*This story is a sequel to Elaine's Story: Part 1 (In the Beginning...)


Changes



‘Miss Lanie, your breakfast is getting cold.’ Jane the maid, yelled up the stairs.
‘Just a minute!’ I snapped irritated.
‘No more minutes. Your Uncle said for you to come down now!’
Errr!


It’s been two years since we last spoke. A lot has changed since then.
Our old maid, NanSing quit last year. She got married and is expecting a baby. We are still as close as sisters and have kept in touch. Uncle Remington and I threw her a baby shower last week.
Uncle Remington is still the same as you may remember him.
He claims that you never know only one pregnant woman. His theory is that women always get pregnant in packs. Both of his female staff members are expecting, as well as several of his models.
‘I’m surrounded by all these hormonal women about to pop!’ My Uncle dramatically declared at dinner last night. ‘It’s murder! I’ll be glad when this baby boom is over and things return to normal!’


I glanced at a pretty pink card on my night stand.
My old friend Helen sent me a birthday card. In it she told me that her sister-in-law Shelly was also going to have a baby. It would be her second.
Sadly, I didn’t get to see Helen or any of her family as much as I used too.


Ignoring, the shrill voiced Jane, I continued to do what I was doing before she so rudely interrupted me. I was applying make up. Since I was now in the double digits, I thought it was high time.
I still had all my Barbies and wasn’t quite ready to give them up entirely. Now days I call myself a collector.
My new passion and that of my friends in my little group known as the Wall Girls, was now fashion.
We poured over every teen magazine we could get our hands on. We were obsessed with hair, make-up, and the latest style trends.
All my friends thought it was too cool that Remington Mansfield was my Uncle. He is the top fashion designer in SimCity and really very famous.
When my parents were killed in a car accident, my Uncle become my guardian. You may remember that he legally adopted me a little later on.
Uncle Remington is the best father a girl can have, except maybe for the man that raised me the first seven years of my life....you may also remember that after eavesdropping on a conversation, I learned that Daddy wasn’t my real father at all!
I suspected that my mother’s former husband, Dex Newman, was my true father. He’s a real slimebag. I haven’t forgotten that I vowed to get revenge on him. It was because of Newman that our family unit almost crumpled a couple of years ago.
It was also the reason why Helen and I now only communicate with the occasional card or letter.
However; I don’t want to think about any of that right now.


All my friends had mothers to steal-er borrow make up from. There were no other females in my household. Both Jane and Mrs. Hammond the cook went to their own homes every night.
My best friend Wendy was thoughtful enough to sneak a little extra for both of us. Wendy’s mother is an actress and had tons of it lying around everywhere. She claimed her mother would never miss it.
We made a pact that today we would all wear make up.
We would show our rivals ‘The Swingers’ that we could look better and even more sophisticated than they thought they were.
We got the idea when we over heard the ring leader of the group, Tiffany VanSwearingen, lament to her little followers, that her mother wouldn’t allow her to wear make up to school.
We would show them that we could, but thought it better to eliminate the possibility of our parental units saying no, by not asking in the first place.
I guess I should mention that my teacher, Mrs. Evans (The former Miss Fonce) is also expecting.


Wow!
I wasn’t quite sure what to think.
The make up was certainly fun to put on, but it did feel and look a bit like a mask.
Maybe this is something I'd have to adjust too, like the taste of coffee. My first mocha latte didn’t taste as good as I thought it would. Now I drink them all the time.
Perhaps, I just had to wear this stuff on my face all day before I finally felt grown up.
I bet you've noticed that I no longer wear my hair in the curly little ponytail.
Peer pressure and the fact that it had grown so long caused me to explore other style options.
My hair has also darkened to brown since I’ve gotten older.
Uncle Remington told me that both he and my mother started out as blondes too. Their hair also darkened over time.
When I become an adult, I would dye my hair like Mommy did.
In the mean time, I fixed my hair the way Helen was currently wearing hers.


My friends are envious that I actually know Helen Harper personally.
Helen was ‘Midget the Surfer Girl’ when you last saw her, now she’s an international film star.
Helen’s won tons of prestigious awards for her acting ability. That's another reason why I don't get to see her any more. She's so busy going from one film to the next it's hard keeping up with her.
You also had to get past Dex Newman and Helen’s husband, Reginald to even speak to Helen now.


