Author's Note: Hey-ho! Well, I wasn't planning on unveiling this fic until later, either, but the timing just feels right. And hey, maybe I'll try writing two fics at once, challenge myself!

Have you ever heard of the butterfly effect? Small changes can have big consequences…

I'm Captain Dodge – thank you, and I hope you had a great Shark Week!

(…)

The annual Loud family vacation was just around the corner – but this year promised to be different. Sick of him and his sisters suffering bears, mosquitoes, and crazy hill people at Scratchy Bottom Campgrounds, Lincoln Loud instead persuaded his parents to move the vacation to either Aloha Beach or the Dairyland Amusement Park.

There was only one problem – they didn't specify which one.

The Loud siblings put the matter to a vote, and the result was a tie – five sisters for Dairyland, five for Aloha Beach. Lincoln was the tiebreaker, and, finding that he could not decide at the moment, he asked to defer his decision to the end of the day. Determined to get him on their side, Team Aloha Beach and Team Dairyland showered Lincoln with favors all day long – and like a dairy cow, he milked it for all it was worth.

Finally, however, the day came to an end. Fed up with pampering Lincoln, his sisters surrounded him in his room as he was getting ready for bed.

"All right, Lincoln," Lynn said, "your time's up. What's it gonna be?"

Lincoln wasn't about to give up his new-found privileges that easily. "I know I said I'd decide by the end of the day, but I'm still torn." He leaned back, lounging. "Can I have just one more day?"

Lola was just about ready to snap. "Why, you lousy LITTLE –!"

Just as she lunged at Lincoln, Lori stopped her, clamping both hands over her mouth. "Uh, not… a problem… hahaha… We… understand," she said through gritted teeth.

None of the other sisters wanted to fall out of Lincoln's good graces, either, so they all retired to their rooms, grumbling. Lincoln smiled, knowing that he had bought himself another day of rest and relaxation, until he felt you, the reader, looking at him disapprovingly.

"Can you blame me?" he asked you defensively. "No matter what I decide, five of them are still gonna be mad at me." It was a poor excuse and you both knew it, so Lincoln dropped the act. "But this day has been amazing." He laid down. "So, I figure, why not take advantage of it a little longer?"

But what Lincoln didn't know was that Team Aloha Beach had gathered in Lori and Leni's room (as both were on the same team) to plan their next move.

"Ugh," Lori sighed, "what are we going to do, you guys? We need to try harder to show him why the beach is better."

Lucy got an idea. "Or…" she said (making everyone jump a little), "…we sweeten the deal."

The other members of Team Aloha Beach looked at her quizzically. "Huh?"

"I mean, we make him an offer in exchange for his vote – one so good, he can't pass it up."

Lola leaned forward. "Ooh… I'm listening…"

Lucy hopped off of Leni's bed. "Be right back."

Lucy slipped out of Lori and Leni's room, into the hallway, then into the room she shared with Lynn. Making sure her roommate wasn't looking, she reached under the bed and pulled out a locked box. Using a key that she wore around her neck, Lucy unlocked it, made absolutely sure Lynn wasn't watching, then took a deep breath and opened it.

Inside were her Princess Pony comics. Even Lucy needed a break from the darkness every now and then – but not right now. What she needed was on the left-most side of the box. Lucy pulled it out and examined it, making sure it was still fresh. She had been saving this for a special occasion, when she needed something from Lincoln, and she figured that now was as good a time as any.

As Crowley was her witness… she would see a shark attack this summer.

Lucy closed and locked the box, making extra absolutely sure that Lynn hadn't seen her, then stashed it back under her bed and returned to her group.

She held up her intended bribe. "Behold."

The other four gathered around, oohing and ahhing.

"Oh, ho, ho, Lucy, you are good," Lori said. She held the prize, grinning deviously. "Girls… I do believe we've found our 'ace' in the hole…"

(…)

"Gotta pee, gotta pee, gotta pee!"

The next morning, Lincoln danced out of his room on his tiptoes. "Note to self: no more cocoa before bed!" he said as he rushed for the bathroom.

He knocked on the bathroom door, and after determining it to be unoccupied, he hopped inside to relieve himself. Lori, Leni, Lucy, Lola, and Lily all poked their heads out of their respective bedrooms and nodded at each other, putting their plan into action.

When Lincoln exited the bathroom, he found himself surrounded by flower bands, coconut bikinis, and grass skirts. "Good moooorrrrrning, Lincoln!" they all said.

"Gah!" Lincoln yelped, startled. "Oh, uh, hey guys. Um, I didn't blow the conk…"

"We know you didn't, Linky," Lola said, "but we were just wondering: Have you made your decision yet?"

Lincoln stretched. "No, not yet. But if I need anything to help me think about it, I'll be sure to let you guys know."

