“Grace, honey, time for dinner!”

“Okay, Mom,” the beautiful teenaged fairy called out, answering the summons of her mother, Luna. Grace closed her book with a thump, sighed wearily, and trudged to the kitchen where heavenly smells wafted toward her nose.

“You look so tired, sweetheart. Are you sure going back to school isn’t too much of a strain?” Luna said, concern etched on her pretty face.

Grace rolled her eyes but then gave her mom a long-suffering indulgent smile. Her mother had always been protective of her, but she’d been even more so after the shooting. “Really, Mom, it’s fine. It’s just, there’s a lot of homework and so much material is being covered. I’ll get used to it, I promise.”

Luna and Grace Kildare were newcomers to Aurora Skies, having moved in the previous Summer. They’d relocated once Grace had fully recovered from almost being killed in a school shooting in New York City where they’d lived all their lives. Grace, being a young fairy, hadn’t fully matured into all her fairy powers, was as vulnerable to such things as bullets as humans were. She would have bled out right there in the schoolyard had the fairy prince not come to her rescue and magically healed her.

Afterward, Luna had been vehemently afraid to let her daughter out of her sight, and Grace now suffered from PTSD. Both mother and daughter had sought therapy individually as well as together at the urging of Luna’s mother, Gabriella. Wanting to make a clean breast of everything, Grace and Luna both agreed that moving away from the horrible memories would be therapeutic for them both.

Luna had been loathe to let her daughter attend school and had contemplated home schooling her. At first, Grace was in agreement until their therapist urged them to allow Grace to resume her studies in a more public setting. The therapist had pointed out that they would always be frightened and unhealthily dependent on each other if Grace was allowed to hide away from the outside world. After careful consideration and some long soul-searching, Grace realized the therapist was right and had decided she wanted to give it a try. She wanted to make some new friends and get on with her life rather than be a self-made prisoner. Luna, reluctant at first, finally gave in after another session and at Grace’s insistence that she needed to at least try it. She wanted to take back control of her life rather than be a victim for the rest of it.

When school started, she’d been a bit overwhelmed due to not knowing a soul. The office staff had been extremely nice and helpful, and Andrea Landgraab had been asked to show Luna and Grace around the campus. The two had hit it off right away, and Andrea soon invited Grace to have lunch with her sister, Aurora, and their friend, Avery Benedict. Smiling and feeling thankful to have made a new friend, Grace had agreed and Luna had left to return home.

Grace was now completely ensconced within this group of friends who called themselves The Fearless Four. Andrea was the jock of the group, being the one to look out for her friends and ward off any unwanted company. She was a werewolf and was very proud of it. Grace loved Andrea’s wicked sense of humor and her sometimes snarky responses to things she felt were totally stupid. Being a Wolf, Grace knew that Andrea had a strong sixth sense that would warn them of any trouble or danger. She felt safe in Andrea’s company and knew, without any doubt, that she had a friend for life in Andrea. She also knew that Andrea would be a very formidable enemy to anyone who threatened her “Pack.” When Andrea got into Mother Wolf Mode or expressed very strong opinions about something, they jokingly, but affectionately, called her “Mama.”

Avery was a ball of energy who wanted to be a nurse. She was a skilled witch and was normally good in all her classes, with the exception, right now, of Geometry. She had never done poorly in a class until now, and that disgusted her. Avery was a loyal, trustworthy friend, and Grace was learning that she was a compassionate and wonderful person to confide in. She always listened and was there when one of her friends needed comforting or cheering up. Avery had a knack for making a person see things differently and with more clarity, therefore turning a seemingly hopeless situation into something that could be dealt with.

Aurora was an absolute doll who had the most beautiful singing voice Grace had ever heard. At first, she’d been unnerved by the wisdom and obvious power that exuded from the pretty, blond witch. Aurora’s psychic and empathic powers had freaked Grace out a little until Aurora put her at ease with her kindness and gentleness. Aurora was an “old soul” who just made her believe that things would be all right no matter what. There was something in both Aurora’s speaking and singing voice that calmed Grace down. She had a slight Irish accent, and Grace could listen to her speak and sing for hours on end. There was pure magic in her voice, magic that Grace was curious about and hopeful that Aurora would explain it more to her. Once she understood that Aurora was, indeed, a true lifelong friend, Grace became fascinated instead of unnerved by her powers, even asking her for readings.

“I guess I forgot how tough High School could be,” Luna said, her face relaxing into a little sympathetic smile. “Your grades have always been good, so I’m not worried about you falling behind. I’m glad you’re making friends, too! When will I get to meet this amazing ‘pack’ of yours?”

