Author notes: I accept any punishment for writing Lyle as "Lyla"

Lincoln was seriously starting to reflect on all the choices he made in his life leading up to this point. It felt like he was constantly getting flipped from the frying pan like a slippery, Molotoved fish to the fire. And the worst thing is, blaming it on his bad luck just wouldn't do anymore as according to the game itself, it shouldn't be a problem either.

So why the fuck was he driving a family car at the speed of more than 121 km/h?

Survival instincts, that's why.

"Lincoln, the animals are cool and all but I seriously need to take a piss," Lana called from the seat behind him much to her twin sister's chagrin who had a disgusted expression on her face. She kept kicking the back of his seat.

"..." Lincoln replied with a sigh but otherwise didn't elaborate.

"Pops, I'm exploding on all of you right now if you don't let me piss," Lana warned dryly, still kicking his seat. "Just warning you." She said again. Lola looked like someone pissed in her coffee as she turned around to face with a twitching expression.

"Grrrr, we could have been trampled by elephants or something and all you could think of is this!?" Lola growled out looking like she was seriously contemplating the idea of hitting Lana.

"Sorry, princess bitch. Some of us have a mortgage- mortuary- or- '' Lana kept stuttering the last word, unable to pronounce it.

"Mortal" Lucy supplied helpfully.

"Yeah, that word. Some of us have "The Maltary" needs that you don't have so you'll have to excuse us for not being perfect as you." Lana quipped right back childishly, standing straighter as if she was a wild animal trying to intimidate a potential enemy. Lola was having none of it and merely raised a delicate eyebrow at her with a half-lidded look.

"Sigh...Clown." Lucy looked up from her book and said.

"What was that you Marilyn Manson looking who-"

"We are here" Lincoln swiftly cut off their bickering, signalling their arrival at their destination. He let out a breath he didn't know he held.

Mission Completed: Vanzilla Vendetta

Your eldest sister has been emotionally compromised because of teenage drama and now it's up to you to take the mantle.

Requirements: Drive The Vanzilla towards each of your passenger's respective destinations all before the time runs out. [Completed]

Bonus requirement: Don't get a single scratch on the Vanzilla. [Completed]

Rewards: [Blood lust detection, 9 Charisma, 17 Agility, [Automatic dodging]

Bonus Rewards: [Killing intent emission, Title: [Don Jon]

Failure: Death, The death of your passengers. [Avoided]

This was sweet all things considered. He was worried he would get a weapon or something of that sort which would be contradictory to the fighting style he was building. He wanted to make sure everything did was in reliance on himself and prove that his epic manly fists were as good as any oversized, glowy blade.

That's unless the blade or sword is summonable because he couldn't swing a stick to save his skin if he wanted.

Lincoln got out of the driver's seat after turning the car's engine off and parking it in the parking lot. He then snatched the van keys and shoved them into his pocket, the action bringing him a surprisingly large amount of euphoria. He was the man in the van. He was the man with the plan.

The door was unceremoniously opened by him. He gestured towards his younger siblings to get out to which they got off their seats and made their way towards the gestured door. Lana stopped in front of him and looked up at him under her eyelashes.

"You know, linc. Luna was right, that was cool. I feel like you've grown up a bit and started acting like a real man and luckily, I happen to know a lot about what makes a real man. So, if you want me to teach you how to 'mud wrestle', you know where to find me." Lana held a finger to her lower lips and cackled, only to be answered by Lola.

"You harlot, Do you have no shame? That's your brother!" Lola shouted in frustration even though she kept looking away from him with a blush on her face for some odd reason.

"Look, Lola. Do I look like someone who would give a damn what is and isn't pro-" the rest of her speech was cut off as she was pushed out of the van's door by Lola who gave him an apologetic look with a flush. Followed shortly by the person in question and Lucy.

Lincoln tapped his foot on the ground and waited for Lisa to exit. She was still in the furthest seat, tapping at some weird looking tablet.

"..." Lincoln remained quiet.

Finally, she stared up from her tablet and straight at him. She put a finger at the bridge of her nose and readjusted her glasses which gave them a reflection that showed none of the eyes behind them. She took a deep breath, her nose flaring and she exhaled and slid off her seat.

