Have I ever talked about how much I love big brother Lincoln? No? Well, I do. Have I ever talked about how much I adore little Lisa? No? Well, I do.
With age, comes certain new abilities, and a bigger sense of maturity. With, a few exceptions of course. As the girls and Lincoln grew older, they reached milestones, hit new levels of maturity, and could do many new things. The eldest child Lori held a job, could drive, and even had a boyfriend. While her sister Leni, being closest in age to her, was one of the acceptations to the maturity rule. Despite being 16, she still had a bit of trouble doing the things that her sisters could do. But still, she did have other areas that she excelled in, such as with design. Another acceptation to this rule was the second to youngest child: Lisa Marie Loud. Only four years of age, and already the winner of several noble prizes, a degree, and the respect of her elder siblings. She tutored them, assisted them with projects, helped her parents, and even attended conferences at times. She was rather proud of her accomplishments, and her family was proud of her as well. But there was one thing that she, and everyone else seemed to continue to forget. Despite being an adult in her head and heart, she was still only four years old. This was something that was hardly taken in mind. She found kindergarten to not be enough of a challenge at times, but it still proved to be entertaining. She still took naps from time to time, and she wasn't even allowed to use a butter knife by herself. She personally didn't like this treatment. But still, she did require it at times. As she would eventually come to find out...
Lisa pulled the curtains back from her window to have a look outside. "Hmm...optimal weather this morning," she mused. The sun was up in the sky, but a few clouds seemed to be coming in. But that wasn't too big of a deal. If it rained, she would have a good opportunity to observe the behaviors of Charles when confronted with such a thing. Was it juvenile? Just a bit she admitted. But she still found it rather amusing to sit on the porch and just watch Charles run about, trying to snap at the rain and roll around in the wet grass and mud. Even geniuses had non-scientific pastimes after all. She drew the curtains once more and allowed the lighting to become dim once again. Perhaps today wouldn't be too busy. That sounded rather nice. It was a Saturday after all. How wonderful.
Mother came in soon enough and got Lily, bringing her downstairs for breakfast. Lisa took the opportunity to change out of her pajamas and into some proper daywear. She had a feeling it would be a wonderful day. Once she was dressed, she joined her siblings in the dining room for breakfast. Thankfully, Lincoln had been feeling quite generous this morning and had made eggs for everyone. The familiar, if not somewhat nonsensical chatter at the breakfast table was not too interesting to listen to. She was silent, only perking up when her mother said, "So, what is everyone up to today?" Lisa debated speaking up, but she felt there wasn't much necessity. So she kept quiet.
"I've got a show this afternoon," Luan announced. "So I'll probably be practicing until then. It's supposed to rain though, so it might be canceled. I'm not sure yet.
"Is it going to rain?" Lana gasped. "Oooh, then I'm gonna be playing outside today for sure!"
"Ew. Well, make sure you don't get any mud back in our room!" Lola warned her. "I've got a little sparkle princess pageant next week so I can't have you messing anything up today. I need to perfect my pageant walk."
"I'll be using the garage, cause I've got to practice too," Luna chimed in.
"Hmm, sounds like you've all got a busy day huh?" Father chimed in. "Well let me or your mother know if you need any help then alright?" The group let him know they agreed before finishing off breakfast and heading off. The dishes were cleared from the table, and soon, everyone was off and doing their own things. Lisa went up to her bedroom and had another look out the window opening it up. After measuring the wind speed, humidity in the air, and the temperature, she nodded.
"60% chance of rain with wind speeds up to five miles an hour. A low of 50 degrees. 40% humidity. Not bad," she hummed. The clouds were coming in a bit quicker. It would likely be raining until evening. That made her happy. She went to her closet and opened it up to look for her sweater. But she heard a soft tapping at her bedroom door. Who could that be? "Enter!" Lisa called. When it opened, it revealed her only brother.
"Hey Lis. I hate to bother you and all. but do you think you could give me a hand?" He asked. Lisa glanced at the clock for a moment. 9:00. Well, she had plenty of time.
"Of course," she said, closing the closet door. "What is it?"
"Well, I've got a project due on Monday. And I need your help with it."
"Ah, I see. You need me to help you complete it?" Lisa asked, exiting the bedroom with him.
"Well, no.," Lincoln said sheepishly. "I actually need your help to start it."
"Figures," Lisa sighed. This would take a little longer then she thought it would. But no matter. She had time. "So, what is the topic of your project?" She asked him, hoping he was at least studying something interesting to help pass the time as she assisted him. Maybe it was something like dark matter or electrical currents. Or maybe even some interesting pathogen.
