was time to go clubbin'.

And with absolutely so plan and no money, he quietly made his way to the crypt-o-night, somewhere he had seen in an advertisement in the newspaper.

Pretty ladies, Nice neon and enough music to rot the inner core of your gray matter!
Vistit the Crypt-O-Night!

But Brent soon found out that clubbing was a lot harder when you were 35 and had hobbies that include toy making and MMOS. But when he met Sayuri Pinkheart LaRose, the sister of Olive, the girl he sorta hit on a little while ago,(see LaRose chapter 1) he thought he should introduce himself.

"Hello Miss, I'm Brent Songshaper!" He said and tried to shake her hand.

"Brent Songshaper? Aren't you the guy who hit on my sister?" She said, with a disgusted tone. "And judging by that shiny gold thing on your finger, your married."

"Erm, well...." He struggled to form words as he blushed and recounted his sins. If Mistale had found out his life would be over. Yet, why was he still doing it?

And he pondered this as he lounged on the leather seats, the music blasting around him. He felt horrible pangs of regret when he thought of his actions with Olive and other girls like her. Casual flirting when he knew she wasn't looking. He loved his wife more than anything in the world combined and it hurt him to know that he was hurting her. He tried to think of solutions, and the only one that came to mind was a full lock down on entertainment venues except for home and his work. An all out flirt strike.

He just hoped he wouldn't cave.

And as he crawled into bed with the only exception to this rule,in her gentle arms, he knew he had made the right decision.

The next few days went by relatively normal for the Songshapers. The sunshine had turned into a rare occurrence on the onset of winter. The butterflies were migrating to a warmer place, yet they were not fast enough to get away from Illiana.

"I'll catcha! I'll catcha!" She said as she waved the glass jar around erratically.

"Please don't hurt us! We want to live!" She heard them say in melodic voices.

She finally caught some. They fluttered about.

"Don't worry. Its all just the thrill of the catch. I'll release you." She thought and she heard them all sigh in relief together.

"Thank you, daughter of mighty Akkar, you are truly a Goddess of Earth!" And they flew away in a flurry of colors when she lifted the lid.

Mistale started to really excel in her career also. She had been promoted multiple times and now had a stable job as a patrol officer. Still, she looked higher than that, she wanted to be the modern kind of superwoman. That would be really cool.

"So what if you accidentally got some of that pepper spray in your eyes? Or what if you accidentally thought the bottle what nasal spray and you inhaled it? Yeowch!" Brent mused as Deputy Britney looked confused.

"Um, yeah, I think I need to go take this call." She said as she held the radio pinned on her shirt pocket which hadn't actually had any calls come through.

Brent had in fact, stayed true to his word. He had only talked to the ladies at his work and this woman, a friend of Mistales. He hadn't been at any clubs and he hadn't even read the new Sports Illustrated swimsuit magazine. It was cold turkey, but he felt good about it.

But on another note, Melody and Symphony got a bit of a surprise one cool morning in the wee hours. As Melody slept, she was suddenly engulfed in a swirl of sparkles.

Symphony didn't know what was happening to his lover. He scratched at the doors of the humans and meowed loudly.

But when he returned he got a very different surprise. In front of him were two white kitties with gentle blue eyes.

"Melody...they're beautiful...." Symphony meowed as the little munchkins immediately headed for their mother's milk, squeaking the whole way, high pitched and completely adorable.

"I know sweetie...their precious. I'll love my sweet babies forever." Melody said in a motherly way and nurturing way.

She flipped one of the newborns and started licking it's fur.

"I think I have the perfect names for them Melody. How about Lickidy and Split?" Symphony said excitedly.

"Erm, how about something different? Let's say......Itty and Bitty." Melody said.

"I'll tell Illiana in the morning. She'll tell the rest of the family."

And so it was settled. The twin kittens were named the rather cutesy names of Itty and Bitty. And lets just say it was very hard to keep track of which was which. Identical twins are hard.

Another day pasted, and was filled with many messes and spills from the two little new little Songshapers. It was truly a big difference from two little cats to four. The house was packed but they wouldn't have it any other way. Especially Illiana, who had two new sweethearts to care for, and she could talk to them too.

But on a chilly Thursday night, Mistale got a call on her work cell phone. The call was from the chief of the police department. He had a big job for her. It basically consisted of heading down to the "Hub" and scouting out for Trace Beckford, a local felon with a rap sheet the length of the Mississippi river and was now suspected on a murder. She agreed, after all, it entailed a big overtime check.

It was actually a pretty cushy job. At least that's what she thought when she searched the place with the given physical details about Trace (Red hair and causal clothing.)

and found no "trace" of him. She then decided to keep a lookout and after one thing led to another, she was working as a DJ as well as an undercover cop.

She actually enjoyed it a whole lot than being out on the streets in a sweaty patrol car.

It doesn't mean she was good at it: She found that twisting the record while pushing a gazillion buttons was hard work. She frequently dropped her headphones and only narrowly saved them from falling to the ground.

And although she tried her best, only one person hung around to listen to her shoddy tunes. He was a tall black haired man who wore a formalish sweater. Definitely not the Trace guy. When her fingers were thoroughly bruised, she stepped off the platform.

And since she felt appreciation that she had even one fan, she introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm the DJ lady, Mistale Songshaper. And you are...?"

"Robert McCullough. I'm so glad I got to meet the jammer girl herself. You have some pretty good skills on that. Do this often?"

Mistale laughed at this.

"Nope. Actually I'm a cop. Undercover. Shoot, I'm not supposed to say that. But you don't look like a felon so I guess I didn't do that bad."

"I don't? Well then Mistale, how about I treat you to a late night meal. Upstairs they have a very nice terrace dining restaurant. Their deserts are killer."

She agreed, after all the tab was on him and she was awfully peckish. So picking a comfy seat overlooking the city, they picked out their choice on the fancy menus. They each ordered two slices of cinnamon cake and two glasses of white wine. Mistale probably shouldn't be drinking while on the job, but for some reason, Robert's gentle smile and carefree personality encouraged her.

