The Straud Dynasty (new -- Dec 11)

[MarianT]

Chapter 54 -- Second Quarter Report

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Gavin, Chiara, and I got together and agreed that our parents have been acting strange lately.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And it's not just because there's a baby in the house, although the way Lothi cries, that's probably enough to drive anyone crazy.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Aunt Cass invited Lothi's father over to see her, and he didn't seem too impressed. Aunt Cass says we can call him "Uncle Don," because he's our cousin's father. But Grannibella says it's more appropriate to call him "Mr. Lothario." No way do I want Grannibella on my case, so Mr. Lothario it is.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But back to the subject of weird parental behavior -- Papa actually played dolls with me the other day even though he normally smashes the dollhouse any chance he gets. He's started answering our questions, too, like "Is it okay to eat dirt?" (No, it's unhealthy.) And "What should you do if a bully is picking on your friend?" He said you should stick up for your friend, but I think you and your friend should beat the bully up. Or if he's too big for that, I might write down his name on a list of people I plan to drain of plasma as soon as I become a vampire.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

It's not just the grown-ups who are acting weird, though. Gavin actually set the table the other day -- I didn't even know we had placemats.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Plus, he mopped up a mess someone made, without anyone telling him to do that. Mama congratulated him on becoming so responsible.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

He was all psyched about it, especially when she took him to the playground so he could get on the pirate ship. He's been acting funny about Mama lately, wanting to be in the same room as her, just like a toddler.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Chiara has suddenly developed an interest in volcanoes.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I thought she'd get in trouble for slopping volcano stuff on Grannibella's carpet, but everyone was pleased with her. She's started working on Gavin's volcano, too, but out in the hall where it won't do any damage. She wants to make a volcano that really erupts instead of just dribbles.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Chiara has started doing homework, too, which is a first for her. Papa told her if she wanted to become a volcanologist, she'd have to get good grades.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Finally, I have to confess that I've done some weird stuff, too, like running out to check on Grannibella when she and Papa and Aunt Cass came home from work.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I made a mess, too, with some of my chemicals, and Mama told me to clean it up.
 
 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She suggested that I channel my mess-making impulses into art work.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Lately, I've wanted a little more noise in my life. Everyone is so quiet (except for Lothi) that you can hear every creak the house makes. Mama made me channel that into music -- or rather, playing the violin. I still don't sound anything like her or Aunt Cass.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But she said I'm not so bad for a kid. When she was learning, Grandfather used to wince every time she picked up the violin. She couldn't produce a recognizable tune until she became a teen.
Incidentally, that's Lothi napping in the background.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The grown-ups think she's cute, but it seems to me she's pretty obnoxious, always crying or making a mess.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]


Mama says that if I don't want her playing with my paints, I should put them away more carefully, but I'm not allowed to lock my bedroom door.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Aunt Cass invited Mr. Lothario over to become better acquainted with his daughter. I'm not sure that's something he really wanted to do. (Note mess on high chair tray. I'm sure none of us ever dumped our food on the ground.)

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But Lothi giggled at him instead of crying...

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

...so of course he did what she wanted. I think Mr. Lothario has pretty much stayed here since he came over, unless he goes away while I'm at school and then comes back.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The other day, he and Grannibella were in the bathroom together, and I peeked through the keyhole to see what they were doing. He was just rubbing her shoulder because her neck hurt, but when I told Aunt Cass about it, she looked really sad.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She said that henceforth, she would devote her life to music, her job, and raising Lothi.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

At least Lothi can't make a mess while Aunt Cass is trying to teach her things.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I guess I'll have to have a child someday on account of being a dynasty heir, but all I can say is that Lothi is cutest when she's asleep. That's all for now, Bye, Jocasta

Zara's Second 50 Points
Skills: 4 -- Baking, 4; Mixology, 1
Promotions: 9 -- Zara, 2; Cassandra, 2; Alexander, 3; Jocasta, 1; Gavin, 1
Satisfaction Points: 4
$30,000: 2
Good Friends: 1 -- Bella Goth
Maxed Skills/Aspirations/Careers: 32 -- Zara, fishing, charisma, 4; Jocasta, communication, mental, 4; Chiara, communication, imagination, thinking, motor, 8; Gavin, imagination, thinking, communication, creativity, 8/Jocasta, Whiz Kid, 2; Gavin, Artistic Prodigy, 2; Chiara, Rambunctious Scamp, 2/Zara, Culinary, 2.
Negatives: -2 -- pass out, Bella; Frugal reward, Zara

[Magz from Oz]

I really liked Jocasta's interpretation of events.  But poor Aunt Cass, 

[PeregrineTook]

Jocasta is just such a delightful little observer!
Mr. Lothario had better watch himself!  He may be a plasma drain victim if he hurts Aunt Cass!  Jocasta will add him to her list!

