Dreams In The Valley - Final Chapter: Carina's Dreams

[Kaye]

I know. For a while, it wouldn't run. But now, it's back!

[Kaye]

Chapter 6: Training and a Tomb

After snapping a few photos of the base camp and resort, Kaelyn made her way to the Scholar's Garden to begin her martial arts training. She had never seen a place so exceptionally beautiful, so she had to stop and gaze for a few minutes.

After she came out of her "trance", Kaelyn began practicing on the training dummy readily available in the garden.

Although, it may have been best if she changed her shoes first.

After a few hours and the feeling that her leg would break off, Kaelyn achieved the first level of martial arts. A white belt only made her a beginner, but she already felt prepared to take someone on.

Kaelyn stuck around the garden to snap a few more photos for her collection. In one shot, she captured some colorful fish. She was sure Carina would've loved them, so she decided not to sell that photo.

Nighttime had quickly fallen and Kaelyn did not enjoy being out in the dark, so she hurried back to the resort to get some shut-eye. She felt good about her first day in Shang Simla.

The next morning, Kaelyn was eager to practice more martial arts. This time, she went to the academy. They were a few students sparring. Kaelyn wanted to spar too, but she could find anyone with a white belt, so she simply made her way upstairs for some solo practice.

Kicking the dummy felt better without platforms and soon came the yellow belt!

An opportunity came up for Kaelyn to complete a challenge. Kaelyn hadn't really interacted with the locals, but she was up for anything that would get her Visa points, so she accepted and went to speak to the offerer.

Forgetting to change out of her martial arts uniform.

The challenge was to find some treasure in a secret tomb in the Halls of the Lost Army located in the Emperor's Plaza. Kaelyn promised she wouldn't fail.

The Emperor's Plaza wasn't hard to find and she spotted the Halls of the Lost Army almost immediately. For a moment, she was confused when she stepped inside. It looked like a palace, not a tomb. Then, the woman's words came to mind.

"It will seem like an ordinary palace, but look for one thing out of the ordinary."

"One thing out of the ordinary," Kaelyn mumbled to herself. "The floor pad!"

Kaelyn stepped on the pad just a few feet away and, to her surprise, a staircase was revealed. So the tomb was in the basement!

It didn't take long for Kaelyn to find some treasure: ancient coins. It was not the treasure requested, but why not keep it?

Martial artist or not, Kaelyn still disliked physical labor.

There was one room that frightened Kaelyn. This room had a bunch of statues, but that was not the scary. What scared her was the electrical trap she could see through the spaces between them.

Kaelyn wasn't sure how she'd get past that. There was too little space for her to walk around and the electricity was continuous, so she could run over it while it was down for a few moments.

Eventually, it hit her. She pushed one of the statues onto the electrical field. The electricity stopped crackling. Kaelyn waited a few seconds to be sure, then walked over it. She didn't feel even the tiniest shock, but she was so relieved to be on the other side of it.

In the next room, Kaelyn found a chest. It didn't hold the treasure she needed, but it still held some valuable items, so she took them.

In the next room, there was something Kaelyn hadn't seen before. A well. Kaelyn wasn't sure what to do, but her instinct told her to dive right in.

So she did.

But the chest in the room the well led to didn't hold what Kaelyn needed either. In fact, it didn't hold anything. Which was a little disappointing, considering Kaelyn risked drowning to enter the room.

So Kaelyn dove back into the well and came up in the original room.

Kaelyn was soaking wet and wanted to leave now, but she was determined to complete the challenge. Fortunately, the next room held just what she was looking for.

Kaelyn snatched the treasure out of the chest and quickly made her way out of the tomb. She gave the items to the woman, who had the nerve to complain about how Kaelyn smelled from sweating. That was due to adrenaline and her running to give her the items before sundown!

Nevertheless, the woman was grateful and didn't leave Kaelyn without expressing her gratitude. But Kaelyn was tired. Shang Simla was a wonderful place, but Kaelyn was ready to go home. She had all the photos she needed, bought training equipment and gained some Visa points, so it was time to return to Sunset Valley.

She called home first to let Sienna and Carina know she was returning early. Then, she called the airport to find out the next flight to Sunset Valley.

Kaelyn couldn't have been happier to be back home. It was night when she got back, but she hoped, at least, Sienna would still be awake.

