Welcome to the Masquerade

"Runaway Train" by Cam

AN: This chapter is brought to you by guilt. Yes, You read that right. Since so many of you lovely, lovely people have been reading and voting, I have been consumed with guilt over favoring my original. I now have a Beta! The lovely topy0848 has taken on the task of cleaning up after me. You know what comes next! Standard disclaimer! I only own Lory. Everything else is the property of C.L.Stone. Constructive criticism is welcome and even requested, but flames will be used to make s'mores. I love votes and views. Please let me know your favorite lines and moments. Happy Reading.

*~*Lory*~*

I told the guys I was going to my house. Only Gabe and Luke looked at me funny. I texted Aunt Lily and said I needed to be alone for a bit. I did. I needed to work out what I felt about the ideas running through my head. I realized that Marcus and Taylor were both pretty common names. I decided I trusted my mom. She may have left me in some shitty situation but she trusted me to handle it. She wouldn't lie to me like that. She wouldn't have kept me from him. Besides, how many times had I heard mom say he didn't want kids. He wouldn't have 2 boys my age if he hadn't wanted them.

No one puts up with teenagers without wanting them in your life. Not even other teenagers.

It can't be him.

And I can't help feeling disappointed. How amazing would it be to have that tie? That no matter what, they would be stuck with me. Besides, I could tell how awesome Mr. Taylor is just by the way all the guys talk about him and how much he put up with from the boys over the years. It might be nice to have a parent actively care. I mean my Aunt and Uncles are awesome, but...they aren't my parents. And if the last couple of weeks have shown me anything it's that, my mom didn't care enough. Or was too blinded by whatever else she was caring about to notice me beyond a couple of things.

We had the Julep box, our "academy jobs" and... the last few years, not a helluva lot more. Just the work...

I picked up my phone and found a text from Owen telling me to head to Aniki's when I got moving this morning. And one from Pops telling me to meet him at the Hospital before I do anything else today.

Huh.

Looks like I'm headed to the hospital. I grabbed a plain t-shirt and jeans and my fat babies. I toss my hair up into a messy ponytail and head to the hospital a few blocks away. Somehow, I don't think this is going to be an easy day. I may as well dress for comfort.

*~*~*~*~*

An hour and a half later Lory was running full tilt out the door of the hospital like her ass was on fire. They had known, they had all known, he was alive. They had known who her father was. They must have believed he didn't want her. God, she felt so stupid. He stood there in that office with Pops and Uncle Henry and erased any doubt that he was her father. And he started the next sentence with something about Luke and North and she just fucking panicked. No. No. No. NO! She was not being sent away from her brothers again.  And losing the other seven she had just gained would kill her. She couldn't stay there and hear that. Not just no. HELL FUCKING NO.

So she ran. She practically dived into her car and nearly sideswiped a big black SUV in her hurry to escape the words she was sure were coming. She wasn't wanted. They were sending her away. She could barely see with the tears she was fighting. All she could think was she had to get to Sean and Owen. To Luke and North, and all the others. She was desperate.

When she finally parked haphazardly in front of Sean's condo she ran to the door and hammered on it like the ravening hordes were after her. The door opened and she fell into Sean's arms dragging him to his knees as she lost what little control had permitted her to drive the distance from the hospital.