Little Legacy: Chapter 1.8

Chatper 1.8: Normal Life?

It was Sunday morning, and Charley was looking forward to a day at home with a nice home-cooked meal and the chance to catch her parents up on her first week in Del Sol. But instead of sleeping in like she planned. Her phone started buzzing.

Sleepy, she fumbled with her phone, glancing down at the screen. It was the hospital. They needed her to come in as they were severely understaffed. (Did she forget that she had to work on Sunday, absolutely not....) With a groan and very little sleep, she dragged herself out of bed, brushed her teeth and headed down to the hospital, calling her parents up along the way. 

She was super apologetic, and her parents understood, she needed to take care of citizens from all over. There wasn't anything she could do to change that. And with that, she dragged her sleepy butt through the doors of the hospital.

Her first patient is Victor Feng, back again. 

"So is your wife feeling any better?" Charley asked as she started examine him. 

"Oh, she's still sick. But she's being stubborn. The doctor told her she could go home so she refuses to acknowledge she's sick..." Victor let out a frustrated sigh as he scratched at his rash.

Charley felt bad for the man, but there wasn't much she could do except treat him for what he's suffering now. Let's hope that it stays that way.

After taking care of Victor, the receptionist was requesting a house call. So Charley took the call and headed out to the Caliente house in Oasis Springs. It appears Summer and L. have moved into the household through marriage and are not one of the three patients that need attention. Though if you look closely you can see 1 of the 3 wandering feverishly in the distance. 

Charley quickly chased down Rin Ishida lead her back to the house. "You should be a little more cautious. Here's some medicine, but I'd still recommend you head back and get some bed rest." 

(Something tells me the Caliente's weren't exactly lining up to open their home as a nursing center. But maybe their new partners have given them a change of heart.)

 

Charley then proceeded inside where she was able to find the remaining two patients upstairs. Ryder Fenton, the poor chap who was left in the incapable hands of Yasmin the last time he visited and Nancy Landgraab. Guess neither of them wanted to return to the hospital, not after Ryder's poor experience with Yasmin and Nancy's extreme fashion taste on the treadmills. Either way it was a job well done. Just a normal day of treating patients.

As she was heading back down, preparing to pack up her things and head home, she heard a quiet voice call to her from the living room. She barely even heard it over the chaos upstairs.

Charley peeked around the stairs to see L. (now) Caliente sitting on the couch. She was a strange looking one, almost alien with her dark eyes and pale white skin. 

"Uh, yes? How can I help you? Are you feeling a little ill too?" Charley asked wondering if the hospital had gotten the number of patients wrong.

"Sit." The voice repeated, this time Charley wasn't sure if L. was even the speaker since her lips didn't move with the voice spoke.

Charley glanced nervously around the room to see that everyone else seemed to be conversing upstairs. This was totally normal, right?

"I can tell you're a little uneasy. But don't worry, I can tell that you are special." L. nodded her head towards Charley. "Very special."

Confused, Charley leaned in. "What do you mean 'special'? I'm just a plain sim. There's nothing very special about me... is there?"

"Perhaps for starters, a legacy of your name shall carry on for many years. But your bloodline... Oh, it appears like our time is up..."

After she finished speaking, if you'd call it that, Charley's phone started buzzing, it was the hospital calling her back. She had so many more unanswered questions, plus new ones forming. With her phone still ringing she was forced to answer it. They needed her back there as soon as she could, since they're running a little shorthanded without her. With a disgruntled agreement, she said she'd hurry back. But before she left, she still had one more question... And that was it, the strange woman before her had disappeared. And Charley didn't have the time to hunt her down before she needed to leave. So she left and headed back to the hospital to work out the rest of her day, her head spinning with questions.

"Who or what was she?"

"Where did she come from?"

"What is this legacy that she spoke of?"

"And what about her bloodline?"

Despite her head in the clouds for the remainder of the day, she still managed to nab a promotion. Guess she still is the only one carrying their weight around the hospital. But still take whatever she can get, she still was sleeping on a mostly bare lot. (Her Fabulously Wealthy Aspiration is forcing her to save her money versus splurge on things like a new hut, not to mention her current arrangement minimizes the bills immensely too.)

As soon as she got home, she got a notification from Akira. "Hey Char! I was in the neighborhood and I thought you might like this." Akira grinned eagerly as he handed her a nicely wrapped present.