"Force," he said. "I'm doing a science experiment for my class, and I have to put something together afterward."
"Hm. And I'm guessing you haven't started your experiment yet?" A nod. "You wished to do a pulley project right?" Another nod. "And, just a guess. You want me to do something in order to make your project more interesting than simply a pulley project?" A final nod. "Fantastic," she sighed. How dull. "Well, why not do something a bit more unique? I'm sure your classmates are already well aware of how a pulley or a lever works. Let's see if we can create something above a second-grade level."
They entered Lincoln's small bedroom and Lincoln pulled out the large poster board from under his bed. "So, what did you have in mind?"
For the next hour, the two siblings worked on his project. Lisa tried to keep things as simplistic as possible. Lincoln was not a dull child, not in the slightest. But he still had a little trouble understanding some of her ideas. She came to realize that if they went along with her ideas, they would be there all night. So in the end, they went with Lincoln's idea of a pulley system. Rather than building the pulley, Lisa simply recited what happened when from memory and helped him draw out a diagram. So simplistic. But she really wasn't in the mood to deal with this right now.
"Gee! Thanks, Lisa!" Lincoln said as he signed his name on the back of the board.
"Of course," she nodded as she left his room. Well, that had been an utter waste of time. At least she was finished though. She closed the door behind him and stepped out of the room. "Now then, I'll need to get my sweater and make my way outside," she told herself. That took a little longer then she had expected but whatever.
She entered her bedroom, retrieved her sweater, and stepped out again. She was just about to close the bedroom door when- "Lisa!"
Lisa froze and turned. Leni was poking her head out of her bedroom door and waving to her. "Could you come here for a second? I need your help!" Oh, bother. Lincoln had been easy enough. But with Leni, everything was a challenge. She was tempted to turn her down. But she knew it would be awfully rude. So she closed her bedroom door and approached.
"Of course," she sighed. "What did you need my help with? Having homework problems again I imagine?"
Well, she had been wrong. A moment later, she was standing on a stool in the middle of the bedroom and being fitted as Leni explained. "I've started a new fashion line, but like, for kids! All of the kid's clothes are so blah. No matter how old you are, you should still get to wear fashionable clothing right? Seeing those kids walk around in $2 clothes is just like, so totally sad! Don't you think so?"
"Just tragic," Lisa said sarcastically. For goodness sake. While Leni was over here doing her 'charity work', Lisa was going to be stuck here. "Pray tell, why couldn't you have asked the twins for help rather than me?"
"Well, Lana's outside in the mud right now. And Lola got so totally mad at me when I interrupted her pageant walk." The mud? Was it already raining hard enough to make mud? Oh, she wanted to be out there. She closed her eyes a bit and visualized it. Sitting on the porch, all wrapped up in her sweater and watching the rain, Lana, and Charles. It sounded rather soothing. It had been a long week, and she was ready to spend this Saturday doing something SHE wanted to do for a change. She wasn't unused to her sibling needing her help, not at all. But today, she was really looking forward to just having some time to herself. She opened her eyes now and stared ahead, thinking to herself. She liked being relayed on. She really did. It made her feel important. But sometimes, it could be a little overwhelming.
Lisa jumped and was snapped out of her thoughts when Leni suddenly pricked her thigh with a pin. "Oh! Sorry, Lisa!"
"Please take more precautions when you are doing this!" Lisa requested. "My skin has less keratin and collagen in it due to my lack of the suns UV rays, making it more susceptible to injury." Leni has a blank look on her face so Lisa sighed. "My skin is sensitive," she informed her. As she said that, she felt a trickle of blood run down her thigh. Just perfect.
"Omg! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean that!" Leni said, using a tissue to clean the blood.
"It's fine. May I please go now?"
"Oh! But you still have more outfits to try on!" Fantastic...
Like with Lincoln, the whole ordeal took a lot longer then she thought it would. But once she was all done, she was given a big hug for the help, and then both sisters left the room. Leni hurried off to go out to her friend's place and show them her newest outfits. Lisa shook her head and walked to the stairs, Lori passing by to go to her bedroom. But as she reached the top of the stairs, she realized something. She had forgotten her sweater in Leni's bedroom. No matter, she would just go and get it. She turned around and went back, letting herself into the bedroom. She forgot Lori was in there now...
"Lisa!" Lori said, making her jump. "What are you doing in here? You know you're not supposed to come in here without asking first."
