Chapter XVIII: The Rising Force

-Pentagon, Washington D.C.-

"Attention! Would Director Woods please see Dr. Smith in Research Lab 2? Dr. Smith in Lab 2. Thank you."

Even as the automated voice rang overhead, Director Woods paced himself as briskly as he could in a respectable manner straight towards the main elevator, weaving between the other Starwatch officers and desk clerks populating this area of the building. With everything that was going on at Starwatch HQ, it seemed that he was in a rush wherever he went. Right now the elderly man was on his way to the lower levels of the Pentagon, where their top-secret labs were kept hidden from the public, and the same place where Kimberly managed to show them the true power of the alien shard.

Woods had that moment stuck in his head ever since it happened, that and the video caught by a pair of agents out in Michigan. He just couldn't stop thinking about it. All his life, he had been on the forefront of parahuman researching and the possibility that superhumans had existed since the early days of mankind, looking through the ancient ruins of long-dead civilizations scattered around the Earth for clues. For decades he had been looking, and it was only now that he was able to see the very proof he wanted with his own eyes, and what a sight it was. To finally be able to say that his research had not been for nothing was a true, outstanding moment for the old scientist. He only wished he could see Vassallo's face when he made the report back to Washington. The man must have felt something like triumph.

All that mattered right now, however, was getting this agency ready to procure what might very well be the first documented superpowered family in American history. He could celebrate once the metahumans were secured and under Starwatch jurisdiction. A quick drop from the elevator and he was back underground, which was now more populated than ever. Men and women in armed black uniforms with the sigil of Starwatch stitched onto their shoulder pads were busy helping out their fellow white-garbed scientists, handling machinery and the like in haste. Everyone was gearing for one of the biggest operations in Starwatch history, and Kim was no exception.

"Director!" Speaking of the young woman, he spied her waving him down from across the hallway. "Over here!"

Wordlessly the director obliged and made his way towards her.

"You called for me, Ms. Smith?" He asked.

"Yes, sir. And please just Kim, calling me Ms. Smith makes me feel old. No offense."

"None taken. So, mind telling me why I'm here?"

"Oh, right this way!" Kim eagerly said, rushing over to the same room where the Shard was kept inside. Since she had been placed in charge of learning about the small piece of otherworldly technology, she had slowly but steadily begun to turn this place into her own private laboratory. It seemed that Kim had kept herself very busy down in the depths of Starwatch. There were several tables covered in prototype machinery hooked up to multiple laptops, and workbenches lined with blueprints on future projects that she was designing. Tucked away at the far end of the lab was the machine that housed the Shard, which Kim had started to call the 'Abomination'. Woods found it fitting thanks to its hideous appearance.

And it was certainly a surprise to see the Major himself also down here as well. The director had a feeling that Antonio would also be interested in what Kim was working on, for the good of Starwatch and the country, of course. The man was military after all.

"Ah, Woods. You're here."

"Major," Woods nodded to the man as he entered the laboratory.

"Well, you've acclimated to the sublevels quite quickly Ms. Smith." Woods quaintly noted, taking in the lab's change in scenery since Kim took over the research arm of Starwatch. Lab 2 had sat vacant for so long, it was almost heartwarming to see it finally getting put to some good use.

"Yep! My own little Batcave, right underneath the Pentagon! It's a girl's dream come true! Ah, I'm getting side-tracked, don't mind me. It's been a little hectic since... y'know. I just wanted to talk to you two for a little moment before the Major has to go." Smith said, leading her elderly superior over to check out something on her personal MacBook. She typed in a couple keys and a display of the Loud family popped up on screen, displaying a live-feed of their house in Michigan thanks to the field agents currently working there.

"See them?" Kim asked, pointing at her laptop. "Good, that's good. I've been keeping tabs on them thanks to Clancy and Fulton over in Michigan."

"Is there something we should know of before we start this mission? We had a debrief earlier, Ms. Smith. And I assure you, this is strictly Starwatch-only clearance and you are free to speak." Vassallo evenly said to the young scientist.

"No, it's not that, it's another thing. It's about the metas, sir."

That seemed to get Vassallo's immediate attention.

