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Welcome to 'The Fate of Pleasantview - Chapter 6: Accepting The Change'. I recommend that you read the three entries in my blog dated 'Friday , September 01, 2006 @ 09:36 am', where I have corrected certain mistakes I have made in the series and established the age of all the characters, once and for all. It's not necessary but it'll be good to get everything clear. Of course, I also recommend that you read the previous chapter if you have not done so, yet.
PREVOUSLY: Darren Dreamer admits to Cassandra Goth having always loved her, on the eve of her wedding, putting an end to their friendship. Lilith and Angela Pleasant, Dirk Dreamer, and Dustin Broke join Sim State University and spend the summer at recently divorced Daniel Pleasant's. Mortimer Goth restarts his career in the science community and is found unconscious in a secret underground lab, by his son.
And now, 'The Fate of Pleasantview'!
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As late night approached, many inhabitants of the small town of Pleasantview were surprised by the sudden thunder storm, which was brought by ferocious winds from the bay. Heavy raindrops began beating the pavement, as the Pleasants ran home for shelter. The air over the town was so thick, and suffocating; yet, it had been such a calm September's day.
The Lothario couple climbed into bed getting ready for a night, which would be troubled by the rain. However in just a few minutes, a storm would be the least of their worries.
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Cassandra tried to quiet her mind, but the sound of drops falling against the glass windows kept her from doing so. She had never been a good sleeper, being so active in the day, studying, dealing with problems; her new job probably didn't help either, as it was one with great responsibility, and therefore great worries. Just as she entered a phase between awareness and sleep, Cassandra was startled by the sound of the phone ringing. She felt Don's grasp loosen from around her, as he retired to the opposite end of the bed.
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He sat up, catching his breath and waiting for a head rush to pass. He wondered who could be calling at this time of night, as he grumpily stood up from the bed. He turned the light on and waited another moment for his eyes to adjust to the light. Cassandra covered her head under the sheets and let out a small irritated cry, more for the person calling than for her husband.
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She listened to Don's footsteps, as he made his way across the wooden floor, to the dresser, where lay the telephone.
"Hello?" Don said in a low voice as he picked up.
"Oh hi... What's wrong?... He what?!... Wait, what happened?... Okay... Yeah sure... Sim City General Hospital?..."
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As Cassandra listened to her husband speak she could tell there was a problem, probably related to his work. Indeed, Don worked at the hospital, and even though he wasn't on a night shift he sometimes received home calls in the night, when more personnel were needed.
She slowly rose, and sat on the side of the bed, waiting for Don's call to end.
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He hung the phone up, but didn't turn to face Cassandra right away. Seeing this, she stood and walked towards him.
"Do you have to work again tonight, honey?"
"No, er... Cass. That was your mother; there was an accident at the lab..."
Cassandra's stomach tied in a knot as Don spoke; she was loosing feeling in her legs.
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"What happened?" she asked in a faint voice.
"She doesn't know. Alex called her from there; he found your father unconscious and is driving him to the hospital."
"Oh my god!" Cassandra cried. She had seen her father at work just a few hours ago, what could have possibly gone wrong?
"Come on! We have to go next door and drive your mother to the city."
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Cassandra took no time to think. She rushed to the dresser, picked up her clothes and got dressed as fast as she could. She could feel the blood pumping through her veins, and a part of her was going numb; she was having difficulty breathing, but chose to ignore it. She hadn't felt this way since the night her mother had gone missing, and it was a feeling she had hoped to experience the least possible.
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She walked into her bathroom to grab a glass of water, just to calm herself. She could hear Don calling for her but she needed a minute, just one minute, to gather herself before she walked into this night of haze and panic. She sat on the edge of the bathtub and slowly breathed in and out, feeling her stomach expand and collapse, listening to her heartbeat, and sipping her water slowly.
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She rushed downstairs, and outside into the warm damp air, where it was still pouring rain over the town. She locked the house door and made her way onto the slippery lawn, not able to stop a worried look from setting on her face.
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She opened the door to the passenger seat, and climbed into the car, where Don was already waiting for her. The air conditioning blew against her wet skin, making her shiver, as a freezing feeling took her over, but her mind was elsewhere and she sat in silence as Don backed out onto the road and drove to the neighbour house.
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He stopped in front of the Goth manor and honked twice. Immediatly the front door opened and Bella's elegant silouhette escaped onto the slippery porch and ran through the rain towards the little vehicle. Just as she passed the gate, a bolt of lightning ripped the dark night sky, causing a violent flash of light to illminate the neighborhood for just a moment, followed by the booming thunder, like a tremendous drumroll, sure to wake those few Pleasants still sleeping.
