Running Away

When the last straw falls and the camel's back breaks -- what happens? Everyone has a tipping point -- any denying it would be foolish -- but for all of us it's not the same, nor is the reaction the same either.

For some it may be falling into the arms of a friend and admitting defeat; for some, it may be cheating on our husband to get revenge... But for some of us, all we can do is run away, and hope that things get fixed on their own... Hoping that someday, somehow, we'll finally be able to return to normal, and everything will be the way that they once were.

But to believe that that will be is only a sad delusion that some of us fall prey to... for, an easy answer is almost never the right one.

---

"Is anybody going to answer the door?!"

Meredith's voice carried throughout the house as she ducked her head out of the kitchen to try and find any of her kids. "I've got my hands full making dinner, could somebody please get that!"

By the time that Travis came trundling down the stairs, Meredith assumed the visitor had already left -- but she never thought to consider how desperate the person who had come knocking would be for the door to be opened.



When Travis looked out the window to see who it was, he wasn't sure how to react: it was Jade.

Although they'd seen each other quite a bit at school since Emerald's death, things had been so awkward at the Greenwood's home that Jade requested a bit of space in order to cope with her sister's death. "I just need some time to figure out all my emotions, alright?" she'd told Travis, soon after the funeral. "I feel so guilty over what happened, and to jump right into a relationship afterwards it... it just wouldn't be right."

Travis had found that rather stupid, but, he never did quite understand girls. It was best to just meet their demands and hope that lures them in long enough to get what you want in return.



After a deep breath, Travis took the plunge and walked outside to meet Jade on their doorstep.

"Hey, Travis," she said, her eyes glistening over. "Can I come in?"

Travis tried to avoid her gaze for the moment, but he realized he couldn't -- he just didn't want to see her upset... Well, that, or deal with her crying. But, with a weak smile, he responded with a, "Sure."



When they walked across the threshhold, Travis finally got a good look at Jade; while she didn't appear to be crying (just on the verge of it), he could tell how run-down she was. She looked tired and weary, the complete opposite of the athletic, spunky girl he was used to being around.

"Jade... Are you alright?" Although Travis didn't like playing the comforter, it wasn't so bad when it was someone he cared about. He couldn't help but care about Jade. "You can talk to me, if you want."

His eyes were a lot softer than usual -- damn, if she didn't make him vulnerable -- and her own were empty as she gazed back. "I just don't know if I can take this, anymore, Travis. I've never felt so alone... Emerald's gone, and maybe even if we played a part in that, I'd rather put aside all that just so I didn't have to handle all of this by myself."

Travis wasn't really sure what to say. Finally, after a moment, he responded with a soft, "Jade, I'm here if you need me. I always was."



"Oh Travis," she gasped, quickly pulling him close. "I wish I hadn't been so selfish or so stupid. I guess I wasn't near as strong as I thought I was."

The sap was a little much for Travis, but, he still patted her on the back nonetheless. "Well, I'm here now. So... You've got nothing to worry about."



"I really have missed you," Jade said, pulling away just enough to look into Travis' eyes. "I've thought about you every day since... you know, the accident."

"You've been on my mind a lot too, sweet pea. I've been worried about you, secluding yourself like that."



"Well, I promise to be more open about everything, this time," Jade said as Travis pulled away, still stroking the side of her cheek with his fingers.

Unfortunately... Bradley came around the corner, curious to see who the visitor was, just as Travis did so.

A wave of anger crashed over Bradley -- his resentment for their feelings for each other, his jealousy, his hatred for Travis always taking everything for granted...



... and, the painful memory of what that same gesture had meant to him, with Emerald's soft skin under his fingertips. He had done it because he loved her, he had done it because he respected her...

Travis just saw it as a game to make the girl happy -- Bradley assumed Travis wasn't capable of actually caring about anyone but himself.



As Travis and Jade began to walk out of the entryway, Bradley erupted. "I can't believe you, Travis! You're just feeding her lies! You're just going to do the same thing you did to Emerald!"

Travis was completely caught off guard. "Brad... what is going on with you? What are you talking about?"



"You're a filthy, red plumbbob'd liar is what I'm saying! You ditched Lolly, you had no problems ejecting Jade from your life the first time and moving on the same instant, you cheated on Emerald and look where that got her... You betray every girl you ever touch!"

