In Another Life...

Season One Finale

"There's no point in living in an alternate reality. -Jessica Cutler"

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"What are you thinking about?" 

"Nothing, just wondering what I did right." 

"Well, you proposed to me instead of those skanky girls you met in college, for one." Kyle laughed at her clever quip. Even though she ditched the "goth look", Jia still had the same dry wit that he learned to love when they were teens.

"Well, if you want to be smart about it, I could always say that you did well in marrying me instead of those jerks you used to woo..." Kyle retaliated. She just chuckled.

"You're pretty cocky, you know that?"

She leaned in to kiss him, while enjoying every second of it. She thought she would never settle down, but here she is, about to become Mrs. Jia Kai Lin-Dillard (because she was too stubborn to get rid of her old last name). He understood her, and he didn't smother her. She knew this was the man she was meant to be with.

 They had a private wedding ceremony nearby the coastline, because they both wanted something low-key. Jia was raised in the lap of luxury, and although the glitz and glamour was nice, she enjoyed simplicity. Kyle just didn't want to waste money, much like his frugal father.

The next few months were absolute bliss for the happy couple.

However, that bliss soon turned into a fright when Jia became mysteriously ill. It started innocently with slight nausea, but soon she found herself practically bedridden; the only time she got up was to rush to the bathroom and vomit.

Kyle was concerned, but Jia refused to see a doctor. She believed that if she tried ancient Sim Shang herbal recipes, her illness would subside. The herbal teas only made her sicker however, and she appeared to be standing on her last legs. Kyle made sure to spend every moment he could with her, but she noticed when he occasionally had to leave the room and cry. Or paint. She was never sure of which.

One day, Kyle found her in the bathroom, looking as radiant as ever. She had a huge grin on her face.

"What's up?" he questioned, wondering why Jia wasn't lying down. She turned around and faced him with tears welling up in her eyes. He immediately began to panic. Why was she crying? Was she really dying? No, if she were dying, she wouldn't look so alive... he thought to himself. She walked towards him slowly, and cupped his face with her hands. "Kyle, sweetheart.."

"...I'm pregnant."

 

He woke up in a cold sweat, wondering what just happened. He was in bed, and his alarm clock just went off. Had he been dreaming? If that was a dream, it was a pretty realistic one. No, he hadn't been dreaming. He couldn't have been. Jia's death was a dream...the life he had with her was real. He turned to the other side of the bed.

No one was there.

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The End

Accidents

"A beautiful lady is an accident of nature." - Louis Nizer

 It's been awhile since they spoke. What Kyle did was stupid, and he knew it, he was just happy that things didn't go as far as he and his buddies said it did. Jia was nothing but trouble, and he was beginning to realize that. But then again...Jia wasn't an ordinary girl. She was deeper than that, and she was special. So what mattered more to him, Jia, or his family's safety?

He cringed when he remembered Charles' message to him after school that day...

 "Listen d-bag, I know all about what you did to Jia that night. Mark my words, if I ever see your face outside of school again with MY Jia, you're gonna pay."

"Whoa man, you have the wrong idea..."

"You're going to pay, your family is going to pay, and Jia will pay. You will all pay, so help me Plumbbob!"


"My...my family?"


Charles grinned a wicked grin and said "Have you ever heard of 'death by fire'?"

And that still sent chills up Kyle's spine, two months later.

As for Jia, she grew tired of it. Being the girlfriend of a mafia family was no longer thrilling to her, just boring. And the only reason she and Charles connected in the first place is because they both have ridiculously argumentative parents. But now, because of the rumors, the guys won't come up to her and flirt with her anymore out of fear. And whenever she'd flirt with them...well...Charles wasn't happy. Of course, knowing Sim Fu came in handy, so she could knock him down at any moment. But she didn't want to. If you have to fight your boyfriend to save your own life, is that even a relationship? Why did she have such an awful history with men?


Except Kyle. Kyle was different. He was sweet, funny, smart...or at least, in the intellectual sense. He was everything Charles wasn't. And he was flirty, just like her. He understood her.


Kind of.

She could hear them outside of her door, arguing. Again. She sighed under her breath and slowly walked up the stairs, wondering why they can't just call it quits. For everyone's sake.