The girls feigned disappointment. "Oh… that's too bad…" Lori said. She reached behind her back.

"…I guess you won't be wanting this, then!"

Lori pulled out a mint condition Ace Savvy comic. As Lincoln looked at it, his jaw dropped to the floor. That wasn't just any Ace Savvy comic they had.

Lincoln shakily raised a finger to point. "Is… Is that… the 1988 Ace Savvy annual?"

"Oho, you're familiar with this issue?" Lola said.

"Co-authored by legendary graphic novel writer Art Moore, detailing the backstory and motivations of recurring enemy and occasional love interest of Ace Savvy, the Trump Card! And… And that's the variant cover! And…! And…!" Lincoln crawled forwards on his knees, practically salivating. "And is it mint condition? Guys, where did you get that?!"

Lucy actually got it while trading in Princess Pony comics, but she didn't want the others to know that. "We have our ways…" she said.

Lincoln stood up and tried his best to look nonchalant. "Ahem… Well, uh, y-you know, guys, uh, um… I-I'm sure you couldn't possibly be interested in anything related to dumb kids' comics, right? If-If it's all the same to you, uh…" He looked at them bashfully. "Could I… have it…?"

"It's all yours!" Leni said.

"Oh, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU –"

Before Lincoln could grab the comic, Lori held it up out of his reach. "If you vote for Aloha Beach."

"Ohhh…" Lincoln groaned, "I should have known there would be a catch…"

"That's the deal, Lincoln. Take it or leave it."

Lincoln began to deliberate. On the one hand, he really wanted the comic. On the other hand, he still didn't want to disappoint his other five sisters. Once again, he found that he could not make a decision. "Well… um… I-I don't know…"

"Gosh," Leni said, "I guess you don't want this picture book as badly as we thought you did. Oh, well."

Lincoln knew he had to stall for more time. "H-Hey, no! I never said that!"

"You didn't have to." Lori turned to Lucy. "Well, Lucy, this does belong to you. What do you want to do with it?"

"Hm. Don't know." Lucy's mouth gave the faintest hint of a smirk as she decided to raise the stakes. "Maybe I'll burn it."

Lincoln was aghast. "What?! Wh-Wh-Why would you do something like that?!"

Lucy shrugged. "I like burning stuff."

"No, Lucy, wait! Y-You can't just burn that thing! Y-Y-You don't understand how valuable it is!"

"What do I care? It's just a dumb kids' comic, like you said…"

"Oooh…!" Lincoln hated it when they used his own words against him.

"It's your choice, Lincoln," Lori said. "Either you vote for Aloha Beach, and we give you the comic… or you don't, and we give it to Lucy. What's it gonna be?"

Lincoln started sweating profusely, chewing on his fingernails. "L-L-Look, Lucy, why-why don't I show you how valuable it is? Give it to me, and I'll sell it online, and we'll split the earnings 50-50!"

Lola held up one finger. "Going once…"

"Ah! O-Okay, 70-30! 70 for you, 30 for me! Just please, Lucy, PLEASE don't destroy it!"

Lola held up another finger. "Going twice…!"

"Ahhhh! Please, guys, please, this isn't the sort of decision to be made lightly! Just give me more time!"

Lori slowly began to hand the comic to Lucy. Lincoln really began to panic as the comic got closer and closer to Lucy's destructive hand. He knew that there was nothing he could do to change their minds – except one thing.

"Ah… Gah… Buh… AAAAAHHHHHHH!" Lincoln prostrated himself before his sisters. "OKAY, OKAY, OKAY! I surrender! You win!" He looked up at them pleadingly. "Aloha Beach it is. Now, please…!"

Lori smirked. "Awww, Lincoln… Now, was that so hard?" She handed the comic to him, and as he cradled it, she went to the head of the stairs.

"Mom! Dad! Guys!" she called. "It's settled – we're going to Aloha Beach!"

"Okay, hon!" Mrs. Loud responded.

"Alright, kids, start packing – we leave on Thursday!" Mr. Loud shouted.

As Team Aloha Beach celebrated their victory, Team Dairyland came storming up the stairs, howling in protest. Lori faced them head-on.

"Now, now, girls," Lori said smugly, "don't be like that." She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. "Lincoln made his choice."

Most of Team Dairyland turned their wrath to Lincoln, but Lori, Leni, Lola, and Lily defended him from them. Lana, meanwhile, looked at Lucy, dumbfounded.

"How…" she said, "…how did you manage to get him on your side?"

Lucy folded her arms victoriously. "Two words: Trump Card."