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Bella sat in the back seat of the couple's small vehicle and slammed the door shut, allowing Don to speed off, towards the road to Sim City. None of them spoke much, too absorbed in their own thoughts. Don made a few turns and soon they were leaving Pleasantview and headed for the hospital. Not only was Sim City General Hospital the most developed one in town, but it was also the one the Goth family trusted the most, since Don worked there and could give his own medical opinion. Half an hour later, the family made it's way through the emergency room doors to find out about Mortimer's state.
****
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The following weekend, Lilith Pleasant and her best friend Sam Thomas, were walking down University Way, admiring the new winter collection through the window of their favourite clothes shop. Both girls lived in the same dorm, had acquainted the previous year, and had quickly discovered they were quite alike. The both of them had mostly male friends, even though they didn't lack style and beauty. They weren't like most the girls on campus, who would spend the majority of their free time reading fashion magazines, shopping, and applying many different beauty products; Sam and Lilith liked to stay simple.
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Of course, that didn't mean that they didn't enjoy a little window shopping from time to time, and at the time, their eyes were wandering between coats, bonnets and scarves.
"Want to take a look inside?" Lilith suggested, with a spark in her eye.
"I wish but the guys are waiting for us: it's 3:15." Sam sighed
"Is it already? Oh well..."
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Both girls had a hard time tearing themselves away from the window but eventually walked off, promising each other to come back sometime soon to buy their winter clothes. However, they continued to chatter vividly about what they had seen, until they walked into the video game store, down the street.
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They walked inside, where modern techno music was playing over the speaker phones, muffled by the sound of young men cheering at the back.
"There they are: our guys..." Sam said laughing.
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"The guys" in question were Dirk Dreamer and Jimmy Phoenix, Lilith and Sam's respective boyfriends, cheered on by their friends Dustin Broke and Ty Bubbler, as they faced each other in a video game.
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"Hey guys!" Sam called over the noise.
"One second..." Dirk said slowly, "wait... and... Yes! Sorry Sammy but your boyfriend can't beat me!" he bragged, as Ty and Dustin cheered and whooped louder than ever. Both girls rolled their eyes at the boys' silly attitudes.
"You've all defiantly played too much..." Lilith sighed.
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"Okay, let's go!" Jimmy stated wanting to avoid a long session of nagging from the others pointing out his defeat. They all followed him, as he started walking towards the exit, but Lilith asked the group to wait for her a minute, heading towards the magazine stand.
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She picked up 'The Superstar Report', which was the only people magazine that Sam and she liked to read, because it often mocked stars, showed embarrassing pictures of them, and criticized all they could about them. It was the most read people magazine in the country, but also the one which had had the most lawsuits against it.
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Lilith paid for her magazine and joined her friends, who were waiting for her outside. They all decided to go back to the dorm and catch up on some work.
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Indeed, this new school year was much more difficult than the last one, and the young adults found themselves forced to study more often than before. Dustin was the one who had the hardest time adjusting to the change. It went without saying in the dorm that Dustin had obtained his 4.0 GPA in his freshman year, by having others do his work for him. But this year he needed to work by himself or he'd quickly be lost.
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But after work came pleasure, and for Lilith and Sam this meant magazine time. Sam walked into the cafeteria to find her friend already reading. She sat across from her:
"You could have waited for me to start. So what's new with stars?"
"My neighbour is in a coma..." Lilith replied on a plain tone, clearly still reading.
"What are you talking about?"
"My father's neighbour, Mortimer Goth - You know who Mortimer Goth is right?- well, he's in a coma. There's an article about him here."
"Wow, what happened to him?"
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Lilith read the article aloud:
«Test Gone Bad!
Last Wednesday evening, young Alexander Goth, 14, was sent to the Goth family laboratories, not seeing his father come home. After several minutes of unsuccessful search, the young teenager comes across a concealed door behind a bookcase in the library, leading to a hidden underground laboratory. But this wasn't the only surprise for Alexander, as he finds his father's unconscious body, barely breathing, by a circular piece of machinery of which none of the members of staff have been able to identify the purpose. Mr. Goth was transported to the Sim City General Hospital ER, where the doctors failed to diagnose his condition.
'It seems Mr. Goth swallowed a substance that was in a bin by the machine where he was found.' says Ophelia Grenet, one of the doctors treating Mortimer Goth. 'We are still analysing it but, like his symptoms, it's not like anything we've seen before.'
Due to..."
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Lilith was interrupted by Dirk approaching their table, dragging a chair behind him, and sitting beside them.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Ssh! Lilith is reading an article!" Sam whispered.
"Mortimer Goth was in an accident." Lilith explained.
"What happened?"
