I do not own The Loud House. All rights belong to Nickelodeon. Sorry it's taken so long, but I had to deal with a bunch of things.

Chapter 28

**Lynn's Nightmare (Part 2)**

Lynn continued to weep silently in her bed until a glowing light came from the window. Then a big booming voice hollered from out her window, "Fie! Fi! Fo! Fum!"

Lynn looked out her window to see Blaine from the Love Boat show. Only he was a giant sitting in the backyard, surrounded by food and candlelight. He wore a white tank top with his jean shorts. Even as a giant, his muscles were big and buff.

"I smell! I mean, I smell—" Blaine said as he leaned in to look through the window.

Lynn ducked, and it was quiet for a while. Then she looked to see if he was gone, only to see a giant eyeball looking at her, "—a stinky little athlete!" Blaine said.

He sniffed again as he reached inside to grab her, "I think I do," Blaine grabbed Lynn, pulled her out, and sniffed again before spitting in disgust, "Yeah, I do."

Lynn looked at him with fear and pleaded, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't eat me! Please!"

Blaine raised his eyebrow in confusion, "Why would the Ghost of Current Present, that's me, want to eat a distasteful and sour little sore loser like you?" Blaine then put his hand over his heart, "Especially when there are so many good things to enjoy in life. See?"

Lynn got a closer look at all the food that lay before her. There were homemade buttermilk waffles dipped in syrup with scoops of butter, blueberry and chocolate pancakes, apple pies, vanilla cake with pink and white frosting covered with sprinkles, baked Alaska ice cream, seasoned smoked salmon with lemon, medium rare steak with mashed potatoes, seasoned salt French fries, chicken stripes, and gourmet cheeseburgers.

The site was beautiful and mouth-watering. The wonderful smell would be overshadowed by its rich flavor and taste. Lynn was in joyful awe and tried to grab some of it as Blaine held her up, hovering over the delicious meals.

"Oh my god! Burgers! Pies! Waffles!" Lynn cheered.

"And don't forget the breakfast croissants stuffed with seared sashimi tuna or the saffron corn with jalapeno honey butter!" Blaine smiled as he dropped Lynn on the ground, "Or the vanilla ice cream sundae dipped in chocolate syrup with rainbow sprinkles and a glazed cherry on top. Yum."

Lynn stood up, "Where did all this come from?"

"From the heart, junior."

Blaine hoisted Lynn up by her shirt, "It's the food of kindness and generosity. The kind that comes with sincere love from warm hearts. Which you have long denied your fellow people and family."

Lynn was shocked as her eyes widened, "Say what now?! Come on! I know I get rough sometimes, even mean, but I'm not that bad. It's not like I'm directly abusive. I got tons of love and nurturing. I can nurture all day long."

Blaine raised an eyebrow, "Really? You call that nurturing?"

Blaine brought Lynn over to the window of her house to see Lincoln and her in the hallway. Lynn was telling Lincoln to show up at her baseball game. Lincoln tried to say no and that he had other plans but unconditionally said yes due to Lynn threatening him with a baseball bat. Lynn's heart skipped a beat, and her pupils shrunk.

"I don't have to be an expert in human behavior to know that; that's not nurturing," Blaine stated while glaring at Lynn.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up! That's not fair. I didn't do that! That was a vision of a possible future, and it won't happen!" Lynn objected.

"But you were going to do that, Lynn. That was going to happen. You are capable of doing something that terrible to Lincoln, or have you already forgotten what your brother said and showed you at the hospital?" Blaine questioned.

Lynn let out a heavy sigh, "Okay, please just stop. Look, I get it. I'm a crappy person. Past already made that loud and clear, but is what I did or possibly going to do really that bad? Because there are worse people in this world. Even you have to agree to that."

"First off, you can't talk your way out of this LJ. Second, that is true. There are worse people in this world than you, but also far better people as well. There are people who have so much warmth in their hearts that they show kindness to kids who are not even theirs. Let me show you," Blaine said.

