0325 – Singled Out – Chapters 16-18

Title: Singled Out

URL: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12605636/1/Singled-Out

Author: Lentex

Topic: The Loud House

Media: TV Show

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, according to the summary

Critiqued by: mysteryleap

Hello again, wardens and lunatics! The last few chapters focused on the camping trip, where Luan redeemed herself, but Lola and Lisa are still being nefarious villains. We also had a bizarre dream sequence involving a Stu-ified Lincoln.

Leni sat on the end of the lake dock, her feet dangling off the edge as she happily kicked them back and forth in the air. She held a fishing rod that was cast into the water. Her father had told her that she should go fishing with Lori, and Leni cheerfully accepted the offer. It wasn’t often that she had one on one time with any of her siblings, and even though she shared a room with her, it was far too rare that Leni was able to have a conversation with the oldest Loud sibling.

Um… no? In canon, they’re seen together an awful lot.

Lori was usually on her phone or busy yelling at her other siblings.

Like clockwork, Leni could hear footsteps coming up behind her on the dock. She looked back, and saw Lori walking over to her, fishing pole in hand. “Uhm, Leni?” Lori asked. “Why are you holding your fishing rod like that?”.

Leni looked down at her fishing pole. She held onto the string, so that the wooden part of the rod was in the water.

Well, Leni’s a dope, so that’s not OOC.

“Uhh, nevermind”. Lori sat down on the dock next to her sister. She held back her fishing rod, then cast it out into the lake. “So, what’s up?”.

Leni continued to look into the water, wondering why she wasn’t getting any nibbles. “There weren’t many clouds today, but I did see a plane fly by earlier”.

I fell right into that, didn’t I? Lori sighed. “No, Leni. I mean, what’s going on? Is there anything you want to talk about? We have a couple hours of fishing time, so we might as well pass the time by talking. Dad took away my phone so I’d have a conversation with you while we fish”.

Leni put her hand to her chin. After a moment of thinking, she nodded. “Yeah, how do you think Linky is feeling?

Probably frustrated at being in a really long badfic.

I mean, Luan and him still were fighting after they got lost in the woods overnight. I mean, isn’t stuff like that supposed to bring people together?”.

Lori shook her head in disagreement. “I wouldn’t say so. I mean, I’d probably literally go crazy if I had to spend the night in the woods with no blanket or sleeping bag”.

Leni tugged at her string, still confused as to why she was having no success fishing. The wooden pole of the fishing rod bounced in the water as Leni pulled the fishing pole string up and down.

Wait, Lori hasn’t corrected it yet?

Lori looked at her sister struggling to hold her fishing rod properly. She sighed. “Here, Leni,” she said, scootching closer to help. “You hold it like this“. Lori pulled the string up, pulling the fishing rod out of the water. She grabbed the wooden handle, and put it in Leni’s hands. “Now, you can cast it”.

Leni held back the fishing rod, then cast it into the water. The hook made it decently far out into the lake.

“Not bad, sis”. Lori smiled. Her younger sister could be a bit ditzy sometimes. Nonetheless, Leni was always willing to help out anyone in the family, so it was nice to return the favor to her every once and awhile; even if it was doing something as simple as rotating a fishing pole.

Leni smiled. “Oh, that’s why I was having so much trouble. Thanks, Lori”.

“No problem, Leni”. Lori smiled as well. It felt good to get along with Leni.

Considering she’s one of the only few people in this fic who you actually do get along with…

“And, Lori?”

“Yeah?”.

“I don’t want to make you angry or anything, but what’s going on with Bobby? Why exactly did you break up with him? I mean, whenever I see you, you’re usually talking to him or texting him. What changed?”.

Lori’s smile quickly faded. How dare Leni bring up Bobby like that. What did she know about her relationship? “Sometimes, a man needs to be taught a lesson. I’m only spending a week apart from him, after all. Besides, you guys are always telling me how obsessed I am with him, but as soon as I leave him, you tell me I’m having boyfriend issues?”.

Leni frowned. She had done just what she feared she would do; anger her older sister. “Oh, Lori! I’m not trying to offend you or anything, I was just wondering what was going on with you and Bobby”. Leni was now in damage control mode, already regretting bringing up the sore subject

I feel ya, Leni! Making someone angry is the worst!

Lori scoffed. “Oh, I know what it is. You think I can’t get back with Bobby after I took a break from him, don’t you?”.

“Uhm, no? I never said anything about you not being able to make up with him-“.

Leni was cut off. “Well, I’ll prove you wrong! I’ll call as soon as we get back to the camp, and everything will be fine! He’ll learn his lesson about being too controlling, and we’ll be back together again like nothing even happened”.

Leni shook her head. Lori had something to prove now, and there was no stopping her.

How is he “controlling” exactly?

Lynn’s sprint came to a halt as she stopped in her tracks. She turned around, seeing how far away her siblings were. All she saw behind her was an empty trail. Whoops, she thought. Guess I went a bit too fast for them. Lynn turned around and jogged back the other way. Eventually, she met back up with Lincoln, Luna, and Luan, whom she had been hiking with. Of course, until she went too fast and left them behind without knowing.

“Lynn,” said Lincoln, panting. “This is a hike through the woods, not a marathon”.

“Yeah dude, cool your jets” said Luna.

That is pretty typical for Lynn; she’s not quite Sonic but she is indeed the fastest sibling.

Lynn shrugged. “Sorry, guys. What can I say? I’m Lynn Loud! An eight mile hike is nothing for me.

“Well, an uphill hike through the woods isn’t nothing for us,” said Luan. “In fact, all this walking is making my legs feel a bit wooden!” Luan laughed at her own joke. “Get it?”.

Lincoln smiled. “Yup!”.

“Pretty funny stuff, dudette!”, said Luna.

Eh, I’ve heard funnier. And this is coming from someone who usually likes puns.

The four siblings continued up the trail, laughing and chattering all along the way. Eventually, they came to the top of the hill. It overlooked the forest below.

Lynn gasped. “Whoa! This view is amazing”.

“Tell me about it!”, said Luna, looking off into the distance.

Lincoln bend over, with his hands on his knees. He was panting. “Y-Yeah, it’s p-pretty nice”. He took in a deep breath, recovering from the 8 miles he had just hiked uphill. Lincoln stood up. “But, remember, we came all the way up here for more than just sightseeing. Now that we have some privacy, it’s time to talk about Lola”.

Lincoln: Ever since this story started, she’s been acting like a comic book villain in a little girl’s body.

Luna: I know, dude, and she’s brought Lisa into it too!

Luan: She knocked me OOC as well!

