Welcome to Slavestown
Chapter Thirteen
Meanwhile: Back in Strangetown
"A pair of twos," Kea states, spreading her cards out on the green velvet table. "I was going for a flush, but it didn't work out," she notes.
Stan glances down at Kea's cards briefly before putting down his own. "Pair of threes. I win," Stan announces, watching as Kea's face falls.
"Well, that's it folks! It looks like Isabella eXtreme is staying in the afterlife!" Craig Ray tells the cameras, all of Isabella's friends looking distraught behind him. "We'll see you next time, when General Buzz takes on Pollination Tech #9 in the battle for the turkey sandwich!"
"And we're clear!" one of the crew members announces, gesturing to cut off the cameras. Everyone from the TV station begins to pack up their things and walk away.
Behind them, Kea continues to sit stationary on the table. She looks down at her hands, unable to say a word, her body frozen in shock. Finally, she sighs and gets up, shaking Stan's hand. "Congratulations Stan, you won fair and square," Kea states as she turns away from the table.
All of a sudden, Stan begins to laugh, throwing his hand up trying to conceal his giggles.
"Hold up. Why are you laughing?' Kea asks, watching as the Grim Reaper struggles to cease.
The Grim Reaper smiles, watching as the others form a circle around them. "I can't take your friend, Kea," he says.
"That's great! But why not?" she wonders.
Stan sighs, turning away from the others for a moment to look off into the distance. "You know, people always assume that I like death just because I'm the Grim Reaper. But the truth is, without life, death would be meaningless," he confides before turning back around to answer Kea's question, "But Kea, the real reason why I can't take your friend is a simple matter of principle," Stan begins, "You see, a mere ten years ago, the National Association of Life and Death passed three rules that all Grim Reapers must follow regarding premature death."
"Okay," Kea says, urging him to continue.
"One," Stan begins, holding out his boney fingers as he counts them out, "I don't take children. Children are the purest form of sim life and represent the innocence that the world has since forgotten," Stan explains, "Two, I don't take pets. Pets are adorable and love their owners unconditionally. They cannot be selfish."
"That makes sense," Tank comments.
"And lastly, rule number three," Stan lists off, "I don't take people who commit selfless acts of love, which means, I also don't take people who save either of the first two. And your friend? She broke two of those rules: She saved his daughter," the Grim Reaper says, pointing to Pascal, "-and she – well, you know," he concludes, glancing up at Vidcund. "Besides, your friend's true purpose hasn't been fulfilled yet, to take her now would be devastating. And it seems like you guys need her a whole lot more than I do."
Stan pauses, giving a smile, "And that's why I'm not even going to bother going up against any one of you in a rock-paper-scissors match, because I know I would surely lose," he comments. "Of course, all this doesn't mean that your friend wasn't flawed, Kea," Stan explains, "Isabella was selective, stubborn, and oftentimes pushy, and clearly afraid of commitment-" Stan begins, Ripp raising his eyebrows at this news, "-And she did lie about a few things," Stan completes, "But to punish someone who does something unselfish in a world full of vengeance and hatred…well, that just wouldn't be fair. The world needs to be balanced. I mean, how else do you think Crystal survived death all those times?"
"Yeah, I was wondering about that…" Lazlo speaks.
"Yes, the world must be balanced," Stan repeats as he floats to the other side of the dimly lit room, "You will receive what you deserve," he states. The Grim Reaper stops in front of Vidcund, who is still leaning up against the wall, heartbroken. Vidcund barely lifts his head when he senses Stan's presence. "Vidcund, let it go," Stan speaks into the silence, "You have already paid for your mistakes, and now you are choosing to suffer for no reason," Stan firmly explains, "The problem was never that Circe didn't love you, it was that you truly believed that if she couldn't, then no one else could."
The Grim Reaper reaches into his pocket and throws his arm forward, dropping a strange blue powder all over Vidcund. Vidcund coughs a bit as he shakes his arms out, his cuts and bruises healing instantly. "Uh, what did you just do?" Vidcund asks, standing up from the wall a tad.
"I healed you," Stan answers matter-of-factly, "I tried to heal you emotionally, too, but it might take a while for it to work," he answers.
"Oh, uh, thank you," Vidcund says, giving a few nods.