"Be cautious out there, elder male sibling." She muttered before fetching her tablet and hurried on her short legs out of the van.

Lincoln blinked twice and shrugged before making his way too out of the van.

Lincoln was assaulted by a wave of nostalgia by the lively halls of Royal Woods elementary. The yellow fluorescent light and the neatly decked lockers at the side only increased the intensity of the feeling. Even though he tended to prefer solitude and quietness which was still a hallmark from his previous life, he couldn't help but feel a childish elation at the sight of his old school.

He had to admit that his school by far was one of the most diverse and crowded places he ever had the pleasure of experiencing based solely on the sheer numbers and colours he was seeing. He could even make out Lucy's group which included Sasha, Haiku, Amir and-

Maggie.

She was sulking at the corner with her perpetual frown while playing on a handheld device and a blonde emo girl with a replica frown looking over her. She looked up from the device to supposedly say something to the girl, judging by the movement of her lips, only for her eyes to flicker into his direction and continue to stare at him with dilated pupils and a slightly hanging jaw.

For a moment, Lincoln assumed the fucking worst and was ready to curse Maria and the whole universe to the high heavens only for the other girl to look up at him, stare too and then give him a flirtatious wink and a smile.

"Oh, God. Oh, fuck." He started panicking "Why is everyone looking at me like that?"

Surely enough, he was already making some head turn by his presence alone. Even making some pause midway in their activity.

[Passive skill: Gamer's Mind]

Suddenly, he felt all the emotions swell, die and get sucked by an invisible sink.

"Slow and steady, Loco-Lincoln." He took a deep breath "Act normal."

Lincoln lidded his eyes a bit and gave the girl a wink while his lips twitched into an easy-going smile. The girl looked back at him with comically big doe eyes which freaked him out a bit and made Maggie keep turning her head from him towards the girl.

With a wave, he was already holding his head and high clenching his fists; ready to continue his now confident stride. That's when the girl suddenly decided she would come and talk to him herself.

"I don't think we've met before. I'm Sarah, nice to meetcha." the girl extended a slightly shaking hand in front of him. Lincoln looked at her face and saw out of place eagerness that wasn't on her face earlier.

Lincoln grasped her hand to shake it only for the girl to go rigid. She stared at him with widened eyes and blushed. She raised her tongue out of her mouth and licked her lips slowly. Lincoln decided that's enough handshaking for today and slowly pulled back his hand only for Sarah's grip to not flatter.

"Okay, this is seriously starting to creep the fuck out of me." Lincoln thought internally while gazing at the girl with a carefully blank expression. "Gotta act smooth." Lincoln returned his winning smile.

"Nice to meet you too, Sarah. Do you happen to be someone who knows Nikki? Or even be a relative of hers?" Lincoln asked while pretending he wasn't put off by her behaviour.

He came to regret his decision immediately as in a split second, her expression took a 360 change.

"So you do know this slut, huh? Is she riding your dick like she rides that stupid skateboard?" Sarah said with grinding teeth and an edge to her voice.

[Passive skill: Gamer's Mind]

"Ummm...no? She just happens to be a friend of a friend of mine in the Great Lakes that occasionally comes here and visits. I was just asking because you two look really alike. Why would that bother you anyway?" Lincoln replied with a raised eyebrow while dragging his hand from her palm.

Sarah's blush suddenly intensified. She sputtered and fidgeted with her fingers

"A-Ah...T-Tough crowd. I was just trying to be funny! You know, dark humour and all. And yes, she's my older sister if you're wondering. Though, I heard she's into girls. You probably shouldn't ask her out." Suddenly she slapped her right palm on her mouth.

"I never said I was going to ask her out. I barely even know her…" Lincoln muttered while staring at Sarah incredulously.

"Oh, silly me. I just- people always ask about my sister. Who is like, supremely better than me in everything. They call me Nikki's younger sibling for Lucifer's sake! not even by my name! When you asked about her I assumed the worst and you know…" Sarah said and made hand gestures at the end of her speech to convey unspoken words.

"I can somehow relate" Lincoln looked in slight melancholy and said. His eyes not quite gazing at her but rather, snippets of flashbacks.