Grace smiled at seeing her mother’s look of curiosity and her eyes lighting up rather than darkening with fear. “I don’t mind the work. It keeps me busy. My friends…I think you’ll really like them. It would be nice if we could invite them over for dinner. Would that be all right?”

“Yes, of course! Just tell me when, and we’ll make it special.” Luna loved entertaining and always pulled out all the stops even for a little informal get-together of Grace’s friends.

Grace frowned slightly as she mentally went over her upcoming plans. “Avery is having us over tomorrow for a study date so I’m sure I’ll be home later than usual. Would Wednesday be all right? It’ll give me time to give them plenty of notice.”

“That works out perfectly, actually. I have some things I need to tend to tomorrow anyway, so no problem there.” Luna grabbed a pad of paper and a pen. “Right, then. Does anyone have any allergies to specific foods? What kind of cuisine do you think we should serve? Oh, and if we’re talking Landgraabs, well, we should make the extra effort to–”

Grace was laughing, being totally accustomed to her mother’s way of wanting to formalize even the most casual of events. “Seriously, they’ll be fine with pizza. Nobody expects filet mignon, for Calista’s sake.”

Luna’s laughter mixed with Grace’s. “Old habits die hard. Seriously though, sweetheart, are you sure? I can grill steaks tomorrow if you think they’d rather have that.”

“Mom, whatever you come up with will be great. Don’t worry.” Grace grinned at her mother, then eyed the glass of wine in Luna’s hand. “Can I have some?”

Luna sighed in mock exasperation. Ever since she and Grace took that trip to Paris a couple years before, Grace thought herself to be a wine connoisseur. “One glass, Miss Thing. You’re still underage in this part of the world.”

Grace rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I’m not going anywhere, and who’s to know if neither of us says anything? Our secret kept strictly under this roof.”

Luna just closed her eyes, shrugged, and pointed to the bottle. “Calista help me, I’ve created a monster!”

Grace giggled as she poured herself a glass. “To friendships, never-ending happiness, and new beginnings.” She raised her glass in a toast and clinked it with Luna’s.

“Cheers,” Luna said enthusiastically, her face arranged in a smile. They both deserved some happiness after the hell they’d gone through. Luna said a silent prayer to Calista, the Goddess of the Fae, that happiness was in their near future. She wanted so much for Grace and sometimes felt such shame that she couldn’t give her more. Grace was the kindest, sweetest, most considerate person Luna had ever known, and she wanted her beautiful baby girl to have everything she deserved. What she also wanted just as much was for all traces of pain in Grace’s eyes to disappear. She’d give anything, even her very life, to take away her daughter’s pain and torment. It was better, she knew, but it still remained under the surface even though Grace made great efforts to cover it up. Mothers always knew and Luna, being an excellent mother, could always see it both in her daughter’s aura and behind her eyes.

However, Luna also knew there was a secret she would have to share with Grace, probably sooner than later. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her middle, thinking of the disastrous consequences it could bring. She prayed Grace wouldn’t hate her once she was told but knew she had to steel herself for the absolute worst. Tomorrow. She should know how to proceed tomorrow once she spoke to the man who was her father, a father she had only recently discovered. Her life, and more importantly, Grace’s life, would likely change forever. Luna said another silent prayer that seeking out this man wouldn’t end up being the biggest mistake of her life.

Author’s Note: First of all, major apologies for taking so long to get up any kind of story post. As said in my last update, my game has been – well – sick. Having to redo my CC and Mods folders was a behemoth undertaking, to say the least. I’ve had things written up but until I could get my game in working order, getting screenshots came to a screeching halt.

As you can clearly see, we’re back in action and chomping at the bit to get going. As stated in a previous update post, I’m starting a supplemental series to go along with Forever in Time for when new families/characters are introduced to the story proper. This post is the first of these, and the one following will be the Benedict family. I figured that even in the midst of tragedy and uncertainty for our main family, both sets of quads have school and social lives, which need to be included. We’ll be seeing some high school drama coming up very soon, so the stage needs to be set for that. Not to worry! Lenora is still foremost on my mind, and her situation will be changing – let’s hope for the better  *wink* – in the very near future.

As you can see, my screenshots probably look a bit different. I decided to try taking them into Canva to brighten them up, and I think it makes a huge difference. Photos in Sims games come out so dark, and I don’t use any kind of reshade. I do have a lighting mod, which also helps, but I think it’s worth it to put them through Canva for some massaging, even if it’s a little bit of extra work.

I do hope I have readers hanging in with me. 🙂 I’ve missed writing my SimLit and updating it, and I’ve sorely missed seeing your comments as well. If you’re still here, as always, thank you so much for reading, liking, commenting, and lurking. Your support means the absolute most.