THE LIGHTNING LEGACYChapter Four

The Power of the Turtle

Welcome to the fourth chapter of the Lightning Legacy. This is where the plot really begins to kick in, and you’ll how chapter two contained plot. Don’t forget that the heir poll is still up on boolprop.com, so vote for your favorite. Here, I’ll even link you: http://www.forums.boolprop.com/viewtopic.php?f=78&t=45246 Now, that bloke up there, I’m sure you all know. He’s Death and he makes quite a few appearances in this chapter. Scared yet? Good. You should be. Let’s begin.

The first thing A’Tuin did upon arriving at University was propose to Celeste. Very soon, I know, but hey, he rolled the want and I wasn’t going to deny him, was I? So our “evil” little A’Tuin is now engaged. That could be a good thing or a bad thing. I guess we’ll find out.

Anakin also caught up with Sunny. As you can see, nothing’s changed much from their teenage years.

Moving on.

See? No difference.

Annabeth didn’t really have much to do except her assignments- all of her skills are already maxed. She chose Art for her major, and it seemed to come a lot easier to her than the math and reading she’d struggled through in her elementary days.

It was over breakfast on the first day of classes that things started to go sour for the Lightning family. It was a warm spring day, the kind that makes you feel hopeful, even if you’ve just had your eye poked out by your best friend. A’Tuin and Celeste were enjoying their pancakes.Sort of. They’re weren’t really eating. A’Tuin reached across the table for his fiancée's hand and she willingly obliged. There wasn’t much talking, just the sharing of the moment as he fingered the ring that rested on Celeste’s left hand.

Their moment was ruined, by the appearance of a school cheerleader. “Gerbitz, gerbitz, gooo—” she stuttered as she saw Celeste. She laughed ruefully and turned to A’Tuin.“You’re dating her?”“We’re engaged, actually,” A’Tuin answered, annoyed.The girl laughed again. “You’re marrying Dolly? You’re crazy!” Her laughter was doubled in sound as the purple dressed girlat the video game through the sliding glass door joined in. “You’re insane!” she yelled to A’Tuin. “Before you marry Dolly, you should think of your kids! They’ll be freaks just like her!”A’Tuin knew that Celeste had always been uncomfortable with the markings on her skin that made her look like a ball-joint doll. He recognized these girls from Celeste’s high school. He had never known that she’d been teased about her skin, and even given a nickname. He hadn’t a clue who these girls were, but now felt a burning anger at them.

The rest of the day continued normal, until lunchtime, when two screams shattered the otherwise quiet dorm.

No one saw it happen. No one knew what made them scream. No one knew what they saw.

Death came first for the purple dress girl, whose name, it transpired, was Dee.WHAT A SHAME. SO YOUNG AND FULL OF LIFE. WELL THAT’S THE WAY IT GOES, I SUPPOSE.He summoned her spirit and body away, then drifted over to where the cheerleader’s body lay.

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THESE GIRLS? Death questioned. ANYONE? NO. I DIDN’T THINK SO.Excuse me, Death, sir, do you know what happened?OH, YOU MUST BE ANNA. I’VE HEARD ABOUT YOU.How? None of my sims have died yet!THE WORD COMES AROUND. I DARESAY YOU KNOW, AS YOU’RE THE MASTER OF THESE SIMS AND ARE FABRICATING PLOT AS WE SPEAK.I know, of course, as I’m the author, but I’m asking for the benefit of the readers.WELL, OF COURSE I KNOW. I’M DEATH, I KNOW EVERYTHING. BUT I FORSEE THAT YOU’LL BE MAD IF I REVEAL IT.But couldn’t you say something ominous?NO. Well, then, do you know what those girls saw?NO. YOU’LL FIGURE IT OUT NEXT TUESDAY.You couldn’t just--- No? Dang.

Fear rippled through campus, and students began to band closer together out of fear. Who would be next?“Scary, isn’t it, Ani?” Sunny asked, trying to sound careless, but failing. She jumped into his arms. “I hope we make it out okay.”“Don’t worry,” Anakin joked. “I’m a Jedi, remember?”“You only showed Force powers once– as a toddler.”

“Whatever. I won’t let anything happen to you, Sunny,” he promised harshly.She tightened her hold around his neck. “You can’t control everything, you know. We don’t know who did it.”Anakin dropped her and looked her in the face. “I can’t lose you, Sunny.”She looked back just as seriously. “You’re a romance sim, Anakin. If something happens to me, you’ll move on.”“I’m not sure I can.”Sunny looked at him differently. “You mean that?”