"I am aware of that eldest sister. But I was just-"
"No not 'I was just!' I need my privacy, you can't just come barging in here without a word!" Lisa had to grit her teeth as she was lectured. Lori wasn't afraid to yell at anyone who came into her room. The only one she had any mercy on was Lana, who sometimes came into sleep after she had nightmares. But not Lisa. Despite her young age, Lori didn't show much mercy towards the younger sister. Lori felt that she was mature for her age and could certainly handle a scolding. Which was true. But Lisa was rather fed up and this was just wasting time. So she picked up her sweater, waited for Lori to be satisfied, and then left the room.
"What a colossal waste of time," Lisa said, placing her hand on her head in exasperation. What time was it now? Oh, that didn't matter she supposed. She finally made it down the stairs and walked to the door. But as soon as she reached for the doorknob, she felt a tug on her sweater.
"Lisa! I need you to help me!" She recognized that voice. Lola had come to call now and was gripping her sweater. "My Little Sparkle Princess Pagent is next week and my dress isn't glittery enough! I need you to do something to make it better."
"And why didn't you consider asking our eldest sisters?"
"Leni went out and Lori's in a bad mood. I need you."
"Well, I'm afraid I am busy as well. So if you would just-"
"No, not you too!" Lola moaned, stomping her foot. Was this the warning sign of a tantrum she wondered. "I need help! I have to practice with a sparkly dress so I know how it looked when I do my twirling! I need you, Lisa!" Well, at least she wasn't making threats in order to get what she wanted she supposed. But she didn't want to deal with a tantrum. They could last for hours if it was allowed. And she knew that if mother or father caught Lola having a tantrum because of something Lisa did, then Lisa would be the one in trouble. In most families, it would be the other way around, seeing as how Lisa was four, and Lola was six. But of course, that was not the case. Lisa was held at the same expectations as her other siblings were at times. Which meant that she was responsible for her sibling's mishaps if she was watching over them. Such a pain.
"Alright, alright," Lisa sighed. "Please don't get yourself all worked up. I'll help you. Just be silent." Lisa followed Lola upstairs quietly, shaking her head. Lola seemed to march, and looked rather satisfied. Once they were in her bedroom, Lola pulled out her dress. A blue dress that shimmered. It was already rather glittery it would seem.
"Isn't that a substantial amount of glitter? It's giving me eyestrain," Lisa asked.
"No way! It needs at least three times more! It has to be the most glittery dress of all! You should have seen Lindsey Sweetwater's dress last year! I simply have to top it!"
"Right. Of course, you do," Lisa said with a shake of her head. "Let me have the dress then. I'll see what I can do." Lola forked over the dress, allowing Lisa to have a look."Give me a few minutes, I'll be done with time."
"Okay, but if anything happens to my dress..." Lola warned.
"I know I know," Lisa said as she waved her off. She didn't dare let anything happen of course. She would be pummeled for sure. Lisa took it off to her bedroom and spread it out on her bed as Lola waited outside. Now, where was the...oh there it was. She pulled a spray bottle off of her worktable and filled it with a few different liquids. She realized she was being a tad careless. But really, all she was doing was creating something that would make the dress shine a bit. Even a child could do such a thing. A child like...well...herself! Once she was all finished, she sprayed the dress with a fine layer of mist. Once she had, she smoothed the dress out once again. There. Now it sparkled more than before and was quite the spectacle to see. Once she had finished, she brought the dress before Lola, who seemed quite satisfied.
"Oh, it's perfect! Oh, thank you, Lisa!" She watched as Lola slipped the dress over her head, even though it went over the dress she already had on. And Lisa watched as she twirled, the sparkles shining on the blue fabric. Hm. Not bad for a prototype. But...oh dear. Something wasn't right she realized. She made a mistake. The dress was supposed to give off more light and shine brightly. But as Lola twirled, the light seemed to drain from it. The bright blue faded away. And the sparkles went away too. And she was left with...well.
"Hey Lola," came a soft voice. Lola stopped spinning for a moment as Lucy came out of her bedroom. "Nice dress. Where'd you get it?"
"Well, I got it from-" Lola began as she smoothed down her dress. But she froze. Rather then a beautiful and sparkly blue, her dress was a dull and lifeless black. "My dress! What happened to my beautiful dress?! Lisa what the heck did you do?!" Lisa rubbed her chin for a moment as she watched Lola cry over the dress.
"I may have made a miscalculation," she mused.
"No kidding!"
"You never answered my question," Lucy chimed in.
"Be quiet!" Lola shouted at her. "There is anything nice about it! Lisa ruined my dress!" Lisa suddenly snapped her fingers.
