Escaping from The Wilkes is relief, but falling to another abysmal space is distress. Whatever circumstance Lincoln gets involved in externally is tougher internally.
All is hollow from where Lincoln landed, a mountain of rubble and debris. Regaining consciousness, he wakes up with the crystal ball memories on his arms. Fear still plagues Lincoln, as he sees himself trapped in a dark, infinite realm, with only the crystal balls providing light to a vast obscurity.
Hopeless, Lincoln leans by the rubble, letting the gravity slide him by the mountainous pile. However, upon landing, he accidentally lets go off one glass ball, causing it to fracture. Lincoln runs to it to see a noticeable but benign scratch, giving him a sense of relief. But darkness still stumbles around him.
"Hello! Anyone out there!' Lincoln hollers desperately to see if someone can answer or hear him, "Hello! Anybody?! Hello! I really need help! I've been chased by a monster! And I don't know if he will return…"
But no one answers. Not even one. Lincoln can only hear his hollers echo from a distance.
"Anyone?" he utters, but he gets no response. In every minute, no one responds.
This is enough to upset the 11-year-old and to give up on his knees, letting go off the five crystal balls in the process. Hopelessness is all in his mind right now. With all the hurdles he had been through, he is definite that it all let him down to sorrow. Tears slowly from his eyes, as anguish tears inside him.
And from his frustrations, Lincoln bursts out his feelings, "Out of the stuff I have to go through, this is what I get?! I just did the right thing! How it all went this way?! I can't take it! I wanna go home! I wanna see my friends! I wanna see my family! I wanna see my mom and my dad! I wanna see my house! And I truly wanna see my sisters!"
Just as he says that, a growl is heard from a near distance, approaching to his direction. This causes for Lincoln to leave the crystal balls and run away from the approaching creature, whatever it may be. He never think of stopping from fleeing; he just wishes to escape from his nightmarish circumstance. Because of his unstoppable running, Lincoln suddenly trips to the rubble-filled ground and stumbles to a bigger pile of rubble.
Suddenly, the growl lunges to Lincoln, making him scream and cover his face as self-defense. Lincoln then pleads out of terror, "Please! Please! No! I don't wanna be killed! I am tired of where I am now! I just wanna go home to my family, my friends and my own life! Please! No!"
However, as he opens his eyes, Lincoln sees no creature attacking him. He check his surroundings for any sign of an attacker to discover just the same rubble-filled environment, much to his relief. Nevertheless, he goes back to his previous location to retrieve the crystal ball memories he accidentally left behind.
Upon his trek, Lincoln inadvertently trips on a buried item. Annoyed, he kicks it, only to hear items contained. He then clears out the rubble and dusts off the rest. It is revealed that item he kicked was a trunk. But not just any trunk. It was the trunk where he stored his disguises of his sisters (from "Cover Girls"). He decides to open it to reveal not the disguises but valuable items that are specific to each of his sisters. He spots a worn-out cellphone, obviously belonging to Lori; a pin cushion, which may come from Leni; an acoustic guitar, which solely belongs to Luna; a microphone that somehow is owned by Luan; a football, which surely is owned by Lynn; a poetry book, which surely is owned by Lucy; a monkey wrench, which may belong to Lana, since she is good on tools; a tiara, which is one thing Lola owns; an Erlenmeyer flask, a laboratory equipment that is under the property of Lisa; and finally a pacifier, which should belong to none other than Lily. But he also recovers one more sentimental item. It was the picture frame that Lincoln gave his parents as an anniversary gift. He knew at that time that he can never change who his sisters were, and that he only can love them as they are. He clings on the frame for a long duration, until he returns the items back to the trunk and carries it on his way to retrieve the crystal balls. The trunk carries a large weight that Lincoln is having a hard time dragging it to his destination.
However, the journey to retrieve his memories is not as easy as it sounds. As Lincoln looks up on the vast abyss, several white wisps descend from a threshold above and fly across the realm. Though the 11-year-old initially perceives them to be randomly peaceful, their threat manifests when they start scorching the surroundings. Their flames are of snow white, and their presence spreads like wildfire. One wisp spots Lincoln and shoots flames at him. Thankfully, in the nick of time, Lincoln shields himself by the trunk cover and flees from the scene.
The wisp continues to target Lincoln, shooting flames towards him while extinguishing his path. Without looking at his direction, Lincoln falls to a pit where its pitch black atmosphere and chilling temperature restrict for light to appear. However, since these ghastly entities can illuminate their surroundings, the wisp spots him below. And with that, he strikes him in full speed.
