I do not own The Loud House. All rights belong to Nickelodeon.
Chapter 22
Several big-name people in the comic book, anime, cartoon, and film industry were talking to Lincoln at the museum. Even a professor from Amberwood University came to visit. Bill Buck's agent, Rachael Fields, had been bragging to Professor Kenneth and everyone at Amberwood. The whole university has been gossiping about Lincoln for weeks.
Lincoln blushed with all the admiration he was receiving. One of the people even talked about making an animated movie and wondered if Lincoln would interested in the character design. Lincoln, of course, said yes, even though the movie was a long way from starting production.
They talked some more until Stella pulled her boyfriend away for some alone time. She pulled him in for a kiss once they were out of sight from prying eyes. Lincoln closed his eyes, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her back. The kiss turned into a make-out session.
Then Stella squeezed Lincoln a hug, "I am so proud of you, Lincoln! You won! Now, there's a gallery of art named after you. How cool is that?"
"Yeah, it is pretty cool. I wasn't expecting those big-name people to show up. Bill Buck, sure, but movie directors? It almost feels like a dream," Lincoln said.
"A dream come true," Stella purred.
They walked to a section of the museum with big windows, letting a lot of sunlight in. Stella stood in front of Lincoln and wrapped his arms around her as Lincoln rested his head on her shoulder. Stella's smooth black hair brushed against his face, and he relished the heavenly aroma of her flowery shampoo and conditioner.
"Big things are happening for you, Link. And they should. You've earned it, especially after everything you went through," Stella stated.
"It's really nice that good things are happening to me," Lincoln said.
"God, everything feels so awesome now. Everything is chill in a really good way. I'm looking forward to our future together. You'll go to Amberwood, become a great comic book artist, and then a movie director. I'll be a doctor, run a chain tea shop, or both. I can do both, right?"
"It all depends on what you want in life. I've seen visions where you're one or the other," Lincoln answered.
"If I choose to be a doctor, what kind do I be?" Stella asked.
"Either a general surgeon or a heart surgeon – either one, you're very good at it. The kind of surgeries that are assigned are less stressful than working for emergency surgery. It's not easy to stay calm when you're trying to save someone who's been shot or in an accident. If you choose to run a chain tea shop, it's fun for you, but there are periods when you struggle with money. I've also seen visions where you become a pharmaceutical scientist – research and making medicine," Lincoln explained.
"Hmm," Stella tapped her chin, "Which do you recommend?"
Lincoln summoned a light orb and showed her the visions, "I'd recommend becoming a general surgeon. I've seen visions where you save people's lives, remove tumors for patients diagnosed with cancer, do successful organ transplants and donations, and are a great teacher for new doctors. Plus, surgeons make good money."
Stella's eyes widened as she saw her future self, dressed in green scrubs and operating on patients. Some were in the emergency room, others for removing tumors, organ donations, and helping other doctors with operations like heart transplants. She gazed at the visions of her in the white coat talking to patients and students.
"Wow, that's really cool," Stella said.
"The future is what you make it. If you want this to happen, you have to work for it. It's not easy becoming a doctor, Stella. That's four years of college, four years of medical school, and four to five years of residency. That's thirteen years, so it'll take dedication and commitment if you want this. You have what it takes, Stella. I believe in you, but you have to believe in yourself, too," Lincoln stated.
"Oh, trust me. I will. I'll work hard for it. I don't give up."
Stella held her boyfriend close, both relishing the sensation of one another.
"Lincoln, I want us to live in a house when we finish college. A big house. It doesn't have to be a mansion, but I want it to be beautiful – for our kids," Stella said.
Lincoln nodded, "Yeah, one with space so that they can play outside and not be glued to their phones or tablets 24/7," Lincoln replied.
Stella turned around and held Lincoln's face, "Link, promise me that no matter what happens, that'll happen. You and me together."
Lincoln studied her face, "Stella, what's wrong? Why do you need me to promise that?"
"Because I know that your family is getting better, but I don't want you to be tied down to them. I know you love them, and they love you, but I want you to be free to pursue your dreams. I just don't want something happening that'll change our future," Stella explained.
Lincoln gently caressed her cheek, "Stella, it'll be okay. I promise. Nothing like that is going to happen. I didn't see that in my visions. You and I will be together like you want."
"But you said nothing is written in stone. You see all the possible futures, and anything can happen when a new future appears. I just want you and me to be happy together. Good things are happening to you and you deserve it . . . and so much more. I don't want that being ruined because of your family. You can't tell me they haven't messed up things for you in the past."
