11. Chapter 11

At least twice during any visit to relatives, Lyra would call her mother to check on her. It was just a welfare check, to make sure she wasn't in jail or something equally bad in the absence of her children. Or so Lyra always told herself. Lemy could talk to her too, which gave them a break from the bad mood he tended to develop after too long away.

So before they left to go visit Lucy and Lupa, Lyra asked her uncle to borrow his cell phone and headed into the bedroom to make the call. She selected the contacts and her finger hovered over her mother's name. Then she hesitated, a sudden urge coming over her she knew was wrong but she really wanted to oblige. A few taps brought up the call history. Just a few days ago was that call her uncle had got in the car that caused an awkward moment. It was listed, and so was the name of the call sender next to it: Lucy. Her hunch had been right.

Feeling guilty over her snooping, Lyra quickly got on with what she'd meant to do. She hit the dial button next to her mother's name and brought the phone up to her ear and waited. It was after noon, so her mother should be up. Should. The dial tone carried on for a few seconds before being replaced with her mother's.

"Heeey bro." Her voice was slow and slurred. "What's going on?" Great, probably drunk.

"It's me, mom." Lyra sighed.

"Oh, Lyra!" And suddenly her mom's voice was clear and loud. Or as much as her normal speech was. "What's going on, dudette?"

"Is this a bad time?" She asked. She could only guess by the first line she'd caught her waking up.

"Nah bruh, it's cool. I'm just on the bus about an hour out from Vegas. What's going down?" Well, she wasn't drunk or in trouble yet, but she expected she should call tomorrow morning just the check.

"We're going out to visit Aunt Lucy and Lupa later. They invited us to watch a firework show at their house tonight."

"Nice." Her mom said. "You dudes having fun over there?"

"A lot. Just a few days ago we went to the pool with Liby, Lacy, and their moms." She thought for a moment. "Aunt Lynn kept throwing her brother in the pool." That made her mom laugh. "Although Lacy and Lemy wouldn't stop fighting with each other."

"Kids will be kids, dude. They got to burn off energy." It was pretty obvious to her their antics weren't just playing, but she didn't feel like arguing this morning.

"I guess." She played along. She hesitated on her next words, conflicted on the appropriateness of what she was about to say. "Can I ask you something?" Her curiosity was too much. She'd resolved to demand answers from her mom about the family, and this was an opportunity even if it wasn't face to face.

"Yeah?" Her mom sounded nonchalant. Lyra ended up not only asking her question, but blurting out most of the curiosities that had been bugging her the past few weeks.

"Is there a rift between you or any of our aunts? Aunt Lynn seemed to be pretty mad when Aunt Lucy called our uncle, and Lacy didn't know who Lupa was. And I realized none of our aunts seem to keep in contact even though they live close to each other. I just found it all odd."

A very unusual silence followed her words. Both females on each end of the line were silent for close to half a minute, but Lyra thought she could hear her mother inhale. She sat down on the bed while she waited for a response.

"That's a pretty heavy question, dudette." Her mom said at last, her voice lacking the energy and volume it'd had at the start of the call. "Why are you asking?"

"Because," Lyra couldn't help but make her voice slightly demanding, and she corrected it to something calmer before continuing. "I'm seeing all these pictures and hearing all the stories about how close you all were to each other and your parents and I just can't understand what happened to it."

"That's our business, Lyra." Her mother sounded defensive, commanding. Very unusual.

"They're our family too- Lemy and me!" She couldn't stop herself from snapping the retort. There'd been more then just curiosity to her interest. That bitter envy she admitted she might have felt a little bit of over what they could've had in their lives was greater than she was willing to admit.

"That's just life, dude." Her mother tried to explain. "You leave the nest and choose your path and find out it doesn't come close to the rest of the family a lot." It was similar to what her brother had said, but this time it just sounded like an excuse to Lyra.

"Your brother doesn't seem to have a problem keeping in contact with everyone." She pointed out. She heard her mother audibly sigh over the line.

"A lot of those stories and pictures were a long time ago, dude." Her mother reasoned.

"That doesn't explain what happened." And then Lyra admitted to her mother and herself why she was so hooked on this subject. "I can still remember my grandparents and everyone being together. All our lives would be so much better if things were still like that. I just want to know why they aren't."