"So what do you do Robert? Y'know, when you aren't at clubs dancing to terrible DJs."

"What do I do......Well, I work at home. Self made millionaire kind of thing." He said as his hands slightly tensed up. Mistale's mouth hung open when she heard "million."

"So you have any family? Any kids?" She asked.

"Nope. As alone as the desert sun, I have been. I would just kill to have somebody to share my life with."

As Robert said this, she had an uneasy feeling about how he emphasized the last word. Actually, now that she thought about it, he had mentioned the word "kill" multiple times already. Mistale had the strangest gut reaction to it. Suddenly his carefree personality seemed kinda false. She trusted this feeling.

"Erm, I think I have to go Robert. I need to be back at home..." And without staying to eat the cake, she ran into the lady's restroom. And in a stall she took out the silver cell phone she had been entrusted by the department.

"Sarge, I think I found Trace. He isn't a redhead and he's wearing a dress shirt. He's up on the terrace."

And it didn't take long for the squad cars to show up. And after a search of the man, and seeing his distinct "MOM" tattoo on his thigh, they determined he was Trace Beckford, thief and killer. He was apprehended.

And for the rest of the night, Mistale was deemed a hero. And by gosh, she felt like one.

____________________________________________________________________
And that concludes Songshaper Chapter 1!
Please leave comments and tell me what you think. Suggest plot twists and I may even put them in my story!
Stay tuned to meet the Carlisle family, which are thrust in a neighborhood with people they deem classless and poor. Will their pride survive the new neighborhood?

Fields Chapter 1: Im going all In, does that make me look tuff?

2010-01-23T20:58:00.000-08:00

"Over here baby, don't be shy, the beds warm." Terrell laughed as he looked up at his beauty. "How about we celebrate the new house?" and he pulled her arm and wrestled her onto the patterened bedsheets, a smile on both of their faces.

"I love you so much" He whispered in her ear as he kissed her cheek.

"Fine, we can do this but I gotta ask you something." Ayana said as she looped her arms around Terrell's waist feeling the slender muscle on his arms and smelling the crisp smell of drakkar noir, his signature smell.

"What is it baby?" He asked a smile still on his face as he kissed her neck.

"I....I really..." But she trailed off, to nervous to tell him about what she desperately wanted, needed. "It's nothing actually. Never mind."

But he hadn't even bothered to hear the last bit as he was to busy kissing her in all the right places, and getting what he wanted even though he would always want more.

Always want more.

The Fields had moved into the old converted farmhouse after seeing the white beauty in one of those real estate magazines they sell in Chinese restaurants. Danny Lynn had seen it and marveled at it's quaint charm.

"This is the one we need." She had said as she showed each of them the listing, each of them squinting to see the outside. "It's the right time to buy! Olivia's birthday is coming up and I really want her to live somewhere nice." She had also said, as the mental image of her old home life snaked it's way through the brick wall she had erected so many years ago.

"I think Danny's right." Her husband, Bradley had proclaimed. "I mean what could go wrong in a town called 'Prosperous Acres'?"

And so it was settled. Buy the medium size farmhouse and live in the seemingly perfect town of Prosperous Acres.

In the house is Bradley Fields, one of the most subdued personalities in the whole neighborhood. Bradley is a naturally handsome man and was forced to compete in children modeling shoots by his mother. He hated every second that he was forced in front of a camera and moved out the minute the clock announced he was 18 and could make his own decisions. He married the only woman he had ever loved, Danny Lynn and then had a child named Olivia, who is positively the best thing that ever happened to him. He is also the brother of Terrell Fields, something he secretly isn't proud of.

Then there is Danny Lynn, the content wife of Bradley Fields. Coming from a dangerous life in a poorhouse, she learned to be weary to trust people, because more often then not, they will stab you in the back, literally or figuratively. Danny is a quiet and sweet girl, interested in seeing to others health, trying to make their life just a little better. Danny Lynn is the mother of Olivia, and just like her husband, would risk life and limb for that little smiling face.

And speaking of the little thing, there is Olivia right there. Olivia is a simple tot, and always aims to please her two loving parents or her uncle. (If he stops to pay attention to her) Other than that she lives a happy, sheltered life, her eyes bright and her smile wide.

Then there is the newlyweds, Terrell and Ayana. Sharing only 5 months of knowing each other, Ayana was the one who took the plunge and proposed marriage to Terrell. Terrell said "yes" but only with a large amount of prodding and THE deal. The deal that said that they would get married only if there was no children involved in the future. This devastated Ayana to no end, leaving her crushed and swept away. She reluctantly agreed, only to secure the famous bachelor that went to her high school and always seemed to have another girl on his arm.

They are both outgoing people with big dreams. Ayana also decided that with no children she would stay home as build a business. Terrell has no idea that she wants a business and a baby. And Ayana is the type of woman who won't let a bump in the road or a little deal get in the way of what she wants.

And last but not least in the large Fields family is the lovely Henna. With large blue eyes and always red lips, she was always the favorite with the boys at her school. But she never really paid attention, never even having a boyfriend. Instead, she spent her time at the local library, showering her eyes with books, books and more books. Henna is the best friend of Terrell and Ayana, and since she had no other better places to go, decided to live with the Fields and even legally changed her last name.

Now enough of introductions, lets see what's going on inside...

"There you go Olivia! Here's your new house. It's nice isn't it?" Danny said to the small toddler in her arms, who was looking around her, taking in the whole house.

"Now you remember Mr.Potty chair right Liv?" Danny squeaked out and Olivia giggled a sweet little sound.

Danny Lynn gently placed the cutie on the little seat that had been in there old house in a small and cramped apartment downtown. Olivia sat and looked her mommy in the eyes, a smile across her lips as she just sat and watched her mommy.

"Oh come now Liv, I know you have to go. You know how." Danny encouraged, wanting her daughter to finally learn the basic skills any other toddler already had down-pat.

