Holt - Nothing Changes

New Lanshire promised change and Eumelia hoped it wasn't simply a lie. Things needed to change for the better. She was a young woman who simply wanted to settle down and have a family but her aspirations were put on hold when her younger sibling came to her in need. Lorelle suddenly found herself alone with her son Karl, the result of a drunken escapade and has no want to change her wild lifestyle. Luckily, brother Owen is along for the ride as well and shares Eumelia's hope for a family of his own. Between them, hopefully little Karl can grow to be a well-adjusted child.

Eumelia had always gotten along with Owen more than she had Lorelle. Both of them had similar goals in life and he understood why she was sometimes hostile towards their wild little sister. Owen made sure that Eumelia didn't suffer a mental breakdown during the move. She was so worried, due to the family's lack of funds but he assured her that this was the beginning a new life for them and everything would be fine.

He decided to be the one to get a job and support the family. It was clear Lorelle didn't want to work and Eumelia wanted to be home in order to care for Karl. There wasn't much thought into what Owen wanted to do, as far as his career was concerned. But the military did seem to be the best option. It paid well and the honor that came with it was something that the ladies enjoyed.

While she would have much rather been checking out her new neighbors, Lorelle did find time to care for her son. She did love him, despite her hands-off approach to parenting. It's just that he put a bit of a damper on her usual routine of going out and partying. It was hard to adjust. Still, he was the most adorable little thing when he waddled happily towards her.

Of course, Karl had a mind of his own and Lorelle was glad for that. When he wandered off to play with his toys, she focused on finding new playmates of her own. The local matchmaker soon became a good friend, despite Lorelle's lack of funds for a good match.

Owen knew that to find a good match, one shouldn't have to have a third party involved. No, a simple meeting between two strangers on complete accident was enough. A nice group of women came to greet the Holt to the neighborhood some time after they moved in. One particular woman, Marylena, was very friendly.

She was also quite beautiful. Owen was immediately smitten. He tried to flirt subtly, not wanting to frighten her away. But she wasn't scared one bit. In fact, she was flattered by his romanticism.

Owen's job had him leaving well before the sun rose. Despite trying to leave quietly, he always seemed to wake everyone up as he left. Eumelia grudgingly began making breakfast while Lorelle played with Karl. At least she was keeping the little one away from the stove.

Of course, Lorelle was easily distracted. She'd get random urges, plopping her son down on the ground just to juggle a bunch of water bottles. Eumelia had to admit, she was good.

Eumelia had little time to unwind like Lorelle did. Karl was growing and still didn't know the basics of life, such as talking or using the big boy toilet. She tried to keep his attention, reciting the alphabet to him but he would get frustrated and throw a tantrum.

The boy had anger issues. When left alone, he'd thrash about in his room. He'd slam down his talking rabbit toy, nearly breaking it in two. Eumelia had a pretty good idea where he got that attitude from.

Lorelle liked to break things when she was mad too. Unfortunately, a toy rabbit was easier to fix than a computer. Eumelia had been reading when she heard a scream and a loud bang. She ran to Lorelle's room and saw her beating the smoking computer furiously. After pulling her sister away, she made sure to give her a long firm lecture.

Her siblings were like children sometimes. She always found something to fuss over. Whether it be Lorelle's inability to be responsible or Owen's lack of hygiene, Eumelia was always doing something. For once, she'd just like to relax.

Owen didn't know why she didn't, though. Life was going good. Karl was growing up well, they lived in a relatively nice house and Owen was knee-deep in romance. Eumelia really needed to lighten up. Didn't she know guys don't like uptight girls?