Her mother was dead silent.

"Did it have anything to do with us?" Lyra finally asked. "Did us being born have anything to do with it?" That was still her theory- all the teen pregnancies and single motherhood fractured everything.

"No." Her mother spoke again, sounding adamant. "You guys didn't do anything. A lot of us made some stupid decisions back then." She stated the obvious. "We ruined things for ourselves... And I guess for you dudes too." She admitted. Lyra exhaled. There was the truth, straight from her mother's mouth. She thought she should be angry, but the conversation was just plain depressing. "I'm sorry, Lyra."

"It can't be helped now." She still couldn't be angry. "And I'm sorry for bringing this up."

"You're cool. Sometimes you got to make your voice be heard." Her mother seemed understanding.

"I just feel like I'm owed an explanation."

"Totally, dude." Her mom agreed willingly in a stark contrast to her earlier defensiveness. "But the phone's not the right place." Lyra could agree with her on that. "When I come to pick you guys up, I'll give you the full story, deal?"

"Okay." Lyra agreed. "I'll hold you that."

"I know you will." Her mother sounded amused for just a second. "If you want to know the truth, I'll tell you. But Lyra? You guys are way more important to me then they are. I just want you to know that." A big happy family with siblings all around and she'd rather have them…

"I understand, mom."

"Err…Lemy hasn't been getting curious about the same things, has he?" Luna asked.

"Well, not those things exactly…"

"But…" Her mom saw ahead. Lyra sighed and told her, while leaving out the unflattering things she'd said, her conversation with her uncle, Lemy overhearing, and the conversation that followed. Her mother listened tensely.

"You gotta be more careful." She told her when she was done. "He's too young for that stuff."

"I know." Lyra felt she deserved that criticism.

"But you did good." Luna went on. "Can you put him on the phone? I want to talk to him."

"Okay, I'll go get him." Lyra stood up and took a step towards the door before stopping. "One last question," She brought the phone back up to her ear. "Are you and Sam really together?"

"Ehhhhhhh."

"Nevermind." Lyra decided. "I'll go get Lemy." She left the bedroom and went out into the living room where Lemy was watching TV. "Mom wants to talk to you." She held out the phone. He snagged it and darted for the bedroom. Lyra watched him go before collapsing on the couch, muting the noise of the TV.

"How's your mom doing?" Her uncle asked without looking up for his sketch. He'd been hurriedly scribbling all morning, probably trying to fill a quota before taking the rest of the day off.

"She's fine. She's going to be spending the 4th of July in Las Vegas."

"Lucky her." Lincoln chuckled. "Well, we can't beat that, but we'll still have fun." He glanced over at his clock. It was just after three o' clock. "We can leave in an hour." He decided and continued his work.

Lyra stayed there on the couch and thought about the conversation she'd just had with her mom. She'd get the answers she wanted, at least. She was surprised by how readily her mom offered them. She realized that aside from asking to visit her grandparents when she was little, neither her or Lemy had really ask a lot of questions. Would she have gotten them if she'd asked last year? Or any year before that? Then again, she never got the urge to question it till just recently.

Lemy came back and handed her the phone back. "She wants to talk to you." He flopped down beside her but didn't turn the volume back up.

"Mom?"

"Hey dude." She'd gotten the pep back in her voice. "You guys have fun at Lucy's. Don't get spooked too much."

"We won't. And mom? Please be safe."

"Don't worry about your mum. I always get home in one piece."

Not really. "You do, just be careful."

"You got it. I love you guys.

"Love you too, mom. Bye." She ended the call and brought the phone down. Lemy had watched her the whole time. She went over to return her uncle's phone to him before coming back over to the couch. By that point, Lemy had turned the tv volume back on, and then up a little.

"What did you and mom talk about?" He asked quietly.

"I asked her how she was." She answered, but wondered if their mother had said anything about those subjects despite sharing her daughter's dismay he was asking about them. "What did you talk about?" Lemy looked back a the tv screen.

"I'll tell you later." He mumbled. Lyra nodded. She'd get her answer tonight, she knew.

Later that evening

You know how you can look at any group of random strangers and at least one will stick out to you? One or more people who just seem specifically distinct among the rest? A peculiar appearance or an aura? One who you can't help but have an odd curiosity about? Lupa Loud was one of those people. The nine-year-old's snow-white hair made her stand against her peers in elementary school, to say nothing of other people. Her dull, monotone voice whenever she spoke was just another distinguishing oddity. She had a reputation as 'that weird kid'.

