1. The Aldrich Family: Chapter 7: Nobody’s Home

2. Welcome back to the Aldrich legacy! In the last chapter, there were lots of engagements for everyone except Gemma. Everyone in generation two graduated from boring ol’ college. There were five weddings, one of which that was synchronized. Janae and Joe tried for a baby. At the end of the chapter, the first child of generation three was born. He was dubbed Caden Aldrich. Then, Caden’s mother, Lark, found out that she was pregnant yet again.

3. Speaking of pregnancies, Janae finally showed in hers shortly after she completed her lifetime want. Apparently, college makes lifetime wants very easy to complete if they’re career-orientated.

4. “ Phoebe! It’s so good to see you! So, what’s it like being a grandma?” Melanie greeted her twin.

5. “ I’m sure that you’ll find out soon enough, Mel,” Phoebe replied. Then she beamed and said, “But it IS a fantabulous experience! Babies are so adorable! They’re even cuter when you can pass them off to their parents when their diaper needs changing!” Melanie laughed. They continued on talking about how they couldn’t believe their kids were grown up and that they are/were going to be grandparents.

6. Janae got much bigger. She was ready to have her baby, as most pregnant women are I’m sure. ------------------------------

7. “ Good morning, Caden. Aren’t we a cute widdle baby?” Lark cooed.

8. Oh! Look! I changed their house a bit. You see, the living room was getting to feel a bit crowded, so I added on a study room. I moved some stuff from upstairs to downstairs (like the chessboard).

9. Upstairs, I added on two more bedrooms since Lark is supposed to have three kids. I didn’t want Caden to have to share his bedroom. That and they had enough money to get a house remodel.

10. Also, you can see Melanie’s house from the one of the study’s windows.

11. Naturally, Lark started showing in her second pregnancy.

12. Later on, Lark met Janae outside of her house. “ So, let me get this straight, you think that the Council we heard so much about is here. You think that those creepy people you and Cooper saw are those people?” Lark said. “Yeah. I don’t like it. I mean, they can’t do anything to us yet but…you never know what could happen,” Janae replied.

13. “ Let’s hope that nothing happens. So, have you and Joe picked out any names for the baby yet?” Lark responded, changing the subject entirely. “We were thinking Sheena for a girl or Pence for a boy. What about you? Do you and Holden know what you’re naming your second kid?” Janae answered. Lark smiled at her cousin and said, “We were thinking about Keith for a boy and Cybele for a girl.”

14. “ You know, I’m kind of hoping for a girl,” Janae remarked. “Really? Me too,” Lark agreed. “Well, I’d better head home. I’ll see you later, Lark,” Janae muttered. “Alright. Bye,” Lark said, waving at her longtime friend.

15. I’m pretty sure that I took this picture to show that their living room got remodeled. It’s a lot more practical, I think.

16. It’s Caden’s birthday! Finally, we get to see what generation three looks like.

17. Well, I’d say that Caden is a pretty good mix of both parents. He’s a Sagittarius with 2/4/7/6/6. That means that he’s sloppy, kind of shy, active, playful, and nice.

18. He’s definitely adorable. Then again, what did I expect from such two nice looking parents?

19. Aren gets right to teaching Caden how to walk.

20. You will see a lot of cute pictures of Caden as a toddler. I’m just warning you now.

21. Look at that! Caden is already best friends with his mother. Lark also finally got bigger. And now, let’s pop over to Janae’s house.

22. “ Who is that?” Joe wondered as he walked through his living room. She looked up at him and grinned. “Morning, Joe!” She said.

23. “ Janae, who is that strange woman sitting on the couch watching TV?” “ That’s my little sister, silly. Don’t you remember? She was at our wedding.” “ Oh. Erm…where’s the rest of her shirt?” “ I have no idea.”

24. “ Where’s the rest of your shirt and why are you here?” “ So, I moved in with Cooper and Nicole and it’s really gross seeing them ogle each other. That’s why I came over here. Also, I think my shirt looks fine.” “ You’re watching our TV and you basically broke in. And that shirt is…odd.” “ The front door was unlocked. Nicole blocked the karaoke channel. The shirt is fine.” “ Wait. You are not singing karaoke here. There’s a place Downtown where you can do that.” “ But it’s not the same there!”

