"What are you doing here, Luna?!" Lori said with a look of displeasure and anger. She towered over Luna, now sitting on the couch, preparing to berate her with a ceaseless barrage of questions. Luna looked away, her eyes not wanting to meet Lori's judgmental look. Luna stayed silent, even holding her breath in the hopes that she'd turn invisible or even that Lori would show her mercy. But it didn't last long as her head became lightweight and she released her breath she'd be holding with a lengthy sigh. Everyone else had left the living room, leaving Lori to confront Luna, who felt trapped against her will. Swallow a large lump in her throat, Luna slid down the couch, hoping to escape Lori's interrogation forced into her ears. "Answer me!" demanded Lori loudly, inching closer to her face. It was all too much for the rock star to bear. Her breath was shaky and she felt like giving up and running away, but her oldest sister was not about to let her go.
"I... I followed you," Luna whispered with her hitched breath pausing. It was all she could say, as she nervously crossed her arms under her chest area, her nails scratching the ends of each arm. Her answer did make sense, so Lori pulled her face back.
"Why did you follow us, Luna?" Lori asked. Luna winced at her name being called, not able to shake off the feeling that any sudden noise could erupt everything into pure chaos at any moment. She felt disinclined to answer Lori's question, so Lori tapped her foot on the floor impatiently, expecting a response.
"Well, I..." And suddenly, Luna began to seize a hidden strength within. She knew she had to have the audacity to confront Lori and Leni on the matter at hand. "It's because you and Leni were acting strange. You two were hammering me and the others into the ground for the longest time and then suddenly, you looked like you didn't even care about finding Lincoln. And you know what? It pissed me off!" Luna suddenly shouted, beside herself. Lori took a few steps back after Luna began her outburst, but held her ground. "On top of that, I find out that YOU TWO have known where OUR BROTHER was the ENTIRE TIME! And for who knows how many days, I might add!" Luna continued, having shot up from the couch with a wave of blood-red anger on her face and a massive adrenaline rush. "Now I know why you and Leni were acting so calm, and you didn't even try to hide it, did you?" But even though she threw her face into Lori's threateningly, Lori merely grimaced and she wouldn't hear any of it coming from her.
"You've got some nerve addressing him as him as your brother!" Lori spat back. "The whole family bond you think you share with him? All gone. Done, just like he is with you and the rest of our forsaken family!" The air between them went quiet, Luna was bewildered by Lori's choice of words. "Your bond between you and Lincoln is like trust. It's hard to build up, and so easily broken. And you all pushed your luck until you crossed the line! You think you're some kind of guardian angel just because Mom let you hold him first, just because you two had your own moments?! Well, big surprise! That doesn't justify your actions! Not by a long shot!" Lori's words then made something inside her snap and she was now fully prepared to pay Lori back in spades.
"WILL YOU STOP SAYING THAT!" Luna finally roared, the force of her voice throwing Lori's head back. "For God's sake, woman, stop acting like this is a lost cause! You make it sound like us looking for my little brother is a complete waste of time! What if any of us actually had found him first?! Or was it your intention to find him on a more personal level before any of us did?!" Luna made a valid point, causing Lori's face to morph into disbelief and it brought her back to when she thought that the idea of the whole family searching in Lincoln in the Big Apple might not be a good one. "I know what I did, but that was then, and this is now!" Luna continued to counter. "Do you think that I don't feel bad for what I did? I DO. And right now, you and Leni are being selfish by keeping from us!" Lori's face went back to a grimace and she prepared to fire back at the rocker.
"I think not," Lori mouthed. "This is what he wants, to get as far away from you as possible." Luna paled and felt a pang of sadness grow around her heart. "So if you even think that I'll literally let you go upstairs and so much as touch a hair on his head, you're dead wrong." From Lori's point of view, Luna was no longer a sister, but rather an enemy, someone trying to tear down everything she was building up. And Luna and the others were the demolition squad.
"Lori, what's the point of all this searching, then?" Luna said, still pointing out the obvious flaws. "How do you expect me or anyone else to apologize to him or even try to make it up to him if you won't even let me see him?!" Again, she raised a good point. They were both at a standstill with opposite goals clashing with one and the other. From Luna's point of view, Lori was completely blindsided by having finally found Lincoln along with Leni and her desire to protect Lincoln that she was failing to notice every single hitch in whatever plan she had to keep him safe, that all she had in mind was to just cover her tracks and continuing to lie to her family.
