The morning was fresh and the house seemed icy. Lincoln woke up with shivers. His toes were numb and his body felt cold. He was balled up, his arms wrapped around his chest and his shoulders tense. He sighed and he could've sworn he saw his cloudy breath. He stretched his arms up and his legs in an arch. He moaned and shot up. He sat and scratched his back as he smacked his dry lips. His eyes were bland and hazy, looking through the TV and the wall.
What time is it?
Lincoln looked out the window. The sky and streets were covered in a layer of blue mist. Early morning. A couple birds of chirped and planes zoomed by, but nothing else. He got up from the couch and stretched again, his hands reaching for the ceiling. He groaned with a painful delight. His hands fell limp to his side. His body moved on its own, walking past the dining room and into the kitchen.
He opened the fridge and scavenged around. What to make for breakfast? There were some eggs. Simple and easy. But he didn't want to eat eggs. He wanted something nice. Pancakes? Sure, why not. What else. Milk or orange juice? The kids liked orange juice. Fine, let's go with that.
And so he started. He walked to the dish rack and reached for the pan. He pulled it out and the plates clattered loudly but he didn't care. He tossed the pan on the oven, over the burner. He walked over to the cabinet and reached for the pancake mix. He squinted menacingly at the box.
He never liked making pancakes like this. He liked making it the way his Mom first taught him: from scratch.
In a large glass bowl, he had his flour, some sugar, and baking soda. Eggs and milk. Mix heavily and forcefully. Then Mom told him it was better if you add extra stuff to it like chocolate chips, bananas, blueberries. But holding the box in his hand, cooking felt… wrong. But Mom told him it was way easier and quicker. Especially early in the morning when no one wanted to do anything.
He stood in front of the stove, his gooey pancake mix to the side and some already on the burning pan. He looked down at the pan, wondering if he should put anything on it before it was too late. Yeah, he should. He walked over to the cabinet again and pulled out a plastic bag of chocolate chips.
He scanned it with a boring eye. He wasn't much of a chocolate fan like his sisters but it's not like he hated it or anything. He just didn't like the taste sometimes.
He opened the ziplock and poured some into the pancake mix. He flipped the pancake that was already on the pan with a plastic spatula, the top was golden brown. He smirked at the sight and smell.
I mean, he couldn't even understand how his sisters can down all that stuff down without getting a stomach ache. But they were kids. What kid doesn't like chocolate? Personally, he'd like banana slices in the pancakes, but his sisters would pout and whine. And he literally didn't need that kind of negativity this early in the morning. A happy family is a mildly less annoying family.
He scooped the ready pancake from the pan and tossed it onto a waiting plate. Then lifted the bowl with the pancake mix and threw some more onto the pan. A quick tilt was all he did. He liked his pancakes thin, It made the syrup sink in nicely. The others liked thin pancakes too.
He scooped and flipped.
And don't get him started on the butter. He liked adding a slice of butter on top of the stack after he was done but it was more for looks than taste. When he sees those breakfast commercials, whether it be from Denny's, McDonald's or anywhere, they always showed the shiny syrup showering over the butter on top like a waterfall. It made his mouth water and his pants tight.
But he already smeared butter on the pan and he really didn't want to take it back out of the fridge just for a little show of cooking superiority. Besides, butter was like salt or sugar: tastes good but not healthy.
He scooped the pancake and threw it onto the plate.
Damn, they're lucky Ihop changed their name to Ihob 'cuz he'd beat the shit out of them with his pancakes. What does Ihob mean again? International House of Bitches.
Lincoln scoffed at his own joke. He sighed with bliss at the smell and the sight of the short stack. He was pumping out pancakes like a machine. He kind of had to, though. He had other mouths to feed. Unfortunately.
His mood soured.
Flip. Wait. Flip. Wait Then toss to the side. He reaped that process for what felt like the hundredth time. He finally turned off the stove and looked at the plates of pancakes. Two on each plate with a total of eleven plates, syrup on each and waiting to be eaten. Lincoln placed the hot pan in the sink and smirked at the sight of his work, his hands on his hips and a light of appreciation in his eye. God, he wanted to eat some. Fuck it, he was gonna eat some.
