Hullo and welcome.
Yep, it's just practically another survivor in LOST fanfic. Hopefully I'll have some tweaking and make this one interesting to catch your attention over all the others! key word is hopefully
Disclaimer: I don't own LOST. If I did... er... Well, Jack would crack and prescribe everyone to do the conga. Yeah. I do own my character though... But you don't want her. Or any other.
Stranger
"Oh god I feel so sick…" The woman groaned, bashing her head against the toilet. "This is your fault, Lori. I told you not to allow me to drink!"
"But Mum", the girl stood in the corner of the cubicle, trying to make herself as small as possible. "I tried too, and you got upset and angry remember…"
"I did not! How dare you lie to your own Mother?" She got drunkenly to her feet, and grabbed the girl by the neck, slamming her face into the wall. A loud crack echoed throughout the airport bathroom. Blood streamed down the wall as Cara let go of Lori's neck. "Oh god, Lori! Why do you have to be so bloody clumsy? I can't take you anywhere…" She struggled with the lock on the door and eventually clicked it open. "Take your bag and go clean yourself up you stupid girl", and with that Lori was shoved out the cubicle as the door was once locked again.
Lori Edwards stared at herself in the mirror. Luckily, there was no-one in the bathroom at the time of the incident, though her Mother had certainly made a show of it. Blood was dripping down onto the white tile floor, splashes of the red liquid trailing from the door to where Lori was standing. The side of her face had a purple bruise, which she was awkwardly covering with her hazel brown hair. Blue eyes had smudged eyeliner round them from the holding back of tears, and her nose had a nice fountain of bright red blood still flowing down. She slipped her rucksack back onto her back; Lori grabbed a couple of hand towels from the dispenser and walked out the bathroom, ignoring the odd stare she got from the woman entering.
Lori found a free plastic seat next to a sandy blonde man, reading a book. She sat down heavily beside him and mopped at her nose, the blood seeping through the flimsy material.
"You alright there, darling?" The man beside her questioned.
"Yeah, I'm okay", she replied, sounding slightly muffled through the tissue.
"Should tilt your head, it'll stop bleeding faster that way".
"Thanks", they sat in silence the next few minutes as Lori's nose bleed finally subsided. Noises came from the bathroom and Lori stared at the ground, feeling embarrassed even though no-one knew it was her Mum in there.
"I'm Sawyer", he supplied, slightly smiling as he said so.
"Lori Edwards", she nodded. "What flight you getting?"
"Oceanic flight 815", he stated proudly. "Yourself?"
"Same actually", she pulled out her ticket as evidence and Sawyer smiled.
"LORI EDWARDS", Cara screeched, stumbling over to the girl who jumped to her feet. "I told you to go clean yourself up, not talk to people you don't know", she hissed, grabbing Lori by the arm. "I'm sorry sir, I hope she didn't bother you".
"No, I spoke to her actually. Her nose was concernin' me…"
"Our Lori's so clumsy…" Cara chimed before turning and pulling the girl off. A piece of paper fluttered down onto the floor in their wake, catching Sawyer's eye. He picked it up and eyed the two, it must be Lori's.
"Might as well be a gentlemen", he murmured, picking up his bag and book and making after their trail. He followed the two women through the thick airport crowds until they vanished from sight. He felt defeated, and decided he could just catch up with her when they went through security.
"You stupid girl", a cry caught his ears followed by a smack. He followed the strange noise and found Cara luring over her daughter who was cowering in the corner. The mother had dragged the girl into a under construction part of the terminal. Lori's nosebleed had been rekindled and a new fresh bruise was staring over the old one on the side of her face.
Unbeknownst to them that Sawyer was watching, Cara took another long gulp of vodka from her bag and sloped down on the wall, falling into a drunken slumber. Sawyer carefully walked over to Lori who looked up at him with heavy breathing.
"I'm sorry you had to see that…" He offered her a hand and pulled her up.
"I found your ticket, you dropped it", Sawyer said simply, and Lori took it from him before slipping it into her pocket and retrieving more tissues to once again stop the nose bleed.
"Thank-you", she stated and walked out, Sawyer quickly following her. "Oh!" She rushed back and picked up her Mother's bag, rummaging through it and pulling out her passport and ticket. Sawyer lingered at the entrance as she came back. "I… I don't-"
"No need to explain yourself, kid", he affirmed.
