2. Dear reader, welcome to the Bookacy Family Alphabet Adventures, chapter 26! This is the
second half of a double update, so let's get right on with the story, shall we?
It was late night, but the Bookacy family Legacy main had been surprisingly active for the
past few hours. All the grownups were awake, as was one of the three teenagers, Cyrus,
who currently looked somewhat paler than usual. Some phone calls had been made and
urgent information had been exchanged. Now the oldest members of the family were
holding a gathering together with a long time friend of the family, the gypsy matchmaker
Sunny Straight.
3. "Alright now, Cyrus", said Nicole, who quite naturally became the spokeswoman in situations
like this, "I believe we all know the basics, but would you please go through the story once
more? The more information Sunny here has, the easier it is for her to suggest a solution."
4. "Well, like I said, I'd just come from work when it happened", Cyrus started the story he felt
he'd already told at least five times. "I didn't see or hear anything out of the ordinary. I felt
really tired and was going to go straight to bed, but it was snowing, and I just had to stay
and enjoy the scenery for a while. You know how I love watching snowfall", he added to his
parents who were looking at him intently, always with the same worried expression.
"I can't have stood there longer than a minute, so he must have showed up about the same
time I came from work. Anyway, I was just standing there, watching the snow, when
suddenly a strange voice spoke to me..."
5. "... and then you realized that you'd been bitten", finished Marylena Cyrus' story for him.
"Now, are we sure that this vampire was Salahuddin Chamcha? Cyrus has never met the
man, and neither has George."
"It must have been him", Baudolino said with a grim expression, "that makes everything
match all too well to be a coincidence."
6. "I think Baudolino is right", said Adrian, "First of all, he matches the description: tall, pale
man with long, black hair and a long leather jacket. Secondly, Cyrus said that he had called
him a 'Legacy brat'. Although that doesn't quite fit the language he tends to use, we all know
he has reason to hate this family. Finally, from what I spoke with Arthur tonight, it seems
they've arrived just in time with Bailey and Sean to prevent him from blackmailing Beth into
helping him and drowning Marsha and Salahuddin has barely escaped. That'd make him
mad enough to do something like that."
"Yes, that sounds plausible", said Sunny, now speaking for the first time. "And that worries
me deeply. I know from experience that Salahuddin has the potential to be a very dangerous
man, and now it seems he may be starting to live up to that potential", she said gazing into
the distance. "Do I understand correctly that he's again used your half-brother as... well, as
a minion of a kind?"
7. "Yes, Sunny, he has", Adrian replied, his face screwed with anger. "Anyway, Arthur said that Aadam had been pretty quiet and left
"We've all told Aadam forever that he can't let his Dad treat him soon, said he 'needed to do something'. I'm worried about him, but
like that, but for some reason he's always sticked to him." I don't even know where he is", Adrian said, frustrated.
"For the very simple reason that he loves his father, Adrian", said "Honey, you cannot help your brother right now. He is a grown
Nicole, looking sad. man and has to make his own decisions", said Nicole. "Besides,
we have more urgent matters at hand."
"I haven't spoken to Aadam tonight, haven't been able to reach
him", Adrian went on, "but Arthur said he'd not given away
Salahuddin's whereabouts. He suspects that it might not be out of
unwillingness anymore – it might be that Salahuddin has used
some tricks to ensure that can't be done."
Sunny nodded. "Yes, I've heard of that kind of vampire magic
existing."
8. "Yes, the matter of our son", hurried Marylena to say. "Sunny, what do you think we should
do now? Is Cyrus in danger?"
"And is he a danger to others?" added Baudolino.
"What?" Cyrus panicked, "How can I be..."
But Sunny interrupted him.
9. "Now now, I think we should all calm down", she said reassuringly, letting her gaze wander
on the faces of all sims present. "Having observed Cyrus' behaviour, it seems to me that he
isn't in any immediate danger. Had the vampire bite gone wrong, the consequences could've
been lethal, but", Sunny went on ignoring the gasps of the others, "seeing that he's still with
us, everything seems to have gone fine in that sense.
