After a prolonged break, the story is back on track. This chapter, with whom this story will officially surpass 300,000 words, is proud to present the story's longest meta moment as of yet.
Cliff was sleeping soundly on the armchair, his overnight stay at the grooming saloon having done wonders on him. He had never felt so placid and serene, for he had never been this pampered and spoiled in his entire life. Who knew that a day that started so bad and stressful could turn around to become a feline's greatest dream of lying around and having people satisfy your every whim?
But his vacation was over, as now an old acquaintance had stepped foot on his turf again, and was watching him sleep, equally curious as well as eager to put an end to his late afternoon nap.
Marceline tilted her head. She had never seen such a sorry excuse for a tom. That dumb bow he was wearing, on its own, had certainly earned him a good beating. The dog was nowhere to be found, that plump and juicy hamster was unaccounted for, the buffet in Lana's room was off-limits, but Cliff was right there and ripe for picking.
He was a heavy sleeper though, and the savannah was quickly growing bored, so she swiped and lightly grazed his nose. It twitched in irritation and the groggy Cliff stirred, yawned and stretched, and opened his eyes.
His vision was temporarily blurry but once it adjusted, his pupils dilated until they encompassed the entire eyeball. Marceline purred with anticipation and flicked her tail.
Cliff screeched and jumped in the air. The yellow she-devil had returned! He landed on top of and dug his claws into the armchair. The hair on his back stood up as he watched Marceline crouch down, preparing to pounce.
Cliff jumped to the floor and bolted into the opposite direction but Marceline easily leaped over him and blocked his path. His tail dropping limp and his ears folding, Cliff trembled and slowly stepped back, with Marceline advancing towards him at a similar pace.
She uttered a terrifying hiss, more akin to a snake than a feline, while bearing her long fangs.
It scared the living daylights out of the tom, whose head darted in all directions frantically and he ran towards the kitchen. Marceline let him have a sporting chance before giving chase.
In the kitchen, Renee was preparing dinner and spread out her ingredients on the table and strapped on Lynn Sr.'s apron, when the two cats busted in and started running in circles around her.
Renee rolled her eyes. They would wreck the kitchen if she didn't do something, so she moved to open the backdoor. She whistled to gain Cliff's attention, and he wasted no time seizing the chance to escape. Marceline swiftly followed him out, and Renee slammed the door shut.
"That pest prefers being an outdoors cat anyway." Renee thought as she returned to the task at hand and started slicing some celery.
A thought occurred to her. "Hmmm…..speaking of pests? I better perform a check-up? It's been almost half an hour."
And when it came to troublemaking, her brother took up priority. She first peered through the window to find Ryan and his group. She found them in the backyard, as he said they would be, but they weren't playing or even relaxing from the look of things. They were huddled together….standing by a tombstone?
"Oh why? WHY! He had so many more seasons ahead of him!" Luan wiped her tears with a tissue, dressed in a black mourning gown with a matching veil hat.
Ryan was next to her, holding his cap to his chest in respect and comforting Lynn, while Lincoln was kneeling in front of the tombstone, his eyes teary and his lip trembling. In a cruel twist of fate, they wound up having their own funeral to attend.
"What's the meaning of this? How did that tombstone get there?" Renee came barging in but was quickly shushed by her brother.
"Keep your voice down, bookworm? This is a sad occasion." He rolled his eyes.
Sad occasion? Renee looked at the engraving, which read "R.I.P Lincoln Loud, May 2. 2016- October 14. 2019, Your Life Had No Meaning".
"I can't believe he was the first to go? He was the last character anyone would have expected…." Lynn sighed and wiped a tear from her eye.
"To what?" Renee asked uncaringly.
"Lincoln Prime, y'know, the Lincoln from canon? He's gone. Kings of the Con did him in without mercy." Lynn explained mournfully. "I mean not literally, he's still alive and kicking, but he's metaphorically dead. That special obliterated any dignity he had left after Season three."
She sighed. "It's always the guy who falls under the radar."
"He's now just an empty shell of a man, without a soul or purpose, just filling up a niche in the show nobody cares about anymore." Ryan added.
"Is that all?" his sister asked flatly.
"I…..I can't believe this?" Lincoln teared up and began sobbing in his hands, while Luan kneeled next to him to comfort him. "What did I do to deserve this?"
"I'm out of here." An exasperated Renee shot her head up and walked away.
"No respect at all." Ryan shook his head while Lynn joined Luan in comforting their brother.
"H-how….how did they let this happen?" he stammered feebly.
"I dunno…by dedicating a whole 22-minute special to showcasing what a sad, boring, inept and worthless loser with zero merits you are, and how me and the girls are inherently superior?" Lynn guessed.
"And that you're so lame that you even suck at your own forte…." Luan added between sniffs and wiping her eyes "…..so much so that even a group of people who don't care one iota about Ace Savvy could easily outshine you?"
"And that you're so worthless that you have to resort to thievery and sabotage to get noticed, and even then you make a total ass of yourself?" Ryan shrugged.
"And you got overwhelmed by a cranky kitty cat, and we had to open up can of whoopass to save you, while you failed miserably at being the very thing you admire the most, and ended up being the damsel in distress?" Lynn added.
"And isn't this supposed to be like the grand finale for this season?" Ryan wondered.
Lincoln turned back to the stone and sighed despondently. "Real superheroes go out with a bang, not a whimper. I guess I never had it in me to be one, not even in the make-belief realm of a convention."
"Well….look on the bright side?" Ryan shrugged. "Now that canon you is functionally dead, they can't screw him up any more? Not now that there's virtually nothing left to him worth caring about?"
The sisters gave him deadpan looks while Lincoln just stared at the tombstone. All four turned silent and remained so for a bit until Lynn handed Lincoln a bouquet of roses, which he placed on the grave.
"It was fun while it lasted." Lincoln sighed when his wristwatch suddenly rang. "Ah, dang it…..times up for fourth-wall breaking."
"Well…..let's get back to the plot, shall we?" Ryan said lazily as they all walked back to the tree. "This skit will date this chapter in no time."
"It was fun to finally take part in one of these though?" Luan tried to find a positive spin as she walked behind the tree and immediately appeared on the other side in her regular clothes. "Even if the subject matter wasn't very fun, but that's black comedy for ya."
Meanwhile, Cliff came zigzagging through the yard, desperately trying to escape. He jumped on the tombstone and saw Marceline gaining on him.
He screeched, made a big leap and darted away just as Marceline landed on the tombstone herself, knocking it down as she pounced in her pursuit of Cliff.
"Oh, come on!" the ghost of Lincoln's dignity cried from beyond the grave.
"Ah…. hahte yuh!"
"I hate you more!"
Her throat still aching, Lola blew a raspberry and turned around. For the love of Dufresne, it pained her so much being unable to give her twit of a twin her well-deserved verbal reprimand! Both literally and figuratively! What did she do to deserve this curse?
The twins, bruised and battered, were sitting on their respective sides of the room, backs turned on each other. Fierce brawls were nothing new for these two, but this one went on far longer than usual, until simple exhaustion and the pain from over two dozen mutually inflicted bruises had finally put an end to it.
Lana's pets were left stupefied by the vicious fight they had just witnessed. What kind of animal was capable of such savagery?
"I hate you so much… I wish you weren't my sister!" Lana growled while clutching the two pieces of fabric that once made up her cap.
"Ha." If Lola's throat and jaw weren't hurting so much, she would have busted a gut. "I'd….luvh…yuh if that whas….truh!" the princess rasped. Her throat stung immensely afterwards and she teared up, but sticking it to Lana was worth the pain!
Lana fumed. "I'm never gonna forgive you for this! You're dead to me!"
"Why should I care?" Lola scoffed inwardly. "I have eight more sisters! I could cherry-pick a whole group of sisters better than Lana! Who needs her!"
"Dh..ittoh!" she hissed and blew another raspberry. She really needed to stop vocalizing, the pain was getting unbearable. If only they could read and write, Lola could write a novel explaining to Lana why she was the worst!
Lana grunted and went silent, opting that she hated her twin so much that she wouldn't even dignify her by acknowledging her presence. Getting attention is what Lola craved the most. And seeing Lola be deprived of her most powerful and most annoying attribute, her voice, and her inability to give a proper comeback brought the tomboy some satisfaction.
"I hope her voice-box got busted beyond repair!" she thought spitefully.
Though neither of those could make up for her destroyed hat, or the bruises on her face. Just smirking made her facial muscles ache.
Lola made the same decision. She mentally kicked herself for demeaning herself by even communicating with that vulgar, backwater ruffian. Mumbling, she tore her tiara off her arm, which her twin had so graciously bent around it during the fight, and she crawled towards her bed.
"Daddy better buy me a bigger and better tiara if he knows what's good to him!" she thought as she tried to ignore the pain that coursed through her tiny body. Following such a beating, most sensible people would want to rest. But Lola had no time for sensibility when she was seeking vengeance for being wronged!
She couldn't rest now, not when she needed to right the injustice that had befallen her. She debated who should receive their just deserts first, ultimately concluding that Renee should take priority. She could make Lana suffer any day, but she might never see Renee again and the vengeful princess had no intention to let her escape scott-free.
Lola pulled out a small box from beneath her bed and rummaged through it. She always made sure to store some necessary equipment that would come in handy should she decide to punish one her siblings for mistreating her.
She took out some scissors first. "Cut her hair off while she's asleep? Nah! I would be doing her a favor by cutting off those gross weeds!"
She pulled out a shampoo bottle next, which she had filled up with the content from a flask full of wasp pheromones she had "borrowed" from Lisa's room. This could yield very entertaining results!