Sam sighed, as Lilith told Dirk about what she had just read.
"Okay go on now." she told Lilith once she was done.
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"Due to Mr. Goth's notoriety, access to the hospital has been restricted, but our journalists were able to capture a picture the Goth Family exiting the hospital (see picture above). For now, all the doctors have officially diagnosed is 'abnormal cellular activity'. It's likely that he was using himself as his own test subject for an apparently secret project. The doctors don't know what to expect for Mortimer Goth, but all we can hope is that Pleasantview's favourite scientist will soon get better."
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But Mortimer did not get better, in fact, his state continued to get worse. On Monday morning, the Goth family was summoned by Ophelia Grenet, to discuss the matter. Don had taken some time off work to support his family and was as uninformed on the situation as the others. She led them to the cafeteria, where they sat down, and she began to speak:
"We are very confused by your husband's state, to speak truth. The substance that he swallowed is very complex and, for now we can't understand it's use, and why your husband used it. We imagine that there must be some paperwork on which Mr. Goth wrote at least some information about it, and it would really be helpful for us to see it. Is there any chance you might know where it might be?"
"Mortimer is very secretive about all of his projects; I can't really imagine him telling people where to find his papers. That's probably why he had that secret lab in the first place. I'm sure they are in there somewhere. We'll try to find them."
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"Thank you that would be greatly appreciated. I think that the sooner we can get this solved, the better. We can't tell for now if your husband's health is in direct danger but it would be safe to know what we're facing of course. We've been giving him a treatment that seems best but, he's not responding to it as well as we would have hoped. His heart rate was at a rate way too high for a man his age when he first got here, we tried slowing it down as much as we can but he seems to be resisting to our actions. He is continuing this abnormal cellular activity too."
"What do you mean abnormal cellular activity?" Bella asked with an awkward smile.
"Well, it seems his cells are destroying themselves." Dr. Grenet sighed, unable to use her bedside manner, Don being at the table, and needing to be informed.
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As soon as the hospital meeting was over, Bella, Don, and Cassandra, rushed to The Goth Laboratories, to attempt to find Mortimer's plans. Of course, it wasn't that easy, as none of them had known about this secret lab until recently, and were still quite lost when looking for something there. The walls were aligned with machines all as intriguing as confusing. Bella started searching through an electronic looking closet which opened in the most peculiar manner, while Don looked at a spherical machine next to her.
"Don't touch anything!" Cassandra ordered sternly, seeing her husband about to press a button.
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"If there's one place he's keeping plans, it's probably his computer." She stated heading for the lab's main computer. She turned it on, and waited a few moments as she was lead through different loading screens.
"Oh no, he's put a password! It's not enough to hide all of this in a secret underground room, he needed to protect his computer!"
"Why don't you let me try?" came a voice from behind them.
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There, at the foot of the steps, stood Alexander Goth, hardly distinguishable from the black walls.
"Alex! You scared me!" Bella cried, "What are you doing here shouldn't you be at school?"
"It's lunchtime, school's over. The girls' nanny said you'd gone here, so I came to join you. You want my help for the computer?"
"And why would you know better?" Don asked mockingly.
"Because I would." Alexander continued very seriously.
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Alexander walked towards the computer, sat down and restarted the computer. When the loading screens appeared, he started typing rapidly on the keyboard as the others watched in confusion.
Within seconds, Alexander was reading through pages of coded computer language, still typing, making the computer flash from screen to screen.
"I bet he doesn't have a clue what he's doing..." Don said watching the young boy run through the confusing pages.
"Don't underestimate my son, Mr. Lothario." Bella replied with a smile.
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"Okay, here we are, the password is 'Qx3tvR06a9' " Alexander announced to the family.
"Yeah, sure. What kind of person has that kind of password?" Don asked in disbelief.
"The kind who is hiding something on their computer and doesn't want anybody to find out about it."
Alexander restarted the computer again, let it load normally, entered the password he'd found, and indeed the computer granted him access. He then got up and left the others to find what they were looking for.
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He then walked up to the glass door leading to the grided walkway over the pool, and down to the machine where he'd found his father the previous week. Bella saw her son was in pain and went to hold him in her arms.
"Mom, I'm okay." Alexander said, trying to avoid his mother's grip. But Bella simply hushed her child, knowing that his stating he was okay only proved that he wasn't.
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There it was: the machine they couldn't understand stood right in front of them. It looked so simple from the outside, being composed of only a metallic circular pole, mounted by a yellow ring and a few buttons to control it. But yet this machine had hurt Mortimer, and they didn't know how. It was very dangerous looking, as electricity ran up the long pole, causing sparks and small bolts to appear from time to time and making it, untouchable.