"Is this why we were called here? You wished to speak with us privately on the matter?" Vassallo remained professional and cool-headed, even with Smith's growing nervousness. He knew that there would be some people who would start getting second thoughts on the nature of their mission. It wasn't ethical, surely, but for someone with the experience he had it was easier to handle. On the other hand for people like Smith, young and soft-hearted, he could understand the hesitance.

"Well, personally, it's because I wanted to ask a favor from the both of you. I understand that this is something really, really big for you guys, and for Starwatch, and I am extremely proud of what we're getting done here. But at the same time, I just can't help but feel like we're about to cross a line. These metas, they're just kids, Major. The oldest is barely eighteen years old. Are we seriously just gonna go in there, guns blazing and hope for the best?" Kimberly stated, sounding as troubled as she looked. Kim herself was only in her mid-twenties, not much older than the children they were targeting. Anyone with an ounce of sympathy could understand what she was getting at. Hurting children for any sort of cause was not something she signed up for, and even if Starwatch was the job of her dreams, it was something she would not tolerate as a woman of science and a human being.

"That is not what I want to happen, Smith. They may be metas, but they are still United States citizens and have their unalienable rights as such. The only reason why I'm authorizing a mobile task force is for the potential worst-case scenario that could happen if the metas get out of control, and that is it. We will only respond with force if they refuse to cooperate. You have my word." Vassallo stood his ground as clearly as possible with Smith, hoping to put her unease to an end. It seemed to work as the young scientist let out a breath of fresh air knowing that the Major would listen.

"Thank you, Major. Which is why I want to supervise their containment, if you'd let me. Make sure that they're treated humanely under Starwatch care once we start running tests on their metahuman physiology." Kimberly also added.

"I see why not?" Woods shrugged. The younger scientist certainly could handle anything that was thrown at her, if the Abomination was any evidence. And like Woods, Vassallo was also in agreement with Kim being in charge of watching over the metas. Woods was smart man with decades of experience and one of his closest friends, but having someone younger and more relatable to the age range of the target metas could potentially yield better results in the long term.

"Permission granted, Ms. Smith. Once they're in Starwatch custody they'll be in your hands."

"Thanks again, Major." Kimberly graciously said. "I won't let you down."

Sensing that this conversation had officially ended between the three of them, Vassallo checked his watch to see what time it was. Just a quarter after seven, about an hour before he would be flying off to Michigan.

"Well, duty calls," he said, turning around to leave before he added a bit of humor to his next sentence, "Keep things tidy around here would you, Woods?"

Woods chuckled and gave a soft salute.

"Of course, sir."

As Vassallo left them and headed for the elevator, his thoughts trailed back to the topic of the meta-human family. He wasn't lying when he spoke to Smith on the topic of caring for them. Powers or not, they were still human, and deserved to be treated as such. However, another aspect was telling him a different aspect. Speaking of the meta-human's powers only made him worry, and Vassallo was not a man that enjoyed being worried. He was dealing with a large family of meta-humans, and so far only the boy's powers had been observed. Thinking back to the comic books he used to read as a kid made him wonder just what else the rest of the children could do.

He had to be ready to do what was necessary, no matter the cost. This he knew, taking a deep breath as he left the elevator to the hangar bay, where he could see several black-tinted sedans waiting for him. He'd be taking a small plane from the Washington airport to Detroit, where he would meet up with his Michigan-based task force, a platoon of well-armed soldiers ready to follow his command. Apprehending the metas would not be easy, age be damned.

The Major knew that a fight was on the horizon. The only thing he could do now was pray that Starwatch could bear it.

...

"Hey, we're home!"

Lori tried to sound as cheerful as she could, but after the long day she had, she just didn't have the energy to do it. Her shift today at the pizzeria had sucked hard. Screaming kids and equally aggravating parents had completely wrecked what good feelings she had coming out of school this afternoon, and going back and forth across town to pick up her sisters had drained what little energy she had left. It was almost eight by the time she pulled in the driveway, and by the looks of things their parents weren't home as well. Lucky them. Looks like she and her sisters were on their own for dinner tonight.

The smell of pancakes and hot food, however, did do some wonders for her nose.