Jade tried to  back up away from the quarreling brothers, but the wall was up against her back. "Please, stop fighting, please," she wailed softly.

"Jade, let me handle this," Travis responded grumpily. "I don't know what you're talking about, Brad. You're absolutely delusional. How does any of those things have anything to do with each other?"

"Because you're a lying, stinking, cheating betrayer is why! You don't deserve for anyone to love you!"



This time, it was Travis that was provoked into the fight. His teeth clenched in fury, he leaped from the ground and quickly tackled Brad -- Jade, looking away, wishing she didn't have to see this...



And as they duked it out, Jade cringed away, her eyes wide while looking towards the kitchen in wonder as to why Meredith hadn't come to intervene.



"That's what you get for spreading your own lies, Brad! You're absolutely pathetic." Travis grunted, then turned to Jade as Brad painfully tried to stand up from the ground. "I'm going to go help my mom in the kitchen, try not to give this weasel any more chances to be a dickwad."



As Brad looked at Jade, still cringing at the pain in his back, he saw her face fall completely and her eyes diminish into tears.

"Whoa whoa, Jade, I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to upset you." Brad suddenly realized how horrible what he said must've sounded. "I just... Travis, it's all about Travis -- you don't have anything to do with any of that."



"Yes, yes I do," Jade muttered through stifled sobs. "If I'd been faithful, always been faithful, none of this ever would've happened... You and Travis would still be friends, Emerald would still be alive... I just want to make something right, but all it does is fall into pieces..."

"Listen to me, Jade, you had nothing to do with any of this. Travis' faults got you into that mess, not yours. You shouldn't fall for him, he's just going to hurt you..."



"You don't understand!" Jade collapsed onto Brad's shoulders in tears. "You don't understand what it's like to be alone!" Brad couldn't help but scowl at those words, but, he didn't need to crush her spirits by telling her she was wrong. "I feel so lost right now, but I know how much I love Travis, and if I just give it another chance... I know I'll be okay. I just know it."

"Jade... Are you sure?"

"I know I can't go on without him. I know I'm happy, with him... Sometimes when you love someone, nothing will go back to normal until you're with them. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah... Yeah, I do." Brad sighed, and squeezed her tightly; perhaps being with Travis was like walking into a trap, but... Maybe, just maybe, she'd be good for him.




And even if it only made them temporarily happy... It was better than nothing.

So, a couple they were again, at last; luck was on both of their sides, that they had someone else to lean on... All Bradley could do was pray that that alone would make it worth it.

---

"Another visitor? It's almost 10 o'clock! Jeb honey, can you please get that? I'm already in my pajamas."

Jeb grumbled at Meredith, but, it was the least he could do; anything to keep Meredith from throwing another tantrum. It was almost like she was pregnant. ... She wasn't pregnant, was she? Of course she wasn't. That's a ridiculous idea, Jeb. 'Can't say I'd mind another one, though,' he thought to himself as he peekd out the door and saw Eva there, looking rather ragged herself.



"Hey, Eva... What brings you over here so late at night?"

"Please tell me that Alesha is here," Eva said in a nervous voice. "I've been looking all over for her, this is the only other place I can think of that she would've gone."



"No, I'm sorry... I haven't seen her at all today, in fact. Why, what's wrong?"

"She's gone missing, Jeb," Eva managed out in a weak voice. "One minute she was in her room playing, and the next, she wasn't anywhere to be found. I'm really worried."

"Oh Eva, I don't blame you," Jeb said with a bitten lip. "I hate to tell you but I really haven't seen her. Do you have any reason to think she may've run away?"



"Well, Shamus and I were having a bit of a fight, but it really wasn't anything major, just a squabble over the dishes," Eva said wearily. "Things have been kinda tense lately but I never thought..."

Her voice trailed off; as it did so, Alesha had to pause in her running, hoping that neither adults standing on the porch would hear her.



"Well, I'll keep a look out, and I'll make sure to ask Amelia if she's seen her at all... I'll give you a call if I ehar anything alright?" Jeb tapped his temple, trying to think hard about where the little girl might be. "Let us know when you find her, alright?"

"Oh I will," Eva said with a sigh, neither one looking to the curb to notice the little girl hopping on her bike and scuttling away. "You guys will be the first to know."

