A/N Hey guys! As per the norm, I'm back and only slightly off today! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
R&R!
Chapter Fourteen: A Silent Clown
"She's gonna love this!" Luan's mind raced as she placed another neatly wrapped package on the ever-growing mountain of gifts. "Lola should be home any minute now! So what if it's early morning? Discharges happen whenever!"
"Is everything set?" Lynn Sr. stepped over, a soft smile having overtaken his stoic expression.
"Yep!" Luan dusted herself off and pushed up on her toes. "All that's left is Lana and Lola coming by to see!"
The man paused, wincing at the thought, before he sighed and looked into his daughter's eyes. "Luan… you are aware that Lola hasn't woken up yet, right?" His voice softened, breaking through the harsh air that had begun to form around him.
In response, the comedian leaned back and waved him off. "Of course I know!" she turned around and began to organize the gifts into a small pyramid. "But that doesn't matter. I heard that twins can feel each other's spirits or something, even when they're not close by! And since Lana's said she's gonna be back soon, I believe she's gonna be!"
Lynn stared passed his daughter, his mind arguing whether or not to attempt to argue against his daughter. He had held back with Lana and Lucy, though it was clear that the latter already understood the nature of their situation. But Luan was different, she was one of his older children. She should know better.
Alas, he simply sighed. Though he knew the truth, a part of him preferred to let her enjoy the thought. "At least there's someone else who believes she'll be back…" He stepped away with that, leaving the young woman to her work. "Maybe she does know too…"
With that, she carefully finished setting the party up, careful to make sure that even the most miniscule of details was in place, before she motioned for her siblings to come by. Silently of course, she couldn't risk waking up Lana before it was time after all! A moment later, a distinct *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* rang out, followed by the muffled sounds of tiny footsteps.
Luan braced herself, a wide, brace-filled smile overtaking her face, before Lana appeared, sliding down the railing and flipping through the air for a moment, before landing, a certain pink box in hand.
"Surprise!" The Louds shouted in unison, excitement filling the air. Immediately after that, the Louds crowded around the young girl, each other them raising presents for her to open.
"Haha! Thanks guys! I'm so excited! What're we doin' today?"
Luan glanced to the side, allowing Lisa to come into her sight. "Well according to the schedule my mother and father so graciously prepared, we have a full day ahead of us. First we will indulge ourselves on our father's special Lynn-breakfast, before going out for some activities."
Lana smiled at the thought, before she clutched the present. "Awesome… but before we go do that stuff, I wanna give Lola her present."
"Heh, of course," Luan couldn't help, but chuckle at the thought, before she began to look around. "The first thing she thinks of on her birthday is her sister."
"Where is she?" The child asked, peering behind her family members as she did so.
"Good question," The comedian went, focusing attention towards the home's entrance in reply. "I know Lola isn't in the house right now, but she's bound to walk through that door any second, right?"
With that, Lori took a breath and stepped forward.
"Ahh, of course, she's gonna introduce Lori, right?" Her eyes went wide, while her heart began to race. "I know it wasn't planned, but I'm sure it'll be a fun surprise!"
"Lana… I'm sorry, but… Lola didn't wake up," Her words seemed to echo through the once joy-filled air.
"Lola didn't wake up?!" The young woman's mind began to race. "T-that just can't be true right?!" She looked into Lana's eyes, hoping that she would argue against it- that Lana could feel Lola wake up at that very moment and counter.
And yet, she did nothing. She simply stood, the once excited light slowly dying in her eyes. Usually at her parties, she'd see that happen when a child didn't receive a gift they so desperately wanted. She could never understand why though, the kids would get annoyed by what seemed to be trivial to her.
But this time, she understood. She could feel the air chill around her as the waves of reality set in.
"But hey!" Lori did her best to reassure her sister. "That's not to say Lola's not gonna wake up later, right?" She took Lana's face in her hands. "Why don't you enjoy your birthday and tell her about it when she comes home?"
Her heart ached at the thought. "Lola didn't wake up, and we set up the perfect birthday party for her…" She watched as her siblings stepped forward in an attempt to cheer her up, but to no avail. In that moment, her instincts kicked in; she couldn't bear to see a child so distraught on their birthday after all! "Yeah! Come on!" She grabbed one of the neatly wrapped gifts and shook it, sending small echoes through the air. "I think you're gonna love this one!"