"Now, there are some obvious dangers in being a vampire. As you probably know, sunlight
is lethal to them, and that's why they tend to use coffins in the daytime. Of course, there are
distractions in the daily life of a sim, which means even a coffin isn't always a foolproof
solution."
Nicole nodded. "Yes. If you are awakened during daytime..."
"Exactly. Now, that should be the only danger for Cyrus himself. As he's alive and well now,
the only way being a vampire could hurt him is if he's exposed to sunlight."
"What about others, then?" asked Adrian.
10. "Well, there is the obvious fact that a vampire can bite sims and turn them into vampires.
And as I said, there is a risk involved there. Cyrus", said Sunny, nodding at the eagerly
listening teenager, "had some luck. There are precautions that can be taken, potions that
can be drunk, to make sure everything goes smoothly. A healthy young person like your son
is very likely to manage a vampire bite just fine, but there have been cases where the bite
has been lethal to a very young or old sim, or someone who is suffering an illness. The
exact reason for why this sometimes happens is unclear."
Sunny took a breath. "However, the biting in itself is not a danger for sims around Cyrus. A
vampire only bites someone when he or she decides to bite someone. That is, if Cyrus does
not want to bite anyone, no one will get bitten." There were relieved breaths all over the
room. "The wanting itself", Sunny continued with an apologetic smile, "may be a problem for
Cyrus' friends."
11. "What do you mean by that?" asked Baudolino.
"You mean..." started Adrian, but Sunny interrupted again.
"What I'm talking about, is control", she said. "When vampires are in question, the matters
of control and hierarchy are always important. Whenever a vampire bites a sim, they gain
an amount of control over them. The amount depends on many things, such as how
powerful the vampire is, the age and condition of the bitten sim, their mental strength, and
so on. The Grand Vampire is the most powerful of all vampires, and other vampires can't
have control over one. The fact that there exist not one but several Grand Vampires, has led
to some vicious battles over power among the vampires along the years. The current
situation is calm, but the power hierarchies of vampires remain very complicated. There are
not many vampires left in Alphabetia. Some died, some fled the battles."
"So", asked Cyrus, "you mean because I got bitten..."
12. "... Salahuddin Chamcha has control over me? No, I don't want "But... wouldn't that", asked Cyrus, his face screwed with
that!" He looked extremely worried, and wasn't the only one. confusion, "in a sense, make it even more dangerous?"
"I'm afraid so", said Sunny with a sigh. "I'd say that being as
powerful a vampire as he is, he almost certainly has an amount of
control over you. You are also young, which may affect the matter.
But I think that the fact that you are a great-grandchild of a Grand
Vampire can protect you pretty well."
"So... If he has control over me, what does it mean? That he can
make me do things I don't want to do?"
"Oh no, my dear boy! You aren't a puppet of his! And if you were, I
think we'd already know. He can only give you very subtle hints, to
nudge you towards a direction that appeals to him. He can't make
you a mere creature that doesn't think or act on their own. But he
can have some control over your thoughts, in a subtle way, if he is
in enough control of his own powers."
13. "In a sense, yes, dear. It could. That's why I'd suggest that you take the cure. The family
should already have a bottle of the curing potion, I gave one to your great-grandmother
years ago."
Nicole sighed. "I am afraid that does not help our situation, Sunny." Sunny turned to look at
her. "We have already tried that."
14. "You have?"
"Yes. Well, as soon as George came to wake me up and tell me what had happened, I
remembered what Author and Count Curtis told me and Adrian long ago. The family enemy
was a vampire, and in case there ever was a vampire incident, the antidote would be there.
There it had been for about a generation, alone on a small table in the master bedroom."
15. "So, when I got to know Cyrus had been bitten, I marched him straight into the bedroom,
and gave him the antidote. He drank it. Other than a slight glow as it went down, it had no
effect, as you can see."
16. Sunny sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "I feared this might be the case." She was
silent for a moment, rubbing her temples.
"You did the right thing, Nicole. Even though the antidote didn't work, it should still weaken
the influence that Salahuddin has on Cyrus. Until he gets an antidote strong enough."
