Loud Visions

Chapter 30

            Lynn wept in Lincoln's bed while hugging Bun-Bun close to her. Lisa walked in, wanting to examine the rock that Lincoln mentioned, but stopped when she saw her. Then, slowly, the rest of the Loud sisters arrived at Lincoln's room. Nobody even had to ask. It was plain and clear that they all had nightmares – they all knew it.

Lori stepped on one of the broken pieces of the action figure, and her eyes widened when she saw the blood stains. The other sisters had the same reaction when they saw it, too. Lori bent down on her knee to examine it to be sure.

"This is blood. Is this Lincoln's?" Lori asked seriously.

"No . . . it's mine," Lynn spoke.

Lori stood up, "Your blood?"

Lori noticed the wall and walked over to it. Her expression was as pensive as Luna and Luan's.

"Can someone explain what happened?" Lori questioned.

"I know what happened," Lola answered, and everyone turned to her, "The receipt for Lincoln's bus ticket fell out of his pocket. Lynn and I went to confront Lincoln about it, and that's when we saw him with his backpack. I think . . . I think Lincoln got scared when Lynn demanded what was going on. So he . . . he hit Lynn in the face with one of his action figures and threw her to the wall. Then he jumped over me and kicked me into Lynn before running away. You know what happened after that."

Lynn rolled on her back and stared at her hands. Her eyes were red, puffy, and damp from her tears.

"Did you see the way he looked at me?" Lynn asked before covering her eyes with her hands.

Lori sat down on the bed. Everyone had a sad look of shame.

"Am I a monster?" Lynn asked.

Before they could answer that, Lucy said, "No, but you are capable of doing terrible things. We all are."

Lynn sighed, "Don't tell me you had nightmares. Why would you? Lincoln told you. He trusted you with his big secret. He didn't trust any of us because—"

"What makes you think I didn't have nightmares?" Lucy interrupted.

Everyone's eyes widened slightly.

"I dreamed that his visions came true. That you all were doing horrible things to him, and I was powerless to save him," Lucy said. She sniffed and sobbed softly, "I can still hear him screaming . . . I can still hear him crying."

Lucy hugged her arms as the tears came down her face. Leni and Luan hugged her in comfort, but it didn't make Lynn feel any better.

Lynn rolled on her side away from her sisters, "What if Lincoln's better off without us?"

Everyone's eyes widened at that with soft gasps.

"What if we should have let him run away to the Santiago's? We were supposed to protect him, and yet he could have been beaten to a pulp today just because he wanted his room back and access to the bathroom . . . and over a stupid dress. I would have turned everyone against over luck. We were supposed to protect him, but we can't even protect him from ourselves," Lynn stated.

Those words made their hearts sink deep inside, filling them with cold dread. However, Lori refused to fall into despair.

"Maybe Lincoln would be better—"

Lori grabbed Lynn's arm and turned her over to face her.

"No! That's quitter talk! And that bullshit doesn't fly here in the Loud family!" Lori declared fiercely.