If you are just joining us or looking for a refresher the entire series can be found here.
Generation 2: Aerissa and Caleb
Life moved on for the rest of the family after Brenden finally moved off the compound and in with Joanna.
Caleb's training and manager finally paid off. He was one of the most sought after athletes in town and one of the best paid at that. He particularly enjoyed the income from product endorsements. For a man in love with the outdoors, it was getting difficult for the rest of Caleb's family to be fond of his new self.
Chrissy, however, paid no attention to his self-centered attitude. If there was one person that could bring Caleb to his knees, it was his wife. And, now his daughter. The pregnancy caught the whole family by surprise.
Then there was the mystery of Aerissa's youngest son, Trenton. On the one hand, he was certainly growing up as evidenced by his increasing height, but his maturity didn't seem to scale well with that. Trenton felt like the black sheep of the family. He was a sloppy and lazy couch potato. He'd get physically sick from being outside for too long. And he was incredibly shy. Aerissa thought the divorce was causing him problems and considered getting him counseling.
But after spending a few weekends playing video games with Trenton, Aerissa realized it was just who he was. As much as the rest of the family would pester Trenton to clean up after himself and get physically active, he was content to chill in the house. Sometimes Aerissa, Summer, and even Syrana would intervene. Typically Caleb or Chrissy would be the ones to give Trenton a hard time.
Caleb would often be found scolding Trenton for not changing his stained shirt or making his bed. Caleb liked to boss Trenton around, giving him chores to do and coercing him into working out. Despite Caleb's desire to be his nephew's personal trainer, it would only depress the poor boy.
Aerissa became increasingly frustrated with the way Caleb and Chrissy were taking over the compound. Aerissa and Chrissy often sought to battle each other through wit, namely games of chess. Actually, after Chrissy gave birth to her daughter, Aerissa wondered if she needed counseling. But, no one said a word when Chrissy would babble on about two headed hydra monsters. They'd just smile and nod.
Syrana, now a teenager, started to baby-sit her baby cousin. This was just another sign that Chrissy was falling off her rocker. The whole family, Syrana included, knew that Summer would be a more appropriate and responsible choice. Syrana didn't mind though, she loved stealing candy from babies. That was her first taste of the thrill that is kleptomania. After that she escalated to garden gnomes, park benches, and flower planters. If it wasn't nailed down, there was a good chance Syrana would bring it home.
Once in awhile Syrana's conscious would find her, nagging her until she returned the stolen item. Mostly she liked to sell the stolen goods so she could donate that money to evil organizations. Summer, on the other hand, was always donating to noble, good, and charitable causes. Their favorite organizations were often at odds against each other.
It didn't take long before Syrana became a lady of the night. She found it deliciously evil to lurk amongst the shadows. She even got a part-time job at the local cemetery. She really liked her job and all the interesting people she meets while tending to the grave sites.
With everything that Aerissa had been going through for the past few years, she began to miss her father more than ever before. Oddly, she found peace in visiting his headstone. Mourning him and everything else she has lost was cathartic.