Lynn: I was tough! I resisted her curse!

Luna nodded. “If all goes well, we can put an end to this war before the camping trip ends. Then, we’ll at least be able to enjoy the rest of it”.

Didn’t the parents say the war was already over?

There was a silent agreement amount the sisters.

Sisters: *thinking* There’s three of us.

“Anyway,” said Lincoln. “I have no idea what Lola is planning. So, the best thing to do is for us to make the first strike before she does”. Lincoln paused to let his siblings reflect on the idea.

“Sounds good,” said Lynn. “But what will we even do? I mean, it’s going to be pretty hard with Mom and Dad watching us the whole time”.

“Right,” agreed Lincoln. “But, they can’t watch all eleven of us at the same time. Especially if there’s a distraction”.

Luan smiled. As the self described master of distractions, she liked where this conversation was going. “Go onnn”, she cooed.

What is it with this fic and making characters drag out odd letters?

Lincoln puffed out his chest, swelling with pride. “I came up with a pretty detailed plan, but I’m going to need all of you to help out if you want this to work. If all goes well, we can beat Lola at her own game, and put an end to this war once and for all!”.

---

It was noon, and Lori was alone in the houseboat. Leni was still fishing. Luan, Lincoln, Lynn, and Luna were on a hike. Lola and Lisa had left to go bird watching.

No doubt trying to find more ways to ruffle Lincoln’s feathers! Wocka, wocka!

The Loud parents were outside relaxing around the campfire with Lily. Lana had gone down to the lake to find an alligator the wrestle, and Lucy left with her in case the alligator happened to also be a zombie.

A zombie alligator? There was one episode with zombies, but not zombie alligators.

The eldest Loud child paced back and forth across the blue living room carpet, holding her phone. It rang and rang, but no one bothered to pick up. What the hell is going on?, thought Lori angrily. Even when we fought in the past, Bobby would never ignore my calls. In that moment, a horrible thought passed through Lori’s head. Anger quickly turned to concern. Could Bobby be in danger? The teen quickly dismissed the idea as far-fetched. There was probably a simple explanation. Bobby could be grounded from his phone, or maybe he was just busy at the store he helped manage.

Lori plopped down on the living room couch, trying to forget about her worries. But, despite her best efforts, she couldn’t help herself continue pondering the subject. No, that can’t be right, she thought. Lori knew that it was Sunday, and Bobby had the day off. Moreover, for as long as she knew him, Bobby never got in trouble enough to warrant his phone being taken away from him.

Lori started to chew her nails, something she only did when she was extremely nervous or anxious.

“Nervous” and “anxious” are synonyms. That’s like saying “it’s a cat or a feline”.

I can’t take this anymore! The teen shot up from the couch, grabbed the Vanzilla keys from off of the houseboat wall, and ran outside to the family car.

Just as she was opening the door, her father yelled to her from the firepit. “Lori!” he said. “What are you doing, kiddo?”.

“No time to explain, Dad! I need to take a trip back to Michigan!”.

Lynn Sr. stood up from the folding chair he had previously been enjoying himself in. “What? Why?”.

Because narrative drama.

“It’s Bobby! He’s not picking up his phone or responding to any of my texts… I think there’s something wrong!”. Lori opened the car door, and started to get inside Vanzilla.

The father of 11 ran over to the car. “Whoa, whoa! Slow down there, Lori! You can’t go all the way back to Michigan! Do you know how much that will cost in gas? Besides, the trip will take over a day just getting there! We’re here as a family, Bobby can wait until after our trip!”.

Lori sighed. It was no use. She was trying to do something pretty dramatic, sure, but it was for a good reason! Who knows what was wrong with Bobby? Who could be in danger!

The proofreader?

Still, the teen had no choice. “Okay, Dad”. She reluctantly left the car.

“I’m sorry it has to be this way, but we’re too far away from home right now. I’m sure whatever drama you’re in can wait until we’re done here”.

As Lori slowly walked back to the houseboat to hang the van keys back up, she plotted.

Don’t you start plotting, too, Lori!

This is just too important to wait!

Now inside, Lori hung up the car keys. A smile spread across her face.

Tonight, I’ll sneak out and drive back home. Bobby needs me!

---

Ronnie Anne happily ate her favorite cereal, getting ready to enjoy her Sunday. Although she usually hated mornings, the Hispanic girl was in a good mood. She had the entire day to herself. No school, no responsibilities; just an entire day of relaxation.

Isn’t that what most Sundays are like for kids?

Ronalda picked up her spoon to take a bite of zombie bran, but just then, the apartment doorbell rang. Figuring it was a delivery or a visitor, Ronnie Anne ran downstairs to answer the door. As soon as she opened it, she was greeted with three muscular men. At first, the girl thought that they were police officers.

“Hello, ma’am”, the man in the middle said. “We’d like to speak to your mother”.

Nervous, the Hispanic girl led the men upstairs. Once they arrived in the living room, Ronnie Anne’s mother dropped the bowl of cereal in her hands that she had prepared for CJ. Because of his down syndrome, Ronalda’s mother often helped the boy out with various things.

*googles if that’s accurate* People with Down Syndrome can cook, apparently, so I’m pretty sure they can pour their own cereal. CJ is thirteen.

The bowl fell to the ground, shattering, and spilling milk and cereal all over the kitchen floor.

“Maria Santiago?”, said one of the men. All three of the visitors had the words “Police – ICE” printed on the back of their vests.

“T-that’s me,” said Ronnie Anne’s mother. She was obviously very nervous, more so than Ronnie Anne had ever seen her before. Her mother was usually very level headed and caring, and it was rare for her to act like this. What was going on?

“As you may know, we’re here from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. We’ve recently received an anonymous phone call. As we understand, you are staying in this country on the count of a worker visa. Correct?”

Incorrect. Maria is the American-born daughter of a Mexican immigrant named Rosa.

Maria nodded slowly, too choked up to speak.

“May I see that visa, ma’am?”.

Maria nodded again. “L-let me g-grab it…”. She walked over to her room.

By now, the entire Casagrande family had gathered in the living room. The older family members, including Bobby, appeared to be very nervous with the presence of the new visitors. No one dared utter a word.

Ronalda walked over to her older brother. “Bobby?” she whispered, concerned. “What’s going on?”.

Bobby: The story thought it wasn’t dramatic enough, so it added even more drama!

Bobby smiled, trying his best to act calm. He placed his hands on his little sister’s shoulders. “These men are from ICE. They take people out of the country that are here illegally. But, we should be fine. Mom’s visa won’t expire for another two years. By then, her application will be accepted, and she’ll become a citizen”.