But Olivia just kept staring, while Danny Lynn sighed, wondering what exactly she was doing wrong and hoping Olivia would grow out of it.

"I'm a beautiful ballerina." Ayana said while stretching her arms up to the ceiling."My abilities are unmatched by any other." Ayana praised herself, while she held onto the oak bar.

Ayana had recently been getting herself in shape so "she would look good for her customers." Ayana was always the one to think about every little way to be just a hint more successful. This business endeavor, something she had planned for years, was finally coming to a boil. She could either take the dive or regret that she hadn't.

Outside, on the little porch, Terrel and Bradley had come to welcome the visitors.
Among them was Taylor Sanderson, a pretty girl that smelled of white rose perfume and innocence. Terrell was instantly caught up in a net of attraction. His brother Bradley just stared at him as he stared at the brunette beauty.

"God she's gorgeous..." Terrell whispered to his brother, his eyes sparkling with that same look Bradley knew so well.

"Terrell! Honor this!" Bradley whispered angrily as he pointed to the glittering golden ring on his finger. Terrel just sighed, still swept up in her honey sweet beauty. It was like a drug to him. He needed it.

"Don't worry 'bout me Brad. I got this situation handled. You should go do some unpacking." Terrel said to his big brother.

"Ok. Just...just remember your morals. And if you don't have any find them. Ayana deserves it." Bradley said harshly, coldly as he stepped inside, wishing his brother hadn't been born a disgrace.

Back inside, Danny was having a tough time with an old chess set that had been left there by the previous owners.

"I can't figure this out! How am I supposed to play by myself? Seriously, who's winning when I'm playing myself?" She cried as she moved a pawn up to a knight.

Back outside, things weren't going so well for Terrell.

"Iz don't zike you talking zebout that." Taylor exclaimed as she raised her freshly manicured hand in his face.

"Huh? I seriously don't understand a thing you said." He said dumbly as he looked at her hand.

"Iz zed I don't zike you." Taylor remarked in her thick French accent and slapping him on the arm. "Zou don't know zow to treat women."

"Erm, I just told you that you had cute freckled. Seriously is that that bad?" Terrell laughed out and Taylor left, with a large amount of RAGE. Terrell was confused and only hoped that he hadn't lost his edge with women. He needed it to get what he really wanted which was, like his brother already knew, was to get as many ladies to love him as he could. Oh yes, he was a sinner, but a happy sinner he was.

After being excruciatingly aggravated with chess, Danny Lynn turned on the old computer and let the old thing whir to life. She clicked on the internet and typed in "jobs in Prosperity Acres" and got 245,000 matches. Clicking on the first result just got her to a site with dirty advertisements lining the border. Danny Lynn quickly clicked back, disgusted at what people put on the web. And even though she had seen it all in her childhood, she couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.

But after a few minutes she had found what she was looking for. And, conveniently she applied for a job as an EMT. And when she was at it, applied Terrell for a job as a Aerobics instructor, Henna as a fish chummer (She didn't know what else to get her) and Bradley as a recruit in the military.

Sweaty and tired from dancing, Ayana moved on to sewing, which she had always done as a child when her mother would show her how to thread a needle or tie off the end to a scarf. Ayana knew that she would have to refine her skills in order to sell her wares. She wouldn't put her name on something if it wasn't her absolute best.

"Fingeh tastes yummeh." Olivia said as she licked her fingers, and laughed.

Erm, yeah...we're just gonna move on now. We wouldn't want to be here when
Olivia realizes that eating fingers isn't nearly as fun as eating narrators.

And look right here! It looks like Henna has made a friend. The cute red head is Melanie Carlisle. They have bonded on books, which is something Henna can relate to.

"So Melanie did you hear about the new Skylight book?" Henna asked excitably as she cherished this moment that someone actually knew what she was talking about.

"Yeah! I heard Fredward gets Nella pregnant and the baby is a plantsimwerewolf mix!"

"Actually" Henna whispered into Melanie's ear. "I have a copy of the manuscript and Nella is pregnant with Drake's baby!"

"Oh my gosh! I...I'm so surprised!"

And the conversation went on in this same way for a while, book nerd to book nerd.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine you make me happy, when times are gray.
You don't know how much I love you. So please don't take my sunshine away."
Danny sang as she cupped her hand around Olivia's little head.

"It's almost your birthday, sweetie. What do you want?"

"Meh wants a kitteh cat." Olivia answered.

"Erm....How about a dollhouse?" Danny said.

"Dawlhouwse? Meh want a kitteh cat. Or a poneh." Olivia declared, as her mom just sighed and wondered where they would put a stable.

And as the night swept over the sun, the weekly tradition set by Henna and Terrell was met. Arriving in a bright yellow taxi, they went back to their favorite place in the world: Rodney's hideout.

Everyone in the establishment knew who they were already, they were regulars since their junior year of high school when they used fake I.D's to play poker. And all these years later, they still played poker, every Tuesday night.

"I'll raise ya 20." Henna said in a perfect show-no-emotion poker way.

"Well I'll go all in." Terrell responded, pushing a full stack of chips in the center of the table and smiling coyly.

"You really wanna do that loverboy?" Henna smirked as she looked up at her friend.

"I don't know. Does it make me look tuff?" He prodded.

"Nope." Henna laughed as the last card in the line was revealed. An 8. That means she had a straight. "But what do you have there slick?"

He Turned his cards over. A royal Flush. Henna gasped and then burst out laughing.

"Pretty good there loverboy. I guess that was pretty tuff."

"Anything to please you sweet Henna." And he looked into her deep blue eyes and in that second they connected in a different level. He noticed her in a different light than best friend. He had always known she was hot but not like this.

"I...I think we should leave." He said and they did. And in that moment he realized he was in love with Henna. He cussed and got into the taxi, wishing he hadn't made his love life that more complicated.