"Would all passengers for Oceanic Flight 815 please head to the gate", a female voice spoke over the intercom. "Would all passengers for Oceanic Flight 815 please head to the gate".
The two strangers together made their way to the gate.
Lori looked scared around the plane, if her Mother had made it on… She'd be murdered in the aisle. A man in a suit was sitting beside her, casting her odd glances due to her behaviour, or maybe just because she was on her own…
"Lori", Sawyer appeared from behind, standing in the aisle. "Don't worry kid, I've checked the plane, she's not on here", he smiled when he saw her visibly relax. "I'll see you later, kid", and with that he headed back to his seat.
"Your dad?" The man beside her questioned.
"Erm, no. I just met him in the airport actually", Lori smiled, despite her sore face.
"I'm Jack", he offered her his hand.
"Lori", she smiled once again. Things were finally looking up.
Her Mother hadn't always been that way… Cara's marriage had begun to crack, leading to Cara having an affair with a few men which Lori's Father found out about. He left, walked out without a word. Cara turned to alcohol, lots of it. She'd drink herself stupid, trashing the house leaving Lori to keep things going. The girl had to pay all the bills, buy all the food and other such chores while doing school work. Cara hit her for trying to show her up; she locked her in the bathroom for oversleeping. She punched her for forgetting to put the rubbish out. Everything that was going wrong or went wrong in Cara's life she punished Lori for it.
Lori never said a bad word against her Mother; she didn't even try to stop her beating her or fight back. It wasn't her fault, she had an illness. She was ill. She'd get better.
She'd get better.
Lori kept saying that, even after her Mother dragged them out late one night and crashed the car into a wall, landing them both in hospital.
She hadn't even been drinking that night.
Lori leaned back in the airplane seat, fiddling with her seatbelt. Lori had left her in that desolate area of the airport, she might be awake by now. Suffering a hangover, calling out for Lori in her weak, pathetic voice she always did… Apologising over and over, and crying while Lori cradled her head in her lap.
She always forgave her; it wasn't her Mother's fault. It was Dad's, he didn't keep her satisfied, he hurt her… He didn't show her affection.
"A drink?" The airhostess offered; bring her out of her musings. Lori frowned and shook her head and apologised,
"I don't have any money with me".
"I'll pay for you", Jack pulled out his wallet.
"No, it's okay-"
"I insist. D'you want a coke?" Lori nodded silently and he ordered her coke and himself some vodka and something else Lori didn't catch. Jack leant over and handed over the money, the airhostess fiddled with the pull-down trays and then placed down the drinks before continuing her way down the aisle.
"Thank you", Lori smiled, leaning forward to open the coke; Jack's smile flickered into a frown catching the side of her face.
"That's a nasty bruise". He stated simply. "How'd you get that?"
"Oh, yeah", she ran a hand down it, the pain was dulling. "I got caught by the door at home".
"Meeting someone at the airport, then?"
"Er, yeah, my Dad actually", it wasn't a lie really. She knew he was living in LA, just not exactly… It didn't matter; this Jack guy wasn't going to stalk her round to make sure.
The two sat in silence, and Lori eyed Jack as he slipped the plastic vodka bottle into his pocket.
Turbulence, Lori HATED turbulence… She just tightened her seatbelt and leant further back into the seat, telling herself it would be over and done with in a few minutes.
Jack, on the other hand, was leaning forward and comforting a woman whose husband had gone to the bathroom. Lori didn't hear much what they were saying; she was just trying to keep herself calm as the noise got louder and louder.
The seatbelt sign pinged on and again, Lori tightened her seatbelt. Suddenly, with no warning, the oxygen masks collapsed down and panic erupted. Everyone lurched forward and grabbed the mask, snapping it over their heads. The noise sped up, getting louder and louder as the plane span into a sort of nose dive.
A loud crack jerked Lori's attention, and it was with a sickening feeling in her stomach she watched the back of the plane literally fall away. Some unfortunate person who hadn't got their seatbelt on in time flew away with them and Lori twisted to face herself forward again, some people hunched themselves forward into the brace position.
The plane made contact with something hard, and things spiralled into darkness…
Please R&R! If you like... Or if you hate... Or want to shout abuse at me 'cause you're weird...