I'm on Spring Break! Spring Break means free time, free time means update! This chapter was going to be split into two, but because it's been so long, I felt I owed you guys a nice long chapter that you can really wrap your head around and just get sucked into. This thing got re-written so many times though, I can't even being to tell you. And, yes, I dipped into my old Morae legacy images for a couple of parts. No, I am not at all ashamed. In fact, I'm glad I still had them, otherwise those scenes would have been hard to recreate.
Anywho, last chapter we had Maxime being very upset about Bobby not telling her what he knows about her family and what his role is in her life (aside from baby maker and hubby), and then the entire family (minus Camille, Antoine, and Marcel) was teleported to the Watcher's Domain where she is going to tell Maxime everything she needs to know.
----
2.7 -- L'Histoire De La Famille Morae
After years of my own sister betraying me, and months of my own husband not telling me why his purpose in life was to 'protect' me, I felt it was okay to be a little skeptical of people. Trust is earned, not automatically given. But how can I not trust the Watcher, the external force of SimNation that guided our footsteps and kept us from burning kitchens down? No matter what I tried to tell myself as we all sat rigid and still in the Watcher's domain while she examined a long line of bookshelves against the back wall, I was having a hard time believing who she was.
But then again, she teleported Bobby and I mid argument and pulled both my mother and sister from wherever they were. That should be reason enough to believe.
"I think the easiest way for me to tell you all of what you need to know is to show you." The Watcher was towards the back of the 'office' space we were in. Floor to ceiling, solid black bookshelves lined the wall, and she was working her way down it in search of one particular book, "Maxi still doesn't believe who I am, so the showier I can be, the better, right? I think my clothes were a step in the right direction, Watcher knows I don't usually wear stuff like this. I'm usually in pajamas..."
Ignoring the irony of her saying 'Watcher knows', I sunk back into my seat and bit back a remark I was going to make. One that the Watcher probably wouldn't have taken to lightly. She had the power to kill me on the spot! I wasn't interested in angering her. But not a second I had thought that, my brain went into a very upsetting train of thought.
Knowing The Watcher had power over all of SimNation, had the power to influence our thoughts and what we did amazed and terrified me. Why did she not just throw the information I needed into my brain? Why didn't she stop Isabelle from being a threat to any of us? Why didn't she stop Dakota from disappearing? Why didn't she stop Dad from dying? Why didn't she save Camille? Where was she when we were struggling to find a home? What power did this amazing Watcher have that she let all these things just come to pass?!
Suddenly I was standing. And suddenly she was staring at me. As was everyone else. I swallowed hard and felt a tear blaze a hot trail down my cheek.
She said in a quiet voice, "I'm more powerful than every sim in SimNation, but you all have free will. You have your own thoughts, your own desires, and all I do is help you accomplish them. I don't control you to a tee. You'd all be robots, and what good would that be? I let you work and make your own decisions, I just guide your lives accordingly. You all have complete control over yourself, and you do have the power to resist my influence. Most just don't. Isabelle however...Isabelle and everyone she's ever touched refused my help. And that refusal is what put SimNation where it is now. So if I can get you to trust me for just a little while, everything will make sense. I promise."
Whatever influence the Watcher had, she was working it on me in that moment. Because every word she said calmed my every last nerve. Taking in a deep breath, I nodded at her and she smiled a toothy grin.
"Good! Movin' along." She held in front of her chest a book she'd retrieved from her wall of shelves. It was rust colored and in gold leattering it read 'Morae' on the cover,"This is your family history. Recorded from when the first member of the Morae family was created up to this very point we're experiencing right now. As we live this, the story is being recorded in this book. I record the story of every family I've ever created. Some of the stories are short, and some--like yours--are still going. With this book, I'm going to take you all back so you can see what led up to this very moment for yourselves."
Remember how I said I hated cryptic things a few chapters ago? My feelings had not changed.
"Taking us back..." I said quietly, "In what way?"
The Watcher set the book down on the table and with a wave of her hand, it flew open. The sound of the cover smacking the glass table made us all jump, and soon the room around us took on the appearance of it melting. The walls seemed to drip down onto the ground that was fading away from beneath our feet. The seats my family sat in began to fade, and instinctively they all stood. Bobby stood beside me, holding to me tightly as if we were going to fall into the darkness that was surrounding us
"Back in time. Haven't you seen the movies? No, of course you haven't. I've never sent you to the theatre." The Watcher flipped a few pages, "I'm taking your minds back in time to show you what you need to see."
The Watcher's room was gone, and instead we found ourselves standing in the center of what looked to be a bustling downtown area. Tall skyscrapers, concrete walkways, and right in front of us was a rectangular building with a sign that said 'The Tribune'.
"Before you ask: No one can see us, no one can hear us, only your minds are here and your bodies are safely back in my office. Answer your questions, Ally?"