'Elaine Marie!'
Uh-Oh! That’s Uncle Remington.
I can put Jane off all morning, but as you well know, Uncle Remington isn’t one to trifle with.
My cat Belle stopped sharpening her claws on the sofa and followed me downstairs.
She’s still my little shadow.


I’m also pleased to inform you, that my Uncle never had Belle declawed when we got her spayed.
Though she made him sneeze, he was afraid Belle wouldn’t be able to defend herself if she should get lost.
He won't admit it, but he loves Belle just as much as I do.


Coming Next: Uncle Remington's reaction to Lanie's new look.

I shot the pics using the teen body, stretch skeleton body, and the kid made over...I chose the kid body since I thought it would be fun to age her over the chapters. Not to worry, there will be enough teen angst from Roberta and plently of pre-teen drama from Lanie, to make it worthy of the title.
EDIT: I'm also trying to write this in a way so new readers won't have to read the first part if they don't wanna.

The New Lanie


‘It’s about time!’ my Uncle snapped at me, until he caught a look at my face. ‘Oh my!’


He and his significant other Trent, had been cheerfully discussing the current baby boom.
When my Uncle nudged him, Trent stopped mid sentence.
‘Oh!’


I was starting to feel a little self conscious from the way they were both looking at me.
I couldn’t help but wonder what Mommy would have done if she were still alive.
An inner voice answered that she would have marched me right into the bathroom and made me scrub the make up off.
My mother was a wonderful person, but she didn’t put up with a lot of nonsense. She was certainly much stricter with me than my Uncle was.
Uncle Remington mutely pleaded with Trent to do something.


Giuseppe, the butler looked like he was about to crack up laughing, as he served the oatmeal.
I felt my Mansfield temper begin to boil over.


‘Trudy,’ Trent called out for our cook.
Gertrude Hammond was the only Grandmotherly figure I'd ever known. Though we had a close relationship, she didn't always approve of my antics. I could see this was one of those times.
‘Please take Lanie out to the kitchen and help her wash all this make up off her face.’
‘With pleasure.’ Mrs. Hammond answered grimly.


Sensing I was about to explode, Trent held up a hand.
‘When you have it all washed off, go upstairs and bring your make up down here. If your going to wear it, you need to learn how to do it right.’


Relieved that he wasn’t going to make me throw it out, I went with Mrs. Hammond to the kitchen to wash my face.


Coming Next...Make up lessons for Lanie

Man! Her teenage attitude comes right through your writing. I guess she was always pretty self-willed though I was concerned about Trent until she went down to breakfast. I assume we will hear more about what happened there soon, but for a bit I thought he and Remington had broken up.

Thanks for the update Montridge!

I was worried too... for reference, that was one of the scenarios I thought was possible with the whole Trent/Helen thing at the end of Lanie's childhood.

I *love* Lanie's new hair! Ok, so I liked the other one too, but this is perfect for a transition between child and teen!

i love this story Montridge.
cant wait for more

Love Lanie's new 'do

Great start, can't wait to see more!

Heehee. That reminds me of when I was a little girl and started to wear makeup. :P

Thanks everyone for the comments! *hugs*
I read that first chapter back this morning and could tell I had been suffering under the influence of cold pills. LOL. It was a real challenge to try and write it so no one had to go back and read the first part. So I'm really glad to see both old and new readers.
Lanie will tell you what happened that night after Helen left in Chapter 4. It's all ready written, I just need a few more pics.
(I was being a tease in the first chap by not mentioning Trent*hangs head*, but I did let everyone know that Belle never got declawed. :D)
Chapter 3 will be up after I order my hubby's dinner from Pizza Hut.
(Remy and I went to the same cooking school.)

Make Up Lessons From Professor Trent Thornton



After my face was scrubbed clean, I ran upstairs and retrieved my stol-er borrowed make up.
‘Set it down on the table, Hon.’ Trent ushered me into a chair. He frowned a bit as he looked it over. ‘This is stage make up.’
‘No wonder you looked like you were wearing a Halloween mask.’ my Uncle quipped.
Trent quickly explained the difference between stage make and everyday make up.
Using a very gentle touch, Trent began applying the make up to my face.
‘You also want to be careful about what brands you use. You never want to buy cheap make up.’
My Uncle shuddered in agreement.
‘You wouldn’t believe what they put in that stuff.’