25. “ Is there any particular reason why you followed me into the bathroom?” “ Nope. I’m just bored.” “ Can you go bother mom and dad? My bladder apparently shrunk after I got pregnant, which means I really have to pee.” “ Aww…fine.”

26. Shortly after Gemma finally vacated the premises, Janae went into labor. Is it really labor, though? I mean, all they do is scream, spin around, magically end up in their everyday clothes, and magically end up holding a baby.

27. On that wonderful note, meet Sheena Aldrich! She has her grandfather’s black hair and her grandma’s dark blue eyes. She has her daddy’s skin tone. Wow! That’s some real genetic variety right there! Oh, the excitement!

28. This would be the obligatory shot of the baby’s room. Have you noticed that I do one of these pictures for just about every kid that’s been born?

29. Joe is quite happy to be a father. And I’m glad that he’s happy. I’ve just realized something, though. In one of my other legacies, he married the generation 2 heiress and they had a baby with dark blue eyes and the darkest skin tone. The funny thing is, though, is that the heiress he married in that legacy was named Larka. Wouldn’t it have been funny if he’d married Lark instead of Janae? And I totally didn’t do that on purpose. Seriously.

30. Back to Lark’s house! Lark teaches Caden how to talk. His first word is definitely not “mommy.” Ooh! A helicopter!

31. Remember how I said there were a lot of toddler pictures of Caden? Is it just me or is Lark’s wedding ring on the wrong finger?

32. Caden looks kind of scared of the Tickle Monster. Yep. Definitely on the wrong finger.

33. Is it possible to die from cuteness overload? This montage was brought to you by Caden Aldrich and the Aldrich Legacy Inc.

34. “ Repeat after me. Twinkle, twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high. Like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are.” “ Dinkle, dinkle widdle star. How I ‘onder what you are. Up awove the word so high. Like a diamo’ in the sky. Dinkle, dinkle widdle star. How I ‘onder what you are.” “ Um…let’s try a song with less words.” “ No! Dinkle!” “ Okay then.”

35. “ When the blazin’ sun is gone. When thar nothin’ shines upon. Then you show your widdle light. Dinkle, dinkle all the night. Dinkle, dinkle little star. How I ‘onder what you are.” (In normal talk: “When the blazing sun is gone. When there nothing shines upon. Then you show your little light. Twinkle, twinkle all the night. Twinkle, twinkle little star. How I wonder what you are.” This is my favorite nursery rhyme, by the way.)

36. “ So, when do you think the baby will be born?” “ Soon, I’m sure. Then we have to have one more.” “ Yeah. I know. I can’t wait.” In other news, can you spot the helicopter?

37. At long last, Lark decides to have the baby in the middle of Caden’s bedroom. “ Why momma bein’ loud?”

38. Lark had a girl named Cybele. She has her daddy’s brown eyes and blonde hair. But, unfortunately…

39. “ Caden, get the girls and get out of here!” “ I can’t believe they both died so tragically.” “ It’s just not right. This wasn’t supposed to happen.” “ At long last…it’s time for Lilian’s family to pay.”

40. Everything started going downhill after Cybele’s birth. I don’t blame her for it. No, I couldn’t. She’s my little sister. Nonetheless, our mother died in a fire shortly after her birth. Janae Aldrich also died in a fire. It was strange to think that they were dead. They both died before their third child was born. It was tragic. However, nothing else really happened until I was a teenager. It was then that we were attacked. My sister and Sheena and I barely escaped. My grandmother told me our family history before the attack. It was as though she knew… “ Then the traveler in the dark, thanks you for your little spark…”

41. But then, if she knew, why didn’t she try to stop it? This is what I was thinking about as we trekked along the road less taken. This is what I was wondering as we entered a desert. But my thoughts were abruptly interrupted.

42. “ Where are we going?” Sheena demanded. She stepped in front of me and so I had to stop. Cybele stopped walking and glanced over at us. “I…we…we’re in Edins,” I stammered. “Where is that?” Sheena asked. I had no idea. I had never paid much attention in geography. Cybele knew that I hadn’t paid attention, so she answered for me, “It’s very far away from Duo Borough.” This simple answer seemed to satisfy Sheena.