When she arrived at the house, Sienna was awake. So was Carina. Apparently, Kaelyn had walked in on a little celebration.

"Auntie, you made it!" Carina squealed. "I knew you'd make it!"

"But, Carina," Kaelyn said, "I would've been back in time even if I didn't come home early. Your birthday isn't for two days."

"I know, but I wanted to grow up the same day you came home!" Carina explained. "Come on! Ready?"

Sienna handed Kaelyn a noisemaker and they cheered loudly as Carina began to sparkle.

And cute little Carina blossomed into a beautiful teenager.

[Spork-tastic]

Happy birthday Carina, she looks great!

[Kaye]

Chapter 7: Advancing Altogether

Carina gained the flirty trait as a teen, a rather odd trait for a previously bubbly, cheerful child. She also gained a wish that became a lifetime one: Presenting the Perfect Private Aquarium.

The first thing Carina did was go to City Hall to register as a self-employed angler. She'd learned in school that teenagers could become self-employed if they wanted a career, but didn't want to wait until they were adults.

She already had some fish in her inventory, so she headed to the grocery to sell them. They sold for $25, which put her just $5 away from receiving a promotion.

She would go fishing later. Right now, she wanted to get home and read one of the fishing books Kaelyn had brought her from China. They were much more interesting than Sunset Valley's fishing books.

Meanwhile, Sienna had finally completed the wooden sculpture she was working on. It was a majestic griffin and Sienna was very proud of it. She sold it for a hefty price and became a little closer to advancing to level 5 of her sculptor career.

After that sculpture, Sienna began working on an ice sculpture.

Like Carina, Kaelyn was also reading. She was studying the martial arts skill. Since there was no tabcast for martial arts and she couldn't yet meditate, she had to use a book. Of course, books were still great tools anyway.

Later on, Lynnette (Kaylynn, remember?) came over for a visit. She also aged up to a teen, but didn't have a job nor did she want one. Carina almost didn't recognize her in a more casual outfit instead of her "maid-like" one. Nevertheless, the two chatted, joked and laughed with each other like the good friends they were.

In the evening, Sienna and Kaelyn went to see a movie. Specifically, a newly-released action film that was supposedly off the charts.

Lynnette and Carina remained in front of the house, talking about various topics only understandable to them. Eventually, Lynnette had to go home, but not before she and Carina agreed to be BFFs.

That probably could've been seen coming a mile away.

After Lynnette left, Carina decided it was a good time to go fishing, so she headed over to Central Park. She called her mom and aunt to let them know she'd be there.

Carina preferred fishing at night. Somehow, it felt more peaceful.

After the movie, Sienna and Kaelyn went to Central Park. Sunset Valley had a curfew and they didn't want Carina to get arrested by an officer. They could be anywhere in the park, but they preferred staying within sight of Carina, so they just chatted casually nearby.

Carina caught two minnows. One was perfect and one was outstanding. She kept the perfect one, as it would help her out with her LTW, and she sold the outstanding one for $5, making her an Empty Net Trawler in the Angler career. Not bad for a first day.

For some reason, Kaelyn thought it would be a good time to tell a ghost story, so she spun a tale from her travels to tell Sienna. Sienna tried to pretend to she wasn't scared, but she couldn't deny that her heart was skipping beats.

Carina eventually finished fishing and everyone went home to go to sleep. Carina had her first day of high school tomorrow, so she needed to rest. Sienna was going to finish her ice sculpture tomorrow and Kaelyn was going on a snapshot session in the morning.

Sienna was the first to rise the next morning. She immediately went to work on her ice sculpture, wanting to finish it by afternoon.

And she did.

With the sculpture finished and Kaelyn's teeth scrubbed, the sisters decided to go to the tattoo parlor. Kaelyn needed a picture of a sim getting a tattoo for her collection, so Sienna volunteered.

She got a tattoo of a red rose with green leaves.

Kaelyn thanked her sister for the snapshot and headed off to Mick's Master Karaoke. Just as she hoped, there were singers for her to snap.

Kaelyn stayed to watch their performance. Then, she made her way to the graveyard to get a picture of a tomb. She chose a tall one with some sunflowers next to it. Too bad the sunflowers didn't exacty liven the area up.

Kaelyn decided to call it a day. Not only had she gathered enough photos, but she finally mastered the photography skill. She felt good her hard work had paid off. Now, there was just her LTW to accomplish.

