2. Welcome back to Zane's BC! As you can tell by the eye catching red “X” through a couple of the girls, Lilith Pleasant
and Sandy Bruty have been eliminated so far. Another revelation is slowly coming to light as well: Seeing as this
entire thing is literally Zane's dream, then he's kinda messed up in the head and he really needs to lighten up.
But, will he? Time will tell.
So, on with the show. Day Three, AKA: Really? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! REALLY?!
***

3. The girls wasted no time getting to the hot tubs after Sandy was eliminated. Unfortunately there were still too many
to fit into one, so Tina and Cassandra were forced to share one alone while the others got to share with Zane.
The two sat in stilted silence. Cassandra couldn't help but glare at the slightly smug look Tina had on her face.

4. “You know,” Cassandra began, “I don't think anyone would shed any tears were I to, oh say, forcibly wipe that grin
from your face.”

5. Not batting an eye at the other woman's threat, Tina put a mock expression of concern on her face. She then asked,
“Cassandra, do you actually like Zane?” Cassandra blinked and shrugged hesitantly.
“He...might...have some qualities of merit that I wasn't willing to admit before.”

6. In an instant, Tina's smug expression returned. “Well, don't get your hopes up too high. Zane would give me the
world. I only have to ask and it would happen.”

7. Over in the other tub, Zane was actually beginning to enjoy himself as the four of them had some rather animated
discussions.

8. “...and so the paranormal aspects that seem to run rampant in a Sim world is very fascinating! I certainly would love
nothing more than to research the paranormal and fantastical phenomenons like lycanthropy, and such. Let's not
forget how witchcraft seems to be rather run of the mill and nobody seems to bat an eye at them, no matter what
their alignment is!”

9. Zane looked over at Carter. “I would not necessarily say that people don't bat an eye at a witch's alignment.”
The girls were silent as they realized the faux pas Carter had made in her offhand comment.

10. Meadow just shrugged. “Sam! You can't forget about Zane! I mean, he's one of the biggest supernatural people out
there. He's the son of a witch,” she giggled childishly at that, “he's the son of a Grim Reaper, and he's a Grim Reaper
himself! Forget about stinky werewolves and zombies; Zane beats them all! And I think that's neat-o!”

11. Zane felt himself smile ruefully. “Yes. It's almost like my life comes right out of a fantasy novel or something of that
nature. But, I am really glad you think it's 'neat', Meadow.” The strange thing to Zane was the fact that he was glad
that Meadow found anything about him neat. It was...refreshing.
***

12. Dinner came shortly after. There was a little bit of chattering between them, but for the most part the girls were
silent. They weren't exactly looking forward to the entire night filled with a game of chess; but Zane rather liked the
game. It fit with his quiet personality.

13. Zane let his thoughts drift as he washed the dinner plates. Though he was growing more comfortable with the
thought of socializing with multiple women, strange as they were, the thought of schmoozing and flirting still made
him feel a bit awkward.
He knew this entire thing was a dream, but he was still trying to figure out why he was dreaming about this particular
situation. He had a feeling it had something to do with Tina, but he couldn't figure out the point his subconscious
was trying to make.

14. After the dishes were washed, Zane had a little bit of time before the casual “dates” began. Seeing as Tina was the
person on his mind, he decided to seek her out.
She seemed rather impatient with him as he tried to compliment her, though.

15. “Oh,” she said when he had finished. She pasted a smile on her face and patted his shoulder. “That's very sweet of
you to say. But Zane,” a tone of alarm came into her voice, “it might not be best to make all the other girls jealous. I
mean, you wouldn't want them to get mad at you for ignoring them, would you?”
“I..I suppose not. But...”
“You don't like it when people are mad at you, do you? You want everyone to like you, isn't that right?”
“No, I mean yes, but...”

16. Before he could finish what he was saying, Tina stepped to the side and Meadow walked up to him. Giving him an
innocent and sweet smile, she reached up and stroked his cheek lightly.
“I just thought I would let you know how nifty I think you are, Zane,” Meadow said.
Zane smiled a little at Meadow's sweetness, but then he felt guilty. He glanced over at Tina and noticed that she was
watching Meadow flirt with him with a small smile of her own.

