Author's Note:
Happy new year everyone! Yes. I'm still alive. Things went on, life happened, and so did natural catastrophes. A typhoon made us celebrate Christmas and New year 2022 in the dark, which sucked. And in these days, I've been juggling between new stories, art commissions, and just recently, the loss of a loved one. But despite that, I'm bringing this story, and all of you kind people, the justice you deserve- by pumping in another chapter after realizing this thing has sort of been in an hiatus for a while.
This story ain't getting abandoned any time soon. And to prove it to all you dear readers, I will upload a preview of every coming chapter by the end to entice you more, because I know you guys aren't satisfied enough with the cliffhangers in this story.
Get yourselves ready, because this will be the chapter than I guess you can say... will bring in the biggest twist yet in my opinion. This'll create a whole new arc of discovery and arouse a new surge of questions as pending ones have been left unanswered to this day. But as you read the title of this chapter, then maybe those said pending questions will be put to rest.
For now.
TW: Supposing you read this for the tags, then expect this to have exactly that: Dark and heavy content. Read at your own risk.
Beyond Two Siblings
Chapter 14: Unpleasant Surprises
It's around this time when everyone gets a chance to roam free in their wildest dreams; walking around in their fantasies from another alternate dimension all in the comfort of their beds. But to Lincoln, who laid awake in the cold dead of the night, these nights were merely a gateway to the portal to the nightmares in his life: his own mind.
He shook it aside, and sat up. The clock hanging on the wall right by the side of his bed said 2 AM. That's early.
His eyelids were threatening to drop, might as well just go back to sleep.
So, Lincoln flopped back onto the mattress that called him, his eyelids falling shut as the door to his slumber opened.
…
…
Right before it was shut and the cares of the world had yet again managed to seize him.
It needs to be read.
You know what, it needed to be read. Right now.
Lincoln shot up from his bed, while giving himself a few seconds to rub the sleep out of his eyes before navigating his way through the partly lit room. Across the room, the messy desk was fumbled around until the hard, metallic shape of a key awoken his touch. In an instant, Lincoln snatching it. Rubbing around the exterior of the locked drawer in hopes of finding the key hole all to no avail. When at last, the protruding circle of the hole touched his fingers, it took a few insistent tries before he managed to insert the key before opening the unlocking the drawer.
Everything inside the drawer either flew out or got discarded to the side before the phone had come in hand. He turned it on as he limped back to his bed, dropping his crutches to the ground and letting his body rest on the now bouncing mattress. Lincoln had urgently opened his phone, through the keypad, and clicked on the link Lynn had sent him hours before.
He shouldn't be reading this. No right now. A splash of nausea already splattered itself in his tummy of what the article said. But this newfound curiosity wouldn't stop bothering him. Couldn't stop irritating him. He wanted-no, needed to know more.
And when it finally loaded, Lincoln involuntarily cringed.
"Everybody loves it when celebrities get together romantically. But could this story be more than that of romance? Read more to get a scoop of celebrities, romance and drama straight from 'The Source'!"
With a gulp, he scrolled down with a shaky thumb.
'…Surely, you must've heard of the star player, and the biggest campus journalist for this season, right? Lynn Loud Junior, 14, and Lincoln Loud, 12 are their names respectively.'
'…We not only found these two as siblings. But apparently, from word of mouth, they're officially dating too! These past few days haven't been very good for the two, but as they withstand challenges together, multiple students and witnesses have come up to us and claimed what they've found. Here, we think it'd be ridiculous to believe. But we have been emailed multiple evidences that prove us wrong.'
Lincoln's heart stopped beating. "E-evidence…?"
There were a group of images with only grey being shown. However, there was an underlined, blue highlighted phrase just above it.
Click here to see photo
Deemed inappropriate by school rules, which is the reason for necessary censoring.
No, no. That'd be for later.
Lincoln furrowed his brows. Hold on… The Source? How did this end up coming to life? Was this owned by their middle school? If it was… then surely it was run by the one and only, News Action team! The dots connected together, as his finger vigorously scrolling down to the bottom of the page to see the authors.
His heart dropped. A gasp slipped through his slightly parted lips.
"All about the Author: Zach Gurdle is a known conspiracy theorist, alien-hunting, journalist. As one of the members of The Source, it is his duty to write articles for every single known theory that makes it into the school headlines. With him joining are editor in chief, Clyde McBride, and romance expert (as written here at the request of person), Rusty Spokes."
W-what? How could they do this to him? To them?
A lump grew in his throat and his chest got tighter. It was getting harder to breathe. Every tick of the clock only became more and more aggravating. He sat up straight on his bed and stared at the carpet, in his hand was his phone clutched tightly. This was a joke… This is a prank. There's no way this is real. This isn't legit news, right? Maybe it's just some sort of scam Lynn fell for again. Knowing her, she's way too easy to fool. Even by Leni's standards. Maybe that could be it…? She got tricked?
There was only one way to find out.
Lincoln bit his lip, holding his breath still for a moment as he scrolled back up to the censored pictures. A hand quivered as it hovered over the highlighted click here button; a moment of conflict ceasing time. Should he do it… or not? Save himself from even more pain, or let him suffer never ending curiosity instead?
His hand got a head start before his own mind did, and before Lincoln knew it, the pictures were splayed out right before him.
The whole world seemed to vanish before him, only he and the phone were around. The longer he stared at the screen, the wider his jaw fell.
Oh crud…
Now the world was gonna know. There was no way his face could be seen beyond the door to his bedroom now.
Without a single thought, Lincoln exited the article before dashing straight to his contacts, looking for a very familiar name at the very top of his list.
The time meant little; there was no use in waiting. She has to know. When she wakes up in the morning, it has to be the first thing she needs to see.
"Lynn." The keyboard ticks with every letter clicked. "Idc if you're sleeping rn. If you see this message, come to my room STAT."
Lincoln toppled down his bed as sharp breath was pushed out of him. He didn't wanna wait until the morning to watch this with her just because he's too much of a coward to see all the images himself. The ticking of the clock only made anticipation grow bigger like a bubble threatening to pop.
