I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot!
Lacy kept the man known as Lincoln Loud, a relative she was assuming was her uncle, distracted with the television. She assured him Luna would be on her way soon enough. By the sound of things, it seemed he didn't know about Lola or the others. And then, stranger still, his hair was of a white color, and he didn't appear to be at the age when it would be forming. Lacy was wondering if this was the long-lost father of the devil known as Lupa.
It could've been, and then some.
She jogged back up to Loan's room, carrying Lemy, to give the update. "Guys, there's someone here."
Leia had been keeping track of hearing what went on below. "Do we really have an uncle?"
"Wh-what's going on?" Loan asked as Lacy moved past her and set Lemy on Lyra's bed.
"We might have an uncle named Lincoln who's right downstairs. Funny thing is, his hair is white like Lupa's."
Lupa tsked, "So what? I'm sure old people have white hair, genius."
"I know that! I'm also saying he looks just as aunt Luna! You know, in their range!"
That got Lupa to move from the room. "Wait, what?"
She didn't care whether or not he'd come back. Lupa had gotten over needing a fatherly figure, one who would protect her from mommy's abuse. Or so she thought. Lupa nearly made a move on her own, but Loan was there for a purpose. "Huh?"
The lanky blonde grabbed her before she could even exit the room. "W-wait, Lupa..."
"Yeah?"
The words Lupa had previously said to Loan had been thrown out the window, it seemed. Lupa had a sudden curiosity that called to be appeased. She wanted the chance to meet him, and naturally punch, bite and kick him too.
"You wanna introduce yourself looking like that?" Loan thought she had good enough reason to stop Lupa.
"Oh... Ugh, yeah. What bad timing this is..." Lupa patted her head. "Down there..."
"Hold on, you're jumping into conclusions, you idiots. You said uncle, so he can't be Lupa's dad if he's related to our mothers' side of the family!"
The lack of brain cells Lacy was missing was made up for with her strength. She laughed it off and then turned red with embarrassment. "Oh, right. Silly me."
Lupas lips acted by themselves; they made a very quick smile but went back into a flat mode. "Oh..."
She wanted to let it go ans feel right, but in her own tone of voice was a sort of sadness. Sadness of feeling incomplete.
Loan hugged Lupa when she was able to detect it. "It's f-fine."
"I still look like a mess, so..." Lupa tried to laugh it off, but it sounded more like a call to cry. "I guess I'll stay here..."
"We'll stay here," Loan corrected. "I'll keep the little one company. You guys go ahead."
Lemy yawned, waking up with a nice smacking of his lips. "Oh, you'll never believe it, I just had a dream about Lacy where she was running me ragged with workouts. If anything, I'd rather be making out with-" He didn't know that she was right there, and then covered his face with Lyra's pillow.
Lacy's cheeks had gone red, and she fled from the embarrassment with Leia and Lizy. "Moving on, let's go!"
Lupa joined in with Lemy. "Hey there, big boy."
"Whoa, what happened to your hair?" Lemy noticed. "D-do you have cancer?!"
"What's that?" Lupa went on to snuggle onto him. "Never mind that. Say, I've never had a boy in a bed before."
"Same here... That would be uncomfortable."
Loan scratched the back of her neck. She pushed the door to a half-closed position and went to her own bed. "Lupa... C-can I ask something?"
Lupa was rubbing her hands on Lemy's chest, only just playfully trying to tease him. It was working wonders, a test that would one day work into her seductive charms. "Shoot."
Lemy was broken at this point, and out he fell again from the waking world, made possible by the touching of a girl, and Lupa just smirked down at him.
"What if you came across him? Your real father, I mean. What then?" Loan had never thought about it herself all too much. She had good people in her life to make up as both her mom and dad. Parental figures, in the form of her aunts; sibling figures in the from of Lyra and company; and the many good things that came out of it. Cherished things. She learned to not need one, and to never wonder why.
Did Lupa feel the same? Here was the answer that would help Loan get a sense of her views on it.
