Reversal of Fortune: Chapter 40: Can't Get Fooled Again

At the Sweetwaters' home theater, the co-conspirators stared at the now-blank screen in shock, horror, and outrage. For those who were seated, their hands squeezed the handles of their chairs so tightly that their fingernails could have poked through the cushions. For those who were standing, their hands were clenched into their fists, their fingernails threatening to pick fresh cuts on their palms.

Tense silence followed for a few brief moments before Ronnie Anne fell on her back, howling with bitter, smug laughter. Everyone glared at her, but Ronnie Anne neither noticed nor cared.

When Ronnie Anne recovered from her laughing fit, she panted, "Come on, Lincoln! That clip of Spooky sitting outside the door with the cereal bowl… play that back!"

Lincoln rolled his eyes at a laughing Ronnie Anne before indulging her request. When Lincoln showed the picture of Lucy sitting on the Louds' front porch with the cereal bowl in front of her, she whistled, applauded, and hollered mockingly.

Haiku grumbled, "Are you gonna-"

"Let her burn herself out," Lincoln deadpanned.

While the audience groaned, the Sweetwaters and McBrides gave Lincoln and Ronnie Anne understanding looks.

Hearing the groans, Ronnie Anne cackled, "Come on guys… don't tell me none of you find this funny!", before falling flat on her back while pointing and laughing at the onscreen picture.

After another minute of laughing, Ronnie Anne straightened herself while panting heavily. When she looked around her, she noticed everyone in the room glaring harshly at her. Ronnie Anne chuckled, "What? Oh, don't tell me you're mad at… her being locked out?!"

Paige growled, "What if that was Lincoln, huh?"

Ronnie Anne got up in Paige's face and shrieked, "THAT'S DIFFERENT! HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING & HE DIDN'T EVEN GET THE DOGHOUSE! EVEN THE DOG DIDN'T LET HIM IN! THE FUCKING DOG!"

Carol shook her head, "I don't know. I mean, sleeping outside is bad, but in a literal doghouse? That's just disrespectful! And I've got a corgi!"

Leslie cried, "I'm surprised they didn't banish Lucy from there, too!"

Tabby protested, "At least she had a roof over her head, mate!"

Giggles backed Tabby up, "And that's more than she deserves, if ya ask me! After what she did!"

Girl Jordan questioned Giggles, "In a RAINSTORM?!"

Giggles scoffed, "My point exactly!"

Diane, a fair-skinned woman with thick, shoulder-length, wavy brown hair wearing an orange blouse, silver skirt, orange flats and a pearl necklace, cried, "If they did that to Lucy just for refusing to give Lincoln's photo album up, can you imagine what they would have done to Lincoln?!"

Dana scoffed, "You don't have to imagine, Mom. They had no problem throwing him in jail for stealing the squirrel suit!"

Paula cried, "They would have set the doghouse on fire in front of him to 'prevent it from being bad luck'!"

Amber, a blonde who looked like a middle-aged version of Whitney, worried, "And 'given him sleep' for dinner because they wouldn't want his bad luck to touch their silverware!"

Fritz cringed, "Or given him the Colon Storm Special!"

The room exploded with furious calls to action.

Ronnie Anne exclaimed, "LET'S GO BEAT THEIR ASSES TO DEATH!"

Paula exploded, "FUCK THAT! WE SHOULD BURN THEIR HOUSE DOWN!"

Joy erupted, "NOT JUST THEIR HOUSE… THAT WHOLE BLOCK!"

As the Sweetwaters watched everyone in the room clamor for immediate, drastic action against the Louds, Brian remarked to Linda, "Listen to them! They're so incensed that they could riot right now!"

In response, Linda rolled her eyes at Brian. Brian tried to play it off by putting his arm around Linda's shoulders and chuckling, "Come on, it's just a-"

"Not. Now," Linda snarled as she broke free of Brian's grasp.

Brian put his hands up and backed off.

"OK, OK," he said.

Finally, Margo wailed, "WE SHOULD HAVE MADE THEM LOCK EACH OTHER OUT LIKE LINCOLN… ONE BY ONE!"

Everyone gasped and stared at Margo.

Lindsay revealed, "Actually, that was one of the first things we considered when we heard about Lincoln's situation."

Ronnie Anne crossed her arms and demanded, "Why didn't you do it?"

Becky explained, "As poetic as it would have been, Ronnie, it might've done two things that ran counter to our goals. One: it would have brought more people to their side. All the Loud sisters could frame themselves as child abuse victims in this scenario… and even after what they did, you saw how everyone reacted. Two: such a thing would give them a rare experience that they could bond over. It would unite them. Remember, the Louds are most dangerous when they're united."

Ronnie Anne reflected on Becky's words and imagined such a scenario. She admitted with a sigh, "True."

Brian addressed the audience, "Besides, the only thing rash action will do is put everyone here further at risk. We're here to talk, not start an angry mob. Yet, at least."

Jay exclaimed, "Well, I'm glad at least someone in that madhouse cares for Lincoln!"