17. Realizing that Tina wasn't upset, he timidly responded to Meadow. “Thanks. I...I'm really glad you think so, Meadow.
I think,” he glanced again at Tina who was still watching with the weird, small smile, “I think you're awful fun to be
around.” He ducked his head a little, both to hide the blush as well as the look of confusion he knew had to be on his
face.
Meadow was flattered by his comment, not acknowledging his confusion. “Really? Oh, yay! I really hope you keep
me around because we can have so much fun together!”

18. Tina leaned in and whispered in Zane's ear. “Psst. Don't forget about Carter over there. You want to keep her
around as long as possible, right?”
“What do you mean? Aren't you mad at the fact that the other girls are flirting with me?”
Tina smirked. “Why should I be? I know that you'll choose me in the end. You always will. So, have your delusions
now and talk to the pretty and reasonable Samantha Carter.”

19. As if on cue, Sam walked over to Zane with a warm smile. Before Zane could react, Sam reached out and held his
hands, not noticing the look of crushed horror that appeared on Meadow's face.
Tina noticed and she just smirked, watching Zane's reaction.

20. WHAP! Meadow slapped Zane across the face as hard as she possibly could. “How could you?! I thought you liked
me!”
“I do! I didn't do anything! I...”
“Yes you did! You did this! YOU!” Meadow sobbed and ran upstairs.
“This is awesome,” Tina laughed meanly. “I knew it was only a matter of time. Well, should we all go upstairs now for
our 'dates'? Tonight is going to be more interesting than I thought.” With another chuckle, Tina followed Meadow up
the stairs.

21. Meadow's sobs could be heard over the loft and throughout the rest of the house.
“Oh, quit your whining,” Tina rolled her eyes as she sat down with a book. “What did you think was going to
happen?”
“But, I thought that maybe after this things would be different!” Meadow wailed.
Tina scoffed. “Hate to break it to you kiddo, but I'm really surprised that you weren't the first to be eliminated. But,
you will be. He's too used to me and how things are for it to go any other way.”

22. Tina quickly put the book away and sat in the other chair as Zane came upstairs. His expression told her that he had
overheard what she had said to Meadow. They silently sat across from each other as Zane searched Tina's face,
which she kept as bland as possible.

23. Finally, he spoke. “I really wish you wouldn't be so mean,” he began as he pulled out the chess pieces. After they
were placed, he idly fiddled with the pieces, not looking at Tina. Eventually he continued. “You're so sure that I'm
going to choose you. And I'm sure that I will, too. But, do you have to be so...callous about it? What did Meadow do
to you? She's not making you jealous. At least I don't think she is. Is she?” He honestly hoped that Tina would be
jealous, at least a little. It would show that she did care about him.

24. “Absolutely not. I'm not jealous because I know the inevitable. Besides, Zane, what does it matter? It's not like you
can hook up with Meadow Thayer in real life. Nothing you dream about here changes that fact. You're Dead. You're
not alive. You're a freak, and you know it! You will never have a normal existence. When you wake up, I'll still be
hanging around with you pining after me. I'll be there and none of the other 'contestants' will be. So, why should I
bother to be nice?”
“Because I know that you're...”

25. “You know nothing about me!” Tina interrupted. “You have an idealized version of me that just carried over from
your incredibly brief life. I've changed, yet you've remained the same. Oh sure, you're 'grown up' now, but are you
really? You're like a little kid. I don't want to deal with a little kid; I want a real man. There's the harsh truth: you aren't
man enough to say or do anything for fear of offending anyone. So, I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing, both
here and in the waking world, and you aren't going to do anything about it!”
Zane placed his hand on the King piece and rocked it for a moment before knocking it over. Tina smirked.
“I thought so,” she said and she left the table.

26. Tina made her way over to the “Don't Wake the llama” table that the other girls were sitting at while they waited for
their turn with Zane. Giving an exaggerated yawn, she loudly said, “NEXT!”

27. Sam made her way to the chess board while Zane stoically placed the pieces back into their original positions. She
noticed that he stared at the knocked over King for a moment before picking it up and placing it on its home square.

28. She said nothing for a moment as she looked at Tina, who was still making a great showing of how bored she was.
“You shouldn't let whatever she says bother you.”