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"Guys? I think I found it!" Cassandra announced.
"Are you sure?" Bella asked comming back towards the computer.
"Practically yes. I mean there's no text in his projects, just calculations. He doesn't even give them a real title: just 'Project_001A' and stuff like that, but this document has a technical drawing of that machine, and it's the only one which does." Cassanra continued, nodding her head towards the glass window, behind which was the machine in question.
"You looked through all his documents?"
"Well, yeah. We've only been here for four months there aren't that many..."
Cassandra printed the document, and they all headed back upstairs.
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After safely locking the lab, which was closed due to Mortimer's accident, Bella, Cassandra and Don decided to drive back to the hospital immediatley to get the document in expert hands. Alexander didn't join them, and went back home instead. As he walked off Bella spoke to the others:
"Poor thing, he's been acting strange ever since last week, locking himself up in his room for hours. I barely get to see him at meal times..."
"He probably just needs some time. It's pretty traumatic dealing with such a situation. I went through it with you..." Cassanrda said.
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After delivering the document to the hospital, Bella arrived home to hear loud noise coming from Alexander's room. It was like metal hitting something very hard and it was most unpleasant, and Bella wasn't going to let such uproar continue in her peaceful home without knowing what it was.
She walked upstairs, knocked on his bedroom door, the noise stopped, and Alexander opened the door just enough to pass his head.
"What's up?" he asked in hastiness.
"What's up?" Bella repeated in disbelief. "I'm your mother! I'm certainly entitled to know what you are doing in there, sounding like you're going to tear a wall down!"
"Sorry, I just didn't know you were home. I'll stop..." he answered, trying to close the door, but Bella stopped him with her hand.
"I asked you what you were doing."
"I'm just cleaning some stuff up. I had to move some furniture around; I'll put it back and stop."
Alexander closed the door, and Bella didn't stop him; she knew Alexander would get better when things would be back to normal.
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But normal was to be a notion, that the Goth family was drifting further away from. As October began, Mortimer began to lose his hair, just as another visible sign that he wasn't getting any better. The document retrieved from the computer was so complicated, that the only person who would have been able to decipher it was Mortimer. It seemed that the Goth father was slowly reaching his end.
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The following weekend, Bella organized a picnic in the parc for her children and she. They were all in need of a break from the family drama, and fresh new ideas. She was most worried about Alexander, who she practically had to drag out of the house for him to come. She wondered as to whether she should get him to speak to a psycologist, just to have him discuss his problems with someone. She was no doctor, but it didn't take a genius to see that one's child is depressed, just a mother.
Cassandra enjoyed spending time with her family, especially in these difficult times. Her sisters were so young that Don and she were practically their second parents. Out of both girls, Iris was the curious one, and a park was full of fascinating plants and creatures for her to play with, so Cassandra took her by the lake to show her fish.
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As the young child giggled and squirmed in her arms, Cassandra was elsewhere, thinking about the situation at the lab. It had been closed for a week now, with no project for the future. It had been a tough week, running back and forth from home, to the hospital, to her parent's house - her mother's house? There were employees waiting for their job, and it seemed as though she would have to be in charge with her father gone. Cassandra had always known that the lab would surely become her responsibility someday but she was definitely not ready to handle it now. She didn't even have a clue how to start, her father had never told her how; she didn't have the proper discipline for it. Would the Goth Laboratories' fate go with Mortimer's?
Her thoughts were interrupted as a voice called from behind:
"Cassandra?"
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Cassandra turned around to face the man speaking to her.
"Well, it looks like Cassandra Goth!" he laughed.
Cassandra put Iris down and smiled: "Darren. How are you?"
"I'm good, I'm good, in fact my work being showed at the Modern Art Gallery tomorow."
"Really? Darren that's huge!"
"I know, I still can't believe it: people want to see what I paint!" he joked.
"You look good." Cassandra added.
"Thanks, so do you. Who's this?" he asked looking at Iris.
"Oh, this is Iris, my little sister."
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"She's cute." Darren said, before adding: "I heard about your father, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well..." Cassandra didn't know what to say. She couldn't say that he was going to get better, that he'd be okay, that she'd be okay. Seeing her getting upset, Darren changed the subject.
"So, do you want to come tomorrow, to the show?"
"Oh, of course, it would be a pleasure. I'm so happy that you made it there!"
"I just can't believe how long it has been since we last talked!"
There it was, the comment Cassandra would have preferred avoiding. Darren knew perfectly well why she had stopped speaking with him all year long. Was he doing it on purpose? Did he need to hear it? That she hadn't called because he'd acted selfishly?
