Hey everyone, here's chapter 10 of Assassin's Creed Awakening.
The animus was shut off, the arm releasing Lincoln.
"Alright, Lincoln, you said you could only do this for a short time, so that's all we're going to do for now" Connor said as he detached the belt from the white-haired boy's waist.
"How long was I in there?" Lincoln asked.
"About two hours" Connor informed him, removing the needle form the back of his neck.
"Then I have plenty of time to get home before my parents get back" Lincoln said.
"And with the parkour skills you've gained from John's memories, that should be no problem" Connor added.
"A bit of warning though, Lincoln" Lindsey spoke up, approaching the boy, "Due to exposure to the animus, there's a chance you'll be seeing hallucinations from your ancestor's memories" she told him.
"It'll be like your ancestor's memories are blending with your own real time ones and you may have trouble distinguishing the two. We call it the bleeding effect" Jerome informed him.
"The bleeding effect?" Lincoln raised an eyebrow.
"It's kind of similar to multiple personality disorder" Lindsey said with a shrug.
"You haven't been in the animus that much, so it might only happen occasionally" Jerome added.
"Ok, thanks for the heads up" Lincoln replied.
"So, how long are you grounded for, Lincoln?" Connor asked.
"Two weeks" Lincoln told him.
"Well, come back when your grounding is over, and we'll do the next animus session. Until then, try to relax" Connor told him, a hand on Lincoln's shoulder.
"I'll try. See later, guys" Lincoln said as he exited the animus room and went to the elevator.
The Loud House…
Some time had passed after Lincoln left the hideout and he had arrived back at his neighborhood. He stood in front of his house.
"Ok, now how am I going to get in without anyone noticing? It's not like I can use the front door" Lincoln thought to himself as he eyed his house with a raised eyebrow.
That's when it hit him. He could use the window. Running to the side of the house, he looked up at the window that led to his bedroom. He saw a clear path that would take him to the window. It was a good thing he had recently gained John's parkour skills. Lincoln climbed up the dining room window and on to the roof of it. Walking to left edge, he jumped and grabbed hold of the edge of the roof of the house, dangling from it. Placing his feet on the wall, Lincoln climbed along the edge of the roof. When he was close to his bedroom window, he used his closest foot to tap it and kick it open. The white haired continued his climb until he was at the tip of the roof's edge.
Releasing his grip from the roof, Lincoln began to fall. Luckily the fall didn't last very long. Lincoln had been fortunate to grip the window sill just in time. He then used his weight to hoist himself up, entering his bedroom through the window. The white-haired sighed to himself.
"Eagle vision. Hand to hand combat. Parkour. I wonder what other skills of John's I've gained…" Lincoln thought to himself.
Opening his bedroom door, Lincoln poked his head out to see no one in the hall. With the coast clear, he snuck out of his room as quietly as possible. Feeling a bit peckish, Lincoln made his way downstairs. However, he stopped in his tracks when he heard someone coming.
"I can't believe Linc left, he knows he's grounded" it was Luna, talking to herself as she was coming from the kitchen.
Thinking fast, Lincoln hopped over the railing of the stairs and landed on the floor. In a swift motion, he hid behind the couch, his back against the back of the couch. He kept his breathing steady, breathing through his nose as to not make any sound.
"What am I going to tell mom and dad if he doesn't come back in time?" Luna asked herself as she on the couch, resting her cheeks in her hands. That's when she heard the door unlock, "Bloody hell…" she muttered under her breath in her classic British accent.
The front door then opened, revealing her mother, Rita.
"Hi, Luna, how was your day?" the matriarch of the Loud family asked as she entered the house, closing the door behind her.
"It was fine. You're home early" Luna said.
"I had a short shift" Rita replied, shrugging a shoulder, "So, how was being in charge?" she asked.
"It wasn't that hard, everyone pretty much did what they normally did" Luna told her.
"What about Lincoln? He didn't do anything while he's grounded, did he?" Rita asked.
"Uhh…" Luna looked her mother for a moment, "Well, that's the thing. Lincoln's—"
"Right here" Lincoln appeared from behind the couch, spooking his older sister, "Hey mom" he greeted his mother.
