Author's Note: Hey-ho! You might be wondering what the delay was about this time. Well, first I caught a nasty cold that left me unable to do much besides sleep, shiver, ache, and complain, so that sucked. Then, the next quarter of classes started, so I was busy with that (and I will be for the next several weeks). And then, well… I just got super-duper blocked again. But now, it's done… it's finally done…
By the way, I intend to ask you guys an important question when I post the next chapter, so… please be patient!
I'm Captain Dodge – thank you, and have a nice day!
(…)
Bobby Santiago, his mother Maria, and the entire Casagrande family gathered around Ronnie Anne's door. Half an hour earlier, Bobby had gathered the lot of them in the living room and reluctantly told them what Lori had told him hours earlier. CJ didn't quite understand what he meant when he said that Ronnie Anne had done "the same thing that Lincoln's sisters did" to him; he was only told that it was "something very bad". That made him worried. What could she have done?
Only now had the family members managed to rouse themselves and crowd into the narrow hallway outside Ronnie Anne's room, ready to confront her. No-one said a word – even CJ could read the atmosphere, and kept quiet. What was there to say in this situation?
Bobby stood at the head of the pack, staring at Ronnie Anne's door. CJ's sign was still there – "Ronnie Anne's Room – Keep Out." And for the past two weeks, Ronnie Anne had fiercely enforced the rule on that sign – on more than just her room. Mrs. Santiago gently nudged her son. Bobby took a deep breath, steeled his resolve, and knocked on the door.
"Niní?" he called. "We need to talk."
Inside, Ronnie Anne called back, "Go away."
"Ronalda, please, it's really important…" Mrs. Santiago said.
"Leave me alone."
Seeing everyone talking made CJ feel as though he needed to say something as well. "C'mon, Ronnie Anne, we miss you!"
"Yeah, cuz!" Carlota said. "We're here to help –"
"I said GO AWAY!"
Bobby sighed – this was getting them nowhere. Gulping, he decided to stop beating around the bush, and knocked again.
"Niní… Lori told me what happened with you and Lincoln."
Everyone held their breath after that, nervously awaiting her response, but no response came. The Santiagos and Casagrandes looked at each other fearfully – her silence was not reassuring. Bobby placed his hand on the door.
"…Is it true?" he asked.
There was no answer.
"Sweetie, please, we promise we won't be angry," said Mrs. Santiago. "Just tell us the truth."
No answer.
Bobby looked at his mother, then turned to the others and shrugged helplessly. The others were dejected as well – they knew that they couldn't force the issue here.
Sighing, Bobby turned back to the door. "Okay, Niní, okay. We get it – you don't want to talk about it. If it is true – and I'm not saying it is – but if it is true, then you must feel ashamed. We completely understand that. Just… Just know that whatever the truth is, we still love you. We love you, and we will always be there for you, no matter what. Okay?"
There was still no answer.
Bobby shook his head. He and his family lingered outside the door for a few moments longer, then sadly began to disperse.
Suddenly, they all heard the door being thrown open behind them. Turning back around, they saw Ronnie Anne standing in the doorway on wobbly legs, her eyes glistening.
Bobby couldn't believe what he was seeing. Ronnie Anne was crying.
Ronnie Anne was crying.
"Bobby…" Ronnie Anne said. She stood there shaking for just a moment, then rushed into her elder brother's arms.
Bobby held his little sister, gently stroking her hair as she sobbed and choked into his chest. "Oh, Niní," he moaned, "say it isn't so…"
Ronnie Anne turned her head sideways to speak. "I'm sorry… I… I'm so sorry…"
Bobby stifled his own sobs and was brave for his sister as she broke down. Their aunt Frida and grandmother Rosa were not so strong, however, and started crying along with her. The others suffered in silence, waiting for Ronnie Anne to cry herself out.
It took her a quarter of an hour, but eventually, Ronnie Anne started to calm down. Sniffling and hiccupping, she turned her head upwards to look at Bobby.
"Ronnie Anne…" he said, "what happened…?"
Ronnie Anne sniffled and gulped, trying to gain some sense of composure. Wiping away her tears, she clutched Bobby tightly. "I… I just wanted to see him… I wanted to see him so bad, but… But his dad wouldn't let me, and… I-I just wanted to see him! So… S-So I… I ran away. I… I'm sorry, but… I stole money from Mom's purse, and I-I bought a train ticket to Royal Woods."
"Ronalda!" Mrs. Santiago said. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for a girl your age to travel alone?!"
"I-I know, Mom! B-But what could I do? Nobody would take me to see him! So… So, I went to see him myself!" She paused. "Uh… I… I came when his dad wasn't at home. He was so scared… scared of me… I just wanted to help him; to… to be there for him, you know?" She shook her head – her eyes were starting to well up again. "He… H-He tried to tell me… tell me how dangerous it was, but… I didn't listen…" She buried her face in Bobby's shirt again. "I-I-I don't know what came over me…! B-But, t-the next thing I knew, I was outside, i-in his backyard, and-and I didn't know how I got there, b-but then I looked at his house, and-and-and I remembered! I remembered everything…!" She burst back into tears, and this time, Bobby couldn't help but join her. He tried to stay brave, though – not sobbing or choking, but letting the tears flow while keeping a straight face…
Although she could barely hold herself together, Ronnie Anne's tragic tale wasn't over yet. "…And… And-And-And I tried to see him again, t-to say I was sorry, b-but his dad was there, and-and-and he said… He-He said… 'I don't want to see you near my house, or my son, ever again…!'" Now finished, she allowed herself to completely fall apart in Bobby's arms. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry…!"
Mrs. Santiago joined Bobby in hugging Ronnie Anne, and the Casagrandes all followed suit. They all stood there, huddled together in a group hug, for what seemed like ages before Ronnie Anne had the strength to speak up again.
"I never wanted to hurt him…" she said.