"You're worthless!! Absolutely worthless!" Nasa screamed in her impossibly high-pitched voice. She then saw Jia come in, and quieted down a bit. "Let's go somewhere else and discuss this."


"I'm worthless?! The only reason we're still arguing is because you can't get over one flirt I had with a girl in China. One!! You, my dear, are the worthless one and when I die, you're not getting a penny!"


"Ooh, you-" Nasa bit her tongue. "Not in front of Jia, dear."

Pao looked at their daughter and her chosen attire for today. With a disgusted look on his face, he said


"I have no daughter. Jia is dead to me."

And that's when she ran.

Her dad is sexist. Her mom is a gold-digger. Her brother was a nerd. She's a whore. She's heard it all before, and none of it hurts her. Pao was right, he has no daughter. His daughter died a long time ago.


Now, all that's left is a shell. A shell that is bulletproof, and well-guarded. Nothing matters anymore. 

She sat down in a little jungle gym the house next door to Kyle's had. She felt just like a little kid again. She wasn't expecting much, but just knowing that she was physically close to Kyle's home made her feel better somehow.

Kyle spotted her and started climbing up the ladder. He chuckled and said "Jia, what are you doing here? You might want to get out of here before your boyfriend pummels me."


"My parents were fighting again, I just needed somewhere to go." She said, after chuckling a little herself.

"Okay, I'll bite. Tell me about it." 


"No, you wouldn't get it."


"Then explain it to me."

"...and the schoolwork, augh! My parents push the importance of grades so much, you know? I try my best, and it isn't enough. I get an A+, and they ask why it isn't an A++. I finally gave up trying to be perfect for them, so I purposely started getting Cs. And they argue about everything! Sometimes, I think my mother only married my father for the money, and he only married her because she was the 'perfect, submissive woman' that would cook and clean all day. I just can't understand sims. I can't."


Kyle and Jia (well, mostly Jia) continued to rant about their problems, and it made her feel a lot better. Like she wasn't alone in this, and someone actually knew what she was talking about.

"Well, I've gotta go, but thank you for listening." she said gratefully.


And with that, she was gone.

The arrival of the baby was an overshadowed one. Sandy was so wrapped up in her novels that she forgot she was even pregnant, and Brandon was so wrapped up with work that he forgot as well. Everyone was caught up in their own little world, their own little problems, and Lily's birth was a wake-up call.

A little while after Lily's birth, Kyle decided to venture down to a local club. "Damn, look at all the hot chicks!" he thought to himself. He even danced with one, her name was Eliza. Eliza was such a pretty name.


That's when he heard laughter.

"Well well well, look what we have here." Charles cackled. He had his two "henchmen" beside him, one of them had their face partially covered by the lamp. That made Kyle chuckle.


Bad idea.


"What's so funny prettyboy, huh? We told you not to come near us again! You're just askin' for it now!"
 "Boys, pull out your knives." Charles commanded.


Kyle began to protest when he saw them pull out pocket knives. He tried to explain, but all that came out were incomplete sentences and stutters.

"Look, you wanna cut me, fine! Go ahead, do it! I don't give a ****, just don't hurt my family. Fine, I deserve it. How dare I walk into a place, when I know that there's an off chance you guys will be there. Go ahead. Cut me in front of all these witnesses."


And so they charged at him with their knives, but it wasn't Kyle that they stabbed.


Laying down on the floor, in a pool of blood, was Jia. She had watched the entire thing, and ran in front of Kyle just as they were ready to stab him. Charles and his lackeys looked down on her, and all they could manage to say was "Oh ****."


And with that, they ran, leaving Kyle to stare at Jia's dead body in pure shock and muddled confusion.

"You guys know I didn't do it, right? They came at me, and Jia got in the way. I didn't stab her, I swear!"


Sandy sighed, and Brandon put his head in his palm. They hadn't told the kids yet, and they were sitting right beside Kyle. "What happened? Someone got stabbed?" Issac said in shock. "Oooooh, you stabbed Jiiaaaa" Julie sang.


"Kids, that is ENOUGH!" Sandy screeched. She could hear Lily crying upstairs, probably because she was sleeping.


"The evidence is compelling, Kyle." Brandon said coldly.


