I do not own The Loud House. All rights belong to Nickelodeon.
Chapter 29
Lincoln, Lynn, and Rita returned home. Lynn Sr. was in his bedroom on his laptop. Luan was in the kitchen cooking dinner with Luna. The rest watched Lana and Lucy play video games in the living room. They were taking turns playing Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2. Lincoln carried Lynn's backpack and duffle bag. While Lana and Lucy looked invested in the game, Lori, Lola, and Lisa looked a little bored – Leni was somewhat excited as she watched. However, they all lit up when Lincoln came in.
"Hey everyone, guess what? Lynn made the soccer team!" Lincoln announced.
Everyone cheered and praised her.
"Thanks, but I wouldn't have made it in if it weren't for Lincoln. He found a way to convince the coach," Lynn stated and then turned to him, "And I'm still surprised that you didn't use your future vision powers. Anyway, I stink and need a shower."
As she went upstairs, Lori called to her brother.
"Lincoln!" Lori called, getting his attention, "Get your boney butt over here, mister!"
"Yeah, we wanna cuddle with our Linky!" Leni called with begging eyes and hands reaching out.
"I'm coming, ladies. I'm coming. Don't worry. Your favorite brother is on his way," Lincoln said, putting Lynn's backpack in the dining room.
"Come heeeerrrrrreee!" Leni whined.
When Lincoln walked over to the couch, Lori pulled him and squeezed him in her arms as she lay down. When Lori lay on the sofa with Lincoln in her arms, Leni lay down with her head resting on Lincoln's chest so she could be in his arms. Lincoln relished being both in Lori's arms and having Leni in his. Rita went into the kitchen to help make dinner.
"So, Lincoln, Lynn did okay at soccer?" Lori asked.
"She did great. I convinced the coach by showing her how good Lynn is. The best part is I didn't have to use my powers, and Lynn was super surprised by that. At the end of it, it really made her feel better," Lincoln answered.
They played some more until Lynn finished her shower. She came down to be with her siblings and watched them play. However, Leni remembered something.
"Oh wait! I remembered!" Leni said, getting up and pulling out her phone, "Lincoln, in my dream, that's actually a future vision; you had black highlights in your white hair."
Lincoln and the others looked at the photo taken from Lisa's dream reader. Leni pulled out a box from her bag. It was a black dye kit.
"You got to let me give you black highlights! Pleeeeaaaassssseeee! You'll look so handsome, like one of those famous and creative artists," Leni pleaded.
"Hmm," Lincoln hummed.
Lincoln examined the black dye and then remembered Luan had different colored wigs in her room. He teleported there and grabbed the ones that had his sisters' favorite colors. He approached Lori and held a strand of light blue wig hair next to Lori's blonde hair. She and the others looked at him, confused, with a raised eyebrow. He did this to all the other girls except Lucy. Lincoln used a white wig with her because her hair was already black. Leni light green, Luna purple, Luan yellow, Lynn red, Lucy white, Lola pink, Lana dark blue, and Lisa dark green.
"Hmm, yeah . . . yeah," Lincoln hummed to himself.
"What are you thinking, Lincoln?" Lori asked.
"I think we should all colored highlights, each person with their matching color," Lincoln answered.
The sisters all raised their eyebrows wide-eyed.
"All of us? With our favorite colors?" Lynn asked.
"Yeah. It's summer. We can try something new together as a family. A new look to spice things up for the summer. Also, Lynn, I thought some red hair could distract you from your scar. I know it's been bothering you," Lincoln explained.
Lynn nodded, "You're right about that."
"I can dig some color in my hair," Luna smiled.
"Totes! It would so match my dress," Leni agreed.
Lucy looked at the white wig, "Some white in my dark hair? Okay."
Luan looked at herself in a mirror, "Me with a yellow ponytail? Sure, why not?"
"Ooo! Ooo! Yeah! I definitely want to dye my hair!" Lana said excitedly.
Lori turned to Rita, "Mom?"
"If that's what you want, then okay. Bear in mind that color dye doesn't come out for a long time. So, you should be absolutely sure it's what you want," Rita explained.
Lincoln summoned a light orb to show what they all looked like with their color highlights. Some of the girls' eyes sparkled while others, like Lori, Lola, and Luan, nodded with satisfied grins. They all agreed to it. Once dinner was ready, the whole family came to the table, but it was quiet when Lynn Sr. joined. Lincoln broke the silence.
"Hey, Dad, there's a cool documentary by the History Channel called The Food That Built America. It talks about how the most iconic foods we know today got made, not just food," Lincoln spoke.
Lynn Sr. raised an eyebrow, "Really?"
"Yeah, it talks about candy, cereal, beer & alcohol, soda, meat, donuts, cake, frozen foods, pizza, and several others. Big food brands like Coca-Cola, Hersey, Dunkin Donuts, and McDonald's are shown there and how it all started, and some of it is kind of interesting. For example, you know the corn flake? The cereal that dominates the breakfast food all over the world?" Lincoln explained.
Lynn Sr. nodded.
"It was made by accident."
This got everyone's attention.
"Wait, what?!" Lola asked, baffled.
"What do you mean by accident?" Luan questioned.
"John Kellogg ran this wellness center in Battle Creek, Michigan. You see, back in the day when there was no refrigeration, food was usually . . . god awful, especially in the cities. We're talking spoiled meat, fish that was off, and fruits and vegetables that weren't right. So, many people who lived in cities suffered stomach pain and health problems. One of the benefits of living on a farm or ranch was the food was fresh from the livestock. This was not the case for cities, though. So, Dr. John Kellogg worked to help people's wellness and made cereal to help people's stomach problems. He made granola. Today, cereal is an everyday food, but back then, you could only get it at Battle Creek's Sanitorium because it was medicinal food. The idea was it was food that was sensitive to the stomach – food that wouldn't upset your stomach. John's brother William thought it should be available everywhere. Anywhere, here's where the flake comes in. Will accidentally left a bowl of dough with the whole grain all night. He tries to salvage it by putting it in the roller anyway, and that's how he got the flake," Lincoln explained.