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Seeing Cassandra stay silent once again, Darren continued to speak:
"I know, we both had busy years and all, but I have missed our friendship..."
"Why don’t you come and say hello? We're all picnicking here today." she offered, to change the subject.
"Sure."
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Cassandra, Darren and Iris, headed off through the park, towards the area, where the family had laid their picnic blanket. Alexander was playing with Hermione, and Don was speaking with Bella.
"Hey guys! Look who I found over by the lake: It's Darren."
"Hey there Darren!" Don called, recognising the man who had been his best man at his wedding, simply because he lacked male friends.
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"Guess what? Darren's art is being showed in a gallery tomorrow."
"Yes, and you are all invited to come, okay? It's tomorrow starting from 8:00 PM at the Modern Art Gallery. Anyway, I’ve got to run, but I hope you can all make it." Darren told them before jogging down the path, as on began to fuss about Iris walking on his plate.
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That afternoon, Daniel Pleasant got home from a long hard day at work. The new season wasn't starting well, for a lot of players had retired from the previous year's team. The new players were hard to train and the other players weren't used to them. It seemed this would be a reconstruction year, more than anything else for the team, which Daniel was so used to seeing number one, after their last glorious year. He walked towards the front door, already dreaming of the bath he would be taking in just a few minutes.
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He opened the front door to find himself surrounded by boxes he had not expected. Then it all came back to him, how could he have forgotten that his sister was moving in today? He had known for two months now that Jennifer, her husband John and their daughter Lucy, would be joining the household and had sent them a copy of their keys a few weeks ago. They had even called him the previous evening! Somehow his work problems made him forget all about their arrival.
"John?" he called through the house.
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He heard someone run down the stairs and there appeared John, his brother in law.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry." John said as quickly as his steps. "I hadn't expected you home so soon."
"Well, I hadn't expected you to be here at all."
"What do you mean?" John asked as he started to move some boxes around to allow Daniel to walk in.
"Your arrival slipped my mind." he admitted embarrassed.
"There you go." John said as he finished clearing the hall.
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They glared at each other for a moment, not knowing what to say to each other. The truth was that John and Daniel had never been very friendly with each other. They got along fine, but hadn't ever taken the time to get to know each other well. The only thing they had in common was Jennifer, and other than that they were basically strangers. John and Jennifer had travelled much through the years, hardly ever living longer than two years in one place, while Daniel had lived in Pleasantview his whole life. So in the 15 years, the couple had been married, the Burbs had only seen the Pleasants a handful of times. Yet, Daniel had asked them to move in as they announced they were coming to live in Pleasantview. Maybe it was because he needed the company in this big house, or maybe he wanted to catch up on the lost time. Daniel himself didn't know.
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"Good day at work?" John finally asked, not knowing what else to say.
"I've had better, but I don't really want to talk about it. Where are the girls?"
"They went to explore the town. They weren't helpful unpacking."
From what Jennifer had told Daniel, John had probably asked the girls not to help by fear that they would disrupt the careful organization in the boxes he'd packed himself.
"Well, I'm going to wash up." Daniel said briefly, wanting to avoid extending the conversation, which seemed to suit John as well.
He walked through the den, and into his bedroom, still adjusting to the fact that he wasn't alone in the house anymore. He didn't know why but somehow this new arrival seemed to bother him more than it rejoiced him. He was used to his solitude; he had his rituals, which would with no doubt have to change with this new presence.
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He closed the door behind him, and began to undress, hoping John wouldn't come looking for him in the next hour, which he needed for himself. He walked into his bathroom and turned the water on, checking the temperature with his hand, as steam started to rise from the bathtub. He let the water run, as he returned to the bedroom to finish undressing. For the first time in a while Daniel was aware that he was naked in his own room, and didn't feel at ease, as though someone was about to enter. Even when the girls had stayed over during the summer he had never felt self conscious about himself in any situation. It was the fact that the people living with him were the Burbs that made him uncomfortable, like if he was living with strangers. What did he really know of them other than the fact that they were family? Just a few minutes after living with them, Daniel was already seeing the downside of inviting "family" to live with him.
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He closed the bathroom door, needing to feel in complete privacy, and stepped into the bathtub, adjusting to the hot water against his cold skin. He slowly let his whole body sink into the water, and lay back against the cold edge of the tub, getting ready for a relaxing moment. But Daniel's mind was far from relaxed, still hung up on the matter of the Burbs moving in. Maybe it would do him good on the long term, to have some presence in the house, but Daniel hardly knew his sister, let alone her husband and daughter. Jennifer was born when Daniel was 10 years old, meaning that they had never gotten to know each other well. Sure, they knew basic facts about one another, but they had never closely bonded. He had left home when she was only 7 years old, and from that point on they had lead different lives, only seeing each other around the holidays. So living together now, was somewhat disconcerting after almost 40 years of not doing so.
