3.5 Spooky Scary

The entire family went out to celebrate the arrival of the summer festival. Maya had complained about being 'Stir Crazy' and wanting to have some fun. The obvious conclusion was the festival, not that it wasn't always summer (with a tiny smidgen of Spring) in Isla Paradiso.

Poor Ami was beginning to realize that her 'second sight' wasn't limited at all to her home. A ghost was standing right there at the park, though no one else seemed to notice him. He tried speaking to Ami, but she'd fled towards her family almost immediately.

When Ami became a teen, she was taken for a very special swim with her grandma and father. It was time to learn the facts of mermaid life. Ami wasn't as freaked out as her dad had been at this age, but she did wonder what this meant for her eco-loving ways.

Life went on as normal, mermaid or not. Ami wasn't upset about her father remarrying or about Gabby, not even as a teen. She loved Gabby like a mother. She just kind of wished her parents would find somewhere else to makeout while she read up on the latest cooking tips.

Larry became a child, much to Ami's chagrin. Now he was capable of harassing her, which he did often, especially about her "weird hippie-isms." He was like their father, a total Snob!

At least Ami had found a like-minded individual in Jasen Hashini-Patel. He came from a pretty eccentric family--they lived like total gypsies--and was very informed on how to live green. Unfortunately for Ami, someone else in their glass had already had their eyes on him and was not happy about the 'over-privileged mermaid girl' getting what she had already assumed was her man.

 The other girl needn't have worried. Poor Ami was kind of stuck in the 'friend zone.' They hung out constantly, shared pretty much all of their interests, but still... Jasen brushed off any of her attempts at flirtation. It was frustrating. Even her special fishing spot didn't seem to affect him any.

She'd brought him up the long path because she knew that he loved the outdoors as much as she did. He was quite taken with the place, but apparently, not with Ami. She was frustrated. Her father didn't really approve of her running around the islands with 'rabble', but Ami wasn't seeking his approval.

Ami didn't understand. She wasn't horrific looking and while she was a mermaid, most of the people of Isla Paradiso didn't find them 'odd' or 'fishy' anymore. She'd tried taking his hand and he'd reacted like he was the one who'd been slighted.

"We are from two very different worlds," he admitted, trying not to sound bitter. "You need to stop."

Ami was very upset. At that moment, she kind of hated her dad.

Making matters worse was, of course, the ghost that had been appearing to her since she'd been a child. She woke up with the sensation of someone watching her and saw it floating, waiting obviously for her. She got out of bed, determined not to be afraid.

It was her mother, Kelsey. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Ami stared at her and listened carefully as she spoke. Ami was special; she could see things that other people could not. It was something she was going to struggle with as she got older. The Things Beyond were expecting her to hone her abilities.

Well, as long as Ami's entire future wasn't already plotted out for her or anything. Her dad was going to have a fit. "Hi daddy, yes, I'm going to become a Fortune Teller!"

Her stomach sank at the thought.

Grandpa Alex seemed to take that as his cue to shuffle off this mortal coil. Everyone was devastated, but no one else had glimpsed his ghost having one last look around and then shaking hands with Grim. That was Ami's own private, and disturbing, show.

Maya was considerably upset. She'd missed out on years with Alex due to the migration and now he was gone. They'd spent pretty much every moment together since she'd returned.

It was clear that she was needed. These mermaids didn't know what they were doing half of the time! Phoenix had passed out on the court steps after a particularly heated debate. Maya, of course, had been the one to rouse him and force him into the ocean for a much-needed swim.

Grandpa Alex's death seemed to have a considerable effect on Ami's dad. Phoenix relaxed his stance on Jasen and his gypsy family (only a bit, though; he still thought they were all 'dirty hippies') enough for him to visit. Seeing the opulence was a bit different than hearing about it.

"This place... is something else."

"It's just a waste. Of everything." Ami sighed, clearly bothered. "The hot tub wastes gallons and gallons of water by itself. Don't even ask how many baths are taken here. It's a mermaid way of life..."

"So, you're not staying?"

Ami shook her head. "The view is great, but I just can't seem to get my dad to come around to my way of things. I want to be free and to do something good for nature."

"Wow. That's really admirable."

"Money isn't everything, you know..."

Ami's frank confession seemed to bring Jasen around. Of course, the only thing preventing him from really falling for her was the fact that she was part of the richest family on the islands. Knowing that she had no intention of staying under her father's influential thumb changed things significantly.

Ami was quite pleased to get her first kiss that night.

Gabby was thrilled with her life. She had a step-daughter and a son; a beautiful mansion and plenty to keep her busy. Unfortunately, Gabby was incredibly family-minded and was dying for more kids. Getting Phoenix to come around was the hard part.

He was quite thrilled that Larry seemed to be taking after his way of thinking, however.

Ami continued to puzzle her parents. She was caught out after curfew and swore to them that she had met the most fantastical creature she'd ever seen--a black unicorn. Phoenix was convinced that 'that scraggly gypsy kid' (aka Jasen) had gotten her to try acid or something equally as hallucinogenic.

Poor Ami was grounded for a very, very long time until she could convince him otherwise.

 Phoenix had his own problems. He was having really bizarre dreams about Kelsey. She'd come back and accused him of cheating, which was pretty insane given that she'd been dead well over a decade now. He chose to keep the bizarre dreams to himself, not wanting to worry Gabby or encourage Ami's strange interest in the supernatural.

Gabby was pregnant again, having finally swayed Phoenix to her way of thinking. It had absolutely nothing to do with the guilt he felt about dreaming about his ex-wife. None at all.

Gabby gave birth to another son they named Hugh.

Ami and Larry were nonplussed about their new sibling. Larry was too busy rubbing in how much of a genius he was and how easily he could finish his own homework and figure out Ami's. She was less than impressed by this. Academia was not her 'thing.'

Something that was her 'thing' was kids. She was great with her younger brothers (even if Larry annoyed her with his intellect), especially little Hugh. Ami was the only mermaid out of the three, though Hugh certainly looked a great deal like Phoenix.

Larry eventually joined Ami at high school. He spent most of his time talking about genius stuff and trying to get their dad to give him money for tickets to concerts in secret clubs and whatnot. He was turning into a different kind of snob from Phoenix, though he definitely appreciated where they lived.

Ami was both shocked and relieved when her birthday arrived. She'd be stuck in the house just a little while longer, at least, until she convinced her dad to buy her that plot of land she'd seen on the main island. Until then, she was stuck here, in the land of opulence and riches.

Gen 4 Roll:

• Couple
• 4 Children
• Income: Fortune Teller (genuine)
•  Secondary: Farmer
• Generation Goal: Idle Career
• Homemade

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Whew! I kind of rushed through the last part of Ami's teenage years. I didn't really intend on giving Gabby and Phoenix more kids, but they literally rolled up like five wishes about children between them. Gabby even got a wish I had never seen before, "have at least 2 children." Weird.

Ami will be moving out and I'm glad. The house has weird pathing issues and I think it's because it is completely over water. Plus, I'm sick of the mermaids forgetting how to use boats and swimming everywhere. x_x

We're moving this weekend and I haven't had a chance to play because of serious NaNoWriMo cramming (I was trying to finish before we moved and I succeeded), so it's going to go quiet until I get a chance to play again! I am excited to play some hippies, though. ;)

Oh! And it's worth nothing that Kelsey's ghost really DID randomly accuse him of cheating. She woke him up to do it, too. She's been haunting for awhile. It only happened once Gabby was pregnant with Hugh. Very strange!