He reached out for a plate, but he felt a cold breeze run down his back.
"Good morning,"
Lincoln jumped and yelped. He spun around and leaned on the counter, his legs shaking and his heart racing. Lucy stood there, rubbing her hidden eyes with the back of her hand. Lincoln sighed in relief. Then he looked at her with a scowl.
"Dammit," Lincoln cursed bitterly. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that?"
'Not enough," Lucy said.
Lucy saw her brother's nose wrinkle in anger. She smirked on the inside. She loved messing with Lincoln 'cuz he couldn't do anything back. She found out that she can fuck around with Lincoln as much as she liked as long she didn't touch him or patronize him. It was easy. Lucy would throw in a quick punch then run. Figuratively speaking, of course. She looked at his side and saw that he made breakfast.
"I see you made breakfast," Lucy pointed out with a nod.
Lincoln looked at his side then looked back at Lucy with a deadpan face.
"Right," Lincoln started.
"Can I get some?" Lucy asked.
"No,"
"Why not?"
"You didn't say the magic word,"
"Please,"
"No," Lincoln repeated. "Not yet. Go wake up your sisters while I finish setting things up."
Lucy turned around and walked back up the stairs without a word. Lincoln turn and looked at the plates of pancakes. He grabbed as many plates as he could and carried it over to the dining table. He dangerously dropped the plates on the table and marched back into the kitchen, grabbed more plates and threw it on the table. He went back again and grabbed the remaining plates. He fixed each plate in front of an empty chair, scurrying around the rim of the table like a madman. He looked around and nodded at the set. He jumped back into the kitchen, tore open the fridge and got two cartons of orange juice, tucked it under his armpit and grabbed two plastic bottles of Aunt Jemima syrup.
He ran back to the table, placed the orange juice cartons on opposite sides of the table and did the same for the syrup. He looked over everything and made sure it was right. Forks and knives were already there but he didn't expect them to use it. Paper cups were ready and so was he. Now, Lincoln waited… and counted.
His breath lingered in his ears and his heart painfully thumped against his chest. The chirping birds still sang their song and the plane in the distant was far and gone. He probably should've poured the orange juice for them. Actually, no. Then he'd be able to see the juice ripple ominously. And he wanted every second of silence he had left.
Lincoln felt the ground shake under him. He knew what it was. He pulled up a painful smile and sat in the empty chair at the far end of the table.
He kept a sharp eye at the threshold of the dining room, waiting for the first glance of them to come around the corner. So he can time his depression just right. He heard mumbling and steps thumping down the stairs. Then there was a deep yawn coming from the living room all while the thumping from the stairs kept going.
Okay, there was more than he was expecting but that was okay. The highest number of sisters he had at once in the morning was… five. Now, he was expecting three. Lincoln hoped he was right. He took in a deep breath and prepared himself.
Lucy walked form around the corner but he already knew she was going to be here. The little goth walked by, pulled out an empty seat and sat in the middle of the table. He expected Lynn next.
Just as he finished his thought, Lynn crawled around from the corner. He knew it. Whichever sister woke up first, Lincoln knew that they'd wake up their roommate next. And It worked every time.
The bags under Lynn's eyes dragged on her face and her bloodshot eyes gave her the appearance of a feral animal. She yawned, a tear forming at the corner of her eye. She brushed it away with a greedy palm and smacked her dry lips lazily.
"Morning," she said a bit cheerfully and peppy than her awful look let on. She looked at the table and saw the pancakes and juice. Her eyes lit up and a nasty smile stretched across her face. "Hell yeah. You made breakfast?" Lynn turned to her brother. Lincoln nodded with a tilt of his head and a painful smirk that showed the fading light in his eyes.
Lincoln watched from the corner of his eye as Lynn walked over to Lucy and sat next to her. Lucy sat there quietly, staring at her food. Lynn snatched a fork and ate with the passion of a beast. She didn't even put any syrup on, didn't pour herself any juice.
Then there was plenty of muffled thuds coming from the living room. Lincoln and Lucy turned. The twins came from around the corner. Both looked tired and exhausted.
"Good morning," Both of them said in unison.