The Santiago boy spoke calmly, but Ronnie Anne could tell that he was fearful as well.

Just then, Maria ran out of her bedroom holding a lamp.

Did it have a genie?

“You can’t take us away! I built a life here!” She charged at the three men, ready to hit them with the lamp.

“Stand down!” The officers pulled out their tasers, and pointed it at the Santiago mother.

“It”? What exactly did they point at Maria?

Still, she continued her charge.

The Casagrande family, Ronnie Anne, and Bobby all let out a scream as they watched what unfolded in front of them.

The officer in the middle fired his taser. Ronnie Anne looked away in horror.

Once hit, Maria came to a halt as electricity raced through her body. After being shocked, she fell to the ground, unable to move. The lamp she was planning to use as a weapon hit the ground, shattering upon impact.

The officers quickly ran over to Maria, and handcuffed her.

“Remain calm, everybody!”, said the second officer, trying to quell the panic in the room.

No, we won’t. No one can remain calm until this fic ends.

Ronnie Anne ran over to her mother as the handcuffs were being put on around her hands.

“Mama! What’s going on?!”.

Maria couldn’t bare to look into her daughter’s eyes.

“Mi hija…” she said. “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner, but I’m only in this country to work as a nurse. My visa expired two years ago, but I wouldn’t dare bring you back to Mexico. Now, the law caught up with us”.

So, she fought it and it won?

Ronnie Anne’s eyes widened. When she first moved to the city to live with her extended family, she thought that life as she knew it was over. She would go to a new school, she would have to make new friends, and her backyard would become a fire escape. Still, even though it was difficult, she had adjusted to her new life and came to enjoy it. But, now, she would be ripped away from her life again? And this time, in a new country?

Tears formed in the Hispanic girl’s eyes. “No… mama… this can’t be real!”.

Well, it’s not real; it’s a fanfic.

Maria shook her head in shame. “I’m so sorry sweetie, but we don’t have any other option. Me, you, and Bobby are going back to Mexico. It won’t be so bad. You of all people are able to adjust, right?”.

“No! This is different! Where are we even going to stay?!”.

By now, Maria had been brought to her feet by the officers. Despite how she had just tried to attack them, the men were gentle with her.

“Well,” said the Santiago mother, her voice trembling with fear and uncertainty. “We’re going to have to go back and live with your father”.

Wait… what about Hector and Rosa, Maria’s parents? And what about Maria’s brother Carlos and his wife and kids? Are they staying, or are they also leaving?

Lincoln laid with his back on the ground, staring up at the sky.

And now we’re back to the Louds.

In less than an hour, the sun would set. By then, his counterattack would have unfolded, and he would either be successful or unsuccessful. Lincoln had been planning ever since the trip started. Just a few hours ago on his hike, he went over the plan with his allies, making sure they understood every step. Things needed to go perfectly today. He was up against Lola Loud, whom he’d never had a victory against yet. This time, Lincoln hoped that things would be different. After all, he had four sisters on his side. Not to mention, the boy had the element of surprise. Lola won’t know what hit her.

Lincoln brought himself to his feet. He wiped the dust and dirt off of himself, and ran over back to the campsite. As he approached, he saw Lola and Lisa sitting around the campfire, chattering.

They came back at the same time I did, thought the boy. He knew that Lola and Lisa never actually went out to go birdwatching like they said they would. The entire time, they had been following Lincoln, Lynn, Luna, and Luan on their hike earlier that day.

Creepy!

Things were falling into place perfectly. It was time for phase two of the plan.

“Hey, you guys?”, said Lincoln, approaching Lola and Lisa. “Can you do me a favor? We’re running out of firewood, and I need some help getting some more for the fire”.

Lola frowned. “The last time you went out to get firewood, you got lost in the woods”.

“It’s going to be different this time,” defended Lincoln. “We won’t go too deep into the woods. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to get lost twice!”.

Getting lost isn’t like getting the mumps; it can happen more than once. Maybe he means he’s more familiar with the area now? IDK.

Lisa adjusted her glasses. “Our male sibling has a point. I suppose we can help him with his trivial task”.

Lola thought about it. Any other day, she would have said no. After all, why would she bother getting all dirty just to help Lincoln with something he could manage himself? Still, if she went to the woods with Lincoln, the pageant princess knew that she’d be able to give him a hard time. Lola thought about the possibilities. She could ‘accidentally’ drop heavy logs on his feet, be extra picky about the type of wood that was allowed to go in the fire to annoy Lincoln, and even possibly take him deep into the woods so that he’d get lost. After all, it would be pretty embarrassing for him to lose himself in the forest twice.

The pageant powerhouse sat up from the folding chair she had been previously sitting on. “Sure, why not?” she said, smiling.

“Great!” said Lincoln, clapping his hands.

If it’s badfic and you know it and you really wanna show it…

 “Let’s get going!”.

The three Loud siblings ventured into the woods. As soon as they entered the treeline, Lincoln picked up a medium-sized piece of wood. “This one looks good, right?”.

Lola shook her head. “Hard pass. It’s too lumpy! That thing isn’t going in my campfire!”.

The campfire isn’t yours, Lola!

Lincoln sighed. “Okay, then. We’ll just have to go a bit deeper in the woods”.

Is he gonna get her lost? That would be poetic justice, though he’d probably be in trouble with the parents.

As time passed, Lincoln and his two little sisters made it decently far into the wooded area of their campsite.

The boy picked up another log. “Does this one meet your standards, Lola?”.

The pageant princess walked over to examine the log. Before she could even reach Lincoln, however, a battle cry could be heard from overhead.

“Ahhhhhh!”

Lola looked up, and saw Lynn on top of a large tree branch.

So that’s what Lincoln’s plan was! But what’s Lynn gonna do? Let’s see!

She was holding what appeared to be a giant container. It was tipped upside down, and the contents were already spilled out. Before she could move even a step, Lola saw a giant mass of white substance hurling down at her. It was glue! If it made contact with her, her expensive dress would be ruined! Not to mention, she would have to spend days trying to get all of the glue out of her beautiful hair.

Lola quickly pulled an umbrella out that she had hidden under her dress. 

She was carrying an umbrella this whole time!?

In the nick of time, she was able to open it, shielding herself from the oncoming glue. As the white substance made contact with the top of the umbrella, Lola had to strengthen her grip on the handle due to the sudden weight that pressed down on her. Still, she was able to protect herself from getting sticky.

Lola looked upward, in case Lynn had anything else prepared to drop on her. Instead, her eye caught Luna and Luan. They were on a different tree branch, and also holding a large bucket. Given her position, Lola saw that if they emptied the contents, it would fall right onto Lisa, who had been watching everything unfolding in front of her in awe.

