Still lounging in her chair, blind from the cucumber slices on her eyes and deeply immersed in the music playing on her headphones, Luna was blissfully unaware that she was being watched by Kathleen, who was leaning by the doorframe of the spa.
The Louds were taking forever preparing for the trip and the rich girl's patience was wearing thin, so she went to see where the rest of the family was. Unsurprisingly, she found the punk rock lesbo in the spa, and it didn't take a genius to guess that Tin Teeth was hiding somewhere and weeping like a baby, as she usually did at school. This just left the blonde bimbo and her brainless tagalong unaccounted for.
"Talk about lazy bums..." Kathleen eyed the clock, which showed that it was past noon "...I thought I would have to drag them away kicking and screaming from the spa?"
"Kathleen, Kathleen!" Lola ran up to her, looking overjoyed. Seeing this, Kathleen couldn't help but hope that Lynn would be a non-issue going forward.
"I assume Lynn is in hot water?" she asked idly, knowing Lynn had been in an argument with her mother.
"Oh, yes. Mom says one more strike, and she's out." Lola waved her hand. "Then she'll be sent to Aunt Ruth's place..." she shuddered at the thought. "Serves that foul-tempered troublemaker right!"
Kathleen's smile faltered. "So that means she'll be joining us?"
Lola frowned. "Yeah...Lincoln talked mom into giving her one more chance. I have no idea why that moron would vouch for her after she punched him in the kisser."
Kathleen was displeased but hid it. Things could never be too easy, could they? Had it just been Lincoln, Tin Teeth, and the goth girl, she and Lyle would have floored them and nabbed Lisa with ease. Then again, she had no idea where Ryan was or when he could join the fray.
Kathleen hummed. "Well...I was kinda hoping Lynn would be..."
She stopped herself as she noticed Lynn Sr. in the corner of her eye, watching them while stacking some empty plates from the table, before nervously avoiding Kathleen's gaze.
"...given a chance to cool off and reflect on her shortsighted actions."
"Not me! I was hoping she would get punished and then some!" Lola said irritably. "I was grounded with no supper for accidentally hurting Pop-Pop in a roundabout way, but she just gets a scolding for intentionally throwing a punch at you!"
Kathleen couldn't help but smile at Lola's naivete. She still didn't get the fine art of subtle jabs disguised as benign statements. Though admittedly, Kathleen wasn't terribly fond of it either.
"I see your point, Lols. It's not fair at all." She patted Lola's back reassuringly, keeping her voice down. "But I gotta say..." she shook her head "...I was a bit surprised to hear about last night's incident."
Lola looked uneasy. "Why?"
"You can't be like Lynn and keep letting your temper get the better of you, you're smarter than that uncouth whirlwind of volatility." Kathleen advised her, sincerely for once but without an ounce of self-awareness.
"Of course I am!" Lola blurted before glancing aside with a blush. "It's just so annoying when everyone is against you..."
"Oh, I understand that..." Kathleen chuckled. "...your family doesn't understand you and they probably don't even care enough to try. I'd say it's quite inconsiderate given you're the sole reason they are on this all-expense-paid vacation."
Lola pursed her lips, hurt by that suggestion but knowing Kathleen was right. Nobody in her family treated her with respect! She deserved better.
"But alas, dealing with jealous ingrates is the price that outstanding individuals like us have to pay." Kathleen continued while looking at her nails. "Which is also why you need to be cautious and never allow those that are against you to gain the upper hand."
"I won't..." a flustered Lola twiddled her fingers "...last night was just an accident, I won't do it again. I promise."
"I'm sure you won't." Kathleen got an idea and looked around before whispering. "But speaking of people that are against you, you didn't, perchance, notice that Ryan Taylor lurking around?"
Lola was caught off guard by the question. "No...why would I? This is a family vacation and that ogre has no business being here. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, just idle curiosity." Kathleen lied. "He's so... attached to Lynn, like a lovelorn puppy, and he seems to follow her everywhere, even when you guys don't want him around. It's kind of sad really..."
Lola sniggered, she couldn't agree more with that sentiment. "I guess he is. What a loser."
"Yeah..." Kathleen gave a greasy smile "...so you're sure you haven't felt like he's out here watching you-"
"We'll get through this together, Luan." she scowled as she heard Lucy's voice, the goth leading Luan out of the kitchen.