[MarianT]

Chapter 55 -- Third Quarter Report

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I don't know if I can take any more weeks like this last one.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

At work, everyone had the same two questions:  when would I be getting new clothes in stock (soon), and would I put up a climbing wall for them to use to see if they wanted to buy one (if they can do it for free here, why would they want to buy one? This is a store, not a gym.). Paolo reminded me that some stores actually do have a climbing wall on the premises for people to use. And I reminded him that those stores usually do charge their customers to do that. I don't have a way of charging people for equipment use, and besides my insurance cost would go through the roof if I let people climb.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Agatha has been slightly easier to live with now that she's not working (and bringing home her ill-gotten gains). She actually cleans when I ask her to, albeit not cheerfully.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And the other day, she even cleaned the toilet without being asked. We might get through her adolescence after all.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She's making progress on her portraits, and Paolo said she was actually quite cordial to him the other day, although she still has moments when she says it would be lovely if she lived alone.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She's also been making an effort to become better acquainted with her grandfather. She's his favorite, I reminded her, and it wouldn't hurt to spend some time with him. Besides, he might send her something for her young adult birthday if they're friends.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I've found that I usually benefit from a yoga workout after talking to Agatha. The bunny agrees.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Marcus is still very much with us. He says that the Grim Reaper has forgotten he exists, and I say that's a good thing.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Rudy is going through a rebellious phase. Even if I just look at him, he gets huffy and says that he doesn't feel like doing homework right now.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But if I can manage to keep my mouth shut, he'll do something like repair a toilet for me. He's actually on pace to develop the responsibility trait.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Yoga helps me unwind after dealing with Rudy, too.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I took some time this week  to finish learning photography at Father's store. He was there, too, and I was able to get this picture of him. He's been reading up on character values and naturally had some opinions on what I should be teaching the children.
"Good manners are very important," he reminded me. "We Strauds have always been courteous, even to our enemies and victims. I'd concentrate on emotional control, too, especially for your girls. Hysteria is just not attractive, and I'd be horrified if I learned that either of them had taken to screaming like a fishwife. But the rest? Responsibility is a virtue -- in a peasant. And I can't see the point of conflict resolution. In my youth, we resolved conflicts with duels. As for empathy -- the last thing I'd want is for any of my offspring to become soft-hearted. That's the same as soft-headed in my book. If you coddle peasants, they'll come to expect steak dinners and vacations at Isla Paradiso -- that's what my father always said."
I thanked Father for his advice and forbore to mention that Agatha's highest score so far is in empathy, and that I've been making her do volunteer work to develop it.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

For a long time Alyssa was the easy child, working on her motor skills and playing with her doctor set.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She would even set the table without being asked to...

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

...and would listen patiently to my little lessons on manners.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But one day she developed opinions about what was on her plate. There's nothing sadder than a child forced to choke down vegetables. Kale? Eww. Spinach? Double eww. Even carrots and peas became bones of contention. "I wish we had a dog," she remarked one day.
"Oh, why?" I made the mistake of asking.
"So I could feed him what I didn't want to eat," she said.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I finally reached the breaking point and tried to talk to her about healthy eating. "There are children in Twinbrook who'd be grateful for what you turn your nose up at," I said. "It's my body, I should be the one who decides what goes into it," Alyssa stormed back.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And then she went outside and made a mess while I was actually cooking her birthday cake. I was flabbergasted, but Alyssa just said that she knew it was the last time she'd be able to do that so she wanted to take advantage.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I don't know how I'm going to deal with three teenagers.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I'm definitely going to need more drastic measures than yoga.

