12. Chapter 12
Earlier that day
The year Lincoln had lived in this house was probably the year in his life with less sleep compared to the others. It was creepy. It was REALLY creepy. All the noises it made, all the cold drafts even in the middle of summer, and all the weird things had happened… It was a lot scarier when you experienced in person and not on TV. He had no idea how his kids didn't see it.
But Lucy loved it here. He'd offered to buy a two-room apartment so her and Lupa could move into the city with him, somewhere safer, but she'd declined. He wasn't surprised- she'd found her calling and what made her happy same as the rest of the family. And if he was honest a living arrangement like that might not have been sustainable and it would've just brought him into conflict with Luan and especially Lynn. Four years later, Lucy almost had this house paid off anyway.
Lincoln just really wished Lupa could grow up somewhere a little nicer.
After he finished eating he found Lucy in the library. Lucy put her book down and stood up as soon as he entered.
"Dinner was great." He said. "You really-" What he was about to say was cut off as she reached him and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss before throwing her arms around his shoulder. Lincoln leaned right in and returned it, letting his hands drift into the small of her back. They broke for oxygen after a full minute.
"I missed you." She explained. It'd been more than a month since he last visited.
"Sorry." He said earnest. "I-"
"-busy." Lucy finished. "I know. You always are." Wasn't that the sad truth? Lincoln lamented as Lucy returned to her seat. He pulled up another old wooden chair and sat down beside her.
"Yeah. Lyra and Lemy have been here the last few weeks. I've been trying to get close with them when I can."
"Any success?" She asked. Lucy had always been a seemingly emotionless girl, and now she was seemingly emotionless woman. But Lincoln knew that wasn't true. She had a deep perception of human emotion. Very deep. She could understand when someone talked about how they felt, negative emotions especially. She was a good listener.
Lincoln could still remember when he'd first returned to Royal Woods, how she'd listened to him for hours and days on end lamenting and reflecting. Even now she was there for him.
"Yeah. I think they're starting to like me." Lincoln smiled slightly. "Lyra especially. I'm still amazed how she turned out. Luna told me how she was, but I didn't believe it till I saw it." The little girl he'd last seen 10 years ago was now a smart, kind, and passionate young woman. He had expected she'd be more like her mother, although he certainly wasn't mad or disappointed she wasn't.
Lucy nodded. Lyra had always been distinct from her mother, more like Lori then Luna.
"Lemy, he's definitely Luna's son. Luna said we was a nice little kid, but I haven't seen it. I think I'm too lame for him." Lincoln said ruefully.
"You're not lame."
"Compared to Luna, I am." He confessed. "But we're both into video games, so there's a start." He beamed. "They're great kids though, both of them. I'm so glad to have them back in my life."
"I'm happy for you." Lucy monotoned. Lincoln nodded.
"We're going to tell them." He told her.
"What?" Lincoln could detect that small difference in her sister's voice that betrayed surprise. "Tell them what?"
"Luna and I agreed…" Lincoln stared at his hands before looking up. "That we want to tell both of them the truth. Not Lemy, not yet. But when Luna comes to town, we're going to sit down with Lyra and tell her."
"Why?"
"Luna wants to. I want to too."
"When did you guys agree to this?" Lucy asked. Lincoln hadn't talked about this with anyone else yet, but he was itching to get it off his chest. Lucy would listen.
"I got her phone number from Luan three years ago and we started talking to each other again. But she kept dodging Lyra and Lemy when I brought them up. She wouldn't even send me a picture." He shook his head. "I guess she was still mad at me." And could he blame her after the way they'd parted in the first place?
"Then last April I found out she was coming to town to play. She didn't even tell me. So I got a ticket and went hoping I'd get a chance to talk to her in person." That he'd got to see her at all was the pure dumb luck that Sam had noticed him struggling to the front of the crowd and pointed him out to Luna. "Did she ever mention that?" Lucy shook her head. "We talked for a while and I begged to see them. She said they were in a different state."
Had Lincoln not been so into what he was saying, he might have caught Lucy's subtle reaction to that bit and deducted, correctly, that Lemy and Lyra had in fact been at this house at that time and Luna had lied to him.
"And we kept talking after that for another year. I kept asking to see them. And then two months ago she finally relented and said she'd agree on one condition."
"If you told them?" Lucy guessed.
"If we told them." Lincoln nodded. He looked at his hands again. "And I agreed."