The two oddballs halted as they realized Kathleen and Lola were in front of them. A brief stalemate ensued until the rich girl smiled in delight seeing her old nemesis in her pathetic state, and even more pathetic getup.
Again, Kathleen did her best to hide her amusement. Lola wasn't as courteous and erupted with uncontrollable laughter as she pointed at the mime.
"I forgot how STUPID you look in that outfit!" Luan's face scrunched up as the princess was in stitches.
"Ah, the tortured artist has gone public again. Love the makeup job, very...avant-garde." Kathleen shot Luan a finger gun. "Is it part of your latest act, if you don't mime me asking?"
Luan saw red and trembled while Lola paused before laughing again. "Good one, Kathy. Your wit is unparalleled!"
Lucy watched her older sister, worried about how the latter would react. To her relief, Luan remained composed and grabbed Lucy's arm, pulling her back a few feet while pretending to close and lock a door before turning around and folding her arms.
"Oh, I get it now. Silly me." Kathleen slapped her forehead while glancing at Lola. "She's going through miming melancholy, right?"
Lucy saw a panicked look appear on Luan's face, before glaring at Lola.
"Lola, you traitor." she hissed at the princess. "How dare you share such personal information!"
"Oh, you misunderstand." Kathleen assured her. "Lola would never rat out a family member."
"Yes, I wou-" Lola said before getting silenced with Kathleen's hand.
"So you just know about it?" Lucy scoffed.
Kathleen shrugged. "Everyone at school knows about Luan's quirks, she has always been a bit of an open book. No offense, Lu-Lu."
Lucy saw Luan twitching, the latter looking like she was on the verge of an anxiety attack. The invisible wall was hardly soundproof.
Lucy knew how it felt to let personal secrets leak to classmates who didn't have your best interests in mind, and it made her blood boil. Kathleen was barely even trying not to let her mask slip anymore.
"YOU!" a thunderous voice butted in. Luan jolted and turned around, recognizing that enraged tone instantly, and knowing it was directed at her.
A livid Lori jumped down the stairs and stormed past Kathleen and Lola, her hair still messy.
Her nostrils flaring, Lori scraped off the few remaining pimples with her nails as she marched up to Luan, cornering her against the wall. Luan pressed her hands against the invisible wall but it did nothing to stop the enraged beast.
"You think this is funny, you insufferable little harlequin?!" Lori snarled.
Not understanding what was going on, the bemused Luan just pointed at herself.
"Don't be coy with me!" Lori raised her fist towards Luan's painted face.
"This should be good." Kathleen watched with intrigue.
"You have some nerve making me think that I would spend the rest of the summer hiding from public view and blowing all of my allowance on skincare products! I'll literally need years of therapy to recover!"
"You got the wrong person, Lori." Lucy cut in and folded her arms. "Your phony acne wasn't Luan's doing, it was mine." she admitted proudly, much to her older sisters' surprise.
"And since when were you frugal about skincare anyway?" Lucy deadpanned.
"What?" Lori blurted in disbelief and glared daggers at the goth. "Why would you even do that? Did she tell you to!" she pointed at Luan, who cowered and pretended to hold a club.
"Nope, it was my own idea... cuz it amused me." Lucy shrugged her shoulders, much to Lori's ire.
"Why you little...I'll squeeze that sass right out of ya when I turn you into a pretzel!" Lori clenched her fists, but Lucy was unfazed and just pointed behind the blonde.
"You really want to resort to such barbarism in front of our guest of honor?" she asked rhetorically.
Her brow furrowing, Lori looked over her shoulder before freaking out. "KATHLEEEN?!"
"Pleasure to see you again, Lori." Kathleen nodded to her while Lori floundered and felt her face for any remaining pimples.
"Umm...this isn't what it looks like, we were... just painting each other's faces for fun!" Lori insisted while throwing her arm around Lucy and chuckling nervously.
"Sure we were." Lucy deadpanned with her face pressed against Lori's hip.
"Glad to hear that you two are spending quality time together." Kathleen clapped her hands, playing along. "This vacation seems to bring out the best in each of you Louds."
Sweating, Lori was growing increasingly aware of the unsightly state of her hair. "Of course it does. Nothing but joy and wholesome family fun...but...eh...why are you here? Now?"
