I completely forgot this story was supposed to update on Sundays, so… here's something to fix that! XD
First, let's answer some reviews:
1) Nobody245: Yeah, most people try not to get on an Antagonist's bad side, especially one that's currently working.
2) Mr. Haziq: You might get an answer this chapter.
3) Guest: Got it, thanks.
4) Guest: Yup, keep an eye out for her, she'll be important later.
5) Guest: Cool, I think I'll use that.
And now, to the chapter!
Once the next day came, Lincoln got up, got dressed, did his morning routine, and went to the dining room for breakfast.
The rest of his family was also there, listening to Luna rant about her day.
"And then I spent hours and hours floating over the atmosphere, waiting for something to happen! And guess what!?"
The siblings raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing happened! Nothing! Zilch! Nada!" Luna grabbed and took a big bite out of her sandwich. "It was just another day of me standing in the middle of nowhere!"
"Yeah, that's terrible and everything," Lola tented her fingers and tilted her head. "But why did you wait until today to tell us what happened yesterday?"
"Because I wasn't in the mood to talk, okay, dude?" Luna yawned. "Besides, night had already fallen and I was all outta juice."
"Well, that's sad to hear, dear, but don't worry!" Mr. Loud said. "I'm sure something will happen eventually! You just gotta be patient!"
Luna looked elsewhere and grumbled. "You said the same thing the last dozen times…"
"And how about we, like, ask someone else?" Leni suggested before hastily turning to Lincoln. "You got something planned for today, Lincoln?"
"I'm gonna go pay Cristina a visit today after school," the boy answered, taking a bite out of his sandwich. "She said she wanted to spend time with me."
"Doesn't she always?" Lola snickered, earning a nudge from Lynn.
"Say, how was your first day at Cliche High?" Luan inquired. "Exciting? Amazing? Incredible?!"
"All those words mean the same thing, Luan," Lincoln said with a smile. "And truth be told… It was a lot more normal than I expected. A lot less fighting and more studying."
"Everybody feels the same way on their first day," Lori, the oldest daughter, remarked with a chuckle. "Trust me, Lincoln, you'll literally get used to it in no time."
"I sure hope so," Lincoln sighed. "Otherwise, this is gonna be one dull school year."
The rest of breakfast at the Loud House was surprisingly quiet, which Lincoln didn't mind too much. He knew better than anyone the cacophony that was living in his house, so a little peace and quiet was welcomed.
Especially since he was going to have enough headaches when he greeted Cristina at her house.
So, he walked to the red house where she lived, and knocked on the door three times.
As he waited for someone to answer, a shadow loomed over him, with a simple look up revealing it to be a giant paper bird flying with a redheaded boy on its back.
"That must've been Chandler… but wait, how did he-"
"Lincoln!"
The guy turned around, and saw… an odd-looking Cristina: brunette hair, a pair of glasses on her head, yellow dress, and blue jacket with black boots.
"Hi… Cristina?" he greeted. "You look a bit different."
"Yeah, I thought I would try out a new look," "Cristina" said while fixing her hair. "Do you like it?"
"Well, I think it's neat to see you wearing anything besides a blue dress," Lincoln scratched his head. "But honestly, you've been wearing a blue dress for so long, I'm kinda stunned you'd change it out of nowhere."
"It's not out of nowhere, Lincoln: changing my looks was long overdue," "Cristina" replied, getting close enough to Lincoln until their chests pressed. "Besides, I still need a second opinion. What do you think?"
"Um-"
"Theresa!"
The duo turned around, and saw an enraged Cristina flying towards them.
"What have I told you about acting like me!?"
"Cristina" rolled her eyes before being covered in light, transforming from a teenager into a woman in her 30s soon after, and pressing Lincoln's head against her chest once the light dissipated.
"Tsk, take it easy, will you Chrissy? I was just messing with Lincoln!"
Cristina snatched the boy and pulled him away from the woman, who looked amused.
"Nobody messes with him but me!"
"First, actually not even you mess with me," Lincoln kindly pointed out. "And second, who's this lady?"
"Lincoln, this is my aunt, Theresa," Cristina groaned, glaring at the woman. "Her Cliche, Double Age, lets her shift between her adult form, and a younger form."
"And as you can imagine," Theresa put a hand on her hip, and another behind her head. "I like to stay in my adult form!"
Cristina blushed furiously while Lincoln hummed and got an idea:
"Have you ever tried changing someone's age?"
Theresa hummed, and before the conversation could continue, Cristina grabbed the boy and flew away with him.
They flew until they arrived near Cliche High, and hid behind the same tree Lincoln nearly crashed into yesterday.
"Lincoln, I know my aunt might look like a nice lady, but she's a total trickster!" Cristina chided. "You saw how she impersonated me earlier! The last thing she needs is to be given ideas!"
"Okay, alright, I'm sorry," Lincoln shrugged and pocketed his hands. "I just got a little curious, that's all."
Cristina took a deep breath and folded her arms. "That curiosity might get you killed one day, you know? And then who's gonna be my boyfriend?!"
Lincoln scratched his cheek. "Well, I've heard Clyde's been single for a while."
Cristina rolled her eyes, and began flying towards the school.
"Cristina, wait."
The redhead stopped and faced the snow-haired edgelord.
"Hey, I've been thinking about something for a while, and-"
Cristina blushed and put her hands on her cheeks. "Of course we can go on a date, Lincoln, no need to be so shy!"
Lincoln waved his hands. "No, that's not it."
"Why did you get my hopes up, then?" an unimpressed Christina growled.
"Listen, I've just been wondering, everybody uses their Cliche in a very specific manner, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, why don't people try thinking outside the box a little bit more often? You know, try to use their Cliches to their fullest potential?"
Cristina smiled and petted her boyfriend's head. "Oh, silly Lincoln, asking questions that don't need to be asked."
"But, I really do need an answer-"
"No, what you need to do is keep quiet before anyone of authority sees you talking about "thinking outside of the box" and arrests you."
Lincoln raised an eyebrow, and Cristina responded in whispers:
"You think I haven't noticed that little fact? That nobody is aware of it? Anybody with eyes and even a little bit of creativity knows that using a Cliche in only one way severely hurts its potential! But even if they wanted to try branch out, they can't."
"Why not?"
"... I don't know why, but I've seen the police arrest people who try using their Cliches outside the figurative box. As soon as they see them, they're given a one-way ticket to prison."
"But why?!"
Cristina shushed the boy.
"But why?"
"I don't know, and I can't look deeper into this without risking being arrested myself. So for now, let's drop this idea, okay?"
"... Okay."
Cristina nodded, and flew ahead to the school.
"There's a reason why they do that, you know?"
Lincoln winced and turned around, seeing Haiku standing nearby with her arms folded behind her back.
"After the centuries of chaos, the populace are desperate to uphold any semblance of peace and order they can."
Then, she walked towards the school.
"But that's not the only reason. There's another, much worse reason…"
And in the blink of an eye, Haiku's form had entered the school.
Lincoln followed soon after, pondering what the heck was going on...