“Lisa!”, yelled Lola. “Watch out!”.

The pageant powerhouse ran over to Lisa, umbrella still in hand. She had been just in time, too. Glue once again pounded the top of the umbrella.

Is Lola the Flash?

“Your little attack failed, Lincoln!”. Lola laughed out in glee. “We heard all about your little glue plan when you went on your hike. We were following you the whole time, stupid!”.

Lola looked at her brother, ready to savor his sweet face of defeat. However, what she saw surprised her. Lincoln was… smiling?

Who’s making the multilayered plans now!?

In that moment, Lola felt a sudden wave of heat run through her. It felt like hundreds of bees had suddenly entered her body, and were flying around in a frenzy. Needless to say, this was not a comfortable feeling. Moreover, it was hot. 

Captain Obvious: Waves of heat are hot.

Lola felt like she had fallen into a pit of molten Lava.

Why is “lava” capitalised?

After a solid three seconds of this unbearable feeling, it stopped. The pageant princess stumbled backward, before falling onto the ground. Lola instinctively tried standing back up, but still in a state of pain, stumbled backward again and fell back to the ground.

In his hands, Lincoln held one of Luan’s prank buzzers. It was on the highest setting, and he had used it on Lola’s umbrella. It worked surprisingly well for being just a gag toy.

By now, Lynn, Luan, and Luna had climbed down from the trees they had been hiding in. Everyone looked at their sister on the ground.

Lisa ran over to her big sister. She kneeled down next to her, and frantically shook her back and forth.

“Lola!”, cried the little scientist. “Speak to me!”.

Lola: I got what was coming for being a badfic villain!

Lola groaned, and rubbed her eyes. She was fine, save for the fact that she had just experienced 1st-degree burns and was now covered in ash, dirt, and mud. Parts of her dress were scarred black from the buzzer.

Lynn looked over at Lincoln.

“You lied to us, Lincoln! You never said that you’d electrocute her!”.

Lincoln felt a knot in his stomach. This was not how he expected his sisters to react to his counter-attack.

Oh, no! Please don’t tell me the sisters who were on his side are angry at him again!”

If I told you guys my full plan, then Lola would have heard it!”. Lincoln tried his best to defend himself. He had angered three of his older sisters, and it would not be good if they left his side of the war. “I needed her to think that we’d only be pouring glue on her. I wouldn’t be able to shock her if she never took out an umbrella!”.

Luna crossed her arms. “You were dishonest with us, dude. Not to mention, I would have never signed up if I knew I was helping you electrocute your 6-year-old sister”.

Lincoln gulped. “She’s been doing much worse things to me for the entire war! Remember when she was about to let a skunk scratch my face? Or when she forced me to sleep outside? Or when she made me lose my best friend?”.

That last one was mostly Clyde’s fault, but still.

By now, Lola had stood up, but was struggling to stay on her feet. She was still recovering from the buzzer attack.

Luan shook her head, in a mixture of disappointment for Lincoln and empathy for Lola. “So then why did you stoop to her level?”

“It was the only way to win!”, cried Lincoln. “I thought this would put an end to the war, so we could just enjoy the rest of the camping trip. How am I the bad guy here?! Do you three not realize what I’ve been going through for the past month because of Lola?!”.

Luna shook her head. “I… I just need some time to think about this”. Without saying another word, she turned around, waved her hand, and headed off.

Luan watched as her roommate walked away. “Lincoln…” she said. “I don’t think we did the right thing today. I left Lola’s side because I thought you were better than her… I’m going to spend some time away from this war”. The comedian walked off, following Luna.

As if this story couldn’t get any more cliched, we’ve got the “people are ashamed of the protagonist and walk off” scene.

Lincoln watched as two of his sisters left him. He wanted to yell out to them, to tell them he was sorry. But, he couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come to his mouth. Deep down, Lincoln knew they were right. He went too far this time. This was not the right way to win the war.

The boy turned to his athletic sister. “Lynn…”, he said. “Please… don’t leave me. I messed up… but, you need to cut me some slack! I’ve been the victim for the past month. Don’t walk out on me!”.

Lynn shook her head. “Lola’s done some pretty messed up stuff, but we’re better than her”. She sighed. “But, I’m not leaving you. I’d never do that!”.

Phew! He at least still has one ally!

The athlete looked over at Lola. By now, she was on her feet, and glaring daggers at Lincoln. She remained silent, but hate was evident in her eyes. Obviously, she was not going to simply forgive Lincoln. Revenge was inevitable. “Lincoln, we should get out of here. We’ve done enough damage for one day”.

Despite the circumstances, Lincoln couldn’t help but smile. Lynn was using the word ‘we’. She still considered herself responsible as well, despite the fact that she had nothing to do with planning the electric shock attack. It felt so nice to have even one sister that he could count on.

The boy nodded in agreement. “Yeah, let’s scram”. He looked over to his younger sister, and felt a tinge of compassion. “Lola, do you need any help…?”.

Everyone in this story needs help.

Lola said nothing. The pageant princess refused to even shake her head. Obviously, she was furious, and this sent chills up Lincoln’s spine.

The boy sighed. “Lola, for what it’s worth… I’m sorry. You know that I want nothing more for this war to end”.

“Your apology means nothing, Lincoln Loud” Lola said coldly. “As far as I’m concerned, this war is far from over. Clearly, you have yet to learn your lesson”.

Uh-oh! Looks like he dug himself even deeper!

Lincoln gulped.

Lynn grabbed Lincoln’s arm, and dragged him away from the scene of the battle. “Let’s get out of here already,” she whispered.

As the two jogged their way through the woods, they said nothing. Both siblings reflected on what had just happened, and neither of them had a good feeling about it.

Once back at the campsite, the two parted ways.

“I better talk to Luna and Luan. I’m sure if I explain the situation, they’ll understand. I doubt it will happen, but the last thing we need is them leaving our side”.

Agreed!

The athlete started to jog off, looking for her sisters.

Lincoln started after her. “Lynn! Shouldn’t I come too?”.

Lynn stopped in place, and shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea right now, Lincoln.

Channelling her inner Chuckie Finster.

They’re still pretty mad at you, remember?”.

Lincoln reluctantly agreed. “I guess…”.

Lynn gave a half smile. “I’ll see you around, then”. The family athlete waved goodbye, turned around, and resumed her jog back into the woods. This time, she would be sure to avoid Lola and Lisa.

