**Vision Dream**
Lincoln stared at his mother, baffled, "You did what?"
"We sold all your furniture," Rita said.
"Why did you do that?" Lincoln asked.
"Because it was tainted with bad luck! But don't worry, your clothes and mattress are still there," Rita said like it was no big deal.
"Good job, sport. You really aren't bad luck," Lynn Sr said.
Lincoln started to take off of the suit, but Lynn stopped him.
"No, no, no! You gotta keep that on," Lynn said.
"Why?" Lincoln asked in a stern tone.
"Because it's good luck! You take that thing off; something bad will happen, like bad luck!" Lynn stated.
"Oh, you're right! Like vanzilla could break down," Lynn Sr agreed.
"Or I could lose a beauty pageant!" Lola hollered.
"Or I could lose my tools," Lana added.
"Or my makeup could go bad, and I could get a rash!" Leni added.
The whole time they were going on and on about it, Lincoln felt a hole in his chest filling him with dread and hopelessness. He stared at them shaking his head.
"What is wrong with you people?" Lincoln uttered.
They all stopped and turned to him.
"Do you hear yourselves right now? You're not making a lick of sense. You all sound crazy!" Lincoln shouted.
Everyone frowned.
"Lincoln, don't take that tone with us!" Lynn Sr. scolded.
"Yeah, Stinkin, I won this game because you wore that costume suit! So you gotta keep it on for the rest of us," Lynn stated as everyone nodded with agreement.
"So, I have to wear this stupid suit from now on?" Lincoln questioned.
"I'm sorry, son, but we just can't risk the bad luck," Lynn Sr said.
"So it's all about you guys now?" Lincoln asked.
Lori scoffed and rolled her eyes, "You're being selfish. That is so you."
Everyone agreed and ridiculed Lincoln with commentary making him feel like he was nothing. Like he was not one of them.
"So . . . that's the way it is? It's this or . . . I can't live in my own house?" Lincoln questioned in a serious tone.
"I'm sorry, son, but we just can't risk the bad luck spreading," Rita replied in a casual tone.
Lincoln's eyes twitched and watered. Then he looked away while nodding. It was clear to him now. The writing was on the wall. At that moment, Lincoln felt numb with dread. He took the squirrel costume off.
"Lincoln! What are you doing? Come on! We need the good luck," Lynn said.
Lincoln ignored her as if she and the rest of the family weren't even there. Once he was out of it, he began to walk away.
"Lincoln Loud! You put that suit back on, mister! We need the good luck," Rita ordered.
Lincoln stopped and turned to face her, "No . . . Rita, I'm not putting that thing on."
Her eyes, as well as the rest of the family's eyes, widened when he called his mother by her first name.
"I'm not putting that damn thing on ever again. I'm done trying to put some sense into you people. I'm done trying to reason with you people. It's clear that I don't belong here. You don't want me here anymore . . . because you don't love me anymore. I'm not your son anymore. I'm not your brother anymore. To you, I'm just an object. A luck trinket. If that's the way it is now, then I quit," Lincoln explained.
Everyone had a serious look on their faces as Lincoln went on.
"You're not my family anymore. You're not my mother, you're not my father, and none of you are my sisters anymore. I'm done with you. I'm done loving you people. It's over," Lincoln stated before walking away.
Lori, Leni, Luna, and Luan grew sorrowful expressions while the rest looked confused.
"Lincoln?" Leni spoke while reaching out.
"Did he just call Mom by her first name?" Luna asked.
"Lincoln, you're being overdramatic," Lynn Sr. said, rolling his eyes.
"Dad, I don't think he's overreacting. I think he's serious," Luan said.
Lincoln ignored them as he walked straight to the men's room. He was gonna lock himself in and call the police.
"Lincoln! Lincoln Loud! Don't you dare walk away from us!" Lynn Sr. ordered.
Lori ran in front of her father, "Dad, stop!" Then she turned toward her brother, "Lincoln, wait! Let's-let's just talk about this!"
Lincoln was only ten feet away from the men's locker room.
Lynn ran to Lincoln and grabbed his shoulder, "Yo, Stinkin! Quit being a baby and just put on the—"
Lincoln grabbed Lynn hard by the shirt and slammed her against the wall. Everyone gasped in fright with their eyes as big as dish plates, and their pupils shrank.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!!" Lincoln roared.