They walked over to Lynn and sat down next to her. Lincoln didn't care about where they sat but something about the order was making him uncomfortable. One whole side of the table was already taken up and the other side was dead and vacant. He usually wouldn't care if it wasn't for the odd fact that they got closer to him every time someone sat down. Lana was to his left, poking at her pancake with a tiny smile. She was at arm's length. Lincoln wanted to scoot further away but that'd be weird. No, he just had to deal with it.
He reached for his fork and started eating along with the others. He tore off a piece of the pancake and threw it into his waiting mouth. The taste was dry and dusty. Syrup. He needed syrup. He cleared his throat and everyone looked at him. He kept his focus on the plastic bottle.
"Can you pass me that?" Lincoln mumbled quietly, pointing at the syrup. Everyone turned to the bottle, looking and waiting eagerly to see who would grab it first. There was a second of waiting that felt like minutes. Then Lynn leaned over the table, swiped the syrup and handed it over to Lincoln.
Lincoln took it.
Lincoln and Lynn's eyes met. Lincoln shot a quick smile out of courtesy and nodded. Lynn shared the smile back out of respect rather than… affection. Lincoln hung his head and fixed his eyes on his plate. He heard more footsteps but didn't acknowledge it with a glance. The footsteps wrapped around the room and finally stopped at his side. Luan and Luna sat down at the empty side, leaving one vacant seat to separate them. God bless that they decided to stay away.
Lincoln tilted the plastic bottle and squeezed it.
The golden lava of sugar came slithering out slowly. Lincoln started in the center of his pancake then spun the syrup around in a spiral. He stopped when he reached the edge. He closed the bottle and placed it as far away from him as possible, so the kids wouldn't ask him to pass it. A fork dropped and clattered on an empty plate. He looked up and saw Lynn with a goofy smile.
"Hey, Lincoln, Can I have some more?" Lynn asked desperately. Lincoln toughened up.
"No," Lincoln said. He looked at Lucy then to her plate. She hadn't eaten a single bite. "Lucy," He called. The little goth turned her attention to her brother, her dark hair flailing gently. "Are you gonna eat?" Lucy shook her head. "Why?" Lincoln asked.
"I'm not hungry," Lucy said. Lincoln growled. He cooked for nothing. He looked back at Lynn and their eyes met again. Lincoln nodded at Lucy.
"You can have her's," Lincoln said.
"I don't want her to have mines," Lucy said. Lynn glared at Lucy with a raised brow.
"But you're not even gonna eat it," Lynn said.
"I know but I don't want you to have it," Lucy repeated. "You eat too much. You'll get fat."
Lynn gasped and everyone else giggled. Lincoln wasn't having one of their little antiques this early in the morning, though.
"Lucy," Lincoln said firmly. "Give Lynn your breakfast if you don't want it."
Lucy looked down at the pancakes, then turned to Lynn. The little athlete had an evil eye, her brows were pinched and her nose was up. Lucy turned to Lincoln.
"If you want, you can have it," Lucy suggested.
"No, I'm fine," Lincoln said through his teeth, still glaring at Lucy.
Lucy turned to Luan.
"Luan?" Lucy asked but Luan shook her head. Lucy turned to Luna but she held her hand up and gently patted her stomach. Lucy turned to the twins but they were half dead and munching on their food. Lucy looked back at her plate then turned her focus to Lincoln.
"If you want, you can have it," Lucy suggested.
"I already said no," Lincoln growled.
Another sister came from the living room. Leni yawned and whined pitifully. Her arms fell to her side and her heavy head dragged her down. She slithered to the corner between Lincoln and Luan and took a seat.
"Actually," Lucy said with a smirk. "I think I'll eat."
Lincoln groaned. Lynn pouted and sank into her chair. She looked away from Lucy and saw the orange juice on the table. She shot up from her seat, leaned over the table and snatched the carton. She took off the cap and began to down the juice like a pro. Luna gasped.
"Dude, stop. You gotta share with the rest of us." Luna blurted out.
The rocker shot up from her chair too and reached for the carton in Lynn's hand but the little athlete turned. Luna accidentally smacked the bottom of the carton. Juice jumped out of the carton and splashed Lynn on the face. Lynn gasped as the icy cold drink sank into her white and red jersey. She swallowed and flared.