Jessie added, "And is willing to make things right with him, even if it means facing the consequences of her actions!"

Mandee whined, "Too bad it wasn't Leni! I thought SHE, of all people, would have made sure the 'unlucky' sibling stayed inside the house! Not just this time… but the first time as well!"

Dana groaned, "Mandee, we've been over this. Leni might appear sweet, but when it gets down to it, she's part of the Loud hivemind. Just like Lori. Just like everybody else in that rathole. And what I saw… what we all saw… confirmed it."

Jackie added, "She had TWO chances. Not one, but TWO. TWO. FULL. NIGHTS. And she did nothing. I mean, I know she's a retard, but even Patrick Star could figure this one out."

Lincoln started, "Girls… I mean-"

Sam groaned, "At least Leni had that excuse. Lunes, though... she should have been the one. I thought she would have been. She used to always brag about being Lincoln's 'guardian' and stuff. Some 'guardian' she was."

Clyde protested, "Guardian? What about Lori? On an oldest sister ting?"

A number of parents and teenagers voiced agreement with Clyde's sentiments.

Lincoln rolled his eyes. "You're just saying that because you'd nosebleed and faint whenever you saw her."

Haiku frowned, "While I'm still beyond disappointed in Lucy, honestly, I was worried about her the whole time. I felt that if anyone would see the light, it would be her, and I'm glad she did."

The Morticians Club hummed in agreement.

Haiku then walked up to Lincoln and begged him, "Look, I was part of this conspiracy because I wanted to make your sisters pay for what they did to you. I was with you from the start because no one deserves to go through what you went through, and I had firsthand understanding of how dangerous your family was. But this is where I draw the line. I refuse to force another person to reach the point where they contemplate suicide."

Lincoln assured Haiku, "We won't let her. Why do you think they call me The Man with the Plan?"

Haiku gasped.

Lindsay yelled, "LINCOLN! STOP TAKING CREDIT FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S PLANS!"

Lincoln nervously chuckled, "Oh, kay… so it might have been Lindsay's idea." He then turned to Lindsay, pointed at her, and insisted, "But I still had to say yes to it!"

Lindsay raised her hand to protest before Brian smirked, "He's gotcha there, princess!"

Everyone laughed, causing Lindsay to cross her arms and pout at both Lincoln and Brian.

Lincoln cooed, "Aww!", before rushing to Lindsay and pinching her cheek. While doing so, he gushed, "You cute widduh evil genius, you!"

Lindsay whined, "Lincoln!"

Lincoln continued to tease Lindsay, "Don't get cwanky now," eliciting more laughs from everyone else in the room.

Lindsay rolled her eyes at that. In response, Lincoln ruffled her hair with a wide grin on his face before walking behind her, as if inviting her to address the rest of the audience.

When everyone stopped laughing, Winston asked, "So, what's your plan, Lindsay?"

Lindsay sighed. "We, the Sweetwaters, are thinking of adopting Lucy," she revealed.

Everyone shrieked, "WHAT?!"

Lindsay insisted, "It's only temporary! Until… well… you know," her voice trailing off as she reflected on the meaning of her promise.

Worried chatter rang through the movie theater.

Brian walked up to address the crowd. "I know it may be hard to believe, but this is not the only reason we're doing this. I'm now going to ask all the parents in the room, and Melissa, to follow Linda and I upstairs to my office to discuss how we're going to arrange for this."

At once, Melissa and all of the parents left the home theater and climbed up the stairs to the main floor of the house.

While they left, Mollie scoffed, "Why on earth would you want to adopt Lucy? Isn't her living with… ugh… Rusty the Pimp… enough punishment?"

Lindsay answered, "Because she can still be valuable to us."

Ronnie Anne panicked, "Yeah, but is she valuable enough for you guys to actually consider living with her? Do you understand how dangerous that is? Think about what you're saying, guys!"

Becky assured Ronnie Anne, "We have."

Joy spat, "Let me spell it out for you: she's a Loud sister. You bring that girl in, she'll figure out what we're doing. And then, she'll tell all her sisters what we're doing, invite them over, and kill us all! I mean, you saw what Luan did!"

Paige emphasized, "That's why Lindsay said we're considering it. We haven't decided on whether we're going to do it."

Kat yelled, "Consider? You're considering it? After everything they've done?"

Lincoln deadpanned, "Hey, Paige and I let you and your friends in. And Ronnie Anne."

Ronnie Anne exclaimed, "HEY!"

Cristina protested, "THAT'S DIFFERENT! We just go to school with you… and we didn't know what you were going through! If we did, we would have helped you before things got this out of control! Honest!"

Lincoln crossed his arms and glared at Cristina. "You know, I think you just admitted that you and your friends are no better than my ex-housemates."

Cristina stammered, "WELL, I-", before sighing in realization, "Dang it, Lincoln."

Lincoln sneered, "That's what I thought."