Lynn sighed again, "Okay, but can you please scale yourself down to normal human size? It's way too intimidating when you're a giant. I'll listen to what you say and what you'll show, but can you please be normal human size? That's not too much to ask," Lynn requested as she was still dangling by her shirt held up by Blaine's giant fingers.

Blaine stared at her for a while before shrugging, "Fair enough. As you wish."

With a snap of his fingers, he was reduced to an average height of 6'5. He was still intimidating with his big muscles, but it was much better than being a twenty-foot-tall giant.

"Better?" Blaine asked.

Lynn nodded as she stood and straightened her shirt, "Yes, thank you."

"Good, now let's go."

They walked and arrived at Clyde's house. Inside, Lynn saw Lincoln with Clyde and his two dads. Lincoln received a warm welcome from Mr. & Mr. McBride. Lynn watched as they helped him with his homework, made dinner for him and Clyde, and even fixed the soles of his shoes and gave him a good haircut. Lynn gave a confused look with a raised eyebrow.

She turned to Blaine, "Uh, I don't get it. What are we doing here? Why am I seeing this?"

"Look closer. Observe," Blaine replied.

Lynn looked back and did as instructed while Blaine explained, "Like many kids that are either neglected or orphans, they develop parent figures – father figures and/or mother figures. Lincoln has had a hard time getting attention from his family in a house with ten sisters. So, he found attention from people that are more than willing to give him some. See how Lincoln is more open and engaging with Clyde and his dads? Notice how Clyde's dads show real care and interest in Lincoln's life and how his day was? Small things like that make up for the big things. They make others feel appreciated, like they matter. How often did Lincoln get that from his family or you? How often did you make him feel like he mattered?"

Lynn looked back at him and didn't have an answer. The dreadful fact that Lincoln feels neglected that he would reach out to another family for care filled Lynn with guilt and shame. She turned back to Lincoln to see how animated he was with the McBride's. Lynn's heart ached with longing as she saw the joy on Lincoln's face and as she listened to his laugh.

"Buuuut . . . what does that matter to you, am I right? I mean, who the fuck cares about him?" Blaine asked.

Those words triggered a red-hot rush of anger overflowing Lynn as her eyes twitched, her fists clenched, and her teeth gritted. She turned to face Blaine with murder in her eyes, but he looked unimpressed.

"After all, he's just a jinx. Nothing more than bad luck, right?" Blaine questioned.

Then light orbs appeared in front of Lynn, showing her calling Lincoln bad luck and telling everyone that he was a jinx. Lynn's anger slowly vanished as, one by one, each of the family members was convinced and thus treated Lincoln poorly like a pariah. The words 'jinx' echoed through her head. Lynn's heart rate quickened, and her eyes widened as she panted.

"Yeah, makes you feel like an asshole, doesn't it? Hearing your own words like that. And before you say that didn't happen and never will, it was going to," Blaine stated.

Lynn looked up at him as he continued.

"You were going to do something so terrible to your own brother . . . all because you lost one game," Blaine said as he leaned in close with a glare, "One stupid game. A baseball game. You're that big of a sore loser that you couldn't take losing like a real winner that you blamed it on Lincoln. You have your head so far up luck's rear end that you didn't stop to think how that would affect his life, how it would hurt him, how it would show such uncaring cruelty."

The light orbs showed everything Blaine was saying. Seeing all of it made Lynn weak to her knees and light-headed.

Blaine grabbed a firm grip on Lynn and pulled her in to look her in the eye. Lynn was nervous as she was sweating pinballs.

"So perhaps, LJ, you should search your soul. Perhaps you should recognize what truly matters in life. Perhaps you should consider your words. Consider what your actions reflect and cause upon others because actions speak louder than words. People are defined by the choices they make. Given your actions, your words, and the choices you made in life, it is fair to say that you are more worthless and undeserving to live than the millions of kids like your brother here who have done nothing wrong!" Blaine stated firmly and loudly.

