O'Hara Random Legacy

[ArianaJade]

Apparently having a decadynasty just isn't enough simming for me. So welcome to the O'Hara random legacy, set in Twinbrook.

I'm following the rules here. My roll for the first generation was:

Marital Structure: Couple
Number of Children:3
Primary Income: Education
Secondary Income: None
Generation Goal: Perfect Children (each child has to learn all their toddler skills, read all the toddler books, and max out all toddler and child skill toys)
Misc: Homemade (all meals have to be made from homegrown produce, no buying from the grocery store or the fridge)

I'm also following a couple of rules I've added for myself.
1) Moving the heir to a new house to start each generation
2) Each heir must max a career and supermax a skill
3) Must get a portrait of each heir in Young Adult lifestage

So, to the beginning!

Generation 1: Ellie-Mae
Chapter 1 - Beginnings
Chapter 2 - Her Mother's House
Chapter 3 - James

[ArianaJade]

Marital Structure: Couple
Number of Children:3

• Skye
• Winter
• Rowan

Primary Income: Education
Secondary Income: None
Generation Goal: Perfect Children (each child has to learn all their toddler skills, read all the toddler books, and max out all toddler and child skill toys)
Misc: Homemade (all meals have to be made from homegrown produce, no buying from the grocery store or the fridge)

[ArianaJade]

Beginnings

The first train of the day arrived in Twinbrook just as the sun was rising over the swamps. The conductor hurried the passengers off, supposedly to keep the train moving on time towards Bridgeport but with thoughts of his sandwiches foremost in his mind. Most of them strode off, towards their destinations in the small, sleepy town. Some hovered at the station, perhaps waiting for a connection or a loved one to pick them up. The girl we are interested in is one of the former. She quickly consulted a map, hoisted her bag onto her shoulder a bit more firmly, and flagged down the nearest taxi.



Ellie-Mae O'Hara. That was her name, although she'd only known that herself for less than a day when she arrived. She'd been brought up as Eleanor Allgood, daughter of Kirsty and Jacob and sister to Harvey. It had been a perfect childhood. Harvey was only a year younger than her and wherever you found one, you found the other. Climbing trees, building sandcastles down at the Sunset Valley beaches, even going to Scouts together. When not running around the neighbourhood, she was just as happy learning something new in a book.



And then it changed. Her eighteenth birthday arrived, and she blew out the candles to become a fully-fledged young adult.



Kirsty and Jacob had organised a party for that evening, but first, they had something to tell her, they said. They weren't her parents.

“What do you mean?” she had asked, stunned.

Kirsty explained. Her mother, Crystal O'Hara, had been sixteen and already flying off the rails. There was a much older boyfriend, who convinced her he would marry her, and she moved with him to Sunset Valley, leaving her worried family behind. She became pregnant.

The older boyfriend left her when he found out, leaving Crystal alone with her rapidly-expanding belly. When the baby came, Ellie-Mae, she was adopted and Crystal too left. Neither Kirsty or Jacob had heard from her since. They didn't know the name of her father.

“Sorry,” Kirsty finished. “We didn't want to spoil your childhood by telling you. We still love you.”

Ellie-Mae screamed, threw her slice of birthday cake at the wall, and stormed into the house.



Jacob watched her with his calm eyes. “Leave her be. It's a shock. She'll come around.”

She didn't. That evening she emerged from her room, clutching a confirmation of booking for the  overnight train in her hand and her favourite bag over her shoulder.

“I contacted the adoption agency,” she had said to what was no longer her family. “They have an address for my mother. In Twinbrook. I'm going to go and find her.”

Kirsty had watched her daughter leave, for what she knew would be the last time. She knew she may see her again, one day, but she knew it would not be as her daughter. She was somebody else's daughter now.



And Ellie remembered that look as she handed the address of her biological mother's house to the taxi driver and as it drove off into the swamps of Twinbrook. She almost felt bad for Kirsty. But she was going to find her real mother now, and that was more important.

[alex51299]

I'm in love with this already! I can't wait to see what happens next. 

[loveSims]

Awesome start! Ellie is gorgeous! Can't  wait for more.

[ArianaJade]

I'm in love with this already! I can't wait to see what happens next. 

Thanks! I'm just uploading the pictures for the next update now

Awesome start! Ellie is gorgeous! Can't  wait for more.

Thanks, she was the result of me trying to make a sim in a different style to my normal simmies. And then she sort of developed a back-story, and then this happened...

[ArianaJade]

Her Mother's House

“EXCUSE ME!”

Ellie-Mae was halfway towards the front door of her mother's house when she was startled by a loud yell.

“I'm sorry miss, but this house is going for auction today. Have you got the wrong address? I can help you find where you need to be if you like.” A tall, rather handsome man in some sort of uniform shirt rounded the corner of the house.



“It's my mother's house,” she replied.

