Chapter 1: I Believe It's Your Mother
Disclaimer: I do not own Alias or any of the characters seen in this story (except Lorrie and Kaitlyn and Jamie and Lorrie's dad and Danny's mother and may be a few more).
A/N: I'm starting off with this fic trying out something new. I'm trying to use a direct quote from one of the characters to name each chapter. But this may not work out, so don't be too surprised if the names of the chapters change, okay?
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"Mrs. Hecht, it's time for lunch!" twelve-year-old Lorrie Miller complained sharply.
Sydney looked up to find Lorrie standing in front of her desk, hands on her hips, and 24 other sixth graders staring at her. Lorrie must have been trying to get her attention and, in the process, attracted the attention of everyone in the room, effectively putting an end to the day's lessons.
"Oh, right," Sydney mumbled, standing and trying to get her mind off of what two-year-old Jaime might have done in day-care that day. "Line up."
Lorrie stalked to the front of the line with an exaggerated sigh. Sydney shook her head. Normally a favorite among her students, she didn't understand what Lorrie had against her. It was only November, Sydney decided quickly. She had plenty of time to figure out why Lorrie didn't like her.
Sydney took her lunch to the teachers' lounge and took advantage of the brief respite to call the daycare to check on Jaime. after all, he was a year old and hadn't reacted well at all to leaving his mother when she'd started working again in September, and the head of the nursery, Kaitlyn, still had a lot of trouble with him when he woke form his nap unable to find his mother.
"Kaitlyn," she said, relieved to hear the woman's voice unaccompanied by an infant's screams. "I was just checking that Jaime went down for his nap okay. He was extra fussy this morning," she added, recalling her struggle to get him into his tiny sweater that morning.
"That's the odd thing, Sydney," Kaitlyn replied. "He was very fussy this morning, but he went right to sleep and didn't cry at all."
"You don't think he's sick, do you? There's been a bug going around up here, he could have caught it."
"He doesn't have a fever, but that's what I was thinking. I'll be sure to call you if he does start running a temperature, though. It's likely that it's nothing more than he tired himself out this morning. I just think we should keep an eye on him. Stuff has been going around. But I'm sure he'll be fine," Kaitlyn assured her.
"Okay. But don't hesitate to call me. Debbie will understand," she said, referring to the principal.
"I won't. I know that if he's sick I won't e able to handle him anyway," Kaitlyn laughed. "Don't worry."
"I'll try. Thanks, Kaitlyn."
"No problem. Now go eat."
Sydney laughed. "I think I will."
Sydney walked into the lunchroom and found herself searching for Lorrie. The girl was sitting all alone, not eating, at a small corner table. It occurred to Sydney that she seemed to be trying not to cry.
"Mind if I sit with you?" Sydney asked brightly, keeping her voice carefully indifferent.
Lorrie's eyes snapped up from where they'd been focused on the white table top to glare at Sydney.
"The teachers' table is over there," Lorrie snapped, jerking her head toward it.
"It's a little crowded. You seem to have some extra space here, and you looked like you could use some company," Sydney commented, sitting down without waiting for an invitation.
Lorrie shrugged. "I like eating alone," she said pointedly as it became clear to her that her teacher had no intention of leaving.
"Aren't you hungry?" Sydney asked, ignoring her statement.
"No," Lorrie said quickly, but she eyed Sydney's sandwich hungrily.
Sydney tore the sandwich in two and handed half to Lorrie. "You don't like soft tacos?" she asked, glancing disgustedly at the lunches most of the kids had purchased. "Neither do I. Now real tacos, that's another story."
Lorrie nibbled at the sandwich and eyed Sydney warily.
"Why do you try to talk to me?" she asked suddenly, interrupting Sydney's one-sided conversation on Mexican food.
"You looked like you could use some company," Sydney replied matter-of-factly. "Besides, I prefer to talk to one or two people at a time."
"Oh," Lorrie said like she didn't really care.
"Why do you dislike me?" Sydney asked after a pause.
"Huh?!?" Lorrie sputtered.
"I answered your question, so I thought I'd ask one of my own. Why do you dislike me?" Sydney repeated calmly.
"I…I don't…I mean…" Lorrie dropped her gaze back to the table and was silent for so long that Sydney didn't think she was going to answer. "You remind me of my mother," she finally muttered.
Sydney felt a wave of pity for her.
"What happened to your mother?" Sydney asked quietly.
"Why do you care?" Lorrie snapped. "You prob'ly come from some perfect little family…"
"You'd be amazed. My mother died when I was six," Sydney said softly, dropping her eyes.
Lorrie looked up sharply. "Really?" Sydney nodded. "Sorry," she mumbled.
"So what happened?" Sydney prodded gently.
Lorrie swallowed. "Car crash," she squeaked.
"That's how my mom died. It's hard. Especially since they never found my mom's body afterward."