Blaine released her, and she nervously straightened her shirt. As his words sank into her core, they clawed at her conscience, making her feel sick to her stomach with herself. The reality of the situation weighed down on her heavier than anything she had ever bench-pressed. She glanced back at Lincoln eating dinner with the McBride's. She let out a heavy sigh as she tried to find the words.

"I've seen the visions Lincoln showed me, but is what I would have done with the bad luck incident really that bad? Is it really that bad of what would have happened?" Lynn asked.

Blaine's eyes widened, but then he calmed himself before speaking.

"Perhaps you don't know the consequences of child abandonment, neglect, and abuse," Blaine said.

"I do know. You go to jail or juvie. Lincoln showed us that," Lynn replied.

"I'm not talking about the offenders. I mean, the victims," the athlete turned to him, "Do you not know the dangers that can happen when you neglect and deny a child the protection of the sanctuary of one's home?"

Lynn shook her head.

"I'll show you."

Blaine snapped his fingers, and they were taken to another place. It was a place holding a funeral. Everyone was in black clothing. There was a coffin with flowers and a large picture of a girl around Lincoln's age. Lynn walked around with a confused look before speaking.

"I don't understand. Who are these people? Who's the girl? What happened?" Lynn asked.

Blaine pointed to a newspaper nearby, "Read it."

Lynn picked up the newspaper, and what she read sent shivers down her spine. A little girl was locked out of her home one night by her parents. She tried to seek out help as she left the front porch. Her body was found the next day. She was beaten, gang-raped, and murdered. The parents were arrested and given life in prison.

"Wha? What? What the heck?" Lynn uttered. She turned to Blaine, "Is this true? This really happened?!"

"Oh yes. Like what you and your family would have done to Lincoln, that poor girl was locked out of her house, and her parents wouldn't let her back in no matter how much she begged and pleaded," Blaine answered.

"Why?! Why would they do that?!"

Blaine stared at her, "Does the reason for their actions matter? Would, based on their reason for doing this, make it any better or worse? Is there a justified reason to lock a child out and leave them in the jaws of the outside world?"

Lynn stopped, and her eyes shifted back and forth. No, there is no valid reason for that.

"This is one of many heartbreaking stories of people who have been abandoned and neglected. Many of them meet a horrible fate. Some are fortunate to find those who offer aid and protection by notifying the authorities and bringing the wicked to justice. However, both girls and boys have been the victims of horrible atrocities like this girl here," Blaine pointed.

Lynn tried every ounce of her will not to imagine what could have happened to Lincoln, but it was hard not to. The worst was that it would have been all her fault if it had happened. That thought alone gave Lynn an ungodly chill.

"There is one silver lining that perhaps some would disagree on," Blaine said.

"What's that?" Lynn asked.

"This poor girl and others who have met such a fate can now rest in peace if there is a God and Heaven. The dead don't feel anything anymore. No more pain. No more sorrow. Nor more anger. Just . . . peace. The living, however, still feel everything," Blaine stated as their surroundings changed, "Some victims find help and move on after such traumatic experiences, while some don't."

Lynn blinked several times, "What do you mean? What happens to them?"

Blaine snapped his fingers, and they were at a different location. It was dark with the starless night sky. The air was moving in a gust that wouldn't let up. Whatever trees were nearby had no leaves and looked brown, swerving skeletons. The buildings look old and abandoned. On the streets and sidewalks were tents and shacks made of junk like wooden pallets and tin sheets of rusty metal. None of that was as bad as the cold. It was so cold that mere exhaling would send big bursts of cloud breath. Lynn held her arms and shivered with goosebumps.

"I don't know this place. Where are we now?" Lynn asked

"The name would mean nothing to you. It's a place, and there are many like it in this world," Blaine answered as they turned to face a group of people behind them.

