Hi guys! I wasn't interested in writing Intro and Epilogue in the chapters, as I tried to do that in fanfic Charmy Bee: The Trans Secret and nobody was interested in that story. But after hearing this suggestion from the 3rd review of this Loud fanfic, I felt encouraged to talk to you. So let's go.
After more than 20 stories involving Sonic, this is the first fanfic I write about Loud House. Incredible! After just 1 week and 3 days, this story has already received 3 reviews, 6 faves and 5 follows, breaking all individual records (I love stats)! I can't believe I spent all this time writing Sonic fanfics for Loud House fans! kkkk
Guest: Thank you for suggesting the author's notes. In fact, I also plan fanfics focusing on the pain of other family members, but let's take it easy. I think every character deserves their turn.
Vallalkozo: Perhaps this chapter will explain something about Lola's enigmatic dream.
Tanalbi: Lola isn't my favorite character either, but each sister has her own charm. I've read Requiem For a Loud chapter to chapter, and it's a masterpiece!
Then we talk more. Now let's get to Chapter 03, where we'll have Lola's confrontation with my favorite Loud Sister!
Enjoy!
Chapter 03:
Odd Duck
Today, Lola Loud mentally review all those memories while taking her shower alone in the morning. Usually, Lola and Lana bathed together, being supervised by one of her older sisters, but Lola now insists on being alone in the water, not only to gain autonomy, but also to value some quiet time for herself.
Just like Lincoln would.
Lincoln Loud, who suffered from ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (something that was only discovered belatedly, along with his terminal illness), was able to spend most of his day helping his 10 sisters with their chores, plans and desires, and almost never knew how to say "no", harming his own time and personal projects. On one of the few times he tried to change that, he didn't know how to use the dialogue and... he ended up kicked out of the house.
To this day, that unfortunate episode is a stubborn stain on the Loud Family, and what Lola most wishes is that Lincoln had been a lot more annoying to her and his other sisters, refusing to fulfill their every whim. If that didn't stop him from dying at just 11 years old, maybe at least he would have died much happier and more fulfilled in life.
Lincoln, in his last days, guaranteed not to hold grudges against his family, even after so many hardships he suffered from them. But deep down, everyone knew that wasn't true. As much as the sisters tried to redeem themselves by donating several of their trophies to Lincoln, none of that could change their dark past. Their greatest fear is that Lincoln might have died unhappily.
"If I'd known I was going to lose Lincoln, I wouldn't have fought him once."
Alone in her room, Lola, after drying off, begins to dress.
She had ripped all of her dresses, but Leni, with all her practical cutting and sewing, managed to salvage most of them.
Even so, Lola had asked Leni to make her some more normal clothes, since she prefers not to look like an untouchable princess all day long.
A beige knee-length dress, a pink bow on her head, a pair of red shoes and she is done. No gloves, necklaces or crowns.
It's like she's finally embraced her true self.
There's still time for her to make a joke:
"Mirror, faithful mirror of mine: if you bring Lincoln back, I promise we'll read his Ace Savvy comics together every day."
In a way, it's not a joke.
As soon as she opens the door, which is now permanently unlocked, Lola greets her brother:
"Good morning, Linc!"
Lincoln Loud's bedroom is basically the same since he died. His bed is still there, as is his desk, his posters of bands and sitcoms on the wall, and what's left of his collection of Ace Savvy comic books, which Lola is sure she'll read someday.
The big change was the inclusion of the crib, in place of the idle clothes closet, plus to the colorful toys and stuffed animals that adorn the shelves.
All for the comfort of the family's baby.
"Good morning, Lily. How is my little Princess doing? The true Miss of the family."
Lola speaks very softly, so as not to interrupt her 1-year-old younger sister's sacred sleep.
After Lincoln's death, was Lucy who suggested turning her empty bedroom into Baby Lily's new exclusive bedroom, "to create an interesting synergy between the twilight of death and the dawn of life." Lola didn't even need to ask the meaning of the word "Synergy" to enthusiastically support the idea. Lisa also immediately approved, but for more pragmatic reasons: alone in her own room, she could better focus on her experiments, without further distractions and without having to worry about not hurting her (just a little) fragile little sister.
While admiring every detail of Lily, Lola promises:
"One day, God willing, you're going to be a great artist or an e-sport champion, or even both. And we will all be here, together to support you."