Lorrie looked up again, her eyes wide with surprise.
"My mom…she died in a car crash years ago, and…the police never found her body. My dad said…" Lorrie stopped and tried to stem the flow of tears that threatened to fall.
"Come on ," Sydney said, standing. "We'll talk somewhere else."
Lorrie nodded and stood, biting her lip. Sydney led her into the deserted teachers' room and indicated the chairs surrounding the conference table.
"What did your dad say?" Sydney asked gently, thinking of the distance her own father had put between himself and hid young daughter after Laura Bristow's death.
"Daddy believes Mom ran away. He's had private detectives looking for her ever since the cops said she was dead," Lorrie sobbed, no longer able to hold onto her control. "My mom would never have done that! She loved me! She even loved Daddy!"
"Your mad at your dad?" Sydney asked, picking up on the fact quickly.
"We moved a couple of weeks after mom died, and he said it was just to get away. But I heard him tell his detective that we really moved because he thought she might come here!"
Sydney hugged the sobbing girl, wondering what she had gotten into but not really minding.
"He's never around any more! All he does is read those stupid reports his detectives give him and work! He won't even look at me any more, I look too much like her!"
These same thoughts had crossed Sydney's mind in the years after her mother's death. She stroked Lorrie's hair, her own dark chestnut hair almost the same shade.
"Have you talked to anyone else about this?" Sydney asked.
Lorrie shook her head. "Nobody would have cared."
"I care," Sydney said softly. "I know what it's like to loose your mother. It'll get better."
"But what if Daddy's right?" Lorrie wailed miserably. "What if Mom did leave? How could she leave us to think she was dead?"
"Your mother couldn't do that. I'm sure she couldn't," Sydney whispered soothingly.
Just then a voice came over the PA system: "Mrs. Hecht, please come to the office, you have a phone call."
Sydney sighed. "Will you be okay here for a minute, Lorrie? I'll be right back, but I'm afraid this might be about my son."
Lorrie nodded.
"I'll came right back. I promise."
Sydney walked quickly toward the office, sure this meant Jaime was sick after all. And if Kaitlin was willing to wait while they paged her, it must be bad…
"I have a phone call?" Sydney asked the secretary as she breezed into the office.
"Yes," the older woman said pleasantly. "I believe it's your mother."
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A bit sloppy, but my first chapters are always that way. Besides, I started school just before I started this story, and high school is definitely more hectic than I expected it to be! This should at least keep you interested…my loyal readers know I'm a master of cliff hangers any way…
Disclaimer: I do not own Alias or any of the characters seen in this story (except Lorrie and Kaitlyn and Jamie and Lorrie's dad and Danny's mother and may be a few more).
A/N: I'm starting off with this fic trying out something new. I'm trying to use a direct quote from one of the characters to name each chapter. But this may not work out, so don't be too surprised if the names of the chapters change, okay?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
"Mrs. Hecht, it's time for lunch!" twelve-year-old Lorrie Miller complained sharply.
Sydney looked up to find Lorrie standing in front of her desk, hands on her hips, and 24 other sixth graders staring at her. Lorrie must have been trying to get her attention and, in the process, attracted the attention of everyone in the room, effectively putting an end to the day's lessons.
"Oh, right," Sydney mumbled, standing and trying to get her mind off of what two-year-old Jaime might have done in day-care that day. "Line up."
Lorrie stalked to the front of the line with an exaggerated sigh. Sydney shook her head. Normally a favorite among her students, she didn't understand what Lorrie had against her. It was only November, Sydney decided quickly. She had plenty of time to figure out why Lorrie didn't like her.
Sydney took her lunch to the teachers' lounge and took advantage of the brief respite to call the daycare to check on Jaime. after all, he was a year old and hadn't reacted well at all to leaving his mother when she'd started working again in September, and the head of the nursery, Kaitlyn, still had a lot of trouble with him when he woke form his nap unable to find his mother.
"Kaitlyn," she said, relieved to hear the woman's voice unaccompanied by an infant's screams. "I was just checking that Jaime went down for his nap okay. He was extra fussy this morning," she added, recalling her struggle to get him into his tiny sweater that morning.
"That's the odd thing, Sydney," Kaitlyn replied. "He was very fussy this morning, but he went right to sleep and didn't cry at all."
"You don't think he's sick, do you? There's been a bug going around up here, he could have caught it."
"He doesn't have a fever, but that's what I was thinking. I'll be sure to call you if he does start running a temperature, though. It's likely that it's nothing more than he tired himself out this morning. I just think we should keep an eye on him. Stuff has been going around. But I'm sure he'll be fine," Kaitlyn assured her.
"Okay. But don't hesitate to call me. Debbie will understand," she said, referring to the principal.
"I won't. I know that if he's sick I won't e able to handle him anyway," Kaitlyn laughed. "Don't worry."
"I'll try. Thanks, Kaitlyn."
"No problem. Now go eat."
