The summer afternoon was now in session as sunrays were a clear indication of the season. From each movement of Lincoln's body created sweat in his face to his chest. Serving his probation, he spent the day pulling weeds from the backyard. Being that yard work was Lincoln's least favorite kind of chore, it only made his punishment even more exhausting to him. Heaven knows that he would often avoid yard work from his parents. At least he did not do the chore with his bare hands. Heaven knows that Lola hated helping Lincoln get the dirt from under his fingernails so many times.

While wiping the sweat from his forehead, Lincoln watched as his lovely substitute teacher sat down on her lawn chair. With shades and a magazine, she chilled catching the sunrays. So lucky, Ms. Dimartino must have felt right now not worrying about the summer heat. At least she did not have done the yard work, but that is what she had Lincoln. Now the more he thought about it, he was starting to regret this move, even if it involved working with his crush.

After pulling a weed, Lincoln felt a sting. Quickly he pulled his hand, discovering that one of the weeds had thrones. The throne on his finger was yet another downside to doing yard work. This day just gets better and better as he thought ironically. Still, at least the injury was not obvious enough to have his mom harp on him. Lincoln glanced at the injury on his knuckles and arm. Ms. Dimartino asked him about his new injury on his arm, but Lincoln responded by saying it was nothing. Concern may have plagued her mind, but the teacher did not press on the bandages.

After a few hours of bagging more dead weeds, Lincoln took wiped more sweat off his forehead. Judging from the wetness of his orange shirt, it was starting to reach the limit on how much he could endure the summer heat. On his way back to work, Dimartino called out.

Under the shade, she set him up with a towel, a cold drink and a plate full of food. The lovely substitute joined him at the table.

"Oh my, you've been working really hard." She commented, knowing that was not obvious.

"Don't worry; I'm used to it by now," Lincoln replied moodily, trying to cool down as much as possible.

Dimartino could not help but chuckle at Lincoln's determination and endurance. This made Lincoln frown on the outside as if she was making fun of him as if she was making him suffer on purpose.

"I'm so sorry Lincoln, it was a compliment." Ms. Dimartino eases up on the laughing. "I think your hard work ethic may get you somewhere in the future."

Lincoln held his frown as it was still not a subject he was comfortable. He turned his head the other direction from the teacher. Even if Lincoln about got off his chest on hid the problem, he felt constantly haunted by his nightmares of him being nothing. At least the visions of his homeless self starting to dim, if only it could stop his dreams.

"Mm, this salad is delicious Ms. Dimartino," Lincoln said enjoying the food presented to him.

"I appreciate the compliment, but flattery is not going to get you out of the extra work I have for you."

"Yeah, at this a very poor rate," Lincoln mumbled, hiding his grumpiness.

"Huh."

"I said great I can't wait." He instantly corrected himself.

"Also while Ms. Johnson is on vacation, I will be taking over Summer School, so you better put your game face on, or in your case your study face." Ms. Dimartino reminded Lincoln. "And do not think that I will be going easy on you just because you're working for me here."

"Of course not Ms. Dimartino."

Throughout the rest of the evening, as his work was finished, Lincoln decided to take a long walk. With his hand still in the clouds, he rattled the stick through the wooden fences out of boredom. As he walked through the neighborhood of lovely homes, he still wondered his career path. To be able to have a full-time job and a house was any person's dream. Did he have what it took to be successful? Could he really raise and provide for a family? Could he really carry the next generation? These were questions pouring through his mind.

Lincoln shook his head t get his mind together, perhaps he was just over thinking things.

"Good morning class, and welcome to an exciting day of Summer School." Ms. Dimartino greeted, as most of the students did not have a faced that spelled happiness. Lincoln shared their reaction as he held the same deadpan face. Dimartino glance at Lincoln's direction. "Let's all do our best everybody." The lovely teacher gave a giggle and a good luck wink.

Any time this would be seen as an act of affection that would leave him love-struck. However, the old Lincoln was currently not here. He had more than a couple of weeks of summer school, so he had to make due as he and few other students he did not know we are also in school. Lincoln's friends were fortunate right now to have the whole summer ahead of them, not that he cared.

Having heard Lincoln's grade progress, Ms. Dimartino was determined to get him back on track without doing him any favors. She remained strict but fair with her teaching methods. Luckily, Lincoln would not have any unnecessary distractions, not that he could afford it with his current grades. Since his depression was still in effect, Ms. Dimartino blinding beauty did not flush Lincoln.

Lincoln really had to buckle down as he was still on probation with Dimartino and at home. Depression may have not been obvious to most people, but it was clear as day to his friends and family. Nevertheless, no matter how much he dwelled on it, he could not worry about it. Not right now.

Like a normal student, Lincoln followed the lesson by lesson with as much focus as he could. The task of the day included taking notes, asking questions, doing assignments, and being on his the best behavior. As seen from his progression, he had much to make up for that the thought of summer fun was not present in his mind. For as long as summer school was for normal students, it seems like he had a long week ahead of him.