Not answering, he walked Sunny back to her room. She sighed, hand on the door handle. “Goodnight, baby.”“Wait.”She turned around slowly. Anakin was kneeling on one knee. “Of course I mean it,” he answered, presenting the ring to her.Sunny almost fainted in shock. Ani was a Romance sim! But he looked serious, and like he meant it. “Marry me?” he prompted.Sunny just nodded weakly. “But, Ani, you’re a Romance sim!”Anakin had fixed a determined look on his face. “I don’t care. I love you, and I can’t deny it. The deaths here have made me realize how much.”“This can’t end well. It could destroy us.”“Then we’ll deal with it when we get there.”

I’d like to take this moment to point out something that I don’t think anyone’s noticed before. Even Sunny’s eyes are yellow, and very pretty. She’s such a lovely sim, I’m so glad she and Ani are getting married after graduation.

While the exchange between Ani and Sunny was taking place, A’Tuin was working out. The deaths had startled him. How had they happened? He thought about the burning anger he’d felt towards those girls. He certainly felt better now, but how had they suddenly died?No, no, I couldn’t have killed them, A’Tuin thought suddenly, and put the disturbing thought out of his mind. He hadn’t even been around when they’d died.

A week passed and no more deaths occurred. The Lightning kids got through the freshman finals all with 4.0s (somehow). The morning of sophomore year dawned bright but cold. A’Tuin wasn’t hungry, but sat down next to Annabeth at the table anyways. He looked at his sister, then did a double take. “You look tired,” he commented.Annabeth’s grin froze for a split second. “Do I?”“Yes. What’s going on?”“Nothing, nothing,” she insisted, but she seemed rather flustered.

“You’re lying to me,” A’Tuin insisted. “I’ve lived with you for 20 years. You can’t lie to me.”“I’m not lying!” Annabeth cried, and A’Tuin decided to drop the subject. But he couldn’t help but notice her glancing at the boy across the table as she said that. He just a boy in their dorm, as far as he knew. What was his name? Chance? Chandler? Chase? Whatever. He filed the conversation away in his mind.

“Oh, my husband is so HOT!”He’s not your husband yet.“Huh? Who was that?”Oh, Anakin hasn’t told you about me yet? I’m Anna, the Creator. You’ll get used to me.“Oh, okay. Where was I? Oh yes. My husband is so hot!”Again, he’s not your husband yet.“But he will be!”I take it your excited aboutthat?“For sure! Oh, if only we were seniors already. I want to marry him!”Two and a half more years, love. “Couldn’t you just drop us out of college?”No. And if you fail out, I won’t marry you in.“Drat.”

Oh dear. Don’t tell me you’re trying to get abducted again.“You know it. Dude, it was so amazing last time.”You’re older now. You might not like it as much. It could be… different.“What do you mean?”Oh, never mind. Off to bed with you.“You ruin all my fun, you know that?”

The first term of sophomore year passed smoothly, and with no more deaths, people began to relax. A’Tuin and Celeste were still as in love as they’d been when he proposed. But A’Tuin felt they needed to talk.“So you were nicknamed ‘Dolly’?”Celeste put a hand on her cheek. “I knew you’d ask eventually.” She sighed. “Yes, I was.”

“But I grew used to it. Of course, it still hurts, but I’ve tried to move on.” She smiled. “Don’t worry about it, A’Tuin. I’m fine.”“You’d tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you?” A’Tuin questioned, still uncertain.“Yes, I would,” she answered. “I have class now, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tonight.”She left, but A’Tuin still didn’t feel any better than he had before their talk.

All of the students had the next day off, and Celeste decided to use it to work on getting a bronze toy-making badge. She heard a snigger behind her come from a red-head with a buzz cut. “A doll making a doll,” he guffawed. Celeste froze, and had a sudden urge to turn and throw her hammer at him. Plus, she wasn’t even making a doll!

Sunny, passing by the offender, glared maliciously at him. “If you know what’s good for you,” she muttered, so only he could hear, “You’ll back off my sister- in-law.” She ended with a snarl. Sunny allowed herself a grin as she saw true fear in his eyes. It was apparent he thought she was the killer of the two girls a while ago. He hurried off, wringing his hands and muttering under his breath about escape plans.

No one knew that A’Tuin had been present while the redhead had laughed at Celeste. A burning hatred filled him. As far as he knew, that boy had never seen Celeste until just this morning. His vision blurred and everything became tinted with red. That stupid, insignificant child had made fun of her just because he had wanted a laugh.

His common sense somewhere in the stratosphere, A’Tuin sneaked to the offender’s room. He would pay for this. He would pay.

He snapped back into reality as he put his hand on the doorknob of the boy’s room. What was he doing here? He couldn’t remember. How had he got here, what was going on? Confused, he looked at the portrait on the door, hoping for some enlightenment.

Suddenly, he remembered. Celeste’s words from the day before rang in his ears. It still hurts. It still hurts. IT STILL HURTS. IT STILL HURTS. He remembered why he was here. For revenge. This boy. He would pay. He deserved to die.