Lincoln couldn't argue with that. His family was a recipe for disaster in the past, but they have gotten better. He heard what his girlfriend was saying. A bright future was waiting for both of them, and she didn't want to lose it.
Lincoln held her hands, "I promise, Stella. I won't let anything change our future together. I love you."
Stella planted a long kiss on Lincoln's lips, "I love you too. Forever and always."
As they hugged passionately, they didn't know they were being watched by Lincoln's athletic sister, Lynn. What her brother's girlfriend said made her cringe with anger and anxiety.
'Of course, she wants to take Lincoln away from us and keep him all to herself,' Lynn thought. She sighed heavily, 'I don't want to ruin anything for him, but I need him. Maybe I can live close to him and work as a gym coach or as a scout. Just something! I'll shine his goddamn shoes if I have to. There's no way I'm ending up on the streets. He'll never let that happen. I'll find a way back to sports and do it without ruining anyone else's life.'
Lynn's dream
Lynn sat underneath the highway overpass, shivering and shaking from the cold. The rain never let up. Each exhale sent bursts of clouds that were clearly visible from her breath. Due to the weather, Lynn couldn't beg cars at the stoplight for change, so she dug in the garbage and found some food that looked more or less eatable.
'Wonder if Berny had better chances,' Lynn thought.
It was on the tip of her tongue to say 'luck,' but she hated that word so much that she trained herself not to say it. As she walked back, pushing the cart, her feet ached underneath her soaking wet shoes. Lynn noticed that her feet were hurting more with each passing day. Dark clouds came in, thunder erupting, and flashes of lightning.
When she got to the overpass bridge, she saw two homeless people lying by the wall, motionless and not breathing – they were dead. Lynn tried not to dread that, knowing they either died of starvation or hypothermia. It wasn't uncommon for this to happen. Even though Lynn had seen dead hobos before, it still always depressed her, and she feared that might be how she might end. Thinking about it gave her a chill worse than the cold wind – the kind of cold that goes into your bones.
She didn't see Berny anywhere when she got to their spot. At first, she sat down and waited a while, but once it got dark, Lynn got worried. She walked around to look for him. It started drizzling rain.
Lynn looked around the alleyways and poor neighborhoods where he'd usually go. There were abandoned shops, and homeless people used them to stay. The insides of those places looked worse than the outside. There was trash and debris in every room, graffiti on the walls, and the place reeked worse than a dirty public restroom.
Finally, she found him. He was leaning against the wall, wheezing and coughing – he didn't sound good.
Lynn approached him from behind and patted his back, "Berny? Berny, you don't sound too good."
"I don't feel too good either," Berny replied.
He turned, and Lynn saw blood coming from his mouth and dripping from his beard. Lynn got goosebumps seeing that. Blood was coming straight from his lungs, and it was a whole mouthful. That is so not good at all. Lynn did her best to wipe the blood from his beard with a rag, but it wasn't much. Berny was mumbling as Lynn was cleaning his beard. Lynn couldn't make out most of what he was saying, but she heard 'my son' more than once. She didn't dare ask any questions that would cause his heart more pain.
As she was taking Berny back to their spot at the overpass, guys were arguing in the streets. They looked like gangsters. Then the worst happened. They pulled out guns and shot at each other, turning the argument into a gunfight. The shots were loud, and Lynn was terrified as she and Berny ducked flat on the ground. One of the gangsters fired an SMG and sprayed bullets all over, with the bullets ricocheting off the walls. Lynn waited for the gunfire to die down a little before moving. When it did, she lifted her head to see that most of the gangsters were either dead or gone. Their fight moved around the corner.
"Okay, Berny, let's get out of here," Lynn said.
However, Berny wasn't moving. Lynn shook him, "Berny? Berny? Come on, we gotta go!"
Her hand felt wet, and she looked at it; she saw fresh blood. She turned Berny over to see his eyes open, not breathing, and blood coming out of his mouth and two holes in both his chest and back. Lynn gasped in fright. The rain turned from a drizzle into a heavy shower.
"No! No, no, no, no! Berny! No!" Lynn screamed.
She shook Berny, but it was no use. He was dead, dead as a doornail. Lynn's heart was pounding in her chest, tears streaming down her face, and rainwater dripped off her face. Then, more gunfire erupted, making her flinch, followed by police sirens. Lynn was now in a cold sweat as she panted, looking around everywhere. She needed to get out of there but felt she couldn't just leave him there.
