5.08 I am not a monster

Edward had celebrated his birthday in solitude while painting. His hair had grown a little longer and that was about all. He didn't feel older, he didn't look older, he just had more hair in his face. He finished his current painting.

And further celebrated his otherwise uneventful morning by going fishing for the days catch. Edward had filled the days orders much earlier than he expected and was now fishing for the pure pleasure of it.
The pleasure and solitude was soon interrupted by his phone. Jess needed him to come home immediately.

Edward arrived home expecting to see a fire truck or an ambulance, instead he found Kim and Jess sitting in the kitchen with a woman with short blonde hair, Edward thought she looked somehow vaguely familiar.

"Hello little monster, you've grown so big since you left us.", exclaimed the visitor. "Emily? Em, is that you?", gasped Edward in shock. "How ever did you find me?", he finally asked after his sister released him from a prolonged bear hug.

"Long story short, Jessica and Kim were trying to find out more about your Gobbler issue, so Kim made inquiries with her immortal great, great, great, great, great Grandfather Valentin who was alive during the time of the Goblin army.", Emily explained.

"He remembered that a friend of his had made inquiries about a Goblin like child in the previous decade and contacted her. Angel the Vampire who made the original inquiries is a close friend personal friend of your great, great, grandmother Lil. Lil put me in touch with Kim to check it out before telling Mum and Dad.", Emily continued.  

 "You are not a goblin Edward, Valentin told me goblins were never more than four foot tall, and they had scales and long spine ridge and that you don't have.", Kim added, trying to convince Edward.

"I worked out to hold off the transformation a short while ago, but I had to run when I was little, because I didn't know how to stop from becoming a Goblin then.", Edward admitted defensively.  "I am the most qualified genetic scientist in all of sim nation, AND I will tell you if you are a goblin or just a mental little monster!", growled Emily.

"Put your hand on the analysis pad, and let's put an end to all this nonsense!", Emily commanded. Edward did as he was told and placed his hand on the scanner. Emily held down a green button on the device and spoke "Begin Scan". Several lights blinked rapidly as the device examined Ed's DNA.  "Scan Analysis Complete, 94% Human / 6% Other.", a metallic voice emanated from the scanner.

"Define other!", Emily insisted holding the button again.

"Other DNA, totaling 6%",

"Alien 0.35 %"
"Banshee 0.07 %"
"Changeling 0.02 %"
"Ethereal 0.10 %"
"Fae 1.78 %"
"Gargoyle 0.09 %"
"Genie 0.13 %"
"Goblin 0.02 %"
"Merfolk 0.34 %"
"Plantsim 0.41 %"
"Satyr 0.01 %"
"Vampire 0.19 %"
"Werewolf 0.63 %"
"Witch 1.85 %"
"Unidentifiable 0.01 %"

The machine rattled off its numbers in its mechanical voice.

"List effects of goblin DNA", insisted Emily, pressing the green button again.

"Goblin DNA effects size and shape of ears and adds to skin tone.", the scanner stated.

"So, I'm not.. not a monster?", Edward stammered

"Maker, I have missed you little brother, you are not a Goblin, you never were, and you never will be, but you will always be our grumpy little monster.", stated Emily, shutting down the scanner and hugging her brother again. "Here's Mum and Dad's phone number, call them. Mum still cries herself to sleep some nights."

 

Emily stayed until late afternoon, catching Edward up with family history.

"I think he took that pretty well.", Jess told Kim, after Emily had left.

Evie had noticed some strange behavior in her best friend lately. "Delilah, you might want to put the cutlery back on the table before the meal arrives.", Evie suggested. "I, uh, just thought I'd clear the table so we can arm wrestle while we wait.", improvised Delilah, realizing that she had pocketed the cutlery.

"Did you come to visit me or the garden?", asked Jess. "Both.", replied Cindy, looking up from her agricultural studies guide. "With graduation coming up soon I'm trying to get a scholarship so I can go to university, I know you and Delilah gave the money set aside already, but without scholarships, Evie and I won't be able to afford to go. 

Evie, who was no slouch academically, was trying to get in on a sports scholarship, and while she was already the biggest sports enthusiast of the group, she had taken to learning the rules of every ball sport played in sim nation.