"Hi, sweetie. What were you doing behind the couch?" Rita asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, nothing, just wanted to see if I could scare my big sister" Lincoln said, throwing his arms around Luna's neck, hugging her from behind.
"Heh. That's cute" Rita smiled, walking past the couch and her son, running her fingers through his white hair as went into the master bedroom.
When the door closed, Lincoln released his embrace from Luna. The boy then headed into the kitchen.
"Dude, I know you snuck out. Where were you?" Luna asked as she followed close behind him.
"Gaming club" Lincoln replied nonchalantly, taking a hot pocket from the freezer.
"Dude, seriously?" Luna folded her arms over her chest, furrowing her brows at her brother, "You couldn't have waited two weeks?"
"I couldn't help it, I need to be there" Lincoln placed his plated hot pocket in the microwave and turned it on, "Honestly, Luna, I would think you of all people would understand. I mean, you've snuck out to rock concerts before even though you were grounded"
Luna opened her mouth to rebuttal that, but soon found herself closing it due to said statement being somewhat true. Well played, Lincoln.
"So, are you going to rat me out to mom?" Lincoln asked, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed.
Luna sighed, "No, bro, I'm not going to rat you out. I know you wouldn't do that to me" she said.
"Yeah, that's something Lola would do" Lincoln thought to himself.
"But I will be keeping my eye on you more" Luna added.
"I can accept that" Lincoln closed his eyes with a smirk.
The microwave then went off, signaling his food was ready. As Lincoln took his hot pocket out of the microwave, Luna headed back into the living room, but not before looking over her shoulder at her brother, an eyebrow raised.
The Next Day…
The following morning, Lincoln was sitting at the dining room table, eating a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. That's when Luna came in wearing her night shirt, yawning as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
"Morning, Luna" Lincoln greeted his third oldest sister.
"Morning, bro" Luna replied a bit groggily as she took a set next to her brother.
"So, any plans for today?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, it's Saturday, my band and I are going to meet up and hang at the park" Luna told him, "And you're coming with me" she added.
"What?" Lincoln turned to her, making sure he heard right.
"Yeah, you're spending the day with me. You think I'm going to let you out of my sight after that stunt you pulled yesterday?" Luna asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Doubtful, but I'm still grounded, so you won't be able to take me with you" Lincoln countered.
It was in that moment that their mother came in, dressed in her pink bathrobe and white slippers.
"Morning, you two" Rita greeted her two kids.
"Hey, mom, is it ok if Lincoln comes with me to the park?" Luna asked.
"Luna, your brother's grounded" Rita told her.
"I know. But I want to introduce him to my bandmates" Luna said.
"Hmm…" Rita rubbed her chin and pondered, "Will you keep a close eye on him?" she asked.
"Totally!" Luna smiled.
"Alright then, Luna" Rita said, giving permission for her daughter's request. She then walked past her kids and went into the kitchen to make her morning coffee.
"Rockin!" Luna threw up the devil horns.
"Dang it…" Lincoln said with deadpanned expression.
The Park…
"So, we're going to meet up with your bandmates?" Lincoln asked as he and Luna walked through the park.
"That's right" Luna confirmed with a nod.
"Hey, Luna, over here!" they heard a voice.
Looking ahead, they saw a blonde girl with a cyan colored streak in her hair. She wore a white shirt under a blue jacket, light purple pants held up by a black studded belt, and dark purple boots. Behind her were a boy and another girl.
"Hey Sam" Luna greeted the blonde-haired girl, "Hope you don't, I brought my little brother along" she gestured to the white-haired boy beside her.
"No, I don't mind at all" Sam replied, "You must be Lincoln. Luna's told us a lot about you"
"So, this is Sam Sharp, the girl Luna has a crush on" Lincoln thought to himself, looking at the girl in front of him, "And you must be Sam. Who are these two?" he asked, pointing to the boy and girl behind her.
"This is Jake" Sam pointed to the guy, "And this is Shelby" she pointed to the girl.
"Hey man" Jake greeted him.
"Sup" Shelby greeted him as well.
"Hey" Lincoln greeted back.
"So, why's your bro here?" Jake asked the music loving Loud sister.
"He's grounded I'm watching him" Luna replied.
"Wow. What did he do?" Shelby asked.