There was a concert playing at the stadium. Since Kaelyn couldn't remember the last time she saw a concert, she gladly went to see it.

Meanwhile, Sienna had finished a clay sculpture that sold for over $500. That pushed her into level 5 and she was now an Obelisk Architect. Her skill level was now 8.

While Sienna and Kaelyn were busy, Carina had finished her homework, joined study club and was fishing.

Among the fish she caught was a salmon. That was good because it meant her catches were getting bigger and she was getting better. She was level 6 in the fishing skill.

After she was done fishing for the night, Carina went and sold her fish to the grocery store. She was now a Hook Baiter.

Though it was late, Sienna felt it necessary to start on her sculpture with some new material she gained access to: stone.

This was going to be quite the challenge for Sienna.

[Spork-tastic]

Wow, you have a busy household! Great update!

[Kaye]

Thanks! The next update will be by Monday (the 20th).

[Kaye]

Chapter 8: Girls' Nights Out

Stone had to be the hardest material Sienna would ever work with. She wasn't sure she could sculpt something good out of such hard material, but, as a sculptor, she had to try. Something would come out of it.

She worked all through the night and through the morning. It was almost noon when she finished and she was exhausted, but proud. Her stone sculpture was done and it turned out better than she expected.

To let Sienna get some sleep, Kaelyn went out. Carina was reading fishing books and listening to a tabcast, so she wouldn't disturb Sienna if she stayed.

Kaelyn headed to Maywood Glen to snap some photos for one of her collections.

After capturing the apple and limes trees with her camera, Kaelyn took a taxi to the wishing well. After seeing its magic for the first time, she wanted to see it again, but feared making wishes becoming a habit. But surely, a second wish couldn't hurt, right?

Kaelyn made the same wish she did the first time: wealth. This time, instead of simoleons, she got a new car worth $9,800! She could've easily sold the car, but she chose to keep it instead. Now, taxis wouldn't be needed as much.

Kaelyn immediately drove home to show Carina the family's new car. Sienna was awake, as she opted to have some coffee instead of sleep the afternoon away. As soon as Carina saw the car, she squealed one of her childish squeals in delight. She did not even have to ask because Kaelyn and Sienna knew what was on her mind.

And Sienna volunteered.

While Sienna gave Carina a driving lesson, Kaelyn went out and met River McIrish.

She needed a picture of a friend for one of her photo collections, but she hadn't been very social. Molly French, the first sim Kaelyn took a picture of, lived here with her daughter Sandi, but she wasn't home. She befriended River and got her needed picture.

After a few hours, Carina was finally able to drive. She wasn't as bad for a first time driver as Sienna expected. To celebrate, Sienna took Carina to the hotspot of the night: The Port-a-Party Mini Warehouse.

Carina never imagined she would go to a club, so she was excited. First, the ladies gussied up in the mirrors.

Then, they headed upstairs for a game of pool.

It was hard to say who was winning. Sienna and Carina seemed to be evenly matched. Although, they may not have been keeping score to begin with.

The two played until the club closed and they had to leave. They may have only played pool the whole night, but Carina had a lot of fun and couldn't wait to come again. Right now, however, she was ready to go home and hit the sack. Sienna was too. The coffee had worn off.

"Mom, can I drive home?"

"At night? Ah, what the heck? You'll have to sometime."

When they arrived home, in less than sixty seconds, Carina and Sienna were in bed. Kaelyn was already knocked out.

Kaelyn was the first to awaken in the morning. She spotted a cute little dog when she went to get the paper. Trying to be friendly and not scare him, she let him sniff her hand.

She got a photo, right before he ran off. That was the only picture she was taking today. Kaelyn wanted a day off. She got dressed and went to the spa for a seaweed facial.

Carina was the second to wake up. She didn't go fishing yesterday, so she wanted to go today. Instead of Central Park, she went to Summer Hill Springs, a local fishing spot that happened to be very active today.

Sienna woke up shortly after Carina left. A good night's sleep felt much better than coffee. After making the stone sculpture, Sienna didn't feel like working too hard, so she just sculpted some clay to sell.

She created a clay statue. Usually, statues, no matter what material she used, took her a while, but this one didn't take long at all.

To treat herself, Sienna decided to check out the new casino in Sunset Valley.

