Sorry it's been so long! Stuff came up, I lost my outline sheet, and then, my keyboard broke! I'm followed by terrible luck!

"It's in the right ear? You've sure about this?"

Tangling the cord in her fingers, Sienna took the phone, checked the hallway for Gram or Paige, and ducked into the hall closet. If they heard this, she'd feel humiliated.

"Yes, it was his right ear. I double-checked. Why is this important?" Sienna asked. "It's probably just there to help him blend in."

Lori groaned. "It's like talking to a little kid!"

"Just tell me what it means," she said.

"You know I work the party circuit, right?" Lori asked.

"So that's where you've been, Lori? Here I thought you were studying all this time!" Sienna wasn't gentle with the sarcasm. "Yes, Lori, I'm well aware of your…activities on the party circuit."

"Yeah, yeah, all my nights on the corner and the money I make at parties. I've heard the jokes once; I've heard them a thousand times during my high school years. I'm a tramp. A slut. I get it. Now, please, focus, will you, Princess Bitch?"

Sienna caved. This wasn't going anywhere. She needed Lori's insight, even if they weren't on the best terms.

"Alright, I'm listening."

"There's a lot of…different kinds of people on the circuit. People who are usually quiet about their dirty little secrets tend to come out with them, because nobody cares."

"What kind of different people?" Sienna asked, genuinely interested.

"Like…gay people," Lori said. "I know it isn't such a big thing around here, but that's just how some people are. They aren't weird, wrong, or bad—they just don't get the same treatment sometimes, so they play it low."

Sienna was growing impatient, "So what does this earring have to do with gay people?"

Lori coughed uncomfortably. "I can't believe I'm telling you this," she muttered. "Well…uh, the right-ear pierced…on a boy…usually means…he's gay."

Sienna was quiet. Her mind had to ease into what Lori had just said. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. How did she answer that? Just because Matt had his ear pierced didn't make him gay! He had asked her out, too! Wasn't that proof of him being straight? She bit her lip.

"You're joking."

"How well do you know Prince Charming?" Lori asked. "Does he seem like somebody with a skeleton in his closet?"

"If he was—gay—why would he hide it?" Sienna demanded.

"You're the smart one, aren't you, Sienna? He's a political figure." Lori sounded bored. "People sometimes don't take too kindly to the gays. If the allies found out, they might make a big deal out of it. But then again, what do I know? What if he's just a guy, being a guy? He got the piercing and didn't know what it symbolized."

Sienna sighed in relief. "You're right. There's no reason to overreact."

Lori's interest kicked in again. "You sound worried, Princess Bitch. When are you two seeing each other again?"

"Tomorrow, he's picking me up after work," she said. "He's taking me to the castle gardens for lunch. I'm going to meet his little brother, Leonardo."

"I see," Lori was preoccupied with something. Without seeing her, Sienna knew she was over thinking the Prince's motives. "You know how to behave, right? Use your manners, speak kindly, and don't bring up your money or family situation. That tends to freak guys out, trust me."

"Lori…" Sienna felt her heart sink. Before she lost all her courage, she said, "I'm sorry I didn't teach you how to waltz. I know what you think of me, being snotty and prideful, but…I do feel like I betrayed you somewhat. You deserved to be at that party more than I did."

"No." Lori's response was immediate. Sienna nearly dropped the phone; her sudden tone change startled her so much. "You did well, Prin—Sienna. I talked to Paige. She sounds better. A lot better than before, that's for sure. She used complete sentences for once, no slang. I was proud of her."

There was a sniff from the other end of the line. Guilt flooded over Sienna. Neither Paige nor Sienna had gone home in at least a week. On what was the other end of the world, Lori was trapped on her own little isolated island with her mother.

"Is she getting worse?" Sienna asked.

Lori knew what she meant.

"Try to smile," Lori said firmly. "Smiling brings you your best features, shithead."

Translation: forget about me and don't come home.

"There's always a place for you here, Lori."

"Not for me," Lori said sadly. "Your grandma can't save us all, Sen. Just like you're daddy couldn't save your mommy or mine."

The line went dead. For a few moments, Sienna just stared at the phone. How could Lori just hang up like that? Wiping at her eyes with her sleeve, she opened the door to the closet and walked back into Gram's kitchen.

Once again, the older woman stared out the window at her birdfeeders, the mug in hand, with the smell of bitter tea wafting throughout the kitchen. Sienna's nose wrinkled in disgust, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she put the phone back on the rack and picked up her keys.

"She's right," Gram said.

Sienna was startled by her voice.

"Who's right?" Sienna asked.

"Larissa," she said.

Oh. So much for the closet.

"What we have here, it wasn't meant for two kids as well as an old, retired lady," Gram went on. "Sooner or later, we won't have anything left. Start now, Sienna, while you still have things to fight for. Even if I want to, more than anything in the world, I can't protect you forever."

Sienna looked down at her apron. "Maybe I can convince Frank to give Paige a job. That way we both will have one. Money will start coming back in."

"No fifteen year old girl should have to pay her room and board," Gram stated. "The same goes for a young lady like you. Ahead of you, my dear, are a family life and a career. What is it you want for that?"

"I want to become a baker, like Frank," she said.

Gram glanced at her from the corner of her eye and then back to the flock of beautiful red cardinals on her porch, seated in a graceful row.

"Better get a move on, then."

MY BEAUTIFUL READERS!

I'm so sorry about my lateness. Fanfiction is being, let's say, A GIGANTIC BITCH. I don't know why, but it's just me! I'll do what I can, I think it's fixed, but I don't know. Hopefully!