31. Finding Clarity
A/N: Continuing on from the last chapter, Lincoln has been left in a state of confusion that demands answers. He didn't freak out after seeing one of his other sisters like he typically would, but Lynn knew he was still apprehensive of her presence. She could only imagine what would happen if she and Lincoln were locked in the same room without anyone else; case in point, she wanted to leave before she overstayed her welcome. Can you imagine Lincoln huddled in a corner with a little spoon as a shield? Or clawing at the window, desperately trying to get it open? A bit unlikely, but that's what Lynn assumes what would be the outcome. Now, let's look at how Lincoln is coping after that chance meeting.
Note that this chapter does get a bit technical on character traits in a couple scenes, so bear with it please.
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.
Unfortunately for what was predicted, recess had been no different for Lincoln; he stood around like he was in a trance while his friends played tetherball. They asked him to join, but the Loud kindly declined. Not wanting to pressure the boy, they left him to his thoughts while keeping an eye on him in case he wondered off. During the previous days of recess, Lincoln would at least make an effort to play tetherball since the sport only required one hand. Being outside also allowed himself to relax as it gave Lincoln a good all-around view should one of his sisters approach out of nowhere. Speaking of which, his mind was still stuck on what happened at lunch. It wasn't so much that Lynn's very presence that troubled him (well, it sort of was), it was how she did it. Whenever Lincoln thinks of the sporty Loud, she was either boastful, egotistic, tossing things at him without warning, dragging him to do whatever sport she wanted, and whatever words you could come up with as a synonym for rude.
Today, Lynn was...Lincoln might say she was a cross between Leni, Lucy, and maybe a hint of Lori. She was fairly quiet and nice, a little persistent, but was acting more her age that he had previously seen (not counting the hospital visits). Interestingly, Lincoln noted that Lynn seemed to avoid talking to him entirely. The short glances she gave him made Lincoln think that she was considering it, but ultimately kept the conversation among his friends. And her eyes...
Lincoln blinked, feeling a couple stray tears starting to gently flow away from the corners of his sockets. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, a fair amount of brotherly instinct developed in his chest; for a moment when he gazed at those pearly whites, he felt the pain Lynn was expressing. But at the same time, he couldn't be too certain. Lynn was predictable, but Lincoln knew she could often catch him off guard even on the best of days. These new thoughts were added onto a laundry pile of other things running around in Lincoln's head: the sister fight protocol, past incidents where he ticked off his sisters, the beating itself, Lincoln's friends who were so willing to protect him, his dreams, his therapy sessions, and now...this...
The Loud boy flinched and squinted his eyes shut as the school bell's ringing echoed across the yard, incidentally causing him a migraine. He put his hand to his head to his head, not noticing Clyde coming up behind him. "Lincoln, come on. We got classes to do."
"Back to the dungeon...yay..." Rusty moaned, dragging his feet on the grass as he made his way to the doors.
Clyde raised an eyebrow, watching Lincoln scratch his head. "Ok, I know I asked before, but are you sure you're ok? You've been quiet since lunch, and I'm assuming you got a headache."
"How could you tell?" Lincoln opened an eye to glance at him.
Clyde gave him an unamused look. "You always put your hand to your head when you start getting one." He grabbed Lincoln on the arm before pulling him to the building. "So what's really on your mind?"
"Everything..." Lincoln groaned. "I'm not so sure about things as I used to, my dreams are like some big adventure that might lead to something, and now..." The boy paused as he and Clyde got separated for a few seconds after going through the doors. "I know how my sisters will usually act when things don't seem to go their way, and I was certain that they're up to something no good when it involves me. But at the same time..." Lincoln breathed through his nose. "It feels like I don't know anything..."
"Well, you didn't freak out upon seeing Lynn." Clyde responded.
"That's because I was more confused than afraid. I'm pretty sure I would've ran out the nearest door if that wasn't the case."
"I'm still surprised that you didn't." Clyde stopped at his locker and began fiddling with the lock. "If you're having a hard time trying to get your brain together, you could always call Dr. Lopez. Works for me every time." The nerdy child put in his combination and undid the lock, grabbing a few books.
Lincoln raised a brow. "But I didn't make an appointment the last time we talked."
"So, call her office. Keep in mind that she doesn't like it if you phone her too often."
"Not too surprised from that Clyde..." Lincoln sighed inwardly.
In spite of the advice, time wasn't something he had right now. The late bell would ring any minute, but fortunately, Lincoln didn't need many materials for his next class. Art was one of those subjects where 'Freedom of Expression' was something the teacher tended to take seriously, and much of the work done was typically drawing freestyle or in a certain way for a grade. Books were only needed if the class was to go over a historical figure like Picasso. Upon walking in, Lincoln saw the desks pushed against the wall with canvases filling what would've been empty space. The Loud smiled a little; the teacher usually had these put out when he wanted the class to spend time to practice their own particular styles. Lincoln usually got A's in this class since he could be creative with his work, a fact he didn't particularly notice or care for until recently. He was grateful that Lynn didn't break his right arm, lest his drawings would look like the equivalent of a 4 year old making stick figures. Honestly, ever tried writing with the hand you don't normally use? It feels awkward as heck and you can barely read what you made. Not everyone was born with the gift of being ambidextrous.
It was also on certain days of the week where Lincoln shared this class with another close friend of his.
Ronnie Anne came out of the closet, brows knitted and tongue out as she fiddled with the apron strings behind her. Spotting Lincoln setting up at the canvas next to hers, "Hey Lame-O, mind helping me with this?"
Lincoln glanced behind him before giving a small nod. Ronnie Anne turned as he knelt down, fiddling with the laces until he tied them into a bow. This was the system they had in class: Lincoln would help her because Ronnie Anne always had a hard time tying an apron, and Lincoln couldn't tie his effectively for obvious reasons. In many cases, it would look awkward for both of them, especially since Lincoln could only use one hand freely and needed to be closer than usual to Ronalda to tie the strings effectively. However, he could still use the fingers of his lefty to hold the laces while the right did most of the work.
The first time Ronnie Anne asked him to do it, a few students decided it was a good idea to send a few teases their way; the entire class spent the whole period cleaning the room as paint became splattered all over the walls in the ensuing fight.
"And, done!" Lincoln stood up, shaking his legs to get blood flowing through them again.
"Thanks. Now hold still." Ronnie Anne took another apron out of the front pocket, putting the opening over Lincoln's head before he turned so she could tie it to him. "So how was lunch? Heard from the guys that Lynn was there..."
Lincoln flinched a little at the mention. His head throbbed slightly, but chose to ignore it. "It was...surprisingly ok..."
The Hispanic girl raised a brow. "You sure?" She pulled on the laces a bit, her tone becoming more authoritative. "You don't sound like it went well."
"N-no, it was fine. L-Lynn didn't try anything, even though I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could..." Lincoln felt his body jerk back a little as Ronnie Anne pulled the laces again before she released him. "She looked...different. Her hair was down, baggie clothing...then I thought back to how Luan was acting last Thursday and..." The boy went silent for a moment, staring at the emptiness of his canvas. "I really should call Mrs. Lopez when I can..."
