#Midnight Sun Challenge Chapter 2.11 Finding My Way

Clara Barton once said, "The surest test of discipline is its absence."

I myself would like to add, that structure, authority and self drive itself does not ensure discipline, no matter how the intent of such lessons is forcefully put upon or even willingly accepted.  For it wasn't until I turned teen, that the concept of real discipline was grasped, even if such concept seemed far from reach.  Which considering my childhood upbringing, seemed such a surprise.

While much of my childhood was meant to drill into me the importance of education and the betterment of myself, once turned teen, I seemed lost as to how to continue that same desire for myself.  Where to begin?  

Several weeks following my birthday, and after I drifted from day to day with no real accomplishment, my father sat me down for a real "man to man" discussion.  

With my mother's health in question, I had lost my compass to steer me in the direction I needed to continue on and complete my well rounded upbringing. A sure sign, that in my mother's authoritative absence, I had failed under her attempt to teach me the discipline I needed.  I knew in some respects I had let her down.

My father, being a very disciplined man himself, decided it was time to take up those reins to help guide me back onto the correct path.  Under his tutelage, I would advance to differing techniques in art, sculpting and education.  He also gave me the choice of one alternative skill I wished to learn, of either some practicality or just for fun.  

More to the point, he said, it was time for me to learn how to take care of myself, the island and the family. For his time on this earth was slipping away, and he needed to know that I could do everything that needed to be done, when he was gone.

It was then, I truly saw my father for the man he was and through him, I saw the grandfather I had never known.  In my head, a message came through in deafening tones and clarity;  It was time to grow up and be a man.  Yet even as I took the lesson to heart, I foresaw the difficulty ahead of me, working closely with a man I so often felt such hatred for, even though he was also so greatly admired.  I believe I once read that described as a love-hate relationship and I understood, that saying this was going to be fun....well really didn't mean "fun" at all.

Good intentions always come from the best of ourselves, but even though I wanted to make my father proud, one can't completely ignore who they are. Before we had even begun, we already locked horns over what he felt was necessary and what I wanted to learn. My first lesson in art was to do some sort of block painting, which I had seen my father doing for the past few months.  




He said that artists could draw a picture or sweep a brush across canvas, but it took real talent to take shapes and accurately portray a picture.  I thought it was a waste of time and stood there at the canvas begrudgingly.  In the end he was very right; it was definitely harder than it looked.  

"You need to get out of your comfort zone," he told me.  "See art from a view outside the box, or perhaps slightly askew."

In my defiance, I completed the painting, but painted some nonsense cartoon character, instead of the still life he had originally wanted me to do.  

Truth be told, I wasn't sure art was how I wanted to make my way in the world.  Dad made it perfectly clear, that contribute to the household I must do, as "money didn't grow on trees".  Doing what, was the ultimate question.  I had a real talent for painting, that we knew for sure.  I hadn't yet tried my hand at sculpting, but it was coming on the planned schedule, so we would see.  I did however, really enjoy writing.  

The issue?  Famous parents who had already made a name for themselves in the world of art.  Would anything I contributed be taken as seriously as any individual artist, or would I be known first as the son of Ian and Maya Bell?  Nepotism and the arts?  Was there such a thing?  I was sure there was and if that was the case, how would one know if they were loved for the talent, or the name?

What I planned to do with my life wasn't as big a question, as where.  My love for the island ran deep, yet the unknown world drew me in with its mystery and the thought of everything I was missing, being sheltered here.  I knew the expectation was to stay, but how could I make the decision after only seeing one side of the coin?

The phone calls to my father regarding the movie continued and eventually, the real world found us.  Groups of paparazzi began to camp out on the island, hoping for a glimpse of the family or the opportunity to talk to anyone about our lives and the project.  My parents forbid me from going outside, but from my window I saw a beautiful woman I desperately would have liked to get to know.  She climbed into her boat to leave, but looked up and caught me looking down at her from my window.  






The look she gave me showed surprise, then definite interest and I was considering sneaking out of the house to meet her. When from behind her back she pulled out a camera and snapped a shot.

My father was furious with me to say the least, and he watched the tabloids and the news for the picture to show up, but it never did. My hope was that the darkened room behind me, distorted the picture, making it unusable.  Even though I wanted my time off the island, being trailed by paparazzi who knew what I looked like didn't seem like the ideal scenario.  Once again I had to sit through the lecture about being famous and the trials of living with that status with the press.  Nothing good comes from having anything to do with the paparazzi, no matter how nice they may seem to be. They are never just people, they are always the job. Never, ever agree to have your picture taken, for any reason.... Yada yada. All I knew is that something terrible must have happened to one of my parents, to have adopted such a strong opinion.