Now in front of the houseboat, Lincoln opened the door and entered the living room. He threw himself down in the couch. A combination of drowsiness, the long hike he had done earlier that day, and the deep, gnawing feeling of regret made the boy sleepy. As he closed his eyes, he allowed sleep to overtake him.

That’s a pretty dramatic way of saying he fell asleep. It’s as though everything in this story needs to be super dramatic.

Lincoln rubbed his head, and sat up. His vision was blurry. The man looked around at his surroundings. 

Wait, he’s dreaming he’s a man again?

Half a dozen black vans were parked around him, surrounding him. Moreover, countless security guards dressed in black suits and black sunglasses scurried around the scene. Lincoln shook his head, trying to remember what had happened before he was knocked out.

Oh, right, he thought, standing up. Lincoln brushed the dirt off of himself. He remembered now. He had been taking his morning jog, when he came out of the forest and onto the sidewalk of a suburban area. Right after that, he saw Lynn riding his bike straight toward him, before being hit.

So his dreams have continuity between them? My dreams don’t even have continuity within the same dream!

“Let me go, you weirdos!”.

Lincoln looked over to where he heard the yell. Lynn was being pursued by his security guards. The man watched in horror as they tried to grab his sister, confusing her as a threat to him. Lynn was very strong, but even she could not outmatch Lincoln’s expensive security detail. Lincoln quickly ran over to his sister. He held up his hand, letting his agents know that Lynn was no threat.

The security guards let go of the athlete. She stumbled forward awkwardly due to the sudden change in force. Lynn let out a yelp as she tripped. She began to fall to the ground.

Still running, Lincoln held out his arms, and caught Lynn.

“Sir!” yelled a security guard, pointing his taser at Lynn. “Please, step away from that woman! She could be a threat!”.

So Dream!Lincoln’s a millionaire, and Dream!Lynn is a wanted woman?

Lynn got back on her feet, and raised an angry fist at the guard who had spoken out. “Threat?!” she said, offended. “I’ll show you threat, you little-“.

“Lynn! That’s enough”, cried Lincoln, grabbing Lynn’s shoulders to prevent her from getting into even more trouble. “There’s no need for panic”, he said calmly. “This is my sister, one of the people coming to visit today”.

The guards eased up, and putting away their tasers. One stepped forward.

“Of course, master Lincoln. I apologize”.

“Master Lincoln, huh? Oh la la”, Lynn said sarcastically. Clearly, she was angry.

So she’s jealous of him for being rich? Is that what’s going on? Or is she angry about him not seeing her often enough?

Lincoln turned around to face his older sister. “Lynn, I’m sorry about my guys giving you a rough time. But, you did hit me head on with your bike”.

“I told you to get out of the way! Besides, what’s a rich boy like you doing in my neighborhood?”.

Lincoln gasped. “You live here? I never knew you were so close!”.

Lynn frowned. “I thought it was bad enough that you didn’t even live ten miles away from me, and never bothered to visit. But, what you’re telling me is that you didn’t even know I lived this close?”.

Why didn’t you come visit him then?

“Oh…”. Lincoln looked off to the side in shame. “I’m sorry…”.

Lynn shook her head in disappointment, and started to walk away.

“Lynn! Wait!”. Lincoln reached out his hand, as if he could simply grab his sister and prevent her from leaving him.

Still walking, Lynn waved farewell. “I’ll see you at your party, Lincoln. Goodbye”.

Wait, she heard me?

Lincoln’s sister left him stranded in a sea of guilt, regret, and pain.

---

Lincoln jolted upward. The boy looked around, and saw that he was still in the houseboat living room alone. He had fallen asleep on the couch.

Just then, the door opened. Lola walked in.

“Hey”, she said blankly. The pageant princess walked over to the kitchen counter to grab a juice box. Lola saw Lincoln moping on the couch, feeling sorry for himself. “What’s wrong?”, she asked as she sipped her juice.

This whole story! P.S. what is it with Lola and juice boxes in this fic?

What’s wrong? How could Lola say something like that? She knew exactly what was wrong. Lincoln lost the trust of two of his sisters, all because of the stupid war that she started.

The boy looked on as Lola continued to sip her juice. Oddly enough, she seemed calm and relaxed. Less than an hour ago, she was angrier than Lincoln had ever seen her before. Was she toying with him, like a predator plays with their prey before closing in on them? This thought alone grew a rage inside of Lincoln. This is all her fault, he thought.

Lincoln stood up. He walked over to his sister, not uttering a word. Lola put down her juice box as she saw her brother approach.

“Uh, Lincoln?”, she asked. “What are you doing?”. She feared she had just angered her brother, and that he was about to strike her.

This time, though, she didn’t have a pot under her dress to protect her from a blow.

Finally, she isn’t crazy-prepared!

Fearful, Lola started to slowly walk backward.

It was no use. Lincoln was now directly in front of Lola. Much to her surprise, he didn’t attack her as she had predicted. Instead, he put his hands on her shoulders.

“That’s it, Lola. I’m done. You win”.

Lola was honestly confused. This was certainly unexpected. “Wh- what? You’re giving up?”, she asked.

Hmm, I’m a bit suspicious.

“Yes. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do it. I’ll be a butler at your tea parties, I’ll paint your toenails— anything to end this war!”.

Silence filled the room as the two stared into each other’s eyes. In Lola, Lincoln saw uncertainty. In Lincoln, Lola saw regret.

After what seemed like forever, but was most likely thirty seconds, Lola gave a sigh. “We have more in common than you think, Lincoln Loud”.

Lincoln took his hands off of his sister’s shoulders. What was Lola talking about?

They’re both plotters?

“Lincoln…” she said softly. “It takes a long time to realize how truly miserable you are, and even longer to see it doesn’t have to be that way”.

Lola spoke in a calm tone, as to prove she had no intentions of being hostile to him. Despite the entire war, and despite all the cruel things Lola had done to him up until this point, in this moment, in this point in time, Lola Loud was honestly trying to help her brother.

She turned around, and started for the houseboat door. “You are everything wrong with you. It’s not your sisters, it’s not any outside influences— You are you biggest problem. It’s you”.

It’s you, hi, you’re the problem, it’s you!

Lola opened the door, and turned around, ready to tell her brother one last thing before leaving. ‘Lincoln… it doesn’t have to be this way. Things are going to change soon, and for the better”. Now, Lola spoke softly, almost whispering. Still, what she said next was the most powerful thing Lincoln had heard come out of her mouth. “When this is all over, you’ll be filled with regret and guilt. But, for the first time, the family will see you for who you really are. And… you’ll be happy”.

With that, she turned around, and left the room.

Wait… what’s she going on about now!? I’m confused.