Lindsay reminded everyone, "Let me repeat myself. We're thinking of adopting Lucy. We haven't decided on whether or not we're actually going to do it. But, in order to do it, she's going to have to prove her loyalty to Lincoln… and to us."

Carol cried, "What do you mean, 'prove her loyalty'? Hasn't that girl been through enough?"

Lincoln insisted, "That's the point. She's serious about getting away from the rest of those Louds… so we're going to treat her accordingly. First, one of us is going to have to convince Lucy to go to the hospital to remove her tracking chip."

The rest of the room gasped again, murmuring amongst themselves as to whether that could even be done.

Haiku recalled, "But Lucy told me that she and all her sisters got their tracking chips removed!"

Lincoln countered, "Lisa had hardly any incentive to chip most of you, and we still made all of you get checked for chips before you guys joined our side."

Cristina cried, "Even so, Lincoln, after what we found out about you, I'm not even sure if my dad would be willing to do that for Lucy!"

Lincoln urged, "Cristina, don't give up on me again! Your dad removed my tracking chip and kept me safe when he had every incentive but his oath as a doctor to do so! He'll do it again!"

Sadie promised, "I'll talk to my dad. See what he can do for Lucy." She then turned to Cristina, a pleading look on her face. "Cristina… come on. For Lincoln."

Cristina relented, "I'll talk to him. For Lincoln."

Lincoln frowned, "Good. Remember, as long as Lucy can't be proved to be tracking chip-free, we have to treat her like any other Loud sister. As much as it hurts, we have to protect ourselves. Even with her being truly remorseful, we can't take her at her word."

Persephone scoffed, "And then what? What happens after Lucy gets her chip removed?"

Lindsay smirked, "My dear Percy, that's where things get fun."

Over in the home office, the parents gathered around Brian, Linda, and Melissa, who had their backs against the computer desk.

Jay clasped his hands on his head. "At least they fed Lucy and Lincoln. Not like one case I heard back when I was in law school. The parents refusing to feed their kids, or even let them shower, until they apologized to their dad just for pointing out he embarrassed them!"

The rest of the parents let out cries of outrage.

Jay wailed, "Look, the point is, as much as we didn't want to admit it, this kind of thing is all too common! And we train our kids to repeat the cycle on anyone we consider to be inferior to them! And it led to… this! What is wrong with us?!"

Harold recommended, "When this is all over, I'll give you guys Dr. Lopez's card. Just saying, we're all going to need her."

Amber spoke up, "Speaking of 'training', what are we going to do about the baby? Erm… Lily, right?"

Brian, Linda, and Melissa nodded, "Yes, Lily."

Dr. Timbers stepped up to the front of the room. He informed the parents, "On L-Day, once you guys capture the entire Loud family, hand Lily to me. I'll take her to the hospital, and my team of doctors and I will personally remove her tracking chip."

Danielle demanded, "And then what?"

Linda volunteered, "We'll adopt her," causing the rest of the room to gasp.

Brian gibed, "What? We've still got Lindsay's baby stuff in the attic!"

Jessie protested, "Yeah, but her, and potentially Lucy and Lincoln in the same house? Along with your other kids? Look, I've still got my 6-year-old twins' baby stuff in the house somewhere… we'll take her!"

Linda sighed, "Jessie, you guys already have 4 kids."

Jessie countered, "So do you! Heck, from what I'm hearing, you two might make that 6!"

Harold offered, "We'll take Lily."

Amber snarked, "You're gonna need more than Dr. Lopez to deal with her."

Diane roared, "Money doesn't solve everything, you know!"

Leslie argued, "Yeah, but it sure as heck makes things easier!"

As the rest of the parents argued for who should adopt Lily, Jay suggested, "Look, what happens to Lily is going to be the mother of all legal quagmires. And remember, our top priority is to protect Lincoln. So, Brian, Linda, why don't you two touch base with Lincoln on whether he's OK with living with Lily again, and then we can reconvene on this? Say, over the weekend, when we have a little more time?"

Brian and Linda traded glances before smiling at Jay.

"Good point, Jay," Brian admitted.

Jay added, "And while we do that, we'll also figure out what to do about Lucy."

The rest of the parents murmured and nodded in agreement. Brian, Linda, and Melissa then traded anxious glances at the mention of Lucy's name. After Melissa meekly nodded at Brian and Linda, Brian faced his fellow worried parents with horror in his eyes. When Linda heard Brian's subsequent gulp, she caressed his shoulder with a tender look in her eyes, mouthing, "You've got this."

Encouraged, Brian smiled at his wife and stepped up to address the rest of the parents. "Guys, speaking of Lucy, that's not the only reason I took you guys up here. Her situation gets worse."

The entire room, save for Brian, Melissa, and Linda, gasped.

Jessie demanded, "Worse? What do you mean, worse?!"

Brian sighed, "L-L-Lucy t-told us about a p-picture s-she found on Principal Huggins' phone. She even showed us said picture. A-at Lincoln's request, we looked further into it. Trust me, I'm understating it when I say, what we found is not for the faint of heart. And I implore you to hold off on any reactions or questions until we say so."

