The three walk out into the freezing rain and onto the walk path to the porch. Lincoln stops and takes a long look of the outside of the house he left behind. The house oddly looked to have ripened with age and have grown discolored, looking withered under the thick cloth of icy white. The few random things that would usually be peppered throughout the yard, porch and even the roof were not in sight. The house didn't even look like his home. It looked like some nameless house on the same street. The flare this place had-the things and sense of love that made this place stand out from the rest of houses on the block were washed away in a sense.
He didn't feel like he was at home at all.
He follows the walkway up to the porch and walks inside the door and shuts the front door behind himself.
He catches Leni walk upstairs to her room with a laptop in her hand. He hears a clanking sound and looks back on the first floor and into the kitchen. Lori was at the counter with a bottle of what looked like rum with a two glasses. He wanted to see what was going on with Lori's issue before hearing a loud thud upstairs. He heads upstairs quickly and looks around on the top stair into the hallway. The hall was dark due to the lights being off. He was tempted to turn on the light to get a better idea of what he was looking for. However, looking up at the ceiling, he noticed the hall light had no bulbs in it at all. He pushes the thought aside. After he picks up and drops the idea about the light, he hears another loud thud coming from Lynn and Lucy's room. Growing ever more curious, he holds his ear to the bedroom door. The muffled sounds of what sounded like rock music being accompanied by what sounded like 808's, rapid singing and faint counting is heard. Finding it odd, he knocks on door.
No answer.
He decided to knock again, this time a tad louder than before.
He noticed the sound of the music lower.
"It's open, you dumb bitch!" screamed Lynn from the other side.
Lincoln turns the knob and opens the door and walks inside. The radio on the floor was still lightly turned down along with Lynn, who was in a black tank top and orange basketball shorts in a push up position. She stops and turns her head, started with a very bitter look. However, this quickly shifts to one of surprise to see it was actually Lincoln. Lincoln waves at he her as she hops off the floor and stands. As she does this, Lincoln looks down at her ankle and notices the ankle monitor. She quickly makes her way to Lincoln and hugs him tightly, trying not to show her heavy emotions. The hug ends and they look eyes for a second and smile.
"Welcome back, bro! I thought you had two years!" said Lynn excitedly.
"They decided I was reformed and shortened it," said Lincoln with a smile. "They told mom a few days ago, so I get to go back to school and live normal again."
"That's awesome! We all missed ya here!" said Lynn, shutting the door behind her and walking to her bed and takes a seat. "It's nice to have a man in the house again!"
"W-Wha..?" asked Lincoln, confused by her statement.
Lynn looks at Lincoln and darts her eyes away, trying to keep a happy attitude in front of him.
"N-Nothing. My bad," Lynn said, trying to save face.
"For what?" asked Lincoln.
"We kept your room...t-the way ya left it…" said Lynn, ignoring the question.
Lincoln realized something was really wrong here, but he also realized that badgering her with questions would anger her and she looked to be trying to be nice and is actually happy he's home. So, he decided to keep the questions in his back pocket.
"Thanks, Lynn. Glad to know you guys haven't forgotten me," Lincoln said with a faint smile.
Lynn's eyes widen and her expression expressive panicking.
"N-No! Of course not! We love you-we'd NEVER forget you! You were coming back!" Lynn said hopping off the bed, turning the radio down further before moving to him quickly. "You're back and that's what matters! You're staying, right? You're not going back, right?"
Lynn holds on to Lincoln's arm tightly and presses on it, applying more pressure in her grip.
"R-Right?" asked Lynn slowly in a whisper.
Lincoln grips his forearm as Lynn holds on to it.
"Lynn, y-your're kinda hurting me.." said Lincoln.
Lynn looks at her hand and lets good. She looks down and sighs.
"I-I'm sorry, Linc…" said Lynn.
"It's not your fault.." said Lincoln. "I...didn't know how strong you've gotten since I left."
Lynn blushed and glowed, obviously delighted by Lincoln's compliment. She smiles and playful flexes.
"Yeah," she said with her usually bravado. "I'm actually becoming a beast working out in here, ya know?"
Lincoln takes notice of Lynn. Her body was a tad more muscular. So much so, she even managed to form a fair set of abs. She looked like an amutur kick boxer and whatever work out she was doing was helping her. From her triceps and calf muscles, she was as toned as a fourteen year old could get.
However, staring at Lynn's calf reminded Lincoln about the ankle monitor.
He sighs.
"Lynn, why are you on house arrest?" asked Lincoln honestly.
Lynn looks down at her ankle monitor and closes her eyes to inhale. She walks back to her bed and sits down. She pats the area next to her. Lincoln knew right out of the gate where this was going and walks to to the bed. He sits next to Lynn and clamps his hands together, gearing up for what she was going to say.
"I'm on house arrest because of a fight…" she said.
Lincoln looked at her confused.
"For a fight?" he asked.
She nodded.
"There's more to it, is there?" he asked.
She sighs and crosses her legs, something she normally detest.
"Okay...things got bad here after you left. Very bad…" she began. "Everything is all messed up a-and everyone was changing. After you left, everything kinda came tumbling. It was the little things, you know? The everyone started to change and now...no one is acting right."
Lincoln sits there and accepts what we was given.
