14. Chapter 14

"And maybe if you'd been here to help like you said you'd be, it wouldn't have happened!"

Lincoln always remembered those words, every single time Liby visited. Every single time they went out they'd ring in his head. When she'd tense up at crowds, when she'd squeeze his hand just a little tighter, when whatever smile she'd been wearing would vanish on a dime.

He could tell she was shy from that joyous moment he'd gotten to see her again. But what he'd had to painfully learn was she was easily afraid. It'd been good intentions on his part, taking his daughters out to do something. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions, as they say.

That summed up a lot of things he'd done in his life.

Liby hated public crowded spaces, or at least public spaces filled with people bigger than her. She'd absolutely refused at first, and it eventually got to where the mere suggestion would make her tear up.

Luan had finally sat him down and given it to him straight- Liby might have had some mild ochlophobia, a fear of crowds. It hadn't hurt him too much to only do inside things- just being able to see her again was a blessing in itself- but he had to wonder just how that had happened. Luan had told him.

After his unwilling departure, she'd had to take care of Liby herself. Their parents sure as hell weren't going to help, Leni and Luna were already on the road with their careers by then, and Lynn was just as overburdened. So she had to take their daughter with her everywhere, including shopping.

Getting ready for your first year of school was one of those things that should be exciting. For Liby, it'd been terrifying. As his sister told him, the mall had been packed on that day with a lot of pushy people. They'd gotten separated, and Luan hadn't found her again for over an hour and when he had, she'd been kneed in the face at least once. Their little girl hated crowds from that day on.

A whole hour. How did that happen? According to Luan, she'd looked frantically for about 20 minutes before quickly finding mall security. Even then, it had taken time for them to find her. Lincoln had been upset, obviously, and maybe a little angry.

But while he'd been thinking about how Liby felt, he hadn't been thinking about how Luan felt about it. How stressed and angry she was about it. And as soon as he'd shown the slightest sign of aggravation about what had happened. She'd snapped at him. Tore into him even. Shouted those same words he now couldn't get out of his head. She'd tried her hardest, but things turned out the way they did. He had no right to complain when everything originated from the mistake he'd made.

And he realized she was right. He didn't. The things he didn't like about his girls- Lupa not talking as much, Lacy being obviously suffocated by her mother's enthusiasm, and Liby being shy. Even recently, he'd felt the smallest bit of anger when he realized Lyra and Lemy had completed shrugged off the notion of having a dad after so long with just their mom. But did he have a right to complain about any of those to their mothers? Not at all.

But if the mistakes of the past couldn't be changed, he kept looking towards the future. That's why he spoiled them all, or as much as he could manage.

"There's an arcade and a food court in here." He mentioned to Lyra and Lemy as the four of them entered the expanse. The two looked around in un-hidden fascination. Malls were getting rare in the country, or so Leni bemoaned during their correspondences. The Royal Woods Mall might end up being the last in the country. "Go do whatever you guys want. We'll meet here back in an hour and a half?"

"Deal." Lemy was already trying to pull his sister away. Lincoln looked over at Liby.

"Shall we?" He offered her his hand. She took it and they set off. The first step was unsteady. She seemed to gravitate back and directly behind him before steadily coming out beside him. And in no time at all her steps were confident as they moved through the crowd.

Bookstore

"Hi Ms. Oliver." Liby greeted the clerk as she entered the store, letting her uncle's hand go as they stepped through the doorway. It wasn't one of those chain bookstores; it was a family business renting out a space in the mall, and the clerk was always the same woman.

"Hello Liby." It was a funny story, but even though they'd met over a dozen times, the woman had recognized Liby the first time she saw her. Or rather, she'd seen her mother in her, since Liby's mom got books from here for her daughter. "Through with those books already?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded. She woman smiled.

"Well, I went ahead and set aside the next installments since I just knew you'd be back." She knelt under the counter and pull out six books bound together with a zip tie. Liby bounded up to the counter and examined the spines, pulling out her list and comparing. Everything was there. She nodded in approval.

"Thanks you ma'am." She was sure to express her gratitude. Her uncle was already pulling out his wallet behind her. "I still wanna take a look around." She stopped him.

"Alright." He stored it for now. "I'll wait here." He let Liby roam to her hearts content. She made three different passes through the fantasy fiction isle and a quick one through the sci-fi section; she read both, but she preferred the former. She pulled a few off the shelf to look when the summary or cover intrigued her. So many of them were just sequels or in the middle of a series, and Liby hated reading things out of order. Her uncle stayed at the front of the store patiently, occasionally peering down the aisle to watch her survey the options.

After twenty minutes, they left the bookstore with a bag filled with eleven books. Over 2,000 words of intrigue or fantasy. Liby would probably be through with them in only a few weeks.

"Thank you so much!" Liby was so excited. So excited in fact, she was peering into the bag with both hands as they walked through the crowds.

"It's no problem." Her uncle shrugged. "I hope you enjoy them."

"I will." She nodded enthusiastically. "All the cliffhangers have been bugging me for so long." She complained. "Why the mage betrayed them, whose body they found in the safe room, why the cash was suddenly missing-" She was going on and on about all her favorite book series. Lincoln listened interestedly, nodding and making the occasional 'ah'.