"I see now! It may not be shining now. But once you stand under the spotlights, it's sure to shine like before. You simply need the-"
"I don't want to wait for then! I need it to shine now!" Lola scolded. "Look what you've done! It's ruined! And it's all your fault!" Lola said angrily. She gave Lisa a hard shove to the floor, before turning around and stomping away. Lisa groaned a bit as she sat up. If Lola would just listen to her... Lucy approached her and gave her a hand up.
"I thought it was nice."
"Thank you, Lucy," Lisa said as she brushed herself off. Well, at least some people appreciated what she did. She made a mistake yes. But if Lola would just listen to what she had to say, she could have helped her.
"Could you make me something like that?"
"Don't you already have an abundance of black wear?" Lisa asked her.
"Yes. But nothing like that. All of mine were made black. But you went and sucked the life out of something so bright. It's wonderful on a whole other level," Lucy explained. Well if she truly thought it was so wonderful, it surely didn't sound in her voice.
"I...see. I'll see what I can do."
"Wicked." Thankfully, Lucy left her to be after that. Now she could go out. Lisa walked down the stairs once again and reached for the doorknob.
"Lisa honey," she heard suddenly. She looked up and saw her mother standing before her, holding Lily in her arms. "Would you mind watching Lily for just a few minutes? I'm about to go and shower. I won't be too long." Rita knew she could trust Lisa. This wasn't the first time she had looked after Lily. She would be alright.
Oh honestly. Lisa managed to stop herself from pouting. But she couldn't stop herself from stomping her foot as she groaned. "Lisa. I hope you aren't giving me an attitude young lady," Rita scolded softly as she went and set Lily on the couch.
"No ma'am," Lisa responded.
"Good. I'll only be a few minutes. Just make sure she doesn't wander off." Then, she left the room. Lisa climbed up onto the couch and sat beside her youngest sister. She rested her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands, watching Lily quietly play with her toes.
"I envy you small one," Lisa said, swinging her feet a bit. "Being an infant must be rather simplistic no? Well, then again, perhaps I am wrong. You're still learning. Everything is new to you." She thought for a second. "You know, it might be a rather interesting subject to study hm? Your growth and development. I doubt mother is planning for another child. You may be the only opportunity I get. It's interesting really. To think about just how new and strange this world must be for you." Lily only stared, a bit confused. "Ah. You don't understand. Well, that's alright. Cherish your ignorance now small one. It's never easy once you understand just how difficult this world can be." Heh, that felt like something Lucy would say. She could tell that in Lily's eyes, everything was innocent and fun. She wished she could see things in such a way again.
After a bit of conversing with her, she noticed something a bit distressing. Lisa had begun to chew on her nails, a bit absentmindedly. That used to be a bit of a bad habit of hers. But she had managed to kick the habit quite a while ago. She hoped this wasn't a relapse. After a bit, Lily fell asleep on the couch. What time was it anyhow? She glanced around for a moment before seeing the time on the DVD player. A quarter past noon huh? Time had passed a little quicker then she had expected. It was already Lily's naptime it would seem. She watched her sleep for a bit. Hm. She was starting to feel a little drowsy herself. She used her fists to rub at her eyes. Perhaps she would sleep with her as well. But, well maybe not. If she slept now, then she might not be up in time for the rain. That was okay. She didn't nap every afternoon. There was nothing wrong if she skipped it for today. She would just have to go to bed early tonight. No harm done.
"Oh thank you, Lisa," she heard. She saw her mother come out of her room, a towel wrapped around her head, and a robe on her body. She reached over and lifted Lily off the couch and into her arms. "She went right to sleep. That's good. Lisa, I'm going to put her down in her crib. Did you want to rest too?" She asked. Rita had come to find out that trying to put Lisa to sleep when she didn't want to, was like trying to put Lori to sleep when she didn't want to. It was a losing battle. So she usually asked at this point.
"No no," Lisa said, pushing herself off the couch. "I'm going outside."
"Well alright then. Just don't stay out there too long alright?" Rita warned before carrying Lily off to her room. Fantastic. Nothing more was going to get in her way this afternoon. But she didn't get her hopes up too high. She opened the door and stepped outside for a moment. Oh wow. Maybe she really was going to get the chance to do this! She approached the little bench that sat under the window and was about to pull herself up when she noticed something. Luan was kneeling down next to Lana and talking to her, as Luna held an umbrella above their heads. She was trying to ask something of Lana, but she seemed hesitant. What could they be talking about? Well, it looked like she was about to find out...
When Luna noticed Lisa there, she waved to her. "Yo sis! Could you help us out with something real quick?"