Lynn's eyes were wide open, and she shivered in fear, not expecting that from her little brother. His eyes burned red with murder and rage.
He spoke with pure venom in his voice, "Don't. Touch. Me."
He swung the door open and slammed it behind him, locking himself in. He heard only for a brief moment of Lynn sobbing outside before one or two of his sister comforted her. His father was banging on the door, demanding Lincoln to open the door. Lincoln raced to the back of the locker room to the farthest room. The showers. He hid himself in a shower stall. He ensured there was no other way inside, no other door, before pulling out his phone. He dialed the three emergency numbers. This was it. The moment of truth. His heart was racing, and he took several deep breaths.
"911, what is your emergency?" a female operator asked.
"Hello, my name is Lincoln Loud. I need the police. My family locked me out of my house. I was forced to sleep outside like an animal because they thought I was bad luck. Now they won't let me back in unless I wear some creepy squirrel costume. They're-they're crazy and not making any sense," Lincoln explained unsteadily, trying not to panic.
"They locked you outside your house?" she asked.
"Yes. They wouldn't let me back inside. I had to sleep on a pile of leaves in the backyard."
"How old are you, honey?" the female operator questioned.
"I'm eleven. Right now, my family is trying to get me where I am. I locked myself in the boy's locker room. My dad is trying to kick the door down. I need help! Please!" Lincoln pleaded.
"Alright, stay calm. Where are you?" the female operator asked.
"I'm at the Royal Woods Park for the little league softball games," Lincoln answered.
"Stay on the line with me, Lincoln. Do not hang up," after a few moments, she returned, "I got police heading there now. Stay on the line with me and stay out of sight, understand?"
Lincoln nodded, "Yes, I understand."
Lynn Sr. continued to bang on the door, "Lincoln Loud! You open the door this instant and apologize to your sister!"
Lori and Luna argued with their parents and the others, suggesting they went too far on this with Lincoln. Rita and the other sisters rationalized, saying it was no big deal. After close to five minutes, police sirens grew louder and louder. Then they stopped, as well as Lynn Sr.'s banging and yelling.
"Okay, I hear the sirens," Lincoln breathed.
"You're in the boy's locker room, right?" the female operator asked.
"Yes, my family is outside the door trying to get in," Lincoln replied.
"Stay in there until it's safe to come out," the female operator ordered.
Then he heard the sounds of men marching.
"Sir, back away from the door," a man ordered firmly.
Rita started, "Officer, is there a problem? Why are you—?"
"Back away from the door! Now!" the man repeated loudly.
"No, what is going on? Lincoln! Did you call the police?!" Lynn Sr. demanded as he banged on the door again.
Then there was a zapping sound and what sounded like Lynn Sr. if he touched an electric fence as he screamed. Everyone in his family gasped as he fell with a loud thud. Lincoln could safely assume that his father got tasered. Then loud knocking on the door was heard, almost spooking Lincoln.
"Lincoln Loud! It's the police! It's safe to come out now," the officer hollered.
"That's them. They're here. Thank you, operator," Lincoln thanked.
"You're welcome, honey. Just do what they say, and you'll be okay. They're here to help you," the female operator replied.
Lincoln unlocked the door and opened it to see several men in navy blue police uniforms. They all had short sleeves, radios, and their belts had all the police gear and weapons. Some of them were wearing sunglasses and gloves. Two of them had Lynn Sr. on the ground, handcuffing him, while two others kept the rest of the Loud family away. Lincoln was so overjoyed to see them that he couldn't help but hug the officer in front of him. He softly sobbed on his chest.
The officer gently hugged him while patting his back, "It's all right, son. You're safe now."
"Lincoln? What is this? Did you-did you call them?" Lori asked, shocked.
"Lincoln Loud. I'm Officer Matthews. We got a 911 call saying that your family forced you out of your house, where you had to spend the night outside without shelter. Is that correct?"
"Yes, officer. They locked me out of my room, out of my own house, and treated me like an object. Like a stray animal, and now they won't let me back in unless I wear that creepy squirrel costume over there because they think it brings good luck. They sold all the furniture in my room!" Lincoln pointed to Lana and Lola, holding the squirrel costume and hat.
Another officer asked Rita, "Are you the boy's mother?"
"Uh-yes, I am," Rita answered with worry in her eyes.
"Is all that true? You locked your own child out of the house and denied him entry?" the officer questioned seriously.
