Chapter 6

Out with the Old

It took a moment for Luna to realize she was dreaming. One moment she was peacefully resting her troubles away on the couch, the next she was tangled up in everyone's clothing. She let out a muffled scream as the sensation of cloth and wool belonging to lord-knows-who entered her mouth. Took her the better part of two minutes to escape, digging her head out of a giant pile resting on the floor.

An annoying opening. At least it was surprisingly tame. Didn't help how disgusted she felt. With a sigh, she pushed the remaining laundry off her body, squeezing her back to freedom, only to find herself still cramped within a tiny room. A bonk on the head against a wooden pole made her quickly deduce the situation. "The closet?" she remarked, angry that this was one of those "you'll feel everything" dreams. Rubbing her head, she notice the only light was leaking through the sheers of the door, showing the dining room, empty and ready to be set. Since when did they have a closet next to the table.

"It's a dream, Lunes," she slapped a palm over her face, "Just be happy that this might be normal. Still, if Lynn decides to fly again..."

She felt her hands towards the knob, only to stop as something hit her leg. A subtle push made her eyes look down. She expected an article of clothing to be responsible, but through the dim lighting, she noted it was far from apparel. A book of sorts covered her boot, and though it was nearly impossible to make out, Luna felt familiar with it. Its cover showed off two pictures: one of her parents smiling happily, long before even Lori was born, and another showed the family beaming their smiles in the living room.

She studied it, surprised at how old it was. No Lily yet. Was she dreaming a memory? She picked it up, looking at all their faces, unable to hide her own smile seeing them all. A peaceful moment captured by their father's wobbly mishandling of the camera. By that point, Lisa was still the newest kid, and already the smartest. It hasn't been that long since it was taken, but seeing it made her feel weirdly nostalgic.

"Did I seriously sneak into the closet to stare at this?" She questioned herself. A bizarre memory, for sure. Shaking her head, she looked back down at the photo, before catching something strange. A label was underneath it; an obvious title that was soon to be updated. "Loud Family: 9 Children, one more coming!" it read proudly in her mother's perfect cursive, Luna's eyebrow rose. Nine children? If Lily was the one it was referring to, then shouldn't it be ten? She scoffed. "Probably forgot to update it. Poor Mom. Always busy."

She remembered her reaching out during that hospital freak-out. A shiver spiraled its way down her spine. Everything was fine, right? It had to be. Just stress. If that's what Lisa landed on, why bother questioning? Anyone else would be scared a sixteen-year-old would listen to someone so young, but they clearly didn't know their family.

Then again, the picture itself began to ring odd to the young rocker. Staring at her family's lovely faces, she noted that the caption wasn't truly off. Alongside her parents standing off to the side, there was a person missing. Without them, then the caption was true. By all accounts, it should've been Lisa then. However, she caught sight of those glasses fast. No, it was actually obvious who wasn't present.

Herself. Luna was missing.

She scratched her head. "I mean, I think I remember this. Or was I busy with something?" She placed a finger to her chin, trying her hardest to think on it. They took plenty of family photos over the years, so it was possible she missed this one. Then again, why would her mom use it for her book? Did they get into a fight? Not that she could recall.

It was baffling to say the least, but at least she had an answer she could accept. "Well, it's just a dream. They always take weird turns, right? Maybe I'm the carpet. Heh," she uneasily explained to herself. That was it; had to be. If she accepted it, though, why did she feel a cold sweat wash over her?

Peering through the door once more, she realized how isolated she felt. Was no one home? Normally she'd want to escape a dream closet, but feeling a tad bit too curious for her own good, she stared down at the book once more, and regretfully opened it. Her mother loved chronicling their lives, so it would only make sense to see her family growing up as each page went on. It should be adorable, perhaps filled with laughter and delight.

So why did she tremble? She shook it off. "Just a strange cover, Lunes. Don't judge it, and all that!"

