Hello everyone, Allanarcher777 here. First and foremost, I would like to apologize for the long wait on this chapter. I know slow and steady wins the race, but I still think this was a bit overdue. Plus, I'm going on a bit of a road trip and my ability to write will be limited, so I pushed myself to finish this chapter before I leave.

Well, enjoy!

Chapter 16

[Luna's P.O.V.]

As soon as school had ended, I went with Sam and her friends to her house to practice "Alright everyone, from the top. 1… 2… 3… 4!" On Sam's command, we all played our instruments and practiced our current song once again. The combined sound we made echoed all throughout the garage and onto Sam's neighborhood. The energy of our performance very wild and full of passion. Yet despite the tone of the music, I knew I had a job to fulfill. As I played my guitar as a backup to Sam and her vocals, I did my best to study the sheet music. Not just to memorize the song, but also to better adapt to the rock and roll style.

I figured that after a while, I might be able to suggest my own ideas for songs to the group. But I would need more time to not only compose and write for rock, which I had only been able to copy existing pieces so far, but I needed to make sure the group was comfortable with me doing it. For now, I just tried to study as much as I could. Playing the guitar, listening to it every once in a while, and watching my new bandmates play. Sam in particular was an absolutely stunning example to go off of. She sang and played her instrument with such energy, as if she poured her heart and soul into her performance.

Eventually after about two minutes, the song we were practicing came to a close and everyone let out a cheer and some laughs. "That was awesome guys! Especially you, Luna. You killed it!" Sam congratulated. I couldn't help but feel a weird sensation come over me as I tried to at humble.

"Well, I was just following your lead."

"However you were doing it, keep it up! At this rate, we'll be ready for our next big gig at The Burnt Bean's open mic night." Sam cheered. I couldn't help but recall the place she mentioned from one of my strolls back when my family and I were getting familiar with Royal Woods. It was a nice little coffee shop in a higher end district that attracted a wide array of customers. A song or two there would be a great place for me to sow positivity. Sully let out another laugh and pulled me out of my daydream.

"Hell yeah, baby! I can't wait to get the crowd pumped!"

"I still think we should try to get gigs at places that are open longer." Mazzy interjected. Upon hearing this, Sam let out a sigh and shook her head.

"Maz, we've been over this. My folks wouldn't let that happen." I watched her walk over to her guitar case and put her instrument away. "They'd never let me do anything like what you and Sully really hope for. They'd kill me for being out being out even two minutes past curfew." Sam explained. I walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. As she turned her head to look at me, I gave her the most reassuring smile I could manage.

"It's alright, Sam. I'm sure your parents would understand if you talk to them about what you want." I reasoned. Then, we heard the sound of a car horn echo from outside. Looking beyond the opened garage and to the drive way, we saw a green sedan parked in front of all of us. The door of the car's driver seat opened and a woman stepped out of it. She was taller than me or my peers possibly in her late thirties or early forties. Her hair was a similar shade of blonde to Sam's, and she opted to wear a dress that was light red in color, but not quite pink. She also had a fair amount of makeup and diamond earrings that dangled down a little bit.

"Sam sweetie, are you and your friends almost done practicing? I could use some help putting the groceries away." The woman called out.

"In a second, Mom." Sam replied, confirming the relationship between her and the new arrival. She let out a sigh as she locked up her guitar case. "Alright guys, I guess that's it for today." Sam said as she went to go help her mother. Sully and Mazzy began to pack up their things as well and prepared to leave, yet I took a moment to watch Sam help her mother get some paper bags filled with food and supplies out of the car's trunk. My kind nature influenced my decisions as I quickly approached them.

"Do you think I could help?" I offered. Sam looked at me with genuine surprise over my offer. Her mother on the other hand let out a giggle.

"Well young lady, aren't you just a sweet heart. It's not everyday I meet someone as generous as you." I went over to the trunk of the car and grabbed another bag of groceries. Meanwhile, Sam's mother continued to talk. "Sam, aren't you going to introduce me to your new friend?" She asked. I glanced over the side of the bag and watched them converse.

"Uh, yeah. Her name is Luna, she actually just moved to town a while ago." Sam explained. The three of us carried the groceries up to the front door of Sam's house. Her mother opened the door and revealed the inside of the house. The sight I was greeted to was pretty simple in terms of design for a house. The color of the walls was similar to that of the outside of the house, a nice shade of white. However, there were other colors mixed in, mainly shades blue and brown for things like wall paper and furniture. However, all the color variety was swapped out for simply white and a dull yellow when we made it into the kitchen to drop off the groceries on a nearby counter.