Before Ronnie Anne could press further, Mr. Schueller walked in. "Alright class, smocks on." He waited for a few seconds to let the students finish getting their stuff ready. "Now, as you may have noticed, there are no paint products placed on your canvases. For those of you who remember what happened last week," The man glared at a few students, including Ronnie Anne. "It's obvious that I can't trust you all to not use what little paint we have for what they're intended for! But, because I'm fair, I'll still allow you to use the canvases. With a stencil."
Half the class groaned, knowing that it wasn't as fun drawing on canvas paper without a paint brush. Some even had issues with using a stencil out of a tendency to press too hard onto the sheet and cause a small hole. The other half found it suitable, seeing it as it was easier to correct a mistake should the wrong color be used.
"Now, grab those stencils and let your minds wonder. Art is about creativity, and I want to see what pictures or scenarios you can take from those brains and etch them into a masterpiece!"
Over-exaggerated as it might have been, the students set to work, occasionally making time for small talk as they drew. The next half hour was filled with the sound of stencils scratching canvas and the footsteps of the teacher walking around to check on their progress that mixed in well with the idle chatter. For Lincoln, he found such a simple task all but impossible. His mind was too scattered to think of one specific scene or picture, and the fact he still hadn't gotten over his headache was making him more antsy as he spotted the teacher nearing his and Ronnie Anne's position. Glancing at his friend, Lincoln could tell Ronnie was in sync with her work; her hand was moving to various places along the sheet as sketched her image into reality. The thought crossed him to ask her for help, but this was something he'd have to produce on his own. And he'd have to think quickly, cause Mr. Schueller was only a couple steps away; no one likes getting a zero for an easy assignment, unless you're one of those people who couldn't care less and just take it anyway, you bums.
Giving an inward groan, Lincoln pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes shut. If this headache wanted to stick around, he might as well pick something from his raging thoughts to use as an assignment. The debates from earlier knocked on the frontal lobe, each one fighting for Lincoln's attention. After a few moments, the Ace Savvy dream camp won out and dominated his thoughts. While unexpected and unusual from the night terrors Lincoln had to endure before them, the boy had to admit they were a nice break from waking up covered in sweat (and wet pants). Thinking of his sisters' personas, his friends' identities, and how they were supposed to solve this impending meeting between the Full House and their ragtag group left no room for any self-doubt or worries; instead, this opened an intriguing question: how would people with varying powers and abilities match up in a full scale fight? Some had advantages that could be used quite handsomely against one person, while at the same time shutting down (or be rendered useless by) other characters.
As he took stock of all of his sisters' and friends' powers, Lincoln grabbed a stencil and let his hand go to work on the paper.
High Card was as much of a skilled fighter as Ace was, being troublesome for Wrangler and even Mirage and Jack. However, Mirage could have the advantage if he managed to trick High Card into lowering her guard and making her an easier target for a follow-up attack by another ally. The teen could also be almost easily countered by Ace-sassin due to her weapon range as well as Deuce and Mad Bomber, who could just sit back and keep lobbing grenades at her. Eleven of Hearts was possibly an even match for Wrangler since both of their weapons were some form of rope. Whoever would win that engagement depended on who could tie up the other first. However, Eleven wasn't too bright, which would allow Mirage to easily distract her; Ace-sassin would just shoot through her fabric and of course, the two bombers would once again rain explosives on her with near impunity.
Then there was Night Club. She would undoubtedly be a hard counter to the bombers as her wicked sounds could disable the explosive primers in their projectiles, and possibly make their weapons useless if she were to use her amp. If the musician had space, she could also produce sounds that could disable most of the team should they be grouped together. However, there was a chance to take her out if Wrangler could take her instrument away, allowing Ace and even Jack to deal with her swiftly. As an added bonus, counting that gun ammunition is already supersonic when fired, Ace-sassin could just shoot her amp to pieces as well as her guitar if needed. As his mind panned to Joker, Lincoln figured she was about as much of a wild card as Mirage, proving an even match. This also made her an opponent one should use caution with for anyone else on Ace's team, unless they were able to spot her tricks early. Disabling her movement might be best, a field Wrangler excels at. Ace already dealt with her once, and she seemed to rely mostly on her prank devices than anything else, which included some explosives she rarely used. Perhaps Deuce would be a hard counter to her, as the stink bombs would easily disable a prankster like her.
Next on the list was Strong Suit. Given her straightforward nature and toughness, she'd be a pain to deal with hand to hand, so she was a good counter for Ace and Jack. Mirage wouldn't flat out stand a chance if he was rushed before he could set something up, and while Wrangler could possibly hogtie her, she'd break out of the ropes eventually. Her ability to evade permanent immobilization came in handy the few times she did get captured after all. The strong armed girl would also be a decent matchup for Ace-sassin as she was the most bullet resistant member of the Full House aside from Queen of Diamonds due to having hardened skin. However, Ace-sassin promised to bring something that could break Strong Suit's defenses, so it was a 50/50 tossup of who would win. The two bombers were good so long as they kept out of punching distance. Eight of Spades would be tricky, as she had a knack for avoiding conflict and picking off key opponents from the shadows. Mad Bomber and Deuce would be in a world of trouble if they didn't watch themselves around her, and there was little that could deceive her when it came to illusions, making Mirage a poor choice. Ace-sassin would also have to be wary of using her weapons, as Eight can deflect shots with that thick shovel of hers. As such, Ace and Jack would be better suited since they'd just need to lure her out and avoid potential pits she might've dug. Wrangler would also be a hard counter to her, seeing as he could just drag her out into the open.
With Royal Flush, Lincoln paused in his drawing to think. She was really good with plumbing and could throw off the movement of everyone on the team if she was allowed to flood an area. Such an act would make Ace's group easy pickings for the rest of the Full House. The water also nullified the gas from Deuce's explosives, making her a hard counter for the RPG user. She wasn't half bad at hand to hand either; one hit from that wrench will send you to your maker. However, if the others could best her in combat, the plumber would go down. Not only that, if there was no water source available, Flush would be much easier to deal with. Alternatively, Mad Bomber could use his explosives to make a concussive force to knock her around, turning her own attack against her. But, Royal Flush could alternatively dig into the ground to find a suitable pipe to burst. She was honestly a real headscratcher; Lincoln knew Lana has some mechanical knowledge with how frequent she works on the beaten down ride the family calls a van, but she was stuck with plumbing skills for the time being. Maybe she'd express that fact later on.
Lincoln gave a little shrug before getting absorbed into his work again, now shifting his thoughts to Queen of Diamonds. Given her ability to create diamond shards and fling them accurately, she's definitely more dangerous when at range and possibly the most lethal outside of the two bombers on Ace's team. That isn't to say she wouldn't be a close match for the bombers as, while they don't need to aim much, the queen could pick them off like a sniper. She can also cut up Wrangler's ropes and rob him of his main weapon. However, when matched against Ace-sassin, it was a close match or about even. Ace-sassin could shoot Queen's shards out of the air (and possibly risk running out of ammo) and attempt to outgun her. Not only that, Queen needs to focus when making her shards, something that she'd be unable to do if Ace-sassin managed to land a good shot. But, as mentioned before, Queen of Diamonds was the next best bullet resistant member of the team. She could project a diamond shield that was capable deflecting projectiles, sometimes back at the user or at others. This shield also protected her from small explosives if they didn't through her off her feet. The crown Queen wears is also infamously used as a melee weapon, easily tearing through fabric and skin.