"It…" Bobby sniffled. "It's okay, Niní… it wasn't your fault. Do you understand? It wasn't your fault." He looked around the huddle. "We… We forgive you. Don't we?"
The others all nodded and voiced their agreement, though some sounded hesitant. It lifted Ronnie Anne's spirits to hear their support for her, but none of it mattered if she didn't forgive herself…
Bobby stroked Ronnie Anne's hair again. "We… We'll just… keep this between us, okay?"
Ronnie Anne nodded, and nuzzled back into Bobby's chest. This… was a start. She was immensely relieved to have finally gotten the awful truth off of her chest, and knowing that her family forgave her and still supported her was a much-needed encouragement.
But her thoughts returned, as they always did, to him. She knew that she would never see him again, and that even if she could, no matter how hard she tried, she would never earn the forgiveness that she craved the most…
His.
I don't think I could ever face you again, anyways… Goodbye, Lincoln…
(…)
The Loud sisters all lined up for the bathroom to await their mother's care, though Lola was shafted to the end of the line. Lana came first, and she sat on the toilet while her mother applied rubbing alcohol to a cotton ball.
"Alright, sweetie," Mrs. Loud said, "this might sting a little…"
Lana nodded and closed her eyes, wincing and sucking in air through her teeth as the alcohol stung her cheek. Mrs. Loud gently disinfected all her scratches, then fetched the gauze.
"So, do you want to tell me who started it?" she said as she applied the gauze to Lana's cheek.
Lana grimaced. "Lola."
"I see." Without another word, Mrs. Loud continued applying the gauze.
"Aren't you going to punish her?" Lana asked.
"Honey, I'm with your father on this one. You were all way out of line earlier, so you're all being punished." She finished dressing Lana's cheek. "Alright, you're all done. Go."
Lana hopped off the toilet and left, and Lynn came in next. One by one, all the girls (save for Lori and Leni) were treated for their injuries. Shortly after the last sister was treated, Mr. Loud came halfway up the stairs.
"Well, I've called Ruth," he said, "and she said that she can take you girls in tomorrow. She'll swing by in the morning to pick you up."
Mrs. Loud nodded. "All right. Well then, girls, start packing. Or… don't. Just… we want your stuff all packed by tonight."
"Wha –? All of our stuff?" Leni asked incredulously.
"No, no, just the essentials – enough clean clothes for a week, at least; toothbrushes; things to keep yourselves entertained, that kind of stuff. Once we find a new place to live, your father will have the rest of your stuff moved there."
"C… Can I bring my pets?" Lana asked. She didn't care for them like she used to, and in fact she was planning on giving them up, but that didn't mean she intended to neglect them in the meantime.
"Hmmm…" Mrs. Loud thought about it, then shook her head. "No, sweetie, sorry. Your Great-Aunt Ruth probably won't want them in her car or in her house with her cats."
"B-But… what will happen to them? Who will take care of them? Feed them, and…"
"Your father can take care of them in the meantime." Mrs. Loud turned to her husband. "Can't you, honey?"
Mr. Loud nodded. "Sure."
"But… wait! Dad doesn't know how to take care of all of them properly, you know? I mean, he doesn't know what temperature cold-blooded reptiles need to be kept at, and… and stuff like that, you know?" Lana twiddled her fingers nervously. "Um… m-maybe I should, you know, stay – at least to teach him how to –"
Mrs. Loud swiped her hand through the air, cutting Lana off. "Oh, no, honey! Uh-uh! All of us are leaving tomorrow morning. All of us, you understand?" She blinked. "Oh, that reminds me…"
Mrs. Loud walked over to Lisa's door and knocked. "Lisa?"
There was no response. Mrs. Loud listened in, and heard something like a high-voltage machine running. Although perplexed, she knocked again. "Lisa? Lisa, what's going on in there?"
There was still no response. Mrs. Loud guessed that Lisa couldn't hear her over the machine running. She tried the doorknob, and found that the door was locked. Already exhausted by the day's events, she gave up there. "Alright, well, could someone please tell Lisa to start packing her things later?" she asked.
Luna shrugged. "Yeah, sure, whatever."
"Thanks. Anyways, girls, be packed by the end of the day, alright?"
"But Mom…!" Lana whined. "Dad doesn't know how to –"
"Well then, you'd better make him a list on what to do, hadn't you?" Mrs. Loud huffed. "Girls, we are all leaving tomorrow morning. End of discussion. Now, either start packing now, or don't, or… ugh…"
Holding her head and sighing, Mrs. Loud headed down the stairs. Before going after her, Mr. Loud hesitantly added, "Well… you heard her. Get to it."
(…)
Lucy walked up to her and Lynn's room, but Lynn got there first and blocked the doorway, turning to glare at Lucy.
"MY room," Lynn growled.
She then slammed the door in Lucy's face. Lucy shook her head. Of course Lynn was angry with her – she had been one of the ones pummeling her while she was down. Lucy naturally still seethed at the insult, but between her exhaustion from the fight and her fear of her father's wrath, she decided to just let it slide.
She knocked on the door. "Well, how am I supposed to pack?" she called.
Her answer came after a few moments, as Lynn opened the door and started carelessly tossing Lucy's possessions into the hallway before shutting the door again to fetch more.
Lucy balled her hands into fists. "Gee, thanks," she said through gritted teeth.
(…)
Lana leaned against Lincoln's door as quietly as she could. Lola had made it to their room first, so there was no way Lana was going in there. The less she saw of Lola, the better. In fact, she would've been happy if she never saw Lola again. The nerve of her…! To blame him for the terrible thing that they did to him, and then scare him to death like she did? Lola was a selfish, immature brat, and Lana hated her.
Lana's own thoughts jolted her, and gave her pause. She… hated Lola? She hated Lola? In all of their fights prior to the incident, Lana had often thought that she hated her sister in the heat of the moment, but those ill-tempered thoughts always passed with her ill temper.