"Why'd you do that?" Lynn shouted.
"You're hogging the juice, dude," Luna said. "Hand it over."
"No, dude," Lynn said teasingly. She pointed at the other far end of the table, where the twins sat. "There's more over there."
Lola gasped. Lincoln pulled away from Lynn and turned to the twins, his focus went to Lola's shocked face then he turned to Lana with her mouth puffed and full. Then Lana swallowed and let out a satisfied sigh. Lola pushed Lana as rough as she can. Lana shrieked and flailed her arms around, keeping herself from falling off the chair. Then she turned and stared daggers at her twin.
"What's wrong with you?" Lana said, her eyes sharp and teeth bared.
"Me?" Lola shouted. "You ate my pancakes."
"You weren't eating," Lana poorly justified.
"I was taking my time," Lola hissed, roughly shoving Lana on the shoulder again.
"Stop pushing me," Lana said deeply, a sense of warning in her words. Lola felt it. The little diva lifted her nose and looked down at Lana with a glare.
"Give. me. my. pancakes," Lola said slowly and menacingly through her teeth.
"I. can't," Lana mimicked.
"Then you better make me some," Lola commanded.
"For you?" Lana said with a giggle. "As if."
Then the two started arguing. They shouted and raised their hands, both stood up on their chairs and tried intimidating each other. Lincoln watched on, the fake smile on his face twitching and braking but he managed. Then he turned to Lynn and Luna. Their hands pulled and tugged on the juice carton, spraying it all over the table. Lincoln let out a pitiful sad sigh that sounded more like a desperate whine.
He turned to Luan. She was face down on the table, her hands tucked under her chin and her back lightly rising and falling. Lincoln turned to Lucy. She stared right back at him with an empty expression, then the corner of her lips turned up into a smirk.
Lincoln's fabricated smile fell and his eyes showed what they tried so hard to hide: misery.
He felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down to his right and saw Leni with her lids heavy and head hung.
"Why didn't you come to bed last night?" Leni mumbled out. But just as she finished speaking, everyone went dead silent. Even Luan snorted and shot her head up. Drool ran down the side of her mouth and her eyes were lazy and groggy.
"Huh?" Lincoln said, his voice echoed in his head. His heart skipped a beat and his chest tightened. He looked at his side, all the kids froze and stared at him. Lincoln kept his composure at ease. If they saw him weak then they'd jump on his back like clawing monkeys and ride him like monsters. And if they knew that he let Leni sleep in his room then they'd know he was weak and… affectionate
"You didn't come to bed yesterday," Leni stated. Lincoln chuckled nervously.
"What are you talking about?" Lincoln asked.
"You," Leni said. "You let me sleep in your room but you didn't come to bed."
Lincoln's mind raced. How the fuck did she know? Lincoln made sure she was sound asleep. Did she wake up? Maybe. There was always someone waking up in the dead of night, going to the bathroom or getting a drink of water.
"You probably imagined it," Lincoln closed his lips and looked down at his plate, a bead of sweat running down his brow.
"But-" Leni started.
Lincoln shot up from his seat. The chair leaned back dangerously and the table rattled under his weight. He hands were on the corner and his head high. Everyone followed him with curious eyes.
"Okay. Listen up, twerps." Lincoln's fake enthusiasm and energetic voice pierced the silent air. "We're all going to the mall today." Everyone gasped in delight. Except for Leni. She was confused. "Make sure you clean up the dishes and get ready." Lincoln moved to the threshold of the living room with a swift grace. "But make sure Lisa and Lori eat first. Oh, And Lily too."
Leni spoke up but only an empty sound escaped her mouth before Lincoln turned the corner and disappeared. She sat there, lost and puzzled.
"Did you hear that?" Lynn said cheerfully. "We're going to the mall."
"What do you think made him change his mind?" Luna asked.
"I don't know but I don't care." Lynn let go of the orange juice carton and placed her hands on her hips.
Luna brought it and held it close to her chest. She looked inside but was disappointed to find it empty. Luan groaned and dropped her head back onto the table. She slept.
