Waking up to the smell of breakfast, Ronnie Anne jumped out of bed and went to the bathroom; she cleaned up a little before heading to the dining room. As she headed to the table, she saw that most of her family was already eating. Her Abuelo and Abuela, Hector and Rosa, her cousins Carlota, CJ, Carl, and Carlitos, and her aunt, Frida, and uncle, Carlos Sr., were sitting at the table, but her mother Maria wasn't there.
"Morning, guys."
"Good morning." Everyone replied.
As soon as Ronnie Anne sat down to eat, the front door opened, and Maria walked in more tired than usual.
"Good morning, Maria. Wow, you look like I do when I do overnight stock in the bodega," said Hector.
"Hector." berated Rosa.
"It's fine, mom. I spent the latter half of the night treating Locos." Maria replied with a long sigh.
"Locos?" replied everyone.
"You mean that gang that's been terrorizing the alleyways for the last year?" asked Frida.
"Well, not anymore; someone placed an anonymous call telling where to find the gang."
"Lincoln." thought Ronnie Anne.
"Anyway, when the police arrived, they found the whole gang was beaten, so they were brought to the hospital; I spent the rest of the night resetting broken bones and casting them."
"Great, they'll be back on the streets in a few weeks," said Carl sarcastically.
"I doubt that; some of them have warrants, plus they're all the major suspects in those murders, so once the locos are discharged, they're going into police custody."
"That's good to hear," said CJ.
The family continued eating, now joined by Maria.
Looking at the clock, Maria noticed the time and that it was almost time to open the Mercado.
"Dad, Bobby should be here soon, right?"
"Yeah, Lori drops him off before heading to Fairway."
Ronnie Anne rolled her eyes hearing Lori's name; she was not on the best terms with her sister-in-law. Blaming her and the other older sisters for Lincoln's death, Ronnie Anne refused to interact with Lori, much to Bobby's frustration. Lori has tried to reconcile with her multiple times, but Ronnie Anne now avoids her.
"I can't wait to see the look on her face when she finds out Lincoln is alive."
"I don't see why they commute here from royal woods; it would make better sense for them to live here," said Hector.
Having married a year and a half ago, Lori and Bobby decided to live in Royal Woods, close to the Louds. Although they travel to Great Lake City since Bobby still works at the bodega, Lori works as a part-time coach at her college Fairway University when she is not traveling the golf circuit.
"I'm surprised they managed to buy our old house," said Maria.
Later Downstairs,
Pulling up to the bodega in a red and white car was Bobby Santiago in the passenger seat and Lori Loud-Santiago in the driver's seat.
"Have a great day, boo-boo bear." Said Lori kissing her husband.
Lori and Bobby hadn't changed that much though she now wore lipstick like her mom.
"You too, babe; listen, I know you said to leave it alone, but I'm going to have another talk with Ronnie Anne.
"Bobby, I love that you want me and your sister to be friends and family, but I don't think now is a good time, considering what yesterday was." Reasoned Lori.
Bobby nodded before climbing out of the passenger seat. As Lori drove off, she couldn't shake the feeling someone was watching her. From on top of the roof, someone was, and his blood was boiling.
"Lori!"
Back upstairs, Ronnie Anne was getting ready to meet Lincoln, but something was wrong.
"I've got nothing to wear."
Ronnie Anne wanted to wear something nice to meet Lincoln, feeling he did not see her at her best. Rummaging through her clothes, in her underwear, her wardrobe mainly was the same purple hoodie, with a few variations depending on the season.
"Damn, maybe Carlota is right. I do need to upgrade my look."
Suddenly, Ronnie Anne's door flew open, and Carlota burst in.
"My fashion senses are tingling; what's up?"
"Damn it, Carlota, ever try knocking first!?" Said Ronnie Anne trying to cover herself.
"Relax, prima; we're both girls; now, how can I help?"
Ronnie Anne sighed in defeat, knowing there was no way out of it now.
"Fine, I'm meeting someone at the park, and I want to look nice."
"Don't worry; I'll prepare you for your date."
"Hold on; I never said it was a date!" Said Ronnie Anne blushing.