"But if she showers the water will just wash it away!" muttering she threw it away.
She then pulled out a hot sauce bottle. "Or I could slip this into her drink?" she smiled wickedly before finding something else; a grenade. That would do it!
With a malicious grin, Lola clutched the object to her chest while letting out a wheezy chuckle, while her hair curled into horns, blissfully unaware that she was being watched through the keyhole.
"A box of deadly accessories? How predictable." The apron-wearing Renee shook her head with mild pity as she straightened herself while holding a mixing bowl. She wore a small smile as she walked down the hall.
The twin brats had done half of her work by punishing each other and simultaneously wore each other down. One of them already seemed to be beaten, but the other might need some more work, though Renee would remain vigilant with both of them.
Speaking of vigilance, the Loud's babysitter made sure to check out on the other kids and see if they were up to something.
"Oh man, this is like a nightmare, I gotta find help!" she eavesdropped on Luna's room. "What? No internet access?! DUDE!"
Shaking her head with more pity, Renee walked on. "Now for the grand question?" she thought with some amusement as she descended down the stairs. "Which one will try to escape first? It's about that time."
Suddenly, her ears picked up the faint sound of bumping, and Renee glanced up at the ceiling as a wry smile formed on her lips. "Question answered."
"Sounds like Moon Girl figured out that Renee shut off internet access." Ryan remarked while resting against the tree, as him, Lynn, Lincoln and Luan heard Luna lamenting from upstairs.
"Of course she did." Lynn grumbled sardonically while lying on the grass.
"No internet?" Luan frowned, having thought things couldn't get any worse.
Ryan sighed. "She said we weren't allowed to view any content without her permission, and the internet is a cesspool of unholy and corruptive cr…eh filth as far as she cares. Best you forget about it until tomorrow evening."
"So she essentially wants to cut us off from the outside world?" Lincoln summarized. "Like some twisted reality show?"
"Minus the chance of getting booted off." Lynn scoffed. "We ain't that lucky."
"Not me, with my charm and dry wit I would be an instant fan favorite." Ryan quipped smugly. Lynn rolled her eyes. Viewers always did favor jackasses on television.
"Don't look so sad, Luan. We can still have fun." Lincoln tried to make them see the bright side, if there was any.
"How? Our "governess" gave us a tone of rules that can be summed up as "no fun allowed"?" Lynn replied bitterly.
"Not quite, Lynn. I read my flyer and we just have to look for loopholes." Lincoln pointed out. "Preferably something low key and unassuming, which, if I may be so bold would do us all a lot of good."
Luan beamed. "You're right? Renee said that the stuff I wanna do is A-okay! Uh, do you want to be my first audience for when I perform magic!" she finished with a mysterious whisper while flailing her fingers.
"Nooooooo." Lynn said flatly.
"I'm cool with that." Ryan shrugged, much to Lynn's ire. "Or you could practice your mime act; I wanna see how much you can contort yourself."
"You really wanna see that?" Luan grew ecstatic before deflating a bit. "That's not too weird for you?"
"Sure, I'm all for weird. The weirder the better." The boy said coolly. Luan looked ready to jump up and down like a giddy toddler. "What about you, Lincoln?"
"Sure, about time I sit down and gave it a shot." Her brother shrugged, mildly intrigued but mostly doing it to make her happy. "You talking about magic or miming?"
"Excuse me for not sharing you enthusiasm, boys. But I'll take a pass." Lynn snarked.
"Don't knock it until you try it." Ryan wryly reminded her.
"How about I knock you in that big mouth of yours." The jock said snidely before groaning. "If there's just something worthwhile on TV-"
"Lynn, summer isn't about sitting in front of a screen all day, it's about enjoying the outdoors."
"Gee, Lincoln. All that jazz would be very comforting…." Lynn said with mock-appreciation before lifting her hands and curling them inwards with frustration "….if I could play any stinking sport!"
"Chill out, Lynn. Look at the upside." Ryan shrugged. "With Renee in charge of the place, your sisters will have very little opportunity to wreak havoc, meaning we can just kick back and relax for a while."
"A little peace and tranquility would be very nice, even if have to forsake all other privileges for it." Lincoln agreed. "I'm pooped after everything that happened yesterday."
That was a massive understatement, fearing for your life twice in a row, or thrice, depending on what Lyle had in store for them, wore one out.
He exhaled as he plopped down next to his sporty sister, who didn't quite share the same sentiment.
"So you just want to laze around all day?" Lynn sulked.
"Sound like a plan to me." Ryan shrugged. Nearly dying twice had surely earned him some downtime. "Renee can't punish us for lying in the backyard and not doing anything, it's a no-brainer."
"You need time to prepare your act?" he turned to Luan, who clapped her hands happily.
"This bites." Lynn groaned.
"I have a hunch you would find this preferable to whatever Renee would allow us to watch on TV." Lincoln pointed out. Lynn grunted in annoyance but knew he had her there.
"Her taste in television is fantastic…if you're suffering from insomnia." Ryan quipped. Luan giggled.
"So you wanna see me perform?"
"Of course, sis, just give us a moment to relax." Lincoln suggested lazily. "I could really use some peace and quiet after the stuff with Kathleen and Lyle." After all the insanity that has been going for days, this almost seemed like a miracle. Perhaps Renee wasn't so bad after all?
"Me too." Ryan quipped. "Sports Girl over here made me run a cross country marathon this morning. Said a morning jog would do us both some good." Lynn rolled her eyes but said nothing, they needed some excuse for still being tired or in case someone caught a glimpse of the thousands of blisters on their feet.
"Y'know, it's not often we share a quiet moment like this at home." Lincoln said in a longing tone. "It feels weird but nice. We have the time to just talk about stuff….."
"You want us to talk about our feelings now?" Lynn scoffed teasingly. "Pffft….you should join in on one of Lori's slumber parties then-"
"Actually, there is something I wanted to talk about?" Luan remembered something and spoke up. "It's something that came to me last night after I tucked Lucy in."
"What's that?" Lynn asked less-than-enthusiastically.
"Well, this might sound like a crazy idea…." Luan started tentatively. "…..but do you guys think that maybe there would be less fighting among our sisters if we swapped roommates?"
That got her siblings' collective attention. "Swap roommates?" Lincoln sat up, growing intrigued.
"Yeah, I mean most of us aren't great matches anyway." Luan continued. "And me and Lucy talked about stuff last night and…..well…it hit me that me and her might not make bad roommates? Maybe I would prefer someone more…introverted than Luna, it's not easy brainstorming clever jokes with all that ruckus going on."
"You're serious about this?" Lynn pointed at her with an eager smile. Luan nodded
"You want her? You can have her?" the jock laughed. Finally, her buck-toothed sibling suggested something worthwhile.
"That…..that's actually not a bad idea." Lincoln smiled. "Me and dad have been talking about ways to improve things here, so things can be a bit easier for everyone. Maybe this is the right time to really think about it?" he stroked his chin.
"So much for a vacation." Ryan rolled his eyes. The thought occurred to him about whom he would be saddled with for the night? But his brief moment of enthusiasm died down once he realized that it would be Lincoln, no way was his sister going to give him any privileges.
Luan was happy to hear that. "Sounds ideal to me. We all know Lucy and Lynn get along like cat and dog, I'd be more than happy to take her off your back-AH!"
"Deal!" Lynn nearly crushed her hand as she shook it. "You can take her tonight, right? And you're taking the stupid coffin too, and the bats?"
"Take it easy, spaz. First, we should consult mom and dad." Lincoln pointed out.
Lynn gave him a tense look. "Don't toy with me now! This is serious."
Lincoln shook his head, but swapping roommates could very well minimize any sister brawls. And with Renee having a chokehold over the sisters' daily antics, this might be the best time to inform them about the idea and figure things out, perhaps at dinner?
"Great…." Luan tried to smile while nursing her hand. "But do you think Luna will be cool with this?"
Lynn huffed and waved her arm. "I have no issue bunking with Luna, we can make it work."
"Maybe, Lynn. Luna's pretty chill." Lincoln agreed before frowning a bit. "But I'm not sure she would be thrilled to be your roommate." He mused.
"What's that supposed to mean!" Lynn balled her fists.
"He's right, Lynn." Luan shrugged. "I actually thought about it. You might be better off with Lana? The twins fight all the time, for kinda obvious reasons. But you and Lana would make a fine match."
Her annoyance melted away, and Lynn smiled again. "Lana? She is pretty hardcore, I'm cool with it."
"Just one problem, guys." Ryan pointed out lazily. "Who in the right mind would want to bunk with Pinky? If you tell her that, Moon Girl is not gonna cooperate."
"Ehhhhhh….." Luan grew a queasy expression "…..no way. That's a bit of a problem?"
"Speaking of the devil?" Ryan rubbed his chin. "You guys notice how she had been unusually quiet today? She didn't make a peep, even while throttling Renee."
"Now that you mention it….." Lincoln mused "….yeah? When I picked them up, she didn't yell at me once? She just did a lot of flailing and prancing as if…."
"You think she actually lost her voice?" Lynn smiled eagerly. "Like when you yell a lot and-"
"I did hear her screaming a lot when I…." Luan started and deflated, knowing she would a massive hypocrite if she said anything more.
She didn't have to, as the others, even Lincoln, started laughing. Lynn grabbed the soles of her sneakers and rocked back and forth before plopping back on the grass. She sat up again and wiped a tear.
"Oh, man, this is just too good to be real! That little monster blew her voice out doing what she does best!"
"Talk about karma and irony being wrapped up into one long-overdue package!" Ryan agreed.
"I think I just found my apprentice for the act of miming!" Luan laughed.
