Do you ever feel like you've lived this exact moment before? It feels so familiar yet so foreign. You tell yourself, "Most days are the same, you are just overthinking it.", but you know, deep down, that it's not that. However, you relent in the end and continue with your day. Repeated or not, you have to get through it, so might as well. This is how Lynn Jr. felt.
Currently, she was sitting at the family dining table, her sisters with her. She felt like she has been here before, in this exact moment. Not only that, but her day had been fuzzy up to a few minutes ago. All she could remember was her parents being on some trip, them pulling a prank on Lincoln, him doing something with one of Lisa's experiments, and Lori telling her she has to make him stay quiet. She wasn't sure why, she must have not listened to her, but she was going to do it regardless, it's no skin off her back.
Lincoln entered the room, looking rather pissed off. His hair was shaved to a military cut, though she couldn't remember why. He took a seat across from her and began eating.
"You know what I'm gonna say?" Lynn asked, not taking attention from her food. She might not know what she had to do, but he did. Thanks to Lisa, it was no secret that he was only dumber than Lisa. He always knew why a sister had Lynn talk to him; because they needed someone to 'persuade' him.
"I do." He said before looking at Lori. "I will say it was just a silly prank under two conditions. One, you never involve me in that protocol of yours again, and two, Lynn has to admit I was never bad luck." He said before taking in a bite. "And, I don't have to model girl clothes for the summer break." He quickly added.
"He's still sour about that?" Lynn asked herself. She knew he was talking about what they did a month ago. They kicked him out because his hoodoo made her lose a game. They might have overplayed it a bit, but they let him back in the next day when he found that suit. Sadly, the suit wasn't theirs, and the parents couldn't buy it from the school, so they were forced to return it eventually. Luckily, two weeks in the thing might've rubbed off on Lincoln, as he wasn't hexing the family afterward.
Lori taught for a second before speaking. "Deal."
Lynn spat everything in her mouth, almost choking on a piece of bread. "What?!"
"Lynn," Lori said through her teeth, "just do it."
Lynn gritted her teeth. Lori was one of the few people she couldn't just scare into submission. She might be able to beat her up, but Lori wouldn't go down without a fight, and she would fight dirty. "Fine!" Lynn yelled before hushing her tone. "You're not bad luck."
"I can't hear you from all the way over there.", Lincoln said, putting one hand on his ear.
Lynn got up and stomped to him, making the whole table shake with every step she took. "You're not bad luck." She said once she came closer to him.
Lincoln turned to face her. "That's not what I asked for.", he said, more confident than she had ever seen him.
Lynn looked at him, gritting her teeth, for a few seconds.
"Our male sibling requested that you-"
"I heard him Lisa.", Lynn said venomously, making Lisa shrink in her seat. "You were never bad luck.", Lynn said while balling her fists. He might not be bad luck now, but he certainly was then. How did he have the audacity to even think of something like this. Making her say she was wrong, who does he think he is?
"And why did you accuse me then?" Lincoln said, a bit of a cocky smile forming on his face.
"Because you made me lose the game." Lynn's voice could be barely heard from her teeth.
"You lost the game Lynn, you, not me, you. Even if I was bad luck, you still made me come, meaning it's all. on. you." Lincoln said more angrily.
"Lynn Loud Junior is not a loser!" Lynn screamed in a tone more fitting of Lola.
"You are not just a loser, you are the sorest one I have ever seen." Lincoln got up. They stood within two feet of each other, tension requiring a power saw to cut.
If you were going to go against Lynn, you had to be ready for a serious beatdown. Everyone knew Lincoln couldn't stand a minute against Lynn, meaning he either didn't care or had a serious ace up his sleeve.
"Why are you so salty Stinkin? It happened a month ago." Lynn said, pointing a finger at his chest.
"You don't know?!" He pushed Lynn's hand away. "You kicked me out of the house! I was then chased around the neighborhood, in the dead of night, by raccoons! And in case some of you didn't know, there were a murder two houses from us that that night. Wouldn't it have been so funny if the murderer saw me and thought, 'Hmm, I could really go for a kid today.'" Lincoln was yelling harder than they thought possible, but he wasn't done yet. "And that suit. That thing ways a metric fucking tone, it's hot as hell, and I could see shit in it! It took me twenty minutes to take it off! Do you know how many times I had to piss myself because none of you let me leave your side?"