"Oh, you're gonna love this, Lori." Kathleen assured her while Lucy slipped free. "See..."
"She's taking us on her yacht... now." Lincoln said plainly as he walked in on their conversation.
Kathleen gave him an annoyed side glance but smiled. "...yeees. But I was hoping to deliver the news in a more...exciting fashion."
"Sorry for my lack of enthusiasm." Lincoln said in a neutral manner, though the underlying sarcasm wasn't lost to Kathleen.
Lynn suddenly appeared from behind her brother. Kathleen's eyes widened a bit, but the jock just walked past her, swinging her fists left and right and sporting a sour expression. She ignored everyone around her and headed for the door.
"I'll be waiting at the swing." she grumbled, barely audible.
"So... you're coming with us?" Lucy asked for clarity.
"Can it, twerp." Lynn grunted and disappeared from sight, and the group heard the swing squeaking.
Her eyes darting left and right, Luan pointed in the direction Lynn went and quickly followed her.
"Rude..." Lola said in a haughty tone. "She didn't even apologize to Kathleen!"
"Apologize for what?" Lori asked, when Kathleen approached her. "What's this talk about a yacht?"
"We'll fill you in in a jiffy, but if I were you... I'd clean myself up first." Kathleen advised while unsubtly pointing at Lori's bed hair. "We'll be out in the open, after all."
Lori turned red as a lobster and nodded before scrambling up the stairs.
"Fetch Leni while you're at it!" Lincoln called out to her.
Lola snorted and elbowed Kathleen. "And she wonders why she isn't higher in her school's pecking order."
"True, she's not the best at keeping up appearances." Kathleen concurred.
"Gee...that's not a very nice thing to say, Kathleen." Lincoln noted.
"It's just a little constructive criticism." Kathleen corrected herself. "I think we both agree that Lori is a bit of a slacker."
Lincoln couldn't argue there, allowing Kathleen to gain the upper hand. "You brought along your backpack?"
Nervous, Lincoln looked at the small backpack strapped to his shoulders, but he had prepared an explanation.
"Yes, just some essentials...water, crackers, pills for my concussion. I like to stay prepared."
"Pfft...you think there won't be catering?" Lola gave him a condescending glare.
"Cameras too?" Kathleen asked, a little too suspiciously. "To capture the scenery?"
Swallowing, Lincoln replied, "Eh... I don't remember...my memory is still hazy. Umm...I think dad's carrying a camera-"
"Suwrpwise!" he was tackled from behind and knocked to the floor by two small figures, the spectacled one climbing onto his head and giggling.
"Gotcha, Lincoln! Now you gotta be our horsey!" Lisa proclaimed, both her and Darcy wearing fuzzy animal backpacks.
Lucy put her hand to her mouth to avoid puking at the sight. The Lisa they knew was truly gone.
"Yeah...you got me alright." Lincoln said lamely, happy that the toddlers offered a distraction. Kathleen's suspicions subsided for the moment as the observed her quarry.
"We're ready for the cruise, Captain Kathy!" Lisa told their host while saluting her, making Kathleen chuckle.
"Oh, I'm sure you are." she replied, smiling to herself. "This will be a trip you'll all remember."
After she said that, a brief silence ensued.
"What?"
"That's not ominous at all." Lucy snarked but Lola was quick to blow her off.
"Yeah, there ain't nothing more ominous than taking people on a cruise!" the princess mocked her. "Get over yourself, you paranoid little freakshow!"
"Kids..." Kathleen shrugged at Lincoln "...they have such active imagination."
"Ehhh...they sure do." the boy replied, feeling bilious as he did so. He didn't know how much of that was his concussion and how much was due to his overwhelming worry.
Outside, Lynn was sitting on the porch swing, resting her head in her palms when she noticed Luan sitting next to and looking at her.
"You ain't getting an apology." Lynn said curtly. "You'll thank me for dragging your ass back here once you're filled in."
Luan frowned, clearly demanding elaboration, but Lynn didn't give her the satisfaction.
"But not now." was all the jock said. "It's on a need-to-know basis..."
Annoyed, Luan pouted but then raised her hand and somehow pulled a red cap out of her sleeve, replacing her beret with it before pulling the bill back and pointing at herself.
It took Lynn a few seconds to get the message before frowning and shrugging in annoyance. "I don't know, we haven't heard from him still." she explained, keeping her voice down.
