2:30 p.m.

October 20

Royal Woods Academy

After the incident, the girls had all been sternly reprimanded by Rita for what they did, but she decided to let them off without any major punishment. Their worst punishment came in the form of Lincoln, who barely spoke a word to them for the rest of the weekend, other than cursory greetings. Part of it was out of anger, but a bigger part was out of guilt; as upset as he was with them, he knew this whole mess was mostly his fault.

What he needed, more than anything else, was closure. Some form of reassurance that his friendship with Connie was still salvageable. So today, he decided, would be the day that he confronted her after school and formally apologized for deceiving her and betraying her trust.

He spent most of the school day nervous and distracted. During most of his classes he drifted in and out, only deigning to speak when the teacher called on him specifically. When that happened, he would bark out the first thing that came to his head - which was usually only tangentially related to what the teacher was saying, at best. They would chide him for not paying attention, and the class would resume its normal pace.

He ate his lunch alone, staring at the clock while taking anxious nibbles out of his peanut butter and sauerkraut sandwich. He half-considered approaching Connie during this period, but he didn't want to run the risk of the bell interrupting him. Delivering his apology would be difficult enough without a time limit imposed on him.

It took all of his resolve to hold out until the dismissal bell rang, at which point he made a beeline to the school courtyard and started scanning his surroundings for any sign of Connie. Luckily, it didn't take too long before he spied her emerge from the entrance, towing a roller backpack beside her.

"Connie!" he cried, running up to her.

"Hello, Lincoln," she said in a formal tone of voice - not exactly unfriendly, but lacking the warmth with which she would typically address him.

He sighed, clasping his hands in front of him. "Connie, listen. I know I messed up really bad, but I-"

He was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a decrepit van revving its engine. He looked over his shoulder to see Vanzilla sputtering to a stop in the school parking lot. Oh, Lori must be here to pick me up, he thought. Sure enough, the door of the van opened, and out stepped Lori.

...and Leni.

...and then the back door opened to reveal Luna.

...and Luan.

...and-

Did they all come here?!

The gears in Lincoln's brain began to sputter at the sight of his entire family walking to the courtyard.

"I-wha-they-you-I..."

As the ten girls walked towards him, he could do little but babble incoherently, as his entire body froze up. The ten girls lined up in front of Lincoln and his friend, heads bowed in shame.

"We're sorry for freaking you out," said Lori.

"Super sorry," said Lana.

For the next few seconds, Lincoln and Connie just stared at them, dumbfounded by what was going on. Before Lincoln could speak up, however, Connie beat him to the punch.

"Lincoln," she asked in a calm, measured tone, "what are your sisters doing here?"

"I don't know!" he cried, turning around to face his family. "I swear I didn't invite them here! I'll just send them back to the van, and-"

As soon as he turned, he was greeted with a sight that stopped him cold - all ten of his sisters gathered together, with pleading eyes and protruding bottom lips. It was then that it occurred to him who he was about to tell off - the five girls who helped raise him, and the other five who looked up to him. The ten girls who educated him, played with him, made him laugh, made him cry, made him who he was over the course of the eleven years of his life.

And it was then that his heart was pierced with a sudden pang of clarity.

"...no," he said. He took a deep breath, let it out, and turned back towards Connie. "You know what? I'm not going to send them back."

He looked straight into her wide, bespectacled eyes, his gaze firm but gentle. "Connie, these are my ten sisters. Most people only have two or three, but fate decided to bless me with ten. They're rowdy, they're chaotic, and there's almost never a quiet moment when they're around. But I love them with all of my heart, and I wouldn't trade them for the world. I'm sorry I tried to hide them from you. It wasn't fair to them, and it..."

Tears welled up in his eyes, and his voice started to crack. "...and it wasn't fair to you, either. Because they're wonderful, wonderful people, and anyone would be lucky to know them."

A smile began to blossom on Connie's face as soon as he was finished speaking. "Lincoln, I-I'm touched," she said, her nut-brown eyes shimmering. "That was so sweet."

"I meant every word," he said, smiling back. "And since we're all together, I'd like to take the chance to introduce you to each of them, and them to you."

As he turned back around, he saw that all ten of his sisters were beaming; some, like Lola, were even getting a little misty-eyed. The very sight made Lincoln feel as though his heart was going to melt into a puddle. Regardless, he did his best to compose himself and soldier on.

