Previously...
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That morning…
Lincoln: "Where- Where are our sisters!? Leni, Luna, Lynn, Lola... Everyone has disappeared!" [scared]
Rita: "Lincoln, what are you talking about?"
Rita: "You don't have any sister, Lincoln! You are our only child!"
Lincoln: "W… What!?"
.
For the first time, Lincoln could finally break free of the entangled sisterhood that kept shackling him forever.
Lincoln: "WOOOOOHOOOOOO!" [immediately runs into the Dairyland Amusement Park]
Rita: "Hahaha. Oh honey, would you look at that, our baby running happily like a toddler getting a new toy. He's right, I have never seen him this joyful! Although this is yet not his birthday!" [talks to her husband]
Lynn Sr: "I know, sweetheart. I know! Tis the season. Besides, he deserved it too! What a pleasing sight." [responds to his wife]
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But little did he know... that was just a calm, before the storm.
Lisa: "You ERASED our memory from the world, making everyone FORGETS us."
Lisa: "You simply don't want us to EXIST. Am I right, 'brother'?"
Lincoln: "No-"
Lucy: "And... such a fate... is worse than DEATH."
Lincoln: "No!"
Lucy: "You don't. Deserve. LIFE."
Lincoln: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
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CHAPTER 2: DOWNFALL
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[1216 Franklin Avenue.]
[Monday, 21st August.]
[06:00 AM.]
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Lincoln Loud, the only boy of The Louds, finally woke up. Poor boy. That was surely a long night.
Lincoln: "Hah… hah… hah…" [panting, sweating a lot]
Lincoln: "…A dream? Ugh…" [he somehow can still feel his head heavy and dizzy]
Lincoln briefly checked his breath rhythm, verifying that everything was okay. What a relief, he could still breathe and make it out to see another day. But still…
Lincoln: "My God… That was… That was too real to be a dream-!" [still panting]
Worried after hearing her baby screaming in pain, Rita Loud rushed to Lincoln's bedroom, looking for her son.
Rita: "Lincoln- Lincoln! Are you- Are you okay!?" [runs to Lincoln's bedroom, concerned]
Lincoln: [phew]
Lincoln: "…For now."
Rita: "Good Lord… You just had a nightmare, didn't you…?" [gasps, worried]
Lincoln: "Apparently… Yes. Thank you for asking, Mom." [tries to relax and stabilize his breath]
Rita patted Lincoln's head. She could definitely see how badly the nightmare had damaged Lincoln's mood. But nevertheless, the school was waiting for him, whether he liked it or not.
Rita: "It's okay, honey… Alright. Now, get a bath and get your things packed. It's school time." [exhales]
Lincoln: "Yes, Mom." [leaves to take a bath]
Lynn Loud Senior could also see the same thing his wife saw from their kid. Lincoln could hardly smile that morning, despite how delicious his dad tried to make the warm breakfast into.
Lincoln: [eats in a bad mood]
Lynn Sr: [shakes head and exhales, seeing Lincoln frowning]
Lynn Sr: "Oh Hon, what happened? You were so cheerful yesterday! Now you're back in grim!" [worried]
Lincoln: "Nothing, Dad. Just another nightmare." [tired face]
Lynn Sr: "Oh, dearie…"
Lynn Sr. then motivated Lincoln to let go of that bad dream, that 'what's bygone is bygone'. For his own good, of course.
Lynn Sr: "Hey, listen. It's just a nightmare. Everyone has it. It's normal. Don't take it to your heart! Everything is going to be just fine! You'll forget it once you get out there, okay?" [cheers Lincoln]
Lincoln nodded. His dad had a point.
Lincoln: "Thanks, Dad. I really appreciate it." [tries to smile]
Lynn Sr: "Attaboy! Now get out there, champ, and save the day!" [laughs]
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Shortly after, Lincoln was ready to take the school bus. Polo shirt, check. Sports shoes, check. Blue jeans, check. Hair gel, check. Backpack, check. All that's left was waiting. It did not take long.
Clyde: "Hi, Lincoln!" [waves]
Lincoln's best friend Clyde, peeked out of the bus door and greeted him.
Lincoln: "Oh hi there, Clyde."
Clyde: "Ready to take on this morning, McLoud?" [pumped]
Lincoln: "Just like the old times, Clincoln." [giggles]
Clyde: "Haha! That's my homie! Hop in!"
Inside, his friends Stella, Rusty, Zach and Liam had already been waiting for Lincoln. Seemed like they had some story to share.
Stella: "Hi, Lincoln! Have a seat! How's your day?" [waves]
Lincoln: "Hi, guys. Same as usual, I suppose."
Liam: "That last Friday was so amazing! Your idea of turning my farm into Little Dairyland was wonderful!" [happy]
Lincoln: "…Eh? Really?" [a bit confused]
Rusty: "Yeah! That was sensational! If only you remembered my signature dance last time in there!"