"Hi guys!" The four eldest siblings turned their attention to the living room, where they could see their brother and sisters eating around the table while watching an animated movie. Styrofoam containers and used silverware were strewn all over the furniture, couple with the scents of sugary, mouth-watering goodness.

Luan took a long sniff.

"Did you guys order pancakes?" She wondered.

"Yep!" Lana replied, her mouth full of funfetti pancake. "It was Lincoln's idea."

"Damn dudes. You're lucky." Luna grumbled, jealous that her younger siblings got to eat at home. "Sam and I had to deal with crap food from the 7-Eleven!"

"The mall wasn't too hot today, either. Not a single item I wanted was on discount, and all the good stuff that was got taken before I could buy it! Ugh! It was such a bore." Leni whined. The fashionista had to come home empty-handed, not something she was proud of.

"Man, it sounds like you guys had a rough day out there." Lynn said as she took a drink from her cup of water. Right as she did, the fiery Loud suddenly remembered the earlier discussion between her, her brother and her younger sisters beforehand, and the promise that they made to tell the other sisters. Lynn pointed a finger to get their attention before she spoke, "Hey, uh, how would you guys react if we told you that there's something odd about our... superpowers?"

"Oh, please, please don't tell me there's something else. This is literally the last thing I need right now." Lori desperately pleaded, feeling like her sanity was beginning to slip.

"It's not a bad thing, Lori! In fact, it might just be some really great news for all of us!" Lincoln said, hoping to put his older sister's worries to rest. The middle child put down the TV remote before he spoke again to give his sisters a rundown of the conversation he had earlier. "I think we've figured out where our powers may have came from!"

"Really? That's great, dudes!" Luna cheered.

"Great? It's awesome, Luna! Maybe we can finally get some answers!" Luan cheerily added on.

"Okay, before we all start celebrating for literally no reason, tell us how you managed to find out, Lincoln." Lori stepped in to quell the excitement before it became too overbearing.

Lincoln leaned over to put his drink down on the table, "Well, over the past couple days Lynn, Lucy and I have been having these really strange and figurative dreams that seemed to be reflective of our own unique superpowers. I had one where I was trapped in a hurricane. And in each of our dreams, we all saw the exact same thing. It was a large white ring, like a halo on an angel. And it talked to us, like it was leading us somewhere."

It took a couple moment for the older sisters to digest what Lincoln had just said.

Lori spoke up first.

"That... is literally the most insanely idiotic thing I've heard all day. A talking halo in your dreams? Come on Lincoln, that's just stupid."

The white-haired boy balked.

"Really, Lori? After all the stuff that's been happening to us, that's where you draw the line?" Lincoln asked, slightly irritated at his eldest sister.

"Uh, yeah? Because dreams don't do squat. They're just a bunch of random images that we see when we sleep, that's it."

"Hey, wait just a darn second there, Lori!" Lynn piped up, sharing her brother's mood with how Lori was acting. "Linc's been the one trying to find out where our power's come from since they first appeared! Don't you remember the last time he started talking about superpowers? You especially, Lori! You were home when I came home with a melted baseball bat, and look where we are now!"

"There's no need to get so fired up, Lynn." Luan said, tittering as she did before addressing her brother. "And Lincoln, we know you've been trying your darn best to figure our where our powers came from, and that's no joke. But you gotta admit, this is a bit of a stretch."

"Yeah dudes. I've had some lucid dreams before thanks to some cruddy food. Superpowers are one thing. This is another." Luna also said.

"I know it sounds crazy, but you gotta believe me and Lynn! We're telling you the truth!" Lincoln cried out.

"Really? You got any proof to match that, mister?" Lori countered.

"Allow me. I can show you the proof you want, Lori." Thankfully, Lincoln had someone like Lucy to come and help him out. The little goth hopped off the couch and made her way to an open space right in front of her four oldest sisters. Everyone watched as with a spin from her right index finger, a large cyan-colored rune flickered to life above the floor, and in the middle lay a swirling mass that slowly began to form imagery, which then in turn began to replay the dream that she had told her siblings about. Scenes played of the red lightning storm to the huge black tower, and the older sisters were drawn to the scene of Lucy's dream. It was a dark and dreary piece of scenery, one that fit their little goth sister perfectly.

