After Walter and Sophia dropped them off, Lincoln and Winter entered the building and went to their floor. At the door, Winter stopped to look for her key.

She looked through her pockets and backpack before groaning.

"What's wrong?" Lincoln was hesitant to ask her. They hadn't spoken since she caught him yesterday. That one was on him. He forgot about his sisters, like always, and his plan went awry. One chapter, just one, that's how much he was going to read before getting dressed and doing something else. But one turned into two, two into three, and you know the rest. Darn pants with their darn tightness.

"I forgot my key." Winter said.

"Just a second." Lincoln said. He searched through his pocket for the key before Winter interrupted him.

"I've got it." she motioned him to stop before raising the doormat. Taking the spare key, she entered inside. Lincoln followed her before she locked the door.

Both children went into their rooms. Lincoln took the books out of his backpack before checking his phone. Ronnie Anne got them the dogs to walk. He had underestimated how many people needed their dog's walked, as Ronnie told him she found ten. That shouldn't be that hard though. Between the three of them, ten would be manageable. Now they only needed to meet up. Ronnie said it would be at his place since it was the closest to the first customer, leaving him to sit and wait for the call.

Fortunately, it didn't take long. Ronnie called and came over shortly after. After exchanging pleasantries, the trio left.

Winter exited her room as they were leaving. Seeing the key still in the lock, she checked the door and... Yep, he forgot to lock it. Paying no mind to it, she did so herself and went to the bathroom.


"And... that was the last one!" Ronnie said proudly.

"Good." Lincoln said, tied up by the dog leashes. He looked back through his memory, just to check she didn't say fifteen instead of ten. In theory, it was only five more dogs. In practice, it was five dogs per walker, and he couldn't tell which of the hounds was worse. Big and strong, small and bite-y, fast and erratic, there wasn't a lesser evil, just a different flavor of it. To make things worse, Sid had to bail at the last minute.

"Let's get going then. The sooner we're done with this, the sooner we can get you that skateboard." Ronnie said before taking seven of the dogs.

"Yeah..." Lincoln saw Ronnie was a bit picky with the dogs she took, leaving the worst to him. One of the dogs was so big he could ride it like the ponies it eats for breakfast. Regardless, the two embarked on their journey.

Not having delved into the plan deeper than: "find dogs, walk them, get money", Lincoln followed Ronnie, trusting her experience in the city to guide them.

Except for having to pull his leashes to prevent the K9s from running away, there wasn't much to the job. The animals mostly walked themselves. He could see himself doing this, though with less dogs.

"The park could be a good place to start. We let the dogs tire themselves out a bit, which should make them more manageable." Ronnie said.

Lincoln nodded. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Ah... sure?" Ronnie slowed down her pace.

"You knew Winter before, right?" Lincoln said.

"Not that much. I saw her on the way to school at times." Ronnie said. "I thought she just looked similar because she had white hair, but I assumed she died it. It wasn't until I saw the two of you together that I realized that, no, it wasn't me. You two really look similar."

"I didn't believe it either. It is crazy how similar we look." Lincoln said before shaking his head. "But that wasn't what I meant. What was she like?"

"I don't know. She is very quiet and, for someone with white hair, she is really good at hiding. Seriously, I don't think I saw her more than four times at school, and three of those were with you." Ronnie said. "I know she hangs out with some other girl, Spring or something, but other than that..."

"So, she's like Lucy?" Lincoln asked.

"Pretty much." Ronnie said. "Why are you asking? Is something wrong?"

"She is... awfully quiet. Like Lucy levels of quiet but squared." he said. "I don't know if she hates me or is just shy. Also, there was a bit of an incident yesterday."

"She caught you in your underwear, didn't she?" Ronnie smirked.

"Y- wait, how did you know? How do you even know about that?!" Lincoln asked.

"You sisters aren't so shy about it, especially Luan. I think you can guess what she said." Ronnie rolled her eyes.

Lincoln groaned imagining what Luan might say. "Yeah, I guessed as much. But it's not that big of a deal, right? Her walking in on it. I walked in on my sisters before. It would be a bit awkward at the moment, but everyone would forget about it in a minute. Surely you walked in on Bobby, you two don't stop talking for a day because of it."

"I walked in on a lot more." Ronnie said with disgust. "But even then, it isn't like that. It's different with her though. It would be more like if I walked in on you changing."

"I mean, you did, once." Lincoln turned his head to the side slightly.

"And we mentally agreed to forget about it." Ronnie looked awkwardly to the side." But that is still different. We are friends. You met her like what? A week ago?"

