New Beginnings

Well, nothing could bother me today! Marissa moved in last night, after she had finished work, and Mother and Father loved her!
But I’m getting a little ahead of myself here, out of excitement.
Our dinner date went better than anyone could have hoped for. So good, in fact, that we decided we’d do it again the next night. You can’t even imagine what I felt when she clasped my hands over the salad bowl. What an incredible night!
Marissa stayed over on Saturday night, because we were going to go on a picnic the next day, weather permitting, of course. Unfortunately, neither of us slept very well, due to the fact that I kept having those nightmares again, and at 3am, Marissa decided I needed a cup of coffee, and she made me tell her everything, which I did.
Then, of course, the weather had to turn awful, didn’t it? Marissa wasn’t all that worried, though. She still prepared the picnic things, and we went anyway, despite it being wet and cold.
The sun came out just as we got back, so I took that as my cue.

Mother and Father arrived in a taxi just as Marissa said “Yes”! They were so happy for me, and Mother actually did a funny sort of jig, right there in the middle of the street, and never mind who was watching!
Then, Mother announced that I was looking a little on the pale side, which led to a discussion on whether or not I’d been eating right, etc, etc. So, I was forced to tell my parents about my nightmares as well.
How embarassing! Forced to admit that a big boy like me was disturbed by a bunch of subconcious tummy rumblings!

Still, the wedding date has been set, even though it won’t be a traditional white wedding, they’re too expensive, and Marissa said a wedding was a wedding no matter which way you did it!

(Katie, the other girl was some redhead, I don’t remember her name, but I think she’s the sim I use when I’m building houses. Also, something went funny with the night-n-day settings, again! Ryan popped the question at just after 4pm, and it looks dark! Bizarre.)

I haven’t had a chance to hunt through any records or archives yet. This SWAT Leader job is turning out to be much harder than I thought, but I’ve been so tired that I’ve been sleeping like a rock! My only dreams have been good ones, which I am incredibly thankful for.

Marissa was in my kitchen cooking a roast when I got home tonight, she said I need looking after before I turn into a wraith, and she insisted that we go for a walk when the dishes had been done. She’s an incredibly nice person, you know, and a good cook, too!

I still can’t believe I had the courage to do that! Marissa just laughed, however, and gave me a hug before she left.

You know, she makes me feel funny, kind of warm inside, and I think I’m falling in love with her. No, actually, I think that’s yesterday’s headline! I can’t stop thinking about her, and I know she feels the same about me. We’re going to go out for dinner tomorrow night, and I hope it goes well. I want to tell Mother about her, but I want to be sure of everything first.

Speaking of Mother, she’s had all of her tests, and is just awaiting the results now. She and Father said that they may be coming for a visit soon, which I’m quite looking forward to, I’ve missed them a lot since I moved here, even though we talk on the phone most nights. Also, I want to introduce them to Marissa! I’m sure they’ll like her a whole lot!
Did you know that she wants to be a business tycoon? She’s certainly got her dream all sorted out, hasn’t she? Not that I haven’t, of course. I’d like to have six children, watch them get married, and have families of their own. The thought of a big family appeals to me tremendously.

(Six kids?!? That boy’s crazy! In case anybody’s wondering about the first picture, Marissa pinched him first!)

I think I may have found something regarding my nightmares. I spent the whole day in the Records department yesterday, and I found a folder lablled ‘The State vs Brian Hutchings’. Unfortunately, that’s all there was, although I know who Brian Hutchings was. He was Great-Grandma Ella’s brother. I’m going to see if I can get access to the newspaper archives on my next day off. I’ve got to find out what that dream is trying to tell me before it drives me insane.

I’ve been promoted three times now, I’ve been a Detective, a Lieutenant, and now I’m a SWAT Team Leader, which has taken one worry off my mind, and all my friends, including Christy, had a surprise party for me when I got home. It was very nice of them, and I wish I could have enjoyed it more, but I kept seeing that woman, cradling her little boy in her arms. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.

Marissa was waiting at my front door when I got home tonight. She insisted on cooking dinner, saying that if I didn’t stop living off canned food, I would fade away to a shadow. How did she know that I’m a lousy cook?
Anyway, I’d never had lobster before, and it was very nice, although now I don’t know what to do to thank Marissa for going to all that trouble! Do I take her out, buy her some flowers, or what?

Father called tonight to tell me that Mother is a little better, or seems to be, which was darn good news, although she still has to go into hospital for those tests, just to be on the safe side. Mother didn’t seem as worried as she had been, and remonstrated with me about finding a nice girl, etc. I was tempted to tell her about Marissa, she qualifies as a nice girl, but I decided not to. I just told her about the ladies I’d met at work, most of whom are married already, thank God. I mean, they’re nice and all, but I don’t think I’d want to spend the rest of my life with any of them.
Still, I’m only 22, I’ve got plenty of time to find the love of my life, right?

I’m still having those nightmares.

I asked around at work, but nobody knew of any recent child-murder perpetrated by someone named Brian, although I did get permission to look through the old Victoria Hill records, which are still kept, and I’ll have a look through them at the weekend. I’m still hoping that it will all turn out to be a figment of my imagination. I have been working rather hard since my promotion to the Vice Squad.

I’ve also been studying rather hard lately as well, mostly so I can finally earn my gold shield, then I’ll really be able to do some good.