Everyone was stunned.
"So, the creation of the cereal flake was totally an accident, but Will Kellogg created a potentially multi-billion dollar global legacy just like that?" Lynn Sr. asked.
"Yep," Lincoln nodded.
"Huh," Luna said.
"Well, that's something," Lori said.
"The documentary explains it better. We can watch some of it together if you'd like," Lincoln proposed.
Lynn Sr. smiled, "I'd like that."
After dinner, they got together in the living room and watched some episodes. Lincoln was right about it being interesting, especially to Lynn Sr. The sisters and Rita's conversations with Lynn Sr. were short, or at least he did most of the talking, and they said little. It was a small start of them bonding with him, but a start nonetheless.
However, Lynn Jr. dreaded the night when they all went to bed. She knew that she had to believe in herself, as her brother said, but strangely enough, a part of her was curious about how the bad dreams would end—like a tragic story, you wonder how it'll end.
Lynn's dream
The Loud sisters stayed at a luxury hotel for a couple of nights. However, when they got to the hospital to visit Lynn, she awakened. When she saw her leg missing, Lynn shrieked and screamed while trying to get the cords and wires out of her.
"Lynn! Lynn! Calm down!" Lucy shouted while trying to stop her.
Lana and Luna ran over to try to stop her, but it was useless. Lynn panicked and struggled fiercely. The nurses rushed in to calm her as they held her down. The sisters backed away, and the sight of it broke their hearts. Most of them couldn't hold back their tears as they held each other close. Lucy's hands trembled, and she panted.
Two men held Lynn back while another nurse prepared the syringe. Lynn glanced at him preparing it and then turned to her sisters. Even though her heart was beating out of her chest, she showed calm but utter sad desperation. Her eyes were so big, the tears streaming down her face, her lower lip quivering, and her eyelids red and wet. Despite all her fear and anxiety gripping her, it was as though she had a moment of clarity. She spoke her following words as if they would be her last as they injected the needle into her.
"Guys . . . "
. . . please . . .
" . . . don't tell Lincoln."
The nurse pushed the plunger, sending the serum into her veins. Two seconds later, Lynn's head fell back, and her whole body fell limp. None of the sisters knew if it was the words or the way Lynn said it, but a very ungodly cold chill went through their spines, and for a moment, it felt as if their hearts skipped a beat. Lucy felt what she witnessed would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Lincoln talked with his co-director and his crew about having to leave for a family emergency. They understood completely and assured him they'd be fine finishing the movie independently. Lincoln flew as fast as he could in his private jet. It was really something: comfortable leather seats, a couch, and a TV. Along the way, he told his assistant everything about Lynn – about how she disappeared, how he searched for her, and how recently his sisters told him she was alive and homeless.
"Homeless, sir? She's been homeless all this time? For over 20 years?" Courtney asked.
Lincoln nodded, lying down on the couch, "I just . . . I don't understand how this happened. I searched so hard and for so long. I checked unidentified bodies, Courtney. Unidentified bodies. And believe me, there were so many that looked like her. I almost hoped that one of them actually was her just so we could finally have an answer to the question of what happened to her. The not knowing was the worst. Have you ever heard of Chris McCandless?"
"Uh," Courtney spoke with an uncertain tone.
"Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer? No? Anyway, Chris McCandless was a real person who disappeared and tried to live off the land in Alaska. Do you know what happened to him? He died of starvation. His body was found in an old, wrecked, abandoned bus by moose hunters. For years, I kept expecting that call, that somebody found a woman, and she identified as Lynn. Christ alive! It took me years to let her go. Years Courtney . . . and now she's alive? How am I supposed to process that?" Lincoln questioned.
He rubbed his forehead while Courtney was thinking of what to say.
"Sir, I don't have the answers to this. I don't know how this happened, but if she's alive, then she needs her family. So, let's focus on one problem at a time," Courtney suggested.
Lincoln sighed heavily, "You're right."
His plane jumped from Japan to Hawaii and from California to Michigan. While in California, Lincoln stopped by his house real quick to pick up his new phone while his wife and kids were out. In Michigan, an SUV limo was waiting for him, and it took him straight to the hospital where his sisters were. He texted his sisters that he arrived, and Lana was the first to see it.
"Lincoln's here. I just texted him which floor we're on," Lana informed.
Within five minutes or so, they spotted him in the hall. However, what they saw surprised them. Even though they saw Lincoln's muscles through the video call, seeing him up close was more impressive. Lincoln was big and very strong with his solid-as-rock muscles. He outgrew all his sisters at a towering 6ft 5.
Lincoln turned to see them, "Girls!"
He and the sisters ran and embraced in a group hug. Lincoln was so big that he could almost hug all of his sisters in his arms. After the group hug, Lincoln hugged each of his sisters individually. Lucy couldn't help but tear up as she stood before Lincoln, and he knew why. They held each other close in their hug, and Lucy deeply relished being buried in her brother's arms.
"Are you all okay? How are you holding up?" Lincoln asked.
"We're fine," Luan said.
"I don't know if 'okay' is the word we'd use at this point," Lola answered.
Luna sighed, "We're doing as well as we can."
Lincoln nodded.
"So . . . she's really alive? She's here?" Lincoln questioned.
Lori nodded, "Yes . . . she's in there, sleeping."
"Please don't wake her. Let her rest," Leni begged.
"Okay," Lincoln said.
Lucy and Lori held his hands as they walked into the room. Lincoln's eyes were wide open as he looked upon his long-lost sister. His eyes twitched as they watered. He softly gasped as he took several sharp inhales through his nose. Lincoln felt weak to the knees for the first time in a long time.