Gretchen's Third 50 Points
Skills: 7 -- DJ Mixing, 2; Wellness, 5
Promotions: 9 -- Gretchen, 3; Paolo, 1; Jade, 2; Agatha, 2; Alyssa, 1
Satisfaction Points: 5
$30,000: 4
Good Friends: 2 -- Jade Rosa, Yumiko Yoshida
Places Visited: 2 -- Fit & Fancy, Point & Shoot
Maxed Skills/Aspirations/Careers: 20 -- Gretchen, DJ Mixing, 2; Rudy, Motor, 2; Alyssa, Creativity, Social, Mental, 6/ Agatha, Artistic Prodicy, 2; Rudy, Rambunctious Scamp, 2; Alyssa, Artistic Prodigy, Whiz Kid, 4/ Agatha, Retail, 2
Negatives: -1 -- bladder failure, Alyssa

[PeregrineTook]

Oh goodness!  My poor Gretchen is having such a rough time with the kiddos.  Even angelic Agatha  ;=)
Another lovely update.  So impressed with the progress you're making.  Managing multiple households is hard!

[MarianT]

Chapter 56 -- Third Quarter Report

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

On reflection, the Forbidden Fruit tree had probably been a mistake. It was prolific, but its fruits were worthless -- unless you wanted to live as a Plantsim for a while. Now that Nadia had experienced the state, she was less intrigued by it. Perhaps one of her descendants would want to try it, though, so she kept the tree.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Speaking of descendants, she was beginning to feel quite proud of her brood.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Justine was always ready to help with the dishes, and her lessons in manners were beginning to show.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Having completed her Social Butterfly aspiration, she was now trying to become a Whiz Kid. Playing chess with her father helped him, too. Malcolm just needed one more promotion to max the Business career, but he needed to max logic first.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Tabitha was becoming more responsible by helping with the trash.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She still had the occasional nightmare, though. "Where is your nightlight?" Nadia asked upon being awakened. "In my pocket," Tabitha confessed. "And is that the right place for it?" said Nadia. "No-o," said Tabitha. "I'll put it back."

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But an apologetic hug the next morning made up for a couple of hours of lost sleep.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Nadia's daughters might not be as pretty as their cousins, but Nadia wouldn't trade them for anything. And besides, they were vampires. Chances were pretty good that they'd live long enough to marry one of their cousins' descendants.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Nadia's garden was going well, although she still hadn't completed her plant collection. At the moment, though, she was more interested in alien fruit. With three picky eaters in the house, she knew she wouldn't be able to cook with it, but it would sell for quite a bit on the market.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Perhaps even enough to pay for her recent acquisition -- the climbing wall. Gretchen had been annoyed that she hadn't waited to buy one from her store, so Nadia had gone and purchased one of her workout machines. Malcolm could use some shoulder development, and probably the boys would use it when they became teens.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

At work, Nadia had to re-calibrate the wormhole generator before she could use it.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Once on Sixam, she was relieved to see that the party was over. It had been a great party, and she was truly touched that they should have welcomed her, but she had work to do, cataloguing the new metals and gathering samples of the plants to see if they would grow in Simworld.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Nadia met one Sixamite, Janine. Janine explained that the reason they sometimes impregnated Sim males was that Sixamites could only reproduce among themselves if they had the assistance of the Watcher. Nadia thought this was fascinating information and resolved to interview Janine more thoroughly in a future session.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

As she left, she thought that she felt more at home here. Maybe next time she would bring a tent and a cooler so she could stay longer. Or maybe not. She still had much to do in Oasis Springs.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Argus was a teen now, with her eyes and Malcolm's nose and mouth. At the moment he was upset about a slight blemish on his chin -- so slight you had to really get close to see it. Nadia told him it was the result of being a picky eater.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Andrew was a teen, too, and fond of singing, like his grandfather. Unfortunately, his voice wasn't nearly as good.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

He was really thin, too, even more so than Argus, who was mainly skin and bones. Nadia sighed. What with trying to fix low calorie meals for herself and Kengo, and meeting the needs of 3 picky eaters, she didn't see how she would put weight on the boy. Fortunately, Andrew was interested in cooking.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Argus had to complete the Good Vampire aspiration before he could move out, so he started studying the books.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

He would need points as well, to get his Tamed Thirst reward. On his first free day, he went to his grandfather for training. (Tabitha came too, to make friends for her aspiration.) It wasn't long now before Argus would be the Watcher's focus.

