"Reactions seem normal, everything seems to be stable, and...yup, no strange noises within hearing range. As always, I was correct when I deduced that this morning would be good to finish this project. Or just maybe, to discover why..."

Lisa was in a hurry to finish her experiment, according to her, this was the most important experiment in her short life.

Lisa, the second youngest of the Loud children and the genius of the family. How was she so intelligent? Nobody had a concrete answer; some people had religious explanations (Pfff), others said it was a big coincidence, some others even dared to say it was a brain tumour or something. She didn't know it herself, but it amazed her how many doors had opened to her due to her high IQ; she was four years old when she was required to impart classes at the Royal Woods College, all the kids this age would play with toys and watch Blarney the purple dumbass dinosaur.

That was a while ago, but even as time passes by, she is still the same. Well, maybe she was more intelligent than before.

But at the age of fourteen, however, it doesn't matter how smart someone might be, there are some things one cannot ignore.

She sighed as she gazed at the street outside the window: a couple walking down the sidewalk caught her attention; they were around the same age as her, they looked so in love, so happy, as if nothing in this cold hearted world was wrong...

Lisa discovered she was not just an ordinary girl at the age of two. She could understand complex things that not even her elder siblings could, she was more self aware than most kids her age and older, she could solve college level equations with ease while most of the adults she knew (the ones that weren't scientist) barely remembered what they learned in middle school.

As we humans grow up, there are some needs that must be addressed. And no amount of knowledge could ever change that...

"What's the problem, sweetie?"

Mrs. Loud called from the door frame with a concerned look on her face. She had a special ability, call it motherly instinct if you will. She felt when their children were going through difficulties, and she was there to offer advice.

But Lisa, being a modest girl with a stubborn personality, would never admit she had a problem. "I don't know what you are talking about, mother."

Rita smiled, knowing this was gonna happen. "I might no be as smart as you are, but there are some thing that no genius can explain. A mother always knows when to help her children."

She was right. Very often Lisa thought her mother had some kind of telepathic powers that she could not explain; mom always knew when she needed help. Pretty much just like Lucy, the genius was really good at hiding and suppressing her feelings (though she was nowhere as good as her sister at that).

Of course she knew telepathy was not real, but it was a funny way to see things. "Alright. What do you think it's happening?" she asked sarcastically.

"You've been trying to finish this experiment for several days now, and every time I walk by you're in the same stage as before. I've noticed that you seem to be pretty busy, stressed, even confused." She walked towards her and playfully messed her brown hair. "What could be affecting that bright mind of yours?"

Lisa doubted for a single moment, she never talked about this with anyone; she was a genius, she could always think in a solution to her problems. But she was her mother, the human who took care of her when she was not physically able, the person who fed her and took care of her when she needed. The person who loved and would always love her unconditionally. If she couldn't trust her own mother, then who could she trust?

"Mother, please don't tell anyone...this is something very personal..."

"Your secret is safe with me, sweetie," her mother assured. "What is it?"

Lisa tried to put in order the thoughts in her head; she had never talked about this, so she couldn't find the words right ahead.

"Mom...I-I want to be more social..."

To say that Rita was surprised was putting it in simple terms. For one, this was not what she thought. Second, Lisa almost never referred to her as 'mom'. That may be the reason why her voice was filled with sentiment.

Although Lisa was embarrassed, she noticed the motherly tone in her mother's voice. "Lisa...is this what you've been up to? You've been trying to find out how much people like you?"

"Exactly." Lisa admitted. "That, and why no one seem to share my points of view, and why nobody likes when I correct them when they're wrong, and how to make people like me more..."

Lisa felt a little sad herself, something for which she didn't find an explanation; she never cared when people ignored her, hell she sometimes didn't even care when people didn't take her into consideration. Why did she cared now of all sudden?

Because just as life is constantly changing, so does she. She was growing up; when someone grows up, they feel the need to be wanted, loved, admired for the things they achieve. Of course Lisa was often admired for her knowledge. But when was the last time someone had told her that she was a good person?

Growing up, people would often disapprove when she wanted to test her experiments on other people or living being. In fact, she almost lost her very first friend because of it, but managed to fix things in the end. But, what could she do now?