"That's because Charles' gang is a rough and violent gang, they're not above setting fire to people's houses and stabbing their peers' parents. They bribed everyone! I swear, I'm innocent!"


"Well, innocent or not, the SHPD will be coming after you, Kyle, based on the testimonies of those who were there."

With weak eyes, Sandy turned to Brandon and whispered "We have to do something. Kyle doesn't have it in him to kill. I know he's innocent, but they believe he's guilty."


Brandon looked at his kids, said a silent prayer for his wallet, and announced that they were moving.


For good.


author's notes here

Wants

"The heart wants what it wants.... There's no logic to those things." - Woody Allen

Have you ever wanted something, or someone, so much that you're willing to go through great lengths to get it, and even greater lengths to keep it? Have you ever deceived someone or kept your dirty little secret hidden, because you know you're not supposed to have it? Have you ever cheated, manipulated, or stolen?

They have.
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Today is anything but a typical Sunday for the Dillards, if there is a such thing as "typical" for them. Something is always happening, no matter how mundane or how exciting. In this case, things happen to be more "exciting" than usual.

"Hi there, little buddy." Sandy said breathlessly after checking the pregnancy test for the hundredth time. She just couldn't believe it. She was so overjoyed, she could have danced a jig right then and there! It was unbelievably hard for her to conceive compared to her more "youthful" days. She spent many nights coaxing Brandon into bed with her, sometimes unsuccessfully. But that was yesterday. Now she has a tiny bundle of joy inside of her again, and it feels terrific. How would she tell everyone else? She doubted that they'd be as overjoyed as she is. They may even start to resent her for sneaking around and purposely avoiding birth control as she did. And what if Kyle's threats of moving out were true?

With a sad sigh, she hid her pregnancy test underneath some debris in the trash can and shut the door behind her.

Kyle spends most of his time in his room, focusing on his masterpieces or composing a new song. He's not a loner, but he can definitely identify with them. He likes being alone when creating, it gives him time to think. It also helps that between work, his siblings, and various appliances breaking, his parents have no time to constantly bug him.

Issac and Julie enjoyed just being kids, playing tag together, hanging out with friends, and working hard in school. As much as they liked to pretend that they couldn't stand each other, they were best friends. Secretly, Juliana is dreading the day that Issac grows up and joins Kyle in the word of adolescence. Who will she hang out with when that happens?

Brandon spent his Sunday morning fixing up the new plumbing in their brand new master bathroom. He loved the room, the colors were so vibrant and kind of manly. A welcome relief from all the fanciness and homey-ness of the rest of the house. He loved this home and the people in it, but sometimes he longed for the old bachelor pad he owned before he met Sandy. Sometimes, he even longs for the life he had before Sandy. Before all the kids, and the odd mood swings, and all the expensive bills, and the private school tuition because Sandy wanted "nothing but the best" for their kids.

But there was no turning back now.

Sandy grabbed some Goopy Cabornara and joined her son for some grub. Plumbbob, she was starving. She wolfed down the leftovers as Kyle looked at her quizzically, somewhat amused.

"Hungry there, Mom?" he teased. Sandy looked back at him, smiled, and sarcastically said "No, you think?" with a mouth full of food.

Kyle cringed a little at the poor table manners, but he brushed it aside. He wasn't too concerned about her sudden increase in appetite, he had much better things to worry about...like the party going on this evening.

It wasn't really a "party" party, actually, just more of a gathering for Saskan Harbour high school students. Although it was small, this party had it all: the musician, the fellow music lover, the lovers making out on the bench, and the deceptively quiet wallflower sitting at the furthest table in the park. But even in all of its cliche, there was something different about this girl. She didn't seem like all the other loners.

She favored green and black, and kept to herself; although he could feel her eyes on him. There was an air of mystery about her, instead of the typical shy freshman. The closer he got to her, the more enthralled he was with her dark yet alluring beauty. She also seemed a bit familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on it. Finally he made his way to her table, and ran out of words to say.

"Um...hi. You new?" he questioned, wishing he just left it alone. He felt like such an idiot. She just laughed, and said "Yes, I am. Good to see you again Kyle."

Baffled, he stared at her as if she told him she had wings. He knew her? Since when? Then, it all became rather clear. He gave her (another) once-over, and finally said "...are you Shao Lin's little sister?"