"Woah. Is this your dream, Lucy?" Luan astonishingly asked, turning to face her sorceress sister.

"Indeed it is. Magic can achieve all sorts of things, Luan. This is a memory projection spell. I learned it a couple nights ago. It allows me to show what I have seen from my mind into an astral projection." Lucy stated. The goth sounded oddly cryptic as she spoke, as if she was being influenced by the very magic she was controlling.

"Ooh, pretty!" Leni gushed at all the glowing colors.

As the images began to change, what truly caught their eyes was the sudden appearance of something that didn't quite fit in with everything else: a large, white ring sitting at the front entrance to the huge black tower. To Lori, it was quite a shock to see. The very same thing that Lincoln had been talking about, right there in Lucy's own visions.

"Did you see it?" Lucy asked, flexing her hand out to pause it right when the halo first appeared, zooming in to get a better look for her and her sisters. "There. That ring. That's what Lincoln was talking about. We think that this ring, whatever it is, may very well be the ultimate source of where our powers came from." Lucy finished, dissipating the hex once she was finished, and allowing the revelation to sink in with them.

Leni, Luna and Luan shared a surprised look between each other. It was certainly a shock to hear that their youngest siblings may have unintentionally discovered the answer to their superpowered problem. Lori, on the other hand, numbly blinked before she pinched her brow, trying to wrap her head around the latest development regarding their superpowers. She could feel a headache coming on, which wasn't good. This, coupled with the horrid day she's had so far, wasn't doing her any favors.

"So let me get this all straightened out before I literally get a hernia. What you're saying is that all three of you saw that halo in your dreams. The very same. And not only that, but you three think that this ring is somehow the source of where or how we got our superpowers."

The three siblings in question nodded, and Lori couldn't believe what she was hearing tonight.

"That is literally-!"

"Impossible? Yes, it should be impossible, my mass-shifting sibling. But alas, with what our family is now facing, I believe that this is yet another indicator of things we currently lack good understanding of." Lisa said, interrupting her oldest sister before she could launch into a tirade. The young genius pushed herself off the couch before she spoke up again. "Both Lynn and Lincoln have expressively told in great detail their own nightly visions along with Lucy, and each have told one gravely similar detail: the white ring. Before you arrived back to our shared abode, the six of us held an impromptu Sibling Meeting regarding this dilemma, and as drastic as this sounds, we have come to a conclusions that perhaps this ring our elder brother is talking about may be the source of where our powers came from."

Lori had to bite the inside of her mouth to keep from swearing a storm, but she managed to get her temper under control.

"Okay. I'm gonna have to be the one person here that has a sliver of sanity left in them and say that this," Lori spread her arms around in a circle in front of her, "is nothing short of utterly crazy bullshit."

"What?!" Lynn screeched. Even Lucy seemed to be caught off-guard, the little spellcaster looking as surprised as she could.

"Oh, come on Lori! Are you seriously just gonna ignore everything that we said today?!" Lincoln cried out, startling his older sister with how annoyed he sounded. The sole brother of the Loud family was utterly astounded by how out-of-character most of his sisters were acting right now. He had just admitted that he may have found the source, the ultimate answer, to solving the problem as where their superpowers came from. He thought that they would be jumping for joy, or at least a bit grateful that he was doing something, but his older sisters were treating this like it didn't even matter at all. "For god's sakes, Lucy literally just showed you what me and Lynn saw! I'm telling you, there is something out there trying to talk to us, maybe trying to tell us where our powers may have come from, and you're all ignoring this!"

"I am not ignoring you, Lincoln. But right now the three of you need to stop and think for a moment about what you're saying. A talking halo that you all somehow saw in your dreams, and now you think it's the source of where our powers come from? Are any of you thinking straight or have those pancakes gone to your brain? Right now I think you three are overthinking something that can be chalked up to a mere coincidence, because there is no way that this sort of thing happened to the rest of us. And if it did, I would have known right from the start."

"But Lori-!" Lincoln argued, but was near-instantly cut short.

"But NOTHING!" The eldest Loud boomed, silencing her younger brother as her temper finally gave way. "It's just a stupid dream, Lincoln! You want to hear my opinion? It's probably just your powers playing some sort of trick on you, that's it! Put a muzzle on that hyperactive brain for once in your life and get a damn grip!"

