Chapter 39 -- Moving On

Arden inherited his family's passion for painting and decides Estrella needs more art in her room.

Inspired by the recent deaths in the family, the painting also has his anger issues embedded in it.

Once again not pregnant, Quynh decides to get serious about her horses. She and Angel's Glory are almost at their prime and go for long rides every day.

Tonight they get a late start and Angel's Glory gets spooked by the dark and leaves Quynh to find her own way home.

Once she does get home, she finds Arden teaching Estrella how to walk in the presence of his art.

Cricket is getting old fast, but is as protective as ever.

Faolin spends some time with the No Name Parrot, careful to wear safety gear in case it strikes him.

Once he tires of that, he decides it's time to age into a teenager.

Another birthday happens in the household some time later, as Estrella becomes a child.

She and Arden do not get along, but then again, Arden doesn't like anyone. Here Estrella informs him of the dangers of eating overcooked waffles, insisting that ice cream is a healthier choice. Arden can't stand the little annoying brat.

Faolin can though; in fact the younger two get along great. Today he is visiting his new girlfriend Cassandra Dolver so Estrella tags along to meet her sister.

The girl seems a little odd at first, afraid to venture out, and is incredibly shy upon meeting Estrella.

It doesn't take long to understand why, however; since as soon as they get inside, her mother Caroline pounces on her, furious.

"What did I tell you young lady! Go do your homework NOW!" she says, her voice growing louder and angrier by the syllable.

The young girl fakes a smile and shyly asks Estrella if she'd like to work on their homework together.

While all this is happening, Faolin has found Cassandra and the two soon are inseparable.

Teenage love is so tender, but in this town it usually lasts so the two are even more mushy gushy than normal.

Once the homework is completed, the girl leads Estrella out back. While Estrella contemplates her brother's possible marriage choice, the girl introduces herself as Abbey and rambles on about how her parents hate her and compare her to Cassie all the time. They didn't even let her eat today out of punishment for being home a minute late from school.

Saying goodbye with heavy thoughts, the two part ways.

Once home, Faolin rolls his eyes as he feels his grand father get ready to pounce.

Cricket doesn't even notice, as he's too busy trying to eat. The older he gets, the more difficult it becomes for him, and its to the point where he has to lay down.

One day, Christian, Cassie and Abbey's father swings by to have a chat with his daughter's beau.

Unfortunately, he loses the ability to be intimidating when he sees the boy practicing his martial arts. Unsure if he could win a fight, he retreats immediately.

 

Downstairs, it's Lukas' and Gena's elder birthdays. Lukas is psyched.

Upon aging, he reevaluates the situation to his disappointment.

Gena, on the other hand, is content.

There, that's a little more intimidating.

Edward is steadily rising in his career and can't wait to be able to work from home. It's this day that his dream comes true.

Also this day is the girls' birthdays. Over time these two have become best of friends, so when Estrella sees Abbey out back, she rushes to greet her, both happy and confused to see her outside of school. 

"I snuck out," the girl explains, "This is something friends do together and I wouldn't miss it for the world... Come on! Let's go age up!" she says with a giddy smile.

Arden goes first, unhappy he has to deal with cake and a slew of people cheering his name.

One of the guests is the late Savannah, who makes Faolin supremely uncomfortable.

He grows up handsomely and moves into a house on the other side of town.

But not before Abbey's cake explodes in flames. Luckily Edward is there to resolve the situation.

While Quynh rushed to find another cake, Estrella blew out her candles and aged up into a teenager. Abbey just hopes she'll end up looking as pretty.

Once she completes the transformation, the girls share a knowing look. It's time to ditch the adults and have some fun!

 

The next day is coincidentally prom night. While everyone gets ready, Lukas pretends he's a dog.

Faolin and Cassandra decide to go together since they're dating and all, while the younger two girls go stag.

The limo picks up the teens and speeds off to the dance, where Cassie is finishing setting it up.

They both have a great time, even though Estrella doesn't meet the man of her dreams. Faolin is exhausted from having to keep up with Cassie.

She must have been a mad dancer, because he passes out on the floor as soon as he gets home.

Staying true to her word, Quynh starts entering International Races with Angel's Glory. They win first on their first race, but the earnings are incredibly small.

Estrella decides to increase her friend base now that she's old enough to be out and about on her own. Today she works on a project with Fawn, but the girl bores her to death with meaningless calculations and figures.

While on their daily ride, Quynh dismounts and watches a wild mare from a distance.

Once she earns the trust of the horse, she decides to lead it home and take care of it. If anything, she could make a decent profit in the end... if she doesn't get too attached.

Estrella doesn't approve of her mother's decision. When she takes over the family's inheritance, these horses will be gone. It's not that she doesn't like them, because they are beautiful, they're just a lot to take care of, and she doesn't want to be tied down to anything.

Inside, Quynh gains some wrinkles.

Outside, Edward does too, while Lukas rushes off to "Take Over the World".

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Notes:

If you can remember back far enough, you might recognize Caroline Dolver here in this story. She's cloned from Caroline Vivaz from my previous failed legacy.

I realized that with all the pregnancies and full house situations, Quynh is at level 1 of the equestrian career track. Winning the first International Race promoted her like twice and the second promoted her again, but now it's getting into the hard part so I might confine her to adopting/breeding and selling to make money.

I absolutely ADORE Estrella. She's my favorite character ever.