"I'm sorry, Berny! I'm so sorry!" Lynn sobbed as she got up.
She sprinted away through the maze of alleyways. Her feet splashed in the puddles of water as she ran. Fear gripped her as she ran. She wasn't ready to die, not like this. It was impossible for her not to cry as she ran. Berny was killed in the cold, dirty streets – wrong place, wrong time. Thinking about dying like that filled Lynn with so much anxiety that she felt like throwing up.
She ran and ran until she came to a fenced junkyard. She climbed it but stopped at the top when she saw the junk and the massive mud puddle. She wobbled on the fence, losing her balance.
"Ah! Ah, ah, oh!" Lynn yelped as she tried to maintain her balance, "Ah, fuck it."
Lynn fell forward face down into the mud, making a loud splash. Even in the rain, Lynn's nose was filled with the nauseating stench of the muddy filth. It was definitely mud mixed with garbage and, most likely, dog feces. Lynn lay there for a long while, weeping. Never in all her life has she ever felt so worthless. She felt worse than a homeless stray. She felt like an animal.
"Is this what I am now? An animal?" Lynn asked herself, "This is no life for a person! Why?!"
After a long while of sobbing and soaking in the mud, she mustered the strength to get up. Lynn shivered from both the cold and her sorrow. Lynn held her arms as she wandered through the junkyard ankle-deep in mud, finding shelter. There was nothing but junk everywhere. She spotted a tool shack outside the junkyard. The problem was that Lynn had to climb over the fence. As she headed toward the fence, she felt a sharp and intense pain in her left foot.
"Ah!" Lynn exclaimed.
She ached and writhed in pain. Something sharp was in her foot and hurt even more as she lifted her foot. She looked down to see she stepped on something sharp – a piece of wood with a long, sharp nail. As if things couldn't get any worse, Lynn heard growling. She turned to see guard dogs. Big rottweilers. They snarled and barked. Lynn ran as fast as she could through the mud with the dogs chasing her. She made it to the fence and climbed. By the time she made it to the top, one of the dogs bit her left ankle. Lynn cried out in pain as she desperately shook him off. When he finally let go, Lynn rushed over the fence and fell on her back. She groaned as she rolled over to crawl away from the guard dogs barking and snarling. She staggered over to the tool shack. Thankfully, the door wasn't locked so that she could get in. It wasn't much, but at least she was out of the rain.
Now that she could rest, Lynn finally let herself cry to let it all out. Even though she was freezing cold, she was able to fall asleep. The next day, she saw the police talking to all the homeless people at the overpass. She didn't see her cart – probably stolen already. The police were rounding them, telling them they couldn't stay. Lynn let out a heavy sigh, knowing she'd have to find somewhere else. She was now walking with a limp. She snuck around a place that had a hose and washed herself off before anyone noticed. The sun was finally out after all that rain to dry her off, but it didn't do much for her smell.
A day or so later, Lynn found another spot in an alleyway. She found a big cardboard box to use. She was back to square one – rattling a cup, begging for change.
"Spare change?" Lynn asked a man walking by.
He didn't even look at her, let alone give her anything.
"Spare change, miss?" Lynn requested.
Then Lynn heard a voice that she wasn't expecting at all.
A woman spoke, "Lynn? Lynn, is that you?!"
She turned toward the voice, and her eyes were wide open. The woman was slightly younger than Lynn. Her clothing was gothic, with black boots, purple leggings, a black and grey shirt, and a black coat. She had black hair tied in a ponytail with her bangs covering her eyes. Lynn recognized her even in her adult state. Though her bangs covered her eyes, Lynn knew she was shocked to see Lynn, especially with her jaw hanging.
"Lucy?" Lynn spoke.
End of Lynn's dream
Lynn opened her eyes to see that she was in her room feeling dread. It's funny how depression can make you feel heavy. Lynn groaned as she rubbed her face and her eyes.
"Nope, nope, nope. I'm not listening to you, so shut up," Lynn told herself.
Lynn sat up straight while pushing her bangs out of the way.
"Just get out of my head, please," Lynn moaned.
Lynn let out a heavy sigh.
"It's just stupid dreams. Stupid nightmares, that's all they are. They're not real. They're not happening. Just focus on Lincoln. Lincoln is my remedy. He's my remedy. There's no way he'd let that happen," Lynn said to herself.
She got up and went to the bathroom. After she left, Lucy opened her coffin and lifted her head.
"What nightmares haunt you, Lynn? What dreams trouble you?" Lucy asked, "What do you mean that Lincoln is your remedy?"