"Guys, this isn't funny…okay, maybe it is a little funny." Lincoln tried to compose himself, but couldn't. He couldn't see how Lola being put on mute would be bad thing for their current predicament?
"I don't see the humor in someone being forcefully silenced?"
The four jolted and looked up. "Lucy?!"
The goth was sitting on a branch, glancing down at them with a massive frown. Lynn's blood ran cold seeing her and gulped. She was screwed now.
"Lucy? Where the heck have you been?" Lincoln asked.
"Closer than you think." She replied bitterly and jumped down, landing in the middle of their circle. "I was left in your room."
"My room?" Lincoln blinked.
"Spooky, you couldn't have picked a worse time to be a rebel." Ryan told her worriedly.
"Yes, Renee didn't take it kindly that you weren't present while she reviewed us." Luan added.
"I wasn't rebelling; Lynn locked me in Lincoln's room." Lucy said bluntly. Lincoln and Luan gasped and looked at the sweaty jock.
"You locked her up?" Ryan asked.
"Lynn, why?" Lincoln asked her, making her fume.
"Alright! So I did!" Lynn angrily admitted before facing Lucy. "You forced me!"
"Lynn, how could you do such a thing?" Luan asked, scowling angrily.
'I had to, the little idiot wanted to tell mom and dad about Lyle!"
"We agreed to that, I kept my end of the bargain but you changed your tune at the last second, you liar." The goth hissed.
"Well, well, look who came out of the shadows?" A new voice cut the argument short. The kids looked to their left and saw Renee standing on the porch. Lucy's pumped up anger was soon overwritten by paralyzing fear as their sitter advanced towards them until she cast a shadow over the trembling goth.
"You thought it would funny playing hide and seek?" she asked rhetorically. "And go frolicking into the neighborhood without my knowledge?"
Lucy lost her voice and flinched as Renee raised her arm.
"No, Renee, this is not what you think!" Lincoln begged as Renee grabbed Lucy's ear and twisted it, causing her to cry in pain.
"You're coming with me." The teen said coldly as she dragged the girl away by the ear. Lynn cringed at the sight, guilt stabbing her like a stake to the heart.
"Wait, she didn't do it on purpose." Luan stood up and pleaded but was too scared to follow them.
"You don't understand, let us explain-" Lincoln chased after them but froze in his tracks following one menacing glare.
"Try to stop me, and you'll be joining her." She replied in a tone that left no uncertainty to them that they would regret crossing this line.
Before anyone else saw it coming, Renee lifted her free arm and caught a flying grenade. The others looked up at the open window and saw Lola, whose eyes widened in shock as Renee turned to her, narrowed her eyes and threw the grenade back to her.
It flew past Lola and bounced off the wall, hitting the window frame and bouncing off it as the window fell down, just in time as the grenade went off in the middle of the room.
"What the?" Lana barely had time to respond as a cloud of green noxious gas filled their room. Her sinuses started burning and her eyes watering as she inhaled the fumes, and Lana clutched her throat while gasping for air and collapsed to the floor.
Lola held her breath and desperately tried to open the window as the cloud expanded towards her.
The outside spectators saw her gasping for her air and banging on the glass as the green cloud devoured her.
"Pathetic." Renee scoffed and moved on like nothing happened.
Lincoln swallowed a lump and could only watch helplessly as Lucy was dragged away into the house, cringing from pain the whole way.
"Don't bother, there's no helping her now." Ryan appeared next to him, his voice sullen and took off his cap, placing it against his chest. "We can only pray that she won't be too broken after her punishment."
Luan looked on, her mouth agape in horror, before facing Lynn. "What's the matter with you?!"
"She left me no choice!" Lynn snapped back. "She was going to snitch on us!"
"Snitch? We told her we would fess up about Lyle!" Luan yelled. "And now Renee's going to punish her because of you!"
"Girls, calm down." Lincoln stepped in between them, and looked at the jock, but she wouldn't let him have a word.
"Lincoln, before you chew me out, please listen!" she said firmly. "I tried to talk things out with her, I really did, but she was ready to run down and spill the beans to mom and dad. I panicked and had to act fast."
Lincoln just looked at her, unsure of what to say. Lynn deflated and shifted shamefully, even more as Ryan came next to her and likewise stared at her silently.
"So you locked her up?" Luan glared at her in utter bewilderment. "She was snatched against her will by that Lyle creep, and now you, her own sister, did the same thing to her? What's wrong with you!"
"You wouldn't understand!" Lynn snapped. "I told her about Renee, and I wanted to set her free, but Lucy screwed everything up with her stupid disappearing act and went awol!"
"And now she's getting punished because of you!" Luan yelled.
"I ain't proud of that! You don't need to rub it in!" Lynn yelled back.
"Oh, really?" Luan narrowed her eyes. "Then why don't you go upstairs and take her place?"
"Luan, I don't think that's a good idea." Lincoln said tentatively and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "The deeds done, let's not make it more complicated."
"So you're defending her?" Luan looked appalled. "The one who locks up little kids in closets?!"
"He's right, Luan." Ryan sighed dejectedly. "I'm afraid my sister has it out for Lucy. Her gothy persona does not jive well with Renee's idiotic fundamentalist attitude. It was hate on first sight when she met her at our home, I'm not sure she'll even listen."
"So you just want to just leave her?" Luan asked in disbelief. "We can't just let that-"
"You heard Renee." Ryan sighed. "If we barge in and disagree with her methods, she'll just punish us too. How's that going to help anyone?"
Luan was crestfallen and looked down, before glaring back at Lynn.
"Luan, how about you and me go have a talk?" Lincoln gently grabbed her shoulder and led her away. "I think you and Lynn need some space."
"Fine." She spat. "She doesn't deserve to watch a rabbit being pulled out of a hat!"
"Uhhhh….I'm crushed." Lynn deadpanned mockingly while watching them go into the house.
"I don't think you should be stirring up any more conflict." Ryan advised her.
Lynn shrank as she faced him, not knowing how he would respond to her actions.
"So, you locked Spooky up to keep her quiet?" he asked in an even tone, his expression unreadable.
"And I suppose you're mad at me too, huh?" Lynn replied tiredly.
After a moment of silence, Ryan exhaled and shrugged. "Nah…that would be hypocritical of me, cuz I would probably have done the same as a last resort…...actually, probably not as a last resort."
Lynn blinked. She did not expect to hear that. "You're not mad?"
Ryan let out a begrudging titter and sat back down under the tree, pulling Lynn down with him.
"I'm mad Spooky has to suffer, don't get me wrong." He said simply. "But I get why you had to do it. She was bent on busting Lyle, and we were counting on talking her out of it, but we didn't count on your folk's sudden departure and things spiraling out of control because of it."
Lynn was a bit relieved, though she hardly felt better. She knew what she did was scummy but she had no choice in the matter. In hindsight though, she should have expected Ryan of all people to value some improvised pragmatism.
"So you approve of my underhanded methods. Pffftt….why am I even surprised?" She responded dryly.
Ryan playfully slapped her on the shoulder. "Let's just hope Lucy will be in a forgiving mood once we let her in on our little secret. I'm tired of looking like a henpecked fool to her, I think the kid's starting to lose her admiration for me because of it."
"You got nothing to worry about." Lynn scoffed and bumped him in the shoulder. "The fact that she wants anything to do with you despite knowing full well how much you're into me should put your dumb, little worries at ease."
"She doesn't judge people based on their associations, you should take that lesson to heart." Ryan suggested smarmily.
"I admitted that I like-like you despite your fondness for her." Lynn shot back smartly. "I can make sacrifices to make this dumb relationship work."
"I'm touched by your devotion." Ryan smirked.
"It takes serious devotion to stomach Renee."
"And it takes an iron will to tolerate the blonde brigade."
Lynn chuckled. "Make that one more thing we have in common."
"Yeah, what better way to bond than by complaining about lousy sisters?"
With her ear still aching, Lucy was standing in the bathroom, which, as usual, was not a place that embodied the gold standard of cleanliness, and at Renee's mercy, whose face darkened as she glared down at the frightened girl.
"Here you go." She grabbed a random toothbrush from the mirror cabinet and handed it to Lucy, together with a detergent spray bottle.
"Now if I were you, I would start cleaning." The teen advised her.
"Cleaning…." Lucy stammered "…but y-you don't understand-"
"Silence!" she flinched at the sudden outburst. If looks could kill, Lucy thought her soul was already sailing down the river Styx.
"I am in no mood, nor do I have the time for your inane excuses. If you think the world revolves around you, and you can simply go off, shirk responsibility and do whatever your heart desires while other people can stick it, then you're sorely mistaken." Renee continued in a frosty tone.
"You're parents might give you that unearned freedom, but I'm nothing like this. Under my watch, you either follow the rules or you'll have to face the consequences, that's something every child needs to know. And mark my word, by the time of my departure, that lesson will stick in your mind like an old scar. Am I clear?"
Lucy looked at her silently, her survival instinct telling her that any back-talking to this person would only culminate in her digging herself deeper, so she simply nodded.
Renee's face eased up a bit and she went for the door. "Now make this bathroom shine, if you wish to have dinner tonight." She added while grabbing the handle.
Lucy looked at the toothbrush. "With this? But…this…"
"Is a very inefficient way to clean a bathroom?" Renee finished for her. "Yes, yes it is. If I gave you the proper supplies this wouldn't be punishment, would it? It would simply be a chore." She explained matter-of-factly.
Lucy couldn't do anything but look down sadly.
"Now, if I were you, I would start scrubbing." Renee said coldly and closed the door. Lucy soon heard it being locked.
