"Good evening, Kate."
To some, it would be a simple start to a simple conversation. But this was anything but. There was a troublesome issue at hand and having brought it into New York City of all places, it needed closure, and swiftly at that. After Kate dropped off Leni and Lori on the day they discovered him alive and well, she had received an urgent call from her husband, Jack. Knowing that things would get more complicated, especially for the young Loud boy, Lincoln, she made a beeline to the nearest police station that represented a branch of the NYPD. The officer she intended to speak to was one she and Jack had close ties to in connection with the state law that they worked to uphold. An African-American police offer, he appeared boisterous yet calm as he and Kate sat down for a discussion on the situation, which all seemed to revolve around the unique white-haired boy.
"Good evening," replied Kate. "It's been a long time."
"Yes," agreed the officer. "I personally apologize that these winter vacations just seem to give you more work on your hands. Perhaps after this time, I can see to it that you and your husband can have an extended leave of absence, possibly by spring or even summer at the earliest."
"I respect your kindness," said Kate. "But I understand that this situation as of now comes first." She handed the officer a folder contained a few sheet of paper. The one on top had a photo of Lincoln Loud, so it was a file on him.
"Lincoln Albert Loud," said the officer. "The middle child of the now infamous Loud family from Royal Woods, Michigan. Born to Rita Loud and Lynn Loud Sr. in a family of thirteen people, and now a victim of domestic abuse. I'm surprised they never called on the government for loan money or any kind of assistance. The parents just took it to themselves to get well paid jobs in order to keep their family together."
"How often did they not have time for their kids?" Kate rhetorically asked. "Eleven is a handful, but not exactly one short of being cheaper by the dozen."
"Forgive me for not cracking so much as a smirk," said the officer.
"No, I understand why," said Kate quickly, her expression bearing slight sadness for a moment. "I know the feeling of not having enough time for children myself."
"And as I said, I'm willing to help take care of it," said the officer. "No need to cut a deal or anything."
"Of course."
"Still, this Loud family comes across as raising so many questions that would be almost too realistic if any of them actually had answers. But there is one that comes to mind. What family in their right mind decides to leave things to their kids before they're old enough? It doesn't take a great deal of effort to learn that without proper parental discipline, just letting the kids be who they want to be to an extent beyond their control can't possibly be a good thing.
"Lack of parental disciplining and even guidance indeed helped in leading to this erroneous situation," Kate concluded.
The tension was high at the Loud residence. There was no noise in the halls and with every passing second, the silence was cutting deeper into every sibling. After Lori moved out and started college, Leni was left alone with a large room and naturally, the other siblings wanted to be roommates with the sweetheart sister. It started out as a complication of sorts - who would Leni choose as her new roommate? Smug glares, blackmail, and angry rants were thrown at each other. Everybody was on edge and one spark could light the entire house! And this spark would start today and change the Loud house forever...
Everyone was currently eating dinner and not saying anything. They all hurried with eating because they finally made Leni choose, as she had said that there should be no hard feelings towards whomever she picked and everyone agreed. But everyone knew it was all a lie. With the smug and death glares, it was obvious the competition was still on, and almost every sibling was silent during that dinner. There were of course siblings who weren't targeted - Lincoln, Lily, and obviously Leni. Lincoln did not want to be involved in another family clash or even another Sister Fight Protocol, Lily was still considered too little to be a suitable roomie, and Leni owned the room since Lori had left. Otherwise, it was every sibling against every sibling. And the most shocking part was that the Loud parents for some reason didn't seem to care about the high tension or what this could lead to. But Lincoln did and tried his best to quell his sisters before things went too far and ended violently. They of course didn't listen to him, being too confident that Leni would pick any of them as her next roommate.
Lincoln said next to nothing at dinner along with his sisters. He had planned that during the next sibling meeting, in which Leni would surely announce her answer, to stay in his room far away from upcoming free-for-all. Soon enough, dinner was finished and still no one had said a word. Even Leni looked pressured from the looks of hope she received from her siblings. Lincoln truly felt bad for her, knowing that everyone else who expected to be picked would be mad at her for a long time. It must not have mattered to them that Leni could only pick one.
Good luck, Leni, Lincoln thought to himself. He walked to his room and entered before lying down on his bed and hoping that in some way, everything would go back to normal. He started hearing the squeak of the stairs, signaling to him that his sisters were about to have the fateful meeting. He opened his door enough to see with his eyes his sisters entering Leni's room, all with smug and confident faces. Slowly, he counted them until they all went in, the door closed, and the meeting had begun. Even though he wasn't a part of the meeting, he was still getting knots in his stomach. Deciding to calm himself down, he closed his door and picked up an Ace Savvy comic book from his desk. Reading for what felt like hours with a slight unease of how much time it was taking, he gulped and his heart started beating a little faster with each passing second. He could hear high voices coming from Leni's room and were then suddenly silenced, which put him on edge. Then, there was a sound of a door slamming open with pure anger and Lincoln hoped for the best and also feared for the worst. He thought that his other seven sisters would all retreat to their rooms soon enough, but more and more footsteps came closer and closer... to his room. And then, the sounds suspiciously stopped. It felt like they were right outside his door, waiting for him to take a small breath to let them know he was there. Lincoln was quiet and scared at this point, not knowing what was happening until his door was kicked open out of anger. And there they stood, seven angry sisters.
"SHE CHOSE YOU!" That was all Lincoln could understand as shadows of his sisters loomed over him. The next moments of his life were easily his most painful ones.
Lincoln thought back to that memory, feeling the wounds he received. In addition to his three bleeding spots, his face had a black eye. Also, his legs barely wanted to move and his arms were quaking. And here he was, sitting outside on a cold night that most children would be happy to have. The cold consumed Lincoln more and more for every second he sat there, so he decided that sitting on the bench forever wasn't an option. He got up and walked towards the popular side of the city. With his face covered by his hood, he could only walk forward not knowing where to go. He was never a person to do something unplanned. It was a gift he had to always be prepared to make a plan and that is what he needed - a simple plan...
He stopped in his tracks and made sure he had something on him. He felt the pockets of his hoodie and knew what he found when he felt a small lump coming from it. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wallet. Opening it up revealed nothing, but Lincoln knew of a secret compartment. He pulled back a small piece of black cloth, revealing money he had saved up for a while. Showing no emotion while counting the money, he came up with a plan that there was no turning back from. He thought long and hard about it before cracking a small smile that not even his sister Lucy would see. Lincoln began walking faster and faster, not wanting to let any doubts settle in, and he soon found himself outside a train station. Checking for security cameras, he made his way towards a ticket booth that for some reason was not overlooked by a security camera. Making sure his hood covered his hair and face, he went up to the booth and purchased a ticket that would take him as far away from home as he could. Looking at the time, seeing that he had some before the next train arrived, he went to a clothes store and bought a jacket and a new hoodie. While leaving the store, he took off his orange hoodie and discarded it in a trash can before slipping on his new clothes and heading back to the station. Soon enough, the train arrived in front of him and opened its doors. Lincoln felt his adrenaline wear off, but that didn't matter as he took his first steps on board. Watching the train doors close behind him, he felt no regrets for what he was doing because he knew that it didn't matter what he wanted now.