However, as proven during the time she fought with Ace, said crown is what helps her focus her projections. If it were to break, her power would be halved. It would all come down to who could land the first shot and best each other in a brawl. As for the others of Ace's group, they'd have to either take cover or use something to protect themselves from the incoming shards. And when fighting in close, they'd have to be extremely wary if the queen decided to use a shard like a knife.
Lastly, there was Card Counter. Being the brains of the operation, and the main reason Ace lost the fight against his sisters, she would no doubt try to limit her exposure in combat to coordinate the Full House's movements. Finding her may be tricky, but she'd most likely be in a spot where she can look down at the battlefield. Powerful from a distance, but even Lincoln had to admit that CC wasn't a close combatant. Sure, she could pick off weakened opponents, but against a strong adversary? Her best bet would be to either outsmart them or call in the aid of a teammate. However, this didn't mean CC wouldn't have any means to temporarily incapacitate her opponents; any fight with the little genius should be used with caution, as there was no telling what kind of gadgets she'd have in her pockets.
Ronnie Anne glanced over from her sketch to check on Lincoln's, only to gawk at the detail of the characters and the overall scene he was drawing. "Geez Lincoln, I didn't think you'd go all out."
Lincoln flinched as his concentration was broken, making a small hash mark that drew away from one character. "Huh?"
Ronnie Anne raised a brow as the characters looked quite familiar. "Aren't these your sisters?" She pointed at a couple people with the dull point of her stencil.
Looking at the drawing, Lincoln could hardly believe the piece in front of him was his own doing. While it wasn't exactly professional, it looked as if it was done by someone who had practiced drawing for about a year. The scene depicted exactly what was playing out in his head: a fight between the Full House and Ace's group. Each member of the Full House was engaged in combat with at least one adversary, sometimes two sisters fighting the same person. Based on the positions of everyone's places, it sort of looked like a cloud fight, but without all the smoke and dirt to obscure it.
"Yeah...yeah they are." Lincoln replied, looking down at the stencil he held.
Mr. Schueller popped up behind them, giving their works a quick glance. "Hmm, seems someone is actually trying for once. Nicely done Lincoln." He spoke before moving to check on the rest of the class.
Ronnie Anne looked between her drawing and Lincoln's, a small frown unknowingly taking shape. "Suddenly I feel like this is pointless..." She put the stencil on the small rack below the paper.
"What do you mean?" Lincoln asked, looking at what his friend drew. A relatively simple drawing of herself, her mom, and her brother. Not bad, even though the body dimensions were a bit off and the faces looked a bit plain.
"The fact you suddenly decided to reveal that you're a pro artist..." Ronalda folded her arms, giving a small pouty face.
"I'm...not really an artist. I don't even draw much."
"Really?" Ronalda turned her heated gaze to him before pointing at the drawing. "Cause you can't sit here and say that when I got proof standing right-" The tomboy paused, her focus now on two particular characters. "Hold on..." She traced her finger down to a heroine holding handguns taking aim at what looked to be another heroine wearing a sport's themed card suit. "Is that...me?..."
Lincoln felt his cheeks heating up as he focused on what she was pointing at. "Y-Yeah...and Rusty, and Liam, and Zach, and Clyde..."
Ronalda looked among the picture, spotting their aforementioned friends as well as identifying the rest of Lincoln's sisters. One looked a bit familiar, but she couldn't place the name. "Ok...so to start from scratch," She looked back at the boy, "How did you end up drawing something like this?"
Lincoln tapped his foot in an attempt to dispel the awkwardness building within him. "...I've been having crazy dreams lately..."
"You mean the nightmares you've told us about before?"
"Not really. I stopped having those after I fell asleep reading Ace Savvy one night."
Ronnie Anne gave a half-lidded look. "Sounds corny, and geeky..."
"But, the dreams I've been having since then are like some big adventure I'm going through. I fall asleep for a bit then wake up trying to remember what happened before it finally hits me in the face. It's like I'm looking at two different worlds, but I have noticed they're almost the same."
The tomboy raised a brow. "How so?"
Lincoln bit his lip. "...Most of my sisters still beat me up badly the first time it happened..." That wasn't surprising to the Hispanic girl, but she didn't say anything. "Then, I started recruiting you guys to help me deal with my sisters...or at least try to find out why they betrayed me and Lily..."
"So that's who it was." Ronalda glanced back at the drawing. "She looks much older though."
"She's 7 in there. I already told Clyde about it, and he said I should talk with Mrs. Lopez about it more." The Loud glanced at the door to the room. "Especially after lunch..."
"Well I think you should follow his advice." The tomboy lightly prodded his forehead, getting him to focus back on her. "You got a lot going on in that noggin of yours Loud, and you need to figure out how to get it fixed. I mean, I'll beat them up for you any day of the week, but no one wants to see you screaming like a girl all the time."
Lincoln curled his lips earthward at the slight tease, despite it being true. He looked at the drawing of himself in Ace Savvy's uniform, who was currently fighting High Card alongside One-Eyed Jack. His heart began to sink as the differences between himself and his dream persona made themselves present again. "Sometimes I wish this was all a dream...at least then I wouldn't be weak and scared all the time. Or I could just wake up..."
The tomboy gave a frown of her own. "No one said you were weak Lincoln. Scared like crazy? Yeah, but you aren't weak." She would've added a slight negative undertone to it, but decided against it since it would make her own advice sound void.
"What makes you say otherwise?"
"Last week you nearly wet yourself after thinking you heard one of your sisters, not to mention acted like the Harvester was after you. Now, you just sat down with Lynn and didn't run away. So I'd say you're starting to act more like how ever you dream yourself to be, even though you don't think you are." Ronalda glanced at the drawing again, spotting Lincoln's persona fighting against Lori. "Captain Undies." She giggled.
The heat returned to Lincoln's cheeks as he furrowed his brows. "I-It's part of the costume! All superheroes wear them."
"Then why is mine wearing shorts?" Ronalda tapped her character on the paper.
Lincoln opened his mouth and lifted a finger as if he was going to point out an obvious fact, but couldn't think of a good reason now that he thought more about it. The rest of his friends sans Clyde didn't have what would appear to be undies exposed on their costumes, but himself and Clyde were following what was already a set design. It might also be the reason he was laughed at by his siblings during the time he cosplayed for an Ace Savvy convention at the mall. The boy closed his mouth and lowered his finger as his mind focused on that one incident, another bout of depression starting to course through him. Lincoln didn't remember how he managed to clog the toilet, aside from it having to do with a book, but he easily recalled getting grounded for it; missing a convention he waited several months for was one thing, but getting roasted for his choice of costume for a whole week was another.