Luan looked saddened and for once, Lynn could relate, unable to do anything but wistfully gaze at the horizon, hoping that Ryan would show up soon. She really needed him right now.
An hour later...
The sandy beach was lined with two trackways, one showing small paws and the other larger human feet, with a pair of mud-covered socks discarded along the way. They were soon picked up by the gentle waves, which also washed away the tracks.
Not far ahead, an exhausted Ryan staggered along the beach, panting from the scorching midday sun and staying close to the water to soak his aching feet. He would have taken a break but with One Eye on his trail, that was not an option. Marceline followed him but screeched and jumped back every time the waves got too close for comfort.
Sweating, Ryan stopped at a bend on the shore, leaned against a large, mossy boulder, and wiped his forehead when his eyes fell on something that made his blood pump anew. Moving forward over the clustered rocks to get a clearer look, he saw a large building in the distance, with a peer and a smaller and larger boat parked next to it. He recognized it from the brochure!
Unable to believe his luck and laughing like a madman, Ryan jumped down the rocks and onto the soft sand, overcome with unbridled joy as Marceline caught up with him and jumped down the rocks, breathing heavily.
"Do you see that!" Ryan looked at her while pointing at the building. "We finally found the damn place!"
He tensed up as he heard rustling and looked to his right but just saw a whitetail jumping through the woods. Sighing in relief, Ryan realized he shouldn't celebrate prematurely, One Eye's parting words still echoed in his head.
"Come on, time's a wasting." he beckoned Marceline to follow as he darted for the mansion. "We have to regroup and rethink our plans, and there's been far too little of me in the last dozen chapters!"
Grumbling, Marceline tried to keep pace with him, when they both heard a ship honking and instinctively dove behind the nearest bush.
Taking a cautious peek, the two saw a double-decker yacht passing by them, some fifty yards away. Ryan figured this wasn't a normal sight on Lake Michigan and quickly recognized a group of three standing at the tip of its bow.
"It's them!" an overjoyed Ryan rose up, feeling immense relief. "I knew that cur was lying through his pointy teeth!"
"Meow."
He bit his tongue and looked at his cat. "Not that I bought his cockamamie story for even a second. But never mind that, what matters is that-"
Ryan did a double take, his bug-eyed, slack-jawed gaze now lingering on the yacht as it shrank in size, cruising further and further away from him.
"Are you shitting me?!" Ryan pulled on his black hair. "Kathy chose NOW to come and flaunt her big boat?!"
Trying to collect himself, he shuddered in annoyance and tried to get his thoughts straight. This was just great! Now he had to backtrack if he wanted to catch up with his team. But he couldn't do it on foot, he had to use nautical means.
Putting his hand above his eyes, Ryan searched for another log he could use for transport, but instead, he spotted a tent not too far away, and nearby, tied to a tree, was a kayak with paddles. Grinning broadly and making a shushing gesture at Marceline, Ryan snuck his way to the camp and hid behind a tree.
Marceline followed, not liking how her owner was eyeing the object floating in the dreaded water.
Peeking from the trunk, Ryan saw three young men, one sleeping in a hammock and the other two resting against a tree with their caps covering their eyes. Chuckling to himself, Ryan tippy-toed past them and reached the rocking kayak.
"I'll just borrow this for a while, I'm sure they won't mind." he said sarcastically as he untied the kayak, waded through the shallows and made himself comfy in it, and grabbed a paddle. But his companion didn't seem to be in a hurry to join him.
"What are you waiting for, an invitation?" he turned to Marceline impatiently, keeping his voice low. "Hop in. Chop chop."
Marceline looked fearful as she saw her reflection in the water. Touching the surface with one digit, she jumped back and shook her head frantically.
"I don't have time for this." Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose, before looking at Kathleen's summer home in the distance.
"Fine... if you're gonna be a scaredy cat, then go to the mansion and stay safe til I get back." he ordered her before shooing her.
"Get going. Scram!" he used his paddle to splash water at her, prompting the feline to run off in the desired direction. She stopped by a pine tree and gave him a worried look.
Ryan just gave a curt nod before searching the kayak and finding a fisher hat and vest, and promptly put them on.
Scoping his surroundings for a second, he saw no sign of the peeping buzzard but that was cold comfort at best, as it meant he had no idea where One Eye was. At least the others were out of his reach for the moment, and Ryan himself should be safe as long as he stayed away from land.