Brian turned to Melissa and softly told her, "Melissa… s-show u-us what we found."

Melissa gulped. She then dragged her feet to the computer and navigated through some folders before opening the first file she wanted to show the parents. In doing so, she started a full-screen slideshow. The first picture caused the parents to gasp loudly.

Melissa responded, "Principal Huggins' lock screen. And believe me… that's nothing compared to the stuff we found inside Principal Huggins' phone."

Melissa kept scrolling through the slide show, showing screenshots of a groupchat amongst the members of the Lord Tobias Tetherby Foundation. The parents winced in disgust as they saw furry memes and numerous selfies depicting the members of the foundation dressed in fur suits. Their disgust intensified as Melissa pointed out the Tetherby Foundation members involved in the groupchat one by one.

Leslie gasped. "Mayor Davis… no," she whispered.

Jay facepalmed, "Vic… why, Vic, why?!"

Harold trembled, "Not Superintendent Chen."

Howard lamented, "Trustee Quealy, too? Oh god… it's… it's all of them. The ENTIRE Board of Education."

Walter clasped his hands onto his head. "Councilor Grant. I voted for him. I donated to his campaign."

Many of the fellow parents from Walter's ward grumbled in agreement.

Carl shuddered. "Not just him. The entire city council. Including my ward's guy, Rick Mansfield. Christ."

Diane gulped, "Principal Rivers. AND Secretary Eteru."

Chris Roberts shook his head, "And Principal Ramirez. Oh… dear god… it's most of the teachers at the middle school, too!"

Amber exhaled, "The Chief of Police… Goodman… my god."

Jessie mused, "So that's how Flip is able to keep his store running."

Walter growled, "We… we donated to the Tetherby Foundation. Even got invited to their events. And this is what they really do?!"

Melissa watched the parents lament the degeneracy of the people they had entrusted with the well-being and safety of their families. For a split-second, she regretted going along with Lincoln's plan in the first place, worrying that the footage she and Brian were about to show next would permanently break everyone's trust in the town. However, when she remembered the pain in Lucy's voice and all the times she had consoled a crying Lincoln, she steeled herself and pressed the button with a right arrow on her clicker. The next pictures that the screen displayed turned the audience into a sea of red and green faces.

Baby pictures of much of Royal Woods Elementary's current fifth graders in diapers, in addition to those of many older kids and teens who were previously fifth graders, flashed across the screen, sometimes complete with the caption, "Latest batch from the baby book project." There were also photoshopped pictures showcasing many of these students with full diapers, and in some cases, full diapers with brown and green stains. There were even pictures of many of these kids in the furry costumes that the Tetherby Foundation members coveted. Many of these pictures received thumbs-up, heart, and heart-eyed emojis. Text message conversations abounded about which of these kids to "invite" to whichever charity fundraiser was coming up at the time the pictures were sent.

These pictures horrified and infuriated the parents to no end. But the picture that made everyone's anger boil over was a photoshopped one of present-day Lincoln in a squirrel fursuit, wearing a dirty diaper on the outside. The manager of the Super Mart captioned the picture, "Hotter than his sisters' farts." To top it all off, that specific picture had received the most likes of any picture ever displayed in the groupchat.

After reading the rest of the comments on said picture, the parents jumped out of their seats. For the next minute, the room filled with grunts, screams, and wails of pure fury and horror. Some parents even ran out of the room to vomit. Brian, Linda, and Melissa huddled together in terror as they watched the rest of the parents tear the room up. The parents rampaged through Brian's office until they were too winded to even stand up straight, panting as they steadied themselves against the wall, or in some cases, slumped to the floor.

"Those. Fucking. CREEPS," Leslie snarled. She then drew her finger across her neck. "They need to go. NOW."

The rest of the parents grumbled in agreement.

Dr. Timbers griped, "The Louds may be dangerous… but they're secondary targets compared to what these freaks do. I mean, our children have to deal with them! Every day!"

Fritz exclaimed, "Nah, fuck that! We're getting our children outta there! Right now!"

As the rest of the parents chorused in agreement, Brian and Melissa traded glances. Brian pleaded with the rest of the parents, "Now, now, calm down."

Everyone glared at Brian.

Amber got up in Brian's face and yelled, "CALM DOWN?! OUR KIDS ARE LITERALLY WATCHED BY THESE SICK FUCKS AND YOU'RE TELLING US TO CALM DOWN?!"

Brian sighed, "Believe me… I'm just as pissed as you."

Melissa shuddered, "And creeped out."

Brian finished, "But the last thing we need is to start making rash decisions. Much like what we're doing with the Louds, we're going to need a careful plan to deal with the Tetherby Foundation as well. That's why we're here."

Diane cried, "Well, they're gonna need to be exposed as well! You guys have enough evidence here for a thousand lowlights reels! So do it!"