Her hair, as she was told and constantly had to insist to teachers and other students, was just that color naturally. Something that ran in the family, apparently. As for her personality? Children imitated what they knew, and Lupa by and large only knew her mother. Her full reputation title actually was 'that weird kid with the creepy mom'.

An apt description. Lucy Loud was indeed a creepy woman. Tall, foreboding, dressed usually in black, and also speaking in a monotone. That was what Lupa had to imitate. She didn't see other kids outside of school, owing to living on the edge of town. In a spooky old house, no less. That definitely kept people away.

That'd been Lupa's mother's choice. It was haunted by ghosts, she said. That woman was fascinated with the occult, among other dark things. She said she enjoyed talking with them, and that apparently overrode more important features like utilities that didn't break every month and general structural soundness. But she'd negotiated with them to avoid haunting the bedrooms and bathrooms, so it was all good, she guessed. An old house like this was probably cheap for a single mother too. When doom and gloom was all she had, of course Lupa was going to adopt some of it. And with so much exposure to the more definitive parts of human life from her mother's blunt way of talking and her writings, she was a little wise beyond her years.

Not that it was ALL doom and gloom; her mother had gotten her some Princess Pony books when she was little- very girly. But teetering from one extreme to the other wasn't any better. She did know other people though. Her uncle, for instance, since she was four. He'd lived with them for close to a year. He was actually normal, although kind of a nerd. She kind of missed him, even if she didn't remember that year clearly. Her mother's approach to parenting was very hands off. So to have an adult interested in you (and not just because the state paid you to be) was actually nice. They visited each other every so often.

She had two cousins, but she was no where near as close to them. One had her mind on the superstitious just like her mother did, just looking up instead of down, and the other was a try hard. Lupa knew their kind well from school. But Lemy was amusing, at least. Definitely very different despite being the same age. Their mother- Lupa's aunt- wasn't too different from her son, or so Lupa thought. Not exactly people you take after.

So her life boiled down to a shoddy house, a distant mother, and only family for contact. And you know what? Lupa thought that wasn't all that bad.

Yeah, her mother was a little weird, but she actually kind of respected her for that. She saw her cousin trying to be cool. She saw plenty of kids at school trying to be cool. Her mother did what she wanted regardless of what other people thought, and Lupa admired that. That was something she would like to be. Besides, all the times she'd had her mom with her at school functions, it'd been so funny to see everyone else, even the teachers, be scared of her, so maybe slightly copying her clothing style was intentional.

And it wasn't like they didn't get along. They talked, they ate together, they both enjoyed messing with Lincoln and Lyra and Lemy when they came to visit. Her mother always got her the clothes she wanted. Lupa would read her book drafts or play second hand when she used a Ouija board. Neither were expressive people, but there was love there.

They were doing something together a little different from the usual today- cooking. When you had to cook for only yourself and one child, you weren't exactly a master cook, but Lucy was good enough in that department. Lupa wasn't picky either. Most nights were something that came from a box, like macaroni or pasta. On the rare occasion they would afford it, it was meats. That was where her mother showed the most skill- she liked hers rare, but not enough to be unhealthy.

Tonight was a lot of meat- hamburgers and hotdogs, and a lot of other foods that one would associate with the 4th of July. It must've been because they were having company. Normally they didn't acknowledge the day- neither were exactly interested in a holiday that's express purpose seemed to be an excuse for people to drink or blow themselves up with fireworks.

Maybe her mother secretly did like the holiday, because after it was over she wondered out loud if the graveyards were any fuller.

She certainly liked having company over. Lupa could tell because her mother had actually put on a dress that day. It was a black sleeveless one. She only ever put that one on when her brother, Lupa's uncle, came over to visit. She'd spent quite a bit of time cleaning up the house too, almost enough to make a dent in the run down aura it carried.

As far as Lupa knew, her uncle was the only one of mom's family who stayed in reliable contact with her. Well, aunt Luna must've talked to her since her kids came over sometimes, but Lincoln was the only one who ever visited. Ten siblings and he was the only one she hadn't entirely scared off, or so Lupa assumed. She didn't know why the rest of the family didn't talk to mom, but it wasn't hard to see the many possible reasons why.