Sydney laughed. "I think I will."
Sydney walked into the lunchroom and found herself searching for Lorrie. The girl was sitting all alone, not eating, at a small corner table. It occurred to Sydney that she seemed to be trying not to cry.
"Mind if I sit with you?" Sydney asked brightly, keeping her voice carefully indifferent.
Lorrie's eyes snapped up from where they'd been focused on the white table top to glare at Sydney.
"The teachers' table is over there," Lorrie snapped, jerking her head toward it.
"It's a little crowded. You seem to have some extra space here, and you looked like you could use some company," Sydney commented, sitting down without waiting for an invitation.
Lorrie shrugged. "I like eating alone," she said pointedly as it became clear to her that her teacher had no intention of leaving.
"Aren't you hungry?" Sydney asked, ignoring her statement.
"No," Lorrie said quickly, but she eyed Sydney's sandwich hungrily.
Sydney tore the sandwich in two and handed half to Lorrie. "You don't like soft tacos?" she asked, glancing disgustedly at the lunches most of the kids had purchased. "Neither do I. Now real tacos, that's another story."
Lorrie nibbled at the sandwich and eyed Sydney warily.
"Why do you try to talk to me?" she asked suddenly, interrupting Sydney's one-sided conversation on Mexican food.
"You looked like you could use some company," Sydney replied matter-of-factly. "Besides, I prefer to talk to one or two people at a time."
"Oh," Lorrie said like she didn't really care.
"Why do you dislike me?" Sydney asked after a pause.
"Huh?!?" Lorrie sputtered.
"I answered your question, so I thought I'd ask one of my own. Why do you dislike me?" Sydney repeated calmly.
"I…I don't…I mean…" Lorrie dropped her gaze back to the table and was silent for so long that Sydney didn't think she was going to answer. "You remind me of my mother," she finally muttered.
Sydney felt a wave of pity for her.
"What happened to your mother?" Sydney asked quietly.
"Why do you care?" Lorrie snapped. "You prob'ly come from some perfect little family…"
"You'd be amazed. My mother died when I was six," Sydney said softly, dropping her eyes.
Lorrie looked up sharply. "Really?" Sydney nodded. "Sorry," she mumbled.
"So what happened?" Sydney prodded gently.
Lorrie swallowed. "Car crash," she squeaked.
"That's how my mom died. It's hard. Especially since they never found my mom's body afterward."
Lorrie looked up again, her eyes wide with surprise.
"My mom…she died in a car crash years ago, and…the police never found her body. My dad said…" Lorrie stopped and tried to stem the flow of tears that threatened to fall.
"Come on ," Sydney said, standing. "We'll talk somewhere else."
Lorrie nodded and stood, biting her lip. Sydney led her into the deserted teachers' room and indicated the chairs surrounding the conference table.
"What did your dad say?" Sydney asked gently, thinking of the distance her own father had put between himself and hid young daughter after Laura Bristow's death.
"Daddy believes Mom ran away. He's had private detectives looking for her ever since the cops said she was dead," Lorrie sobbed, no longer able to hold onto her control. "My mom would never have done that! She loved me! She even loved Daddy!"
"Your mad at your dad?" Sydney asked, picking up on the fact quickly.
"We moved a couple of weeks after mom died, and he said it was just to get away. But I heard him tell his detective that we really moved because he thought she might come here!"
Sydney hugged the sobbing girl, wondering what she had gotten into but not really minding.
"He's never around any more! All he does is read those stupid reports his detectives give him and work! He won't even look at me any more, I look too much like her!"
These same thoughts had crossed Sydney's mind in the years after her mother's death. She stroked Lorrie's hair, her own dark chestnut hair almost the same shade.
"Have you talked to anyone else about this?" Sydney asked.
Lorrie shook her head. "Nobody would have cared."
"I care," Sydney said softly. "I know what it's like to loose your mother. It'll get better."
"But what if Daddy's right?" Lorrie wailed miserably. "What if Mom did leave? How could she leave us to think she was dead?"
"Your mother couldn't do that. I'm sure she couldn't," Sydney whispered soothingly.
Just then a voice came over the PA system: "Mrs. Hecht, please come to the office, you have a phone call."
Sydney sighed. "Will you be okay here for a minute, Lorrie? I'll be right back, but I'm afraid this might be about my son."
Lorrie nodded.
"I'll came right back. I promise."
Sydney walked quickly toward the office, sure this meant Jaime was sick after all. And if Kaitlin was willing to wait while they paged her, it must be bad…
"I have a phone call?" Sydney asked the secretary as she breezed into the office.
"Yes," the older woman said pleasantly. "I believe it's your mother."
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A bit sloppy, but my first chapters are always that way. Besides, I started school just before I started this story, and high school is definitely more hectic than I expected it to be! This should at least keep you interested…my loyal readers know I'm a master of cliff hangers any way…