She was so excited, she didn't look where she was going. Her uncle reached out and grabbed her shoulder too late to keep her from bumping into a woman. And suddenly Liby wasn't excited anymore.

"Sorry about that!" Lincoln put his hand on Liby's shoulders and moved her away quickly. He steered her closer to the sides of the massive walking space. "You okay?" He asked her once they got there.

"Y-yeah." Liby stuttered. She'd locked up there for a second and couldn't even recall being moved over here. She instinctively reached out to grab his hand.

"Ok." She heard her uncle sigh in relief and felt a little guilty. She really hated making him and her mom worry. "How about we go get a bite to eat, huh?" He suggested. "Then maybe check out that arcade. I'll bet you still got the high score on that space shooter." He was talking about a lite gun game Liby particularly enjoyed. It was about shooting aliens. She was real good at it.

"Well, obviously." She snorted dorkily and immediately covered her face as she blushed a deep red. Her uncle snorted too, and it made her feel just a little bit better.

The food court and the arcade were right next to one another. They had the market cornered as far as kids and teenagers went. But there was a decorative wall dividing them: four feet high and then diamond patterned wood beams reaching all the way to the ceiling. Both Liby and her uncle noticed Lemy on the arcade side, peering through one of the diamonds intently at something in the food court.

Intrigue took over and with a lack of crowds, Liby separated from her uncle to run up and see what had the nine-year old's interest. "What are you looking at?" She caught him off guard and he jumped.

"Nothing!" He said quickly, angrily. Liby peered through on of the diamonds herself. She immediately spotted what she was sure he'd been staring at: his sister. She was sitting at one of the food court tables...sitting across from a boy!

"Who's that?"

"I don't know." Lemy grumbled, resuming his own spying.

"Uh…What are you two up to?" It was their uncle, sounding perplexed.

"Lyra's talking to a boy." Liby explained without looking up.

"Really?" He asked. There was beat, and suddenly he was standing behind them looking through one of the higher diamonds at the same sight.

Food Court

Lyra hadn't been that surprised at the arcade last month and she wasn't surprised now. Having other kids coming up to Lemy and her wasn't all that unusual. It happened a lot when they were at hotels, other people looking for someone like them to interact with.

For Lyra, being approached by boys specifically wasn't unusual either. In fact, it was common enough her mother had felt the need to 'talk' with her about it. Ugh.

Whichever instance it was, she didn't turn them down. It wasn't just out of politeness; she'd always had a curiosity about interacting with more people her age, although willing to receive more than pursue. She could count the number of people her age she had any sort of compatibility with on one hand, but she never thought about not doing it.

She'd let Lemy run loose in the arcade and gone to the food court, being sure to pick a table that gave her a view of the only way in or out of the former venture. And while she was there, a boy about her age approached her.

They'd talked a little while, introduced themselves- his name was Marcus. When Lyra had introduced herself, he'd mentioned her mother ("Oh, like that famous singer?") but she didn't confirm it. She mentioned she was just passing through, and he talked about how he'd lived here most his life. All the while Lyra would make a glance to make sure Lemy wasn't wandering away somewhere.

Their conversation had ended with him suggesting he could show her around town sometime and asked for her number.

"I don't have a phone." She admitted. The boy looked surprised.

"Oh." He was quiet for a moment. "What social media do you use?"

"I don't have any of those either." And suddenly the atmosphere at the table was very awkward, color creeping into both their faces.

"Oh." He said again, looking around at nothing. "Too bad, I guess." He muttered and started to stand up. "It was nice talking to you though. Maybe we'll see each other again some time?"

"Thank you, and hopefully." She responded. He walked away. What a shame. But it happened. Part of a life of moving around so much. She didn't dwell on the occurrence.

Deciding to go check on Lemy, Lyra got up and started moving towards the arcade. She ran into her uncle partway there.

"Friend of yours?" He inquired, stopping her.

"No, a stranger." She stepped past.

"He seemed upset about something." He was trying to pry.

"He asked for my phone number and I didn't have one." From the mouth of the arcade, she immediately spotted her shoppingmode brother and cousin hunched over one of the cabinets together.

"Oh yeah, you don't have a phone." Her uncle remembered.

"No." She confirmed.

"We can go buy you one." He offered, surprising her.

"No…" She shook her head. "Thank you, but no. I'm fine." She didn't need one. The only people she ever called was her mom, and she did that on either a hotel landline or using one of her aunt's phone. It wasn't a necessity. Besides, she'd seen what having a phone could do through Loan. Not exactly pretty.

"Come on." He insisted. "It's the least I can do. You don't want to miss an opportunity like that again, do you?" An opportunity like that. He missed the way her lips tightened slightly.

"Someone needs to watch Lemy." She made an excuse. Her uncle realized she wasn't going to budge. He left her to it and said he was going to go look in some other stores. He made sure to invite Liby, and the younger girl left with him excitedly.

And when they met up again when it was time to head back home, both had a few more bags worth of items. Once they were in the car and buckled in, Lincoln passed one to his oldest niece. Peering inside, she realized it was a phone. And before she could protest, the engine started, and they were already moving.