But now… now her ill temper wasn't going away. Now it lingered, festered. And so did the thoughts.
And the more the thoughts lingered… the more Lana started to believe them.
Lana looked around the hall, and felt the oppressive atmosphere bearing down on her, suffocating her. It was at that moment that she realized how utterly hopeless her and the others' situation was. The girls needed Lincoln to help them sort out their feelings; but Lincoln wouldn't leave his room until they left; but if they left, they couldn't get his help – and they needed his help now; but Lincoln needed to leave his room to help them – and Lincoln wouldn't leave his room until they left.
Lana started to hyperventilate. More than anything, she wanted, needed, a hug and some encouraging words to make her feel better. But not just a hug and some encouraging words from anyone…
A hug and some encouraging words from her big brother.
Lincoln heard Lana crying on the other side of his door, and pulled his pillow tight around his ears, screaming at himself not to listen to them, that they were his sisters, but not his friends, they were just trying to get inside his head, trying to torment him, don't listen to them, don't listen to them, don't listen to them, don't listen to them, DON'T LISTEN TO THEM, DON'T LISTEN TO THEM…!
(…)
Luna dug the last couple bits of luggage out of all the junk in the garage, and began to wheel them out. Luan stood outside, staring at the side of the house. She didn't have to come with Luna to grab the last bags, as Luna could handle them herself, but she claimed that she didn't have anything better to do, so… there she was.
"All right, Luan, I've got the bags," Luna said. "Let's go."
Luan didn't move, or otherwise make any indication that she had heard Luna. She just kept staring at the wall, panting emotionally.
"Luan? What's…" Luna followed Luan's gaze. "…Oh."
Luan had been staring at the colored handprints that the siblings had made after undoing their disastrous first attempt at an anniversary gift for their parents. Luna smiled fondly as she recollected the event again – how enthusiastic they had been of the utter mess they had made of the house…!
Luan chuckled, drying her eyes. "You know, it's funny," she said. "Everything is so clear in retrospect. You don't think you're making a mistake when you're actually in the moment, but looking back, you realize…" Her eyes began to water up again. "You realize… just what a huge mess you made…"
Luna could see where this was going. She offered Luan a hug, and Luan graciously accepted it, wrapping her arms around her elder sister and resting her chin on her shoulder as the waterworks opened up.
Luna stroked Luan's hair reassuringly. "There, there, Luan… let it all out…"
Luan sobbed and choked, trying to get her words out. "I-It's not fair…! This… This is our home! Our home, Luna! You know? And, and now…" She sniffled. "And now we have to leave it, forever…"
Luna patted the back of Luan's head, looking up at the house. She understood exactly where Luan was coming from. 1216 Franklin Avenue had been the only home the Loud siblings had ever known, and for all of its flaws, the kids had enough fond memories in it for it to be considered a part of the family. "I know, Luan. I don't like it either. I don't like it at all. But…" Her expression turned sour as she recalled her day at school. "But would you rather stay here, where everyone hates you?"
Luan didn't have a good answer for that. So instead, she just clutched Luna's shirt harder, and sobbed louder. Luna held her younger sister tight, comforting her.
"It's… It's just not fair…" Luan said.
"I know, Luan. I know."
(…)
Time passed. The hours went by. The Loud sisters reluctantly packed their belongings, not speaking a word to each other. No-one could think of anything to say. For that matter, no-one could think of anything to do, either. After packing their belongings, some, like Lori, Lynn, and Lola, confined themselves to their rooms, laying on their beds and staring at the wall or ceiling. The others wandered aimlessly through the house, looking for something, anything, to occupy their time. Watching TV, reading books and magazines, surfing the Internet – nothing could lift their moods. The only thing that they felt could make them happy… was seeing Lincoln again.
And that was out of the question.
Dinnertime came. Perhaps as a consolation for the forced move, Mr. Loud had cooked them spaghetti. It was small consolation, though, and the girls didn't have much of an appetite between them, anyways. The girls ate a little, but mostly just idly played with their food. Throughout dinner, Mrs. Loud kept looking at Mr. Loud anxiously, but he just kept eating, not making eye contact with anyone.
Finally, Lynn dropped her fork, sighing. "Dad…?"
Mr. Loud flinched at the sound of his daughter's voice and hastily gulped down his mouthful of food, coughing. "Ah… W-What?"
Lynn looked around the table. "We…" She slumped her shoulders. "We're sorry, Dad."
Mr. Loud looked at Lynn, slightly confused. "Huh? For… For the… earlier?"
Lynn nodded.
Mr. Loud looked around the table as well, and saw the same regret in each of his daughters' faces. He looked uneasy for a few moments, but then took a deep breath and picked up his fork and knife again.
"Well… apology accepted," he said, and resumed eating his meal.
Lynn sighed again. He hadn't taken the hint – or maybe he had, and he was just rejecting it. In any case, she still felt like she needed to give it another try. "Please, Dad, we're really, really sorry. Can't we have just one more –"
Mr. Loud put his eating utensils back down, his face becoming stern. "For the last time, no. You're leaving. That's non-negotiable."
Lynn sank back into her seat, cowed. The other sisters were similarly intimidated. They were on thin ice with their father, and no-one wanted to test it.
Lucy, however, had an idea. "Dad?"
Her father jumped a little. "H-Huh?! Oh… Yes, Lucy?"
"Why can't you come with us?"
That question surprised Mr. Loud. To him, the answer was obvious – it should have been obvious to the girls, too. "Be… Because someone has to look after Lincoln and Lily, Lucy." He leaned forwards, tenting his fingers. "Believe me, I want to come with you girls, but… you know I promised to always be there for Lincoln, right?" He shook his head. "I can't fail him again. I won't."
"Okay… I understand, Dad." Lucy poked at her spaghetti. "Well, wherever we go… will you come and visit?"