"I... I don't know..." Lupa was mixed on it. If she was asked if she'd accept her father, the response would be a simple "Yes and no" for a few reasons. Yes, because her child tendencies made it for her to forgive and accept. The no side came from the part of her that wouldn't have been so quick to forgive when she put into account the hell he left her in.
If that would be over, and as it began to change already, she'd not be so reluctant to deny him in her heart.
"It depends on how I am when the day comes," she vaguely put.
"How you are...?"
"As in, which Lupa is present."
Some faint shouting rang out on the walls, echoing loud enough to be made out. Leia and Lacy were trying to show off their own hobby related achievements to the stranger/uncle. Lizy had sat on the floor, happily leaning forward and stretching out, as seen by Lacy when she did her own stretches.
Leia had poinced on the tall Lincoln, fighting to get his attention. "I have this beautiful set of crown jewelry that needs to be so often admire! It's in my room above."
"Uhh," Lincoln chuckled awkwardly. These two were definitely the daughters of Lola and Lynn for sure.
"No way! He doesn't want to see your crummy cheap crown collection!" Lacy was fighting back with a lock onto his hands. "I have some trophies I earned from various sports. Granted, they're made of bronze, but they are still amazing!"
"Girls, there's no need to fight. I'll be happy to see both of your favorite things." He freed his hand from Lacy and set Leia back down to earth. "You sure are your mothers' kids."
With that, they got confirmation alright. He was a member of the Loud clan, if he knew their mothers. Uncle Lincoln, meaning a brother no doubt. One that has never been mentioned before.
"I've never heard of you, uhhh..." Leia heard the name once, but forgot it just as fast.
"Lincoln, sweetie," he addressed to them, giving a friendly smile to his nieces.
The one with Lana's traits and signature red hat made the most adorable smile at him. She waved and smiled widely at him. "Hi, I'm Lizy!"
Lincoln bent down to her height and held out a hand. "Hello, Lizy! I really like your name. Do you have any pets?"
She shook her head, maintaining her smile. "No, but I want one," she confessed, shaking his big hand, which her own didn't really fit into. "I want a frog! Hoppity hop!"
"Heh, no surprise there," he whispered to himself. He drew and opened his arms, carrying the sweet little Lizy up in his arms. "I haven't carried a child since the last time I have with my daughters."
"You have daughters?" Leia asked surprised.
"Yes, two of them," uncle Lincoln answered as they headed up. "They're just as old as you."
"Really? That's pretty cool, sir."
The gang entered the higher floor, and Lincoln passed by Loan's room. He took a peek inside, surprised to find the girl he had seen before yesterday. "Oh! I remember you!"
Loan sat up and recalled this nice gentleman. "Y-you're that guy from the mall!"
"I see you remember me. Yes, my suspicions were right. You are indeed the daughter of Lori Loud!" Lincoln entered to give her the full greeting. "And what is your name, young lady?"
"I'm L-Loan," she said shyly. His touch was a warm and gentle one, a veey comfortable one she instantly grew on. Loan gave him a smile. "N-nice to meet you."
"Likewise. I am your uncle Lincoln." He noticed the two other kids.
"You've met Loan already?" Leia asked.
"Yes, it's kind of a funny story. She bumped into me just as I was leaving a clothes store at the mall. Last-minute shopping for the missus' birthday had me running about."
Lupa, who had a good up, was giving the stranger the stink eye. No, more like the death stare.
"Uh- Hello, there-" Lincoln greeted as he noticed her.
"That's Lupa," Leia lectured her uncle. "She's the sourpuss of the kids. The boy behind her is Lemy."
"Lupa and Lemy? Say, your names, are they all ones that begin with the same letter?" He asked curiously.
"Oh yeah, four in each," Lacy responded.
Lincoln inspected them closer. The kids closely followed the same age pattern as their parents did when they were all kids. Odd... Now, the boy in Lyra's bed, who did he belong to? And... The girl with her hood on, was she Lucy's? Lincoln couldn't tell. No one that resembled Lisa, Lily. Leni, Luna, or Luan was here, so likely he wouldn't be seeing them at all.
