Dear Diary, Everett was prompt when it came to prom night. I wasn’t quite ready yet because I’m the opposite of prompt. I have a child, you know.
Anyway, when I finally came downstairs, it looked to me like Sebastian and Everett were in the middle of a deep conversation. Except no one was talking.
When Sebastian saw me, he took a step back from Everett, clearing his throat. Then he said, “It is nice to meet you.”
Everett, who looked dazed, said, “Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“Is everything all right?” I asked, stepping further into the room.
Sebastian turned his full attention on me, smiling slightly. “You look delightful, Little Beehive.”
“Uh, thanks,” I said.
“Little Beehive?” Everett asked, raising an eyebrow.
I smiled more than I meant to. Part of me wanted to be annoyed that Sebastian used that moniker in front of my potential boyfriend. The other part of me, though, felt a great deal of warmth at the endearing nickname.
“It’s just something he’s called me since I was a child.”
Everett straightened his bowtie, then wiped his palms on his pants.
“I guess we better go,” he said, his voice cracking.
Glancing around one last time, I realized my mom would not see me off. I’d been hoping all day she would like to see my dress and meet my date. But Kasey told me it was one of those days where mom thought Amy was a baby Gigi. And on days like those, I didn’t exist because when Gigi was that little, I hadn’t been born yet.
“Are you okay?” Everett asked.
I nodded. “My mother is sick, and I was hoping you would meet her.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Soph. I hope she feels better soon.”
Me, too, I wanted to say through the aching in my chest. But it was pointless when there was no way to know if Mom would ever be well again. I fought back tears, trying to smile as if nothing was wrong.
Everett reached for my hand, but before I could take it, he pulled it back, shoving it into his pocket.
Glancing over his shoulder, I realized Sebastian was staring at Everett, a note of satisfaction in his expression. I wanted to ask Sebastian what was going on, if anything, but instead made a mental note to ask him later.
They held the prom in the ballroom at the Pandora Hotel. It was the same hotel that famously housed Club Nebula on the top two floors. I’d never been there, of course, because I was under age, but Tilly talked about it all the time. In fact, she was probably there now.
To say prom was fun was overstating the situation. Everett hadn’t danced with me once. Or held my hand. Or anything!
Every time we started to dance, he pulled away, apologizing, making me wonder if I had cooties or something.
Finally, we stepped outside. When the fresh night air hit my face, I felt like I could breathe again.
“You seem disappointed,” Everett said, frowning and taking a few quick breaths.
I wasn’t sure what to say because I didn’t want to push him into doing anything he wasn’t ready for. Yet at the same time, it was hard to keep my disappointment at bay.
“Honestly, I thought you would dance with me.”
He nodded slowly, biting his lip. “I thought I would, too. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I mean, I want to.”
“Then why haven’t we? Every time you touch me, it’s like you get super anxious or something.”
“I-I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he repeated, shrugging his shoulders.
“I really like you, Sophie, I do. And I wanted everything to be perfect for us tonight.”
Touching his sleeve, he jerked his arm away as if my hand was on fire and burning him.
“I really don’t understand you,” I fumed, my eyes filling with tears.
“I wish I could explain it,” he said, his face beet red. He kept glancing over my shoulder, then added, “Hey, do you know that woman? She keeps watching us.”
Turning around, I noticed a slender woman staring at me. A vampire woman, to be exact.
“I think we should go back inside,” I said, already opening the door.
Everett took the door handle from me, allowing me to enter first. The vampire followed us in.
“What’s going on this evening?” she purred, her voice instantly intoxicating. “The old building is just teeming with virgins tonight.”
Unable to pull my gaze from her glowing eyes, I mumbled, “It’s our prom.”
Her eyes lit up even more as she inched closer to us.
“Tell me, little virgins, would you like to sneak into Club Nebula with me? It’s lots of fun.”
Everett and I both nodded as the vampire stepped even closer.
Just as she was about to take our hands to lead us away, there was a stirring in the air, and Sebastian appeared out of nowhere, pushing Everett and me behind his protective arm.
“Constance!” Sebastian said in a commanding voice, “You will leave these two alone. They are mine.”
Constance literally hissed at him, then backed away a few feet. “You never fail to surprise me, Sebastian. Keeping these lovelies for yourself. I’m really thirsty and virgin blood is the sweetest.”
“Find your own, then. The ballroom is full of them,” he said, his voice powerful. “These. Are. Mine.”