---

As Brad hunted for a "reason" for Emerald's death, his search proved very unfruitful. Though he always allowed for a margin of error, he prided himself on his observing mind - the idea that he missed something just wasn't possible.

But, where one mystery dies, another always arises to fill its place... And although Brad was not quite a genius, he was sure that somehow, someway, he would find a way to right the wrongs that had been done.



As he flipped through the pages of yet another book, his eyes scanned each sentence for some clue of something he could do. He knew of ghosts, and he knew of risky experimental projects being undertaken with them at the science lab -- though most Sims still viewed it as a hoax, he knew better.

But, unsure of who he could trust there, he resolved to become knowledgable enough to do it himself... Whatever 'it' was. And, since the library was brimming with research papers, books, and biographies on the subject, he was sure he would come across something, somewhere, that would point him in the right direction.



It wasn't a one-step process, though. There were hundreds of books: some complete fiction, and some only pathetic tales of failed attempts at paranormal communication, revival, or even 'travelling' into the realm of the dead.

All fascinating stuff, but unless it was true or successful, even on some small degree, it didn't help him much.



As his fingers clasped over a book that, dusty and untouched, looked a little more promising than the others, he began to feel a tense sensation at the back of his neck... A burning, as if he felt like he was being watched.

He turned about to see who it was, or if he was just delusional, and his conclusion was the latter -- the only woman in the room was utterly absorbed in her book.



As he sat down to begin reading, he took a better look at this woman; she was, in a few words, very peculiar. Her hair was wildly dyed, her clothes were... something else... and he was sure he noticed a nervous twitch in the corner of her eye as she flipped through the pages of her book.

He tried to get a better look at the title, but all he could see on the cover was a rather large picture of a burning candle. Interesting.

Well, after flipping through the table of contents and scanning over a few chapters, Bradley realized he'd hit a dead end; the researchers may have touched on something, but apparently they 'lost funding' before they were able to make much of it. Great, figures.



With a heavy heart, Brad abandoned his search and wandered upstairs, looking through the classics section with a set of eyes a bit more sure of actually finding what they were looking for.

He pulled out the book and tucked it under his arm.



Looking down from the balcony at the people below, Bradley couldn't help but realize this was exactly how he felt... So seperated, floating above everyone else as if on some other plane of existence. No one looked up to see him, no one noticed he was there.

They were all so happy... So content with everyday life. Why?



He wondered, looking down again at that peculiar woman... Was there something he was missing about her?
He wondered, looking down at the little girl his sister always hung out with... Was she who she seemed to be, too?



The ground beneath his feet felt cold through the soles of his shoes, and each step pounded deep through his bones. He felt like he'd been running for miles... Maybe he had... But he knew, in a less physical sense, he'd been running for much much longer than that.

Many people avoided the graveyard, but to him, it was inviting. The way the moths tended the flowers, the trees swayed in the wind, the way the emptiness seemed to mirror exactly how he felt.



It was like coming home.

"Well, I didn't find anything today either, Em," Brad said with a sigh as he settled down onto a bench he'd dragged next to Emerald's grave. "I'm sorry, but I'll keep trying. I know the answer's out there, somewhere... Just gotta keep looking."

He bowed his head and heaved a deep breath before continuing. "I brought you something, though."



He laid open the cover the book, and he began to read. "I have just returned from a visit to my landlord -- the solitary neighbor that I shall be troubled with..."

Brad continued for some time, reading long until he realized that if he stayed much longer, he'd miss his mother's dinner -- and she would not be pleased.



He tucked the book back into his short's cargo pocket before nearing the side of her grave, his eyes falling, unable to meet it without feeling overcome with grief.

"Oh, Emerald," he said, his entire face cupped within his hands. "Why did you have to leave me... Isn't there anything I can do to bring you back?"



After wiping away his tears and realizing it was time to get ahold of himself, he walked towards the edge of the hill and looked down across Twinbrook.

Below, all the people were going about their lives as if nothing happened. Why couldn't he? Why was he so stuck?

He wasn't all that different, so why did he have to suffer so much more?



His eyes turned higher, to the cloudless sky.

'It's because I loved you so much, Em,' he thought to himself. 'Life will never be the same without you.'