"You didn't say it wasn't either." teased Carlota. "Now, let's go to my apartment; I've got dozens of looks for you.
Later By Noon,
After multiple tries, Carlota dressed Ronnie Anne in a purple fe noel bella slip dress; seeing she needed more, Carlota went the extra mile by doing Ronnie Anne's makeup and braiding her hair into a ponytail.
"Dang it, Carlota, I just needed something to wear, not all this, and this dress squeezes my boobs and butt… it's like you're trying to get me laid."
"Trust me, prima, once he sees you, he'll be all over you," Carlota assured.
"Really? Asked Ronnie Anne, a little excited. "Wait, I never said it was a guy!"
"You did now." teased Carlota. "Now go out there, shake that ass, swing those tits, and get yourself a man." Teased Carlota as she slapped Ronnie Anne on the butt, making it jiggle under her dress.
"dang it; it's bad enough; Sid does that; I don't need you doing that too."
Carlota only giggled while Ronnie Anne stormed out of her apartment. Deciding to stop at the Mercado to greet her brother, she saw he was working at the counter."
"Hey, bro."
"Hey, sis, whoa, looking good; what's the occasion?"
"I'm going to meet a friend I haven't seen for a while at the park, and Carlota wanted to help."
"Okay."
"Well, I'll see you later."
"Ronnie Anne, we need to talk later about you and Lori."
"Not today, bro," she said, leaving.
Ronnie Anne walked out, not wanting to have this conversation again. Walking to the park, Ronnie Anne was annoyed that Bobby was trying to get her and Lori to make up again.
"Not gonna happen."
Making it to the park, Ronnie Anne sat where people came to play chess since there wasn't anyone over there yet, waiting for Lincoln. Luckily she didn't have to wait long as he walked up dressed in a black and orange hoodie and jeans, a mask covering the lower half of his face, and a pair of shades.
"Hey, Ronnie Anne, did you get all dressed up for me? I'm flattered," teased Lincoln sitting across from her.
"Don't get too flattered. Lame-O, Carlota made me wear this, by the way; I get you don't want people knowing you're alive yet but don't you think this is a little overboard?"
"Just want to make sure I'm not recognized."
"Lincoln, you disappeared when you were 12. No one's going to recognize you now that you're 17. If you're worried about Sid, she's out of town on vacation with the rest of her family, and so are the rest of my friends, and as far as my family goes, everyone is busy, so you don't have to worry about them finding you."
"Speaking of family, I saw Lori's car drop off Bobby earlier," replied Lincoln.
Ronnie Anne could feel Lincoln's anger towards his eldest sister.
"I take it you're still pissed with them."
"After the hell I went through because of them; I'm more than pissed!"
Ronnie Anne was now more interested in hearing Lincoln's story.
"Lincoln, tell me what happened, please."
Lincoln showed hesitation, but Ronnie Anne's pleading eyes convinced him to open up.
"Okay, but bear with me. Some of this you're not going to believe."
"Try me; it can't be any harder to believe than finding out your best friend isn't dead."
"Believe it or not, I think I was," Lincoln replied.
"Excuse me?"
"It started on the plane as we flew over the mountains; just as we were about to start landing, the whole plane went haywire and went down, then everything went black."
"What happened next?"
"I remembered waking up in a pool of blood; I couldn't move, but I felt multiple sharp things going through my body. As I lay there, I could feel my life slipping away. The only thing I could do was cry until I blacked out again." He continued.
"Lincoln." Thought Ronnie Anne. Horrified by what her friend went through.
"But then suddenly, my eyes opened, and I was lying on a bed in a hut. My wounds were treated and almost healed, and I quickly found myself in another world.
"Another world?"
"Yeah, the ones who saved me were called The High Elves or The Asur; they lived in a secret village that looked like it was pulled right out of a fantasy game or book; they're masters of craft magic and other mystic arts."
"Magic? Lincoln, you expect me to believe that?" Said Ronnie Anne.
"I knew you wouldn't believe me until I did this."