"Mom started drinking. A lot. She even allowed Lori to do it..so, one morning, I noticed a bottle of vodka was left on the table. I wasn't sure what it tasted like and I knew I wasn't in my right mind during that time. So, I swapped it...put it in my bag and went to school."
"Lynn, no…" Lincoln said. "You didn't…"
Lynn nodded and sniffs.
"I-I drunk it through the entire day. By lunch, I could barely walk and see straight. I thought a friend said 'are you a dyke, Lynn?' I was so drunk, I misheard her. Next thing I knew, I'm on top of her on the table, bashing her face in. I was so stupid...I pulled the bottle out of my bag and start beating her with it. Over and over and over...then I black out and walk up handcuffed in nurse office at the jail. Long story short, I got expelled for assault and being drunk in school and they gave me three months house arrest. They could have gave me a hundred eighty days for it, but I guess they pitied me.."
Lincoln looks at his sister, not sure what to say.
"You know what my friend actually said to me?" asked Lynn.
Lincoln shook his head.
"She said 'are you ALRIGHT, Lynn?' Dyke never left her mouth…" said Lynn, looking like she was on the verge of crying.
"When did this happen?" asked Lincoln quietly.
"Almost been a month…" she replied.
"So, this is recent…" said Lincoln with a sigh.
"I must be a pretty awful sister, huh?" asked Lynn.
"N-No! You made a mistake. You know what I did. Don't ever think you're awful…" said Lincoln.
Lynn nodded, feeling a little better. However, Lincoln felt he had to ask what has been sitting quietly in his back pocket.
"Lynn, why didn't mom and dad not visit me?" asked Lincoln. "Mom kept saying they would but it never happened. I mean, I was there for almost two years-"
"Oh, God…" Lynn said with a horrified expression. "You don't know yet…"
"W-What?" asked Lincoln.
Lynn looked Lincoln dead in the eye.
"What did you and Lori talk about?" asked Lynn in a serious tone.
"W-We talked about my time at the academy, kinda. And then Leni called about getting fired and-"
"Leni got fired again?!" said Lynn in near disbelief.
Lincoln nodded.
"Oh, God-mom is gonna be PISSED," she said gripping her hair.
Lincoln felt like he opened up a can of questions that he can no longer close given the nature of the situation.
"Lynn, why is she working? Why isn't she at school? Plus, shouldn't Lori be in college at this point?" asked Lincoln in an oblivious fashion.
Lynn's mouth dropped.
"T-They didn't tell you about that either?" asked Lynn.
Lincoln then hops off the bed, now frightened by Lynn's behavior and her fear. He backs away from the bed a moment and takes a breathe.
"Okay, what is going on? What happened here?" he asked, almost demanding an answer.
Before Lynn could even conjure something of an answer, a voice cries out.
"Lincoln!" shouted what sounded like a slurring Lori from the kitchen. "Come see y-your big sister!"
Lincoln looked at Lynn, who grabs and hugs on her pillow by crossing her arms across the front and sighs.
"Looks like you're questions are going to get answered…" said Lynn rather grimly.
Lincoln took that comment as his cue to leave. He walked out the room and shut the door behind him. Before her can make his turn to the steps in the dark hallway, he hears the muffled music again, citing that Lynn turned the radio back up. He walks down the stairs to hear the light sound of pouring. He peeks inside the kitchen from the corner of the doorway to see Lori pour a glass of Finest Crown whiskey into a what looked like a knock off steuben glass. She also pours up another glass and sits both at the table. She sits the whisky on the table in the kitchen lights a cigarette. Lori reaches across the table and takes out a remote and pressed a button to turn on a radio that sat on the counter behind her. The music that played was what sounded like an odd blend of smooth jazz and what sounded like hypnagogic pop. The high hints of chill wave was also blended.
Lori takes her lighter and lights her square and takes a drag. Lincoln comes into the kitchen and looks at the dim lighting, the fading colors and the dirty dishes that stacked in the sink, looking to be a day or two old. He ignores the obviously unpleasant surroundings and sits down across from Lori.
Lori passes him a glass of the whisky. Before Lincoln could protest, Lori opens up a bottle of cola and pours a bit into the glass. She takes a random spoon that was on the table and stirs it for him.
"It won't taste as rough that way" said Lori, clearly sounding like she already had been drinking enough.
Lincoln takes a slow sip and declared to himself this drink to be just okay. He listens to the music a little more.
"What...is this?" asked Lincoln.
"It's vaporwave" said Lori with a smile. "And no-I'm not gonna explain it."
Lori laughs to herself, finding that added statement to be rather humorous. Lincoln just sips from the glass and finds the tone confusing and kinda awkward.
Lori pulls herself together and looks at him and smiles.
"So, you got plenty of questions. I know, I know. I'm going to tell you all I can tell you right here, right now," she stated. "Now, the reason I poured you a drink is because your gonna need it to dull your nerves, because what I'll tell you will stress you the hell out."
Lincoln wasn't too sure just how deep Lori was about to get regarding how bad things have gotten since he was last here. Knowing what Lynn told him about her situation and how Lori and Leni talk to one another now, he thinks maybe having this drink in his hand is the best option, but knows he can't get too far gone on the idea. He takes a easy sip out of the glass and looks to Lori. Lori is pleased and takes her glass to the head, clearing it. She takes a drag of her cig and exhales.
"Well, welcome to the Loud house!" she declared with drunken laughter. "Now, it all started after you got sentenced…"