She remained still on the spot, she sniffed weekly and a tear poured down her cheek. Then, she cried with rage and flung the bottle and toothbrush against the floor.
"Lynn, it's all because of Lynn!" her face heated up with rage and more tears poured down it. That lying, deplorable, self-serving, two-faced excuse of a sister did this to her, she had to suffer now just so Lynn could cover her behind for a bit longer! She had been thrown under the bus. Did Lincoln approve of this? Did Ryan? They seemed surprised by the revelation, but Lucy didn't know what to believe anymore?
She wanted to scream but knew it would of no use. She could try to escape, but with Renee having the house on lock-down this would only land her into more trouble, and this was the girl who would punish you like this for simply missing a roll call. And she doubted Renee would treat her "fairly" compared to her siblings, she hated her and Lucy was no stranger to discrimination.
Lucy sat down against the bathtub and curled up, quietly sobbing against her knees. She remained like this for a few minutes, before she slowly calmed down and her rational reconnected with her.
"If you want to regain your freedom, and confront your siblings, you'll need to finish this grueling task."
It wasn't fair, not by any stretch of the word but it was fact. Lucy had plenty of experience at school where things weren't fair to her but she kept on going. She could stay down and cry, but doing so would get nothing accomplished. Worse, if anything, it would make things even worse for her as long as Renee was in charge.
Weakly, Lucy took a deep breath, stood up and retrieved her supplies. She didn't know if this was purely Lynn's doing, or if her brother had a part in it. The latter notion hurt more, but it was irrelevant right now. This was just like in school, she would have to channel her emotions and suppress her grief. If she wanted to confront Lynn about this, she would first need to get out of here, and there was only one, very long and tedious way to do it.
"Sigh….." Lucy started to work.
"And what do you think you are doing?" Renee spoke the moment she locked the door. She didn't need to look over her shoulder to know who was watching her.
Lincoln and Luan, peering from behind the corner, felt lumps in their throats and tried to make a run for it, only to be grabbed by the collar of their shirts and pulled back.
Renee spun them back to face her and they shrank under her glare. "Well? I'm waiting?" she said in an unnervingly serene manner. "Why were you skulking around?"
"We weren't up to anything, honest." Lincoln pleaded. "We just happened to be in the hall and-"
"Look…" Luan stepped up with all the courage she could muster "…..you don't understand. Lucy didn't mean to miss the roll call, she had no idea."
Renee was unmoved and tapped her foot. "I thought I warned you about trying to-"
"You don't get it, Lucy's been framed." Luan raised her voice. "She wasn't messing with you or trying to run away, Lynn locked her up!"
Renee just raised an eyebrow. "Locked her up? For what purpose?"
"She….eh…" Luan was ready to talk but stopped upon receiving a pleading look from Lincoln, and it dawned on her.
Reveling the reason for why Lynn wanted to keep the goth quiet to Renee of all people would land them all into trouble? Especially Ryan, given how the authoritarian tyrant was his sister, and Luan had a hunch that she was also someone with a strong "guilt by association and all crimes are equal" mentality who would have no sympathy for anyone who was involved or got roped into a fight, like the miserable teacher who would punish for simply engaging in self-dense?
"Well, why did Lynn do it? I'm waiting?" Renee continued. "If you wish to be the little psycho's defense attorney, you better provide some hard evidence for her innocence?"
Luan turned silent and glanced at her brother, who was likewise silent.
"Thought so." Renee rolled her eyes. "I believe I warned you that I don't care much about your puerile humor, or your blind devotion to that delinquent?"
"Renee, we didn't mean to bother you." Lincoln raised his hands. "We just wanted to know what you would do to Lucy?"
Renee narrowed her eyes. "And now you've satisfied your curiosity, so I hope you will allow me to finish some necessary chores, unless you don't wish to dine tonight?"
"Can I ask for something first?" Luan hesitantly spoke up. Renee turned to her.
The comedian gulped. "Could…c-could I help Lucy to clean the bathroom?"
Lincoln was surprised to hear that, and looked at her worriedly. Renee was likewise surprised, not that she showed it outwardly.
"Why?"
"She can't possibly clean that place with a toothbrush?"
"She can, trust me I've seen children do it with the proper motivation." Renee shrugged. "It's not a quick and easy task, and that's the idea."
Luan narrowed her eyes with annoyance, unable to believe the nerve of this girl.
"Well, can I help her then? I don't want her to be alone and suffer-"
"If I allowed her assistance then this wouldn't qualify as punishment, would it?" Renee disagreed. "And I have no reason to punish you?"
Luan frowned. "But it would get the job done faster? What about chores? Don't we all have the right to do chores if we want to?"
She immediately regretted saying that after seeing their sitter grow a slight but unnerving smile.
"Oh, you want to be a good girl and volunteer for a chore?"
Five minutes later…..
"What happened here?" Luan was left flabbergasted after finding a huge pile of boxes and other stuff piled up on the right side of the attic, while the left side was practically empty save for a dozen or so boxes Lincoln had transported from the garage. Lincoln just shuffled and looked away innocently.
Renee dragged her finger across an old dresser that was coated in dust, as was most of the attic, and examined the dust that had amassed on the tip of her finger. "This place obviously needs cleaning, especially that jumbled pile that could topple over at any moment."
"You want me to do that?" Luan panicked.
"No, no….." Renee reassured her before handing her a broom, a feather duster and bag full of other supplies. "First, you'll need to dust this place clean and remove all those cobwebs, then you will rearrange all those boxes in a more….tidy manner."
Luan grew a look of despair as she realized what she had talked herself into.
"Of course, when someone volunteers for free work out of the goodness of their heart, they are expected to finish the task that they so graciously agreed to do." Renee added in a more stern tone, making Luan fear about what the former's reaction would be should she express second thoughts?
"So you won't be slacking off while on duty?" Renee asked. Looking miserable, the crestfallen Luan looked at her supplies and weekly shook her head.
Renee was very satisfied, that's more pest she wouldn't have to worry about for a while. Though this Loud hardly seemed like the type who had the guts to defy someone who was her superior in virtually every category. She also loved tricking kids by using their exact words and twisting them in her favor, but still giving them what they technically asked for.
"And are you feeling like doing volunteer work?" she casually asked Lincoln, who gulped.
"Um…..I think I would rather enjoy the warm, sunny day outside, if that's okay?" he nervously stepped back. No way was going to be stuck doing back-breaking housework for the fourth time within a week!
Luan was visibly hurt but didn't say anything. Who was she to rope him into this mess that she had gotten herself into? At least she could later give Lucy some comfort by informing her that she wasn't the only one who suffered today, assuming they would survive their respective punishments? Little did she know that Lynn's actions had inadvertently tripled her current workload, ironically preventing Luan from discovering something that would have paved the way for a grander mess.
"Very well, we mustn't distract your sister from her assignment any longer, come along." Renee was getting ready to leave. Lincoln nodded obediently and climbed down the ladder.
Renee followed but stopped halfway down the hatch as she noticed a small hole that had been smashed into the wall. "But don't even think about trying to fix that….. I don't want you to nail your own hand to the wall."
With that she closed the hatch. Luan huffed indignantly. She wanted to give that condescending blowhard a piece of her mind, but soon lost any vigor and deflated, knowing she could never do that, and eventually grabbed her broom.
She muttered dejectedly. "Why did I have to open my big mouth…."
"Don't you think that was…a tad harsh?"
"She asked me if she could do a chore, did she not?" Renee replied simply as Lincoln followed her down the hall.
The boy frowned. "You know what she wanted."
"Yes, I do." She said frankly. "She wanted me to go light on the little psycho's sentence, which is why I didn't give her an easy task."
She had played Luan to get her out of the way and get more housework done, two wins for the price of one. It was very shrewd; Lincoln had to admit, but also very cold-blooded and underhanded.
"About Lucy? After she cleans the bathroom, she's free of charge then?" he inquired.
"Yes."
"Okay then….." Lincoln kept his head down. Once Lucy was free, he wouldn't let her leave his side. Not just so he could let her in on a certain secret but also to keep her out of Renee's way. She seemed to have acquired a special dislike for the goth, and Lincoln worried she would jump at any opportunity to reprimand her.
"Tell me…." Renee suddenly asked him as she stopped by the twins' room. "Do you know the meaning of the phrase "hoist with his own petard"?"
Lincoln soon smelt the faint remnants of the noxious gas that was still emanating from beneath the door.
"I do, eh…..you're referring to what Lola tried to do?" he answered.
The teen nodded and pulled out a key to unlock the door. She pulled the handle and the moment the door opened, the twins, who were seemingly leaning on it the whole time, fell out and rolled on the floor coughing and gagging.
Lincoln's nose wrinkled as he inhaled more of the gas while Renee casually walked in and opened the window, much to the relief of the distressed birds, amphibians and reptiles.
Lincoln watched the twins with a pitiful expression, as Lana coughed and rolled onto her back. He noticed how both of them were covered in bruises, and there were no points for guessing how they acquired them. Still, he couldn't quite recall the last time they had looked this battered?
"Lincoln….is that….. you?" Lana rasped between coughs, her mind reduced to mush after inhaling so much of the foul gas.
"Well, did you spend your time thinking about your actions?" Renee asked simply.
Lola weekly rose up on her knees and hands. Hearing Renee's voice made her burn with rage, but she was too weak to have much of a response, her voice wasn't working anyway.
All she could do was slowly lift her head up and give a weak glare, while her twin lay defeated where she was, quietly sniffing, for her tear sacks were used up by now. Suddenly, Lola felt her stomach twisting and her cheeks puffed up.
Lincoln flinched and felt his skin crawling as the princess puked all over his shoes. "Lola…." He cried in horror.