"But I thought Mom said that you'd given us an extra strong potion, just in case", said
Adrian.
"I did", replied Sunny, "But it seems that I underestimated Salahuddin's powers as a vampire
back then. He is stronger than I estimated, so the antidote needs to be stronger, too."
"It's still possible to cure, isn't it?" asked Cyrus, with slight panic in his voice.
"Yes, it can still be cured. Any vampire bite can. But I will have to make a stronger potion.
And that may take some time."
17. "How much time?" asked Marylena.
"Well, it depends on the ingredients, really. Ingredients that strong are not freely available
on the market, their sale is controlled because they could also be used for sinister purposes.
I have the proper permissions to buy them, but the people allowed to sell them aren't many."
Marylena looked worried, Baudolino closed his eyes and sighed. Sunny went on: "I'm sorry
to say this, but it seems that Cyrus should be prepared to spend some time as a vampire. If
Cyrus goes to college, I may be able to create the antidote at some point during his studies,
but I can't promise that for sure."
There was a long, rather shocked silence. Marylena was the first to speak. "Alright then. I
guess it can't be avoided. What can we do to make sure everyone stays safe?"
18. There was another household in Alphabetia where sims were staying up late. When Beth
had promised Bailey she'd look after her best friend, he'd hurried home to see that Chip and
Cissy were doing okay. Marsha, however, was feeling terrible.
"I c-can't b-b-believe it, Beth! I've... I've b-been s-so s-stupid! H-horribly, h-horribly stupid!"
"Hey listen to me, Marsha, okay? It was a mistake anyone could have made. It's not your
fault", said Beth, trying to comfort her friend.
"B-but h-how could I... h-how could I n-not s-see it? I... I n-never r-realized the... the
connection, Beth."
19. "But how could you have? He never gave you any reason not to trust him."
"B-but..."
"In fact", Beth interrupted, "if this was anyone's fault, it was mine. It was me who never
realized to give you the full details of the situation, of the man who's after my family. If I'd
done that, surely you would have understood how things were."
"I'm... I'm n-not so s-sure..."
"It doesn't matter, Marsha. I didn't realize it, so you had no chance. Actually, the only person
who could have given you the full story was Aadam. And from what Sean told me, he
realized too late that you didn't know about the connection. And, this may sound ridiculous,
but somehow it never occurred to either of us who could have told you that he's actually
related to me, my half-uncle."
20. "H-h-he w-was l-l-like a f-father... f-father t-to m-me, B-Beth. T-the only... only one I-I e-ever
h-had. H-how c-could... how could h-he d-do this t-to m-me?"
Beth sighed. "I don't know, Marsha. I think at this point no one can understand what's going
on in his head anymore. I'm sorry."
"H-he... H-he w-w-would h-have... h-ave k-k-killed m-me! K-k-killed m-me, j-just... just l-like
t-that!"
"I know. It hurts, I know", whispered Beth, feeling helpless.
21. "I f-feel... f-feel s-so ashamed. I-I've... I-I've g-given h-him i-information, B-Beth, l-lots of it.
And... and I-I n-never r-realized... I-I'm s-such a d-disgrace! I-I c-can't b-become a C-
Captain H-Hero, I-I'll q-quit. I-I c-can't p-put all... all t-the p-police f-force t-to s-shame."
"Marsha, don't be silly! None of this was your fault! No one could possibly blame you."
22. "Now, listen to me, Marsha. The information thing, that can be fixed. You'll tell Sean
everything you told Salahuddin, so the cops will know what he knows. And he won't be using
you as an information source anymore. And you know, Marsha, he's going to get someone
new for that. I mean, if it hadn't been you, it'd been someone else. He knows how to use
others. Look at Aadam. He's the prime example."
"I-I k-know. I-I j-just never s-saw that." Marsha was trying hard to calm down. "C-can you get
Sean? I think we s-should t-talk to him."
Beth even managed to smile a little. "That's my girl. Sean's in the other room, explaining the
situation to Carl. I'll see if he's free and ask whether he's heard from Bailey."