He was free now and gone like the wind.
"I don't like it," grumbled the officer. "The boy not only ran away from home, but took a train all by himself, obviously not thinking everything through."
"I'm aware it wasn't the brightest move," said Kate. "But I should think it spoke how serious this whole thing was and just how deeply scarred he was left if he really was driven that far."
"If I recall," said the officer. "You did have a plan to report the incident shortly after your daughter took him in?"
Both children still sat on the snowy ground, neither of them talking as a result of surprise. They seemed out of reality, but they were soon snapped back when they heard Ajax bark.
"L-Lincoln, is that you?" she asked. She was certainly surprised to see the white-haired boy out here of all places and from Lincoln's perspective, it felt like everything around him stopped. The world was spinning without him and he was faced with an unavoidable question.
"Y-yeah... i-it's me," Lincoln managed to answer with an audible shaky voice that formed from his shock, but the cold was another good guess. Jordan didn't expect to meet someone from her school all the way here in New York City, but there was something off about him. The way that he talked made her think that something just wasn't right.
"So... w-what are you doing h-here?" Jordan asked. It was a simple question that anyone could answer, but to her surprise, the Loud boy seemed to hesitate to say anything. He thought about it for a couple of moments before coming up with an answer.
"J-just taking a walk... ya know?" said the white-haired boy. It wasn't the best answer, but it seemed that it was the only one that could leave his mouth.
"Oh yeah? In New York?" asked Jordan.
"I'm... a-afraid of my own shadow?" Lincoln stammered a bit with his choice of words. Jordan could sense his unwillingness to answer properly, but she knew something was wrong and pushed on.
"Lincoln, what are you really doing here?" she asked again. She looked at Lincoln and started examining his visible wounds like his black eye. Lincoln realized this, so he began to come clean.
"I-I... r-ran away," the Loud boy said with a shaky voice, trying to speak as silently as he could, but Jordan still heard him. It felt like everything disappeared around them after that. There was nothing and Lincoln awaited a response, but instead, he saw the girl looking at him in confusion and examining him further, giving extra notice to his black eye.
"What happened?" she asked in a soft voice. Lincoln opened his mouth to speak, but closed it after not finding the words to explain it. Jordan noticed that Lincoln seemed afraid, so she decided to switch the question. "Does it have to do with your family?" She anticipated an answer and the Loud boy nodded while looking down at the snow. This just raised more questions for her in her mind. What happened? Why New York? But knowing that he probably wouldn't answer right away and that this might not have been the best place for idle discussion, she instead pulled out her hand and grabbed Lincoln's hand. She was starting to feel cold from being out walking her dog anyway, so she held his leash with her free hand while she and Lincoln made their way through the park.
"Where are we going?" Lincoln asked, unsure.
"Lincoln, if you ran away, then I highly doubt you have a place to stay," replied Jordan. "And since we're both covered in snow and getting cold, I think it's best that I take you to my place. We can get ourselves warmed up in no time."
"I don't know. I don't want to intrude or anything like that," said Lincoln, making Jordan look back at him.
"Lincoln, do you have any idea how cold it gets at nighttime?" she asked and Lincoln responded by shaking his head. "That's what I thought. It gets freezing cold and I doubt you'll be able to find a place to stay on your own and in New York City of all places." They walked for what felt like an hour before reaching a large house that looked like a mansion. Lincoln knew Jordan's parents were rich, but even this was a surprise to him. They approached the door and Jordan released Lincoln's hand to pull a key out of her pocket and unlock the door. The two preteens hurried inside and Lincoln was absolutely astonished at how everything looked.
"Yeah, sorry this isn't much," said Jordan, untying Ajax from his leash. "Our house maid doesn't show up until tomorrow." Feeling the warm air covering his body, Lincoln took off his jacket and placed it on a coat hanger along with Jordan. Still being astonished from the place, he looked around as he followed her into the kitchen.
"It all started with Lori moving away..." And so Lincoln retold Jordan everything he experienced while she looked on in horror. "...and then I ran into you." The boy finished. He looked up from the floor and met Jordan's eyes that were now filled with pure shock.
"Lincoln... t-that i-is..." Jordan couldn't even finish her sentence.
"I know, it's horrible," Lincoln said, trying to calm the girl down.
"No, Lincoln, that is beyond evil! No sisters should treat their only brother like that!" Her shock gave way to anger as she rose up from her chair, pacing in circles trying to keep her cool. She was about to speak again, but looked at the noodles and saw that they needed to be stirred. So she tended to them while processing what she just heard. After a while, the noodles were done and both school children sat and ate at the table, neither of them saying anything until Jordan broke the silence.
"Lincoln, it's best if I call my mom," she said. "She's a lawyer and I really need her perspective on this. Nothing about this can be right." She waited for a response and looked at the white-haired boy.
"I don't th-think th-" Lincoln tried to say, but Jordan cut her off.
"No, Lincoln. It's not even a question. I can't stand you sitting here all bruised up with a black eye, letting your sisters get away with it." Lincoln wanted to change her mind by convincing her that maybe her sisters regretted their actions, but from her tone, it was clear her mind was made up. Taking the silence as a yes, she whipped out her cell phone from her pocket and ducked off into another room to speak with her mom, leaving Lincoln by himself.
Both kids eventually started to feel tired, but Jordan was the one who managed to stay awake longer. She knew this when she felt Lincoln's head lean on her shoulder and listened to him exhaling deep breaths. Looking at his face allowed her to see just how damage his seven sisters did to him and from that alone, she felt like crying. But to her credit, it felt great for her to be helping the Loud boy in the best way she knew how. She just couldn't believe that his own family had caused him so much pain, despite what kinds of stories she might have heard that came from their household. So it was good to know that he was safe with her and far away from his family on the assumption that they would only hurt him again. The feeling of knowing she was helping her friend relaxed her enough to let her sleep and rest.
But sadly, the feeling of relaxing was cut short when she felt a gentle hand placed on her unoccupied shoulder. She looked over and saw her mom smiling at her.