‘The whole point of make up is to look like your not wearing any.’ Trent continued his instruction. ‘The only thing make up is suppose to do, is give a boost to your more positive features and to conceal the flaws. I prefer my models have a fresh natural no make up look.’
‘You never want to look like you put the stuff on with a spackling tool.’ my Uncle chortled.
We had quite the audience.
Giuseppe, Jane, and Mrs. Hammond all watched as Trent redid my face.
‘Another thing you have to consider is buying the right shades of make up to match your natural coloring. Your skin has cool under tones, so you want to stick with pinks, roses, and mauve shades. You never want to wear bright reds, oranges, and under no circumstances plums or purples.’


I couldn’t help but recall my first morning in this house. I’d been devastated that I hadn’t been able to fix my hair the way Mommy always did. Uncle Remington had tried to help, but designing women’s wear was his area of expertise, not styling their hair.
Trent had heard me throwing a tantrum and had come up to see what the squawk was about.
My Uncle not used to children was as equally frustrated with me.
Luckily, Trent has a temperamental daughter of his own. He also picked up a few hairstyling technics from his many years in the fashion/entertainment business. He had saved the day.


It looked like he’d learned a few make up tips along the way as well.
‘You always want to keep your make up age appropriate.’ Trent was going on as he lightly dotted rouge on my face. ‘If you wear too much people stare at your make up, but if you wear just the right amount, you can create the illusion that you are a natural beauty with no imperfections.’
He made another face at my make up.
‘I also prefer powders over creams. Cream make up is too oily and causes break outs. I think I can get you some proper make up samples at work.’
I was suddenly over come with the love I felt for Trent. It hadn’t taken long for me to become attached to my Uncle’s other half.
We were a solid family unit even if we didn’t measure up to the conventional standards.


‘Viola!’ Trent exclaimed when he’d finished.
Giuseppe, Jane, and Mrs. Hammond all looked impressed. I hoped Jane had been taking notes.
When I looked into the mirror, I couldn’t believe how adult I looked. I was actually pretty. Sometimes I feared I would always be dreadfully plain, but Trent had skillfully brought out only my best features.
Tiffany VanSwearingen would be soooo jealous.
Happily, I hugged him.


My Uncle was blinking back sudden sentimental tears.
‘You look so much like your mother. I just wish she was here to see you now.’
I hugged him too.
I never stopped missing my parents. Every night before I fell asleep, the moment I turned off the lamp and nestled my head against the pillow, was our time. In my head I would tell them all about my day and share with them my hopes and dreams. When ever I became afraid I couldn’t remember what they actually looked like, all I had to do was look at the photograph my Uncle had put in my room.


After I hugged my Uncle, I handed him a permission slip I was supposed to have him sign.
‘What’s this for?’
‘Miss FinchMeyer feels that it’s time for our class to learn about the facts of life.’
My Uncle’s pen froze over the paper.
‘Oh God!’ he moaned. ‘You are growing up! I don’t think I like this one bit! Mostly, because it makes me feel old!’
Trent smiled sadly.
‘It happens, Mansfield. They grow up and away from you. That’s the real fact of life.’
Trent would know. His daughter Roberta and Helen had both grown up and away from him.
Though the latter was entirely his fault.
After my Uncle signed my paper, he drew himself up and looked me right in the eye.
‘I forbid you to get any older before I’m ready for you too. I’m simply not ready to deal with a teenager and all the drama that goes along with being a teen. So until I give you my permission to grow any older, you will remain the age you are now, which is....’
‘Ten.’
‘That was a good age for me. So you will be ten until further notice.’
Giggling, I humored him.
‘Ten until further notice.’
I kissed his cheek. I was thrilled to see I left a lipstick print.
‘Good Luck with that.’ Trent told my Uncle in a knowing manner. ‘It would be nice if you really could magically turn aging off and can keep our little ones from growing up too soon. If that were the case I’d have done it a long time ago.’


Coming Next: Lanie is ready to talk about Helen.