And indeed, the cover's bizarre appearance was no match for the hilarity within. She saw almost all of them as babies, all in the usual embarrassing ways they could be presented. Did Lucy really have that hair at birth? Leni was already sucking her toe instead of her thumb, and for some reason the best photo they had of Lynn was her standing dominant on top of her father. It was no surprise she was the quickest to walk amongst them all.

Lily was missing. That made sense.

Luna was missing. She felt cold. "Where's mine?" She asked, flipping frantically through the pages. No baby photo? That's not right. Luan always found away to crack a joke about it. Maybe it got damaged, or something? "No way. Mom would never let that happen. Besides, I know she got copies!"

But turning through the pages made her question even more. Every sibling was present, from that time Lola got stuck in the ball pit, to the bizarre incident where Lucy became Lincoln for a day. It was all there, on proud display for their parents to recall in bliss.

All except for her. No photos of her first instrument, or going to school, or that time she played for the whole world. Nothing. She didn't even appear in the background for any of them. Even in places where she knew she should be, she wasn't there. It was as if someone ran the photo through a computer and deleted all remnants of her. Earlier family photos lacked her, her room just had Luan and seemingly Lynn hanging out, and when the rare instrument showed itself, It either involved her father, or oddly enough, Lincoln.

The book dropped to her feet, with her fingers growing clammy once more. "J-Just a dream... Just a dream. A scary, unexplainable, horrifying..."

Why did she want to see that room again? At least it she was used to that. She pressed her back against the door, gulping for all the air she could. She stared down at the pile of clothes, noting almost everybody's daily wears mixed into the horrible heap. Whoever was in charge of this clearly got paid the good stuff for such an immaculate job.

But even though it was disgusting, she quickly dug her way back down again. She tore through the pile, staring at each piece she found, studying them for all the signs that identified her siblings. Lori's blouse, Leni's socks, Luan's false tie, Lynn's... that, Lincoln's polo...

Every sibling, but her. She slammed the floor in frustration. Either she was suddenly the responsible one, or something was seriously wrong. "Calm down... calm down," she took as many deep breaths as possible. She stood back up, placing her hands on her hips, hoping to regain her sanity. "Your mind's all screwed up again. Don't let it get to you, girl. It's... just having fun... right?"

A distant wind blew by, followed by the sound of a van's engine revving down, entering a driveway with cargo in tow. Vanzilla? Hearing its familiar hum put her fears to rest. Her parents were home. Dreams or not, just knowing they were here made her heart beat soundly once again. "That's it... just calm down, and probably get out of our nonexistent closet. Still got nothing on that."

Slowly she turned the knob, allowing her to step out into the admittedly cold dining room. It was clearly her house, though the chill brought on a sense of foreboding. She felt foreign standing on the plain carpet, Rubbing her elbows as she stared at the reward case standing close by. She knew what she was scanning for, but she quickly diverted her eyes away. She knew what would be there, or more accurately, what wouldn't be.

Thank goodness a distraction came through. From the rooms upstairs, a scream echoed through the house. "Guys, Mom's back! She's got the baby!"

What followed was a horrifying torrential river of girls and one solitary boy, all extremely excited like it was Christmas morning. Luna broke out into a smile of her own. She counted all their heads, realizing one was truly missing aside from her. "So that's what this memory is... Lily's first day here!" She gleefully forgot her troubles, remembering this day quite well. She was amongst the crowd when their new sister's little head popped out of the blanket, smiling happily at them all. If the rocker was correct, she was the first sibling to hold her close.

Why was she standing in the dining room? She should be with her family!

She went up to the front door just as it opened, with her father helping Rita Loud up the stairs. Their mother looked completely exhausted, but unlike everyone else's birth, she seemed far more energetic. After doing it so many times, it probably became a little too easy. How on earth she survived so many, Luna didn't know, and frankly, she was afraid to find out.