Back at the farmhouse, everyone was asleep save for Danny Lynn. She just couldn't get herself into the mindset to welcome sleep. She had always been an insomniac and the only thing that would entertain her was watching her love's gentle breathing and soak in his body's smell.

He smells like Pine needles and sunshine

And as she thought this, the sleeping body awoke and turned to his freckled sweetheart.

"You should get some sleep Danny." He said as he groggily wrapped his arm around her body, taking in her own scent of freesia and lilies.

"I can't....there is just so much on my mind."

"What could possibly be bothering you?" He asked as he positioned his muscled body by hers, kissing her.

"It's just that......I think that.....maybe Olivia needs a sibling." She stumbled out between intense kisses.

"Mmmmm really?" He mumbled as he pulled off her tiny white night gown. "We could make that happen." And the lovebirds ascended into momentary bliss as they shared an intimate night together.

The next morning, with the sun low in the air, at a time when most toddlers would be asleep, Olivia was up and was grasping her favorite toy on the kitchen floor, an old and slightly grungy sock monkey that had been put through the ringer. Its one arm was almost dismembered but it didn't faze the little cherub. She was just happy her mommy and daddy had let her keep the old thing.

"So Misteh Sockeh, how ah you todah?"

"I'm horribleh Olivia." She responded to herself in the deepest voice she could manage.

"Why ah Misteh Sockeh doing badh?"

"Ih got a cwhazy girlh conthralling meh." Olivia said in the deep voice for the monkey and looked round the room suspiciously.

Also in the kitchen was Danny Lynn, still gleaming from last night's success. She has no idea it would be that easy to persuade Bradley to have another child. If she had known, she would have done it sooner. She stared into the fridge, a frown on her features.

"There's no food in here." Pouted Danny. "And we all have to go to work today!"

Danny then proceeded on having an all-out panic attack on food, which leads your humble narrator to think she's already pregnant. She's not at the moment but she might be soon. After all, Bradley approves this decision, then she should do it right?

Bradley sidled into the kitchen also, while wiping his eyes.

"How are my two favorite ladies?" He asked as he picked up his little girl and kissed Danny Lynn on the cheek.

"Daddeh I gawt secret." Olivia whispered when she was in his arms.

"Well then I gotta hear it Angel. What is it?"

"I tinks Misteh Sockeh has crush on you." She said into his ear and giggled. "He tohld me and said it was secret." Bradley laughed.

"Gosh, I didn't know Mister Socky swung that way." And he looked into his daughter's eyes. "Tell him: I appreciate the thought but I'm married." And he winked at his wife.

One by one Henna, Bradley, Danny Lynn and Terrell (not pictured) Went in for their first day on the job, with Ayana staying at home to get the business up and running and look after Olivia.

Ayana loved the job. She could spend time with an adorable child and try not to think about the possibility that she would never have any. And that stung even worse when the news that a new child from Brad and Danny could possibly on the way. It made her want to cry. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair.

But then she finally made the decision. She was going to have that baby. She was going to raise it and love it and give it the best life possible. She didn't give a care about any stupid deal they had made. She didn't even care if the marriage ended badly.

So while Ayana determinedly rifled through Danny Lynn's parenting books, Olivia played in the toilet on Ayana's watch. Oh, the irony, it burns.

"Meh potteh is smalleh then this one. And it's got flowehs to. Oooh! But what's that?
Flusheh flusheh! My potteh doesn't have that!" And she flushed the toilet more in 20 minutes than it had ever been flushed before. Poor potty.

And let's just say that Ayana ate a lot of ramen.

"Not ramen......SPAGHETTI O'S!" she said between mouthfuls.

And by the how does Ayana hear me? I'm just a voice. Nobody hears me.

"Spaghetti O's grant special powers. I can hear beyond my world."

I'll just go ahead and say that no Spaghetti O's are no longer in the house. There is a neighborhood ban on them. Punishable by death.

And as two pairs of tires rounded the corner and a door opened, a sad and disappointed face arrived. His eyes were dry, after all he was a strong man, but he was still non immune to sadness. The rain pelted his skin but he didn't care.
In his hand was a stack of pastel papers with the title:

Papers of Release; Bradley Fields; Recruit

He kicked a puddle and got the heels of his shoes muddy.
It wasn't really his fault. He made a decision and it bit him in the back. He was just angry with himself. They had already spent much of their meager savings on the down payment of the house. They were already scraping by and that didn't even include Ayana's business dreams, Olivia's birthday party, and the biggest of them all: the new baby.

But life went on. The sergeant's at the base said that he was a tough man and doesn't deserve to go out the way he had. They said that if he re-applied and learned from this "incident" he could return.

And this was good news to Bradley who tossed his baby girl into the air, as she waved her hands in the air.

"I hem supehegirl. I hem Olivia Sockeh!"

Bradley put her daughter in his arms and looked at her and furrowed his brow.

"Since when are you Olivia Sockey? I thought he had a thing for me?"

"Sockey moveh on quickleh. We marriehed." She said matter-of-factly.

Danny Lynn also got home, as her job as an EMT, now a nurse after a good helping of promotions. She loved every minute of what she did, and wouldn't trade if for the world.

"Oh honey I love Prosperous Acres! It's such a breath of fresh air. I can breathe!"
Danny declared as she pirouetted across the cool wood floors. "Life couldn't be any better Brad!"

He raised an eyebrow as she said this.

"So does that mean you don't want another baby?"

"Huh? Oh! No! I want another! I was just sayin-" But she was silenced by his tender lips.

"I know what you mean sweetie. You don't have to explain." And he slinked his arms around her waist. "So you want one now?" He asked in a serious tone.

She thought about this thoroughly for a few minutes.

"I think we should wait." She said in a clear, solid tone. "I want one desperately but we need more money before we bring another into this world."

"Fair enough." And he kissed her on the forehead.

A few days went by, everyone's time filled up with work, cleaning and building skills to reach that next promotion. Olivia on the other hand, was getting lonely just talking to Mister Sockey so she was glad when Henna, having a day off from her job in the oceanography career decided to read to her on a sunny day on the old creaky porch.
It was truly a nice treat for the little girl and the big girl alike.