"…Thanks." She conceded, realizing his intention but refusing to be angry about it. She'd never had a need for one, but maybe she could find some utility for it, seeing as he'd gone through so much trouble just to get her one.

Later that day

After they'd gotten home, Liby had retreated into the kitchen for some privacy to start reading her new books and the rest had fallen into their usual places.

It was about six in the evening when their uncle called all of them together. "I got something to show you." Was all he said. He adjusted something he'd set on top of the computer and opened a new window that showed just blackness. Then something appeared in it. "Hi Linky!"

"Hey Leni." Lincoln waved to the camera. Their fashion-oriented aunt waved back from the other screen. Then she squealed when she saw the three of them standing behind him. Further greeting were exchanged.

Where as Lyra always thought her mother looked older than she was, she thought her second eldest aunt looked younger than she really was. The blond hadn't looked a day over 20 last time Lyra saw her years ago and she still didn't now. She looked just as fashionable too, with designer glasses and a shirt.

Behind was Liena, and…wow. Lyra remembered the girl towering over her last time she saw her. Now Lyra was sure she would've towered over anyone in the family. She must've been well over 6 feet. So tall she had to lean down to be in the video feed. Big too. Not fat, just stocky.

"Oh my gosh! Is that Liby? Put her on!" Leni urged. Lincoln rolled slightly to the side to let the timid girl nervously approach. "I haven't seen what you looked like in, like, forever! You're so pretty!"

"T-thanks." Liby said in embarrassment. "You look just as pretty as you sound on the phone."

"Aww." Leni gushed at the compliment. Then she begged to see Lyra and Lemy.

"You're so beautiful!" She gasped when the brunette stepped in front of the camera. "Oh my gosh, your hair is amazing."

"Thank you." Lyra smiled. Her aunt was still bubbly to the point of it being infectious.

Lemy was a little more reluctant to be put on display. "Aww, you're not a cute little boy anymore." Their aunt seemed disappointed. Lemy puffed out his chest.

"Mom and Sam gave me a makeover."

"Hmm…" Their aunt cocked her head to the side. "It could work…" She said thoughtfully.

"So how are you doing, Leni?" Lincoln interjected, knowing the signs of an incoming fashion binge. Her focus changed immediately.

"Ooh, just great! We're in New York to sample this new store that's opening!"

"New Jersey, mom." Liena corrected her.

"Right!" The older blond didn't miss a beat. And the conversation just became one of two siblings catching up on what the other had been up to recently. Lyra, Lemy, and Liby left them to it, although it wasn't hard to eavesdrop on the conversation that they had for the next hour. Lyra felt just a little bit guilty for it.

Leni was just going on and on about everything she been doing, and her shoppingmode brother listened with rapt attention, comedy, and genuine laughter. And she'd listened just as attentively when he started talking about how he was doing. She asked about the rest of their sisters- Lyra's mom, Luan, Lynn, even Lucy, interestingly.

He even spoke to Liena one on one for a little while, although Lyra could tell she wasn't as keen to speak when there was an audience. They just explained pleasantries and Lincoln asked her about how and what she'd been doing for the summer. Lyra couldn't remember exactly what is was, but she knew Liena wasn't home schooled like they were. A boarding academy? She wished she could remember.

Despite that, Liena still did talk about a lot of things to their uncle. Mostly about her mother, Lyra couldn't help but notice. About the fun things they did, but also about some of the mishaps they got into. She didn't really hide her frustration when she talked about those, and Lyra had to remember for how nice she was, her aunt was a little…silly? She didn't want to think anything meaner.

Lincoln was sympathetic to all her gripes, offering condolences or praising her for her own sharp wits during them. He kept steering her back to talk more about herself though, during which were mood was noticeably better.

"Well, if you ever want to talk, you always have my number." Lincoln mentioned near the end of their conversation.

Lyra suddenly thought the phone he'd bought her wasn't such a bad idea after all.

After that, Liby wanted to play some of the video games she'd brought with her. It took a bit of haggling on her part and some insistence from their uncle, which Lemy strangely folded to, before she was set up.

It was something about managing a military and fighting aliens. Liby sat in the center of the couch and their uncle right beside her. Lemy and Lyra were relegated to the ends of the couch, although Lemy got bored of the slow pace of the game and announced he was going into the bedroom to play his guitar. Lyra decided to stay and watch.

And for that, she got to witness uncle and niece get really into their game. It was like Liby was a general and her uncle a savvy assistant. They debated strategy. They debated management. Many moves were preceded by deep discussion. They both cheered when something went right. And they both leaned back dramatically in their seat when something went wrong.

Lyra didn't understand much of it. In fact, she was sure that they forgot she was there. But they were clearly having fun.

And they did this well into the night. Around ten Lyra felt responsible to speak up and ask if either of them were going to bed. She got a "we'll go soon" as an answer. She believed them and sent Lemy to bed before going herself, although making sure to unpack Liby's sleeping bag for her.

And when Lyra got up the next morning, she found both of them on the couch sleeping against the other. The game from still on, but the controller had clearly spent the night on the floor. She let them be.