And speak of the devil, they were here; the sound of the old fashioned brass knocker pounding against the front door reached them all the way in the kitchen. Lupa's mom immediately stopped what she was doing and walked out to the front hallway where the door was. The front hallway was expansive, with a staircase to the second floor and a doorway to a hallway that lead to every other room on the first floor. Lupa leaned against the side of that doorway.

Lucy had a habit of scaring people. Her daughter could never unravel how, but people never seemed to notice her moving until she was right on top of them or spoke up. Despite the fact that she had to open the front door, Lincoln, Lyra, and Lemy were talking about something and didn't notice till Lucy greeted them, upon which they all noticeably started.

Lupa smirked as her uncle patted his heaving chest before her mom pulled him into a hug he was quick to return before all three of them came in.

Lyra politely greeted Lucy. Lupa recognized it as that kind of politeness you use just so people don't think you're rude. Lemy got by with a 'hey' before glancing over at her and waving. Lupa didn't bother responding back.

After greetings were exchanged, Lyra and Lemy headed upstairs to leave their things in their guest bedroom. The room they always stayed in was right next to Lupa's bedroom. There was actually a bathroom in between them that connected both. All the bedrooms were on the second floor, including hers, moms, and two that were unoccupied unless their cousins were visiting.

"Hello." Her older cousin nodded at her as she spotted her. That was pretty much the only interactions they had- niceties. She'd given up trying to hold conversations with her. Lyra was kind of like their uncle- staying nice to people even if they were a little hard to deal with. He may have visited, but some of the stuff her mom did bothered him, Lupa could tell. Not bad, but Lupa still didn't connect well with overly superstitious people. Maybe if the older girl got off her high horse.

But now that they were gone…

Lupa walked over to the doorway where her mom and uncle were still talking. "Hey Lupa." Lincoln stopped and knelt down slightly when he saw her. "How are you doing?" He pulled her into a hug.

"Still alive." She kept her arms at her side till he gave her a little squeeze and only then did she return the hug.

"Come on, you gotta give me something more positive then that."

"Hmm. Nope. Nothing comes to mind."

"I'm not letting you go until I get an answer."

"Oh fine." Lupa played along and rolled her eyes. "I'm having a fun summer."

"That's nice." He let her go. That was the little game they always played. He tricked to tease and bribe her to not be so doom and gloom, and she'd pretend to resist for a little while before giving in. She guessed he was trying to keep her from falling in the extreme like her mother. Lupa liked her mother enough to copy her to a degree, but she definitely wasn't going to go into full, loony, talking to ghosts territory.

But she appreciated that he cared.

"We made dinner for everyone." Her mom told him, grabbing onto his arm and leading towards the kitchen further back in the house. Lupa followed.

"Wow." He sounded genuinely impressed. "That's a lot of food." All of it was already cooked and about ready to be served once someone carried it to the dining room.

"Freshly slaughtered." Lupa explained.

"I picked the ones with the furthest expiration dates." Her mother confirmed.

"Good job, girls." He didn't miss a beat on them trying to mess with him and put a hand on both their backs.

"I'll finish it and then we can eat." Lucy stepped forward to get back to work, Lupa did too, but her mom sent her away. "I'll take care of it. Keep our guests entertained." So Lupa shrugged and left. Her uncle had gone down the hall and into the living room, sitting down on the old couch. Lupa slumped down next to him.

He looked from the floor to the old wooden tables and then to the old boxy tv that decorated the room. "You guys cleaned up." He observed.

"I liked it the old way."

"Sure you did." Her uncle kept looking around, his eyes locking on the row of portraits and pictures Lupa's mom had hung or pasted on the wall behind the couch. One was of the house's previous owner- her mom claimed it was 'haunted' so she wanted to keep it. One was of Lupa's Great Great Grandmother Harriet, someone her mother had looked up too. Some were posters of fictional characters; her mother REALLY liked reading fiction series in her time. One of a family picture of her and all her siblings.

And smack dab in the middle of it all was a drawing of a cat Lupa had made when she was four. Her uncle drew comics (geeky interests must run in the family) and when he'd been living here she'd climb in his lap often while he was working and try and draw too. That was one such product, and her mom had decided to hang it up. Lincoln liked to look at it every time he came over.