Mr. Loud looked nervous. "U-Uh, well, y-you know, your… Your mother and I have video chat! We can communicate face-to-face whenever, and if that doesn't work, then we can always do phone calls! I'll talk to you girls whenever I get the chance, okay?"
"Okay, Dad, but…" She looked up at him. "…will you ever actually visit us?"
Mr. Loud gave a quiet gasp. He shut his eyes, clenching his jaw. Of course, it didn't matter how far technology had advanced – video chat was just not the same as visiting in person. "I…" He sighed. He hated himself for saying it, but it had to be said. "I'm sorry, but… no. I wish I could, but… you just have to understand, I… I-I just can't leave Lincoln in someone else's care. Not again."
Lucy looked back to her plate. "I understand." She resumed poking at her meal. Figuring the conversation was over, he picked up his fork again, but had barely lifted it up off the table when Lucy's next words made him freeze:
"…We're really gonna miss you, Dad."
Mr. Loud dropped the fork, his grip suddenly weak. His teeth started chattering, and his breath shortened to quick, shallow gasps. Mr. Loud shut his eyes tight – he could feel the wave coming, and he knew that there was nothing he could do to stop it. He stood up, said "Excuse me," and quickly left the table.
Mrs. Loud stood up as well. "I-I'll be right back, girls!" And with that, she followed her husband.
The girls watched them go forlornly. They sat at the table in complete silence, listening to the faint sobs escaping their parents' room. Some of them began to break down as well. What Lucy said was true – as harsh as he had been, the girls still loved their father, and hated being parted from him almost as much as they hated being parted from Lincoln.
Almost.
Eventually, Mr. and Mrs. Loud came back to the table. Mr. Loud's eyes were red and puffy, but he was calm again. Sitting down at the head of the table, he said, almost emotionlessly, "I'll miss you girls too." Then he started eating the last of his spaghetti.
No-one said a word for the rest of dinner. The girls had realized that their father was suffering from their move just as much as they were, and none of them wanted to make him suffer more. Lucy, at least, was content with the outcome of the conversation. She didn't expect to change Mr. Loud's mind all at once, but at least she had made an impact.
(…)
After dinner came bath time, though no-one felt like taking a bath that night. As such, the line went quicker than usual, but still not quickly enough for most of the girls. Lynn hated standing behind Luan, and Lana kept her face turned away from the head of the line, where Lola was, the entire time.
Luna allowed the others to go first, and as such was the last to hop into the shower. Once she was done, she threw on her bathrobe, brushed her teeth, and headed for her room. As she grasped the doorknob, however, she heard sobs coming from within.
"Luan?" Luna called.
The sobbing stopped. Gingerly, Luna turned the doorknob and opened the door, peeking inside. Luan was sitting up on her bed, legs crossed, forcing a smile.
"Ah… h-hey, Luna!" Luan said.
Luna came in. "Uh… you alright?" she asked.
Luan's eyes darted away briefly before returning to Luna. "U-Um, yeah! Sure, I…" Her smile started to fade. "It's… it's just…"
Luna folded her arms, leaning against the wall. "Still upset?"
Luan sagged, sighing. "Yeah."
"Hey…" Luna came over and sat down next to Luan. "…it's okay. Things… Things are gonna be alright. You know, the more I think about it, the more I think Dad might be right. Maybe this is for the best…"
"Mmm…" Luan still didn't like it, but it made sense. "Maybe… Hey, Luna?"
"Yeah?"
"…Thanks."
Luna arched an eyebrow. "Hm? For what?"
"For… I dunno…" Luan shrugged. "I guess… it's nice to just… talk about this, you know?"
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Luna shared a curious look with Luan, then got up and answered it. It was Lana, and she was carrying her pillow and a blanket.
"Lana? What is it?" Luna asked.
"…Can I sleep with you tonight?" Lana asked.
"Wha…?" Luna leaned against the doorway. "What's the matter?"
Lana looked sullen. "…I don't want to sleep in the same room as her."
"O-Oh. Well, uh…" Luna looked back at Luan. It seemed as though they had been connecting just earlier, and Luna decided that she didn't want any distractions to spoil that. She turned back to Lana. "Well… Why don't you go sleep with Lori or Leni then, huh?"
"I wanted to, but Lucy's there. And between her and Lori and Leni and Lily, well… it's just too crowded in there. And Lynn…" Lana looked nervously at Lynn and Lucy's room. "Lynn kinda… scares me right now. So, please…?"
"Um…" Luna tried to think of another way to send Lana away without hurting her feelings. "W-Well… Why don't you just try… talking to Lola?"
Lana folded her arms and pouted. "What's there to talk about?" There was venom in her voice.
"What's –?" Luna stopped short. She remembered what Luan had said, and got an idea. She kneeled down to Lana's level, and put a hand on her shoulder.
"A lot. There's a lot to talk about." She stood up. "Dudes, come on. Emergency sibling meeting."
Luan hopped off the bed, confused. Luna ordered her and Lana to go to Lori and Leni's room and tell them and Lucy about the meeting, then went and knocked on Lynn's door.
The door opened a crack, and Luna saw Lynn staring out at her suspiciously.
"…What do you want?" she said.
Luna rubbed the back of her head. "Um… There's… an emergency sibling meeting."
"Hmph. Are they gonna be there, too?"
"Who?"
"You know who."
"I… well…" Luna sighed. "This concerns all of us, Lynn."
"Thought so. Guess you'll have to have the meeting without me."
Lynn began to shut the door, but Luna stopped it. "Lynn, wait!"
Lynn pushed the door harder. "Go away!"
Luna struggled to match her force. "Hnngh…! Lynn, look… I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry."
Lynn stopped pushing. Noticing this, Luna stopped as well, and turned to lean against the door. "I… I lost control back there, and… that was not cool. I think we all just lost control. We were all under a lot of stress – we still are, actually. And I… I think we need to work that out, okay? Together." She turned to face the door again. "Please, Lynn… all I'm saying is, give peace a chance…"
Lynn continued to stare at her for several moments. Finally, she sighed, and opened the door.
