Reality Bites: An OWBC

Chapter Five: The Sparkling Heiress

Previously on Reality Bites...

Logan became a law-breaking dragon in childhood games with his brother, Rhapsody was born, and determined to break traditions, a bunch of birthdays happened, we said goodbye to the founder, Elijah Mirror, and in an attempt to cheer everyone up, Birch and Cara taught the hula to the generation. It was then that Rhapsody discovered her talent for dancing. She decided she was going to go dancing with George McCarthy, a local cashier.

And then you lovely people decided Rhapsody was going to be our final heiress!

Charlie and Matthew were talking in their studio, their television switched off from the constant activity of the Mirror family.

“Matt, our reality show needs more glamour!” Charlie announced.

Matthew frowned, “How? It's a bunch of sims going insane in the desert...”

“We should put a glitzy star in there to marry the heiress. What's Matthew Picaso up to these days?”

Matthew rolled his eyes.

“You can't mess with who people love, Charlie.” Matthew pointed out. Mentally, he thought of Ben and Meadow, or Edith and Elijah.

“Watch me.” Charlie grinned, making plans for Rhapsody to have a beautiful wedding.

We rejoin the Mirror family to find them partying. All of the usual guests were there, Birch, Cara, the family, along with some uninvited guests...

...like death.

“Who invited you?” Meadow demanded, rudely.

Death didn't answer.

“Edith,” Death called, raising an arm, “the afterlife is this way...”

“Oh right...goodbye everyone! Enjoy the rest of the party!” Edith smiled and offered one last wave, before leaving the party forever.

After that, the party and the tears continued.

Goodbye, Elijah and Edith.

You'll both be missed.

Night began to fall on the party, but Peter was determined not to let the earlier events put a mood over the party.

“Isn't that right, kitty?” Peter smiled, “We're going to party, because that's what grandma would have wanted.”

It was all very well saying that the party had to go on, but that did not take away the emotion that everyone felt.

Rhapsody was the first one to slip out of the party for a cry. Heartbreaking, really. It's always sad when sims die.

So to cheer everyone up, Birch and Cara decide to take the generation to Twikki Island for a bit.

Cara is thrilled, as a Twikki Island Native. “Look what I can do! This is how we carry luggage on Twikki Island!”

This native is always on my holiday home lots when my sims arrive. It happened in my legacy as well. I have no idea why she feels the need to enter their houses on Twikki Island when they're not home.

“Hey...I got lonely...”

Then I had a problem. Cara showed up for the holiday and headed down to the beach. The others didn't show up at all.

Their thumbnails were there, but they weren't. So I had to send Cara all the way home again.

“That was the quickest holiday ever.” Birch decided.

“Yeah,” Cara agreed, “It was a quick 'oh look, they went to Twikki Island!' before a 'they went home immediately'.”

Glitch!vacations, huh? Fun for all the family.

Also, for some reason, Bella Mirror – Beatrice's daughter with Brandon Jones – decided to stop by and stand in the middle of the conversation her cousin was having with his significant other.

“It's because you don't pay attention to me.”

Don't worry about that, you're about to get a lot of attention.

At the end of the last chapter, Rhapsody had decided to go dancing with George McCarthy. She had been heartfarting him – despite their negative chemistry. Yeah, I don't understand it either.

Bella, um, kind of took a shine to him as well...

“So, George, you're a cashier? Well, I'm a romance sim! How about we make out?”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh I see, you're the kind of guy who likes dating,” Bella chuckled, “Well, it's your lucky day! Me and my cousins are going dancing, later, and I'm inviting you.”

“But I-”

“Great! Glad you can make it! We'll have a great time!” Bella grinned, “My name's Bella, by the way.”

“Bella, here's the thing-”

“Is that a sale I see? Hold that thought, George! See you later!”

With that, Bella disappeared, after making things extremely difficult for George.

After night had fallen, Rhapsody began having doubts about the evening her cousin had suggested.

“This club looks a little...loud...” Rhapsody said, quietly.

“That's the idea!” Bella replied, enthusiastically, “You can dance, right? You'll be fine! Besides, there's cute guys in there!”

“It'll be fun.” Logan added, “Let's just go and have a look.”

Of course, the entire Mirror family knows the hula (except maybe Logan. He knows it but he fails at it so much), and pretty soon, they team up and start dancing up a storm...