Renee grew an annoyed scowl. "You're going to clean that up."
"Why…..why you so mean?" Lana croaked, looking at the teen with pleading eyes.
"I don't know, why are you so mean?" the sitter replied coldly. "You brought all of this on yourself, you understand that?"
"I didn't do nothing…." Lana cried, trying to roll over and get up "….I had no idea about the stink-bomb!"
"I know that." Renee folded her arms and looked at Lola. "Which is why you're free to go now, but as for your twin? She's going to clean the little mess has she made. Find a spoon to scoop up the vomit and then you're going to clean the stain. Fair warning, removing puke stains takes over an hour, quite fitting, as your stink-bomb stunt has earned you another hour to your sentence."
Lola clenched her teeth but couldn't find the energy to launch another assault. Perhaps the fight with her twin had worn her out too much, or the gas had messed with her mind but for once in her life, Lola reluctantly opted to hold her head down and just listen.
"Is there going to be a problem?" Renee asked after receiving no response.
"Renee, I don't think she can answer." Lincoln told her while helping Lana up. "I think all the screaming she did after coming back from a canceled pageant this morning did a number on her vocal chords."
"Oh, really?" Renee sounded downright intrigued as Lola started frantically nodding and pointing at her gaping mouth. "What an unfortunate incidence?" Renee added in the most insincere tone imaginable, which made Lola boil.
"Do….do you know of a remedy that could help her?" Lincoln asked tentatively, not wanting to appear selfish.
"No." Renee shook her head. "All she can do is to stay quiet if she wishes to regain her shrill voice in the near future."
"Serves the idiot right!" Lana spat, still wobbly on her little feet. "It's her fault I nearly suffocated, and she ripped my hat in half!"
Lincoln noticed now that Lana was missing her trademark cap, but also that she suddenly gained a bit of an energy rush from pure rage. "I hate her! I don't want her for a sister!"
Lola blew a raspberry and Lana gladly returned the favor.
"Lola destroyed her hat? Oh, for the love of…." Lincoln wanted to curse to the high heavens. A feud between the twins was asking for trouble, especially if the offense that spurred it was this severe.
"Come on, Lana, let's get you away from her." He tugged the tomboy's arm, knowing the best course of action was to keep them out of each other's sights.
"Glad to. But I have a suggestion for you!" Lana looked at Renee. "Make her eat the puke as punishment instead! And then have her lick the stain clean!"
Lola visibly paled hearing that, but fortunately for her Renee just rolled her eyes.
"Lana, let's go watch television." Lincoln suggested.
"Yes, I believe it would do you both some good to not interact with each other for the remainder of the day." Renee agreed uncaringly. Having Lana here would just distract her twin from her choir.
"Fine by me!" Lana spat, and Lola gladly agreed.
"Just a minute." Renee suddenly raised her hands up to silence everyone, as she felt her senses tingling.
"What now?" Lincoln asked as the teen walked past him and opened another door, revealing Luna standing by an open window and throwing down a rope made up of tied-together bedsheets.
She froze upon hearing the door opening and slowly turned around to find Renee at the doorway, arms crossed and tapping her foot.
The rocker chuckled and waved nervously. "Sup, dude?"
Having had time to register the news, Lincoln now had to vent out some frustration. "Lock her up? Are you out of your mind!"
"What was I supposed to do? Just let her skid to mom and dad and ruin everything?"
Lincoln paused. "No! But…..but…"
"But what? Admit it! You wouldn't have been any more tactful if you were in my shoes?" Lynn stated defensively.
"I wouldn't have locked her up!"
"Of course you wouldn't have." Lynn scoffed. "You wouldn't have the guts to do that, and mom and dad would know about Lyle now. I'm sure that would do wonders for their relationship?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lincoln argued, though the jock's reasons started to sink in.
"Admit it? Lucy's been a huge liability ever since this whole crap started. Nosing around and barging in on our business, it was inevitable that she would find out too much and we would have to resort to drastic measures."
"She's got you there." Ryan spoke up, leaning against the tree. "What Lynn did was scummy, no duh. But Lucy was going to sing and we couldn't let that happen. There wasn't much she could have done short of putting duck tape on Lucy's mouth, and you know that stuff hurts a lot once you remove it."
He tittered while Lincoln rolled his eyes.
"She's right. It was a necessary evil and let's leaves it at that."
Lincoln breathed in and out and rubbed his temples. He had to accept that this was an "in the moment" action, he might not agree with his companions on using excessive force or intimidation to bully the sisters into cooperating, but what was done was done. He himself wasn't entirely blameless, for he underestimated the goth's determination to expose Lyle.
"Fine, we can't change what happened." He looked at the jock again. "But you do understand how both Lucy and Luan are now stuck doing back-breaking labor?"
Lynn scowled. "I don't feel great about it, alright!"
"But that's not all, you do also understand that they are both mad as he….heck at you? The last thing we need is more friction within the family, especially now with the twins fighting. Lucy's stuck cleaning the bathroom with a toothbrush, all while thinking that we stabbed her in the back."
Lynn's face softened and she glanced aside, visibly regretting her actions.
"That sucks, but it' also easily fixable." Ryan stated much to the others' surprise.
"How?" Lincoln demanded impatiently.
"We just tell her the truth….and pin all the blame on Lynn." Ryan shrugged, earning an annoyed look from the girl.
"Hate to point fingers but Lynn was the one who did this to her, you and me had no hand in it. We just tell her the truth and things will be hardly any different. She and Lynn can't stand each other, so Lucy will be more than happy to pin all the blame on her, while you and I can wash our hands clean, not that they were ever dirty."
"Oh, so I will have to take the fall?" Lynn asked irritably.
"You were the one who locked her up, I think it's fair." Lincoln pointed out.
"Yup, having Lucy be mad at the rest of us won't do anyone any good." Ryan explained. "You think she will buy you-know-what if she thinks we're laughing at her behind her back before stabbing it? Teamwork is built on trust after all."
Lynn hated her own sports-related advice being flung back in her face and groaned. "Fine…what do I care if the little worm hates me even more?"
Lincoln sighed. "Alright, initiating Lucy has to be a top priority now. We have delayed it too long and now it has spiraled out of control. I say we try all we can to get this done by tonight, and at the very least by tomorrow night."
"Better get it done before our folks come back." Lynn nodded.
"Sounds good to me, but we'll have to pick the right time and right place to do it, which will have to be in private but also inside the house?" Ryan pointed out. "And having private talks won't be a breeze with you-know-who lurking everywhere?"
"I fear she'll be far too cranky after bathroom duty to even listen." Lynn worried.
"I know that, which is why we have to send her a note explaining what really happened, and whose idea it was to lock her up. Give her time to calm down and think about it. And Lucy is fragile; she needs some hope to keep her going through that grueling task." Lincoln continued. "Like you said, Lynn, Lucy's a liability, so either she's in on our team or everything goes downhill."
"You're the so-called ninja here." He turned to Ryan. "Do you think you can slip that note to her incognito?"
Ryan smirked. "That I can do, but you'll need to keep Renee distracted. If she sees me slipping a note to the prisoner I'll be in hot water."
"We can do that." Lynn replied confidently. "Shouldn't take long, and I guess I owe it to her."
Lincoln sighed. "Alright, that's the first order of business."
"What else is there?" Lynn inquired. "The twins?"
"Yes. For one thing, I don't think there's any doubt that Lola's going to try to even the score with Renee the moment she recuperates, I saw it in her eyes. Lana might get some harebrained ideas as well."
"That's to be expected from Lola." Lynn crossed her arms. "But you say Lana is now watching some…some documentary about frogs?"
"Yes, we're lucky that was on the air when I channel surfed. It should keep her occupied for an hour and maybe improve her mood a bit."
"And with Pinky playing housemaid and Moon Girl in the corner, that means all of them are occupied for the moment?" Ryan summarized.
"All except for Lisa." Lincoln realized and scowled.
"I'll check on her, she promised to treat my hands." Ryan volunteered while showing his bandaged palms.
"What exactly did you say to her?" Lincoln was quick to ask.
"Only that I was bitten by a dog, and that I didn't want to worry you guys by telling you about it. Not to worry, I got her to stay quiet about it by guilt-tripping her." Ryan reassured them coolly.
"That can't be hard to do now." Lynn said grimly. "She messed up something fierce."
"Y'know, you guys will have to talk with her eventually about, y'know…her nearly causing the end of the world?" Ryan pointed out. "She screwed up big time, but it's bound to get awkward living in the same house and trying to ignore each other."
He shrugged. "Maybe I'm wrong, but she seemed pretty torn-up about it?"
"She was?" Lynn asked.
"Yup, she was actually crying, it was kinda sad to watch to be honest."
Lynn and Lincoln looked at each other grimly. The issue with Lisa hadn't really crossed their minds, not with so much else going on. Lynn only knew of her actions from first-hand accounts, but regardless, they would have to eventually confront her about it. Lynn also had her own beef with Lisa for humiliating her.
Lincoln especially considered Ryan's words. Him and Lisa still lived in the same house, and would continue so if their parents hopefully stayed together. He would have to communicate with her eventually?
"I think that can wait for now, she doesn't seem to be up to anything at the moment?" Lynn stated.
"No…..most of her lab got busted during the zombie night." Lincoln sighed despondently.
"That's probably a good thing for the moment." Lynn mused. "But speaking of bad blood, eh….what's going on between the twins? Them fighting ain't something new?"
"No….but I think it might be more serious this time. Lola ripped Lana's cap apart."
"She did what?" Lynn's eyes widened.