"Of...course," Lisa said. She was tempted to just tell them no. But how unkind would that be? She couldn't do anything like that. She didn't want to just end up feeling guilty.
"Rad!" Lisa stepped off the porch and through the rain to the garage. "So, Luan and I were practicing. Luan's party was canceled cause of the rain n all. So she booked a gig for tomorrow. She even got me a spot to play in it tomorrow. But one of my speakers is busted. Lana was too busy to help fix it, so we need your help to get it fixed. You think you can do it?"
"Hm. Well, mechanics are not exactly my expertise. But, how hard can it be I suppose," Lisa said with a shrug. Hmph. Lana was able to get away with saying she was busy. Why couldn't she? Once she entered the garage, Luna showed her the speaker that wasn't working. Lisa knelt down in front of it as Luan got up onto her stool, and Luna sat on one of the working speakers, strumming away on her guitar. Odd. The speaker didn't look to be in bad shape. She wondered why it wasn't working properly. She had a look at the wires in the back. Everything seemed to be in working order. Nothing was frayed or plugged into the wrong area. And it was connected securely to Luna's guitar as well. So what was the matter?
"Say, Lisa. Why don't you try and write with a broken pencil?" Luan asked, swinging her feet. Oh dear. "Because it would be pointless!" She cheered, laughing at her own little joke.
"Hilarious." The volume on the speaker was up all the way it would seem. Perhaps there was something wrong inside of it. If only she had the tools to have a look.
"If you liked that one, then what about this? So a teacher tells his students, 'Whoever can answer this next question can leave early for the day.' Then suddenly, a student throws their textbook to the front of the classroom. 'Who did that?!' The teacher called. 'Me!' A student calls back. 'See you later!'" Luan was sent into another fit of laughter, echoed by Luna. Lisa was polite and didn't say anything about just how much she 'liked' the joke. She was much more puzzled over what she was going to do about the speaker. Oh, wait a moment. She glanced at the plug for a moment and followed it to the wall. Well, there was the problem! It wasn't even plugged in properly! Oh, give her a break...
Lisa shook her head and plugged it into the wall, giving the cord a little tug to make sure it was in securely. Then she approached the speaker once again. "Alright Luna," she said, reaching for the volume knob. It was up all the way! No way did she want to be exposed to that sort of sound. "I think I found the problem. But just wait until-"
"All right! Thanks a million, dude!" Luna interrupted. With a cheer, she whipped out her pick and played a chord on her ax. Lisa, who had been standing in front of the speaker, was blown backward. She cried out as she rolled twice, and banged the back of her head on the concrete wall. She was left with a ringing in her ears and a soft wave of nausea running over her.
"Oh man! I'm really sorry little dude! Are you alright?" Luna asked as she hurried over to her little sister. Lisa groaned as she sat up, holding the back of her head. She could feel it throbbing. Thankfully there hadn't been enough force to hurt her too badly. But she did feel a rush of dizziness when she sat up.
"Fine.." she growled.
"Are you sure? Cause you kinda look like you're gonna-"
"Fine," Lisa repeated with a lot more force. She knew exactly what her older sister planned to say. But there was no way. Lisa Marie Loud did not cry over bumps on the head. She would admit, her chest was feeling a bit tight, and she had just a little trouble getting her words out past the funny feeling in her throat. But she was NOT going to cry. She got back to her feet, staggering just a bit from the pain. "Now if you do not require my assistance any longer, I have somewhere to be." She planned to go right to the porch once again. But her stomach was telling her otherwise. Lunchtime she supposed. Well, she would just have to bring it outside with her. Maybe if Lincoln wasn't busy, he would make her a sandwich. She liked the way he made it best. Curse her parental units for not allowing her the use of a butter knife.
She went back around to the front and inside. She saw her brother on the couch, playing his games. Good, he was all done with his work. She approached him, ready to ask him when she heard a commotion in the kitchen. What was going on there? She knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to get involved. But...her curiosity got the better of her. She would ask in a moment. She wanted to see what was causing the commotion first. She crept towards the kitchen and had a peek inside.
"But dad! You can't ground me now! I've gotta get to practice!" Lynn protested. She was seated at the dining table across from their father, trying to get him to see her side of things.
"No buts young lady!" Father hushed her. "I'm not pleased with how little effort you've been putting into your school work lately. Until I see proper work, I expect you to be studying in that room."
"Dad wait! What if I can prove to you that I can change?" Lynn said.
"Oh? How so? Don't you have homework to get done tonight anyway?"
