I'm sorry there was no upload last week. My life has been hectic recently and I didn't have much time to write anything.
"Lori, what is going on?" Lincoln asked. He was ignored by the eleven voices competing over one another. "EVERYONE!" The mood died down, letting him get the word. "What happened? Why is Winter like that?" Lincoln asked worriedly.
"Lucy, take the twins inside." Lori ordered.
"B-" Lana tried, but her grandfather cut in.
"Sorry sweetie, but you will have to go inside." He said, much more calmly than Lori. By how she looked, he could deduce what happened, and it made him ashamed to have a daughter.
"Okay..." Lana said angrily. "Oh, before I forget, again. Lincoln, you left your present in the garage."
"Oh..." Lincoln awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.
"Don't sweat it, bro, I forgot too." Lana said, entering inside with Lola, Lucy, and Lynn.
"Well..." Lori looked to make sure they weren't being spied on from inside. "Lynn and Rita knew you were switched."
"What?!" Everyone asked.
"They knew?! How?" Walter asked furiously.
"They did it..." Lori said.
Walter immodestly turned to go to his car.
"Save your breath." Albert said. "They already have a life with no parole, you will just be wasting time."
Walter knew the man was right, but it didn't make what his daughter did any less wrong.
"So they..." Lincoln said. Did they steal him? Was it planned?
"I don't know why or how they did it, I had to go and make sure Winter was okay." Lori said.
Sophia nodded. Seeing that her husband wasn't so calm, she decided it would be best to cut their visit short. "Thank you for taking care of our daughter, we hope she didn't cause you any trouble."
"Don't worry, Winter was an angel. Seriously, she is better behaved than any of us." Lori said. "If she wants to hang out with us again, you have my number."
"Okay." Sophia said. "Walter, let's go."
"Wait, can I just go to the garage, it will take just a minute?" Lincoln asked.
"You can go without him; he will make it on time!" Lana yelled while opening the garage door. Since Lana didn't want anyone to spoil her surprise, she didn't let anyone see what she was working on. "Since you will be a city boy now, I thought you would need something more compact."
"Wow!" Lincoln said. He was amazed. First, it was because of how big the garage was when it wasn't cluttered. But he soon noticed that a scooter was parked in the middle. It was black with flames on the board. From the looks of it, it was both electric and foldable. If we judged it properly, it could fit into a backpack, or at least comfortably into a locker.
"I wanted to do a bike, but that isn't practical for those underground trains you have there. However, this baby will fit into your bag. Look." Lana folded the scooter like it was a Transformer into a small box. "It goes twenty an hour, so drive responsibly, and thanks to Lisa, you will have to charge it only once a week."
"Thanks, Lans." Lincoln said, taking his folded vehicle. With a simple swing, it unfolded and was ready for use.
"Well, Lincoln, how would you like to test it out on the ride back to the McBrides." Walter suggested. "We need to talk to Winer, and I think it would be better if we did it alone."
"Okay..." Lincoln said. He wanted to help but knew it was best if he stayed out for now. He barely knew her, so it would be a bit awkward if he tried to console her. Lincoln saw he had forgotten to bring his helmet to Clydes, so he put it on before heading off with a goodbye to his sisters. The Whites followed soon after him.
Winter sat in the car, waiting to go home. This day couldn't get worse if a bus hit her.
Her sisters are psychopaths who want her too much and her real parents are monsters who don't want her at all. And why? Because Lincoln is a boy? Why is that so important? Having a girl never bothered her parents. At least she thinks. Was she just blind? Once Lincoln gets better acquainted with them, her parents won't want her anymore. First, they will send her to the Louds on weekends, then for holidays and summer breaks, and then they will move her to Royal Woods. They have their son now, why would they want a daughter of some monsters who stole their child?
The white-haired girl came back to reality when the Whites entered the car.
"Sweetie, are you okay?" Sophia asked. Looking at her daughter, she could tell she just cried and was on the verge of tears once more.
Winter whipped her eyes. "Y-Yeah... Can we go home now?"
"Of course." Walter turned on the car. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"
"No." What's there to talk about? How she is unwanted by her real family? How she is unwanted by this family? How they will kick her out? She is unwanted, there is nothing to talk about.
"Winny, you can tell what happened, we just want to help you." Sophia looked at her daughter, but the girl didn't look back.
Her gaze was lost on the passing houses. A part of her wondered how it would have been to grow up in a place like this, with a family like the Louds. Would they have treated her like Lincoln, would they have loved her more than him, or would they just have abandoned her at birth? That would have been best for everyone. The Whites get the son they deserve, the Louds get nothing, and she gets to be left alone, preferably somewhere she can't disappoint anyone.
Lincoln arrived at the McBrides's before the Whites. Lana was not kidding; the scooter is fast. It's a bit dorky, but that suited him just fine; a drop of water is never noticed in an ocean.