"Hey," she whispered to her daughter softly. Realizing what this looked like from her mother's angle, Jordan blushed and her mom gently lifted the young boy's head and placed it down on a pillow before laying a blanket over him. Both mother and daughter made their way into another room to talk privately so as not to wake Lincoln up. "You could have asked to talk to me tomorrow if you wanted to stay where you were," Jordan's mom said.
"Well, we are talking now," said Jordan with some seriousness in her voice.
"Of course, dear. So, it's true, all of it?" her mom asked.
"Yeah, i-it's beyond terrible what they did," said Jordan, a bit shaken. "It hurts to see him like this. I know he's made his fair share of mistakes like any other person. Normally, he's the cheerful one in school, but now..." She started to tear up a bit. Her mom bowed down to her level and put her hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"Don't worry, sweetie. We'll help him get through this," she assured her wholeheartedly. They shared a hug before they talked again.
"What about dad?" asked Jordan. "Did you tell him?"
"Not yet. He won't be back until tomorrow. We'll tell him then. Okay?" Jordan nodded and she hugged her mom once more. She then returned to her own room and tried to fall asleep. It took about ten minutes, but she went into a deep sleep again for the night.
"Lincoln has a good heart," Kate chose to answer. "He couldn't stomach the thought of turning his family in to the police, even over a beatdown."
"And you intended to give him more time," said the officer. "Time enough for the Loud family to reflect on their actions, I suppose?"
"Well, I had the pleasure of speaking to the family members not involved," said Kate.
"Not involved?"
"You heard the rumors too, after Officer Schoffner called you upon finding out that the family came here."
"True... I did. Those names were written down quite clearly."
The parents entered Lincoln's room, feeling the same cold air that Leni got, and they expected Lincoln to at least be lying down on his bed reading his comic books or even sleeping, but instead, they were met with a messy room. Items were all over the floor, like they had been thrown, the sheets were ripped, and Bun-Bun, Lincoln's precious stuffed rabbit, was completely destroyed. While the parents were examining the room and assessing the damage, Luna came out of her room to get a cup of water, but stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing her parents in Lincoln's room.
"Hey pops, what are you doing in Linc's room?" she asked. It seemed that unlike the other siblings, her anger had vanished almost instantly. And while she did feel a little bad for what she did earlier, she figured that siblings would be siblings and that they get into quarrels like these all the time, at least in their home.
"Lincoln's not here," said Lynn Sr., starting to feel a little scared. "Leni looked here already and said she couldn't find him."
"What about Clyde's place? Or maybe one of the other dudettes knows." Luna didn't think much of it since their house was big and they often couldn't find Lucy, though she was an easy guess since she was able to crawl into the vents.
"Leni already called Clyde," said Rita. "And she said Lola hasn't seen him either." This surprised Luna and Rita suddenly shivered. "Wait, why is it so cold in here?" she asked.
"Oh, Lincoln accidentally left his window wide open when I came in," said Leni innocently. Both parents grew more worried considering the possibilities at this point while Luna froze. He wouldn't just leave... right? she thought. What happened earlier was just a normal sibling fight, like the first Sister Family Protocol or roughhousing over a quarter. But when Luna peeked inside Lincoln's room, to her horror she saw all the chaos inside and it finally began sinking in just how far they had gone this time - off the deep end. Fear soon replaced all her emotions as now it was a clear possibility that her brother had left. Knots began forming in her stomach and she slowly backed away as Leni faced her with concern.
"Luna, are you okay?" While Leni wasn't the brightest bulb or the sharpest tool in the shed, she could tell that Luna knew something and wasn't telling her and the parents something regarding the situation. But Luna kept backing away, fear in her eyes, which made Leni really worry about what could have happened to Lincoln. Luna was one of the sisters that Lincoln felt closest to, so if she was having trouble answering, something was seriously wrong.
"Luna, what happened?" Leni asked, raising the tone in her voice. Stress, worry, and panic filled Luna as Leni demanded an answer. Their parents heard Leni's tone and also turned to look at Luna.
"Luna! What happened?!" Leni exclaimed loudly, making Luna jump and their parents listened in shock, having never heard their cheerful daughter raise her voice like that before. Moments after the question died down, the other sisters came out of their rooms, wondering what was going on. Still unable to answer, Luna kept backing away until Leni grabbed her shoulder and held her still.
"Luna. What. Happened?" Leni asked with a short burst. She didn't sound like herself anymore, her voice filled with worry and small amounts of anger. The parents and the other sisters were shocked by Leni's behavior. The normally airheaded blonde was interrogating their rock star sister.
"I-I... ... I'm sorry!" Luna finally shouted, tears forming in her eyes. Everyone looked at her in confusion and Leni let go of Luna. "It's our fault!" Tears fell from Luna's eyes. Rita went over to comfort her.
"It's okay, sweetie," she assured, hugging the loudest Loud. "Just tell us what happened, okay?" Through Luna's sniffles and her tears falling, a nod was felt on Rita's shoulder.
"It s-started when L-Lori moved out..." And so Luna retold all the events that happened, what made for what would be one of Lincoln's most scarring moments in his life. The parents looked downright shocked at what they heard, looking to the other sisters. With their heads lowered, they knew there was no denying what had transpired. But Leni didn't move or even react. She just stood still processing the information. There was silence after Luna finished her tale, and then the unexpected happened. A slapping noise filled the halls and Luna fell to the floor, covering her cheek with her hand. Lynn Sr. was quick to react and pulled Leni away. She had slapped Luna.
"HE DID NOTHING WRONG TO YOU AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY HIM?!" Leni screamed at the top of her lungs. Everyone was shaking from the unheard voice of her screaming in anger. She broke free of her father and stormed down the steps.
"Where are you going?" asked Rita, tending to Luna.
"To find my only brother," replied Leni in a huff.
"Leni, the temperature's still dropping outside!" protested Lynn Sr.
"That's right, and my brother's out there in it!" A slam came from the front door, indicating that she had left. No one wanted to say anything, yet something needed to be said. So the silence was broken by Lana, another of Lincoln's sisters close to him.
"Mom, what's happening?" she asked.
Out on the streets of Royal Woods, Leni was walking with tears running from her eyes and anger acting as her motivation. She didn't know where to look, but she felt that she had to. She sighed, pulling out her cell phone to call someone.
"Hey, Leni," a female voice yawned on the other end. "Why are you calling me? I have a shift in seven hours." But hearing Leni sniffle, she got the impression that something was wrong.
"Fiona, I need your help, please," Leni said with desperation. She listened in and heard scuffling before getting a response.
"Alright, tell me where you are and I'll be there," said Fiona seriously.
"Thanks," said Leni. "Also, call Miguel. I need as many people as I can for this," she said determined and got a confirmation from Fiona. Leni ended the call and waited for her friends with one hopeful thought in her head. Please be okay, Lincoln.