The family didn't dare speak. Those two weeks were something they desperately wanted to forget. They knew about the raccoons. They knew about the murder. They knew how horrible the suit was. And they knew what he did in it. The only exception was Lynn. Lynn knew he deserved all of it.
"Oh boo hoo," Lynn said while pretending to cry. "do you need diapers?" Lincoln looked at Lynn. For a second, she could have sworn his eyes were darker than they should be.
"Deals off." While he said it calmly, he was on the verge of breaking Lynn's head on the floor. "I'm telling the parents what happened, and not just the hair thing."
"You won't be telling nothing,", Lynn swang her fist to punch him in the gut, "to no... one?"
Lincoln caught her fist, leaving everyone in the room confused, even himself. Lynn wasn't using her fool force, she wasn't actually trying to hurt him, but it was still more than enough to get him. How in the name of Ted Williams did he block her? Doesn't matter, Lynn concluded internally before trying to punch him in the face. Lincoln moved his head in the nick of time, only getting his ear grazed.
Lynn was getting angry. What was going on? She might have just gone too easy. Oh her kind soul, always looking out for him.
Lynn started punching with her full speed and force, missing almost every hit. A few times he didn't just dodge he would block and, on exactly two occasions, he got hit. Lynn focused all of her attention on him, just to try and score. With each hit she tried, he only got better at avoiding her. Before long, he tripped her and tried to run.
Lynn broke her fall in time, landing on her knees and arms. She saw he managed to draw her out to the main hallway and was now trying to make a break for the front door.
"No, you don't!" Lynn said before grabbing his leg and pulling him back.
Lincoln collapsed on the floor, his face hitting the carpet, releasing a sharp yelp of pain as he landed. The family looked on, some with anticipation and others with fear, as Lincoln got up. Lincoln wasn't the one to engage in fights, meaning it was up in the air as to what he will do. And even with the uncertainty of the situation, he managed to surprise everyone.
Lincoln slowly got up, putting one hand over his nose to stop the bleeding. Once he was up, he looked at the blood on his hand. He stared at it for a few seconds before licking the blood off his upper lip. Everyone felt disgusted at this, but Lynn got afraid. He tasted his juice in his mouth for a few seconds before looking at Lynn, his eye now purple. Without a warning, he fixed his nose and jumped on Lynn.
She crashed to the floor and before she could even fully register what was going on he began hitting her. He was punching with more force than she thought he will ever have. What few she could, she blocked, the rest hit her or the floor. She could feel the ground shake when he hit the floor, even the boards cracking at times. He seemed to have nothing but rage in him. With every hit, he only got stronger, faster, and better at hitting her.
Lynn was stuck. If she tried punching him, he would dodge and punch her. Blocking couldn't last her forever and her sisters were doing nothing to interfere. Where was he even hiding all of it? He was a wimp, she even kicked his ass yesterday, but now he was beating her to the floor. She must have held back for too long, that was the only way. There she was again, Compationnent Lynn, going easy on her brother for too long, and getting beaten up for it. Some people just don't know how to appreciate others.
Lynn, not intent on waiting for the floor to collapse, did something she swore she would never do, kick in the jewels. She saw it as nothing but a cheap trick, where was the fun in defeating the opponent in on hit because he had an obvious weak spot, but now she had no other choice. Moving her knee, Lynn hit him square in the nether regions.
Lincoln punched the floor, hard enough for a board to snap, before falling to his side, clutching his little Link. As much as she wanted to stay and listen to him wince from the pain, Lynn knew better than to wait around for a furious opponent to get up. Not wasting a breath, Lynn ran for the kitchen. He would surely think she went for the stairs, so she would have some time to set up a trap.
Lynn entered the kitchen, grabbed a pan, and hid by the door. Lincoln was going to search the whole house and eventually come to her. Once he did, she was going to pop up behind him and give him the old frying pan. She expected to wait for at least ten minutes, but he came in only a minute after her. His haste didn't matter to Lynn however, as she was ready by the time he came in.