Also, Marissa called me on the phone the other day, to thank me for sticking up for her, which I thought was rather sweet. She even asked me over for dinner, but, unfortunately, I had to refuse. I’d had a rather hard day at work, harder than usual, and I still had a ton of studying to do. That might not matter to most people, but I’m really struggling financially at the moment, so I’m really hoping for that promotion before I have to start selling things off to pay the bills.
Even worse than that, my mother has been quite ill lately, and she has to go into hospital for some tests. I’d love to be with her and my father right now, but I can’t afford the airfares. Father told me not to worry too much when I called him yesterday, despite the fact that he sounded worried himself, but I can’t help it. There hasn’t been a kinder person than Mother, not even Grandfather.
Still, Father’s promised to keep me posted. I did get to talk to Mother for a few minutes, and she asked that inevitable question:
“When are you going to make me a Grandmother? I’m not getting any younger, you know.”
I told her I didn’t know, like I usually do. I would like children, you know, but I haven’t found anyone to marry yet. I think that’s what’s missing, a family of my own.

Yup, Ryan is a Family Sim. His spouse hasn’t been decided yet, although I’ve narrowed it down to two!

Something is still missing, and, even worse, I keep having awful nightmares about two guys pointing guns at each other, while two women, and four children try to seperate them. I suppose I should say three teenagers and a child. It always ends the same, with one of the men pointing his gun at the child, pulling the trigger, and then over the gunshot I hear the blond woman yelling “Brian!”, while the dark-haired woman cradles the sying little boy in her arms. At first, I tried to blame it all on stress, because of my promotion to Desk Sergeant, but I don’t think that’s whats causing it any more, and I just wish I knew whether or not I’m seeing an event that happened here. Is my overworked brain coming up with this awful mind-movie, or am I getting a brief, awful, glimpse of the past? I’m going to ask around at work tomorrow, maybe somebody knows something about it.

On a lighter note, I have met a few people, and even made a couple of friends! I don’t feel quite so lonely now, although two of my new friends don’t seem to like each other all that much.

This is Marissa and Benjamin, by the way.

They both seem to be very nice people, although I really wish they’d taken their fight elsewhere. It was rather embarrassing, as the whole neighbourhood decided to watch and cheer. I don’t even know what started the fight, but I do know that Benjamin poked Marissa first, and things escalated from there. Once the fight, which I tried unsuccessfully to break up, was over, I was tempted to arrest them both, but Brandon told me not to bother, it wouldn’t make any difference at all. Still, I do not want any more displays like that one on my front lawn! I made a point of telling everyone to keep their squabbles away from me, and let Benjamin exactly what I thought of guys hitting women, and he seemed to get the message. He apologised to everyone, and then went on his way, saying that as he and Marissa hated each others’ guts’, he better not stay for lunch in case there was another fight. Marissa left too, which was a real shame. I wonder if she’s married?

(I don’t want this to be all happy, sappy, and light-hearted, hence the opening. Maybe it’s got something to do with the fact that I’m a horror-loving grouch )

There was a wall here;
Now it is dust.
A tower rose here;
Now it is fallen.
An army fought here;
Now it is dead.
A spirit was here;
It is all that remains.

That was the only thing I could think of as I stared at the remaining parts of the house my Grandfather had spoken of so often. Those few bits of wood are all that remain standing in the township of Victoria Hill, but nobody can tell me why, or how, it was destroyed. There was a rumor about a fight between two brothers, but nobody can tell me what that was about. My father, Ralph, and my mother, Annie, moved away years before the town was destroyed, and my Grandfather, Daniel, decided to go with them after both his wife and his mother had passed on to the far side of the sky. I don’t think any of them wanted to leave, but the town, and it’s families, had become divided.
Still, I can trace my heritage back generations, to a man named Bobby Denzel, but no further than that. I am Ryan Mellon, son of Ralph, son of Daniel, and from Daniel’s mother, Ella, I was able to trace a Missy and Edward Hutchings. Missy was the second of Bobby’s three daughters. So, as you can see, the family goes back quite a way. A big family it was, apparently.

That is, of course, me, Ryan Dylan Mellon. My Grandfather gave me my middle name, in honor of his twin brother, who was killed during a home invasion, along with his wife and small daughter.

It was my Grandfather who left me the plot of land that has now become my home, but, without sounding ungrateful to him, I was a little apprehensive about the whole thing. I mean, Victoria Hill wasn’t exactly a paradise for my family, was it? Still, I decided to move here, and rebuild the house my Grandfather had loved so much.

Considering that I had to build it myself, and I’m not a qualified builder, I think it turned out quite well. It’s not much more than a glorified log cabin on the inside, but it feels like home already, although most of my furniture is second-hand. I even managed to find a job really easily, as a Security Guard in Brockhall, the next town over.

If there’s one thing I’m not afraid of, it’s hard work, and I found myself promoted to Cadet, and then to Patrol Officer, which has given my meagre finances a bit of a boost!

Maybe this town isn’t so bad after all, and I’m very happy here, although I can’t help but feel that something is seriously missing.

(No, this isn’t a Legacy Challenge, I’m way too dependant on several hacks for that! I was going to do something new, but Danny and Dilly Mellon were two of my favourite sims, so of course it was going to be a descendant of theirs. Just don’t expect to see poker tables or cars, I’m only running the base game, plus Uni and OFB, and if I had Nightlife installed as well, I wouldn’t have enough oomph in my computer to play Doom 3 Also, I promise to try and keep my temper to myself this time!)