(…)

The ride to Aloha Beach may not have been the worst thing that happened on the Loud family's vacation that summer, but it was definitely not pleasant. Lincoln thought it was bad enough that Team Dairyland shunned him until Thursday, but then he had the misfortune of being stuck with three of them around him in Vanzilla. Lynn played an especially brutal game of "Auto Attack" with him on one side; on the other side, Luna was practically screaming in his ear the whole time as she jammed to the music from her headphones (almost surely on purpose); and Lana kept kicking the back of his seat. Lincoln took it all in stride – he understood why they were upset with him, and he knew he had to make it up to them before the trip was over.

Even so, there was only so much a boy could take – especially since even some of his allies on Team Aloha Beach were aggravating the entire ride. Lily wouldn't stop crying, no matter how hard Lola tried consoling her, and Lori threw up on Leni (who was too dazed to notice), stinking up the whole van even after the mess was cleaned up.

"…Are we there yet?" Lincoln eventually asked.

"Almost, kiddo," Mr. Loud answered. "And don't forget, I'm suffering just as much as you are!"

"Hey, Dad," Luan said, "how did you manage to afford to go to Aloha Beach, anyways?"

Mrs. Loud looked at her husband. "Honey, you didn't tell them?"

"Oh, dang it, I forgot!" Mr. Loud looked in the rearview mirror. "Kids, your mother won the lottery!"

Everyone's interest was immediately piqued. "Really?!"

Mrs. Loud nodded. "Ninety-six thousand dollars! And after paying the bills, buying health insurance for you kids, and having a nice night out together, we had just enough left over for a weekend at Aloha Beach!"

Team Aloha Beach cheered, while Team Dairyland brooded. "Well, I still would have preferred to engage in casual mathematics by calculating the lengths and velocities of the various mechanical apparatuses at Dairyland," Lisa said.

"And I wanted to ride the Milk Shaker!" Lana added. "But now I'll never get to be hit in the face with my own barf…"

"Yeah. Thanks a lot, Lincoln," Lynn said.

Lori turned around to face her. "Hey! Don't blame him! If you want to blame someone, blame us! Or better yet, blame yourselves for not coming up with a plan like ours!"

"Well excuuuuuse me, princess," Luan said, "but not all of us are ruthless 'beaches' like you! Hahahahaha! Get it? But seriously, screw you."

Lori and Luan started fighting, but Mrs. Loud shouted them down. "Hey, hey, hey! Enough! Girls, this is a family vacation – so we are going to act like a family!"

Lori shrugged at her mother. "But Mom, that's what we're doing."

And with that, the entire van broke out in bedlam, with Lori and Luan resuming their argument, Lynn, Lana, Lola, and Lisa joining in (with Lana punctuating her arguments with kicks to the back of Lincoln's seat), Mrs. Loud vainly trying to end the argument, Luna turning up the volume on both her music player and herself, and Lily continuing to cry. And Lincoln, caught in the middle of it all, was as miserable as could be.

"Are we there yet?!"

(…)

One more hour passed, and it was the longest hour of Lincoln's life. At long last, however, they arrived. It was already evening when the Louds arrived, so they decided to wait until the next day to go swimming. In the meantime, the family checked into their hotel, had a fancy dinner, and settled in. The Louds slept in two separate rooms – Mr. and Mrs. Loud slept with Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, and Lily in one room, while Lori supervised Lincoln, Lucy, Lana, Lola, and Lisa in the other. There wasn't much space to go around, but the Louds were used to such things.

In the kiddie room, Lincoln and the others unpacked the last of their things, grabbed fresh pajamas, and prepared to go to bed. Lucy was the last one to go into the bathroom, and a few minutes after she heard the shower turn off, Lori declared lights-out. When the others protested how early it was, Lori countered, "We've got a big day ahead of us, guys. We've got to be ready to enjoy as much of it was we can."

Grumbling, the younger Louds prepared to go to sleep. Just as she was about to turn the lights out, Lori realized that Lucy was still in the bathroom. She got up and knocked on the door.

"Lucy!" she called. "Come on, lights out!"

There was no response. Looking at the door, Lori noticed that there was no light coming out from underneath.

"Lucy?"

Lori opened the door… and found Lucy sitting on the floor, in the middle of a pentagram surrounded by candles.

Lucy hissed. "Close the door! You're letting the light in!"

But Lori was not having any of this. Barging into the bathroom, she flicked the light switch on, drawing Lucy's ire. "Lucy," Lori said, "what are you doing?!"

"If you must know…" Lucy grumbled, "I was trying to perform a ritual that would ensure that a shark would show up tomorrow and attack someone. But now, I have to start all over again. Thanks."

Lori sighed, shaking her head. "Lucy, look. We are on the shore of Lake Michigan. There are no sharks in Lake Michigan."

Lucy balled her hands into fists and gritted her teeth. "Oh… now you tell me…" She pointed at her elder sister. "That was the whole reason I wanted to come here, Lori!"