"I got suspended for fighting. I won" Lincoln them, "And before you say anything, I did what I did to defend my sister Leni's honor" he added.
"Damn, Luna, your brother's a scrapper" Jake said with an impressed smirk.
Luna growled, glaring daggers at Jake. Sam elbowed him.
"What? It was a compliment" Jake wheezed.
"And I thank you for the compliment" Lincoln replied with a smirk. Luna glared at him as well, but he shrugged it off, "Honestly, Luna it could've been worse" he told her.
"How?" Luna asked sternly. Lincoln's smirk fell.
"I could've killed him…" Lincoln said in rather cold tone, an equally icy glare to match. Though the glare went unnoticed by Luna.
There was a moment of silence. What Lincoln had said had made the group somewhat uncomfortable. Jake then spoke up.
"Hey, little dude, here's some money. Go get us some drinks, would ya?" John suggested, pulling out a few ones.
Softening his expression, Lincoln took the money and headed for the nearest vending machine.
"Wow, your bro has got a scary side to him" Shelby commented.
"Yeah, is he always like that?" Jake asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not usually. Although, he has been acting a bit different since joining this new gaming club" Luna told them.
"Ok, I'm back. Hope you guys like root beer" Lincoln returned, handing each of the bandmates a drink.
"Thanks, mate" Sam said, taking one.
"Huh, and here I thought Luna was the only one that did the British accent thing" Lincoln joked.
"Nah, we all do it. It's just for fun" Sam replied with a playful wink.
"Heh" Lincoln chuckled, "But, yeah, I did what I did to protect my sister. I protect all my sisters, even the older ones. Leni and Luna especially" he said to them.
"I know the feeling. I've got a brother myself" Sam said.
"Luna, if someone tries to pick on you, just tell me and I'll beat the tar out of them" Lincoln said, pounding his chest with a fist.
"Aw, isn't that sweet? You need your baby brother to help you" a voice said. They turned to see a black-haired girl approaching them.
"What do you want, Ashley?" Luna asked with annoyance.
"Just wanted to see Luna and the second rates" Ashley said, and then sees Lincoln, "Who's this, the only groupie you'll ever have?" she asked insultingly.
"Who do you think you are?" Lincoln asked, narrowing his eyes at the girl.
"I'm Ashley, the best singer at Royal Woods High" Ashley said proudly, waving hand through her long black hair.
"Heh. More like a stuck-up little bitch" Lincoln shot back.
"What was that, you white-haired brat?" Ashley asked, looking at him with irritation.
"You heard me" Lincoln said, staring her down.
Ashley walked up and slapped him. Lincoln rubbed his cheek, furrowing his eyebrows at her.
"Ouch" Lincoln said dully.
"Hey, what the hell was that?!" Luna shouted, bandmates trying to hold her back.
"Nice shot" Lincoln smirked, "Now it's my turn" he said, and then delivered a punch to Ashley's stomach so hard it knocked the wind out of her.
The band looked at the white-haired boy with wide eyes. Even Luna's eyes were widened. Sure, he and her had fought with the other girls occasionaly, but she had never seen him punch someone like that.
"Dude, did you just hit a girl" Jake asked, surprised.
"Chivalry is dead" Lincoln replied coldly, not taking his eyes off the girl in front of him.
Ashely threw a punch across Lincoln's face. She was about to do it again, when…
"Wait!" Lincoln pulled out the bottle of root beer from behind himself, "How about some root beer?" he offered.
He then opened the can of soda. The sugary beverage sprayed in Ashley's face, blinding her. Seeing an opening, Lincoln crouched low and swept under Ashley's feet, causing the girl to fall on his back. Lincoln then walked up to her and stomped on her flat chest, staring down at her with a cold, hard glare.
"Now, I'm going to talk and you're going to listen" Lincoln began, "Don't you dare come near my sister or her friends again. You insult them or their music or pull a prank on them, and I'll hunt you down. Do you understand?" he asked in a threatening tone.
"Yes, sir" Ashely replied nervously.
"Good. Now, go" Lincoln told her. Ashley then took off running. Lincoln sighed and looked back at Luna and her friends, "I'm sorry you had to see that" he told them. He put his hands in his pockets and walked off, looking up at the sky.