"I was looking around the neighborhood and I found this place as directed by some people around," he told the kids. "They said Luna Loud lived here, but..."
Loan cleared her throat. "Yes, she duh-does. She'll be here soon."
"Oh? Oh, then alright." Lincoln sat down on Loan's bed. "I hope you don't mind."
"N-not at all... I've never heard of you. Not once have you ever been mentioned."
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, while the others looked at each other. It was an odd case for them to know that no one, not a single one of their mothers, have ever talked about a brother. A brother named Lincoln. "Hmmm..." He didn't know what to think.
"Pretty bizarre. What did you do to make them hate you that much?" Leia bluntly asked before receiving an elbow strike from Lacy.
"Maybe they forgot about me," he thought.
Just then, Liby and Lyra had returned from the church. "Guys, we're back!"
"We're up here, come on up!"
"More company?" Lincoln asked to himself. "How many kids-?"
"What? Did Lacy wear you all out? Surely Leia can last-" Then, Lyra came face to face with a stranger with white hair. "What on earth... Leia, what did you do this time?"
Leia put on an angry face. "Hey! I'm not always trying to con people out of their money! Okay, maybe... Yes..." Guilty.
"I'm sorry, sir. How much?" Lyra sighed and pulled out her wallet.
"What? No, I'm..." He scratched his head. "What does this little girl do?"
"Lyra," Loan cut in. "Th-this is our uncle Lincoln."
Lyra?
Lincoln?
The two stared at each other, giving off prolonged looks of different types. Lincoln's was a surprising one, seeing that this was a Luna child, but wasn't looking too much of a ruffian. No short hair, no sleeveless clothes that were clearly ripped off, not a face that said, "I'm a drug addict with a punk rock phase, pull down my skirt and fuck me in a nightclub bathroom!"
He stuck his hand out for her to shake. "Hi there!"
She didn't shake. "How many kids do you have?" She asked right in.
"What?" He was puzzled. "Uhh, two daughters. Why?"
Lyra snorted, and looked away. He believed it, and that's what she saw in his eyes. He believed it because the truth was still hidden from him. Inconceivable in her viewpoint. "Just wondering."
Liby stepped in and shook his hand. "Hi, I'm Liby!" Her headgear and braces made it obvious that she was Luan's, only her hair was-
He looked back at them. Not just Liby, but Lacy's and Lyra's hair sets were more lighter that their birth mothers. He looked to Lupa and Lemy. The boy's hair was more pale brown than anything. And the girl, Lupa, she was hiding hers.
"Excuse me, but what... What color hair is Lupa's?"
"It's... Wh-white," Loan revealed. "I mean, was white. She..." Loan looked back at Lyra and coughed. She wasn't being subtle.
"What do you mean, was?" Lyra repeated.
Lacy whispered to Liby's ear and filled in the critical blank. Then, Liby screamed out, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE CUT HER HAIR?!"
"What?!" Lyra dragged herself forward and grabbed the girl. "Are you freaking kidding me?!"
"THIRD TIME'S NOT THE CHARM FOR YOUR RAPE!" Lupa dramatically squealed, powerless to fight off Lyra from removing her hoodie. Her head was revealed, and Lyra just sighed and tossed her back in the bed. Then, she realized Lupa was on her bed. "No, no, get out- Get out!"
Lemy woke, thinking she was talking to him. "Five more minutes, mommy..."
Lincoln just stepped back, unsure of what to make of all this. "I think I'll wait back downstairs."
Lyra took her attention from Lupa. "Huh? Waiting for what?"
"I've come here to visit my sister, but from the looks of things, I might run into many of them today." He was under the impression most of them lived here, in this very same roof. Already had he gotten some questions to ask, but he would have had to wait for his sisters to catch up on the missing years.
He went back downstairs.
"Oh, great! And he didn't see my crowns!" Leia groaned.
"Why did you cut your hair, Lupa?" Liby asked.
"Because fuck you, that's why."