"Lisa, you must watch out for what you say; lies are wrong, but sometimes there are some truths that must remain hidden. You must never force anyone to tell the truth; a little secret won't hurt, and it's even more special when someone trust you enough to reveal it to you!"

Lisa knew feelings were important, but still had difficulties when it came to put into practice. Odds were against her, but what could happen if, apart of being smart, people liked her?

"What should I do, mom?"

"Sweetie, all you have to do is measure how much you say when you talk with people. Don't use very specific or complicated words, just talk like everyone else. I'm sure everyone will appreciate that."

That sounded actually easy, but... "What if I fail? What if I can't find something to talk about? What if..." her mother stopped right there. She wanted to continue, but decided to listen to what she had to say.

"Lisa, I know this is a big change and you're scared, but just think, what if you let that fear aside? What if the things you say make someone smile? What if someone find funny a joke you just say and you both share a good laugh?" Rita was talking with such confidence that Lisa managed to catch a little bit of it. Her mother's words were so full of wisdom she felt like a commoner talking to a sage; up to this stage in life she was learning something new!

Coming out of her astonishment, Lisa thought about it, she did have a point; she noticed the biggest barrier between her and other people was communication. It wouldn't be easy, she was very much aware of that, but practice makes perfect, ain't that what they say?

Feeling an instinct she ran and hugged her mother, feeling very grateful and relieved to take that weight off her shoulders. "Thanks mom, I love you"

Rita chuckled. "You see? You're not bad at this, sweetie."

Rita returned the hug, sending waves of warmness through her daughter's body. A mother's love is one of the most beautiful and purest things one can have, and Lisa knew that.

She was confident she could do it.

The next day she already had a plan to put into practice her mother's tips.

At school, she would often think low of her classmates when they responded with very vague and simple answers. Today, however, she congratulated them when they answered correctly. At lunch time she'd usually eat alone at the farthest table; Darcy liked to eat outside, which she didn't. Besides, Lisa liked to solve complicated equations while eating, it was something to keep her mind busy. Today she ate lunch with her friend and students, she laughed at their jokes and occurrences. She normally was reserved, believing nobody would ever understand what she had to talk about. Today, though she sometimes used fancy words (like Lynn called them), she made an effort to talk more. Some people found it funny, some others interesting.

Darcy, Lisa's only friend, saw what she tried to do; while she didn't know her motivations, she knew and understood that this was a big change for her and she needed all the support she could get. Darcy encouraged her to carry on, and offered her help if she ever needed it.

"You know, Lis," Darcy started. "I think I'm starting to miss your fancy words." she said jokingly.

Lisa smiled. "It may take a while to get used to, but I guess I'm starting to get comfy with this new way to speak." the genius replied.

The rest of the day went pretty smooth, while it did cost her a little bit she managed to talk more with the other students. Some were surprised and even found interesting what she said when she didn't use complicated words, others felt a little more safe to talk with her; one boy made small talk with her, and she was able to maintain it until the professor arrived! Mom was right, all she had to do was to watch what she said and be a little more open with people. Listening what they said really worked like a charm, she felt that she was more connected with them; she was no longer the girl no one wanted to talk with, at risk of feeling stupid, she was a normal teenager just like them. Heck, she might have done a couple more friends!

School time was over, and she wanted to gather with her classmates; if her first try of being more social was a success, maybe she could push her luck a little bit more. Maybe going to the movies or get something to eat this evening. Even if they told her that they weren't available today she wouldn't be sad, because she had the courage to ask!

At the exit she attempted to approach a group of students, they were what could be described as 'the populars' you know, jocks, cheerleaders, and overall every good looking student. Now this might be a little too much; she was just starting to open up to people, and even if she managed to act 'normal', she still wasn't sure if asking them to hang out was ok or was like skipping lessons.

But she was already on a good streak, what could be the worst they can say?

She approached them just close enough to hear what they were talking, but stopped when her name came out of the mouth of one of them.

"Hey, you saw what that nerd was doing?" a blonde girl asked. One boy spoke next.

"Yeah. What is she thinking?" he spat. "She's acting as if all those years of calling us idiots never happened"

"Yeah," other girl said. "That's, like, stoopid!"

Another guy talked. "Bitch is smart, I don't know how she can't see that she will never be normal."

"Smartass isn't as smart as she thinks! hahahaha!"