As much as he wanted to argue with Lori about how he was right and she was just being a stubborn idiot, Lincoln simply couldn't find it in him to confront his older sister's statement. In the end, it was becoming more clear that she was right; he had no proof other than his word, and from their perspective he could have convinced Lucy to make something up with her magic. The looks that his older sisters were now giving him, a mix of disbelief and worry, was all the evidence he needed to see that maybe he, Lucy and Lynn were just overthinking things again. It wouldn't be the first time that something like this happened because of their imagination. They had a history of blowing things up more than they should. It was no wonder then that Lori was so offhanded when he started talking about dreams and halos and whatnot. She must have thought he had gone more loopy than normal.

Everything that his eldest sister just said resonated within him, and the sole brother deflated once he began to realize that she had a point. Perhaps Lori was right on this one. Maybe it really was just him and his sister's overactive imaginations playing tricks on them, and the influence of their superpowers having an affect on their minds. Lincoln looked over to Lucy and Lynn, and saw that they too were sharing his mood. Even they couldn't argue with what Lori said. With his hopes now shot down, the sole brother slumped back down into his seat and let out a dejected huff.

"Well, I guess that idea is a bust. I'm sorry guys. I just wanted to finally find us an answer, y'know?"

"It's okay, little bro. We know you're trying. Maybe this time it really is just the three of us." Lynn softly said to her brother as Lucy silently returned to the couch next to Lincoln. Even Lola and Lana, who had been silent for most of this interaction, crawled over to give their big brother a supportive hug.

Lori couldn't help herself but let out a sigh, her anger dissipating at the sight of her now solemn younger brother and his supportive sisters. She knew that Lincoln was only trying to help her and the rest of their family figure out the mysterious answer to their superpower problem, and blowing up in his face wasn't the way to do it.

"Lincoln, look at me." Lori knew exactly how to cheer her brother up after seeing his saddened face. The size-shifter made her way over to him, leaning down to speak as he stared directly at her. "Let me begin by saying that I'm sorry for getting that angry with you. It's been a very, very long day for me, and it was literally rude of me to take it out on you. And I just want you to know that I think what you're doing is very noble of you. Nobody else around here is more dedicated than you when it comes to finding out what's going on with us. So don't give up. We're counting on you."

Lincoln couldn't believe that he was hearing Lori of all people saying that he was their best bet when it came to finding out their superpowered problem. Even with someone as smart as Lisa or as strong as Lynn, and as creative or driven as some of his other sisters, Lori still believed in him no matter what. Each word that she spoke made a glowing sense of pride and love bloom within the young boy's chest.

"Thank you, Lori."

"No problem Linc. And I do mean that. But please try to keep it at least a little bit realistic, okay?" Lori said, patting her brother. He gave a quick nod in response, and the moment he did her stomach let out a desperate grumble, causing Lori to blush and the younger siblings to titter. Immediately her attention went to the amount of uneaten pancakes lying on the table. "Okay, are any of you gonna finish the rest of these? I'm literally starving right now."

"Eh, go for it." Lola said, and Lori eagerly snatched a container to start shoveling pancake bites in her mouth, relishing in the taste.

"Mph, so good."

"So then why is it that it's me, Linc and Lucy that're getting these weird-ass dreams and nobody else? Are we cursed? I don't want to deal with any more nightmares." Lynn wondered, scratching the back of her head. The thought of having to deal with the same dream again didn't sit well with her, and she wanted some closure for her own sake.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that you three are the ones in this family that love to use your superpowers more than anybody else." Luan was quick to answer the jock's question, warping over to the back of the couch to get closer to Lynn. "I mean, I'm a big fan of my powers, don't get me wrong, but you three take it up a notch. Maybe it's just some sort of side effect, like how I had that puking problem when I first got my powers. And frankly I'm surprised that none of you decided to go ahead and sneak out to play with your powers while we were all away. Especially you, Lincoln."

Even though it was a completely unintentional accusation, Lincoln still felt like his stomach dropped to the center of the Earth, a cold bead of sweat trailing down his spine. At the same time, Lori sucked down more lukewarm pancake than she could swallow once Luan finished her sentence, caught completely by surprise by what her warping younger sister just said.