23. Soon all three of them were sitting in the living room. Marsha had managed to calm down,
though she didn't feel like herself quite yet.
"I got a phonecall from Bailey about a half an hour a go, Marsha", said Sean, "He said that
everything's alright there. Cissy is a little bit upset about what's happened, but Bailey is
there with her, and he said she'd managed to fall asleep. Chip's taking it a lot calmer, but
then again, he's older too. So everything's just fine."
"And there's no sight of..." Marsha gulped.
"No. It seems he's out of anger for now. No need to panic anymore."
24. "... and well, I think that's about the most important things I've told him. I swear, I didn't do it
on purpose! I never, never realized."
"We know", Sean said reassuringly. "He used your good nature, your social character and
your willingness to believe good of everyone. And we've seen he knows how to manipulate.
No one can blame you, Marsha."
"Thanks. I appreciate it, Sean."
"That was just the honest truth", Sean said sincerely. "Just let me know if you remember
anything else, okay?"
"Okay."
25. "Now, this Captain Hero thing. Beth told me you don't want to be Captain Hero anymore.
She said you're thinking of quitting."
"Well, I'm not that sure anymore if I'm up for it... I made a stupid mistake and..."
"Stop it, Marsha!" Sean said firmly. "Everybody makes mistakes. That's life. Besides, you
couldn't possibly have known, it's us who screwed up when we didn't think of telling you the
necessary facts. You know what I think?"
Marsha remained silent.
"I think that what happened should make you want to be Captain Hero more, not less. Why?
Because he's bound to try again sooner or later. That's what Legacy villains do. So, if your
life's ambition is to be a cop, then now you have more reason to go for it than ever. If you
stay in the force, there's one more of us to try and catch him. One more of us to protect the
family."
26. "Definitely, you shouldn't let this get in the way of your ambition", said Beth. "I know you've
wanted to be Captain Hero ever since we got to know as teenagers. And from what I hear,
you're actually very close to getting that one last promotion. Now what's changed? You've
got one more reason to go for it."
"I guess... I guess you're right", Marsha said slowly.
"Yes, I'm right and you know it. There's no way I'm going to let my best friend give up on her
greatest dream of all. And yes", Beth continued, as she saw Marsha had opened her mouth
as if to ask something, and was looking uncertain, "you're still my best friend. There's never
been any doubt about that."
27. Marsha looked very relieved. "Thanks", she said with a little smile, the first since she'd
gotten up from the pool. "You know what? I think I will go on and try to become a Captain
Hero after all. That's what I've always wanted, and also..." Beth and Sean saw the look on
Marsha's face toughen, "Nothing, nothing would give me more joy than to be the one to
bring Salahuddin Chamcha in front of justice."
28. The next evening, Salahuddin Chamcha awoke in his coffin. He emerged from his chamber,
and called for his son.
"Aadam, would you please see me in the living room?"
No answer.
31. In the kitchen, Salahuddin's eyes stopped on the dining table. It had been used as a writing
table lately, Salahuddin was keeping some of his notes there. But the topmost paper
seemed somewhat unfamiliar.
33. It's with a heavy heart that I write this letter to you. When you read this, I will be long gone,
gone from this house I once imagined would be a home.
I trusted you, I loved you. And now you have finally shown me that maybe I should have
done neither. Too long I've made excuses for you, explained things to myself. Too long I've
lived in uncertainty.
34. When you used my former girlfriend Rebecca as a means to an end, having my mother
back against her will, I forgave you what happened as an accident, something that no one
meant to happen. I never gave much thought to what you said, how she needed to be
punished for what she did to me. I didn't want to. I wanted to believe you, to believe your
actions were justified. Because you were my father, and I loved you. But really. Rebecca
never did anything to me.
Then there was last night. Once again, you didn't trust me with your plan, just expected me
to help with it all the same. You asked me to hurt Marsha, whom I love like a sister, and
threatened my fiancee if I didn't. Not to mention myself. Making me harm Marsha by
threatening my Joy was too much. That is the part I can't forgive.