Lincoln marched up the stairs, his breath lacking and his heart slowing down. He took in a quick breath and let it out. Calm down, he needed to calm down. He was nervous a while ago and now he was pissed. Now he had to take those bastards to the mall. But it was honestly his fault. He shouldn't have spoken before thinking. But then again, Leni was persistent. She was talking way too much. But everyone was listening. They should've just gone on with what they were doing. But they were making a huge mess. He stopped them. But he made a bigger deal out of it by acting poorly.
And what the hell was the silence about?
They were all fucking things up and all of a sudden everyone goes silent when Lincoln's involved. He shook his head and went on. He made it to the top of the stairs and stopped in the hallway. He looked down to the left and then to the right. His eyes squinted when he looked down at Lisa's door. She hasn't come out of her room yet. What was she doing?
Lincoln shrugged. He walked down to Lori's room. He opened the door and peeked inside. Lori was upright, sitting on her bed. Her hair was messy and her face looked worse. Her mouth hung open and she stared through the wall. Her head turned to Lincoln when she felt him staring. Lincoln had an annoyed glare on his face.
"I thought you were asleep," Lincoln said sharply. She stared at Lincoln for a second then looked back at the wall.
"My arms and legs feel weird," Lori whined.
"What do you mean?" Lincoln asked.
"I don't know," Lori said quietly. She turned to Lincoln, her static expression never changing. "They feel… long."
"That's 'cuz they are long, you moron," Lincoln spat.
Lori looked down at her legs then lifted an arm. She squinted her eyes and focused intensely on her limbs. Her eyes danced from her arms to her legs then to Lincoln. A goofy smile stretched across her face. She snorted and began to giggle.
"Oooh, yeeeaah, huh?" Lori's head dipped back and her eyes closed. When she felt like she was going to fall back, she flung her head up. Her eyes shot open then fluttered, trying to stay open. Lincoln looked at her with his brow raised and jaw open. Was she alright? Maybe. She was probably acting stupid. A lot of his sisters had the tendency to do so. But then again, it was almost like she was-
"Are you okay?" Lincoln asked.
"Um, yeah. I just had a weird dream," Lori started. "It was about me. I… I thought that I got younger. It was really trippy." Lori turned and looked at her brother. And she yawned. "Is there any breakfast?"
Lincoln's nodded his head slowly.
"Uh, yeah. I made pancakes," Lincoln said.
"Ah, nice," Lori moved her legs robotically and pushed herself up from the bed. She stretched an arm over her shoulder and scratched the back of her head. She yawned and stretched.
She dragged herself over to Lincoln. He moved away and opened the door wider for her. Lori slithered on out and marched down the corridor. Lincoln scanned her back with a curious eye. She went by the stairs and disappeared over the corner. Lincoln stood there, baffled and wondering.
He growled and shook his head. She was just being weird, Lincoln told himself. He shut the bedroom door and walked over to the stairs but a tick in the back of his head stopped him just as he was about to take the first step down.
He looked over and Lisa's room. He wanted to leave her alone, she was probably working or something, but Lincoln's curiosity got the better of him. He walked over to Lisa's bedroom door and gently opened it. He peeked inside and that the room was drenched in a layer of darkness.
The only light was coming from the cracks in the curtains that blocked the window. He looked over at the bed in the corner and saw Lily sleeping soundly. Then he looked over at the other side and saw Lisa on her chair. She was face down on her desk, hands nicely tucked under her chin and breathing softly.
Lincoln rolled his eyes.
He walked in proudly and went over to Lily. She was balled up in her small bed, that nasty, purple blanket from long ago over her. Mom and Dad said they'd get her a bigger bed but they never did. They got the impression that Lily liked her old stuff. And Lincoln was thinking that too. Lincoln leaned over and got close. He nudged her softly and her eyes fluttered open.
"Hey, twerp," Lincoln whispered. "We're going to the mall, wanna tag along?"
"The mall?" Lily said lazily. She yawned. "I thought you said we were supposed to stay here."
"I changed my mind," Lincoln said plainly.
"Um," Lily looked down at the ground and her brow pinched in thought. Then she nodded her head and looked at Lincoln. "Yeah, sure."