".....And the woman sneered as she looked into the young princess' eyes. The witch opened the oven and threw the girl inside it. The End...." Henna read, confused about the strange ending.

"Hennie! Why does theh storeh have sad ending?" Olivia said and cocked her head.

"I don't know sweetheart. I guess all good things have to end."

Olivia just sat and pondered this scrap of information, obviously distressed.

But all of a sudden two pairs of footsteps sounded up the steps. Henna looked up at the visitors and recognized them as Sayuri Pinkheart and Olive Honeyluck. Both from the LaRose family that lived down the street. Henna smiled.

"Hi Henna! We're really sorry to come here without calling or anything but we need some sugar." Henna looked down at the glass measuring cup in Olive's hands.
"Could we please use some?"

"Yeah! Sure! Make yourself at home! There's some sugar in the top cabinet by the sink. Mi casa su Casa! Hollar if you need anything!"

When Sayuri had retrieved the ingredient, she turned to leave, not wanting to intrude on others hospitality. But not Olive. She turned on the stereo and started getting down to the music.

"Go ahead Sayuri. I think I'll chill here for a while." She said while swinging her arms in the air, totally oblivious to Ayana, who was reading up on legal rights of first time business owners.

It didn't take long for Terrell to smell the delicate scent of WOMAN, as he descended the stairs to meet the uncommonly beautiful young woman.Olive. She was a local legend already, a true romantic just like himself.

Now he just couldn't wait to eat her up.

It all started out innocently enough, dancing between acquaintances, nothing more, nothing less. Just the beat, a man and an attractive woman moving their long legs to the lyrics of a singer neither of them knew the name of. That's all it was. At least for that moment it was.

"Why in the world am I the only one who cleans up this place?!" Danny Lynn cried as she scooped up a bag of toddler pee.

"Seriously, if I have to pick up Ayana and Terrel's clothes from me and Brad's bedroom, I'm gonna go insane. I mean do they really have to do that in our room? They go their own room BUT NO! Do it in ours!"

Meanwhile the "acquaintances" were still just doing what normal non-friend people do. Actually, that is a lie. Terrell had brought Olive upstairs and was engaging in very illicit activities. AKA making out in him and his WIFE'S closet.

"Oh Olive....You are a great kisser, I don't suppose you've done this before" Terrell mused as he winked at her.

"I majored in it baby..." She responded with a wild look in her eyes.

"It's just that, well, I've been down this road before. It always ends badly." Olive said as she gently released herself from his grip. "I...I just really don't wanna get all caught up with all this. My family would hate it if any of this got out."

Terrell looked into her eyes seductively. In his heart he really wanted the right mind that he could deal with a commited relationship and live with one person for the rest of his life. But just the thought made him feel like he was wearing a wool turtleneck in the heart of a hot August day. Suffocating.

"Don't worry your pretty little head off." He sang off-tune as he dropped to his knees and spread his arms into the air.

Terrell then commenced in singing a corny love song, when he probably should be singing Womanizer by Britney Spears.

And apparently Olive was convinced, for once again she was swept up in his reckless embrace. They didn't even hear as the door handle twisted to the right and, fortunately for them, turned out to only be Sayuri, who was there to collect her sister to come back home.

No idea why she was holding Mister Sockey. Seriously, that's some weird stuff right there.

"So what do you think we should get Olivia for her birthday?" Danny Lynn asked.

"Get her a dog. She has been begging for one. Might as well get her one so she'll move on from Mr.Sockey." He laughed at the thought of that odd doll.

"Yeah, I was thinking about the dog thing. You think she's ready?" At the question Bradley shrugged.

"I guess we'll see when she gets one." He said as a sudden giggle was heard from behind the couch. Each of them turned to see Olivia, a smile from eye to eye.

"Olivia happeh abouh getting doggeh." And the two proud parents laughed.

The big day did arrive though, and an old table in the attic was dusted off and a sweet cupcake table cloth was put on to cover it. A few colorful balloons were strung around the house along with pastel streamers. Danny Lynn had decided that a huge party with guests and commotion wasn't in order this time. Instead, the members of the house gathered around with smiles on their faces. It was a nice little party for a nice little girl.

"You hear that Olivia? That's your family all around you. They all love you sweetie."

She then saw Ayana blow loudly on a noisemaker. "And there's your crazy auntie. She loves you too." Everyone started laughing.

"So blow out your candles sweetie, and enjoy child hood!" Danny Lynn exclaimed as Olivia squirmed in her arms, wanting to touch the flickery lights.

Danny Lynn set her down, eager to watch the transformation of the daughter she loved so much.

Olivia grew up into a beautiful girl, so much like her mother and father.

Danny Lynn handed her a small package when she had aged.

"This doesn't look like a doggy to me momma." She said glumly as she shook it.

"Look inside sweetie." She said as Olivia rapidly tore open the pretty pink paper.

"Ooh! It's a ticket for A DOGGYY!" She yelled as she flapped a hand written slip of paper through the air.

"We wanted you to pick out your own dog." Danny Lynn said as she wrapped her arms around her daughter. "So we'll go out soon and get you one. And don't just hug me, your dad's the one who was the dealmaker."

Running over to her father, who had been quiet during the little celebration suddenly was pummeled with a hug from his 9 year old daughter.

"Thank you daddy! You'r the best daddy in the world!" And she squeezed him tightly, already thinking about names for her future canine friend.

"Your welcome sweetheart. I'm so proud of you." He said back in a breathtakingly lifetime movie way.

Shortly after the party, Ayana made the call that would change her life.

After years of buildup and anticipation and saving, she was making the call. Ayana felt like this was such a turning point. Maybe it was the fact that the people she knew were getting older or the fact that she still hadn't achieved any of her goals.

So she dialed the number and, in a surprisingly speedy process, was granted the deed to the "Mercantile Mart" which she aptly renamed "Fields of Deals" She hailed a taxi to see it for the first time.