Lincoln ran into the kitchen, stopping in the middle to look for Lynn. Careful not to give herself away, Lynn approached from behind. She measures, she swings, she... flies?
Lynn expected to score a home run on his head, instead, she found herself in the air. Lincoln grabbed her hand and swung her, continuing the trajectory of her attack, before letting go of her. Lynn landed on the kitchen cabinets, making all of them shake and a few things fall out. As Lynn landed on her head, she heard something fall by her, a knife.
Seemingly still thirsty for blood, Lincoln approached Lynn, his eyes crimson red. Cracking his knuckles, Lincoln spoke in a voice deeper than his usual. "Too slow Lynn."
He looked terrifying. She just lost to him twice and, if she didn't think of something fast, she was about to do so again. With few better options, Lynn picked up the knife.
Pointing it at him she tried to scare him away. "Stay back! I... I will hurt you."
"Bring it on.", Lincoln said, unfazed by the knife.
As he came closer, Lynn drew the knife back. She wasn't actually going to hurt him, she just wanted to scare him off. But, he didn't stop. In a moment of panic, Lynn used the knife.
Lincoln stumbled backward, holding one hand over his left eye. Lynn watched as the blood slowly started dripping from his fresh wound, creating a small puddle on the floor. He eventually brought the hand off his face, smearing a bit of blood over it. The white-haired boy looked at his hand for a second, seemingly inspecting it.
Lynn looked with fear. What did she just do? This had gone on too long, she had to end it before something got hurt. "L-Lincoln, I..." Lynn tried, but the words died in her throat.
Without changing his look, Lincoln ran a finger across the cut, collecting blood on it. Once he ran the finger across the whole length of the injuries, he brought it to his mouth. Inserting it inside, he licked it as if it had chocolate on it. Taking the finger out, he gave Lynn a sadistic look before saying "Now I want more."
"What?" Lynn meekly asked. What does he want? More cuts? More blood? His blood? Her blood?
Lincoln didn't answer, only approach. Lynn reached out the knife again. She might have been wrong to do it the last time, but now it was fully warranted. Like the last time, Lincoln wasn't dissuaded by the weapon. Lynn tried to back away, but her legs were frozen in place. Once Lincoln was within reach, she cut again.
However, she didn't reach him. Lincoln hit her hand mid-attack, causing her to drop the knife. Before she could even register the first hit, he hit her again, this time in the leg. Lynn collapsed to the floor just as the knife hit the tiles, screaming bloody murder.
She knew the pain well. Her leg only felt like this once before, when she broke it. She would have been asking how he did it, had it not been for him still looking like he was going to kill her. All Lynn could do was whimper and drag herself across the floor as the tears formed in her eyes. Lincoln went after her, quickly cornering her up the wall. With his pray having nowhere to go, Lincoln pulled his arm back. All Lynn could do was cover her face, close her eyes, and wait for the inevitable. But, it didn't come.
Opening her eyes, Lynn saw Lincoln, crying. His fist was stuck in the air, shaking violently. His breaths were slowly getting faster and he was backing away from her. He quickly saw the others, however, and started backing into a wall. Reaching it, he grabbed his head and let his body gradually slide down the wall.
Halfway down, he stopped. Lincoln jumped up and started running. He rammed the back door, breaking it open, and ran into the night.
For the first time in her life, Lynn was scared. What got into Lincoln, he was never this strong or determined. He would always back away and make a plan, not fight.
None of the sisters spoke, none moved, frozen from fear. Lynn dragged herself across the floor. Reaching the door, she could only see black. There was nothing outside the house, not even the porch.
"Lincoln?" She asked through the sobs. "Lincoln!" She screamed into the abyss, but it didn't respond.
Suddenly, she saw something; a roped dropping in the distance. It bounced a few times before finally settling. Focusing on the distant object, it almost seemed like there was a... w-
Lynn awoke with a gasp. It took her a few seconds before she calmed down. Looking around, she was in her room. Like on most nights, Lucy was not there, either being on the attic or the roof.
