Cami's Sims: Taffity Family Legacy

Generation 7, Chapter 2

Who am I?

I'd been in this little village for nearly a year when I found this spot over looking the coastline. When I was feeling particularly confused or unsure, or just needed some space, I came here and could spend hours staring out across the rolling surface of the ocean.

I knew one thing - I didn't belong here. I don't know how I knew it but "here" just didn't feel right to me.

Don't get me wrong though, I'm not unhappy! I adore Isaac and Amelia and thank the stars every day that I happened to end up in front of their home - of all the places - and that they took me in.

Isaac was an odd sort. He spent most of his time out in the barn where he did most of his tinkering. I never understood exactly what he was doing out there but Amelia said it kept him occupied and happy. I went out there once to ask him a question about supper and I couldn't help but be intrigued by the contraption he was working on.

"What is it?" I asked, forgetting my original purpose for seeking him out.

He continued muttering for several minutes and I was sure he was completely oblivious to my presence. Without warning he turned toward me and smiled. "Hmm?"

I blinked a few times in surprise, "What is it?" I pointed to the contraption on the table he'd just been messing with.

He turned back toward the table and looked down in surprise, as if he'd never seen the thing before in his life. "Well, I don't rightly know.."

"Oh..."

I must have stood their confused for a moment too long because he turned back to me. "Is there something you needed child?"

"Um...yes..." I had to think for a moment to recall what it was exactly but eventually brought up the supper question Amelia had sent me with and was able to leave him to his work.

I thought about asking Amelia about his work but never really got around to it after that. We both fell into a routine of leaving him to do his thing and just making sure there was food on the table at meal time.

------

In time, a couple years had passed since I'd suddenly been thrown into their lives. Telling everyone they were my Aunt and Uncle eventually led to me calling them the same all the time - even if there weren't others around to hear. "Would you like to come into the village with me today Su?" Aunt Amelia called up to me.

"Oh yes!" I replied and scurried from my bed. Going into the village was about as exciting as things got around here so I rarely passed up the opportunity.

After we went to a couple of shops, we'd stopped to let a cart pass and I spotted him. George.

Two years had done nothing to dampen the fluttery feeling I got in my stomach when I saw him. Though I tried to temper my obvious feelings for Aunt Amelia's sake, I couldn't help but lose all track of what she was saying as I watched him cross through the village.

"Su...are you listening?" she asked, snapping my attention back to her.

"Oh, well..." I looked toward George. He was walking away and hadn't even seen me. I felt crushed!

"Excuse me a moment Aunt!" I said quickly. If I didn't hurry, he'd turn into a building or disappear around the corner.

"Su!" she called after me even as I walked quickly away from her. I'm sure she was shaking her head in disappointment but I'd make it up to her later.

I was thankful that she called after me though, for it caused George to stop and turn back toward us. He smiled as he saw me approaching. "Miss Su, so good to see you." he said. He smiled and waved to Aunt Amelia as well but I'm not sure she appreciated the gesture. "How is my favorite farm maiden on this day?"

I blushed scarlet and chewed on my lower lip at his words. I'm sure it must have amused him that he could still cause me such embarrassment but he was good enough not to laugh at my expense.

"I am quite well thank you." I replied after I gained my composure. "I've been exploring lately as the weather has chilled a bit - there's less work to be done you see..."

"You should be careful with that Miss, wouldn't want you to catch a cold." he said. "Then who would I come to visit on my walk into town?"

I blushed again and looked down at the ground, pushing around a pebble with my shoe. "I promise not to catch a cold." I said. "But I do have something I'd like to show you...."

"And I'd be honored to see it." he said. He reached out for my hand and I longed for it, for that one simple touch but at the last moment he pulled back.

He nodded to me very stiffly and then quickly turned on his heel and disappeared around the corner. I frowned and turned back toward Aunt Amelia, who had watched the whole exchange. She didn't say anything but offered me her arm on the way back to cottage.

------

"Why did he do that?" I asked again as we tended the crops. I had no experience with boys to draw from that I know of but still, even I recognized that his behavior was odd.

"I don't know dear." Aunt Amelia said quietly. She'd been very patient with me as I'd talked about George non-stop since the day before. "But it's hardly appropriate behavior for him to reach for your hand anyway dear. The two of you ought not to behave in such ways."

"Why not? We didn't do anything improper. He wanted to hold my HAND!" I cried, a little too loudly.

"Su! Really! There's no need to shout." she scolded.