43. “ Also, there appears to be a house just right there,” Cybele added.

44. We knocked on the door and it came open on its own. I walked in to check it out. The place was empty. But the house was furnished and it even had lights and working plumbing. There was a single bedroom with a double bed. A floral couch, a refrigerator, a dollhouse (odd…), a telephone, and a trashcan were all in the main room. I counted only four windows in the whole house. I told the girls that it was safe to come in.

45. Cybele and Sheena rushed inside. After all, it was an actual house rather than the barn we’d slept in the night before. They went straight to bed. I slept on the couch but, at about three in the morning, the girls woke me up and told me to go sleep in the bed. I obeyed since I was still half-asleep anyway. Naturally, this would become our routine in the mornings.

46. The first day in the house, I awoke to bright sunlight streaming through the two windows in the bedroom. I could hear the girls in the other room playing. I got out of bed (slowly but surely) and I made my way into the main part of the tiny house. (I was beginning to think of it as a very nice shack.)

47. Sheena accosted me the moment that she saw me. “ Why did those people attack us?” She demanded. Cybele got real quiet all of a sudden. “I…I…when you’re older, I’ll tell you both,” I muttered. “Don’t treat us like—” Sheena began. “When we’re older, we’ll probably understand better,” Cybele cut in. This shut Sheena up right away.

48. Later on that night, I went into the bedroom and tucked the girls in. I couldn’t help but feel responsible for them. After all, they were only children. I was just glad that they weren’t any younger or else my job would be a lot harder.

49. On the second morning, I could hear the girls talking and it sounded like a serious conversation. I pressed my ear up against the bedroom door and I listened intently. “ I still don’t get it,” Sheena was saying. “What’s not to get? He won’t tell us anything yet because we’re too young,” Cybele responded. “But…but I want my daddy and grandparents! I miss them and I don’t know why we had to leave!” Sheena cried. “I know, I know. But we can wait for answers. Let’s enjoy what’s left of our childhood, okay?” Cybele replied.

50. Sheena’s birthday was that same day. I found a cake in the fridge (it appeared to have been left there recently, which was rather weird). We unplugged the phone (who would call us?). We put the cake on top of the table that the phone had been sitting on. Thus, we had a rather small party for her outside.

51. I couldn’t tell you what Sheena wished for. I wouldn’t doubt it, though, if she wished for her whole family to appear. Perhaps she may have even wished for all of this to be just an awful nightmare. If that is true, then I’m afraid her wish will never come true. Our parents and grandparents were dead and there was no bringing them back. It’s depressing but true.

52. Sheena grew up rather well. (She’s a Popularity Sim and Caden is a Family Sim.)

53. Even though she was a teenager now, Sheena still enjoyed playing with the old dollhouse.

54. I guess I can say that we were happy. We missed our parents, though. I can say that with confidence. We missed our family and friends. We missed Duo Borough. But we could never go back there.

55. Cybele’s birthday was the day after Sheena’s. We managed to find another cake at a grocery store.

56. Night fell as Cybele blew out her candles. It was hard to believe that my little sister was growing up so fast.

57. One minute, Cybele was just a little kid…

58. … and the next moment she was a teenager. (Cybele is a Fortune Sim.)

59. Grandma had told me to wait until they were teenagers before I told them our family history. I started off by sitting both of them down. Cybele looked up at me expectantly. Sheena appeared to be restless.

60. I told them exactly what I was told. Cybele absorbed everything that I said. Sheena appeared to be confused. “So, our great, great, great, great something-or-other screws up and we’re punished for it?” She asked after I finished. “Don’t say it like that, Sheena,” I replied. “Oh, come on, Caden! Our family is dead because of Lilian,” Sheena retorted. “No. Our family is dead because some people hold grudges for way too long,” Cybele interjected. “Also…you two have to carry on the legacy,” I added. “Right. The legacy. Whatever. Three kids? That’s a piece of cake,” Sheena grumbled. Clearly, she has not learned where babies come from.