And wearing her un-tailored black leather jacket, she stepped up the concrete paving stones.And upon seeing the white facade and pink flowery bushes,her heart filled up with irrevocable joy. She slid her hand over the pine doors before she opened them.

Inside, there was a dotted floor and three cube display cases. The only other thing inside was a counter which was topped with an electronic cash register. Her heart could have stopped and never beat again and she would have died a very happy woman.

And as she stood behind the register she couldn't help but feel proud. She had finally accomplished her goal. Well, one of them at least. She rubbed her flat stomach and sighed. It was like winning the battle and losing the war.

___________________________________________

And that concludes Fields Chapter 1!

Please leave comments and tell me what you think. Suggest plot twists and I may even put them in the story!

Staytuned to meet the Songshaper family, which wacky antics and strange hobbies worry the neighbors. Not to mention an elf and a illegitimate vampire daughter!

LaRose Chapter 1: Your hot not hawt, get it right

2010-01-18T09:45:00.000-08:00

Annabella stood over the sink with her hand over her mouth, her head spinning in all directions. She downed some Dramamine and held tightly to the edge of the granite counter tops. Her knees buckling.

"Annie? You OK love?" Sayuri cooed as she patted Annabella's back, and tossed her hair around playfully, something she had done since they were little girls.

"Yeah....I'll be fine. It was just that plane ride, my whole system is shocked." Said the blond as she hugged her two best friends whom she knew as things so close to real sisters, loving their support, even when she was ruining the whole 'new home' thing by being plane sick.

The house was medium sized and had a huge basement and a big room for the three and a half women. Already it was a huge change, packing their bags from the outer rim of Veronaville to settle into the newly named town of Prosperous Acres.They had been best friends for a long time, desperately different yet all blending together.

Living in the house is Annabella, the leader of sorts. She takes charge of her two reckless sisters and desperately is hoping for a family of her own. Her most remarkable feature is her mysterious ball-joints and pale white skin, which gleams the moon's rays silently.She has a ghastly past, but she still wears a polite little smile, and hopes to find someone to love one day.

Then there is Olive. Her full name is Olive Honeyluck but she greatly prefers being called Olive. A true Romantic, she won't let anyone get in the way of her next beau, and I mean anything. She loves athletics and music. She's a typical tomboy girl, after all. She has had a past of canoodling and wanted to leave when she received death threats from angry girlfriends and wives.

"It's not my fault their man is so adorable!" She once said, in typical Olive fashion.

Then there is Sayuri Pinkheart, a name she came up with in kindergarten and legally changed to later. Sayuri is the kind of woman who reads a book for it's pictures and when she finds out there are none, tosses it away. She is kind and gentle and is especially warm to her two adopted sisters, Annabella and Olive, and her daughter, Minnie.

Speaking of Minnie, there she is. Almost always wearing an expression of calm interest, Minnie tackles her dilemmas head on and has a spelling bee championship ribbon tucked in her suitcase. She tries to break the boundaries set by adults, in a good way of course.

Flip, flip, flip

Annabella and Minnie quickly leafed through the pages of the familiar books from their old home, all while sitting in their new home. Annabella smiled to herself and looked up at her two sisters.

"I can't believe we are already enamored in our activities and we haven't even picked out our rooms yet!" She said and giggled lightheartedly.

"Your right Annie." Sayuri said while casting a long, fat strand of gray across the canvas. "It's just like how it was in Verona-" Sayuri cut herself off before she could say anything more. It had been a touchy subject to all of them, Especially Annabella.

Olive swiftly changed the subject.

"Well I'm just using this rope I found outside to jump with. There's a local triathlon here every July. Gotta build my stamina. God, what I would do for a Bow-flex....."

"Olly, you know we don't have that kinda money. We just got this house and the new encyclopedias for Minnie." She gestured to the quiet little figure sitting beside her. Minnie continued gazing at her book, not looking up at her name being spoken.

"There's just things we can't have for a while."

Olive turned to her other blond sister and sighed loudly.

"There's just things we can't have for a while." Olive repeated, semi mockingly and in a chipmunk squeaky voice.

Sayuri tried her best to keep the impeding laughter in, but failed miserably as a round of giggles exploded between the two. Annabella blushed a deep scarlet and got up and left the room, her shyness evident even with the people she is closest to.

She made her way into the kitchen instead and smoothed her hand over the stainless steel refrigerator. She had always wanted one of those but never thought she would actually have one. She opened one of the suitcases by the door and pulled out a blue cooler and took out the few ingredients she had kept from back home.

Home.

She settled the words into her brain and vowed to never think of that home again. This is home, she thought over and over again as she laid three pieces of poorly cut cheese onto a bed of white bread, Minnie's favorite kind. She dug the butter knife into a small pot of mustard and gently put them together. She then cut it into two crisp sections and put them both on cheap paper plates.

Her past was hard to think of, painful in fact. She remembered the day she was mailed to the man she was supposed to succumb to. He was large and had oily hair and only one thing on his terrible mind. She was part of the doll lover series, where you could adopt a remarkably human like doll who would give you what you wanted. Annabella had endured the man's torture until she could escape, and she found her two best friends, Olive and Sayuri. They built her back up when she had been knocked down so hard.

Outside, Olive had shot down the stairs and was greeting the slew of people who had shown up to welcome them to the neighborhood. She smiled wide as she met a particularly average looking man. Nothing special, but at least he was company. She took the reins and shook his hand vigorously.

"I'm Olive! Olive LaRose! So great to meet you!"

His eyes widened and his hands straightened into a praying pose.

"Olive, it's a pleasure to meet you as well. I was just heading by to greet the neighbors. Oh! How rude of me! I didn't even tell you my name yet." He slid his glasses down lower on his nose, a move that was so obviously flirting, it made Olive giggle.

"My name is Brent Songshaper. So pleased to meet you m'lady."