"Is this seat taken?" Ronnie Anne asked as she approached the lunch table.

"Whatever, it's a free country," Lincoln replied in a deadpan tone. By reading his tone, it was clear that Lincoln was not in a good mood, especially to see her.

"What are you doing here?" Lincoln asked Ronnie Anne.

Ronnie Anne took a seat next to Lincoln. "Unfortunately, I got summer school too. I failed my final history exam that was a big part of my grade. Not to mention, mom always kept saying there is no limit to furthering your knowledge. So I'm not here because I want to be either."

Whether it was because of bad grades or her karma for always picking on him, he did not care. She seemed perfectly harmless right now as he allowed her to take a seat next to him. Lincoln's priority did not change. Now that he thought about it, Lincoln immediately was having second thoughts about his bully being next to him. Lincoln scooted away from her. At any moment, he felt that she jumped at the chance to pull her pranks on him, such as tying his shoelaces or shoving food down his pants.

Judging from his sour and dark look, Lincoln was not in the mood for Ronnie Anne's pranks. He gets enough of his sister's pranks at home, so he did not want it at school either. Even if Lincoln did not say a thing, Ronnie Anne could tell that Lincoln was suspicious of her. Even if the cold shoulder was present, at least it was not a look of hatred. Ronnie took a breather as she decided to play it cool.

"So how was your week?" Ronnie started the conversation.

"It's been rough around the edges." Lincoln sourly answered.

Ronnie could not take her eyes off the bandage on his knuckles and his arm. "I can see that."

"You can relax Lincoln. Bobby told me about your going through. So I promise I won't pull any pranks on you as I normally do." Ronnie Anne declared. "Truce?" Ronnie Anne offered her hand. Lincoln still was not convinced as he averted his eyes away from his so-called bully. It is as if he was expressing hatred deep inside. "Okay, then how is this? If I ever pull any pranks on you while you're in this condition then you can punch me and I won't hold anything against you, deal."

Lincoln looked at Ronnie Anne. With a sincere face, Ronnie Anne was serious.

"Alright I suppose," Lincoln accepted her gesture.

While at home, Rita took a break from her novel continuing her ongoing research on depression of how it affects a child. Seeing that Lincoln was still a child, it only made her caution level rise. From the online stories, it made her cover her mouth in horror. Many kids Lincoln's age or older has been affected by this symptom. Some had given up on life completely; others have just given up on life in general.

Judging from the frightening stories, it was clear to her that more measures needed action. Rita thought she stopped him with the kitchen knives. The very thought of what Lincoln could have done with the knife other than food gave her a headache. Maybe she was worrying too much, but with depression, she could not afford to take any chances. As she stepped into Lincoln's room, she knew what she had to do. She knew Lincoln would thank her later.

"Elder brother, might you be able to assist me with your homemade PB&J sandwiches?" Lisa asked Lincoln.

Lincoln put his pencil down, taking a break from his summer school homework. He saw Luan coming by. "Hey Luan, can you help me with Lisa's sandwich please."

"Sure thing, and I got to say, your lookin pretty sharp today Lincoln." Luan chuckled holding a knife. She hoped to lighten Lincoln's sour mood. "Get it?" Lincoln gave an annoyed groan as he still focuses on the sandwich. Once again, Luan's joke failed to crack a smile.

Luan looked over at Lincoln, who was using a spoon to smear peanut butter on a slice of bread, while Luan was using a knife for jelly. "So, why exactly did you need me to do all that? You make Lisa's sandwiches all the time."

Lincoln looked up from his own sandwich. "Well, I try to make them a certain way." He looked back to his own sandwich. "And since Mom said I can't use a knife-"

"Why can't you use a knife?" Luan was looking wondered.

"Well, I was using a knife last, but I wasn't as careful as I should have been, and accidentally nicked myself." He held up his arm, pointing to where an adhesive bandage had been placed. "Mom saw it, and said I wasn't allowed to use anything sharp until further notice."

Lisa was curious as she glanced at the injury on Lincoln's forearm. "That is odd considering that you are normally careful with sharp objects. While a mother's concern is understandable, I doubt that it is hardly a reason to enforce such a policy."

Luan held Lincoln's arm firmly, looking at the bandage. She looked up, locking eyes with her brother. Worry filled her mind. "Lincoln was this an accident, or was it an on-purpose accident?"
Lincoln just looked confused. "Uh, what?" Lincoln grabbed his arm back. "Luan what are you talking about?"

Lisa, who had been eating and observing, spoke up. "I believe what our elder sibling is trying to discern is if your minor injury was the result of a genuine act of clumsiness, or if you were engaging in self-mutilation, street name, cutting." Lisa explained. "Could it be that your depression has evolve to new levels?"

"That's crazy, why would I do that?" Lincoln replied venomously. He was shocked that his sisters would even suggest such a thing. "Look, it was just an accident nothing more." Even if he stated so, the two sisters look at him saying otherwise.