Keeping his head tucked between the shoulders, he started rowing and followed the path of the yacht. He was lagging but it was better than running on foot.
As expected, once they were on board, the family fanned out, the sisters not being eager to stay in each other's vicinity. The yacht was cruising at a leisurely pace now, allowing its occupants to soak in and admire the scenic landscape all around them.
On a balcony extending from the stern of the ship, Lynn Sr., Rita, Luna, and the toddlers sat at a dinner table, with a panoramic view of the lake and surrounding wilderness right behind them, and the gentle summer breeze blowing through their hair. They were quickly served their food and drinks.
"Mmmmm...this smells fantastic." Luna took a big whiff of her meal. She didn't know what half of these fancy dishes even were, but they sure smelled scrumptious. "You rock, Kathy."
"Just being a proper host. I hope dinner will be to your satisfaction." Kathleen said cordially. Luna, despite everything, couldn't help but feel a bit weird.
She was sucking up to someone she didn't have the highest opinion of anymore, but it was worth it. She wasn't going to let Lynn and Lincoln's paranoia get to her, she knew how to toe the line without turning into Lori or Lola.
"Oh, if I can write down my experience onboard..." Luna lied, trying to sound chill "...I'll give ya a stellar review! Five stars."
"Anything less would be below my standards." Kathleen nodded while eyeing a pensive Rita, who was poking her food with a fork.
"Not fond of lobster, Mrs. Loud?" Kathleen inquired.
"Eh...no, it's fine." Rita sighed. "I've just been thinking... about my father. He's all alone with just the dog and cat."
"Not to be insensitive, but why worry?" Kathleen asked her. "Let's be real, he might be a bit loopy but there isn't much he can get up to with his...condition. He's probably napping as we speak."
"I suppose." Rita looked aside. Though Albert wasn't really the main thing that concerned her. She was hardwired to worry about her daughters causing trouble, though so far it had been smooth sailing.
Lynn Sr. fidgeted, wanting to alleviate his wife's worry. "She's right, honey. Worst case scenario, Al's just suffering from mind-numbing boredom."
"I made sure to leave Pop-Pop with the remote, and a bunch of old magazines within arm's reach." Luna reminded them.
"Momma...where's our ice cream!" Lisa suddenly whined, slamming her tiny fist against the table, while Darcy pouted and folded her arms.
Luna watched her sister with a puzzled look, this was one of Lisa's weirdest experiments for sure. And she thought drama kids like Luan went overboard while being in-character?
"It's been fowevew!" Darcy joined in on the whining. It had been an excruciating five minutes since the two made their order.
"Here ya go, kid." their waiter said gruffly as he placed two sundaes on the table. The young boy was wearing shades and a cap, along with a strained, mangled smile. Kathleen tensed in annoyance as she saw his choice of wardrobe.
Darcy's face scrunched up and she pinched her nose. "You stink bad."
The boy grunted and frowned while Lisa giggled. "Look at his donkey teeth, Darcy!"
Lyle seethed. He seriously regretted not killing the rat-haired brat while he had his super strength.
Rita made a cringe face as she took note of the boy's teeth, her inner dentist screaming in horror, while the toddlers laughed at Lyle's expense.
"Heaven have mercy..." she whispered to her husband "...his teeth are as bad as Ryan's."
Hearing that, Lyle felt his temper rising. How dare that bitch compare him to the disfigured freak?
Noticing his unease, Kathleen approached him and playfully slapped his back...with enough force to knock the wind out of him.
"Now, Leslie. Didn't you have some towels to deliver? Lori's not a patient person." she told him in a sing-song voice before shoving some folded-up towels in his hands.
Luna suppressed a snigger hearing that name.
"Don't be scared, mistah." Darcy pointed at her brow. "But you have a caterpillaw on your face."
Gritting his teeth and grumbling under his breath, Lyle turned around and stormed off, cursing inwardly as he heard Lisa say, "What a doofus."
"Now, Lisa. It's not nice to make fun of people." Lynn Sr. lightly scolded his daughter.
"They've got a point, pops." Luna shrugged. "The dude could sure use some cologne."