29. “I really don't want to talk about it,” Zane said with a pained expression. “Unless, of course, it has something to do
with this thing I'm 'not ready to hear,' this 'great revelation' you have for me.”
“Sarcasm? That's not something one hears from you very often, is it?”

30. In an instant, Zane cleared his face of all expression. “Anyway, this is all in my head, right? I know she's not really like
that, right? She might have changed, but she was never that mean, right? Oh, sure, she was always a bit selfish but
she was never intentionally cruel.”
“There is a difference between waking world and dream world Tina,” Sam replied softly. “But the one you're dealing
with now is far more dangerous to you. You can't let her win.”
“But, I love her!”
Sam shook her head. “I know you do, and you just don't get it,” was all she said.

31. Meadow was next and Zane could see that her cheeks were still stained with tears. In a nervous gesture, he ran his
hand through his hair before speaking. “Meadow, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you.”
Meadow sniffled. “But you did, and you did it on purpose!”
“No! I didn't! I would never hurt someone's feelings, especially not on purpose!”
“You did! You did! You did do it on purpose!” Meadow's voice caught and she sniffled again.

32. Zane looked over at the other girls who seemed oblivious to Meadow's tantrum. Did I do it on purpose? Am I, deep
down, more terrible than I thought? He was distressed to find that he couldn't answer his own questions and panic
set in. He attempted to cover it up though and he turned back to Meadow.
“It looks like they're having fun,” he lamely stated.

33. Her forehead crinkled in a petulant frown. “You don't know what fun is and you never did. And now, you never will
and it's sad! So sad, Zane. I'm going to be gone and I'm never coming back and so I'm sad and you should be, too!
You're going to be sad forever and ever and you're doing it on purpose!”

34. He hung his head and heaved a deep, shuddery sigh. “I swear to you, upon my very being, Meadow, that I'm not
trying to intentionally hurt anyone.”
“But you are hurting someone, though I suppose it isn't intentional,” a new voice responded.

35. Zane quickly regained his composure as Lucy sat down across from him. “Who am I hurting?” He asked, proud of
his neutral tone.

36. Lucy gave a long glare at the back of Tina's head before responding. “Tell me what she said to you.”
“This is getting strange. Why do you guys keep looking over at Tina? I thought a challenge like this is more to
become acquainted with all of the contestants, yet all of you either talk in riddles or talk about what she has said to
me.”
Lucy shook her head and raised an eyebrow. “This isn't a game show, Zane. This is you. Tell me, what did she say to
you?”

37. Exasperated, rubbed his fingers to his forehead. “Fine. She said I was a child. She said I was a coward. She said I
wasn't a real man. She said I was a...” he stopped. “She said I was a freak,” he finished in a sad whisper.

38. Lucy appeared to almost flinch at every insult Zane repeated, but she managed to keep a calm air about her. After a
moment of thought, she asked, “And do you believe what she said?”
Zane said nothing as he looked at the chess board. Lucy raised her eyebrow again. “Do you believe what she said?”

39. Finally Zane looked up at her. “I don't know,” he replied softly. A strange expression flitted across Lucy's face at his
response.
“I see,” she said, neutrally. Zane peered at her and noticed a slight change in her demeanor; she seemed
almost...deflated. “Well, I suppose there's nothing that can be done about it, is there?”
“What do you mean?”
“Nevermind,” she gave him a false smile as she got up and walked away.

40. Cassandra was the last person for the night. He smiled slightly at the nervous way she played with her hands; it was a
very similar to what he did when he was uncomfortable himself. His smile faded, though. Cassandra had made it
pretty clear that she wasn't fond of him, so he could only imagine what kind of hurtful things she was going to say.
Apparently, the night became more of a “let's try to upset Zane” which made him feel both sad and tired.

41. Steeling himself, he looked over at Cassandra and asked, “So do you also want to know what Tina said to me? Are
you also going to sit and glare at her? Do you have riddles and strange things to say to me as well?” He couldn't help
the slightly bitter tone of his voice, but he was growing weary of the insults and accusations that had been thrown at
him.

42. Cassandra wrinkled her nose at his tone. “Watch the tone, buddy. Anyway, why the hell would I care what they said
to you? I thought we were here to play a game of chess.”