There was no way that they could have known about their little shared secret, right?

"You okay over there, dude?" Luna asked as Lori managed to get the pancake bite down her throat.

"I'm fine! Just fine!" She quickly replied as her voice cleared up and she managed to get the chewed-up food down her throat. "Whew. And none of you worry about him, Lincoln's a good boy after all. He wouldn't do anything that drastic, right little bro?"

Lori gave her brother a you-better-not-blow-it smile, which allowed Lincoln to instantly catch the hidden message. The white-haired boy wasn't that oblivious. He managed to regain his self-composure before he decided to humor Lori.

"O-Of course Lori! I obviously know the rules: never ever do anything with my powers unless we all agree on when and where, right?" Lincoln said with a laugh. Lori gleefully nodded, counting her lucky stars that so far none of her sisters appeared none the wiser.

"Right. Of course, little bro."

The sound of a car engine pulling in to the driveway managed to divert their attention to the window, where they could see the headlights of the family van pulling in.

"Looks like mom and dad are home," Luan noted, "Guess we should pull the plug on this conversation, fam-fam."

"Agreed. Alright everyone, let's get to cleaning. Luna, help me out in the kitchen. I want to make some casseroles."

As most of the siblings went their way to clean up their mess or prepare their own late-night dinner, Lucy and Lynn noticed that there was something off with how their brother and older sister had reacted to Luan's statement. While it seemed that nobody else had caught on, the two of them shared a concerned yet troubled look between themselves, and then went back to watching as Lincoln chatted with Lori about her day, and the crazy dream he had in more detail. It could be the two of them just overanalyzing how their brother reacted, but how Lincoln reacted to Luan's little quip did catch their eyes. To them, it was a little convenient how he instantly went a bit too rigid, and how Lori was so drastic to cut the conversation down after nearly choking on pancakes. Both the jock and goth recognized the look of a person who had been caught red-handed, something they knew on a personal level, and the brief instance that Lincoln and Lori had when it came to recalling the rules they placed to make sure that nobody figured out they had superpowers seemed like it felt forced.

Like they were reminding themselves of something they needed to do.

Whatever was going on between their flying brother and size-shifting elder sister reeked of suspicion, and both Lynn and Lucy had a sinking sensation of what it might be.

...

-Later that night...-

Dinner went by with a breeze, thanks to their mother and father being home and quite hungry themselves. And with their parents now home, the siblings of the Loud House were now back to being under their rule. And that meant going to bed on a good schedule for school tomorrow. As night settled with the moon hanging in the sky, and sparse clouds overhead, it felt like an ordinary night. However, there was still one person who was still attempting to find some shuteye. Even as she tossed and turned on her bed, staring up at the ceiling for god-knows how long, Lori Loud just couldn't fall asleep.

Normally after such a long day like the one she had, she would be out like a light the moment she fell on her mattress. But for some odd reason, either her nerves getting to her again or those pancakes giving her a late-night sugar rush, the eldest Loud sister was still up at this hour. A quick glimpse at her alarm clock showed 11:47 PM in red numbers, almost midnight. Lori slapped her face and let out a groan.

"Ugh, this is literally so stupid. I'm literally gonna look like a frickin' zombie in front of all my friends if this keeps up."

She made sure to keep her rant quiet, briefly looking at her slumbering younger sister currently curled up in her blankets, unaware of what was going on. Lori wished she could do the same.

Maybe a quick splash of some warm water on her tired face would do her some favors. Anything to beat this restlessness and get some sleep. Lori quietly peeled off her sheets and made her way to the bathroom, making sure to tip-toe around certain parts of the carpet where the old, worn floorboards would creak the loudest.

Thankfully the bathroom wasn't occupied. Even at this hour it was surprising for her that there was no one inside, so she counted this as a stroke of luck. Lori softly shut the door behind her and locked it. A look in the mirror after flicking the light switch on once she was in front of the sink showed her messy bedhead in all its blonde glory, a result of her constant tossing and turning. Her tired eyes, slightly bloodshot around the edges of her sclera, stared right back at her. Not a pleasant look for the girl to have. Lori twisted both knobs of the sink and began to cup water into her hands, splashing her face once they were full enough.