It was embarrassing as hell.

"I should burn that." Lupa mused out loud.

"You wouldn't." Her uncle challenged playfully.

"I could."

"But you won't."

"I may."

"You can't even reach it."

"I can stand on a chair."

"That'd be cute. Make sure to have your mom take a picture and send it to me if you do." He patted her white hair.

"You're a dork." She snorted. Her cousins walked in just then. Lemy was trailing close to his sister. He denied it if you asked, but Lupa was pretty sure he'd bought into the haunted house nonsense her mom always talked about. He always stuck close to his (sensible and unbelieving) sister and would spend as much time outside as he could manage. It was no wonder Lupa only played along with her mother when they were visiting- it was always funny.

"Hey guys. Lucy's finishing dinner." Their uncle said as they sat down- Lyra in a chair and Lemy on the end of the coach away from Lincoln and Lupa.

"So how's your summer been?" Lyra asked.

"Eh." That was the only answer Lupa bothered to give. Lyra would have dropped it then with a curt nod. But Lyra wasn't the only one there.

"Come up, something had to have happened." Her uncle insisted. "No boyfriends or anything?"

"Shut up." Lupa shoved his shoulder while trying not to smirk. "A few stray cats have been wandering into the yard and mom's been feeding them."

"Black cats?" He guessed.

"Some." Lupa answered. "I think mom's getting a head start of being a crazy cat lady." Lemy chuckled at the end of the couch. Lincoln rolled his eyes at her playful snark.

"You're an evil little thing."

"That's why she's perfect." Lucy's monotone voice drifted into their ears and they all jumped. There was an audible crash as Lyra fumbled her bible and it hit the hardwood. Lupa's mom had walked up right in front of all of them without any of them noticing. Lupa was normally averse to that trick, but her immunity seemed to wear off whenever she was with someone else.

"Dinner's ready." She told them. They all tried, painfully obviously, not to look shook as they stood up and followed the lady of the manor to the dining room. It and the library were the only rooms that seemed to always be clean, although it made sense since they ate here.

"Awesome." Lemy looked at the selection. Everything was set up in the middle of the table. Her mom had even gotten some black candles (of course they were black) casting a bit of extra light.

Everyone sat down and started taking from the selection, Lincoln and Lemy piling their plates while the girls took more meagre helpings.

"So how's your next book coming along?" Lincoln asked his sister. He was seated on one side of the table with her and Lupa on either side while Lemy and Lyra sat on the opposite side.

"I'm still working on the draft." Lupa's mom wrote three different series, all related to the supernatural in some form- vampires, werewolves, whatever.

Two of them were for the teenage demographic, and popular enough to at least keep mom's publication deal and bring in money. One was about a ghost guiding her daughter through life, teenage drama or what adults thought that was. The other was about supernatural creatures living among humans, an old concept but one Lucy made work. Just out of curiosity, Lupa checked her uncle's computer last time she visited and discovered they had a big following online, with people making art and writing their own stories about it. Most of their work was terribly and creepy.

The last series was marketed for adults she wrote under pseudonym. Lupa wasn't supposed to know about that one, but she'd sneaked some of her mom's drafts. Dark romance, forbidden love, people hiding from society. One of those drafts had had probably the only thing to ever make Lupa's stomach churn.

There was a reason she was wise beyond her years.

"What about your comics?" She asked back.

"One of the websites shut down. But I'm still getting plenty of commissions." He said. "All those summer movies really helped."

"Maybe someone will want to turn my books into movies someday." Her mother dreamed out loud in monotone.

"Maybe- they are good." Lincoln assured.

Lupa's mom and uncle were a real dork duo.

"So when's the firework show start?" Lemy asked through a mouthful of cheeseburger.

"Not for another three or four hours." Their uncle responded. "The sun doesn't start setting until 8 o clock. They'll probably start a little before then."

"Did all of you guys use to watch it every year?" Lyra asked.

"All of us? No." Lincoln shook his head. "There was a show in the city too. But Bobby would bring your aunt Lori out here to watch, and your mom came with some of her friends. She even invited me out here one year."

"You took me." Lucy said. Lincoln nodded.