With a gulp, Lincoln pulled his phone near and looked at the image that laid before his eyes.
"Bro it's like 3 in the morning. What do you want?" The welcomed message shifted his attention.
"Lynn. In my room. Now."
The screen turned black as Lincoln smashed the phone on the bed, pulling himself up to sit. Aching temples throbbed with every movement as he rubbed them in circles. Ugh. What has his life become?
Not even 5 minutes have passed, and his door creaked open. "Sup, bro?"
The sight of an irritable Lincoln rubbing his temples was surely not something she wanted to see this early. "Come in. Shut the door and lock it."
Lynn shrugged in compliance and did what he said. "What did we talk about resisting urges and giving each other space?"
He shook his head with a groan. "Just stop, Lynn. I'm being serious."
She allowed herself to fill in the empty space right beside him with a snort. "So am I."
The pregnant silence that came forth was cut quickly. "So… what was so important that you needed me here at 3 am in the morning?"
"You read the article?"
Lynn shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, so this is what it's about." She muttered. "No, no. I didn't. I just didn't wanna."
He shook his head with impatience. "That doesn't matter now… Anyway, I know you know what this article is about." Lincoln said, gesturing Lynn to sit beside him on the empty space by his side. "But YOU have no idea how bad it gets."
She hastily got up and did as he requested. "Why? What's up?"
Lincoln didn't say a word, opening a gallery with screenshots from the article that could be described as horrendous.
Lynn's eyes widened, before her face scrunched up.
"This is BS!" The phone was yanked from his hands as Lynn furiously tampered with it. "What is THIS?"
The first picture Lynn had come across looked like a stolen shot taken from afar with both of them in the school's infirmary, sitting on one of the beds while holding hands. Without context it's not actually half bad, until you look closely and see them mildly blushing. Another picture was them in the hallway, with Lynn pinning Lincoln to the wall.
This scene still played out in her mind vividly- Lynn was scolding him for stealing her new jockstrap to protect himself from her. It was taken from a far distance and the quality was foggy but thanks to the angle, it gave off the impression that she was kissing him instead.
It wasn't far from the truth; their noses were touching, and if somebody jammed Lynn's head forward, then they'd be locked in a kiss. But she was the angriest she had even been at that moment. There wasn't any funny business!
She looked at it with a grimace, her eyebrows heavy under those bangs the whole time. A swipe of a finger showed her a more innocent screenshot. This was taken on the first day of school, where Lincoln had begged her to let him run his way back to class. It was the caption that made it… unsettling.
"Lincoln asking an angry Lynn for a quickie? What?" Lynn incredulously exclaimed, slamming the phone on the bed. Shooting Lincoln an angry look. "Most of these pictures are fake! And this one with the caption was long before… what happened! Come on!"
He nodded aggressively, crossing his arms. "Exactly! Most of these are photoshopped images! And that's not the worst part!"
Lynn looked at him skeptically. "What could be worse than a scandal like this?"
"My friends made this article." Lincoln looked down on his wrinkled sheets. "They… they betrayed me… In a way I never would've guessed."
"Even McBride?" She asked in a daze.
He simply nodded through his covered face. "No way! I know that kid. He wouldn't do something like this!"
"He must've been forced to, Lynn! It happened that one time the gang teamed up behind my back to stop me from performing magic in the middle school talent show! Who's to say it's not happening again?" His muffled and hoarse voice hardly making it through his own hands.
"Hold on a minute… since WHEN did our middle school have a newspaper?" Lynn wondered. "You're supposed to be in charge of that stuff, right?"
Lincoln shook his head side by side. "That's what I mean! The group never told me about it, let alone this new article!"
She shook her head slowly with a huff. Before she punched her lap with her functioning hand. "This is a load of hooey! Who's gonna believe something as stupid as this?"
"Our school is full of mindless idiots who believe even the dumbest gossip, Lynn!" Lincoln whisper-yelled. "There's gotta be a load of people thinking this is legit by now!"
"I won't make it happen!" Lynn snapped with a voice louder than sought. She paused and looked around in silence to hear if anyone was disturbed. "Just leave it on the fly right now, Linc. It's not like anyone would be that dumb to believe in this. Heck, if I saw this happen to another guy, I'd think somebody probably just wanted revenge on them and used this as a way to get even."
He stayed silent, before tilting his head at her with a frown. "But why would my friends wanna get 'even with me', if that really was the case?"
"How would I know?" Lynn glared at him incredulously. "You're being paranoid; we got more problems to worry about."
She's right. A yawn threatened to slip out of him. "Like how to fall asleep…?"
"No. Something else." She sat up stiffly. "Last night, I heard something really off."
His eyebrow twitched and his head twisted to turn to her. "What?"
Staring at the wall with a scowl etched on her face was seemingly more interesting than Lincoln. "Luan and Luna, they were laughing their butts off at some sort of video. I would've been cool with it, 'cuz it ain't none of my beeswax. But… they mentioned me. And you. And also, the word and 'awkward' and 'trouble from mom and dad."
Huh?
His thoughts wandered back to a little while ago. On the day mom had sent them down to the living room. It wasn't a memory to remember, but that sensation of feeling an inch tall would forever be etched in his soul.
Maybe their hopes of finding the rat wouldn't go in vain after all. "Are you saying… Luan was the one who owned that clip mom had with us doing the deed?"
Lynn sucked her lower lip in and nodded slowly. "Probably."
His face unwrinkled a little. "Hey, for all we know, maybe it's something else, right?" Lincoln gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
It did very little to put Lynn's thoughts to rest.
She kept deathly silent, still looking like she was deviating a plot against the two, giving the wall a scrutinizing look as if right in front of them were Luna and Luan watching a certain video.
But they both knew well, that these ideas simply stayed as that. Just thoughts. A figment of her paranoia.
"C'mon, Lynn, don't be such a worrywart." Lincoln rested his arm on her shoulder. "I'm sure they're probably watching a different video, because to be honest, I don't think they'd be laughing if they saw that video."