The people were dirty, with worn-out clothing with holes and stains. Some cooked canned food or soup, while others ate snack chips, and some had nothing to eat. Many were shivering in the cold while trying to keep warm with the small campfires or the fires in the metal drums.

Then, a man in his mid-forties walked away from the fire to stare out into the highway behind Lynn and Blaine. Beyond the highway was Royal Woods and all its people living comfortably and warmly in their houses, condos, and apartments. People there had walls that held back the freezing wind, heating, electricity, internet, transportation, hot meals, showers, clean beds, and, best of all – employment.

Lynn could see the raw emotions in his watery eyes. Anger, frustration, desperation, sorrow, and many others all mixed together.

"Why are these people out here?" Lynn asked, shifting her eyes all over while trying to warm her arms, "People wearing filthy rags, eating canned food, sleeping in tents – there are shelters for homeless people. There are dozens of organizations that help people like them."

Blaine kept his glum expression and breathed a tired inhale deeply through his nose before speaking, "Have you ever seen or been to any of these shelters you speak of?"

Lynn looked at him, "No, I've donated pocket change for them. Isn't that enough?"

Blaine glanced at the homeless people before looking back at her, "Is it? You tell me. Is it, Lynn?"

A woman who looked similar to him walked up to him from behind.

"Ned, come back to the fire. It's cold," she said.

Ned raised his hands out and said, "Look at these hands, Sarah."

Both Sarah and Lynn looked at his hands. They were dirty, beaten up, and scarred. They've been through the mill.

"They're hard hands. They've done hard work," Ned said, "I want work. I want food and shelter for us. It's not right that people like us are suffering. It's not right."

"We're together, Ned. That's the important thing. It's bad here, I know, but it's way better than being with Mom and Dad. Especially after they kicked us out," Sarah replied.

Ned turned to her, "I love you, Sarah. Running away with you was the right choice. I couldn't stand Mom and Dad hurting my little sister."

A cold gust of wind blew into them, leaving an unfriendly howl. Ned looked back at Royal Woods, "Tomorrow, I'll take you to the shelters and look for work."
"No! NO! I'd rather we both drown in the Great Lakes than be separated forever," Sarah objected.

"Until I get work!"

"No! Ned, we're family. We stick together. Now come back to the fire. Come on."

Blaine slowly turned to face Lynn as she watched them return to the fire. The silence stretched like a blade and was as cold as the wind.

Finally, Lynn broke the silence, "Why are you showing me this? What does it have to do with me?"

"Do you know what one of the many reasons that cause homelessness?" Blaine asked.

Lynn turned to face him and shook her head.

"Not just unemployment and low income. Addiction. People who turn to drugs and alcohol to numb their pain. Pain from their past, from domestic violence, from grief, from despair . . . from child neglect!" Blaine raised his voice at the end, making Lynn flinch.

Lynn looked back at the two adult siblings and remembered what they said, and goosebumps ran up her body with dread.

"Like those two there, their family neglected, abandoned, and abused them. They could not find help, so they ran away despite their few options and opportunities. Look here, Lynn Loud Jr.!" Blaine ordered.

Lynn turned to face, and he summoned two young kids. Their appearance was something of a dark classic book. They were pale and dirty, with rags for clothes, barely anything more than skin and bones, and big puppy dog eyes.

Lynn uttered, "W-Who are they? What are they?!"

"They are your children!" Blaine answered.

Lynn squinted her eyes with confusion, "What?!"

"They are mankind's children. They are the children of all who walk the earth unseen and uncared for. Their names are Ignorant and Want. Beware of them. For upon their brow is written the word, doom," Blaine explained, and Lynn's eyes were wide with a pensive look, "They spell the downfall of you and all who deny their existence, all who deny their right to live."

Lynn uttered again, "They don't have anywhere to go?"

Blaine grinned, "Would it matter to you if they were a pair of jinxes? Bad luck?"

