Without realizing it I had fallen asleep in bed, ten-thirty on the clock. Could have slept longer but my kidney was at its limit. I got up and brushed out the wrinkles in my clothes a bit before leaving the room.

The hallway was empty and there was no sound coming from the rooms. That produced a brief smile on my face. I went downstairs and ran into my sisters and my father watching one of the reality shows that we love so much.

"Look who came out of his cave," my father cheered with a snarky tone, "want to join us, Linc?"

I felt more confident spending time with my sisters if dad was around, "Save me a spot, I'm gonna get myself some cereal."

"I'll go with you, Linc, I'm a little thirsty," Lynn said as she got up.

When we got to the kitchen we both went to get our things. Lynn waiting for me to help myself was a nice touch.

"I haven't been up to date with that show for a long time, did I miss something important?" I asked before realizing the cereal box was empty, "oh come on!"

"Uh? No, nothing important. Ah well, a new dude got in and now the weird guy Lucy likes is more active than ever."

"Good to hear that, his whole antics were getting cliché."

I got another box of cereal from the cupboard. Noticing then a detail that was present ever since I laid foot into the kitchen: I was smiling, and calm.

I am very comfortable, almost as if. I looked at Lynn, and as she poured herself another glass of water, I was able to confirm it.

Trust. Yes, that's it. I know what Lynn's intentions are, and...

"Hey Lynn, mind if I sit next to you?" I blurted out the question without hesitation, though I noticed later that I might have sound desperate.

"Uh, yeah right," she smiled, "but be warned, I get violent when my favorite boy does something stupid."

"I can handle it," and with that, I poured myself the cereal and started to leave the kitchen; but Lynn stopped me.

"Lincoln," then she leaned close to my ear, "I managed to convince some… you know, what we talked about in the morning."

That news had given new strength to my slight smile, "That's great!"

"I know, I know," Lynn held my face and kept talking quietly, "listen, we had our discussions, but in the end, everyone wants to spend time with you like before. Just let yourself go and don't worry about anything. If someone tries something funny I'll know right off the bat. You can count on me to help you."

I nodded several, and Lynn took off to her spot on the sofa. When I reached the kitchen, the idea that this day could be a peaceful one repeated itself several times in my head, like the screams of a child who has received the Christmas present he longed for. Of course, not everything was so simple; I trusted Lynn, sure, but trusting the other wasn't going to be so easier for me. In the end, it was our father's presence in the room that allowed me to let my guard down so easily.

Speaking of which, today our parents would be in the house all day. Mom told us there would be an important announcement later, and looking at the dates, they are likely to be free of work for the next few days. Which would mean a possible trip in the Vanzilla for the Loud.

Be it the beach, the forest, the mountains, a park ... all those ideas were very good, but knowing that our parents will be with us all the time was what made me happy. I could enjoy any activity without having to worry about my sisters.

The show was over and I only took two hits in the shoulder from Lynn; she said her boy behaved today, and that I should expect worst from him in the next episodes.

Dad went to clean the garage and Mom was outside under the tree in the yard writing. Since her book incident during the taking your child to work day, she has become a fan of writing drabbles. Lucy is with her right now, she wants to make her publish her short stories on a website.

Lisa went to her room while Luna, Lori, and Leni called out to Dad, informing him that they were going to the mall. Now that our parents are here my sisters can give themselves the freedom to go out more often, which leaves me and the others in the living room, oh, and Lisa who just came back from her room with some sheets in hand.

"Family units, I want to inform you that a storm is approaching," she said without even blinking. Meanwhile, the rest of us were utterly terrified. "Don't panic, it is of slight magnitude, possibly nothing more than a heavy precipitation."

We all sigh in relief almost at the same time... except for Lucy, who somehow managed to creep her way inside the living room and release a creepy sigh.

Let's just say that the announcement wasn't the only thing that freaked the hell out of us that day.

"I will call our sisters to inform them in advance," Lisa then folded her papers, "I suggest you all take some time to cover any leaks in the house that you may know of."

"There are two leaks in the bathroom," Lynn said before jumping off the couch, "I'll take care of them."