Melissa assured, "You didn't have to tell us twice. But like Mr. Sweetwater said, we can't do this rashly. Our top priority is keeping Lincoln, and by extension, the rest of us, safe from the rest of the Louds-"

When Melissa noticed the harsh glares from many of the parents in the room, she hastily added, "-and keeping everyone else safe as well."

The parents' glares softened, but barely so. Noticing this, Brian saved Melissa, "If everything goes according to plan, L-Day should be coming next week. Melissa and I are pretty much done with everything Loud-related, so we'll probably be able to get something ready by then. Once the Louds are dealt with, we can use that momentum… release the lowlights reels then."

Walter asked, "So you want to take care of these guys after you take care of the Louds?"

Amber mused, "Kind of like a Part 2. I like it."

The rest of the parents murmured in agreement.

Harold then asked, "But how do we tell our kids?"

Brian told the parents, "Lincoln walked in on Melissa and I when we first found the pictures. So he doesn't know the full extent of it, but he gets the gist. Maybe he's telling everyone about it downstairs right now."

Howard recalled, "Dr. Lopez told my husband and I that in times of trauma, it's best to focus on the helpers. But what do you do… when the helpers are the creeps?"

Jessie mused, "We're gonna have to do something. I think our teens can handle the news, so we'll tell them once they get home, and let them decide whether or not they want to keep going to school. As for our elementary and middle school-aged children… oh, that's gonna be a tough one. I don't know if they can handle it."

Dr. Timbers suggested, "Maybe go over the safety tips we usually give them."

Jay shook his head, "Nah, those won't work here."

Carl rolled his eyes. "We literally have 6-year-olds in on a conspiracy to kill an entire family. I'm pretty sure at this point, they can handle their teachers being monsters. And they're all here… so maybe we tell them here and now?"

The rest of the parents gave Carl strange looks before looking to Brian, Linda, and Melissa for answers.

Brian sighed. "It's worth a shot. But if we're going to do it… like Jessie said, we're going to have to handle it very carefully."

Becky's greenish-blue laptop was connected to the TV screen in the Sweetwaters' home theater. The TV screen displayed a "Loud Family Danger List" on a dark green screen, with the font of the text reminiscent of the original Xbox's dashboard. Just below the "Loud Family Danger List" title was a drop-down box that specified that the entire family was to be shown on the list. The images, names, and "Danger Score" of each Loud family member slowly populated the screen.

The Louds were listed as follows:

NO. 1: LISA – 10.0 – CODE BLACK – SKULL AND CROSSBONES LOGO
NO. 2: LUAN – 9.8 – CODE BLACK – SKULL AND CROSSBONES LOGO
NO. 3: LANA – 9.5 – CODE BLACK – SKULL AND CROSSBONES LOGO
NO. 4: LOLA – 9.4 – CODE MAROON – CRITICAL
NO. 5: RITA – 8.6 – CODE RED – DANGER
NO. 6: LORI – 8.4 – CODE RED – DANGER
NO. 7: LYNN JR. – 8.2 – CODE RED – DANGER
NO. 8: LUCY – 7.9 – CODE ORANGE – WARNING
NO. 9: LINCOLN – 7.6 – CODE ORANGE – WARNING
NO. 10: LENI – 7.3 – CODE ORANGE – WARNING
NO. 11: LUNA – 7.1 – CODE ORANGE – WARNING
NO. 12: LILY – 6.9 – CODE YELLOW – CAUTION
NO. 13: LYNN SR. – 5.0 – CODE YELLOW – CAUTION

Lincoln addressed the room, "OK, so that settles that. Lucy's going to become our mole. We'll hide Lily until someone's out-of-state relatives proves to us that they'd be suitable parents to her. Clyde, you're going to keep an eye on the Spokes house. As for the rest, until the time comes, keep doing what you've been doing."

Everyone in the room grumbled in agreement.

Carol reflected, "You know, it's funny. And not 'haha' funny, but the funny that makes you think. It's been a week and a half, but it still feels like when we first found out about you, Linky."

"Yeah, Linc," Lindsay agreed. "That's why I hope you don't feel too bad."

"I don't," Lincoln sighed. "Especially now that I know she's actually going to listen to how I truly feel. While her groveling to me would be cathartic, I just… want her to be herself, you know? It wouldn't be the same, otherwise."

"Don't worry," Haiku assured. "I'll make sure she's as comfortable as possible when you two meet again."

Lindsay promised, "We'll even give her a special nine-on-one beating, just for you! In the stadium! We'll call it… the Lincolndome!"

Paige asked, "Speaking of beatings… we're all agreed on re-convening this weekend to plan a mega-humiliation for the sports nutbar?"

The rest of the room nodded. Margo even started twerking and mockingly singing, "Sensual Seduction!", before making kissy-kissy noises. This prompted laughter from much of the room's middle and high schoolers, while the elementary schoolers cringed.

"Margo, save that for later!", Lindsay scolded. "People here had to watch that!"

Margo guffawed, "Alright… alright… jeez," before returning to her seat.

Lincoln surveyed the room. "OK… anything else anyone wants to say?"

