I deeply apologize the lack of updates with my three fics. But you see, I am in college and still have to work and have my personal life. I didn't had time or the energy of writing. And when I had, it were in brief moments where I had motivation.
Well, here it is the 25th chapter of Back From Death, and I hope you enjoy it!
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own The Loud House
Lincoln sighed deeply, recovering his composure. "Sorry guys... Hehehe..." Lincoln laughed wiping a tear of his right eye. "I didn't intended to scare you."
"Yeah, but you did dude." Said Luna still cooed, holding Lana and Lola close to her.
"What's this red goo you're covered with? Don't tell me it's..." The Father couldn't finish his sentence as he gagged, placing his hands over the mouth.
"No, it's syrup with food colorant, I friend and me passed all night out... Playing pranks." Said Lincoln, running his finger on his arm and licking the syrup.
"Pranking? Like, scaring people?" Asked Lynn. Lincoln held a laugh as he remembered the night he had.
"Yeah, don't worry though, we didn't hurt anyone, just some harmless spooks. My friend made most of all the scares to be honest, he is the one who can shapeshift into scary things..."
"Lincoln." Rita spoke up. Lincoln stopped talking and looked at his mother."You can't just do this! You're grounded!" Said The mother with a serious frown.
"What? Why? I didn't harmed anyone!" Lincoln said trying to defend himself.
"You scared us, we thought you had passed on! And you appeared looking like a monster, and saying you passed the intire night and morning scaring people like it was just a joke! Lincoln Loud, you're grounded for a month! You won't go out in ghost hunting, or use your powers! In this house! Or in any place for that matter!" Announced Rita with a decided tone.
"What? Come on! You can't do this!" Said Lincoln angry, floating up instinctively.
"Don't float up on us little man! You're grounded!" Said Rita pointing to the floor. Luan pressed her hand against her mouth to hold her laugh.
Lincoln's skin color started to get back to his normal pale pink as before as he stared angrily to his mother. The eyes of the boy blinked red like faulty wired lights, before he sighed again, floating down to the ground. "Whatever." He said shrugging. I was planning to stop going out with the Mysteriand anyway." He said as he started to walk up the stairs.
"Where are you going little man?" Said Rita Still frowning.
"Take a bath. Wash this syrup off me." The boy said without even looking to Rita. The family stood still, listening Lincoln's footsteps untill they heard the sound of Lincoln closing the bathroom door.
"All right girls, you can go now." Said Rita. The loud girls ran away, scattering around the house, starting their usual affairs they did on Sunday, leaving the parents alone in the living room.
"Dear, don't you think you went a little too far?" Questioned Lynn Sr. To his wife
"Not even a little bit!" Said Rita, placing her knuckles on her hips. "He worried and scared us, not only us but I don't know how many other people! I can't believe he responded to me like that! Where he learned to be so disrespectful? Because it wasn't here on this household!
"Rita. Dear. Calm down!" Asked Lynn.
"Oh, probably was that "friend" he mentioned!" Rita said putting quotes on the word friend. "I don't know who he is, but I can said that he is a bad influence to our little boy! Well, I want to have a talk with this boy!"
"Rita!" Lynn Spoke. This time grabbing Rita's attention. "Dear. You need think now. Yes he was disrespectful and Scared the hell out off us, but it wasn't his intention! And Prohibiting him to use his blessings of powers, Rita! I agree in grounding him, but you're essentially cutting the wings off a beautiful butterfly!" Rita puffed grumpily, crossing her arms, before sighing defeated.
"I guess you're right Lynn..." The mother of 11 looked up the staircase, pursing her lips.
Lincoln sighed as he dried his white hair with a towel. Inside the house's bathroom, the boy stood on the nude. The boy looked himself at the mirror. For some reason, he didn't had took a real, proper look at himself since he woke on that grave.
Not that he didn't looked at a mirror, but this time, after his conversation with Reaper, he started to take notice of the little changes that he had now that he was a ghost.
He was very pale, definitely not the health pink he had before. Such paleness accentuated how dark his veins were. They were almost black in color. They would be more noticeable if Lincoln wasn't a respectable citizen and didn't wore clothes around.
Lincoln's hair continued mostly the same in color, but it's waviness and weight made his hair much easier to dry, and the most noticeable aspect was that the hair moved and floated like a small breeze of wind was constantly moving it.
Seeing his reflection on that mirror, made Lincoln feel a sensation of uncanniness. That being, reflected on the mirror made him uncomfortable. The boy couldn't pinpoint exactly what made this feeling, but Lincoln could for sure say that something isn't right.
Maybe finally his penny finally had dropped. The boy sighed and tied his towel on his waist. Lincoln was about to float through the closed door when he caught himself, remembering that he was grounded and walked off the bathroom like he always did. With the door.
Lincoln walked down the hallway and opened his bedroom's door, just to find his mother sitting on his bed, with a serious look on her face.
Lincoln rolled his eyes as he closed the door behind him.
"Lincoln, we need to talk." Said the mother, patting the bed beside her. Lincoln shrugged and sat there, looking at the floor.
He could feel the concerned glaze of his mother over him.
"I'm sorry for earlier Lincoln." She started. "I talked to your father, and he managed to convince me that prohibiting you to use your powers was a bit too far so... Well, you still can float around and phase through walls like you like to do. But you're still grounded! You can talk to your friends to explain that you won't be going to hunt ghosts for the next month and..."