A few weeks went by and one by one the paparazzi left the island and didn't return.  Mom's health remained a constant concern. She continued to throw up several times a day and spent much of the day resting.  
                                        

Worried for her, I asked if it was possible 
she might be pregnant.
I was embarrassed to ask, but my mother assured me that pregnancy was not a concern.  Then what, I asked.  Just some bug she was having trouble beating, she replied.  She was sure she would be fine in no time.  I sincerely hoped she was right.













Dad planned an afternoon at the beach where we could enjoy our privacy once again and celebrate one of the last days of warm weather for the season.  

We all spent some time basking on the sand, soaking up the rays and chatting about the events of summer. At least we did after mom woke up from her nap. After a supper of hotdogs done on the grill, 

dad surprised us with a fireworks show that lit up my moms face. 

When he was finished, he saved a few for me to try, explaining the dangers of fireworks in great detail, while I impatiently waited to light the fuse.  

All in all it was a really great day and a great way to end our first summer season on the island.  Mom seemed better, brighter even and I hoped that we truly were on the other side of this sickness.  Only time would tell.





Later that evening, we were all woken by the sound of the fire alarm ringing on the third floor.  We rushed to the fire, but by then the fire had already begun to spread to the middle of the room. Dad struggled with the fire extinguisher to get on top of the flames, watching as they began to surround him.  Luckily, we were saved by the firefighter who had once before appeared to save our home from the flames.  It took the two of them, but eventually the flames were extinguished.  

The damage was great, from the floor to the ceiling leaving my father and I quite the repair and cleaning job. The firefighter inspected the fireplace, suggesting that it was time to get rid of the existing unit and upgrade to one that wouldn't catch fire, which my father agreed to do. How did the fire even start? The fireplace hadn't been used in months since the warm weather had set in.  The only reason we even had a unit on the third floor, was to keep the chickens warm and give a greenhouse atmosphere for the plants to grow vegetables and fruit all year round. Since we were currently in the summer season, there was no need to use the fireplace.  In the end we just decided to remove the unit, since mom wasn't well enough to garden such a large area anyway.  Mom protested, but dad said he could always upgrade to a new unit later on, when she was well again.

Finally the day arrived when I was set up to carve my first sculpture.  I stood there eyeing the clay, trying to envision what I wanted to create.  Dad had suggested that I start off slow and easy, making something with clean straight lines.  I chipped away at the clay keeping a clear vision of what I wanted to make in my head.

It was by far a master piece, but it was simple and quite acceptable for my first creation. I learned however, that sculpting wasn't really my style. I could do it, but I wouldn't ever enjoy it the way my father does.  I was slightly relieved, as I was able to stroke one thing off my list.  Sculpting? Not for me.

Dad honored mom's promise to give me the summer off from my educational classes, but with the passing of the summer season, I was then expected to return to my studies.  While my education consisted of all the regular classes one would expect to see, such as english and history, dad's idea of learning appeared to be quite different.  I still did a lot of this,

and this.  

But instead of studying math, I studied a handiness book and logic, temporarily replaced English.  I'm not quite sure if mom was aware of the changes, or was in agreement with my father, but I did my best hoping to make both of them proud.

By the way, the alternative skill I chose to learn.  Remember the one that could be for learning or fun?  Well guess what I chose?

Deep down inside, no matter how hard I tried to bury the need, I was still me.  Annoying my father is one of the things I do best.  Yes, this ought to do nicely, I think.

CC Used In This Chapter

Jin's Hair-Joey by Cazy
www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-hair-hairstyles-male/title/joey-hairstyle--child/id/1273277

Maya's Hair-Sunset by NewSea

http://simmingitout.blogspot.ca

Ian's Hair Nicholas by Cazy
http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-sets-hair/title/nicholas-hairstyle--set/id/1231400

Poses Used In This Chapter

Summer Pose Pack  by Hepis

http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=504579

Couples Couch Poses by Chibikinesis
http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=546583

#Midnight Sun Challenge Chapter 2.10 Time Changes Everything

Once all the drama died down, the summer carried on in a slow lazy manner with very little to report on.  I spent most of the days outside playing with Sophie, released from any learning by my mother as a reward for such good work throughout the year.  She wanted me to take the time to work on painting and sketching, but the hot summer drew me to its warmth and I couldn't wait to get outside every morning. 