"A month." Lincoln said.

"Yeah, if that happened at that point in time, we would most likely not be talking now." Ronnie joked. "Have you two even had proper... I don't know how to call it... sibling bonding time?"

"No." Lincoln said. "I should probably do that. ASAP."

"You could go to t-" Ronnie stopped dead in her tracks. "Do. not. move. a. muscle."

"What?" Lincoln stopped and turned to see what was happening.

Ronnie stood frozen in place, looking at a squirl. When he saw it, he petrified. A squirl plus one dog was bad. A squirl plus fifteen was something neither wanted to contemplate. Lincoln prayed the critter would go away quickly. Unfortunately, something else happened first.

"Bark!"

Ronnie and Lincoln could only exchange a look before the pack gave chase. Ronnie's dogs followed the squirl to the park but his got distracted on the way, instead choosing to follow a cat. The poor feline ran for its life as the hound perused her relentlessly, eventually cornering her. Once he was finally allowed to stand on his own two legs, Lincoln tried to pull the animals away, but it was too late.

The pray had turned to predator, and the cat had led them to its friends. A thousand hisses and moans came out of every crack and crevice in the alley. They collected around the chased cat, quickly building up a terrifying mass of angry kitties. Lincoln found some relief in the fact that he had eight large dogs with him. If his past experiences were anything to go by, they would, at the very least, prevent the cats from attacking. Too bad they were all gone.

Almost mocking him, the cats hissed before jumping on him.

Screaming his lungs out, the white-haired boy ran for his life. An occasional cat would fall on his head or catch up, but he managed to evade them, for the most part. When he finally managed to throw them off, he stopped to catch his breath.

Back on top, he checked around and recognized nothing. Checking his phone, he realized his battery was dead. Not a problem, Ronnie is probably in the park... wherever it is.

He could navigate by the main street, so he had to find it to find anything else. It was the biggest street; it can't be hard finding it. All he has to do is follow the sound of traffic, and he'll be there in no time. In a city big as this, that won't work so well. He can't tell if the sound is coming from behind, in front of bellow him. Think, think... Scooter! Lincoln opened his backpack and took out the machine. Unfolding it, he found he forgot to charge something else.

Lana said it would last a week! Well, it was sitting in the garage for a week, so there his week went. He needs to learn to charge his stuff.

Well, walking around would just get him more lost. So... Eeny, Meeny, Miny, M- He could ask that guy over there! Why didn't he think of that first?

"Excuse me, sir, do you know how to get to the park?" Lincoln asked a random passerby.

"Ah... sure... Which one?"

"Normal one?"

The man chuckled at his response. "The one on Washington Street or the one on Burnley Street?"

"I... don't know..." Lincoln said. Of course, they have more than one. "Can you tell me where Murray Street is actually?"

"Down the road, second left... then a right... Third or second left after that, you will know at that point." he said.

"Thank you, sir." Lincoln said before leaving. Now he can get back home. He needs to call Ronnie, yesterday, to see what they will do about those dogs.


Arriving at the building, Lincoln took his time getting up the stairs. Since his phone was dead, he had no way of telling what time it was. For all he knew, his parents might be back, and they for sure weren't happy. He lost seven dogs and himself and he looks like he took a shower in a dumpster. Not that he wants to, but he can see no dog walking in his future, and no house leaving for at least a week.

Coming to the door, Lincoln couldn't open it. Right, it's locked. Trying his key, he did nothing. Panic creeped in from the corners of his mind, but he waved it away. He must have taken the wrong key. No one asked him to give back the key to his old house, or Clyde's, so he just kept them. All three had the same frame, so it wasn't that hard to confuse them. Remembering the spare key, Lincoln moved the rug. As soon as it was off the ground, his heart dropped.

The key wasn't there.

Lincoln rang the bell. With every second that passed, he only became more worried. They wouldn't do this, they promised...

Getting nothing from the bell, he tried opening the door again. Maybe he just pulled it too little. Or in the wrong direction. Or in the handle goes the other way.

Like a maniac, he pushed the door and banged on it. He tried to turn the hand in every way physics would allow him. He tried to put the key into different locks. Nothing worked. The door wouldn't open.

"They promised..." Lincoln wisped in a raspy voice. Looking lost, he sat against a wall.

They locked him out again. His family, his parents, his sister, they don't want him. Why did he ever think they would? Who could ever want him, talentless, useless, Lincoln? The reason people tolerate him is out of pity. Poor little boy that got kicked out, that is all he is, that is all he ever was, that is all he will ever be.

Lincoln dragged his legs to his chest and buried his head into them.