They all walked away, leaving Lisa alone to pick all the pieces of the confidence they just broke in her.

As she passed by other students, she could hear as they also doubted her intentions. Some thought she was pretending, that she was just acting or maybe she lost a bet.

If she lost her confidence before, this did nothing but remind her of why this was a bad idea in the first place. Why did she thought she could change? Why didn't she thought this could happen? You know, maybe what that boy said was true; she didn't know why someone as smart as her didn't anticipate this. She acted so confident just to end up feeling like the biggest idiot in the school. Worst part was that, many of them probably shared the same thought as the popular students.

Lisa sent Lori a message telling her that she'd rather walk home, and after receiving a thumbs up emoji from her elder sister she made her way with heavy feet. You know, maybe she wasn't made to have friends (others than Darcy). Being smart comes with many perks, but also has its downsides. Maybe not having more friends was the price she had to pay for her intelligence; after all, she didn't have much time since her experiments kept her busy. She barely had time to spend with the family and sometimes for herself. If she added friends to the equation she'd have to sacrifice one of them.

She could combine spending time with Darcy with her experiment since she sometimes helped her (one way or another). Other than that, she was alone.

The walk home had a good effect in her mood. Yeah, maybe those guys were assholes with her, but she could always count with her family. They would never doubt her, right?

Right?

Sigh.

Lisa entered the Loud household with the best smile she could put and a fake positive attitude. "Hello, siblings!" she said, "How was your day?"

The sisters in the sofa watched her with one eyebrow raised. This wasn't normal in her.

"Uhm...good, sis...I guess," Luna responded, not sure what to say.

"Pretty normal," Lola replied with a friendly tone. She, just like Luna, wasn't sure what to say. But didn't want to hurt her sister's feelings.

"How about you?" Leni asked sincerely.

"Very well, in fact." Lisa replied. After that, she headed for the stairs to the second floor. She went to her room and left her backpack. Her family had an overall positive attitude towards her (well, sort of). Maybe she was pondering too much what those mean assholes told her. She didn't think that all people was like them, some of her classmates had a positive attitude towards her change, maybe she had to keep trying.

She walked out of her and Lily's room just to see Lynn going to her room; she had to use a cast on her leg and had to walk with the help of a pair of crutches. Once her elder sister walked inside, she followed close.

"Hey, Lynn," Lisa called. "I see..." The genius tried to think in a less educated term. "I see they let you out of the hospital. Tell me, you're feeling better?"

The jock looked at her little sister with raised eyebrow. "Uhm, yeah, I feel much better." She said. Lynn carefully rested her leg on a pillow over the bed but it fell to the floor. Lisa hurried and pick it up so her sister didn't take any risk of hurting herself again. "Thanks, Lis."

"You're welcome." Lisa replied, happy to help her sister. Lynn glanced at her a little while more, feeling that something was going on. Lisa never helped anyone except when she wanted them to partake place in her experiments.

As guinea pigs.

That had to be.

"So, Lisa," Lynn started. "You're not planning to do something with me, right?"

This hit Lisa; she foolishly tried to believe that her own family wouldn't doubt about her good intentions. But apparently she was wrong. "Not at all, sister." Lisa replied, trying her best not to look offended.

Lynn wasn't buying that. "You're not gonna use me for one of your experiments, right?"

Keeping her cool was getting more difficult as Lynn spat her words. Lisa knew she didn't do it on purpose, she had given them way too many reasons to doubt.

"O-Of course not, Lynn, but..." She was sill smiling, but her voice was starting to crack.

But Lynn didn't know when to shut up. "You're not gonna try and use me as a dummy to test a new insta-healing beam, aren't you? I'm still recovering from that beam that was supposed to turn me into a saiyan..." she said, taking her hand to the base of her back, where the scar of what used to be a monkey tail still was.

This was it. Lisa turned around, not letting her sister watch as tears began to form in her eyes. "I-I understand..."

Lisa walked straight towards her room in defeat. There was no use, it didn't matter how much she tried, no one, not even her own family would give her the chance to prove she was trying to become more friendly without expecting something in return. Lisa wasn't a fool, she identified that hint of doubt in Luna's voice when she arrived at the house; even Lola didn't take her seriously. though she at least made an effort to be kind.