“I'm sorry,”he said. “Nobody's lived here for a while now. The rent hasn't been paid for a good three years. All but abandoned. Its owner is taking it to auction at four o'clock, and we need to get packing it up. Your mother's house must be further along.”

“It's not. It's this one.” She pulled the address the adoption agency had given her out of her pocket and thrust it in his face. The removal man, or whatever he was, took it and had to concede that she was at the right house. However, that didn't change the fact that it was being sold.

“Sorry,” he said for what seemed like the umpteenth time as she continued to argue with him. “You're going to have to leave now.”

“How much will it cost?” she asked.

“Excuse me?”

“I'll buy it, now. Give me a price. How much does the owner want for it? I have cash.”

The removal man paused for a second, seeing she wasn't going to be giving in. “I'll phone the boss.”

Within five minutes, Ellie found herself back in the taxi on her way to the estate agency to sign the papers. The house was falling to bits and not worth the £15,365 they were wanted for it, but that wasn't the point. It was her mothers. Perhaps any other girl would have conceded defeat and gone back to Sunset Valley, but that wasn't Ellie's way. She'd been brought up by her parents - no, her adoptive parents - to always get back onto her bike if she fell off, or to study harder if she didn't get the grade on a test. That logic had to apply here, too.



The papers were signed, and the house was officially hers. When she arrived back there, keys in hand, the removal men were on their way out.  The older two, perhaps in their forties, were climbing back into their truck, but the younger one, the one who she had spoken to earlier, paused.



“You got it then?” he asked her.

“Indeed.” Ellie jingled the keys at him, as some sort of proof. “Thanks for your help.”

“Hurry up!” This last was from the truck, accompanied by a toot of the horn.

“I don't mean to pry, but  your mother, was she the old tenant?”

“Yes,” she replied. “It's a fairly long story. I'm going to find her again, though. Thanks for your help.”

“I'm James, by the way, James Medway. If you ever need any help, I can give you my number. I can show you around town if you like, I can show you the best places.”

“Thanks,” she replied, taking his number down but privately resolving to never use it. “I'm Ellie-Mae. See you around, I guess.” She'd be fine on her own. She didn't intend to stay here long anyway.



He smiled and said his goodbyes, joining his colleagues in the truck. She turned and stuck the key to her new, slightly dilapidated house, only to reel backwards in shock. Nobody had told her it had no furniture.



This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.


Side Note: All feedback on the story is appreciated, and thanks for reading!

[JudesSims]

Very nice start! Can't wait for more!

[loveSims]

Oh my! A empty house. Can't wait to see what happen next. Great story.

[Lisey]

I love the writing here! I feel bad for her adoptive parents. And I can't wait to see what's going on with her mother - and if anything interesting is going to happen with the real estate man...

[ArianaJade]

Very nice start! Can't wait for more!

Thanks!

Oh my! A empty house. Can't wait to see what happen next. Great story.

Yeah, I'm a rubbish builder so I moved her into a premade house And thanks!

I love the writing here! I feel bad for her adoptive parents. And I can't wait to see what's going on with her mother - and if anything interesting is going to happen with the real estate man...

Thanks, and you may just be onto something there with the removals man!  All of the characters so far will be returning in future updates, and that's all I'll say for now.

[ArianaJade]

James



While his two colleagues had been more worried about whether they'd still get paid for their work if the house wasn't going to auction, James was concerned for the girl. She looked young, too young perhaps to be living in that dank house by herself. The swamps of Twinbrook didn't have the nicest reputation. And then there was the house itself. Maybe he should have warned her about the damp in the bathroom?

But no. He'd offered her his help and if she needed it she knew where to find him, right? He'd given her his address and phone number. And besides, he had a sneaking suspicion that she'd taken it more to be polite than because she had any intention of contacting her.

“Well, she was a bit of alright, wasn't she lads?” Neal laughed as he drove the truck back toward the town centre and their removals yard.

“Aye, that she was.” Scotty replied. “I'd take her out if she'd have me, no questions. But I think Jamesey's got in there first, haven't you lad?”

“Shut up,” he muttered back.

“Oooh, somebody's got a fancy for her, hasn't he?”

No. He couldn't. Could he? It was a long time since he'd liked anyone in that way. A very long time. And besides, she was way out of his league.

Neal and Scotty had taken his silence as a yes, and mercilessly teased him for the rest of the day, so by the time the end of his shift rolled around he was more than ready to leave. Not that home particularly appealed either. His landlady kept flirting with him, despite his protestations that he wasn't interested. She was married, for plumbob's sake, and about seventy!

He found himself wandering towards the nicer end of the town, where he'd one day like to live. His regular daydream came quickly to his mind, a nice house with a kitchen he could make gorgeous meals in and a garden out back for him to grow the ingredients. A wife, one who wouldn't mind being the main breadwinner and who would want children. They'd have two children, a girl and a boy, who'd be clever and popular and look after him when he grew old.



Was he mad? Probably. If he told Neal and Scotty what he dreamed of they'd have laughed. And told everyone else at the yard. And then they'd have laughed too. Especially considering everyone thought he fancied Ellie-Mae, that girl from this morning.