Sebastian’s arm was the only thing holding me up as I held my breath, waiting for Constance either to attack or back off. It seemed several minutes passed as we all stood statue-still, waiting.
Finally, Constance let out a high-pitched laugh, grabbing Sebastian’s hand.
“Let’s go upstairs. I’m tired of this,” she said, pulling on him.
I looked up at Sebastian’s face. Even though his skin was pallor, his cheeks had turned red.
“Just a moment,” he said, turning toward Everett. “You will remember nothing of this encounter with vampires. And, you will see Sophie safely home.”
Everett nodded with enthusiasm.
After the vampires left us, I could finally let out a breath of relief.
“Boy, that was something else,” I mumbled.
Everett looked confused. “I guess I should see you home now.”
Wow. It had been that easy for Sebastian to control Everett’s mind. I guessed I would have to have a talk with Sebastian about that tomorrow.
Except when I saw Sebastian the next day, I fell into his arms. Never had I been safer, then last night. That other vampire could have had Everett and me for dinner, but Sebastian was there, ready to fight if he had to.
Then his arms snaked around me, too, and I felt his hands on my back. Showing affection was not Sebastian’s strong point, but today, it was as if he needed a hug, too.
With our faces close together, I whispered, “Thank you for protecting us last night.”
He nodded slightly as we stepped apart.
“Of course.”
“Who was that vampire, anyway? It looked like you knew her well.”
“There are things you don’t know about me,” he began, looking down and away from my gaze.
“I figured that,” I said. “But now, I want to know.”
“You are mistaken. Believe me when I say you definitely do not want to know.”
“Who is she?” I asked again.
“Her name is Constance, and she is very dangerous. We are lucky she didn’t challenge me last night over who you belong to. She is the top vampire in Fortress Rock, and she would be difficult to defeat.”
“She’s older than you?”
“Oh, yes. By far. And an enormous hive of vampires who she compels to do her will surrounds her.”
Since we were finally talking about his life instead of mine, I pushed even further.
“You’re close to her?”
He hesitated, still not meeting my gaze. “In some ways, yes.”
“Are you in love with her?”
He gasped, and it was my turn to look away, my cheeks full of heat.
“Definitely not. I despise her.”
“Yet you know her very well,” I said, thinking aloud. “Which means she must have something you need. Or want.”
He nodded, then whispered, “Yes.”
All at once, it dawned on me. He was hanging with the oldest vampire in town because she had the answers he wanted most desperately. “And is this something to do with your quest?”
“Yes.”
“Won’t you tell me what it is? Please?”
He stared at me now, his fingers whisking a loose strand of my hair away from my face.
“All you need to know, my dear, is that I adore you with every fiber of my being.”
I gulped. What did that mean?
“I will do anything for you, and anyone who tries to hurt you will regret it immensely. Someday soon, I hope to tell you everything. But right now, it’s best you stay out of this because I don’t know if I will ever have the answers I am looking for. The vampires I have been forced to carouse with are the most dangerous I’ve ever met.”
Asking more questions at that time became impossible as Amy’s cries from her nap time came through the baby monitor I always had with me. As I went upstairs to get her, I heard Sebastian leave through the front door.
Later that day, Amy and I were strolling through the park near home when we came across Everett at the Wall of Remembrance.
“Oh, hi,” I said, with a wave as he walked toward us.
“Hi,” he answered with a smile. “I was just leaving a flower for my Uncle John. He died in the Battle of Burning Fields. He was my mom’s brother, so usually, it’s she who leaves the weekly flower. But she asked me to do it today. Why am I telling you all of this?”
His face was so red.
Mine was, too, when I remembered I had Amy with me, who he didn’t know about. I scooped her up, wishing we hadn’t gone out.
“I’d better be going.”
“Wait-who is this?” he asked, his brow raised.
“Oh, um, this is Amy.”
“Are you babysitting?”
I gulped back the lump in my throat.
“No, she’s mine.”
His mouth dropped, then the corners turned downward.
“You mean she’s yours yours? Not your little sister or something?”
I shook my head, knowing I just had to rip the bandaid off. This was coming eventually, anyway.
“She’s my daughter.”
“What?” Then, he added, “Why haven’t you ever told me you had a baby? OMG, how old were you when you had her?”
My muscles quivered as my heart pounded in my chest.
“I was fifteen when I had her. If you must know, her father is not in the picture because he is dead. But he was a total asshole who hurt me and my entire family. So, excuse me, if I don’t advertise the whole teen parent thing.”
