Kelly Lamb/Land of Sunshine

From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

oh my life is changing everyday
In every possible way
And oh my dreams
It's never quite as it seems
Never quite as it seems

I know i felt like this before
But now I'm feeling it even more
Because it came from you
Then i open up and see
The person falling here is me
A different way to be

I want more, impossible to ignore
Impossible to ignore
And they'll come true
Impossible not to do
Impossible not to do

And now i tell you openly
You have my heart so don't hurt me
You're what i couldn't find
A totally amazing mind
So understanding and so kind
You're everything to me

Oh my life is changing everyday
In every possible way
And oh my dreams
It's never quite as it seems
'cause you're a dream to me
Dream to me

-Cranberries 'Dreams'

Kelly groaned as the light flashed into her eyes. She'd been sleeping too late, from the sounds downstairs the lambs were already up, the shaft of sunlight slipping right between the blinds into her eyes. She yawned and sat up, stretching. Rodger was still asleep, not that that was a big surprise, they were both out late the night before after her performance, the ceremony, and the parties afterwards.

She smiled down fondly at him then slipped out of bed, her hooves clip clopping quietly along the polished marble. She felt bad about not taking the children , but it was a late night, plus harvest was coming. Besides they had a good time with Rodger's mom. She slipped into the bathroom, taking care of things as quick as she could, the children had sharp hearing and probably knew she was up by now. Of course she should have been up over an hour ago, but hey, everyone was allowed to sleep in every once in a while.

She peeked downstairs, they were sitting too close to the TV as usual, watching Saturday morning cartoons, Countess Crey saving the day again from the evil Hamidon's plots. Ridiculous show, but then what cartoon wasn't? Still, they'd be tied up with that for a while, enough time for her to get a shower. Stepping into the bathroom again she turned the water on, stripping of the nightgown. She glanced at herself in the mirror, still scrawny, but not bad for having two lambs. Besides, scrawny always was better this time of year anyway.. She stepped into the shower, the warm water soaking down her woolly hair, when a pair of hands reached out and grabbed her rear.

She squealed and turned, trying not to get shampoo in her eyes “Rodger, you randy perv you! The kids are up downstairs-”

Her husband grinned as he stepped into the shower with her “and watching cartoons for at least another half hour” replied, pulling her closer. “Besides, you call me that as if it was a bad thing.”

she turned and pressed herself back against him “Now I didn't say that...”

An hour and a half later they came downstairs, Kelly blushing a bit, but the kids were still engrossed in the cartoon adventures of Countess Crey.

“who wants breakfast?” She said as she headed to the kitchen. She paused, there on the counter was the statuette from last night, looking like an old fashioned record player. Jennie knew what the Grammy's were, but Nate was too young still, though they both watched the show last night. It was her second, she thought of putting it on the mantle next to the first, but somehow, it looked better in the kitchen next to the cookie jar. She pulled out a skillet and started making pancake batter as her children came into the kitchen

“Mooooooooom! She won't let me watch the Amazing Ascendant!”

His older sister rolled her eyes “thats cause you already have the entire series on DVD, and I wanna watch my shows!”

“Stoopid girl shows!”

“Enough both of you, Nate, go wash your hands. Jennie, I need you to set the table, breakfast will be ready in a few minutes.”

They both quit arguing and went to their tasks as told, their hooves echoing on the tile floor. Kelly mixed fresh blueberries into the batter as she watched them. Ironic, last night it was limousines and red carpet, today arguing over cartoons and blueberry pancakes. She'd definitely take the latter any day.

Cold hearted orb that rules the night,
Removes the colours from our sight,
Red is gray and yellow white,
But we decide which is right.
And which is an illusion?
Pinprick holes in a colourless sky,
Let insipid figures of light pass by,
The mighty light of ten thousand suns,
Challenges infinity and is soon gone.
Night time, to some a brief interlude,
To others the fear of solitude.
Brave Helios wake up your steads,
Bring the warmth the countryside needs

-Moody Blues 'The Day Begins'

Monday morning. Kelly got the lambs up, Nate was easy to wake up and get going to school. Jennie on the other hand...privately her mother worried about her. She was showing signs of independence, not going with the flock, and had gotten into the habit of late of sneaking a sketchpad to bed, drawing with a flashlight under the covers. She'd talked to her about it before, but her daughter was at the age where they didn't listen as much as when they were younger. Usually medication could be used to straighten wayward children out, however Crey had stopped producing it lately, saying that it was no longer needed. She shrugged, no matter. She'd talk to her teachers this afternoon, hopefully something could be done. “Jennie, for the last time, we've got to get going or we'll be late. Get up, do it.”