"Let's get this over with…" she grumbled.
"Thank you." As Lynn began to head to Lori and Leni's room, Luna stopped her. "Ah… wait. Could you… get Lisa? I need to try to convince Lola, too…"
Lynn looked at Lisa's room, then back to Luna. "Her, too?"
Luna nodded. "Like I said, this concerns all of us."
Lynn stared at Lisa's room again, then shrugged. "All right."
As Luna went to Lola and Lana's room, Lynn knocked on Lisa's door.
There was no answer. Impatiently, Lynn knocked again. Still no answer. After a few more tries, Lisa answered the door.
"Lisa," Lynn said, "emergency sibling –"
"I'm bushy. Leave me alone."
Lisa shut the door again. Lynn stood there, hands clenched into fists, air hissing out through her teeth. She raised her fist, started banging on the door, and didn't stop. Meanwhile, Luna led an unhappy Lola by the hand to the meeting room.
After a full minute of knocking, Lisa answered the door again, this time quite irritated.
"I shaid, I'm – HEY!"
Lynn grabbed Lisa by the shirt, dragging her out the doorway. "This concerns ALL of us, Lisa!" she snapped.
Lisa tried to resist, but her small body was no match for Lynn's brute strength. Struggling all the while, Lisa was dragged to Lori and Leni's room and planted down on Leni's bed, next to Lola. She turned towards the door, but Lynn walked up and guarded it, silently warning Lisa not to try anything.
With nowhere to go, Lisa could only sit on the bed, arms crossed, and fume. A pungent smell reached Lola's nose, and upon inspection, she found it to be coming from Lisa.
"Ewww… Lisa, when's the last time you bathed?" Lola asked, covering her nose.
Lisa didn't look at her. "I can't recall," she growled.
As Lola scooted further away from Lisa, Luna took one of Lori's shoes from the closet and banged it on the sewing table like a gavel, just like she remembered Lori always doing. "Uh… So… I officially call this emergency sibling meeting to order," she said hesitantly.
Lynn leaned against the door. "All right, so here we all are. Now what's this about?"
Everyone looked at Luna expectantly. Luna fidgeted under all the attention – she still wasn't used to the feeling of being in charge. "Uh… Um… D-Dudes…" She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and leaned forward on the sewing table.
"Dudes… we need to talk."
There was a moment of silence. Then, Lucy asked the obvious question: "About what?"
"About anything." Luna's gaze swept over everyone. "Look, that fight back there… that was messed up, okay? And I think, with everything that's happened these past few days – no, this past month-and-a-half, we're all just… I dunno, wound-up tight, I guess? That had to have been what caused it. There's a better way to blow off steam without anyone getting hurt. So, I figured we should just… talk. About anything that's bugging us; anything that we think we need to talk about; anything we want to get off our chests." She paused. "So… does anyone have something they want to talk about?"
The other sisters all sat there, pensive. It was such a simple question, yet one that was so difficult to answer. What was there to talk about? Where to start, that is? What did the girls want to talk about?
The girls pondered this for several minutes, while Luna waited uneasily. Finally, Lynn broke the silence. "Guys, there's only one thing we should be talking about: the move."
Luna sighed, relieved at even the slightest progress being made. "Okay, Lynn, okay. If that's what you want to talk about, then okay. What about the move?"
"It's bullshit, is what it is!"
Leni gasped, and covered Lily's ears. "Lynn! Language!"
Lynn glared at her. "I. Don't. Care. It's bullshit, so I call it bullshit!" She walked to the center of the room. "Why do we have to leave?! We fight all the time! Why should this one little slip be it for us? It's not fair!"
Lisa adjusted her glasses. "Pardon me, but what ish the meaning of thish dishcusshion about leaving?"
Luna looked at Lisa. "Huh? Oh, right, I forgot to tell you… Uh, Lisa, you weren't there, but there was a big fight today, and now, well, Mom and Dad decided that Lincoln won't get better with us around, so they're making all of us, except Lily, move away."
Lisa sat up, suddenly alert. "What? When?"
"Tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow morning?!" Lisa started chewing on her thumbnail, eyes darting back and forth. "Thish will not do," she muttered. "No, thish shimply will not do at all. I'll have to move up my timetable…"
Luna was about to ask what Lisa was talking about, but was cut off by Lynn resuming her rant. "It's not fair!" she repeated. "Why should all of us suffer for something that one of us did?!"
"Yeah!" Lana said, shooting a dirty look at Lola, who folded her arms and scowled.
"Well, you're right about one of us being responsible for this…" she said.
"Oh, don't start that again…"
"The fight… I wasn't even a part of it…" Leni said sadly.
"Nor I," Lisa added.
"Exactly! Which is why we can't take this sitting down!" Lynn finished.
Luna stepped forward. Lynn was doing it again – riling up the others, just like she had done in the abortion clinic. She realized that she had to do something.
"Look, Lynn," she said, "I don't like it any more than you do. But what do you suggest we do? Revolt?"
Lynn looked at Luna, fiery determination in her eyes. "If we have to," she replied.
"Lynn, come on!"
"They're not giving us a choice, Luna!"
"Um, yeah! Because they're our parents, and making the hard choices for us is what they do!"
"Well, who says that they always make the right choices?! They're making us move away, when we need the both of them; they made us go to school, where everyone hates us; they made us abort our children, for Christ's sakes!"
"Lynn…!" Luna pinched the bridge of her nose. "I hated having to get that abortion, too. But could you imagine what people would think if we chose to keep our brother's children?"
Lucy stood up. "Yeah. And you should appreciate what you had, Lynn; what you still have." She looked down, rubbing the area below her navel again. "At least you can still have children…"
Lola, Lana, and Lisa all looked down as well, shamefully holding their stomachs.