"Your father called this morning while you were sleeping. He'll be back in about two hours, so I thought that you and Lincoln might want to do a little something together while we wait," Jordan's mom suggested.
"Like what?" asked Jordan. While she and Lincoln shared similar interests, she didn't know what he would prefer.
"Maybe you could take him to the mall," said the mom. "There's all kinds of stuff there. I'm sure you'll find something interesting."
"Actually, that's not a bad idea."
"Oh, good. Now go and tell your boyfriend and get your jacket," said Jordan's mom with a large grin.
"M-MOM!" Jordan stuttered and blushed instantly, much to her mom's amusement. "We're just... just..."
"Just go and get ready before I tease you some more," the mom joked while full-on chuckling. Jordan left and returned to the kitchen, her blush still visible as she saw Lincoln having finished cleaning the last plate.
"Hey Lincoln, e-eh, ma-may..." Jordan stuttered again, still having been taken by surprise by her mother's comment. Seeing her daughter stutter and unable to ask properly, Jordan's mom did it for her.
"She was wondering if you might be interested in visiting the mall today," she said. Lincoln gave it some thought for a couple of moments.
"Yeah, sure," he responded. "You don't mind?"
"Certainly not," said Jordan's mom kindly. "I'll go start up the car." She picked up her car keys from the counter and the kids put on their jackets.
"Are you excited, Lincoln?" said Jordan, who was clearly excited herself. While Lincoln had mixed feelings about the mall, though maybe because it would be his first time, he couldn't say no to her.
"Yeah!" he answered energetically. Jordan gave him another smile. Yeah, that's the Lincoln I know!
"You idiot." That was all Sam said. Luna sighed sadly, preparing to be bombarded with hate and profanity. But instead, she asked a more soul-piercing question than any swear word a high school student could muster. "Why?" Luna was of course stung and was just too ashamed of herself to give an answer. So Sam decided to help get Luna's act together. "What are you even doing here? Go look for him!" Sam was mad, but Luna couldn't believe what she was hearing. Instead of lashing out, Sam was trying to help her.
"Leni went looking already after she found out," Luna explained. "She must have searched the whole town if she was up all night." She was unhopeful of the whole situation.
"Does that matter?" Sam hissed, still full-on mad. "Search the town AGAIN! Leave no stone unturned. He's your brother, for God's sake! The least you can do is help him!" Sam saw tears in Luna's eyes and felt a tinge of sorrow for her.
"I want to, but where do I start?" said a distraught Luna, tears streaming down her face.
"You once told me that you two were the closest of siblings," Sam explained motivationally. "As such, you know your brother better than anyone else." While Sam was angry, she knew it was better to help Luna rather than beat her further into her ground and kick her while she's down.
"You're right," said Luna. "I can't let my baby bro wander on these streets alone. I couldn't even call myself his sister if I didn't try to fix this mess. Thank you, Sam. I just hope things are better with my other sisters." Almost as if on cue, Sam's phone buzzed and when she checked it, she noticed something on it and frowned.
"Probably not," she murmured. "Check this out." On the phone was a detailed description of a missing boy, and worse, it was labeled as family abuse. The details written had a perfect match to Lincoln Loud when it mentioned his white hair. The description had been posted 15 minutes ago and Luna could already feel a knot in her stomach. The post had already garnered over two thousand views and were still climbing, so Luna didn't even dare to look at the comments, but a small piece of text caught her eye. The text listed all seven sisters involved. The remaining sisters not listed were Lori, Leni, and Lily.
"Oh dear lord," said Luna, feeling like she was going to throw up when she saw her own name. Her heart froze in fear, knowing of the upcoming trouble that was about to unfold for her and the others. Sam comforted Luna despite this, as she needed all she could get.
"Sorry, Luna," said Sam. "But maybe school isn't the best option right now. You should go start looking for him." Sam did feel bad for her girlfriend, as she had only exploded for a second.
"Alright," agreed Luna. "I'm sorry I messed up."
"I'M not the one who's supposed to be hearing an apology," Sam continued. "Look, just go. Maybe I can convince our band members to help lessen up the heat you might get at school."
"But I deserve it."
"Well, I say otherwise. So what are you waiting for?" Sam finished. With a final sigh, Luna left the school grounds and made her way towards... actually, she didn't know where she was heading. But that wouldn't deter her from what she wanted - to find her little brother and apologize to him.
"The law tends to follow the phrase 'guilty by association," the officer went on. "But in this case, it's easily the parents that screwed their kids over. Those seven Loud sisters responsible are all minors and as such, having been failed to be properly disciplined places part of the blame squarely on their shoulders."
"I agree," said Kate decisively.
"As for your husband, Jack, I applaud that he was willing to wait for the boy to come to a decision, having to choose between saving his family or punishing them for the domestic abuse he received."
"What he did before was the bravest thing. He was in an abusive situation and he got himself out of it."
"Abusive..." the officer pondered. "Perhaps the beating he received wasn't the first time, but it was the one that sent him over the edge. In any case, we did get wind that the Loud family wasted no time in tracking Lincoln down."
"Forgive me, but I heard that you said 'it would end, as all the other times had'," said Jack. "What do you mean by 'all the other times'? Have similar things like this happened before?" he asked, but Lincoln felt like he had no words to summarize all the times he had been swept up in the household chaos.
"Yes, but we made up in the end, a-as all siblings do," he explained.
"You realize that just because you and your sisters make up doesn't exactly make it any less bad or that everything's fine," Jack said to Lincoln. The boy nodded meekly. "Now I want to ask you this. What do you think of your sisters and your parents as of now?" It was yet another question that made Lincoln unsure. But after some thought, he did his best to answer.
"Well, some sisters I don't consider responsible, such as Leni, Lori, and Lily. Lily's only two years old, so she's still fine as is, but the other sisters... I guess I have mixed feelings for them. There's Luna, the one I felt that I trusted the most, relied on, and even looked up to. So what she did to me... hurt me... the most..." Lincoln sounded so hurt that he was about to cry in front of Jack, but he tried to hold it together. "I guess a room matters more than any sibling bond." Lincoln being visibly hurt even stung Jack, getting invested in the young Loud's life.
"Let's not focus on the bad, Lincoln," said Jack, attempting to keep Lincoln from getting too sad or emotional. Lincoln drew in a nice, deep breath before continuing to talk.
"Well, for starters, Leni may be sometimes irresponsible, but she couldn't have known that her choice would lead to something horrible," he went on. "She's our sweetheart sister who wants no bad to happen. Then there's Lori when she lived with us. She kept the house under control, despite often her wanting to be in control got the better of her. But when she moved out... you know the rest. And poor Leni had no idea. A-and Lily had no hand to play either." After hearing Lincoln explain, Jack gave his next question some thought before asking him.