Back then, Lincoln told himself that sometimes, one needed to have a thick skin. Unfortunately, his didn't seem as thick as he originally thought. Maybe it wouldn't have been an issue had the teasing only lasted a few hours, but the constant wearing on his defenses over a period of days finally ruptured the wall that would've kept the insults out.
'Hey Lincoln, let me borrow your cape. These dishes aren't gonna dry themselves.' Lynn told him once.
'Are you gonna start wearing your undies on the outside everyday?' Lana asked innocently. 'So everyone can see those nasty skid marks? Ew!' Lori replied as she happened to overhear the question.
'Guess you can say Linky wants things to be long and drawn out!' Luan laughed at her own joke, and for once, a few of the girls laughed with her. Lincoln, to this day, never understood the context of it; aside from it having to do with his undies.
'Wait...I thought comic book guys were supposed to have a lot of muscle. Or is it just the costume?' Leni spoke in wonder. 'Pff, what muscle? You can practically see the bones in his arms.' Lynn replied in response to that.
'Hopefully you will be wise in the future and pick a more ideal suit for your age.' Lisa stated in her usual condescending tone.
'I don't know how you're supposed to hide your identity with that thing. Your hair makes it obvious that it's you.' Lola spoke in a snarky tone.
Those were just some of the remarks his sisters told him the day after the convention. Lincoln didn't wear the costume since the convention outing was cancelled on his end, but the jokes and teasing kept coming like a flood that remains after it pours. If the insults weren't about how ridiculous the costume was, the girls picked at how scrawny Lincoln appeared compared to the hero he was cosplaying. Not that Lincoln cared much about his strength, seeing as he could physically separate the twins without too much trouble, but the constant ribbing felt like several drills were slowly digging into his pride. Those drills dug deeper upon receiving a few jabs that hit a little too close to home, such as attacking his hobbies and other interests. Lori did say they'd make fun of him for the rest of his life after all...
As the week went on, Lincoln's self esteem dropped considerably, and he started experiencing bouts of depression going into the 6th day. The girls must've caught onto this, as the very next day they had dropped the teasing entirely. Lincoln did remember their apology, as they thought he could handle their jabs, but the damage was already done. Lincoln doubted he'd ever wear that costume again, thinking others might mock him for the same reasons, and it also brought up concerns that he might have lost his masculinity due to hanging around his sisters too much.
Let's just say that camping trip he had with Clyde wasn't as fun as it should've been.
Ronnie Anne watched as Lincoln stared into space, raising a brow in confusion before noticing how glassy his eyes were becoming. "He's doing it again..." The tomboy sighed inwardly. Thankfully, she knew how to get his mind off whatever depressing thoughts were stuck in his head.
"Hey." She whispered, poking his nose slightly. "So, what kind of powers did you give me?" Upon seeing Lincoln come back into focus, the girl's lips curled up in a sincere smile.
Lincoln blinked once, letting a stray tear hang on the corner of his eye before prompting wiping it off. "Nothing too complicated, but I'm sure you'll like it." He smiled back.
Lori lazily scrolled through her phone's internet browser, not giving a crap about whatever government topic her teacher droned on about. She wished it wasn't a requirement to graduate, but her Social Political class was easily the worst subject in the history of learning. At least in an actual History class there was a lot more to it than spouting whatever ideal practices the left or right wing of government thought was best to run the country. Law this, law that, go jump off a cliff with that politics crap, I just want to live my life as I see fit. And in moments like this, Lori could care less about how the rest of the U.S. is doing; the happenings of Royal Woods was her only focus, and more importantly, the utter train wreck her family was in.
Aside from trying to ease her boredom, Lori constantly checked her texts to see if Lynn gave any updates to what happened. A pointless endeavor since her phone would automatically beep whenever a new message dropped, but a couple glances at the time meant Lynn should've talked with Lincoln by now. Each minute that passed filled Lori with a sense of dread, thinking the plan either backfired and made Lincoln crawl back into hiding, or Lynn got hit in the face with a tray again. Probably both, because if it did work, Lynn would've said something by now.
Right at that moment, Lori's phone buzzed with a message bubble appearing at the top left corner. Swiping her thumb down, the blonde was disappointed to see it wasn't her sister, but an unknown number.
Are you doing ok? - Unknown
Lori knitted her brows before quickly typing back.
Who is this and how'd you get my number? - Lori
Oh, darn it. Look behind you. - Unknown
Lori subtly turned her head around, seeing nothing but seniors as bored as she was. She was about to face ahead and promptly block the number before Lori spotted movement near the back of the row next to her. A small hand was waving at her, to which Lori followed until she was met with a familiar face staring back at her. The blonde hair made Lori think it might've been Whitney, but Whitney's hair was always curly. This girl seemed to have a mix of both. Eyeing the purple blouse, it didn't take Lori much to figure out who it was.
Glancing back to her phone, the Loud thumbed out her response.
What do you want Carol?...- Lori
Just wanted to see if you're doing ok. I mean...I know hardly anyone talks to you these days, so I wanted to be the first. - Carol
There had to be more to it, cause the two blondes barely looked at each other even before this whole shitstorm with her family started. Part of it was out of jealousy on Lori's part due to their (largely) one-sided rivalry, and for Carol, she was too busy with her own affairs to care. Although Carol did avoid Lori once the rumors spread about what she did to one of her younger siblings, it wasn't out of hate; she was more concerned about her own safety given the known fact Lori wasn't fond of her.
I'm VERY certain that you know the reason why no one even bothers looking at me... - Lori
Yeah...but it's been like, a little over 4 weeks? And you're still upset. - Carol/
Why would you care? Don't you have some SG meeting to worry about? - Lori
There was a pause between texts as Carol got a message from her boyfriend. She knitted her brows a little as, while she loved the guy, now wasn't the time to be planning their next date.
You do know that one of my responsibilities as class president is to make sure everyone in our grade is doing well, right? - Carol
Lori huffed after reading that message.
So why do you care now? You didn't seem to think much of it before when I've had my boyfriend break up with me, most of my friends not talking to me, everyone else thinking I'm some kind of monster, or even having someone DEFACE MY LOCKER...- Lori
Carol frowned as a wave of guilt washed over her. She knew very well that she could've did something to stop all the hate aimed towards the Loud, but she just sat back and watched. She'd never say it was save her own appearance, though Carol supposed Lori was taking it that way given the circumstances. She was about to give her own reply when Lori sent another message.
But, I get it. I deserved it, because me and my sisters put our bro in the hospital over something that was really stupid in the first place. Even now, he's still healing from what we did to him that day... - Lori
Lori, whatever you did you your brother can't be that bad. He's not still in there, is he? - Carol
No. He's been out for nearly 2 weeks. - Lori
Ok, and look...I know I could've did something before, and I didn't. I know you and me aren't exactly 'friendly' in the most sensical term, and I started to believe what others were saying about what you did when you didn't try to stop anyone. - Carol
"At least she's aware of that." Lori muttered to herself.