"I know. And if I let you know the truth, I never would have kept your vote, okay?"

"You lied to me?"

"Well, technically I misled you, but same basic principle, yeah."

"Why?!"

"Because I want a tan."

"You –!" Lucy looked about ready to blow her top, but then she suddenly regained her composure. "…Sigh. This is so not worth it. Fine, whatever. Work on your stupid tan. But I'm not giving up. I don't care who it is – I will see someone get attacked by a shark this weekend."

And with that, Lucy stormed out of the bathroom. Lori rolled her eyes.

"Good luck," she said as she began to clean up Lucy's mess.

(…)

That night, Lincoln had a strange dream. He was still lying in bed, but in an unfamiliar location. His family surrounded him.

And everywhere he looked… he saw their crying faces.

He wanted to ask them what was wrong, but his voice wouldn't come out. In fact, his mouth wouldn't even move.

Lincoln's eyes darted back and forth. He couldn't move at all. What was happening?

He saw Lucy reach out from the corner of his eye, and he looked to see her hold his hand.

"Lincoln…" she said, "I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry…"

"'Sorry' for what?" Lincoln wanted to ask, but his mouth still would not move. Suddenly, his family dissolved into shadow, and he saw a bright light…

Lincoln's head lifted up off his pillow. "…Lucy?" he blurted out.

Lucy was sitting on the loveseat, writing poetry. "What?"

Lincoln looked around. He was back in the hotel room, and the sun was shining through the glass door leading to the balcony. He looked at the clock. It was 8 a.m.

"What is it?" Lucy repeated.

Realization dawned on Lincoln. Oh… just a dream… he thought. It seemed so real, though. Then again, lots of dreams did. He sat up. "Oh, nothing, Lucy, just… woke up from a weird dream, is all…"

"What about?"

"Um…" Lincoln struggled to recollect his dream. "Well… I was lying in bed, and you and everyone else were all around me, crying about… something. Maybe you were crying for me? I don't know, I couldn't talk or move…"

Lucy tapped her pen against her chin thoughtfully, then started scribbling in her poetry book. Apparently, Lincoln's dream had provided her with inspiration. When she was done, she admired her handiwork, then smiled at Lincoln.

"…Thanks, Lincoln," she said.

Lincoln shrugged. "…Anytime."

Just then, Lori came in through the doorway connecting the grown-up room to the kiddie room (the two rooms that the Louds had reserved were right next to each other). Seeing Lincoln, she said, "Good, you're up. Hurry up and get dressed – we're grabbing breakfast."

Lincoln got up and stretched. "Ah… Okey dokey."

Lincoln threw on a clean orange polo, a pair of jeans, and put on his white sneakers, then went to get breakfast with the whole family. As the Louds ate, they planned the day ahead of them. It was decided that the morning would be dedicated solely to the beach, with a break for lunch, followed by an exploration of what else the hotel and surrounding area had to offer. At the same time, Lincoln quietly made a plan of his own – a plan to make sure that Team Dairyland ended up enjoying this vacation just as much as Team Aloha Beach.

After finishing breakfast, the Louds waited the requisite hour, then began to get ready to go to the beach. As his younger sisters (and Lori) changed into their bathing suits in the bathroom, Lincoln dug through his clothes, looking for his swimming trunks. When he didn't find them, he stood up, rushed to the door separating his room from his other elder sisters', and threw it open.

"Guys, I – AHHH!"

"LINCOLN, WE'RE CHANGING!"

"SORRY! SORRY!"

Lincoln backed away, blushing and shielding his eyes, and managed to find the door and close it. Panting, he leaned against the door and desperately tried to remove what he had just seen from his memory.

After ten minutes, he knocked hesitantly. "…Are you decent?"

"…Come in, Lincoln," the girls said testily.

Lincoln opened the door, finding to his relief that his sisters and mother were now changed into their swimsuits. "Guys," he said, "I can't find my swimming trunks! I'm sure I packed them, I'm sure of it!"

"Oh – you did!" Leni chirped. "But I threw them out."

"What?! Why?!"

"So that you would wear…" Leni ran and grabbed something from her bag, then presented it proudly. "…this!"

She handed it to Lincoln, who eyed it skeptically. "What's this?"

"It's a swimsuit, silly! I made it especially for you! Can't you tell by the color?"

Lincoln examined the orange swimsuit, feeling its scaly texture. As he turned it over in his hands, it caught the light, and the trunks glittered intensely.

Lincoln held the trunks at arm's length, squinting. "Ah –! Why is it so… shiny?"

"It's a bold new look for the beach! I call it… 'Sequined Swimwear'."

"Ohhh…" Luan said, "I 'sequin' what you did there! Hahahahaha! Oh, wait – no, I don't."