"Do you want to go back?" he asked straight out. This question shocked Lincoln to his very core and he got anxious over how to answer. "Lincoln, it's okay if you take your ti-"
"No." Lincoln cut him off with the only word he had from his mouth. "No, I don't want to go back," he clarified. Jack accepted the answer and prepped his last question, one that he hoped the boy would agree and say yes to.
"Lincoln... there's no easy way to say this, so no beating around the bush. I want to get the law involved in this matter, but I also want to know if this is what you want. I want to know if I have your support in this," Jack explained as best he could. Lincoln's face changed instantly upon hearing the question to one of unsureness. An internal war was going on inside his head. Yes, what his sisters did to him was undoubtedly in the wrong and if the law was involved, there would be a punishment. But was he really about to betray his family in exchange for revenge?
"I-I... I want to... take some time... and think about it. Is that okay?" asked Lincoln, still somewhat on shaky grounds. Jack nodded.
"As I wanted to say before, take your time. Nothing needs to be decided here and now today," Jack pointed out. They both stood up and Jack offered Lincoln a handshake and he took it. "It's been a pleasure to talk you, kiddo. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me. Alright?"
"I will. Thanks, Jack."
"Alright, listen up!" said Lori, taking on the role of a true leader. It was high time she gained control, even just this once. "I know you're all scared and have regrets over what happened, but sitting around here doing nothing is not going to help us bring Lincoln home!" The other sisters turned to her and waiting for the next part of her speech. "We need to concentrate and think straight! We can't let fear, panic, and regret take over our minds." Everyone was surprised at Lori's motivational speech, but they knew she made a point. Just as she finished, Leni came downstairs, having woken up from a long rest. She was still visibly tired and her hair was an uncombed mess, but she somehow heard everything so far. However, she would not even look the seven Loud sisters who were responsible in the eye and it broke their hearts that their sweetheart sister was still somewhat unforgiving.
"Okay, look, even if Lincoln did take a train, where would he have gone out of the two different places?" Luna asked, finally getting the gut to speak. A tense silence followed, as nobody knew what to answer.
"Perhaps I have an idea," said Lisa, sitting on the couch. Even the brains of the Loud house had to be comforted by her mom along with the younger sisters, as her eyes showed that she too had been crying her eyes out. One would think that Lucy and Lisa would be the last ones to cry, but they had indeed succumbed, Lincoln's departure having hit home for them at long last. Lucy's fresh tear mark wasn't visible because she was hidden in the shadows not wanting to be seen like this. Ever since she found out Lincoln ran away, she had tried to hide from everyone's view and from the hurt she caused. Just the mere thought of her brother made her feel more empty as memories of what she did flooded her mind more and more. Silently crying in the darkness, Lucy blamed herself for Lincoln's disappearance and thought that she didn't deserve to even be comforted because of her vile and sick deed, as she put it. She watched on and listened as Lisa continued her hypothesis.
"I believe that our brotherly unit..." Lisa sniffled. "Our brother... has gone to New York." She had to catch her breath in between her whimpers. "He would choose that location since he would... he would want to stay as... as far away from us... as possible..." That was Lisa's final sentence before she collapsed under her own words and began to cry into her mother's chest as she stroked her hair to calm her down. Another wave of sadness hit the family like a ton of bricks when Lisa said that Lincoln in all likelihood would try to get as far away from them as possible. Leni looked down at the floor and Lori could sense the emotions that she carried inside. Lori understood how hard it had to be for Leni in all of this, so she gave her a hug without a word. Leni gladly accepted it and no longer held back her tears, letting them flow down onto Lori's shoulder.
"It's okay, Leni," Lori said soothingly to her. "It's not your fault." Shuddered breaths were released and Lori could feel the entire weight of Leni on her shoulders, literally and figuratively. The family found it a heartwarming sight, but it couldn't deter them from what was currently more important. They had to find Lincoln and, if possible, bring him home.
"Lisa, are you sure that Lincoln could have gone to New York City?" asked Rita, wanting to confirm every bit of information they had. Lisa was still crying, but she managed to nod to her mother. This left the family with one option left and there may just be no turning back. Lynn Sr. knew what his wife was thinking, so they reached an unspoken agreement.
"Girls, we're going to New York," said Rita decisively. All the girls looked unsure and knew that it was a big risk to take. But for the sake of Lincoln, the family put their faith in Lisa and started to prepare for their journey to New York City.
"Alright girls, first things first, we need to find a hotel," Rita said, receiving some disappointed nods from the daughters.
"Don't worry," said Lynn Sr, trying to keep things in a positive light. "The sooner we get settled, the sooner we can start searching." Rita began to pull out a map to look for a hotel that didn't cost too much.
"Don't worry, Mom, I got it," said Lori, way ahead of her mom. She had found a place using data on her phone while on the train. Rita agreed to the place. "Okay, girls, let's go catch a bus." One bus ride later, the family arrived at the selected hotel. As with having packed up to go to New York, they wasted no time checking in and dumping their stuff in the multiple rooms they had, which looked mostly the same with two or three beds each. They met in the hotel lobby afterwards and began their plan.
"Listen carefully, girls," Lynn Sr. started. "First and foremost, do not get sidetracked. We're only here to find your brother, so no shopping. And second, New York City is nothing like Royal Woods, so be careful out there."
"We'll split up in teams and work together. Lisa, Lola, Lana, and Lucy, you'll all come with me since you're all too young to be going out alone," Rita said firmly.
"Lori, Leni, and Luna, you'll be your own team to cover more ground," Lynn Sr. added. Luna gulped, knowing that Lori and Leni had given her plenty of flak over Lincoln as is and if she kept getting cheek from the oldest sisters, she'd be liable to lose confidence - not just in trying to make amends with Lincoln, but also in herself - maybe even slip into a deep depression.
"What about us?" said Luan and Lynn Jr. in unison, slightly mad.
"We're not leaving you out," said Rita. "We'll trust you to be your own team, same as the older sisters." The teens sighed with relief. "Now remember, if anything happens, keep in touch with your phones. And be sure that we all meet back here no later than 7 p.m. sharp. Understood?" Everyone agreed to the rules and with nothing else holding them back, they ventured out into the unknown that was New York City with their number one goal in mind - find Lincoln.
Speaking of, back at Jordan's place, the two kids were playing video games with big smiles each.
"Come on!" groaned Lincoln, losing another match to Jordan, while she just chuckled at his annoyance.
"You know I can't just go easy on you because I'm a girl!" exclaimed Jordan as she playfully punched his shoulder, which was almost a nostalgic feeling to the boy.