Zach: "You kidding, Rusty? I remember you crashed three gallons of milk before a bull sent you flying!" [laughs]
Rusty: "…Yeah, and I still remember how painful that was." [sigh]
Clyde: "Yeah but you're so lucky you weren't that kid who got drowned in The Little Dream Boat event!"
Stella: "Oh my God… I can still recall how terrible that tragedy was!" [gasps]
Lincoln: "Huh? What happened?" [curious]
Clyde: "You don't remember? His boat turned upside down when he and his boatmate were rowing into the middle of Tall Timbers Lake!"
Stella: "The girl was safe, but the boy… he wasn't so lucky. Something dragged him deeper and deeper into the depth of the lake, and he could barely feel his body!"
Lincoln: "My God…" [gasps]
Zach: "Hey, don't forget about the funny part yet! Right after his rescue by the firefighters, he could hardly breathe even after the rescuers gave him an emergency CPR, so we decided to call in the ambulance!"
Rusty: "Heey, I remember that too! As the emergency team was about to bring him into the vehicle, his bed cart slipped away, and it just rolled through the entire Royal Woods! Even the whole team had to chase it over!" [giggles]
Zach: "Hehehe! The cart would then crash into Flips Gas Station, and that boy… Oh, what a poor boy! He ended up getting himself locked in a freezer!" [laughs out loud]
Rusty: [laughs as well]
Stella: "Zach! Rusty! That ain't even funny!" [upset]
Liam: "Yeah! Can you feel how that poor boy felt after getting through all of that!? You should be ashamed!" [upset too]
Rusty and Zach: "…Yeah. We're sorry." [pensive]
Lincoln could barely remember the event he himself devised. And it seemed like Lincoln was not in a mood to listen to some funny story.
Clyde: "Lincoln? Are you okay?" [notices something in Lincoln's face]
Stella: "Yeah…! Hey, what happened? You look... sad?" [caring]
Lincoln: "Uhh… nothing. Just a bad dream. Nothing big."
Clyde: "Hey… everything's going to be okay. Cheer up, champ! You're the best for us! You never go down!" [embraces his best friend]
Lincoln: "Well..." [suddenly remembers about Luna and Lana saying counter wise in his dream]
Lincoln thought in solemnity. That nightmare, at least for what he had seen, was too striking to be called a random dream. Perhaps, it was a sign? Something to warn Lincoln upon whatever would come to him afterwards? But his friends and his parents were right. It was bad for his state of mind to think about bad dreams for too long. Lincoln should just forget it.
Lincoln: "Thank you. That… means a lot for me." [smiles]
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[Royal Woods Middle School.]
[Monday, 21st August.]
[10:00 AM.]
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Royal Woods Middle School. The place where the fate of each pre-teen would be decided. They must survive the rules and the lessons, or get steamrolled by either the teachers or the bullies.
Lincoln thought that having his mind preoccupied by middle school would finally free him from his sisters, but it proved vice versa.
At the food court…
Lincoln: "I hope you have a good reserve for me, Cook Pat." [takes a lunch]
Lisa(?): "One and half a spoon of natrium chloride, please."
Lincoln: "Eh?" [looks at his side]
Just an imaginary.
Cook Pat: "What are you waiting for? NEXT!" [yells at Lincoln]
Lincoln: [phew, leaves with his lunch]
At the table…
Lincoln: [enjoys his lunch]
Suddenly he got his face splattered by a mayo from his side.
Lana(?): "Haha! Yummy! Isn't that right, Hops?" [eats a bowl of crickets with mayo topping]
Hops(?): "Ribbit!"
Lincoln: "La- Lana?" [looks at his side]
Another imaginary.
Rusty: "Huh? Lana? Who's that, Lincoln?" [eats with insatiable hunger vigor]
Lincoln: "Uhh... No- Nothing! You really gotta fix your way of eating your lunch!"
Rusty: "What do you mean? I always eat like this! Mayo topping on my hotdog is always delicious!" [shrugs]
Clyde: "Something's wrong, Lincoln?" [raises his eyebrow]
Lincoln: [shakes his head, signing no]
Lincoln: 'This is just getting out of hand…' [exhales]
Back into the class…
Lincoln: [tries to focus on the lesson]
Suddenly, a paper plane tapped his ear.
Lincoln: "Ugh! What's this?" [opens the paper]
A writing. It said: 'You stink!'
Lincoln: "Huh?" [looks over the window]
Lynn Jr(?): "Hah! Hello, Stinky!" [waves from the window]
Lincoln: "Hey!" [pissed]
Mr. Bolhofner: "McCann! I knew you wouldn't pee that long in the toilet! Come here, you!" [angry]
Chandler: "Hehehe!" [runs away]
Lincoln: "Eh?"
Yet, another imaginary.
Lincoln was trapped in an endless hallucination. Along the way home, he would see things that were too real for his mind.
