Hey guys. I was kind of bored so I decided to start a story. It's kind of a mistery/thriller/drama sort of story - you get the idea. Yeah, that's basically it.

First off, I gotta tell you English isn't my mother tongue so pardon the lack of vocabulary, grammatical errors, mixed up of tenses and so on. Truthfully, this will have been the very first story I've ever written (or typed) Secondly, most of my characters are Sunset Valley's original sims. For now, they'll retain their names as well, for obvious reason that I haven't been able to come up with good ones yet. The city where this takes place is simply referred to as "The City". So that's that. Maybe I'll come up with a fancy name soon but we'll have to make do with this for now.

At first glance, this might give you the impression of a series of disjointed chapters and messed up storyline because the timeline is jumping all over the place, but I'll try to keep it as coherent as I possibly can.

I'm not really sure how to introduce you guys to this story so I'll just dive straight into it. Really looking for your readership and suggestions. Thanks in advance!



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Prologue
The Penultimate Chapter


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It looked like this was it for him.

Standing in the courtroom for the last time, guilty of mass murder and having no one to defend his case, he knew full well impending death awaited. "It doesn't matter," he thought, "No one will have to be there to mourn for me. No one will cry. The world won't stop spinning."

It was a particularly gloomy day, but as everyone knew, that was not why the courtroom was almost empty for the sentencing of Wallace. Not that people were reluctant to sit in. Not that they were incredibly busy. Not that he was despised. There was just no one, no one who knew him well enough, to bother being present at this final hearing. Til the end, he was alone.

It was, however, public knowledge what had happened to him before all the killing began. Practically every soul in the city had heard of the tales of his tragic past. A year and a half ago, people would talk about him and labeled him 'the single most unfortunate person that had ever walked these streets', 'a living tragedy' or anything along that line. The city had even become well-known for his story: it had attracted media attention, which in turn triggered investments and an influx of tourists. An irony. They grew wealthier and happier laughing at someone else's disaster. But that was a year and a half ago, before he'd woken up. For the past eighteen months, people had been avoiding the topic while the city tried to limit media coverage and sacrificed countless deals full of prospect. Everybody feared a certain something. A secret well kept, a threatening truth that would have brought chaos and turmoil if it were exposed. So they all kept quiet and watched him carry out his every act. No one, not even the authorities really stepped up. All along his murderous streak, it was just him and his victims - who might or might not have seen what they had coming for them. It seemed like it had all been arranged, like it was a divine plan of a greater power slowly being played out. Or was it?

There was still around fifteen minutes on the clock before the hearing commenced. The judge, Nick Alto, glanced at Wallace with caution, as if he feared his returning gaze, and sighed. Alto's return to court duties after his long absence, which had coincidentally started eighteen months ago right after the events surrounding Wallace, generated a buzz amongst the public. Many speculated that the city's most respectable judge had seen everything coming and, for some reason, waited just for this day. Infamous for his lust for glory, it was not entirely unbelievable for one to say Nick Alto had only taken a break in preparation for the greatest achievement of his career. However, a few in the rare population that was present in the courtroom on this fateful day saw something in Alto's eyes that said different. It was genuine fear, with just a little hint of sympathy, something that had been said to be the one quality Alto lacked as a person.

Emily and Cecelia are the youngest in the crowd, and both of them had just recently moved to this city as roommates in pursuit of their law degrees. Cecelia came from the richest area of the country. Almost all of her friends questioned her decision to apply into the Law Institution, as this city where the school was located had always been known for its outrageous crime rate. Besides, all her life she had been named 'The Drama Queen' for her flair for acting, and sudden outbursts of emotions. If anyone happened to be around her when she had a bad day, they should be prepared for the most stressful conversation they had ever have their entire life. However, the brunette knew better. Ambitious as she was, Cecelia had plotted a detailed plan for her future and it included her becoming the top student here. Her roommate, Emily, was not quite as outspoken or adventurous. She did not engage in conversations, avoided strangers and appeared unfriendly at times. Surprisingly, she had always been the first one recognized in the crowd, thanks to her striking dark pink hair and a devious taste for fashion. Her characteristics, however, were the opposite of what she looked like. Thoughtful, optimistic and full of curiosity all the time, she had left many speechless at her sincerity and the ability to see goodness in others. Emily did not have many friends, but the ones she did have considered her the best person they had come to know. Foreign to the tale of Wallace's past, the two young girls wondered about the true motive behind his actions, which were, apparently, an unspoken secret the whole city had known all along.

"Cecelia?", Emily whispered.

Cecelia was stiff. She couldn't turn to face her friend. "I feel nervous."

"First time, huh?"

"No. We're in close proximity of a serial killer. Hello?" The bimbotic-looking brunette gave her pink-haired roommate a matter-of-fact stare.

"Yeah. He killed like, what? Ten? Twenty? But it should be alright. Just how many security guards do you think there are around here?" Emily chuckled.

"I don't know, Emily. This man is dangerous." Cecelia replied, her voice sounded as if she almost reached the point of exclaiming in the middle of the courtroom, "I mean, his two hands have been drenched in so much blood! What if he kills everyone here right now?"

"I'm pretty sure he won't. He only killed people with some sort of connections to his past, right? Now I haven't done my homework so I don't really know what these connections are. But there's definitely a story behind everything he did."

Cecelia was not convinced. "Are you saying this cold-blooded killer isn't cold-blooded?"

"Maybe. He's only human, after all."

It was seconds before the start of the hearing, and time felt like it came to a standstill. He closed his eyes. Some people say one usually sees his life flashing before his eyes before he dies, and Wallace did, although they could only come in blurry, fractured bits and pieces.

It was bright. The life that he had lost, that was.

He came from a prestigious family. Well respected. He was one of the most successful businessmen around. One of the richest men in the world. He had houses, cars. A living icon of the new middle-class generation.

He would go to the theater every now and then, to catch the newest movies, hottest music live shows and plays he loved so much. He would spend hours taking pictures and painting with different media. He would not miss a single soccer match at the local stadium. A youthful and artistic person he was. Full of life and passion.

He was sociable, courteous and caring towards others. Some said he was one of the friendliest businessmen with celebrity status around. Others said he'd gotten such lovable traits from his parents - truly legendary figures of the country's political history. Before the incidents.

And the love of his life. They were getting married.



"Mister Wallace." Nick Alto's voice broke the silence. "Let us commence."

He opened his eyes. And all that was left ahead of him was nothingness.


"He's human, after all?! What kind of answer is that? I'm sure he'd be really 'human' if he were to slit your throat right now." Cecelia mocks Emily.

"I don't know." Emily silently replied, her eyes focusing on the judge and the defendant, "There's definitely more to this. You can think I'm being funny, but this man..."

Cecelia seemed to have lost her patience, "C'mon, Emily."

"...He looks more like a victim to me."







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A lot of questions, I know. But I promise you I'll bring you to all the details and revelations and stuff. So stay tuned.

I hope that didn't waste your time.

*Edit 1: Added some backstories to Emily and Cecelia. In my legacy, they're sisters actually. Their father is in fact Wallace right there, who's also the legacy founder. And their mother is Holly Alto. Basically if you put this part of the story into the context of my legacy, we'll have the grandfather sentencing the father while the children watch. It's messed up. Haha.