"Girls, this is Connie," he said. "She joined my class at the beginning of the year. She's shy, but she's really smart, great at math and a total bookworm. She got me hooked on this great book series called Dogcopter, which I think some of you would love."

He then turned back to Connie. "Connie, this is Lori," he said, pointing at the eldest sister. "She pretty much runs the show around here. It's her duty to keep us in line, and I think she does a pretty good job of it."

Grinning, Lori puffed out her chest and flipped her hair back.

"Then there's Leni. She's just about the nicest girl you'll ever meet. And she's a total savant when it comes to fashion."

Leni took a step forward and did a twirl, showing off her outfit. "Like my dress, Connie? It's totes chic, isn't it?"

"Yeah!" said Connie. "I mean, I don't know much about fashion, but it looks pretty."

After Leni and Connie shook hands, Lincoln continued.

"Next up we've got Luna. She's the family musician. You should hear the way she can make her guitar wail!"

Luna threw up a pair of devil horns in response, while Connie tried to mimic the gesture.

"You know, I'm something of a musician myself," said Connie.

"Oh, no way, dude! What instrument?"

"Violin. I'm not great, but-"

"Great, shmeat. Music's all about having fun, not being the best. We should jam sometime!"

Connie's smile swelled; after only the third introduction, it already felt like she was being inducted into the Loud clan.

"And this is Luan," said Lincoln. "She's a real clown. Loves to kid around and crack jokes."

Luan stepped forward and held her hand out for a shake, which Connie obliged. As soon as their hands touched, Luan's palm sent a minor shock coursing through her body, eliciting a yelp.

"I'm tickled to meet you!" she cried, as she opened her palm to reveal a hand buzzer. "Get it?"

Lincoln was ready to scold her, until he saw Connie giggling in response. "I get it, I get it. Good one, Luan."

Sighing with relief, he turned to the next sister in the lineup.

"This here is Lynn. She's a phenomenal athlete. She's mastered just about every sport you can think of."

"You know it," said Lynn, who flexed her biceps and gave each one a kiss.

"Well, I'm not really into sports myself, but I have been thinking of taking up fencing."

"Oh, I could teach you!" cried Lynn, her face lighting up. "But just as a warning, I'm not an easy teacher. I love the smell of sweat and tears in the morning."

She grinned devilishly and slapped her fist into her palm, prompting a nervous giggle from Connie. "N-noted."

Lincoln, sensing danger, made sure to step in before Lynn had a chance to give Connie a demonstration.

"Next we have Lucy," he said. "She's a poet with a taste for the macabre. Big fan of Vampires of Melancholia."

Lucy, maintaining her inscrutable expression, walked up to Connie and looked up into her eyes.

"I can sense it," she said in her typical monotone. "There are pages and pages worth of stories dwelling inside your heart, just waiting to be told."

"Y-you really think so?" Connie asked, her eyes widening with intrigue. "I'm more into reading than writing, but I guess I could give it a try."

"Wicked. I can't wait for you to bare your soul to me."

With that, she turned around, walked back and retook her place in the lineup. Lincoln let a few seconds of silence pass before getting the ball rolling again.

"Any...anyway, here's Lana. She's a classic tomboy. Loves getting dirty and making a mess. She also has a real passion for taking care of animals."

"Charmed," said Lana. She walked forward, spat into her palm and held it out for Connie to shake. "Put 'er there."

She cringed a little, but obliged out of politeness. Afterwards, she discreetly wiped her hand on the back of her dress.

"And that's her twin, Lola - our six-year-old beauty queen," Lincoln said. "She's won more pageant ribbons than I can even count."

Lola gave her a big, toothy smile and batted her eyes. "Nice to meet you, Connie. I can see why Linky likes you so much. You're so pretty!"

Connie flinched, as her pupils shrank to half their size. "Pre...pretty?" she uttered, blushing a bit. "Me?"

"Very," she said. "Not quite as pretty as me, but then, who is?"

Typical Lola, he thought, rolling his eyes. He gave his friend a moment to get over her embarrassment before moving on to the last two siblings.

"This here is Lisa. She's only four years old, but she's already the smartest kid - no, the smartest person I know. She really is extraordinary."