The Grim Reaper shrugs, "Hey, a deal's a deal," he states before floating back over to Kea. "Thanks for the game, Kalson. I thought you weren't going to make it today, so I'd figure we'd just knock it out early," he comments.
"Oh right, it's Thursday," Kea says, a cloud of realization hitting her, "So that's why you wanted to play me!"
"Well, that and…I just really wanted to spend time with you," Stan confesses, rubbing the back of his cloaked head. Nearby, Ripp and Tank exchange outlandish glances with each other. "I've been thinking a lot about you lately."
"-I'm married now," Kea states, crossing her arms.
"I know," Stan squeaks, "But, you know, if anything were to happen to your husband-"
"-No."
"Right," Stan quickly responds, tapping Tank on the shoulder, "Good-looking guy by the way," he states, floating a bit away from them.
Next to Kea, Tank stands there looking terrified. "Uh, should I be scared?" he wonders as Pascal rushes over to his wife.
"Wait, you dated the Grim Reaper?" Pascal asks, clearly intrigued by this rather shocking discovery, "What was that like?"
Kea smiles, "It was great. I mean, the sex was really-" Kea quickly stops, noticing that Tank is now paying full attention to her, "-Not good," she completes, "But the relationship was way too complicated. I mean, it wasn't so much the Death thing as it was the not knowing where he was thing. And then of course there was the long black cloak that he never washed," Kea reminisces to the others, wandering off a bit, "Yeah, dating Andrew just got kind of gross."
"Wait, that's Andrew?" Tank speaks up, gesturing towards the Grim Reaper, "Your ex, Andrew?" Tank attempts to clarify.
Kea nods, "Uh-huh."
"Then who was that guy that we ate dinner with senior year?" Tank asks, his face filled with confusion.
"Oh! That was other Andrew," Kea answers, "He's my first ex," she tells them, "I thought it would be easier if all my boyfriends had the same name, that way it wouldn't get awkward if I accidentally slipped up while I was making out with the next one," she elaborates.
"Ah," Ripp says, "Now I can see why it was such a big deal when Tank came along."
Nearby, Pascal is conversing with Lazlo on the side of the room. "Wow…so Death doesn't like death. I feel like my entire life is a lie," Pascal comments, giving his head a shake.
"Hey, I know you!" Stan claims, floating up next to him. Seeing this, Pascal quickly uncrosses his arms and backs away from the Grim Reaper.
"What? No-No you don't!" Pascal stutters, looking around in a panic, "I've never seen you before in my life!" he exclaims.
"Yeah," Stan remembers, snapping his fingers as the association clicks in his mind, "You're my kid's friend!"
Pascal exhales, instantly relieved as the color comes back into his face. "Oh yeah. You're right about that!" Pascal sighs, returning to his cheery state, "So, how is he anyway?" he asks.
Stan shrugs, "I don't know. You see him more than I do," he answers with a somewhat sassy tone. Pascal and Lazlo watch as Stan floats to the other side of the room and rejoins Kea.
Pascal wipes the sweat from his brow. "Fewf! That was a close one!" he breaths, "For a second there I thought he finally figured out that I'm the one that has all those home and gardening magazines sent to his house," Pascal reveals. Lazlo raises an eyebrow.
"Alright Ms. Kalson, I am a man of my word," the Grim Reaper tells her, his voice echoing throughout the room. "I will bring back your friend – provided, she wishes to return," Ripp, Tank, and two of the Curious brothers gather around Kea and Stan, watching in awe as the Grim Reaper raises his hands up, the scenery disappearing around them. In a few moments, after a wide array of obscure noises and multi-colored lights, they find themselves back on the roof of the Beaker estate with Isabella's body lying down on the ground in front of them.
Stan reaches down and carefully picks her up, handing her to Pascal. "Here, you hold her, you're a mother," he comments.
Pascal opens his mouth to protest, but finds himself short on words. "Well, I can't argue with that," he realizes, holding Isabella up in a standing position.
"Now let's get her back," the Grim Reaper says, placing one of his boney hands on her forehead. His eyes turn bright white as he tries to connect with the afterlife. "Patience everyone," his voice mumbles thirty seconds later, "This may take a while."