Lanie is SO lucky to have Remy & Trent... if she'd had anybody else as her parents (ya know, assuming her real parents still died and everything), she'd have probably ended up going to school in the makeup she put on herself... 'specially if she was living with *shudder* Newman.

Good Morning IrishGrace
Your so right there. If she were raised by Newman, Lanie would have turned out to have a poor self image and probably be anorexic too.
Newman neglects his children and tries not to be anywhere near them. (He doesn't care much for kids.) They were pretty much raised by uncaring servants.
He's harder on his daughter than his sons because he's surrounded by artificial beauty standards all day and is cold to her because she doesn't measure up.
I'll give you a little bit of information: Lanie's mother was determined that Newman would never raise Lanie. Quite a few of my characters were in the plot to keep Newman from finding out who she is.

either way, I'm glad trent and remington are back together... that's a goody
lol I've seen people wear so much makeup at school before they look orange!!

Me too Psycho_Bunny on both statements. I'm happy that your reading this.
Bad News: I just wanted to let everyone know my game has gone glitchy again, so it might be a few days before I can update. I downloaded a bunch of new hairs, clothes, walls, and objects..it would be great if my computer gave the files the date I put them in, but it goes by when the file was created...sigh.
Good News:I got the next four chapters written, so once I get done sorting files the updates will be fast and furious.

I like, I like.

Nice to see Trent and Remy back together, too... although there's prolly a story behind THAT.

And is it just me, or does the Lanie in this story look completely different from the one in the prequel(hair aside)?

onsenmark! *hugs*
I'm glad you like.
As for Lanie, it's the same little Simmy. The make up and brown hair do make her look different though.
I wanted to let everyone know that I found the files that were mucking up my game. (Wall files off all things!) The only sad news is that Miss Fonce totally vanished from my game. I do remember which face template I used and being a very minor character, it shouldn't matter if I don't get her perfect.
I also got the rest of the day off today, so expects your updates soon. :D

Helen


While on my way to school, I started to think about Helen again....


Once upon a time, Helen was Trent’s top model. He discovered her while he was helping a client hold auditions for a soda commercial. All day long he’d dealt with snooty Studio Town type children and their tiresome stage mothers. Not one of the perfect little princesses he saw that day fit the part. He wanted a sweet natural child, one that would just drink the soda and look cute doing it.
While grabbing a quick bite to eat at The Happy Burger Shack, Trent saw Helen sitting at the counter having a hamburger with her brothers. He thought she would be perfect for the soda commercial. She was such a hit, that Trent signed her up with his modeling/talent agency and became her mentor.




When Helen was a child and later a teen, she took all Trent’s advice without question. She kept busy with commercials, modeling jobs, catalog shoots, and even a few plays. Trent was proud of her and became attached to her as if she were his own child.
Trent already had a daughter Roberta, but his wife insisted on sending their daughter off to a posh boarding school. Since Trent didn’t get to see Roberta as often as he liked, he transferred his fatherly affections toward Helen.


Trent also became attached to the rest of Helen’s family and best friends with her father, Tony.
Trent spent more time with them than with his own family.




The trouble started when Helen became a young adult......

Coming next: Flashback...Helen meets Reginald Harris.

Helen

After Helen graduated from high school, Trent got her work as an extra in beach flicks and ‘Midget the Surfer’ girl movies.
It was on the set of one of those films, she met Reginald Harris. (He played a guy named ‘Smelly’.)
At first Helen and Reginald clashed.
Reginald and his pals that were managed by Dex Newman hazed poor Helen mercilessly.
They made fun of her because Trent made lots of demands for her.
Trent would not allow Helen to dress in the common coed dressing room with the others. (The films were that low budget.) He arranged for a janitors closet to be made into a private dressing room just for her.
Trent also had a total melt down when he visited the set and discovered that wardrobe had dressed Helen in a strapless bikini. He literally stormed the set with a large beach towel and wrapped a very embarrassed Helen in it and dragged her off the set. Under no circumstances was her naval ever to be seen. So when you look closely at her dancing in those old beach flicks, she’s the one in capris and halter top.
This was also when her stage name became Helen Harper, because it was a lot easier for people to pronounce than Deppiesse.