Lola(?): "Thank you, ladies. Now we can begin our tea party of glamour! Shall we?" [hangs around Hazeltucky Party Outlet]
Cricket: "Well spoken, Lady Loud." [smiles]
Meli: "Long live the beauty." [cheers]
Lola(?): [slowly fades away]
Lincoln: "Ugh…" [just walks]
Lucy(?): "...For He shall accept his soul to The Eden. Amen." [prays in cemetery]
Haiku: "Amen." [prays]
Persephone: "Amen." [prays]
Dante: "Amen." [prays]
Morpheus: "Amen." [prays]
Boris: "Amen." [prays]
Bertrand: "Amen." [prays]
Lucy(?): [slowly fades away]
Lincoln: [keeps walking in the pavement]
Lori(?): "Oh hi, Bobby! You won't believe me if I say…" [on the front yard, calls Bobby on her phone]
Lori(?): [slowly fades away]
Lincoln: [takes a deep breath]
.
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[1216 Franklin Avenue.]
[Monday, 21st August.]
[07:00 PM.]
.
Even at home, Lincoln could hardly focus on the TV show, let alone doing the homework.
Leni(?): "Oh hey, Lincoln! Uhm, which dress do you think should I pick?" [on the sight between Lincoln and the TV]
Lincoln: "Huh?"
Leni(?): [slowly fades away]
Somehow, Lincoln could still feel his siblings on his lap, even if they were never there.
Luan(?): "Nice dresses, Leni! Hey, how about an apron? Hahaha! Get it?" [jokes]
Luan(?): [slowly fades away]
Luna(?): [plays a heavy metal song upstairs]
Luna(?): "WAAAAAAAHOOOOWWW! THANK YOU!" [slowly fades away]
Lana(?): "Hee- Yaaaah! Keep going, El Diablo!" [plays horse wagon along the stairway, slowly fades away]
Lola(?): "LAAAAAANAAAAAAAA!" [pursues Lana by her car, slowly fades away]
Lincoln: No... [super tired face, still sitting on the sofa]
Lily(?): "Hehe! Gaa gaa!" [approaches Lincoln]
Lincoln: "H-Huh..?" [looks at Lily]
Lily(?): "Lily wanna play-" [fades away, right in front of Lincoln]
Lincoln could no longer trust his own mind. It was that time he finally realized; he was doomed from the very beginning.
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Having his mood completely juiced out and dry, Lincoln decided to return to his night's rest. His parents, Rita and Lynn Sr, were totally devastated about their son.
Lincoln: ... [sniffs, drops his tears]
Lincoln: "No..." [turns off TV, walks to his bed]
Rita: "Oh, Lord... Lincoln is definitely not himself today. I don't like this." [stands behind the sofa, feels sad]
Lynn Sr: "Hmm... Don't worry, I'll look after him."
Upstairs…
Lynn Sr: "Lincoln?" [at the front of Lincoln's bedroom, knocks the door]
Lynn Sr: "Mind if you share us a word?"
But instead, Lincoln yelled at his dad to scram. All he needed was time to be alone.
Lincoln: "Leave me alone!" [uneasy noise]
Lynn Sr: "Are you sure you're okay?"
Lincoln: "I said, LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Lynn Sr: [sigh]
Lynn Sr: "Ooowkaaay... Dinner's waiting shortly. Or... I can bring the dinner to your room!" [a bit scared]
Lincoln: [remains silent, refuses to answer]
Lynn Sr: [concerned, slowly leaves Lincoln alone]
Inside his room, Lincoln could not stop the brewing insanity of his lost sisters. He would draw them all in a pile of countless drawing papers. As if, he wouldn't hesitate to draw on the wall or the floor if those papers could not stop him.
Lincoln: "L- Lori…" [sobs]
Lincoln: "Luna… Lynn…" [sobs]
Lincoln: "Lola…" [sniffs]
Lincoln: "Li…" [buttoned lip, trembles]
Lincoln: "Lily-"
Lincoln: "HWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~~" [cries]
The papers, filled with the drawing of The Loud siblings, were now wet by Lincoln's tears.
Maybe, just maybe… this was for the first time since Lincoln hit puberty, he cried. I mean, really. He cried out loud. He could no longer hold his tears. He could no longer bottle his feelings.
Lincoln: "H- HWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH~~" [cries out loud]
He might long for peace. He might long for calmness. He might long to be the ruler of the day. He might be sick of his sisters messing and meddling with his life the whole time. But he realized… that he did not mean for this freedom. He never did. Deep within his heart, Lincoln STILL LOVED and WOULD ALWAYS LOVE his sisters, more than anything.
But as the time passed, and the night fell even deeper, Lincoln could only regret himself. His heart was broken, reduced to ashes. His precious treasures were gone forever. All he could see was more and more darkness in his eyes. WHAT SHOULD HE DO?
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One question remained.
Why, out of everyone in The Loud House, out of everyone in Royal Woods, out of everyone in this world… was Lincoln Loud the only person to ever remember the siblings, as clear as a crystal?
Perhaps… they were not truly gone forever…?
