A Christmas Eve Story 02
December 18th, 2006
Note: Although the characters (with the exception of the twin boys) are the same as those in Worlds Apart, all events in this story should be considered separate from the Worlds Apart storyline.
[Background Music: "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby]
"Brandee's not there?" asked Jason.
"No, sorry," said Saena. "She and the boys are at the store right now. I guess she forgot to pick up something for the big feast tomorrow. Why don't you try her cell?"
"I already did but she must be out of area—I keep getting her answering service. Could you please tell her I'm running a little behind?"
Saena winced. A little behind. She wasn't looking forward to passing the news on to her friend.
"I've been listening to the road reports on the radio and it sounds like they may close the passes if the snow doesn't let up soon."
"Well, drive fast. But not too fast."
"Thanks for the advice, sensei."
Saena smiled and stuck her tongue out at the phone.
"You're sticking your tongue out at me, aren't you?"
Laughing, she said, "I think we've been friends for too long."
"The weather's fine here by the way."
"Of course it is," said Jason, suddenly sounding tired.
She frowned. "Jason—"
"Saena," he said, cutting her off. "Is she very upset?"
Saena bit her lip then sighed. "A little. But, I think she's more worried than anything."
He was silent but she could still tell he was still there as she could hear the muffled drone of his radio in the background.
"Were you at least able to get the gift for the boys? The Playstation?"
"No, damn it. Bastard sold it a few minutes before I got there."
"Well, that sucks."
"Yeah. Brandee's never going to let me live this down."
"Just get your ass home as fast as you can. I'll let you go so you can pay attention to the roads."
"All right. See you soon."
"Drive safely," she said then hung up the phone and frowned to herself. She wished Brandee would tell her what just what exactly was going on between her and Jason. Ever since she'd arrived at the cabin she'd sensed an undercurrent of tension between her two friends. She'd been surprised to discover it because as far as she knew the Ramsey's were the perfect married couple—high school sweethearts. It was all a bit nauseating.
But still, she'd been friends with both of them since junior high; Brandee she'd known since she was six. And even though way back in high school and college Saena had harbored a secret crush for Jason and would have welcomed any opportunity that would have allowed her to get closer to him, she now wanted to do whatever she could to prevent her friends from breaking up. Even if all she could do was offer a sympathetic ear.
17 Responses to “A Christmas Eve Story 02”
December 18th, 2006 at 11:01 pm
Geeze, that's some introduction to Alex! He really knows how to steal the limelight. Saena is gorgeous! I love her look… and so well done, considering all the limitations of the sims.
I loved the "Get off a Saena!" comment. Kids are adorable. Poor Jason, stiffed by retailers… he should know better!
December 18th, 2006 at 11:44 pm
man, i just love Saena. She's gotta be the most awesome flirt ever. XD She has such a cute face.
Great chapter, can't wait for the rest.. and yes indeed, quite an introduction to Alec… *wink*
December 19th, 2006 at 8:57 am
Aww…Alec is in love! Or rather, he has found a new conquest…or has Saena…or…agg, I'm so confused. But Alec is here, yay! I love his hair, it's beautiful!
Oh, and it looks like some big problemos for Jason and Brandee. 🙁 Oh dear! I hope they patch it up.
This story is great! You really know how to grip the reader, Kara!
December 19th, 2006 at 9:56 am
WWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW! Completely speechless. I was laughing all of the way through this story. Alec..so cunning. And and and, Saena is so funny and cute. Its so funny.
The twins are so cute, but I have to admit I love little Tory better. And I have a question..ummm..I don't mean to be a pain, but where did you get Saena's and Brandee's hair…And the twin's clothes..and Jason's. Haha, sorry, but I love everything about this house. But ok, I'm shutting up and leaving. Can't wait for the next chapter, which of course, will probably have Hale and and Tahlvin. Saena better keep her hands off of them! Even though they probably will bring dates. Or atleast Tahlvin has Sam. Haha, ok, nevermind.
December 19th, 2006 at 10:31 am
Eva, I know have a bad habit of answering questions aimed at other people, but I decided to gloat about my new Peggy's membership.
So Brandee's hair is from Peggy Sims. And so is Saena's. Both are member downloads though, so you have to pay.
December 19th, 2006 at 11:17 am
"She shoved her fingers into his silky hair and pulled his lips down to cover hers. His groan vibrated through her as he took her mouth with a savage intensity that sent a jolt of electricity racing from her lips straight down to her toes."
Whew! Is it hot in here? I love your writing prose and this promises to be a great story. I love all the coy shots you have of Saena and her eyes- so much expression for a sim. I'm looking forward to the next chapter!
December 19th, 2006 at 11:50 am
Haha, ok well thanks alot Amalinaball, I don't mind who answers the questions, I just want them to be answered. Thanks! And you have every right to gloat about your membership, I would too, if I had any money to buy one in the first place.