Brent lightly picked up Olive's hand and kissed it, for a few seconds more than what would be considered "appropriate."

Suddenly footsteps click-clacked up the concrete sidewalk and a small figure wearing a short green dress walked up and latched onto his side, kissing his cheek. Olive laughed darkly out loud and wondered if she had any idea how much she knew about her man. She considered telling her but decided that ignorance is bliss in this case. She had already tore up enough families in the past, and she decided she didn't need any of that in her new home.

"Oh honey, I love you so much!" She squealed as she leaped into his arms, his strength faltering.

"Er...I love you to baby." He said and grunted as he stood her on the ground, his cheeks red.

"WEEEEEE!!" Minnie screamed as she took another leap into the air, the springs in the bed squeaking angrily.

Minnie was usually not the type to engage in so called "childish activities" but this was a rare moment. She hopped up and tried to execute a back flip but fell on to the carpet, a loud clunk erupting.

"Minnie?!! You OK up there? Mousy?" Sayuri said from downstairs, hearing the boom.

"Fine...." She said while the world spun around her.

Still reeling from the experience, she stumbled downstairs and was suddenly surrounded by people she had never met.

"Oh!! What a cutie!" remarked Mistale Songshaper as she beamed in the direction of Minnie. "What's your name sweetie?"

"Minnerini Rosela" Minnie said as her eyes crossed in all directions.

"Erm, alrighty then...." Mistale said and quickly walked into the living room and away from Minnie, who was just beginning to collect her equilibrium.

Click.....click....click

Annabella studied the listings and information on chefjobztoday.com, looking to the job that called to her heart. She adored cooking and food and the way someone's face lights up when they have a fantastic plate of lasagna. The weirdest part of this is that she doesn't even have to eat. She chooses to eat. The joints in her body show that she is different. Very, very different.

She clicked once more and found exactly what she was looking for. A job in a high end kitchen as a Porcelain Polisher, erm, dish washer. She felt elation run through her veins and was so happy she could be able to pursue her dreams, even if she had to start at the very bottom.

"And I screamed and held my arms in the air. Everything was just insanity when the power went out!" Sayuri yelled out to the other man who had come to welcome them to the neighborhood, Brendan Fields.

"So...the power went out in an ice cream shop? And everyone was screaming?" He asked, somewhat stumped on her outgoing personality and wild garb.

"Well of course! Wouldn't you be concerned if all that strawberrystopsign, choco-bunny, and cheesycakey ice cream went to waste?" She said and gestured wildly, hitting Brendan in the arm and sending hot gooey cheese across his shirt.

"Yeah, I don't think this is working out. I'm gonna go" He pointed in a random direction. "Over there."

Olive leafed through the pages of classifieds and circled the:

"WANTED: fun, pretty young women to work downtown at Victorious Vinal record store. Must love music."

She figured her and Sayuri could do it together and have some fun even though it fit under the ugly word of 'work'. She looked up from the paper and saw Brent, flexing his muscles, even though he didn't have much.

"Hey Olive. Check this out!" And he continued to stretch the muscles but all that she really got out of it was that he had horrible fashion sense in sweatshirts. That and that he was a jerkwad.

"Umm, I just wanted to say that that dress is really pretty." She stumbled as Annabella tried hard to make conversation with the guests that were still wandering around her house.

"Well thank you sweetie. Your pretty yourself. And I couldn't help but notice that your different." She shifted her eyes to her joints but then slid her hand to her hair to expose her long and pointy ears. "I'm different too."

Annabella couldn't believe her luck in finding someone that could attest to being a "freak of nature." Her eyes lit up.

"We should talk about it sometime. People like us need to stick together."Annabella said and felt like her heart was just a little warmer from talking to this stranger.

Meanwhile, Olive had already moved on to the sidewalk once again and found a Mr.Long particularly sweet and better yet, single, with no tiny green dress and overly emotional girl waiting around him. She decided to swoop in for the kill, erm, flirt.

"I like blond boys.." She whispered intently into his ear. She felt his body heat up. "Your hot Ben."

"Well, I don't wanna toot my own horn but I am pretty hawt." Benjamin announced, proud and obnoxious.

Olive stepped back and sighed.

"I mean warm. As in temperature. You know?"

and at that moment his temperature went from warm to stone cold and icy.

He smiled dumbly and it was extremely lucky for Olive and Benjamin that Goopy GilsCarbo walked by and looked Olive up and down, looking impressed.

"Aw girl, you lookin' good! M-m-m I'm lovin' it! You must be new 'cuz I aint seen a pretty little angel like you!" Goopy slurred, and took a swig from the bottle in his pocket.

Olive didn't mind. At least he was entertaining.

Inside, feathers were flying and the culprits were those wily newlyweds, Brent and Mistale. They were engaged in a full on fight that could have passed for a match on WWE.

"Ya know this is our house. And those are our pillows. And your kinda making a huge mess.." Sayuri said as the lovebirds continued to smack each other in the face.

She just stood there and watched until the hitting stopped and the kissing started.

Back outside, Olive was still toying with Goopy, while he continued complimenting her between sips of what smelled like vodka. He reeked of it.

"So sweets, this your place? We should sooo go in and have ourself a little woohoo to top of this beautiful night." He winked awkwardly and she pulled her head back and laughed. She may be a romantic but she wasn't easy. But she bent in just to have a little more fun.

"Oh sweetie I'd LOVE to." She leaned in even closer, to where there lips were a hair's length from touching. "But I totally have this baked Alaska in the oven and it can't wait."

It was a total lie yet he bought it, taking a large gulp of his drink. He wiped his mouth with his arm and looked like he had quite a few to many.

He just stared dreamily until Olive finally realized what he was staring at and she rushed up the stairs, suddenly exhausted and ready for bed in her new house.

The next morning, Minnie and Sayuri were up early, and were commencing in the daily ritual of dancing before school. And today was extra special because it was a new school, new town, new people. Minnie wasn't nervous though. She had always been a bit of a loner at heart, and if she didn't ,make friends is didn't faze her. At least she led on that image.