"That could be dangerous." Lucy warned him. "You'll be exposing them to a darkness about their very existence they've never comprehended."
"I know." Lincoln realized that. He'd realized that from the first day they'd been there. It wasn't something they wanted to hear, Lemy especially. He had no idea how Lyra would react to it, since the girl clearly had conflicting views of her mother. She'd seemed to have given up the idea of having a dad altogether. But he'd wanted to see them, and he wanted nothing more for them- ALL of them- to know the truth.
He hoped this would be a start. He could talk to Leni and they could sit down with Liena. Luan and him could talk to Liby in a few years. Lacy- God, when she'd told him how much he meant to her, he'd almost broke down and told her right there and then. Soon, he hoped. Lupa may have been smarter then she should be, but she was still too young. One day though, just like the others.
"What exactly are you going to tell them?" Lucy asked.
"Just who I really am." He assured her. "Nothing about their cousins or what happened to the family. Lyra has been asking about that though." He confessed.
"She might figure it out." His sister warned.
"We don't think so." Lincoln shook his head. Again, Lyra clearly saw her mother had faults, so she probably didn't think it was impossible. But she still loved her. That gave him hope. She'd be disgusted, obviously, but she'd see through that for the good he was.
Right? But he was dedicated to doing this.
"It's Luna and your decision." Lucy decided. If she had reservations, she didn't say them. "But Lincoln," She reached over and grabbed his arm. "Please be careful." She was worried for him, and he didn't blame her. If this went wrong, it would go terribly wrong. But he wasn't going to falter.
"I will." He promised. "Trust me, Lucy, I'm not planning to ruin anything."
That night
Lyra retired for the night with an odd feeling in her heart. The day had reminded her a lot of when Lacy first came to visit. Aunt Lucy and Lupa were slightly different people around their uncle. Her aunt actually seemed animated; usually, she gave off a good impression of a statue. And Lupa, as Lyra as witnessed, was capable of being more than a snarky girl that knew more then she should. She acted like an actual girl her age!
Lemy and Lupa were the same age along with the slightly similar attitudes, something Lyra thought about more and more about as the day went on, and apparently something her brother noticed too since he looked bothered whenever he saw their uncle and cousin interacting. It made sense when you considered how long their uncle had known Lupa compared to them, but the contrast was a little jarring.
She'd wondered if Lemy would be different then he was now if they'd known their uncle longer. She intended to ask her mother when she saw her next month why she had never sent them to stay with him before now. But that was a month away. Speaking of her mother…
"So what did you and mom talk about?" She asked her brother. Lupa had gone back to her room and the strange thumping noise had subsided. Lemy poked his head out from under the blanket.
"She told me not to be mean to you or our uncle and not to listen in on other people's conversations." He confessed in shame.
"Good." Lyra murmured, curling protectively around him. He'd never admit it, but she knew he was uneasy in his house. This house was the only place he didn't make a conscious effort to sleep away from her.
"Sorry."
"You don't have to apologize." He couldn't possibly have ignored the things he overheard. She knew was partly at fault for talking about it where he could overhear her.
"She said I should tell you thanks, so…thanks." He said unsurely. Thank your sister for raising you during the times I wasn't. She assumed.
"You don't have to thank me either." She told him. "I'm just doing everything I should be." Now he seemed confused. Their mom had told him something, and now Lyra was brushing off the significance of it.
"Just remember what she told you, okay?" She cleared it up for him.
"Okay." And then, more quietly, "I'm glad you're around." Lyra smiled and pulled him closer.
"And I'm glad I have you." She told him. "Now go to sleep." She was tired, but she stayed awake long enough to hear his breathing lapse into a slower and steady rhythm before letting herself drift off.
Thump. Thump. Thump. The sound was starting up again. But Lyra was used to falling asleep in hotels close to highways. She could fall asleep despite it, and she did.
They all got to sleep in. It'd be past midnight when they finally went to bed and they were all tired. Even Lyra's habit of rising early didn't keep her from sleeping till just after 10 the next morning. Even then she was still a little tired.
The house was still and no one else was up, so after getting dressed Lyra decided to return to the warm bed for another half hour before she heard stirring. The creaking of floor boards and a door opening and closing close by. It must've been Lupa in the other room. The sound of running water from the bathroom between the rooms confirmed it.
From past experience, their aunt rose later in the day, sometimes as late as noon. Most mornings the three youths would be up and eat breakfast on their own before they even saw the raven-haired woman.