Lily open a smile as she sleeps. Lola is sure she understands.
Then Lola moves away from the crib to throw herself on Lincoln's bed.
"Aaahh, Linc… How good it's to hug you!"
She sniffs the mattress and pillow, trying to get back her brother's scent. Useless. She only smells the perfume of her other sisters, who also love to invade his bed, without the slightest bit of shame.
"I'm sure you never left us. You continue to be our protective angel, giving luck and good energy to this house."
Though Lola doesn't realize it, is there anyone else in the bedroom besides her and the baby.
She continues talking to herself:
"Linc... I feel so grateful that you appeared in my dream today and talked to me."
"Speaks seriously?"
"AAAAHHH! LUCY?!" Lola, startled, jumps up on the bed!
There is. In front of Lola. Holding a paper in her hand. The pale. The icy figure of Lucy Loud. With her ghastly wide eyes threatening to plunge the whole room into darkness!
Lucy and Lola were never exactly the best friends within Loud Family. Their completely opposite personalities should never have been a barrier to the relationship between both (as Lincoln always liked to point out), but unfortunately that's what always happened. Lucy thought Lola was cruel and selfish. Lola, on the other hand, found Lucy cynical and futile. With that, the two almost never got along. With Lincoln's death, the two allowed themselves a truce, but soon returned to their old ways.
Flashback:
Once, the Loud Family gathered for the most sacred time of day: Breakfast.
Lola, suddenly, finding herself eating between Lynn Jr. (on her left) and Lucy (on her right), had an absurd idea.
"I talked to Lincoln's spirit tonight."
All eyes at the table turned to little Miss.
"Serious?" Lucy asked, trying to sound calm, despite the flame of hope that burned within her.
"Yeah. And he sent a message to you, Lucy."
"What did he say?"
"He said if a vampire like you marries the Pony Princess, he'll come back to Earth to save us from Apocalypse!"
Nobody understood anything.
Lola then burst out laughing!
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Did anyone believe?!"
"This is not funny!" Luan decreed, quite angry with her sister's prank.
In fact, no one in the family has any problem with a dark goth girl like Lucy enjoying the bright and colorful novels of Pony Princess. Only Lola seems to be bothered by this.
Lucy was filled with rage and punched Lola in the right cheek!
Luan launched his own slice of cake and hit her little sister's face!
Lynn Jr. knocked Lola out of her chair and helped Lucy spank her!
"ENOUGH, GIRLS!" Mr. Lynn, family patriarch, broke up the trio. "You are all grounded! And you too, Luan!"
"Me? But I just threw the cake."
"Aggression is aggression, Luan," Rita emphasized. "Doesn't matter if it's small or big."
Lola, Lucy, Lynn Jr. and Luan were escorted by their father out of the kitchen, watched by their mother Rita and the rest of the sisters, sitting at the table.
"I'm sorry, Lola," Lana tried to support her twin. "I know it's hard for you too."
"I understand Lola's act," Lisa intervened, ill-timed. "It was an instinctive reaction to her state of stress and mental turmoil, resulting from the tragedy that occurred in our family unit. Under circumstances like this, our psyche often doesn't know how to express itself in a logical and rational way, causing..."
"SHUT UP, LISA!" Lori, Leni, Luna and Lana screamed in unison.
It was Lisa's turn to disappear from the kitchen...
End of flashback.
Today, with her melancholic voice, Lucy tries to sound threatening in Lola's eyes:
"I hope you're not being mocker like last time."
"I was feeling so good until you came," Lola complain, climbing out of bed, irritated by her sister's usual intrusiveness.
"Lincoln really talked to you today?"
"Yes, he did. And what do you have to do with it?"
"What did he say?"
"I don't tell you. And you're not going to intimidate me with those vampire eyes."
Lucy cried so much with Lincoln's death that one day she took a pair of scissors, locked herself in the bathroom and sacrificed her priceless bangs that covered her face, as she got tired of having hair stuck in her eyes all the time. Today, she cries less, but prefers to go without bangs, because despite everything, she feels freer that way.
"Well, you're going to tell me," Lucy advances slowly, step by step.
"And why should I share anything with you?" Lola questions.
"Because it's fair!" Lucy discard the monotony and speaks in her normal voice. "You have no right to hide anything from me! Mainly something involving Lincoln!"