"Ah. You... made me think of an old friend," he said, almost to himself. The two of them had been at it for about two hours before Jordan's mom knocked on the door.
"Jordan, honey, your dad and I are heading out for our weekly dinner. You two will be okay on your own?" asked Kate.
"We'll manage!" called Jordan, still glued to the screen, determined not to lose to the white-haired boy.
"Alright then, we should be back in about an hour. Good luck on your little play date!" teased Jordan's mom. Jordan's eyes bulged and a blush spread almost instantly on her face. Lincoln gained the upper hand thanks to Jordan's distraction.
"Lincoln WINS!" announced the game, as Lincoln let out a victory cheer and Jordan tried to cover her blushing face.
"Yeah! Finally!" he shouted. Jordan noticed that Lincoln didn't flinch or falter when her mom made that teasing comment. A small worry boiled up in her stomach that maybe Lincoln was still friend-zoning her. "Hey, are you okay, Jordan?" said Lincoln, noticing her expression switch. "It's only a game... right?"
"Ah... I-I know," she stuttered slightly. "It's not that, it's just... I thought you would have at least reacted to what my mom said," she finished sheepishly. Lincoln chuckled.
"Did I ever tell you about the time my sisters tried to set me up with Ronnie Anne Santiago once?" he said. "All that stuff about bullying as signs of affection and all that other junk. But seriously, living in a house with ten sisters will make you a target of comments like that. I guess I'm just used to it." Jordan still flinched hearing Lincoln mention his sisters and so a question formed in her mind that she was unsure to ask. "Hey... everything okay?" Lincoln asked kindly, noticing her face shifting tones. After a bit of hesitation, Jordan decided to ask the question she had.
"Lincoln, I want your honest opinion of something," she started. Lincoln's head perked up in confusion, but he nodded. "Do you... hate your sisters?" Jordan hoped she had kept it down, but Lincoln heard it and froze, making Jordan instantly regret that she asked. "I'm sorry, Lincoln," she apologized profusely. "I shouldn't have asked you that."
"No, it's fine, Jordan. Don't worry," Lincoln said as he put his hand on Jordan's shoulder to assure her. Yet he felt that Jordan asked a valid question. Did he hate his sisters for everything? If not this one time, then what about everything else? "I... I don't know. One part of me... wants me to just hate them until the day I die. But the other part of me just wants things to go back to normal. The way things were, before... this... Before... Lori moved away..." Lincoln sounded so unsure and Jordan was wordless as to what to say, but she knew Lincoln wanted her to respond. But he spoke again first. "Jordan... am I a bad person for wanting to hate them? I know what they did to me was wrong, but... I can't imagine what they must have suffered from by now. It's like... I should love them even more now..."
"Lincoln..." murmured Kate.
"You describe him as a good kid," said the officer.
"He's become a part of my daughter's life now. She has someone to play with... someone to... keep her company... while my husband and I slave away at our work tirelessly to help uphold the state law. So we went out for dinner tonight..."
"I got a call today from Officer Schoffner back in Royal Woods and there are rumors about what happened." Lori froze to the bone when she heard her hometown being mentioned. There was no doubt this couple was talking about Lincoln. The stars had lined up too perfectly.
"Meaning it won't be long before the police get involved anyway," said Kate, getting a confirming nod from her husband.
"Yeah," he sighed. "Still, there's one other thing that I just thought of."
"And what's that?"
"Unless there's a bad history in his family, maybe getting the law involved might not make too much sense at this stage," said Jack. "Would you agree?"
"Possibly. In a case like this, it would be up to the parents to dish out proper punishment to their children."
"That's if they've been capable of properly disciplining them. Among the rumors, it's been said that they haven't. We'll have to see what the police have to say about any of this. It may also depend on how much the boy tells them and odds are, he'll talk if there really has been a whole history of abuse against him.
"Jack..."
"Hey, look at it this way, honey. At least Lincoln won't have a bad conscience if he does screw his family over." His response left the mouths of both Lori and Kate agape.
"Come on, Jack," said Kate, trying to keep things quiet. "You can't say that."
"Again, that depends on how things are," said Jack sternly. "Already seven of Lincoln's sisters partook in driving him away from home, so if that's of any indication, it's possible the law will see fit to punish the family however necessary. You should know this." Jack turned to reach for his fork to resume eating, but spotted Lori staring at them out of the corner of his eye.
"What do you want?" he asked, catching her red-handed. "Wait... you weren't... listening, were you?"
"I-I was wondering if... you were talking about... t-the same person," Lori answered sheepishly.
"Who?" Jack asked. He and Kate got a better view and noticed a similarity. But it wasn't until Lori confirmed it that Jack understood.
"Lincoln... Loud." Lori took a deep breath. "He's my brother." There was silence cutting deeper into Lori more than anything could. Jordan's parents looked at each other for a short second before Jack stands up.
"We've said too much," he muttered. "Honey, it's time for us to go. The kids are waiting." He left some money on the table and proceed to walk away with Kate. But another hand grabbed his shoulder.
"We have to find Lincoln... Please." It was Leni, having finished using the restroom at around the time Lori was caught, but had managed to avoid being seen herself.
"This might not be the best place," said Kate. "Jack... we'll listen to what they have to say." An audible sigh escaped Jack's mouth.
"Alright," he grumbled. "Let's talk outside."
"Lincoln?" It was Lori's voice and it felt like a fresh breeze of air to him. He released his breath and began to talk to Lori since they day they parted.
"H-hey, Lori," Lincoln stuttered, a blush of embarrassment forming on his face from not being able to say much else. "What's up?"
"Lincoln!" cried Lori. "It's you! It's really you!" She was very relieved to hear his voice, finally knowing he was safe and sound. "I missed you!" Her voice sounded rough and from the way she spoke, she was definitely crying. "I'm s-sorry, Lincoln! I'm so, so sorry!" Lori's voice shook as she cried. Lincoln understood her pain and whatever problems she had to go through, not just to sort her family out, but to find her little brother.
"Don't cry, Lori," Lincoln said. "It... it's not your fault. You did nothing wrong. It was them." Lori's nerves were calm, but she was surprised and shocked by his words. He had not directly said 'my sisters', but addressed them as 'them'. At least Lori understood why, but she thought to switch the conversation to easy their way into a smoother talk.
"H...how is everything?" Lori asked. "You know, a-at Jordan's place?"
"Yeah... everything is fine," Lincoln answered awkwardly. "So... it's true. All of it. My family's here... right?" He knew the answer, but he had to be sure.