"Yes, I am." Jia Kai said again, obviously amused at his shock. Kyle's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Damn girl, you grew up!"

Kyle didn't even know what he said until Jia Kai reacted, and when he realized it, he mentally slapped himself. This was his friend's sister for Plumbbob's sake! He can't just treat her like all his other "toys".

"I-I'm sorry, I meant that you have nice....nice...eyes? Very round and, um...pretty...and perky..." Jia just rolled her eyes, now Kyle was getting annoying. She dragged him by the arm behind a tree, leaving the "party" that has now died.

"Ouch!" he squirmed in her grip "Hey, watch it! I don't need a bruise tomorrow morning!"

Rubbing his sore arm, he gave Jia a look and grimaced. He never met a girl so tough. "Hey, what was that for?"

"I wanted to escape that 'party', I've been to better parties than that **** in Shang Simla. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you're a disgusting pig. You can't just treat women like objects." she stated in a rather monotone voice. Kyle didn't know how to react.

"Well, they're willing-"

"Don't. interrupt. me." she muttered through gritted teeth. Kyle nodded and let out a small "ok", not wanting to anger her any more than he already did.

"As I was saying, you'd be better off with a girl that wouldn't make you feel like you have to 'roam around'. You'd be better off with someone a little more...exciting."

"Oh really?" Kyle said in an amused voice. It's a pity that Jia was Shao's brother, he could definitely see himself going for her.

"Really." she purred.

Tired of waiting for Kyle to take the hint, she grabbed him and kissed him. He was shocked at how bold Jia was, she was truly unlike any girl he had met (and wooed) before. He couldn't help but wonder if something was a little...off about her. No girl can be this perfect, right?

Kyle continued to let his thoughts go on and on while they were kissing. All of a sudden, Jia pulled away. "What?" Kyle said, afraid that Jia had sensed his suspicion. "Nothing, I just wanted to know if you wanted to go to the beach cliffs. You have a nice car, I thought we could maybe go together?" she suggested. "Sure, what day do you want me to pick you up?" "Actually, I meant tonight." "Tonight?! It's Sunday and almost past curfew! We have school tomorrow!" "Awwww, what is it, is the little sophomore afraid of missing school and cutting curfew?" Jia teased.

"No, actually, my concern is for you. You fresh meats need your extra sleep for all the tough freshie work." he teased back

"Well I don't really give a ****, and you're not a freshman, so we can go...right?" Jia smiled innocently. Kyle reluctantly agreed and fumbled for his car keys.

"Man, my parents are going to kill me for this."

When they made it to the beach cliffs, Kyle held Jia's hands as they watched the ocean rhythmically move back and forth. Kyle tried to pull a move or two, and Jia didn't reject him. If anything, she encouraged it. A strange specimen indeed.

And that is when they heard sirens.

Jia quickly ran toward the nearest street, leaving Kyle on his own and completely clueless as to what to do next. Unable to do much of anything else, he allowed the cops to come and take him home.

"What on earth were you doing out so late, son?! Your folks got concerned and thought you died or something." Kyle smirked. That was a new one, usually whenever he leaves the house, his parents fear that he knocked someone up.

"It was a girl, sir. A girl I knew for awhile, but never really knew...you know?" Officer Dequan nodded, and chuckled as he said "At this age, all girls are poison. All of 'em. Even the blonde, sugary sweet, blue-eyed, pink loving, pop devotees. I had to learn that the hard way." he sighed. "But if you cared about your future, you'd avoid her."

Kyle looked down at his hands. He did care about his future, and he also cared about his parents. But deep down...he cared about Jia more. A smart, witty, beautiful girl that won his heart when they were little kids, and again as teens. It's like she was the mirror image of him, his other half...

...and he didn't want to let go of that. He wanted her in the worst way, and nothing else. Even if it meant breaking curfews.

"What on earth were you thinking, Kyle?!" Brandon yelled furiously. "I've spent hours, HOURS trying to calm your mother down!! Do you KNOW how worried she was? You could have given her a heart attack! And the crying, oh Plumbbob the crying..."

"I'm sorry Dad-"

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Kyle. What's with the sudden irresponsibility? Can I no longer trust you?!"