"I know you're doing "immersion research" but try not to teach your friend questionable behavior, okay?" Rita suggested, but Lisa and Darcy were already scoping up spoonfuls of ice cream and shoving them into their mouths.
Rita winced and rolled her eyes, "Brain freeze in five minutes tops..."
"I should see how the rest of your family is doing, I'll check on you later." Kathleen excused herself.
Getting away from the group, she soon found her "partner" delivering the towels at the pool on the deck. Unsurprisingly, he was met with some scathing comments from Lori. Not for his tardiness though.
"Are you literally out of your mind!" the eldest Loud said as she walked up the underwater steps and snatched her towel, scanning the towel boy with disgust.
"Hey, I ain't crazy!" Lyle blurted but flinched as Lori pointed at him.
"I was being rhetorical, you zit-faced dimwit." Lori chastised him. "What sort of behind-the-times boob still wears cargo pants?"
"And those boots with that vest?" she cringed in disgust before turning away from the horrendous sight. "OMG! What sort of deprived monster are you!"
"Don't take criticism from an experienced fashionista lightly." Kathleen grabbed Lyle by the shoulder and yanked him back. "Lori knows what she's talking about."
"Thanks." Lori smiled at the lofty compliment, sufficiently placated. "And I'd be more than happy to lend that twerp my tweezers, that thing on his forehead looks like it's going to sprout legs any second and attack someone."
Lyle clenched his jaw and fumed, the blonde broad was fast-tracking to be the most obnoxious Loud yet.
"Much appreciated, and you're right. I really should enforce a stricter dress code with my employees." Kathleen told Lori before scowling at Lyle and wagging her finger.
"You'll get away with a warning today, Leslie. But tomorrow, I expect a change of wardrobe. I have an image to maintain, and you gotta dress to impress, as they say."
"Hey, by the way? Could you...dunno, get Leni to stop doing what's she doing?" Lori suddenly asked with slight annoyance. "She's been talking in pseudo-French jibberish ever since I woke her up and it's literally getting on my nerves?"
"Excuse me?" Kathleen blinked while Lori gestured at her sister, who was sitting on a beach chair at the pool's edge with a towel wrapped around her neck.
Leni offered them a blissful smile and said, "Excusez-moi, Kathleen ? Savez-vous où je peux trouver une toile ? J'ai un désir inexplicable de peindre un portrait."
Lori scoffed. "Will ya drop the act? Nobody thinks you can speak French. Only cultured people know French."
"Pas de problème, Leni." Kathleen replied, shocking Lori. "Allez demander à Amber, elle vous montrera où vous pouvez en trouver un."
"Merci beaucoup!" Leni squeaked and clapped her hands before snatching her bathrobe and rushing away, leaving Lori with her jaw hanging wide open.
"Guess Leni's fascination with Pah-rhee runs deeper than just the fashion?" Kathleen joked as she led Lyle away.
"But if you'll excuse me, I need to straighten out my slacker of an employee." she added. Fortunately, Lori was too dumbfounded to notice.
"What's the point of catering to these freaks?" Lyle asked in annoyance before being faced with an enraged glare.
"You blithering buffoon!" Kathleen hissed and gestured at him. "Why are you dressed in your regular clothes? You're supposed to keep your identity hidden!"
"Hey, I was sweating like a pig in that freaking hoody. It's July if you haven't noticed?" Lyle defended himself while adjusting his tattered vest. "And will ya stop calling me by my middle name? We agreed my fake name was Blake."
Frustrated, Kathleen wanted to smack him but her gaze wandered towards the bow of the yacht, where she saw her hated enemies watching the horizon. She didn't have time to argue with this nitwit.
"Look, I'm sick and tired of playing cabin boy, when can we nab the brat and get the hell out of here?" Lyle griped when Kathleen shushed him.
"When the right moment comes. Meaning not now." she growled and pushed him towards a small storage room and pointed at a bunch of sacks holding tomatoes, and other produce.
"The cook needs more ingredients, so be a good errand boy and deliver them to him." Kathleen ordered him, as a means to keep him preoccupied. "No lollygagging."
Agape, a furious Lyle wasn't about to take her attitude lying down. "I ain't no freakin' pack mule!"
"Oh, what's wrong?" Kathleen cooed and pinched his cheek. "Is this too heavy for wittle Lylely-Wyley? Maybe I should get someone with muscle to carry them... like Lynn?"