The nights however, were a little more difficult for me.  As soon as the sun went down, my nervousness would set in and I stayed close to my parents, sometimes sleeping in their bed, 

or on the couch in their room.  

I always started out in my room, with mom reading me a story to help me fall asleep.

Yet the minute she left the room, I would be wide awake.  Before long, I would be crawling in with them.

Mom told me it was fine, and that in time when I felt better, I could go back to sleeping in my own room.  She spent a lot of nights sleeping in my bed with Aria, who had reclaimed her spot after Sophie took her bed downstairs.  I tried to coax Sophie to sleep in the room with me, but she wouldn't stay, insisting on sleeping downstairs.  Every morning, I was always a bundle of nerves, waiting to see if she was still in the house.

I guess I couldn't say it was an entirely boring summer.  Mom had a birthday and aged up to adult, 

which to me meant she really didn't look any different than she had before.  Mom spent time off and on looking in the mirror inspecting wrinkles which seemed invisible to me.  But she was convinced they were there and so I stopped arguing with her about it.  To me, mom still looked beautiful.

Mom's days seemed to be very busy with chores, so she really didn't get outside much all summer.  She did a lot of laundry, mostly because I was constantly coming in 

 dirty and stinky

from playing. She kept joking with me that there was never enough detergent in the house to keep up with my clothes.








She also took over looking after the chickens and it was really funny to find out that I wasn't the only one who forgot to collect the eggs!  

Mom didn't seem to care because to her, chicks were better than eggs to eat.  I tried not to think about that statement too much, for I feared I would become a vegetarian if I delved too deeply into it.   Regardless, the next time I forget to collect the eggs, I'm just going to stick the cute little chick under her nose to defuse her annoyance with me.

The garden took up the rest of her time, as she had a very large and healthy crop of vegetables and such growing.  It inspired her to brush up on her cooking skills and she took to reading as many recipe books as she could find. 

Suited me just fine because we really did need some new foods to eat.  My favourite so far is the fish and chips!  She told me she had a goal to read all the books and try all the recipes by the end of the summer.



Dad began giving mom a hand in the garden, for if he didn't she spent almost the entire day there, her garden was so big.  

To mom the garden wasn't a chore the way it seemed to dad.  She even spent time talking and singing to the plants, which seemed an odd behaviour, but she said plants were sensitive to Sims voices and it helped them to grow.  I guess the proof was in the delicious taste of everything she picked.  I wonder if the plants knew, that in growing so well, it meant they were slated to be eaten.  There is a disturbing thought!





The summer was almost over and I hadn't reached my goal of winning over the deer, but for some reason, Meeko had taken a real shine to me.  His favourite game was chase and I could see a smile on his face whenever he challenged me to play.  

However, I didn't completely win him over, or so I found out one night when I tried to pet him.  Meeko's face turned from friendly to mean very quickly and he took a good chunk out of my finger.

I cried really hard, while Meeko sculked away with a satisfied look on his face.  

We'll just see if I ever play with  him again!












Dad's summer turned out to be a very productive one.  He  wrote two bestsellers, including The Pink Full Moon, which became so popular he was constantly getting phone calls for books tours and appearances on talk shows. 

There was some chatter about turning it into a movie, but dad was really trying to discourage it.  The story was loosely based on our family life and he didn't want that to be exploited for the screen. Since I had never been to a movie theatre myself, I didn't really understand it all, but regardless it all sounded very exciting!  

Mom and dad tried to explain to me what is was like to be a celebrity in the public eye all the time.  They wanted me to fully understand that the paparazzi were never a friend and to avoid them as much as possible.  They said I had been born into a family of  a certain celebrity status and it was part of the reason why we were living on the island.  It was mostly to protect me, they said.  

When the phone calls and the stress from his new books became too much, we could always find dad fishing behind the barn.

It was his own quiet spot, as he called it and when he was out there, we tried not to disturb him.  He tried to get me to fish with him, but I had much better things I wanted to do, then stand there in silence staring at the ocean.





Shortly after Boots left the island dad picked up a great new toy.  It wasn't the best telescope out there you could buy, but he said he didn't need much, just something to keep an "eye on things". 