Their feet sidled across the wood floors while a Brianna Spears song played on the little radio by the window. When the last notes played Minnie hugged her mother and Sayuri squeezed back, not quiet wanting to let her Angel go.

"You have a good day Mousy. And be safe." She said as she kissed her beautiful daughter on the cheek.

"I will momma!" She said as she smiled wide while carrying her backpack in her hands.

She sped down the steps and onto the bus, which conveniently stopped in front of their house.

"Hi! I'm Minnie!" She beamed as she looked up at her driver.

"Well hey there Minnie! Great to have you on bus 76!"

Shortly after Minnie's departure, Olive and Sayuri jumped into their carpool for Victorious Vinal and high fived each other while on their way.

"We are doing good Olly, we got a job, a house and each other!" They hugged each other in the tight car, the engine rumbling.

And even though the car smelled like beef jerky and sweat, it was all alright, and they were going somewhere with there lives, something they never would have thought possible those many years ago when they were all in the same orphanage, confused and lonely.

Annabella also went in for her first day on the job, being picked up in a mysteriously similar car like the one Sayuri and Olive were picked up in. It was a total coincidence of course. Even that hand print in the dirt. After all, doesn't everyone have a hand print in their car?

Six hours later, the bright yellow bus wheeled around the corner and Minnie stepped off, sure to wave back to the bus driver before leaving. But as soon as she hit the pavement, she wrenched open her backpack and tore open the little manila envelope, exposing the crisp white report card she had been given just that day.

"A C?" She scratched her head and sighed. "I blame this school system. Doesn't everyone else start out perfect? That way you can maintain it or ruin it?" She pondered this and shook her head.

It wasn't long after Minnie had came back home that Sayuri and Olive also made it home. They were pleased with their new career choice.

"Did you see that hottie that came up and talked to me? He was all like 'I was looking for some rock songs but now all I wanna do is rock your world'." Olive exclaimed, proud of her work ringing up music junkies and doing not much else.

"Yeah, I think it was kinda hard to miss Olly. He said that and then you both started making out. Right in front of our boss." Sayuri said while picking out the good mail from the junk.

Olive sighed contently.

"It was a good time....." Olive said while looking up at the blue sky, a smile on her face.

"No, I don't think its been a good time....UNTIL THERE IS SOME TICKLING INVOLVED!"

chocked out Sayuri as she wrestled her fingers over Olive, each of them laughing hysterically.

When the tickling stopped, Sayuri looked into Olive's bright green eyes.

"Just be careful OK? I don't want to see you hurt...." Sayuri said, warmly as Olive nodded happily.

Meanwhile, Annabella and Minnie had also gotten home from their daytime duties.

Annabella immediately started cooking with the ingredients she had picked up at the local whole foods grocery.

Her day had gone moderately well. She was accustomed to the kitchen's chaos, she knew how to deal with that at home. No, she was just emotionally shaken from the cold stares she would get as people saw her oddity.

It's not my fault I'm different.

She thought as she diced the salmon into sizes small enough for the bread.

And truly it wasn't her fault. Born in a crowded factory, she was one of the millions of lifelike dolls that were being mass-produced. They were so human in fact that they could do almost anything humans can: think, move, even give birth. But this invention was quickly turned evil when the dolls were given out to men. Dirty, mean men who would abuse them and use them until they were spent. Only one doll escaped from this cruel fate.

Annabella LaRose

In the living room, Minnie was on the couch, learning the in's and out's of "basic automobile care" She really had no idea why she was reading it, but she figured it might help her later on.

And also inside was the never stopping, always going Olive Honeyluck, no on the phone dialing the local cab service. She decided that after her "hard" day, she deserved a little extra fun.

The night went by swiftly and, erm, interestingly. Goopy was there, slightly more sober and smelling more of dry sweat than anything else. And in the heat of the moment, and after a few drinks herself, Olive was showing Mr.GilsCarbo a fine night, full of dancing, drinks and a whole lot of lip to lip action. Oh yeah, A WHOLE lot of that.

After the intense at the crypt-o-night nightclub, Olive brought home a souvenir, erm, Goopy. She didn't even care that she had pledged that she wasn't gonna just let him have his way with her. And with a stomach full of alcohol she didn't really even have the choice. Her body was hot and her only wish at that moment was to make it hotter.

Sayuri saw both of them close together when she went downstairs to pour a glass of water before bed. She didn't even know his name and he had his hands all over her body. She hated it. Back in Veronaville it had all been the same. The faces of the men may change but the intent was the same. And her sister kept doing it, no words could stop her.

Minnie also did not like the shenanigans of her aunt.

But the day night did pass without much trouble and a few days went on in relative ease. And it was soon that it was the eve of their first week in Prosperous Acres.

"You ever played Annie? Can a doll even throw a dart?" Olive chocked out between laughter, a face of calm frustration settling over Annabella's face.

As Olive continued to laugh, a simple and quiet whip sound hit the board in the small, pin heads black mark. Annabella had hit a perfect bulls eye. Olive's laughter fell and then abruptly ended when she saw the dart's location.

"Well, I guess we both know now that dolls got game, huh Olive?" Smirked Annabella as a small smile rested on her pink lips. Olive stood with her mouth hung open.

Olive trudged over to the line and aimed a little red dart up to the board.

"Now watch this Annie, I'm about to make a Barbie outta you!"

And she set it loose, it's tail catching air but then falling flat, tumbling to the wood floors below it, missing the board completely.

"Barbie huh?" Annabella quipped, her voice even and tinged with sweet pride. "More like special dart throwing edition G.I.Jane." She said.

And they both laughed until they cried.

__________________________________________________________________________

And that concludes LaRose Chapter 1!

Please leave comments and tell me what you think. Suggest plot twists and I may even put them in the story!

Stay tuned to meet the Fields family, which may be held together with a very unstable foundation and may even crumble under the weight of a few dirty little secrets.