Hermiones ABCs Chapter 42

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Hermione’s ABCs Chapter 42 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

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Welcome back to Hermione’s ABCs! In our last chapter, “Chemicals React,” University life came to a close for the members of Generation I. While most of the members of the generation fell in love and lived in harmony, Imago continued to withdraw herself from her family and became extremely moody. Inigo, her twin and the Legacy heir, tried to reason with her but to no avail. Before we finally return to the main house, we’ll check up on our lovely spares. Even though Kaylynn had purchased her own house, Knox wanted to be closer to his parents in Bluewater Village. So the couple bought a small house just down the road from them.

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They had a lovely wedding in the rain. Kaylynn moved up the ranks in her job, aiming to be Captain Hero, while Knox took a job trying to get paid for going to parties.

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But Kaylynn was a Family Sim, and she found time to have an adorable redheaded daughter, who was named Natalie. Knox predicted she would be a beauty just like her mother.

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Meanwhile Downtown, Knox’s cousin Ignotus raised his son Leonard with his vampire bride Ivy.

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Ignotus, Ivy, and Leonard soon welcomed a fourth member to their family, a little girl named Liana. With her dark locks and small blue eyes, some said she took a lot after her grandfather, Seb.

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Imperius married her ever-amusing beau Douglas, and they had a son named Walter. They now live out their suddenly boring lives quietly, with Imperius in a career in Politics. Douglas transitioned in that outfit. I had to pause the game to laugh.

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Isla married her former professor, Samuel, and they had a cute but horribly mean little boy, Arthur.

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Faith and Oliver got married, with Faith’s parents, Harry and Belladonna, as witnesses.

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Faith is a cake-smasher, to the surprise of absolutely no one.

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Harry and Bella wandered off somewhere and acted all ridiculous and three-bolty.

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Hilarity ensued. Seriously, I just followed Harry and Bella around because they were acting hilarious. “Hey, it’s raining!” “LULZ” Excuse my chatspeak.

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After the wedding, Oliver inherited this nice big house. This is the first thing they did when they moved in. Obviously they’re very happy together. The new house and all the extra space was a very welcome gift. After all, Faith and Oliver planned to have six children.

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Soon enough, Faith had their first child. Oliver could not contain his utter joy.

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Their firstborn was a little girl with Oliver’s dark hair and gray eyes named Lynsey. That’s all from the Sparks house for now, but rest assured, we’ll be back.

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The members of Generation I all wondered where Imago had gone. After she had run away on graduation day, no one had heard from her. She didn’t leave a number, an address, or a trace.

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Everyone was starting to get worried. They’d all seen her odd behavior. While she had been moody and rather irritating, the family missed her terribly. They hoped she was alright.

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“No, blue hair. Yes, blue! She was at college, what do you want me to do? The point is, have you seen her? Her name’s Imago. No, it most certainly is not a weird name. Oh yeah? Well, your face is a weird name! Have you seen my daughter?” Helena cried, frazzled, into the phone. She had started asking around, seeking someone who had last seen Imago. Someone had to.

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“Inigo, I can’t help but feel like this is my fault…” Vanessa said. “Vanessa, Imago didn’t run away because of you. She was mad at me.” Inigo said for ehat felt like the thousandth time. Vanessa had arrived from La Fiesta Tech the other day. Even though she and Imago had never gotten along, Vanessa was just as worried as the rest. “She was mad at you because of me. What if she’s lost? What if she gets hurt?” Vanessa asked.

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“Vanessa, I’m sure she’s fine. Imago can take care of herself,” he said. “We’re just making sure she’s okay. I really want her to be at our wedding…” Inigo knew Imago had said she didn’t want to attend, but Inigo hoped that now she’d had some time to herself she’d reconsidered.

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“You think she would want to come?” Vanessa asked. “Well…I hope. But I have my doubts.” Inigo admitted. Just then, Helena joined them at the table.

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“Good news. I found someone who met Imago a few days ago.” Helena announced. “Really? Who?” Inigo asked. “A cab driver. She says she drove a blue-haired sulky-looking girl out near the city limits.”

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“Why would she go out there? There’s nothing; no houses, no businesses, no people. Why there?” Vanessa asked. “It makes sense, actually. There’s no one around there, she wouldn’t be bothered.” Inigo reasoned. “But where would she live? She can’t sleep out in the desert, can she?” Vanessa went on.