Lincoln briefly reflected over every time he used his "Plans" to get what he wanted without putting much into consideration on other's feelings. He somehow thought at the time that them having their talents and whatnot justified him acting like a little shitstain.

Don't get him wrong. He was still a major believer that you should use every advantage you have to get a step further on the corporate ladder than everyone else. In the workforce world, no one would pat you on the back and wait for you until you shed your morals, they will absolutely crush you. It's a ruthless world out there. Him playing nice and expecting his sponsoring and publishing company to promote him led him to nowhere so he had to reevaluate the way he treated people.

Mayhaps, if he picked this attitude earlier they wouldn't have been knees deep at the cusp of poverty.

The ironic thing is, he brought his whiny ass and bent-over attitude from the time he was around his sisters to the workspace when he first arrived there which equally as quickly shattered whatever self-entitled view he had on the world.

He blamed his sisters and for being so talented when in reality, it was all his fault for not putting any real effort to find a hobby. And when he did, it was too late.

The first few years of his childrens' life he tried to be there for them but then the incidents and familial issues piled up on top of each other. It reached the point where he wanted nothing to do with them. He wanted nothing to do with his family or the children that treated him (Excluding Liena and Loan.) like a convicted child rapist ready to pounce on the chance of touching them in their sleep.

He wasn't even jesting about the last part. Though they never verbally proclaimed it, their actions and the sheer unadulterated uncomfortableness they seemed to emit whenever he was around trying to act like a proper father was enough to convey what's on their minds. So he decided to distance himself from his own progeny.

Eventually, he became self-reliant. Cooking his own meals or eating at the job. Picking odd hobbies that required him to at least be riding a vehicle whether it be a boat for fishing or a car for night rides. And by studying the family's schedule, he picked the most inactive time of the day to avoid facing them on his way to go out.

Family outings? He was either behind the camera when they took pictures or was most of the time in his office; working on a new issue of Ace Savvy.

Eventually, he became a model, deadbeat father. Supporting his family's materialistic needs while failing constantly to give the emotional ones.

They probably don't miss him back home.

"You do? You do?" Sarah gasped. Her nervous smile shifting into a genuine one.

Suddenly, something incredibly light hit him on the head. He turned around with a flustered expression and zoomed in on the culprit. Only to spot non-other than his best friend and buddy, Clyde Mcbride at the corner of his vision.

The dark-skinned boy pointed at the crumpled paper ball on the ground with a finger. Lincoln bent down and picked up the paper, unruffling it.

He was greeted by hastily written words in neat handwriting.

Meet me @ the rooftop ASAP sharp. There is something I gotta tell you.

A secret I should've told you about long ago.

- Clyde

Lincoln looked in his best friend's direction only to find that nerdy kid was already gone. Lincoln blinked and pocketed the paper. He turned towards Sarah's way and replied.

"Yeah…" he said, already losing interest in the conversation. "Look, Sarah. I got to go do something really important." He turned out around towards the direction of the stairs that lead to the rooftop only to be stopped by Sarah that all but shouted.

"WAIT!" She yelled making Lincoln turn his head back slightly to look at her with a blank expression "I-I...Ummm...see you around?"

"..Sure" Lincoln said, looking anything but sure. He rapidly blinked his eyes in confusion while waiting for her to say anything else. Sarah seemed to catch the hint.

"C-Can I have your...phone number?" She bit her lower lips and asked all while tapping her right foot on the floor.

"Why do you want it?" Lincoln was suddenly on guard. He asked while narrowing his eyes. Hot or not, that chick looked like she had a few screws loose.

"Please. I don't have many friends and you look like a cool guy. Do I need another reason?" She said while rubbing the back of her head and smiling sheepishly.

"Bullshit." he thought "You are one of the popular kids."

Lincoln hesitated but in the end, he decided to give it to her. She'll probably forget about his existence at the end of the week.

He turned around and started going to the rooftop.

[Blood lust detected]

He almost tripped on his feet. He swiftly whipped his head around only to see Sarah looking straight at him with a glazed stare and a blush with Maggie looking visibly disturbed while slowly holding up her hands and backpedalling away around the corner from her.

He unconsciously quickened his step.