"Sorry, guys, I gotta…" Luna gestured to her brother who was leaving.
"It's ok, go ahead, Luna. You are watching him after all" Sam said, accepting her choice.
"Yeah, tell your bro we said thanks" Jake said.
"And that he's a cutie" Shelby added.
"What Shelby said" Sam said, winking.
Luna nodded and chased after her brother.
"That was a bit violent of me. Could my time in the animus and reliving my ancestor's memories be what's making me act like this?" Lincoln thought to himself.
"Hey Linc, wait up!" Luna called as he ran up to him.
"Hm?" Lincoln looked over his shoulder at his sister. She then ran up and hugged him, "Heh. What's with the hug?" he asked, returning the affection by hugging her back.
"It's a thank you from me and Jake" Luna told him, "Oh, and Sam and Shelby think you're a cutie" she added.
"Uh… you're welcome" Lincoln replied with a light blush.
"C'mon, let's get home" Luna said.
"You go ahead, I'll catch up" Lincoln said.
"Linc, remember what I said" Luna said jokingly.
"Yeah, yeah, but I know a shortcut" Lincoln told her.
Luna looks confusedly at Lincoln, "Uh, Linc, this IS the shortcut" she said.
"Maybe, but I know a different shortcut" Lincoln told her.
"Yeah, right" Luna said skeptically.
"Bet on it?" Lincoln asked.
"What are the stakes?" Luna raised an eyebrow.
"If I win, you have to play video games with me for a week once I'm done being grounded" Lincoln said, giving his part of the wager.
"And if I win, you have to pay for the next Mick Swagger concert tickets for you, me and my band mates...and you aren't allowed to interfere with me trying to get Mick Swagger's hair" said Luna, giving her part of the wager.
"Go ahead and try to get his hair, I really don't care" Lincoln rolled his eyes, "But you're on, my pretty sister!"
The two siblings the stuck out their arms and shook hands in agreement. Lincoln then ran across the park. Luna, on the other hand, just simply stuck to walking home.
The Loud House…
Using his new parkour skills, Lincoln the buildings, leaping across the rooftops. Eventually, Lincoln reached Mr. Grouse's rooftop. He then leaped from the roof performing a tuck and roll. He then walked to his house and sat on the porch, waiting for Luna.
After about ten to fifteen minutes of waiting, Luna had arrived at the house. She then went wide-eyed upon seeing her brother sitting on the porch.
"Sorry, no Guitar Hero" Lincoln said mockingly, not out of breath whatsoever.
"What?" Luna asked, still wide eyed.
"A deal's a deal" Lincoln said.
"Fine" Luna sighed, "And are you sure we can't play Guitar Hero once?"
"We can play Rock Band, I hear that one's better" Lincoln replied as Luna sat next to him on the porch.
"Ok" Luna said, happy, but also a bit curious. How did Lincoln beat her, even with a shortcut?
"So, since you don't have to fulfill your side of the bet for another 2 weeks, what would my favorite big sister like to do?" Lincoln asked.
"Favorite big sis?" Luna looked at her with confusion. She had never heard him call her that before, for that was a dangerous thing to say within Loud family.
"Of course, Joanna" Lincoln said, "What do you say?"
Rather than seeing his sister Luna in front of him, Lincoln instead saw Joanna, John Morgan's older sister.
"Lincoln, who's Joanna?" Luna asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Huh?" Lincoln tilted his head in confusion. Lincoln vision had switched back, now seeing his real sister instead of Joanna.
"You called me Joanna" Luna said.
"I did?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, you did. Now, who's Joanna?" Luna asked.
"Uhh… no one. No one important" Lincoln chuckled nervously.
"Really?" Luna asked, uncertain.
"Yeah, no one important" Lincoln replied, scooting closer to her and resting his head on her shoulder.
Luna had decided to let it go… for now.
"Weird, I saw Joanna in Luna's place. I'll bet this is that bleeding effect thing that the others warned me about… I hope this doesn't happen often" Lincoln thought to himself.
And here's the end of chapter 10. What will happen in the next chapter? You'll have to read and find out.
I thank Gamelover41592 and Moon5555 for helping me out.
Remember to Read, Review and Favorite/Follow.