43. Zane jerked his head back, startled. “Really? That's it?”
“Yeah. What else did you think I was going to do?”
“Well...I thought you were going to make fun of me or make me feel guilty about something. That seems to be the
running theme for the night.”
Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Nope. I just want to play chess.”

44. “Well...alright then.” Zane moved one of his pawns. “It's your move.” Cassandra glanced at him with a smile.
It was the most fun he had all night.
***

45. The next morning, most of the girls were back at the “Don't Wake the Llama” table waiting for the morning get
together with Zane to begin. None of them were pleased when Tina made herself comfortable at the table, but she
just ignored their groans and glares.

46. With a rather smug look on her face, she calmly folded her hands and looked at everyone else. “Oh please,” she said,
“you all know where this is going. Why are you acting upset with me? He's known me for way too long and he's far
too comfortable with me to go with anyone else. You should know that. Don't act like this is a real competition.”
“Don't be so sure of yourself,” Sam replied. “I think that he might--”
“Pfft. Whatever. Where is Meadow anyway? I could hear her crying all night long.”

47. “Is she still boo hooing in the bedroom? Naturally, I'm assuming her bags are packed...”

48. Because Cassandra was the last person to have her date with Zane the night before, she got to be the first for the
morning date. She walked into the private room and observed him looking at the clown painting that was hanging on
the wall.
“Clowns are kinda creepy, aren't they?” She asked. Zane smiled a little bit before turning around.

49. He found that he was a bit more comfortable with Cassandra, especially since she was the only one from the night
before who truly just wanted to chit chat with him and not give him a hard time. He was very thankful for that.

50. He also realized that because of her previous laid back attitude it was a little bit easier to flirt with her.

51. Lucy followed Cassandra and though she seemed to be smiling, the defeated, deflated air was still present.

52. Zane tried his best to ignore Lucy's strange attitude. She had seemed so sure of herself before and he didn't
understand why she had changed.

53. He tried to give her a stupid pick up line similar to the one she had laughed at the day before, but it didn't so much as
receive a fake smile from her. She just looked at him with sad eyes before she left the room.

54. When it was Meadow's turn, Zane realized that it was the perfect opportunity to try to mend things between the two
of them. Gently, he reached to put a hand on her shoulder. “Meadow, I'm really sorry about what happened
yesterday. I never want to hurt anyone, least of all you. I mean, I like having you around and I like how you think I'm
this great person when I'm really not. I'm so sorry. I really think that you're a neat person and a lot of fun and I hope
you can forgive me.”

55. Meadow held up her hands as if to block the words he was saying. “No you aren't sorry, Zane. Sorry means that you
won't do it again, but you will. And you will keep doing it because you don't really know what you are doing. So
that's another reason why I don't believe your apology: you don't know what you're apologizing for.” It was the most
mature tone Zane had ever heard from her.
He gave her a pleading look. “Then tell me! What do I keep doing? Am I a bad person? Is that it? I can change,
honest I can!”

56. She turned away from him and gave a little sob. “No,” she whispered brokenly, “you aren't a bad person.” She
turned and fled the room before Zane could press further.

57. Sam noticed that Zane seemed weary when she entered the room. She gently took his hand and asked, “Meadow?”
He smiled a bit at her concerned tone and nodded.
“She's really upset with me.” Carter shrugged then shook her head.
“I don't think it's necessarily you. It's more the situation, and me, if anything.”

58. She took his other hand and smiled, a bit ruefully. “Meadow and I very rarely see eye to eye. But, she doesn't really
have the backbone to stand up to me, so she blames the source, which is you.”
“You and Meadow...don't get along? You guys don't fight, not like Lilith and Cassandra did.”
Sam laughed.

59. “There are some...fundamental...differences between how Meadow and I view things. Disagreeing doesn't always
involve physical violence. At least is usually doesn't involve physical violence.”

60. “How could anyone be mad at you?” Zane asked as he reached up to touch her cheek. Sam gently stopped him.
“Asking that shows that you aren't ready to really hear what needs to be said.”

61. Zane hung his head. “And here come the riddles. I really wish you guys would talk to me and tell me what's wrong
with me. I've figured that much out, but I just don't know what I need to fix.”
“Most of us are trying to help you figure it out but, as you should know, this kind of thought process takes time. That's
why you're dreaming all of this. Your subconscious knows there's a problem and it's slowly thinking it through. I can
give you a hint, I suppose.”
“And what would that be?”