"What?! No way!" Lyle pointed at himself angrily. "I can carry twice as much as that skanky dyke. Just watch me!"
"Of course you can, I never doubted you. I'll just leave you to it then." Kathleen smiled and left him to his own devices, after which it dawned on Lyle that he had been played and he screamed through clenched teeth.
Meanwhile, Lucy carefully watched their host leaving in the opposite direction, avoiding eye contact with them, as Lucy, Lynn, and Lincoln traveled along the starboard of the ship.
"We've got a problem. Only Lyle's dumb enough to walk around in public in his hideous getup." the goth whispered to the others as they passed by the storage room, hearing plenty of grunting and colorful language coming from inside.
None of them had pegged Lyle Owen as such a wordsmith when it came to creative cussing.
"Figures Kathleen would keep her muscle on standby." Lynn narrowed her eyes at the door.
As she turned her head around, her pupils shrank when she saw two brainless blondes carrying a canvas on top of an easel...about twelve feet away from them!
"Out of the way!" Without warning, Lynn grabbed her siblings and slammed them and herself against the wall, with Lincoln hitting his head.
"Heya, guys." Amber greeted them in a bubbly tone as she and Leni passed by them. "Leni's gonna paint a portrait...I think!"
"Bonjour, ma famille! Je vais faire de l'art." Leni added, to Lucy and Lynn's suprise.
"I have no idea what you said but it sounds so cultured!" Amber giggled as they moved on. "You SO gotta tutor me!"
"So that's what the hypnopedia was about?" Lucy realized as Lynn released her and Lincoln.
"Ughh...my achin' head." Lincoln rubbed the back of his head, and Lynn winced.
"I'm sorry, Linc." she raised her hands. "But I couldn't risk running into them and breaking that...painting thingy?"
"Lynn, we had ample time to walk around them." Lucy said flatly.
"Well, excuse me for being cautious given my predicament!" Lynn retorted and gestured at their brother. "He stuck his neck out so I could even be here, I ain't squandering that!"
"So you repay him with more head trauma?" Lucy deadpanned, much to Lynn's ire.
Lincoln barely heard their argument, as he felt his head spinning and bile building up in his stomach, making it growl.
"Are you okay?" he heard Lucy's voice, but it was faint and his vision blurred with each throb in his head, forcing him to keel over and clutch his stomach.
"Stand back, I'm gonna heave!" he warned his sisters and Lucy wisely walked back but Lynn grew a look of abject horror and with lightning speed, she seized Lincoln and pressed her hand against his mouth.
"Hold it back! You're not hurling all over Kathleen's stupid ship!"
"What are you doing?" Lucy asked incredulously.
"We make a mess, we'll get in trouble! I can't afford that!" Lynn said frantically while a struggling Lincoln felt the burning vomit go up his gullet and into his mouth, filling it up.
"You can't be serious?" Lucy asked.
"I am, go find him a bucket! Hurry!" Lynn barked at the goth.
"But-"
"Find a bucket!" a livid Lynn snapped at her, making Lucy run off.
"Just hold it in a bit longer." Lynn nervously tried to assure the restrained Lincoln, who made a muffled cry, sweating and with his cheeks puffed up.
"Wait?" Lynn looked at the railings and dragged Lincoln towards them. "Just throw up into the lake!"
Lincoln was let go and he tried to lean over, only for Lynn to clamp his mouth shut again and pull him back.
"No, wait! You'll get it all over the ship!" Lynn floundered as her brother cried desperately. "Ughh! Where's that Lucy?! No, we need to find the bathroom?!"
Lucy, having run ahead, spotted a water-filled bucket with a mop inside of it.
"Sigh. This should do..." she removed the mop and tried dunking the water overboard but as she pressed the bucket against the railings, the yacht passed by a rocky cliff, covered in trees and shrubs. Lucy caught sight of something darker in the middle of the sea of green. Shocked, she dropped the bucket, spilling mop water onto the deck.
Pushing her bags away, she made out a black-furred figure standing on his back legs between the tree trunks. She froze as the beast's piercing gaze met hers, his ears twitching in alert and his body partially obscured by fallen logs.
He was looking at her with pure hatred, as if remembering getting stabbed with a silver knife. The world around Lucy seemed to fade as her heart pounded against her chest rapidly.