But why? Didn't they remembered the good things she had done for them? Like that time that... Well, how about that one time when... Ok, but what about...

Not even her could think in a good thing she has done for the family. There she had her answer.

"Hey, Lisa."

The genius wiped the tears away and turned around, it was her brother, Lincoln. "Hey, Lincoln, how are you?"

Just as everyone else, Lincoln couldn't do much to hide her surprise. But unlike most of them, he felt genuinely happy. "I'm, good. How about you?"

Lisa sighed, not wanting to explain everything that happened throughout the day. "I'm good." it was all she said.

There was an awkward silence for a moment. Lisa tried to put her recently discovered skills and tried to think on something to keep the conversation going. But thanks to the recent events her mind was blank.

Thankfully, Lincoln came to the rescue. "Hey Lis, can you come with me for a minute?" the only son in the family asked.

Lisa followed closely, though intrigued, and they both entered his room. There, Lisa sat in the bed. "How can I help you"

"You see, Lisa..." the white haired boy started. "Yesterday I...kind of hear the conversation you had with mom." He admitted with shame, his cheeks were red with embarrassment.

Lisa opened her eyes with surprise, she thought that conversation with her mother was confidential. But it was her brother; of all the people that could've heard, she was tankful it was him.

"I guess I can't blame you, mom probably left the door open."

"Well, yes, but still I had no right to say and listen your conversation." Lincoln admitted. He really felt guilty, his sister opened up her feeling in the place where she thought she was safe, her sanctuary, and he violated that privacy.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Lisa said with a confident smile. "So, why do you need me?"

"Shut! I forgot!" Lincoln reprehended himself for almost forgetting the reason she called her. With no time to lose he walked towards his desk, there he grabbed a small box and gave it to his sister.

A present? Ok, she wasn't expecting this. Lisa lifted the lid carefully, inside the box there was a mouse, next to it was a remote controller. She took them out of the box and brought them closer for a better look, it was hand made; the materials looked cheap but well assembled. "So, you did see those sketches I made when I was bored, didn't you?"

This did nothing but increase the fluster in his face. "W-Well, I didn't do it on purpose, but yeah." He admitted, again with shame. He looked away, to hide his face.

Lisa left the gift on the bed and got out of the bed, her head hung low as she took her glasses off. Lincoln, believing his gift was wasn't enoug was about to reply, but out of all sudden his little sister launched at his arms with a hug. At first, he didn't know what to do, but just out if instinct he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to his body.

Lisa buried her face on his chest, letting out the tears she's been trying to contain during the day, letting out the sadness in her heart, feeling relieved that for once, someone actually believed in her. "I l-love it, Lincoln," she said, her face still on his chest. "I'll keep it forever"

Her big brother stroked her hair with his fingers. "I know you've been through a lot lately, and I want you to know that you can come to me if you ever need it."

I know, she thought. And thanks to you I have the strength to carry on. I will try and try, until I become the best person I can be...and you, brother, who will always support me no matter what...I'll be forever thankful.

I will always love you.

The hug lasted until she thought she left her message very clear. But as this happened, someone watched them through the keyhole.

"Take your damn hands off him..." Lynn whispered with anger.

Lynn, as always, failed to understand other's people feelings; she was the best that there was to send the ball out of the stadium, she was the right person to score a goal when the game was tied. But when it came to understand how other people felt, she was as lost as a wrestler's wallet in Tijuana. She didn't understand why Lisa asked her how she was, or why she asked how she felt. It wasn't until her mother went to check on her and confessed that she heard everything; she heard how Lisa wholeheartedly wanted to help, but she also heard how she dismissed her intentions, believing she tried to use her as a lab mouse.

Feeling like a jerk, Lynn got up and wanted to apologize; she saw how she followed Lincoln to his room, she witness everything, from the confession to the gift. Needless to say, she no longer regretted the way she said to her sister.

"If you don't take your hands off him I swear..."

"You swear what, Lynn."

Lucy made her usual scare-my-siblings routine. Well, it was more a habit than a routine. As always, her victim got so scared she almost fell to the floor.

"Lucy, how much did you hear?"

"Everything." the Duchess of Darkness replied. "What are you up to?"

That was the beginning of an argument that would last up to this day.