Merry Christmas!

Just a Merry Christmas.  I hope everyone's day is wonderful :)

It continues...

Summer was coming to a close and nothing was getting resolved for Aurora.  It was all the same still.  Just all those memories or whatever they were just happening randomly, specifically when Danny was around.  Aurora felt bad that she was almost relieved that he was going out of town for a while.  It was just he was like this catalyst, the last time he stopped to visit her in the Juice Bar when she was working was almost unbearable.  Aurora felt like there were almost two versions of him there.  The physical one actually speaking to her and then one she kept getting flashes of.  Aurora even felt at one moment they had the conversation they were having already, except she wasn't behind the bar she was sitting next to him.  She practically knew what he was going to say during one conversation before he said it.  It was so overwhelming at one point she  faked a coughing fit just get some air.  So when Danny told her there were some delays in production of his new show and he would be out of town for a bit again, Aurora wasn't a disappointed as she normally would have been.  Plus there was something about the whole show thing that kept irking her.  So the less she had to  hear about it the better for a while.  However, this made her feel really guilty.  Danny was one of her best friends and now she was happy she wouldn't see him.  This whole alternate life or whatever was becoming too much.  It was frustrating her, since now it seemed to really be affecting Aurora's life that was actually occurring.
Since she was so stressed, Aurora decided to throw an end of the year pool party.  She invited all her friends and figured it would be a great distraction.  Especially since her house seemed  to still be one of the few places that didn't trigger these crazy images, unless in her dreams.
So once party time came things went well.  She was having a good time and so was everyone else.  Aurora even felt relaxed.

However, Shirley of all people had to bring something up.  

"So Gina and I were thinking.  We know that you've been agonizing over all the insane things that have been happening."

"Yes" answered Aurora a little hesitant to hear where this is going.

"No don't worry.  We just think maybe you should go talk to that psychic.  That opened a few months ago." continued Shirley.

"Yeah.  I mean maybe she could sort of make sense of all this.  Maybe give you some peace again."  added Gina.

"You mean Yvette?" questioned Aurora.  "I don't know she lives down the street.  She doesn't seem all that friendly."

"Are you kidding me?  Who cares.  You aren't looking to make a friend, just someone to make you feel less stressed." insisted Shirley.

"I don't know maybe.  It probably couldn't hurt."  Aurora said.  It wasn't that Aurora didn't believe that Yvette wasn't actually a psychic, or that she wasn't nice.  It was more what she might say.  What if all this was just nothing, and Aurora really was just having some kind of breakdown or crisis?  Or worse what if it was something?  What if this was another life she had or is going to have?  The thought of that scared her as much as it excited her.  So Aurora was torn.  She had thought of seeing Yvette before but always backed off.  But now even Shirley the biggest skeptic was suggesting it, Aurora began to think maybe Yvette was the answer.  So it was settled her next step would be seeing her.

They are everywhere...

Ever since seeing Danny, Aurora has been more unsettled than ever.  It was like he was some kind of catalyst for more images and feelings.  She also couldn't understand why the mentioning of his new project kept popping back up all the time.  Aurora was thrilled and interested in it, but it seemed like it was almost some sort of nagging message that completely confused her.  It was becoming rather overwhelming for Aurora.  She felt like almost everywhere she went in town caused her to have these vivid memories and emotions.  The only real sanctity she had left was her house, thankfully Aurora had no feelings whatsoever there unless they appeared to her in a dream.  She was a little baffled by this, but then Aurora remembered in her other life she never lived in this particular house.
One place in town that Aurora now tried to avoid seeing at all costs was Dogwood Playland.  This children's park made her have so many images flash it was too much for her.  All Aurora would see was these memories of her letting her children play around in the park.  Sometimes it would just be her and sometimes her husband would be there.  Once again all the faces she didn't know weren't clear but the feelings of how she felt were.  Aurora was so happy.  When these memories first happened sometimes Aurora would allow herself to go there and feel them, in the beginning she liked the warm emotions they brought.  However the feeling of melancholy that would sink in when Aurora came back to reality was so depressing she had to start avoiding the park all together.
Although some places in were easy stay away from, others weren't.  If the park wasn't bad enough, now Aurora had to deal with these images when she bartended at the Juice Bar.  Randomly during some of her shifts she would start seeing herself at the bar hanging out with her dream man and some friends.  The foosball table was the worst trigger, she would always see flashes of herself and people playing and laughing.  It was so distracting.  It wasn't like Aurora just couldn't come here anymore, she needed the money and she liked bartending.  So she would just find herself looking down and concentrating on the bar, cleaning everything and anything just to distract herself.

