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DreadedCandiru2; I've explained it in this chapter, hopefully. If you don't get it, then tell me in the reviews.

Hopefully you guys like this new entry, and I'll update as soon as possible. Thanks for reading!

For as long as Lincoln could remember, Lori had been somewhere in the grand scheme. She had helped him learn to tie his shoes (he was a slow learner, but she was patient.) She had taught him how to beat anyone at mini golf; she was the best Lincoln had ever seen! Just the sheer THOUGHT of Lori leaving sounded… WRONG.

He sighed, rubbing his eyes. At least she was happy with the whole thing, he supposed… of course she'd be, Lincoln, she chose the darn college!

It would be an adjustment, sure, but it was nothing the family couldn't deal with. He had always figured that his older siblings would have to go start their lives eventually, but that didn't lessen the reality of it. Even if there was 10 people in it, the house would feel… EMPTY without any one of them. They each had such a distinct personality that it would be easy to notice the difference.

At least, that's what Lincoln feared. For all he knew, no one would even care about her leaving. They were probably taking this a LOT better than him. And besides, she hadn't even accepted the offer yet. She still had to tour the place; and silently, Lincoln hoped that the tour would stink, and she wouldn't leave after all.

Yeah… that's what would happen…

5 Days Later…

"HEY, DUDES! THE 'RENTS ARE ON THE PHONE!"

The ten siblings gathered around the landline to talk to their parents. They had just landed in California that morning and were calling from the airport.

"Hi, guys! We just got into the airport! Lori and Dad are still tired, so they're sitting over by the luggage. How is everything?"

"It's pretty good," Leni said from the back. "Lincy and I made a pie yesterday!"

"Yeah, it was nice…"

"I read a story to the twins!" Luan chimed in.

"-pft- Yeah, a LAME one. Stupid pigeon…"

"Oh! I finished my new song! Want to hear?"

"Oh, well, I actually have to-"

It was too late, however. Luna had already ran upstairs and came back strumming the guitar.

"WEEEEELLLLL…"

"Hold on, honey! Lori just woke up! She wants to say hi to all of you!"

The phone changed hands, and the voice of their oldest sister came on.

"Hi, guys!"

"Hi, Lori!" the kids said at different times with different levels of enthusiasm.

"How's California, Lori?" Lincoln asked, not looking up.

"Oh, it's good so far… I just got off the plane though, so I really don't-"

"Did you see any movie stars yet? I hear they live over there!"

"No, Lola, you're thinking about-"

"Have you been to any of the beaches yet? They say there's really nice surfing, and volleyball, and-"

"GUYS!"

The ten fell silent.

"I just got off the plane! I haven't even been here for five minutes! Chill out!"

They complied as Lori handed the phone back to her mother, who talked to them for a while before hanging up again.

"So Pop-Pop alreasy came to check in with you kids, right? Oh, good! We'll call you every night! Love you!"

The phone fell silent, and the kids all returned to the normal routine… except for Lincoln. He stood on the steps, looking down.

It was only a matter of time before someone noticed his moping, and sure enough, someone came over to him.

"What's wrong, Lincy?" Leni asked, a worried look on her face. "Are you sick?"

"-sigh- Not really…"

She looked at him, puzzled.

"Well, why do you look sad, then? You've been standing there for a while now…"

At last, his feelings got the better of him. He sat down on the steps, and caught up in his feelings, he rambled.

"Well… I guess it's just that Lori is going to college, you know?"

"Yeah…" Leni said, sitting on a lower step. "But that's good! She's going to have a job!"

"Yeah, I know that… but why does she have to go so far away? Wasn't the community college her first choice?"

"I thought it was," Luan said, passing at the bottom of the stairs. "I guess she just decided to change it."

"Well, that wasn't very nice of her…" Leni said, now realizing why Lincoln looked so down.

"It's just that… Lori's been with us for as long as I can remember! And soon, she WON'T be!"

Luna had been trying to get down the stairs, but stopped and sat behind her brother.

"Hey, bro, the times are changing. One minute everything's all fine and dandy, and the next someone's moving away. It's no big deal. We'll see her at holidays!"

"But… that isn't enough! It's just that with Lori here, the house feels… COMPLETE. Like, the wag it's SUPPOSED to be. Don't you guys feel that? That something isn't right here?"

One by one, the older siblings raised their heads. They looked around, confused at first, but gradually realizing what he was getting at.

"Yeah…" Luan said. "It feels kind of ominous without Lori here…"

"Yeah, dude. It feels weird without the Queen of No around…"

"See what I mean?" he asked, raising his voice. He felt invigorated by his sisters agreement. "Lori isn't just a PART of this house, she IS this house! Without her here, it's empty! A shell!"

There was a large thud from the upstairs. The twins were going at it again… and it sounded fierce.

"Oh, boy… someone better go stop them…"

None of the older siblings moved. Usually, their parents would be dealing with it, but that wasn't an option… truth be told, only one of them even bothered see rating those two. And right now, she was on the other side of the country.