For so long, Lincoln searched for Lynn. He searched for the longest and harder than anyone else. He was the last to let her go. He hoped. He prayed. He kept that glimmer of a chance that Lynn would return – that they would find her. Like his sisters, he had really had to push hard to let her go. Now, after over two decades, here she was, lying right in front of him. Lincoln slowly walked over to look at her closely and gently moved some strands of hair out of the way.
"It's really her," Lincoln whispered.
Lori nodded while trying so hard not to cry, "It is. It's her."
Leni wiped her tears, "This is our Lynn."
They sat around and watched her sleep for a while.
"Mom, Dad, and Lily don't know . . . do they?" Lincoln asked.
"Negative. Informing them might give our parental units a heart attack, and Lily needs to study. Telling them would do more harm than good. We need to tell them in the right settings," Lisa stated.
Then, a doctor entered and quietly knocked, getting their attention.
"I don't mean to interrupt, but there are some things about Lynn's health that need to be addressed," the doctor spoke.
Everyone glanced at each other pensively.
Lori was the first to get up, "What things?"
"Well, we did some tests while she was resting and . . . it's not good. Let's talk in my office."
End of Lynn's dream
Lynn woke up to the sound of her alarm and hit the snooze button. She had mixed feelings about the dream but didn't feel as much bad and dread like previous dreams. She took an anti-depressant and got ready for summer school. Thankfully, it was Friday, so the weekend was very close. The day dragged on, but it finally ended. Of course, Mrs. Salter's kind support made it easier.
Lori and Leni bought color dye for everyone. They chatted in the bathroom while playing music on a stereo as they waited for the dye to do its work on their hair – thankfully, it didn't burn or give them a rash. After they rinsed their hair, they looked at themselves in the mirror.
"Huh. Okay, this turned out better than I thought," Lori said while straightening her hair.
"Wow, I look good," Leni said before drying her hair.
"I look rocking. I bet Sam's gonna love this," Luna said with a smile.
"Hmm, interesting," Luan said, moving her head from side to side.
"Okay, you were right, Leni. Black highlights with my white hair does make me look like an artist," Lincoln said.
"Told you," Leni said with a smile.
"I love my new look. Now, I'm wondering if I can get a black and white dress to go with my hair," Lucy said, looking at herself in the mirror.
"Maybe Leni and I can make you one," Lincoln said, drying his head.
"I look awesome," Lana said, looking in the mirror.
"Me too. Pink's always suited me," Lola said with a grin.
"I admit, this new look intrigues me," Lisa said.
Lynn looked at herself for a long while. Her bangs and the end of her hair were dyed red, and like Luan, her ponytail was in her signature color. Seeing herself like this gave her a new feeling that filled her with curiosity. Lynn especially loved that Lincoln was right about the new color covering her scar. Lincoln was right over her shoulder, and their sisters were all around behind her.
"Well . . . how do I look?" Lynn asked nervously.
"Like an athlete . . . an awesome athlete," Lincoln answered.
"Yeah, you look like someone who gets in the game," Lori added.
"So, I look good?" Lynn asked, moving some of her hair.
Lincoln hugged her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, "Absolutely. Small things can make up for the bigger things. Trying new things like dying your hair can spark confidence."
Lynn looked at her brother in the mirror before she held his arms and closed her eyes while resting her head against his. The stereo played the clean version of Angels & Demons by jxdn. When the song was over, Lincoln spoke.
"You're going to be okay, Lynn. We're here for you . . . all of us," Lincoln said.
Lynn gently nodded.
That night, they watched Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Life that summer for Lincoln Loud consisted of him with his sisters and his friends when he was not working on his art.
For Lori, Lincoln would go with her for a morning jog. Upon returning home, they'd finish with some yoga. Lincoln would lift weights and hit the punch bag, but it wasn't as intense as when he trained with Lynn. He still wasn't okay with the bruises he gave her. When Lincoln and Lori weren't exercising together, they played video games with Lana. Sometimes, it was the PS2 games, and sometimes, it was online games like War Thunder.
For Leni, Lincoln would help with her fashion projects. Since Leni taught him how to cut and sew, Lincoln was about to help her make stuff. They made summer dresses, pants, shorts, sleeveless jackets, and, for Lucy, a black and white dress to go with her hair. Lincoln loved the stuff Leni made for him, and she enjoyed the things he helped create for her. When they weren't making stuff for fashion, they hung out together at the mall with her friends and the arcade, and Leni even took Lincoln with her to a few parties. There wasn't any alcohol or drugs at those parties that her friends invited her to. So, it was cool for him and even Stella to come. They had a lot of fun dancing and playing games.
For Luna, Lincoln practiced with her and the Moon Goats, and his skills continued to grow. He enjoyed playing his black-and-white Ace of Spades guitar. They performed at several concerts, both big and small, throughout the summer, but their goal was to play at the Battle of the Bands contest. The winner gets not only a big trophy and plays live on TV but also a record deal. They'd grab a bite at the Burpin Burger when they weren't practicing music.
For Luan, she and Lincoln would explore all sorts of things to cook, bake, fry, and make together. She liked his judgment on taste and flavor. Lincoln would also be her assistant for her comedy business. She was the comedian, so Lincoln mainly followed her lead, but some of his magic tricks worked in her favor, and he even taught her a few tricks. When they weren't cooking or doing comedy, they'd watch try not to laugh videos together – some of them were hard, and they burst out laughing. Sometimes, they'd watch them with their romantic interests – Luan's boyfriend, Benny, and Lincoln's girlfriend, Stella. Of course, they laughed too.