"Lucy!" the goth snapped out of her trance as she heard Lynn yelling, and turned around to see the pissed-off jock hauling the nautious, pale-faced Lincoln with her.
"One Eye!" Lucy cried and pointed at the cliff.
Gasping, Lynn dropped Lincoln and looked at the site Lucy was pointing to. Forgetting all about his nausea, Lincoln scrambled to his feet and grasped the railings as he tried to spot the wolf. But neither saw anything but tree trunks and bushes.
"This isn't funny, you lil' shit." Lynn scowled in annoyance before realizing she had dropped Lincoln. Fortunately, he wasn't vomiting all over the deck.
"I saw him, he was standing on two legs!" Lucy exclaimed while making wild gestures. "I told you he's a werewolf."
Crouching behind the logs he had been rearing on, One Eye rolled his eye and snuck away in disgust, his keen hearing having picked up some of the kids' conversation.
"Werewolf..." he sneered "...there's nothing more demeaning than being anthropomorphized..."
"Keep your voice down." Lynn hissed and pulled Lucy closer. "There ain't nothing there."
"But I really saw him." Lucy insisted, pleading with the others, but Lincoln looked unsure while Lynn pushed past her to grab the bucket, clearly done with this.
"Here, bro. Use this." she offered the bucket to Lincoln but he just burped before shuddering and gently pushing the bucket away.
"Too late, Lynn." he rasped weakly while clutching his gut. "It went back where it came from."
Lynn grew a queasy look before it morphed into an apologetic one. "Sorry...I was just trying to be cautious. We're on Kathleen's turf here...and I don't want to screw up again?"
Lincoln groaned. "Lynn...I think you're taking it a bit too far-"
"But I'm telling the truth, I did see One Eye." Lucy cut in. "He's stalking us, and he's-"
"Will ya give it a rest?" Lynn hissed with growing frustration when they heard boots stomping and noticed someone walking towards them, grumbling and carrying a large sack filled with tomatoes, which was obscuring his view.
"It's him..." Lincoln whispered uneasily when Lyle stepped into the recently formed puddle and slipped.
"Wooow!" he yelped as he fell over and the sack crushed him under its immense weight while a few tomatoes flew into the air and promptly pelted Lyle.
Stunned for a second, Lucy and even Lincoln covered their mouths while sniggering but Lynn was looking mortified.
"We gotta scram, Kathleen ain't pinning this on us!" the jock urged the others.
"Crap...you're right." Lincoln realized and grabbed the distracted Lucy as he and Lynn bolted out of there, leaving Lyle to groan in pain.
One Eye was momentarily forgotten, but the wolf didn't forget the kids.
Having walked down the hill, he emerged from the forest, edging closer to the beach once he was confident that nobody could see him.
He heard wingbeats, as Raza swooped down from the branch and walked up to him, sporting an unsure expression.
"What?" One Eye asked sharply, not even dignifying Raza with a glance.
"Umm...I just want to know why you don't want me to search for the ugly runt, boss?" the vulture asked in his raspy voice.
One Eye was unamused, his gaze still fixed on the vessel. "Let me ask you a simple question. If a pack gets split up due to unforeseen events, what's the first course of action they would take?"
Raza blinked. "I dunno...try to find each other and regroup?"
"Very good, Raza." One Eye turned to him, his tone patronizing. "And this is exactly what that impertinent imp is doing as we speak, there is no doubt. If the rest of them are heading that way, he can't be far behind..." he gestured at the ship "...and keeping them in my sights shouldn't be an issue now."
"Eh...yeah, that ship is hard to miss." Raza stated the blindingly obvious.
"Yes, and besides..." One Eye added with a malevolent chuckle "...they've surely figured out by now that you're my...ahem...envoy, and you're about as discreet as a moose in rut."
Raza looked hurt but had to voice a more pressing concern, "But..I'll still get my keep, right?"
"Oh, you won't go hungry today, I assure you." One Eye replied. "Once I get a hold of that malformed whelp, his death cries should make an adequate lure for the others, or vice versa. A simple but effective tactic that has never failed me."
"Of course...you're the hunter that never misses. I can't wait to see the glorious carnage." Raza chuckled gleefully. "And I pity anyone foolish enough to stand in your way, Soto."
The wolf smiled darkly. He loathed Raza's brownnosing but this time, the sniveling buzzard was on point.