15. Chapter 15

Lemy couldn't recall ever being on a plain normal bus at any point in his life, although Lyra told him he had as a baby in California. He was used to either mom's tour bus or those charter buses that carried you across state lines, both that had mini-televisions and their own bathrooms. Plain buses had none of those, just seats next together that were barely big enough to fit a person and a whole lot of people trying to not make eye contact.

Lyra and him were going to see a movie. She suggested it after getting better, since they'd been here for just over three weeks by then and hadn't gone out to do anything, and he'd agreed. It'd been long enough that he was starting to get bored. On the road, the view was always changing. At that apartment, nothing changed. It was even weirder because he could always see their uncle at his desk. Lemy did think he was kind of cool, but when things went back to the normal he kept wondering why he bothered inviting them if he would always be busy.

So Lyra had pulled up the cinema website and let him choose, although she'd warned anything above pg-13 was out of the question. He'd chosen the newest Terminator sequel, a remake of a series from before even his mom was born. It was violent, but it was pg-13 like she'd said.

When they got off at the bus station in front of the movie theater, the electronic screen in the booth was cycling through advertisements. One happened to be of mom, for her show August 5th, but she'd be in town before that. Only a few more weeks till they saw her again. He couldn't wait.

"Have you talked to mom at all?" He asked his sister as they walked across the parking lot.

"Not since before we visited Aunt Lucy, no." She told him.

"Her tour schedule said she should be in New Mexico." He'd been checking into the music channel on tv occasionally.

"I'm sure she's enjoying herself." Lyra replied. Yeah, she had to be.

"Can I call her on your phone?" Lemy asked. He'd seen her looking at it once or twice since Liby visited. Their uncle had bought her it. He'd gotten a new video game too that Lemy had had fun playing. By the look on her face, she didn't like the question.

"Let me see if she's awake." She pulled it out of her skirt pocket and dialed their mother. She held the phone to her ear then brought it down to look at the screen.

"She's not there?" He asked.

"It was declined. She probably didn't recognize the number." Lyra stopped and pulled him up onto a little concrete patch where a light pole was. She tried texting instead. Tried. She went slow and Lemy could see her expression start to become slightly annoyed.

"Did you send it?" He asked when she stopped staring at the screen.

"Yes, but it might take a while-" The phone started ringing in her hand. She answered, and Lemy waited there impatiently while she talked.

"Yes mom. No, nothing's wrong." She listened for a few seconds. "Uncle Lincoln bought me a phone a few days ago." Whatever mom said next must of annoyed her, because he could see her start to scowl, although she turned her face away to hide it. "Yeah. Sure. Look, are you busy? I'm calling because Lemy wanted to talk to you." Another few seconds passed where Lemy was nearly rocking on his heels before Lyra turned around and handed him the phone. He immediately brought it up to his ear.

"Hey mom." He said, quickly moving to the other side of the little patch of concrete. Not out of ear shot, but it would do.

"Lemy!" She sounded up beat. "What's going on, dude?"

"Not much. Lyra and me are going to see a movie."

"Sweet. Your uncle is really spoiling you two."

"No, he's working." Lemy explained. "It's just us."

"He's working?" Mom seemed surprised. "He's always working." She shared her son's exasperation. "So what- Oi, fook off, I'm talking to my son." Lemy couldn't tell who she was talking to, but he grinned. "So what have you guys been up to?" She asked.

"Well, Liby and Lacy visited it." He shrugged. "We went to the mall. You're coming here a few days before your show, right?" He asked.

"A few days before. Why?" Mom asked. "You're having fun over there, aren't you? I know he's working, but your uncle's a pretty cool dude, isn't he?"

"Yeah," He admitted. "But I miss you." He could've swore he felt Lyra staring at him when he said that, but when he glanced behind she was looking somewhere else.

"Yeah, I miss you guys too. Can't wait to see you both again. But don't get down, dude. It's only another three weeks. Both of you try and have fun, okay?"

"Okay mom."

"And do me a favor and try and get your uncle away from his desk. For your mum, alright? He could use a break."

"We'll try." Lemy promised, although he really no intention.

"Good lad." Mom sounded please. "Put your sister back on the phone. And you guys have fun at the movies, alright?"

"We will. Love you."

"Love you too, little dude." And with that farewell, Lemy handed Lyra's phone back to her. She took it, and he listened in to one half of the conversation they had.

"Yes, mother, I will." A pause. "He's busy, but I'll mentioned it." Another pause. "Okay. Love you too, goodbye." She put the phone back in her pocket.

"C'mon. The movie starts soon." She grabbed his hand and they continued walking across the parking lot.

"Don't start acting like a grouch." She warned as they approached the front entrance.

"I won't." He didn't keep the attitude out of his voice.

"I miss her too." She said softly. "But she wants you to have fun, so try, okay?"