Lynn felt a hole in her chest, guilt and shame sinking in as she looked back at the two toddlers.

"Please . . . cover them. I don't want to see them," Lynn requested.

"Of course, you don't," Blaine said before making them vanish, "They are out of sight, but they live. Oh, they live Lynn Loud Jr. They live and not well."

"I still don't understand why you're showing me this."

"Would you have cared if any of this happened to Lincoln?" Blaine questioned.

Lynn's senses were dialed to eleven with realization. She instantly felt dumb for not getting it the first time, and fear absolutely gripped her as her imagination filled in what she saw with Lincoln put in.

"Would you have cared if Lincoln was not welcomed in his own home and tossed into the jaws of the outside world?" Blaine asked as the visions and environment changed with his words.

Lynn saw Lincoln locked out of the house and begged to be let back in. Lynn tried to reach out to him but couldn't move.

"Would you have cared if he got sick with the flu? Or pneumonia? Or COVID? Like that poor child there?" Blaine questioned while pointing.

Lynn turned to see a poor boy shivering on the sidewalk while coughing up a lung underneath a streetlight. Lynn's heart rate accelerated as she panted.

"Would you have cared if he got attacked by a wild animal? Like a pack of wild dogs?" Blaine asked while pointing in a different direction.

Another boy was running for his life as a pack of wild dogs, growling and snarling, were chasing him. He couldn't run fast enough as one by one, they attacked him. Lynn shivered as she watched helplessly as they were violently tearing him apart. Lynn could feel herself go pale as she saw the blood and listened to the poor boy scream in agony.

"Would you have cared if Lincoln got kidnapped? If he got beaten? If he got raped and murdered?" Blaine asked.

A group of men, whose faces were shrouded in darkness, grabbed a young boy. He screamed for help while trying to get out of their grasp, but the more he struggled, the more they beat him to get him to stop. Lynn gasped as they ripped his clothes off and turned away. She covered her ears as the boy screamed.

Lynn fell to her knees, weeping, "Stop it! Stop! (sobs) Please, stop it!"

"Would you have cared?!" Blaine roared.

Lynn rose to her feet and yelled through her tears at the top of her lungs, "I WOULD CARE!"

Then, it was silent. Lynn panted to catch her breath.

"I would care! I get it! I'm a bad person. I'm the worst sister. It was stupid and wrong of me to care only about winning some dumb sport. It was wrong and horrible to turn my family against him. I wouldn't have thought about all of this because I didn't have enough care for him. I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'm capable of doing something that terrible. That's why I want to make things right with Lincoln. I have to. I have to make them right with my brother," Lynn stated, tears rolling down her face.

Blaine said nothing as he stared at her.

"Please, let me make things right with him," Lynn requested.

"Not yet. There is still more for you to see, but not by me. You've seen enough of the present. Now, you must know what is to come after. So, it is time for me to leave you, LJ," Blaine responded.

"What? Leave me? Here?" Lynn asked as she wiped her eyes.

"Oh yes."

"But you—you have to take me back to my house!"

Blaine smiled while shaking his head.

"Please. It's cold, and this place is creepy. Don't leave me here."

Blaine chuckled a merry laugh.

Lynn glared at him as if he were crazy, "Why is that funny?"

"You . . . begging for mercy. It's so ironic," Blaine said before disappearing in blinding light with his laugh echoing in the empty streets.

Lynn looked around to see that she was completely and utterly alone. All the homeless people were gone as well. It was just her, the empty streets, the skeleton-like trees with no leaves, and the cold wind howling. It was so cold, the kind of cold that goes into your bones. Lynn sat up against a step and waited.

"What more do I have to see? I already know that I'm a bad person. Wait, Coach Jim showed me the past. Blaine showed me the present. The next person has to show me the future or at least the possible future," Lynn said to herself, "What horrible things are going to happen in the future? What? What?"