"Of course you can trust me Dad..."

"THEN WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?? Tell me, why did you do it son? Why?"

"...it was a girl..."

Brandon let out a sigh of defeat. "A girl..." he muttered. "Another girl, Kyle?! ****!!!" he yelled

"No, this is a different girl, she's-"

"Forget it." he screamed. "Just...forget it. @#!@!, I'm way too old for this ****."

Brandon turned away and walked toward the house while muttering profanities. "What in the world got him so worked up?" Kyle thought.

The next morning, Kyle woke up and felt as if a bus hit him. He looked at his alarm clock and groaned. "Of all nights to violate curfew, why last night?" he whined. But it was too late now, it was a Monday and he had school in an hour. The hardest part of today would be facing his parents after last night's incident. Or so he thought...

He saw his cellphone vibrate on his desk and got up to answer it.

"What the hell, man it's six in the morning! I'll talk to you at school." he said sleepily into the phone.

"Naw man, I didn't call just to chat." Rocco said in reply. "Rumor's going 'round that you banged Charles' chick last night. Didya do it? Didya? Oh man, you're my hero!"

Kyle was disgusted, confused, and elated all at the same time. He loved it when there were rumors going around that he scored yet another chick (although he's still a virgin, much to his dismay), but Charles was a tough guy, someone you don't wanna mess with. And he had no clue who "Charles' chick" was.

"Umm, who?"

"Ahaha, that's my man! Scoring so many he doesn't remember the name!"

"Right, right." Kyle said, playing along. "So, what's her name?"

"Her name is Jia, you know, that girl you sneaked off with last night? The whole school knows about it. Rumor has it, Charles is angry. Very angry. ***hole had it comin' to 'em if you ask me."

Kyle dropped the phone in shock. He could hear Rocco yelling for him in the background. He didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or destroy something in a fit of rage.

All he knew is that Jia had some explaining to do.
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Haha, slowly but surely I'm learning how to make backups. :) Seriously, my game either crashes, freezes, or goes "error 12" on me every ten minutes. Not sure why.

Fun facts:

1. Jia Kai Lin (her full name, isn't it pretty?) was originally meant to be new to town, but I remembered that I had Jia and Kyle as friends already while Kyle was still a kid/preteen. Best friends. Oops?
2. "Jia" means "beautiful", "Kai" means "exceptionally bright", and "Lin" means "family name", all in Chinese. Or at least, that's according to the baby name sites I went on.
3. It was a huge, HUGE pain to get the pictures, with the game freezing and whatnot.
4. SH is seriously lacking teens!! I'm so disappointed.
5. I'm thinking about starting a few new pages dedicated to their traits, fun facts, SimTweet updates certain sims are featured in, etc.
6. The house is almost completely done with renovation and will be up soon!
7. It was really hard to talk like a typical teenage "mac daddy". I kept cringing every time Kyle or one of his buddies would open their mouth. I really pity Brandon at this moment, it was actually not my plan to get Sandy pregnant. I do believe that SP did it while I was checking in on another family, ahaha. The one time I did try to get Sandy pregnant, it didn't work.
8. If you're wondering who Rocco is, he's the blonde guy with the odd Chinese getup.
9. If you remember the Crazy Hormonal Sandy phase Sandy went through while pregnant with Issac, it might amuse you to find out that Issac is not only a pyro, but a neurotic pyro. ;) Juliana turned out to be neurotic as well, which might be why they get along so well.

P.S. - Did you catch the cop referencing to Sandy? ;)

Unexpected Visitor

In the Dillard household, things were going smoothly and according to plan. Possibly, to the point of concern.

Much to their surprise, Sandy got pregnant rather easily...again. "Ugh, I don't think I can do this again" she thought to herself before tossing up the leftover mac and cheese. What on sim-earth were she and Brandon thinking?!

Kyle was no longer the center of attention, just as he feared. If possible, Issac was even more demanding than Kyle was, and the pregnancy distracted his parents as well. Thus, Kyle was left in a high chair for long periods of time.