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“Well, none of us really know what she’s thinking. In any event, the cab driver said Imago got out and walked over a hill, where she lost sight of her. But apparently, Imago had a cell phone.” Helena said. “A cell phone?” Inigo asked. Of course! Imago had never found much use for it, but she did indeed own a cell phone. “I think I have the number!”

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Inigo dialed the unfamiliar number with some trepidation. The phone rang and rang, and finally cut to voicemail. “Leave a message after the beep,” came Imago’s recorded voice. Hearing her voice again comforted Inigo somewhat. A tone blared and Inigo began. “Imago? It’s me, Inigo. We’re all really worried about you and--” Suddenly he heard a click and a dial tone. “Imago?” he asked. She hung up on me, he realized.

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He called the number over and over. Whenever he’d start his message, the phone would hang up. Imago clearly didn’t want to talk to him, but he couldn’t just give up. Finally, the phone picked up. “Immy?” Inigo asked hopefully. “You can’t take a hint, can you?” came Imago’s voice. She sounded angry. “Immy, please, can I just talk to you?” He heard a thud on the other line. “Immy? Imago! Are you still there?”

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He heard footsteps approaching the phone. Then a pop, the sound of glass shattering, static, and the line went dead. Inigo redialed until his fingers were sore, but the only message he received was “The number you have requested is out of service. Please try again later.”

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Inigo wasn’t sure what just happened, but he did know one thing. He had no further way of contacting Imago. She’s not coming to my wedding, he thought dejectedly.

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Even so, Inigo was eager to tie the knot with Vanessa and begin the next generation of the Legacy. While inevitable parenthood loomed with a considerable amount of menace, Inigo had seen his brother, sisters, and cousins start their own happy families. I didn’t expect Imago to come anyway. Everyone else will be there. She’ll come around someday…

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So on one beautiful afternoon, Inigo and Vanessa married under an arch on the front lawn. They exchanged vows in the brilliant sunshine, and Inigo let his troubles and worries surrounding Imago slip away so he could enjoy this day.

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Most of the family came out to watch; most of the family being Inigo’s parents, grandparents, and siblings. Helena couldn’t be bothered to change into a dress for some reason, but she was enthusiastic all the same.

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After the wedding, life in the Legacy house resumed normally. Vanessa, who had no particular career aspirations, decided to take up building robots. She was quite good at it, but she was far more excited by the idea of motherhood. Lately she had been getting tired very quickly. She hoped it was an early sign of pregnancy, as Family Sims are wont to do.

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With the new heir all settled, it was time to redecorate the main bedroom. I think it’s very cute and suits its new inhabitants well.

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Ghostly Fred came to haunt for the first time. I think he’s pleased with the state of things. He didn’t scare anyone, he didn’t break anything…he cleaned the toilet. Yep. I didn’t even know ghosts could do that, and Fred was never particularly neat anyway.

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Late one night across town, a certain someone was once again plagued by insomnia. Imago was muttering under her breath, an almost constant stream of almost silent whispers. Her eyes travelled up and down the dirty wall that she had scrawled upon time and time again. Her pencils were worn down. She was sick of visions and prophecies anyway. None of them favored her. No, it was all perfection for her brother and his wife. She saw it all. Beautiful lives, beautiful children…children. Wonderful children. She had seen a lot of the youngest in particular. Kind, courageous, much loved…possibly the heir. She wasn’t entirely sure.

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Shapes, drawings, letters, words, words, words…so many words. All perfect. Unless, of course, something unexpectedly heartbreaking, something mind-bendingly tragic were to happen that could throw the train of the future hurtling off the tracks. “Who said you can’t change the future?” she murmured, a slow smile spreading over her chapped lips.

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The next morning dawned overcast, rainy, and unusually cold for the desert community. The rain fell unceasingly. It was definitely a day to stay inside, maybe to sit around a fire drinking hot cocoa to stay warm.

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Inigo, always an early riser, fetched the morning paper and took a seat in the kitchen. Not much to be reported on really happened in Sahara Valley, but Inigo liked to be up-to-date. But this morning was different.

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LATE NIGHT FIRE KILLS ONE, proclaimed this morning’s headline. Underneath the headline was a picture of a house on fire. “Wow,” Inigo murmured. He flipped open to the article, where more pictures of the burning house were splashed on the pages. LATE NIGHT FIRE KILLS ONE Sahara Valley Tribune

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A deadly inferno struck a little house by the city limits at around two AM. It took nearly three hours for firefighters to bring the blaze under control. A column of smoke was visible for miles. The house was completely decimated by the fire.