"You see, people are attracted to things that are shiny, right? So, I thought, if I covered a swimsuit entirely in shiny sequins, well, then everyone will have to look at it!"

"Yeah, and it'll be the last thing they ever see before it blinds them!" Lynn said.

"How can it blind them?" Leni asked. "It's got no sharp, pointy ends…"

Lincoln sighed. "Leni, look, I appreciate the gesture, really I do, but… I don't think I can wear this…"

Leni looked confused. "Huh? But… But you have to, Lincoln! Otherwise, you'd be going around all nakey!"

"Not if I wear Dad's spare pair of trunks!" Lincoln looked at Mrs. Loud beseechingly. "Right, Mom?"

"Hmm…" Mrs. Loud thought about it, and decided that she didn't want to be staring at those tacky trunks all weekend long. "…All right, Lincoln. Come on; it'll be a bit big for you, but we can make adjustments –"

"Dang it!"

Mr. Loud's frustrated cry rang out from the bathroom. He came out holding up his swim trunks with one hand.

"Honey, what happened?" Mrs. Loud asked.

"The elastic band broke! These trunks are useless now!" He crossed over to his bag. "Luckily, I packed a spare…"

Lincoln slumped forward. Now, his only other options were skinny-dipping or sitting on the hot summer beach in his shirt and jeans – and neither prospect was very appealing.

Mr. Loud grabbed his spare trunks, then saw Lincoln holding the sequined trunks. "…What is that?" he asked.

Lincoln stared at the trunks glumly. "…My swimsuit."

(…)

Lucy panted as she paddled away from the beach. Her body was weak, scrawny, and pale from such a long time in the shadows – and although she preferred it that way, she had a goal that she intended to see through. She looked around, making sure that she was in the midst of the crowd. Satisfied by the shouting and splashing of the swimmers around her, she braced herself for what she was about to do.

She knew people did it all the time in pools – she, herself, was guilty of it from time to time. Even so, doing it surrounded by people was still embarrassing. She never knew if someone would feel an unexpected warm spot and come to the obvious conclusion.

But… this was for her dream, and what had to be, had to be.

Lucy closed her eyes… and released her bladder.

As Lucy relieved herself in the water, she looked around every few seconds to make sure no-one had caught on. As soon as she was done, she started swimming back to shore, praying that a shark would be attracted by the smell, as she had read in a book.

Because if not… she may very well have ruined someone's day at the beach.

"Sigh. This had better work…"

Meanwhile, Lincoln was returning from the bar, trying not to spill the (non-alcoholic) beverages in his hands as he navigated the crowded beach, his bare feet hopping back and forth on the burning sand.

"Ah! Oh! Hot, hot, hot, hot, HOT! Ow! Ooh! Careful! Sorry! Excuse me! Coming through! OUCH! So hot! So hot! Ow, ow, ow –! Phew…"

Safe on the soothing coolness of the beach towel, Lincoln handed the beverages to his mother, just as Lucy returned and retreated back into the shade. "There you go, Mom and Dad!" Lincoln said.

"Thank you, Lincoln!" Mrs. Loud said as she handed one drink to her husband. "Such a sweet young boy…" Resting in their sunloungers, Mr. and Mrs. Loud toasted to what promised to be a relaxing weekend.

As he took in the relief provided by the beach towel a little longer, he heard some older boys behind him snickering – undoubtedly at him and his swimsuit. Ignore it, Lincoln told himself. Right now, there are sisters that need your help.

As Lana was sitting just nearby, he decided to talk to her first. Lincoln sat down next to her. "Hey, Lana," he said.

Lana folded her arms and pouted. "Hmph."

"Whatcha doin'?"

"…Nothing."

Lincoln followed Lana's sullen gaze, finding – to his pleasant surprise – that it rested on Lola. "…Looks like Lola's trying to build a sandcastle."

"…Yeah. So what?"

Lincoln looked at her. "I think she needs your help."

Lana glared at Lincoln. "Why should I?"

"Because you can only build a magnificent sandcastle if you work together. Lola's got the vision; you've got the skills. If you communicate, you can help each other out…"

Lana looked at Lincoln, and as she studied his tone and the look he was giving her, she realized that he wanted her to talk things out with her twin sister. In response, Lana hugged her thighs, rested her chin on her knees, and intensified her grumpy expression. Despite her inaction, however, Lincoln refused to leave. She could still feel his eyes on her, and she couldn't ignore them. She tried to block him out by focusing on Lola's floundering. She looked pathetic…

…Too pathetic. Lana needed to intervene before she embarrassed herself any further. Sighing, she stood up and walked over to Lola.

"…What are you doing?" she said.

"I'm trying to make a tower, but the sand won't stay up!" Lola said.

Lana shook her head. "You need wet sand, remember? Come on."