"Ask me if I care," Lori replied coldly. "Neither I nor he want you anywhere near him. Lincoln doesn't want your apology, because no matter how sorry you are, the scars you made with stay with him." Luna felt assaulted, but she was still holding on to her faith, so she finally let loose two words she thought she'd never get to use with all her guilt weighing her down.
"SHUT UP!" she bellowed at last with all the force her weakened voice could muster. There was a good half a minute of silence that followed. It was obvious that the shouting voices carried upstairs, as Leni, Lincoln, and Jordan heard pretty much everything going on. Tears were spilling down Leni's face, the blonde fashionista fearing that their family would be torn apart forever before their time, while Lincoln was wrought with guilt and sadness. True, one of his closest sisters, Luna, was among them who hurt him bad, but hearing her and Lori having their falling out was definitely not what he wanted things to come to. Not with them, fighting over... him. All because of him. His eyes dampened with tears. Jordan pulled him in close to her and held him in a warm embrace as he cried softly. She gently rubbed his back with one hand, shushing him gently to calm him. After a bit of that, she helped bring him into her room and Leni kept watch.
"What... did you literally just say to me?" Lori panted.
"You heard me," Luna retorted. "I've heard enough out of you. All this time, you and Leni have done nothing but throw us under the bus. And when we finally agree to come here and find Lincoln together, not only have we been running in circles out on some wild goose chase, but it's all because of you two! You found Lincoln first and instead of coming clean and telling us that he's fine and giving us all precautions, you lie to our faces and we continue to lose sleep every night, wondering where he could have been! And you still have the gall to keep chewing us out and telling us that so much as saying sorry is a fruitless endeavor, like you've regained your lust for control all over again. So you can just shut up and stop talking down to us and trying to turn us into defeatists." Lori was impressed by Luna's bravery, so much so that her own retort was slightly lost, but it wasn't about to change her mind.
"I've seen the bruises, Luna," Lori spoke up again. "They're healing, but after at least a week now, they're still there. They will remind him of what you've done and even when they heal completely, the damage is still inside his head.
Lincoln had been reaching for something on a shelf too tall for him. Lori came over to help, but saw his shirt lift as he reached. There were reddish spots all over with multiple healing bruises going down his stomach. It chilled her to the core. She never mentioned it to him, but at times, he made it obvious how bad it was.
"Lori, he can't stay away from us forever," said Luna angrily, once again leaving an impact on Lori. This was all too true, as Lori remembered her talk to Jordan's psychologist father, Jack. Luna was starting to make her feel hypocritical. "Who even are these people?" Luna went on. "I hope they're not strangers. OUR family misses him and they themselves for what they did. A droplet of sweat ran down her forehead. She still stood up to the towering Lori and held in all of her remaining emotions as if clinging to them for dear life.
"They all hate themselves for what they did," Lori started, but paused. "But they deserve it." She let out a deep sigh.
"They do," Lincoln agreed. Lori had come to expect Lincoln to feel this way, knowing the anger and fear he carried for them. But Lori decided to tell Lincoln what really came from her talk with Jack.
"You know that you can't hide from them forever," she said quietly, but he caught on and sighed.
"I... I know. I don't want to, but... I will have to face them eventually," he said with a hint of fear.
"Are you scared?"
"I am," Lincoln admitted. "I don't think I could handle seeing them."
"Well, tough beans," said Lori with satisfaction, seemingly acting like the prideful and controlling girl she was before moving out. "He doesn't want to go back and he actually does know these people. Jordan is a friend from school and she and her parents are currently residing here for their winter vacation. So there." That did it. Luna's dam holding back everything cracked, becoming a hollow hole as it grew the more emotions spilled into her mind and words.