"Well Luna, it's certainly nice to meet you. It's not everyday that someone as selfless as you shows up to lend a hand." Sam's mother praised. I rubbed the back of my head and chuckled.

"It's not really something to make a big deal over, ma'am. You were dealing with a lot, it just felt right." With that, Sam's mother let out a giggle.

"Please, call me Mrs. Sharp." With that, she turned to her bags and started unpacking the groceries from them. I shifted my attention from Mrs. Sharp back to her daughter.

"See, Sam? You're mother seems so kind. I'm sure if you talked to her and discussed what you wanted, you could reach an agreement." I stated. However, Sam didn't seem to feel the same enthusiasm I did. She looked at me with her eyes half open, almost as if they were glazed with a gloomy fog. She let out a quick sigh and tugged at her torn blue jacket.

"Yeah, we probably could." Sam agreed dryly. "But she's not really the one I would worry about with this kind of stuff." She added. Seeing her act like this was a little strange, she seemed so happy while we were rehearsing, but now she was acting almost like the complete opposite of how she normally is. I was about to ask for more information when I felt my phone vibrate. I quickly pulled it out and looked at the screen to see I had gotten a text from Lori to come home and help put up some new blinds for our windows.

"Well, I better get going. See you Sam."

"Bye, Luna." We both waved goodbye as I walked out the front door and made a quick detour back to the garage to get my guitar. All the while I couldn't help but think back to Sam's behavior back in the house, and the reasons why she would act in such a way.

[Lana's P.O.V.]

"So I've been keeping a sharp eye on this Lindsey Sweetwater girl. Making sure karma and justice are handled as they should be." Lola finished as she kept talking to me, Lucy, and Lisa about her day went. Normally, I'd be more invested with how she does her part to help the world and bring justice to the ill-willed and unfortunate alike. But it wasn't really my main concern right now. There was only one thing I could think about while I was walking through the hallways.

Lincoln and that girl.

"Lana? Lana! Are you okay?" I looked over to me twin as she was shouting at me and pulling me from my day dream.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." I apologized. Lisa looked up at me with her usual stoic attitude.

"You seem to be troubled with something, elder sister. May I ask what the issue is?" I rubbed the back of my head, unsure of how to answer her. I mean, was it really something to be worried about?

"It's about that human girl Lincoln was socializing with, isn't it?" Lucy interjected. I couldn't manage to get any words out, all I could do was stare at her in awe at how she figured it out so quickly. "You aren't the only one who was curious. I had taken it upon myself to keep a close eye on her following the incident before. The girl seems slightly mellower in attitude, but her behavior at lunch and sitting with Lincoln was a bit peculiar." She explained. I looked down at my hands and pressed my fingers together nervously. The rancor was gone, right? That girl shouldn't be a problem and Lincoln should be fine being near her. She even tried to give me advice to keep Hops, safe.

So why do I feel like I should still be worried?

I heard Hops croaking from the front pocket of my overalls. He tried to jump out of them, but I managed to catch him before he went flying out of my reach. When I did, I saw Lincoln talking to Ronnie Anne again. Ronnie Anne now sporting a purple bike helmet on her head and holding on to a skateboard. "Hmm, speaking of which, there they are again." Lucy stated. She started walking over to them slowly. On reflex, I reached out and grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to go over and introduce myself. Perhaps we can learn a little more about her. As well as from Lincoln." Lucy explained. I wasn't sure how to feel about Lucy's idea, especiallt because of my weird feeling about Ronnie Anne. But in the end, I let go of my older sister's arm and watched her continue to walk towards my brother and the other girl. "Wish me luck."

[Lincoln's P.O.V.]

"Well Lame-O, this has been a pretty interesting day so far." Ronnie Anne remarked laughed as she leaned against the railing of the small staircase leading down from the school's main doors to the side walk. "You're actually a pretty quick learner. At least when it comes to keeping quiet." I didn't know how to feel about that. Especially since it felt so conflicting with my divine nature. But it was to protect myself and my sisters, right? It helped with our mission in the long run.

"Yeah, I guess I am. Thanks for teaching me." I thanked. Then, Ronnie Anne started to chuckle. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, we just got started. Your next lesson is the art of actually telling a lie." She explained as a wave of anxiety surged through my very soul. My face must have reflected this concern to some degree because Ronnie Anne scoffed and her smile vanished. "Oh, don't be wuss. It's not that big of a deal if you know what you're doing."