Lana led Lola to the surf, where the waves lapped at the shore. Taking the pail from Lola, she gouged some wet sand out of the beach, compacted it, then planted it upside down, leaving a thick column of sand standing as she pulled the pail away.

"…What now, your highness?"

"Hmm… This tower needs some battlements…"

Lana silently began packing wet sand into the corresponding mold. Lola could feel the frustration emanating from her, and she knew she had to say something about it. "Lana…"

Lana planted the 'battlements' on top of the 'tower'. "There. Now what?"

"Lana, what's the big deal?"

Lana started shuddering. Then, she threw the mold on the ground. "Why did you want to go to the beach? Why didn't you want to go to Dairyland? That place has got everything – pulse-pounding rollercoasters, big, uh… spinny… swing machines… and all the free snacks you can eat!"

Lola deadpanned at Lana. "Lana, the snacks there are not free."

"They are if you know where to look! You wouldn't believe how much perfectly good food people just throw away!" Lana shook her head. "Look, my point is, Dairyland is fun, and exciting! Why wouldn't you want to go there?"

Lola shrugged. "Well, we get plenty of fun and excitement at home, don't we? Maybe I thought a change of pace would be nice – something soothing, and relaxing…"

"And boring! I mean, honestly, what is there to do here?"

"Not much – and that's the point! Why can't you just… let yourself go? Unwind?"

"Well, maybe… Rrgh… Maybe I don't want to unwind! Maybe I wanted to enjoy the feeling of my heart racing, my blood pumping! Maybe I wanted you to enjoy that, too! Maybe… Maybe…" Lana hung her head, fighting back tears. "Maybe I just wanted you to have fun, doing something we could both enjoy…"

For a few moments, Lana stayed there, sniffling quietly. Then, she felt Lola's gentle touch rest on her shoulder.

"Oh, Lana…" Lola gulped. "…That's what I wanted, too…"

Lana's eyes shot open, and she lifted her gaze to meet Lola's. In that moment, the twins gained a clearer understanding of each other than ever before… and all it took was a single conversation.

Lola smiled at her sister. "Come on, Lana, give this vacation a chance. Maybe you'll see that some peace and quiet isn't so bad. And hey – if that's still not your style… then there are still ways to make the beach exciting!"

Lana perked up. "Like what?"

Just then, a big wave crashed into the shore, sweeping past Lola and Lana and destroying their meager tower. Before the water could retreat, Lola snatched a handful, adopting an impish grin.

"Like this!"

Lola splashed Lana with the water, then got up and ran into the water. Laughing, Lana pursued her, and soon the twins were engaged in a playful splash fight. Lincoln watched the entire scene unfold, and although he didn't hear most of the conversation, he saw the twins having fun together, and that was enough.

He stood up. His work here was done – it was time to move on to the next sister.

Lincoln walked down the beach a ways and found Lisa crouching in the sand and picking up a small shell, which she examined.

"Hmm… Dreissena polymorpha… knowing the invasiveness of this species, there must be a colony nearby… perhaps on the pier?" She dropped the shell into a small metal box that she was carrying with her.

"Hey, Lisa," Lincoln said. "You're… collecting seashells?"

Lisa stood up and turned to face him. "This is not for sentimental purposes, elder brother. I intend to run tests on the seashells."

"Tests?" Lincoln scratched his head. "What kind of tests?"

"Tests to determine what types of chemicals would be best suited towards the removal of invasive species in the waterways while doing the least amount of damage to the environment."

"Oh, well, that's… noble of you…"

"But of course. Advancement of knowledge combined with altruism is the ultimate reconciliation of humanity and science."

"Well, it's nice to see that you're doing something that's productive and enjoyable for you on this trip – even though it's not where you wanted to go."

Lisa closed the box and picked it up. "One must find enjoyment in all things, Lincoln, if we are to find any meaning in continuing our existence."

Lincoln blinked. "Wow. That's… quite profound, Lisa."

Lisa adjusted her glasses. "Who did you think you were talking to?" With that, she turned and walked away, looking for more shells to collect.

Lincoln watched her go, then shrugged. Clearly, Lisa did not need his help. He went to look for another sister.

He found Luan a short while later, looking peeved. "Uh… hey, Luan," he said. "What's the matter?"

"Rrgh…" Luan growled. "Forget sunblock – I'm going to need pervertblock!"

Lincoln tilted his head. "Huh?"

Luan jerked her head backwards slightly. "You see that guy in the red and blue trunks?"

Lincoln looked over her shoulder to see a middle-aged man wearing red and blue trunks who appeared to be staring at Luan. "Yeah?"

"He's been eyeing me for fifteen minutes, now! Doesn't he realize that I'm fourteen?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! Wherever I go, he follows! Creep…"

"Well, why don't you try telling him to stop?"