Lincoln placed his hand over the chessboard and started focusing; suddenly, the board began glowing, to Ronnie Anne's shock. Slowly Ronnie Anne watched in amazement as something rose from the glow; it was one of the swords she had seen the last night. Halfway through, Lincoln made it reverse back into the light until it was gone, and the board returned to normal.
"What was that?"
"That was spatial magic; I can create pocket dimensions for storage or to live in if I want," Lincoln explained. "Normally, I summon my gear instantly, but I figured slowly would prove my point."
"You don't say."
"May I continue?"
"Please."
"The Asur saved me by giving me a blood transfusion from their queen. In doing so, I gained their abilities."
"Abilities?"
"Thanks to them, my blood is silver like theirs, I can heal a lot faster; my strength, stamina, intelligence, speed, and reflexes were all enhanced to new levels, and to top it off, I can use magic."
"So it's your basic Isekai power boost?" Said Ronnie Anne.
"Pretty much." He shrugged off.
"So what happened next?"
"They took me in and raised me; I learned everything there is to know about craft magic, even sub-skills like alchemy, appraisal, cultivation, and synergism. They even trained me in how to fight." Informed Lincoln. "By the time I was 16 yrs old, I had become a master of the art. I could make anything within logic; I even created a new metal called Lily.
"Aw, you named it after your sister."
"Yeah, it's stronger than steel but very light and can easily be combined with other materials like spandex, making it stretchy but indestructible."
"Keep going. What happened next?"
"After I mastered everything, I wanted to leave the village and explore; that was a huge mistake."
"How so?"
"I met them!" He said with disgust.
"Who's them?"
"The hero's party,"
"Hero's party?'
"Adonis, the hero and his group of assholes. His sister Angela, or blade, the group's man-hating muscle; their magician Leanne always bragged about knowing over a thousand spells but sucked at casting them. And their so-called cleric Mina who acted like she was wise but worshiped Adonis more than god," he said angrily. "Apparently, those jerks were from our world too but were summoned here way before I came along to be the heroes who would save the world from the demon lord, who had the power to create demons from anything," Lincoln said, rolling his eyes under his shades.
"Total cliche." Ronnie Anne replied, rolling her eyes too.
"Tell me about it. But they ate up the special treatment they got."
"How did you meet those people?"
"During my travels, I helped out villages with my abilities, and they found out about me and asked me to join their party."
"And you said yes?"
"Hence my huge mistake; those assholes blamed me for everything, even their screw-ups when I warned them against it. They insulted my skills, the gear I made for them, and even me directly."
"Why did you put up with that?"
"I said I would help, and my word bound me."
"You're a bigger person than me, Linc; what happened next?"
"Eventually, after a year, they fought and defeated the demon lord, but instead of ending the demon lord's power forever, that bastard Adonis took his power and control of his army for himself, making him the new demon lord."
"Woah."
"To make matters worse, the rest of those assholes instantly joined his side and became demons, too, also gaining the ability to create demons. When I tried to stop them, Adonis blasted me out of the castle into the demon forest."
Ronnie Anne, lost in Lincoln's story, couldn't believe that these things had happened to her friend.
"That fall should have killed me, but thanks to the Asur blood in me, I survived and was fully healed in a few days. I made it back to the village only to find everyone dead, and the Village was destroyed. But they didn't go down easy. There were also demon corpses too."
"Oh no." Ronnie Anne said, shocked.
"Now I had a deeper reason for revenge; I took my skills to the next level and began building myself an arsenal of weapons. I discovered I could use my knowledge of comics, anime, manga, and movies to create even greater gear like my armor and vehicles."
"You even made cars, too?" she asked in shock.
"I'll show you later. Eventually, I took them on with my gear, destroyed their army, and defeated them, but something happened before I could finish them."
"What happened?"
"This white void opened in the sky and sucked us in. The next thing I remembered, I was standing in the same area I was when the plane crashed."
"Oh, so that's how you came back?"
"Yeah, but I saw no sign of them; I wasn't even sure they were here until last night."
"Last night?"
"It took me weeks to make it back here; luckily, I still had my powers and gear. When I arrived, I saw you but kept out of sight."
"Were you stalking me this whole time?!" Asked Ronnie Anne.