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After about an hour of bathing, Daniel put some comfortable clothes on and left his room, almost expecting to find the whole family waiting for him behind the door. But to his relief, noise from above his head informed him that John was upstairs, and the girls were surely still out. He was also pleased to see that John had cleared most the boxes from the hallway, but leaving a few against the walls, almost as to leave a trace of his presence through the house. Daniel took a moment to imagine what the worst case scenario of this move could be in: John and Jennifer would start imposing their taste around the house; he would get along with neither of them, and would be unable to get rid of them, having been the one to offer for them to live here in the first place. His whole lifestyle was going to be changed; the house wouldn't be as he wanted it, but as they wanted it.
"What did I get myself into?" he said out loud.
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He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a mug, and served himself with some coffee that had been made. He couldn't understand why they had accepted to move in with him. He had offered in a time of loneliness and depression, it's not like he had been thinking clearly in anticipation of the future, he was in need of company. But why had they accepted? John and Jennifer had lived all over the world, it wasn't as if they lacked money to buy their own place, let alone rent. Maybe they happened to like Daniel more than he liked them, or maybe they had moved in out of pity for his pathetic offer to provide them shelter. Daniel didn't know which situation he preferred.
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He walked around the counter and sat on a stool, letting the drink cool a few instants before taking a sip. Even though he had not yet seen Jennifer, he could taste her through this coffee, recognising the taste it had whenever she made it. The warm energising drink entered his mouth, and gave him the feeling of comfort, that always occurred when he drank coffee. Maybe having family live with him wouldn't be as oppressing as he thought it would be. After all, John and Jennifer were both independent adults; surely they had their own lives, their own interests. What did he know anyway? He hardly knew them enough to call them real family.
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Daniel swallowed feeling the liquid run down to his stomach, heating the inner part of his body. He wondered what the reason he felt so uneasy about living with the Burbs was. Maybe it was just the fact of living with anyone that repulsed him at the time, maybe he needed some time alone after his break up with Mary-Sue. No, that couldn't be it, since the girls' staying over the summer hadn't been a problem. But the girls were familiar people to him, Daniel thought. The fact was that he was afraid of all that has changing in his life, his daughters moving out, the divorce... He hadn't learnt to let go, but he would need to learn to accept the change now.
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Daniel looked around him, Mary-Sue may have left, but she was still in the house through the furniture, the walls, the floors; everything showed she had once lived here! He didn't even like her decorative choice, yet he'd left everything in place for months now, not wanting to disrupt the peaceful harmony of each room. What would he do anyway? Daniel had no taste when it came to decoration. However, he didn't have any more time to analyse the problem, as he heard the front door opening and Jennifer's voice calling:
"Daniel? Where are you?"
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He put his mug on the counter behind him, and went to greet Jennifer and Lucy who had just walked in. He joined them and hugged his sister.
"Dani! So good to see you! Thank you so much for having us over!"
"My pleasure." he replied, unsure as to whether he meant it.
He then embraced his niece with a usual comment on her having grown.
"Hey, Uncle Dan!"
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Lucy climbed up to her new room, Angela's old one, and Daniel sat with Jennifer in the den to chat and catch up.
"So how have you been since the..." Jennifer began hesitantly.
"Divorce? That's what it is Jenny, you can call it that."
Jennifer chuckled, glad to see her brother wasn't as upset as a few months ago.
"I'm okay, I guess. It's been a little tough but in a way it was also relieving, I think."
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"Look, Daniel, I'm not going to pretend I don't know why this marriage ended. I mean, you can do what you want with your love life, but this thing with a maid, it's just not good..."
"Clearly you don't know why this marriage ended, or you wouldn't be saying that. Mary-Sue and I haven't been married for almost 10 years. Kaylynn isn't really a maid, she's just doing this to put herself through med school. Look, I'm not trying to justify this because like any affair, it wasn't right, but was necessary."
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"So, what? You're going to keep seeing her?"
"No, of course not. Kaylynn and I ended it a couple of months ago. In fact, I've been seeing someone else."
"Really? What's she like?" Jennifer asked, relieved to know Daniel was moving on.
"Well, I'm going to give you a chance to see for yourself she's coming over to dinner tonight so you can all meet her."
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Meanwhile, Lucy looked at her new surroundings upstairs, trying to get used to her bedroom. Everything was pink and girly, much to her disliking, even if she'd put all her posters up in attempt to hide it. She wasn't exactly fond of Pleasantview, and had it been her choice, she would have preferred to stay in the city.