Later
The day of Lincoln and Clyde's first concert to see Smooch had finally come, and they were so excited that they couldn't contain themselves. Despite the sisters' warnings to Lincoln about Luna possibly ruining his first concert, Lincoln wasn't worried as he showed them the future of him and Luna having a good time. As they waited in the ticket line, Luna told Lincoln and Clyde her story of how music changed her life. Watching Mick Swagger perform was mesmerizing to Luna. Lincoln and Clyde were enthralled and amazed.
The stadium was packed; there were flashing lights, fog machines, and the greatest band ever, Smooch! Each song kicked ass and took names. The trio danced to the music – it gave them an adrenaline rush. They were sweating a little. The lights flashed in different patterns and colors, going with the rhythm of the songs. Lincoln took some selfies with Luna and Clyde. A few were of them making funny faces.
"Thank you so much, everyone! This next song is pretty special. It's brand new, and it goes out to someone extraordinary. Someone very special. You've probably heard of him. He's a big deal here in Royal Woods, and the best part is, he's right here in this stadium," the lead singer, Pucker, stated.
The crowd got excited as they chatted to each other. Luna nudged her brother with a grin and a wink. Lincoln's eyes widened as he glanced back at Smooch.
"That's right! Our hero! Our boy! Our main man!" Pucker hollered as a spotlight shined on Lincoln, Luna, and Clyde, "The Hero of Royal Woods, Lincoln Loud!"
Lincoln and the others looked to see themselves on the big plasma screen on stage, showing they were on camera. Everyone around Lincoln turned to him. The crowd cheered and went wild. Lincoln nervously smiled and waved at everyone. Luna got excited as she held her brother from behind with a big smile and waved. Several people squeezed Lincoln a bear hug; one of them was a tall hot woman with big boobies – Lincoln could smell the perfume on them. Almost all of them took group selfies with him. Lincoln, Luna, and Clyde smiled and posed in the selfies.
"Lincoln Loud! This song is going out to you, brother!" Pucker called.
The next song they played was called 'Under My Wings.' It sounded similar to 'Complacency' by Years Later. It was awesome. The singing, the music, it was all awesome. The crowd cheered, and before Lincoln, Luna, and Clyde knew it, the crowd lifted them, and the three were crowd-surfing closer to the stage.
"Woo-hoo!" Lincoln hollered.
"Yeah!" Clyde cheered.
The lights flashed with the music, and the fog made the broken lights look even more epic. Once they got close to the stage, Pucker and his bandmates pulled them up on the stage to rock out with them. When it was over, the crowd cheered and went crazy. Lincoln felt light as a feather.
Pucker spoke in Lincoln's ear, "Your sister told us you know how to play, and she says you have a great voice. I saw a video, and you sound awesome. Wanna play us a song?"
"Me?! Oh, I couldn't!" Lincoln said.
"Come on, bro! Please!" Luna begged.
Pucker asked the audience, "Would you believe me if I told Lincoln can rock?!"
The big plasma screen played a YouTube video of Lincoln playing with Luna and her band. The video had three million views! Lincoln turned to Luna, and she gave an innocent shrug. Lincoln sighed with a smile and then laughed. Then he turned to Pucker with a nod.
"He said yes!" Pucker hollered.
They gave him a guitar, and Lincoln knew what song to play. He told Pucker in his ear, and he said, "Now that's a song!"
He told the other bandmates, and they knew that song well and how to play it. It was a good song, and ironically, it fit Lincoln almost too well. 'Leader of the Broken Hearts' by Papa Roach. Lincoln sang as he played the guitar.
'All the lies I told and now the truth,
Here I am with nothing left to lose,
Now that I'm crawling in my skin,
Maybe it's time I just give in,
And become the leader of the broken hearts,
Pucker handed Luna a microphone. Her eyes widened with stars in them, and then she smiled as she stood next to her brother. They looked at each other and nodded with a smile. The lights from the stage made each other glow a bright outline, looking epic. Lincoln and Luna both sang together.
'And now I finally know what it feels like
To risk everything and still survive
When you're standing on the battlefield
And all the pain is real
That's when you realize
That you must've done something right
Cause you've never felt so alive!'
The two Louds sounded better when they sang together, and the crowd liked it. Lincoln nailed the guitar solo, and Luna's vocals held up, as did Lincoln's. The crowd cheered Lincoln's name as he took a bow before hugging his sister and best friend. Luna was so happy that she cried joyful tears and planted a long kiss on Lincoln's head. Her heart was full of pride and joy as was Lincoln's. Lincoln's family saw the whole thing back home and were left in awe.