Watching Lincoln leave, Lisa curiosity added to her mind. Even if Lincoln assured that it was nothing, the two sisters thought otherwise. The very thought of Lincoln doing something drastic to himself made them cringe inside. He was not that desperate. Now that he thought about, he looked at the bandages on his knuckles. It was an injury that was self-inflicted, but not anything life-threatening. Could it be that his mind may have been tempting him to do harm to himself or maybe he was just over thinking it?

They only hope that it was just their imagination. Lincoln's day only got more baffled as he made it to his room. He hoped there if there must be a bit of salvation in his room. As if his day was not hectic enough, he found most of his toys were gone from his Ace Savvy figures to his yo-yos. At least he still had his Ace Savvy comics and most of his furniture.

"Where is all my stuff?" Lincoln inquired.

"I cleared them out Lincoln." Rita answered.

"What why?" Lincoln asked offended.

"It's a part of your punishment, and to avoid any unnecessary thoughts. You have your schoolwork to focus on Lincoln, so as of right now playtime is at a minimum." Rita declared to Lincoln.

"That's not fair, Lynn and Luna got bad grades once and I didn't see you guys taking away their stuff." Lincoln argued.

"Lynn and Luna did not take summer school." Rita replied.

"Yeah, they always had to rely on Lisa to bail them out." Lincoln crossed his arms.

"Don't you talk back to me Lincoln!" Rita yelled, causing Lincoln to finch. "You heard me. So unless you want your punishment to be extended, you would do as I say."

"But…"

"End of discussion!" Rita concluded.

It seems like everyone was hysterical. This left him scratching his head, wondering what came over them. He also did not forget the fact that just Rita shouted at him. Whether it was intentionally or not, even if the kids got under her skin, this seems, unlike Rita. Lincoln never had drastic thoughts. At least so he thought, the more he thought about his worth. Trying to calm down, Lincoln swallowed two of his antidepressants.

Nevertheless, this was something that echoed his brain. He learned about the deep effects of depression symptom. Could he even be capable of doing something so foolish and sinful? He hoped not as he ate quietly in his room in deep, deep isolation.

The next few days were the usual thing, attending summer school and keeping himself out of harm's way. For the most part, it seems like she wanted to help from driving him to school to making sure he was taking his pills. Then, it became more than just simple help, as she would not take her eyes off him. She watched him closely like an eagle.

It even went as far as Rita loudly announcing him of sensitive stuff, thus embarrassing him in front of the school, like asking if Lincoln had the right pair of underwear on. Each moment as he was doing anything but his behind schoolwork, she enforced it to the max. When he was reading a school book, Rita would see through with one of his comics and correct him.

With every method, Lincoln was minding his own business; Rita kept on him like an animal stalking its prey. So far, school seems like Lincoln's only safe haven. At least Rita could not enforce her rules there. For every moment Rita had her eyes on Lincoln, it only brought confusion and annoyance to his face. Even if Rita was just being a caring mother as Lincoln thought, he thought she was caring too much just for a minor injury on his arm. He certainly did not have any thoughts of self-infliction, yet he was still unsure of that case.

Lincoln wondered to himself if he was capable of doing it as he stared blankly at the kitchen utensils. Lincoln may have been a boy, but he was very familiar with the devastating effects of depression. He saw many of the stories that surrounded the concept of suicide. More thoughts questioning his worth and existence clouded his mind. When a thought of self-doubt came to his brain, it was not a joyful thought. Trying to rid his mind of such things, Lincoln shook his head hard.

While shaking his head hard, Lincoln felt his lungs slow down as his vision started to dim. Nervous sweat drenched down his forehead. He had no control of his body as it slipped, landing on his knees. Trying to calm himself, Lincoln regains his balance. Out from his right pocket, he pulled out his antidepressants. As he swallowed the pills, Lincoln rested his head on the kitchen cabinets. The pills took effect as he was starting to breathe normally. Lincoln did not know what just occurred but felt that it would not be a big deal. However, at this time, he was not so sure. One can only hope that his condition did not worsen.

In the meantime, the second youngest return to her room after finishing up her sandwich meal. Even if Lincoln said that it was nothing, Lisa was smart enough to suspect other things on Lincoln mind aside from his depression. She sensed his depression went deeper than expected, as she was very knowledgeable on the subject. However, if Lisa did have a cure for depression, she would have used it long ago, yet even she knew it was not that simple.

While setting up her projector and a blank screen, Lisa gathered the Flash Drive in her pocket. Although it may have looked like an ordinary Flash Drive, it actually was a connector to a secret device of hers. In the headpiece device of hers, she spent days studying Lincoln's depression symptom both awake and asleep. Whether her siblings consented to her experiments or not the young genius had her way around these loopholes. Once projected, it presented a dark abandon corner as a white-haired homeless savaged through the trashcans on his search for food.

"Interesting," Lisa stared with her deadpan face.