The casino was absolutely breathtaking. There was even a pool in the back! Sienna headed straight for the slot machines.

At first, she was on a losing streak, but with a lot of playing and some attained levels in gambling, she started to win.

Meanwhile, Kaelyn's facial was finished. Her skin felt ridiculously smooth now. That $500 was worth it. Now, she was heading for the Le Petit Shark Pool Center.

It'd been a long time since Kaelyn last went swimming. Yet, when she got in the pool, the water felt great. No one else was there, but that was fine with Kaelyn. She had the pool to herself.

When she tired of swimming, Kaelyn took a nap in one of the beach chairs. Somehow, the sun's warmth felt nicer than it had before. She was glad there were no guys around. No one to stare at her in her cute bikini while she napped.

Kaelyn wasn't the only one napping. At the casino, Sienna had finally finished playing the slot machines and was taking a nap as well. She wanted to go swimming, but she was hydrophobic and couldn't stand being in pools. That didn't mean she couldn't enjoy being around them, however.

Carina fished well into the evening. She'd already caught two perfect fish: a red herring and a rainbow trout. Now, she caught a third perfect one: a goldfish.

Three more for her perfect aquarium LTW, which made four. Nine more perfect fish to catch.

That was enough fishing for today, so Carina reeled in her fishing line. She called her aunt to tell her where she was and went across the street to the casino to get Sienna.

It'd been a great day for all three of them. Sienna wanted to end the night with something special, so the family went out to the bistro for dinner.

They were the last patrons for the night, but they had an amazing meal. They all agreed the day, and the night, couldn't be better.

[SadieHamming]

Nice update! They had a some fun days. And, I didn't know they could sculpt with stone! [Not that I've had that many sculptors.]

[Spork-tastic]

Looks like they had a ball! I didn't know about sculpting with stone either  .

[Kaye]

There are five materials you can sculpt with: clay, wood, ice, stone and metal (I've never had the fifth). Stone takes at least 3/4 of 24-hour day.

[SadieHamming]

There are five materials you can sculpt with: clay, wood, ice, stone and metal (I've never had the fifth). Stone takes at least 3/4 of 24-hour day.

Oh, okay. Thanks, I've only played to wood

[xFezIsAFreakx]

You can also sculpt in topiary.

Awesome updates! I'm looking forward to where this is going!

[Kaye]

Thanks, Fez! And really, topiary? I've never gotten that one either. Well, I'll see.

[Kaye]

Chapter 9: Masters of Our Skills

Carina caught a perfect anchovy, making 5 out of 13 for her lifetime wish. Instead of having fishbowls all over her room, Sienna and Kaelyn built a small room with enough space to keep two aquariums and one fishbowl.

They replaced the table that held the three fishbowls with a stereo, much to Carina's delight.

Sienna decided to try selling a sculpture in the consignment store. She gave the clerk a clay sculpture worth $149 and it sold within a day for a few simoleons above its value.

(Note: The consignment store clerk is Dustin Langerak! That surprised me!)

Sienna also bought a bottle of nectar from the store and brought it home to share with Kaelyn. Kaelyn was a little wary about trying nectar bought from the consignment store, but Sienna convinced her. Exquisite seemed like a better word to describe the taste than delicious.

While Sienna got to work on another sculpture, Kaelyn visited the Roomies household. There, she met Blair Wainwright and Cycl0n3 Sw0rd, a vampire. Cycl0n3 gave Kaelyn permission to take a picture of him for her Night Life collection.

Sienna's completed sculpture, which pushed her to level ten of sculpting, was a majestic stone unicorn worth $2,046. It was supposed to be given to the Doo Peas Corporate Tower, but Sienna was so proud of that instead of giving it to them or selling it, she kept it for herself and placed it in the living.

Sienna would just created another stone sculpture and give that one to the Doo Peas Corporate Towers.

At night, Carina was focusing on fishing. After many evenings of fishing and rushing to get home by curfew, she finally mastered the skill. She never felt such a feeling of accomplishment. She also caught her biggest salmon yet.

To celebrate Carina's maxed fishing skill and Sienna's maxed sculpting skill, all three ladies went out to see a SimFest. The performance started off poorly, but it eventually got better.

Sienna later created her first topiary in the shape of a penguin.

The next day, Carina was invited to the home of a new friend, Malcolm Landgrabb.