After a couple times, Lori turned the faucets off, once again looking in the mirror. Still the same her.

"Why is this happening," Lori pitifully whined, leaning against the sink with her arms above her head, "I just want to go to sleep."

Sleep sounded so wonderful, but alas the poor teenager just could not put her mind to rest. Without any sort of reason, her mind trailed back to when the last family member had some sort of late night issue when it came to sleeping. Lynn had to deal with something like this for a while after they had discovered that they had grown an array of superpowers, and she was one of the first to figure them out. If there was any hint that Lori could garner, it was that there might be a connection between sleeplessness and whatever sort of issue their powers had at the moment.

Their powers. The mere mention made Lori's hands clench. She didn't ask for this. Hell, none of them did. While she would never admit that being able to change her size and mass was kind of cool, right now all Lori would give was for them to simply go away. Lori could feel her infamous temper rising again, so she quickly sucked it down to not make herself any more energetic.

"We're gonna beat this," she said, pointing at her reflection for a boost in self-confidence, "Just a couple more times and we'll head to bed."

Once again, the eldest Loud sibling went back to splashing warm water on her face. Only this time she did it for a little longer than before, going as far as to scrub her closed eyes, hoping it would tire them out. The moment she felt like she had done enough, Lori shut the water off, leaving only the sound of droplets falling from the faucet mouth. With her face still soaked, she reached over to grab a small towel off the rack to dry herself.

Another look in the mirror revealed a Lori with damp hair, flushed cheeks and a desire for a long, deep sleep. A mission success.

Though that wasn't the only thing that Lori saw.

There, standing at the entrance to the bathroom, out of the corner of her eye, was a figure. It only took Lori a minute glimpse out of the corner of her eye, but she saw it clear as day. Her voice, once strong, lay caught in her throat as the figure's details were taken in. A cold sensation crept up in her stomach, the moments ticking by like centuries as her vision made out what stood behind her. It was humanoid in shape, albeit curvy. And tall, far taller than her, and completely black, like a midnight shadow. And it had eyes. Puny, circular, but burned like a pair of white-hot stars looking right at her. There was no sound other than the horrid silence about to overwhelm the poor girl. The instant she felt like her body could move again, the shock replaced with blood-chilling fear, the Loud teen whirled herself around to face the figure as fast as she could, eyes wide as saucers as she backed up against the sink out of pure fright to confront this apparition.

Only to find out that there was nothing there. No strange dark shape in front of her at all, just the empty space between her and the bathroom door.

Lori blinked hard, her heart hammering in her chest. She could feel her blood running ice-cold from the fear alone, and a small bead of sweat coming down her temple as she nervously looked around the room to make sure that she hadn't just seen a shadow figure standing there.

Still, nothing. Lori took a deep, calming gasp of air, easing her nerves once she realized that she was all alone. Eventually her thumping heart slowed, returning to normal as the adrenaline rush cooled off, leaving Lori feeling completely exhausted. But that heart-stopping image of the figure was still there in her head. For some reason to her, it had felt real, like it was alive somehow, boring holes into her. Such thoughts made her visibly shudder. It didn't help that she felt more tired than ever, the adrenaline rush leaving her completely exhausted. Whatever that was had given the Loud teen the scare of a lifetime.

"I'm seeing things. Just seeing things. There's nothing to worry about Lori, it's just your imagination. Let's just go to bed and forget this literally ever happened." She quietly said to herself, eagerly leaving the restroom. The last thing she wanted right now was to stay up any longer than she needed. The eldest Loud shut the light off to the bathroom, leaving it in total darkness.

Though if Lori had decided to take one last glance to the mirror, she would have noticed that the same shadowy figure that she had seen was still there, standing as still as a statue while looking at where Lori had gripped the sink in her terrified grip. It hadn't moved. It had not vanished. But there was something new.

The same place where Lori had gripped the sink in her terror lay a pair of hand-shaped dents in the porcelain, forming long, hair-thin cracks on the underside of the white bowl. A curious sight to behold, as no normal human could have achieved such a feat, even under duress.

The figure blinked once.

And then it was gone.