"I don't want to talk to him…"

Lincoln got an idea. "I never said anything about talking to him. I meant, try telling him to stop – in the only way you can."

That intrigued Luan. "Hmm…" Smiling, she turned around. "Hey, mister!"

Luan's call turned a few other heads in the man's direction. The man looked around. "Huh…?"

Luan turned back around and spanked her butt at him. "Enjoying the view?"

Everyone watching became disgusted with the man. His embarrassed stuttering only made him look guiltier, in Lincoln's eyes at least. "W-Wha –? N-No, I…! I… uh…"

"Enjoy it while it lasts – 'cause you won't enjoy it as much from behind bars! Hahahahaha!"

Some of the beachgoers started laughing at the man's expense. Just when it appeared that things couldn't get any worse for him… his wife showed up.

"Harry!" the man's wife said. "Where have you been? What are you doing?"

As Harry attempted to make excuses to his wife, who clearly wasn't buying it, Luan and Lincoln walked off, laughing. "Hahahahaha! Oh man, did you see his face? Priceless!" Luan laughed again.

Lincoln laughed along with her. "You see, Luan? There are people just like him all over this beach – bullies, mean girls, perverts – that need to be put in their place! All you have to do is be yourself!"

Luan thought about it, then started beaming. "Hey… you're right! Thanks, Lincoln!"

Lincoln shrugged. "That's what I'm here for! Now go get 'em, tiger!"

Still smiling, Luan pranced off to annoy and/or embarrass someone who deserved it. Lincoln still felt a little bad for those people, but not much. He went on his way.

Luna, meanwhile, starved of an idea as to what to do, had meandered down the beach until she happened upon a small makeshift stage, where an amateur band was playing. Sad to say, this band was not particularly good, as evidenced by the lack of people dancing. Sure, the band was not terrible, given that the crowd was not booing them (or at least, ignoring them); but they were lame – enough so that the crowd was beginning to disperse.

Luna weaved her way through the crowd to the front, reaching it as the band finished their song. The lead guitarist and singer pumped his fist in the air when they were done. "Thank you!"

The crowd responded with scattered, half-hearted applause. Luna looked at him, dumbfounded that he expected applause for that performance.

"Is that your best?" Luna called out. "Come on, dude! Here we are – now entertain us!"

As far as heckling went, it wasn't that bad, but the lead singer still got offended. "Excuse me? You think I don't know what the crowd wants? Maybe you think you're better than me, is that it?"

Offended in turn by his defensive attitude, Luna shot back, "No, I don't think so – I know so!"

"Well come on! Get up here and prove it!"

"Fine!" Luna climbed onto the stage and pulled the guitar off of the frontman – but as she began to play, she realized something was wrong.

"What the…?" She played a chord. "Hey… this thing isn't even tuned right!"

Several members of the crowd started snickering, wondering if the frontman even knew what he was doing. Luna tuned the guitar correctly, and as soon as she had, started shredding licks far beyond the frontman's capabilities, much to his astonishment. Luna topped off her solo with a reverberating riff, then threw up the goats as the crowd cheered.

Luna offered the guitar back to the frontman, smiling smugly. "Beat that."

The frontman turned red. He knew he couldn't. He folded his arms furiously, and folded.

"Can't, huh?" Luna chuckled. "Move over, Rover – let Luna take over." She grabbed the microphone. "Are you people ready to get LOUD?"

The crowd screamed. Luna shouted even louder, "I said: 'ARE YOU PEOPLE READY TO GET LOUD?!'"

The crowd roared with excitement. Luna turned to the rest of the band – after hearing the out-of-tune guitar, she realized that the other bandmates were competent, and it was the frontman's lack of harmony that was polluting their sound. "All right, dudes, just pick up on the energies from me and the audience, and go from there. Cool?"

The bassist and drummer nodded. Luna tapped her foot. "One, two, three, four!"

Lincoln managed to find Luna at around this time, and as he saw her playing in front of the dancing crowd, he knew that she was having a good time without his help. That only left one more sister.

Lincoln wandered around the crowded beach for several minutes before he was able to find Lynn, who was sulking along the edge of the water. "Hey, Lynn!" he called.

Lynn glared at him. "What do you want?" she asked venomously.

Lincoln backed off a little. He decided to open with something safe to try to loosen her up. "Hey, so… have you seen Lori or Leni anywhere?"

Lynn scoffed. "Tch… Lori's working on her tan and watching Lily, and Leni's off chasing after any hot guys she can find. Typical."

"Oh, I see. So, uh… what are you doing?"

"What do you care?"

"Uh… w-well… Well, I just thought, 'cause… I saw some people playing beach volleyball over there…" He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "…and I thought maybe we could join in?"

Lynn bit her lower lip. "No thank you."