While waiting for them to return, Lincoln told Clyde about his day.
"Are you sure you don't want to visit Dr. Lopez?" Clyde asked once more, just to be sure.
"Clyde, I'm fine." Lincoln reassured him. "And it all worked out in the end."
"Are you nervous about moving and all that?" Clyde asked.
"A bit, but I'll be fine." Lincoln said confidently.
The boys heard Whites' car pull in the driveway. The family left the car, none looking too joyous. Winter was the last to get out, and after seeing her, Lincoln thought she made their parents look happy. After a knock on the door, Lincoln answered.
"Sorry, we left you Lincoln. If it isn't a problem, we would like to get going as soon as possible." Walter said solemnly.
"Or course." Lincoln would have wanted to stay longer. For a few more hours or a day, but he could see Winter. While she did look like she didn't care where she was, here was probably the last place she wanted to be. "I'll get my things."
"Do you want help?" Walter asked.
"I could use a hand." Lincoln led his father upstairs.
Sophia and Winter went into the house. The McBriges quickly asked about Winter, but Sophia took them off to the side to explain what happened, leaving Winter alone with Clyde and Lily. Winter ignored both and sat down on the couch, content with waiting for her father and Lincoln to pack up so they could leave.
"Hi, I'm Clyde." He enthusiastically reached his hand out, but Winter barely acknowledged him. Clyde might not have the A-grade social skills, but he could see she didn't want company.
Someone who had worse skills than Clyde and three feet less was Lilly. She climbed on the couch, sat by Winter, and hugged her. "Poo-poo." Lily said caringly.
Winter looked down at the baby, wondering if she needed to be changed. "I'm not Lincoln." Winter stated before picking her up and putting her on the floor.
However, Lily persisted. She climbed the bed again and sat in the same position, hugging Winter in the same way. "Poo-poo."
Winter got frustrated. Who else was going to confuse them? What, is he going to go with them and suddenly everyone will think she's him? Lily was a baby, so she couldn't be too angry. Just look at that face, she is so adorable! It is like she is trying to cheer her up. With a small sniff, Winter came to a quick conclusion. Lily didn't want her to change her diaper, she was actually trying to console her.
The white-haired girl sat Lily on her lap and patted her head. She expected the Louds to only be rowdier as they got younger, but it seemed her family was one of many surprises. Apart from Lori, they all acted worse than Lily. Was it something about them being together? When she saw Lucy alone, she acted normal. However, in the house, with her sisters, Lucy was just as troublesome as the rest. Though, that was before she knew they were sisters.
"Incon better?" Lily asked.
"No Lily, that's Winter." Clyde said.
Lily looked at the girl for a moment before smiling. "Wintew!" She clapped her hands before pointing at Lincoln and Walter carrying some bags. "Incon?"
"Yes, that's Lincoln." Winter said, a small smile flashing across her face.
"Wintew bettew?" Lilly asked.
"I'm better, thank you." Winter said.
Lily got out of her lap and went to a pile of toys in the corner of the room. She picked out a mechanical fox and brought it over. Pressing a button, Lily turned the toy and started dancing along to the tune. After a while, she stopped and to Winter's hand, trying to get her to get up.
Winter followed her sister's wishes and got on her feet. She did a little dance, pleasing Lily who went back to doing her own thing.
"I'll pack those into the car." Walter took a box from Lincoln. "You can go and say goodbye to your friend and the McBrides."
Noticing him coming over, Lily ran over, took his hand, and brought him to the toy. "Dance."
With more enthusiasm than Winter, Lincoln danced for a while before Lily lost interest and moved on to the next toy. Once Lily let him go, Lincoln sat with Clyde and the two started saying their goodbyes. Winter, however, came over to Lily and joined her.
Walter returned to the house. "Are you two ready to go?"
Winter looked between Lily and her father. "Can we stay a bit longer?"
"Of course, sweetie." Sophia said.
"You can stay for Lunch." Howard suggested.
"We don't want to bother you." said Walter.
"Nonsense, you're practically family." Harold chipped in.
After having lunch and saying their goodbyes, the Whites departed for the city. Winter and Lincoln slept through most of the trip. The girl didn't take long to drift off, but Lincoln waited, using the final moments to take one last look at the town. Twelve years sounds like a lot, but it passed in a blip. The good and the bad, the happy and the sad, it all looked so distant now and he wasn't a mile away.
What awaited him in his new home? A new school, new friends, new enemies, a new chance. He can try to be someone different now. In Great Lake City, there are no expectations of what Lincoln Loud-White should be. Indeed, the city is a place for him to start over, to reinvent himself. He can throw off the worst part of him and start anew. He will miss Royal Woods though. For all its faults and scars, it will always be his home. With that thought, Lincoln let the sandman take him, if even for a little while.