For Lynn, Lincoln would help train her for soccer by doing exercises to make her legs strong and fast. Lynn kept Lincoln in shape. Lincoln made sure to keep it easy and not hurt her when sparring. When they weren't training, Lynn would chill with the rest of her family and watch Lincoln play video games. Everyone was interested in Lincoln playing Onimusha 2 since it had a good story, characters, and great action. There was a real tearjerker scene when Ekei told his backstory of how his castle fell and how he failed to save his daughter in the fire. When his daughter was born, he promised her that he would become a feudal lord and make her a princess – most of the sisters shed tears when he broke down crying. However, the sisters got even more engaged when that freaky demon woman killed Jubei's mom.
"Wait, what?!" Lynn exclaimed.
"She's dead?! That freaky fat demon lady killed her?!" Luan asked.
"Bogus! No way! You're telling me we were too late to save her?!" Luna questioned.
"No . . . no, no, no, no. Are you telling me that fat, ugly, freaky demon lady won? No way! Lincoln, you gotta kill her!" Lola said.
"Oh, I'll get her," Lincoln said.
"She's gonna get it," Lynn said.
With Lincoln's schedule with his family and friends, it took a while to get to the point where he faced her. It surprised the sisters that Lincoln had to kill the big four-legged demon boss again. The sisters all wanted to be there to see it. Of course, Lincoln beat her, and the sisters were satisfyingly pleased.
For Lucy, Lincoln would help with her dark fantasy vampire stories. She was writing a story similar to Demon Slayer, where not all vampires were bad, and it was about a vampire hunter teaming up with a female vampire to go after an evil vampire count. She called it The Phantom and the Shadow. He had some suggestions and ideas that Lucy liked, especially regarding the action. Lincoln even made some art for Lucy's story – characters, scenes, and the cover design. Lucy was so profoundly grateful that she subtly made the main character based on Lincoln.
For Lana, Lincoln went with her to the welding club and welded metal sculptures together. They worked together to bend, press, cut, and grind pieces of metal to weld them together to make robot statues, metal yard decorations like birds, spiders, lizards, bugs, animals, cars, and other objects, even for ones to hang on walls. Once the welding process was complete, they'd grind, polish, and then paint it. Lana and Lincoln were quite proud of their work. When they weren't welding, they played video games together.
For Lola, he helped with her photography hobby. Lola had an idea after watching the trailer for the movie Welcome to Marwen. She wanted to make an online comic series. Instead of drawings, it would use little plastic models and toys. Lincoln and Rita thought it was a great idea, but they suggested before she started taking photos, she should work on what makes any story work – plot and characters. Lola brainstormed ideas and came up with one similar to Toy Story but different. It was a comic story of toys struggling with the current times of how kids were playing with smartphones and iPads more than actual toys. Lola and Lincoln had a lot of fun setting up stages and backgrounds.
For Lisa, she needed someone to continue improving and perfecting her dream reading machine, and Lincoln happily volunteered. His brain activity fascinated Lisa. Her colleagues at the university were beyond amazed. Of course, Lisa had to keep some of the information about Lincoln in the hush-hush area not to reveal his powers. When they weren't doing science stuff, Lisa liked nothing more than spending an afternoon cuddling with her brother in his bead reading while he either played on his Nintendo Switch or read comic books. Despite being a genius, Lisa was still four years old. So, even though she never admitted it, she enjoyed being held and carried by Lincoln, which he had no problem with at all.
Lisa had developed a pill medication that suppressed Lynn's nightmares. It worked, but the side effects made her groggy in the morning. On top of all that, the ingredients to make them were difficult to acquire. So, there were nights when Lynn would get nightmares. Lincoln offered to use his teleportation powers to steal what she needed, but Lisa said no because the places with them were under surveillance, and she didn't want Lincoln to get in trouble.
Rita kept true to her word and made time to bond with her daughters. It was slow, but they connected. Although some of their conversations were bittersweet, as they talked about the future and how excited they were, they were also grateful that the bad futures didn't happen. Rita expressed pride that they changed for the better, and that's what matters the most. She and Lincoln were quite close as they talked about stories and characters.
With Lynn Sr., it was even slower. The sisters were more engaged with talking to their father, but the possible bad future that he'll reject Lincoln when he finds out about his powers was always at the back of their minds. It always hovered there, and they were more than willing to defend Lincoln. Lynn Sr.'s injuries were almost completely healed. All that was left was a hard plastic case for his leg and ankle. He could walk without crutches but still wasn't at the finish line.
Lincoln still made time to go on dates with his girlfriend Stella and hang out with his friends. With his teleportation powers, he could take his sisters, Stella, Clyde, and Ronnie Anne, anywhere in the world. He didn't wear the regular jean pants and orange collared shirt he usually wore. He wore his new clothes, both ones that were bought and ones made by Leni, more often.
*Scene cuts to Lincoln making an art with his computer*
Lincoln turns to the audience.
"Oh, hey. What's up? I got a new laptop with a touch screen so I can draw with a surface pen. It's pretty cool, but sometimes I still draw old-school with my colored pencils. By that long exposition, you can see I'm pretty busy. My summer life is mainly with my friends and family. All that stuff with my sisters and their thing, but there's one thing they all love."
Lincoln summons light orbs, showing his sisters all lying with him while cuddling. Some were two sisters with Lincoln, and others just one.
"Cuddles. They love it, and I'm fine with it . . . but yeah, my sisters need love, and thank goodness I have plenty to give. Which is ironic when you compare me to how this story began, but I digress. So, how are things with Lynn? They're good. Those anti-nightmare pills really helped her, and dyeing her hair definitely gave her a boost in confidence. Plus, me coming to all her soccer games definitely made her happy," Lincoln explained.
Lincoln worked on his art. He drew several different designs for the character Colton for Ernest's movie Beyond the Pages. Lincoln also drew some ideas for a few of the other characters in the film.