*Smash!*
"Or not!" Luan chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
Yet, the child's gaze remained stoic. Instead, she chose to focus on the small box she had brought with her- a special gift that Lola would've no doubt loved had she come by.
Throughout the rest of the party, Luan did her best to keep her chin up- acting as if nothing had happened- that it was normal for Lana to celebrate her birthday alone. Her acts that would normally impress both parents and birthday kids had no effect on Lana. Instead, she chose to focus on the single present she had prepared for her twin.
Hours later, Luan watched as Lana stepped out of their father's restaurant, and as she cleaned her hard work, watched Lori and Lana return without the gift, but without Lola either.
Her gaze softened, as a single thought crossed her mind. "Lola is never gonna wake up…"
"Where the heck is Lucy?!" Lana's eyes darted from side to side as she stepped into the middle bedroom, puppet nicely secured to her back. "Hey Lucy, you in here?"
No reply, though she didn't expect one anyways.
"She has so many hiding places, which one could she be in?!" She rubbed her chin and tapped her foot. "Hmm, it's October, the spookiest month of the year…" She snapped her fingers and ran downstairs, quickly bursting through the door before looking over the edge and under the patio… only for a skeleton to come into view.
"G'ahh!" She went, only for her gaze to quickly move to the Halloween sign wrapped around one of its wrists. "Oh, it's just a decoration, dangit," She chuckled, before shaking her head. "Stay focused, Lana! You need Lucy to help you talk to Luan!" She pulled herself up and thought again. "What are some other dark places?" She looked to her left. "The garage, perfect!" Before bolting over to it.
"Lucy, you in there?" She called out, expecting something- anything to tell her that her so-called spooky sister was being her usual creepy self. Yet, no reply came, leaving her standing in front of the garage with her arms held limply at her sides. "Dangit… I need to find her. Lucy knows Luan the best out of anyone who isn't Luna… but where could she be? She has so many hiding places and I can't spend all day looking! They need me right now!"
Her mind instantly jumped to Lynn and Lisa, the images of their frustration rushing through her mind once more. "Luna and Luan are probably feeling like Lynn and Lisa… Lynn felt guilty which is why she avoided me, and Lisa was on the verge of giving up. But why did Luan decide to try and get me to give up, and why'd Luna kick me out?" She looked away, allowing a small hand to come into view.
Slowly, she reached behind her, taking hold of the puppet her sister held so dearly and ramming her arm in to make it talk.
"Hi, I'm Mr. Coconuts!" She went in a fake voice. "I'm Luan's best friend! You can ask me anything you like! I'm all for giving answers!"
Lana chuckled. "I guess this is why Luan likes him so much," She took a breath. "Mr. Coconuts, Luan and Luna don't wanna talk to me right now, and Luan's trying to get me to give up on Lola, do you know why?"
"Sorry toots, I dunno," the puppet shook his head. "Remember, I'm just you talkin' to yourself!"
"Right…" Lana shook her head. "I'm goin' crazy."
"But hey, that doesn't mean I can't help ya out!" She continued, the puppet coming ever so closer to her. "After all, it's nice to talk to someone, right?"
"True," She took a breath. "All right then, where can I find Lucy?"
The puppet rubbed its chin for a moment, before snapping its fingers. "Well, doesn't Lucy like to work in the vents? She's probably in there ignoring everyone while she works!"
Lana's eyes went wide in realization. "Of course! Lucy always hides from us so she can work without us bothering her!" she pulled her hand out from the puppet's back, before securing him once more. "That means that I have to find my own way in, here's to hoping I can! How the heck does Lucy even get inside? Those things are so high up!"
Within moments, she rushed into Lynn and Lucy's room- the latter thankfully having left earlier for practice- before she jumped on top of the coffin bed and bounced off its lid, boosting her into the vent. "Well I guess this explains how Lucy does it," she pulled herself in and shouted. "Hey Lucy! You in here?!"
No response, not like she expected one of course. "I have to find her. And if she's in the vents that means she can be anywhere in the house!" She gulped, before beginning to crawl through the passageway. "Everyone's counting on me to wake up Lola, and I need everyone's help to do it!"
Lucy Loud loved her secret dark places. When one has to contend with ten siblings, it becomes difficult to find a nice, private place to work and enjoy oneself. Thankfully, Lucy wasn't picky. To her, the vents were homely, she could go anywhere she wanted in the home- listen in on whomever she decided and do whatever she please, all away from the prying eyes of her family. So what if they were dirty, old and in need of severe repairs? That stuff simply added to the allure.