One night after a particularly rough night at the Juice Bar Aurora just decided she needed to relax, even though it was well past midnight she decided a swim under the full moon would hopefully comfort her mind.

As she stood there on the board ready to jump in, Aurora kept telling herself they were all just crazy dreams.  None of it was real, stop letting it take over.  However no matter how many times she told herself this, something kept convincing her that there a lot more to this than just being vivid fantasies and that left her scared.

Flashes of Danny?

Riverview as of lately wasn't the most viable place to meet people around Aurora's age.  However a few years back a friend of hers thought they would be nice and set Aurora up on a date with an acquaintance  that just moved into town.  That acquaintance turned out to be Danny.  Her friend thought since they both were into writing and such that they would be a perfect romantic match.  However, that was just not the case.  Instead she gave Aurora the memory of one of the worst dates she had ever been on, probably the worst one for Danny.  Although the two of them didn't click romantically at all, they ended up becoming rather good friends.  It's not that he isn't an attractive guy, he just isn't Aurora's type.  There was just no fire between them.  It's alright because he's extremely valuable to Aurora as a friend instead.  His advice has steered her clear of some real losers, and she'd hope to think she helped him out too.

Danny was a scriptwriter.  He moved to Riverview because of it's close location to the city.  Although lately he has spent most of his time flying back and forth between the east and west coasts.  They have a lot in common in that we both love to write, he has helped Aurora get a few small stories published which has been great financially.  However she hates asking him for help, even though that is pretty much the best chance you have of making it in the writing world.

Since Danny has spent most of his time between both sides of the country lately, Aurora hasn't really seen him in a few months.  They have so much to catch up on.  Shirley thinks Aurora should run by her recent dream to him, but she doesn't think so.  Aurora thinks the less people that know about her recent weird events the better.

It was great seeing Danny, even though they hadn't seen each other in months they picked right back up where they left off.  Danny had so much to tell.  Apparently one of the television shows he wrote got picked up and they are going to start filming the pilot this fall in the city.  He said some of the actors will be heading into town soon and staying locally, he wants to schedule a party.  They are around their age so he figures it would be a good chance to meet new people.  Danny was so ecstatic about it, he just kept talking and Aurora did her best to listen.  She was very interested, but something weird kept happening as she listened to him.  Aurora kept getting these strange flashes of him, almost like memories.  He was at a party at her house.  It was a birthday party for Aurora's son, he was turning one.  A whole bunch of people were there, but the images of him were the clearest.  It was the strangest thing.  She could see his face, Shirley's, and a few others she knew.  The rest including the child and her husband were once again blurry.  It was so hard to comprehend what was happening.

The flashes Aurora kept getting with him are similar the ones she gets when she passes certain places in town.  It's rather strange how these images work.  Aurora can't quite seem to figure out why some places and now people generate these vivid memories full of such emotion.  How come she is getting this almost clear memory with Danny, yet when she sees Shirley or anyone else who also had lives in this alternate reality Aurora just remembers their story without the sudden detailed images or an overwhelming feeling of sadness and excitement?  What was so different about Danny?

Still Itching...

A few weeks had passed and Aurora hasn't had any alternate life dreams.  She still wakes up everyday in her Riverview Road home.  Things once again seem to be completely normal except for these weird feelings and random images she gets from time to time when she passes certain places in Riverview.  Aurora keeps brushing it off again, just telling herself it's some weird deja vu dream thing.  However even with that thinking, it was still nagging at her.  So against her better judgement she decided to tell her best friend Shirley all about it.  She knew Shirley would probably think she was crazy, but she needed another person's perspective.  So the next day Shirley had invited Aurora to hang out with her at The Gazebo and she decided to tell her all about it.