"Yes, Lincoln," Lori confirmed. "We're all here. Mom, Dad, Leni, and... all our other sisters." She had to walk on eggshells by not mentioning the names of the seven sisters so as not to set him off by mistake. Lincoln didn't know what to feel, knowing for certain that the people he tried to stay away from made their way here, looking for him. It made him nauseous before he gathered his senses together.
"What gave it away?" he asked. It felt like his world was crumbling down around him again, just as it had the day when seven of his so-called sisters beat him into a bleeding and bruisy mess.
"We found your hoodie that you threw away and put two and two together," Lori explained. "But the others don't know your exact location as of now. Only Leni and I found out." Lincoln let out a sigh of relief but cursed himself mentally for making that small mistake, thinking he could be paying the price for it. If only he had taken his hoodie with him, maybe he could have lived here peacefully and far from his sisters... yet far from home.
"At least they don't know I'm here," Lincoln responded simply. It dug a hole inside him, knowing there was a thin line separating him from his old home and... his sisters. And Lori could easily break that line apart. "Oh. How's Leni?" Lincoln asked, suddenly remembering that Leni was with her. There was a pregnant pause between them before Lori responded in her same rough voice.
"Leni was really broken up about all this," Lori said, which made Lincoln feel terrible. A cloud of rain fogged his mind with regret and guilt of what he put Leni through. She was another sister Lincoln felt closer to than others, so there was no doubt in his mind, Leni had worried herself sick and wanted to hear her little brother's voice. "There were times when she just wasn't being the sweetheart sister we know and love, but don't worry, she's doing better than before." A bittersweet smile formed on Lincoln's lips.
"That's good to hear," he said in a calmer and happier tone.
"We all miss you Lincoln," said Lori, unsure how Lincoln would take that, but hoped for the best. Lori knew that this alone couldn't forgive the actions of who wronged him, but it had to count for something that they definitely showed remorse and regret. But Lincoln suddenly remembered his last talk with Jordan, how he should start thinking more about himself and not others.
"Lori, they can miss me all they want, but I'm not coming back," Lincoln said determinedly, setting his foot down and announcing where he stood in this whole situation. Jordan let out a small sigh of relief for some reason. Lincoln expected Lori to begin either arguing with him or persuading him to come back, but her response would shock him. Lori started with a sigh.
"I know you don't want to come home... and I'm not going to force you," she said understandably. "I'm just glad you're somewhere safe." She already knew Lincoln wouldn't want to come home because of some talk. The important thing to her was that he was safe.
"You're a good sister," said Lincoln. "I love you, Lori. Never forget that." Lori smiled on her end, wiping her tears away. In that moment, she felt like she was doing the right thing for her little brother.
"I'm not sure if this is a good idea," said Jack. He and his wife had agreed to take Lori and Leni to their place to meet up with Lincoln in person. But there were still several things that could go wrong, maybe not from meeting up directly, but what could come of it and what it could lead to.
"What do you mean?" asked Leni, as they rode in the car.
"For one, what are you going to tell the rest of the family?"
"We'll just lie like a rug," replied Lori, almost too quickly.
"..."
"Girls," said Kate. "You need to understand one very important thing and it's very serious. The police from Royal Woods are aware of the situation and they have every intention to notify the NYPD, and..."
"N-Y-P-D?" said Leni. "Are we getting nipped?" Kate let out a slightly exasperated sigh, but kept a strong, cool head.
"No, my dear. It's an acronym. The New York Police Department."
"Oh."
"As I was saying, with their police getting wind, there are a couple of bad possibilities that could be interpreted from your family being here."
"This was a case of domestic abuse against Lincoln," Jack then said. "Apparently, the situation was bad enough to drive him to not only run away from home, but take a train leading far from Royal Woods. Luckily, nothing too serious happened to your brother before my daughter happened to find him, but not only did this make things more serious, but your family might have given the police the wrong idea when they left for New York themselves only a couple of days afterwards.
"It's not like we were literally trying to evade the police!" Lori protested. "Our family wanted to find Lincoln and bring him home!"
"And unfortunately, that's another problem," added Kate. "Given that Lincoln has likely been mentally scarred, it's almost far too soon for him to want to see his family voluntarily, even if your sisters are regretful and sorry for their actions."
"Well, what were we supposed to do?" asked Lori. "Just sit back and twiddle our thumbs until the police came literally knocking at our door while, for all we knew, Lincoln was out there and alone in the cold?!" Lori's argument certainly sounded like it held strong, but at that time, the car pulled into the driveway.
"You girls have to rendezvous with the rest of your family by 7 p.m., right?" Jack asked, getting a nod from Lori and Leni. "We haven't much time, I'm afraid. You best go and say and do what needs to be done, but be it known that what you're doing is very risky business."
"Anything if it means seeing our little brother with our own eyes," said Leni.
"Very well."
"I just got a call from my old pal again," Jack said. "The NYPD has launched an investigation about the rumors of your disappearance from Royal Woods!" Lincoln's eyes went wide from shock.
"Wh...what does that mean?" Lincoln asked, more panicked.
"It means that the police are searching for both you and your family. They intend to get to the bottom of this whole matter." Jack sighed. "I know you wanted more time to think about this, kiddo... and I'm sorry. Domestic abuse is enough for your family to face criminal charges, especially with you being a minor, and the law only intends to make sure crime never happens again, whatever it takes." Lincoln's mind began processing the information.
"What about Leni and Lori?" he asked hastily in panic. He didn't want them to face consequences for something they didn't do, even if they were guilty by association.
"They obviously weren't on that list that went online and started the rumors," Jack said. "Kate and I in all likelihood could get them both off the hook with your help." This calmed down Lincoln a little, but one question still remained.
"And what about the others?"
"The ones directly involved are all minors, so to some extent, your parents could be accused of failing to properly discipline them, but it's possible that your sisters will be met with consequences as well."
"And... me?" Lincoln asked. Jack froze and sighed again.
"Lincoln... you're not gonna take this well no matter how I put it to you," he said with a heavy heart. "But... in a worst-case scenario, the court could call for a complete separation of the Loud family, which in turn means your parents would lose custody of all their children... including you. There is a chance that you and your sisters... could end up in foster homes." Lincoln's blood ran cold. All of this was too heavy for the poor boy and he fell onto the couch, his mind spinning nauseously.
"And that leads us up to now," said the officer. Suddenly, a landline phone on his desk began ringing and he answered with no hesitation. "NYPD. Officer Gavelyn speaking. ... ... ... ... That old hotel, huh? ... ... ... Keep monitoring, but stay discreet to avoid suspicions. ... ... Affirmative. Well done." He hung up. "We have an idea of where their hideaway is."