"Yes, and Lana's really upset. When I saw them, they looked like they had mauled each other to near death, and Lana cried that they "weren't sisters anymore"." Lincoln explained.
"Oh….for crying out…that brat just doesn't know when to stop." Lynn facepalmed. "So the two are on a warpath?"
"Because of a hat?" Ryan snorted.
"That hat means a lot to Lana." Lynn explained. "I'd be pis-eh…..ticked off too at anyone for ripping apart my lucky jersey." She added while pulling on said jersey.
"You people are too sentimental." Ryan snarked.
"And lastly, I think Luna will be trying to escape." Lincoln finished.
"Not to worry, she won't get far with Renee on the lookout." Ryan reassured him.
"I hope so, she did catch Luna in the act the first time she tried it." Lincoln agreed.
"Luna's pretty mellow, I think she'll get the memo that she won't be going anywhere." Lynn rationalized. "The twins…..not so much, they're only five after all."
"Yes, we better keep an eye on them, and keep them apart for now." Lincoln nodded. "You think you can look out for Lana?"
"Sure I can, me and her were actually having fun at the park till Kathleen crashed the party. I can also ease her into the idea of being roommates; I think she'll be happy to hear the offer."
"And I'll keep Lucy close, I should be the one to initiate her."
"And my task?" Ryan shrugged.
"How about you help Luan clean the attic, to get it done faster? Lynn left it in disarray while searching for that fake letter?" Lincoln suggested.
"Pass." Ryan waved his hand. "Sounds boring. I don't do menial labor."
"And why is that? I did my fair share of housework for the sake of the mission?" Lincoln frowned. "You want to leave Luan in the lurch?"
Ryan hated feeling guilt, but that task hardly sounded interesting or fun.
"You are going to break Luan's heart sooner or later, might as well do something nice for her beforehand." Lynn probed. "What about taking one for the team?"
Ryan grew uneasy. "I….eh…."
Lincoln saw an opening. It wasn't like him to be devious but for hell's sake he couldn't resist it.
"Why not? This heavy-lifting duty sounds like it's right up your alley? Most of the girls are preoccupied for the moment." He asked in a coy manner. "Or are you scared of a little physical labor?"
"Pfffttt…I have no trouble lifting boxes." Ryan retorted.
"I would think not, I carried a dozen boxes up to the attic when me and dad cleaned the garage. Me? With my noodle arms. You think you can't do what I did?" Lincoln said shrewdly.
Lynn smirked. "Sounds like you're trying to wuss out?"
Ryan seethed. "No way, I'd rearrange that place within an hour!"
The siblings looked at each other and smiled. "So it's settled?" they asked together.
"Yeah, sure." Ryan scoffed.
"Good, then you'll be helping Luan." Lynn shrugged.
"Fine whatever…..wait, what?" Ryan realized far too late and face-palmed.
"Great, I'm sure Luan will greatly appreciate it." Lincoln concluded, trying to hide his enjoyment as much as possible. Ryan seethed and exhaled.
"I didn't think he could play you?" Lynn laughed.
"He didn't, I agreed on my own volition." Ryan insisted. "And cuz I care about Luan."
"He so played you." Lynn retorted lazily, much to his ire, and hive-fived her brother.
"Whatever, but don't come crying to me if one of the girls destroys the living room and I'm not there to bail you out." The surly Ryan scoffed.
"I'm sure we can handle it." Lynn insisted with a cocky smile.
"Right, and this should end with all of us having a quiet and peaceful dinner, where we can talk about rearranging the living arrangements." Lincoln continued. "I think the girls will find the topic quite interesting."
"Getting presents always made them eager to sit their butts down and listen." Lynn nodded. "And the promise of ditching your annoying roommate is sure to keep someone's attention. I'm already feeling all giddy just thinking about it." She added while hugging herself and jittering with anticipation.
Lincoln shook his head and sighed "At least you're on board with the idea."
"But haven't we forgotten someone?"Ryan suddenly asked.
"Forgot who?" Lynn made a face.
"The blonde one….." Ryan started but couldn't remember her name and started snapping his fingers.
"Leni?" Lincoln asked.
"That's her. Did you bother checking on her, pipsqueak?"
Lynn smile and rolled her eyes. "I doubt she's of much concern, probably still trying to memorize all of Renee's rules?"
"Yeah, but why? Looking for loopholes she could use to her advantage?" Ryan suggested.
"That would be something, coming from Leni?" Lynn snickered. "If only."
"Leni is harmless. Without Lori to tell her what to do, I doubt she'll do anything that might have repercussions." Lincoln insisted. "She doesn't have the incentive to cause much trouble because…eh…."
"Because she's as dumb as a sack of potatoes?" Lynn elbowed him.
"Lynn!" Lincoln chided her, making her roll her eyes.
"What? It's true?" the jock shrugged. "To cause trouble you first have to get the idea to cause trouble, and she doesn't do much in the way of thinking."
"Or that's what she wants you to think? Ever considered she's just faking it?" Ryan continued.
Lynn looked at him oddly. "What are you talking about?"
Lincoln rolled his eyes. "Not this again, Taylor? I thought I told you-"
"Think about it, Lynn? That chick is way too nice, too accepting and too airheaded to be the genuine article. Whenever she's nearby, I feel my skin crawling. Who would welcome me with a great big hug and never once comment about my "sunny complexion", huh? Maybe she's just faking it to get away with bad behavior? All the others can't excuse themselves if they get caught but she can always go "oh, dear, I didn't know better"? Or she's just trolling you? Or both!"
Lynn wanted to rebuke that, but saw that he had a point. Leni's reaction to first meeting him was a little hard to digest, even for a total airhead like her? But still?
She snickered. "Don't be absurd, Leni doesn't have a malicious bone in her body, that's why she didn't comment on your looks. It's not like her to be judgmental."
"Also, me liking you probably had something to do with it. For all her lack of wit, she was on the money about that." She admitted, trying not to blush.
"Oh, and how can you be sure?" Ryan challenged her.
Lincoln facepalmed. Were they seriously having this discussion? "You're being paranoid, can we please move on to more important matters?"
Ryan scoffed. "You call it paranoia, I call it staying vigilant."
"He's right, Ryan. We know our own sister. Will you get that tin hat of your melon?" Lynn teased him.
"How do you know her? You barely ever talk to her? What do you actually know about her?" Ryan pointed out. "Or what she does when she's not at home?"
"Go to the mall?" Lynn shrugged. She honestly didn't know much else.
"And what does she do while there?"
"I dunno, probably spends all day shopping or chatting with her friends about shopping? I ain't a mall rat, you can't play ball at the mall." Lynn shrugged. Who in their right mind would spend all day in the mall instead of on the playing field?
"See? You know nothing about her?" Ryan smirked. "So maybe you should reevaluate-"
"You're being ridiculous." Lincoln tried to cut in. "Why don't you just listen and-"
"Hey? I know enough about her." Lynn insisted. "I may not be close to her, but Leni's an open book."
"Or that's what she wants you to believe, so you won't pay her much mind?" Ryan smarmily insisted, making Lynn irate.
"How can you claim to really know a person, if you're so uninvolved in her life? Appearances can be deceiving." Ryan smirked. "When was the last time you two had an actual conversation?"
Lynn drew a breath but stopped, having to dig deep into her memory to remember anything.
"I…..eh…well…..there was that time…..no….oh! Four months ago, when we visited Great Venture Park, we shared a seat together and we talked."
"And what did you talk about?" Ryan asked, making the girl deflate again.
"I…actually, she was the one who did most of the talking. I wasn't feeling chatty." Lynn admitted.
Ryan slowly grew a smug look of satisfaction. "And what did she talk about?"
Lynn grinned sheepishly. "I… dunno, I just drowned her out and listened to my walkman?"
Ryan was unamused. "See? You think you know her but you don't." he folded his arms with an air of superiority.
"Taylor…." Lincoln groaned. This was really starting to grate on his nerves "…..your stupid conspiracy theory is wasting our time, we have stuff to do."
He turned to his sister, who was caught up in her thoughts. How much did she know Leni? She didn't know any of her sisters particularly well? Expect Lucy, unfortunately. But there wasn't much to them beyond the sum of their parts?
"Lynn? You're not seriously buying this trite that he's preaching?" Lincoln asked her incredulously.
"I never said I believe him." She insisted.
"Seriously, Lynn?" Ryan asked her smarmily. "Who are you gonna have faith in? The sheltered dweeb who thinks there is good in all of mankind, or the guy who's been through life, who has seen stuff, who is an excellent judge of character! Who called it that the judge guy would keep the money Lincoln accidentally gave him?"
"Dufresne was some randoe, this is my sister you're talking about? My and Lynn's sister." Lincoln argued.
"Fine, be willfully-ignorant." Ryan dismissed him. "But that kind of blind trust tends to have lingering consequences."
Lincoln groaned and turned back to his sister. "Lynn, can you please talk some sense into him."
Lynn didn't answer and seemed uncertain. "Lynn?"
"Look, Linc, I'm not saying I believe him…but eh…..there's being stupid and then there's being Leni." Lynn waffled warily, not wanting to look like she was giving into paranoia.
"You're listening to him?" Lincoln couldn't believe his ears. Ryan made a curt, mocking laugh to spite him.
"I'm not, I think he's full of baloney, I just….."
"You have good judgment, Lynn. No shame in admitting it." Ryan folded his arms smugly.
"Quit patting yourself on the back!" she retorted indignantly and folded her arms. "What you're saying is bogus, okay? Get over yourself. You made me doubt Lincoln liked girls, and look how right you were there?"