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She walked toward her bulletin board, where she had hung all the goodbye letters from her city friends, hoping her well in her new home. She looked at all the pictures that they had taken together, and let the nostalgia take her over, missing them already.
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It was so unfair, that her parents had made her move without asking her opinion. She was now of age to be able to give her opinion about family decisions, yet they still treated her like a child. They told her they wanted to move here because the city wasn't safe anymore, yet wasn't it in this very town that "the most dangerous woman of Sim City" had been arrested just a year ago? And didn't the victim of her plans live just next door? Talk about safety...
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That evening they all sat down in the dinning room, waiting for Daniel's guest to arrive.
"Okay Dani, where's your girlfriend?" Jennifer asked, to break the silence that had been over them for the last few minutes.
"She'll be here, she's only ten minutes late..." and as he said this, they heard the doorbell ring.
"Told you." he said getting up.
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He left the table and they heard him opening the front door and greeting his friend.
"Hi, sorry I'm late..." they heard a female voice say
"Okay guys, now remember be nice." Jennifer told her family, before Daniel returned.
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"Everyone, this Nina. Nina, my sister Jennifer, her husband John and my niece Lucy.", he said as Nina Caliente followed him into the room.
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The following evening, the Lothario couple prepared themselves for Darren Dreamer's art gallery evening.
"Honey, we don't really have to go to this thing, do we?" Don asked.
"Well, of course we're going! It's the least we can do, after telling him we would!" she called from the bathroom where she was changing.
"I don't get it. I thought you guys had a falling out..."
"We didn't have a falling out, we just had busy years." Cassandra replied using the excuse Darren had used himself, the previous day.
"Why go when we could stay in, order sushi, and have a good time with each other?"
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"Oh, so should I change out of this?" Cassandra asked teasingly as she walked out of the bathroom into a very elegant, backless, black evening dress.
"No, that should be about fine." Don said trying to sound casual after swallowing.
"Come on." Cassandra laughed. "You're already in your tux anyway."
"I can take this off in a second." He whispered in her ear as she arranged his tie.
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"Don, get some manners, would you?" she said caressing his cheek affectionately.
"Fine. But next week, is you, me, and sushi all weekend long!" Don announced.
"Yeah, try to convince my mom about that. She'll probably want to have us over again."
"See! This is why most people don't live in the same town as their parents!" Don joked.
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Meanwhile, next door, Bella was also having a hard time convincing Alexander to join them.
"It'll do you good to go out! All you've been doing these last times is staying in your room!" she told him.
"Come on mom, I really don't want to go! It's a party for adults, it'll be so boring for me."
"I hear Darren has a son, you could talk to him."
"Dirk Dreamer is seventeen years old and we have nothing in common! Please let me stay!"
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"Fine!" Bella cried in defeat. "But you are going to need to leave your room someday. And you're taking care of your sisters for tonight! I'm cancelling the nanny I called."
"Fine by me!" Alexander responded, before returning behind his closed door. Bella knew he was making a point about this one party, but she didn't want her son to close up from the world.
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Darren on the other hand was opening the doors to his art gallery downtown, greeting Dirk, Lilith and Dustin.
"Hey! You're here!" he said, hugging his son.
"Hi Darren!" Lilith responded.
"Hey, dad. How's it going so far?"
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"Well, look for yourselves!" Darren told them pointing out into the room. Indeed, there were already quite a few people, admiring the work the artist had created these last few years.
"Looks like you're going to make a few sales tonight, dad."
"Oh, I already have!" Darren exclaimed happily. "All the ones with a little red sticker next to them are already sold, so feel free to look around."
"Okay, we still have a few friends joining us, but they'll be here a little later."
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Back at the Goth manor, Alexander waited for his mother to leave to get back to what he'd been working on for almost two months now. He had done it secretly, the best he could, knowing that his mother was already noticing his abnormal behavior. Alexander had been able to make it pass for depression from his father's accident, but in truth, he spent all his free time working on his project.
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His lips curled into a smile as he put his tools down.
"It's finished..." he whispered to himself.
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Back downtown, unaware if Alexander's activities back at home, the Lothario couple and Bella made their entrance in Darren's art gallery.
"Hey, you made it!" he called out, making his way towards them.
"Well, we wouldn't miss this, would we?" Cassandra smiled at him, eyeing Don in the corner of her eye.
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As Cassandra and Darren began a vivid discussion together, Bella and Don made their way through the crowd, not wanting to intrude on the two friends catching up.
"Wow, Cassie never told me she had such a talented friend!" Bella said looking at the many paintings along the walls.
"Yeah well, they haven't spoken much this year. They were really busy, the both of them."
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Darren began to give Cassandra a tour of the gallery.
