Chapter 6 - The Changing Seasons
Lola let out a tired sigh. She was reclining in a lawn chair in the backyard. She gave a drowsy look over to a multicolored leaves that colored the lawn like a patchwork cloth as they slowly danced about in the autumn breeze.
"The wind sure is picking up these days." She said to herself. "It'll probably start to get colder soon." That thought made her groan. She'd spent a large amount of time outside ever since she started watching over Lincoln. It was up to her to keep his heart warm, and that job would become a lot more difficult if it was cold everywhere else.
As Lola watched the leaves, she started reflecting on her actions for the past few months. Was any of it really worth it? She had gone out of her way to make sure Lincoln was never alone, she patrolled the hallways at night and in the morning to make sure no one snuck into his room, and she hostilely protected him from any adult to ensure that none of them were his real parents. Lincoln himself hadn't changed in any noticeable way. But was that truly her doing, or was it just him being him.
A bigger gust blew up, causing a shower of leaves to rain down. Several of them landing on her dress. "Ugh!" Lola grunted and she brushed them off. "I can't for all of these stupid leaves to be gone." As she plucked the last one off of her dress, she noticed that it had two colors. Half of it was a bright yellow, but the other was grayish. Probably bleached by the sun. It reminded her of Lincoln and herself. Lola chuckled a little as she tossed it into the wind. All of her doubts flew away along with it. Whether or not her protection served any real purpose, it still allowed her to spend more time with him than ever before. And that alone made the whole thing worth it.
"AHHHHH, MY SKIRTS!" Leni shouted from inside the house. Lola laid back in the chair, her head resting comfortably on her arms. The sound of her older sister's shriek caused her to grow a wicked grin.
"I guess there are two benefits to all of this." She said as she closed her eyes. Two days prior, Leni had found a memento from the carnival in Lincoln's backpack. When pressed for info, he told her that he went alone with Clyde. It was certainly like Lincoln to take the fall for his other sisters, but that also meant he had to suffer through an hour and a half worth of yelling and resentment from the rest of the family. That didn't settle well with Lola. She spent two days waiting for the perfect time to pull this strike. And it was a exhausting one at that. She cut holes in every polka dot on every one of Levi's beloved skirts. It was a simple act, but judging by the sound of things, it was more than effective.
Lola was just about to doze off when she was interrupted.
"I take it you're out here to avoid the latest drama show?" Said a monotonous voice.
"I came out here to nap before that happened, missing this episode is an added bonus." She replied. "What's bring you out here, Lucy?"
Lucy dragged another lawn chair over and sat down next to Lola. "I was planning on collecting some leaves to decorate a grave. Fall is the best time of year for that."
"Well there's no shortage of those out here, pay no attention to me." Lola turned on her side, showing her back to Lucy.
"I think I'll hold off on that until she stops lying." Lucy started twiddling her thumbs. "So, did you read any more of that book I lent you?"
Lola sighed a little. Clearly she wasn't about to get any rest. She sat up and faced her sister. "I read some of those stories, but a lot of them didn't interest me."
Lucy shrugged. "That's to be expected, even I don't like all of them."
"If I'm being honest, I don't know why you would like them at all."
"What do you mean?"
"Well...They're all fairy tales with good morals and somewhat happy endings. And you're so….so bleak and dreary...no offense."
"That's more of a compliment than an insult."
"Whatever, you get my point!" Lola said angrily. "What is it that makes a you take an interest in tales like that?"
Lucy held a leaf in her hand. She gazed at it while spinning it around by the stem. "You don't need to be a bright and prissy little girl to enjoy fairy tales Lola." She said.
"True, but that doesn't explain your interest."
"My interest comes for what they tell us about the world and about ourselves."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, as a poet, I am always looking at the soul and trying to convey it's pure feelings as much as possible."
"Bleh, don't remind me."
"But even I don't have all of the answers to what the soul is like, and I'm far too young to know what the human experience really means." Lucy started slowly ripping the lead by its threads. "But those stories have a time honored interpretation of our emotions. Anger, love, hate, jealousy, fear, it's everything we can feel told in small tales that are easy to understand. I have learned a lot about myself by reading them, and my observations have heavily been inspired by some of them."
Lola gave her a skeptical look. "If that's the case, then why are you always going on about the vampire stuff?"
"Because that's the end result." Lucy said with a soft smile. "Those stores opened my eyes to emotions, and that lead me to finding my Edwin and understanding the true way of life, the goth way."
"Why on Earth would I ever want to be like that?"
"You personally won't, but that doesn't mean you won't find your own definition soon enough. And who knows, maybe one of those stories will help you define your life."
Lola thought about it. It was true, the Snow Queen story did have a heavy impact on her. It changed her outlook on how she viewed her brother, and it was through that story that she was able come to the conclusion that he had to be protected from everyone. "Eh, you may be on to something." She said.
Lucy gave another small smile. "If you think so, then I feel like I've achieved something."