"I'm not getting in trouble for you..." Liby turned her away.
"I'll take my own responsibility, damn you."
"Well... I think we should get going," Liby stated. "I hope you two had fun at least."
Lupa flashed a thumbs up, and Lacy smirked towards Lemy's direction.
Later
Luna and Lola came home not long after the trio had gone. It was a nice surprise to find their one and only brother awaiting them on the couch, almost as if this was normal. "Ah, Luna! Lola! It's been so long since I've seen you!"
"L-Lincoln!" Luna was alarmed at this. Lincoln around meant some complications and secrets to keep away. One of the many hardships brought upon by Lisa. "I didn't know you'd be-"
She and Lola both had a million questions.
"How did you know-?" Lola stammered.
"You ask that like it's meant to be a secret," he thought. "I asked around."
Lola shook her head. It couldn't be that simple, could it?
"Actually, no. There's more." He rose from the couch. "I think we certainly have a lot to talk about, wouldn't you say?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Luna agreed nervously. "How long have you been here?"
"Not too long now," Lincoln said, looking at a Rolex watch on his wrist.
The three mase their way into the kitchen. Lincoln and Lola took seats across from each other.
"You want anything to drink?" Luna opened the fridge for some root beer.
"I'll have one of those," he pointed out to the drink in Luna's hand. "Please."
"Sure thing, bro." Luna gave her brother one of the cans. "So, uhhh... How've you been?"
Lyra thought to listen in again like before; she was already on the case as the other kids were distracted by a game of twister. Lemy's cries were audible from below to give her cover aa she moved down carefully and silently. Not only did she want to hear, but Lyra had a sense to talk, say something. The truth... The truth was something that needed to get out.
This man, this Lincoln Loud, he was the daddy of all the girls. That mean her, as well. Her father. Only, he didn't even know it. He wanted to shake her hand, all while not knowing who she really was to him.
Was it still too late to even tell one person? Leia was happy as she was, Lemy was happy as he was. Even the pure Lizy, who had still some baby teeth to grow out of, did not have anything at all missing in their lives. With grateful mothers, they were content and normal in that aspect.
Loan... Loan, did she need to know? Would it make a difference? Would it save her?
She wanted it to mean something. Funny... She entered a church and in Lincoln came along. A sign... Yes, a sign! Lyra changed her mind and decided to barge in unannouced. "Hey mom, aunt Lola."
"Heyah, hon," Luna greeted. "How's the household?"
"Swell, mom. It was just a regular morning and afternoon."
Luna laughed. "What did Leia do this time?" She intentionally asked around Lola.
"Hey, my little girl is not bad news! Unlike, pffft, Lucy's demon."
Lyra took a seat besides Luna, and sank into the atmosphere.
"I take it you've met the kids, Lincoln."
"Yeah, I have," he sipped down a bit of the root beer, leaning back in his chair. "Just as mischievous like we were in the good old days."
Luna smirked. "I hear that, little bro."
Lyra gave her mom a look that spoke with seriousness in them. Luna lost her smile when she caught the girl giving her silent judgment. I know what you're probably thinking...
Lincoln pulled out his wallet, and opened it, sliding it right across to Luna. "I also have my own daughters."
A picture of two girls with a lightly tanned skin tone were smiling, standing side by side. They looked younger than Leia. "D... Did you marry who I think you married?"
"Of course! Ronnie Anne is my wife. Also, the picture isn't recent, so they're a bit older than that."
"They're adorable, Lincoln!" Lola peeped after leaning over to see. "And I'm so happy you married your childhood sweetheart."
And just like that, Lola switched off with, "You... Achieved your...-"
Luna coughed and kicked her back into perspective from underneath the table. "Congratulations, bro."
"I couldn't find most of you, oddly enough, or I would have invited you to the wedding. Lily and Leni were easy to contact and invite, but none of them have a clue where you were."
"Uhh..." Time for the cover story. "I don't know, I guess we fell out of the grid. Busy with kids, working too hard, and many side tasks here and there. I'm sure you'll understand soon enough." Luna dropped a sweat.