She had that nightmare, again. Ever since they had that fight, Lynn had been dreaming the same thing. They would fight, she would cut him, he would die. Sometimes he would kill him with the knife, others she would pummel him to death, and others he would just go into the void, never to be seen again. For her, he might as well have because she never saw him again after that night.
Lincoln wasn't dead, or at least they told her, but he wasn't there either. The very next day, he ran away after there was a shooting at his school. The kids said he fought the shooters and, after the building caught fire, saved some students from burning up. The last to see him was Luna when she tried and failed, to catch him after the ordeal.
Ever since then, the whole house went down the drain. Even though there were only two weeks left, the sisters managed to reck their grades. For most, it didn't mean much but for Lori, it drastically impacted her chances of a scholarship, something they would all need if they wanted to go to college. Leni cried day and night, sometimes even refusing to eat. They caught Luna drinking a few times before she just left in the middle of the night, only leaving a note saying she was sorry for losing him. Luan didn't crack a single joke since that night, mostly because of the things he said as well as the atmosphere of the house. Lynn dropped out of all of her sports. She said it was because her leg was broken for so long, but she actually listened to him; she was a sore loser, no one wants those.
Lucy spent most of her days on the attic and nights on the roof, in silence. The only times Lynn would hear her was when she cried because she drove him away. Twins were fighting over the most minor of things and, if not, just quietly playing alone. Out of Lisa came the only good thing in this whole thing, the removal of their trackers. Lisa was surveilling all of them, except for Lincoln. Lincoln found out before them and removed everything off himself. Lisa mistook his detached chip not reading him as him being dead, attracting the rest of the house. Hopefully, he wasn't dead but they had no way of finding him. Lily would only wake up at night and cry for hours. Nothing calmed her down, not food, not pacifiers, not diaper changes. The only thing they could do was let her cry till she fell asleep again, which could take hours.
By far, the worst case had to be the parents. By not reporting him, they have made a big gamble, that Lisa could find him. The fact was that, if they were to ever find him, he could send all of them to the slammer. They have done a lot of illegal, and legal but bad, things to him, and that could come back to bite them. It was for this reason both he and Luna went unreported. However, Lisa had no luck, as day after day, she would return with no good news. They used the same lie for both, that they were just feeling down, to avoid suspicion. But that could only go for so long, in this case for two weeks more, as that's when school starts.
And all of this was Lynn's fault. She bullied him for years, she dragged him through those two weeks of hell, she had the final fight. He did yell at others, but she only heard what he said about her, and it made her think. She was the worst of all sisters, and the reason he wasn't here. He probably did even leave the town, he might not have even left the house. He might just be hiding in the attic with Lucy, waiting for her to leave.
She might as well try. The family didn't need her, her friends would shun her if they ever knew what she did, and she had nothing to contribute. Maybe, just maybe, if she left, she would actually do some good.
She told herself the same thing over and over. Every night she had a nightmare, she would go through the same list, how she recked her life, how she recked her family's life, and how she lost a brother. Her waste bin was full of failed letters and she had quite a bit of practice at packing her bags, but she never got past the door. Each time she saw it, she would stare at it, sometimes for hours. She never dared to open them, to go into the void.
Lynn balled her fists. That was all she was, a coward. She was too afraid to admit she lost the game, she was too afraid to let others see her as flawed, and now she is too afraid of what she had to do. Lynn Loud Jr. wasn't a coward, she made her bed and now she will sleep in it, even if it is a cardboard box on a street corner.
With a newfound determination and a lot of hesitation, Lynn got dressed and left her room. She climbed down the stairs, careful not to wake the others up. Once she reached the front door, she could only look at it.
"Here it comes.", Lynn said quietly while reaching for the handle.
Wait for a second! She forgot her things, she didn't write a letter, she still had- NO! No excuses! She used that excuse to back away too many times, but not today. She had to do it, and she will.
Lynn quietly opened the door and left.
The sun had long arisen over Royal Woods. Its residents were gradually coming awake, some to go to work and others to enjoy the remainder of summer. But, for Lynn, the sun brought great dread. She wandered through the town for the whole night and she could swear she was walking in circles.