Thinking this might be his last moment, Lincoln softly utters, "Farewell, friends. Farewell, my family. I love you all." As the wisp charges the innocent boy, an invisible defense suddenly surrounds Lincoln, obliterating the wisp to oblivion. Witnessing this, Lincoln realizes that his dedication for his loved ones has the power to defeat such supernatural beings, the way he did with The Wilkes. In reflection on that, one item illuminates from the rubble. He approaches it to discover it to be a slingshot. With this, Lincoln takes the advantage to knock down another wisp that is about to strike. And at just one shot, the wisp fades to naught. Lincoln's internal battle just gets brewing.
Back at the external struggle, the doctors have recently found out of Lincoln's diagnosis from his accident. While Dr. Benedict gathers the latest data, Lincoln's sisters watch helplessly from a viewing room as they see their brother getting examined. Mr. and Mrs. Loud meanwhile receive a report from the police about Lincoln's accident. What the case is not what they seem to be when Mr. Loud receives from the authorities. With these information clashing together, the Loud sisters have yet to know what really happened to their beloved brother.
Dr. Benedict approaches them, "Okay girls, here's what we got. Uhmm where are your parents?"
"Mom's finding dad. She'll be back here," Lynn replies.
"Well, should we wait for them…?" Dr. Benedict asks.
"No, it's okay, go on. I'm here in their behalf," Lori persuades.
The neurologist then lays the report, "Well, you're already informed that your brother Lincoln had suffered from head injuries that fractured skull and caused wounds to his face. Be fortunate because we successfully prevent from blood loss to happen, and he regained his consciousness. He just needs 2-3 weeks to heal. But unfortunately, the accident also caused severe concussion, leading to post-traumatic amnesia, but a worse form. Retrograde amnesia." This causes the sisters to get perplexed at the findings.
"But Lincoln got good grades. How can he have retro grades?" Leni reacts.
"No, Leni," Lisa clarifies, "Retrograde amnesia happens when a person cannot remember anything before the accident, which, in this case, Lincoln forgot who we were."
Lisa's explanation shocks the Loud sisters further to worry.
"But doc, is there something you can do to restore his memories?" Lori queries.
"We're trying our best. We're gonna observe him 24/7, till we can find the suitable treatments for your brother. For now, let us wait for his physical examination to come out," the neurologist states, "I suggest not to worry much about him. We're getting things handled."
But Lori and the rest are left petrified of Lincoln's diagnosis. They never realize the extent of Lincoln's accident. But they somehow cannot accept that their brother has retrograde amnesia.
Shortly after, Mr. and Mrs. Loud enter the room, and the Loud sisters come to their embrace, while also shedding tears in the process. It is a family moment they need to ease the pain from learning about their beloved Lincoln's case.
"Mom, Lincoln can't remember us," Lola says.
"He has retro…whatever amnesia," Lana adds, trembling the Loud parents.
"I'm sorry you have to hear that, Lola, Lana," Rita Loud sympathizes.
"Maybe it's best I explain this further," Dr. Benedict suggests.
At the doctor's recommendation, Mr. Loud says, "Okay kids. I know it's been hard today. But we need you back home."
"What?! But we wanna see Lincoln!" the sisters collectively demand.
"I know. I wanna see Lincoln too. But it's best if you all go home for now. It's getting late. We'll take it from here," Mr. Loud insists, making the girls anxiously walk out of the viewing room, "Lori, you're in charge, as always. Your mom and I will try to go home as soon as we can."
Lori responds worriedly with a nod, following her sisters who are walking back to the waiting room, and out of the hospital. The anxiety of their brother's condition still carries a heavy weight in them, as they go home.
When they arrive, the Loud sisters gather at the living room, at Lori's insistence to wait for their parents to arrive. Each of the siblings faces her own dealings with the unexpected happening. Lori is walking back and forth on her phone. Leni rocks a clueless Lily to sleep. Luna is trying to strum a beat that best fits their situation. Luan crouches her legs by the couch. Lynn leans her head by Lucy's shoulder, while Lucy is writing what is presumed to be a journal entry about Lincoln's accident. Lola and Lana are sitting still by the recliner, with Lola at the seat and Lana at the left armrest. And Lisa tries to cover her eyes from breaking into tears.
"Haven't we literally gone through this before?" Lori raises her concern over the Loud sisters' total bleakness to the situation, "Lincoln may have forgotten about us, but that doesn't mean he is gone."