"Lincoln, is your room open?" Lucy asked, to which I said yes, "I found a leak in the ventilation the other night, I'll take care of it."

After the two left I took notice of my other sisters. Luan was laying on the sofa, lost in her notebook; possibly writing jokes. Lola was drawing dresses on some papers and Lana was cleaning our hamster and its sphere.

I remembered Lynn's words at the time and thought it would be a good idea to get close to them again. Until today I have felt like prey being hunted, but now that I know they are willing to give me a chance to breathe I can once again be just the brother inside the house.

"Hey, Lola, what are you drawing?"

She turned quickly to me, her eyes sparkling and a smile from ear to ear.

"Leni promised to make me a dress of my choice, the only condition was that I have to be the one to design it," She showed me her drawings, which consisted of long dresses like the one she was already wearing but in different colors.

"Hmmm, but they look a lot like the one you already wear," I commented while scratching my head.

"It is very comfortable, and sells the image of a princess that I simply adore."

"Oh… hmm. Well if you like it so much let's not think of another dress, how about we think of improvements for the one you already have?"

"Improvements?"

"Isn't there something bothering you about that dress or something you want to change?"

"Well ... maybe the sleeves ... or I could make it shorter..." Suddenly her body tensed and her eyes sparkled up, "oh, you gave me a few ideas, Thanks, Linky!"

Shortly after, Lisa returned to the living room, "Guys, I have yet more news, our parents gave me the announcement in advance and with that information, I was able to do a few calculations. We will not need to share the bathroom anymore."

"Meh," Lana added, "ain't gonna stop, Lola and I are used to it anyways."

"Speak for yourself, girl," Lola argued still with her eyes and hands glued to the paper, "I'll be used to share the bathroom with you the day you manage to clean the bugs and dirt off from your hair before and not mud the water."

"Hey it's not my fault, Lori is the one who gets tired halfway through."

"And what about Leni? Can't she help you clean it?"

"She's been scared since the time I ran into that spider's nest," she said before tucking Geo back into his sphere. "And the others aren't very good at dealing with my hair."

"Your honor, I plead guilty," Luan added before bursting into laughter.

For my part, I saw another opportunity there, "Wait a minute Lana, I have the solution." I then quickly ran to Lori and Leni's room. There was a comb behind the mirror, and under the armchair a bottle of cream that Leni uses when she gets gum in her hair, in the second drawer of Lori's nightstand there was a brush, and finally, in the last drawer of the dressing room, there was...

The hair ties should be here ...

What I found was the underwear of both, each one folded and neatly placed...

They're so-

I slammed the drawer shut. My thoughts wanted to betray me so I shook them hard until the dizziness managed to replace them. I took advantage of the moment to get out of there before something else affected me.

The first thing that occurred to me once in the hallway was to freshen my face in the bathroom to clear my thoughts, as Luan would joke about. The idea was good… But.

Before entering the door I heard some strange sounds. I moved to the door and put my ear on it and sharpened my senses. To my surprise, I was met with sighs. I paid closer attention… moans... a constant sound of something wet being squeezed… and.

"Lin… Lincoln…."

My name was being called between every other sound coming from the room. It didn't take me long to realize what was happening... nor who was the owner of that voice. Lynn was the last one to go to the bathroom...

And shortly after Lucy did say...

I turned my attention to the other side of the hall; my bedroom, door closed. Curiosity and fear battled for the control of my senses; on one hand, I wanted to confirm that Lucy was not doing the same as Lynn... on the other, I did not want to face the possibility that she...

Deep down, I already knew the answer. It was obvious because Lynn had already told me, this is what they craved... they were just holding back.

Luckily for me, Lana freed me from the task of admitting my fear when she called me from the living room.

"Lincoln, did you find what you were looking for?"

"Y-Yes, I'm going there!"

The only thing that went down the drain was the idea of freshening up… Wow, I really have to talk to Luan and get all these bad jokes out of my system.

On my way down I found Lana waiting for me right next to the armchair. I sat and made myself comfy before placing Lana on my lap, her scent of mud and grime blinding me for a brief moment, it was then that I saw how badly she needed a bath.