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The fire department released a statement concerning the blaze. “At the current time, we have determined that this was an arson. As far as we can tell, several fires were set off within and around the building within minutes of each other. However, due to lack of evidence to the contrary, we have concluded that the fire was set by the lone resident of the house. The motives of this individual are unknown, but we are treating the death as a suicide rather than a homicide.”

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While the house has been abandoned for years, a broken cell phone on the property was traced back to Imago Granger. Ms. Granger had been reported missing by her family, the local Legacy clan. Due to the lateness of the hour, we were unable to get a comment from the family. A body has not been recovered, but the intensity of the fire “could not have left any survivors. There’s no way,” a medical technician was reported as saying.

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Inigo felt himself go numb. He threw the newspaper down on the table like it had burned him. No…no, there’s got to be a mistake. She can’t be dead, he thought desperately. Words from the article drifted through his mind. House completely decimated…arson…treated as a suicide…Imago Granger…could not have left any survivors… No survivors. No hope. Suicide. She’s dead, he registered dully, And it’s my fault.

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Imago’s voice came to mind. All the things she’d said about Inigo betraying her, abandoning her, all of it pointed to one thing. She’d ended her life, and it could only be his fault. He knew she felt this way, but he never thought she’d do anything this drastic. But his assumptions didn’t matter anymore. Imago, his sister, his twin, his best friend for so many years, was dead because of the choices he’d made. Dead and gone, completely wiped off the face of the planet by fire and flames.

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The rain was still pounding on the windows, and Vanessa watched it warily. “What a horrible day,” she commented, watching the downpour from her bedroom. “No stargazing tonight.”

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“Don’t worry, baby,” Vanessa said, addressing her pregnant belly, “I’ll keep you nice and warm.” The baby bump had appeared overnight, and Vanessa was quite excited over it. “Oh, your daddy will be so surprised! I can’t wait to tell him the good news.”

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Vanessa happily made her way downstairs. As she came into the kitchen, she began, “Inigo, I have some great news--” But then she noticed something was wrong, and her face fell. “Inigo? Are you okay? Are you sick or something? What’s wrong?” “D-dead.” Inigo croaked. “Dead? What do you mean?” Vanessa asked, growing more worried by the minute.

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Inigo stood up, only to break down crying. “Inigo, what happened?” Vanessa asked, putting an arm around him. “She’s dead! And it’s all my fault!” Inigo sobbed. “What?! Who?” “Imago. She’s dead.”

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“Oh my God. How?” “She…she set her house on fire.” “She did it?” Vanessa asked, horrified. “It was a t-terrible fire. The whole house is beyond repair. Th-they said there was no chance anyone could have survived.” “Maybe it was an accident? I mean, it’s a possibility.” Vanessa suggested.

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“In any event, it’s not your fault. You didn’t set her house on fire.” “I m-made her do it! She was so upset. I…I know it’s because of everything I did. She thought I abandoned her.” Inigo said miserably. “You didn’t.” Vanessa said firmly. “You didn’t know she’d go this far. It’s not your fault!”

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“Inigo…I know how close you two were. And I know this is a horrible thing, but maybe it was an accident. Just a horrible accident. You can’t think it was your fault, because it’s not. It’s just survivor’s guilt. You feel bad being alive when she’s dead. It’s not your fault.” Vanessa was repeating herself, but her message didn’t seem to be coming through.

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“What is that humming sound?” Vanessa asked suddenly. They left the kitchen, Inigo suppressing another wave of tears, and found someone left the computer on. “Hey, there’s a new e-mail.” Vanessa pointed out. “It’s from really late last night,” Inigo said, puzzled. He opened up the e-mail curiously. “Who’s it from?” Vanessa asked. Inigo was silent for a minute. Finally, he said numbly, “Imago.”

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Oh, how wrong we were to think that immortality meant never dying. Imago G. To: bookworm524@sv.com From: visionary221@sv.com Subject: (no subject) Sent: 1:43 AM The words registered dully with Inigo. He noted the time sent; 1:43 this morning. The fire was at roughly two in the morning. “It wasn’t an accident,” he said unnecessarily.

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A memory filled his mind. So many years ago, when Cassandra had told them they were immortal. Imago had said she would be fine as long as Inigo was with her. He wasn’t. So she killed herself. All my fault.

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The rain continued to fall. Why hadn’t it rained like this last night? It could have stopped the fire. Why did Imago have to die? Inigo never got to tell her good-bye, or let her know how much she meant to him, or tell her she was best friend he’d ever had. She was dead. She’d never talk again, she’d never laugh again, and he’d never see her again. He felt so lost.