"Oh my, you really shouldn't have." Charley smiled meekly. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful, but she also had a thousand other things on her mind as well. 

"Why don't you go ahead and open it." He urged.

"Of course, I should." Charley nodded as she started to unwrap the gift. Inside was a pack of rare seeds. 

"I know it's not much, but I noticed you had started a garden so I thought these might come in handy." Akira mentioned shyly. 

"Of course, I'll have to plant them later. Um so... what brings you all the way out to the Valley?" Charley asked as she stowed away the seeds for a later date. 

"Wait, didn't you hear?" Akira asked shocked.

"Hear what?" Charley replied suddenly worried.

"I mean I thought you and Penny were pretty close, so I figured you would be the first one she's tell..."

"What?! What happened to Penny? Akira Kibo if you don't tell what's wrong, I swear to..."

"Penny had a miscarriage..."

"What? I didn't even know she was pregnant again..." Charley replied tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm the worst friend, only thinking about myself..."

"Ha. Ha. Pranked the Fool! Happy Prank Day!" Akira burst out into laughter as Charley was about to cry.

"What?" She muttered between the beginning of her sobs.

"It's Prank Day, and I pranked you." Akira laughed. "And boy did I get you good." He was almost in tears from his laughter.

And for some odd reason, it make her chuckle as well. She really did need that. Turns out Akira became the blessing in disguise she needed that day to ease her mind.

Akira hung around for a bit, but he mostly complained about how stressful work has been on top of other things. He kept acting like he had more to say, but he never got past basic conversation. He did ask Charley about her day, and just like him, she kinda had her on reservations about explaining everything that took place today. Though she did tell him about her promotion, which he offered his congrats.

After a quick garden salad, Akira bid his farewell, Charley remembering the prank from earlier, called up Penny to see if she wanted to go out for some karaoke, just the two of them.

Penny agreed, and Charley managed to verify that she wasn't pregnant nor was expecting again just yet.

The rest of the evening passed with ease, that was until...

"It's you!" Charley exclaimed seeing a familar face. 

"So we meet again..." The voice in her head appeared.

Charley rushed out of the karaoke bar to confront L. She still had so many questions. "What did you mean earlier? About me and this legacy? About my bloodline." 

"Perhaps you should challenge me to a duel and if you win, I shall impart the knowledge you seek upon you." L. spoke for the very first time, her voice stern but light at the same time.

"Challenge you, but I..." Charley gasped as she raised a wand and pointed it at her. "Hey, you can't..." Her voice was cut off as she was hit with a large shock that went straight into her core, almost awaking a desire deep within. 

"Look deep inside of yourself, young one. If you truly seek the knowledge, you'll find a way to fight back." L. taunted as she held her wand steady ready to go again.

Charley groaned feebly as she pushed herself up out of the snow. She found herself grasping at that burning desire deep within as she rose to her feet and to her surprise. Her hands were glowing. Well that was new. 

Charley took this newfound energy and did her best to harness it and launch an attack back at L. But she was much quicker. Hitting Charley with yet another spell, that knocked her back into the snow.

"You still have much to learn, young one..." The voice returned in her head. "Find me in the Magical Realm when you think you're ready, and maybe then you'll be worthy of this knowledge."

As Charley laid curled up in the snow, she found that in her hand she grasped onto a blue glowing crystal. Somehow she knew it'd get her to where she needed when she was ready.

Penny rushed out to help, curious as to what just happened, but Charley was just as uncertain so even she couldn't answer her friend's question. Penny didn't push any further and simply helped Charley into a taxi that would take her home. 

~~~~~

"Turn into to some breaking news, brought to you by Newcrest News!"

"Becky reporting from Forgotten Hollow. This just in, several patients at the Forgotten Asylu... I mean Forgotten Assisted Living, have been reported missing from their beds, have sawed away at their bondage, I mean bandages. They are considered armed and extremely dangerous. So please if you see any patients wandering about, likely in nothing but hospital gowns, you are to avoid all contact and immediately call 1-800-FH-ASYLUM. This has been Becky, signing off from Forgotten Hollow. 

Oh hey, Vlad, how's it going... uh could you stop looking at my cameraman like that plea---"

Previous Chapter         Index        Next Chapter