Sure enough, Lyra leaned out of her doorway into the hall and saw Lupa emerge from her bedroom still in her pajamas and sporting a bed head. That was as much as a Que to start the day as any.
"Good morning." She bid.
"Uh huh." Her cousin said back. Lyra glanced behind her to see Lemy was still in bed and decided to leave him. The two girls walked downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. The selection their aunt had was meagre. Lupa filled a bowl with cereal and milk and just sat it on the counter and started eating there. Lyra made one for herself and prepared to head for the dining room.
"Your brother said this is the first time you visited Lincoln?" Lupa asked before she got out of the room.
"Hmm?" Lyra stopped. "Yes, it's the first time."
"Huh." Lupa said uninterestedly through a mouthful of cereal. "Maybe she doesn't like him." She idly suggested. Her mom didn't like her brother? Lyra couldn't see how or why; he was such an inoffensive man. And besides, she'd said nothing but good things about him. She was wondering why, but that couldn't have been it.
"I highly doubt that." She said sternly. "Maybe she just thought he was always too busy to watch us." All her aunts worked, but her uncle outdid all of them except for maybe Lori. Did she know how busy he was helping with Lacy, Liby, and Lupa? Or maybe it had been entirely because he didn't have a kid; part of their send offs was so they could be with people their age.
"Busy raising his sisters' kids, you mean?" Lupa guessed, stunning Lyra with her age inappropriate wisdom. "Your brother mentioned Lacy and Liby yesterday too."
Speaking of her brother, he came down still in shorts and a t-shirt during the stunned silence. He noticed there seemed to be a girl talk happening and made fast to get his food and leave for the living room to watch tv before he could hear it.
"Yes, well…" Lyra said once he'd left. Lupa may have been wise beyond her years, but Lyra wasn't going to entertain any discussions about mature matters with her. Although she didn't miss the fact Lupa seemed to realize what he was doing. "That's nobodies' business but his own."
"It is." Lupa actually agreed with her. The smart thing at that moment would've been to disengage from the conversation. Aside from not discussing appropriate matters, anything they did talk about would surely lead to a disagreement.
Lyra didn't do the smart thing.
"You don't seem to have any complaints about it." She'd meant it as a neutral observation. By the way Lupa sneered at her, it was misconstrued as an insult. The small albino snapped back at her, changing the subject.
"At least my mom isn't a drunk." Lyra's face flushed red with anger and she set her breakfast down on the counter.
"Do NOT talk about my mother." Lyra said first. "And do not get angry with me. I haven't insulted you or your mom." Lupa's sneer started to lessen. "I was just saying…"
"I like having him around. So what?" This was not the normal Lupa. Normal Lupa was flat in her jabs. This Lupa was aggressive.
Just like Lacy…
"I never said that's a bad thing. I'd be glad to have him around in your shoes."
"My shoes?" Lupa looked unamused. "Why don't you focus on being the girl with the lousy mom and I'll focus on being me, okay?" Maybe she had unintentionally insulted her cousin somehow.
Again, she could've walked away. But Lyra didn't.
"There's nothing wrong with that though." She told Lupa the same thing she'd told Lacy. "It's a good thing, given the circumstances."
"Hmph." But her younger cousin seemed to be defrosting.
"He's trying to be the same for us, and I'm grateful."
"Mommy issues AND daddy issues." She ignored that jab too. But upon saying that, Lupa looked a little more thoughtful. "Yeah, he nice to have around though." She conceded, although her tone suggested he was just that- a nicety.
Lyra was certain that wasn't true though. All her cousin's actions last night- the hugs, the leaning, the shoulder ride- were a clear indication of how she really felt. She was just a little more dedicated to not admitting it.
And Lyra wouldn't press her. They both realized the truth. In fact, there was comprehension in both their expressions as they faced each other. Lyra was sure at that moment, for perhaps the first time, the two were having a mutual understanding. And also for the first time, Lupa seemed to be looking at her with something more than complete indifference.
The moment died quickly as the girls heard heavy footsteps coming from the hallway.
"Good morning." Their uncle greeted as he entered the kitchen already dressed for the day. He tussled Lupa's hair as he passed her, prompting her to swat at his hand. The white-haired girl got up and decided to leave too to avoid his games.
"Good morning." Lyra responded politely. She wondered if he'd ask what they were talking about. But he didn't. He just started looking through the fridge and cupboards for his own breakfast to have. So she decided to turn to hers that she'd neglected for the conversation.