"Yeah, we watched it together one year. I thought about taking some of my younger sisters to see it, but Lucy was the only one to accept." He looked a little creeped out suddenly. "And because she was the only one, she managed to convince me to let her choose where to watch it from."

"We watched it from the graveyard down the road." Lupa saw something incredibly rare just then- rarer even than an honest politician or a chaste priest: a small smile on her mother's lips. "It was nice."

"Yeah... 'Nice'." Lincoln shuddered visibly. Lyra looked slightly offended and Lemy weirded out. Something Lupa had always observed- her uncle was very easily swayed to what other people wanted. She'd seen her mother do it and imitated her on that too.

The girls got done eating first- Lincoln and Lemy seemed willing to stuff their faces for a little while longer. With time to burn, Lupa went to do the only practical thing available in this house: watch television for a little while. Twenty minutes later her mom and uncle had gone to talk about whatever adults talked about. Lyra had stayed in the living room long enough to question the low quality but clearly mature made for tv horror movie her younger cousin had turned on, but she left too. That left Lupa alone until Lemy got done and came to flop onto the couch next to her.

"What are you watching?" He asked.

"Some dumb horror movie." Lupa shrugged. Dumb was the right word for it. All of the line deliveries sounded off and camera work was terrible. But at least the blood looked entertaining. Lemy looked a little pale as dumb bimbo #2 took a machete to the face.

"So, excited for that fireworks show?" He asked, his voice cracking a little. Lupa smirked.

"Thrilled." Lupa did a good imitation of her mom's monotone.

"Must be cool living somewhere where you can watch it every year."

"We usually don't." Lupa revealed, and Lemy seemed surprised. "I think we're only doing it because you guys are visiting. It's pretty pointless holiday."

"Pointless? It's awesome!" He insisted.

"Sure." Lupa drawled.

"Well, I'm excited! This is the coolest thing uncle Lincoln's taken us to do. He's kind of awesome."

"'Awesome'?" Lupa repeated. "He's a good guy." He was still a dork. But he was the only person willing connect with either her or her mom.

"Yeah. Didn't really think he was when I met him, but I think he's cool now."

"When'd you meet him?" Lupa asked. His wording made it sound like he just had. Lupa hadn't been that surprised that they were coming with their uncle; their mom dropped them off here of all places, so it wouldn't be a surprise if she dropped them on other family members.

"Just a few weeks ago. This is the first-time mom's sent us to stay with him." He told her. Really? That was weird. Send your kids to your creepy sister instead of your dorky brother.

"Huh." Lupa acknowledged.

"Yeah, and it's been ok fun. He lets me play video games all day." Oh great, Lemy was a dork too. "We've seen Lacy and Liby and gone to a pool and arcade too."

Lacy and Liby? Those names sounded familiar. No, they were. Lupa remembered- they were her aunt's kids, her cousins. She'd met them once, along with her mom's two sisters once. 6 or 7, she thought. Just that one time ago; apparently those two were too weirded out by her mom to visit.

Oh well.

"Yeah, he's fine to have around." Lupa agreed. She glanced sideways and it seemed like Lemy was going to say something, but decided against it. Speaking of their uncle, he came in just then and sat down at the other end of the couch.

"What are you guys watching." He asked, just in time to see the masked killer get set on fire. "Oh." He said.

"Yep." Lupa confirmed.

"Isn't there anything nicer on you guys could watch?"

"Probably." Lupa agreed but made no effort to check and see. Her uncle gave her a puppy dog look. "Oh fine." Lupa changed the channel to something only slightly less degenerate- reality television. Lemy complained it was boring, but Lupa didn't care.

She got up and walked paste her cousin before sitting down again next to her uncle. Lemy saw this, apparently got weirded out, and left to do his own thing. Good. Lupa didn't want him bothering her peace anyway. They passed time like that for the next while. Lyra wandered in, seemed to share her brother's opinion, and left. Good.

Before they knew it, the sun was setting and Lucy came to ask her brother for help getting some chairs to the balcony upstairs. It was on the third floor, the only one Lupa and her mom didn't use. That was where all the 'ghosts' stayed and her mom would venture up there with a flashlight randomly in the middle of the night. Probably just raccoons or something since her mom never bothered cleaning that floor.