"So..." Lyra began. "Are you a good father to them?"
Luna was stunned by the question. "Lyra-"
"No, it's okay," Lincoln said. He inspected Lyra's face. Surely there was a good reason why she would dare ask such a question. "I'll admit, I'm surprised that you'd ask me such a thing, but I'll enlighten you."
Lyra narrowed her eyes.
"I love my daughters just as much as I do my wife, and nothing will ever change that."
Lyra looked away. His answer was the right one, sounding like the right one. "Alright..."
"Lyra," Luna raised her voice up. "Apologize."
The teenager crossed her arms. "No fucking way..."
Lola moved to the other side of Lyra. "Sweetie, what do you think you're doing?"
They aimed for the charade to keep going, but Lyra, oh how she just wanted to spill the beans right then and there. Wanted it... Wanted it, why though? She was craving to do it. A reason was there, but it was unknown to her. And she hated it.
And then she hated what came next.
"Tell him! He deserves to know!"
Lola moved her head from one party to another. "Lyra!"
"What? What do I need to know?" Lincoln got suspicious now. "What is going on?"
"The kids! All the kids you've seen, they're-"
"MOM! AUNT LUNA!" Leia came running down, emitting a tiny stampede of footsteps in the process. With some tears in her eyes, she flagged them down from what was just going to be dropped. "IT'S LOAN, SHE FELL AND SHE'S NOT MOVING!"
Lyra gasped with a stop of a heartbeat. "Get out of my way!"
Lemy was on the case, slapping both her cheeks. "Loan! Loan, say something!" When that didn't work, he dragged her to the wall and sat her up. He began to blow air into her face. "Loan!"
Lizy was whimpering behind him, scared and worried for her big cousin. "What's wrong with Loany?"
Lyra made it up, and saw the lanky girl unconscious. "Oh, my God, Loan!"
"What's wrong with her?!" Lemy asked. "She was just fine and then she fainted on our game!"
Lyra leaned her head close to Loan's mouth, checking on the breathing. Yes, Loan was still alive. Still. "Get back, give her some room!"
Luna and Lincoln had followed pursuit, and Lola remained in the kitchen, consoling the shaken Leia who was so horribly freaked out to the point of crying.
"Is she-?" Luna prayed for good news.
"She's still breathing, thank God," Lyra was relieved, but had shed a tear out of fear. Her heart returned to the normal rate, and she drew calm breath again. But she shouldn't have. "Loan?"
"What happened?" Lincoln asked. "Did she just faint?"
Lyra gave her mom another glance. This one was more of a plead deal, from a pair of blue eyes that begged Luna to tell Lincoln what really was. She sighed, and accepted the burden of the responsibility. "Lincoln, follow me..."
Lyra watched as they entered the other room, with Luna closing it behind her. The last look was of her having a guilty expression, meaning she was going through with the revelation of the experiment.
"Go get her some water," Lyra ordered to Lemy.
"Yes, ma'am!" And off he went racing down to fetch Loan some water.
"Hold on a little longer..." She bit her nails. "I'm sure we can fix this..."
Loan seemed dead as she was positioned upright against the wall. Pretty soon, she would be a corpse looking like this, and it petrified Lyra to think this was her future.
After a long wandering into the abyss of darkness and despair, Loan came to. Opening her eyes, she fidgeted violently. "Ugh! My hand can't reach the green spot!"
"Loan! Oh, thank goodness!" Lyra threw herself at her, tearing up in joy at the lively blonde. "You're okay!"
"Oh, d-did it happen again?" Loan found herself in a different spot this time. "What's happening to me?"
Lyra kept locked on the hug. "Don't think about it, don't think about it now."
"The game... Worn me out... L-Lyra?"
"Yes?" Lyra pulled away.
"You don't have to worry about me, okay?" She firmly smiled at her caring cousin, only managing to play into her sadness.