Lynn slumped and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Maybe. Just maybe, you're right this once."
Their eyes met once she opened her eyelids. She looked at him with a determined flame yet to be extinguished in her eyes. "But tomorrow morning, I'll be taking care of some early business."
And from there, she gave him a pat on the back before getting up. Leaving the the room without another word. What exactly did she mean by early business?
"Nice tunes, Luna! Might as well just call yourself Loona-Tunes, geddit!" The sound of giggling echoed the room.
The two roommates were already up and about on this nice Saturday morning. Although still dressed in their sleepwear, Luna was already taking in her routinely jam session- strumming on her guitar while humming a random tune. And of course, the pun machine of this house was already activated and on. Anything that comes up is and will become a pun.
Luna rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Lu, isn't it a lil' too early to be doin' this?"
Luan gave her a deadpan look. "Says the girl who plays rock music at 3 in the morning!"
She scoffed. "Hey, in my defense, your jokes are too distracting for me to play in the day!"
Out of the blue, the door flew open and nearly out of its hinges, causing Luan to jump and Luna to nearly fall off from the double bed.
After a second of recovering, Luan smiled sardonically. "You know Lynn, knocking on the door is better than knocking it down. Geddit?"
"You!" Lynn ran up to her and yanked on her pajama collar with one hand. "Why did you rat on us to mom and dad?"
"What the heck are you on about?" Luan exclaimed, shoving Lynn away. "I didn't do anything!"
"Dramaaaa…." Luna said from the top bunk, earning a glare from both her younger siblings.
"Quit acting innocent, you wannabe!" Lynn said. "I know you're in this too!"
Unlike the collected, and moreover, confused Luan, Luna wasn't having any of this. "What are you even yappin' about, LJ?"
"Why did you give that video to mom and dad a few days ago?" Lynn demanded, hardly keeping a distance from them.
Lynn was given a tilt to the head of a dumbfounded Luan and a raised brow from Luna. "What video?"
The brunette smacked her face with a palm. "You know, the video that got me and Stinkin' in trouble? Cut the crap, I know you're the one who had that recording! I heard you laugh at it last night!"
Luna climbed down from the top bunk, sitting on Luan's bed. "Wait… you're talking about what video now?" She asked, quirking a brow. "Something about this feels all too familiar to me."
"I knew it!" Lynn snapped, glaring at Luan. "You got that video, do you?"
Suddenly, Luan's eyes snapped open and Luna's face contorted into shocked realization. They both gave each other a knowing glance and looked back at Lynn.
And she was tapping her foot on the ground, resting her hand on her hip. "Come on. I saw where you placed the camera. You can't lie to me."
"Uh, Lynn, what're you doing?" Lincoln popped his head in. "You just left without a trace earlier-"
When they both woke up this morning, Lincoln had gotten a small exchange with her right before she stormed off for no absolute reason. And uh… seeing her threaten to punch Luan with her working arm was not exactly what he expected to see.
"Linc, come here. I think we need to have a small sibling meeting." Luna said, gesturing with her hand to let him in.
He did so. "Uh, what's going on?"
"Okay, so LJ over here was wondering if Luan caught a video of you two that led to trouble." The rocker explained.
"I didn't do anything, I swear!" Luan defended, before pausing. "Nothing wrong, at least?"
Lincoln sat himself on Luna's beanbag chair. "Uhh… oh." So, this was the early business Lynn meant last night.
"Lynn, why are you even asking these two when we aren't even sure who the true culprit is! Don't you remember what we talked about last night?" He shook his head with a groan. "Heck, Luan said it herself! She doesn't know anything about it!"
"You, out of all people should know this, Lincoln! Come on, aren't you the junior David Steele?" She retorted condescendingly. "Luan's the only one with cameras everywhere! Just look at her, trying to play innocent!" Lynn narrowed her eyes to the scoffing teenager.
"Okay, I surrender!" Luan said with a raised hand, shaking her head shamefully. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that the film I had recorded would get you two in trouble…"
Two shocked gasps rang through the room. Lynn and Lincoln shot each other a look, knowing they both found their suspect fully guilty.
Things are running too fast. Lincoln thought. Way too quick for his liking.
Something's off here. He thinks. Admitting this fast over something so big? It's… it's too good to be true.
But nonetheless, it's already been said. While it should've been a happy celebration because Lynn's lucky guess turned out to be correct, their reactions were far from what should've been anticipated. And while it was true that what's done is done, Luan wasn't. Yet.
Though the comedian couldn't see it, the daggers Lynn shot towards her was strongly felt. She was beginning to walk closer to the older girl. "You didn't realize? Luan, are you kidding me right now!" She incredulously exclaimed. "What you showed mom and dad gave us the ear-lashing of our life!"
"Luan, how… how could you?" Lincoln's voice cracked under pressure, his tone expressing enough betrayal.
While all of it was happening, Luna had rushed and got off the bunk bed in a haste to grab something. Eventually they both found Luan looking to the side, as if trying to save herself from being accused for existing in the same room as the suspect.
"I'm sorry, okay? I just thought it was funny." The faint melody of a melancholic violin was heard at edge of their ears. "I never thought mom and dad would get that angry. I thought they scolded you because of an issue at school they worried about."
Lincoln hardened his glare at his older sister, regardless of the clear weight worn on her guilt-stricken face. Ignoring how Luna was literally setting the mood with her violin, as if music could lift up the boulder that were their souls right now. "So, you considered that showing a video to mom and dad with us, doing something that should never be known about, was funny?"
She shrugged with a nervous grin. "I… I mean, the twins thought it was downright ridiculous. I figured why not?"
As they were glass dropped off a table, something shattered inside them, and their worlds became torn apart. In a slow bout of time, Lynn leaned in closer in disbelief, while Lincoln's jaw dropped. "The twins…?"
Nobody had time to blink when Lynn headed forward and grabbed Luan by the collar, threatening to throw that same shaky, pale fist holding her in a vice-grip right at her face. "W-what did you say?" She whispered through exposed gritted teeth.