Lola turned her attention to the sky. It had been a long time since she had spoken to any of her sisters in a non-hostile manner besides Lana and Lynn. She wasn't sure if she could trust Lucy yet, but at least in this moment, it seemed like just maybe she was someone that Lola could lower her guard too. Lola had been constantly tired these days. And having to worry about and enact revenge on the majority of her siblings only made things more straining on her. So any ally, no matter how small, was a very welcome thought.
"Now that you mention it, I guess one of those storied did affect me a little." Lola said.
"Really?" Lucy replied, showing some intrigue. "And which one was that?"
"That one about the Snow Queen. I don't know why...it was just...interesting." Lola may had been willing to trust Lucy a little, but she wasn't prepared to empty her entire mind out to her.
"Ah, that's a an interesting one alright." Lucy said. "What about it got to you?"
"Probably the sand getting in people's eyes and making them cruel."
Lucy laughed a little. "I figured as much. That's the fate for all of us."
"What do you mean?"
"As we get closer to death, we are all bound to get more and more cynical. It's just how our bodies work."
"But it's just a story, right?"
"Sand of the mirror is like the sands of an hourglass, and sand in the eye is like the sandman coming to put you to sleep. It's a story yes, but the metaphor remains."
"So no matter what, we are all gonna turn cruel like that?"
"More or less. But I wouldn't worry about it. Death is the true beauty in this world."
"Ok, now you're making no sense at all." Lola said, starting to get annoyed. "Dead things are all rotten and lacing in color."
"Are you so sure about that?" Lucy looked at the ground. She reached down and picked up the white and yellow leaf that Lola had held earlier. "Take this leaf for example. It's dead. Actually, it's more than dead, it died and it started to burn a little in the sun." Lucy twirled it around a little, examining it closely. "But look at the colors. It's bright yellow, and slightly whitish. There's also some spots of brown burns. It has more color and more character than any of the vivid green leaves that are still alive."
"But it's dead, there's nothing for it to do anymore." Lola said.
Lucy snickered. "You're right." She crushed the dried out leaf in her palm. "The eternal beauty of death is always masked in the tragedy of life, but that's what makes it more passionate."
Lola started to get angry. Though Lucy was unaware of it, she just inadvertently declared her relationship with Lincoln through all of this was pointless and bound to die out.
"I disagree!" She said angrily. "We can stay kind throughout our whole life, and the true beauty is found in things that are alive."
"You can think that, but does anyone really notice how good something was until it's gone?"
"Ugh, I can't stand your attitude."
"Relax, I'm just telling you how I see things."
Lola was about to respond when she noticed Leni storming up behind them. "Oh brother, this should be interesting." She said under her breath.
"YOU TWO!" Leni shouted. "Did either of you do this!" She held up a hanger to show a shirt with all numerous holes cut in it.
"Don't look at me, I was out here trying to nap all afternoon." Lola said in an uninterested voice. "Besides, you know me. Why would I ever damage someone else's clothes?"
Leni was furious, but Lola had a point, she respecting fabric too much to cause this kind of harm...that's what she thought anyway.
She turned her glare to Lucy, who kept her usual composure. "If it was me, there would be skulls in that dress." She said. "If I had to guess, it was probably Lincoln."
"Linky? What do you mean?" Leni asked.
"Well, you did reveal his carnival betrayal the other day. He has every reason to be angry with you."
Leni started turning red with anger.
"H-hey now, I'm sure he's completely innocent!" Lola said frantically.
"IF NOT HIM, THEN WHO?!"
Lola's eyes started to race. She needed to think of something. "He's not even home right now, how could it have been him?"
"He could have done it before he took off." Lucy replied.
"You're really starting to get on my nerves here Lucy!" Lola thought. Time was running out and she needed to find some way to save Lincoln from suffering from her action. "It couldn't have been him because I was with him until he left." She said. This was a lie, she was cutting up the skirts while Lincoln was home.
"This is bad, I have no idea how to get out of this one…"
"How's it hanging everyone?" Lynn said happily as she strolled into the backyard. It was obvious by her tactless entrance that she had no knowledge of the current situation.
"YOU!" Leni shouted, pointing her finger directly at Lynn.
Lynn stared blankly at the finger. "Um….me?"
"Where have you been all day?!"
"I was uh...out?"
Leni, Lola, and Lucy all exchanged glances at each other. Making it painfully obvious to Lynn that neither of them were letting her off the hook.
"Out doing what?" Lucy asked.
"Riding my bike." She replied.
"Your bike's been leaned against that tree for the past week." Lola said, pointing to the lone bike. The amount of fallen leaves on the seat confirming her claim.
"What sort of intimidation is this anyway?!" Lynn said. "Can't a girl come home without being accused of a random crime!"
Leni gave her a puzzled look. "I didn't accuse you of anything yet."
Lynn gasped a little. "Well Uh...uh, well what did you expect me to think when you go shouting at me like that? Isn't it naturally for someone to assume an accusation is coming?" She let out an awkward chuckle, nervously hoping that Leni would be her typical self and leave her be.
"That's not like you at all." Lucy said.
"What do you mean?" Leni asked.