Lyra had all the reason to be concerned with Loan's degrading health. Just one of these days would she die from the disease, and no one would ever know why it was meant to be. Telling her, it was an alarming move that would break down Loan's mind. That was a no-go, and it applied to the other kids.
Here, it came down to having her biological father know what she was, what they were, and all other confidential secrets that were planned to be taken to the grave. Only, they didn't count on Lyra to have tried to get them to talk.
Lyra was relieved that Luna was dropping it all onto her father.
"I do anyways, Loan," Lyra sobbed. "I care about you. Come, let me help you up."
"C-could you help me to the shower? My legs... I can't seem to move them..." Loan struggled to get up on her own, but Lyra provided her with assistance.
"You can't feel your...?" This didn't happen before as far as she remembered it, but Loan had gotten more downtime in between, and her waking up was faster. Maybe she needed to recover more. "Loan, we need to put you to bed. This is serious."
"Y-you sound like a teenage boy," Loan laughed, led away back to her bed.
"Take a shower later," Lyra suggested. "Focus on getting some rest."
"Of c-course..." Loan laid down, succumbing herself to pure relaxation.
"Need anything?"
"No, I think I'll just get a nap."
Luna and Lincoln came back into view, and Lyra waved on her way out. The session was done, as told by their stern, dark faces. Lincoln was looking at Lyra in a completely different way. An unbearable look.
"Lincy-" Luna stayed atop, trying to half her brother.
"I can't even believe Lisa would even-" He sighed and just gave up, sprinting downwards. "I'm sorry, but I'm leaving."
"Leaving?" Lyra thought she misheard him.
Lincoln just looked at Lyra, baffled at her acting like a grown-up. He didnt even have an answer for her and left it at that.
She didn't know what to expect, really. The outcomes were many, left to chance by fate, and this one made the cut. There could have been a possibility of him accepting it all and treating the kids for who they are and not what they were. No. Not even this, it seemed.
Lyra would have loved for him to bond with Loan, if there was that slim chance it could have been. She was disappointed, and went back into her room.
"Lyra-" Luna called out to her, but to no avail; Lyra had shut her out. "Oh, Lyra..."
Not the day anyone looked forward to. Strange... What was going to happen now?
Lemy lagged it with the glass of water, and came slowly up, limbs aching from Lacy's burnout session. "Hey, sorry I took long!" He wandered in and saw Lyra covering Loan with a blanket.
"Ah, thanks. Just leave it on her nightstand."
The boy did so, and looked over Loan. "What was that?"
"She just fainted is all," Lyra lied.
Lemy just scratched his head. "Well, I hope she's okay."
"Yeah... I hope so, too." She exited the room with him. "We should let her rest."
Later
The hours flew by, but ever so slowly. The sun was beginning to set, and not an update had come from the other house. Hopefully Lupa wasn't too seriously punished for her dumb choice of removing her hair. Maybe she deserved a nice scolding, but nothing more than that. A call or text would soon come anyway.
She sat alone in the kitchen, while listening a cartoon play on the television, followed by the laughter of the younger kids every so often. Good, they were having a good time, and not knowing or suspecting what was really happening underneath the surface.
They were just kids, how could they understand-
And that's why no one knew about it... It would be hard to stomach the shit when it became clear and out in the open.
Lyra was just depressed still, and did nothing but left it all out of her own hands. What could she have done all a long? What should she have done? Something... Something.
Nothing. Nothing for Loan. And yet she insisted on saying otherwise.
The thin walls of the house made it easier to hear things, so she didn't miss out on a sudden shower being started, which only meant Loan was finally awake. Strong enough to stand, too. A good sign.
Luna had come down to check-up on the girl. "Hey, Lyra."
"Yeah?" Lyra was droozy, head down on the table. "Just get it over with..."
"What? I'm not here to punish you. No, I feel like I should but..." She shook her head. "So I told him, and it wasn't that easy to do... But it wasn't a hard thing either."
Lyra raised her head. "What?"
"I wanted him to know, yes. It was something I could never really do, and same goes for the others."
"Because of this Lisa person?"