"That's an ugly word, to put it bluntly," said Kate. "Doubtful they came all this way just to avoid the law enforcement in Royal Woods. Still, the entire family will have to be questioned, maybe interrogated. We'll need to get the full scoop in order to set a proper course of action."
"Definitely," agreed the officer. "You'll be compensated enough for an upcoming extended leave of absence, I'll see to that."
"Sacrificing one family's hopes and dreams... in exchange for a chance to spend an entire season with my little girl..." Kate began to wonder if this was in fact the right thing to do, but she did recall that Jack was being serious about making sure that Lincoln's family should be dealt with according to the law.
"We all have to make sacrifices," assured the officer. "You care about the boy's well-being."
"Yes."
"You know he's not exactly your son."
"He's... almost as good as," said Kate, trying to stifle a chuckle.
"Don't worry about saving face in front of me," said the officer. "After all this is said and done, you can thank me."
"Thank you. And thank you for your time."
"Hey, Lincoln."
"Yeah, Jordan?"
"We are friends, right?" Jordan asked cautiously. Lincoln's face scrunched up in confusion before nodding yes.
"We are. Why are you asking?" he wondered, although his heart gave him an idea of what was coming next. Jordan's gut was telling her to back off, but she instead opted to try and push her feelings out for him to hear.
"Do you think... maybe... i-is it possible that we could be more than great friends?" Jordan forced these words out of her mouth like bad food at a restaurant. They had joked about that kebab special being disgusting that one time, but she couldn't believe that she actually said it. Yet she was anxious for a response coming from Lincoln. His face was blank and expression were unreadable to her. Lincoln had been caught off guard by Jordan's question and his mind was trying to tell him what to do.
"I... I guess," he stuttered. "I mean... yes... It would be... Maybe..." He was still shocked, so it wasn't his best answer, but his mind was still in the process of digesting what he heard and trying to perceive it.
"But do you want to?" Jordan answered back. It was a question from the heart - she wouldn't hate him if he turned her down, but she'd still be disappointed. Still, her eyes remained fixated on the boy before he opened his mouth to speak again. He shifted into a pose similar to hers on the couch, gazed back into her eyes, and answered truthfully with all the emotions he could.
"Yes... I'd like that." His expression didn't change as he waited for Jordan's response, a brief pause between them. Then suddenly, the girl threw her arms around him, encasing him in a tight hug, giving him multiple kisses on his cheek. Lincoln grew warm and toasty inside.
"I love you, Lincoln," Jordan said in the heat of moment with a smile infectious to Lincoln. Then he caught a quick feeling of something lightly brushing his lips, yet it was so amazing to him. He gazed into her eyes once more like a kid who just got a Christmas present.
"I love you too, Jordan," Lincoln announced to her. Young and in love, the two children finally realized what they meant for each other.
"I should have known this was a bad idea!" said Lori. She, Leni, and Luna were on foot a few blocks away from the hotel their family was currently bunking at. Things were going downhill fast and although it was a long time coming, at the same time, it was coming all too soon.
"Are we gonna get in trouble?" asked a panicked Leni.
"I have no idea," said Lori.
"Bruh, you realize that if the police are already involved, we can't lie to them?" Luna brought up. "You wanted me not to mention any of what just happened to our parents, but they're gonna find out and we're prolly already in enough hot water as is!"
"You caused this!" snarled Lori.
"SHUT," Leni began. Lori twitched, despite the three girls racing through the city street. "The hell... UP," Luna finished. "You know you weren't exactly any better to him in the past. You threatened him into dating Ronnie Anne, you broke his gaming goggles, you called him a twerp way too many times to count..."
"I know!" shouted Lori. "But that was then, and this now, and this is so not the time!"
"Alright, kids, same rules as before and be back before 7 p.m. Got it?" All the Loud sisters nodded, groaned, or agreed silently as they made a beeline outside and stayed in their search groups. Luna ended up going at it alone, so she plugged in her earbuds and left separately. Things seemed like an everyday routine now to her - cars and joyful people passing by. She thought of her path ahead of time so that she would hopefully be more effective. Her hands were in her pockets and she fiddled with her phone subconsciously. Every day that passed was a missed opportunity to see her little brother again. It felt that the only thing keeping her grounded to reality was the immense guilt she was feeling. Without that, she'd be an empty shell of a person. However, unknown to her, today would be drastically different. It started when her phone vibrated and she was utterly surprised to find that it was her girlfriend Sam who was texting her. Luna fumbled around a bit before finally unlocking her phone to read the first message.
Luna, are you there? The message read. Luna had spoken to Sam before about her search in New York and she seemed supportive of it, but after that, they seemed to lose contact, so Luna assumed that she still had some resentment towards her, which was fine by her. She deserved it, or so she felt.
Yeah, I'm here. I'm out searching for him right now. What is it? Luna typed out.
Bad news. The cops came to our school and asked me if I've seen you or your family! Sam typed back. Luna stopped walking instantly and reread the message.
What did you tell them? She typed in a haze.
Told them I hadn't seen you in a couple of days. Sorry Luna, but I could really get in trouble if I lied. Sam wrote.
It's okay, let's hope we can find him before the fuzz come knocking. Luna answered.
Good luck, Luna. I wish you the best. And with that their text message ended and Luna pocketed her phone, trying to catch her breath and calm down. The police were indeed looking for them and it was only a matter of time before they'd be found, and presumably busted. Still, she tried to pay no attention to the new situation put in the light, as she'd only get distracted from what's important. But she'd have to inform her parents of this matter. Even if this could be the end for all of us, I only wish that I can at least see my baby bro one last time... and just tell him how sorry I am, Luna thought.
"I still can't believe you never told us anything!" Luna hissed. "You know, that you actually found Lincoln. Yeah, real great job trying to keep it a secret, by the way!"
"Do you seriously think now is the time to be pointing fingers?!" argued Lori. "It's gonna take everything we have just this sort out this mess and try to get ourselves... out... of it... Oh no... No... no no no no no no no no no..." Four police vehicles were stationed at the hotel and the first officer to step out was the same NYPD officer that Kate conversed with days ago.
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.
The three oldest Loud sisters stared with their mouths agape and eyes widened in pure horror.
"Mom... D-Dad..." murmured Leni.
"This is not happening," said Luna. "It can't be happening. It can't..." Lori took hold of Luna's shoulder.
"Come on," she said. "Time to face the music." Putting on their best brave faces, the three girls made their way towards the hotel and the police. Tears streamed down Leni's face. They should have known this day would come, and yet it came too soon, far too soon. Only Lori, Leni, and Luna knew the whereabouts of Lincoln while the rest of the family was about to be busted, not knowing where their middle child was or if they would ever see him again. Emotions spiraled out of control. It was happening. They found them.