Upon meeting Shirley at the park, Aurora told her everything.  Surprisingly Shirley wasn't too judgmental and actually listened with minimal "are you serious" looks.  Actually she offered Aurora some decent advice.
"Okay, not that I believe in alternate reality stuff.   But Aurora if that did happen, well it's over.  For some reason the 'powers that be' didn't want that for you and made you come back here.  So what's done is done and you need to move on."  Shirley said trying to be sympathetic and stern.
"I get that, but why?  I mean if I was happy like it seemed, then why take it away.  Why bring me back here, to a place that I am struggling and alone.?" Answered Aurora.
"Ugh.  I don't know.  That's why it was just a dream.  I mean i'm a neurosurgeon not a psychic, so that's just my guess.  However I think they would even say that.  Think about it, you had everything you dreamed of.  A loving husband, children, a beautiful house.  I mean I think that you just acted out all your fantasies in one night and that's it.  Sometimes realty nags at you and you just need that alternate escape for the night."
"I know, you are probably right."  Aurora replied shaking her head and feeling slightly defeated.  "Actually I hope you are right.  It would be sad to think I had all that, for it only to be taken away."
"Yeah exactly.  But don't make it so dismal.  I mean here is another thing to think about.  You now have all that to look forward too.  I mean maybe Mr. Right and that dream house are ahead.  There still is that ridiculously over priced huge empty lot for sale on Riverblossom Hills Drive.  Your dream mansion can actually end up going there, like it did in your fantasy"  "Oh or here is another thought maybe it was like a weird glimpse into the future.  I mean what happened to me?"  Shirley said with a slight giggle.
"Oh my, don't even start adding ideas.  Hey, I thought you were my scientific perspective, the reality check.  Now you are talking about seeing the future."  Shirley looked at Aurora with this smug whatever face.  So Aurora just continued ignoring her, "Well anyway to answer your question, sorry to say you ended up never marrying."  Shirley now gave her quite the grave look.  "Well I woke up before it finished who know what would have happened, right?"  said Aurora trying not to laugh.
 Shirley quickly changed her expression into a smirk.  "Well that seems about right.  Maybe you did see the future.  Ouch scary."  The two of them burst into hysterical laughter.  Aurora was happy Shirley  brought a little lightness back into it.  She was afraid Shirley would be too cynical like she can be a lot, since well her love life track record was actually worse than Aurora's.
"Thanks Shirley, I think I see things better now."  Well at least Aurora was trying to convince herself of this.
"No problem.  Anyway Danny is back there, lets see if he wants to be bothered."  Said Shirley as she grabbed Aurora's arm and pulled her towards their friend Danny.

Something strange...

See the thing about Aurora is that her life in Riverview is pretty ordinary, except for the fact that she feels like she lived it before.  Not exactly the same but similar.  See one night Aurora went to bed in her beautiful home on Riverblossom Hills Drive, with her handsome husband sleeping next to her and 3 of seven children sleeping happily in their rooms.  While the other four already moved out and started lives of their own.  Aurora was perfectly content except for this one feeling she would get every once and a while.  Just this feeling like something was off.  However like she always did Aurora went to bed and brushed it off, it was nothing.

So the next morning she woke up, as usual giving herself just the minimal amount of time before she had to leave for work.  Things seemed normal as she started to get out of bed.  Until it hit her, she was waking up in a completely different house on Riverview Road, she was about 30 years younger, and single.  Confused, she sat there for a minute dumbfounded.  "What the hell?"  "I mean I live here, this is normal. But what?"  Is all that kept running through her head.

It took Aurora a few minutes to try and understand what was going on.  She finally boiled it down to it must have been a vivid dream.  It had to be.  Everything was always perfect, including the weather.  Plus she barely aged.  Also now that she was waking up the images of the family she had were becoming blurry.  She could remember everything but the faces weren't so clear anymore.  So Aurora convinced herself that is was just a dream, even though she had this funny feeling that it was going to keep on digging at her.  It was just so real, all of her friends and family were there. They all had detailed lives and stories.  Even the towns folk she barely knew had stories.  It was just so much for it just to be a dream.  Aurora honestly felt like she just lived an alternate life.  But she had to brush it off for now, since as far as she knew this was her real life.  The life of an early twenty something struggling to get by.

Meet Aurora

This is Aurora Yardlsley.  She is a  twenty something sim who lives in Riverview.  She is a struggling writer, who moonlights as a bartender and models on the side to make ends meet.
Aurora lives a pretty normal life except for one thing....