"Yes."
"That scary, huh?"
"You have no idea," Luna shivered. "She has us all by our-"
"Oh, mom!" Lyra raised her hands in front of her. "I don't need the picture."
"Alright, love. But yeah, I'm sorry you had to find out this way. If anything, I have no regrets of having or raising you. Please know I love you like I've always had."
Lyra knew to never doubt her mother. Not once has Luna ever said or done things that made Lyra think otherwise. A perfect mother and daughter bond, but only as perfect as it was able to be. "I know, mom. I know."
And Luna had a reason to smile. It went away with a question Lyra then conceived.
"Is that why aunt Lucy hates Lupa?" Lyra had developed a classic Luna trait; the verbal fearlessness of speaking her mind. She had the woman balls to ask some serious questions, and had shown no regret when asking. A brave woman indeed.
"It's... In a way, yeah," she answered vaguely.
"Hmm... As much as I don't like Lupa-" She was stopped by her mother.
"I know, Lyre. You found yourself to actually care for Lupa, and that's why you let them go yesterday, isn't it?"
Lyra gasped lightly. "Y-you knew?"
Luna smirked. "I had a feeling it wasn't like you and the kids said. I knew something was off."
"Mom-"
"I'm not mad, Lyra. Not one bit." Luna drew closer to Lyra and hugged her. "I'm proud of you, if anything."
"Mom..."
"Yes, sweetheart?"
Lyra drew a deep breath, ready to revel in the pain again. "I'm worried about Loan, and I duh-... Don't want her to-" Her lips trembled about, and her nose sniffled irregularly.
"Oh, sweetie..." Of course Luna also understood her there. Loan, a pure bean with one dream, had been dying all along, and no one suspected. Luna was mad about it, but not with Lori. All fault was directed to Lisa, as it should have been all along. "I don't want her to suffer either."
"Sh-she never asked for this! Why is this-"
Luna could only console her with the warmth of her motherly love, and a hug is how she did so. "Things happen, Lyra. I know it's unfair, but..." She lost herself in her own thought.
Lyra let fresh tears run down her face, comforted away by mommy. "Tell me something will happen. A miracle, a miracle is all I want!"
They faced each other, and Lyra awaited a soothing answer to wipe the bad away from her mind. She asked for too much, however.
"I'm sorry, Lyra... I don't know what to say..." Luna really wanted to give Lyra hope, but it would have been a risky move if it was fated to be false hope that ended up killing her. No, no sense of feeding her that.
Lyra just cried harder, and it went noticed by Lemy, who had wandered in for a drink Leia forcefully requested. "Hey, why is Lyra crying?"
"Nothing you need to worry about, Lem," Luna assured.
Lemy went up to them and joined in the hug. "Don't cry anymore, big sister."
"I want you to be strong, Lyra."
She cried out even less now, her head being caressed by Luna. "It h-hurts..."
"I know, sweetie. It hurts us all, but we have to be strong."
"Strong? Why, what's going on?" Lemy was missing context.
"It's about Loan's health," Luna told him. "A serious matter..."
"Oh, so she is sick!" Lemy figured out.
"Shhh... Lemy, I want you to see if Loan is hungry. She hasn't eaten in hours, I suspect."
Lyra wiped away at her tears. "I- I'll go get her."
Luna released her from the hug, and leaned back, with Lemy doing the same. "Yeah, go on."
Lyra didn't bother knocking on the bathroom; she just barged in, still hearing the water running in the shower. Loan hadn't finished yet. "Hey, are you hungry?"
Lyra was met with silence from behind the shower curtains. Odd. "Loan?"
Nothing yet. Something felt wrong again. "L-Loan?" Lyra grew a little jumpy and tugged away at the curtains. "Loan, are-"
This time, Lyra truly knew the meaning of feeling dead inside. She reached over to Loan's body and tried to hold it close to her, hoping it would come alive again. It had to, it just had to.
"No! Loan! Loan!"