"I never hid anything," Lola rebuts, checking her fingernails. "You were the one hiding when you stole my Pony Princess books to read."
"SHUT UP!" Lucy grabs Lola and shakes her. "Tell me now what Lincoln said to you!"
"Let me go, Lucy." Lola demands, indignant. "I'm almost preferring you to go back to being zombie."
"Clear! That's exactly the point!" Lucy begins to dramatize, still holding Lola. "I was always the Odd Duck in the family. You and all our sisters always hated the fact that I'm a goth girl and a bat lover. So much so that you all rushed to do a makeover on me the day I fell in love with Rocky. You all didn't hesitate to try to change me into something I wasn't. But when Lincoln saw me like that, he immediately said that it couldn't be right. He was the only one who accepted me the way I am. The only one who understood my view of the world. But after he died, I suffered a 'spiritual blackout' and was never able to communicate with him in any way. On the other hand, he talks to Lori in her dreams, talks to Leni, talks to Lynn, and he never appears to me. Why would he forget me?! WHY WOULD HE TALK TO YOU FIRST?! WHY?! WHY?!"
"WAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Lucy turns her head: it's baby Lily who's crying!
"Look what you did, you monster!" Lola pushes Lucy, who loses her balance and almost falls.
"Lily?! Oh My God! I didn't mean to wake you!" Lucy, embarrassed, takes her hands to her face.
Lola turns her back on Lucy and starts to leave the bedroom.
Suddenly, she stops and gives Lucy a clue:
"And if you must know, in my dream Lincoln called me Lara. And our little sister, Baby Lali."
Lucy frowns:
"Lara? Lali? Absurd. He would never misspell our names. He wasn't Lincoln. He was an imposter!"
"Think what you want," Lola concedes. "Imposter or not, at least he made me feel a little better today. Unlike you. Excuse me, vampire. Pfftt!"
After blowing raspberries, Lola leaves the room and closes the door, leaving Lucy alone with Lily.
Lucy shakes with rage and punches the crib.
"Why, Lincoln?! Why?! YOU ABANDONED ME!"
Lucy is attacked with a pacifier!
"WAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"Calm down, Lily! Please forgive me!"
Lucy takes her baby sister in her arms and rocks her, while she sings softly, resuming her melancholy tone:
Sleep baby
Sleep baby
Sleep, my little sister
Lucy goes
Lucy comes
And take you to sweet home
Once Lily settles down, Lucy puts her back in her crib.
"You're the only one who seems to like my sad voice."
So shaken as she was by Lincoln's death (not to mention her beloved bats, which she was forced to sacrifice as sanitary measure, after they make her sick), Lucy no longer cares so much about staying inside the costume she created for herself. During a good part of the day, she remain quiet and serene, with her voice dry and disenchanted, but it's not uncommon for an adverse situation to make her lose her mind, raise her voice and go for a fight.
She is the one who should suffer the least from the losses in her family, as she always claimed to be an admirer of death, but it was lip service. She thought she could handle it as best she could, but it was all a perfect illusion. Today she remains goth more for style than conviction.
"It's a great paradox: I'm losing my faith in the spiritual as my sisters cling to it more. It's like I've been right all along. And now I'm the one who doesn't want to be right anymore."
Lucy lets out a long sigh as she watches Lily slip back into the sleep of the righteous.
"You are also privileged: you are the only one who can still hug Lincoln. Or, at least, what's left of him."
Lily yawned as she hugs Bun-Bun, Lincoln's stuffed bunny that today belongs to her.
This is the Lincoln Legacy.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Some time after I finished reading the masterful fanfic Requiem For a Loud, I searched the spin-offs that try to imagine how events unfolded after Lincoln's death, but I wasn't interested in none of these stories (I'm very selective). Until I decided to expose my own point of view and started having dozens of ideas about this fanfic exploding in my head. It took me a while to start writing, as I'm a classic procastinator. But I'm doing well with the story, don't you think?
Well, I'll go. Don't hesitate to review, leaving your praises, critics and suggestions. In the next chapter, we will have an intriguing mystery involving Lincoln.
I might be able to post once or twice a week, but I can't guarantee anything. Keep an eye out. Fave me, follow me. And watch me on DeviantArt, where I draw Sonic, Smurfs, Loud House and my own characters!
See you soon!