She entered the Oakwood library. “Hi,” she said to the librarian. “I'm travelling to Lawndale, could you provide information on that town?”
“Lawndale?” the librarian asked with a sceptical voice.
“Yes,” Lillian projected.
“Sorry, It's not often that we get asked about Lawndale here.”
“But sometimes?” Lillian asked.
“Yes, but they're usually referred to the libraries in Lawndale,” the librarian answered.
'More than one public library in Lawndale?' Lillian wondered. Sounded like her kind of town. The town she still called home in Colorado only had one. “But you do have information on that town right? Not just Oakwood?”
“Don't get cocky young lady. It's just that there is a big rivalry between the towns.”
“I see,” Lillian said with annoyance. 'Surely nothing like that between Springfield and Shelbyville in The Simpsons?'
“I'll check,” the librarian said.
“Good,” Lillian groused.
The librarian returned five minutes later. “There is this book about the history of the area,” she said, handing it over to Lillian.
“It's not very big,” Lillian said.
“It offers a brief overview, and fairly covers Lawndale and Middlebury as well as Oakwood.”
“Better than nothing, I guess,” Lillian said. 'Is there a rivalry with Middlebury too?' she wondered.
After reading the book, therefore gaining some information on the history of the area, Lillian thanked the librarian and headed to the Train Station.
Lawndale
The Morgendorffers were at Pizza Forest. Jake, Helen and Ronni hated it. But, Quinn was enjoying herself. “Row, row, your boat!”
“How much longer?” Ronni asked. Hardly any of the 'singers' had any level of vocal talent.
“However long it takes,” Helen said, with a similar amount of irritation in her voice.
Quinn smiled.
Lillian had arrived in Lawndale and called a taxi. While waiting in Oakwood she had called ahead and had booked a room at the Dutchman Inn. But she wasn't going straight there. First she was going to see if her family was home.
However, by the time she got to 1111 Glen Oaks Lane, night had fallen and she could clearly see that no one was home in that McMansion they now called home. 'They must have gone out,' she thought. She decided she would come back the next afternoon. “Keep driving, Dutchman Inn,” she told the cab driver.
September 20
Lillian arrived outside her family's home again. This time it was early in the morning, shortly after breakfast. She figured that Quinn (and any other siblings) would be at school, but that at least one of her parents would be there. She rang the doorbell. But there was no response. She tried a second time. There was still no response. She sighed, and decided to return that evening.
Quinn and Jane met between classes. “How did it go with Pizza Forest?” Jane asked.
“They suffered, but the Pizza was tasteless,” Quinn groused.
“Of course it's tastless. But there are other Pizza places in Lawndale.”
“I would like to see them, but first we need to get out of that class.”
“I have my notes from my other times through.”
“That would be helpful,” Quinn considered.
Quinn entered Jane's place again. “Jane?” she asked. 'Obviously in her room,' she thought.
Jane was watching Sick Sad World. “This is just astounding! Here you are, blind, deaf, and barely able to walk, yet you conducted simultaneous affairs with three members of the Royal Family! The question on all of America's mind is: how did you do it?”
“What?”
“She doesn't get it. It's the Royal Family. You'd have to be blind,” Jane said as commentary.
“Good point!” Quinn said.
“U.F.O. Conventions. once sneered at as the domain of so-called "kooks," have become big, big business, drawing hundreds of thousands of people each year, people as sane and rational as you and I, who come simply to satisfy a normal curiosity. ”
“You want to watch first?” Jane asked.
“Um, sure,” Quinn said, although she hadn't seen it before.
“It was a cone-shaped craft about 15 feet long, with an air speed of, oh, I'd estimate mach 12. They kidnapped and stripped me, examined me briefly, returned my clothes, and dropped me here.”
At the Dutchman Inn, Lillian called long distance to Colorado. “Lillian!”
“Hi, Wendy,” Lillian said to the young woman who had been more of a sister to her than Quinn Morgendorffer had.
“Mom and Dad said you've made it to Lawndale?” Wendy Addams said.
“I have, but the Morgendorffers are rather busy. When I got to the house, there was no one there.”
“I'm not sure why you want to be with them.”