They were right though. He did. Badly. For years since Sophie he hadn't given a thought to girls, except as part of his daydreaming. He'd joined in when the other guys at the yard discussed the relative merits of the film stars from Bridgeport, or the new singer that had just come out of Starlight Shores. He'd usually managed to make up a name when someone asked him if he had his eye on anyone at the moment. But Sophie was always there, in the back of his mind.





They were going to be married. He'd proposed with a ring bought from his savings, annoying his mum who'd hoped that her son would go to university. But she'd calmed down when she saw how happy he was when Sophie said yes. And then... no. He wasn't going to think about that again.

But when he tried to think of something happier, his thoughts kept turning to Ellie-Mae. Who had basically rejected him this morning. Great.

His stomach rumbled, and this was enough to bring him back into the present. Which, at that time, was the middle of the road in the posh part of Twinbrook, staring aimlessly into someone's front garden. If he wasn't careful the owners were going to call the police.



As he rounded the the corner to his flat, he saw a figure standing on the doorstep. He made to hide when he saw them turn, thinking it was his landlady.



“Hi, James?” the figure said. “I'm sorry for coming to see you so late, but I was hoping I could take you up on that offer of the help. I haven't got any furniture.”

[alex51299]

Aww, poor James. I wonder what happened with his old fiance?

[ArianaJade]

Daydreams Might Come True

Ellie-Mae hadn't been sure what she'd hoped James could do for her. Maybe he'd have a sleeping bag or something, or she could stay on his sofa. And a cup of tea wouldn't go amiss. But the friendly woman who'd dropped the free paper round had said the fire station could give her all that.

Friendship, maybe?

James didn't seem to mind, though, and let her into his flat without question. It was a nice enough flat, but being plain and obviously rented didn't give much away about the kind of man who lived there. Ellie had a sudden stab of fear. She knew nothing about this man, and yet here she was walking into his flat. What if...

“Must be weird,” he said at that moment. “You don't even know me and yet here you are in my flat. If you don't feel comfortable sticking around, I can lend you my sleeping bag and make you a pack-up dinner. But if you want to stay, I was just about to heat up some of my famous macaroni cheese.”

Her stomach rumbled loudly.

“I think that's my answer,” he grinned. “I'll go and get started. Make yourself at home.”



Ellie, left alone in the living room, began to peruse the bookshelves. Books told you a lot about a person. Her eyes fell however on a framed photograph rather than any of the titles on the shelves. It showed a man, unmistakably James, holding a pretty blonde girl in his arms. Both were smiling, but for each other rather than the camera. The unmistakeable smile of those who are so deeply in love that they only have eyes for one another.



Somehow, Ellie felt cheated by the girl in the photograph. He'd never mentioned a girlfriend. But then she'd met him all of twelve hours ago. It was completely irrational to expect him to have mentioned her. And why did she care, anyway?

“Her name was Sophie,” came James' voice from behind her. “She died three years ago. Heart failure. She was nineteen. They don't know what caused it.”

“Oh. I'm sorry.”

“Pasta's ready.”

They ate in silence. Ellie wished she'd never seen the photograph, and that she could think of something to say to break the silence. James, for the first time since taking it, wished the photo wasn't out in his living room for anyone to see. It was in the past, and it should stay there now. Why had it even taken so long for him to realise this?



“Look, Ellie, I'm sorry if I snapped. It's just... it's a long time since I've mentioned her to anyone. It's not exactly the kind of thing you bring up in the pub with your colleagues.”

“It's alright,” Ellie replied. “If you want to talk, you can, you know.”

“No,” he said with finality. “I moved here to put that behind me. Fresh start. Tell you what. I'll fix us a coffee and we can go and sit on the balcony and you can tell me why you're here.”

She found herself giving him the full story. Everything, from the happy childhood to the birthday revelations, through to arriving in Twinbrook and not being sure where to go next.



“My offer still stands,” he said when she had finished her tale. “Anything you need, I'm happy to help. I'll ask my boss at work if he's ever heard of a Crystal O'Hara, if you like. He's lived here all his life and between him and his wife, they know the whole town.”

When Ellie decided to leave, he insisted on calling her a taxi and not only giving her his sleeping bag but a half-eaten box of breakfast cereal and a loaf of homemade bread. She, in turn, had promised to accompany him for a drink later in the week.

“Thank you so much, James. I've had a lovely evening.”

“So have I,” he smiled. “Don't forget that drink.”

She dropped the sleeping bag just as he leant forward to give her a hug. And then, with the taxi beeping its horn outside, she found herself  kissing him.





The taxi was sent away, and the sleeping bag and box of breakfast cereal lay abandoned next to the door of the block.



This is the last chapter of set-up story, I promise. After I took these photos I actually moved them into the house and the legacy proper has begun!

[alex51299]

Aww, I knew they would be together. I can't wait for the next update!