“See, isn't this fun, Rhapsody?” Bella asked, stepping in time with her cousins.

Rhapsody didn't reply – she was too busy having fun with her cousins.

There is definitely something odd about a bunch of teenagers hula-dancing in a busy club, but it doesn't matter, right?

It's officially wacky! Hooray!

Of course, the Mirror's timed display didn't go unnoticed by the other teenagers in the club.

“What are they doing?” One girl demanded, “I want to join in!”

Their dancing definitely attracted attention.

Especially as Logan couldn't keep up. But he's never been good at dancing.

As more and more people joined the hula, no one noticed George McCarthy slip into the club, still wearing his cashier's uniform.

From the corner, he watch both of the girls who had asked him here, dancing up a storm.

He watched for a bit before deciding to join in with the hula.

There is nothing quite like a massive group of sims all dancing in time.

Once the hula had broken up, the Mirrors planned to leave when Bella finally spotted George.

“Oh, hey! You came! Just as we were leaving...” Bella grinned, “well, I asked you to show up and you did. How about you come back tomorrow, earlier, because we'll all be here again?”

Peter watched nearby, frowning slightly, “I thought Rhapsody had asked him here?”

The next day, before Ben was due to grow up, Rhapsody invited over one of her strange friends over.

“Then I get the handcuffs and I...”

I don't want to know what witches do with handcuffs.

“Haha, handcuffs are funny...did it just get more sparkly out here?”

Yay! Witch!

“If magic is real, why didn't I get to go to Hogwarts?”

I'm glad Rhapsody's a good witch, not an evil witch. It just seems more Rhapsody-like, if you ask me.

“Check me out. Pointy hat and everything.”

Too bad Ben's not looking through the window. His only human daughter just became a witch.

“Father senses tingling...daughter...is...witch...”

Try not to pass out, Ben. The party's about to start.

“I don't want to grow old.”

Well, we can't all live forever. Just the quad pod, apparently.

“If I get Ivy to bite me then-”

There's no time. But I'm sure Ben will be a funky elder, anyway.

Ben grew up in a cloud of leaves rather than a cloud of confetti. That's pretty cool.

Afterwards, Logan decided to show his mean side for a bit.

“Ready to go partying, sis'?” He laughed.

“I would be if you stopped messing up my hair!”

Ah, family love. There's no love quite like it, is there?

Ben and Meadow, meanwhile, decided to continue their 'we're the cutest couple in oddity' behaviour, after Ben had replaced his leaf dress with a Hawaiian shirt.

Also, there's the secret bookcase that leads to a secret room, but I'll show more of that at some other point...because right now, it's empty.

There was no hula at the club this time around, but more fun to be had. Logan found himself talking with a very pretty girl named Tina Traveller.

Bella demanded George danced with her, but he didn't mind. Or complain about it.

While Peter slapdanced by himself in the quiet part of the room.

Finally! Some spontaneous bad apple behaviour!

Rhapsody decided to ignore the fact that Bella was dancing with George – the boy Rhapsody liked but hated at the same time.

“Pfft, who needs a boy to dance?” Rhapsody asked herself, cheerfully stepping up to the music.

The track then changed, from the high speed dance music to a slow, dreamy number. Most of the girls squealed and grabbed a partner. Rhapsody sighed and went to sit down.

Nobody noticed Rhapsody leaving the dancefloor, their attentions were focused entirely on their partners.

Which lead to Logan's first kiss.

The day before his adult birthday, too. That must be a new record for me.

No one noticed Rhapsody heading for home early, either.

The next day was Logan's birthday, and it began the same as any other. With a glitch of some kind.

That can't be a good sign. A genie lamp, a puff of smoke...and no genie...

Logan finally finds the guitar I bought for him ages ago.

His totally lack of rhythm in dancing follows him into instrument-playing as well. When he moves out, I am not buying him a guitar.

But then six in the evening rolls around, and it's time for the eldest to grow older.

A business suit? Odd choice for my law-breaking dragon.

“Woo! He's not a teenage delinquent any more! Look at that classy suit!”

Clearly, everyone is thrilled.

Except Logan. He changes into something more his style and moves out, ready to take on the world.

That's it for this chapter!

Join me next time for more birthdays, more teenage romance, more angst, and another try at the glitch!vacation.

Thanks for reading!