Not only did she give it to mom and dad, but to the twins? That's the final straw. Luan deserves to be the one sent to the shrink, not them!
"Woah, woah! LJ, calm the heck down!" The violin dropped and a hand pushed them apart, holding each of them by the neck. "What's so wrong about letting the twins know about that video Luan filmed? I saw it firsthand, and dang," She grinned widely. "It was one doozy of a stunt you two did."
Lynn was about to retort, before what Luna said sunk deep into her conscience. And before she knew it, Lynn was on and off her emotions. A tide of shame swept through her, and Lynn suddenly felt trapped in a box with an audience staring. A strong tingling burn raced to her cheeks, and only babbles would come out of her mouth.
On the other hand, she was this close to giving them both a taste of her knuckle sandwich.
Her eyes shifted their gaze to her only hope left before her fate will have everything land on her head- Lincoln: The Man with the Plan.
…Who didn't seem to have a plan?
Because like her, Lincoln was in a stupor. His face flushed, redder than her jersey.
Luna loosened her grip on both their necks until she fully let go. She and Luan both looked at each other for a second before entering a hysterical laughing fit. "You should've seen the look on both of your faces!" The rocker said in between laughs.
A snap was heard from Luan's phone as she shot a picture. "And to think you were about to punch me, twice." She smirked. "I knew it. Both of you are embarrassed. I mean, yeah. I wasn't planning to show that video I caught of both of you, landing awkwardly on the ground after Lincoln was too focused on his VR. But Luna pushed me to do it. It's mainly her fault."
The rocker nudged her with an elbow. "Shh! You want me to shove a guitar riff on your face?"
While they were seemingly stuck in a deep trance of epic bashfulness, those words told and actions done weren't left unnoticed by the two. Lynn and Lincoln suddenly escaped their little box of shame. Lincoln was the first to question it. "Hold on… what video are you talking about now?"
The two performers looked at him in disbelief. "So, you don't remember the time you jumped on the air screaming 'You'll never take me alive!' while playing a game in your game goggles before unintentionally crash-landing on Lynn in the hallway?"
It crushed on them like a plane spiraling downwards. "I never knew a tape was caught on that." Lincoln muttered.
Though it may have been a comparably awkward video to Lynn, it was a wave of relief that calmed Lynn's nerves down in an incredibly high degree. She sighed heavily and her once stiff shoulders dropped. "Oh. Thank goodness."
It was a moment of respite for both of them, at least for a few short seconds.
Upon realizing that their sisters were gazing at them with waiting looks, oh yeah… Lynn jumped into conclusions.
And messed up bad. Real bad.
It was only until one of the two of them spoke up that they knew they needed to reverse the effects they were wanting to come out. "Well? Those near punches to the face aren't just gonna explain themselves you know."
"Exactly, dudes. What riled you up so badly if it wasn't that other tape we just mentioned?"
Lincoln felt his throat constrict, and he mentally face palmed. Dang it, Lynn. How am I gonna explain this? "Uh... it's nothing. Never mind."
Trying to make a run for it, Lincoln yanked Lynn's arm and limped towards the door hurriedly. As fast as a person with crutches can, at least. Lincoln mentally thanked the Heavens that Lynn was complying with what he was doing, so that made bringing them both out easier.
"What're you doing?" Lynn whispered to him in a frustrated tone. "You know I can walk on my own, Stinkin'."
Lincoln ignored her. "We're just gonna go now… and pretend like this never happened." He faked a chuckle. "We have… uhm… uh… a school project! Yeah, we have a school project to do together that requires us to practice a play about attacking somebody! That's why we chose you, Luan!"
They stared at them skeptically. "You dudes ain't even in the same grades-"
Lynn nudged him on the hip. "I thought you finished all your projects already-"
He shushed Lynn and turned to his other sisters. "This is a new one… a one I never told Lynn about."
Luan narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. She looked super convinced. "Suuuure."
Lincoln quickly unlocked the door and dragged them both out. "Well, yeah. Laters!"
He shut the door to the faces of two skeptical and unimpressed older sisters and turned to throw daggers at Lynn. "What were you thinking!"
Lynn's face scrunched up in defense. "What? Better now than never!"
"Well, your 'early business' made them suspicious. How about that?"
Lynn rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Stinkin'." She dismissively waved her hand. "It's not like they're that interested to care."
"Yeah, but still!"
"Just drop it." Lynn said. "But come on! Maybe… maybe Lola has something onto us. She's not acting like herself lately- maybe she's feeling guilty for getting us in trouble!"
Lola, being connected to their trouble? She doesn't even know what that stuff is. Unless Lisa taught her…?
He shot her a deadpan look. "Really? Then why did you accuse Luan first then?"
Lynn was about to retort, but looked away with a nervous chuckle instead. "I dunno- force of habit, I guess?"
"Let's get things settled after breakfast." Lincoln said with a sigh. He didn't wanna do this. "We can't just interrogate without the energy…"
" I like the way ya think, bro!" Lynn remarked, advancing to the stairs. "Let's go! I gotta carbo load on dad's spaghetti before giving Miss Tattletale a piece o' my mind!"
Lincoln looked at her go down like she had not even a single care in the world. "I guess hunger can make people forget things." He says to himself. "Oh well. Here's another day of going downstairs with a broken leg."
And with that, he followed her trail. Quite slowly.
They always say breakfast at the Louds' would always be the loudest. Even amidst the ominous ambiance of last night's dinner, Lincoln had to say that he's impressed by how forgetful his sisters tended to be. The moment he came downstairs, the radiating energy felt like cold wind blowing on your sweaty face. Upon arriving to the dining room, all Lincoln could describe it was that it's absolutely full of life.
Right then and there, everything ran smoothly. Wrestling between things he needed to do today and the questions left on edge roaming rent free in his mind were making the everyday chaos he's usually invincible to an incredibly hard task to face.
And while he isn't a procrastinator, maybe all the plans he's made could be saved up for later. This family was way too loud for him to even hear his own thoughts anyways.