"So you painted all of this?" Cassandra asked, looking around her.
"Every single canvas." he stated proudly.
"Well, good for you! You did a good job, and you deserve your part of recognition!"
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Cassandra and Darren stopped walking, as they came face to face with Dirk.
"Dirk, sweetie! How have you been? Look how handsome you got!"
"Thanks, right back at you." Dirk joked.
"How's college?"
"It's good, I'm studying art actually."
"Yeah, I heard. Who knows? Maybe we'll all be back here in a few years to admire your work!"
"I doubt it, but who knows?"
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After Cassandra and Dirk were done catching up, Darren and she, retired to a quieter corner of the room to be able to speak calmly.
"Well, I must admit that I am impressed with all you've done!" she told him.
"Stop, you'll make me blush!" Darren laughed. "Well, you always said I would make it."
"Yeah, but I've never seen you paint so much! You really worked hard at all of this. At making it come true!"
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"Yes, that is what kept me busy all year long, I was just inspired! I had several paintings going at once, it was wonderful. And I presented my work slowly to the art community, and before I knew it they were asking me to do this gallery! Of course, you had a big year too, with all you had to do, it's probably why we kind of lost touch..."
"Darren don't do this." Cassandra sighed.
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"What?" he asked confused.
"Look, we both know why we stopped talking, so let's not try to invent excuses to cover it up. But the truth is that I have missed our friendship, and I just want to put this behind us, so we can go back to normal. We may have had busy years, but if we'd wanted to speak we would have, I mean, we live a couple of blocks away. So let's just forget it ever happened, okay?"
"Yeah, sorry."
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"Sorry for what?" Cassanra asked, looking into Darren's eyes to make him change the subject.
"So tell me how you've been. It seems everything has been about me tonight."
"Well, it was already great to have mom back home. We caught up on everything we'd done in the four previous years, and I just couldn't believe she was home. Of course, with her return came the huge trial, where we got to hear all the different details of this awful case, but let's not go there. Then my father hired me for my new job at his lab. And during all of that I had to get used to the married life with Don."
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"Right, Don. He's treating you well?"
"Yes, Darren. He's treating me very well."
"And you're happy?"
Cassandra smiled, seeing Darren wasn't accepting the idea that she was happily married to her husband. So she told him what she knew would make him understand:
"Yes, Darren: I'm pregnant."
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"Pregnant? You're pregnant?" Darren laughed, maybe a little too hard.
"What? What's so funny about that?"
"I'm sorry, I just had no idea. I never really saw Don as a father."
"Well, you'd be surprised what marriage does to a man."
"So, your family l must be thrilled, right?"
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"They don't know yet." she said.
"What? Why didn't you tell them?"
"I found out about it at the hospital, the night my father was in the accident. How could I possibly tell them? Ever since there hasn't been an opportunity.
"Well, does Don know?"
"Of course Don knows! We'd been trying for two months; I had to tell him it had worked!"
"Right, of course."
Cassandra felt a vibration against her leg, and a small electronic tune began singing.
"Oh, sorry: cell phone."
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Cassandra turned around, facing the wall, and picked up. Darren felt the disappointment of these news appear on his face. Somehow he had still hoped that the Lothario marriage wouldn't last and that he would be allowed his chance with Cassandra. He listened as she spoke:
"Yes?... Is there a problem?... Oh my god! What happened...Okay, well we're coming right away... Thank you, we'll be right there." She hung up and turned around to face him.
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"I'm so sorry Darren, but I have to go: there's been a change in my father's condition!"
"Oh my God. What happened? Is he all right?"
"I don't know, the doctor wouldn't say. She said that it's best if we see him in person. I have to get to the hospital."
"Okay, do you want me to come with you?"
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"No, of course not, don't be silly. It's your big night, enjoy! I'll call you tomorrow." Cassandra said hugging him goodbye at the same time.
"You're sure?"
"Of course, okay I have to go get Don and my mother. I'll talk to you soon." she said very quickly, trembling.
"Okay, you call me if there's any sort of problem."
Cassandra rushed off into the gallery to find her family and together, they ran to the hospital, wondering what was happening to Mortimer.
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TO BE CONTINUED...
Thank you for taking the time to read this sixth chapter of 'The Fate of Plesantview'. I'm finishing this chapter, just before starting a new school year so I want to warn you that the next chapter won't be ready right away. However, I have already made about half of the pictures for it, because they were supposed to appear in this chapter at first. I think you can expect it around the end of the month, but if I'm delayed, I will tell you in my blog, so you can know when to expect it.
As usual, I give you my Email address if you want to contact me: alexi035@hotmail.fr
Until next time!
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