"I'll find a tutor that can help me! Don't worry about it!" Finding a tutor on a Saturday. What was she going to do? She scanned the kitchen for a moment before her eyes fell on her tiny sister. "Lisa!" Lynn suddenly cried. She hurried over and plucked her up and into arms. "You can help me right? She counts as a tutor right dad?"
"Well...I guess so," father said, scratching his head a bit. "But if I don't see those grades improved Lynn, then you and I are having a serious talk. You too Lisa."
Her as well?! Why was she getting in trouble? She hadn't agreed to a thing! "Thanks, dad!" Lynn called as her father walked off. She looked down at the sister in her arms and frowned a bit. "Something wrong?" Lisa was a bit red in the face, and her breathing pattern was a bit funny.
"No no," Lisa managed, pinching the skin between her eyes. "Nothing's wrong. I'm guessing you want my assistance with your homework?"
"That would be awesome. It's just math, is that okay?"
"That's just fine." Well, seventh grade algebra didn't sound like it would take too long. Or...that's what she thought anyhow.
"No no no!" An exasperated Lisa found herself saying. What should have been a short ordeal, had taken nearly an hour. And Lisa, who was tired, hungry, and frustrated, was growing rather fed up. "You distribute before you multiply! Don't you get it?"
"Okay, but how do you distribute?!" Lynn cried, just as frustrated by the concepts.
"I just explained it to you. You multiply this part of the expression and then-"
"But you just told me I have to distribute first!"
"Indeed I did. But you need to multiply in order to distribute."
"Well, which one is it? Multiply, or distribute?"
"I already told you, it's both!"
"Ugh! That's it!" Lynn shouted, tossing her pencil across the table. "I give up!"
"Oh no. You are not giving up now. We've waste nearly an hour with this concept alone. I'm not letting this time go by for nothing. now you sit there and concentrate!" Lisa demanded, slapping her hands on the table and standing in her chair.
"Got room for one more?" Lisa looked up to see Luan standing there, sheepishly holding her algebra notebook. "I'm in a bit of a pickle myself. It wouldn't be too much right? I'm only one grade ahead of Lynn anyways. Would it be okay?"
"Fine. Just hurry up and sit down," Lisa snapped.
The harsh tone didn't go unnoticed, and Luan furrowed her brows a bit in concern. But she managed not to speak up about it. Instead, she pointed in with a little smile. "Gee, thanks Lisa. Y'know, I don't really understand math all that well. So I hope you'll be able to sum it up for me," she joked, chuckling softly. But the harsh glare she got in return silenced her pretty quickly. she sat down at Lisa's other side and opened her notebook. "We're studying the Pythagorean theory. I think I understand the formula well enough. But I'm having trouble understanding which side is which."
"Right," Lisa nodded as she took a look. Well, this situation turned out to be a bit harder then she expected. Lynn continued to ask questions when she was working with Luan. And when she left Luan alone, she didn't ask enough questions. So when Lisa returned to her, she was on a whole other tangent, leaving a wreck of discombobulated 'math' behind. It was much more difficult then she thought this would be. But finally, after what felt like decades, the head scratching turned into pencil scratching. And the homework was finished.
"Thanks a lot, Lis!" Lynn said cheerfully, ruffling Lisa's already messy hair. "This is so awesome! Listen, do you think you could help me again later on? I have a test in a few days and I need to make sure I get everything before then."
"Of course," Lisa responded, fixing up her hair. "Now if you two are finally finished, then please leave me be." Neither sister protested, packed away their things, and left Lisa be. Thank. Goodness. She got down from the table tiredly. She took her glasses off for a moment and brushed at her eyes with her sleeves. She couldn't sleep yet. Maybe later. She just had to get outside. She had worked hard all day. And NOW she could finally just do what she wanted to do. She pulled her sweater back on over her torso and stepped into the living room. Huh. For some reason, her father was standing at the door. What was he doing there?
She watched as Lana ran inside and into her father arms. She then noticed that her father had a towel in his hands and had lifted Lana up into it. "Hey, champ! You have a good time?" He asked, toweling off her blonde hair.
"Sure did!" Lana said happily as she was dried off. Well, she looked like she had a pretty good afternoon. "It was a ton of fun dad!" Just as she said that Charles ran in as well, tracking mud on the carpet. "Haha, look dad! Charles had fun too!" She said.
"Looks like it. I'm not gonna have much fun cleaning that up though..." Father mused softly as he carried Lana away. Lisa watched silently. But realization slowly came over her. Wait a minute. Why were they coming in now? Lana would have played outside all day if she was allowed. So...that meant...