Being the short-sighted child she was, Lynn never thought this far. As a result, she spent the night aimlessly walking around the town. And while the sun could help her in many ways, it only reminded her that her family would wake up soon. She remembered how thoroughly they searched for Luna and, if she didn't leave the town, they would find her in a matter of minutes. She should still have some time before they woke up. She could go back, make a plan, and do it properly. It couldn't be that hard, Lincoln did it all the time. But, she wasn't Lincoln, she was just a brick-headed bully. If she went back now, she would never get another chance.
Where can she go? Detroit was the neared place she could think of. It was a large city with a lot of homeless people, a child could slip by unnoticed. She might not have exercised much in the past three months, but she didn't atrophy. She could play a muscle for a gang until she got the ropes, and then she could go solo. She could even take the gang over, become the new kingpin, or queenpin. She could do it easily, she was Lynn Loud, she could do anything. Watch out Detroit, your queen is on her way.
"Well, well, well, who do we have here?"
Lynn was brought out of her thoughts by a voice she hoped to never hear again, Hank. The Loud's had a few run-ins with the two bullies, barely leaving each unscathed. As most of the Louds didn't leave the house in the past three months, she didn't see them in a long time. Unfortunately, they have used their time wisely, jacking up in the gym, and were now looking like they could crush her with one hand.
"One of the Mormons.", Hawk said.
"You are just in time too, I was hoping to start my day with a warmup.", Hank said while cracking his fists.
The Louds mainly angered them with the Halloween charade, but they have only dug their graves deeper with each subsequent interaction. And now, she would get the honor of filling it. Lynn might be boastful, but she's not suicidal. Facing them is a guaranteed trip to a hospital, or one of Lucy's friends.
She searched her pockets, hoping to find something, anything. Feeling a baseball, she didn't think, she didn't question, she only threw it at Hank, hitting his forehead. Not waiting for them to respond, Lynn started running,
"Get her!" Hank said and the two ran after her. For two elephants, they ran fast, quickly catching up to Lynn.
Seeing a trashcan Lynn got an idea. Let's test their athletics, she thought before knocking the bin over. The trash spilled all over the street and the container rolled, but it only made Hank jump over the trashcan and Hawk run through the trash.
"Okay, maybe something bigger?" However, her luck had run out. There was nothing but mailboxes and small trashcans, resulting in her just causing minor havoc.
Lynn knocked over everything she saw, failing to stop them every time.
And, as if she didn't need more reasons to run faster, she heard someone in the distance. "There she is!", her namesake said.
In another part of Royal Woods, two boys sat under a tree.
Both boys wore dressed alike, wearing black shoes, gray cargo pants rolled up to under their knees, a black t-shirt, a black beanie, and a fingerless glove on the right hand. One of the boys had an eyepatch on his left eye and a braided black bracelet with a silver plus. On the right side of his lip was a scar, stretching from his nostril to the right of the chin, and on the left side of his face was another, going from his mid-chick and disappearing, first into an eyepatch and then the beanie.
The scarred boy was spinning a butterfly knife in his right hand while looking at the sky with his right eye closed, the other one was stammering a song on an acoustic guitar. His failing was causing him frustration, most present at the end of every failed try when he would release a groan before restarting.
"You are getting good." The scarred boys said calmly, still looking at the sky.
"I missed half the notes." He replayed in a frustrated manner.
"That's how it goes."
"How much more do we have to wait?" he said while restarting the song.
"If you watched the road, we wouldn't have needed to wait." The scarred boy said accusatively.
"It's my fault you weren't watching the road?" he asked with surprise.
"I told you, I can't see properly while doing it." the other responded.
"Can't that thing lock-on or something?"
"No, he comes back if I'm not using him."
"Can't you search faster at least?" He asked, frustrated from failing again.
"I could if you were quieter." The scared boy said with some agitation.
There was a moment of silence before the other boy spoke again. "Any luck?" he asked with anticipation.
"Agh!" The scarred boy said before covering his ears and looking at the ground.
As the other boy packed up the guitar, to give his friend the piece he requested, a curious sight came down the street.