But the reason I didn't do anything wasn't because I didn't like you. I thought being near you would push you over the edge and you'd do something to get suspended. - Carol
Carol...I literally doubt I'd punch you unless gave me a legit reason to. - Lori
Like being within 10 feet of you on a bad day? Which was like, the last few weeks? - Carol
Ok, maybe Lori would've at least yelled at her or point at how Carol showed up 'just to gloat'; not that she needed to know that. Giving a sigh, Lori thumbed the keys on her phone.
It's already bad enough that my brother is afraid of me, sort of. We haven't spoken to each other in weeks, but he sent me a text a few days ago asking how I was doing. I feel like he doesn't love me anymore, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was true. It doesn't help I don't even have anyone else to talk to about it. My sisters are in the same boat, so it wouldn't help me in any case. I did see a therapist last week about my own personal issues, but- Lori paused, biting her lower lip as she continued thinking about how far she's fallen in her school and social life.
I just really need a shoulder to lean on. :( I miss Bobby...I miss all of my friends :'( :'(...I miss my brother most of all :'( :'( :'(...I just wish things could go back to the way they used to :'( :'( :'( :'(…
Even though it was just a line of text mixed with emoticons, Carol almost wanted to cry as she felt the pain in each sentence Lori typed. The bell rang, finally shutting up the teacher and freeing the students for whatever class they had next. Carol slammed her book shut and got out of her seat, and would've made it out the door had she not noticed Lori slouched in her seat staring at the floor with her eyes noticeably pink. The Loud girl gave a light sniffle as she was lost in her thoughts, then visibly flinched when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
Turning to her left, she looked to see Carol with an empathic frown. "If you really need someone to lean on, I'm here for you..."
Lori gave a low nod. "T-Thank you..." Her voice was a broken whisper, after which Carol helped her out of her seat before the two blondes left the room. Just after passing the doorframe, Lori's phone buzzed again. Raising a brow, she looked over at Carol. "That's not from you, is it?"
Carol shook her head, looking just as perplexed. Digging her phone out, Lori's heart skipped a beat when she saw the text came from Lynn that was sent to nearly all of her sisters. The tapped the message app on her phone, and found her sporty sister left one, hopeful message:
He let me sit with him. He actually let me be near him.
To say that the girls were anxious to get home was an understatement. Those who were middle school aged and lower ran all the way home from their academic prison whilst the high schoolers were forced to wait until the bus got to their stop. The teens all but threw open the doors as they bolted out, and Lisa arrived no later than the rest of them after excusing herself early and calling a cab. Lynn was already drilled for questions by 4 of her sisters on the way home, and knowing her 3 oldest sisters were likely to do the same, immediately told them to 'shut up, park it, and wait' because she be damned if she had to repeat the same story 3 times.
Thankfully, the eagerness of Lynn's sisters paid off so they didn't have to wait long. Only Lily was absent as she was still in daycare. Gathered in the living room, Lynn went on to tell them about her own doubts of the plan, and how she was going to approach Lincoln in the lunch room.
"So, after finally getting over that, I grab a sub and march over to their table. Of course, Lincoln's friends didn't want me to sit with them, but I wasn't going to let this chance slip. I kept an eye on bro to see how he was taking it, and he looked ready to bolt the second he smelled trouble."
"He didn't get up and run, did he?" Lana asked uneasily.
"No. Like I said, he was thinking of doing it. Now, here comes the weird part. While me and the dorks were arguing back and forth, out of nowhere...Lincoln tells them I can sit..." The jock's voice went nearly quiet at the end of that statement.
The other girls' eyes widened. "Are you positive he granted you permission?" Lisa asked.
Lynn knitted her brows together as eyes filled with disdain directed themselves at the genius. "Does it look like I'm making this stuff up?!"
Lisa simply brushed off the gaze as she readjusted her glasses. "I'm just surprised our brother actually allowed you to sit near him, especially since he was without a doubt reminded that you're the one who broke his arm."
Lynn squinted her eyes at the 4 year old before dispelling a sigh through her nostrils. "I don't like having to be reminded..." She muttered mostly to herself despite everyone else hearing it.
"Don't stop there! What else happened?!" Lola demanded.
"I spent much of the time chatting it up with the nerds, while Lincoln just kept quiet. I caught him staring at me a few times when he was trying to hide it." Lynn gave a short pause to collect her thoughts. "It was like he was thinking I'd do something to him, but I don't know what. I know he did clock me with his food tray once, but it's not like I'd be mad at him. I also noticed Lincoln looked way better than he used to."
"How so?" Lori asked.
"Well, he didn't look like me after a work out: all sweaty, messy, and tired." Lynn shrugged. "He looked like his old self, but at the same time, you can kinda tell he's still on edge."
The other siblings sat in silence, reflecting on this new information. "Is there more to it?" Lucy asked.
Lynn hummed. "Nngh...not really. Me and Link ended up staring at each other for maybe half a minute before I decided to leave." The 13 year old began walking over to the dining room. "I don't know how he felt after that, cause I didn't see him at all since." She called out before disappearing around the corner, the sound of the fridge opening being heard seconds later.
"...So it appears my theory worked after all." Lisa spoke, her tone not at all carrying its usual amount of certainty.
"Why ya talkin' like that sis? Thought you'd be happy it did work." Luna quipped.
"I-I am, it's just...surprising is all..." Lisa replied, folding her arms. "I was fairly certain this wouldn't work and we'd have to start from phase one all over again..."
"But, we probably won't have to. So what do we do now?" Luan asked, at which point all of the girls looked to Lisa.
Normally, the little genius would have liked the attention she got for having a sound idea at hand, but seeing her rapidly locking eyes with multiple sisters made it clear she didn't have one.
"Given how delicate this situation is, I'd say we wait a day or two before having someone else approach Lincoln. Naturally," Lisa locked her gaze onto Luan. "This will fall to you as you've also had some extended contact with our brother. However, it will also be difficult given your vastly varied schedules, so I'll need time to plan this all out."
"Does this mean Lincoln is becoming less scared of us?" Leni asked.
"Maybe." Lynn replied as she came back with a soda can in hand. "If Link didn't flinch with me sitting there, he's gotta be getting better." Pausing to take a sip, "But I wouldn't push my luck with being stuck in the same room with him, alone. I'm pretty sure I would've caught another tray to the face if he was by himself..."
Lucy gave a downcast look, giving a small huff through her nose. "That'll probably be months before that happens..."
"But he's still taking those therapy sessions, right?" Lola added. "Can't Mrs. Lopez fix him faster?"
"It's not that easy Lola. You don't just go to therapy and suddenly come out all sunshine and rainbows. Stuff like this can literally take weeks or longer." Lori explained.
"Guess it's another wait n see thing, huh?" Luna spoke with a sullen voice. She kicked her feet over the couch arm and stood up. "Anyone needs me, I'll be out in the garage."
Slowly but surely, the sisters began to disperse to do their own things, whether it be homework or to try and distract themselves from the current situation. In particular, Lana noticed Lola was wearing her overalls again and wanted answers as to why. As Lisa jumped off the arm of the couch, "Hey Lisa," The little girl turned to her older sister. "You got a moment?"