Lincoln freshened himself for the new day. With showers being an absolute madness when you have a broken leg and five other people outside are nearly clawing at the door out of impatience because they have their own fish to fry. He couldn't keep up with this every day.
Just one more month, Lincoln exhaled through his mouth as the water flows freely down his back. And this injury will be casted off like it's nothing.
At the back of his mind, Luan's trademark laugh was echoing. Lincoln giggled at the realization of what he thought. No pun intended…
And now, after the slowest shower in history, he was here in his room- his crutches laying by the side of the wall, as he stood on his one leg and struggling to put his blue shorts on. Mom and dad had discarded all his jeans for the meantime- and by that, they basically hid it in the attic- because wearing pants with a broken leg is just like wearing a spaghetti top when you're obese.
Nothing against them, of course. Lincoln wasn't one for fat-shaming. But that wasn't even the main point.
"Elder brother,"
Lincoln yelped and hastily lifted his shorts up, and as a result, became a tangle between limbs and clothes as he landed butt-first on his bed- thankfully, with his shorts worn around his waist already. Knocking wasn't a vocabulary that made its way into the Loud house. "Oh, hey Lisa. What's up?"
Like him, Lisa wasn't clad in her pajamas anymore. Rather, her casual outfit. "Greetings, elder brother. Would you mind following me to my lab?"
Lincoln tilted his head at her with puzzled look. "Why? Are you gonna hijack me into removing my kidney again?"
She chuckled, shaking her head. "Somewhat much tamer, elder brother. All I ask for is a simple remedial task- A psychological evaluation on you as our birth-givers have requested."
"Mom and dad asked you to do this?" Lisa nodded.
This was inevitable, knowing what transpired. Lincoln thought as he grabbed his crutches nearby. But wow, mom and dad were probably that desperate to lock out the money in their pockets and give this job to a five-year-old instead of a true professional.
Then again, they couldn't be blamed. Lisa's free of charge, and much smarter than Einstein ever was.
Without any more words exchanged, Lincoln followed Lisa to her "lab"- or in reality, it's just a bedroom. Lisa idealized the idea of owning an actual Science lab one day, if only there were so much more 5-year-olds could do without parental supervision. They'd let her live out the dream by calling it a lab over a room for now.
Lincoln opened the door for her short baby sister and peered in, surprised to see another familiar face.
"Lynn?"
She pulled her eyes away from her phone and shot them both a small smile. "Took you chumps long enough."
Lisa cleared her throat, gaining both their attentions. "So, as I have explained earlier, our parental units have assigned me to evaluate both of you regarding the incidents that had occurred on that very day when both your lives took a turn like a domino effect."
She gestured Lincoln to sit beside Lynn, and so he did. "What're we supposed to do then?" He asked with a hesitant, yet knowing tone.
"Simple," Lisa said. "Answer all my questions with outright honesty no matter the circumstances. Understood?"
Lynn and Lincoln exchanged glances with uncertainty, before facing Lisa with a nod. "Great. First of all, what exactly happened on this fateful day?" She pulled out a notepad. "Tell me the whole sequence, from start to finish."
"You mean, two days ago when everything started?" Lynn cocked a brow.
Lisa sat up on a chair. "Well, duh. How else did this story start?"
Lincoln choked on his words. Thankfully, Lynn's got him covered. "Before I say it, I've been meaning to ask you, Lis, you have camera in my room, right?"
"Now elder sister, asking questions back doesn't classify as a proper answer. I'll answer your questions later. I can't help both of you without knowing what's come to pass." Lisa's tone dripped with desperation laced with irritation. "The sooner we get this done, the quicker we finish."
Lynn had qualms to agreeing, but eventually crossed her arms and leaned back on the wall as she huffed. "Fine."
From there, Lincoln simply listened as Lynn took the stage and briefly explained her side of the story. The same old flow, the same old characters and the same, repetitive scenes mentioned like the day she had the story squeezed out of her for mom and dad. "Long story short, me and Linc hid in a locker, skipped school and did something and now some jerks are on the run to murder us; and we landed in the E.R. Is that what you wanted?"
Lynn was fidgeting, most probably out of boredom, and Lisa was the first to notice. She stared at Lynn with a deadpan look, unconvinced at the summary she had told. "What? I ain't sugarcoating anything, pinky swear!" Lynn raised her hands defensively. "You're too smart to be outsmarted anyways."
"Aw, how flattering." Lisa smiled. "Elder brother, you might have anything to add?"
"No…" Lincoln mumbled. "Nope. Not at all. That pretty much sums up what happened."
Deep inside, there were way too many things to explain. More than the toes Lisa had, were secrets nobody really had to know.
"Before I proceed to any other question, what exactly is this 'something' you mentioned?" Lincoln clenched the bed sheets as his blood ran cold. And there it was. Dang it, Lynn. First, Luna and Luan, now Lisa?
Lynn nudged him on the elbow, and he shot her a glare. Her eyes gave him an ear load of pestering; and her facial expressions were saying it all: It was his turn to explain.
"Something tells me this may be the key to solving the problem." Lisa hummed in a hunch. "This might be why mom and dad were truly desperate to give me a raise in my allowance."
Some things, Lincoln learned, are better left unsaid. Unfortunately, all had been said and done. Lisa won't fall over some dumb trap of an excuse and everybody knows that.
Lincoln bit his lip, trying to shift the gears in his mind to think of what to say. Anything. "Okay, okay. I'll say, but in one condition: Answer this." He didn't even wait for a response. "Are you sure you're not the one who ratted on us to mom and dad? You're the only other Loud with cameras all over the place aside from Luan. Don't you know what happened by now?"
"What're you talking about? While the part with the cameras is undeniable true, I do not in any way possess any blackmail worthy clip to make you accuse me for it." There was a weak attempt in trying to hide the impatience in her tone, but Lisa failed miserably.
They always say emotions are contagious, but they never included irritation. Lynn growled and stood up on her feet. "You're lying! If it's not you, nor is it Luan it, then who owned that recording then?"