But even though she has two very young children and a very stressed out husband, Sandy was...mellow. This pregnancy was a lot more calm than the first two. She wasn't beaming with unexplainable joy like she was during Kyle's pregnancy, but she wasn't moody and spiteful like she was during Issac's pregnancy. The baby drained a lot of her energy, but other than that, things were pretty peaceful.

Later on that day, she scheduled a play date at her house so that Kyle could interact with kids his own age. She invited over Desiree (she's expecting-again!), Alexander and his daughter Malissa (middle), and Anya and her daughter Kiana. Kiana is so adorable, she's going to break a lot of hearts, just like her mother.

Meanwhile, the adults were in the family room watching Romantic Rendezvous, Anya's favorite soap channel. No one really seemed amused except from Alex, who was trying to lead a group analysis on the secret relationship Betty Lou and James shared.

After that, they stood in the walkway debating politics. Sandy was trying her best to look interested when out of the blue, the doorbell rang. That's odd, she wasn't expecting anyone else.

"I'm sorry, if you'll excuse me..."

"Oh no, that's fine." Alex reassured her with a trademark grin. She didn't even notice that her friend was hungrily staring him down. If Sandy were aware of what was happening, she would say "For Pete's sake, you're both married! No flirting."

But right now, her mind was somewhere else.

"Oh, um...hello. You look...different." Sandy said carefully. She was torn between admiring Angelina's guts for showing up to her doorstep, and wanting to destroy them for that very same reason.

"Hi, you look lovely! Pregnancy suits you well. Love that red lip!" she smiled

Sandy wasn't buying it.

"Look, what do you want? Sorry, Brandon isn't home yet."

"Oh I know, I have him doing some of my paperwork. My job performance hasn't been the best lately. I just figured that you might want to know that I'm backing off."

"Wh-what?"

"I'm backing off. You're right, I was out of line. Anyway, you look tired. You should get some rest," she chirped.

Plumbbob, she was the worst actress ever.

"Look, I'm in no mood for mind games." she said, closing her eyes. "You tried to steal him from me from day one. You crashed my wedding and tried to break it up. Hell, you even snuck into the house to flirt with Brandon while I was at a friend's house! I know you're not going to give up."

"Well fine, I guess you're smarter than I thought-"

"Genius, actually." Sandy haughtily replied

"Show off."

"Do you think that baby is going to save your marriage?" she yelled, pointing at Sandy's protruding stomach. "Do you think it's going to keep Brandon from me? I think not, nothing can save your marriage, I don't care how many babies you pop out. In fact, I'd like it if you popped out more. The fatter you get and the more stressed out he is, the sooner he'll run to me."

Sandy stared at her in sheer anger, horror, and disbelief. It took everything in her power to restrain herself from beating the crap out of Angie.

"You...you must be crazy. You must be out of your damn mind." Sandy shakily muttered, backing away. "He doesn't want you, just...please leave me and my family in peace, and we can all leave this alone. No harm no foul."

"Oh, so that's it? What happened to those threats, hmm? Now you're just backing away like a coward-"

Angelina was cut off not by words, but by Sandy's menacing glare. On one hand, she was happy. She had successfully gotten under her skin. On the other hand, Angelina was now frightened for her own life. But she wouldn't dare show it, and she knew that someone like Sandy could never lay a hand on her, let alone commit murder.

So instead of making her fear apparent, she put on a smug grin.

They both knew that Angelina would never have Brandon, and neither one of them cared. This was about more than just Brandon. This was an all-out-war.

Let the battle begin.
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A few days later, Sandy gave birth to (hopefully) their final baby named Juliana. Finally, it's a girl!

Issac had a birthday and turned 4 days old the same night. Granted, he's not as much of a camera-lover as his brother Kyle, but he's adorable nonetheless.

And as for Kyle, well, he had a birthday party of his own. Completely ignored by his family members in favor of his "other siblings", Kyle grew up all alone.

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Where do I begin? So it turns out that whatever bug this is, it likes it when Sandy is pregnant. Then the picture shows up, and she can actually change out of her clothes. When she's no longer pregnant, she still can't do anything that requires changing clothes, including woohoo. I'm hoping that if I patiently wait until she turns into an adult or an elder, then the glitch will phase out.

Oh, and My game crashed on me so I lost everything from the fight with Angelina down. Oh well, we can just say that we got a glimpse into the future. ;)