Allette pressed her lips into a thin line and shrunk back beside my mother. I couldn't help but laugh. The Watcher had done what few people had been able to do in the past: quiet Alette and prevent her from asking a question. But then again, she made Allette. Theoretically, she could rip her mouth off...though I can't imagine she'd do anything quite so gruesome.
"This is Roaring Heights and our story begins with the pretty blonde that's about to walk out of this building."
All of us directed our gaze to the building, where out of the front door walked a young woman with platinum blonde hair and an old-fashioned style of dress.
"She looks like me..." I said, quietly as to not be heard by the woman. But remembering that I couldn't even been seen by people here let alone heard, I spoke up, "She's me with blonde hair! I'd be a cute blonde..."
"Meet Ursula Devoux, your some number of greats grandmother. She was very open-minded, very bold, and very outspoken. People loved her. She was pursued by more men than I was able to beat off with a metaphorical stick. She was an editor and feature columnist for the Roaring Heights Tribune. And every day, right at lunch time, she would meet up with a co-worker and go to lunch to discuss printing for the following day"
"His name was Callum Morae. Dashing and charming with a super velvety voice. The two knew each other for several years, and Ursula was madly in love with him. It took some time for the two of them to admit to having any sort of affection for each other since they shared a work space, but overtime things sort of just...fell into place."
The scene around us changed once again, melting away to show a rainy night time street. Callum and Ursula were walking down the sidewalk, Ursula happily gabbing about something and her new boyfriend watching on with amusement. Then the scene faded again and they were dancing and smooching like cute couples do outside of the office building they worked at.
"Now here's the rub." The Watcher continued, "During this time, the world wasn't very accepting of supernaturals. Werewolves and vampires and fairies and those of the like were constantly hunted and banished and shunned by society, and Roaring Heights was the least tolerant of them. Anyone found to be able to do magic or be magical in anyway were kicked out of town or thrown in the local jail. And that was only if they were lucky. Callum was a Morae...so what do think he was?"
Mom spoke up this time, "A witch. Callum Morae was a witch. I remember reading about it...long time ago in a book Grandma Isabelle had about the family line. Callum was the first witch in the family."
"And their daughter, Isadora, was the second." The Watcher said with a nod, "This didn't become apparent until Ursula saw a toddler Isadora making toys disappear. Her and Callum had a huge argument about trust and truths and all sorts of things. At that point, Ursula had two options: turn her husband and daughter in, or run away from Roaring Heights with them to protect them. She chose the latter. Despite the fact that her husband hadn't told the whole truth, she loved him and she loved her daughter to much to even consider turning them over to the officials. So the family of three skipped town and went to the one place in SimNation that was fully accepting of magical beings. A supernatural hotspot, so to speak."
The Watcher turned the page and our surroundings faded to black once more. After a few seconds, a bright town began to materialize around us. Rich with yellows and oranges. A lush green town square with a fountain and people walking around with smiles on their faces. But some of these people had wings. Some held wands, others were pointing said wands and casting spells at one another. A beast rushed by on all fours, and a feeling of cold washed over me as a ghost floated by.
"During Ursula's time, the hub of all things supernatural wasn't Moonlight Falls like you all know it to be. It was Sunset Valley."
"Sunset Valley was founded by the Goth Family, and what was originally just an ordinary town, became the one place in SimNation where supernatural sims could gather and lead normal lives without fear of being hated by everyone. Everyone outside of Sunset Valley knew that it existed, and it was often where people would banish the supernaturals they found. But more often than not, it went unspoken of. Needless to say, Ursula was all to willing to bring her little family here."
I was used to scenes changing around me at this point, in fact I expected it to happen everytime the Watcher finished a statement. Just as I anticipated, the scene around me changed and we were in a decent sized house with old-fashioned furnishings and a warm, welcoming sort of feel to it. Watcher had placed us in the living room, and out of the kitchen walked a dark-haired teen and her father. Callum, and who I assumed to be their baby all grown up. Isadora had a wand in her hand and she was excitedly waving it around, much to her father's chagrin.
"The family settled in. And Isadora grew up knowing all about magic and learning it from her father, while Ursula worked for the Sunset Valley Times. Eventually, Ursula died of old age. But at the time she died, Callum and Isadora were still young because supernaturals live significantly longer than normal sims do. With her mother dead and her a master of her own magic, Isadora decided to do something in her mother's honor. Ursula wrote alot articles in the Sunset Valley Times that preached about the acceptance of supernaturals. Her biggest goal in life was to maybe one day bring knowledge of their kind to the rest of SimNation in a safe way so that they'd be accepted."
"The Coven." It was Bobby who'd spoken suddenly, and I knew right then and there that this was the part of the story he was already familiar with. I turned my eyes on him as he continued, "Isadora and a woman named Illythia formed The Coven, an organization that sought to teach everyone in SimNation about supernaturals. And how they were harmless."