"I DON'T CARE!" Luna shouted before pleading out. "I WANT MY LITTLE BROTHER BACK!" She took out all her energy as tears poured down her eyes. Her body jerked with her nose sniffling in uneven timing. Her body started to weigh more, her legs weakening by the second and starting to go limp. Slowly, she began backing away from Lori, but succumbed to her emotions and dropped to her knees, her hands raised to her wet face. Lori sighed and put her arms of comfort around Luna, who tried to retaliate and push her away, but in her pain and sadness, she found herself unable to and cried on Lori's shoulder. Her hair slid down her cheeks and just above her eyes covering them, letting her tears roll down the strands. Poor Luna felt that she could fill a whole fishbowl with the tears she let out. They had built up for so long that it became painful for her to let it out, yet she did. Realizing that her brother was not going anywhere near his family, maybe ever again, stung Luna deep in the core of her heart, but now it was a fact she was willing to accept in time. No more words needed to be exchanged between the two. Both had said enough, more than enough even. Lori was there to comfort her sister, even if she hadn't forgiven her, and it was her sisterly instincts to do so. Much as she had tried to fight it, she knew it needed to be done. Silent minutes passed before anyone would speak.
"Better?" Lori asked as wholeheartedly as she could. Luna backed out of the hug and managed to wipe away whatever streams of tears she had left and push her hair back into place. Having exhausted herself, her legs felt limp and weak as a noodle after having Lori support her weight in their hug for so long. Her head spun around in a daze before she struggled to put herself back on the couch and lie down.
"A bit," Luna managed to reply, taking an intake of air through her nose with a shaky breath. "Thanks." She took deep breaths like she had learned to do whenever she cried. It helped calm her down and stop the hitched breaths she took that slightly choked her out. Her breath rate soon returned to normal and she was able to sit up. Lori sat down next to her, yet gave her enough space and time to process everything on her own. Luna's arms plastered down on her knees as she continued to breathe deeply. After letting everything out through shouts, tears, and cries, her whole body felt numb and weak. She wished she wasn't in this position where everything was a blur to her. Maybe it was her tired mind that had been decaying since the day Lincoln left. No words could describe how she was feeling or wanted to feel. That's when her phone buzzed. Her body stiffened, as it broke the comforting silence and she swore under her breath.
"Are you gonna answer or what?" Lori asked. Although the blonde-haired girl sounded like she had no emotion to read, Luna was sure that deep inside, Lori was just as anxious about the call. The caller ID showed that it was their mom calling. With Lori watching, Luna gave her phone a reluctant swipe with her finger and pressed it to her ear.
"Hello?" she asked in a worrisome tone.
"Hey sweetie, it's Mom," said Rita. "Just calling everybody up to see how things are going." Her voice sounded sad and with good reason. She was losing hope. "If you want, we could all meet up somewhere and get something to eat again. Breakfast wasn't that appetizing." Unlike fog, it was clear what her mother was seeking - just some time with her daughters in a time where emotional support was all they had left. It softened Luna's heart that her mom wanted to spend time with everyone, even with Lincoln not present, but with a strong, painful, and sharp sting in her heart, she knew she had to come to a decision, one that would feel forced for her...
"I-I would love to, but it's just... I'm busy," It was the only answer Luna could muster up to say. It felt like an awful excuse not to come and she begged that she'd not take her request to heart. Where she was now was at a more crucial stage. An extended breath of air left the other side of the call as the noise went silent.
"I understand, honey," said Rita, sounding concerned and saddened by Luna's denial. "After everything that's happened, we... I haven't been the best parent to you, Luna, or any of you for that matter. But if you wanna talk, just call, okay?" It was another strike to heart when her mom still showed care for her in all of this. It felt like a cold knife that picked her through and left permanent frost on her slow beating heart, but she absorbed her mom's words and managed to reply.
"Always. I love you, Mom." She could feel the impact that her words had on the receiver, as a tough weight lifted from her sturdy shoulders that she didn't know she had. She relaxed them as she beamed a smile for her and her mom.
"I love you too," said Rita and the call came to an end. Luna hunched over with her smile gone replaced with regret, not from just now, but from everything before that she couldn't stop. Holstering her phone started a chain reaction in her sister that sat beside her. Lori's hand met Luna's shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. Luna saw that Lori was giving her a soothing smile, as if to say something to lift her spirits.
"You really want to see him?" Lori asked. Luna gave a slight nod and there was a slight hope in her stomach. Lori looked at her complexly, as if figuring out a way to do what was coming next tactfully. "Wait here." Lori left the living room and headed upstairs, leaving Luna to ponder on what Lori was doing. She sat there with her palms on her knees, hair down her face in a curly mess, waiting patiently as instructed.
