4.8: Dry

A/N: First of all, I’m not dead. 🙂 December 2021, I got COVID (prob omicron if that matters). I had basically the worst flu I’ve ever had, but it did stuff to me, to my brain. It ruined my imagination. Weird, huh? I couldn’t come up with stuff. Plus, there are so many chapters of this story that I absolutely HATE now. However, I think I can continue it. Stuff I’d written years ago will probably never be published, or maybe I can clean them up. In other words: the feel of this story is changing. It has to. I’ve changed. Good? Bad? Dunno. For now, let’s just see if I can pull a story out of this brain of mine.

I’m going to start by using some Goth pics that I’d never managed to work in. I remember a kind of storyline that I’d debated whether or not to use. Well, I’m going to. Character motivation and all. In a way, I apologize ahead of time.

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Alaric

     It feels like a lifetime ago that I attended that university. Often, I wonder if it was even necessary. Sure, I learned business… stuff, but they were things I could’ve learned on the go. 
    Time flies as it always does.
    …. The Maker can’t find any pictures of just Darius as a tot. Also, apparently, she’d been playing on the mac most recently, and the mac somehow deleted all the game files! Luckily, there is a backup, but it’s two months before the following pictures were taken. Still, they apply to the story, and things shouldn’t be too hard to re-create from a more-recent save on the desktop.
    Anyway, Darius ages to tot. The Maker lost those pics. Here’s one she scrounged from familyecho:

     Not too long after, Kyra is once again expecting.
     We have a girl named Penelope. Then she ages to tot.

     Here is time flying again.

Sometimes, he reminds me of my dad.

Just like Penelope reminds me of mom. Did I have my parents?

     She’s so inquisitive. We can’t just read a bedtime story to her. We have to explain everything.
     Even though I’m very busy with the growing success of the label, I try to stay at home as much as possible.

Mom is ever quick to remind me that she’s available whenever we need her.

     I like being at home, though.

     I do, however, accept her help when I have the crazy idea to throw a house party.

     Dad can tell my stress level has gotten higher, and I tell him I thought this party would be a good way to lessen it. I’ve been struggling with a plan of mine that I can’t quite get right. It’s missing something, something to make it stand out against times in the past when the same thing has been done. I need a new twist, a new gimmick, to breathe new life into an old concept.
     The party isn’t helping, but as it’s already started, I try to be as good a host as I can, ready for it to be over. People have fun. One of my new talent scouts fiddles around at the piano, and my new receptionist gets to know some of my family. A few of them try out my karaoke machine.

     I chuckle as I listen to Mike’s son Brent try to carry the melody in a duet he and his cousin John end up doing. Mike, Ivy, and Darrin had to decline the invite due to work, but I’m happy Brent came. I’ve never really had much to do with him since that awful episode when he was abducted. The press still tries to get the lowdown on him, on how the child who was abducted aged, especially considering his parents’ fame, but his parents work hard to keep him from being hounded.
     Then John’s turn to take charge of the song comes about.

     Plumbob. The kid can sing! I don’t even think he realizes how good he is. It’s almost sad how they can be first cousins and differ so much in musical talent. Sure, Brent isn’t terrible, but…
     Cousins. That’s it!

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A/N: I AM SO SORRY for how dry that was. I know, apologies get annoying, but it’s killing me. Still, I’m hoping it’s like a muscle: ya gotta exercise it to make it stronger. It’s still there. I just have to dig it out. Bear with me, please.

The next chapters were written years ago, even if I’m going to edit them a bit, so they shouldn’t be as tough to get through. I’m really excited to finally release them soon.