"Illythia Hiland was a vampire. She and Isadora became fast friends in high school and remained as such through much of their Young Adulthood. The two of them formed what was known at this time as The Coven of Immortalis, and later on just 'The Coven'. It was their lives' work, and they were successful for over a hundred years. They opened up other offices in towns all over SimNation and soon enough, supernatural beings were integrated seamlessly into society. In this time, Isadora married and had a daughter named Sophia. Sophia was not magical, but she married as well and had a daughter...Isabelle."
The moment the Watcher spoke her name, ever single one of us froze up. Of all the things I imagined Isabelle to come from, I never would have imagined she'd been born to a line of such good-willed women. Isabelle was so...not good. What could have posessed her to become the twisted person I knew her to be? When people such as her mother and grandmother and The Coven surrounded her as a child?
"As time went on, Illythia's views changed. It's like...when you put on an outfit that looks so great on the hanger, but when you're actually wearing it, it doesn't look as nice. Integration looked great at first, but seeing it in action upset her. She believed that supernatural beings needed to be accepted, but not integrated into society. She thought them to be better than the rest of humanity and they needed to be on a separate level than humans, and the Coven at the head leading them and the humans below them. At this point, Isadora had traveled to Monte Vista to open another office for the Coven. But word met her that Illythia had completely taken over in her absence. She'd closed down every other office and kicked out everyone who ever supported them and brought in one of every type of supernatural to represent every race. So instead of a bunch of humans who supported their cause, the Coven had a vampire, a werewolf, a fairy, a ghost, and a genie to act as racial leaders."
The Watcher showed the Coven to us, the members it was made up of at the time, and Allete spoke as her eyes traveled down the line of supernaturals, "And so I'm guessing...Isadora was meant to be the leader of the witches."
The Watcher nodded, "Exactly. But Isadora didn't support Illythia's cause. So she and her family stayed in Monte Vista. Not to escape the Coven, but so Isadora could become more powerful. She knew that if she wanted to return the Coven to what it was before, she would either have to convince them or destroy them and start anew. But when the family began their trip back to Sunset Valley years later, Sophia revolted."
The scene around us changed again. Twinbrook--I recognized it from the images Allette had showed me years ago when we were attempting to decide on where to move. We saw a young Isabelle, looking disheveled and her eyes tear stained as she gazed down at a grey tombstone that read only 'Sophia Aileen Morae'.
"Isabelle was only a teen when her grandmother cast a spell to send Sophia's car into the Simislaus Creek when she tried to run away with Isabelle. Isabelle survived somehow, but by the time she'd emerged from the wreckage of her mother's car, she was on her own. Isadora had vanished. She followed the road out of the town and set down her own roots in the nearest urban place she could find that wasn't the town her mother died in: Bridgeport."
What I saw was an Isabelle who loved to party and drink and flirt with any man who gave her the eye. It was absolutely bizzare.
"What about the Coven then?" Allette questioned, "And what became of Isadora?"
"While Isabelle grew up alone in Bridgeport, Isadora set out to take back control of the Coven. She went to Bridgeport after Isabelle had grown, only to find that Isabelle had supressed the memories of everything that happened to her before she moved to Bridgeport. So when Isadora appeared on Isabelle's doorstep, she had no idea who she was. But she still managed to convince Isabelle to follow her guidance."
The Watcher flipped a page, and suddenly we were standing in Twinbrook again. But this time, Isabelle was grown and still sporting that ridiculous little dress of her's. She was arguing with someone, then smacking them, then moving past them and flirting with a handsome man in black with black hair that had blue tips.
"Isadora told Isabelle that she had a fortune waiting for her in Sunset Valley, and that if she trusted her and did exactly as she said, it could be her's for generations to come. Isabelle's task was very simple: start a legacy and make sure that the heirs were witches. This way, the tenth generation would have the potential to be the most powerful. And with Isadora's help, Isabelle would live to see that 10th generation born, and then the three of them would go to Sunset Valley and be strong enough to face whatever army Illythia amassed for them. But Isabelle quickly formed her own plans."
"Her husband cheated on her. Initially she divorced him, but then she discovered he'd had a child with another woman. And with Isadora controlling her, she felt everything was out of control. So she snatched back the reins: she stopped listening to Isadora, murdered her husband, and set her own purpose for the legacy: Birth ten generations, then when the tenth was born, she'd resurrect the first nine heirs and she would have her own army to storm Sunset Valley and not only take her fortune, but control the entirety of the town. And she would use elixirs the whole way to make sure she was alive to see it all take place. Isadora realized she'd lost control of her granddaughter and she went ahead to Sunset Valley to warn the Coven that Isabelle was going to become a threat. So with the help of elixirs, Isadora herself remained alive and helped the Coven build up it's defenses so it could take down Isabelle when she finally arrived."