Meanwhile: Back in the Afterlife
Isabella continues to watch the monitors, sighing when it switches to a view of the Road to Nowhere and off her friends. Alfred walks up to her, placing a caring hand on her shoulder. "You know Isabella," he says, "Your friends were very lucky to have you."
Isabella shakes her head, turning to look her grandfather in the eyes. "No," she speaks suddenly, "I was the lucky one," she states, giving a small sniff as memories of them race into her mind.
…
Isabella and the Curious brothers are standing in her college dorm room, playing the first of many rounds of their weekly charades tournament. The air mattress has been deflated and pushed to the side so that they can each take turns standing in the center of the room.
"Give it up Lazlo, you guys are never going to catch up to us!" Pascal says, nudging Vidcund in the side.
Lazlo rolls his eyes, pointing his finger at Pascal accusingly, "Please! One more right in thirty seconds and we win!" Lazlo says, nodding at Isabella to start the timer. He examines the clue and then plops down on the floor, wrapping his arms and legs underneath him in a squat. Pascal and Vidcund stare at him strangely.
"Ooh! Ooh! Meatloaf!" Isabella shouts.
"YES!" Lazlo exclaims before jumping up from the carpet and wrapping his arms around Isabella in a victory hug. Vidcund and Pascal stare at the pair, dumbfounded.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Vidcund states.
…
Isabella is situated at one of the black and white checkered tables in the cafeteria of Cassandra's dormitory, sighing as she impatiently taps the tip of her pencil against the table top. Across from her, Vidcund and Pascal are eating breakfast. Vidcund sets down his coffee cup and looks at the empty notepad that is sitting on the table in front of Isabella. "What's wrong?" he asks.
"I need to come up with a new painting for my Art 535 final," Isabella explains, locking eyes with Vidcund, "But I can't seem to come up with any ideas!"
"Ooh! Ooh! I got one!" Pascal speaks up as Lazlo picks up a plate from the counter and joins them, "Paint me, but instead of my stomach – make it a watermelon and have puzzles pieces spewing out of the watermelon and then have the puzzle pieces spell out the word 'sugar,'" he suggests, sporting an enthusiastic grin as he throws his hands up in celebration, "So, what do you think?" he asks.
"Uh, well…" Vidcund begins, both he and Lazlo have peculiar looks on their faces, trying to be fastidious with what he's about to say.
"I like it," Isabella speaks up, sparks in her eyes, "Can I use it?" she wonders.
Pascal nods, part of him in disbelief of what he is hearing. "Yeah, of course. Let's go," he answers, "But to tell you the truth, I still don't really get it," Pascal confesses.
"That's okay," Isabella replies, sitting up from the table as the pair heads to her room, "Sometimes with art, you don't have to understand."
One Month Later
"So, what do you think?" Isabella asks, stepping away from the easel and presenting the painting to Pascal, who is sitting alone on her bed. "I wanted you to be the first one to see it, cause this was your idea," she explains.
Pascal stares up at the painting and smiles. "It's awesome. I love it!" Pascal exclaims, before standing up next to the picture carrying Amelia in his arms. He gestures Isabella to the other side of the painting and takes out his cell phone, holding it out in front of them. "Selfie!" he cries, snapping the picture.
He turns his phone around and looks at it briefly, before holding it out to Isabella in triumph. "Hey, we look good," he states. Isabella smiles and nods.
…
Tank and Isabella are walking through Sim State Park with Isabella stopping every few feet to take photos as the pair trek near the Ole Town Woods. "Thanks for coming with me to park, Tank," Isabella says, gently placing down her camera, sighing as she breathes in the fresh park air surrounding them.
"No problem," Tank responds, waving away the thought, "I didn't want you walking around here by yourself, there could be weirdos lingering in these parts," he tells her, only half-joking, "Besides, you know I'm happy to do this with you."
"You're happy?" Isabella repeats, scrunching her eyebrows.
"Well, as happy as I can be without Kea being here," Tank comments, leaning forward a bit to examine a sunflower. "Man, I haven't seen one of these in a while," Tank states, examining the flower's fuzzy brown texture more closely. A bee flies onto its surface, causing Tank to yelp. He ducks behind Isabella as she takes a photo of the animal.