"Is it something you wish to discuss personally or openly?"
Lynn's finger tapped the can as she formulated her response. "I'd say keep it between us."
Lisa motioned for Lynn to follow her as they went up the stairs. Upon reaching her and Lily's room, Lisa immediately shut the door. "What is it that you want to talk about?"
"Have you..." Lynn stared into Lisa's eyes for a moment, noting the lack of bags behind the lens. "Have you noticed that Lincoln had bags around his eyes when none of us do?"
"For scientific purposes, yes." Lisa went over to her filing cabinet, pulling open the lowest drawer. Her fingers shifted along the tops of several files before stopping at one. Upon pulling it out, Lynn could see the file had a picture of Lincoln paperclipped to the front.
"Should I even be surprised she keeps a folder on everyone?" Lynn sighed inwardly.
"This was a study I had done during a time I had a considerable lack of interest in mixing the various substances I normally experiment with." Lisa pulled out a full-faced picture of their brother. "As you can see, these blepharochalasis (street name: eye bags) are most prevalent around the sides of his eyes, and occasionally seen on the lower eyelids. After looking through and studying our sibling in real time, I have noted that none of our sisters (including ourselves) possess this constant fault in the skin."
Lynn rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's great. But do you know why he always has them? Even before now it wasn't like he wasn't getting enough sleep."
Lisa shook her head. "Unfortunately," She put the picture back in the folder. "I do not. It could be a number of factors ranging from lack of sleep (like I also originally thought), stress, obesity, allergies, age, or fluid retention caused by hormones or salty foods. Our parents have prevalent blepharochalasis due to their age as well as the stress of handling all 11 of us. It's rather surprising none of us have what would appear to be a permanent case for Lincoln, especially when one takes into account Lori approaching graduation, your sports, and my countless nights of studying or working on experiments as examples. The only time I have noticed any of us having eye bags is due to waking up at a period when our bodies are still too exhausted for normal, every day function."
Lynn pursed her lips. "Lincoln does eat those peanut butter and," She cringed a little, "...sauerkraut sandwiches a lot. Think that may have something to do with it?"
Lisa nodded. "Sauerkraut, hence the name, has a sour taste due to lactic acid bacteria fermenting the sugar cells in the cabbage; to some, it can even taste salty. However, I don't believe Lincoln's eating habits alone are the reason behind his eye bags; rather, it just made them more prominent."
"So you're saying something else caused them?"
"Correct. I had asked mother when Lincoln began eating those unsavory sandwiches he makes, to which she confirmed was when Lincoln was 9." Lisa opened the folder. "Not only that, but judging from these photos of our infantile brother, this was not a condition he was born with." She pulled out a few photos and handed them to Lynn.
The older girl looked at each one, showing a baby Lincoln looking as happy and innocent as he could be. One picture showed a time when he was taking a bath with Lynn, who was only 3 at the time. The jock managed a smile at that fond memory, and the next few photos showed a happy Lincoln doing other activities like learning to ride a bike, a lucky snapshot during Easter when he tried to eat a chocolate egg before taking the foil off, and an early Halloween picture.
In each photo, Lynn didn't see any bags around the young boy's eyes. "So when do you think it started?"
Lisa pulled out another photo, showing another young Lincoln massaging his fingers as Rita kissed a nasty mark that was on his forehead. Lynn remembered that day clearly: their family went to a bowling alley for an outing, and Lincoln grabbed a ball that was too small for his fingers. He didn't care and just jammed them in, only to learn the hard way why you should use a ball with the correct finger size. Poor boy ended up flinging himself down the alley and into the pins. Silver lining? He got a strike.
Lynn noticed a faint line appearing on both sides of his eyes. "This was when he was six..."
"Exactly. And they've stuck since." Lisa pulled out two more pictures. "His seventh birthday party shows they continued to develop just as he did, so it stands to reason Lincoln developed these around the time he became six as," She showed this photo from Dairy Land was taken when he was five. There is no evidence of eye bags on his face during this time, nor on any photos prior."
Lynn squinted her eyes as she shifted between all the pictures. "You mentioned it could be due to fat, right?"
Lisa nodded.
"Do you think that might be why? Link still has baby fat on his face, and I started losing mine rather early." Lynn brushed her cheek, feeling the subtle amount of fat just above her jawline.
"It may be a good reason, but I personally do not see it that way. If Lincoln's facial adipose tissue were the cause, his eye bags would have begun to fade out at this point in time. I've noticed that Lincoln has begun to lose the baby fat on his face due to approaching puberty, and fluid retention would be unlikely as he has yet to fully begin the physical transition to adulthood and this condition was present before now. It's possible his eating habits have made the change less noticeable, but I've studied everyone's diets to conclude he's not in danger of becoming rotund. He also has no known allergies, so that's an obvious negative. Instead, I believe those bags were caused by a stress factor no one was made aware of." Lisa set the folder on top of the others. "And I believe we both know what that anomaly is given our current situation..."
Looking back at the six year old Lincoln picture, "Not counting Lincoln, Lucy was already born, and the twins were barely a year old..." Lynn counted on her fingers for a moment. "Counting us two, Link only had 8 sisters. I mean, that's pretty big, but not as much as 10. If anything, Lori would have it worse since she has to look over all of us."
"That is true my athletic sibling," Lisa took the pictures from Lynn and placed them back in the folder. "But, it would seem Lincoln had began to suffer the stress of having to look after 3 other siblings at an early age; a number that increased following my introduction into life itself, followed by Lily. As we all know, the twins can be a handful, and it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility that Lincoln had to worry about wondering wherever Lucy may be hiding when he is supposed to be watching her."
"That doesn't sound any different from the rest of us having to look over you guys." Lynn folded her arms. "Sometimes I've had to chase Lincoln down so he could put his diapers on."
Lisa gave a curt nod. "Noted, but answer this: if Lincoln's blepharochalasis began when he was six years old, what else has he been doing besides looking after his younger siblings?" She put the file back in its slot and closed the drawer.
Lynn pointed a digit into the air. "He," She paused, starting to realize what Lisa really meant. "He's been...helping us out, right?"
"Yes. Whether it would be my experiments, your sport activities, Leni's clothing designs, and sometimes Luna's extremely loud and deafening music playing, Lincoln would usually be there to lend us his aid; sometimes without his consent." Lisa slid the folder back into the cabinet before shutting the drawer. "He's also taken his role as a brother much more seriously than ever, seeing as he makes sure even his oldest siblings are in a sound state of mind. It should also go without saying there have been numerous times we've needed his help when it conflicted with Lincoln aiding another sister, usually resulting in physical altercation over who should receive his aid first."
"Geez...doesn't sound like Lincoln gets much time for himself..." Lynn muttered. "Wait, what about the times he's always lying around reading comics in his undies?"
"A usual pastime for him, I'm sure." The young genius hopped into her chair. "But given the rate at which all of us perform our daily activities (mundane or otherwise varying), there's still a 78% chance of our brother being interrupted from his own hobbies to be pulled aside to help with ours."