I frowned but didn't say anything more. I continued to pick the late vegetables in silence, stubbornly refusing to look up at her. I could almost feel her eyes on me a few times and wondered what she was thinking but she didn't broach the subject again.

In spite of my Aunt's protests, I still waited for George to pass by most days so we could share a few precious moments at the fence. Now and then I saw her watching from the cottage but I never said anything about it.

"Will you come for a walk with me this evening?" George asked me on one such occasion.

I glance back toward the cottage and there she was in the window. Turning back to George, I nodded. "yes." I said quietly. "I'll meet you out past the fields?"

George readily agreed and we parted with a quick smile. I could feel Aunt Amelia's eyes on me as I reentered the cottage but she said nothing to me. I went about my chores quickly that day, as if doing them faster would make the hours tick by faster.

Finally it was time and I picked up a basket. "I'm going out for a walk." I said under the pretense of collecting berries or something. Aunt Amelia looked like she was going to say something but thought different of it and just waved sadly.

"I'm glad you came." George said, taking my hands in his as soon as I approached.

"I'm glad I came too." I said with another blush. He reached up and stroked my pink cheeks - something I'm sure would upset my aunt terribly if she was there to see.

Nothing inappropriate happened though, we sat under the trees for a long time and talked about lots of little things. It was peaceful and quiet. And he held my hand the whole time. When the stars began to gather in the sky, I knew it was time to get home and he walked me back to the edge of the farm. He carefully brought my hand to his lips and placed the sweetest, most gentle kiss upon it before we parted. "Until tomorrow maiden." he said with a smile.

I felt like I was walking on a cloud back across the small field and into the cottage. I saw Aunt Amelia's eyes travel to my still empty basket and back to my dreamy looking face. She disapproved but she said nothing that night.

"Where were you last night?" she asked the following morning, unable to keep it in any longer.

"I went for a walk." I said. It was a partial truth, I rationalized. I had walked to the meeting place with George and I had walked back.

"By yourself?" she pursued the line of questioning, clearly she thought otherwise.

"Yes." That one was a full lie - while it was true that some of the walk was alone I couldn't even rationalize that lie away. But it was worth it.

She merely nodded and continued to poke at the fire for a few minutes. "Were you with George?" she put down the poker and turned her attention completely on me.

I gulped a bit. She didn't look angry but I knew how much she disapproved of George. "Um..." I fumbled for an answer. "I know you don't like him Aunt but..."

"It's not that I do not like him dear - if he were behaving properly he would come to the house or you would have appropriate supervision..."

I was torn between feeling sad and angry that she distrusted me so much. "He's been a perfect gentleman!" I shouted. I'd settled on the side of anger. "We've done nothing wrong! And if you trusted me at all you'd realize that!"

And then I ran from the cottage and I ran from her.

I ran as far and as fast as I could until I very nearly collapsed in exhaustion. Stabs of pain shot through my legs and chest as I stopped. I wanted to fall on the ground and stay there for days while I caught my breath. It was in that moment that I realized just how foolish I'd been.

I hadn't paid any attention to where I was running TO, only where I was running FROM! I was surrounded by tall grass and tress on just about every side. Somehow I'd gotten myself deep within the forest and I didn't have the slightly clue how to get back out again.

"Well that was foolish." I muttered aloud.

I walked aimlessly for a while, trying to find my way out only I think I moved further and further into the thick trees. I called out for help meekly a couple times but no one came to my aid.

Pretty soon, everything started to look the same. I was sure I'd seen that tree a dozen times before. Was it possible I was going in circles? Considering I didn't know where I was, I suppose it could be.

The longer I walked, the darker it grew. I'm not certain if the darkness was from the night encroaching on the world of from the thick canopy of trees all around me but the forest soon became terrifying.

I may have tripped over a rock, I may have stumbled out of fear or I may have passed out from exhaustion. One way or another, I fell to the ground and once I was there I lost all will to try and get back up again.

I don't know how long I laid there in the dirt. I don't know what manner of bugs or beasts came by me. But at some point, I heard a soft voice in the distance. "Ah well, what have we here?" That sounded familiar...only not quite. I struggled to grasp at the memories but the flitted away like lightening bugs.

"This won't do, not at all deary." she said. Then the darkness closed around me completely.

------

When I opened my eyes, I was laying on the ground still but everything was different. The trees had thinned and there was a warm, cackling fire nearby. I slowly stood and realize it was near nightfall. I trembled from the cold and ducked closer to the fire, trying to warm my insides up. Who had made the fire?

I was too cold to look around though.