Lynn ran through the woods, looking for her two older sisters. She needed to find Luan and Luna. If she didn’t talk some sense into them quick, they’d possibly leave Lincoln’s side in the war. Even worse, there was a chance that they could join Lola’s side again. This thought alone pushed Lynn to run faster.

Just then, Lynn saw something in the distance. It was a streak of pink, standing out among the green trees and grass that made up the majority of the athlete’s current field of view.

That’s almost like a nature documentary. “And here, we see the streak of pink.”

Lynn slowed down to a walk, looking to see what she had encountered. As she drew closer, Lynn saw that it was none other than Lola Loud. The pageant princess still had faint burn marks on her dress from the buzzer attack that Lincoln had put into motion just a couple of hours ago. Luckily for Lynn, Lola was facing the opposite way, and had not yet seen her. The athlete quickly tiptoed backward, and ran off again, not wanting to be seen by Lola. After all, she was probably still very angry about being electrocuted.

Lynn continued to run through the forest. Not long after, she finally found Luan and Luna. They were sitting on a fallen tree log, talking softly to one another. Lynn approached her two older sisters, careful not to startle them.

After all, that’s Lucy’s job.

“Hey, guys”, said Lynn softly.

Luan and Luna turned around to face Lynn.

“Oh, hey Lynn”, they said.

Lynn gulped. It was time to make her case. She would have to choose her words very carefully if she wanted to keep the support of Luan and Luna on her side.

“Guys?” asked Lynn. “Don’t you think it’s a bit hypocritical for you to turn your back on Lincoln after the buzzer attack? I mean, we all helped Lola with the blitzkrieg attack on him!”.

Luna sighed. “First of all, I never said I was turning my back on him. I just said that I needed some time to think about this. Second of all, what I helped in doing to him was nowhere close to electrocuting anybody. Lincoln did something much more serious than I would have ever agreed to be apart of”.

It shouldn’t have been that serious. They don’t make lethal prank buzzers, do they?

“Not to mention, he never told us the full plan!”, added Luan. “He was dishonest with us, and now I’m going to have a hard time trusting him again”.

Lynn sighed. “You guys need to get some perspective. Lincoln has been suffering for the past month because of this war. All he did was fight back!”.

Luna crossed her arms. “I won’t be working with Lincoln if he pulls anything like this again. At this point, I just want the war to be over. I don’t care who wins— I just want this thing to end already!”.

Amen, Luna!

“Well, it won’t be that easy”, said Lynn angrily. “You can’t just snap your fingers and have all of this be over. When Lola wants something, there’s no stopping her until she gets exactly what she wants. And, she wants Lincoln to suffer. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to sit around and let that happen”.

Luan shook her head. “Well… when you put it with that…” The comedian sighed. “I definitely won’t be leaving Lincoln. I never even planned on leaving. I just wish he was more focused on ending the war than getting even”.

Luna nodded in agreement. “Same thing here, dude. Let’s go find our little bro”.

Crisis averted!

Lori sat around the campfire with Lucy and Lana. At the moment, the rest of the Loud family was absent. Lisa, Lola, Lincoln, Lynn, Luan, and Luna were all in the woods. Lori assumed that they were most likely hiking or simply exploring the vast forest. Leni was still fishing, and the Loud parents had taken Lily to the top of the nearest hill to watch the sunset.

Sunset? So Leni’s been fishing all day?

Lucy looked up at the setting sun. “It’s getting late”, she said. “There’s a full moon tonight. I’m going to go see if I can find a werewolf”. With that, she hopped out of her folding chair, and started her walk into the woods.

Lana yawned. “I’m boooard”, she complained.

She’s annoyed because people want to play chess on her?

Lori twirled her thumbs in her hands nervously. Time was running out, and she needed to be at the campsite alone if she wanted to put her plan into motion.

“Lana, why don’t you go look for an alligator to wrestle or something?”, Lori suggested.

“Hard pass. I’ve already done that three times today!”.

Lori tried to think of another way to get her little sister out of her hair, even for just a minute. A stick producing out of the ground caught the teen’s attention. She reached down, and grabbed it. Next, she waved the stick back and forth in the air.

She’s trying to use it as a wand?

This caught Lana’s attention. Her eyes widened as she saw the stick moving back and forth in the air.

“Want it?”, asked Lori.

Lana jumped out of the chair, and approached Lori by crawling on both her hands and feet. She stuck out her tongue, and eagerly nodded.

With all of her might, Lori threw the stick far into the woods. Lana quickly chased after it, running on all fours.

Oh, so she’s playing dog? Lana has done that a few times in canon. I guess it’s a little-kid thing.

Seeing her opportunity, Lori quickly ran to the houseboat. She opened the door, grabbed Vanzilla’s keys, and ran to the family van. Before Lana could come back and see what she was doing, Lori put the vehicle into gear, and drove off.

Sure, she was disobeying her parents, but Bobby needed her.

---

By now, the sun had set almost an hour ago. Lincoln walked out into the opening where his family’s campsite was set up. He had previously been taking a late stroll through the woods, giving himself some alone time to collect his thoughts. When allowing himself some time to think about his electric buzzer counter-attack on Lola, Lincoln couldn’t help but to be a bit angered. Luan and Luna had participated in the blitzkrieg attack on him, so why did they think it was suddenly so bad when he fought back? It was hypocritical of them.

Sounds like you and Lynn thought the same thing.

Just then, Lincoln bumped into something. He let out a yelp of surprise as he made contact with whatever he had just walked into. In a daze, he stumbled backward, and fell on his rear end.

“Oh! Sorry, Lincoln!”.

Lincoln looked up, only to see his older sister, Leni. He was so deep in thought, he didn’t notice that he was heading straight into her.

At least it wasn’t Wanted!Dream!Lynn this time.

Leni extended her hand to help Lincoln up. Lincoln, with the help of his sister, brought himself off the ground and brushed the dirt and dust off of himself.

“It’s fine, Leni. I just wasn’t paying attention to where I was walking”.

Leni smiled.

Now that he was not deep in thought, Lincoln looked around at the campsite. Leni and Lana were the only Louds present. Oddly enough, Lori was absent. At this time of night, she was usually sitting close to the fire, either chatting with her siblings or texting her friends. Not thinking much about it, however, Lincoln questioned Leni.

“What are you doing out here, anyway? I thought you were going to fish until real late tonight”.

Are the Louds all huge night owls in this story?

Leni sighed. “I was, until Lori ran off. I fished for a bit more on my own, but it goe boring doing it alone. I haven’t seen Lori since”. Leni twiddled her fingers. “Sooo, I’ve been talking with Lana…”

“About what?”, asked Lincoln.