"Sooooo….got any answers as to why we've needed Link's help when we could just ask each other?"
Lisa managed a sarcastic chuckle. "Would you even bother helping me with my chemical experiments? And would I help you with a task I'm not physically capable of doing?"
Lynn opened her mouth to reply, most likely to give a big statement on how she'd totally help Lisa with what she needed. But now that she thought about it, science bored her to death. It wasn't like math (even though the two were heavily intermingled depending on the subject), and there was the fact Lisa's constant random experiments were both creepy and occasionally produced some kind of horrid creature like that trash monster. Despite Lisa revealing some experiments like her poop studies being meant to monitor everyone's health, it didn't explain creating a monster out of trash. Not to mention Lynn didn't want to risk losing something important from the constant explosions, or gaining something weird like a third ear.
"...No..."
"My thoughts exactly. Sad as it is, none of us are too interested in each other's hobbies to be of any help." Lisa turned the seat towards the desk, reaching for a book. "But fear not, Lincoln's eye bags won't cause any long term health problems in spite of being permanent."
'Yeah...thanks for the info..." Lynn spoke in a quiet voice. "Almost wish I didn't ask...always figured we would've had something to do with it. As if beating down Lincoln wasn't bad enough, let's try overworking him a while before this crap shack happens." The sporty Loud mentally chided herself. "Wish we could just forget this all happened, like a reset button or...wait a sec!" Lynn's eyes widened as an idea came to her. "Hey Lis."
"Yes?" The 4 year old replied, head already buried in her textbook.
"Have you ever thought about making a time machine or something, like weeks before when we found out Lincoln is completely scared of us?"
Lisa gave a heavy sigh. "Truth to be told..." She wheeled around to face Lynn. "I had half a mind to build one immediately after that heinous altercation. Unfortunately..." The 4 year old paused, resting her head in her hand. "My mind was too clouded with the realization of nearly castrating my own sibling to think clearly...but the idea had come to me quite a few times."
"So, do you think you'd be able to make one?"
"No...one reason being that I would need my equipment (which is gone) in order to make and perfect a device suitable for such a venture, and the other reason being that I do not have a wish to do so."
"Don't have a..." Lynn furrowed her brows. "What do you mean you don't want to?! Do you even like lying awake at night wondering when Lincoln will stop seeing you as a crazy mad scientist?!"
Lisa glared at the jock. "Of course I don't! But unlike you, I'm well aware that there are certain rules that must be followed when it comes to traveling through time. Not only that, it is extremely dangerous that not even I would be willing to use it for a mundane task."
Lynn snorted hotly. "Please. Knowing you, I'd bet you'd use to save your reputation, or whatever is left of it at this point. And what kind of rules are you talking about?"
Lisa's eyes twitched at that remark, biting her tongue to keep from lashing out at her uninformed sibling. Dispelling steam through her nose, "Are you aware of something called 'The Butterfly Effect'?"
"No? And what does it have to do with bugs?"
The 4 year old slapped a hand to her forehead. "It's a metaphor...and it's in reference to the chaos theory, in which a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere. In other words, you step on a butterfly in the past, you could potentially wipe out a whole species."
Lynn had a confused look on her face. "Ooookay?"
"...To put it in better terms, say if I did go back in time and stop Lincoln from turning our sights onto him. There's no telling what would happen. It could either be something good such as us getting into another fight and eventually calming down, but the flawed system we had stays in place and causes mishaps further down the road. Or...more likely...Lincoln doesn't believe me and does what he did all those weeks ago, and we end up hurting him worse than he already is..." Lisa cringed upon saying that. "There's just too many uncertainties with time travel that it could ultimately backfire, such as another of our siblings being put in Lincoln's position, all of us injuring each other to the point we'd require hospitalization due to being overly aggressive, my time machine malfunctioning and sending me too far back into the past or future..." Lisa looked at Lynn and could tell she was beginning to lose interest. "Point is, there's no telling whether it would actually work without coming back to bite us. Not to mention the very real risk of causing a time paradox that could erase all life as we know it."
Lynn put her hands up defensively. "Ok ok, I get it. Time travel is bad...but what about helping Link forget any of this ever happened. Sure, his arm will still be healing, but I'm sure we could play it off as an unrelated injury, right?"
"That was another theory I had considered once I deduced time travel wouldn't be feasible. However, that'd require me to 'erase' everyone's memories of the incident, including our own, our friends, acquaintances, and anyone who would have knowledge of the incident; a big task on its own that would require tracing every single person whom it was remotely mentioned to. And by erase, I mean the memories would only be temporarily suppressed, like being put in the back of one's mind so to speak. In other words, even if I did suppress Lincoln's memories of what happened, he'd likely see the memories as nightmares and become cautious around us as a result. In the same vein, we would experience something similar until the point the 'dreams' are considered actual memories and Lincoln may grow to resent us for lying to him the entire time..."
Lynn developed a somber expression as she stared at the floor. "...I'm going to guess you might say something like deleting who Lincoln is as a person too?"
"Also a possibility, should the process of suppressing his memories be too strong. That would be a headache of its own trying to remind him who he once was, and it'd be even worse if his mind was reset to that of a toddler. Regardless of the outcome, Lincoln would never be the same boy as we once knew him." Lisa gave a frown. "Much like he is now..."
The jock nodded slowly. "So...this is the only way huh? No shortcuts?..."
"Afraid so. But, at least we are aware that Lincoln is slowly dispelling his fear."
"Yeah..." Lynn turned to the door, pulling it open. "Hope it doesn't last too long..."
"So what are you confused about Lincoln?" Miranda asked, the phone tucked into the crook of her neck as she filed her nails.
"I had another dream about me being Ace Savvy the other night, and this time I was making a plan with my friends to confront my sisters. But...I'm not ready to actually speak to them yet..." Lincoln replied, pacing around the guest room as he held the phone in his hand. "In a way, I sort of wish I was..."
"So, does that mean you're feeling envious of what you are in your dreams?"
Lincoln stopped mid-step. "Yes...it's like I'm seeing two different adventures going on, but I wish I was on the side where I am capable of standing up to my sisters. But then I'm reminded of what they could do to me if I try to..."
"Well Lincoln, while dreams can vary, they can also be mirrors that let you peek at what is to come." The doctor blew at her nails to get rid of the accumulated dust.
"Wait, so you're saying I'll actually become Ace Savvy?"
Miranda had to stifle a laugh. "No. What I'm saying is, the fact you are seeing yourself finding the courage to stand up to your siblings in your dreams can be a sign that you will find that same courage while you are awake."
"Well...I do feel safer when I have my friends around..." Lincoln's thoughts drifted to lunch. "A-And I didn't freak out too much when I saw one of my sisters today..."The
The doctor raised a brow. "You did?"
"Yes." Lincoln sat down on the bed. "Lynn walked up to our table. I saw her approaching long before then, but it was like she wanted me to see her. Not only that, she wasn't dressed in her usual sports stuff. Knowing her, she wouldn't put a hoodie on even when it starts getting cold out, not to mention her hair was down..."