Nadia's Third 50 Points
Skills: 2 -- gardening, 1; pipe organ, 1
Promotions: 6 -- Malcolm, 1; Sharon, 2; Kengo, 2; Justine, 1
Satisfaction Points: 1
$30,000: 6
Collections: 4 -- elements, crystals
Places Visited: 1 -- Desert Bloom Park
Maxed Skills/Aspirations: 26 -- Nadia, gardening, charisma, 4; Argus, motor, creativity, 4; Andrew, mental, 2; Tabitha, mental, 2; Justine, movement, imagination, creativity, motor, 8/Argus, Rambunctious Scamp, 2; Andrew, Social Butterfly, Artistic Prodigy, 4; Tabitha, Whiz Kid, 2; Justine, Rambunctious Scamp, 2
Negative: -1 -- Nadia pass out

[oshizu]

I'm now caught up with your story again!

Poor Cass and her philandering baby-daddy. But it's Don Lothario....seriously, how could his infidelity be a surprise? His family name says everything!

Wow, Argus as a teen really takes after Papa Malcolm!
I remain Team Nadia--she is so determined, practical, and patient. And, somehow, I enjoy her updates the most. I really admire how she deals with adversity.

Reading about the Parenthood Game Pack's impact on the child stage in Gretchen and Zara's households had me very worried at first.
But good parenting seems to have really paid off in Nadia's home.
I'm glad to read that Nadia has started to take the competitive aspect of the challenge more seriously now.
Go Nadia, go!  *waves Team Nadia banner

[PeregrineTook]

Dear, sweet Tabitha!  She's so glorious.  Nightlight in the pocket indeed.  We all know Nadia was delighted to have that extra time with her favorite child  ;=)
The research on Sixam was very interesting.  I love how you've been so consistent with Nadia always being the scientist and researcher.  It makes a very interesting character concept!

[MarianT]

Chapter 57 -- The Case of the Broken Volcano

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Monday morning the three of us were all excited because we knew that we'd be getting school projects to work on that day. At least I was excited and so was Gavin; Chiara was kind of blase because she'd done a project already (with a lot of help from Aunt Cass).

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Sure enough, I came home with a volcano to work on, and so did Gavin. Chiara had a medieval castle to make.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But she ended up doing Gavin's volcano...

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

While Gavin worked on her castle. I was kind of tired, so around 3:30 I went downstairs to take a nap.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

When I got up at 7 pm, I found that someone had destroyed all the work I'd done, forcing me to start over. Who would do such a thing?

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Agatha Simstie always said to suspect everyone, and that the culprit was often the last person you'd suspect, so I thought of Lotti. I knew she was capable of going upstairs because I'd seen her in Grannibella's room.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And I certainly knew she was capable of making a mess.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Might she have an alibi?

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I decided to question Uncle Don. Seeing that he practically lives here, Grannibella has quit insisting that we call him Mr. Lothario.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

He even sleeps here when everyone's at work.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And he wanders around the house in his underwear. But anyway, Uncle Don said that Lotti went down for a nap right after she had some cereal so it couldn't have been her.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Papa doesn't like Uncle Don much. "When is that fellow going to get a job?" I heard him grousing to Mama. I briefly considered Papa as a suspect -- he has a history of smashing dollhouses, after all -- but he was at work during the time.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I decided to ask Mama if she'd observed any suspicious behavior, but she had something she wanted to discuss with me.
"What's this about you writing love letters to your teacher?" she demanded. It turned out she'd gotten a call from the principal.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

"It wasn't my teacher," I said with a laugh. "It was Mr. Lobo. He came to our class to talk to us about art history. And it's no big deal because he's not married."
Mama told me that it might be a very big deal. If Mr. Lobo got romantically involved with me, he'd be in a lot of trouble.
"Oh," I said. "Should I write him a letter apologizing?" But Mama thought it would be better if I didn't write any letters at all.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

My next suspect was Gavin. But he's been hanging around Mama a lot lately -- he follows her everywhere except into the bathroom.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And Mama confirmed that he'd been with her for all of the afternoon.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

It was ridiculous to think that Grannibella or Aunt Cass might be a suspect, but I considered them anyway. It turned out they'd been at work until 7, too, just like Papa.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

That left just one person...
"I bet you did it yourself because you knew it wouldn't turn out as nice as mine," Chiara taunted.
I'd never get a confession, but I knew in my heart who the culprit was. Case closed.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

There's not much else going on here, except that Mama has finally finished the violin piece she started ages ago. She's called it "For Al" (that's Papa) and gets royalties for it.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Grannibella says that I'm getting to be quite good on the violin myself, which was a wonderful compliment. Maybe I'll become a famous musician when I grow up.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Gavin finished his castle. We were hoping it might have a pit beast that the king could throw evil-doers, too, but there wasn't one in the box.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I became friends with my cousins Tabitha and Justine and also with the kid behind me, Aarav, to finish up Social Butterfly. Now all I have to do is finish my Rambunctious Scamp aspiration, and I'll be able to become a teen. Easy-peasy!