62. “That you will loathe me with your very being after I tell you what you need to hear. When you figure out what you
want to do with my information, you will wake up. You probably won't before then. And, if you will forgive me for
being like Tina for a moment, I know you aren't going to eliminate me, at least not today. You and I are a lot closer
than you think.”
Zane had absolutely no idea how to respond to her.

63. At last, it was Tina's turn. She glided into the room and confidently placed her hands into his. “So, did the others talk
bad about me? They're jealous of me, you know. They're jealous of the special bond you and I have had all of this
time and they are trying to turn you against me. I hope it's not working.”
As Zane gazed into her eyes, he felt mixed up. He wasn't sure who he was really talking to anymore, but he took the
chance that it was the Tina he fell for when he was still alive. “I'm crazy about you. I don't know why anymore, but I
am. I know you aren't really mean. You've just been mistreated, but I can treat you better than anyone you've ever
known.”

64. He reached up to caress her cheek, something he had been desperately wanting to do for so long in the waking
world. However, even the dream world Tina rejected his advances.
“Whoa buddy. What did I tell you about me wanting a real man? A real man would go out there and tell the others
to get lost and that you're done with this stupid dream. But instead you're going to think about all of this until you
eventually have no other choice but to pick me.”

65. Her words felt like a blow to Zane's stomach. He tried to remember what Sam said about this Tina not being the
same, but that mixed up feeling kept getting in the way. He wanted it to be the real Tina and he wanted her to hear
the words of unfailing devotion that he couldn't say to her in the waking world.
“I love you and I wish you would feel the same way about me,” he whispered, wondering if he talked in his sleep and
that maybe, perhaps, the Tina from the waking world would hear his words.

66. “Yeah, I know you do. And you're going to keep me around forever and ever. But, I don't love you and I never will.
People like me don't love people like you Zane; People like me destroy people like you and you're the type who is
going to love me while I do it.”
The harsh words shocked him, and it never occurred to him to try and alter the dream as he had before when she said
unkind things to him.

67. Pursing his lips, Zane strode out of the room. Part of him wanted to do what Tina suggested just to get the entire
thing over with. But, Sam's comment about letting his subconscious “work through” his apparent issues also held a
lot of appeal.
He also couldn't help but notice that Tina's footsteps quickened behind him, trying to catch up as they both entered
the living room where everyone had gathered for an inevitable elimination.

68. “Zane, wait,” Tina said. He turned around, trying to keep his face neutral but bracing himself for more harsh words.
He knew that he was just too tired to try and adjust whatever she might say to him. He sighed and said nothing,
waiting for her to continue.

69. “I was just thinking that maybe I was a little bit too harsh with you,” Tina continued as she touched his arm. “I think
that I might be willing to make an exception for you.”
A little bit of hope shined on his face, a reaction from the first kind gesture she had ever shown him. “An exception?”
“Yeah. I mean, seeing as we're so close, I'll make an exception and I suppose I can say that there's a chance that I
could love you as much as you seem to love me.”
His breath caught. “You mean it?”

70. Tina smiled as she slipped her arms around him and nuzzled his neck. “Oh yeah, I mean it. I can be here with you
forever. I'll even let you continue to think because I know that, especially now, I will be the one who wins you.”
All the doubting thoughts he had about Tina disappeared as she said those words. “Thank you. Oh God, thank you.”
Too late, Zane realized that everyone in the room had witnessed the conversation.

71. Cassandra's angry scream made Zane let go of Tina. Before he could react, Cassandra slapped him, hard, across the
face.
WHAP! “I knew it! I knew you were going to do this!”
“Bye bye Cassandra,” Tina whispered to herself.

72. WHAP! Lucy hit Zane's cheek in the exact spot Cassandra did. “How could you do this to me? Why are you doing
this?!” She sobbed as she slapped him again.
Tina had to turn her back to hide her amusement. “Bye bye Lucy. I'm surprised you survived this long.”

73. Sam's slap hurt, but it wasn't nearly as hard as the other slaps Zane had received. “What are you doing? What did I
tell you about going down this path?!”
“Oh Carter,” Tina giggled softly, “it's too late. He's never going to listen to you now.”