35. Then I finally realized what I'd been doubting for years, but never dared to think for real.
Here, in this house, living with you, nothing would ever change. I'd always live in the middle
of your plots and schemes, in constant fear of tomorrow, fear of what happens to those I
love. I can't go on like this.
I wish things could be otherwise.
37. If you ever should worry about me, not that I after all that's happened could imagine that you
would, but all the same, if you ever should worry, don't. There's no reason. Yes, I've gone to
Joy.
40. There's only one thing I'd like to ask from you now. Please, do not come looking for us. Nor
Marsha. You're my father, and I love you, I still do. But I cannot forgive you, and I will never
come back to you. You could say you've changed, that things have changed, but I would
never believe you. Not anymore.
So, I will just ask you for this one thing. Please don't come looking for me. Because if you
do...
42. Dad, I wish you all the best. I really, really do. I hope you can find a way to be fulfilled at life
again, and I regret that if you do, I won't be there to see it. I wish someday you could give
up the ghost of my mother, that you could start to live again. I know that it's a futile wish, but
this is what I wish nonetheless.
Dad, I'm sorry that I have to do this, but I really do. This is my only way to feel at home
again.
Love,
Aadam
45. Back in the Bookacy household, the family bought Cyrus a coffin, the fanciest and best
coffin on the market of course, seeing that the boy had two parents and a grandparent who
insisted that only the most expensive product would be good enough for their baby boy.
Also, his sleep schedule turned upside down, and perhaps George was keeping a closer
eye on him than usual, but otherwise life went back to normal in no time.
46. In fact, so normal that soon no one even noticed anything peculiar about his appearance or
sleeping habits.
47. Everything was back to its usual way, despite the recent events, because, like Adrian said,
life had to go on.
So, Chunni kept discussing worrying topics with the gentle-natured Adrian.
49. ... and whenever Creator caught him doing that, she directed him to help with the garden, to
make him useful. So far the attempts to make the garden flourish had been pretty fruitless.
50. The resident old couple kept being affectionate towards each other.
52. The kids kept skilling, hard as they always do under my command.
53. And Baudolino, for his part, kept working on his fourth level ten business. Success wasn't
very far away anymore, and he wasn't getting any younger, so it was about time. And well,
the relatives were as eager to help as ever.
54. Now that the kids were big already, Marylena came to help her husband with the business,
so Adrian and Nicole could get some time to rest, to be together and enjoy their grandkids.
She wasn't much of a saleswoman in the beginning, but she was quickly learning, and the
relaxed business Baudolino had was the perfect place to practice
55. In fact, at some point we noticed that it wasn't necessary to sell tickets anymore, despite the
relatively high price. The customers were buying them among themselves.
Not that we minded, of course. We concluded that being the best of the best must have
some benefits we had not come across before.
56. Despite the hard work, there was sometimes a little bit of time for extracurricular activities.
"Ta-da, I'm fit honey, see?"
"That's nice, dear. Oooh, just looking at that pedaling makes me so hungry!"
57. The newest happenings in everyone's family were exchanged with friends and extended
family. Of course, Adrian's newest happenings were not entirely surprising.
58. Some guests were of the more playful type.
"I feel funny. As if something hit me in the head at regular intervals."
59. Some guests gave me yet more reason to love them. Thanks, Ramin!
"You're welcome, C! But for what?"
60. Well, for again being the sim who gives Baudolino that long awaited last business star.
Hooray! Baudolino, did you hear that? We have four businesses done!
"I did, C. And you know, I'm pretty platinum right now."
Good. Now get a shirt on and let's go home. Only one more to go.
61. Back at home it had been snowing pretty hard, and the kids were enjoying the snow in their
own ways. Well, except for Cyrus, who spent the daytime tight in his coffin. But Cho spent
her snow day doing fun things, like building a snowman.
62. Charlie, on his part, wanted to do something useful with his extra time. In his pleasure sim
conception of useful, it meant that he invited Sunny the matchmaker over, and met some
girls.