"Greetings." From the corner of my eye, I saw my little sister Lucy appear seemingly from nowhere. Her sudden arrival and flat voice startled Ronnie Anne and sent her tumbling backwards toward the stairs with a scream. Almost instantly, my instincts as an angelic protector took over and my body moved automatically. I lunged forward and managed to catch Ronnie Anne in my arms before she fully went down the first step. I gently lifted her back up to her feet as she started to take multiple deep breaths of air.

"Are you alright?"

"No! I almost had a heart attack!" I backed away as Ronnie Anne exploded and turned to glare at Lucy. "The hell is your deal you little emo? You get a sick kick out of jump scaring people?" She growled accusingly. Despite the harsh words, my sister was unfazed by Ronnie Anne's anger.

"Apologies, that's a bit of a habit of mine. I just thought I should introduce myself, since you already know my brother." Almost instantly, all of Ronnie Anne's anger fizzled out and was replaced by confusion. She then slowly turned to me, her mouth slightly ajar as if she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words. No doubt as a result of Lucy's appearance. Ronnie Anne pointed at me, then slowly moved her arm to point to Lucy. Across all of this, I could only nod in confirmation.

Ronnie Anne then began to clear her throat and snapped herself out of her shock. "Uh, nice to meet you, kid. What's your name?" She asked nervously. My sister placed her right hand on her chest and did a slight bow.

"Lucy Loud. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ronnie Anne. Lincoln has mentioned you a few times." She explained. "Pardon my curiosity, but what were you two talking about just now?" I flinched when she asked that question. Of all the things for Lucy, or really, any of my sisters to get curious over, this was one of the worst. I knew for a fact that they wouldn't approve of me learning how to lie, let alone Ronnie Anne knowing our true identities.

"Um, Lucy?" I began to speak. I put on a brave face as if I were talking to any other being. But on the inside, I felt a large sense of disgust at what I was doing. "I wouldn't really like to go into detail about this. It's kind of a personal matter regarding her and I really think it should stay between the two of us for now." I could feel a deep pit in my stomach as I finished the sentence. I felt as if I had just spit out poison.

Although the worst part is that Lucy accepted it completely without any hint of doubt. "Hm, alright. I understand. Though I still feel I need to ask if you'll be walking home with me and the rest of our sisters."

"Actually, I was going to ask your brother if he wanted to hang out at the park with me for a little bit." Ronnie Anne interjected before I could say anything. "Is that cool with you?" She asked as she glanced at me again. I nervously shrugged as I replied.

"Yeah, I guess that sounds nice." The two of us started walking down the steps and down the concrete path towards the side walk. "I'll see you when I get home, Lucy." I called out to Lucy one last time as Ronnie Anne and I walked further away from her and the school. As we started to turn down the road towards the park, I gave one last glance toward Lucy and waved to her. As she waved back, I could barely see Lisa and the twins behind her in the distance. I started to wonder if they had been watching the conversation from out of view the whole time, which didn't help make the cold truth about my actions any better.

"Nice thinking back there, Lincoln. You're a really fast learner." Ronnie Anne complimented as we made our way down the sidewalk. I didn't answer her though, I just kept my eyes focused on the ground and kept walking. Ronnie Anne then elbowed me in the arm. "Hey, Earth to Lame-O. Are you there?" She asked. I bit my lip as I struggled to give an answer.

"I don't know how I feel about this anymore." I confessed. We stopped walking and I looked up at her. "Ronnie Anne, I'm deceiving my own family. I know I didn't technically lie to them, but still. First you know we are angels and now you're teaching me to lie. It's all just too much for me. I just feel so sick as if my stomach is in knots." Ronnie Anne rolled her eyes at me and slapped me on the back.

"Oh, quit being a wimp. I'm trying to help you, you can't chicken out now. Besides, lying to anyone gets easier the more you do it. Now come on, let's get going." Ronnie Anne turned way from me and continued walking down the sidewalk. I hesitated for a moment and looked back at the school. I could barely see my younger sisters walk in the direction of home, unaware of what I was really doing. The more I contemplated my situation, the more distant the world around me became as I heard nothing but a faint ringing and my own heart beat. The faint chill of sweat started to envelope my body.

'It's like she said, I'm doing this to make my mission easier and protect my family's secret. I'm not doing anything wrong, right?'

'Am I?'

"LAME-O! Hurry up already!" Ronnie Anne called out to me and pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Uh, coming!" I replied as I quickly picked up my pace and tried to keep the doubts from clouding my mind.

Hmm, it seems that Lincoln is starting to feel the pressures of his situation reach a limit. Can he handle the stress? Who's to say? ;)

I'd like to thank everyone for being so patient with me. I know i said I'm going on a road trip, but it won't be too long. Plus, I'll see if I can do a little writing on my phone or something. Catch you all later!