A/N: This is actually my first story focusing on two of the Loud sisters, and I think I did pretty well :)
Nighttime seemed to be the only time when it was quiet in the Loud house. One could hear the faint snores, and the occasional cough.
One thing that often disrupted the peaceful time was the sound of a baby. It was the sound that many of the Louds had gotten used to over the years. Their own parents weren't immune, as they would often sleep through the sound of the baby monitor they kept on their bedside table.
The youngest of the family, Lily Loud was fifteen months old. She had been sharing a room with her older sister Lisa since she was about five months old, at which point she no longer required constant overnight care from her parents.
Lily was a generally happy baby, never crying unless it was something serious like a "boo boo". Though, tonight she seemed to be restless.
Lisa awoke as she heard the faint sounds of Lily crying. The four year old rolled over and wiped her eyes. She sat up and turned on her lamp on the bedside table. As she put her glasses on, she saw Lily standing at the gate of her crib, with a desperate look on her face.
Although Lisa was only four years old, she had much knowledge when it came to babies and small children. Her parents somewhat expected her to care for Lily during the night. Lisa didn't mind, as she often only required a bottle, or fresh diaper. She usually asked for assistance for the latter.
"Sha sha, Sha sha", Lily called out from her crib.
Lisa yawned as she threw off her covers and got off her bed. She didn't have the best day yesterday, and she had hoped that getting a good night's sleep would help. She couldn't be mad at Lily, though as it wasn't her fault.
She walked over to the crib, and looked up at Lily. Lily was reaching out to her older sister.
Lisa grabbed a step-stool and dragged it over to the crib. She unlatched it, allowing her to reach Lily.
Instead of picking her up though, she climbed inside and sat down next to her baby sister. Lily looked at her sister, confused.
Lisa grabbed her by the armpits and sat the baby on her lap. "What's the matter, dear youngest sibling?"
Lily looked up at her, with tears still in her eyes.
"Just a bad night, I suppose", Lisa said as she gently rocked Lily in her arms. "I understand how you feel".
Lisa reached over and grabbed Lily's pacifier and teddy bear. The baby gladly accepted them, as they made her feel better.
Lisa sighed as she looked down at her now content baby sister. "It doesn't take much to make you happy does it?"
Lily continued to look up at her, now interested in what she's saying.
"Your infantile brain is too small to comprehend what I'm about to say, but you're always such a good listener".
Lily gave her a thumbs up.
"To tell you the truth, Lily", Lisa started. "Being a child genius isn't all it's cracked up to be".
"One would assume that I have it made. I could be a billionaire by the time I reach adolescence. I could have everything. But just like everything else in life, it has its consequences".
Lily looked intently at her older sister and grabbed onto her teddy bear.
"Sometimes…I think about how it would be to be of average intelligence. Then…maybe then people wouldn't see me as such…".
She looked down at Lily, who now had a concerned look on her face.
"…a freak".
Lisa could feel the tears start to run down her face.
"I didn't feel like talking about it to our elder siblings, dear Lily, but…", she said. "I had a terrible experience yesterday".\
"The other children at school whom I often refer to as my test subjects, they…they were so mean to me".
"Not the children in my class, it was older children, probably Lincoln's age. They saw me with my lab books, and they-well".
"They pushed me to the ground and made me drop them. As I was trying to pick them up though, they were stepping all over them. They called me names".
"Freak…weirdo…the most common insults someone of that age can comprehend", Lisa said as she bowed her head, and wiped her eyes. "And yet, they somehow hurt me".
Lily looked at her sister with a surprised look. Lisa wasn't one to show emotions very often, so when she did, it often made Lily and her older siblings very perplexed.
Lisa let herself succumb to her sorrows, and began to cry again. Lily couldn't stand to see her usually stoic sister like this.
She sat up and put her small arms around Lisa's neck. The toddler placed a small kiss on her cheek.
"I yove you, Sha Sha", Lily said as she laid her head on Lisa's shoulder.
Lisa couldn't help but smile as she wiped her eyes. She returned her hug, and they sat there until she heard small snores coming from Lily's mouth. She slid over, and laid Lily in her crib. She took her teddy and laid it beside her, along with her blanket.
Lisa reached over and gave Lily a small kiss on the forehead before whispering, "I love you too. Goodnight, Lily".
Lisa made her way back to her bed. She took off her glasses and sat them on the table as she turned off the lamp.
The last thing she thought about before going to sleep, was how she usually takes care of her baby sister. But tonight, it seemed that her baby sister took care of her.