63. In dating in the snow there was, of course, a minor downside for the girls.
64. But well, not that they minded too much. Perhaps it's not much worse than being dropped
from the sky in general. Actually, it might be that the snow softens the fall.
65. Hey, Adrian. What's up?
"Well, the usual I guess. Getting older every day and so. But you know what?"
Well?
"I've learned a new trick. Wanna see?"
Sure, bring it on!
68. "Ta-taa!"
Oh wow, Adrian! That was such a cool trick! Did you hide sandwiches in your pockets or
what?
"Well it wouldn't be a very fancy trick if I told you, would it now?"
69. And then followed another trick: how to swallow a full grilled cheese sandwich in one
enormous gulp.
Have I mentioned lately how much I love Adrian?
70. Nicole kept enjoying her old favorite activities, now that she had achieved most financial
goals imaginable. She'd always liked playing pool. And tub pirating, but that we won't show
because she's always been a little embarrassed about that particular pastime.
71. Charlie kept on having girls dropped in the snow. Poor things.
72. On the other hand, some of them seemed to quite like the snow.
73. In addition to dating, all the kids were working on one goal or another. Most of those had to
do with college. In Charlie's case, it was the creativity skill scholarship.
74. And Cyrus, who had scholarships on the head most of all, continued to go to work despite
the dangers of sun, in the hopes of keeping his work performance high and making a good
impression.
75. It wasn't not just the old couple who kept being affectionate towards each other. Also
Baudolino and Marylena found the time to to be all sweet and lovey-dovey every once in a
while.
76. Adrian also kept company for Chunni, as long as he could. He'd always been fond of the
bird, and he knew his time was getting short.
77. "It's been a wonderful time, honey. All of it."
"I take it that you do not regret giving up your life as a romance sim and deciding to live a
cheese filled one with me instead."
"I never have, honey. I never have. So you, too, feel that it's close?"
"I have known for a while."
"Are you afraid?"
"No, Adrian, not when I know that soon we will be together again."
78. Especially with the knowledge that time was no longer on their side, Adrian and Nicole spent
time with the family at every opportunity. Baudolino and Marylena had some serious
discussions with them, and Nicole took care that they knew all that could possibly be
necessary to know. But most of all, they spent time with the kids.
No matter how little time there was, there was always time for one last Don't Wake the
Llama.
79. Then, one night after that one last Don't Wake the Llama, it happened. Adrian, Nicole and
the kids were just getting off the game table, and Cyrus had just gotten up. like he did every
night at sunset.
It was Nicole who felt the unnatural chill.
80. And indeed, it was the Grim Reaper, after a full generation.
82. "I have known it for some time, mr. Reaper. And I am ready, I only regret that I must leave
my beloved ones behind."
"It is how this life goes. But you will see them once again, and for you, no time at all
will have passed. It's time to let go."
83. "Come, Nicole, forget the worries of the living. The land of endless simoleans,
enormous salary bonuses and expensive items awaits you."
"You do know how to make this sound like a very kind offer."
"Thank you. That is what I do. Now, there's only two things left."
"And what would those be?"
88. But once again the family found comfort in each other. Even though no one felt hungry,
Marylena insisted that everyone eat something. Dinner was a quiet occasion that night.
89. Baudolino had been calm for most of the evening, as the kids needed his comfort, but when
the night fell and he was left alone for a moment, he felt the tears coming to his own eyes,
too.
90. Marylena was tired and sad, as she climbed upstairs for the night. She had liked her
mother-in-law from the moment they first met, and in the following years they had become
good friends. Nicole had given her so many good pieces of advice.
But right now, the best advice she could think of was to take care of the remaining family,
especially her husband, who was certainly in the need of some caretaking at the moment.
So Marylena went upstairs, to curl up next to Baudolino for the night.
91. In the dead of the night, a familiar feeling, like a cool wind, caught me in the living room.
Adrian felt the same through his sleep, and felt inexplicable comfort. Momentarily, Nicole's
presence was felt in the house before she left forever.