Lynn ran on the sidewalk, knocking over everything she saw. Close behind her were Hank and Hawk, dodging every obstacle left in her wake. And lastly, the remaining Louds, dragged far behind both, even tripping on a few of the obstructions.
The boy gave his scarred friend a light poke on the shoulder. As soon as he saw Lynn, the scarred boy jumped up and picked up a backpack. The bag itself was not remarkable, a standard black schoolbag with a two-foot-long hammer stuck through the grab handle.
The boys joined the chase, quickly taking an alternative route.
In an attempt to lose her pursuers, Lynn took a wrong turn and wound up in a dead-end alley. Before she could turn back, Hank and Hawk were at the entrance.
"Nowhere... to... run..." Hank said while panting. While both were fit, they were bodybuilders, not runners.
As the two sides took the time regaining strength, a raven landed on a roof above them.
Lynn slowly backed up, quickly ending up against a wall. With nowhere to run and no one to help, Lynn prepared for a fight. She might be a good fighter, but those two weren't going down without a fight, and a big one at that.
After regaining their breath, two teens started approaching Lynn. Preparing to get some revenge. They cracked their knuckles, only for Hawk to scream out in pain. He thrust his head forward as if something hit the back of his head.
Lynn heard a small stone fall to the ground before everyone turned to look where it came from. Behind them stood two boys. They looked identical, black clothes, gray pants, hands in pockets, black balaclava with a single hole for their eyes, and sunglasses to hide those. The only difference was that one had a backpack while the other one wore a guitar case over his back.
"Who do you think you are?" Hawk asked the boys, rubbing the back of his head.
Neither responded.
"You hear me?" He repeated, now more agitated. Not getting a response, Hank and Hawk went to the boys, seemingly forgetting Lynn.
Neither even flinched at the approach of the goliaths.
"Yo, you hear me?" Hank tried to push the boy with the backpack, only to get thrown over him into a dumpster. His landing caused the whole container to vibrate and the lid to hit him on the head, knocking him out. Hawk didn't get a chance to respond. The same boy punched him in the stomach before grabbing him by the legs. Getting a firm grasp on him, the boy threw him over his head, slamming him on the concrete. As soon as Hawk was on the ground, the boy kicked him with his heel, knocking him out.
Lynn stared at the two boys, who just looked at the unconscious Hawk. "Uh... thanks?"
Lynn was unsure whether to be thankful she was saved or fearful of what they did. If she judged correctly, those two wouldn't be too much taller than her. This meant that they could beat her to a bloody pulp, or she just overestimated Hank and Hawk. Lynn was the best athlete in the town and, if those two could beat them so quickly, she could do it with one arm tied behind her back. No, actually she would not want to tie her arm. The last time she underestimated her opponent she paid dearly.
The two looked at her, their emotions hidden well under the disguise.
"I don't think I saw you before, I would've remembered someone this good." To take someone twice your size so quickly was quite an accomplishment, even Lynn couldn't deny it.
The boy with the backpack looked at the floor while taking off his glasses. "That's where you're wrong." He said in a deep yet eerily familiar voice. As he rolled the balaclava upwards into a beanie he looked at Lynn. "But I can't blame you, I can hardly recognize myself."
Lynn was left speechless. It can't be...
The family finally caught up to Lynn, most dropping upon seeing her. The only one that didn't was Rita. After seeing Lynn, she felt twenty years younger and ran to her daughter, only stopping once she saw they weren't alone. The family slowly recovered from the marathon, only to be greeted by Lynn silently crying.
"What did you do to her?" Lori asked angrily. Lynn didn't cry when she broke both of her legs and Lori knew a few things that were worse than that.
The boy didn't answer, only turn around.
"L-L-L..." The whole family was at the loss for words, it was Lincoln.
Lincoln changed, a lot. His face was scarred, his freckles were faded, and most worryingly, there was his eyepatch. The patch, and the scar around it, was the reason Lynn was crying, she knew who did it. She knew the exact weapon as well, the knife they use to cut bread every day.
"Hi." He said calmly.