Isabella laughs as the bee flies away, off in search of its next pollination. Tank stands back up straight behind her and steps into her view.
"Now don't go telling anyone about that," Tank advises.
Isabella smiles and laughs, before giving Tank a small nod. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," she promises, holding her hand out in a semi scout's honor.
…
"Izzy! Izzy!" Ripp calls out, knocking on Isabella's bedroom door. Ripp smiles when he catches Isabella walking down the hall towards him. "Izzy!" Ripp states, his voice filled with relief as he meets her halfway between Tank's room and his own. Ripp rushes forward and grabs both of Isabella's hands, delicately holding them up towards her chin with his own.
"Look, I know it's senior year and we've been busy with the trial and I didn't get a chance to buy you anything, but I think I may have something that's even better," he tells her, shying away a bit as he reaches behind his back.
"Oh, okay," Isabella squeaks, blushing a bit as she brings her hands together.
Ripp pulls out a piece of paper and holds it out to her. "Look! It's me and you!" Ripp says, holding up the colored pencil drawing that he had been working on all week. The picture shows a cartoon version of what appears to be a teenaged Ripp and Isabella holding hands. "Well, it's supposed to be, but I'm not really an artist," he comments.
Isabella takes the picture, her face beaming as she gazes at it. "I love it," Isabella sincerely tells him, "This is going right on my art wall."
"You have an art wall?" Ripp asks.
"Yeah, it's right next to pop tart wall where Pascal posts all of his pop tart selfies," Isabella explains, looking down at the picture once more, "Thank you, Ripp," she says, pulling him into a hug.
Ripp sighs lovingly, "You're welcome," he replies.
…
Isabella is standing at the podium on the miniature stage in the auditorium-sized basement of the safe house, attempting to speak to the college townies. "Hello? Everyone? Can I have your attention please?" Isabella calls out to the crowd, but the college townies continue to ignore her. "I don't understand, why are they ignoring me?" Isabella asks as Kea steps up from the side staircase to assist.
"Probably because they're not sure if they can trust you," Kea informs her, "I mean, premade sims don't exactly have the best track record when it comes good relationships with townies," she clarifies.
Isabella shrugs. "But what about you and me?" she says, causing Kea's eyes to open with clarity.
"HEY! EVERYBODY SHUT-UP AND LISTEN! BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ZERO CHANCE AT WINNING THIS WAR IF YOU DON'T TRUST THIS GIRL RIGHT HERE!" Kea yells, putting a hand on Isabella's shoulder. Immediately all of the townies stop what they are doing and turn towards the podium.
"Thank you," Kea praises, "Now everyone, this is Isabella eXtreme, she is my best friend and our number one ally. She saved my life twice, and she is so loyal that I could give her season three of Life in Pleasantview right now, and I can guarantee you that she would not watch it without me."
The college townies look around and begin murmuring amongst each other as Kea gestures Isabella to her place at the podium. Isabella walks forward and stands next to Kea, speaking cautiously into the microphone.
"Hello everyone, I'm Isabella," Isabella shyly says, feeling her legs shake beneath her. She turns to Kea, who gestures her to continue, giving Isabella a comforting smile, "And I just want to say that you're all very important. I know with all of the events that have been happening lately, some of you might not think that you are, but I do," Isabella says, nervously playing with her hands, "We all do," she continues, "So let's win this together!" She tells them. The crowd is silent for a few seconds, before erupting into a huge array of applause. Isabella steps back from the podium lighting up as the college townies give her a standing ovation. Next to her, Kea is clapping as well. Isabella turns to Kea and mouths the words 'thank you.'
Kea nods. "Not bad, eXtreme," she whispers to her friend, "Not bad at all."
…
Vidcund is stepping out of Isabella's doorway, walking down the hall with his cup of coffee to check the daily news. "Five second rule!" Isabella shouts as she races down the hall. She jumps into his arms, wrapping her legs around his body as Vidcund drops everything to catch her.
"Hi," she greets, using her one free hand to brush away some of her red hair from her face.
"Hi," Vidcund greets back, still clearly startled.
"We're playing Five Second Rule," Isabella explains, reading the puzzled look that is on the young scientist's face, "It's kind of like The Floor is Lava, except you can walk on the floor for five second intervals," she explains, "You wanna play?"