[oshizu]

I loved this chapter with Jocasta hunting down the identity of the volcano-smashing culprit!
She's so smart and I can't help but think she's get along famously with her Auntie Nadia.

She's not only intelligent but also very beautiful. The last screenshot reminds me that Jocasta, with her large lovely eyes, is the grand-daughter of Bella Goth.
How funny about Don. Is his constant presence caused by "The-Baby-Daddy-Who-Never-Leaves" glitch? Of course Don running around in his underwear would annoy Alex!

Great narration, Jocasta! I can't wait to meet you again on your teen birthday! (In your challenge, MarianT, is completing 2 childhood aspirations the prerequisite for ageing up to a teen?)

[MarianT]

I loved this chapter with Jocasta hunting down the identity of the volcano-smashing culprit!
She's so smart and I can't help but think she's get along famously with her Auntie Nadia.

She's not only intelligent but also very beautiful. The last screenshot reminds me that Jocasta, with her large lovely eyes, is the grand-daughter of Bella Goth.
How funny about Don. Is his constant presence caused by "The-Baby-Daddy-Who-Never-Leaves" glitch? Of course Don running around in his underwear would annoy Alex!

Great narration, Jocasta! I can't wait to meet you again on your teen birthday! (In your challenge, MarianT, is completing 2 childhood aspirations the prerequisite for ageing up to a teen?)

I don't know if it's a glitch. Don's been invited over a couple of times, but yes, once he shows up, he doesn't leave.
I'm not sure which of the girls will be the prettiest. Lothi has those big green eyes she inherited from Don, but Jocasta and Chiara are both descended from Bella and Zoe Patel. And Gavin will probably be quite handsome, too.
As for your last question, since I'm playing on long, the children have to complete all 4 aspirations before becoming teens.
And I've decided my teens are going to need 3 character traits before they can become YAs.

[PeregrineTook]

Jocasta is so awesome!   We've got a future detective on our hands. ;=)
Another lovely update once again showing your great skill in character-driven narration!

[MarianT]

Chapter 58 -- Tragedy

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I'm so upset. I don't even know what to say. I wish I could turn back the clock and do this morning over.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

It started with a fight between Agatha and Rudy. I have no idea what they were fighting about -- they've been best friends since they were born. Since they were twins, you might say they were born best friends.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I tried asking Agatha what the fight had been about, but she just gave me a woebegone look.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And then she went to sob in her bed. "It's all my fault for winning the fight," she wailed.
 
 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

"That made him so angry that he turned."

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

That was all Agatha remembered, but Rudy must have bitten her. Downstairs, I thought the fight was over because it had gone quiet.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But then I heard a thud, which could only be someone falling to the ground. "What's going on?" I shouted as I ran upstairs.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

"Rudy, what have you done?" I demanded in horror. He pushed past me and hurried downstairs.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

"Going out for a jog. Clear my head," he called as he went out the door. I looked at the clock. It was 6 am, sunrise. "Rudy, no!" I shouted.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

He was only gone 20 minutes, and I was waiting at the front door to call him inside when he returned.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But it was too late. Grim showed up almost the moment he stopped jogging.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Too young. Too young.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I took his urn to our museum and set up a headstone there. I never thought my little boy would occupy the first grave. My only boy. My only child with my freckles and his father's chin. My A student, my bookworm. Gone.









Rest in Peace, Rudolfo Straud.

[saltpastillen]

Oh no!

[oshizu]

Oh no, that was so sudden and so very sad!
It makes me want to lock the doors to prevent cherished vampires from ever venturing outdoors during the day.

Since Rudolfo is a spare and not the heir, do your rules permit bringing him back to life?
Our is Gretchen's beloved Rudolfo gone forever?

An ISBI-like challenge with vampires---MarianT, you have created the most challenging of challenges for yourself!
Poor Gretchen! And Agatha will have to always live with her guilt.