"That's true…." Lincoln agreed before widening his eyes. "Wait? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Never mind that, Lincoln. It's old hat." Lynn quickly dismissed him, not wishing to go back there, before clapping her hands. "Okay, we got our jobs, let's get moving!"
Suddenly, they heard the doorbell ringing.
"Who could that be?" Lincoln wondered.
"One way to find out." Lynn ran around the house and the others followed her. They peeked from the bushes to find a blonde teenage girl with a blue streak, standing on the porch. After receiving no response she ringed again.
"It's Sam." Lincoln whispered.
"Luna's friend?"
"Oh yeah?" Ryan rubbed his chin. "The one I knocked out?"
The siblings looked at him and rolled their eyes.
"Hey, I saved your butts from paying tickets to the police." Ryan snorted.
"C'mon, better tell her this is a bad time to visit." Lincoln stepped out of the bushes first.
Sam heard the rustling and turned around to meet Lincoln, who was soon joined by Lynn.
"Hello." Lincoln gave a friendly wave.
Sam smiled. "Hello yourself. Eh…. you looking for someone?"
"Eh, no. We live here, Sam." Lynn replied, somewhat annoyed, but tried to let the lack of recognition slide. "We're Luna's siblings."
"Oh, right. Sorry." The teen laughed. "She's got so many, I can hardly keep track. And I've felt a little woozy since that rocking party Luna held." She said while rubbing the back of her head. Ryan knew exactly why she did it.
Her jovial demeanor came to a halt and she jerked back in fright as she noticed the third member of the party giving her a smile. It was hard for Ryan to smile without looking creepy, intentional or not.
"What's shaking, tutz?" he said coolly. "Ryan Taylor, friend of the Louds. Some of them anyway."
"Um…" Sam chuckled awkwardly, trying to be polite. "Eh….Sam Sharp, nice to meet you?"
"Sam Sharp? Nifty name." Ryan shrugged. "Better than Loud, that's for sure." He snickered, ignoring the two glares he received.
Sam eased up and chuckled. "I see you really are friends. Luna would have clonked anyone who made a crack about her name, outside of her friends."
"You came here to see Luna, right?" Lincoln quickly cut to the chase.
"As a matter of fact, yeah." Sam smiled. "I didn't want to be rude and just barge in."
"Sorry to be a killjoy…." Lynn replied "….but I don't think Luna's available right now?"
"Why not?" Sam's brow furrowed. "This is kinda important. I tried texting her and calling her, but she didn't answer."
"We know, about that…." Lincoln started when the door opened.
Renee stepped out of the shadows, stone-faced as usual. "Yes? Can I help you?"
Sam stared at the stranger. "Um…..hey?"
Ryan stepped up, chuckling. "Excuse my sister Renee, she's terrible at greeting guests."
"Guests?" Sam was even more confused.
"Are you here for a reason or not?" Renee asked simply.
Sam blinked. "I'm looking for Luna? Are you a new friend of hers? I'm Sam?" she offered a friendly fist bump.
Renee rolled her eyes. She had no idea nor did she care which of the kids was "Luna", but judging from this girl's grunge attire, it was easy to guess who she was associated with.
"You're looking for her? Follow me." She turned around and walked towards the stairs. The confused Sam eventually followed.
"Oh, Luna's never going to live this down." Lincoln worried as he went after them.
"What are you talking about?" Lynn asked until she saw it for herself.
Luna was facing the wall next to the stairs, wearing a huge dunce hat. She was stiff as a board and although her face was turned away, you could easily imagine the horror that was etched across it.
"Luna?" Sam made a face.
"I believe this is a friend of yours?" Renee told her. "Mind acknowledging her?"
Luna slowly turned around, her face was red hot, her pupils were tiny dots and she was sweating profusely, as she had overheard the conversation at the door and was currently craving to die from shame.
"Hey, Sam….sup?" she forced a nervous grin and lifted a hand.
Her friend made a face. "Luna, what's going on here?"
"Sucks to be Luna right now." Lynn whispered to the boys with pity.
"Nothing….." Luna whimpered. "Just playing dress-up with my little sisters, right Lana?"
Sitting on the couch, the battered tomboy looked over her shoulder and scowled. "What are you talking about?"
"Did something happen to her?" Sam asked, noticing all her bruises.
"She and her twin had a disagreement." Renee shrugged.
Ryan meanwhile, noticed a piece of paper and a pen on the TV stand and grabbed them. Gaining Lynn and Lincoln's attention, he silently pointed at his belongings and then at the stairs and ceiling. Getting the memo, the two nodded. This was the ideal distraction.
"Now, did you come here for a reason?" Renee asked Sam while Lynn and Lincoln scooted between them and Ryan, who snuck his way up the stairs.
Still trying to make sense of the situation, Sam pulled out two tickets out of her pocket and smiled.
"You'll never believe this, Luna. Remember the SMOOCH concert at town center that was sold out three months ago? Guess what! Ashley came to me saying that her boyfriend caught a cold and couldn't come, and she doesn't really care about the band so she gave her tickets to us!"
Luna's face dropped. Suddenly, her hugely embarrassing predicament didn't mean much too her.
"You mean…."
"I know! We're going to the concert!" Sam squealed.
Luna wanted to do the same but saw the glare her babysitter was giving her and felt a chill run down her spine.
"Going to a concert?" she asked dryly.
"A SMOOCH concert! They're amazing!" Sam nodded.
"I don't think that will be possible." Renee replied, much to Sam's confusion.
Knowing what was coming; Luna looked like she was on the verge of crying. "Renee, I beg you! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"
Renee shook her head. "Sorry, but that would entail letting you go out without a chaperon, and frankly it would be highly irresponsible of me to allow you to expose yourself to that deafening and unintelligible noise trying to pass itself off as "music"." Renee explained before shooting Sam a distasteful look. "And you're obviously already involved with a questionable crowd."
Lynn and Lincoln had never seen Luna look this devastated, her lip and her entire body trembled and her eyes started watering. She looked ready to crumble to pieces. They almost felt compelled to help her escape, if doing so wasn't an insanely insane thing to do.
Sam raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean she can't come?"
"I mean, she doesn't have my permission."
"Permission? Why would she need you permission?" Sam asked. "Look, I'm sorry that you can't come but I only have two tickets-"
"You misunderstand." Renee explained. "I'm not her friend as you seem to have assumed. I'm the Louds' babysitter."
"Babysitter?" Sam blurted. Renee nodded while Luan was soon reminded of the other reason for why she wished death upon herself right now.
"But….how can you be her babysitter?" Sam pointed at her friend. "You look no older than us?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Loud had to leave town in a hurry to visit some associates of theirs, and they needed a capable person to look after their children while they're gone. I was recommended to them due to my past accomplishments in disciplining problematic children. Skill takes precedence over age." Renee explained.
"It's true, mom and dad prefer if we all stay put in one place while they're gone." Lincoln spoke up, hoping to deflate some of the embarrassment his rocker sister was forced into. "So they don't have to worry about anyone getting into trouble, not as long as we can look after each other."
"Yes, and I hate to be rude, but if you have nothing of value to say to your friend, how about you leave so I can prepare dinner for the children? I have ten ingrates to feed and I'm behind schedule as it is." Renee suggested and grabbed Sam by the shoulder, turned her around and escorted her towards the door.
"I hope you enjoy yourself at that gathering of hooligans. Hope you find a date on short notice, goodbye." She pushed Sam out and closed the door.
Renee then sighed with relief. "Good riddance, that girl had trouble written all over her face."
"Renee, please just let me go! Just this once! I'll pay you back, man! Please!" she immediately found Luna kneeling in front of her, clutching her hands while tears, mixed with mascara, poured down her face. Lynn and Lincoln cringed at the sight.
"Absolutely not. Unless you've somehow made an oversight, you would know that I do not allow rock music, it's rule number twenty one." Renee replied uncaringly when Luna grabbed her shirt.
"But rock and roll is my whole existence! I couldn't live with myself if I missed this! I beg you! HAVE A HEART!" Luna cried.
"Could you please stop with your hyperbolic tantrum? It's pathetic to watch." Renee ignored her pleas.
"C'mon, Linc." Lynn grabbed her brother's arm and led him into the kitchen. "I can't bear to watch this."
"Me neither." Lincoln sighed. "I've never seen Luna lose it like this."
"Must be some band?" Lynn guessed.
"I'll say, I hope this doesn't give her more reason to try and escape?" Lincoln worried.
Lynn was likewise unnerved by the thought but dismissed it. "Nah, she's been terrified of Renee after getting owned with one body slam. Luna isn't stupid."
"I guess so." Lincoln hoped. "I wish I could do something to cheer her up?"
"We can try later; right now though, let's just hope that things can stay quiet for a little while."
"If only…" Lincoln sighed longingly and glanced at the couch, where Lana was watching TV.
"Maybe you should go talk to Lana, see if you can dissuade her from causing any trouble?"
Lynn smiled. "I can talk her out of it. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear my offer to be roommates. Besides, Lana's not the vindictive type, not like Lola. In fact, whatever one of them is, you can bet your sweet patootie the other isn't."
"Let's hope that's the case, I don't think she can take more punishment from Renee, or Lola. Speaking of her, I should probably check on her, and the other?"
"Be careful, Linc. If she's as ticked as you say she is, she might tear you asunder." Lynn said half-seriously. Lincoln was no macho man, but he could take on a runt like Lola, especially a beaten and worn-out Lola.
They were both more worried about what Lola might do once she regains her strength? More specifically, how she could singlehandedly make everything worse for the rest of them by foolishly trying to get one over on their less-than-merciful babysitter.
