He could feel their eyes, looking at him with concern. Try as he might, Lincoln just couldn't put on a neutral expression after what he had seen in the retirement home. Every time he closed his eyes, flashes of the murdered residents tormented him. Lincoln still hadn't been able to look Clyde in the eyes yet and he suspected that Clyde was picking up on it since Lincoln hadn't spoken to him since before he went inside the home. "Stop shaking, dumbass." Lincoln cursed himself mentally, his hands trembling in his lap.
Luna felt another elbow poke her side, causing her to roll her eyes as she turned to Lucy. "What?" She muttered, keeping her voice as low as possible. Luna and Lucy had quickly come to the same conclusion. Something had happened to Lincoln when he went inside the retirement home and whatever it was had shook their brother to his core. A part of Luna wanted to be smug, to tell Lincoln that she and Lucy had warned him that their Grandfather was someone they shouldn't go near but his demeanor made her feel nothing but sympathy toward him.
"What do you think he saw?" Lucy whispered to Luna who gave another eye roll. "Aren't you the one who dabbles in the dark magic and ghosts? Why don't you try reading his mind or something." This time, it was Lucy's turn to give an eye roll though nobody could see it. "Please, don't be a smartass. We're going to need to keep an eye on Lincoln for a while. I've never seen him look like that. Do you think we should go sit with him?" Lucy asked, turning her attention away from Luna and back to Lincoln who was sitting alone at the back of the bus.
"You guys talking about Lincoln?" A voice spoke out from the seat behind Luna and Lucy, making both of them jump. "Damn it, Jordan! Don't do that!" Lucy hissed, getting a chuckle in reply. "I made YOU jump? You're losing your touch, Lucy." Jordan quipped before turning serious. "The way you two reacted to Lincoln taking you to your Grandfather... What's the deal with that old guy? By the looks on your faces, it makes it seem like he's some kind of psychopath." Jordan whispered whilst resting her chin on the top of Lucy's chair.
"You'd be right about that." Luna sighed, pushing the back of the chair in front of her with her feet. "I don't know what the fuck was going through Lincoln's mind in taking us to Albert, but whatever he's seen has hopefully convinced him to finally stay away. Though I doubt Albert will stay away from us." Jordan raised her eyebrow. "Wait, so your Grandfather really is some off his rocker serial killer?" Jordan leaned back in her chair, thinking to herself for a moment. "Well, even if he is some lunatic... Maybe his assistance would be a plus in taking down the Casagrande family." Luna shook her head in response. "Having Albert that close to us is a bad move, no matter what the situation. Trust me, we don't need him on our side. He's a soulless killer, nothing more." While not wrong, Luna still had the most hate toward Albert Loud. As the three girls talked amongst themselves, Clyde listened intently from the other side of the bus, his eyes full of concern as they remained locked on Lincoln. He worried for his best friend's mental state and now, he also worried about his Grandmother. If Albert Loud was as much a monster as Luna said, then... What kind of things was he capable of?
"Lincoln. Lincoln! LINCOLN!" Lincoln jumped slightly, snapping out of the daze he had been in. "Huh? W-What is it, Jordan?" Jordan pointed out the bus window, showing they had arrived at their stop. "Come on, let's get off this thing and get home." He responded with a simple nod which only served to worry Jordan further. The lack of remarks was out of character for her boyfriend. Despite wanting Lincoln to shut his mouth from time to time, she was quickly realizing that she didn't like seeing Lincoln like this.
"You okay, buddy?" Clyde asked, placing a hand on Lincoln's shoulder as he stepped off the bus. "Y-Yeah just.. Not feeling well all of a sudden. I think it might have been something I ate." They all knew it was a lie but chose not to press him on it. Seeing Lincoln look this disturbed and defeated was unnerving for them all. They said goodbye to Clyde before they returned to the house, being greeted by the other members of the household. Lincoln forced himself to smile and get away with the excuse that he was feeling tired. Reaching the top of the stairs, he headed for his room but was stopped by Lisa who had followed him up. "Lincoln! I know you're tired brother, but before you go I wanted you to know that I have finished moving everything into my bunker. By tomorrow, we should be well underway with production." She said with a smile. The illegality of their activities still caused stress for her, but a small part of her couldn't deny the feeling of excitement she was getting from breaking the law in such a way. "I...I see. Thank you, Lisa I'll... Check it out tomorrow, okay?" Lisa nodded and adjusted her glasses, giving Lincoln a small thumbs up before she headed back downstairs.
*Click.* Lincoln closed the door as quietly as possible before stepping out of his shoes and falling face-first onto his pillow. The events of the day continued to repeat in his mind, nonstop, and for the first time in he didn't know how long, he broke. He sobbed and screamed into his pillow, hands scrunching up the blanket of his bed as emotions poured from him. Lincoln would one day look back on this night and realize that if it weren't for his friends and family... He would have ended his life that night.
To Be Continued
Author's Note: We're back with A Sparking Relationship 2! It's been a while, but I'm going to try my best to finish this story. I've found the motivation again, so here's hoping for a lot more!