I do not own The Loud House. All rights belong to Nickelodeon.
Chapter 15
When Lincoln returned home from school, he had dinner with his family like usual, except their father wasn't there. Lincoln and Luan volunteered to cook dinner and made spaghetti aglio e olio. Everyone found their pasta meal absolutely delicious, and Luan was so proud.
"This is delicious! Whose idea was it to make this?" Lori asked.
"It was Lincoln's. He showed me how and we made it together," Luan answered.
"Wow, dude, this is amazing! Where did you learn to make this?" Luna asked.
"I've watched cooking shows with Clyde, and I learned a thing or two," Lincoln answered, "Where's Dad?"
Rita hesitated before answering, "Your father is . . . very upset with himself, kids. He feels he failed you. He's in our bedroom right now. I'll bring him his dinner later, but kids, you need to listen to me. Your father and I, we love all of you very much. So, it hurts when we feel that you don't love us back."
Lincoln looked away, thinking, 'How do you think I feel? Sometimes it feels like I don't even know you two, especially Dad. He's my father, and I can't remember the last time we had a father/son bonding time if we ever at all.'
Rita continued, "I know most of you are angry at your father right now for what happened with Lana, but please give him another chance. That's all we're asking. Please, don't shut him out."
It took every ounce in Lincoln's will not to scoff a laugh at those words. 'Don't shut him out?' Are you serious? You don't want us to shut him out, but in the near future, that's exactly what you're gonna do to me! And all based on a stupid made-up reason like bad luck! Why should I care about someone who doesn't care about me? You want us to be there for him? Where was he when I needed him? Where will he be when I need him? I'll tell you where Mom — behind some window telling me to back away from the house! After you board up my room, sell my furniture, and lock me out of my house! Out of my home!
Lincoln's eye twitched out of anger, and his fists slowly clenched. Lynn didn't see Lincoln giving her a death glare as he was thinking about the visions showing her calling Lincoln bad luck and relentlessly poisoning the others with that lie. His eyes slowly shifted to his other sisters, and he saw it all – all the bad things they said and did to him and possibly will do in the future.
Then Lincoln stopped. He remembered how he was in bed crying, wishing his family loved him. He remembered all his sisters around him showering him with love and comfort even though they didn't know the reason for his sorrow. Lincoln realized his family was capable of being bad . . . but also good.
'The world and people aren't black and white. It's just whether people are mostly good or mostly bad,' Lincoln thought, then his eyes went back to his family, 'Are they all mostly bad?'
His future visions answered that question. His eyes fell upon Lucy, who was sitting right across from him. Even though her eyes were hidden behind her bangs, he knew she was staring right back at him. He knew that she was still waiting for him to keep his promise to tell her. Lincoln thought back and noticed that Lucy doesn't really have a huge role in the bad luck incident. She didn't say anything. However, that's what she's also guilty of – she didn't say anything. Still, though, maybe he can trust her with his secret. Maybe he can get her to see the light, which was ironic for such a dark gothic girl.
Rita finished, "So, can I count on you to be less harsh and a little more sincere toward your father?"
The older sisters groaned a sigh while the younger sisters grumbled under their breath.
"Fine . . . but if something like what happened to Lana happens again or to any of us, Mom, we're going to have to make a decision. What happened that day is unacceptable. I can't have that happen again, Mom. I can't. Not again. Not to Lincoln or my younger sisters," Lori stated very clearly.
"We'll give Dad another chance, but Lori is totes right," Leni sided.
"If Dad loves us, then he really needs to show that father side . . . the side that's in the right area with bravery, especially for Lincoln and Lana," Luna added while crossing her arms.
"So, you'll be nicer to your father?" Rita asked.
They nodded.
Rita stood up and walked over to Lincoln and Lana.
"I didn't get a chance to express how grateful I am that my baby girl is alive. I know things were upsetting, but I am so relieved that you're okay, Lana," Rita said before hugging and kissing her daughter.
Lana was hesitant to hug her mother back, but she did. From the other sisters' looks, they weren't exactly pleased.
Rita turned to her son, "And I am so proud of you, Lincoln. You showed unbelievable strength and courage for your sister. You saved her life, Lincoln. You're our family's hero. You're Lana's hero," Rita stroked Lincoln's hair, "You're my hero, Lincoln."
Rita pulled him in for a hug, and he gently hugged her back. Rita reached over and pulled Lana over so she could hug them both.
"I love you both so much," Rita said.
Lincoln felt it was a bittersweet moment. He took comfort in knowing his mother is proud of him and loves him, but he felt it was too little, too late.
'Glass half full. I'll take it,' Lincoln thought to himself.
After dinner, they brushed their teeth and headed for bed. Lucy waited until everyone else was asleep before sneaking into Lincoln's room. She made sure not to startle him when she woke him up. Lincoln wasn't that surprised when she arrived.
"You promised to tell me, Lincoln. Tell me what's going on with you. No more secrets," Lucy stated.
Lincoln nodded, "Let's go to the garage where no one will eavesdrop."