I asked him once 'what things', but he told me not to worry, and that I could use the telescope anytime I wanted.  As long as it was only during the day.  I had a lot of fun with that telescope until the day I found something odd in the ocean.  I called my dad up to take a look himself.  He said he thought it was a statue of a woman, not the dead body I thought it was.  

Dead bodies float or sink depending on how long they have been dead he corrected. When they sink, they don't sink standing up without any movement.  That did make me feel a bit better.  Dad said that when I got older, we could go scuba diving way out there and take a look. In my head I was thinking no thanks!






Shortly before my birthday, mom started to feel really unwell and it reminded me of how ill she was way back in the winter time.  She tried to keep it hidden, but with the amount of times she was throwing up, and as closely as I was watching her, it was hard to miss.  I began to worry again.





Before long, my big day had arrived.  Party time!  Well at least whatever kind of party can be had with three people, a dog and an uninterested cat.  Mom woke me up in the morning with a birthday hug. 

Then she spent the morning baking me the best chocolate cake I had ever seen, that kept my mouth watering all day long just at the thought of it.  No amount of chatting my mom up could get her to move up the party time, which was to be four o'clock. Just in time to ruin our dinner, so my dad said, but not even he could change her mind.



Mom said she wanted just one more day with her son as a little boy.  She reluctantly brought out the cake at four, where I made a wish, blew out the candles and then, felt funny all over.  Tingles began to radiate all over my body, while brightly coloured sparkles illuminated all around me.






Then with a spin and a jump, a teenager I was!




A few days later it was dad's birthday as well.  The night before, mom and dad decided to have a bit of alone time to celebrate more privately. As a teen I now understood what that meant, so I feigned exhaustion and headed up to bed.  If I was about to become an old man, I would want to make the most of it as well.  Not that they hadn't spend their entire days making the most of it!  I popped on my music, while they headed out to the hot tub down on the beach. Not something I wanted to hear, if I didn't have to, as the all day lip locking was bad enough!

  






The following night, out came the cake for my dad.

So, in approximately two weeks time, all our lives aged and the dynamic of the household changed.  My mother, no longer the face of young youth, yet still very beautiful. My father now into his later years and me, well, no longer a child.  Free to do what I wanted to do and start making plans for my future, whatever that may be.

Oh by the way, this is me:

Jin Charles Bell, now teen!!






















ThanX to all my readers and friends for following along with the story!  Now just below you can leave me a little comment by clicking on No Comments or the little pencil (depending on if you are first) and perhaps click on the G+1 to recommend me to the public! Plus if you enter in your email up top (totally private no worries) you can receive alerts when there is a new post.  You are the best!!

Poses Used In This Chapter

Bad Boy by IMHO
http://sims3imho.blogspot.ca/p/poses.html

Photoshoot Poses  by mia8

http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-poses/title/8-poses-photoshoot-by-mia8/id/1251409

Loretta Pose Packs by Skylar

http://asgemsims.blogspot.ca/2013/09/loretta-pose-pack-with-list-s.html

CC Used In This Chapter

Monster Inc Pyjamas by lillka
http://www.thesimsresource.com/artists/lillka/downloads/details/category/sims3-clothing-male/title/monsters-inc.-pajama-for-boys--bottom/id/1246169
http://www.thesimsresource.com/artists/lillka/downloads/details/category/sims3-clothing-male/title/monsters-inc.-pajama-for-boys--top/id/1246170

Jin's Hair-Joey by Cazy
www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-hair-hairstyles-male/title/joey-hairstyle--child/id/1273277

#Midnight Sun Challenge Chapter 2.9 Come Back Sophie!

Saturday morning, I woke up early all excited about spending the day outside playing with Sophie, swimming in the ocean and just lazing about in general.  No school work, no chores, not even any dance practice.  Mom had just given me a book about water colour painting, and I thought I could sit on the beach and read it while Sophie played in the sand.

I rushed downstairs to scarf down some breakfast, so I could get outside before it got to be way too hot.  I looked in the cats bed, but Sophie wasn't there, so I just assumed she had gone outside to do her morning business.  Breakfast finished, and dishes put away, yet Sophie had not returned to the  house.  I figured she had probably met up with Meeko the raccoon to play, so I went in search of her. An hour later I couldn't find her and in a panic I ran into the house screaming my dad's name for help.

Mom and dad were still in bed, as it was still quite early, but they both got up, dressed and help me search for my beloved friend. 