"Why not? You'd kill at that game!"

Lynn threw her hands up. "Ugh! Do you think I want to watch some other girl's mounds of fat jiggle around in front of my eyes? For that matter, do you think I want to be here, surrounded by girls flaunting their flawless skin and slutty curves for me and everyone else to see?!"

"Wha…?" Suddenly, Lincoln realized what Lynn was so upset about. "Oh… Oh…" He scuffed the beach, wondering what the best way to go about this was. "Uh… Lynn… are you worried that… you're not as pretty as the other girls here…?"

Lynn's expression turned even darker, and she advanced on him, holding up her fist. "Lincoln, are you looking for a pounding?!"

Lincoln held his hands up, backing away. "Be-Because that's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard! Lynn, what do you have to be ashamed of?!"

Lynn stopped. Her puzzlement had overridden her anger. "Huh…?"

Lincoln breathed a sigh of relief, then continued. "So what if you're not as… developed… as some of the other girls around here? You're still growing, Lynn! Just give it time! And even if you don't develop, there's still nothing wrong with that! Guys who like women based solely on their… size… are nothing but shallow losers! And if they pass you up based solely on that, then… then they're overlooking everything else about you! You're sleek; hydrodynamic; uh… compact! I'd bet my life savings that none of these girls can swim even half as fast as you can, Lynn! And your freckles… w-well… some guys find freckles s… s… sexy…!" Lincoln forced the last word out of his mouth.

Lynn rubbed her forearm. "Huh… I… I never thought about it that way…"

"And besides, looks aren't everything! Lynn, you're one of the coolest people I know. I don't know a single sport in existence that you're not good at. And you've got a passion to match your skill. If guys can't handle that… well, then I guess they're just not man enough for you."

Lynn was touched by Lincoln's words. She stared at him admiringly. "Lincoln Loud… where did you learn to be such a sweet-talker?"

"I didn't learn – it's a gift."

Lynn chuckled. "You're gonna be quite the lady-killer someday, Romeo…" Lynn sighed contentedly. "Ah… well, thanks, Lincoln. I really needed that." Suddenly, she raised her fist as if to punch him. Lincoln flinched.

"Two for flinching." She hit his arm twice. "Haha… But, that aside, I still don't want to be here. I mean, I'd rather be riding some high-octane rides at Dairyland…"

"Well, we can still have an exciting time here! There's volleyball, like I said, and…" Lincoln looked out at the water. He spied a platform far out from the beach, and got an idea. "Oh! Hey!" He pointed at the platform. "Race you to that little island-thing over there!"

Lynn snorted derisively. ''Race'? You… You want to race me? Seriously?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Lincoln, I could outswim you with both my feet tied together."

Lincoln got right up in her face. "Prove it. Unless you're scared you might actually lose…"

Lynn squinted at him. "Ohoho, you're asking for it, Lincoln…"

"Bring it."

Lynn smirked. "All right. You want to go?" Without warning, she shoved him to the ground and ran past him to the water. "Let's go!"

Laughing, Lincoln got up and ran after her. Both of their competitive sides had been drawn out. By the time Lincoln was halfway there, Lynn was already in the water. Lincoln picked up the pace…

…and a sharp pain lanced through his foot.

"OW!"

Hopping on his right foot, Lincoln looked at the sole of his left to see it oozing blood. Whatever he had just stepped on, it was sharp.

"Come on, slowpoke!" Lynn called out from the water. "You're falling behind!"

Lincoln shook his head. It was just a little cut – no big deal. He'd be swimming most of the time, anyway. And right now, Lynn required his attention – and if he backed out now because of this, she'd call him a wimp. The cut could wait – Lincoln had a race to swim.

Lincoln dove into the water, trying to catch up with Lynn. Back on the beach, a fresh wave washed the blood off of the object Lincoln had stepped on just as Lisa happened upon it.

"Ah. And what have we here?" Lisa pulled the buried object out of the sand. "A fractured approximate one-half of a silicate-based beverage container – street name, broken bottle." She huffed as she carried it to the trash can. "Some people have no respect for the environment…"

Meanwhile, Lincoln was running out of steam. Lynn was far ahead of him now – there was no way he could catch up. He stopped to catch his breath, treading water… then something odd happened.

Lincoln looked down. He was in deep water, yet he had bumped into something.

Or rather… something had bumped into him.

Lincoln turned around. At first, he didn't see anything. When he did see it, he thought it was a trick of the light on the water. But then he truly saw it. He didn't know what it was, but it was a dark shape, making tiny waves as it cut through the water, moving closer.

Lincoln froze. There was something in the water.

And it was moving towards him.

Lincoln slowly turned to see Lynn, far away and swimming even further.

"L… Lynn…?"

And then the shape pulled him under.