Lincoln never expected nor wanted things to go down like this. He felt a gamble of emotions welling inside him and couldn't determine how to feel. Should he be Happy? Sad? Angry? Or something completely else under the radar? His head spun like a Ferris wheel, slowly dragging him into a pit of panic. It was only when he felt something squeeze his hand that returned him to his place. He was lying next to Jordan in her room on her bed and Leni continued to stand at the door, though she was thinking something. Jordan gave Lincoln a soft smile as he turned to look at her. She had gotten pretty good trying to ease his emotions.
"It's okay, Lincoln. Just breathe," Jordan instructed. The preteens took deep breaths together and Lincoln found himself surprisingly calming down.
"Thanks," he replied gracefully. He slouched down on the bed and they laid their heads against each other for support. It all felt natural to the two children and Jordan found it all too comfortable. She wrapped her arm around his in a sweet effort of comfort. Each time they had their moment, Lincoln was never sure how long it would last, but it didn't matter of him. It was just what he needed to calm him and his mind slowly melted away for whatever laid ahead of him and just for a minute, he could truly relax and not worry. The door knocked and Lori came in. Although she didn't seem to show any emotion, tension was flowing off her, so Lincoln had a twinge of an idea as to why she was here. "Hey, Lori."
"Hey, Lincoln," Lori said with a lump in her throat. Her mouth opened, but closed quickly, not having words to put out.
"I can see that you want to say something, Lori," said Lincoln.
"I talked to Luna," she said. "She wants to see you..." Her words trailed off as her throat tightened. Jordan gripped Lincoln harder, not wanting to let him go, like a little girl holding a stuffed animal in the dark. She could hear his breath hitch and feel his body tense up as his eyes showed him deep in thought, as if in a trance. Lori waiting for Lincoln to answer, maybe even hope that he'd refuse. Leni peeked in the room and when Lincoln's eyes met hers, he started to shift his body uncomfortably and raised his head off of Jordan to show full attention to Lori.
"I'll do it," his words spoke out. And it seemed that nobody argued against his choice, but Lori was certainly baffled.
"Are you sure?" she asked. "I mean, literally no one is forcing you to do this. If you don't want to, that's fine."
"I know, and I'll do it," Lincoln said. Jordan placed her eyes on Lincoln in utter shock. She moved away from Lincoln's side and stood at his front with a soft expression of worry and sadness. "I might not ever forgive her, or the others. But I can't avoid them forever." Lincoln acknowledged that one way or another, there at least had to be closure to this situation and braved himself. While he sounded calm and relaxed, his mind wasn't, but he couldn't worry too much right now. Lincoln went out the door with Leni giving a light nod wishing him well and Lincoln's lips moved to form a smile. There was Luna in the living room and when she saw Lincoln, her body tensed up. "Hey," Lincoln greeted. He sat on a one-seated couch to face Luna, his eyes studying her posture and the dried tear marks beneath her eyebags. A small smile graced Luna's lips and she let out a sigh of relief. She was glad to see him, but also slightly unnerved at Lincoln having to see her in such a mess - bloodshot eyes and heavy breathing.
"Lincoln," Luna muttered out. "My baby bro... Thank God you're safe..." Lincoln thought that she would begin by pleading for him to come home, but instead it spoke volumes to him that Luna cared about his well-being first and foremost. He was delighted that his sister had more heart than he thought, but it almost made him feel... guilty.
"You should thank Jordan and her family for that," Lincoln said. "If she hadn't found me... I'd prolly still be out on the streets." Luna flinched at how calmly Lincoln explained avoiding his situation. The thought that Lincoln could have ended up just like she feared chilled her relentlessly.
"That's good," she said. "So... how are things here?" Lincoln was surprised at how their talk was starting out. From Luna's point of view, all she wanted was a normal conversation, while Lincoln expected an interrogation.
"Everything's...alright," he said. "Jordan and I hung out a lot. We went to the mall, played games, watched movies..." Remembering these times gave him strength, but Luna didn't respond. She was clearly in thought and what it was could be anyone's guess. After a few moments, she seemed to relax her body and laid back on the couch keeping her eyes down. "What's wrong?" Lincoln inquired. Luna turned her head to the side and shook at him. This usually meant 'it's nothing', but from experience Lincoln knew otherwise. And unlike Jordan, this was one of his ten sisters, regardless of any thoughts or even mixed feelings he had for her now. Lincoln tried cracking a small smile. "Luna... please?" Luna pondered to his request. This was in fact the moment when the both of them would be getting some much needed closure and although Luna had to brace herself for what was the most expected answer, it would still hurt in the end. But better that than to no longer able to be hurt by the situation.