They quietly made their way to the garage. As soon as the door closed and they were all alone, Lucy crossed her arms while giving Lincoln this look. She wasn't going to let Lincoln leave until she got answers.
"Lucy . . . what I'm about to tell and show you are going to be hard to believe. Before I say what it is, you have to swear to me that you won't tell anyone," Lincoln stated clearly.
"I won't tell, Lincoln," Lucy replied.
"I mean it, Lucy. No one can know. Not our family, not your friends; this is a secret you have that no one else can ever know," Lincoln asserted.
Lucy left a long pause.
"I will carry this to my grave and beyond, I swear. Now tell me what is going on with you, Lincoln," Lucy said.
Lincoln let out a heavy sigh while scratching his head. Finding the right words to ease into it was hard because there was no easy way to say it. Lincoln knew he just had to say it and show her.
"Lucy . . . I have powers. I can see into the future," Lincoln said.
Lucy made no emotion or any kind of physical movement. Then Lincoln summoned a light orb in his hand, and that's when Lucy gasped in surprise.
"I can see the future and the various outcomes depending on what choices I make or events I let happen or change," Lincoln explained.
Lucy glanced back and forth between the light orb and her brother.
"This is—? This is how you were able to save Leni and Lana?" Lucy asked.
"Yes, that's why you caught me throwing up that morning. I saw a terrible vision of Lana getting ripped apart by that bull gator. It was awful. I tried to talk her out of going but couldn't change her mind. So, I went to her alligator wrestling match to save her," Lincoln explained.
"This is amazing. How long have you had these powers?" Lucy asked.
"Several months now," Lincoln answered.
"Several months?! Why didn't you tell me or the rest of the family?!" Lucy demanded.
Lincoln gave her a sad look. Then he summoned the light orbs revealing the bad luck incident and the ones showing what would happen if he did show them his powers involving the lottery tickets.
Lucy watched in awe and despair at the ugly truths that the light orbs showed her of the future yet to come. The bad luck incident, the lottery ticket scandals, all the cruelty, all the ways that the Loud family had reduced to treating Lincoln like an object, a luck trinket, a crystal ball. Lincoln even showed her the ones where he had enough and called the police on them for child abandonment, neglect, and abuse. At the end of it all, Lucy was speechless. She stood there shivering as her eyes began to tear up.
"I didn't tell you guys because of all that. So far, my future visions have never been wrong. I was dealing with this alone because if I told our family, then those things would have happened. I've searched for every outcome to avoid this, and I haven't found any. It's almost inevitable," Lincoln explained.
Lucy still didn't say anything. By then, she was crying as tears streamed down her face.
"I'm sorry, Lucy," Lincoln approached.
Before he knew it, Lucy embraced him in a tight hug as she sobbed into his chest. Lincoln was startled by this at first but then wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug.
"Lincoln (sobs) Oh Lincoln. You (sobs), you stupid, stupid silly boy!" Lucy exclaimed.
Lincoln stared at her and uttered, not knowing what to say or how to respond.
"You've struggled with this all alone! You think you're all alone in this, but you're not! You're my brother, Lincoln! I love you! You should have come to me with this sooner!" Lucy stated through her tears.
Lincoln uttered, "I'm sorry, Lucy. I-I didn't know who to trust. These-these future visions showed all the terrible things th-that our sisters do to me – including you. Sure, you're not as harsh as the others, but in-in the visions, you didn't speak up for me."
"Well, I will now!" Lucy asserted.
"No! You can't tell anyone about my powers!" Lincoln pleaded.
"I'm not talking about your powers. I mean, helping you! Trying to change the future so these terrible things won't happen!" Lucy stated.
Lincoln showed her the light orbs again.
"I've searched for every outcome to avoid this, and I haven't found any. It's almost inevitable," Lincoln explained.
Lucy glanced back and forth between Lincoln and the visions.
"So, there's nothing we can do?" Lucy asked.
"There are different paths. All of them lead to something bad. It's either them treating me like a luck trinket or a crystal ball for a payday," Lincoln answered.
Lucy stood there in silence. Lincoln sat down against some boxes. Lucy soon joined him.
"Even if there was a way to avoid all those bad things happening in the future, it doesn't change who our family is," Lincoln said.
Lucy turned to her brother, "What do you mean?"
"Lucy, there are certain minor bad things that anyone is capable of doing. Things like skipping school or work for one day. Things like picking up a dollar bill on the ground and using it to buy a soda in the vending machine instead of returning it to its original owner. Yeah, they're dishonest, but you're not hurting anyone. But for certain bad things like child abandonment or abuse, you have to be a bad person to do those things. You have to not care if someone is going to get hurt. If my parents, our sisters, truly love and care about me, they wouldn't board up my room, lock me out of the house, sell my furniture, or use me for their benefit while disregarding my feelings and well-being. There are kids who can say, 'My family would never do horrible things to me.' I am not one of those kids because my family would do horrible things to me," Lincoln explained.
Lucy sat there quietly, letting those words sink in. It was a lot to take in for a young girl, but she fully understood as she collected her thoughts.
