The alarm in Lincoln's room had snapped him out of the perfect sleep. Bun-Bun slipped away with the covers as he pulled it away from him. "Ugh... What the-"
Everything felt off for some reason, which led him to look around, as if this were some dream. His action figures, posters, and comics were in the same place he last-...
Funny, he could have sworn for one second that he had not been in this room for years. "I'm awake!"
He went to dress up in his usual orange shirt and dark blue pants. As he did so, he felt like there was something that needed remembering. Something urgent, but he didn't figure it out. But it wasn't just him who felt strangely out of place.
Lynn sat up, taking a long glance around. Lucy was already awake at the moment, staring at Lynn like a statue. "Agh! You almost gave me a heart attack!"
Normally, Lucy would chuckle, or say "Wicked!" in her usual moody tone. But she was unresponsive, and that only terrified Lynn just a little. "Weirdo," she commented, getting off of her bed. Apart from that, she felt something odd here. There was a vivid scene circling around her mind, of her lifting a forklift, but nothing further. It was likely a dream, for she did not recall such an achievement.
She was the first to reach the bathroom. Second to come out was Luan, who was surprised to see Mr. Coconuts; something ominous gnawed at her, telling her the dummy had been lost forever. Seeing him actually made her so happy, that she hugged it tightly. Luna was a bit weirded out by that.
As for her, she awoke to see a weird sight. Where her electric guitar used to be, was instead replaced by a violin. She stared at it, completely puzzled, until she remembered who she was. Luna Loud, a very famous violinist.
Most of them were already up at the second. Lori woke up to Bobby Santiago underneath her. Leni Loud was sleeping on the floor for a clear reason. Lori pushed herself off of him. That's when she noticed a wedding ring on her. "What-"
Flowing visions came to her rather quickly. Yes, she was Mrs. Bobby Santiago now.
Luna lined up behind Luan, right as Lori came out. Lincoln was the fifth, followed by the others. There, they remembered that they were there for mom and dad's anniversary. Lana and Lola were due to graduate soon, and Lisa was away at Oxford University, due to her intellectual levels. The only child left was-
Lily yawned, heading to the end of the line behind Lucy. She wished none of them had to go, for it was truly painful to endure being alone the less they were. This time, two of her sisters were going bye-bye, and little Lily cried to sleep the night prior.
She didn't say a word, nor did she dare look at them. She only wished they'd leave and get it over with.
"So, uhhh..." Luna began, "You need a lift, Luan?"
"No, I've a limo coming to pick me up. I'm providing a private comedy show at this country club. But thanks."
"Ah, sweet! When is it?"
"It's this evening," Luan answered, as Lynn finally finished her shower. "About time, Lynn."
"I always have to look my best," she sassed.
"Hey, so, do you need a ride home?" Luna asked again, this time to Lynn.
"Francisco's picking me up. It's all good on my end." Lynn was two months pregnant with her husband's first child. She rubbed her stomach, returning to her room.
"Ah, alright then. I guess no one needs one. Oh well," Luna shrugged.
Lincoln was hissing almost silently. Lori noticed and turned around, with slight concern. "You're not still mad I made you and her break it off, are you?"
He and Ronnie Anne went their own ways shortly after Lori and Bobby tied the knot. But that was long ago, based on his memory. There was no way he couldn't let it go. "No, it's not that. It's... I don't know. I felt strange when I woke up. It's like this-"
"Didn't feel real? I know, everything seemed fake the second I woke up," Lori cut off. "I also saw a green light, way too bright."
"Yeah, now that I think about it, so did I!" Luna added. The twins also nodded at this, saying they saw the same thing in unison.
"Might be Luan's pranks. We all know she's completely unpredictable," Lincoln chimed in. "But, yeah, something wasn't right... Anyways..."
Lynn was all set to go. All she brought for the occasion was just a brown duffel bag packed with spare clothes, some sports drinks, and a toothbrush. She texted Francisco, letting him know she was ready. After it sent, a dark green flash popped in the screen briefly. "Huh?" She blinked, seeing it go back to her home screen. Weird...
Lily sighed, listening to them all talking about their perfect lives, and had left the line to return to her room. She didn't know if she wanted to sob again; maybe after they all left.
Of course, Lincoln had known Lily didn't seem like herself, or at least didn't seem too excited to see those who had gone for their own lives. That meant Lincoln and the older ones.
The crib was replaced by a regular bed, taken up by Lily. She faced the wall, dead-faced.
"Hey, something wrong?" He figured it out already, but he wanted her to confirm it herself. "You can tell me, Lily. I'm still your brother, and I'll always be."
"I... It's- I miss you all. Why can't you stay in town, get jobs here?"
"Lily..." In truth, it was actually hurting him to know that she was going to be the last child in the Loud house. The ones who had gone already endured the same pain, and it wasn't easy to say goodbye. Did Lily know that? Did she understand that the first step to adult life was this?
He had a case of deja vu, picturing a moment where he, Lily and Ronnie Anne were at the park. And she brought up the very same scenario, which led her to run off in the hand-me-down bike that fell to her ownership. Everything else was a blur, but he remembered how depressed she became. And this was the same level Lily was in now.
"I know it's hard, but we're never too far away. We miss each other too, you know. And... We're here now. You should be happy, sis."