"It's been a month and a few days since we dyed our hair, and there's some good news. The new house is finally done! We're going to see it tomorrow, and after that, we pack up to move in. My sisters have been saying my bedroom's a surprise, so I'm pretty excited. Especially since Lori made it very clear that I'm not getting a closet for a bedroom, and I gotta tell ya (scoffs a chuckle), I sure as heck can't wait to get out of this ding-dang closet," Lincoln explained.
Lincoln added some finishing touches to the art pieces. He emailed them to Ernest, the director, to see – he knows he'll like them. He looked back at the audience.
"Summer's been great, but it hasn't been all smooth sailing. It's not bad or anything, but let me explain. Since summer started, my older sisters, not counting Lynn, have gotten summer jobs. Leni already has her job at the mall, but the others needed work, and they asked me with my future visions to see what was the best job to take. Lori got a job working at Gus's Games and Grub, Luan works at the Burpin' Burger with Benny, and Luna got a job working at the Burnt Bean coffee shop over at Fern Valley. It's not that far, and it's where her band performed there more than once. Anyway, it was all good at first, but then some things happened where they needed me or, more accurately, they needed the White Lion. What happened was what I call my 'oy and aye' stories. What do I mean by that? I'll show you," Lincoln explained, pulling some light orbs.
Lincoln pulled out some light orbs of the previous events with each of his sisters.
Lori:
Three bullies came and were making a mess in Gus's Game and Grub. They were making loud noises as they laughed, threw food at each other, and weren't using the arcade games properly. The manager was out on her lunch break, leaving Lori and her coworkers in charge. Lori's coworkers tried to get them to leave, but they just gave them wedgies. Lori had no problem turning them into human pretzels, but if she did that, she could get fired.
Two of the coworkers walked over to Lori. Their underwear was stretched over their faces, and they had popcorn buckets over their heads, making them wry in pain. Both boys were embarrassed as one of the female coworkers helped them get the buckets and underwear off.
"Don't worry, I know who to call," Lori said as she pulled her phone out, "Lincoln."
"Oy?" Lincoln asked.
"Some jerkwads are making a mess here at Gus's, and I can't beat the snot of them, or I'll get fired. So, get over here and bend them into human pretzels," Lori ordered.
"Aye," Lincoln said.
Lori hung up, "He's on his way."
"How long will that—?"
Lincoln opened the front door and walked over to Lori.
"There he is," Lori pointed.
"Wow, that was quick," a female coworker said.
"Lincoln," Lori pointed to the bullies, "Sick 'em!"
Lincoln dashed over to them, grabbed two of the bullies by the back of their heads, and smashed their faces together before smashing them into the ground. The third one quickly realized who Lincoln was and tried to make a run for it, but Lincoln caught him and bent him into a human pretzel – he screamed and yelped. Lincoln took them out front and threw them out.
"And stay out!" Lincoln yelled while waving his fist.
"Don't ever come back here again!" Lori shouted before they entered inside.
"Thanks, Lincoln," Lori's coworkers said.
"No problem," Lincoln said.
"You're a lifesaver, Linky," Lori said, hugging Lincoln, "Now we have a mess to clean up."
"I'll help," Lincoln said.
"No, we should do it."
"I'm here anyway. It's no trouble at all."
Lincoln helped Lori clean up the mess. After they were done, Lori was so grateful that she gave Lincoln a lot of free tokens and free lunch. After eating, Lincoln played some arcade games and won a bunch of tokens – he won the top score for Kung Fu Panda Dojo Mojo. Lincoln also won a cool pair of light-up headphones to give to Stella as a gift and an awesome Bluetooth speaker for himself.
There was a claw machine with really cool items, one of which was a plastic box with silver and light blue mermaid earrings worth at least 70 to 100 dollars. After two failed attempts, Lincoln finally got them and gave them to Lori. She squealed joyfully and smothered Lincoln's face with kisses.
Leni:
Leni's shop was just fine. It was the food court that was having problems. A group of five meatheads, like Hank and Hawk, were making a mess of things. They had the security guard hogtied and throwing food everywhere while playing forts with the tables and chairs.
"You got to be kidding me with this," Fiona said angrily.
"Those pigs are ruining everything here!" Miguel agreed.
"Relax guys. I know who to call," Leni said with a confident smile.
She pulled out her phone and called Lincoln.
"Oy?" Lincoln said.
"Linky, there's a group of meatheads making a mess of the food court. They got the security guard tied up. Can you come over here and kick their butts, please?" Leni requested.
"Aye," Lincoln said.
"Thank you!" Leni spoke joyfully before hanging up, "My brother's coming."
"When's he gonna—?"
"Hello!" Lincoln called.
Fiona and Miguel screamed in surprise. Miguel jumped into Fiona's arms.
"Geez, kid! Give us some warning!" Fiona stated.
"What are you? The Flash and Speedy Gonzales?" Miguel asked.
Lincoln shrugged, but he and Leni knew how he got there so fast.
"Anyway, there's the meathead bullies, Lincoln. Kick their butts!" Leni said.
Lincoln nodded, "Aye."
The group of vandals wasn't expecting to see Lincoln there, and he attacked them before they had a chance to defend themselves or to counterattack – Lincoln was so fast. Lincoln beat them into a pulp, swung them around in the air before slamming them into the ground, and had them hogtied. Both the staff of the mall's restaurants and the customers clapped and cheered. The police showed up just as he untied the security guard. Lincoln handed the cops all five of the meathead bullies vandals.
"Thank you, young man," the police officer said.
"No problem, officer," Lincoln said.
Like at Gus's, Lincoln got a free meal. He got spaghetti on a stick with some garlic bread rolls after he helped clean up the mess Hank and Hawk left behind. After that, he went with Leni to the store where she worked, where she talked to her boss about some of the clothes they made together and ideas for new fashion. She was impressed with some of the summer designs. While there, Lincoln talked to Fiona and Miguel.