"Well, I don't want to do horrible things to you. I will never do those bad things to you. I swear it. You're my brother, Lincoln, and I love you. I'll protect you, even from our own family," Lucy promised.
Lincoln smiled as he held her hand. He felt one of his heartstrings tug.
"Thank you, Lucy," Lincoln said.
"I can't believe Lynn is that big of a sore loser. Bad luck? She values winning over her own flesh and blood? And everyone went along with it despite you telling the truth? And did Dad really say, 'Step further away from the house?' What kind of parent says that to their own child?" Lucy questioned.
Lincoln patted her back, "Lucy, I'm not telling you to hate our parents, but I will tell you that you should look closer at things and ask more questions. Who are Mom and Dad, really? What kind of people are our sisters? Whether or not you choose to love them and keep a stable relationship is up to you. All I know is that I will have to let them go if I ever want to be happy and safe. I'm prepared to lose them so I don't have to suffer. What they're going to do to me is not only inhuman, immoral, and hurtful but also illegal."
That last word caught Lucy's attention.
"Illegal?" Lucy asked.
"Child abandonment is a felony. In Michigan, that's ten years in prison. Now Lucy, when Lynn loses her game, and no matter how much I try to reason with our family, they won't listen. At first, I lied about it to get some time to myself, which isn't too much to ask – especially for a kid with ten sisters. But now, even when I tell the truth from the beginning, they still won't listen and kick me out of the house. Even if this all could be avoided, I don't want to live with people who are capable of doing these horrible things to me. That's why when Lynn loses her game, and the family deems me bad luck and kicks me out of the house, I will call the police," Lincoln explained.
Lincoln thought Lucy would object, but she said nothing. She looked down at her feet before her as she rested her arms on her knees.
Then she asked, "What will happen when you do?"
"Our parents will go to prison. Our older sisters will go to juvie, and Lynn will get five years for assault & battery with threatening with the intent of harm. You, the other younger sisters, and I will go to foster care," Lincoln answered.
"Will . . . will you and I still be together?" Lucy asked.
"Maybe. Maybe they'll work some way where we can see each other, or when we're all grown up, we can go to the same college or live in the same town. I haven't looked for those outcomes yet. They'll most likely come in my sleep," Lincoln theorized.
Lucy slowly nodded.
"If our parents and sisters are horrible people, then maybe it's better we don't save them. Dad let Lana almost get eaten by an alligator, and that squirrel mascot they made you wear because they thought you were good luck makes sense after Dad and Mom wanted you as a mascot for the restaurant. I can't believe this is happening. I'm so sorry, Lincoln," Lucy said.
"It's not your fault. For what it's worth, I told only you out of all our sisters because I think we still have a good connection. Which is why I can trust you," Lincoln said.
"Thanks. So, is our family truly bad people? Like evil bad?" Lucy questioned.
Lincoln let out a heavy sigh, "Well, I don't know about that, but they are capable of doing bad things, so they are bad people . . . especially Lynn and our parents. Leni just doesn't know any better, so maybe she's an exception."
"And Lana?" Lucy asked.
"She boards up my room. Her conscience doesn't stop her," Lincoln answered.
"Good point, but doesn't she defend you after you saved her life?" Lucy questioned.
Lincoln summoned a light orb. First, it showed Lincoln begging his family to see reason as they labeled him bad luck. Then it showed the same thing, but with Leni and Lana defending him – now it shows Lucy there as well.
"I earned her love after saving her life. Why should I have to earn love from my family? Why must I go to such lengths to get them to believe and trust me? We're family. We should love and trust each other anyway. I shouldn't have to prove anything to get them to love me," Lincoln said with tears in his eyes.
Lucy saw his watery eyes. She hugged his arm and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. Lincoln wiped his eyes and hugged his younger sister. They broke from their hug to look at each other.
"Lincoln, I'm sorry you felt so alone with this, but I am here for you. I love you," Lucy said.
"I love you too, Lucy. Let's go to bed now," Lincoln said.
As they snuck back inside to their beds, Lucy looked over across the bedroom at her roommate of a sister, Lynn. Behind Lucy's bangs, her glaring daggers were as fierce as an angry tiger. Dark thoughts flooded her mind, and they were focused on her athletic sister. Lucy slowly shook her head in disapproval and disappointment.
'Your love of winning has blinded you from what truly matters in life. Your passion for competitive winning has filled your heart with darkness with no light for your love of family,' Lucy thought before shaking her head with a glare, 'You're a disgrace, Lynn.'
Lucy silently walked over to her. Her hand was hovering over Lynn's throat as it was flexing tightly, showing the bones and white knuckles. Lucy gritted and grinded her teeth as she thought back to the future visions Lincoln showed her. The things she will say to him. The harsh treatment, turning the family against him, and forcing him out of his home. The anger boiled inside Lucy and her dark thoughts turned toward her sisters as well. She softly growled as she entered her coffin.
"Lincoln may not have you to be there for him, but he has me. I'll be there for him. Always," Lucy whispered to herself.