Lisa threw open the door and hurried outside, closing it behind her. No way. She stared at the sky as the clouds slowly drifted away. The sun poked out from behind the clouds, making her squint. It was supposed to rain all afternoon. Had she miscalculated? No way. Did she miss it? She kept her eyes on the sky, not saying a word. She didn't have a clue what to say in the first place. Why was this happening? As she stared, she could hear the sounds of the blaring guitar coming from the garage, Lily shrieking from inside, and the sounds of arguing coming from the sisters. All this noise and commotion. All the unfairness and anger. The frustration and fatigue. It was all coming to a head and she couldn't stand it any longer. She placed her hands over her eyes and tilted her head to the ground.
'Just stay calm,' she thought. 'Nothing good will come if you get upset. Just calm down.' But she could feel her chest tightening up again and the funny feeling in her throat. Her breathing was coming funny and her hands were shaky. She didn't feel so well. Now, it took a lot to get Lisa worked up. She was very emotionally and mentally composed and knew how to solve her own problems. But all of this was too much for the four-year-old to handle. And that emotional composition broke.
With a shout of exasperation, she tore her sweater off and threw it to the ground. She stomped on it a few times out of anger before her knees gave out on her and she collapsed to the ground. She kicked her feet and let her heels slam on the wood of the porch. She was shouting and crying over who knows what. She was trying to formulate her thoughts into coherent sentences. But all she could think was about how unfair and unjust the world was. She nearly said a few swears as well, but she somehow managed to resist the temptation. So instead, she shrieked over nothing in particular. It sounded like nonsense really. Well, she supposed it was nonsense. Usually, she would feel rather embarrassed over throwing a fit as Lola or Lana might. But at this point, she didn't really care. She was too upset to care where she was and was too angry to think about it.
She was barely aware of the front door opening and Lana stepping out. The moment Lana saw her sister's tantrum, she closed the door behind her and went to find someone who could handle it. Thankfully, that certain someone wasn't too far away.
The door opened and shut once again, but this time, someone stepped out and onto the porch. A moment later, she felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around her. Lisa used her fingers to try and scratch or hit whoever was holding her. But they were careful not to let her do so.
This wasn't the first time Lincoln had witnessed a meltdown. Lola had them all the time. Lana did as well from time to time. And when he was little, he had seen big sisters Lynn and Luan throw a few of their own. But Lisa's were rather rare. While the other sisters had tantrums or meltdowns over not being given what they wanted or being asked to do things they didn't want to do, it took a lot to get Lisa to react this way. It wasn't like it never happened. But it was rather rare. So he made sure to handle her with care. He made sure to evade her hands and kicking feet, but still, keep a firm hold on her so that she didn't hurt herself. He wondered what caused this in the first place. She had seemed fine his morning. What happened between then and now?
She carried on for a good while as he held onto her small body. But finally, she wore herself out. She didn't have too much energy to go off of. So she finally went limp, panting softly. She was having a bit of trouble seeing past the tears and the mist on the lens of her glasses. So when she tried to look around, everything was blurred. "I..I-"
"Shh," she heard in response. She felt herself get lifted and carried inside the house. She used her sleeve to wipe at her eyes and attempt to clean her glasses. Once her vision was properly cleared, she had a look. Oh dear. Her only brother was there, seated on the couch and looking down at her, his brows furrowed in concern. She felt her cheeks grow red. She sincerely hoped that no one else had witnessed her juvenile temper tantrum.
"I um...I apologize for my outburst," she managed to say, averting her eyes. "I don't know what came over me."
"It's nothing you need to apologize for," Lincoln assured her. "But what happened out there? You never usually react like that."
"It's not a big deal," she said, waving it off and sitting up properly. "I've just had a rather trying day is all. I just needed to let off a little steam."
"Hm. I'm not so sure that's the truth," Lincoln said. "You don't usually throw fits. It must have been something a bit bigger then that. It was wasn't it?" Lisa didn't answer at first. She just bit her lip softly. "You can tell me. I won't tell anyone else."
Could she really trust him? She already felt silly enough for being seen doing such a thing. If she told him why she had done such a thing, then she was sure to be teased for it. But, it might be nice to get it off of her chest. She rested her head on Lincoln's chest and slowly began to recount her frustrating day. The requests and demands, the mistakes and disappointments, and all of which ended in her embarrassing tantrum. Just talking about what had happened got her upset and ready to fuss all over again. But she managed to keep her composure. Not without biting her nails again though of course. Lincoln listened silently, nodding every now and again. "Y'know Lisa, there's nothing wrong with getting upset. Heck, if I was looking foreword to something and then was denied it in the end, then I'd be pretty bummed too. You've had it pretty rough today. I'm not gonna laugh at you for having a meltdown." He stared at her for a second. "Or for crying." She was already looking a little misty-eyed. It wasn't right that a little four year old girl was too embarrassed to cry.