For all they knew, the stairs up to it were a death trap. Apparently not, since Lincoln came back down and told the three of them standing there to come up. They did, and Lupa had to silently laugh at how close Lemy stayed to his sister's back as they walked past closed doors to 'haunted' rooms. A small split in the hallway led to the double class doors that led to the balcony.

It wasn't the first time Lupa has been here, but she appreciated the view still. She could see the large and unkempt yard surrounding the house, the two lane road that ran by it, and if she squinted in either direct, the other house and cemetery that they had as neighbors. The sky was a dim grey sunset with all the light still coming to the west.

They didn't have any fold up chairs, so her uncle had just hauled up five old heavy wooden ones. He'd also brought up a cooler full of drinks and snacks for them to enjoy during the show.

"Is this safe?" Lyra pressed her foot into the old wood beneath them.

"It's fine." Their uncle assured. "Come on, the show's about to start." He took a seat in one of the chairs and Lucy next to him. Lemy dragged one closer to the edge before parking himself. His sister likewise dragged hers up next to him. That left one chair for Lupa, but she didn't go to it. Instead, she hopped back onto her uncle's lap and twisted around so she was laying across her mom and her uncle's legs. Folding her hands behind her head in her uncles lap and letting her feet dangle across her mother's.

"Really?" Lincoln asked.

"Really." Lupa answered, looking straight up into his eyes. He relented and leaned back with a sigh.

A distant whistling caught their attention and everyone looked up just in time to see and explosion of red and green somewhere in the distance, bight enough for them to see all the way here.

"Cool!" Lemy yelled. That was just the start though, the show began in earnest and before too long the sky was full of fireworks of all colors and explosions of various patterns. Lupa watched along with the rest of her family members, drawn in by the bright and erratic colors what only got brighter as the sun set fully. The lights on in the hallway behind them kept the balcony just lit enough that they could see where they were placing their feet.

"This is the first fireworks show you've been to, isn't it?" Lincoln asked Lupa and she turned her head back to see him looking down at her.

"I guess it is." She didn't remember ever going to one.

"Having fun?" He asked.

"Maybe."

"You are, aren't you?" She thought she could see him grinning in the darkness.

"I said maybe." Lupa was trying her hardest to not smirk.

"We should start doing this every year." Lincoln looked over at his sister. Okay, Lupa thought, that sounded like it'd be nice. Her mother agreed, and a new tradition was formed over just a few words.

They kept watching the show, breaking out the snacks and drinks to enjoy. Lupa was actually starting to get comfortably and drowsy between the warm weather and the spot she was camped in. She, along with her uncle, suddenly jolted when they heard a door slam in the hallway behind them.

"What was that?" Lincoln craned his head around. Lupa lifted herself up to look over his shoulder.

"That was Gertrude. She likes to roam around at this time of night." Lucy said without a note of concern in her voice, or even looking back. They heard something else slam.

"That's creepy." Her uncle said uneasily.

"I'll go ask her to stop." Lucy gently moved out from under Lupa before heading back inside.

"You actually believe that stuff?" Lupa raised an eyebrow.

"Well…" Her uncle rubbed the back of his head. "Your mother may be on to something sometimes." Lupa rolled her eyes.

"Sure." Since her butt and legs were resting on a hard wooden surface now, she readjusted herself. She sat up in the chair her mother had vacated, got up, and then sat right back down in her uncle's lap.

"You're-

"I'm not too big for it yet." Lupa cut him off. Her uncle didn't argue, and Lupa got to enjoy that comfy spot for the rest of the night, even after her mom came back.

The next hour or two passed in a mix of bright flashes, fizzy drinks, and snacks till finally it came to an end. The firework show was over. The horizon dimmed down and the air only carried silence.

"Aww man." Lemy groaned.

"I wonder how many hurt themselves tonight." Lupa wondered out loud.

"Dozens, maybe. Some may have died." Her mother deadpanned. "Maybe some will be buried in the cemetery I can commune with."

"Ok, ladies, I think it's time for bed." Lincoln spoke up hopefully, and a slight smirk graced the lips of both Lupa and her mother. Lupa hopped off her uncle's lap.

"He's right." Lyra said. "Come on." She made her brother get up. The five entered the house and locked the balcony door closed behind them. Lupa yawned as she walked. Her room was on the second floor. After talking quietly with her mom behind her, her uncle came up behind her and effortlessly lifted her up and onto his shoulders.