92. Rest in peace, Nicole Bookacy, generation A spouse and the cash register girl. You were a
mother of two, like a mother to your husband's alien son, and counted yourself as the
grandmother of five. You topped two careers with ease, and on top earned one hundred
thousand simoleans. You took care of your children, the house, and a business of your own,
not to mention helped the rest of the family with several other businesses. You supported
the family in more than one way, and helped protect it to the best of your great ability. You
were greatly loved by everyone, and will be dearly missed – not least by me.
And besides, you were simply a hilarious sim to play.
93. Despite all the hurt, life went on. For Adrian it was the hardest – he had, after all, known and
loved his wife ever since teenage. He had trouble sleeping, but knew time would heal the
wounds, and besides, he trusted that the two of them would meet again soon.
94. George, too, was feeling a little bit restless. He decided to put it into good use and take
extra good care of the family's garden.
95. Cyrus was even more determined on his studying than before. He wanted to keep making
his grandmother proud. The same went for the younger siblings. Perhaps a little more
serious than before, they put a lot of effort in studying. After all, college wasn't far away,
especially for Cyrus.
96. The family took special care of Adrian, who took it the hardest. It was a little bit difficult at
first, but soon enough he managed to break through his shell again. It was George who
managed to bring the first smile on his master's face with a friendly hang loose.
97. The adults took up some serious work to spend their time in a useful way. Marylena had
become the new owner of Nicole's, and did some very good work running it on her own. And
apparently playing games in outwear was the new black.
98. Marylena was content. She was learning her sales technique and earning some nice
simoleans. Also, a small miracle had happened. Lisa Ramirez, the town bad customer,
bought a ticket on her own, came in and started enjoying herself. There is no official record
of her awarding the business stars, but there is proof of her admiring Arthur, and Arthur
being pleased. Marylena was happy. Creator was wondering whether she should call an
ambulance for Lisa.
99. Adrian took it easy. Besides enjoying his greatest pleasure, the grilled cheese, he took the
time to take long baths, read some interesting books and enjoy the company of his
grandchildren. Charlie was more than happy to shoot pool with his grandpa.
100. Cho also joined whenever she could. She, however, was working quite hard, as she aimed
for the body point scholarship for college. She had recently gotten very interested in learning
new things – in fact, so much that she'd chosen knowledge as her secondary aspiration –
and her current topmost subject of curiosity was body skill.
101. In his spare time, Adrian framed the family portraits, and everyone agreed that they looked
even nicer after that.
102. He also kept spending a lot of time with Chunni. It had become one of his favorite pastimes
to discuss and play with the bird. He was, after all, very much a pet person.
103. George kept dating count Pao, not as frequently as he would have liked, but dating
nevertheless. They still had a great time together, even though the night was sometimes a
little bit short for their plans.
104. The count was also a great listener, and George could ease his pain by discussing the loss
of Nicole with him. As an immortal, he knew what it felt like to live amongst others who aged
and died around one. They both felt these discussions brought them closer together.
105. Baudolino was eager to work on some business, now that he was closing in on the finish
line. So he called the real estate office and they offered him a very nice toy store called
Tyke's Tower Toys. He'd never tried a toy business before, so he gladly accepted the offer.
106. Baudolino asked Marylena to help him, and she joyfully accepted. After all, it was a good
opportunity gain badges. And well, some alone time with her husband in the closed store
seemed like a nice bonus.
107. Marylena took up the restocking, while Baudolino, as the experienced businessman,
handled most of the selling. Marylena did get some practice on the sales, though.
108. At least when Baudolino was busy running the cash register, which was, for some reason,
probably the most difficult task in running a store. Fortunately, Baudolino mastered the art
pretty well already.
109. Back at home, a lot of sportsy activities were happening. While Cho preferred yoga and
swimming, Charlie was happy to try new things every now and then. Like for example
dancing, but only if no one was looking.
110. Adrian was into bowling, and that was the original reason why he and Baudolino agreed to
invite some friends over: bowling alone was only half the fun. And besides, the whole family
could use some cheering up.