That didn't matter, anyways. What did was everyone gushing over the little girl in their mother's hands. Rita smiled at them all, happy they were all so behaved. "Everyone... I want you to meet Lily Loud!" Her voice was tired, but even she couldn't contain her excitement. Another little girl to add to her ever-growing family. A truly blissful day.

One-by-one, the sisters gushed over their new sibling. Some waved, others shook her small hands; even Lucy, against the darkness of her black hair, brought forth a smile that nearly shook her dad to his grave. The cloudy day outside was no match for the wonders of new life. It was perfect.

Luna had a tear in her eye staring at her. She lived this once before, but going through it again brought on that same feeling of happiness. She was like that for all her sisters and bro; it was just a magical feeling that had no explanation, nor did it ever require one.

Leni jumped for joy. "Wow! How many is that now? I think I'm out of fingers!"

Lori shook her head. "Well, I would say to recount, but, well...," she sounded annoyed, but that would never last. She looked into Lily's eyes, feeling them grow all sparkly. "Number ten. We actually have nine sisters now. I can't believe it!"

Lincoln shrugged. "Whelp, I guess I'm still the weird one!"

Everyone was happy. Luna cracked. While the rest continued to bunch around the front door, she backed away. Luckily nobody seemed to notice. In fact, even as she stood with them, nobody acknowledged her presence. Heck, she felt like her body went through them all. Her eyes grew wide as her mother handed her off to Lori, who now earned the title to holding her little sister first. Lily beamed at her; so happy she was to be with her new family.

A new family without Luna.

"Come on, let's show her upstairs!" Lynn cheered, leading the pack up to their rooms. Their father tried to stop them, but he knew it was fruitless.

"Ah jeez, they really acclimated her fast!" He couldn't help but laugh, looking at his relieved wife. "So, you figure out what she's probably gonna be. Gotta be an artist! It just makes sense!"

Rita smiled, but looked down. For a brief moment, she seemed to stare at Luna. Sensing her opportunity, the rocker reached out. "Guys, do you see me? Mom? Dad?"

Her mom did seem troubled by her voice, but it went away fast. Instead, she shook her head with a melancholic twist. "Maybe... she'll be into music."

That answer made her father looked burdened by something fierce, though he kept that smile on. "Hey... you never know."

The two followed their children upstairs, all while Luna collapsed to her feet. The front door remained open, where outside a stranger appeared to be staring in. She caught a glimpse of him for only a second, before he was carried off.

"I hope you found peace," It repeated, before the world turned white.

Luna awoke with a jolt. She was still on the couch, staring at a tv begging to be turned on. Her body was cold and shivering, while her eyes were stained wet. She slowly sat up, looking out the window towards the street. The morning sun shined brightly. How long was she out, and why did no one bother to wake her up?

Did that matter? She huddled close to herself, hugging her knees and burying her face deep. It was just a dream, she wanted to say. A dream that would be forgotten in no time flat. Like the room, it was her head messing with her. Nothing more than that.

"Yeah... that's all..."

Even she couldn't convince herself any longer. That felt too real. Every part of it she felt, both in her body and in her soul. Whatever was happening to her, it wanted to tell her something she knew she wouldn't enjoy. Why it couldn't just say it outright, she didn't know, but whatever the answer was, she was quickly growing tired of it. She fell back down on the couch's arm, staring off towards the ceiling.

Did Lisa ever come in? The rest of her family? Were they her family? That was a recipient for a slap. "It's just a dream, Lunes! Stop!"

In her anger, she noticed something new on her. Against her sleeve was a tiny note, written hastily, though the handwriting was instantly recognizable. She quickly jumped right to her feet, pulling it off and staring at its pink ink. Cursive. Perfectly matching her mother's.

"Luna, please come to the park as soon as you can. We need to talk. - Rita L."

The rocker held it close to her heart, feeling far too many emotions to express. Joy, hope, sadness, fear; each one wanted to harm her.

But none could pain her more than her mind questioning why her mom left the note in the first place. A quiet wind blew by. The stranger's eyes were felt once more.