"I know, I should be; shouldn't I? You all seem to be..."
"And so should you. Say, I still have some freetime. What say we get some ice cream?"
"Lincy, it's still morning," she pointed out, managing a giggle.
"Not gonna stop me, Lilster!" He pulled her from her side and tickled her belly. She broke, giggling some more. "Stop it!" She laughed.
Lincoln lifted her with ease, leading her out. "I should've showered first, but oh well."
He moved past the line, which moved up as Luan finished her shower. "I can't think of a wetty pun," she joked. The other women just groaned in annoyance, but were a tad glad to hear the horrible jokes only she could convey. "Get it?"
Lynn was the first to leave out of all of them. She coughed to get their attention. Luna had already locked herself in and turned on the shower. "I guess this is goodbye again. Not sure if I might return for next year's anniversary, having to raise a baby and all."
"It's not too hard, Lynn," Lori consulted. "You'll get the hang of it. Just look at me with both of mines." Lori had two kids with Bobby. The oldest one, a boy, was of five years, and the second, a girl, was almost three. Luis and Linette Santiago. Lori and Bobby would have named the girl Luna, if not for the ex-rocker. "There's these people called babysitters, you know."
"Pffft, I want my child to be raised like a champion. So fuck that," she hissed. "Anyways, it was fun seeing you all again. If I can, I'll bring the baby. Maybe."
"Well, in any case, congratulations. Take pictures for us!"
Lynn held a thumbs up, holding the duffel bag on her shoulder. "See you all around," she said with no real empathy. Lucy kept staring at her menacingly until she went out of view completely.
Lynn felt something was off about Lucy. Come to think of it, she was quiet the night before. Sure, she told them all that she was a poetry writer, and had also written some dark tales in the last few years to an online sight. She became something of an icon, adored by millions. Most of them had in the pool that she was probably working somewhere horrible.
She brushed it off, for it had and would always be something Lucy. She was stopped by a sudden vision of her suddenly seeing Lucy enter through a black circular void. Then, as fast as it came, it went away. Her mind went elsewhere in that timespan, trying to readjust by the scene that felt real as it seemed. You're right, it's just a Lucy thing. Nothing more, nothing less.
She met Lincoln and Lily downstairs. Both of them were about to head to the store. The ice cream shop would not open until eleven, and it wasn't even eight yet. "Taking her out, I see."
"Yeah, of course. I take it you're leaving already?"
Lynn's nodding made Lily look away. "Well, I'm still waiting for my Franny-pack." That was the nickname she gave him months before they were hitched. "He should be here soon enough. The others don't know that though. Hopefully you two return before I leave."
"We'll try," Lincoln insisted. "Come on, Lily. We're getting a tub size of vanilla!"
Lynn took the empty couch, watching her brother and the youngest sister leave.
He owned his own car, a dark green 2011 Dodge Charger. However it was that he got the precious ride, was lost somewhere in his brain. And he found that peculiarly odd. They headed to the grocery store. Along the way, some unusual sights caught his attention.
There was a convoy of black jeeps that came speeding in the direction he was coming from. Three quarters of the way, a white-haired teenage girl, dressed in full black, came onto the road, screaming. "THIS IS NOT REAL! WAKE UP, THIS ISN'T REAL!"
"Hey, get out of the way! You're gonna get run over you idiot!" He had to apply the brakes quickly, to avoid hitting her. She banged on the car's hood. "Find me, find me when you-" Something behind them caught her attention, and she immediately booked it out of there, and had disappeared behind a corner when one of the black jeeps had circled around and gave chase after the girl.
"What's going on? Lincy?"
The sudden urge to pursue them automatically hotwired. And he did so, much to the surprised and scared Lily. "Wait, what are you doing?!"
The white-haired girl, still running on the sidewalk, was blocked then by the jeep. Four armed men in black outfits with yellow patches surrounded her. She went on her knees, hands raised up. "Fuck me... Lacy and Liby were right," she whispered.
Lincoln was incoming quickly, aiming for the four. He honked a few times, letting Lupa know to get out of the way. She threw herself in between two parked cars, giving Lincoln the chance to enter the sidewalk. They fired off their military grade M4s. The two Louds ducked down as the car plowed through them. Lincoln hit against the steering wheel upon crashing into the jeep.
The gunfire ceased, and Lincoln looked up, expecting to see a hell of a mess. No bodies or the jeep were in front of the shot up, wrecked ride. "Hey, hey Lily! Are you okay? Are you hurt?:
She shook her head, despite having been whacked against the compartment. "I'm not bleeding... Lincoln, why did-" She moved up, trembling a little. Her eyes went onto the front. "Where did they go?"
"Don't get out, Lily," he instructed her while unbuckling.
Lupa opened the door for him. "Lincoln, is it- Yes, it has to be you! Who else would put Lily at risk like that?"
He was puzzled after hearing his name emitted from her mouth. "I'm sorry, how did you know my... Who are you?"
Her rare smile flipped upside down. "What? You should be rem- Lincoln, Lily, we're in a fake world! We're in a simulation!"
AN: Oh, what be this? A simulation, says the fair lass with winter hair! Why, anything is possible. Anything, and everything! Whatever next?