Dancing led to a few speaking roles, the bit parts got the attention of the rest of Studio Town.
My Uncle believes it was around this time that Dex Newman became interested in Helen as well.


Reginald and Newman’s other minions quit harassing Helen and befriended her.
Trent was concerned about the club hopping antics of Newman’s gang of delinquents, but Helen was now legally an adult.


It also alarmed Trent when Helen and Reginald started dating.




Helen was offered the part of ‘Midget the Surfer Girl’ around the time she announced her engagement to Reginald.


By this time Trent had divorced his wife and was living with his one and only true love, my Uncle Remington. This is where I pretty much entered the picture........

Coming next: Flashback.. Trent tries to sabotage Helen and Reg's relationship.

Helen


Trent did everything he could to discourage Helen’s relationship with Reginald. My Uncle went along with it in the beginning because he felt that anyone associated with Dex Newman was bad news. They scored a temporary victory after Trent hired a private detective and found a whole lot of dirt on Reginald. Helen’s parents were grateful when she called the wedding off.




Things might have played out differently, had Helen not discovered she was pregnant with Reginald’s child. Fearful of the scandal that went along with being an unwed mother, she went back to him. Even when Trent and all the other adults in her life gave her more options, she claimed to have fallen in love with Reginald all over again. Though we all hated it, we went to the wedding.
I think it was at this point my Uncle’s opinion of Reginald Harris began to thaw a bit. He knew Reginald was no saint and still not Helen’s best choice for a husband, but he did respect that the man truly loved Helen.


Helen’s parents comforted Reginald when Helen lost her baby, but Trent continued to hate Reginald with an unwavering passion.




It wasn’t until Trent and Reginald grudgingly began working together that Trent finally caught a glimpse of Reginald’s humanitarian side.
While at Helen’s New Years Eve party, Trent and Reginald decided to bury the hatchet.
Just as they shook hands, Dex Newman showed up uninvited. He wasted no time in showing Helen and Reginald proof that Trent wasn’t coming forward with every offer for her talents.
Trent just hadn’t been able to accept that Helen was an adult. Though he had promised Helen she was an equal partner where her film career was concerned, he was turning down projects behind her back. He was rejecting any adult role, determined to keep Helen's image wholesome and pure.


This brought the bad blood back between Reginald and Trent. It also put Trent in the dog house with Uncle Remington......


Coming Next: Flashback...Trent and Helen dissolve their business relationship.

Woo!! Flashbacks!!

I'll be glad when the flashbacks are over and I can get on with the story!
Between game crashes and a real life virus, I've been kind of slow updating.
I also had to remake Roberta because she's vanished too!

Helen


After Helen's disastrous party, my Uncle banished Trent to the guest room.
When Trent was really upset about something he turned to the bottle.
It was well known in Studio Town that Trent was an alcoholic. Dex Newman was counting on the humiliation Trent suffered by his revelations, to make him go on a binge.
When my Uncle got up the next morning, he and Trent argued. Uncle Remington was disgusted to see that Trent was already drinking. My Uncle threatened to take me and leave if Helen signed on with Newman.
While Uncle Remington took the short route to Helen’s to see if he can convince her not to sign with Newman. Helen and her husband Reg, took the scenic rote because she wanted to rehearse what she said to Trent. She had intended to stick with Trent, but was determined that he would truly treat her as an equal.
Helen did stand up for herself, but Trent stubbornly refused to give in to her demands. He felt that only he knew best when it came to her career. (He was also extremely inebriated by this time.)
Reginald would not quit getting in his face and said some things that caused Trent to strangle him.


I had been listening in on the conversation and went down stairs to see if I could help.
If my Uncle had been there I don’t think things would have gotten that out of hand.
The end result was that Trent actually threw both Helen and Reg out of the house and claimed he never wanted to speak to either of them again.


Once they left, I yelled at Trent for treating Helen so shabbily and being unreasonable.
I was told to go up to my room, which I did, but not without telling him what I thought of him at the moment.
My words actually seemed to get through to Trent.


One of Trent’s biggest fears was to lose Helen. With that fear realised he had some sort of break down. Then the fear of losing both my Uncle and I rolled up as well.