But, most important to her, was that fact that so long as she avoided the entrances everything would be nice and quiet-
"Lucy!" Lana's voice echoed through the tubes, filling the Goth Girl's ears were her shrill cry. "Where are you?!"
She paused, her mind jumping to the question of 'should she reply?' Though her body's refusal to move forced her non-answer. "Why did Lincoln have to convince me to help her? The spirits said that my influence will only slow down her progress…" Her gaze faltered. "Maybe if I don't say anything, she'll just give up and leave."
And in reply, a loud *bang* echoed through her ears. No doubt the sound of someone jumping and landing on one of the bends in the pipeline.
In an instant, Lucy's heart began to race. She slammed her notebook shut and rolled onto her knees. "Why am I running?!" Her mind jumped at the thought. Normally when one of her siblings decided to join her in the vents, she'd stay in place, acting as a sort of guide to show the way out. And yet she found herself crawling through the vents, doing her best to put as much space between her and her sister as possible.
"What the-" Lana pulled herself onto the line Lucy had just been working. Quickly enough in fact to see a tuff of black hair to come into view for just a short moment. "Lucy! Wait! I need your help!"
"I promised I'd help her… Dangit Lincoln, why'd you make me?!" She sighed, before glancing back. "Lana, I'm busy! I'm looking for a better secret dark place!"
"But Lucy! You promised! This is about Luan!" Lana's voice began to fill with desperation. "She locked herself in the bathroom and isn't talking to me anymore!"
Slowly, the Goth Girl came to a stop, allowing her little sister to catch up immediately after. "You ok, Lucy? You never run when someone comes in the vents to find you."
"The spirits warned me not to… But…" In response, she shook her head. "Nothing, I just felt like I need to move to a better spot is all."
For a moment, the younger girl considered prying further- to find out the real reason for why she had decided to run. And yet, she simply shook her. "Luan's issues are more important right now. I may have everyone else behind me, but I need to know why she's trying to discourage me… and I wanna help her too."
"So, what's going on with Luan?" Lucy asked, leaning back against the metal wall and pulling out her notebook.
Lana looked to her older sister, before rubbing the back of her head. "I dunno. She's been, well, discouraging me," she held her arm. "I told both her and Luna about my plan to wake up Lola, but she just insulted me and left. Then after Luna kicked me out of their room, started telling me everything's useless!"
"Then what happened?" The Goth leaned in forward, curiosity filling her gaze.
"She locked herself in the bathroom," The younger girl reached back, pulling out the puppet. "I knocked off Mr. Coconuts and suddenly she stopped talking to me too…"
"I see," She shut the book. "And you want me to help you get into the bathroom so you can talk to her?"
"Yeah," Lana clasped her hands together. "Please Lucy! I wanna know what's going on with her! I wanna help!"
"Sigh, fine," With that, the spooky sister turned once more. "Well then, follow along, the bathroom is this way."
And with that, the duo began to crawl through the house.
Meanwhile...
Luna stood before her door for a moment, uncertainty filling her body. "Why the heck did I kick her out like that?! She didn't even do anything!" Her gaze faltered, before she turned around and grabbed her guitar. "Lola loved that song… I learned how to play it just for her too…" A warm heat began to overtake the room with that. Ordinarily, Luna would gripe and moan about her latest song attempt- after all, it was all a part of the creative process!
And yet, her mind paused, holding onto the image of a young child wrapped in a pink dress, while her sister, clad in blue, held her close. "Lola was… a tough one, but she loved it when I sung her to sleep…"
Slowly, her hands moved to her strings, her mind going blank as she began to sing. "Wait a sec and let me catch my breath, remind me how it feels to hear your voice…" Slowly, warmth began envelope her, as if some sort of magic had begun to overwhelm her mind and heart.
"Your lips are moving; I can't hear a thing…" She paused. "Lana tells us that you're still here, that you're gonna wake up. But how? She can't talk to you, and we can't hear you! But why does she think so?"