"What necklace or jewelry does Leni like?" Lincoln asked.
"Hmm," Fiona hummed while tapping her chin, "Oh! She's been eyeing this for a while."
She showed Lincoln a gold bracelet with little metal blue, purple, and white flowers.
"Oh, that's pretty," Lincoln said.
"Yeah, those are Forget Me Not flowers. They're small but have a very romantic meaning behind them. This would make an extraordinary gift for anyone's beloved sweetheart," Miguel said.
"How much?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, it's $60, but after what you did today, we'll sell it to you for half off," Fiona said.
Lincoln bought it and returned to the food court, where Gavin was. As Lincoln approached him, Gavin raised an eyebrow.
"Gavin, I got a job for you," Lincoln said.
"A job?" Gavin asked.
Lincoln handed him the bag with the bracelet, "There's a beautiful blonde girl in that big store over there. She goes by the name Leni. You might know her. She's super nice and sweet. Here's what you gotta do. When you get off work, go to that store, walk up to Leni, give her this, and tell them you love her, you like her, and that she is the most beautiful and amazing girl in the whole world."
Gavin looked inside the small box to see the bracelet. His eyes widened, "Whoa, that's pretty."
"Yep, she'll love it."
"Thanks, man."
Lincoln waited until Gavin's shift was over. Then, Gavin followed Lincoln's instructions to the letter. After he showed her the bracelet, he told Leni everything Lincoln said for him to say. Leni squealed joyfully as she hopped up and down and jumped in Gavin's arms, kissing him passionately.
Lincoln nodded with a satisfactory smile. In the middle of the food court was a convenience stand that sold soda, potato chips, vape pens, and candy. Lincoln grabbed a bottle of Coca-Cola.
"On the house, brother," the convenience stand owner said with a slight Jamaican accent.
"Thank you. In fact," Lincoln grabbed another and placed it on the counter with some dollar bills, "Have one for yourself on me."
"Thank you, man. God bless you. Cheers," he said before tossing his bottle to Lincoln's and drinking his. Lincoln hung out at the comic book store until Leni's shift ended. When it was, Leni hugged Lincoln close from behind and planted a long, tender kiss on his cheek.
"You're such a gentleman, Linky," Leni said and whispered, "I know what you did for Gavin. That was real sweet of you."
"Ah well, Gavin's a really good guy. I thought I'd do something nice and live things up a little for you two," Lincoln replied with a smile.
"Well, aren't you the sweetest brother ever. Now, it's my turn."
Lincoln raised an eyebrow, "Your turn to what?"
"To help you with your partner. I have a few finishing touches for her dress. Let's go!" Leni said, taking Lincoln's hand.
Lincoln and Leni worked together on a beautiful summer dress for Stella. It was gorgeous, with bold red and black designs. Leni added the finishing touches and placed it in a box. Lincoln carried that and a small bouquet of flowers. He met up with their friends. Rusty and Zach had a good tip for a story for the news, and they needed to investigate. They were on tall ladders looking through windows, spying.
Leni waved, "Oh, Stella!" Lincoln's here with a—!"
"Leni! Shh!" Stella and the boys shushed.
Stella's ladder waddled and lost balance. It fell backward, and Lincoln rushed to catch her. Thankfully, he caught her just in time but lost his balance, and they fell on the grass with no injuries. The sudden rush left Lincoln a little dizzy, as did Stella. Then she saw the bouquet of flowers. She gasped with a smile as she smelled them. Then she let out a great gasp when she saw the dress, and her eyes sparkled.
"Leni and I made that together for you," Lincoln spoke.
Stella's eyes and lips quivered before she let out a happy squeal. Then she lunged toward the white-haired boy and planted dozens of smooches all over his face. Like Goofy when he was smothered with kisses from Sylvia when he gave her a bouquet of flowers, Lincoln was surprised by the sudden surprise of affection as he lay with his face riddled with kiss marks followed by a goofy smile and a rosy blush. Leni covered her mouth as she softly giggled.
"Oh, Linky, I love it! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! And thank you too, Leni!" Stella said as she squeezed Lincoln a hug.
"Like totes, no problem," Leni said.
Cuts back to Lincoln in his room
"Now, don't worry. My sisters weren't calling me to kick people's butts. They needed help, and not all of them needed a can of butt-kicking. For example, Luna needed me for a rock standoff at her coffee shop, and Luan needed my help with Maggie's birthday party. Turns out clowns aren't her thing . . . but mimes are," Lincoln explained.
Luna:
Luna calls Lincoln on her phone, "Yo, bro!"
"Oy?" Lincoln asked.
"There's some dudes from out of town who say that they're the best. The Moon Goats need to show these guys how we rock here in Royal Woods! I need my rock n' roll brother. So, get your boney butt over here, dude!" Luna said.
"Aye," Lincoln said.
Luna hung up her phone, "My little bro's on his way."
Mazzy spoke, "Great, how long will—?"
"There he is," Luna pointed.
They turned to see him walking in with his guitar case.
"That was wicked fast," Sully said with a raised eyebrow.
"Loving the colors, dude," Sam said, rustling Lincoln's hair before giving Luna a wry smile, "And yours."
Luna blushed with a smile. Then, the rock standoff began. The other band, the Howling Hounds, went first. Their songs were in an authentic punk rock style, and some weren't to everyone's liking.
Then Luna and the Moon Goats went next. Their songs were more classic and hard rock. Luna and Lincoln took turns singing the lyrics, and they sang together in harmony in some parts of their songs. The crowd loved the Moon Goats songs more. They definitely showed it by cheering more. It was clear that they won. Luna hugged her brother and kissed his head as he hugged her back.