To say my Uncle was furious when he got home would be a gross understatement, however; when he saw Trent in such a serious state, he forgave him. My Uncle turned all the blame on Newman instead.
My Uncle’s only demand was that Trent quit drinking.


Trent agreed, if they could go to one of Uncle Remington’s doctors for help and he wouldn’t have to go to any meetings.


The only good thing to come out of the situation is that Trent hasn't touched anything stronger than ginger ale since......

Coming Next: Final flashback...Where Helen is now.

Yay!! I'm so glad you told us exactly what happened between Trent and Remy...

Sorry you've been having so many troubles with your game though... I'm petrified of losing any of my Sims, especially since I'm definitely not good at recreating them LOL

Luckily, I used Roberta to make another character, so it wasn't hard to get her back. I've decided to quit uploading objects, hacks, and build items so this doesn't happen again. There are a few characters like Trent that would be hard to make all over again.
I'll try to have the next installment soon...*crosses fingers and hopes no other Sims vanish from game.*

Helen



A week after the incident with Helen, Trent sent her flowers and told her in a card that he was sorry and wished her well in her career. Helen being a loving forgiving person called him the moment she received the flowers.
It was a tearful conversation on both sides, but the damage had been done. Helen had signed with Newman out of spite and committed herself to a binding five year contract.


The saddest thing was that Tony Deppiesse, Helen’s father was no longer speaking to Trent.
It filtered down to me that Tony could have forgiven Trent for lying to Helen (as long as he made it right) but couldn’t get past the way he treated Helen when she’d come over to give Trent a second chance.
We no longer socialized with the Deppiesse’s though my Uncle and Allie Deppiesse (Helen’s mother) still spoke on the phone occasionally.


Dex Newman tried to charm Helen’s parent’s in the beginning by going to church with them and promoting Helen’s charitable work, but found Tony a hard person to con.
Newman finally decided he needed Helen away from her family’s influence and moved her and Reginald into the mansion next door to his. Helen was getting all sorts of movie offers and could easily afford it.
Helen and Reg sold their modest little home and started to live a more Studio Town life style with Newman’s encouragement.
Newman also bought out Reg’s contract with The Capt’N Billy Show and now Reginald was considered Dex’s right hand man.
Reginald did get a few bit parts in Helen’s films in the beginning, but his characters were still always killed off.


Newman did make Helen a star, but my Uncle was concerned with what the cost may be later. He’d known Dex Newman since he was eleven years old. Dex had dated and eventually married my mother.
My Uncle had been fooled by Dex in the beginning, but after my grandparent’s both died quite suddenly, Dex’s true colors soon appeared. He pushed my mother ruthlessly toward a modeling/acting career. He’d even got her hooked on drugs so he could control her.
I would learn later that Newman used other cruel methods to keep her in line.


Uncle Remington was also a target of Newman's mental and physical abuse.


My Uncle finally convinced my mother to run away with him and neither looked back since....well except maybe once, because I was born years after my mother and Daddy married.
I’d overheard my Uncle and Trent say that Daddy wasn’t my real father. Newman once made the comment that I might be his and even bragged to my Uncle that my mother had strayed during her marriage to my father. I kind of added two and two together.
Uncle Remington and Trent had no idea that I suspected Newman was my real father.


It kind of creeped me out that my mother may have cheated, (though I hadn’t officially learned the facts of life, I know now it had been more than just a few stolen kisses.) I could forgive her anything.
The Mansfield way was to forgive and move on. I thought it was a very good policy.
I would do anything just to have Mommy and Daddy back again.


‘Hey daydreamer,’ Trent teased me. ‘This is your stop.’
I snapped out of my memories of playing with Mommy on the beach and grabbed my school bag.
I quickly kissed my Uncle who was in the driver’s seat.
Like he did every morning, Trent got out of the car to open the door for me.
I slid on out and paused a moment to look up at him.
We all make mistakes and I think everyone has done something stupid that they regret.
I feel a truly good person learns from those mistakes and at least tries to change once they learn they need too.
Trent Thornton is a good man and in spite of his past mistakes, quirks, and other issues, loved both my Uncle and me. He and my Uncle were like two halves of one whole. I’m glad Trent is part of our life.
I gave him the biggest hug and kiss I had, before I went to join my friends.