Everyone in the room remained silent.

Lincoln sighed, "Alright then. Now remember, as always: the Loud family is strongest as a group. Individually, everyone below Lana can be easily handled. Keep them at odds with each other and-"

Suddenly, everyone heard the loud sound of a door being slammed open in the distance, eliciting worried gasps and screams. Becky, Lindsay, and Paige instinctively huddled around Lincoln while the rest of the crowd frantically scanned the room.

Lincoln whispered, "Is it them?!", triggering the Sweetwater sisters to tighten their hold on Lincoln.

Becky whispered, "Shhh. If it is, they might hear you. We've got you, Linky."

Paige and Lindsay, taking their cues from Becky, also shushed their peers in an attempt to make sure they went undetected. They then whisper-yelled, "Stay ready."

However, within the next few seconds, Brian ran with his laptop tucked under his arm towards the front of the home theater, followed by Howard, then the rest of his fellow parents, and Melissa.

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Oh great, dad," she scoffed. "It's you. You almost gave us a heart attack!"

Brian panted, "No… time. Huggins… school board… diapers."

As the rest of the room traded confused glances, Lincoln noticeably paled.

Paige asked, "What are you talking about, dad?"

Melissa wordlessly disconnected Becky's laptop from the TV, and hooked up Brian's laptop. After doing so, Melissa stated, "Lucy gave us a tip that prompted us to hack into Principal Huggins' phone. Words don't suffice to describe what we saw, so I'm just going to let you guys see it for yourselves."

Melissa first showed a screenshot of Principal Huggins' lock screen, eliciting gasps from the rest of the room.

"What-", Whitney started.

"The-", Carol added.

"Fuck-", Dana finished.

"Why?! Just why?!", Cassy cried.

Melissa sighed, "It gets worse."

On the other side of the TV screen, Brian stayed with the rest of his fellow parents, despite every instinct telling him to rush over and help Melissa show the worst pictures he had ever seen. He winced as he watched Melissa show her audience the Tetherby Foundation's chat logs. As the kids read the Tetherby Foundation's chat logs, their horror grew to unbearable levels. The middle schoolers and high schoolers grew so queasy that they resorted to vomiting in trash cans and bathroom toilet bowls. The elementary school children ran into the arms of either their parents or older siblings, seeking answers.

Jenny grimaced, "So that's what the Baby Book projects were for."

Sully rasped, "Brah."

Dana whispered to a now-horrified Skippy her interpretation of what was going on, prompting Skippy to gasp. Skippy proceeded to grab Dana's arm and glance at her with pleading eyes.

Skippy trembled, "D-D-Dana… w-will m-my t-teacher-"

"It's gonna be OK, Skipper. Anything that happens at school… tell us," Dana promised.

Skippy sniffled, "I know… it's just-"

"I'll be here for you. Melissa, too. And Mom and Dad. We promise," Dana assured. For added effect, Dana ran her fingers through Skippy's hair to try to soothe him. Despite her obligations to the rest of the co-conspirators, Melissa joined in on the hug.

Meanwhile, Whitney and Winston were not faring much better.

As Whitney wiped vomit off her mouth, Winston quavered, "A-are y-you OK?"

Whitney simply told Winston, "Come here," before pulling him into a tight hug. Winston cried into Whitney's neck, prompting Whitney to cry with him. Pretty soon, their parents joined them in a family hug.

Similar scenes unfolded throughout the theater. Those without older family members present elected to either be comforted by a group of their friends alone, or by the family of a best friend that all but treated said child as another member of the family. However, in spite of being in the middle of a Sweetwater family group hug, Lincoln remained oddly stoic.

Lincoln ran his finger through his neck as he snarled, "That's it. Principal Huggins… Mrs. Johnson… everyone in that motherfucking school. They're going the fuck down."

Becky sniffled, "You're right, Linky. And they're probably going to take advantage of L-Day… so we're gonna have to deal with them, too."

Brian told the crowd, "As much as I don't want to, I'll see if I can obtain further security footage of these monsters."

Lindsay growled, "You won't have to, Dad. If they don't shut this down, this is enough to make them as hated as the Louds."

Linda vowed, "Nothing is as important to us as your safety, kids. Please, let us handle this one."

Lincoln and the Sweetwater sisters nodded.

Linda cried, "Kids, if you want to be pulled from school, tell us now. I don't care if the Louds notice."

Lincoln and the Sweetwater sisters traded glances, inwardly considering the idea.

Finally, Lincoln said, "No."

"WHAT?!", everyone else in the room yelled.

Lincoln sighed, "If a lot of us get pulled from school at the same time, it'll tip them, and the Louds, off. And that might make them hunt us down. Remember, they have the police on their side. Believe me, I would know. We're gonna have to play along until we can afford not to."

The majority of the crowd traded uncomfortable glances.

Lincoln pleaded with the crowd, "We've been doing it all this time with them, anyway! What we saw just makes it official."

