Trapped in the Sims (complete)

Part 3

At dinner I sit awkwardly at first at the large dinner table with Melissa's family gathered around it. Kyle, Melissa's older brother, had joined us at the table eventually, not talking to anyone as he grabs a plate of what I was told was goopy carbonara (I'd always wondered what that tasted like) and sits spooning food into his mouth with a moody frown on his face. If Sims could slouch in their seats I'm sure Kyle would be. Lucy pauses from eating and looks over at her eldest son.

"We have a guest staying with us for a while, everyone. This is Melissa's new friend Rachel. Make sure to make her feel welcome in our house."

"Oh joy, another Melissa," Kyle mutters under his breath. Lucy looks at him with what comes close to a shocked expression on her face.

"Kyle? Show some respect to our visitor." Kyle raises his head from where he had been staring down at the table and meets my eyes briefly, no expression on his bored face. His hair is long and dark and hangs over his face in a careless sort of way. His eyes are deep brown. He's one of Hannah's sims, she tends to make her guys like that. I had made Lucy and Matthew from the family before my eyes, Hannah had made Kyle and Andrew. We had shared making Melissa. Kyle shrugs non committally and goes back to staring at the table. Melissa rolls her eyes at me.

"Ignore him. He's a grumpy pig."

The boy opposite me raises his head and I catch a glimpse of his ocean blue eyes, warm and soft. I had designed the eyes very specifically on this sim, Matthew. His face is cute and freckled and I feel myself liking him immediately.

"Hey there. Are you staying with us? How long? Will you sleep in my room? I can give you a tour of the house - or my room? You'll love my room." His voice is sweet and high pitched. I remember giving him tousled blond hair like his father which I see in front of me now.

"Haha I'm sure you can give me a tour sometime," I reply lightly, though inside I'm feeling shy and awkward in front of these Sims I barely know yet have designed their every feature to perfection. It's an odd feeling knowing someone so well yet not really knowing them at all. Melissa scowls at her younger brother.

"Rachel will be sleeping in my room and I'm sure she doesn't need you asking her lots of questions."

The boy looks slightly let down but brightens up again almost immediately.

"Daddy, will you help me with my homework after dinner?"

I remember that's what adult sims can do, help children with their homework. The man at the head of the table looks up at his son and I feel a jolt of recognition as I note his striking green eyes and muscular build. His jawline Hannah made to be very prominent and all in all he's very handsome. He smiles at his younger son.

"Yes of course. By the way Lucy this is lovely."

Lucy smiles lovingly at him. "Thank you Andy. It's a new recipe."

I feel myself smiling at the sweetness between them. Across from me Kyle pretends to gag and Melissa kicks him under the table. I didn't know sims could even do that! I guess I'm learning a lot about life as a sim.

"Right everyone, homework time. Kyle do you need to study for that test coming up?" Lucy asks. The teenager shrugs. "Well do you?"

"I guess." Saying the words looks like it pains him, although his face stays emotionless. Sims don't have a large range of facial expressions so I guess I'm going to see a lot of emotionless faces here. Some sims though, I have found, like Lucy, have a certain happiness to their face that stays on their features whatever the mood. Lucky them. I assume it's in the positioning of the features.

Lucy smiles encouragingly. "Off you go then. Melissa, have you got any homework?"

Melissa nods assent. "Yeah but I've got a friend staying with me! Can't I do it some other time?"

Her mother frowns. "From the sound of it Rachel could be staying a while. Are you just going to stop doing homework for all that time?"

"I guess not,"  Melissa answers.

"It's okay, I don't mind waiting," I reply. Melissa and Lucy smile at me.

"Thanks Rachel. You can set up another bed in my room while I'm doing it if you like," Melissa tells me.

"I'll send up Kyle to help you in a bit," Lucy offers.

"Thanks miss," I answer politely. Lucy smiles.

"Oh you don't have to call me that. Call me Lucy. Where are your parents by the way?" Her face is concerned for a sim.

"Um..." I don't know how to answer that. Her face shows sudden recognition.

"Oh I'm sorry. Silly of me to ask really. Are they, you know, er..."

I realise what she's implying. "Dead? No of course not. They're just... busy. For work. And they sent me to live here for a bit." I know what I'm saying is a lie and it feels bad coming out of my mouth to these people who are being so kind to me, but I can't tell them that I'm not a sim, I'm a human. What would they think? Would they believe me, at best? Or would they hate me? For I suddenly remember the plan we had for these sims and my mouth goes dry. Are we their tormentors? We never started on this family yet but we would have. Do they even know they're being controlled? Or do they just think they're free? They don't know they're just code in a game free for us to do whatever we like with. But as I'm in this game too... am I just code in a computer now? I'm not a sim, I don't move like them, the awkward stiff steps they take in perfectly straight lines. I don't keep a permanently happy look on my face when telling a joke. But who knows how long I could be here? And what might happen to me?

Lucy mistakes my look of sudden fear for sadness and envelops me in a warm hug. "Oh you poor dear. You can stay with us for as long as you need to." Her body is warm and soft, not like I was expecting a sim to feel at all. Suddenly I feel very very alone.

"Th thank you. I want you to know how much your kindness means to me." My voice is hoarse and I fear I might cry.

Lucy gives me one last squeeze then releases me.

"It's no problem sweetheart. It's nice for our Melissa to have someone else around her age. Now," she beckons to Melissa. "Homework. Now. I can help you for a bit."

Melissa flashes me an apologetic look. "Be there in a few minutes," she mouths to me before following her mum out through the door. I head upstairs and sit on Melissa's bed, my head resting in my hands.

What am I going to do now?

Hope you enjoyed this part, I was encouraged to update this after a long time of writers block on this story, but I know where I'm going with this now. Please comment and vote if you liked it and please send me some ideas if you want to in the comments. I'm happy to put a particular event or character in if anyone wants me to. Thanks!   Izzy