Pick'N'Mix Mods for The Sims 2

38 - New Beginnings

Analise was startled out of sleep by the front-door slamming shut. "Mum", she called, "is that you?" Silence. "Mel ...", she cut herself off, that wasn't possible. She slipped out of bed and into the bathroom, then, cautiously, opened the other door until she could see her bedroom door and the hallway beyond - empty.

If anyone was in the house, in her current physical state, a fight was a foregone conclusion. She could run (or limp) to the garage, but the car keys were in the kitchen. She could hide, but to what end? She decided to brazen it out. Striding into the hall, "Hello", she called. Silence. She limped from room to room - all empty. She returned to her bedroom via the hall - that was odd.

Melissa's suitcase and handbag were propped against the wall, just where they'd been 15 days before.

Analise knelt and opened both sides of the suitcase - empty. She felt the lining, no million Simoleans in this one. She zipped it shut and propped it back against the wall (the neat-freak was still there she noted) and took the handbag into her bedroom, dumping its contents onto the bed. She checked the bag over - it had the hidden pocket, but it was empty - and it wasn't her sisters bag; that one had an ink-stain and this one was brand new.

She surveyed the contents - purse, makeup, pens, manicure kit (seriously?), emergency items of a feminine nature, lip-salve, antiseptic cream, pain killers, passport and plane ticket. No condoms or sex-enhancing drugs.

She picked up the passport and opened it - her sister stared back at her, or she could have been looking in a mirror. She dropped it on the bed and picked up the ticket - assuming it was the return portion she'd never used - it would make an interesting memento. She fanned herself with it and stared out the window. Two more unanswered questions - who had returned this stuff and why? The passport had fallen open on the bed and caught her eye - Jimenez was too long. She picked it up and looked closer, the passport was for Annie Fernandez. She turned the ticket over.

It wasn't the return portion, but a first-class single in the name of Annie Fernandez to Simona City - she had no idea where that was. The flight left this afternoon - she had four hours to pack; she wondered what she was going to do with the other three hours and fifty minutes.

She padded out into the hall, the suitcase was still there, and went to the den to Simgle 'Simona City'. Up and coming capital of a small land-locked state aiming to become a major player in the international financial markets. Located at the head of a large lake on a wide coastal strip, many miles from any mountains, it had no summer or winter to speak of and its most serious weather event in the last one hundred years had been a rain storm that caused the sewers to overflow. "Sounds perfect", Analise said sincerely.

She called the taxi company to arrange pickup,

packed what few clothes and belongings she cared about, and then secured the house - she had no idea where she was going, or even why, but whatever happened she wasn't coming back. She read the paper while waiting for the taxi,

power had been restored, the airport reopened, key roads repaired, temporary accommodation arranged and food stocks secured - it was amazing what the international community could achieve in less than two weeks when they put their differences aside. The taxi horn sounded from the street. She took one last look around, picked up her bags and closed the front door forever.

The front door flew open and Analise dashed into her bedroom, she'd forgotten the medallion! She'd left it hanging over the mirror before going to bed last night and, in the confusion of the day, she'd not put it back on. It wasn't there! She scrabbled around on the floor; nothing. She checked the duvet; nothing. She ripped the duvet off the bed to check the sheets; nothing. And nothing under the bed - she was crying, she couldn't find it. The taxi was honking furiously in the street. The medallion was gone! She didn't know why that hurt so much, just that it did. Reluctantly she locked the front door and left forever.

37 - Financial Rights 39 - Mile High