Carina was a little surprised someone from such a wealthy family even attended public school, let alone wanted to be her friend.

And by the time Carina had to get going, Malcolm was her boyfriend.

Sienna only made one sculpture that day. A wooden nectar rack. A fitting place to store any nectar they bought from the consignment shop.

Kaelyn had bigger news than that. When Carina came home, Kaelyn asked if she remembered how she longed to travel with her as a kid. Of course, Carina remembered. That was before she met Lynnette, although she still wanted to travel with her. Kaelyn told her she was about to get that chance. Just before she came home, Kaelyn made a phone call.

She, Carina and Sienna were going to Shang Simla together! Carina was so happy with that news, she could've jumped high enough to hit the ceiling.

The trio left in just a few minutes. The trip to their destination was long, but the sight when they got there? For Carina, breathtaking.

[Kaye]

Chapter 10: Friends, Adventure and Fire!

Excited to be together in China, the family didn't take long to split and explore the city. Kaelyn told Carina of the beautiful fish in the Scholar's Garden, so Carina hopped on her bike and headed that way to fish.

Not only were the fish as beautiful as her aunt had said, but she caught a perfect Doitsu Koi on her first try. That was definitely one for the scapbook!

Sienna visit the market and the Forbidden City. Kaelyn had mentioned how she forgot to buy training objects on her first trip, so Sienna purchased them for her.

She also took a little swim in the pools. Her hydrophobia should've kept her out of the water, but this place was so beautiful, she couldn't resist taking a dip for a few minutes.

And she didn't look too scared either.

As expected, Kaelyn was practicing martial arts. She reached level four and attained the green belt.

Wanting to explore Shang Simla some more, Carina took a trip to the Terracotta Army. On the way, she found a valuable piece of gold.

Meanwhile, Sienna visited the Temple of Heaven. Getting to the top was tiring, but it was worth the very beautiful view. Sienna felt like the empress of China.

In the evening at the base camp, Sienna and Carina got some quality time together as they danced along to the radio.

Kaelyn returned from the academy late. Sienna and Carina were already asleep and it did not take her long to join them. The bed must've been screaming her name.

However, Kaelyn was still the first to rise in the morning. She was ready for an adventure.

She had to speak to a man named Lee Yao.

His instructions were to reach the fifth level of martial arts and then, meditate for two hours. For Kaelyn, that was a piece of cake.

After completing that task, Kaelyn was to seek out a martial artist and spar with him twice.

While Kaelyn was working on her tasks and Sienna was exploring Shang Simla, Carina was making a new friend, Liu Lu.

She seemed like a serious person, but Carina had her laughing at jokes in minutes.

Kaelyn had found the martial artist she was searching for. He immediately agreed to spar with her.

Kaelyn won the first match and her opponent won the second. But the outcome wasn't important because it was only required that Kaelyn spar with him, not that she win.

She reported back to Lee Yao and he gave her another task: bring back some ancient documents from a tomb.

Carina and Liu were having an outing together. Liu also loved the outdoors and was thrilled to go out. The teens became friends fast after that discovery.

They went fishing at Han's Orchard and fished together into the night.

When it was time for Liu to return home, she'd had a fantastic time with Carina. Carina promised to call before she returned home the next day.

The tomb Kaelyn had to explore was located under the Resolute Fist Retreat, a place she'd visited after she finished training at the academy last night.

The tomb was not only puzzling, but dangerous. One area contained many fire traps and Kaelyn got burned a few times trying to get through.

Kaelyn didn't give up, however, and she eventually found what she needed. It took hours, but she completed her task.

When Kaelyn reported to Lee Yao, he congratulated her. Completing the challenge gave Kaelyn her first visa level for China.

But Kaelyn did not seem so happy. As she explained to Lee Yao, she was proud of her accomplishment, but also tired and still wet from having to extinguish herself more than once. It was the third day and she was ready to go back to Sunset Valley.

Kaelyn returned to base camp, where Sienna and Carina were waiting for her. They had the same idea. It was time to go home.

First, Carina called Liu, just as she promised. She said goodbye, but that they would speak again soon.

Then, Kaelyn called the airlines and booked them on the first flight to Sunset Valley.

The minute they were on the ground and in the car heading home, the family couldn't have been happier. Their vacation together was great, but no place was better than home.