"Uh huh. Now, given what we've discussed last time, did you feel the need to try and run? Or did you feel that she was planning something?"
"I did...but at the same time, I didn't know what to think. At first, I thought she wanted to get back at me for what happened in the hospital, but she didn't sound like her usual self."
"What kind of tone does Lynn normally use?"
"Something that let's people know she's number 1. But, if I had to be honest...the way she talked sounded about as caring as Leni and, well, more of her age like Lori."
"Hmm...seems Lynn was doing her best to act more like a kind person so she wouldn't scare him." Miranda noted to herself. "Did she do any of the things you thought she'd do?"
"...She didn't. She was just asking to sit with us, but my friends kept saying no. I felt like I should just get out of there the moment she does get angry, but I know she'd catch me easily..." There was a short pause on the line, though Miranda heard Lincoln take an unsettled breath. "I...I couldn't make it to my room the last time I made her mad..."
"So how did you handle the situation?"
"I thought about what you told me last week, and I thought she'd eventually get mad, so...I let her sit with us. She sat on the other side of the table, but I'm not sure if it was out of choice or because Liam moved his stuff..."
"Did she do anything that made you uncomfortable?"
"Well, I was nervous about her sitting near me, but she never once tried to talk to me. She just talked with my friends, then...she started staring at my cast for a minute before leaving."
Miranda hummed in thought. "Wasn't Lynn the one who broke your arm?"
" I think so...she mentioned it before at the hospital. And before she left, she said she hoped I could forgive her. The weird thing is, I kind of wanted to, but at the same time I didn't. When I kept thinking the way her hair was, I remember that Luan had hers the same way, and the only other time I remember her hair being down was when she was really sad about being in the 'Friend Zone'. I still don't see what's wrong with it since I have plenty of friends. But...I started to think Lynn might've been sad, and I think it had something to do with me."
"As much as I want to tell him the reason, it's better if he figures it out on his own..." The doctor muttered to herself. "And even if I did tell him, Lincoln may not take it as a definitive answer." Miranda's eyes brightened a bit as an idea came to her. "But, that doesn't mean I can't steer him in the right direction." Taking her hand off the receiver, "Say Lincoln, you said you felt safer when you are around friends correct?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think you'd be able to find the courage that you seek from your dreams if you were to interact with one of your sisters? You said it yourself that you didn't panic too much when you have Lynn sitting near you."
Lincoln's eyes widened at that prospect. Lynn sitting with him may have been an unlucky set of circumstances, but to actually seek out his sisters? In his perspective, Lincoln felt like that was watching a lion from a distance. Nice to look at when you give them space, but get too close and they will make you their lunch. In the case of his sisters, all he had to do was step into the den itself in order to find them, and in his current state, they could make him wish he had regretted ever doing so. However, maybe...maybe he wouldn't have much to worry about with his friends around. Maybe the numerical advantage would dissuade them from trying anything. After all, Lynn didn't seem willing to do much at lunch today, and he could only imagine how things would go if they were alone...
Scratch that. It was something he didn't want to think about after considering the numerous events playing in his dreams.
"You still there Lincoln?"
The boy flinched a little. "Yes...I...I don't...I mean, I guess? But..." He stammered out.
"Don't worry, there's no need to rush into things." Miranda calmly told him. "This is entirely up to you; however, I can also arrange a meeting between you and a sibling if you wish to do things that way."
Lincoln stayed silent for a moment. He supposed a meeting in Mrs. Lopez's office would help; he may not trust the word of his sisters, or at least fully understand if their feelings are the real deal as opposed to what he currently believes, but he did trust the doctor. Plus, she was giving him free reign to pick which sibling he wanted to meet with. That in itself was something Lincoln would have to give a large amount of consideration; hard to pick a meeting with 9 separate people he'd rather stay at building's length...or maybe at least 30 feet from after lunch. Regardless, just like in his dreams, Lincoln had a feeling he couldn't avoid his sisters forever. It was still amazing to him how he'd seen little of them throughout the weeks, and only today did he actually meet one face to face.
This was the tug of war Lincoln was dealing with now; one side preferred to keep hiding while the other wanted to find some answers, and he was stuck in the middle like two people being backseat drivers to the person up front. However, the camp that wanted to seek out the truth was gaining more ground. Hiding all the time waiting for something that may or may not happen seemed like a good idea (still is in some regard), but the girls were doing things Lincoln wasn't expecting at all, and that made him more confused than anxious. Heck, he only texted Lori once and nothing else came out of it. And if Lincoln did chicken out at trying to find a sibling, instant messaging was still an option.
"...I'll...I'll try to find one in school. If I can't, then we can do the other idea." The boy reluctantly replied.
"Ok. Just let me know and I'll arrange another appointment."
"Thanks." The Loud hung up, lying back on the bed. "Well, that didn't help much...I just hope I know what I'm doing..." Looking over at his stack of comics on the nightstand, Lincoln rolled over and grabbed an issue off the top. Judging by the cover, he knew it was the same one he got last week; he could honestly care less right now, needing something to occupy himself. As uncertain as he was about where his dreams would take him, the Loud had a small amount of hope that things would turn out alright. Maybe he should try to be more optimistic instead of wallowing in his own pity for once.
A/N: So, this chapter was more or less filler to look at the aftermath of that planned meeting. Now the roles have switched in which Lincoln will be the one to find a sister to speak with. Not alone, but at least establishing some form of contact would be enough to sate his curiosity. Hopefully no one got too bored with reading Lincoln picturing a match up in his head, as well as Lisa's explanations why she can't just magically wish their problems away.
Now, the latter came up due to a few people asking about since it specifically came up in a poorly written alt ending someone made for this story. Along with Lisa's explanation, the main reason I didn't go that route is because (and I'll make this perfectly clear) NO ONE LIKES COP OUTS. Do you honestly think I'd erase all this time and effort, and piss off everyone who likes this story, just to make it shorter? There are many fics in this fandom that often use one as the author likely wrote themselves into a corner and decided to use a reset button, and most of the time it makes writing a long fic effectively pointless. It's very easy to ruin a good fic if you decide to do an ass pull and make all prior events null and void. Also keep in mind that by the time the fic had gotten this far, Mad Scientist hasn't aired until a few months ago, so the whole time travel idea was trashed long before then.
Also, I had this idea that L is for Love didn't go well for some of the siblings, as shown with Luan being friend-zoned. Plus, since many of the love interests are just one-off characters we'll never see again, it stands to reason some didn't return the feelings of the siblings. Not only that, I also figured that since Lincoln was grounded after Sleuth or Consequences, it'd be a good idea to look at what happened a bit after that episode. Knowing the girls, I doubt they'd pass up on the opportunity to make a few jabs at Lincoln for his choice of costume; and for the rest of Season 1, I noticed he hadn't worn it again until Tricked (maybe). Honestly, I know at some point Lucy's going to correct Lincoln on his memories, but it'll only be in passing. Too many stories bring it up these days even when it wouldn't even have remote importance, and I'm sort of regretting mentioning that particular altered memory.