Vidcund smiles, giving her a rather sassy look. "Yeah, let me just jump onto Pascal," he states.
Isabella laughs before her eyes trail to the ground, noticing that Vidcund's coffee is now spilled out on the floor. "I'll buy you a new coffee if we leave right now and you promise not to drop me before we get out the door," she promises, her eyes shining as she gazes back up at her friend.
Vidcund nods. "Good. Cause that was the next thing I was going to ask," he states boldly, slowly moving towards the exit.
"Wow. Mr. Big Shot Mayor has a problem with me," Isabella says, leaning her head up against his shoulder. "You must get that what? Three? Four times a day?" she sasses back.
"You better be careful kid, or you might find a street named after you," Vidcund comments.
…
"Yeah," present-day Isabella says as she continues to stare off into the distance, "I was really lucky to have them," she seconds herself, looking down at the fluffy clouds that are situated beneath her. "They helped me a lot when things got complicated."
Suddenly an alarm sounds above the clouds, disrupting the peaceful atmosphere of the afterlife. "What's going on?" Isabella shouts over the alarm, grabbing onto her grandfather in fear of the unknown.
"Isabella eXtreme," a voice that sounds like the head clerk's shouts from above the loudspeaker, "You have been summoned back to Strangetown. If you wish to return, say your goodbyes and press the gold button on your blouse. That is all." The loudspeaker shuts off as the alarms cease blaring around them.
"Well, look at you," Alfred says, patting Isabella gently on the back, "You've been summoned back to Strangetown," he excitedly states, his happy demeanor fading when he notices Isabella staring down at the ground, appearing somewhat sad. "What's the matter, Isabella? I thought you would be excited."
Isabella looks up, forcing a small smile. "Oh, I am," she answers, "It's just – before I left I found myself really lost, and I came to a point in my life where I didn't know to do, or who I should be with," she begins, Alfred can see her adrift in her eyes, "And I know I'm past the age where it's acceptable for me to ask for others to tell me what to do, but honestly, Grandpa, I've never been this lost in my life," she confides, her eyes watering up a bit.
"Ah," Alfred states, placing a loving hand on his granddaughter's shoulder. "You know Isabella, life is strange," he begins, "Sometimes you go one way expecting to find one thing and you end up finding yourself somewhere completely different. Now, I can't tell you what path to choose, all I can tell you is that when the time comes, you'll know what is right," he advises. "You know, anyone can create a show for the cameras, but it's how people act when they think no one is watching that shows the kind of sim that they really are."
Isabella nods and watches as her grandfather steps around her, one of the TV monitors now in view. Isabella steps forward and gazes at the screen, her grandfather's words sinking in as she eyes her friends conversing with each other on the roof of the Beaker estate. In the corner of the screen, she sees Vidcund standing away from the group, leaning up against the wall, looking miserable. Isabella watches as Vidcund reaches around his waist, his hand coming across the piece of fabric that she had tied around his body to stop his bleeding earlier that day. Vidcund picks it up with his right hand and gazes intently at it – tears forming in his eyes. Isabella has never seen him look so devastated. Isabella steps back, finding this scene particularly hard to watch, as she turns away from the monitor, clearly upset.
Isabella takes a few steps closer to Alfred, now knowing exactly what she must do. Isabella stares forward, pushing the gold button on her blouse. "I need to go back," she states.
Alfred nods, he can tell that Isabella is sure of herself. "Alright then, I understand. Good luck, Isabella," Alfred warmly wishes. "I hope you find everything that you're looking for."
"Thanks Grandpa," Isabella states, pulling him into a heartfelt embrace. She pulls away, her body now feeling light as a feather as she feels herself floating upward above the afterlife, soaring above the clouds. Isabella gazes down, catching eyes with the elegant woman that was showing her around earlier. "Wait!" she calls out, "I just realized, I never caught your name!" she shouts down to the blonde-haired sim. Nearby, other sims are gathering, watching the scene unfold around them.
The woman smiles below her. "Oh. I'm Lyla," she reveals, "Lyla Grunt," Lyla smiles, waving to Isabella, "By the way, thanks for the flowers!"
