Disclaimer: I do not own The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.

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She sat in her room, listening to the rise and fall of her parents' voices. "Who is John Corin?" her father had said. Had her mother not told him about the other marriage? About the first man? About her? Perhaps the divorce had come while her mother had still barely been pregnant; even earlier than Mandy had thought. Could her mother really have remarried so fast that the second husband had thought Mandy was his daughter? It sure sounded like her mother.

This must have been why Mandy could never remember John. And her father's confusion. He had always thought that Mandy was his daughter. Her mother must have just let him believe it. She had been all alone and pregnant, and she had needed someone to support her, so she must have just remarried, letting the new man think she was still yet to be a bride.

Well, now he knew. Her mother would have no choice but to face up to the ugly truth. "I was pregnant when I married you. Mandy is not your daughter." She could just hear her mother's voice. Man, her parents were going to have a glorious time getting through this one.

She let herself fall backwards onto her bed, thinking about all the things that had happened to her over the week. First Billy, then Grim, and now them. Everyone around her was getting into all sorts of fights and confusion. And it was all to do with her. It was all beginning to be a bit much. She wanted to get out. Just say goodbye to all of it and start fresh. She wanted... to run away.

That was it. She was going to do it. She was going to find John Corin-- really find him. Then, she could run away and live with him. It was perfect.

She opened up her closet and pulled out her small, brown suitcase. If she started packing today... she could leave in perhaps a week. It was a crazy plan, she knew. Half of her mind was screaming, "What are you packing for?! You can't just leave! You don't even know where he is! Stop it! Stop it now, while you're still sane!" But the rest of her-- her arms and legs and free will-- wasn't listening. She was going to do it. She was really going to do it.

In the suitcase, she began putting a couple books, articles of clothing. She would go through the next week or so acting as if nothing was going on. She would go to school, hang out with Billy, Irwin, and Grim, and go on with life. And then she would just be gone.

She hid the suitcase under her bed. Later that night, she couldn't get to sleep. All she could think of was her perfect, perfect plan, and how she was really, finally making it happen.

The next couple of days went by with the usual events. Her parents avoided her, she went to school, Billy and Irwin annoyed her, she came home, she talked to Grim. It was all quite normal, until she came home from school one Thursday.

When she approached the front door, she could hear the low murmur of many voices. That was strange. Were her parents having company? She opened the door to find a group of about eight or nine people sitting in the living room. This included her parents, Billy's parents, and Grim. The rest were neighbors and acquaintances she had seen come and go from time to time. What were they all doing here?

As she entered the room, things got quiet. Everyone laid eyes on her. That wasn't good. A pack of adults didn't just stop everything they were doing and give their full attention to a child walking in on them. Not unless something was wrong.

Her mother cleared her throat. "Mandy, we want to talk to you about John Corin."

Mandy sighed. "What, that's it? Yeah. I like him better than you. Big surprise."

Her mother paused for a moment.

"Honey, where did you hear about him?"

"Don't call me that."

"Where did you hear about John, Mandy?"

"I don't remember. Somewhere. A long time ago."

Her mother looked concerned. "Did somebody tell you about him?"

"Maybe. I don't remember."

"Have you met this man before?"

"No."

"Have you ever tried to contact him?"

"That's none of your business!"

"Mandy."

She stopped, looked down.

"I... I've written him letters."

Her mother began to look worried. "How many?"

"Stop asking me questions!" Mandy barked.

"I said, how many, Mandy," her mother said. "How many letters have you written this man?"

Mandy breathed in. "Fifty," she said at last. "Maybe sixty-something."

The room looked shocked. Her mother began to cry.

"Oh, Mandy...," she said through her sobs. "Mandy..."

What... what was going on? This was a bit disturbing.

"Are...," she said, in spite of herself. "Are you okay?"

Her mother just kept crying. Everyone in the room was looking from Mandy to her mother to Mandy again.

"Let... me handle this," Grim said to the sobbing mess on the couch. He walked up to Mandy and knelt down in front of her, so that he was closer to her level.

"Mandy," he said, a concerned smile on his face, "you can tell us anything."

What the heck was that supposed to mean?!

"What... what are you trying to do...?"

Grim put his hands on her shoulders.

"We're trying to help."

"Get away from me!" Mandy yelled. She pulled away from his grasp. "John Corin is my real father, and I like him better than any of you! Any of you!! I don't care what you guys try to do. He's my father, and I love him! And you're never going to change my mind! Never in any way!"

Her mother began to cry even louder. Grim looked more worried.

"Mandy," he said quietly. "Listen to me."

She stared up at him. There was something strange in his voice, in the way he was suddenly acting. Her stomach began to feel cold. Panic began to run through her.

"I know you love him, but you need to understand."

No.

"Mandy..."

Don't say it.

"Listen..."

Don't say it. Please, don't say it.

"John Corin is..."

"No!!" she practically screamed. She ran down the hall and into her room.

"Mandy!" she could hear them calling to her through the locked door. "Mandy! Come back!"

"Leave me alone!" she yelled. She looked around. Without thinking, she took off her backpack and dumped the contents out of it. Pens and notebooks toppled out onto the carpet. Then, she opened the closet door and pulled out her old, beaten-up shoe box. She shoved it into her backpack, along with a few extra sheets of stationary. Then, she opened the bedroom door and took off past the sea of adults.

They tried to grab her. Tried to pull her in by her backpack. But she pulled loose and ran as fast as she could go, through the living room and out the front door.

She could hear Grim and the others calling after her. At first, they chased her, but she lost them quickly. She darted around corners and across streets, until, at last, it was just her and the lonely city. She felt her backpack bounce lightly as she ran.