"Lyra!" Lemy shouted through the first floor, sounding excited. "Mom's on TV!"
Oh no.
It was hard to say who got up and ran to the living room faster: Lyra or her uncle. Lemy and Lupa were both standing in front of the tv, and Lyra stopped in front of her bother as to block his view. The channel was set to one of those celebrity gossip shows, those disgusting things. And just as Lemy had said, there was their mom.
She was dressed in something skimpy and clearly at a party. The camera got a good look at her, but only because she was actively approaching it and the feed got cut off as she suddenly swiped it out of the hands of whoever was holding it.
"She attacked another paparazzi." Lyra realized in relief, only letting Lemy see the TV again when it cut back to the obnoxious looking hosts and not their scantily clad mother.
"Yeah, they said it was last night." Lemy told her.
"'Another'?" Their uncle asked.
"Yes, mom hates people with cameras." Lemy told him.
"Just people who try and interrupt her personal life." Lyra corrected. Luna Loud was a very publicized name, but she didn't stand for camera attention 24/7.
"Does that happen a lot?" He asked.
"A lot." Lemy nodded
"Mostly around us." Lyra explained. "Mom doesn't like anyone knowing about us."
"…Huh." Lincoln said after a delay.
"It can be pretty crazy sometimes." Lemy said. "Mom made me hide in the girls bathroom once." That was true, and it wasn't even the worst instance. They always took steps to avoid, but if that was impossible their mother would be confrontational. Very confrontational. One of the times they'd visited Luan and Liby was because mom got charged for snagging someone's camera and breaking it over their head.
"These are the people that post naked pictures of you online. I'd punch them too." Lupa left that very disturbing image in their heads.
Their mom was on the screen again, another scene from what was probably last night. The vultures worked fast. A horde of them were following their mother as she walked back to her tour bus. Something immediately caught their eye.
"Sam's back!" Lemy sounded happy.
"She is." Lyra looked at the blond women beside Luna. She must've got out of rehab. Both women walked, ignoring the questions being shouted at them. One got too close and Luna shoved it away before saying something. Whatever it was must've been bad, because it was bleeped out. Lemy and Lincoln both snickered, one loudly and the other trying to hold it in. Lyra reached forward and shut the TV off manually.
"Hey!" Lemy shouted angrily, trying to push past her and turn it back on.
"No." She said with finality and he stopped. Lupa decided there was no more entertainment to be had and left, leaving them and their awkward looking uncle. "When are we leaving?" Lyra asked. She didn't mean to sound rude, but she was looking for a change of subject. Besides, it was nearly midday already.
"I guess I can go say goodbye to Lucy and Lupa whenever you guys are ready." He decided.
"Well, I'm ready." Lemy interjected. His mood had soured.
"We'll go say goodbye to them too." Lyra decided. She thought their uncle might need to get back to his work at home. They didn't want to keep him from it.
"I'll go wake up Lucy and tell her then. You guys go say goodbye to Lupa first." Lincoln told them, so they did. Lupa had gone back to the kitchen for second helpings.
"We're going back home." Lyra told her, regretfully discarding the uneaten breakfast she'd made. She thought she caught something briefly flash on her cousin's face- disappointment, maybe. She wasn't even sure, but Lupa looked just as indifferent as ever when she responded.
"Bye." She said without ceremony.
"See you around." Lemy sounded just as indifferent.
"Yep." Lupa acknowledged. That was about as emotional a goodbye they'd get from her. You could easily think she didn't care if they were there or not. Lyra had gotten slightly hopeful after their conversation she'd get something more.
Their aunt and uncle came into the kitchen a few minutes later, their aunt still in a nightgown. She looked unkempt. She must've decided to come see them off without getting ready for the day.
"Thank you for inviting us over." Lyra walked up. "And thank you for dinner."
"Yeah, it was pretty cool." Lemy nodded. "The firework show was awesome."
"It was nice having some life in the house for a day." Lucy said to them, then looked over at her daughter. "Lupa."
"It was fun." She obliged.
"You can come visit again before you go back to your mom." Their aunt offered, which surprised them slightly.
"We'll see." Lincoln promised. His sister hugged him again, wishing him luck with his work. He did the same and promised he'd at least come by himself later. To the side, Lupa pretended to gag at the scene.
All the goodbyes and good wishes had been made, simple but earnest. They went back upstairs to grab their things, Lemy got dressed, and they left for home.