111. That really did wonders. Cho got his father persuaded into some dancing, and that lasted for
many fun moments.
112. Charlie got to spend some time with his cousin Claire, whom he so far knew mostly from
Cho's stories about how much fun the two of them had had this week. Charlie got a happy
surprise out of how much common ground the two of them had.
113. The early dinner was the best part. George cooked some chili, and of course a sandwich for
Adrian. Everyone enjoyed the meal and each other's company. Even Beth, who rushed in
straight from work, made it, and she was thrilled to see everyone – especially Marsha, of
course.
114. Everyone enjoyed the occasion, and in the end of the day they promised to have another
get-together soon.
115. It was pretty soon after the small family party that Baudolino called over his oldest son.
"So Dad, you wanted to see me?"
"Yeah, I did. You see, there was something I needed to give you."
"Give me? What's that?"
116. "Yes. Here you go."
"Gray Lady of Sim City statues, Dad? Aren't those terribly expensive?"
"Well, yes. That is kind of the point in giving them, really. That is the easiest legacy legal
way to give money to someone."
"Money?"
"You didn't think I was asking you to decorate the family Greek House with eight Gray Lady
of Sim City statues, did you?" Baudolino asked with a widening grin.
117. "The Greek House? But I thought... I thought I wasn't going to college. I mean, not yet at
least."
"You weren't going? Why wouldn't you be going? You are a fortune sim, Cyrus, you can't
possibly be serious about skipping college!"
"Of course I wouldn't Dad. But... You know it might not be safe. With that Chamcha guy
running around, possibly having some kind of control over me..."
"We know the dangers, Cyrus. But as me and your mother have said before, we can't
possibly protect and fear for you kids for all your lives. Of course you have to be careful in
college, but we couldn't lock you here to wait for the possibly distant moment when Sunny
manages to make a strong enough antidote for you. We've talked to her, and she promised
to watch over you for us – she's going to be visiting often for Charlie, anyway."
"Oh. I guess you've got it all planned out, then."
118. "Yep. There's always a risk, but college is a safe environment with many adults to take care
of things if needs be. Besides, part of that money", Baudolino nodded down at the package,
"is meant for getting a proper security system for the Greek House. I'll give you the number
of the firm my parents used here. The rest of the money you can use to make renovations
as you please, and maybe throw a couple of parties, too. You're the oldest, so you'll be in
charge."
"Wow, thanks Dad. I really appreciate this."
Baudolino smiled. "You're welcome. Now, I'd suggest that you start making some
preparations, if you want to make it for the next semester. You've been a teenager for, well,
a bit unnaturally long, even", he finished, smirking.
119. "By then, bro. I can't believe you're going already."
"Well, I'm actually even slightly late. I'll just say goodbye to Charlie yet, then keep skilling for
the rest of the night and call the cab before the sun comes up to fry me. I'll be seeing you on
campus then."
"Sooner than you think", said Cho, a little bit teary eyed, "I can't wait for all the boys!"
Cyrus laughed. "Yeah, for each their own. I'm sure there'll be plenty for you. I'll call you guys
tomorrow night after I get up from the coffin."
120. And soon enough the morning started approaching.
"Hello, this is Cyrus Bookacy. I'd like to have a college cab over as soon as you can get one
here. I'm all packed and in kind of a hurry, I'd need to get there before sunrise."
121. Everyone else had said their goodbyes in the evening, but George was up to see Cyrus off.
"Goodbye, young mister Bookacy! Have an enjoyable time at college!"
"Thanks, George. You take care of the rest of them for me, okay?"
"I will, young mister. Take good care of yourself."
122. And so Cyrus, the firstborn of generation C headed towards college adventures one night
right before dawn, pockets full of expensive statues, a bunch of scholarships earned, and
two siblings eagerly waiting to follow him. This was the beginning of his new life!
This is, also, the end of our current chapter, my dear reader. I hope you have enjoyed this
double chapter of The Bookacy Family Alphabet Adventures, and that you will join us again
for Cyrus' college adventures. Until then, thanks for reading and happy simming!