"What on Earth's blue water are you nitwits speaking of?" Lisa scowled and slammed her notepad down. "I will speak of the truth and only the truth: When I came home that day both of you earned an ear lashing from our parents, all the stored data my computer automatically syncs on that specific day vanished! Somebody must've tampered with, and probably deleted my files."
Lynn glowered with disbelief. "You're joking-"
"Lisa's seriously right." A new voice entered the room.
They all turned around, and it was Leni.
"I saw it happen. Also, like, mom told me before me and Luna fetched Lynn and Lincoln" She waved her hand dismissively. "Mom badly needed to go after we all went home from school. When she like, came out of the bathroom, Lisa's door was open and she found some video- I dunno what it was because mom wouldn't tell me, but it's the reason why dad fainted, and mom was like, so mad."
All three of the occupants in the room blinked; firm realization washing over them like wet cement.
Lisa was first to break the silence. "Why, thank you for that, Leni. That's really useful information coming from you."
"You don't have a clue of what mom and dad saw, do you?" Lincoln's voice trailed away with apprehension. As if he lost the energy to even continue the question.
"Nope!" She bubbly cheered. "Mom said we're not supposed to know.", Leni said before leaving.
Lynn sighed in relief as she sat back on the bed as Lincoln slouched with a smile.
But their moment of relief didn't last long. "Ehem,"
They both turned to Lisa who went to shut the door before she tapped her foot.
Lincoln coughed. "Why do you wanna help us so badly?" He fiddled with the cloth of his polo shirt. "You know you don't need to do this, right?"
"Stop dodging what you can't conceal forever, Lincoln." Lisa lisped. "Get to the point."
"But he does have an idea though," Lynn said with a nod. "Why are you so desperate to pry this off? Are you gonna use it for your weird Science experiments?"
"I already said this before: Mother and father asked me to do this." Lisa whined. "Enough with the questions already! What are you two hiding that you can't tell me?"
It was too early to say it. Not that there ever is a time to let it out anyway.
The tension in the air was left out in the open. None of the two siblings carrying the willpower to admit the secret.
But they didn't have all day! "You're uh… a little too young for this." Lincoln started, "Um… yeah."
Lynn simply fidgeted, to the chagrin of Lisa.
"This discussion is leading us to nowhere." She smacked a palm on her forehead. "You two, dismissed."
She pointed to the door like a school teacher to rebellious students. Lynn and Lincoln promptly got up and left the room.
"Well… that was short." Lincoln said.
Lynn smiled. "Yeah. Phew! We got off the hook this time!" She screamed while punching the air.
They walked to the corridor as Lynn went ahead. Getting used to crutches was never gonna be easy. "Don't get too excited, Lynn. We still have some… other sisters on our tails!"
Spinning on her heel, Lynn turned to Lincoln with a confident smirk. "Like I said, Linc, they're not that nosy."
After darting his gaze to Luan's and Luna's room to find nobody eavesdropping, he scoffed. "We don't know tha-"
Something vibrated on his pocket. His phone.
Lynn had already vanished at this point in time, to who knows where. Lincoln depended on one leg as he leaned into the crutches. Who would message him around this time?
Oh, what a coincidence. It's Clyde.
"Hey, buddy! I heard you were in the hospital yesterday! I haven't heard from you since. Hope you're okay!"
A smile graced his face. Oh yeah, he never told.
His phone vibrated again, and this time he instantly saw the new message.
Rusty.
"Yo, Linc, my man, care to explain what this article is?"
As fast as the smile appeared on his face, was a quickly as it fell.
What did he mean? This article was the exact one he read earlier! Why was he acting like he wasn't involved in it?
Lincoln shoved the phone in his pocket and got a hold of his crutches before rushing into his room. There were a lot of plans he had in mind, and this was definitely the right time to execute them.
2:57 PM Saturday
Was what his phone read. Drumming his fingers against the smooth table of Gus' Games and Grub, Lincoln counted down the time until Stella, Rusty, Zach, Liam, and most of all Clyde would arrive.
Meeting up with the gang was a casual, near-everyday thing for the boy. But today, his nerves wouldn't dare calm down. Sweat wouldn't stop falling from his forehead, and his foot wouldn't stop tapping on the ground. It's been so long since he's truly had a proper conversation with them, and there was no telling where to begin. Like the all too familiar feeling of having a conference with your teacher over a problem on your grades. Thankfully, all this time of waiting wouldn't be killed by boredom, as Lincoln repeated a list of things he had in mind to talk about.
New people kept entering the arcade as Lincoln continued to eye on the glass doors. They're gonna be here any minute now. 3 PM sharp, was their ideal meetup time. And today, he wanted to be extra early. The money's on him, that's why.
At 3:02 PM, the familiar faces of five people walked upon the doors of Gus' Games and Grub. Lincoln's head whipped up and a big grin spread on his face. "Hey guys!"
"Lincoln!" They yelled in a chorus, running to their usual table.
The five of them sat on the long chair across Lincoln, when another familiar man happened to walk in the scene. "Hey, gang! Haven't seen you comin' here in a long time now."
"Oh, hey Mr. Gus!" Lincoln beamed. "Yeah, we've been really busy lately. I think today's when we get the day off."
"Best way to spend a sunny Saturday, I'm sure." The bearded man nodded. "Up for the usual?"
Yep. There's nothing he'd want more than something usual in this unusual life. "You know it!"
When Gus went out to leave, Lincoln and the gang resumed on their talking.
"So, Lincoln," Stella started. "Where were you these past few days? We hardly saw you ever since last week when you ran off after reminding you of our news team meetup."
"And look at you, pal!" Liam exclaimed as his eyes were plastered on his casted leg. "Only a few days tops, and you went from acting like you got the Hebei jibes, to this!"
Lincoln shook his head dismissively. "Guys, guys, don't worry about me. It's actually a really long story." His hand went up to reach the smartphone right by his side and turned it on. "I don't really have that much time either. But I've been meaning to ask you all something."