"Ah… well…" Lynn turned to Lisa. "You could fix that, couldn't you, Lisa?"
Lisa thought about it. "…I could," she replied.
"Well, there you go. And anyways, they were our children, too – so it should have been our choice what to do with them."
"It was our choice, Lynn," Luna retorted. "And we chose to go through with the abortions. Remember?"
Lynn was momentarily stunned by this. "Uh… Um… O-Okay, fair enough. B-But that's only because we thought our parents knew what was best for us! Well I say, not anymore. I say that from now on, we make our own decisions, based on our own judgement! Who's with me?"
"Yeah!" Lola shouted, jumping up and throwing her fist in the air.
"I concur," Lisa said.
Luna looked around the room, and saw that the others were similarly swayed. She knew that she had to make a rebuttal. "Okay, Lynn, look – I'm just playing devil's advocate here, but look. Our parents love us, okay? And they just want what's best for us – even if we don't like it. Whether that means making us get abortions, or making us move away, they're always thinking about us, you know?"
Lynn's resolve wavered, if only briefly. "I… I know they are. B-But that doesn't mean that they know what's best for us!"
"And you do? Come on, Lynn! You're talking about staying here, in a home with a brother who's terrified of us, in a town with people who hate us!"
"Hey, you know what? That's bullshit, too! They know it wasn't our fault, so why do they still hate us?!"
"Because it was rape."
Everyone stiffened upon hearing that word. They turned to Lucy, who had said it.
"What we did… was rape. We may not have wanted to do it, but it was rape. We may regret doing it, but it was rape. We may have been proven to not have been in control of ourselves, but it was still rape." She stared straight at Lynn. "Would you forgive a rapist, Lynn? Would I?"
Lynn blanched. "I… I…" She shook her head angrily. "W-We just have to ignore them! Ignore them, and, and stick together! Leni's right, we… w-we have to keep on going, together!" She stretched her arms out from side-to-side. "Come on, guys, there's nine of us, and only two of them! If we all work together, we can stand against them!"
Luna snorted derisively. "Well, if you think you're brave enough to face Dad's belt again, then be my guest…"
All of the girls shuddered at the thought of that, even Lynn, despite her best attempts to maintain control. For the longest while after that, no-one could think of anything to say, until Lana sighed angrily.
"Well, we wouldn't even have to be moving out in the first place, if Lola hadn't decided to be a little spoiled brat…" she said.
Lola turned to her twin sister, slamming her hands on the bed. "HEY!"
"You were! You still are!" Lana hopped off the bed and pointed at her. "Who do you think you are, blaming Lincoln for all this?!"
Lola hopped off her bed as well, and stared Lana down. "He was the one who went to the park! He was the one who splashed in the fountain! HE caused all of this!"
Lynn stepped forwards. "Hey, enough –"
But Luna held out her arm, stopping her. "If they start hitting each other, then stop them," she told Lynn. "Otherwise, just let them vent."
"So what?! He never expected any of this to happen! None of us did! So don't hold that against him! And don't pretend that you're completely blameless in all of this!"
"It's not my fault!" Lola screamed.
"Doesn't matter! I still remember that day, and so do you! You know what you did! You were just as much a part of it as everyone else!"
"I NEVER WANTED IT TO HAPPEN LIKE THAT!"
"NONE OF US DID!"
A gasp went out among all the sisters. Lola and Lana stopped arguing and looked at the others, wondering what was wrong, before they thought about what they had just said in the heat of the moment, and realization struck.
"No… None of us…" Lana repeated weakly, as she looked from sister to sister.
The others all stared at each other, dumbfounded. Each of them could see what the others were thinking. Lana was right. None of them had wanted it to happen "like 'that'".
Not "at all".
"Like 'that'".
The girls were so confused. Why? What did it mean?
"I… I don't get it…" Lola said.
"Sigh." Lucy had been afraid of this, and now it was undeniable – not just to herself, but to everyone. "I think I can explain."
She hopped off the bed and headed to the door. "I'll be right back," she said, and left.
A few moments later, she returned with a sheet of paper in hand. "I wrote a poem that speaks for all of us. It's called 'Forbidden'.
He is so close, and yet so far/
The apple of my eye.
I know it's wrong, but it feels right/
I often wonder why.
The more I see him, the more I yearn/
To pluck that forbidden fruit.
If I follow my heart, I know/
My mind will follow suit.
A serpent slithers in my soul/
Telling me to bite it.
It tempts me sorely, day and night/
No matter how I fight it.
I know that he, and all the world/
Will know, and disapprove.
But I will soon be conquered, lost/
I'll have to make my move."
Lucy lowered the poem, and looked up at her sisters, who blinked at her, uncomprehending.
"You guys…" Lucy started shaking. "Don't you get it?" She took a deep breath, and laid the awful truth bare:
"We're all in love with Lincoln. That's the real reason why we don't want to leave."
Lola gave a strangled cry, but the others were stunned speechless. They didn't want to believe it; it was absurd, impossible! To feel that way for their brother, their own flesh and blood, was… horrible, disgusting! They would never hold such feelings! The Loud sisters all told themselves these things, desperately trying to convince themselves that they were true… but the more they thought about it, the more it started to make sense, no matter how badly they didn't want it to. The true nature of the guilt they felt; the older sisters' unexplained sense of joy from learning of their pregnancies, and their subsequent devastation over terminating them; their overwhelming desire to see Lincoln again; their misery without him in their lives; and the simple fact that they couldn't stop thinking about him – now they understood what it all truly meant.
Lucy was right; they had never realized it until now, but they were in love with their brother.
"C… Could it be…" Lynn said, "…that the pheromone is still, somehow…?"
Everyone looked at Lisa, who sighed, adjusting her glasses.
"There'sh only one way to find out," she said.