61. So, time went on. We enjoyed being teenagers. Sheena made a questionable friend with glowing yellow eyes. But I figured that the dog was fine since she seemed friendly.

62. We went to Edins High School. The bus driver was friendly. She probably knew that we were orphans.

63. Sheena and Cybele noticed right away how much harder their homework was. “ Can I cheat off of you, Caden?” “ Yeah, big brother. Let us cheat off you.” “ No. Do your own work.” “ Aawww…”

64. This is where I end Caden’s narrative. Why? Because I’m too lazy to keep writing in first person. That and I don’t he’d have much left to say. Also, Caden just wants to let you know that he’s a Family Sim. Cybele wants you to know that his cheer after work every day is kind of annoying. He didn’t even get promoted.

65. You see, I could have just motherloded them since this isn’t actually going to be a legacy lot. But I decided that I wanted to make the teens earn their own money. Thus, they make paintings and sell them and they all three have jobs. Caden is in the Intelligence career. Sheena is in the Adventure career and Cybele is in the Architecture career. All three of them made it to the top of their careers.

66. Caden is trying to make himself late for school because he decided to check himself out in the mirror. He really isn’t vain, though.

67. “ What the hell are you wearing?” “ Umm…my PJs?” “ Where’s the rest of them?” “ I sleep in them, Caden. It’s not like I go to school in them.”

68. “ So, what do you think about what your brother told us?” “ I don’t know. I don’t think you should have blamed Lilian for everything, though. It’s not her fault. The Council attacked us on their own.” “ But don’t you think that Lilian should have some blame?” “ Maybe. But it’s not her fault that our family is dead.” “ What about this carrying on the legacy thing?” “ I’m fine with it.” “ So am I.”

69. “ I hope we’ll be friends forever, Cy.” “ I hope so too.” “ Promise me we won’t ever lose touch?” “ I promise.” Then they both laughed. “I’m glad that’s out of my system,” Sheena remarked.

70. “ Congrats on being a good brother. I’ll miss you.” “ It’s not like you won’t see me again.” “ I know. But I’ll miss you until then.” “ But…okay. I’ll miss you too.”

71. With that, Caden went off to college. He got quite a few scholarships, especially since he was an overachiever and an orphan. Gotta love the orphan scholarship, even if it is sad that his whole family is dead. (And it’s VERY sad that they’re dead.)

72. Right after he left, the girls decided to play red hands. They’re all best friends with each other. It took Caden and Sheena awhile to become friends, though.

73. “ Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.” “ Huh? Is that you Cybele?” “ Yeah. The rain woke me up.”

74. “ It’s really coming down, isn’t it?” “ Yeah. I never thought that it would rain in the desert.” “ I didn’t either.” “ Well, we might as well get up.” “ What time is it?” “ Almost 5am.” “ Ugh!”

75. “ I hate mornings.” “ I’m with you on that, Cy.” “ I hate rain.” “ Definitely agree with that.” “ I miss my family.” “ So do I.”

76. After awhile, the rain stopped and the girls went out to the local shop run by a Miss Bourbon. (I forgot her first name.) While waiting in line… “ Patience, Sheena.” “ Shut it.” “ That’s not nice to say.” “ Please, shut it. That better?”

77. “ I’m sorry, miss. I’m still not quite used to this thing.” “ Oh, that’s fine. We have nowhere to go. Right, Cy?” “ Yep. That’s true.”

78. “ Um, miss? Doesn’t it seem rather hypocritical to be staring at an imaginary watch like that?” “ How is that hypocritical?” “ Well, your friend did the same thing. And you told her to be patient.” “ Oh. Um…I was just checking the time. Yeah. The time.” “ But you don’t have on a watch.” “ It’s invisible. Just ring me up.”

79. “ Can I copy off of you, Sheena? You seem to know what you’re doing.” “ Actually, I just drew a stick people war. I have no idea what an imaginary number is.” “ I don’t either.” “ Well, draw a stick people war.” “ I have. They all have swords.” “ Really? Mine have poorly drawn cannons.”

80. Caden grew up into a fairly decent outfit. He is an Art Major with the lifetime want to Reach Golden Anniversary. His hobby is Arts and Crafts, hence the major.