They all stared at him with questioning eyes. Lincoln didn't hesitate to open the unspoken article and turn his phone to their direction as it rested on the empty table. "I know, Rusty asked me about this already. But I was wondering if one of you has any idea what this is."
Clyde eyed it with a frozen glance, as if he was mentally deconstructing whatever had bee laid in front of him. The screen started to move until the article was coming to an end as Zach scrolled through. "What is this?" Liam muttered.
"The Source'? Sounds like some cringe website for outdated Hollywood Goss." Stella added.
Should he be mad… or confused? Or both? "Check out the very bottom of the page; You guys have some explaining to do."
And so, they did, but their reactions were anything but anticipated.
"This is bogus!" Rusty slammed the table. "We never even wrote this! I even sent it to you wondering what it was!"
Lincoln shot him with a cocked brow. Not long after, Zach took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. "That was definitely not what I wanted to see on a Saturday afternoon…"
His lips parted and his eyebrows were heavy above his eyes. Why were they acting innocent?
The real question is, are they even guilty?
"I side with Rusty. We never even thought of making a newspaper!" Stella said. "For what it's worth, at least it's not all over the school, right?"
As if the past few days weren't hard enough for him. That did little to make him feel better. "Lincoln, Doctor Lopez always says that you need to speak up if you want people to help you…" Clyde said. "What's wrong, buddy?"
Lincoln chewed on his lower lip. His body skipping over his rationale before his mind could even process everything. "I wanna know who did it." He said. "If you guys didn't do it, then who did?"
Rusty and Zach exchanged looks. There, Stella started fiddling with her fingers, and Clyde was averting his eyes from meeting his. "Uh… we don't know."
"We asked you about it, how's that for proof?" Rusty gave a side shrug.
They knew something. His gang wasn't never good at hiding secrets. "Okay, fine. I believe you guys." Lincoln took a whiff of breath. "But whatever is going on here, I'm gonna have to find out eventually."
It's as if the walls closed in on their table. It was a noticeably tighter to move. None of them stared straight at him in the eye. Their slow nods seemed nothing more but a small alibi. They knew something.
Yet there was a light in every tunnel. Something broke their silence. "Ooh, rough night?" Gus came back, with a giant tray in hand.
"Nothing to worry about, Gus." Clyde shot him a stretched grin.
The man gave a small nod and a pout of dissatisfaction, but nonetheless said nothing else. "If you say so, kiddos. Have fun with the food!"
Pizza: Everyone's favorite meal. It was like that with every kid around America. The whole group looked at that so beloved food coated with thick cheddar with pepperoni dazzled at the top. As fast at the loud silence came in, the quicker it was out. Everyone had their slice, and chewed on it with filling delight. Lincoln had never thought that pizza would be his candle in the dark right now. Heck, sometimes eating didn't even become a priority anymore. Not when something else was eating him up. Eating this now made sense as to why some depressed people turn obese.
It was the one peacemaker, and silence breaker in their group. As they all chewed their slice, a new topic had begun. "Hey, Linc, wanna hang out a little more? School's out for the weekend. We're all free." Clyde quipped.
Tempting offer. "I guess I can… but my leg's broken. What would we even do?"
Zach raised his hand speedily. "Ooh! Ooh! We can go to my house and hunt aliens!"
The rest of them gave him hesitant looks. "Zach, you do remember what happened last time we invited the whole school for that alien-party."
"Come on! It'll be fun! I found a new theory that might possibly prove they do exist!"
Rusty snorted. "In your dreams, Zach."
Stella tapped the table, before beaming. "We can go to my house!" But her face turned 180 just as quickly. "Never mind. My parents might say no."
"And you guys can't go to mine because the last time, our siblings all had a 'battle of the friends." They all shuddered at the memory.
"We can go to mine. I'm sure dad and dad wouldn't mind, so would Cleo and Nepurrtiti," Clyde grinned. "Say, Lincoln, why exactly did your leg snap?'
"Um," How does he start this? "It's a long story."
"Tell us!" Rusty took a bite out of the chewy delicacy. "We have time."
Would he dare tamper with what's left of his credibility and fabricate the whole story once more, or should be tell them the whole truth instead?
Gulp. This meeting was a bad idea. He should've just opted to text or video call. That way, they would've never seen the symbol of his karma.
Unpleasant surprises. That's what this day was full of.
First, there was the news article, which turned out to be counterfeit and not written by any of the suspects. Lisa, and Leni, along with the revelation that the former is not guilty of what she's been accused for this time. Then there was Luna and Luan, with newfound suspicions after Lynn's play on them.
And finally, Lincoln didn't wish to be Ace Savvy for once. The agony of wanting to be a guy who didn't have to walk around and lie to everyone to hide his wretched wrongdoings was beyond all cravings he's ever had. Yet again, with every new question that sprouts, another alibi comes out his mouth. Clyde and the rest of them were being nosy, but they couldn't be blamed. But what else could he do but cover up the broken mirror of his dignity with a pretty curtain?
They had no clue what Lincoln had truly gone through. The topic with those drop-out students at school and him, alongside Lynn getting beaten up was truth. And another question about Lynn and what she knew about Dylan was too. But the rest- from when he started avoiding them, to where it's at now- remains unknown.
There was no time to think of another lie; all they know is "I don't wanna talk about it."
And at last, he was finally home. Thanks to a car ride from Clyde's dads. He didn't have the strength to walk back home the way he did going to Gus'. Especially with only one working leg and 2 crutches that needed your arms. It's more than enough his mentally drained body can use.
Lincoln walked up to the bed and gave up, dropping himself on it with a heavy groan. There was no way out of the consequences. And these times, it felt like there was only room for grief, and despair.
With a heavy head, there was no bother to even get the nearest pillow to rest it on.
Something popped in his mind. And it seemed like a light had shone upon him. Oh yeah.
Only a little bit left of his energy was wasted on shoving his hand deep into his jeans' pocket, grabbing a familiar, tiny, yellow bottle.
Painkillers.