"Please. Don't be ridiculous. I don't plan on crying after a series of unfortunate events," Lisa sighed tiredly, removing her glasses and wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. Goodness, had she ever sighed so much within the extent of a single day?
"Well, no one really plans on crying right? And besides, aren't tears just the normal human response to emotions or negative confrontations?" Lisa seemed rather surprised by her big brothers choice of words and advise. But she quietly buried her face in her big brother's chest, hiding her face. "There there," Lincoln said softly, stroking his little sister's brunette hair. When he placed his fingers in a certain spot, he could feel the little lump forming on the back of her head. Poor girl. She had been pushed a little too hard. It was easy to forget sometimes that she was just a little girl. One who, despite behaving like an adult and thinking like an adult, still had certain needs and limits. There had to be something he could do to make her feel better. Hmm... Oh! He had an idea~
After a moment of comforting her, he set Lisa down on the couch, helped dry her eyes with a tissue, and pat her head. "You just wait right there for me okay?" Lisa nodded, leaning back on the couch. Lincoln smiled softly and walked off. He had a few things he had to put together first. But he would have to quick about it. He didn't want to leave her waiting. He was able to talk to Lynn and Luna and convince them to help him out, and then went up to Lisa's room. He pulled her blanket off of the bed and got ready to go back downstairs. He paused, however, and glanced down the hallway. His other sisters were poking their head out of their bedrooms and watching him. Unfortunately for Lisa, they knew exactly what was happening. Lana had told them what she had seen and they were all aware of Lisa's tantrum. It was rare for all of them to see. So they were all a bit concerned. Lincoln only smiled at them before going downstairs.
Thankfully, the youngest sister was still waiting for him. She was nibbling on the nail on her pinkie finger, and she was looking a bit drowsy. "Lisa, hold still for me would you?" he requested. Lisa seemed a bit confused, but she obeyed. He came up to the small child and wrapped her body tightly in her blanket. Was this a swaddle? She hadn't been wrapped like this since infancy. He left her arms free however, so she didn't feel too constrained. Then, he lifted her up into his arms and carried her outside. Her eyes widened a bit at what she saw.
The rain had stopped a while ago. So then, how could it be raining now? She could see rain, or what looked like rain falling. It wasn't possible! She scanned the yard for a moment and found herself smiling. Lynn was standing on one side of the yard, and Luna on the other. Each held a garden hose, and a colander. The water of each hose sprayed through the colanders, creating what looked like rain. Well, she wished it would have been hidden better. But she supposed it didn't matter. What did matter however was just how far he had gone to try and make her happy. It was rather touching. Lincoln sat down on the porch steps, holding her in his lap. Lisa rested quietly in his arms, watching the mock rain. The effect was lost a little by the feeling of the sun shining down on her face. But it wasn't so bad. In fact, it was rather soothing. Especially after the day she had.
She closed her eyes and sighed contently. "Thank you elder brother," she said softly. "I appreciate your kindness quite a bit. I..." she interrupted herself with a bit of a yawn. "I truly do."
"Of course. I would do anything for my sisters, you included. You really went out of your way today to help us all. I'm really sorry that we pushed you so hard." He said. He felt bad that she had gotten so overwhelmed. He would need to try and make sure it didn't happen again in the future.
"Not a problem. I am also to blame for not recognizing my own limitations," Lisa said. She opened an eye after a bit and smiled. Lola was in the driveway, practicing for the pageant. Her dress, which had been faded to an inky black, was now back to it's sparkly blue. It was looking better than ever in fact! What she had been trying to say earlier, was that the dress would react positively to the sunlight. It was absorbing the light and projecting it through the dress, giving it such an effect. And now that the rainclouds were gone, it was sparkling in the sunlight. Perfect. Simply perfect.
"Thanks for everything, Lisa. You were a real big help today," Lincoln told her, smiling softly. "It's alright to rest now. It's over for today." He didn't get a response. "Lisa?" He glanced down and noticed that her eyes were shut, and her cheek was nuzzled into his chest. She had fallen fast asleep. Well, four-year-olds needed naps after all. That was to be expected. He stroked her hair gently, his gaze fixed on the exhausted little genius.
"Sleep tight Lisa. Things will be better when you wake up. I promise"