"Mom..." Lincoln spoke up, making Rita stop. "You don't need to worry about ghost hunting. I really am planning to stop hunting ghosts." Rita tilted her head. "I though in leaving when the equipments I asked Lisa to make for them to be ready, so they wouldn't be in danger after I'm gone."
The mother opened her mouth, but for some reason, she couldn't speak. The melancholic tone he exhalated made Rita's stomach turn. "Lincoln..."
The boy sighed again. "Tell me mom... I always looked like this since you saw me since the seance?" The mother pursed her lips for a second, trying to process that question.
"What do you mean?" Rita asked back, ultimately deciding to fake ignorance.
"Mom, please, just now I got a proper look at myself at the mirror!" Lincoln stopped for a second. "I look like a stereotypical ghost from a cheap Conjuring knock-off!"
"Lincoln." Rita spoke with a serious, but serene tone. "It doesn't matter how you're looking like, you have to know-" Rita stopped when the boy raised a hand.
"Mom." Lincoln spoke. "I am a ghost." He said plainly. For some reason, Rita's heart hurted for a second when Lincoln said that. Rita tried to forget every day what situation her family or his son was iat the moment.
"Sorry, mom." Lincoln spoke as he noticed her look turning into a sorrow gaze. "But I think I can't just pretend I'm not anymore." Rita finally sighed.
"I understand Lincoln. But you have to know that it's difficult for us too Lincoln." Lincoln looked down, nodding.
"Damn the day I was diagnosed with that brain tumor." He said, looking at the floor.
"Don't say that sweety." Rita said, hugging Lincoln. "You was given a second chance. And this is all I need. It's all of us need. You. Here." Lincoln's eyes started to tear up.
"Lincoln. We love you. We all love you so much." The mother said. The tears on Lincoln's eyes started to flow down his cheeks. Rita, feeling the cold tears, released Lincoln and wiped them with her thumb, holding Lincoln's face.
"Don't cry Lincoln." She said.
Lincoln nodded. "Thanks mom." They stayed in silence for some seconds, before Lincoln stood up. "Well, thanks for the talk mom! But, well, can you leave? I still need to get dressed!"
"Oh, you're right, I should get going!" Rita said getting up and exiting the room. Lincoln sighed and got dressed with a fresh pair of underwear and pants. The boy was about to grab one of his casual orange T-shirts but stopped
Lincoln thought for a second and grabbed a old white shirt with long sleeves and put it, hiding His pale skin and black veins and put the jacket Leni gave him. Lincoln gave a look on his mirror. "Yeah, good enough." He thought.
Hours later, the louds were at the dinner table, enjoying the spiced meat loaf made by the patriarch of the family. Lincoln analysed the family discreetly. Now that Lincoln became more self aware about his appearance, it was strange for him to believe how normal his family was acting, given the circumstances.
"Oh, dad, mom!" Luan spoke up, the parents looked to the jokester. "I almost forgot! Benny invited me to the circus tomorrow night!"
"Circus?" Repeated Lori. "I didn't knew the circus was in town."
"Yeah, I also didn't knew, Benny said that he saw it when he was jogging by the park this morning."
"It sounds fun sweety." Said Rita before sipping on her cup of strawberry juice. "He invited app of us or just you?" The mother said with a smug at her daughter. Luan blushed.
"Mom!" Luan spoke. The family chuckled.
"Sorry Luan." The mother spoke between chuckles. "You can go with him. As long you don't come back too late." The mother spoke pointing her fork to Luan.
"Thanks mom." The Jokester replied before drinking from her cup of juice.
Lincoln was laying im his bed, looking at the ceiling. Contemplating the conversation he had with his mother. He had to convince himself that the his parents and his sisters were really grateful that he was there. Although this made he feel a little better, he had that little voice back in his mind, saying that he was ultimately a fake, pretending to be the sole boy of the family.
Lincoln shook those thoughts off his mind and turned himself to the wall.
"Lincoln." The boy heard the voice of Lucy made he jolt up with a shriek, as usual, but this time he didn't came back down, Lincoln turned back in midair spotting Lucy looking up to him in her sleep wear. How did she get in here? He wondered.
"Lucy. What is it?" he question floating back to his bed.
"Can I sleep with you?" She asked with her usual monotone. Lincoln lifted a eyebrow.
"Why?" He questioned. It was the second time she asked to sleep with him since he returned. The last time he deduced it was because she was emotional and wanted to be close to him, but why again?
"I had a scary dream." Lucy replied simply.
"You? Had a scary dream?" Repeated Lincoln incredulous. "And you isn't thrilled about it?" Lucy nodded. "Did you dreamed about the day you tried to impress that boy and wore pink?"
"I dreamed with you. But you was like earlier. Red eyes, dripping with blood and a psychotic grin." Lincoln pursed his lips. "You had just killed Lynn and was ready to jump to kill me too."
Lincoln noted that the monotony of her words were in the verge of breaking with each word she spoke. Lincoln lifted his blanket without speaking any word. Lucy just crawled her way to the bed as the boy covered her with the blanket and hugged her from behind.
"Don't worry Lucy. I would never. Ever. Hurt you." Lincoln whispered to Lucy. The girl slowly nodded her head. "Good night Lucy."
The next morning was rather uneventful, seeing that it was Monday and the kids had school. Lincoln was waiting at the line for the bathroom, when he felt someone tugging his shirt. As he looked down. And saw Lisa.
"Hey Lisa. Want something?" He questioned.
"Lincoln, I have to inform you that the equipments you requested me are ready."