74. All of the consecutive slaps had left Zane reeling; he didn't have the chance to respond to any of the questions asked
before he was being slapped by someone else. He turned and looked at Tina who had a sympathetic look on her
face. She lightly stroked his cheek. “Poor Zane. Think of this like a band aid that needs to be ripped off as fast as
possible. You have me now, and that's what you want, right? Of course right.” She patted his cheek and turned to
the other girls.
“This is just a formality at this point, but I think it's time for all of us to gather together so Zane can get rid of another
one of you deadweights. “

75. Lucy, cool, calm and collected Lucy, was nearly inconsolable when she heard those words. “Why? Things could have
been so different! He could have--” her words were cut off by more sobbing as the other girls, who were almost as
sorrowful, helped her sit down.

76. Zane did the only thing he could do. He did the only thing he's ever done when dealing with a difficult situation. He
smiled nervously. He smiled even though something didn't feel right. Lucy's distress was bothering him more than
any of the other girls' and he couldn't figure out why. She was so collected; he never, in a million years, would have
thought that she was so brittle. It meant something, something important, and he couldn't figure out what it was.
His mind was scrambling, trying to figure out the meaning, and he almost had a moment of clarity but it was gone
when Tina spoke.

77. “Go on, Zane. Pick one and dump them. You have me now. Go on. They all hate you anyway, so one is just as
good as the other.” She flashed a winning smile at him.

78. “Oh dear God, please, please, please let me live long enough to see Tina die!” Cassandra said as she ground her
teeth. Zane felt a brief moment of surprise that Cassandra wasn't angry with him for once. However, before he could
make a comment, Lucy's sobbing voice cut in.

79. “I'll go. I have to get out of here. I need to leave. I can't take this anymore! I can't take any more pain!”

80. Her words hit him like a ton of bricks. Distressed, he fidgeted with the back of his shirt. “Lucy, no. I don't want you
to go! Please, I want you to stay! Don't leave me!” His words sounded strange, almost scripted, but they felt right.
Her leaving meant something important.
But he couldn't figure out what!

81. “No Zane,” Lucy continued to sob as she went to the computer, “Tina was right all along. She's going to win and I
don't want to be around to see it. I can't! It's too much!”
She got up and walked out the door.

82. And as with Lilith and Sandy, Lucy was struck by an unexplained bolt of lightning, and she was winked out of
existence.

83. Though he didn't notice the lightning, Zane did notice that he felt something important disappearing from himself the
moment Lucy disappeared. Again, his mind tried to comprehend what was going on and once again, right as he was
about to reach an epiphany, Tina overwhelmed him with her presence.
“Excuse me lover, but I think I'm going to go change into my bathing suit. I'll see you in the hot tub.”
He watched her go up the stairs. This is what I want, right? He thought. If it is, then why am I not waking up?
***

84. “How many times does it need to be stated that the power this box has shouldn't be used lightly?” Daniel seethed.
Jack gave a small smile. “I don't know, Daniel. I have to say, it kinda looks like fun. Heck, I might even give it a try.”
“You wouldn't!”
“I would. Come on. Have you ever seen a grin like that?”

85. Thanks for reading! Here are the current scores:
Tina: 100/47=147 Both Crush
Meadow: 54/10=64 Both Furious
Carter: 47/12=59 Both Furious, Zane Crush
Cass: 57/-2=55 Both Furious, Zane Crush
Lucy: 57/-7=50 Both Furious, Zane Crush
I could have happily killed Tina and not felt bad about doing it. Every girl had a crush on Zane, EXCEPT for Tina, when she pulled that little stunt. It caused her to go into Crush mode, and the
other girls fall out of crush with Zane. I have determined that the “Harder Loves” hack is completely useless. By the way, if anyone really hates Tina, feel free to send me pictures of her torture and
possible death in your games. I'm always up for a good laugh.
So, will the other girls recover their relationship with Zane in time? Or will Tina actually win this thing? Tune in next time for Day 4, AKA: “Pokey Chest Mean Face in Formal Wear!”
Also, let me know what you think of the new layout. I think it's prettier and easier to read, but that just might be me.
Until next time, Happy Simming!