Surprisingly, the other band took their defeat with strife and bought the Moon Goats coffee and drinks. Lincoln hung out with Luna and her bandmates. They were really excited about the Battle of the Bands contest.
Luan:
Luan calls Lincoln on her phone, "Lincoln."
"Oy?" Lincoln asked.
"I'm at Maggie's birthday party. I need a mime and your magic tricks. Get over here," Luan said.
"Aye," Lincoln said.
Luan hung up.
"Okay, he's on his way," Luan told Maggie's parents.
Maggie's mom asked, "Good. Do you know when he'll—?"
The fence door opened, and Lincoln walked in. He was dressed similarly to Luan, like a mime. While Lincoln's black highlights matched the color theme of mimes, Luan's yellow ponytail looked a little odd, but they made do.
"Wow, that was fast," Maggie's dad said impressed.
Lincoln and Luan walked up on stage. Maggie and all her friends were quiet goths and emos, just like Lucy. Luan and Lincoln started small, pretending they were trapped in boxes as the walls were closing in on them.
"Oh, I get it. They're like, trapped in a box. That's exactly how I felt when my mom said I couldn't dye my hair purple," Maggie said.
Her friends nodded in agreement.
Then Lincoln pretended he got in a canoe boat. He used his telekinesis powers to make himself move in the air, making Maggie and her friends gasp.
"How's he doing that?" a boy asked.
"I don't know. It's probably a magic trick. Magic tricks and mimes . . . nice," Maggie said.
Lincoln rowed near Luan and gestured for her to join him, which she did. They rowed around in the air, and Luan pretended to take pictures with a camera.
"Oh, I get it. They're in a canoe and rowing in a lake or a river. She's taking pictures with a camera. That's why I have so many pictures on my bedroom wall. Someone has to appreciate natural beauty," Maggie said.
Her friends nodded again.
Then Lincoln and Luan got up, and Lincoln pretended to press a button. He and Luan got in something and slowly went straight up in the air. Luan checked her wrist like she was looking at a watch, and Lincoln made hand gestures like he was texting on his phone.
"What are they doing now?" a girl asked.
"Oh, they're in an elevator going up," Maggie pointed out.
"I wish my life were going up instead of down," a boy said.
They did other stuff, and Lincoln used his powers to make themselves hover in the air or do some cool tricks like pretending they were pulling a rope and making a heavy box move closer to them. At the end, Maggie and her friends were pleasantly pleased – as far as goths and emos go. Luan, of course, was very grateful as she planted long and tender kisses on her brother's face before hugging him tightly. A single tear of happiness rolled down her cheek.
"Aww, they love each other so much. I wish I had a brother as great as hers," Maggie stated.
"Me too," a girl said.
"Me three," another girl said.
"Life would be a lot better with a sibling like him," a boy said.
Lincoln and Luan blushed while still hugging each other as they forgot they were still on stage.
Cuts back to Lincoln in his room
Lincoln turns to the audience, "Now when it comes to Lynn, it's different. She has gotten better, believe me. She really has, but she's not out of the woods yet, and no, that's not a pun. You see—"
Lincoln summoned a light orb to show everything he was saying.
"—the first soccer game, Lynn's team lost, and that really bummed her out. But in the second game, her team won. After winning two more games, with the fourth one, Lynn kicked the winning score, and she really got her confidence back. She was herself again. So, she wasn't depressed all the time . . . only sometimes. There are days where we get that confident Lynn Loud Jr. that we all know and love . . . and there are days where her depression kicks in, and all she wants to do is curl up in my arms as I hold her close. What makes her feel better the most is walking on the beach. Sometimes, she wants to walk a beach in the middle of the day, sometimes at night with a full moon, and sometimes at sunset or sunrise. So, I teleport her to a beach, and we walk peacefully with the water splashing our ankles and holding hands. I know you guys are worried, but don't be. She'll get there, I promise. Even the rest of my sisters need comfort. They're doing better than Lynn, but every now and then, they need me to comfort them," Lincoln explained.
The following day, the Loud family was up and ready. They drove to the new house. It wasn't that far from their old house—about a twelve—to fifteen-minute drive. The family was in awe of what they saw. The house was big and beautiful. With its white siding and grey roof, it looked similar to a beach house, especially with the widow's walk. It had a neat circular driveway for them to park up front, with a big garage house next to the main house.
When they walked in, each room left the Louds dazzled. There was more space; it was all so clean and new, and there were more bathrooms with showers for everyone. There were even two kitchens. A main kitchen downstairs and a small kitchen upstairs with a little stove and oven – nothing for big meals, but it would work for something like making small meals. The living room had extra elbow space. It was determined that there would be a big corner couch next to the fireplace. The bedrooms had more space, too, much to everyone's delight. Even the parents got a walk-in closet that they loved.
"This place is totes amazing!" Leni cheered.
"We love it!" the twins cheered.
"I can't wait to cook here!" Luan said joyfully.
"And these walls are soundproof. So, I can jam!" Luna stated.
"Uh, guys?" Lincoln spoke, "We looked at all of your rooms. Where's mine?"
The sisters and Rita glanced at each other with a smile.
Lori took Lincoln's hand, "That's the best part. Come see."
Upstairs were two big doors that anyone would mistake for a hallway closet. Instead, it was stairs. Lincoln glanced at the others with a raised eyebrow before going up the steps. At the top of the stairs was a final door. When Lincoln opened it, his jaw dropped, and his eyes were wide open as he gasped. The bedroom was identical to Arnold's bedroom in the show Hey Arnold!
However, it was slightly bigger, with a bathroom and shower on the other side of the room from the bed. The carpet was red with black Ace of Spades on it, like Ace Savvy. Other than that, it had everything like Arnold's bedroom: the same couch by the wall, the same cupboards and drawers in the wall by the bed, the same skylight windows, the same lights, and the same little stairs in the wall that led to the widow's walk.