“It hasn't been the same at home since you left,” Lillian answered.
“This is my third year of College though,” Wendy said.
“And I've turned sixteen.”
“Those aren't the only reasons though.”
“Of course not. I have thought about Jake and Helen and how they must have been worried for their daughter who had run away. The same for Quinn. I may have been a handful...” Lillian added.
“You weren't that much,”Wendy interrupted.
“I know I was, but I was more of one for them. I have realised that now.”
“Call tomorrow after you meet them.”
“I shall,” Lillian said.
They talked for a while longer, Wendy about how she was doing with her classes, and Lillian about how she expected to settle in with the Morgendorffers and Lawndale High.
Lillian hung up from the call to Wendy refreshed. She was ready to meet the Morgendorffers. 'I hope they are home tonight!' She looked out from the hotel room over Lawndale. The late afternoon sun caught the fall foliage in a very aesthetically pleasing way. 'It will be more pleasing later in the Fall.'
The Morgendorffers were getting ready for dinner when there was a knock at the door. “Who could that be?” Helen asked. She went to the door and opened it. She saw a young woman there who looked strangely familiar. She couldn't place where she had seen her. “Hello?”
“Helen Morgendorffer?” she asked.
“I am she. May I ask who is enquiring?”
“My name is Lillian Adams. I know where your daughter, Daria, is.”
Lillian mentally kicked herself. She had wanted to tell the truth straight up. That she was Daria. But she had spent most of her life as Lillian, so she had introduced herself as Lillian out of habit. She could see her biological mother thinking, trying to deal with the revelation she had just told her.
“I see,” Helen finally said. “Come in.”
“Um, sure,” Lillian said.
Helen indicated the way. “We were just about to have dinner.”
“Sorry for interrupting,” Lillian said.
“Not at all. We've just moved here, to Lawndale, and we're still settling in. What's one more revelation,” Helen said in a stand-offish tone.
'How many times have they had false hope?' Lillian wondered. 'How long did they search?' She had long since known that they hadn't searched as far as Colorado. She followed Helen into the kitchen where the rest of the family was waiting. Not only Jake and Quinn, but also a younger sister who had been born some time after she had run away. It wasn't that surprising, but still came as a shock.
“You look like you've seen a ghost,” Helen said.
“Who's this, Helen?” Jake asked. “Are you one of Quinn's new friends?”
“No!” Lillian and Quinn said at the same time.
“Jake!” Helen projected.
“She could have been!”
That exchange caused Lillian to flash back to the night she run away.
Flashback
Daria gets out of bed as Helen and Jake argue.
“She's just a child. She doesn't know any better,” her motehr said.
“That's what she wants you to believe,” her father shot back.
“Where are you going?”
Door slams as Jake runs off
End Flashback
Lillian shook her head.
“Why is she here then?” Jake asked.
“She says she knows where Daria is,” Helen explained.
The rest of the family paused. There was an awkward silence. Lillian could see that they had suffered in some way from her disappearance.
“Really?” Jake ask after a minutes.
Lillian nodded as her heart beat faster.
“Ronnie, get a chair for our guest from the dining room,” Helen said.
The younger sister, Ronnie, nodded and quickly did what she was asked,
Lillian sat down with the family. It was now or never.
“So,” Helen began. “Would you like something before we begin?”
“Um, sure. Some tea would be nice.” It would calm her nerves at least.
“Tea? One sugar or two, you decide.”
“One will do.”
The kettle finally boiled and Helen poured the tea and gave it to Lillian. “Now, you said that you know where Daria is. So where is she?”
Of all the answers that she thought Lillian would give, she didn't expect the one she would get.
“The thing is... I am Daria.”
There was shock on all of their faces, particuarly Jake and Quinn's.
“That's not possible!” Jake said.
“No!” Quinn said. “Daria can't be here!” She then stood up, opened the sliding door and ran out of the house.
“Quinn!” Helen called out.
Lillian was conflicted. She wanted to explain herself to her biological parents. But she also wanted to chase after Quinn, to be sure that she wasn't running away herself. She quickly made her choice and dashed out of the house after Quinn.
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