"I wasn't stalking; I didn't know what to say. I was at a loss; I mean, what could I say? Surprise, I'm not dead."
"Then why'd you confront me last night?"
"I saw you were in trouble and just jumped in." He said, blushing.
Hearing that made Ronnie Anne blush, knowing Lincoln acted to save her on impulse.
"Ahem, anyway, I looked into the murders that were happening, and after I left you, I used myself as bait to lure out the killer.
"you did?"
"Yeah, it turns out it was a demon, the kind of demon that entraps men by disguising themselves as beautiful women and then eats them. My best guess is Adonis or one of the others practicing with their powers, and that demon was his test run; he is probably trying to rebuild his army from scratch since I wiped out his previous army."
"Say What!?" She said,
"What's wrong?" he asked, confused.
"Lincoln, you just told me four magic-powered assholes are running loose, and they can create monsters. How are you so calm?!"
"I guess because I've been fighting them for so long, I'm used to it," he said. "But I get why that's a big concern here."
Ronnie Anne didn't know how to process this information; everything sounded like something out of a fantasy story or someone's fanfiction.
"Besides, I'm prepared for that."
"You are?"
Lincoln then made a bottle of clear liquid appear in his hand, much to Ronnie Anne's surprise, and then a crystal the size of a thumb with an emerald cut.
"Okay, I'll bite; what's with the bottle?"
"This is how I'm going to flesh out these demons; here, take a smell."
Ronnie Anne was reluctant, fearing she would be tricked into smelling something foul. Taking a quick sniff, she realized she smelled nothing.
"I don't smell anything."
That's because you're human."
"Huh?"
"This potion is called Brockium; its made from Rucola Fruits, a fruit native to the other world; it's safe for humans to eat but toxic to demons, so toxic that demons can't stand the smell; it makes them sick, so sick they'll vomit, and their eyes burn faster than me being locked in Vanzilla with one of Lori's farts," said Lincoln, making Ronnie Anne giggle from hearing his joke. "If it makes physical contact, it will burn away their human disguise.
"And the crystal, I take it that's from the other world too?"
"It's called the all-seeing eye stone. The Asur made these and used them as a radar surveillance/early warning system. The bigger they are, the wider the range; it's how the Asur found me; since I was bleeding to death right outside their village, and demons were being attracted to the smell of my blood, and they were moving to eat me; it can be adjusted to sense certain energies like demon energy and/or evil magic and reacts by buzzing like an angry swarm of bees, and glowing, when that energy is nearby.
"I gotta say, this is a lot to take in,"
"Told you,"
"Part of me can't wait to see how Clyde reacts to this."
"Speaking of Clyde, how has he been? I'm sure you guys kept in touch."
"We have; after you "Died," he stepped up and became a surrogate big brother to your younger sisters."
Lincoln was happy to hear his best friend stepping up to fill the void and be there for Lucy, Lana, Lola, Lisa, and Lily.
"He's also been a great uncle to Lina."
"Who's Lina?
Ronnie Anne was surprised but realized he didn't know, making her hesitant to talk.
"Uh…That's…your…daughter's…name," she said slowly, unsure of his reaction.
Lincoln was confused; his eyes widened under his shades, remembering how that was possible.
"Sam had the baby? And it's a girl?"
"A little girl with white hair like yours."
Lincoln's hand trembled, but Ronnie Anne placed her hand on his calming him.
"Lincoln, I know you feel a way about part of your family and Sam, but don't turn that anger onto that little girl too; for what it's worth, she saved your family."
"Ronnie Anne…tell me everything."
Ronnie Anne felt her own reluctance creeping over her. She knew she was about to drop some serious bombs.
"Okay, for starters, Rusty was behind that picture between you and Sam." Revealed Ronnie Anne.
"What!?" Lincoln roared.
"Keep your voice down; he did it to spite you for going out with Stella, despite a pact you all made."
"That backstabbing bastard, I'll!"
"Don't bother; Clyde took care of that."
"Huh?"
"A week after your funeral, Rusty confessed out of guilt, and Clyde flew into a rage and pounded him into the ground. It took Stella, Zach, and Liam to pull him off of Rusty."