"What are you looking at?" Lupa sneered when Lyra glanced back at them. She said nothing and turned to the front again. Lincoln carried her down stairs and down the hallway. Lyra and Lemy disappeared into their room, and Lupa's uncle carried her into hers.

He tried to pick her up off her shoulders, but she kept her legs locked just hard enough to make it difficult. "Come on, Lupa, its past your bedtime."

"Hmm, nah." She set her arms down on the top of his head and laid her head on them. "I think I'll stay right here."

"Oh really?" Her uncle challenged. He reached up and wiggled two fingers under her armpits. Lupa managed to keep from laughing, but she squirmed enough that he was successful in dislodging her. "Down you go." He put her on her bed.

Oh well, it was good while it lasted.

"Fine, I'll get ready for bed." She rolled her eyes like she didn't care. She got up and went over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of pajamas. She went in the bathroom and locked the doors before changing and hurrying back over to her bed.

She laid down with her hands behind her head. Her uncle pulled part of the cover from beneath and lifted it up before setting it down evenly across her. Once that was done, he started tucking it in under her.

"You know, I wonder when the day will come where I don't have to do this every time I come over."

"Never." Lupa informed him. He smiled.

"Alright then, good night." He leaned forward and gave her a peck on the forehead before standing up. "Try and have good dreams for once, alright? Nothing dark or grim."

"Not making any promises." Lupa smiled.

"Get some sleep, Lupa." He smiled and got up. She watched him walk over to her door and go into the hallway, shutting off the light as he did. Lupa listened to his footsteps on the old hallway floor as it got quieter and quieter till she was sure he'd gone down to the first floor. She kicked the covers off of her and got up.

She wasn't actually ready for bed; she needed to brush her teeth and use the toilet first. She'd just been waiting for that all day and was impatient.

The bathroom light was on under the door, and when she opened it Lyra and Lemy were already in there brushing their teeth. Lupa said nothing as she shouldered her way between them so she could reach her own tooth brush. She noticed her older cousin casting occasional glances at her in the mirror.

"Come on, Lemy." Once they were done, Lyra grabbed her brother's arm to pull him into the other bedroom. "Goodnight, Lupa." She wished.

"Uh-huh." The albino haired girl said through a mouthful of toothpaste. The door to their room closed behind them. Lupa finished up with that and what else she needed to do, when her ears picked something up.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Some hammering noise echoed through the house before stopping. Lupa stood in the bathroom with her ears open but didn't hear it again. She shrugged to herself and returned to her room. Could just be her uncle crossing an old section of floor. Oh maybe one of the doors were opening and closing again; her mom would've said ghosts, Lupa would just blame uneven foundation.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

There it was again, and this time it didn't stop. The house usually didn't make this much noise. But she could deal with it. It made plenty of other noises depending on the weather. Lupa pulled back the sheets and prepared to climb into bed. Then she stopped. Like she said, Lemy always had been scared of this house. Around bedtime she'd always seen him cowering under the sheets. She could use a laugh before bed; she'd go see if he was still doing it.

She walked through the bathroom that connected both rooms. The door on their end was ajar, so she figured one of them must've come in after she left. Lyra was sitting up in the bed, head cocked to the side as the noise continued. There was a lump under the blankets huddled next to her that had to be Lemy. Called it. Still a big baby.

"Yes?" She couldn't escape being noticed by Lyra.

"Just looking for whatever was making that noise." Lupa lied. One of the benefits of having a flat tone was it was impossible for people to tell if you were lying or not. She got away with it.

"I was wondering that myself." She frowned. "Is that normally a problem?"

"Nope." Lupa shrugged. "Probably just one of the ghosts making noise." She smirked when the lump started fidgeting.

"Absurd." Lyra sniffed. "Probably just a draft or something." Lupa was sure she was trying to reassure her brother. "Both of you need to ignore it and go to bed." Yep, she was. Lupa shrugged and closed the door behind her as she returned to her room.

Thump. Thump. THUMP. The noise suddenly died off. Lupa stopped to listen for a few seconds, but it didn't start up again. Whatever it was, it seemed to have stopped. Whatever. Lupa climbed into bed and closed her eyes. Noise or no noise, she was soon fast asleep.