Night
An emergency curfew had called fot the kids to be placed into bed earlier than usual, and Lana, who had come when given the news, forced to cut her shift short, decided to stay in the room to keep the kids from going into the bathroom to wander in and find the fresh corpse that was once Loan Loud.
As for Lyra, she was perched on the top of the stairs, merely sitting down and leaning her head on the wall, grieving away in such a heartbreaking way she could have never imagined until it was a reality. And what a painful reality it turned out to be. Dead eyes, emotionless expression, and the aura of sadness was telling Luna she could do nothing to comfort her daughter.
No one was saying anything at all. As for the body, this fell on Lori's jurisdiction, meaning she'd know what to do when she found the body. The body of the girl she ignored to save.
Luna was guarded at the bathroom, and Lola was drinking it off with wine, already on her fourth drink by the time Lori had come home.
She had arrived with an upbeat expression on her face. "Hey, Lola, how's it going?"
She remained quiet, and chugged down another round. Her face was just as sunk as Lyra's.
"Lola?" She made two steps towards her before being stopped by Luna.
"Lori, come on up here," Luna said with a grim tone.
Lyra moved out of the way, and stood on the doorway of her room. She eyed Lori with her pair if dead eyes.
"Hey, Luna. What's going on?" Lori took notice to their faces. "What's with the dreaded looks?"
Luna opened the bathroom door. "I'm... Sorry..."
Lori was confused, until Lyra redirected her face downwards. She began to suspect it, and then confirmed her suspicions when she peeked into her daughter's room, not seeing Loan inside. "Oh, God," she whispered with concern.
The two disappeared inside, and a faint scream that could only come from Lori had muffled from inside.
Household B
Lupa was infuenced to make a drawing of her and Loan, and had drawn and finished it by the end of the night. Soon, she would deliver it personally to Loan so that she may hang it on their fridge. God help her if Leia fucked with it.
The drawing in question was of a stick-figure design, with Lupa and Loan smiling and holding hands. The background was them at the park, where the chain of events had begun. Lupa left it on her desk and was not planning on holding a perfect picture. "Yes!"
Liby looked over the picture. "I see that you and Loan really get along. Are you going to show it to her?"
Lupa lifted a finger to Liby's nose. "Not just showing, but giving it to her as a gift. Loan is a real cool person, so I thought she'd deserve it.,
"Well, that's very thoughtful of you, Lupa. I think she's going to love it."
Lupa smiled with pleasure. "I want her to, yeah."
"It's getting late. You should get to bed, Lupa."
"I will, I'm just finishing up here." Lupa grabbed a pencil and begun to write;
To the shooting Loanstar, from Lupa
Liby found it a tad adorable of Lupa to be thinking of Loan, a close friend she could count on. Liby was that happy that she shed a tear of joy. Lupa was changing for the better, and not a hint of domestic abuse reeked out of aunt Lucy this time around.
Lupa was given a chance to have her hair dyed when it grew back, as long as she didn't cut it again. Mother Lucy kicked herself for the severity of her words and made everything all right between them. Liby, Lacy, and their mothers were ecstatic with joy that their one and only issue was over, dealt with now.
And soon, they'd come to know about Loan. They'd come to mourn and accept it, but it wouldn't be now right away. No. Lupa was allowed to be as happy as she could be until the news came about. Until then, the girl who usually never smiled, was so. And her world was just as perfect, the same way as that of her own cousins'. Nothing would hurt her again. Right?
AN: So, it turns out Loan is not pronounced how I thought originally, and neither was Lyra's name. Fuck's sakes. I'm not satisfied with the final chapters if I'm to be honest, but giving up isn't an option at all. I don't know, I thought it was going good, then, no. Lack of Lisa, lack of Lincoln. Lack of feels. Ughhhhh.
I suppose I can say that I didn't truly feel like I was into it. I found it a little boring tbh, but it got that way after chapter seven. I don't know, maybe I should have just stopped when they concluded their first encounter at the park.
Guess I'll return to my familiar grounds of graphic torture and bloodshed. Flagg1991 has nothing on me.