"Okay, then," Lincoln moved away, standing in his full height. "Go eat your breakfast before someone else does."
"Mmkay," Lily mumbled before getting up gracefully, dragging herself out the room, and following the enticing smell lingering in the air.
Lincoln traced her movement with his eyes, his heart still and mind fuzzy. He sighed when he couldn't hear her footsteps anymore. Lily was a sweetheart, truly. She was a quiet one but everyone liked her the most. Especially Lincoln. Mostly because she wasn't like her sisters at all. She was nice to a fault and really sympathetic. She gave Lincoln the less trouble. Shit, if anything, none at all. Another reason was that she kind of reminded him of himself. She was small and gullible. She liked nerdy stuff like drawing, watching Ace Savvy, and reading comics, and playing games and… doing all the things Lincoln liked to do. Used to do.
Lincoln would never say that Lily was his favorite sister. He knew about the consequences of favoritism in this house. I mean, he wasn't stupid. He knew what would happen if he got close to one of his sisters. He did it to Luan on purpose but he didn't care. But if anyone ever hurt Lily, It'd break his heart.
But even though she was his favorite, that didn't stop Lincoln from thinking: She's not like them… yet.
Lincoln glanced over his shoulder and saw Lisa. He strolled over to her and looked at her resting form with a critical eye. She breathed softly, her physique small as a bunny and her face innocent. Lincoln's nose twitched. He roughly kicked the wooden leg of her chair with no remorse. The little genius shot up with a shriek as the chair tilted dangerously. Her glasses fell to the ground and her hands reaching for the table.
She gasped for air, her focus off ahead and her chest rising and falling fast. She looked up at Lincoln with wide eyes. Then she glared at him with a bitter taste in her mouth. Her eyes sharpened and her brows pinched.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Lisa spat.
Lincoln's shared back the look with a bit of evil in his eyes.
"Watch who you're talking to, brat," Lincoln growled. He looked down at the work on her desk. Much like before, there were papers scattered about and vials with weird substances that he didn't even want to ask about. "Did you finish the antidote."
Lisa turned and looked down at her desk.
"No," she said with a pout, like a stubborn child.
"So, when are you?" Lincoln asked with a slow chill in his voice.
"I don't know. It's hard to tell when I have nothing to test it on," Lisa stated.
"Just use rats," Lincoln said mumbled through clenched teeth.
"I said no," Lisa ordered. "That's gross."
"Gross?" Lincoln shouted in disbelief, throwing his hands up in exaggeration. He fought himself. He told himself to calm down and he did. He turned away from Lisa and buried his face in his palm. Calm down, calm down.
Just breath. Slowly.
In… and out.
Okay.
"Look," Lincoln started. "The rest of us are going to the mall. You're staying here and you're gonna work on the antidote until you're finished, got it?"
Lisa gasped and looked back at Lincoln with desperate eyes.
"But I wanna go too," Lisa whined.
"I said no," Lincoln ordered.
"T-that's not fair," Lisa cried out.
"Believe me, I know," Lincoln said, a smile stretching across his face and joy dripping from his tone. He turned and walked for the door. His back was stone and a certain shiver ran down his spine.
"Lincoln," Lisa softly called.
Something in her voice caught his attention. What was it? So gently and full of defeat. Lincoln just had to look. He stopped when his hand touched the freezing knob of the door. He turned at looked at Lisa with a stoic face. Lisa's eyes were bland, the dark bags under her brought it to more focus. Her small figure betraying her mature mind. But even though she might be the smarted mind that graced Earth, she was still a child.
"Please," Lisa attempted.
Lincoln looked over her. What was she even going for? She wasn't very open about her interest that much. The only thing she ever showed real interest was in science. And the last time Lincoln checked, they don't usually sell science stuff in the mall. But he was curious. He looked at her glasses that sat nicely on the ground, then looked back up at her.
"Eat breakfast first," Lincoln said as he walked out and closed the door, leaving the little genius in the dark.
The last bit of light escaped from her room, a satisfied smirk stretched across her face from ear to ear. She reached for her glasses and cleaned the lenses with her sleeve. She put it on and pressed it up to the bridge of her nose with a thumb.
She played Lincoln good.