"I am having fun. This is better than any of place we've been. I just want to see mom again."

"Soon, okay?" She told him, then thought about something. "Since I have a phone now, you can call her if you miss her. How's that sound?" That sounded great. The only reason he didn't already was because his sister drilled into him it was rude to bug their aunts every day to use their phones. Now it'd just be having to bug Lyra…

"Can't I get my own phone?" He asked.

"No." As fast as that came, she must've been expecting it.

"Why not?" He asked, and they stopped in front of the entrance.

"You're not old enough." Man, he wished he could've gone the rest of the visit without having to hear that.

"Okay. I'll call mom using yours." He agreed. It was no big deal. He still got to talk to mom either way. Just the fact he'd gotten to talk to her today had made it a good day.

The movie ended up being pretty good too.

A few days later, they saw Aunt Lynn and Lacy again. For as much as the two visited, Lyra and Lemy really should've asked why there'd been no trace of that during the time they'd stayed over with them. But neither could think about much beyond how much they missed sleeping when their aunt burst through the bedroom door declaring it time to rise. They'd gotten here before Lyra even got up.

So they had to get up so their aunt would stop yelling at them. Lemy already missed the warmth. And then they had to get in line for the bathroom since Lacy was already in there. They at least got to eat breakfast by themselves, but Lemy already decided that day was going to suck.

Downstairs

Don't sit still for long after you've just done a run- your muscles will get stiff. Lincoln knew that lesson well. So did Lynn, obviously, but she took it a little more seriously. That was why every time these visits happened Lincoln would end up sitting in the driver seat for five minutes watching her doing a stretch routine on the sidewalk to ensure minimal risk of muscle lock for their seven minute drive back to her apartment.

He'd almost dozed off again before she gave the hood a smack and climbed in. "Alright, let's go."

"Of course." He yawned. Well, if the trip back to their apartment played out like they usually did, he wouldn't be tired for long. None of Lynn's neighbors knew who he was, but they knew whenever he came by things on the floor got loud.

"Hey Lincoln." She suddenly spoke up. "Been meaning to ask you something."

"Yeah?" He responded, not thinking much of it.

"Do Luna's kids seem a little close to you?"

"…Huh?" He didn't look up from the road.

"Lyra and Lemy. Don't they look just a little familiar to you, bro?" Lincoln snapped his head to her before quickly turning back to the road.

"What? You're not saying they're like us, are you?" He asked incredulously.

"Just that they look like it."

"Lynn!" He hissed. "No. Just…no." He shook his head.

"Remember when we started sharing a bed again?" She asked.

"There's nothing wrong with that." He tried to reason. "It's because they stay in hotels so often."

"So you don't think there's anything weird about them?" She asked him skeptically.

"No. I'm certain there's nothing like that. Luna agrees with me."

"They're pretty cool kids." Luna finished up.

"Yeah, they sound amazing." Phone to his ear, Lincoln leaned back in his desk chair. He'd wondered for so long and now he was going to get a chance to see them again.

"Just a heads-up dude. Don't get weirded out if they seem a little close." She brought him back to the conversation at hand.

"Huh?"

"They might seem a comfy with each other. Lori and Luan have mentioned it, so I thought I'd give you a heads up. They're nothing like us."

"Like…us?!"

"Nah, brah. Lemy isn't even old enough. And Lyra- I told you what she was like. I can't wait to see what type of boy actually gets her."

"If you say so…" Lincoln said. Imagining his kids like that…talk about a nightmare. He could suddenly understand how his parents felt. "What do you mean though?"

"They still share a bed. And don't be surprised if they want to hang with each other instead of you. You'll probably notice it in Lyra more; she's crazy attached to her little brother."

"Oh really?" Lincoln asked.

"Yeah, Lyra wouldn't leave him alone after he was born. Kind of baby crazy like Lola was." Lincoln had to smile at that- Lola had been absolutely crazy about all the babies in the house. Paradoxical really since they could interrupt her beauty sleep and ruin her clothes. She would have made a great aunt. "She'd always argue with to get more time with him or pout at me if I had him." God, that sounded adorable. And he'd missed it. "Then I guess she got it in her head she was supposed to protect him from me and she just hasn't grown out of it yet." The smile slipped from Lincoln's face.

"Protect?" He repeated unsurely, leaning forward in his chair.

"Yeah." Luna replied casually. "I said she was into that Bible she had. Once she started getting on the rag she would just bang on and on about it to me trying to 'save my soul'. Telling me I was going to burn, go to Hell, all that jazz. Even the people in High School didn't call me a whore as much as she did."

"Luna, that sounds really bad." Lincoln couldn't help but stand and start to pace. He did not like what he was hearing.

"Nah." Luna didn't seem concerned at all with anything she'd just recalled. "It was just puberty dude, you know how it is. A phase. She's chill now, doesn't talk about anything in the Bible anymore."