That got her moving, though not without some grumbling. Kelly sighed and went into the kitchen. Rodger was already dressed, coming downstairs “She still not behaving right?”

“Just oversleeping” Kelly said, a bit defensively, not even sure why she would do that. Rodger just grunted and turned on the tv for the morning newscast.

“-other beautiful day in Paragon City, highs are forecast in the low 70's, with a 10 percent chance of showers today. In the headlines, there were sixteen births over the weekend!” Said the Anchorram, his cheerful smile reassuring Kelly as she watched.

“In national news, President Alferi in a press conference this morning touted the new statistics from the Department of Justice, showing that for the sixth straight consecutive year, the effective crime rate has been zero!”

“That's right Tom. The justice department has been scheduled to be disbanded, due to it's no longer being needed in todays peaceful society!” came the response from his co-anchor, a woman with blond dyed wool. “In financial news, the Dow is opening at another record level-”

Kelly ignored the rest of the program as she made lunch for the kids and Rodger. She might be a Grammy winning singer, and have to be downtown later for an interview, but she's still her children's mother. Besides, Jennie was a finicky eater, she never liked what the schools had for lunch. She made a mental note, to bring that up at the conference with the teacher this afternoon as well. Going against the flow as much as she did, Jennie was headed for trouble if she didn't straighten out. “Kids, time to go!”

They came down stairs, grabbing their lunch bags as Rodger grabbed his as well. They all filed out the front door, as she locked the door she glanced up the street, at her neighbors, all walking out at the same time. Some with kids, some none yet, but soon. She unlocked the minivan as Rodger grabbed the morning paper, in synch with the other ram's on the block, then hugging the kids and kissing his wife, got into his own car. The cars backed down the driveways as Kelly and the other mothers put the children in the vans, then moments later, the vans started up, and backed down into the street. One by one they took off, heading for the day's events.

Kelly never would have noticed any of the odd timing, if it hadn't been for her daughter pointing it out. She frowned a bit, it did seem a bit weird. As she shifted the minivan into drive, there was the familiar untrasonic squeal as the radio came on automaticly, and she relaxed, feeling better about everything. Even Jennie sat back, the frown fading from her face.

“just a phase she's going through” thought Kelly as she joined the procession of minivans “she'll grow out of it.”

The interview went well, Kelly didn't really like going there though, because the highway went over the forbidden zone. She didn't really know why, but seeing the burned out buildings of Atlas Park really bothered her for some reason. Fortunately the highway department was building walls so that sheeple would no longer have to look at the evidence of a violence, while the President did say that keeping it as it was was a valuable reminder of the errors of the past, it still made her feel better not to have to see it.

The radio was playing some forgotten song, Brenda Lee's 'coming on strong' as she took the exit towards Eastgate. The area used to be called something else, but she never could really remember what it was. Not that it was important, the entire area was newly built buildings, and also where most of the schools in the city were located. As she pulled into the Uzzano elementary school parking lot she felt better, hearing the soothing music from the ubiquitous loudspeakers that were everywhere nowadays. Music soothed the savage beast was the old saying after all. She was smiling by the time she entered the main building for her conference with Jennie's teachers. The school was quiet, the students outside in gym class, where they would spend most of the afternoon exercising.

Jennie's teacher was almost as short as Kelly was, but even still she still had to look up at her a bit. She stood out, with her dark almost fire red hair curling around her face, matching the short wool on her arms. “Mrs Preston? I'm Miss Zhavi, nice to meet you finally, I've got all your albums.”

Kelly blushed and shook the teacher's hand “thank you, you mentioned that Jennie is having problems?”

She nodded as she sat down “We've been spending extra time with her, but she's still showing signs of extreme individuality. Willful, questioning, pushing authority”

“how so?”

“She keeps asking why she has to do things, instead of just doing them like she should, like all the other lambs do.”

“well she is only nine...”

“plenty old enough to know she has to be part of the herd. Questioning leads to arguing, which leads to violence.”

“True” said Kelly, looking troubled for a moment, though the soft music piped into the classroom softened her worry. “So what do you suggest?”

“We'll work on therapy, but if there is no change, well...” she didn't elaborate, though she didn't have to, everyone knew the harvest festival was coming soon. She smiled reassuringly “on the bright side you're still young , and can always have more children!”

Kelly was troubled again as she got back in the mini van after the meeting. There had to be more that could be done, this was her daughter they were talking about. They were trying all they could..but she wasn't a bad child, she just had a lot of questions...that really wasn't that bad was it? As she started the engine the radio automatically came on with an ultrasonic squeal, and she relaxed as an upbeat song came on. The teacher was right, she could always have more children. As she drove off, she sang along with the song on the radio.

In every life we have some trouble
When you worry you make it double
Don't worry, be happy......