"Stupid Lucy! Because of that idiot I can't even use the bathroom! She's so going to get it!" Lola fumed and stormed down the stairs, clutching and intending to dispose of one filthy cloth. But because of Lucy's idiocy she couldn't simply get water from the bathroom, she had to carry it back from the kitchen!
Ryan peeked out of Luna and Luan's empty room, which had been left wide open. The boy laughed to himself. The princess was so caught up ranting in her thoughts that you didn't have to be a ninja to pass by her undetected.
He had finished his note to Lucy and took a final precautionary peek to make sure the coast was clear.
"No sign of nosy sister? None of the bimbos? Perfect!" Smiling, he didn't waste any time.
Focusing on the bathroom door, he leaped out, performed a commando roll and threw the note towards it, and it slid in beneath the door.
"He shoots, he scores!" Ryan smirked before hearing footsteps.
Renee came up the stairs, and looked around to find….nothing? She narrowed her eyes and walked into the hall, her senses telling her something was going on.
"Afternoon."
In a second, she turned sharply and swung her fist. Ryan ducked and caught her other fist and pulled her arm down, grabbing the other one as well.
"Easy there, this isn't an ambush." he told her while locking arms. Renee pulled them up and pushed Ryan away.
"What are you doing up here?" she asked immediately.
"Can't I explore the house a bit?" Ryan shrugged wryly. His sister obviously wasn't buying it.
"Don't answer that. I know what you think." He quickly cut her off. "I ain't plotting anything, haven't I been on my best behavior since you got here? Just as I promised?"
Renee narrowed her eyes. "The day is far from over, and you have another one ahead."
"Typical Renny." Ryan quipped. "You just can't swallow your pride and admit that I have been a good boy for once. Would admitting that to yourself blow your mind? Make you question reality?"
"And why aren't you with your friends?" Renee asked, as usual not caring for idle chitchat.
"Because….one of them is up there, busting her a-eh….busting her behind trying to clean the attic." Ryan said while pointing at the hatch above them.
"Steering clear of profanity seems to be an uphill battle for you?" Renee scoffed.
Ryan gave her an unamused look. "Can I assist her?"
"You wish to help her?" Renee asked.
"I know your rules, sis. One can't assist someone during their punishment, otherwise it wouldn't be punishment. But unless Lincoln was lying to me, Luan volunteered to do it, so it's a regular chore, not punishment. Am I wrong?"
Renee studied him. "So let me get this straight? You're asking to do a chore as well?"
Oh, Ryan would not fall for that old trick and wiggled his finger patronizingly "Naha…..I'm not volunteering for a chore. No, no, no…I want to help Luan clean the attic. It's either that particular chore or no deal." He folded his arms and shook his head.
"Why the sudden interest for menial labor?"
"Luan's not qualified for it. She's a frail, delicate flower. She can dust the place but all the heavy-lifting? No way, I've seen the place; she bit off more than she can chew. But re-stacking those boxes should be a breeze for yours truly. The job will be done much quicker, in time for dinner."
"That's awfully gracious for someone like you?" Renee wasn't moved, she was suspicious.
"Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do?" Ryan smirked before shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, I care about her and would never leave her in the lurch."
"Care about her? And what about Lynn?" his sister questioned.
Ryan narrowed his eyes. She wasn't seriously going there now? "I care about both of them. Lynn's one thing, but Luan is a great friend, and you gotta help a friend. Especially if there's the chance that she might cause an avalanche up there and hurt herself? If that were to happen, who would be held accountable for it, hmmm….?"
Renee narrowed her eyes and Ryan sighed inwardly. How much else would it take to get her so say "yes"?
"You can remove the ladder until we finish, if you want to?" he groaned.
"Have to do this, can't let Lynn get away with this…" Lucy grunted and sweated while brushing the ceramic tiles. No matter how hard she tried though, scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush was hard and agonizingly slow, and she had barely scrubbed one-quarter of it. Luckily, she had the option of using more than one toothbrush. But she soon found out how being locked in a confined space with no means of counting time can easily take its toll on even the most composed person.
She had to keep herself motivated. Imagining Lynn kicking back and laughing at her expense was a good way of fueling the fire inside of her that kept her going, the hope to get out of here and confront the jock. Using Lynn's toothbrush, as well as Lori's and Lana's, and imagining her sisters using them before bed also helped to keep her spirit up.
But one burning question that lingered in her thoughts she could not shake off. Did they all betray her or was it just Lynn? She wasn't given a clear answer and likely wouldn't until Renee saw it fit to release her.
Being locked inside a small room with no way to tell how long she had been here, time seemed to slow down. Lucy felt like she was trapped in a void where time had stopped, and as much as she tried to ignore it and focus on her job, the anxiety kept coming back up and the maddening sensation of isolation was impossible to ignore.
"Don't let your imagination tamper with you….just keep going." She constantly told herself.
But then she saw it, a piece of paper lying next to the door. On closer inspection, she noticed that it had words written on it.
"A letter from the outside world?" Lucy couldn't believe her change in fortune. Even though she had been here for barely an hour, she felt like a prisoner inside an institution getting a notification for the first time in years.
Her blood pumping, she crawled towards it and picked it up. There could only be four people that would have the motivation to write to her, and only three who could do so out of concern.
"Hang in there. Cant bust you out without Renee catching us. FYI, this was all Lynns idea. We did not have any word in this and are mad as hell at her right now. She went rogue and will have to answer for it. I hope there isnt any bad blood between us cuz of her dumb actions? But theres a reason for all of this. Theres something you deserve to know and it might blow your mind. This barely has anything to do with Lyle. We will tell you by tonight, or at least tomorrow, depending on when we can evade Renee. Just stay strong and soilder on.
Ryan"
Lucy lowered the paper, stunned and unsure what to make of this? So the boys weren't in on it, Lynn just did this to her without any approval?
Part of her wanted to embrace that and be relieved with joy, but another part told her that this could be a trick. This came from Ryan apparently, and she still wasn't sure how subservient he was to Lynn?
But she remembered how they and Lincoln tried to tell her something, and tell her something in secret when they first arrived, before the rest of the family barged in and derailed their conversation.
"We haven't been entirely honest with you about….things."
"Lyle wasn't the main reason the Linc-nator has been on the mopey side lately."
"No he's not. I wish a bully was our sole problem."
"There's something else going on?" Lucy wondered out loud. Of course, something was going on, she knew it, she had always known it. Ever since Lincoln came back with the black eye. With how strange Lincoln and Lynn have been acting. And what was Ryan's role in this? It occurred to her how he just popped up barely a week ago and was already well-acquainted with the two of them? Was all of this tied back to him? Or was he roped into it, and Lynn and Lincoln had some chip on their shoulder that was much more serious than they cared to admit? Was Lyle just a minor player in whatever was going on?
She had so many questions, but the letter gave few answers, and she would get no answers here. Lucy read the latter again and acknowledged some factors with her predicament.
Those three seemed intent on telling her something? And whatever it was, it appeared crucial that mom and dad didn't know about it? If this wasn't simply concerning Lyle and his goons, then what was it?
And no matter how truthful the former was, the final point was all too true. They couldn't do anything in this house as long as Renee was there, that paranoid tyrant wouldn't let them converse in secret. But apparently, the three were figuring out a way to work around it, hence why they mentioned talking after hours?
Being cautiously optimistic and intrigued, Lucy exhaled and composed herself.
She read the final paragraph again. Stay strong and solider on?
Reading this gave Lucy a new surge of energy. If she finished this trial she would gain knowledge? Knowledge no one else in this family might know? The cynic in her reminded her that this could still be a trick, but she had no other option but to take the chance.
So she resumed scrubbing and cleaning. She had no intent to stop until the whole bathroom shined bright. She had been locked out of the loop for far too long. She couldn't allow herself to be dismissed and discarded yet again.
"Not now, not ever again!" she told herself.
Was I incredibly harsh on the sisters here? Absolutely XD But they're going to have to get it through their thick heads that life is not a walk in the park and it's not fair, and giving them a hellish babysitter who deprives them of even basic privileges and basically keeps them imprisoned in their own house is an effective way to hammer in that lesson. I doubt they'll be taking their parents punishing them for bad behavior as unfair once Renee's through with them. With Luan and Lucy however, their treatment is meant to elicit sympathy, especially for Lucy as it's quite clear that Renee is profiling her as a problematic child based solely her unorthodox behavior and macabre interests. Sometimes people will treat you with scorn and suspicion simply by virtue of judging a book by its cover. Renee is undoubtedly terrible at understanding or communicating with children, but she is effective at keeping them in line, even if her tactics effectively boil down to emotional (and some physical) child abuse XD
Of course, this chapter served to set up a lot of things; Lucy and Lynn's stained relationship getting even more strained, the twins and Luna being set for potentially causing more trouble, and I eventually had to acknowledge certain lingering story threads like Ryan's paranoia regarding Leni and Lincoln having to talk with Lisa again (though in the context of the story both of them have only been sidelined for two days), and of course the big one…..the sisters swapping roommates, and the minor thing of Lucy finally learning what's been going on with Lincoln and Lynn XD
I was hesitant about including the fourth-wall moment, but I figured why not, as I felt the need to express my thoughts on Kings of the Con and how it butchered Lincoln's character beyond repair, and I sure as hell wasn't going to write a "fix fic", you can't fix that unsalvageable mess sans maybe a total rewrite XD After two seasons of him acting as an inept, pathetic buffoon who barely even communicates with his sisters anymore and spent most of his time derping around and being foolish with Clyde, this special was the final coo de gra. And I felt like I gave him the appropriate send off, not that I take any pleasure in seeing him be derailed like this (quite the opposite, it was quite upsetting to watch) but that's unfortunately how it is.