"My older sister...."
Mom's voice was so quiet when she spoke those words. Pained and forced, and I could see in her eyes that the story had turned to a subject that was not only familiar to her, but recent history.
"Lacey. She was the tenth generation heir. when she was chosen, the battle happened..."
Slowly, the Watcher turned the page again and all around us we saw chaos. The sky was darkened by smoke that billowed up from buildings set ablaze. Bodies lay lifeless in the street, and most of the town was wreckage. It was a horrifying sight. One that made my breath catch.
"Isabelle resurrected of the previous heirs, and they began wreaking havoc in town. Destroying anyone who opposed them and demanding that the Coven show themselves. The Coven itself never did, but they sent forth a lot of powerful supernaturals to fight them. It was a very gruesome fight that later became known as the Battle of Sunset Valley. One by one, the members of Isabelle's army fell. The blood line was in jeapordy, so I sent Giselle away to Appaloosa Plains. In Sunset Valley, the Coven had wiped out the entire Morae family, heirs and non-heirs alike. Everyone but Isabelle who fled before the could get to her, and Giselle who was safely on the road."
The sight of Sunset Valley faded and we were back in the Watcher's domain, sat on the sofa like we'd never left at all. The Watcher sat down, hands placed on her lap as she spoke.
"After the battle, Isadora brought The Coven together and told them that with Isabelle still alive she was bound to try and attack again. And moreover, Giselle and her kin had to be looked after. So at roughly the same time Giselle became pregnant with Antoine, the Coven established connections all over SimNation and gave all these offshoots of the Coven instructions pertaining to what they were to do depending on which of the two family members they encountered."
The Watcher grew quiet and her eyes drifted to Bobby, who turned to face me head on. He took my hands into his and kissed them gently before speaking.
"My dad operates the Riverview base of The Coven, and the instructions were pretty simple. Detain Isabelle, protect Giselle. We didn't really expect anyone to come to Riverview, so dad acted as leader but otherwise led a normal life, which is how I was born...I'd say right around the same time you were. So while you were living in Appaloosa, I was here being told that if Giselle or her kids were to come to Riverview it was my job to protect them, and if I ever saw Isabelle, I was supposed to run as fast as I could and get someone who could help detain her...that's why I was so dedicated to you and your family. And especially you, as the heir. Falling in love with you, Maxi, was just a real pleasant bonus."
I was overwhelmed. Absolutely and utterly overwhelmed. I couldn't even form letters, let alone whole words and coherent sentences. All I could make myself do was lean up and kiss my husband again...and again...and then again until Allette cleared her throat loudly and I stopped. I was so grateful to him and how dedicated he'd been to his cause. I still thought it barbaric to force someone to make their life all about one person, or one family line and nothing else. But if our survival was the only thing keeping Sunset Valley and potentially the rest of SimNation from Isabelle, it was a small price to pay. And a worthy price in Bobby's eyes.
"So..." Allette said softly once I'd managed to keep my lips away from Bobby's, "Camille and Dakota are gone. I'd wager a guess that Isabelle's goal is to rebuild her army?"
"A more sophisticated version of it, yes. Dakota and Camille are both with Isabelle. And even though I'm the Watcher, I don't even know how she plans to re-mobilize. All I can tell is that she's taking family members, though Dakota is only family through marriage so...really, I don't know her plan. But I knew that you all needed to know this and to pass this story down for the next few generations so that everyone is prepared and able to resist Isabelle if she comes back around. She cannot be allowed back into power."
"But you're the Watcher!" I protested, my voice laced with disbelief, "You can prevent this all on your own, can't you? Why do you need US?"
"Isabelle isn't under my control anymore! She's acting and moving on her own. Completely able to resist any of my attempts to control her. And that power is passed on to anyone who comes in contact with her."
Suddenly we were outside the Watcher's room again. In that stark, sterile room we'd been teleported into before. And the Watcher stood in front of us, looking like a child who'd been caught doing something bad, hands held tightly to her side. Something about this situation had her worked up and upset---the lack of control, how things in the world she worked so hard to protect was being torn apart by hurricane Isabelle.
"I am leaving it to you, Maxime, to tell this story that I just told you. Make sure every one of your children and your grandchildren and great grandchildren know about Isabelle so they know to say no to her. Or absolutely everyone is doomed. I'll do what I can from up here, but I also need you to cooperate. Just promise you'll tell this story, and we'll be taking the right step forward to stop the woman who is the worst thing I have ever done to SimNation."
The weight of the world is, not surprisingly, heavy. It's really, really, really heavy! But despite that, I understood my role in this. As a member of this family...as it's heir, I knew I would have responsibility. It was my job to make sure the family lived on. And the story I was told was how I would do it. So my answer was pretty clear.
"I will. I'll tell the story."
=======