"Are you sure?" Lincoln couldn't believe it was just that simple.

"Look, bro, I know my daughter loves me." 'My' not 'our'. "She still does. It was just a little rough patch. We got through it. We understand each other. I'm only mentioning it because of how she acts. Don't worry out it."

"I'm supposed to be worried if I hear my daughter might hate her mom."

"You were supposed to be here so she could rag on at you too." He shut up. Luna continued on like they hadn't had that exchange. "So yeah, don't expect to get in any fishing trips in without her breathing down yer neck."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Real attached." She repeated. "You know, I thought about sending Lyra to one of those religious boarding schools. But I realized she'd never want to get separated from her brother. And little boys like to say they're brave, but I've seen Lemy hiding behind his sister most nights. They're really close, dude. I can't stress that enough. More than we were but not in the same way."

"I understand."

"And I agree with her." Lincoln finished after summarizing the conversation. Lynn had listened to every world.

"I don't know…" She still sounded unconvinced. "I'd keep an eye out in case things change."

"God, I hope not." Lincoln muttered to himself.

"And what's that supposed to mean?!" Lynn seemed to take offense to what he'd said, and he could immediately figure out why. They were just arriving at her apartment and he parked and shut off the engine.

"I didn't mean it like that." He turned to her. "I love Lacy. I love you."

"You still regret it." She accused.

"No. I love both of you." He repeated. "I just think it's nice they love each other so much without being the way we were." She was trying to glare a hole in his head.

"You can stay here." She told him. "I'll bring Lacy's things down." She got out of the car, slammed the door, and stormed off. Lincoln watched her go and slumped in his seat, a hand to his forehead.

One time. He'd mentioned one time he wished things hadn't fallen apart with the rest of the family, and ever since she was so quick to judge, so quick to accuse him of not wanting anything to do with them. That wasn't true. He didn't regret any of them in the slightest, he only regretted the family falling apart after it got found out.

"They're the same thing!" She'd say. Were they really? He thought maybe they were; he was asking to keep the benefits without getting the blow back. Didn't stop him from wishing for both.

She was just scared. Lynn always masked her fear with anger or aggression. That was who she was. And no matter how many times he swore things wouldn't fall apart again, she never believed him.

And why would she? It wouldn't be the first time he lied; he swore up and down to the four of them but Lynn especially that her and Lacy were the cutting off point, where everything ended. He'd do his best for all of them from then on. And then Lucy happened. And Lemy.

Either he'd been wallowing for a few minutes or Lynn had made record time up to her apartment. She opened the car door and flung the over night bag into his lap.

"Lynn-"

"See you tomorrow." She slammed the door and went back into the building. It was just an argument, he told himself as he drove home. They always had to get mad at each other over this every few months. And every time they got over it and focused on Lacy. They'd do it this time too.

But he really hoped one argument would be the last, someday.

The next morning

It was over already. Lacy couldn't help but pout a little as she had to pack her stuff and go home. For once, to her joy, it was her uncle was taking her. At least she didn't have to run and risk upsetting her stomach from all the junk food she'd eaten for breakfast.

"C'mon, don't make that face." He encouraged. "You can come by again soon."

"But school starts in a month!" Lacy despaired. "I'll probably only get to visit one more time before that!" Her uncle chuckled.

"Well…I guess we'll have the make that visit the craziest yet, huh?" He offered.

"Yeah!" Lacy started bouncing in the front seat till her uncle urged her not to. Then he reached over and adjusted her seat belt just to be sure.

"A month till, huh?" He said. "You excited?"

"I guess." Lacy mumbled, leaning against the window.

"What's wrong?" He knew her game.

"Mom's going to increase our training regime, I just know it." Lacy moaned. Her uncle tapped the edge of the steering wheel in thought.

"But at least you'll get to see your friends and teammates again, right?" He said. "Besides, you can keep up with your mom no problem. Give it another year or two and you can probably even be better than her."

"I'm going to be taller than her." Lacy smirked.

"Maybe." He humored her. But their conversation ended there; they'd arrived at her apartment and her uncle stopped the car. "Here you are." He reached into the backseat and grabbed her bag for her.

"Can't you walk up with me?" She asked, confused. Uncle Lincoln looked kind of regretful and he shook his head.

"I think it's best you go yourself." He said, disappointing her.

"Ok…" She unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over to hug him. Her put an arm around her back and hugged her tight.

"I'll see you soon, okay?" He said. "Maybe next time it'll just be the two of us."

"I'd like that." She said.

"We'll see." He gave her a pat on the back. "Off you go then. Try and give your mom a run for her money, for me, alright?"

"Got it." She let go. There was something else she wanted to say then, but she thought it'd be silly. So she didn't. So she just got out the car and watched him drive off.