He just stood there, his mouth slack as if I’d punched him.
For better or worse, now he knew.
Thank you, Bee (Stories by Bee / Poses by Bee) for making the “Sebastian protects Sophie” poses, and also the Happy Toddler poses I used in this update!
And, thank you, dear readers, for reading, liking, lurking, and commenting,
WOW I am way behind and missed so much in this one! Dropping the BOMB at the end .. ohhhhhh (and I am #teamseb)
You’re not too far behind. 😀 I didn’t post a chapter last week. I love that you’re #teamseb!!
I think he’s darling! I love his devoted heart. I think it might be his undoing though.
We shall see. Perhaps it will work out for him yet. ❤️
So many empty cat bags this chapter LOL
LOL You just took me out. hahahaha
Woah! A lot just happened in one chapter! Alright!
So first, Seb, calm down, Sophie’s still a teenager. Second, go Seb! Being RIGHT THERE when he’s needed. Constance is…not a good lady. Massive creep vibes from her. O_O
Ah, Sophie…I gues that’s one way to chase a guy off, tell him you had a baby and the father was an ass. Nice. Well done. I wonder if Everett’s the type to stick around though…hmmm…
EXCELLENT chapter!
I love you telling Seb to calm down. I mean, for real. LOL
I wrote Constance and got massive creep vibes, too. LOL
Sophie really knows how to keep a guy, doesn’t she? LMAO
Thank you so much. 🙂
Everett isn’t right for Sophie, but I did feel bad for him. It had to be a shock to learn Sophie is a mother, especially as she kept the true reason quiet. I’m hoping Sebastion doesn’t pay for his defense of them against Constance.
You might be right about Everett. I think he’s a good guy, he was just shocked, as you mentioned.
I think Seb will have to be especially careful now that Sophie is on Constance’s radar.
Oh boy! Little Beehive is in so much trouble, and she doesn’t even know it! If Seb can feel that possessive about a guy…………well… Will she figure it out, I wonder. And really how many times can he mess with the kid’s mind, before things start getting all jumbled up in there and Everett goes all loopy!
And “cooties” Kymber? showing our age and generation, you are! Not heard that word in a long time. LOL
The fact that no one knows she has a child yet, is pretty amazing and also terribly sad. It really shows how isolated she has made herself. Not unlike her sister in some ways. So I think him knowing she has a child will be a good thing. And in regards to the comments above about rape, rumors are easily fixed by her telling people it’s not true. Besides, I don’t believe Sophie would really care anyway. If things got bad, she could just pick up and start over somewhere else.
*
You’re so right about Little Beehive! lol That’s a good question about whether Sophie will figure out what Seb did to her date. LOLOL That will come out soon.
Yes, yes, what is the equivalent of “cooties” nowadays? I’m so freakin’ old. lol
I think it’s sad, too, that Sophie has isolated herself so much. I think you’re also right that Sophie won’t care about the rumors. She’s so isolated, she may not even hear the rumors.
Anyway, you’re right that she could just pick up and move again, if she needed to.
I knew from the beginning this would be a tantalizing excerpt. Sophie and Everett don’t quite know what they’re getting into!
Thank you, Jacqui. I think you’re right about Sophie and Everett!
I thought Seb did something to stop Everett from putting on the moves. But if he takes the little kid news poorly, he’s hardly a good match for her.
Constance needs to disappear.
I so agree about Constance! More about that in the near future. 😀
You were right about Seb stopping Everett from putting on the moves. LOLOLOL But you’re right about Everett.
I KNEW Sebastian was mind-fuckering Everett when he was standing so close to him in the doorway without talking to him. Hahah I love it. And I love how sweet Seb is, how quick he is to protect her, always. To have someone say they adore you with every fibre of their being…. swoooooon. I almost don’t care if Everett turns out to be a jerk not ready for a girl with a kid, I want her with Seb.
Scratch that. I want Sebastian all for myself 😉
Caz xx
Thank you, Caz. xo
Yes! Seb is guilty! haha I’m glad you’re loving how things are going. I’m really enjoying writing the story right now. I am soooo happy you swooned! LOL
I think I want Seb for myself, too. 😀
Don’t stop there! Saturday has to hurry up! Xx
LOL Thank you, Ami. I’m so tickled you’re enjoying the story. xo
I’m really torn. I can’t decide who is better for poor Sophie. Sebastian who knows exactly what she and her family have been through and understands her (and turns out to be a bit more controlling for my liking) or Everett who could help Sophie forget and move on and feel more normal. It would be interesting to see if she would ever reveal the truth about the baby’s real parents to Everett in case they became really serious.