"Lynn never gets defensive before figuring out what she is fighting against." Lucy folded her arms. "You're hiding something."
"FINE, YOU CAUGHT ME!" Lynn said, falling to her knees. "I broke the dryer." She held her head down, expecting some form of verbal retribution. But none of it came. Confused, Lynn looked up and say three very puzzled faces staring back at her
"You, broke the dryer?" Lola said. "How did you do that?"
"I needed my cleats this morning, but i accidentally dropped them in a puddle. I threw them in there to quickly dry them, but I forgot to take the lint out. And I think the metal and rubber might have had something to do with it as well...either way it sorta caught on fire."
"You set the dryer on fire?!" Leni gasped.
"I put it out!" Lynn replied.
"How?" Lucy asked.
"I threw water on it….which caused the flame to shoot out more. But then I found the extinguisher and it all worked out!"
"You used water on an electrical fire?! You could have been killed!" Leni shouted before hugging her. "Come on, we need to go tell mom and dad right away!"
Leni dragged a very confused Lynn away.
"Do you think she'll ever figure out what she was originally being accused of?" Lucy asked. Returning to her original position on the chair.
"Eh, probably not." Lola replied. "At this rate, it seems like Leni has completely forgotten about the vandalism. Lola let out a soft yawn, stretched, and closed her eyes again. She had to remember to do something for Lynn to show her appreciation. Her stupidity inadvertently helped Lincoln out of a jam he had no idea he was gonna be in.
"So getting back to our previous conversation, was there anything about that story that left a lasting impression?" Lucy asked, to no response. "Lola?" Lucy looked over and found Lola fast asleep in the lawn chair. Her breath moving in a quiet rhythm.
"Well that's unfortunate, I kinda wanted to talk some more." Lucy said quietly, trying to avoid disturbing her rest.
Lucy became lost in thought as she watched the sun begin to set. It had been setting earlier and earlier each day, which made her happy. Winter was always her favorite time of year. Cold and colorless. A few days prior, she had gathered with all of her other sisters to discuss the current state of the house. The ongoing sabotaging of each other's possessions was the primary topic, but Lucy didn't pay much attention to that. The second topic was much more relevant for her, Lola's new found distance and aversion towards the rest of the family. Lucy started to play with her hair as she recalled that particular exchange.
Lana, who was always the closest one to Lola, claimed that there was no change in her behavior at all. "She's just being her typical self if you ask me." was what she said. Lynn on the other hand, had a different interpretation. She stated that Lola was actually friendlier to her than she had ever been in the past. Even going as far as to help her prepare for her various sports meets. That revelation caused even greater confusion amongst the sister. Nobody was really sure what to make of the situation. Lucy however, felt nothing but a strange sense of guilt about the whole thing.
Lola's current behavior seemed to start almost immediately after she lent her the book. It seemed ridiculous to think so, but Lucy was starting to believe if it was her fault for the whole thing. Those fairy tales have had weird effects on people throughout history, so it wouldn't be that unordinary for one or two of those stories to change the way she acted. That was the intended purpose of messages in them after all.
A gust of wind shot across Lucy's body, causing her to shiver. "That's odd." She thought. She was usually a fan of the winter and didn't shiver very often. "Maybe I was just caught off guard…" Lucy looked at Lola's sleeping face. She shivered a little too, but still kept a peaceful expression. Lucy contemplated whether she should waker her up or not. But her mind continued to wander back to her recent change in character. "If it is my fault, I'm sorry." She said.
"Hey Lucy, what're you up to?"
Turned around and saw Lincoln walking up. "Watching as the leaves meet the sweet embrace of death." She replied. "And you?"
"I just got home, but I didn't want to get too caught up in whatever seems to be going on with Lynn right now. Any idea what happened?"
Lucy stood up and started walked towards him. "A convenient distraction for your actions." Lucy said as she passed him by.
"What does that mean?" Lincoln asked.
"Just do me a favor and take care of that situation." Lucy said. Pointing to Lola's chair, but not turning around or stopping.
Not sure what she meant, Lincoln looked over the head of the chair and found the sleeping Lola. "Good grief, you'll catch a cold if you sleep here." He said with a smile and a sigh.
He carefully picked her up, making great measures to ensure he didn't wake her. Lola tossed slightly in his arms and buried her head in his chest. "I don't know what you were doing today, but I guess it really did a number on you." He laughed and quietly carried her into the house.
Sorry again for the long delay, April was a very busy month for me. On top of that I had some very poor planning.
To make matters a little worse, I was dared by a friend that I couldn't write a NSFW Gumball fic since I had never written stuff like that before and I had also never seen any of Gumball. I accepted the challenge and started writing the exact story he came up with. The issue was that I am a stubborn person who likes to know all he can before writing about a show. So I used Hulu and the CN app to marathon all of Gumball last month. Taking up way more time that I should have(It's a good show though.) I also wanted to hold off until after Head Poet's Anxiety aired to see if anything new was done with Lucy.
Thankfully I have nothing like that planned this month, and there are no crazy work related events. So I hope to get back on schedule soon.