The family looked on in disbelief. No one, not even Lisa, could find him, but he just came back, on his own. It made some question Lisa's methods, but it made Lisa question how he evaded her. They all knew about her big brother program, but they didn't know just how far she could see; everywhere to put it simply. If there was an input device connected to something, she could see it. So it was baffling that he just popped out of nowhere.
"My baby... you are back.", Rita said, moving closer to her son. She had to make sure this wasn't just another dream, she had too many of those.
As Rita came closer, Lincoln became stiff. He tried moving back, but his legs were failing him. All he could do was breath faster and ball his fists. She won't hurt you, he thought, she can't hurt you. But, as hard as he tried, he couldn't calm himself down. He knew she won't hurt him, he knew it was irrational, he knew it happened only once, but it was pointless, he couldn't get it out of his head.
Once Rita was close enough to reach for him, Lincoln made a move. Instinctively, he grabbed her hand and twisted it behind her back, causing her to turn around and drop to her knees. The family gasped as the scene unfolded, most unsure what was happening. Those with a bit more experience, however, knew it was a restrainment technique, which didn't really put their minds to ease.
Rita winced from the pain. She could feel her arm going in all the wrong directions. "Lincoln, what are you doing?" She asked while trying not to scream. It was to no avail, however, as the boy only tightened his grasp. "Lincoln, stop, you are hurting me." She said, tears slowly trickling from her eyes.
Lincoln felt someone grab his hand. Looking sidewards, he saw his friend firmly holding his arm. Even with the glasses, he could see what he was trying to say. Lincoln eased his grip before reluctantly letting go. He took a few steps away from his mother before taking deep breaths.
The family watched as Lincoln silently tried to recompose himself. Rita backed away from the boy. If any other of her children did the same thing, they would be punished harshly. But she could see Lincoln was afraid and she knew he had a good reason to. They were awful to him, and it made her want to turn herself in at times.
"Where's Luna." He said, his tone still uneasy. The family didn't speak, only exchanging a fearful look. Reading the room, Lincoln spoke again. "We'll be back."
Lincoln went to the nearest fire escape. His friend gave him a boost to get up, and Lincoln returned the gesture by reaching his hand and lifting him.
"Wait!" Lynn said. Whipping her tears away, she ran after them. However, the ladder was too tall for her, resulting in her just jumping in place, failing to reach it.
A few minutes later, Lincoln and his friends sat on the roof of another building. His friend had taken off his disguise at this point, only keeping the rolled-up balaclava on his head. Lincoln was still breathing unevenly, his mind not fully recovered from what just happened. It wasn't bad, but it could have gone so wrong so fast.
Reaching for one of his pockets, Lincoln pulled out a flask. He swiped his thumb across the cap to spin it open but, before he could lift it, his friend stopped him. "Gare, no, we talked about this." He said compassionately.
"I... sorry..." Lincoln said before closing the flask and putting it back. "I don't know why I did it. I know she won't hurt me. I know she can't hurt me. But I can't make myself believe it." He said, putting his face into his palms.
"I know." He said somberly. "It's not your fault, I should have-"
"No, Gajo, I failed, I should have protected you, instead I only made a bigger problem.", Lincoln said, giving him a solemn look. "It's not your fault, it's mine."
He relented, Lincoln was stubborn as a mule, arguing with him over it would change nothing.
A raven landed by Lincoln. The boy petted its back before giving it a few crumbs of bread out of his pocket. The bird ate up its servings before flying up and landing on his shoulder.
"He's learning fast, you think he can go inside?" Gajo asked.
"He did nothing the last time we were inside.", Lincoln said while stroking the bird under its beak. "Now that I think of it, I can't remember him ever doing it."
"What did you expect, he's a magic bird." He said with a playful smile. "Too bad he cost you an eye."
"He didn't cost me an eye," Lincoln with annoyance. "they did."
"So, uh, Luna?" Gajo asked.
"I'll call Amer," Lincoln said before pulling a flip phone out of his pocket, " let's see if he can live up to his reputation."
Hello everyone, and welcome. I hope you like the story, as you will be seeing more of it. I don't have much else to say, so like, share, subscribe, and leave a review if you have something on your mind. I wish you all a happy new year and hope to see you next time.