I can totally see why you’re torn between Everett and Sebastian. They each have qualities that would benefit her. I think you’re right that Seb was being controlling, and that is something he might have to answer for at some point. I think that would be interesting too.
I am so not surprised that Sebastian controlled Everett so he wouldn’t touch Sophie. I’m with Jowita, Poor Everett probably thinks Sophie was raped and will now be even more sympathetic to her. I wonder if after Sebastian’s confession she’ll eventual connect the dots regarding his relationship with Constance.
LOL I love that you weren’t surprised that Sebastian did that to Everett. Probably he didn’t even need to. LOLOL Sophie has no idea she sounded that way to Everett. It will be interesting later to see what he thinks.
And that is a great point! Will Sebastian’s confession dawn on Sophie as to what he was really getting at? Good one!
Woah, did Sebastian control Everett even before the encounter with Constance? That’s why he couldn’t make any move of Sophie? Could be he was taking control of him when they met and no one said a word.
And now Everett knows. By the way Sophie explained the situation to him, it really sounded as though she was raped. That would be a big lie, but if he thought that then maybe he’d feel more empathetic to care. But woah, a child at 15 is one way to scare a guy off…
I couldn’t help but think how awkward they looked at prom. Also, teen Sims have a completely ridiculous figure with weirdly big hips and no breasts at all. There definitely should have been a preteen life stage between child and teen – they tried to cover too much. Sophie definitely doesn’t look old enough to have prom or Sebastian to be attracted to her in a bit creepy way. Just a thought, but it’s the game’s fault, not your storytelling of course. They both with Everett looked so innocent and cute and awkward, haha.
That’s a good question about Sebastian and Everett. Not real ethical there. LOL
And, Everett knows. Yeah, Sophie does not get at all that what she described sounded that way. She was speaking about how her sister died. But I won’t be surprised if that is what he thinks. And, yeah, I think that would scare off any guy. lol
They did look awkward at prom, didn’t they? LOL And, yeah, it’s crazy how teen sims are shaped. They should have had a tween and then teen stage or something to better cover the ages. I can’t wait to see what she looks like when she turns 18. Right now, she’s a tiny bit thick in the waist.
Hopefully, turning into YA will ward off anymore creep factor from Sebastian. I worried about that, you know. lol
They did look pretty innocent. I doubt Sebastian needed to mesmerize Everett at all into not touching Sophie. haha
Sorry, I just noticed my comment is all over the place and has some weirdly formed sentences and autocorrect. I just woke from a nap when I wrote, lol. But guess you could understand me just right.
The way Sophie said it really made it sound that way. But it’s the age as well. I think for many teens you’d think that they didn’t consent to sex. And certainly 14 is not an age of consent in most places! Poland has 15, I think, and that’s pretty low to me.
Teen Sims really are weirdly shaped. I never had that kind of body type, not even as an early teen! I think I that’s the body type for some women, but these women don’t grow up to have an hourglass figure as an adult. I think I already had my boobs and waist (the in-game teens non-existent waist and being weirdly thick around the area even while being slim makes it so hard to dress them up) I have today in middle school. Makes no sense. And also the fact that they have no boobs at all and when they grow up to a young adult in-game genetics kick in and they go from an A to a D real quick, lmao. And definitely seeing how many changes a body goes through in puberty, there should be an in-between, not just child and teen with crazy height and figure differences. Can’t have a realistic looking small age gap that way between the siblings.
I don’t think Seb is a creep! He’s very respectful and doesn’t try to make a move on Sophie when she’s so young, only protects her. I think Everett’s character serves for Sophie to have a potential love interest her age so there is no creep factor cause they’re both young and innocent with their *virgin blood*, lmao.
Oh yeah, I just realized you may have meant Everett was just being a shy and awkward teen and it’s not due to Seb and now you have people questioning that, lol. But then there are other options such as just being creeped out by Seb’s appearance and words.
Awwww you don’t need to apologize. I loved your comment. 😀
Right, I totally agree with you about Sophie and the age of consent. If you look at even just that, Everett would think she was a victim.
I never had that body type either. haha Sims… you gotta love ’em. That’s so funny how they go from an A to a D when they age up. I agree about them needing to add another age group.
Virgin blood. LMAO I will admit, I was laughing when I wrote that part.