Suddenly, a scream rang out from the living area. A’Tuin snapped back to reality once again, and ran toward the sound. Surely it couldn’t…. It just wasn’t possible.

It was. A’Tuin started at the lifeless body, stunned. Surely he couldn’t have done this…. The new cheerleader to his right started to sob. “Not again! No one’s safe, no one!” She ran off, probably to spread the news across campus that the killer had struck again.

Celeste appeared, breathless. A’Tuin grabbed her and held her tight. “I thought—” she panted,” when I heard– you had just—come this way.”“Shh, shh, shh,” he shushed her, putting a hand on her head. I’m fine. I’m fine.”Celeste shuddered. “That was the scariest moment of my life.”“It’s alright now,” A’Tuin said, cradling her in her arms. “We’re both okay, and so are my siblings, and Sunny. Wow.”They stood there for a while, arms around each other, breathing in the fact that they were both still here.

And of course, after showers, there was a make-out session. I swear, this is all my sims are capable of doing. Well, that and murder, it would seem.

Fear was the flavor of the rest of sophomore year. It seemed that the killer was still around, and would not go away. Everyone suspected each other, and tightened their grip on those they loved. Many students spent time huddling in their dorm rooms, whispering and guessing who the killer was. There weren’t any deaths following the last, but the tension did not lift.

Fear, however, can bring people even closer. As the first two deaths spurred Sunny and Anakin’s engagement, this last one nudged a mysterious someone to propose to the eldest Lightning.“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “And if one of us ahs to go, I want everyone to at least know what we loved each other.”Annabeth opened the box and gasped. “Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! I will definitely marry you. I just wish we could run away from all of this and get married right this instant….” she trailed off dreamily.

Cute!

“Wait, hang on!” Celeste interrupted, tearing her gaze away from A’Tuin who was wearing only his swim trunks. “Annabeth, since when did you have a boyfriend??”Annabeth sighed. “I knew I couldn’t hide it for long.”

“Chandler and I met the first night we were here at uni, and we hit right off. We’d both been kind of the misfits of our families, or so we felt.”“So? Why’d you keep it a secret?” Celeste probed.

“I don’t know if you have any brothers, but if you do, you’d know what it’d be like. ‘Oh, look, little Annabeth has a boyfriend!’ and ‘Annabeth and Chandler, sitting in a tree—’, the whole lot,” Annabeth explained rather embarrassedly. “Anyways, there’s no point in trying to hide it now. Hey, Ani, A’Tuin, get your butts over here! I might as well get this over with….”

Since she had already finished her term paper and had no skills to max, Annabeth decided to write a novel. As she typed, she looked at her engagement ring. She knew she’d be happy with Chandler, and he was getting along great with her brothers and her soon-to-be sister in-laws. She smiled as she finished a sentence. It seemed that for once in her life, things were going just right.

….ignoring the deaths that were occurring, of course.

Chandler was taken aback as Annabeth suddenly appeared and attacked him with a kiss.“Not that I don’t like you kissing me,” he said, winded, when Annabeth had released her grip on him. “But what was that for?”“I’m scared,” she muttered. He held her tight. “Why?”She drew in a breath and blew it out. “I think I know who the killer is.”Chandler froze. His lips moved of their own accord. “Who?”

Chandler had the only double bed in the dorm, and the other couples liked to make use of it– especially Sunny and Anakin. Even though all their kids will have blonde hair, which might annoy me, they’re my favorite couple ever, so I’m not going to split them up just for that.

“Not that I’m complaining about what we’re doing, but why exactly did you bring me in here, Ani?” Sunny asked as they broke apart. “Because we need to talk somewhere where others can’t hear,” he explained, and kissed her again.“So,” she panted as she pulled away, “what do we need to talk about?”“I think I know who the killer is,” he panted back.Sunny froze, and didn’t respond when Ani kissed her again. He noticed. “What’s wrong?”“Who is it?” she whispered.

A’Tuin had taken Celeste outside to the corner of the lot. He kissed her lightly, then looked at her seriously. “I need to tell you something.”Celeste matched his tone. “What is it?”“I think I know who the killer is,” he responded.“Who?” she asked, breathless.

“A’Tuin,” Annabeth whispered in Chandler’s ear.

“My brother,” Anakin told Sunny, lips close to hers.

A’Tuin took a deep breath, then told Celeste….

“Me.”

Then a scream, not at all unlike the first three victim’s, pierced the quiet, than another, and then, unbelievably, a third.

Well, there you have it! Chapter Four of the Lightning Legacy. I hope you enjoyed my attempt at a cliffhanger. I think I did quite well. :)Brew up some interesting theories on what happened, if you please. I’d love to hear them. Also, don’t forget to leave comments on the topic at boolprop.com. I love hearing constructive criticism and opinions on my writing. Until next time!