Chapter 24: Supernatural

Before she became a freelance inventor, Corinne worked at the science center. Not into biology as much as she was into technology, she quit in frustration over the heavy emphasis her job placed on analyzing fertilizer and tending carnivorous plants, but she retained her interest in science and her connections with her former employers.

So when they asked for her help on a project that required her technical expertise, she accepted. As long as she could do the work at home and not in the giant fertilizer filled labs.

The project was a success, Corinne had created mechanical life. This was much huger than those fish-robot crossbreeds the lab was always engineering. And when the Simbot asked her what she intended to do with him, Corinne was faced with an ethical dilemma she hadn't considered before.

"You have free will," she told him, "You can do what you like." There was no way she was going to hand him over to the scientists to try to cross breed him with a fish, or whatever they had in mind for him.

Free to pursue his own destiny, Tomas the Simbot set off to find his place in Riverblossom Hills. He ended up buying Professor Threadneedle's long abandoned EcoDome, and getting a job at the science facility.

Autumn holds free vaccination clinics every once in awhile. Constance Vamp, a notorious hypochondriac, always shows up for them.
Are vaccines even effective on vampires? Autumn wonders. But she never refuses to administer them to the cranky vampire, who then always immediately turns on her, insulting her artistic family. Sometimes Autumn wonders if it isn't time to retire, after all. But she keeps putting that day off.

The prom has been announced, and Caroline must scramble for a date. Terrance Ottomas is literally the only boy in school who doesn't have a steady girlfriend. Probably because he's been branded as a loser. But Caroline is willing to give him a chance. Better that than go with no date at all.

Terrance is thrilled to be asked, and assures her the whole school will be jealous of him when they see him with her.

Tamsin grows into childhood. Like her grandmother Autumn, she's a genius.

The dead tend to forget their past lives. When she was alive, Roslyn Burden would not have accepted romantic advances from Foster Enmity, but her ghost is happy to take his offered flowers.

Gibson's ghost is overcome with nausea and calls for medical assistance. Not from watching his mother's ghost flirting with Foster, that happened before he appeared in the cemetery tonight.

Autumn was doing some late night fishing, trying to catch the elusive, nocturnal deathfish, so she was on hand to examine her deceased father-in-law's ghost.

She administers a dose of medicine, not convinced it will have any effect on a ghost, but figuring it couldn't make him any more dead than he already is.

Whether it was the medicine or a placebo effect, Gibson immediately feels better. So Autumns regales him with stories and pictures of his great-granddaughter.

"My other two children still haven't had any children," Autumn sighs.

Autumn spins a ghostly tale for Tamsin.

And the next day, the school takes a field trip to the mausoleum. Besides getting scolded by the teacher for picking up a skull, the trip was uneventful. Tamsin had hoped to see a ghost for herself.

Carey Burden retains a devoted following of fans who sometimes visit his grave and play his songs.

Prom Night arrives, and a nervous Caroline rides to the school in the rented limo. Maybe she shouldn't have rushed into finding a date just to have a date, she worries.

But she and Terrance have a great time together. He was an attentive date, and Caroline discovered she had much in common with him, and the couple decided to go steady.

There must be a scientific explanation for how Sims become ghosts when they die, and why they only come out at night.

Her friend Rex Greenman isn't a genius, but he is very well read and is thus an excellent source of information. Unfortunately, all books about ghosts are legends and stories written to terrify, not research into the facts.

Tamsin shares the ghost story her grandmother told her with Rex. Her dramatic recitation is much scarier than reading stories in books. Even outside on a bright sunny day.

But a warm hug alleviates Rex's fears.


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Challenge Notes:
So, I don't know if the issue of ghosts leaving the cemetery immediately has been fixed in the recent patch, or if Riverblossom Hills is somehow special, but my ghosts are sticking around after they come instead of all leaving right away.
Gibson's nausea was the first time Autumn had the opportunity to help a sick Sim, outside the vaccination clinic opportunities that come up. Funny that it was a ghost who had it.

Darryl (who doesn't actually appear in this chapter) has achieved his LTW. He maxed painting, cooking and sculpture.
Corinne has maxed Handiness, so she just has to max Logic to achieve hers. She's currently level 8.
She's reached the adult stage, Darryl will be adult fairly soon.
I'm all on edge waiting for Darius or Autumn to die, to see how that goes after I had the glitch with Gibson. They are both over 101 days old now and could go any time.