"You're not coming back, are you?" Luna asked. Lincoln visibly tensed as he stuttered under his breath trying to answer her.
"I... don't want to," he murmured, almost sadly. Luna was unfazed by his answer, as she didn't expect anything else from him, but she knew he was being cautious.
"I get it, bro." Luna flinched at her own words she let slip.
"Thanks for understanding," Lincoln mumbled, not knowing what else to say. This was a hundred times harder than talking with Lori and Leni, as Luna was one of the seven sisters who fired the bullet that led to this whole mess. It wasn't something he'd just let down that easily, maybe not even if his lifetime. In the past, Lincoln had only been annoyed at most with each and every one of his sisters' antics, sometimes growing fearful when they ended up out of control. Being the mediator was no easy task, so what really pushed Lincoln to run away that dreadful night? Whatever his face never showed, in all likelihood, his mind had been breaking apart piece by painful piece, to the point where he could no longer visibly hide his fears. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before he could have suffered from a mental breakdown. Would it have been so out of character for the man with the plan to suddenly turn into a quivering mess from failing to let out his stored emotions he had unknowingly buried in his mind until it was too late?
"Lincoln..." Luna said again, Lincoln's gaze turned to her once more. He found it nerve-wracking watching what was once a person so loud, hyper, and energetic be so cautious and fearful as to what to say next. "...are they still there?" Huh? Lincoln mentally thought to himself. "The... bruises," Luna clarified. Lincoln's eyes diverted to the side as he subconsciously rubbed his side shoulder. The pain had numbed out and healed over time, but last he checked, the bruises were still somewhat visible, even though he hadn't checked every wound.
"Yes," Lincoln answered simply, not wanting to guilt trip Luna with specifics. She winced in response by clenching her jaw. "Sorry for reminded you," Luna apologized, tense as ever.
"It's okay," Lincoln said a bit awkwardly. "Thank you for... caring... Luna." Lincoln relaxed, trying not to sound sarcastic. He was sincere and hearing this tone made Luna's face light up a bit. Sadly, their moment was cut short when Luna's phone vibrated again.
"Ah... not now," she muttered.
"You should probably pick that up," Lincoln coughed. Luna hesitated, but took her phone out and read a text message sent to her and the others by her dad of all people.
Girls, we have to regroup at the hotel. Come as soon as possible. Luna closed her phone, feeling conflicted. While she wanted to be with Lincoln a while longer, something had to have come up. Her pops wouldn't just call everyone back while out looking for Lincoln. Her phone screen lit up again with multiple incoming messages from her sisters complaining and freaking out over having to regroup, but Lynn Sr. kept telling them to come back immediately and Luna began freaking out herself. That's when Lori and Leni rushed downstairs.
"Okay, your time's up, and if you dare say a word about any of this, I'll literally turn you into a human pretzel!" Lori threatened hastily, putting on her jacket.
"Wait, what's happening?" asked a slightly panicked Lincoln. Jordan came downstairs with an alarmed look on her face.
"We're out of time, Luna! I'll explain on the way. Jordan, you tell Lincoln!" Lincoln's three sisters sped out of the house without even a quick goodbye, so the boy turned to his girlfriend for an explanation. Jordan simply pulled out her phone, did a search for Royal Woods News, and showed Lincoln a recent video.
"This is Katherine Mulligan here with live news. It has now been one week since the disappearance of Lincoln Loud and recent reports show that his family was involved. Although the police have refused to comment, recent interviews suggest that the family left shortly after Lincoln's disappearance." And as if that wasn't bad enough, the news even had the guts to show photos of Rita and Lynn Sr., the parents. Jordan closed her phone and moved it away from Lincoln.
"Linc?" She waved her hand in front of him, fraught with worry. Lori and Leni had paled seeing the news clip, but Lincoln appeared to shut down completely.
"This is it..." Lincoln said, practically emotionless. "This is where it all happens.