The kids realized this, and their eyes went wide.

"Dude… we have to get Lori back," Luna whispered in a hushed voice.

"But… but how? She already said that's the college she wants! And Bobby going there, too! There's no way she'll change her mind!"

"I'm scared…" Leni whimpered. "How will we stop the fighting without Lori?"

The four siblings sat around each other, not knowing what to do about it. Ay last, they realized what Lori meant to them… and how miserable their lives would be without her.

"So we've got a goal, it seems…" Lincoln said, standing up. "We need to get Lori back to Royal Woods. The REAL question though is, how?"

"Well…" Luan pondered. "We could always tell her how WE feel and try to convince her to stay!"

They thought about it only for a split second before throwing the plan to the side. It was too direct… too obvious.

"How about… we write her… a letter?" Leni chimed in. "You know, we tell her what she means to us and why she should, like, stay!"

"No way," Lincoln said as he shook his head. "It's too pitiful, makes us look 're trying to get her back here, not give her a way to blackmail us."

"Well… I could always write a song! You know, like a chorus thing that we could perform. It worked with mom and pop with the spa, remember?"

"Yeah, true… but you see how THAT turned out. We need a way to surprise her, TRICK her into staying…"

Luna wore a worried look on her face.

"Uhh, bro, I don't know… shouldn't we just be honest with her? Not try to manipulate her emotions?"

Lincoln pretended like he didn't hear her. He was in the middle of formulating… he had no time. Usually, he would listen to his siblings advice, but the fate of the family had never been on the line before. There was a reason he was called the 'Man With the Plan;' because he ALWAYS had the right solution. He could travel far and wide to find a simple fix to ANY…

Travel… far and…

THAT'S IT!

A massive grin fell on his face. A plan had come to his head… a stupid one, maybe, but would it work? Definitely.

"Guys… we need to get to California before they leave. It's the only way."

The three looked at him as if his head had grown legs and walked out the front door.

"Dude. You can't be serious."

"Yeah, that's the best you could come up with? I've heard 'your mama' jokes better than that!"

"Lincy, I'm an airhead and even I know that's a dumb idea… no offense."

"None taken. But think about it, you guys! If we can find a way to get to San Diego, then that I'm itself would show how much we care about Lori! She'd HAVE to stay with us! There's no way she could say no!"

"Yeah, true. But did you think about what Mom and Dad would say, genius?"

"YES, as a matter of fact, I have! They would be thrilled! They wouldn't have to pay for airplane tickets home! They could drive Vanzilla!"

It had completely slipped their minds. Vanzilla was still sitting in the driveway; the three had called an Uber to take them to the airport. And as far as they knew, the keys were in their parents bedroom. Lincoln made a point, as ridiculous as it seemed.

"Well…"

"Come on, guys! This is the only way to get Lori back! If we lose her,this ouse is going to fall apart! You NEED to help me!"

"Help you with what?"

They looked up. The younger siblings had overheard the conversation, and they were now gathered at the top of the staircase.

"Well… we were just talking about a way to keep Lori here. But you guys shouldn't…"

"Let me guess: you're intending on stealing the van and driving o California to 'rescue' our eldest sibling."

"Wha…" he stammered. "How did you…"

"Easy, dearest brother. I heard it all through the walls of my room."

"Wow. Lisa, remind us to speak quieter next time," Luan said. "Because THAT IS creepy."

"Fear not, siblings. I actually intend to help you in this endeavor."

"Seriously?" Leni asked. "Why?"

"Simple: Lori was the one who changed Lily. Without her, that responsibility will be unfilled, unlike our youngest siblings diaper."

"Poo poo!" Lily laughed, clapping from behind them.

"Uhh, I do think mean to put a dent into the plans here, but who exactly is gonna DRIVE?" Lynn asked. "Leni doesn't have her license yet!"

"Yeah! We'd have to break laws to get there!" Lola complained.

"Law breaking?! COUNT ME IN!"

"UGH! Lana!"

"What? Rules are meant to be broken!"

"Settle down, you guys!" Lincoln said, raising his arms. "I know you're all conflicted, but we need to think!"

"Actually, that won't be necessary. I've been working on a prototype for a 'Performance Enhancing Neurological Subsystem,' otherwise known as PENS. I like acronyms."

"Uhhh… could you speak ENGLISH, Lis?"

"Certainly. It's basically a ray gun that increases mental capacity. I zap Leni with it and she'll be able to drive with no problem."

"Uhhh…" Leni groaned with worry. "I don't like that plan."

"Fear not, Leni. It's harmless. And I've already whipped up a faux Michigan drivers license for you."

"Wait… what?"

"Errr… I have to make money somehow, don't I?"

The group stared at her for a minute before shrugging it off.

"Alright then, so it's settled? All in favor of rescuing our sister, say I!"

The 'I's' came in shakily, but it was unanimous. The Loud siblings were going to California!