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

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For hours, she did nothing but run, occasionally resting on a park bench or next to a store. Finally, it was too dark out to see where she was anymore. By the time she could see the first several stars, she had arrived at a little gas station.

She couldn't read any of the street signs. They were all smothered by dark, and so were the houses. Truth was, she had been wandering for the past half hour or so, not really knowing where she was. Now, all she had was her island of florescent light and the occasional street lamp to see her way with.

She stepped quietly through the bluish gleam, scanning her surroundings. She decided it would be stupid to plunge back into the dark alone, so instead she sat down against one of the gas pumps and just waited for something to happen.

Mandy shivered. It was a chilly night. She pulled off her backpack and hugged it, which made her feel a little warmer. She pulled it close to her chest, listening to the letters slide around in the shoe box. The corners of the cardboard dug into her middle.

Suddenly, she had a strong feeling of déja vu. In her mind's eye, she could see a young girl of about four, lying on a bed and hugging her pillow close to her chest. The girl was breathing hard, uneven breaths, her eyes filled with fury and almost even tears.

Mandy blinked the image out of her brain. Where on earth did that keep coming from? That memory must have been years old! She shuddered a little. Mandy hated to picture herself like that. She couldn't quite remember why she had been so upset but she didn't like it.

She sat against the cold metal, feeling goosebumps rise on her bare arms and legs. There was no convenience store to go into; this was a small, quiet gas station without much business. She sat for perhaps hours, watching the occasional car drive through to fill up. A lot of the drivers gave her strange looks. One even offered her money, but she tossed the dollar bills in the driver's face and told him she didn't need his stupid pity.

And then, after a while, no more cars came. She was alone once again.

It had grown even darker, and gotten even later. She was very tired by now, and was beginning to feel that she could drift off to sleep right then and there, if not for the cold. Her eyelids were just beginning to droop, when she felt something touch her shoulder from behind. It was a hand. A cold, thin hand.

Instantly, she snapped into conciousness and whirled around.

"You creep! I swear, if you touch me again I'll--"

Then, she saw that it was only Grim.

"Oh...," she said slowly. "It's you."

"I don't believe you, Mandy!" said Grim. "Do you know how long I've been lookin' for you?!"

"Leave me alone, Grim. I'm not going back there with you."

"Well, then, where in the heck are you planning to go?!"

Mandy hesitated. Where was she going, anyway?

"I'm not going back," she repeated.

Grim sighed. "Mandy. You have to come back. We just want to talk to you about this..."

"There's nothing to talk about. I like John Corin better than I ever liked any of you. As soon as I find out where he lives, I'm gonna send him my letters, and then I'm gonna move in with him!"

"Mandy..."

"Don't try to tell me otherwise! You're not the boss of me!"

"Mandy."

"Stop, Grim. I don't care about my other parents. I want him to be my father!"

Grim just looked at her quietly.

"Mandy. You have to listen to me."

She began to feel that same, ice-cold panic wash through her once again.

"No," she whispered.

"Mandy, I know you're angry at your parents..."

"No. No. Stop."

"... and I know you don't want to live with them..."

"Stop. Shut up."

"... but you're gonna have to face the facts."

"No. Stop! Shut up!!" she started to yell. She began to back toward the gas pumps.

"Mandy--"

"Stop it!!"

"Mandy, John Corin isn't real."

She stared at him, frigid sweat becoming present on her forehead. Grim's words hung in the air like bubbles suspended in glass. He held her gaze firmly. Then she glared at him. Her voice became a whisper once again.

"No," she breathed. "He is real. He misses me. He wants to meet me."

"He doesn't exist, Mandy."

"He's real. He's real and he loves me!"

"Listen to what you're saying, girl!"

"It's true!"

"No! Mandy!" He took hold of her arms. "You're a sensible girl! Think about what you're doing!"

"But I-- I know about him! I always have!"

"Where did you hear about him?"

"I... I don't remember! I just did!"

Grim just looked at her, and she began to realize how unrealistic it all must sound.

"I... I... I wrote him letters. A whole box of them."

"Yes. Yes, you did."

"He's real, Grim!" she said.

"Then why didn't you send the letters?"

"The... the address. I didn't know the address..."

"Why didn't you send the letters, Mandy?" Grim repeated. "You could've asked your mother for the address. Why didn't you try to find out?"

"She wouldn't have told me."

"She gives you everything you want."

"Well... but I..."

"Why didn't you send the letters?" Grim asked again.

Mandy fell silent. Her entire form was brimming with desperate rage. He couldn't do this to her. This was her life. It was her business, not his.

"Get your hands off me," she mumbled.

"What?"

Mandy swatted his hand away.

"I said, don't touch me!!" she shouted.

"Hey, now. Listen!" He reached toward her again. This time she swung a punch at his arm.

"Ow! Don't you hit me, child!"

But she hit him again. And again. Over and over. Suddenly, she couldn't stop; she was freaking out. Yesterday, it had all been normal. Now, she was cold and angry and alone in the middle of the night in a strange place with this idiot who didn't understand a thing he was talking about. All she knew was that she hated Grim. She hated him. And he was wrong, completely wrong about her father. And she just wanted to hit him as hard as she could until he understood.

"Mandy! What are you doing?! Stop that this instant!"

This instant? He didn't own her! He couldn't tell her what to do! She kept trying to swing at him, but he grabbed hold of her fists and held them there in midair.

"Admit it! He isn't real!"

"Yes he is!"

She pulled her hands out of his and tried to hit him again, breathing hard. Then, Grim took hold of one of her hands and slapped it. Not hard, but hard enough.

"Stop it," he said plainly.

Mandy stared at him incredulously. "Did you just slap my hand...?"

"Yes, because you're being a brat."

"You don't have the right...!"

"Well, it's a known fact your parents aren't giving you any decent discipline."

"I don't believe you had the nerve to just do that!"

Mandy walked a yard or two away from him.

"Mandy! Come back here!"

She just glared at the ground.

"Mandy! I didn't come all the way out here to find you just to have you stand there and pout at me!"

No answer. She folded her arms.

"Mandy...," Grim's face softened. "We need to go back home."

No answer. She continued to stare at her feet. There was a momentary silence.

"Okay...," Grim said slowly. "Then, let's just go for a walk."

Mandy remained where she was, but slowly dropped her arms to her sides. Then, she walked over to where he was standing. Together, they stepped back into the darkness, listening to the hum of the florescent lights fade behind them.