A week passed since the concert. Lincoln's popularity continued to grow, making him a celebrity. He kept his promise to practice with Luna and her band. Lynn continued attending classes, hitting the books, and doing assignments without playing sports while avoiding almost everyone. When she sat outside to eat lunch, Margo and Paula sat across from her.
"Hey Lynn," Paula said in a friendly tone.
"Hey guys," Lynn mumbled.
There was a long pause before Margo spoke, "How are you holding up?"
"I'm fine."
"You don't sound fine. Is it being off sports?" Paula asked.
Lynn sighed, "That . . . and among other things."
"Lynn, don't stress about Scoots. She had it coming," Margo said.
"Yeah, but I'm still off sports . . . and if I don't get my grades back up, I'll be held back."
"School's almost out in a month and a half. How are you going to get your grades back up before then?" Paula asked.
"I won't. I'll have to take summer school," Lynn answered before sipping her drink.
"Oh, that sucks. But after summer school and next semester starts, do you think you'll be back on the team?" Margo asked.
"I doubt it. After what happened, I'm not sure anyone wants me on their team."
"We do!" Margo and Paula said in unison.
"But it's not up to you, is it?"
Margo and Paula were silent.
"Look, guys, I miss being on the team as much as you do. But this is where I am. I don't know if they'll ever let me play after this. I doubt it, and if that's the way it is, so be it," Lynn said.
"But you love sports! What are you going to do if you can't have sports?" Paula questioned.
Lynn stared out into nothing. Flashes of her nightmares appeared right before her eyes, but she focused on Lincoln.
"I don't know, but . . . I got my family to help me," Lynn said.
Later
As Lincoln and Clyde walked home, they were approached by two familiar and unwelcoming faces, Hank and Hawk. The meathead bullies, and they didn't look very happy as they marched over to the two. While Clyde looked scared, Lincoln wasn't the least bit afraid.
"Lincoln Loud! You're gonna pay for getting us trapped in a garbage truck!" Hank said.
They both cracked their knuckles as they glared at the white-haired boy. They hoisted them up by their collars. Clyde held his arms up to protect his face while Lincoln remained calm.
"And don't think you being famous is gonna scare us!" Hawk stated.
"No? What about my sisters? Do they scare you?" Lincoln asked.
The two meatheads laughed.
"Why would we be scared of a bunch of girls?" Hank asked.
"Maybe they'll show you," Lincoln answered.
A shadow cast over the two bullies, and they heard growling, which gave them chills and goosebumps. They slowly and nervously turned around. Behind them were nine angry sisters, each grinding their razor teeth, clinching their fists, and their angry eyes glowing red. Their growls were similar to jaguar growls. Hank and Hawk's pupils shrank to tiny dots as they dropped Lincoln and Clyde. Then the girls lunged toward them like a prowl of jaguars or a pride of lions, and a brawl cloud covered them as the girls were beating the snot out of them. Lynn was especially going at them, unleashing her anger on them. Lincoln and Clyde could see anything inside the dust cloud except for some fists and feet swinging out.
The fighting moved down the street over the hill. Hawk was screaming as he was running away. He had a bloody nose and missing teeth, his hair was messy, his clothes torn, and scratches all over him. As he ran, Lana lassoed him and pulled him back, screaming over the hill. Once he was out of sight, an explosion with a mushroom cloud erupted. It was like a scene from the Texas episode in SpongeBob. Even Clyde's scream sounded like SpongeBob's.
"It's okay, Clyde. I saw this coming in my visions. I just showed my sisters and . . . well, they clearly had something to say to those meatheads," Lincoln said.
"You saw it in your visions?" Clyde asked.
Lincoln nodded.
"Oh? So, what happens now?"
Lincoln pulled out a light orb, "Now, my sisters are going to whip me into shape and teach me martial arts so that I can protect you and our friends from these three bullies."
The light orb showed three 8th graders picking Lincoln and his friends. Then Lincoln showed a different outcome where he puts them in their place.
"Oh, okay. Well, don't hurt anyone too badly, Lincoln," Clyde said.
"Don't worry, I got this," Lincoln assured.
Clyde raised an eyebrow looking at the light orb, "What's with the black karate gi and the red headband? And is that a tiger on your back?"
"That's all Lynn. Think of it as her training me into a karate warrior," Lincoln smiled.