"Living life as if we had a choice…" Her voice fell low, as if unable to believe what she was saying. "It's not true, is it?" She looked aside. "Lana is doing whatever she can to wake her up, even if she doesn't know if it'll work…"
She continued. "Anywhere, anytime, I would do anything for you! Anything for ya!" She slowly began to tear up. "Yesterday, got away, melodies stuck inside your head! A song in every breath!" She closed her eyes, allowing the soft words of a little girl rush through her mind. "Sing, me, to sleep, now. Sing, me, to sleep! Won't you sing, me, to sleep, now? Sing, me, to sleep…"
With that, she hopped to her feet and pulled out her phone. "Hey Sam, I got an idea for a song. I need your help with it."
And a moment later, she was out the door, guitar secured tightly to her back.
"We're here," Lucy crawled passed a small opening in the vents, allowing Lana to peer into the room. From what she could see, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, besides Luan sitting curled up in the corner next to the door and across from the toilet.
"Well… at least Luan's still here," Lana's heart sank at the sight, though she immediately steeled her nerves. Luan needed her, now wasn't the time to get cold feet. And so, she nodded at her sister. "Thanks Lucy," before she pushed herself forward, and lined her feet up with the vent gate."
"Wait," The Goth Girl grabbed Lana's shoulder, before she glanced away."
"Huh?" The plumber looked on in confusion. "What's up?"
"Are you sure it'll be a good idea to disturb her? I mean she… she ran away for a reason," Lucy's voice was low, as if she was unsure of what she was saying.
For a moment, Lana stared into Lucy's eyes, a begging gaze breaking through the jet-black locks that she used to hide her true emotions. "Lucy never talked to me about this… she just joined… If everyone's hurting like Lisa and Lynn…" she pulled back and sat up. "Lucy, tell me the truth. Do you want to help me with Lola?"
The older girl hesitated in reply. "Yes, I do."
She asked again, her voice softening. "Then what's wrong?"
"Nothing," She snapped away, shaking her head as she did so. "Forget I said anything."
For a moment, she considered doing just that. "But, Lucy only gets this worked up when she knows something that she doesn't wanna say," she took a breath and leaned in closer to her sister. "Lucy, what did the spirits tell you?"
"Nothing!" She hastily answered, before recomposing herself and calmly continuing. "They refused to tell me anything."
That was a lie and Lana knew it. For as long as Lana knew her, Lucy would always get answers. She always held the power to ask about the future- to influence events yet to come. And yet, she fought against the idea refusing to speak despite having already said too much.
And so, she leaned forward, prodding her sister to answer. "Please Lucy, tell me the truth."
"I don't know if you are able to handle it… the spirits were hesitant to tell me much…" Lucy refused to look Lana in the eyes. "They said that it'd hurt you more than help."
Yet, the young girl did not relent. Instead, she pushed forward, prodding her to reveal her hidden secrets.
And so, she shook her head. "The spirits were cryptic when it came to her condition. They said that… well, there wasn't much they could do, but that Lola did have a chance to wake up."
"She has a chance?!" Excitement filled her voice.
"Yes, there is a possibility, but there is a condition that you have to fulfill…"
"What is it?!" she leaned forward, forcing the Goth sister onto her back. "I'll do anything for her!"
"You have to learn how to live life without her," Her voice filled with a solemn air.
Her eyes went wide. "W-what?!"
"They also told me that my involvement would only hinder your progress…" She continued, before shaking her head. "I'm sorry."
Lana sat by in shock. That… that couldn't be true, could it? Her goal was to wake up Lola! She didn't wanna have to live without her any longer! They were born together and always promised to keep it that way! And so to have to learn to live without her… that was just impossible!
"Lucy…" Lana leaned back and looked away, uncertainty filling her voice.
The Goth perked up, unsure of what else to say.
"I don't believe it."
Silence overtook the vent with that.
She looked up, into her older sister's eyes. "The spirits are wrong! I know that I can wake up Lola! And when she wakes up, everything can go back to normal! I don't need to learn to live without her, because she's gonna be back before we know it!"
"The spirits say otherwise…" Lucy didn't answer, instead choosing to look away in response.
"Lucy…" Lana continued.
The Goth turned back, though only half-way.
She took a breath. "Do you still want to help me wake her up?"
"Despite what the spirts said, you still want to try to wake her yourself?" Lucy's voice filled with curiosity.
She nodded. "Everyone's said that I have to wait, that I have to learn and stuff, but there's nothing they can teach me!" She climbed to her knees and held her fists close, as if preparing to run. "I don't care what the spirits or doctors say, I'm gonna wake her up myself!"
"Sigh, I can't lie, I find your determination rather… admirable. The spirits told me that they were proud of that," With that, she learned forward, over the railing. "Luan's been taking this harder than she let on."