81. “ Hey, Kaylynn. Have you met the new guy yet?” “ Nope. Why? Do you like him?” “ Nah. I was just wondering.” “ Well…”

82. “… he hasn’t come out of his room since he arrived four hours ago, Anna.” “ He’s been in there for four hours?” “ Yeah. It’s kind of weird. I heard that his name is Caden Aldrich. Apparently, he’s an orphan.”

83. “ An orphan?” “ Yeah. You know, someone whose parents died.” “ I know what an orphan is.” “ Hmm…I didn’t think you did.” “ What’s that mean?” “ Nothing. So, where did you get those killer boots from?”

84. The outfit that Caden grew up into was nice. But there was one problem. One of his fellow dorm mates has on the same shirt. So, Caden decided to go off and buy new clothes.

85. After he got back, he went up to Anna to talk to her. “ Hi. I’m Caden.” “ Yo. I’m Anna.” “ Erm…the weather outside is nice, isn’t it?” “ Yep. Sure is. Now then, I’m going off to bed.” “ Uh…okay…”

86. Oh my gosh! It’s Lark! Oh. No. Wait. It’s just her daughter. Yeah. Cybele is definitely Lark’s kid. The first want she rolled the moment she became a teenager? Buy an MP3 Player. I kid you not.

87. “ So, I’ve been thinking.” “ Oh no. That can’t be good.” “ Shut it, Sheena. Anyway, I was thinking about our education.” “ I already don’t like where this is going.” “ And I was wondering if you’d want to go to private school.”

88. “ You mean, like a school where we have to wear uniforms?” “ Yep. And we can become better educated.” “ Caden seems to be doing fine with his public school education.” “ Okay. Fine. I want to go to private school and you have to go with me because the Headmaster won’t just let me go.” “ Ugh. Fine. Whatever.” “ Yay!”

89. The next day at 5pm, the Headmaster came over. They got in, thanks to Cybele. There were only 51 minutes left before he decided to let them in. Here’s the score: Food: 24 (Cybele made salad because they don’t own a stove) Tour: 25 (He didn’t think it was a very suitable home) Schmooze: 60 (Cybele mostly did this. For some reason, he didn’t get along with Sheena) Total: 109/90 (I’d say that’s pretty good for 2 teenagers)

90. Meanwhile, at Academie Le Tour… “ Morning, Anna. How are you?” “ Um…I’m fine. Why are you suddenly so sociable?” “ What?” “ Well, you were in your room most of the day yesterday. You only came out once and we had that awkward conversation.”

91. “ Yes. Well, I had to do some thinking. You see, a lot of people in my life have died. It’s not exactly how I envisioned my life. I had to raise my little sister and our…second cousin. Once they were old enough, I left for college. I’m sure they’ll be joining me here soon enough.” “ Why are you telling me all of this?” “ I don’t know. You’re listening, right?” “ Yeah. I am.”

92. “ So, you’re that one guy. Caden, is it?” “ Yeah. I am.” “ What’s with the facial hair?” “ Huh? Oh. I forgot to shave this morning.” “ That’s…interesting. So, do you have a girlfriend?” “ Kind of. In fact, she’s here now.”

93. Sure enough, Caden does have a girlfriend.

94. He got his first kiss from her! Can you tell that I totally know what her name is?

95. Back at the cabin in Edins… “ Bye, Sheena! Have fun in college! Try not to drink too much! Don’t get into any trouble!” “ Hey, mom, you’re going to see me tomorrow, right?” “ Yes, dear, I am.” “ Good. See you tomorrow.”

96. “ Dear Diary, I am alone at last. I kind of don’t like being alone. Thankfully, I’m only stuck here for one day. Just one more day and I’ll be back with my brother and Sheena. Wow. This is pointless. Why do girls have diaries? Then again, I do feel a little better.”

97. Sheena grew up into a nice outfit too! But I still gave her a makeover. Sheena is majoring in Philosophy. She wants to Become Celebrity Chef (the exact lifetime want of her mother and grandfather). She is an Aries with 5/8/8/1/2 making her semi-sloppy, outgoing, active, serious, and mean. Her hobby is Sports.