Jessica, whose father had planned ahead in case she wanted to pursue further education, had no such worries, besides, senior prom was around the corner. Jess was explaining her possible future with Kim when she noticed something behind Kim's ear. Jess reached out and when she withdrew her hand she had within in it, a small wooden bird.

"Bravo, you did that so well!", Kim enthused. Jess had just performed the magic trick that Kim had been using on Jess since she was a child. "Even with my police trained Vampire eyes, I didn't see you palm it in advance.", Kim congratulated Jess.

"After aunt Emily came to visit I was thinking about my childhood a lot, and I realized some of my favorite memories are of you doing magic tricks for me, so I thought I'd learn that one.", Jess beamed proudly

"Come on Delilah, hurry!", urged Evie. Coral had suggested a group activity that required waiting until one of the only tourist attractions in town was almost closed for the day, and they had to time it right to 'accidentally' get locked in.

Coral taught Evie and Delilah basic archery while Cindy and Jess remained on lookout, Evie was natural, and Delilah, not to be outdone soon caught up. After Coral had taught Jess and Cindy to shoot, they dropped themselves over the fence and ran for the cinema.

"Now you see me 3", had just opened, "It's about a group of magicians that use misdirection to rob banks and bad people, kind of like Robin Hood magicians. I've been waiting for this movie to come out for ages!", Jess explained to her friends. 

"If I win, you come to the prom in whatever dress I imagine, deal?", asked Jess. "Agreed.", confirmed Mia, who had missed junior prom, and was hoping to avoid senior prom as well. Jess normally denied a pillow fight, it was too hard to hide all the feathers, besides, her pillow was not too hard, and not too soft, it was just right.

"I brought pumpkin pie for movie night, I love your new haircut by the way, it suits you.", Kim said as she settled in with Edward for what was formerly 'black and white' night. "My whole life I was scared about becoming a monster and I think I was hiding behind the long hair, but now that you, Em, and Jess have set me free..."

'Thank you for always being there for me.", said Edward.

"Oh yeah! about FREAKIN' time!", hooted Jess enthusiastically.

Authors note:

Isn't it funny, how when you finally get a batch of good ideas, it is just before aging up and there's that rush to get everything done before it's too late?

Obviously, because obviously I like that word, it was a single parent roll for Edward. I bent the rule by moving all the extras in as usual, but I believe I played by the spirit of the rule.

Single Parent Roll Summary.
The single parent must raise all required children on his/her own, which means a spouse/partner isn't allowed to live in the same household as the single parent and the children. The single parent may romance as much as they like, but moving in a partner to help raise those kids is what's forbidden. The restriction on moving in the single parent's partner is removed once their youngest child has reached the mid point of the teen age stage  After the youngest has reached the mid point of the teen stage, your single Sim may then move in or marry one partner, if you so desire (this isn't required).

I added Kim, Sally, and the other girls to the household, because when it comes to the sims, I'm a confirmed control freak and rule bender, and playing just a few at a time is soooo boring. Edward raised Jess, Kim raised Delilah, and the teens look after themselves, so I don't feel I have broken this rule too badly.  When Edward and Jess lived in Kim's little rental, all of the household extras lived in a secret basement, and the same when Edward and Jess moved to the mansion. I bought a separate house (second home) for Kim as soon as I could afford it, which was mostly just used for screenies, as everyone in the household considers the primary home as 'home' for any game related activities.

To get the police car for screenies Kim had to work her way up through law enforcement. I have about 100 CC cars and not a police car in sight. I docked each pay and bonus with the 'family funds' cheat so as to not give this generation a financial advantage.

Why did I go to all this trouble? Because when Kim first met Edward and Jess, she rolled a wish to have a first kiss with Edward, and she held on to that wish right up until the second last screenie in this chapter! That one wish has guided Edwards story for almost his entire young adult life stage in Midnight Hollow.

Also, when Edward aged up from young adult, (this being the very first screenie of the set) the game gave him this hair. I was contemplating a change to short hair after he found out that he would never be a real goblin, but the story wasn't ready for short hair, and this one was not my first choice.

   

As always, any comments and questions are always welcomed.