December 19th, 2006 at 3:13 pm
wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1…awesome, i love, love this story, well all your stories so far:)…….all the details, amazing……where is Jason't earphone from?….and wow, great photoshopping on the outside winter driving scenes! so realistic….I will one day write like you on my story…..
December 19th, 2006 at 6:26 pm
Okay Kara. Please, fess up. How the HECK did you get the outside shots of the car to look so real? Oh please, please share. *begs*
You are a genius. I think I've mentioned that before.
December 20th, 2006 at 8:53 am
Ugh…we were without internet connection all of yesterday. It's funny how much I depend on it. I think it must have been down to fix things caused by the horrible windstorm last Thursday. We are still without phone service (since Sunday)…hopefully that'll be fixed soon.
Mao: hehe I had too much fun with Alec and Saena in this chapter. Alec's scene wasn't going to be this big, but, well, you know how it goes sometimes—he demanded more screentime and he got it. I'm a sucker for hot guys. And, I'm glad you like how Saena turned out. I struggled with her look for a long time before it finally clicked.
Alicia: Oh, I've just scratched the surface of how flirty Saena can be. Her character was initially created along with Brandee and Tahlvin's characters back when I was roleplaying in World of Warcraft. Let's just say that Tahlvin and Saena got to know each other VERY well. hehe
Amalinaball: I still can't decide on which hair I want Alec to wear in the main Worlds Apart story. I feel so wishy-washy. And I'm glad I've managed to keep you in a state of "grippedness." 😉
Eva: As I mentioned before, it was fun to write Saena and Alec's meeting in this chapter. For the longest time I was struggling with how to get him over to the house in the first place and then realized he could come borrow some sugar. I mean, it's silly but surely people have to do it in real life, right?
As for you questions (and thank you Amalinaball for the info. about the hair) : Nathan's clothes are from TSR by Ninika, Tory's outfit is by lueppi, and Jason's outfit is from Eyecandy (follow the Christmas calendar link, I can't remember which date I found it under though).
Decorgal: I always get nervous writing sexual tension because I'm afraid that it won't come across as…hot or exciting as I imagine it in my head. So, I'm glad that it seems to have worked well for you.
Phew!
Jenny: Thank you! 🙂 It was a lot of work, but I had fun doing the special effects for the driving pictures. As for the earphones, I got those from MTS2 by funnyycats.
Jade: Well, okay, I'll try explaining, but I warn you I'm not nearly as good at it as you. So, be forewarned that I may just spew out garbled nonsense here. 😉 Anyway, as you can see in the outtakes, I took the car pictures against a blue screen. I also made sure that I'd turned off anti-aliasing (turn the graphics setting to "less smooth" or something) so that it would be easier to extract the blue background. Then, with Photoshop, I used the Background Eraser Tool to remove all the blue screen. Next, I resized a winter photo that I got from a stock photo site and slid it onto a layer below the picture of Jason and the car. To make it look like the car was moving, I used Blur>Motion Blur (for the side shots) or Blur>Radial Blur (for the long shots) on the winter photos. I'm not sure if something comparable can be done in other graphics programs.
December 20th, 2006 at 9:35 am
Hey Kara, I just found your webpage and have been avidly reading for the last few days to catch up. Your pictures are absolutely amazing… every single one is so perfect! And wow are your men hot or what =). Let me just say phwoar. Anyway, just wanted to say hi and that I can't wait to see more of World's Apart.
December 20th, 2006 at 5:34 pm
Thank you so much Kara for explaining that. You are a dear.
December 21st, 2006 at 8:38 am
Verity: Welcome to the site! I hope you enjoyed catching up on everything…although there's not too much to catch up on yet. 😉 I'm considering this story a warm-up for the main storyline of Worlds Apart. I hope to hit the ground running in 2007.
Jade: You're welcome! Let me know if you need me to elaborate further.
December 21st, 2006 at 2:14 pm
Beautiful shots again! Amazing. I hope you have a Happy Holiday, Kara!
December 21st, 2006 at 10:14 pm
I must say Saena is hot. This is excellent, Kara!
January 1st, 2007 at 8:54 pm
Meow, meow, MEEOOOWW! It seems that no matter how hard I try I can't seem to stop melting in Mr. Regrets gorgeous clear blue eyes. Whooo-wee! Let me get myself over to Chapter 03 before I completely lose myself. *fans self*
Saena is a very lucky gal, indeed. I didn't think I'd be rooting for her, but–GO SAENA! And that last shot of her is freakin' awesome.
January 4th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
o my god! they all look sooo real!! how do u do dat? nd i vave loads of downloads i want use dat i have saved but cant get on da game!! help mmeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!1 {please!!}