98. Sheena immediately cornered Caden in his room. “ You have facial hair.” “ Yes. Yes, I do.” “ Lose it. Your sister will think you’re not taking care of yourself if you leave it.” “ Um…er…why do you care?” “ Because you guys are like my siblings. So, shave.”

99. “ But I like having facial hair.” “ But I don’t care if you do.” “ But…” “ I will come in the night and shave all of your hair off if you don’t.” “ Okay then. I’m going to go shave right now.” “ Good. Your sister would be proud of you for listening to me.”

100. Speaking of Cybele, here she is! She is majoring in Literature. She wants to Become a Prestidigitator. She is a Cancer with 7/3/5/4/6 making her neat, shy, semi-active, serious, and nice. Her hobby is Science.

101. The next morning… “ So, Cybele isn’t even here for an hour and she’s already booked us a vacation to the Three Lakes,” Caden muttered on his way out to the taxi. “Are you complaining?” Sheena asked. “Nope. Just wondering how she talked us into this,” Caden replied. “She has her ways,” Sheena responded.

102. That’s right, folks! They’re on a vacation. It’s also true that Cybele hadn’t even been to her first class yet when she called for a taxi to the Three Lakes.

103. “ Wonderful. It’s raining. I bet it’s not raining at ALT.” Sheena was also kind of mad that it was raining. Cybele didn’t really care, though. She retreated to a tent.

104. Sheena took out her frustration about the rain by throwing axes. She was quite good at it too. A little scary, though.

105. As night fell, the rain stopped long enough for them to go to one of the local community lots. Sheena and Cybele couldn’t resist logrolling.

106. Needless to say, Sheena wasn’t very happy when she lost. “ Grah! You cheated somehow!” “ It’s all about the balance, Sheena.”

107. Sheena felt much better, though, after she beat Caden. (However, he got her back later on.)

108. They headed off to the hot springs to relax after logrolling for awhile. “ I feel like my skin is going to burn off and I’m going to die.” Although, Sheena wasn’t a big fan of sitting in hot water.

109. “ This is what I call relaxing. If only you were a hot guy with chest hair, this would be a lot better.” “ You get what you pay for, lady.” “ You know that’s right. I’m a college student. We could barely even afford to come here.”

110. All in all, it was a successful vacation even if it was kind of short. “ I can’t believe we nearly spent all of our money.” “ Yeah. I thought you were a Fortune Sim, Cybele.” “ Hey! We can earn that money back. Selling paintings, passing our final exams, and—” “ And selling our organs.” “ Sheena! That’s gross!”

111. And so the chapter ends! I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter 8 already has all of its pictures. In fact, it has 137 pictures. Chapter 9 has 82 pictures so far. So…those chapters shouldn’t take me too long to get out. But you never know. That IS a lot of slides to write up.

112. Author’s Note Well, the whole Moving To Edins thing was not planned. You see, I went on a vacation for a week and so my computer was off for a week. But when I came back, I turned my computer on and it worked fine. Two hours later, my computer was deader than a doornail and I have no idea why. Thankfully, I have a laptop, which is what I have to use now. I installed The Sims 2 onto my laptop and I just recreated everyone. I made sure the kids were apart in age the same way that they were originally. I killed off the others after Caden became a teenager. Then, I went from there. Also, Caden’s original personality was 2/7/10/10/6 but I had to change it in CAS. I just thought I’d point that out. I’ve never done a legacy in a desert setting. This is why Edins is a desert. Also, I didn’t notice until later that Caden had a slightly different skin tone than he used to have, which is a small detail. I had no idea what Cybele and Sheena would’ve looked like before my computer killed itself, so Cybele and Sheena Recreated are just the two that randomized in the Make A Baby CAS section thingy. Luckily, I at least knew their hair, eye, and skin colors. I’m almost glad that my computer killed over because The Sims 2 runs a lot faster on my laptop (although, it does have some problems like the terrain suddenly going all wonky). I also lost ALL of my CC but that’s fine. I needed to declog my Downloads folder anyway. And that’s why the Aldriches “moved.”