Doctor Williams had given him a prescription right before he had been discharged from the hospital. Mom and dad were too busy with their own lives, but made time to go to the local pharmacy and buy him the meds. It's only been a day since. There was still some left in his pocket.
They said it would work to help the leg pain. So, would it work on the aching eating him inside too?
But first, to open the lid. "Come on, you darn cover-"
"Lincoln?"
The bottle flew right out of his hands as he sat up with force and bouts of adrenaline running through him. "Lucy! You scared me! What did I tell you about sneaking up on us?"
"I didn't. You were the one occupied… with whatever that is." She looked at the still tightly shut bottle on the ground.
She wouldn't know what it is. Lincoln breathed out his frustration. "So, what do you want?"
Lucy shut the door behind her, and locked it. The room started to feel heavy. Tension was tied to a thin string. "There's something important I need to tell you."
"Shoot for the stars, Luce." Lincoln tapped the vacant spot beside him.
She sat right down. "This isn't easy for me to say… but…"
Lucy bounced her knee, and rubbed her arms like she was a little kid craving for warmth.
She may have been nine, and as fragile as a withering flower, but seeing her like this is a rare sight. "Yeah?"
Always the girl who hated the warm touch of another being. Lincoln backed away when she softly recoiled her hand once he offered to grasp it on his own for comfort. "Mom and dad. They're planning on having a divorce."
His whole world had turned black. Lincoln recoiled like what she said was a punch by a glove.
Lucy nodded in confirmation. "I heard them in the bathroom. Through the vents." She looked at him and there was a glimmer that slipped through the curtains of her eyes. "They… they mentioned you."
A gasp was knocked out of him. Lucy began to tremble. "Dad tried convincing mom not to consider… but she's staying firm with the decision." Her breaths began to shallow. "Nobody else knows."
Not even did his eyelids were given attention to blink. Divorce. Mom and dad. Him.
His worst nightmare was coming true.
"Lucy..." She turned to him. "What else did you hear?"
"Nothing more." Her normally stoic, cold voice was full of bumps and cracks. Only two words, yet spoken with more emotion than what could be described.
Frozen were his eyes on the carpet. It's only days before Halloween. Wasn't this a mere little fright?
"I'm scared, Lincoln…" Her voice trailed away like cold wind. Lucy formed into a ball and hugged herself tight. "I don't wanna lose this family… as much as I hate how annoying we can all be. I don't wanna lose either of our parents…" She buried her head deep into her knees. "I don't wanna lose you."
It was like a blast of cold water waking him up early in the morning, when seeing Lucy in such a state. It's like a fist plunged straight into his chest and squeezed the life out of his heart. This time, the priorities had to be set straight. No more time for self- pity.
Only a single action exchanged a million words. Another pair of arms wrapped around her petite figure. "You won't."
Something bubbled under the surface, only now was it threatening to come out. Underneath that stoic wall, was a fragile little girl hiding.
"How would you know?" Her voice was quick, yet shuddering in between. The little squeak in her sentence made it too clear that she's more than scared.
Lincoln hugged her shaking body tight, stroking her hair in a way he would when the twins would come to him about their nightmares. Now that was a question he couldn't answer.
But if I meant living happily in a lie for a little while, then so be it. "I just do."
And there it was. The last surprise of the day: Mom and dad's divorce.
Who else knew? Lincoln had no clue.
Dinner with that knowledge in mind just hit differently. Not to mention how it was written as clear as day on their parents' faces.
The whole table was quiet, like last night. Every turn he looked was of a face of a sister who looked anything but glad. Had they known too that mom and dad were… gonna do it? Or maybe it was because of the thickness in the air that made no room for smiling?
Not even Lily, who was the master of all things innocent and pure, babbled happily or wore an upward twitch on her face. As if the baby understood what was going on.
This new Loud house ambiance had offered Lincoln to explore his thoughts as he forked around with his meatball. Saying it's a shock would be undermining it. It's beyond all the forms of retaliation life has struck him with in the present.
As silly as it sounds, dad was right that one time. Cooking is a form of art, and whatever you're feeling does tend to affect whatever you're making. Taking a bite out of the meatball dad had cooked for all of them, it wasn't the same. There wasn't a tangy flavor that would sting his taste buds in a way of delight. Lincoln was in no forms, a cook at all. There was no telling what could be missing. Salt? Chili powder? Garlic?
Maybe it was the affection and effort that was lacking. Dad had eye bags heavier than the weight on his shoulders. Who knows for sure?
Whatever it was, the reason why is already ingrained in his mind.
And judging by the stares from his other sisters towards mom and dad, there was a nagging feeling that they knew too.
BEYOND TWO SIBLINGS
Chapter 15: Victims of Lust Preview
"Lincoln." As he reached the first stair, a heavy hand rested on his shoulder.
"What is it, Lynn?"
Her dark eyes say it all. "I need to talk to you." She hovered closer to his ear and whispered: "Meet me in the living room, 30 past twelve. Make sure everyone's asleep."
Lincoln nodded without another word. It was hopeless to attempt to even sleep anyways. Might as well spend it wisely.
Author's Note:
This chapter... I don't know what reaction it knocked out of you- be it sadness, disappointment, or nothing at all. But when I wrote this, I'm not saying it applies to everyone else, it made me shift uncomfortably as I typed it in. Specifically talking about the scene with Lucy and the most unpleasant surprise of this chapter. This was... intense for me. How about you? What do you think?
I've read personal messages from all of you related to this story and the reviews too. And wow! We reached a hundred favs and followers already! Thank you so much for the enthusiasm and love you've given to this. Seriously. Nothing pushes me harder to continue despite the long gaps of no releases, aside from how I myself wants to see how this story continues and ends. Everyone of you rock.
Tune in next time for chapter 15! Half-way done; almost ready to publish in no time. In the meantime, feel free to theorize whatever is gonna blow up in the next chapter based on this little preview I added. I hope all of you like this additional touch I added in for the new year. See you again next time! And remember to leave this story a review or a favorite if you enjoyed! xoxo