Lincoln looked around in amazement, while his sisters weren't as surprised. They kept looking at Lincoln with a warm smile.
"This—! This is the surprise you were talking about?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes. We didn't just want you to have a real bedroom. We wanted you to have a great bedroom," Rita said.
"And you always said that Arnold's bedroom from the show was the best. So, we had your room to be special," Lori said.
"Oh, and check this out," Lynn said as she pressed a button on the wall.
An awning slowly moved over to cover the bedroom in a dark shade from the skylight windows. Lynn pressed it again to pull it back.
"That's so you sleep without the sun in your eyes or if you need shade for the TV or drawing," Lynn said.
"Speaking of which, we also bought a desk that's going over there by the wall. It's a cool desk for artists with an adjustable table so it can face you better. We found some neat new coloring sets for you," Rita said.
"Do . . . do you like it?" Leni asked.
Lincoln looked around the room, struggling to hold back his tears. He turned back to see all his sisters and mother with big, hopeful eyes and warm smiles. Lincoln's heart was overwhelmed with joy. Lincoln leaped into Lori's arms, and the others joined in on the group hug. Lincoln and his sisters wept happy tears. Rita smiled with quivering eyes. The sisters eased up so their mother could hug her son.
Lynn Sr. continued to gaze at the room and then turned to his son.
"This is uh . . . an amazing room," Lynn Sr. said.
"Yeah, I love it," Lincoln said.
"You want to trade?" Lynn Sr. asked.
"No way!"
"You sure? I mean, it'll get warm in the summer and—"
"Don't ruin it, Lynn," Rita said seriously.
Lynn Sr. shrugged, "What? I'm just—"
Some of the sisters, like Lori, Luna, Luan, Lynn, and Lola, were giving their father dirty looks as they crossed their arms.
"Lynn," Rita said firmly, "Can I speak to you in private?"
Rita took her husband downstairs and outside near the cars. While they were away, Lincoln sat on the couch, pulled his phone, and sent everyone some photos. They looked to see some images of what looked like 3D models of Lincoln's drawing of Colton.
Leni gasped, "Lincoln, is this from that movie director?"
Lincoln nodded, "Yep, from his upcoming movie Beyond the Pages. It's going to be sweet!"
That was enough to bring positivity to their conversation. Lynn Sr.'s greed almost ruined the moment, but Rita saved it. They talked some more about what they'll do with their new rooms. Lana and Lisa would be able to set up the beds to come together with a push of a button to keep up the bedroom clock. Although, Lincoln was eager to spend his nights in his new and totally awesome bedroom. That night, they packed everything. It was their last night in the old house. Come tomorrow, and they'll live in their new house from now on.
Lincoln, Lynn, and Lori stayed up late in the dining room. Dozens of boxes with stuff packed in them were all around the house.
"I literally can't believe we're moving into a better house. (scoffs) And it's all thanks to you, Lincoln," Lori stated.
Lincoln shrugged, "I saw how to get the lottery ticket, but you guys helped get it."
"Still, though," Lori held his hand, "A lot of good things have been happening thanks to you."
Lincoln smiled as they rubbed thumbs.
"I might miss this place," Lori said.
Lincoln looked around at the house before leaning back in his chair, "God . . . what a dump."
"What?" Lori said with a sarcastic smile and a tone of disbelief, "I thought you liked it here."
"No . . . I mean, I used to, but that was before Lucy was born. I was fine living with Lynn in the same room, but Mom and Dad kept having more babies, and this place got overcrowded fast. Then, my powers showed up . . . and I saw horrible things . . . and all I wanted to do was get out," Lincoln said.
That made Lori's smile disappear, and Lynn rubbed her eyes and face in self-loathing.
"I'm sorry, girls, I didn't mean to—"
"Don't be sorry, Lincoln," Lynn said, "You didn't do anything wrong. So, you got nothing to be sorry about . . . and to be honest, I'm glad we're leaving too. There's (sigh) so many bad memories here."
Lincoln and Lori looked at her with sad faces.
Lynn pointed, "You passed out and weren't breathing over there by the couch. It's the same place Lori and I revived you. And Lori threw a lamp at Dad's head over there . . . and I still remember running down those stairs chasing after you . . . after you broke an action figure on my face and threw me so hard against the wall that there's still a crater in the shape of my back."
Lincoln and Lori sat next to Lynn on each side, hugging her.
"Lynn, that was then. This is now, and now you and our family are better. You did something I didn't expect . . . you changed. You changed for me. I didn't expect that before. You surprised me, Lynn. You all did. That's something to be proud of," Lincoln stated.
Lynn rubbed her eyes again while resting her cheek on her hand. She inhaled sharply and sighed heavily.
"I really love you . . . and our family. I just . . . I just never thought I would do something like that," Lynn said and then shook her head, "Those visions, that's not just wrong. That's evil. You can't be that dumb. You just can't."
Lynn looked at Lincoln and glided her fingers through his hair.
"I really am jealous of you, Lincoln. You have both greatness and goodness. I really wanted those things," Lynn said.
"Lynn," Lori said, holding Lynn's hand, "You have those things. They're right here. (points to her heart) You can do anything if you put your mind to it and believe in yourself. Don't fear failure. Learn from it. No matter what happens, you will always have your family to support you."
"You're not alone, Lynn. We'll always be here for you. What you're feeling, the depression and the nightmares, it won't go away overnight, but it will. It takes time and believing in yourself. You just keep at it," Lincoln stated.
Lynn gave a long blink before nodding. They hugged one last time before heading to bed. It was Lynn and Lucy's turn. The young athlete didn't take any nightmare pills. She wanted her head to be filled with good dreams, and she got them, making her heart soar with joy as she snuggled close to her favorite brother.