Sitting on the train and looking out the window, the sole Loud boy was processing what has happened during these past few hours. The more he sat still, the more his pain sank deeper and deeper in. Letting out calm breaths, he relaxed in the comfy seat, feeling the warmth of the train. Looking around, it was really crowded, but that wasn't a surprise given where he was going. Lots of people were present with their bags, smiling and talking with their loved ones and... family. Poor Lincoln shuddered just thinking about the word. Family was a word he didn't want to hear for a long time, as it just reminded him of the ones who hurt him all because of some room. If somebody were to ask Lincoln what he thought of his family, he would say the word fear. To him, nothing described his feelings about his family better than fear, the fear that if he returned, he would be hurt again. And that pain was something Lincoln didn't want to feel ever again.

Suddenly, he saw a lady walking between the two rows of seats, wheeling a cart full of refreshments. His eyes laid focus on the coffee machine on top, as he hadn't slept the entire trip and needed all the energy he could get. Soon, the cart began coming his way and Lincoln pulled up his hand, gaining the attention of the lady.

"Hey, kiddo!" she answered cheerfully, much to his surprise. "What can I get you?" Recovering from the shock, he pointed at the coffee machine, not wanting to speak as he was deep in thought. "Alright, kiddo," the lady responded. "One cup of coffee for you." She poured a cup full of coffee and Lincoln handed her some money before taking the cup. He blew a breath on top of the cup before drinking some of it and then felt the smooth liquid go down his throat. Slowly, his body began to wake up and regain its strength. Continuing to drink the coffee carefully so as not to spill a single drop, he soon found himself holding an empty cup. The boy began considering if he should buy a second cup, but stopped himself upon hearing the train's speakers.

"Attention, all passengers. We will be shortly arriving at our destination. Please wait for the train to stop before getting up and we hope that you have enjoyed your journey," said the voice of a man through the speaker.

Well, I'll soon be there, thought Lincoln to himself. Allowing his thought to run deeper, Lincoln began to wonder what was happening back at 'home'. He wanted to believe that his sisters regretted doing what they did and that they wished he was back, but a small part of him believed otherwise. As he was about to go down a dark path in his mind, he was stopped when he felt the train slow down. Looking out of the window and seeing the tall buildings the city had along with the snowfall made everything perfect, like it was his solution all along. Soon, the train stopped and everyone began standing up and taking their bags along with them, but since Lincoln didn't have any of his own, he squeezed past everyone and made it to the train doors quickly. He looked at them knowing he went in through them scared and in pain and he was coming out a bit less scared, but still in some pain.

A satisfying noise suddenly came from the doors before opening and sending a cold breeze at Lincoln. Not wanting to hold up any people behind him, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and walked out. He came to a sign that said 'Welcome to New York!', looked up at it, and smiled before moving on. Snow was still falling and he was still somewhat freezing, but he ignored it this time.

"Where to now?" Lincoln asked himself. Realizing that he actually didn't have a plan, he stopped in his tracks and tried racking his brain. He began to realize that he would be screwed without any source of income in any upcoming weeks. He needed a place to sleep and not just to lay low, as sleeping on the streets was not an option, especially with it being seriously cold outside. This left the boy with two goals he needed to do. I have to find a way to make money and find a place to sleep, he thought worryingly. Knowing that standing around wouldn't do any good, he began walking towards the busy parts of the big city. On the paths beside the streets, he saw cars pass by faster than they ever did in Royal Woods. New York was nothing like his old home and the streets were crowded with people and stores were at every corner he turned.

Lincoln stopped walking for a moment when the pain started to really set in limit the young boy's movement and it was all too much for him to bear. He stood still, seeing his surroundings and letting out warm breaths of air, and without warning, his stomach audibly made a noise he was all too familiar with. You couldn't have told me while we were on the train? he mentally asked his stomach. Lincoln was no stranger to hunger, remembering one time when his dad ordered a pizza and there was one slice left. He was the only one hungry as opposed to his 'sisters', or so he suspected, but he didn't dare ask for the slice and given the recent events that happened to him, he was glad that he didn't. Knowing better than going out on the cold streets hungry, he slowly began searching for something cheap to eat. The young boy passed by several food stores bearing overpriced menus and sighed, letting out another breath that looked like smoke in front of him.

But his luck came back as he looked across the street at a small hot dog stand. He squinted his eye to check the prices, knowing he wasn't going to find anything better and he needed to save his money. To the surprise of the white-haired boy, the prices were actually quite cheap. He looked around for a crosswalk of some sort until he noticed a group of people walking over to the other side. Lincoln quickly followed the group and made his way to the hot dog stand, glaring at the different options to count the price and how much he should get.

"Hey, kiddo," said the man working at the counter. "What are you having?" A few decisions later, Lincoln knew what to have and answered the man.

"I'll have two regular hot dogs, please," he said. Yeah, sure, it was pretty basic, but he was going for quantity, not quality. The man put together the hot dogs and Lincoln forked over the money to pay. With two hot dogs in hand, he began eating one and walking somewhere else at the same time. While walking, he took the time to look at the city's beauty and how the snowfall made it even prettier. As he swallowed another piece of hot dog, he found himself passing a nearby alley. Sadly, for the boy, this alleyway was one filled with stray dogs that were also looking for food to survive and the small whiff of the boy's hot dogs made them go wild and rush out of the alleyway. Hearing their unfriendly growls coming from behind, Lincoln turned around and noticed the dogs approaching him. They weren't exactly in a begging mood, so Lincoln began walking faster to avoid an unpleasant encounter, recalling from memory how Lana's animals often had it out for him. The boy was about to throw one of his hot dogs at them, thinking it was not worth the risk, but he lost the option when the dogs grew desperate and ran after him. In response, Lincoln picked up his feet and ran, even while still bearing the pain. It took every part of him to move forward so as not to get attacked by the dogs. Lincoln was surprised that the people he ran past didn't do anything, but instead looked at him. Did they notice his bruises, perhaps? But he wasn't in a great position to argue, so he kept running, wondering how long the dogs would give chase.

I need a plan or else I'm dog food, he thought to himself, breathing heavily as he ran. An answer came when a park entered his sight of vision, a park full of trees as far as the eye can see. Changing directions, he ran into the park thinking he could lose the dogs by hiding within the trees. It may not be his best plan, but a plan all the same. Running into the park while feeling the wind push against his face, he continued running into a place crowded by trees. Running in every direction, Lincoln glanced behind him to see no more dogs. Sighing out of relief, he leaned against a tree catching his breath. He stood there for about five minutes, finishing off his hot dogs, before walking along a path close by. He could still feel his heart beating from the marathon he ran and his adrenaline was running low, making the pain come back to him. The boy looked down to the ground as he walked, not looking where he was going. No more food, no warmth, no plan... In his own misery, he thought that maybe it was only a matter of time before he succumbed to the cold and... Suddenly, he bumped into someone else and both of them fell to the ground. Laying down, he felt the snow send chills up his spine. Slowly getting up, he heard another dog growl at him, but it wasn't a stray.

"Ajax, down, boy," said a feminine voice. Lincoln focused on the young girl who held the lease to her dog. The dog was a Dalmatian bearing sharp little teeth wearing a red collar. The girl had light brown hair tied into a braid with a blue bow... Oh, wait a minute! Lincoln thought to himself. The girl was also examining the boy who accidentally walked into her - white hair, familiar voice, and... a black eye? Soon, her mind snapped back as she realized who he was.

"Girl Jordan?"

"Lincoln?!"