1.4 Girls on film

Kali coming home late with the cops worried his parents.  They apologised and offered to give him more freedom.  Then Jared realised what night it was – the night of the twins’ birthday.  Everyone was too tired to celebrate with a party, so they had a quiet night in, drinking plenty of coffee to get them through the transition to the terrible twos.

Lola became the cutest (and most camera-shy) toddler ever.

Alli, meanwhile, was left to grow up alone, because her uncle, Connor, and her father’s best friend, Molly French, had come over to visit.  As the girls were growing up, so another life was ending.  Molly passed away in front of her closest friends.

Alli had no idea that her father had witnessed the most significant event of his life.  He mourned for Molly for days afterwards, but what he was also mourning for was himself – he knew he wouldn’t see his children grow up, nor was he likely to achieve his ambitions.  Jared decided to be as hands-on with his daughters as he could be.  He potty trained both of them…

…although he wasn’t so hot on cleaning.

The family built Kali an upstairs room so he could chill out, and Molly popped by most nights to check her Facebook whilst he was sleeping.

Lianndra and Jared kept working on their careers, as well as gardening and fishing, but the family finally came first.  Lianndra was so busy with all she had on that she forgot it was her birthday.  One day, after work, she simply aged up on the pavement.

She wasn’t particularly impressed by the fashion that old age brought with it, and she vowed not to let it slow her down yet.  After all, she had three children to raise, and she had captained the local team into finally winning some matches.  This wasn’t the time to get creaky and retire.

Kali, meanwhile, finally met someone at school that he brought home: Stacey Steel.  His family were relieved.  It was the first time he’d ever shown any interest in making friends.

The new found love of family life had drawbacks.  Jared left a pan on the stove whilst playing with the girls, and the kitchen set on fire!  Stacey seemed to find it strangely fascinating…

Things were all getting a bit too much for Jared, though.  He started to wonder if he’d achieved anything with his life, if he really mattered.  He had a daughter he was estranged from, a son who seemed to be a real loner, and two young girls he might not have much more time with.  He hadn’t reached the pinnacle of his career, hadn’t maxed out any skills, hadn’t done much that would leave any sort of impression on the world.

Whilst he was out contemplating the deeper things of life, the family  held a small ceremony to celebrate the girls’ birthdays.  With Jared so depressed at the moment, Lianndra and Kali didn’t want to make a fuss.

Lola became a cute, but sombre looking child.  It was almost as if she knew things weren’t going to be smooth from now onwards.

Alli found the transition rather painful, but hoped this time she’d be as cute as her sister for once.

Unfortunately, fate wasn’t that kind.  She gave it a slow handclap to show her displeasure.

Alli refused to sleep in the same bed as Lola.  Lola was really sad – she’d hoped she’d grow up to be close to her twin, but it wasn’t looking like it would be that way.

Jared, meanwhile, maxed out his gardening skill and made sure the bills were paid on time.  He wanted his family’s future to be secure.

He encouraged his kids to develop hobbies. Alli took a shine to fishing……even if her preferred place to do it was the graveyard.

Both girls seemed to have a fascination with death, often wanting to visit the graveyard to collect bugs and rocks.

Molly often stopped by to talk to them, reassuring them that things weren’t so bad on the other side.

Jared, meanwhile, remained one elusive stage away from that life-fulfilling promotion, but he decided that spending the rest of his time with his family and restoring his old friendships was just as important.  He wanted everything to be in order before he passed on.

Kali still struggled with friendships, but a few girls were starting to show interest in his guitar-playing.  He continued to find solace in music and encouraged his sisters to work hard at school and find hobbies they loved, too.

Alli became very handy with the blocks, something that would serve her well in later life.  However, the distance between the two sisters remained.

Lianndra maxed out her athletic skill and achieved her lifetime wish of becoming a Superstar athlete.  She went on to gain the top sporting job available, before retiring to take up painting (whilst still signing the occasional autograph).

Kali became a young adult, and Jared gave him his old leather jacket to wear on special occasions.

It was soon the girls’ turn to age up, too.  They didn’t really have a party, though.  Their dad had gone missing after work, and they weren’t in the mood to celebrate.

Alli inherited Jared’s hair colour and Lianndra’s style.

Lola did too, but they didn’t really care, because at the precise moment she blew out the candles, they could hear a  bell toll, and they knew that somewhere, their father had passed on.  Although his body was never found, the girls knew it was over.