"But Lori, can you imagine not knowing who we are?" Lynn justifies.
"I know. But we have to be strong, together," the eldest sister encourages, "It's not literally forever that we should mope like this."
But suddenly, Lisa breaks into tears but tries to cover it with Leni's shirt, "I cannot take it anymore! As much as this is irrational, I just want to see my brother normal again."
"But Lisa, you're a genius. Shouldn't you invent some kind of machine or some thingamajig to make Lincoln remember us?" Lola interrogates.
"Negative," Lisa confirms, "Restoring collective memories requires analytical examinations and therapeutic procedures, in order for the neurons to restore and gain access to those lost memories. A push of a button from a mad contraption with exposure to radiation, and Lincoln might have mental paralysis."
"What does that supposed to mean?"
"Meaning, I have no right to restore Lincoln's memories."
"Okay, we get that Lisa. We get it," Lori responds, "I know it's hard to get through this. But we have to."
"But what if Lincoln really lost his memories?" Luan asks worriedly, "Does that mean he won't remember my jokes?"
"Or my songs?" Luna joins in the mix.
"Or how to do poems with me?" Lucy follows.
"Or my beauty pageants?" Lola throws in her concern.
"Or how to help us in our problems?" Lynn adds in, causing much disturbance in the Loud sisters' circle of trust. Their worries extend further from boggling what-if scenarios surrounding Lincoln's situation.
This causes Lori to also get anxious but leans more to venting. With that, she bursts out, "Okay, you guys, will you stop worrying?! It doesn't matter if Lincoln remembers us or not. Lincoln is safe now. And that's all we need to know. And if he does really forget who were, we need to be strong for him. Okay?!"
"It sounds like you have no concern for Lincoln," Lynn deduces in suspicions for Lori's presumed apathy.
"Why would you accuse me of that?" Lori replies, "I am saying that we should be able to stand up ourselves."
"And that's start with caring for our brother," Lana enunciates.
"Yeah Lori! Why wouldn't you care for Lincoln?!" Lola adds in protest.
Lily then wails from the quarreling that she hears. "Oh look Lori, you made Lily. She
And to her loudest defense, Lori bellows, "I care for Lincoln, okay?! I…" Before she could finish her words, she begins to sob. Lori hides herself from her sisters in attempt to hide her weakness from her sisters. As the one currently in charge of the bunch, she is designated to keep her sisters intact and well. However, that seems to be a long hurdle for her, as she bursts in tears. A moment of silence then sweeps in to the Louds, with each contemplating how to cope up with their family's situation.
Suddenly, Luna plays a familiar tune, "Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya, kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya, kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya, O Lord, kum bay ya…"
The sisters slowly utter the words and proceed to circle around Luna to join in one emotional sing-along. Lana takes Lori's hand, inviting her to join. But she lets go and walks out of the house, while the rest of the sisters sing to "Kumbaya".
Feeling hopeless, Lori lets go off her phone to reflect about her feelings towards Lincoln's accident. Being the bossy one, it is hard for to be sympathetic that easily to her siblings. But whenever the situation merits it, Lori would truly show sympathy. As for this one, she is dealing with a tough reality to accept. Though there are plausible procedures to prevent from that kind of case to happen to her brother, she sort of leans to be realistic. Despite that, she still inhibits the mindset that she and her other sisters will always be there for Lincoln, whatever he is facing. Now, Lori is in conflict whether she should be a realist or an optimist.
As Lori sits by the pavement, her dad hurtles and parks the car by the street, instead of the garage, and approaches Lori.
"Dad?" Lori utters.
"Lori," Mr. Loud responds, then embraces her in comfort, "Where are your sisters?"
"They're inside," Lori answer while trying to hold back her tears.
"Good. There's something I need to tell you that I think you can handle better than your sisters," he says with a solemn tone. Mr. Loud then pulls out an envelope and brings out its contents: a file report and photos. "We got Lincoln's files from the police. It was not simply an accident he got involved in. Lincoln took a dive to save a girl from being hit by a car."
"Lincoln saved a girl?"
"That's right. She pushed the girl by the side. The police said it was intentional. Now, the school has custody of this girl." Lynn Sr. then shows a file photo of the girl. "I need you to approach this girl and ask her what happened that lead Lincoln to this situation."
"Why me?"
"Because I want to you to be the sister Lincoln wants you to be."
Those words causes Lori to tremble in awe, as she realized she was given a huge responsibility. Nevertheless, she wishes to accept this task for Lincoln.