She assumed he was just embellishing her abilities (as big brothers were wont to do) until she heard the toddler speak.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Connie Maheswaran. I hope your friendship with Lincoln continues to be a prosperous one."

Lincoln's friend blinked and shook her head in disbelief, wondering if her senses were working correctly. It was rare for her to hear a kindergartener say a grammatically perfect sentence without any stuttering or hesitation. And it was even rarer for her to hear one pronounce her last name correctly; even the adults she knew struggled with that sometimes. (Occasionally, one would ask if she had an "English name".)

"Ni...nice to meet you too, Lisa," she said, shaking Lisa's hand.

After Lisa returned the wave, Lincoln walked to the end of the lineup, picked up the newest member of the Loud family, and carried her over to Connie.

"And finally, we have little Lily," he said, smiling warmly down at his baby sister.

Connie gave her a meek, finger-twiddling wave; she giggled and cooed in response.

"You want to hold her?" he asked. "I think she likes you."

The unexpected offer elicited a tiny gasp from the meek bookworm. She wasn't sure if she was comfortable being entrusted with something so fragile and delicate (or rather, someone). Still, out of the interest of politeness, she extended her trembling hands towards the baby.

"Don't be shy!" he said, placing Lily in her arms. "She's not gonna bite you."

As soon as he was certain that she had a firm grip, Lincoln let go. After a few tense seconds, she took a deep breath and managed to steady herself. She then gave herself permission to gaze down at the beaming, bright-eyed infant in her arms. She could practically feel her heart swelling at the very sight of her.

"Hi, Lily. My name is Connie. Con-Nie."

The two of them silently stared into each others' eyes for a spell, while Connie rocked her back and forth. This went on until she sensed that her arms were getting tired, and she walked over to hand the baby back to Lincoln.

But just as that was about to happen, she heard a syllable that made her heart skip a beat.

"Kah..."

Her eyes snapped back towards Lily's. "What did you just say?"

"Kah...Kah-Neh?"

Since the round of introductions began, Connie felt herself drawing closer and closer to tears. Each time she felt them welling up, she just barely managed to force them back. But the sound of Lily saying her name was what finally pushed her over the edge.

"She... she said... she said my..." she choked out, tears of joy flowing freely. Before she could even finish that sentence, she felt Lincoln's arms wrapping around her from behind. They were then joined by Lucy, and then Lana, and then Lynn, until every member of the Loud family was embracing Connie in a group hug.


By the time Lincoln took off the goggles, he could feel tears leaking out of his own eyes. Once the alternate universe faded away and he got re-situated in his own, the memories of what had transpired that day came rushing back - the fight with Ronnie Anne, going home miserable, snapping at Lola...

...the way he closed himself off from his friends and family instead of allowing himself to talk things out...

With tears blurring his vision and guilt needling his heart, he swung his door open and ran out into the hall. As luck would have it, Lola happened to be the first person he ran into. Just as she was opening her mouth to greet him, he dropped to his knees and pulled her into a powerful hug.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"L-Linky, it was just toothpaste," said Lola.

"Not just the toothpaste. I'm sorry for everything. For being a bad brother."

His words prompted some of the other sisters to come out of their rooms and approach him. As he was embracing Lola, he felt a strong, firm pat on his back.

"Aw, Stinkoln, you're not a bad brother," said Lynn. "You just had a bad day, that's all. You want to talk about it?"

"I-In a bit," Lincoln choked out. "For now, I just want to... want to..."

He let go of Lola and threw himself into Lynn's arms. The jock was taken off guard at first, but eventually returned the hug.

"I...I just love you girls so much. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like I didn't. You're the best sisters in the whole world."

Lynn smiled, squeezing him tight and using her free hand to stroke his hair. As he looked up, he noticed that she wasn't alone; several of his other sisters were gathered around him.

"We love you too, Lincoln," said Lori. "And we're always available if you ever need to talk."

"Don't you ever feel like you're not allowed to open up to us," said Luna. "If you're lonely, you can talk to me."

The tender boy proceeded to embrace each one of his sisters, while they all reiterated the same sentiment; if he needed to get something off his chest, they all would be willing to listen. It didn't take long, however, before he remembered that there was one more person he needed to make things right with. He got up, sped back to his room and snatched his phone off the dresser, only to find a text from Ronnie Anne that she sent an hour ago...

...and just when he had managed to stop crying, the tears started up again.