Jackie asked, "What about Mr. Majors? Dana and I told him this afternoon… about everything."

The rest of the crowd gave Jackie and Dana weird looks.

Dana explained, "He figured it out through the way we'd been acting in his class. He mentioned he used to work with the CIA, I had the flash drive, and-"

Becky sighed. "Look, Dane, you can't change it now. You only told him about what's been happening to Lincoln, right?"

Dana answered, "Yeah, and he saved the footage."

The rest of the room gasped.

Melissa asked, "Did he copy or cut it?"

Jackie stuttered, "C-c-copy. I checked the flash drive in the computer lab, and it still had working copies of all the footage on it."

Linda scolded, "Girls, even with that, you did something incredibly risky! And you know that!"

Brian and Melissa exchanged looks.

Melissa then defended Mr. Majors, "If it makes you feel any better, we couldn't get anything on Mr. Majors in our investigation."

Brian warned, "Yeah, but now that we know all this about the staff at that school, and everywhere else, really, we're going to have to investigate all of them. Including Mr. Majors."

Mandee commented, "You know, it's crazy. Never thought that the adults we were told to trust would end up being the predators themselves."

Lincoln deadpanned, "Welcome to my world."

Paige started, "Lincoln-"

"Eh, you get used to it," Lincoln shrugged off.

Leslie then marched to the front of the stage. "This also means that going forward, no one buys anything from Flip's, the Super Mart, or any of the other stores/companies these sickos run. If they're the only places in town, we can always drive out of town. Royal Woods is a small place, after all, and we've got only a few days until L-Day. It's not gonna be a loud boycott… just a silent one."

Carol grumbled, "You don't have to tell me twice, mom."

Fritz pointed out, "This also means we're gonna have to start arming up, if we haven't already. If these nutbars catch on, they might try to freeze the movement of weapons or hoard stock where they have control of it. Make sure you stock up now. If you don't know how to use weapons, those of us who do know will teach you."

Everyone glanced at the McBrides.

Harold asked, "What? Why are you looking at us?"

The rest of the parents gave the McBride parents deadpanned expressions.

Howard yelled, "Oh come on! Is this because we-"

"Just take the dang help," Clyde groaned.

Harold and Howard nodded fearfully.

Brian offered, "I've still got some connects through my college teammates. I'll ask if they can help us out."

Walter addressed the crowd, "And kids… remember the safety tips we taught you. If anything weird happens at school, or anywhere else, or if you see something, yell, 'NO!', and tell us as soon as possible."

The rest of the crowd nodded.

Lincoln surmised, "Alright, so a quick rundown: keep acting as normal as possible, keep the pressure on the Louds, get Lucy to be our mole, keep an eye on Rusty and Rocky, design and distribute lowlights reels for our so-called 'leaders', and start self-defense and weapons training. Any questions?"

No one said anything.

Lincoln replied, "Good. Everyone dismissed."

Everyone, save for the Sweetwaters, slowly rose out of their seats and walked out of the basement, still trying to process what they had seen. Haiku, noticing the dispersing crowd, scanned the room for Melissa. Haiku watched as Melissa slowly disconnected Brian's laptop and handed it back to him. She motioned to her fellow Morticians Club members to approach her.

After Melissa handed Brian his laptop, the Morticians Club popped up and said, "Hi, Melissa," causing her to yelp in fright.

Melissa groaned, "Seriously, you guys have to stop doing that!"

Haiku asked, "You feeling OK?"

Melissa crossed her arms. "I was until you guys startled me."

Persephone clarified, "No, not that. Have you been feeling sick or anything lately? At all?"

Melissa's stomach rumbled. "Nah, I'm fine. Just gotta work off the Jamaican food Clyde's dads gave me." She then started walking away. "Dane, Lil' Skip… you guys might wanna stay outta my bathroom tonight." A subsequent rumble of her stomach made her warn them, "And drive home with Mom and Dad."

Meanwhile, Lincoln searched, "custom embroidered trophy" on his phone. Watching Lincoln furiously type on his phone prompted the Sweetwater sisters to trade glances with each other. Lindsay stalked over to Lincoln and gave him an enormous grin.

"Lincolnnnnnnnnnnn…", she called out with a melodic tinge. "What'cha doooo-in'?"

For a split second, Lincoln moved to hide his phone. But upon seeing the pleading look in Lindsay's eyes, he relented and showed her his phone screen.

Lindsay softly probed, a slight pout forming, "Why are you ordering a trophy, Linky?"

Lincoln sighed, "It's Lucy. You know, I know she's not perfect. Far from it. But just having the courage to go against my ex-housemates' hivemind… she deserves something for that, right? Right?"

Lindsay's lip quivered as Becky and Paige traded pitiful glances.

Lincoln proclaimed, "I'm gonna get it embroidered! Most Improved Sister! I'll even have it overnighted! By the way, tell your parents to pick it up."

The Sweetwater sisters, and their parents, who were also watching the scene, felt tears pooling in their eyes.

"Poor baby," Linda cooed to Brian.