Lisa got up and walked out of the room, followed by her other sisters. They came to the room that Lisa used to share with Lily.
Lisa turned to her other sisters. "Firsht, I musht shyntheshizhe the reagent. Pray excushe me."
She entered her room, and started mixing chemicals. After several minutes, she re-emerged, a pipette and a beaker full of reagent in hand.
"Now, we musht tesht it on Lincoln."
"Wha –? On Lincoln? How?" Luan asked.
Lisa looked around, and saw the rubbish pile outside Lincoln's door. She filled the pipette, set down the beaker, and picked up a used moist towelette.
"With theshe." She held the towelette flat in her hands, and dropped a few droplets of reagent on it. There was no reaction. She discarded the towelette, picked up another one, and tested it as well. No reaction. Lisa went through seven more used towelettes before she was certain that there was no trace of the pheromone in Lincoln's sweat or skin.
Next, she collected three dirty diapers from the rubbish pile. "I asshume you don't want to shee thish?" she said.
The others quickly denied it. Nodding, Lisa retired to her room again, to test the diapers. After a few minutes, she came back out.
"Anything?" Luna asked.
Lisa shook her head. "Negatory. There ish no trache of the pheromone in Lincoln'sh body."
"W-Well…" Leni said nervously. "M-Maybe… Maybe it's in the air?"
Lisa considered that, and decided that for once, Leni had a point. Considering that 80 percent of common household dust was comprised of dead human skin cells, it was possible, though unlikely, that Lincoln's skin cells were still permeated with the pheromone, and had the same effect on the girls' bodies.
"Follow me," she said.
Lisa led the girls downstairs to the kitchen, where she retrieved an empty spray bottle from underneath the sink and poured the reagent into it. She then led them all throughout the house, spraying the reagent in the air and on surfaces. Although she covered each room very thoroughly, there was never any reaction.
The trek ended back in Lori and Leni's room. Once she was done testing the air and surfaces in the room, Lisa turned to her sisters. "Well, I have covered every area of the houshe (exchept for the parental unitsh' room), and have found no trache of the pheromone anywhere. Thush, the pheromone cannot be affecting ush, which therefore naturally leadsh me to conclude that theshe feelingsh that we harbor for Lincoln…" She turned her gaze downwards. "…are entirely our own."
The girls were all stunned. Lisa was a genius; Lisa knew better than anyone; Lisa was never wrong.
So… the romantic feelings they had for Lincoln… were real?
Luna stared out into space, and whispered, "No…"
She separated from the crowd, and walked over to the sewing table. "No…"
Feeling weak, she rested her elbows on the table and leaned on it, cupping her face in her hands and moaning, "No…"
The other girls stumbled over to the beds, their legs also unable to support them any longer. And for the longest time… no-one said anything. Each of them retreated into themselves, trying to come to terms with this shocking new development.
Half an hour passed in silence; it felt like years. Finally, Luan spoke up, jolting everyone back into the real world.
"How…" she said, "…how did this happen?"
Lisa hopped off the bed and came to the center of the room. "Well… I can't shay I'm shurprished. Lincoln ish, or wash, kindhearted, shenshitive, compasshionate, helpful, level-headed; occashionally shelfish, but alwaysh learning hish lesshon in the end and making thingsh right – an admirable development of character, and a flaw that shervesh to humanizhe him and make him relatable; not particularly attractive, but not at all unattractive, either, and hish white hair and chipped tooth sherve ash dishtinguishing featuresh that give him a unique appearanche…" She shrugged. "Honeshtly, I'm shurprished that more femalesh haven't fallen in love with him…"
"But… But he's our brother!" Lana said.
"Indeed. And it ish thish combination of shame, denial, and a recognition of the inchesht taboo that ish a part of our culture that caushed ush to repressh theshe romantic feelingsh for Lincoln, pushing them into our shubconchioush mindsh until they were unearthed by the pheromone, which affected ush on a pshychological level ash well ash a physhical one, and by the eventsh which transhpired under itsh effectsh and the conshequenchesh thereof, which made theshe feelingsh relevant."
Luna struggled to follow this flow of information. "So… you're saying… that if it wasn't for the pheromone, we'd never have realized…?"
Lisa nodded. "…Correct."
The girls looked at each other in horror. It was only now that they realized their true feelings for their brother that had been buried all along.
And it was only now, much too late, that they realized that those feelings should have stayed buried, forever.
There was another long period of silence. Then, once again, Luan spoke up.
"Wh… Wh… Wh…" She struggled to form her words. "…What… are we going to do…?"
Luna shut her eyes, looking for a solution. After deliberating the options for a while, she developed an idea. "Alright, Lynn," she said, "you said we needed to make our own decisions? Alright, we will. We can decide to move away, and obey Mom and Dad… or we can decide to stay here, and fight them." She picked up the shoe-gavel. "So, now I've really gotta know: should we stay, or should we go?" She looked at her eldest sister first. "Lori?"
Lori pulled her knees into her chest, shivering. "I'm staying… I just don't care anymore… I need him… I need Lincoln…"
Luna nodded. "All right. Leni?"
"Um… Uh…" Leni said nervously. "Um…"
Luna tapped her foot. "Well?"
"Just, like… give me a second, okay?" She continued to deliberate and dither for several minutes, until Lynn grew impatient.
"Leni, come on!"
"I… I just don't know, okay?! I just don't know! I-I mean, I wanna stay, but… but I also wanna go, too! I don't know, just…" She waved them away. "Just… come back to me, okay?"
"Fine." Luna faced the others. "Well… I say we leave. I think Dad's right – this would be best for all of us. It'll let Lincoln get better, and it'll let us get over the feelings that we kinda… sorta…" She shook her head and sighed – she had to stop lying to herself. "…definitely have for him. In a new place… we could get over this whole thing."
Luan nodded. "You know… I'm with Luna on this one."