Despite Lincoln's anger, it was comforting knowing how Clyde defended him.
"Rusty spent a few days in the hospital, then a few months in juvie. Also, his brother Rocky disowned him because Lucy stopped speaking to him.
"What happened with my family?"
"Your family fell apart; your dad's restaurant nearly went under; your mom quit her job and became a shut-in, and your sisters all gave up their passions. Your younger sisters were very hostile to your older sisters; outside of Lisa, I don't think they knew everything, aside from Sam has done something that hurt you and them covering it up. The Louds were going downhill until."
"Until what?"
"Until Lina was born."
"I see."
"She was born in your room; Lisa and Myrtle were the ones who delivered her."
"No way." He said, shocked.
"After that baby was born, your family got themselves together to make a better life for her and honor you."
"Right, honor me." He thought sarcastically. "What about Sam?"
Ronnie Anne took another breath, knowing this would take a while to explain.
"Okay, from what Bobby told me, your Parents were going to adopt Lina after she was born, right?"
"Yeah, they were going to make up some story about the baby being a cousin."
"Well, after Lina was born, Sam's mom wanted to move her and her family to another town for a fresh start, Hazeltucky, I think." She explained. "But Sam didn't want to abandon Lina; she didn't want to become her dad, so Luna convinced your family to take her in."
"Are you serious, Luna!" he growled.
"Lincoln?"
"First, she convinces me to help her by being her band's manager, then Mazzy signs them up for a music festival last minute behind my back, then she gets jealous because Sam and I were bonding thinking we were trying to get together behind her back, I mean how insecure are you, I was 12 and she was 16, she gives me a black eye when all I was trying to do was defuse an argument between her and Sam, that she started after stupidly rubbing Sam's issues with her dad abandoning her family in her face and putting me in the damn middle, she disowns me over a stupid fake photo even though I would never do something like that to her. She plays it off like nothing happened after the photo gets exposed and I was already raped, she was the first person on board when my parents decided not to press charges against Sam, and now I find out she basically had me replaced with Sam!" he said gritting his teeth.
"Lincoln."
"This whole damn thing was her fault."
"And Sam?"
"I don't know how to feel, Ronnie Anne; I know Sam is a good person, that she wouldn't have done what she did under normal circumstances. I know she was drunk and suffering from depression due to Luna breaking up with her; the harassment and abandonment issues took a toll on her, but."
"But what?"
"She still raped me, Ronnie Anne, and now I have a daughter I never met, nor was I ready for; how do I forgive her for what she took from me, Ronnie Anne? How do I get over this? It was easier not dealing with this since I was in another world, but now I'm back, and all that pain is coming back; I don't know how to heal from it." Said Lincoln as he removed his shades showing pain in his eyes.
"Lincoln, I can't begin to understand what you're going through, but all I can say is that maybe the best way to heal from this pain is to confront it."
"You're saying I need to confront my family and Sam."
"You don't have to do it so soon, but when you're ready, I'll be beside you." Assured Ronnie Anne.
Lincoln smiled, feeling happy that Ronnie Anne supported him, so happy that he decided to give her a gift. Summoning a gold necklace with an emerald cut case. Locking the crystal in the case, he handed it to Ronnie Anne.
"What's this?"
"A gift; I want you to have it," Lincoln replied.
"But, don't you need it?"
"I already have one; they're both made from a much larger stone used by the village; I broke it down into smaller pieces, and I installed other pieces into drones I made."
"You made drones?"
Lincoln then made what appeared to be a monarch butterfly appear; on its back was another piece of the stone embedded into it.
"I used gravity magic to get them to fly, and since the stone's range gets more limited the smaller they are, I made up for it by using pieces of the same stone. That way, if one of my drones does sense demonic energy, my piece will react too and telepathically allows me to see the location, and now you can too," explained Lincoln, giving the stone to Ronnie Anne.
Touched, Ronnie Anne placed the present around her neck, looking lovingly at the present.
"Thanks, Linc."
"You're welcome."
"C'mon, Lame-O, let's put this drama on the shelf for now and spend the day hanging out like we used to.
"I'm gamed."
End Of Ch. 2