"Let's… let's talk about this upstairs," Brian suggested. Linda nodded, and followed Brian out of the basement.

"Oh, Lincoln," Becky sniffled.

Becky and Paige walked to either side of Lindsay.

Lindsay claimed. "Lincoln, what Lucy did for you is basic for a family member. Basic. It's something everyone should just know. It's not an achievement to not kick your own 11-year-old child out of the house."

Lincoln argued, "But Lucy said that to the rest of my family, and was willing to get locked out herself to prove that point."

Lindsay, Paige, and Becky traded tearful glances before enveloping Lincoln in another group hug.

"Lincoln-", they whispered as they cradled the boy.

Meanwhile, up in the great room, Brian and Linda sat on the couch in silence.

Linda started the conversation, "A Most Improved Sister trophy. To Lucy."

Brian argued, "You know, it takes guts for one person to stand up to a family like the Louds. It takes even more to reflect on your mistakes, admit that you were wrong, and try your best to make things right when everyone's criticizing you for it. When it would be easier to just hide in the crowd. We've all seen what life is like in that madhouse. Lincoln, and for that matter, Lucy, are a lot tougher than we give them credit for. If Lincoln wants to give Lucy a Most Improved Sister trophy, I say we let him have it. I don't really see a case for any of the others."

Linda exclaimed, "This is crazy! Lincoln's going to give Lucy a Most Improved trophy? You know what Lincoln had to do to earn a trophy with that same label? Post an Internet video that made Cristina switch classes!"

Brian chuckled, "You've gotta admit… Lincoln has a dark sense of humor. I mean, he's probably gonna give that trophy to Lucy… on L-Day."

Linda glared at Brian and scooted away from his touch.

Brian laughed and scooted closer to Linda, causing her to curl up. "Oh, come on! Stop being so uptight!"

Linda sighed, "I know. It's just… Lincoln."

Brian sighed, "I know. But look, with the exception of Lucy and the Louds themselves, this might actually be best for everybody."

Linda huffed, "Explain."

Brian obliged. "Even with everything we've done, the Louds technically still would have first custody rights over Lincoln if it came to a court case. And even if it did, the Louds could explain this away as a mistake and put on a façade of regret. Whether or not they'd put the effort to do so convincingly is another story, but they could. The fact that they've done this twice, with two of their children, on two separate occasions, obliterates that argument. No offense to Lincoln, but if they could do that to their son, to them, it can be shrugged off. If they do it to one of their precious, favored little girls… they can do it to anyone. This means that no child would be safe with any of the Louds, and everyone would know it. To be honest, sometimes, I like to think the rest of the Louds themselves know that, too. That's probably a reason why they're all going along with it."

Brian and Linda traded glances. Linda's body eventually relaxed, and she laid her head against Brian's chest.

Linda pleaded, "Brian… how did we even get here?"

Brian admitted, "You know, I think we're to blame, too. Looking back, I mean, the Take Your Kids to Work Day, watching them do anything together… we should have seen the signs. But Becky was good friends with Lori, we were good friends with the Loud parents, and well, all the TV shows and movies we watched about families like theirs. The Cooper Clan, Home Alone, they seemed no different."

Linda countered, "But none of those families ever implanted tracking chips in everyone's bodies, went on killer pranking sprees, or blackmailed everyone in town!"

Brian snickered a little. "I know, sweetheart."

Linda begged, "Brian, we're making it better, right? We have to be!"

Brian stroked Linda's hair and pulled her in close. "I hope we are, Linnie," he sighed. He then planted a kiss on Linda's forehead.

Linda claimed, "I mean, he'd tell us if we weren't, right?"

Brian inwardly pondered his answer to Linda's question. After a bit of reflection, he gazed down at Linda and told her, "Yeah, and if he does, it's our duty to listen to him."

A small smile curled on Linda's lips right before she kissed Brian's chin. Eventually, Linda straightened, and the two shared a brief peck on the lips.

Closing A/N: 40 chapters and counting! 200+ favs & 200+ follows… holyyy! As for why I've been away, there's IRL stuff, obviously. I also had a couple of brain farts bouncing around my head that I've published to this site as side stories. Finally, I had so many ideas for this chapter… so much that I wanted to write. I even planned out a literal sister-by-sister walkthrough of the Sister Danger List! But then I realized that a lot of it would be repetitive or stuff you could put together. So, I decided to do my best to more or less say what I wanted to say in as little time as possible, and still get the impact I wanted. I guess that's my challenge.

A/N 2: Diane is the brown-haired woman working at the cash register from "Cheater by the Dozen" when Dana asked Bobby, "We're still on for later, right?"

A/N 3: Just thought I'd shoutout Saccharine Melody's standard sister-shaming fare with the mention of the Lincolndome.

Anyway, what are the Sweetwaters going to do next? Are the Louds and the authorities going to find out about what they have up their sleeves? And what do the co-conspirators have in store for Lynn? Find out by continuing to read… REVERSAL! OF! FORTUNE!