“You, Lincoln”.

“Oh…” he said, grabbing his arm. Why was Leni talking about him?

Hopefully not anything negative.

“We think it’s pretty unfair what Lola’s been doing to you, but electrocuting her is acting no better!”.

“Yeah,” said Lana, walking forward. “This war has brought out the worst in you and Lola”.

Word travels fast in the Loud family. Even though the attack had happened mere hours ago, Leni and Lana still somehow already knew about it. Lincoln figured that Lisa had told everybody about it. Either that, or Lucy had observed the whole thing from afar, and explained what had happened to Leni and Lana.

“So,” said Leni, continuing Lana’s train of thought. “Me and Lana decided we’d put an end to the war”.

It seems like putting an end to this war is like killing Hitler: many have tried, none have succeeded.

What? How could Leni and Lana put an end to the war themselves? “Uh, how do you plan on doing that?”, asked Lincoln, hiding his skepticism.

“…I don’t know”, Leni admitted.

Lincoln sighed. He was grateful that Leni and Lana were looking out for him, but alas, it meant nothing. They had no idea how to bring Lola’s tyranny to an end.

Lincoln smiled. “Well, I appreciate that you guys are looking out for me, but-“

“Whoa, Lincoln!”, interrupted Lana. “Who said we were looking out for you?”.

That’s a bit rude, Lana!

Lincoln was taken aback by this. “You said that you wanted to end that war. I’ve been the main victim ever since it started! If you’re not doing it for me, why else would you want to put an end to the war?”.

“Lola may have started it, but the war has been hurting everyone in this family, Lincoln”, said Leni. “Not just you”.

“Oh…” Lincoln looked down. It made sense that Leni and Lana wouldn’t be as compassionate to him after the electric buzzer stunt he pulled off just a couple of hours ago. Just then, a thought passed through his mind; one that made him feel sick to his stomach.

“Leni…” he said quietly. Lincoln looked up, and looked his sister in the eyes. “You don’t see me as equal to Lola… do you?”.

Leni sighed. “At this point, Lincoln… I don’t know”.

And now we’ve got the “hero wonders if he’s just like the villain” trope! The cliche levels are off the charts!

No.

Lincoln knew that he couldn’t possibly be even close to as bad as Lola. Even though she was six, Lola had made his life a living nightmare for the past month. She made him fail tests, she ruined his relationship with his best friend and most of his sisters, and she caused him tremendous amounts of mental and physical pain. All Lincoln did was launch a couple of unsuccessful counter-attacks, and electrocuted Lola once. How was he even close to as bad as Lola?

Before he could angrily explain his views to Leni, Lincoln noticed the sound of rustling leaves behind him. He turned around to see Lynn, Luan, and Luna coming out of the woods.

Oh, great, thought Lincoln.

What he doesn’t know is that that sentence is literally true.

The last time that he was with Luan and Luna, they walked away on him after he had electrocuted Lola.

“Hey, little bro!” Luna waved as she approached Lincoln.

“Hey, Luna”, Lincoln replied calmly.

“Sooo, we’ve been talking” said Luan, now in front of Lincoln. “And, we think it would be pretty unfair of us to leave your side”.

“So,” continued Luna, “We decided to stick with you, on one condition; no more harsh attacks on Lola.

What exactly counts as “harsh”? Where’s the line drawn!?

We don’t need to stoop to her level, ya’ know?”.

Lincoln nodded. “Fair enough. In fact, I was just talking to Leni. She started a team with Lana to stop the war as soon as possible, and I think it would be a good idea if we all joined it”.

Lynn was skeptical. “Wouldn’t that mean you’d be stepping down as a leader?”.

Lincoln shrugged. “I guess, yeah. But stopping the war is my first priority right now, and I think this is the best way to do it”.

Leni smiled. “Linky, I think you’d make a much better leader than me. You should lead team resistance!”.

That was an abrupt change of heart, but I’ll take it.

Lincoln didn’t expect this. “Me?”, he asked, confusion evident in his voice.

Luan smiled. “Yeah! I mean, you’re the ‘man with the plan’. And, even though it was kind of cruel, you did just manage to get back at Lola”.

“Yeah,” piped Luna. “You beat her at her own game!”.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Lynn, smiling wide.

“I’m on board with following Lincoln’s orders if you guys are!”, said Lana.

Lincoln looked around at five of his sisters smiling at him, and seeing him as a leader. For the first time since the war started, Lincoln felt like things were finally starting to turn around in his favor. It was time to prove to them that he wasn’t as bad as Lola.

The hot, Mexican sun shone down on the three Santiagos as they made their way down the dusty path. Ronnie Anne looked around her. To her left, she saw breathtaking purple, dusty mountains in the distance. To her right, she saw white sand, and crystal blue water stretching down to the horizon. All around her, Ronalda saw beautiful flowered cacti. Despite the fantastic view, Ronnie Anne couldn’t help but to feel nervous. She would be seeing her father for the first time since she was very little. Ronnie Anne didn’t remember anything about the man, and her mother and brother refused to talk about her father, even when she questioned them about him.

The three family members walked in silence, no one brave enough to even dare utter a word. Finally, however, Ronnie Anne broke the prolonged silence.

“So, uh, how long until we get to Dad’s place?”.

Maria sighed. “Soon, mi vida. But, I must warn you… he may be a bit angry when we arrive”.

Yet another angry character?!

Ronnie Anne gulped. She knew nothing about Mr. Santiago, and even now, she didn’t dare ask questions about him. From what she could infer, he was not a good person.

Later episodes would reveal it’s Dr. Santiago, and he is a good person, but I can’t blame the author for that.

After what semed like hours more of walking, the three family members finally came to a halt. Bobby, holding up a map, let out a yelp of glee. He was relieved that the long trek was almost over.

“His house is just up this hill, mama!”.

Maria looked up the hill with uncertainty, before leading the way to a cobblestone path that lead upward, where no doubt Mr Santiago’s house was located.

The first thing Ronnie Anne noticed was that the walkway leading uphill was surprisingly nice and looked to be well maintained. The stones that made up the path where very smooth,

I thought we were done with the “where” thing.

and each one fit into place perfectly; no doubt the work of a very skilled and well paid path layer. At a certain point, decorative bushes could be seen on either side of the walkway. They were cut perfectly, not a single leaf out of place. Despite the hot and arid climate, they remained almost sickeningly green, obviously being watered a lot.

“Papa seems to really like having a nice path”, Ronnie Anne observed as she and her family made their way up the hill.

“He likes to have a nice property, sweetie”, responded Maria.

So now we have a waking-life character who’s inexplicably wealthy too?