I took off her cap and began to move through the yellow jungle that covered her head. Always cautious of any hidden danger between the leafy knots. Trying my best to remove all the rocks covering the path. During my adventure a melody accompanied me, it was a constant and happy humming that cheered my journey. For my luck the lands were strong and my passage through them hardly disturbed the beauty of the place, the biggest problem was the small creatures that roamed through the jungle.

Enough analogies, the truth is that Lana's hair was a mess under that cap. It doesn't surprise me that the twins are the ones who use the most water, between Lana's and Lola's habits they probably use more water than any of us in the house.

"Agh," Luan yelled in exasperation, "I can't think of any good jokes!"

"Have they ever been?" Lola smiled maliciously, but Luan ignored the mockery.

"I came up with a few good ones a moment ago," I commented, "let me finish up here with Lana and I'll help you."

Lola then turned her attention to her twin, "hurry up, Lincoln, it's getting late for our bath," she said with a cordial tone, but with an intention that passed off my radar.

"Ah, shut up," Lana on the other hand was well aware of what her twin was thinking, "you're just jealous that Linc is giving me attention."

"Shut up! Linky is just doing us all a favor by cleaning up that messed bag of trash that you call hair."

"Well, this trash can beat your weak mane any day-"

"Will you two calm down?" I asked, grumpy, but even with my eyes fixed on a vine that managed to catch the comb and almost caught one of my fingers, "I'm not doing a favor, nor am I pampering Lana. I do this because I want to and because she is my sister, any of you can just ask and I'll be happy to help."

...

A strange silence clouded my senses and made me stop what I was doing and see what had happened. Luan was covering her face with her notes. Lola, meanwhile, had stared at me while fiddling her hair with her fingers.

"Do you want me to comb your hair too?" Lola's body and her grip around her hair tightened, her head bobbing up and down. "Okay, just let me finish with Lana."

Lola grinned from ear to ear, jumped up, and ran to her room. She brought back her hair-care kit and placed it on the table before continuing on her designs.

Luan went to her room shortly after, I asked her if she would want my help with her jokes to which she said: "Another day, Lincoln, The storm will come soon and we could run out of power in the middle of the joke."

When I saw her speak, I sensed something strange about her ... call it a brotherly hunch, but I felt that she simply wanted to leave the room.

Why? I don't know. Maybe if I put in enough effort I could assume something, but the truth is I prefer the way I am now: spending quality time with my sisters without having to worry about anything else was more than I could wish for.

"And… Done," I raised my chest.

"What, already?" Lana then turned to me, "sure you're not missing anything?"

"He did a better job than Leni would," Lola commented.

"And I understand why," I said before showing my wrist, which had several marked red spots and a swollen area, "I came across a few little spiders, but I only noticed them when my hand started to burn."

Lana's face turned dismayed when she saw my hand, "Your skin is too weak brother. My little friends shouldn't be able to hurt you" she sighed, "Well, the damage it's already done. We need to treat you those bites, let me talk to Lisa."

Lana then left, taking her cap and forgetting any attempt to keep me combing her hair. Of course, Lola wasn't going to wait for her turn to be taken away so she handed me her things, took off her tiara, and sat on my lap.

Like Lana, Lola also had her ways to make my work troublesome, sighs of… relief that popped every time I combed her hair. Yet the truly uncomfortable thing was the pose my sister was holding, which forced more of her weight on my legs.

Fortunately, I wouldn't have to hold out for too long, Lola's hair had few tangles and all in all, was pretty easy to work with. The only thing that took time was applying the cream between the strands of her hair, it was my first time doing it.

Lisa came to the living room as I was near to finish combing Lola. She offered me some ointment for my hands. The lotion worked and dried quickly what made me think that Lisa made it herself.

Opposite to what I thought would happen, Lisa stood there and watched us for a while.

"So... are you leaving or what?" Lola asked.

"Hmmm, I was just curious," Lisa said, her hand rummaging through her tousled hair, "It might be of benefit for my hair to get properly combed."

"You should give it a try, Lisa," Luan yelled from the stairs as she came down, "you could end up straightening your ideas, get it?" she added before laughing and continuing on her way to the kitchen.