Lana rolled her eyes, though did breathe a mental sigh of relief. "Yeah Luce, I kinda figured that out. Ya know, with the puppet talking and stuff."
"When people like Luan have trouble expressing themselves, they might turn to things like puppets to express themselves better."
Suddenly, the realization dawned on the young girl. She nodded. "I see, thanks Lucy," Luan had said those things for a reason, and it was her duty to find out why. "So what do you thinkn' I should do?"
"Give her back Mr. Coconuts," She frankly replied. "Even though she sounded harsh while she was in control of him, it was how she actually felt and you need her to talk to you if you want her help and to make sure she's better."
And so, Lana nodded and took a breath, before kicking forward, forcing herself into the locked bathroom.
In an instant, Luan stumbled back in surprise. "W-what?!"
Lana dusted herself off and turned to her older sister. "Luan."
The older girl opened her mouth to speak, but no words seemed to come out. It was as if she simply didn't have a voice.
"It's just like what Lucy said," Lana pulled Mr. Coconuts out and offered him to her sister. "Come on, I know you need him."
Slowly, the clown crept her arm closer to the puppet, before carefully easing her hand into it.
"Ugh, finally! Back where I belong!" The puppet stretched.
"Luan, please, tell me what's going on?"
The puppet and Luan quickly turned to each other, before Mr. Coconuts pretended to check his watch. "Oh, would you-"
"Luan, stop it!" Lana cut him off. "Lola as much as she didn't like to admit it, enjoyed your jokes! She would hate to see you like this! So why are you trying to hide from me?"
"Look, toots, it's none of your business," The puppet spoke in a harsh tone. "Luan here just has some issues that don't concern you."
"Luan," Lana's gaze softened. "We're sisters. Growing up you always wanted to be there for us…"
The comedian turned away, unwilling to look the little girl in the eyes.
"Heck, I remember when you would get us to stop crying by telling jokes! Why'd you stop?! Yeah, your puns were terrible, but they were so bad it was funny!"
"Because they're useless," Mr. Coconuts bowed his head. "A while ago I thought that if I made as much happiness and joy as I could, then everything would turn out fine."
The plumber leaned forward in curiosity.
"Remember your birthday party?" The puppet turned back to her, raising an arm to point as he did so.
"Yeah?" Lana raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"I made it thinking Lola would be back," Her voice filled with pain. "I had so much planned for you two… I was so hopeful that you were right!" Luan bowed her head. "But I was wrong."
Silence overtook the duo with that, before Lana clutched her fists and looked up at her sister. "No Luan, you were right."
She glanced at her little sister, a frail beacon of hope filling her eyes.
"I know that Lola will return!" She continued, warmth filling her voice. "I know it's hard to believe, But I can feel her, she's still with us!"
"But how do you know, toots? She's been gone for months now! And that coma doesn't seem to be letting up!"
Lana took Luan's free hand in both of hers. "Because my twin is a fighter. Even when everything seemed dark, she never would give up!" She looked into the comedian's eyes. "Luan, do you wanna make her laugh again?"
Luan's gaze softened, before she dropped Mr. Coconuts. "Yes, of course I do!" her voice was soft and yet, filled with desire.
Lana took a breath. "Luan, I know that Lola will wake up, and when she does, she's going to love all the parties you'll make for her."
"Thanks," Luan smiled.
"Wanna help me wake her up?" The little girl continued. "I'm putting together the best act I can, to do it and win what she couldn't."
With that the clown threw her arms around her.
"Count me in."
And nearby, Lucy cracked a smile. "Maybe she'll be able to pull this off after all," Though she couldn't help but look away. "Just this once… I hope the spirits are wrong."
25-5-19, 9-20 12-15-15-11-19 12-9-11-5 5-22-5-18-25-20-8-9-14-7 9-19 3-15-13-9-14-7 20-15-7-5-20-8-5-18 14-15-23.
14-5-24-20 21-16: 13-18. 3-15-3-15-14-21-20-19 7-15-5-19 20-15 2-18-15-1-4-23-1-25!
A/N And there we go! I hope you guys enjoyed! It looks like everyone's coming together to help Lana succeed! Here's to hoping that Lucy's fortune telling abilities are wrong!
Song Used: "Sing Me To Sleep" By Alan Walker
Review Replies:
Tristen: I'm glad I can keep surprising you!