"W-Well, I'm not!" Lynn jumped back up. "Come on, you guys, we can do this! We can make this work!" There was desperation in her voice – she had been desperate the entire time, but now it was painfully obvious. "If we just… stop fighting, and stick together, we can fight! Mom and Dad, everyone in Royal Woods – we can fight them! A-And besides, we… We can't leave now. Lincoln needs us… and we need him…"
"Lynn," Lucy said, "I want to stay here, with Lincoln, just as much as you do. But these feelings we have for him…" She shook her head. "They're just not right. I don't want to get over them, but… I have to." She looked at Luna. "I say we go."
"I say we stay," Lola said. "This is our home, and no-one, not even Mom and Dad, can force us to leave if we don't want to!" She folded her arms. "If anyone should move, it should be Lincoln…"
"What?!" Lana shouted. "Lola, would you just let that go, already?!"
Lola shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "This… This is his fault! None of this would have happened if it wasn't for him!"
Lana clenched the sheets, growling furiously. "…Fine! If that's how you're going to be, then FINE! I was going to say we stay, but now I say we go!"
Lola's face turned red. Scowling, she turned her back to Lana, refusing to have anything to do with her.
Luna sighed again – she had a feeling that this wouldn't be pretty. "Lisa?"
"I proposhe that we remain in our current reshidenche," the wunderkind said. "My work ish yet unfinished, and I would very much like to finish it – shomething that I cannot do if we were to depart tomorrow morning."
"All right, then. Let's see, there's Lori, Lynn, Lola, and Lisa, and then there's me, Luan, Lucy, and Lana…" Luna counted up the votes, and with the final count, went wide-eyed and groaned in exasperation. "It's a tie…!"
Lynn folded her arms and huffed. "Great."
"Hang on," Luan said, "does Lily get a vote?"
Luna thought about it, then shook her head. "No, Lily… she gets to stay no matter what. And besides, she wasn't a part of the incident, remember? So, no."
"Hmmm…" Lynn snapped her fingers. "Hey, wait a minute! Leni didn't vote!"
"Hey, that's right!" Luna and all her other sisters looked at Leni expectantly. "Come on, Leni, you have to make a decision…"
Leni shut her eyes, rocked back and forth, and desperately tried to come up with an answer. Her mind started drifting away from the difficult thoughts, like it always did…
…and it hit upon something. Leni's face lit up. "You guys," she said, "I just thought of something."
"What?" Lynn demanded.
"This whole time, we've just been talking about what we want. Maybe… Maybe we should think about what Lincoln wants…"
The girls gasped and looked at each other, ashamed. None of them would ever have thought of that. That was Leni – always so considerate of other people's feelings…
"So, what would Lincoln want us to do?" Leni asked.
Luna looked at Lynn. "Well, Lynn?"
Lynn's eyes burned with anger. "Don't you dare."
Luna sighed. "He'd want us to go."
"Then I say we go."
"Leni, no!"
Luna banged the shoe-gavel on the table. "Too late, Lynn – it's settled. Majority rules; we're leaving."
Lola pounded the bed, throwing another tantrum. "No, no, no! This isn't fair! Rrgh…! LANA! Why did you have to change your vote?!"
"I don't know – why did you have to be a stuck-up, selfish brat?!"
"You…!" Lola leapt at Lana, who grabbed her by the wrists and started struggling with her.
"Hey! Hey!" Luna shouted. "Break it up, you two, break it up!"
As Luna and Lucy separated the twins, Lynn noticed Lisa leaving. She got up and followed her.
"Lisa, where are you going?" she asked.
"Back to work," Lisa replied. "There'sh no time to loshe."
"Lisa, you have to help me fight this!"
"What'sh the point? That would only reshult in more pointlessh debating and bickering, which I have neither the time nor patienche for." She arrived back at her room.
"Lisa, you can't just run away from this…!"
"Watch me." She prepared to shut the door on Lynn, but Lynn had had enough, and forced her way inside.
"Lisa…!" She advanced on her younger sister threateningly. "What is the matter with you?! You think there isn't any world outside of your precious lab?! We are out there suffering, trying to make this right, while you just sit in here doing…" She looked at the machine Lisa had built. "…whatever kind of mad science-y shit! You're not helping anyone except yourself! Lisa…" Lynn loomed over Lisa.
"…do you even CARE about your own FAMILY?"
Lisa gritted her teeth, shaking with barely-contained rage. Her emotional side wanted to let loose, unleashing all of her pain and anguish on the ignorant Lynn, but her logical side won out once again, reasoning that she was no match for Lynn's raw strength, and that she would only get herself trounced. So instead, she pointed at the door.
"Get… out… of my room…!" she said in a low growl.
Lynn's look turned from anger to utter disgust. She shook her head and sighed, deciding to abandon Lisa as a lost cause. She turned and left, casting one more sickened look at Lisa before slamming the door behind her.
Lisa waited until she was safely out of earshot, then turned to her desk, still cluttered with books and scattered notes. She placed her hands on the desk, leaning over it, heaving. "'Do you even care about your own family…'" she said mockingly, before her face contorted with fury. "WHAT DOESH SHE THINK I AM, A SHOULLESSH AUTOMATON?!"
With one swift stroke, Lisa swept the books and notes off the table and onto the floor, where they clustered in a disorganized heap. Lisa kicked the loose papers like autumn leaves, scattering them further.
"Who doesh she think SHE ish?! Who do ANY of them think they are?!" She picked up her books one by one, and started throwing them at the wall. "If only they knew everything I've done for them! If only they knew what they've already done! If only –"
She stopped when she saw that the next book she was about to throw was her little green book. She held it in her hands, turning it over and over, as her eyes welled up. "If… If only they knew…"
Finally, Lisa couldn't take it anymore. She held the little green book close to her chest and collapsed to the floor, curling up into the fetal position and crying.
"If only they knew… the thingsh I know…"