Lisa thought it out for a while before informing us that she would consider it another time. And then she left.

I think it was seven at night when it started to rain, it ended up as a light drizzle so there was nothing to worry about. Dad announced that he would be in the kitchen making dinner just when I had finished with Lola.

"Thanks, Linky, is not perfect but you'll get better with time," she smiled at the reflection in her pocket mirror, "ho, ho~ I like how it looks. Thanks, Linky. Now I just have to look out for Lana and…" Her mouth fell silent for a moment and her eyes locked onto something behind me, the window that faced outside. Then the surprised expression turned to rage, and the next... well.

"DAD, LANA IS GETTING DIRTY IN THE RAIN!"

I don't know how I didn't see it coming...

"Lana! You are going to get sick if you get wet with this drizzle!"

It's been a couple of hours and it's still raining. Luan told me that there was a storm in the mall area, but luckily they managed to get back before it started. I'm in my room right now, resting my food and finishing re-reading one of my old comics.

You know, I hope that more days end up like this. Well, removing what I heard in the bathroom and... What may or may not have happened inside my room while I was gone; excluding those two issues it was an excellent day, I can even say that I completely forgot all the problems I had at some point.

If things continue like this, I may even convince the girls to seek help. Lynn told me that while she is not an option, one of my other sisters could be. Leni has been the sweetest to me, even with what happened in the bathroom ... the only problem is how close she is to Lori.

Lucy could be an option, if I can get her to be more open with me… yeah, I should give it a try with her.

I jumped out of bed and went to her room, but there was only Lynn in there playing basketball. "Lynn, have you seen Lucy?" She said no and then passed me the ball, "If you do, tell her I want to talk to her. Okay?" I passed the buck again.

"Sure bro," she said with a ragged breath before jumping into the basket, "oh yeah two points!"

" LYNN JR. What did I tell you about playing basketball inside the house! "

"I'm sorry, dad!" Lynn yelled back as I went back to my room.

I walked back into my room only to find Lucy sitting on my bed, her face fixed on the door like a banshee waiting for its next victim.

"Nope ... no, no. It's too late at night for this..." and with that, I closed the door, went to the kitchen, drank two full glasses of water, and went back upstairs. When I got back to my room Lucy was still in the same place, but this time with one of her books in hand.

"Hi, Linc, it's good to see you again, I wanted to talk to you."

"I wanted to talk to you about something too," Lucy closed her book and turned her head towards me, "it's what you talked to Lynn about yesterday. She told me everything."

Okay, that's not very good news... I wanted to have a fresh talk with her, just like with Lynn.

"Let me be clear to you, Linc," Lucy approached the edge of the bed, "after Luan told me about you taking care of the twins, and after seeing you happy again, you even had your dinner with us. And I… What I-" She sighed, "Look, is just that I can't help but want to help you to spend time with us again. But… "

Lucy went silent and began to rub her hands, her eyes avoiding me. Something was bothering her.

I sat next to her on the bed and carefully took her hand, "Lucy, it's okay, you can tell me anything," I assured her.

"Linc ... I don't want to talk about this ... but I do want you to know something at least. Luan told me that you would do anything for your sisters, so do you promise that we won't talk about this anymore until I'm ready?"

"The truth… I don't know if it's the right thing to do. But I'll do it for you, sis. I promise."

"Sigh," Lucy paused for a moment, and then looked at me, "Lincoln, I want you not to trust me…. No matter what happens, don't consider me a good sister. I-I…"

Lucy went silent for the second time.

"Lucy, it's okay. You can leave it there…" I said, but I could still see that she was tense, "Look… do you want to sleep with me today?" She squeezed my hand tightly, trembling. "And with Lynn, she can join us too."

That managed to calm her down. She didn't answer me directly but did nod several times before leaving my room.

Being alone again, I couldn't help but reflect on what I had done.

Was it the right thing to tell her that?

Putting my attention on the hand with which I was holding her, I thought.

I let myself go… She looked so shocked and scared that I...

Then I noticed something on my arm: a drop. It wasn't sweat, nor it was water, as I had dried my hands before coming; they were from Lucy...

Lucy ... you are the one I should try to help first.