2 am.

Chapter 28

"Karl, what are you still doing here?" Everyone turned to Karl and I could see him flush in embarrassment.

"This is a family stuff, excuse us." Karl nodded at mom and hurriedly left the room.

The room was quiet until Claire spoke up.

"I helped you because of him. He was the one telling me what to do the whole time. Apparently he has been through some shit like this before." Claire was looking at Blair having finished her own part of the explanation.

Mom looked at me then at Cory.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I didn't want it to go this way. I only wanted to help."

"No one needed your help dammit!" Mom screamed taking all of us by surprise. Including me. And she definently doesn't cuss. She always had this calm voice no matter how angry she was. "I'm sorry." She muttered repeatedly. She looked confused and like she wanted to run away from here, from us, from him.

"Calm down." Cory came close to hold Mom's hand but she jerked away from him.

"Who is he mom?"

"I'll tell you who he is," I started turning to Kian. It doesn't really take much to figure. "He's an ex lover or some shit like that. "

Everyone was quiet and I smiled widely at Cory in particular. Question now is, why is mom so pissed to see him? Does she still have feelings for him?

"I wish." Claire muttered.

Mom kept quiet, staring at Cory with so much hatred and a softer emotion at the same time.

The room was silent for 5 minutes with no one saying anything or doing anything.

"I don't like this." Bella stated. Kian nodded once in agreement with a sigh.

Cory turned to me.

"I came here to help you. This demon, Valak, you weren't the first to get possessed..."

"I'm not possessed." I interrupted with a snarl.

"That's what you think. That's what I thought." I opened my mouth to talk again but Claire beat me to it.

"Shut up. Let him land." If eyes could kill, Claire would probably be deep into the ground. We hated ourselves alright. She was so frustrating.

"I was once like you, I was once possessed with what I named, Ariel. That was my own demon, you know. She made me shape her into the perfect villian and things turned around. These things, its not just Valak, they're lots of them and till date they still tempt me. They come as the opposite gender in your stories. The protagonist who is also a demon, a killer. A thing beyond your imagination." He stopped and stared at space.

"I'm not possessed." I replied once again. "I don't care what you or anyone says. I'm perfectly fine, I don't need an exorcist."

"Christ. Maddie you're freaking frustrating." Claire muttered and I eyed the stupid girl.

"Wait...how do you know her in the first place? Or you go around looking for people passing through shit you've been through?" Bella asked quietly and reasonably. "How did you even find my sister?"

"Good question." Kian said looking wearily at the stick lying on the floor. "Also, why did you knock my dad out? Mom, who's he?" Kian turned to mom again.

"He's..."

"A friend." Cory finished for her, irritating me so bad.

"Shut up!" I shouted at him. This nonsense loving shit they were doing with their eyes was annoying. "Who the fucking hell is he? And don't say friend..and you better not interrupt her." The anger was clear in my voice. I was fed up with this conversation.

"Calm your..." Claire opened her big mouth but I cut her short.

"Fuck off. Mom?" My mom smiled sadly at me.

"Maddie." She called lightly. I kept quiet waiting her response. "He's your dad."

Kian gasped, Bella opened her mouth wide enough, Claire sighed and I only smiled.

"My what?"

"Maddie. I'm sorry. It wasn't supposed to go this way. I was going to..." I tuned down her voice and stared at him. I stared hard then took my eyes to the man I've known my whole life.

He's my what?

Cory was looking at mom as she explained to me... but my eyes were on him. He's my dad?

All my life the man I called dad, the man I endured his shit was nothing but a step dad. All my life was real father was in the background doing nothing but use Claire as a pawn to help me. All my life my mom, the good doer, had been lying to me. Or omitted a very necessary truth from me.

"You?" I called out slowly.

"Mom. You're not kidding?" Kian's voice was barely audible as he kept staring at Cory and me.

"What a perfect twist. So you're my dad. Beautiful." I mockingly smiled.

Cory sighed then left the room immediately. Mom turned to me and gave me that look that said she respectfully wanted to go after him.

Respectfully my ass.

Bella looked uncomfortable as hell, Kian looked betrayed,  Claire looked like she didn't give a shit..and me?

I look perplexed.

"Baby." Mom said, waiting my response..she really wanted to go after him.

"Mom." Kian called in disbelief.

"You can go. Go soothe your sperm donor."

"He's not a sperm donor. He..."

"Can kiss my ass." I rudely interrupted and she left the room almost immediately.
 
Bella took Kian away as his eyes was starting to water, she was going to give him a pep talk of his life. This left me and Claire with my still unconscious dad in the room.

"I don't like this situation...but you need to reduce your tone. You're always so bitchy and insensitive and it's not cool..."

"No one asked for your opinion." I interrupted but she continued as though she never got interrupted.

"Blair is your mother. Yes, you have the right to go all angry bird on her, but at the end she's still your mother. There can't be two of 'em. You're quick to judge and act like you don't care when you do and it's not okay. Your mom made a mistake, we all do, you shouldn't be all rude and annoying as hell. She would have aborted you or lied about Cory even after meeting him, but she didn't. You are lucky to have her. Quit being a sassy queen and talk to her. And in a nice tone." She ended and without giving me space to reply, left the room.

Fuck you and your advice.