At last, the family made it to the top of the hill. As soon as the house came into vision, Ronnie Anne stopped in her tracks. Her mouth fell agape as she looked at what was in front of her. Her father’s house was much larger than she expected. In fact, it could hardly be called a house— it was a hacienda, and almost as large as a mansion. It was designed with Latin architecture in mind; not to mention, it was very colourful. Bright, fluorescent blues, greens, reds, and yellows were visible painted over doors and windows borders. The home itself spread out like a green jewel in the desert. It was surrounded by vast gardens and fountains that sparkled in the sun. Peacocks strayed across its walkways, and wide marble steps led up to a veranda framed by orange trees. A few gardeners worked diligently outside. Once they saw the Santiagos approach, they stopped what they were doing, and bowed respectfully to the visitors.

Ronnie Anne started to move again, still surprised at how beautiful the hacienda was. It was not at all what she expected.

Now in front of the doorway, Maria rang the gold-plated doorbell.

A gold-plated doorbell? That sounds like something you might see on House Fancy!

Almost instantly, the door opened, revealing a young woman wearing a maid apron.

“Can I help you, ma’am?”, she asked sheepishly.

Maria nodded. “I’m here to see Mr. Santiago”.

“Do you have an appointment?”, asked the maid.

“Uh, no. But—”.

The maid started to close the door. “I’m sorry. I can’t let you in without an appointment”.

But this guy does:

“Wait!”, cried Maria, putting her foot in the door to stop it from closing on her. “I’m Maria Santiago”.

The maid gasped. “One second ma’am!”. With that, she ran down the hall, and slammed the door behind her.

A few moments later, a tall man opened the door. He had jet black hair and a matching black moustache, as well as a tan complexion similar to the rest of the Santiagos. He was decently handsome, and eerily, Ronnie Anne noticed that he looked like an older version of Bobby.

It’s called genetics, Ronnie Anne.

The man was wearing an expensive looking morning robe, and he held a mug of what appeared to be coffee in his hand.

The man’s eyes widened as he saw the visitors. Silence filled the air.

“Maria…?”, he finally managed to say.

The Santiago mother nodded.

The man stared ahead in disbelief. “…I thought you were dead!”.

Why did he think that?

With that remark, even the coffee turned cold.

The fire cracked, crickets chirped, and the moon shined bright. It was still nighttime at the Loud family campgrounds.

Guess we’ll have to find out why Arturo (although this fic was written before he was revealed to be named that) thought Maria was dead later.

Lincoln stood on the houseboat porch, observing the assembly below.

Lincoln looked around at the siblings who had pledged to join team resistance. Lana was picking her nose. Lynn was punching Luan’s arm playfully. Luan was moving to the side, obviously annoyed and trying to avoid Lynn. Luna had her earbuds in, oblivious to what was going on around her. She rocked her head back and forth as she pretended to jam out to the music. Leni stared off into space, thinking about only God knows what.

They weren’t much compared to Lola and Lisa, but they were soon going to become his team. Lincoln was going to be their leader, and it was time to start acting like it.

“Team Resistance!”, announced Lincoln. His siblings snapped to attention. “Today marks the beginning of the end to this cruel, pointless war!”.

Cruel and pointless is right!

Lincoln quickly went through his mind, trying to think back to his video games and comics, in hopes of coming up with what a leader would say at a time like this. “As your leader, I promise to topple Lola’s evil empire once and for all! 

It’s certainly evil, but I wouldn’t call it an empire.

She has caused this family too much grief in her month-long war. She’s attacked not only myself, but anyone that has opposed her!”. Lincoln paused, letting his words sink in. “Well, I say no more! We’ll fight back against that tyrant! And, more importantly, we’ll win!”

Lincoln stopped. Silence hung in the air like a bad odor. The boy began to sweat. Did they not like his speech?

Just then, Lynn began to clap. Slowly at first, but picking up speed. Next, Leni joined in the applause. Then, Luan, Luna, and finally, Lana. The entire assembly clapped for Lincoln’s speech.

The boy couldn’t help but to smile.

As the applause finally started to die down, Leni made her way up to the porch of the houseboat. She opened the living room door, and ushered Lincoln inside. Next, she faced the audience.

Does that mean her other siblings or… us?!

“When Lincoln walks out of this door, he will be the new leader of the resistance!”.

Leni earned another round of applause and cheers from the attendees. She turned around, walked inside of the houseboat, and shut the door behind her.

Now alone, Leni put her hands on her brother’s shoulders.

“Lincoln,” she said. “I want you to put a stop to this war. Don’t just do it for yourself; do it for the family. This battle has been tearing us apart!”.

Lincoln nodded. “I’ll do my best, Leni”.

“You’ll need to do more than your best, Lincoln! We’re up against Lola, Lisa, and possibly Lori or Lucy too”. Leni paused, shuddering at the thought of Lola’s psychopathic nature, and Lisa’s genius. They were the two youngest members of the family other than Lily, but they were certainly scariest. Even outnumbered six to two, they were no easy enemy.

“Promise me, Lincoln!”, said Leni. “Promise me you’ll end this stupid war!”. She lightly shook Lincoln back and forth.

Leni’s just as desperate for the story to end as we are!

Lincoln nodded slowly. “I promise, Leni”, he whispered.

Leni smiled. “I knew I could count on you. Now, get out there, Lincoln!”

On the outside of the houseboat, Lana, Lynn, Luan, and Luna patiently waited for Lincoln and Leni to end their meeting. Lynn, in particular, was nervous. How would the role of leader change Lincoln? Would it be for the better? Was he even ready? Just then, footsteps approached and the living room door swung open— it was Lincoln. Team Resistance’s new leader, still dressed in his standard orange shirt and jeans, appeared taller than Lynn remembered him, his shoulder straighter. The lines of stress that he had accumulated over the past month had vanished from his face, and he seemed more polished than before, as though he had finally assumed the position for which he had been born; the peacemaker. Awestruck, Lynn dropped to one knee.

See what I mean? This story seems to have been leaning on the “drama” button.

Lincoln ran forward, and grabbed the houseboat porch railing with both hands. With nothing more appropriate to do, the boy laughed out loud.

This earned a look of confusion for the sisters assembled in front of him.

Getting a grip of his laughter, Lincoln looked down at Lynn. He smiled. “You don’t need to kneel for me, ya’ know”.

Even he thinks it’s ridiculous!

Lynn didn’t move. “Lincoln…” she said. “Please… end this war. Do it for the family, do it for yourself”.

Lincoln smiled. “I will”.

---

And that’s that! Tune in next time for three more chapters!