Mom searched the house and dad went outside.  I was really upset and desperately trying not to cry when mom came downstairs. She led me over to the bench, sat down and pulled me into her arms.
I did cry then and cried very hard.  

"What if she is gone?  Where could she be?  What if someone came to take her too like they did the horses?"

Mom held me tight and told me that Sophie had to be somewhere.



"Sophie is here.  Dad will find her Jin, have faith.  I'm sure she is just sleeping somewhere and doesn't hear anyone calling her.  It's going to be okay."

"But Sophie can't swim!  What if she fell in the water and got swept away by a current!  Maybe we should go out on the boat to look for her!"

"Sophie is scared of the water.  She would never go into the water so I don't think that is really a concern."

"But if she's not in the house, and she's not any where on the island, it's the only explanation.  Isn't it?"

"Jin, there is a lot of water out there.  Where would we start looking?"

"Wait! I know!"

I raced upstairs to the third level and climbed up my tree house to have a good look around. 

By now three hours had passed since I had started looking for Sophie, but I was trying really hard not to lose hope.  I couldn't lose Sophie too, I needed her, she was my only friend!  I guess dad must have had the same thought as I did, because from my tree house I could see dad up in the lighthouse looking around too.  I saw him come down and head back to the house, so I slid down and raced back downstairs.

I met him in the kitchen where he was getting himself something to eat.





"Did you find her?" I asked.

"No Jin.  I'm sorry.  I just need to get something to eat and then I will go back out."

"EAT?  How can you eat?  Sophie is missing and you want to eat?  You need to find her dad!"

"I will Jin.  I just need time to think where else she could be that I haven't looked."

"Sophie is probably hungry!  We need to find her dad.  If you cared about Sophie you wouldn't stop to eat!" I screamed.

"Jin Charles Bell!  You need to go to your room and calm down. Go."

I stomped to my room and plunked myself down in my chair.  I knew I had stepped over the line the minute I said it, but sometimes I just couldn't help myself.  Sophie could be anywhere.  She could be scared, she could be hurt.  She was most definitely very hungry and he was taking time to eat to fill his stomach!  Where could she be?

Aria came in, jumped up onto my lap and began purring. 

I rubbed her back while I complained about the situation into her ear.  I don't know if Aria knew what was going on or if she just saw that I was upset and wanted to make me feel better.  It wasn't like her to climb into my lap for attention, so I thought she might be worried too.  I asked her if she knew where Sophie was, but she didn't make any motions that she understood.  Wouldn't that just have been so easy?  Lost dog-just ask the cat.  

I was trying really hard not to cry again.  I guess I should go down and apologize to dad, I thought.  But just as I was getting up, I heard my mom yell.  I went racing down the steps.  There dad was holding a very smelly Sophie!!

I was so happy to see her, but dad asked me to wait until he could give her a bath.  He said he didn't know what she had gotten into but it really stunk, so into the bath she went.

I think Sophie was just as happy to have a bath as dad was to give her one and she certainly smelled better afterward! 


 I gave her a good brushing to smooth out her coat and make her soft like she was before.  

Sophie had hurt her front paw and wasn't walking very well, so dad said we would probably have to carry her a bit for the next couple of days.  He said behind the lighthouse between it and the fence, there was a small pile of rocks that the workmen had probably left when the built the lighthouse.  Sophie had gotten her paw trapped when a rock moved and shifted onto her paw.  He had heard her whimpering when he went back up the hill.  

He said he was heading back out to remove the rocks and throw them into the water so that it could never happen again.  Mom wondered what she could have been doing up there and dad replied that he figured she had to have been following Meeko.  Otherwise why would she be up there at all.

Later that day we snapped a family photo, minus Aria who wouldn't sit for us, so we would remember this day and always be grateful for what we have.

We all look a little tired from our experience!  


ThanX to all my readers and friends for following along with the story!  Now just below you can leave me a little comment by clicking on No Comments or the little pencil (depending on if you are first) and perhaps click on the G+1 to recommend me to the public! Plus if you enter in your email up top (totally private no worries) you can receive alerts when there is a new post.  You are the best!!

Poses Used In This Chapter

Daddy's Girl Pose Pack by SimMadMeg http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=543878

Sit in by Shokobiene

http://www.thesimsresource.com/downloads/details/category/sims3-poses/title/sit-in/id/1251616