Rita started, "Well, yes, but—"
"Turn around and place your hands behind your back," the officer took Rita's hands and handcuffed her.
"Mr. and Mrs. Loud, you're both under arrest," the officer stated.
"What in the world for?!" Lynn Sr. exclaimed with fear in his eyes.
"Child abandonment, child endangerment, and since you forced him to wear that costume, child abuse," the officer answered, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you do not have one, the court will assign one to you. Do you understand these rights that I have told you?"
**End of Vision Dream**
Lincoln opened his eyes that morning. Another premonition. Another vision of a possible future that could happen. Lincoln groaned as he sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes. He looked at the clock to see it was five in the morning. He quietly went to the bathroom sink to wash his face. He stared at himself in the mirror.
It's been a few months since Lincoln started having visions of the future, and it's changed him. At first, Lincoln didn't believe it and thought they were just dreams and nightmares. That was the case until they came true one by one. He knew when certain events were going to happen and what the outcomes would be. He could avoid Luan's pranks and Lori's mean encounters, protect his hearing from Luna blasting her music and avoid getting hurt from Lynn's roughhousing. With each punch or kick she threw at him, Lincoln knew when it would happen and countered and either threw her or had her on hold until she tapped out, which stunned everyone. Sometimes the visions would show events as a whole, and sometimes Lincoln only got bits and pieces of them.
Then one day, he concentrated and was able to summon orbs of light that would show the visions in front of him like the memories in Inside Out. Unlocking new visions of the future took effort and willpower that physically exhausted him. The visions coming to Lincoln naturally in his sleep were far less demanding.
However, with Lincoln's new gift, he could see certain acts of cruelty from his own family. Even though he could avoid or change something so it wouldn't happen, it deeply depressed and disappointed him, knowing that his family could be so mean, especially to him. He never thought his family was capable of such unkindness. After seeing the ugly truths of his family, Lincoln kept his distance from his family. To say that Lincoln wasn't his usual bright and cheery self was an understatement. Since he got this ability or power, Lincoln has lost his smile and his laugh. It has made him cold and hard. His family did notice but had yet to say anything. He went back to bed but doubted that he would get any sleep.
Even though the vision dream ended, he summoned a light orb to see the rest of that possible future. He saw himself explaining everything to the police. He saw his parents being interrogated. He saw all his sisters apologizing to Lincoln for how they treated him. He saw himself get angry, yelling at them and throwing their apologies to their faces making them cry. Lincoln closed his eyes, letting tears escape. The things he said to them were heartbreaking. He saw the judge cracking down hard on his parents, sentencing them to twenty years in prison without parole. He saw his parents, especially his mother, look at him with complete hurt in their eyes as they were being taken away. He saw his older sisters Lynn, Luan, Luna, and Leni being sent to juvenile hall while Lori was tried as an adult and sent to state prison. He saw all his younger sisters sent away to separate foster care families.
He saw the news and press destroying his family's reputation. Bobby breaking up with Lori. Luna getting kicked out of her band, and Sam disowning her. Luan getting banned from being a clown and forbidden from being anywhere near children. Lynn getting banned from sports, and all their friends refusing to speak to them. Lincoln had tears rolling down his face.
There were small mean acts from his family here and there, but this? Bad luck? His family would kick him out of the house and disown him based solely on the superstition of bad luck. This had to be the cruelest thing his family would ever do to him, and it will only worsen after. The whole thing disgusted, disappointed, and ashamed Lincoln, making him wish he wasn't part of this family. He fast forward the orb to near its end, where he gets adopted by another family. The couple looked really lovely and looked like they were friendly to him.
Specific thoughts were flooding Lincoln's mind as he stared at the ceiling. Should he try to alter the events to change the future to keep his family together or just let the chips fall where they may? It all depended on whether or not Lincoln still loved his family. Right now, he felt he was too upset to answer because it was definitely no due to his anger and sorrow. Lincoln tried to remind himself that his family loves him and remember all the good memories, but all the unfortunate future visions and bad memories just came rushing to him. Every bad event, every insult, every bad encounter, every argument, it all was thrown into his mind right in front of him.
Lincoln felt a sharp pain in his head that made him groan. He lay in bed rubbing his head, taking several deep breaths. Then he felt something drip from his nose onto his mouth and chin. He wiped his face and looked at his fingers to see fresh blood. Lincoln softly gasped.
"That's not good," Lincoln said.