Chapter 2: Homecoming

-Trust in time, which usually gives you sweet exits from many bitter difficulties-

-Miguel de Cervantes-

It's been seven months since Lincoln left Royal Woods, and his sisters have only seen him during Christmas and New Year's of the same year. On subsequent vacations and vacations in the following years, they did not hear anything from him. They tried to call Pop Pop, but in the cabin there was no phone, and Lincoln's cell phone did not have international coverage, so they had to communicate by letter. Which often arrived late, but one day, under mysterious circumstances, the letters stopped arriving.

Lisa was in her room, awake two weeks after Lincoln had gone to live with his grandfather in Canada, and could hardly hear what her brother had done to save her and what he had pushed through his sense of sight. Long ago, the little genius had dragged the contempt of her sisters, every one of them from Lori to Lola, who treated her worse than Lincoln ever did in what they called it -accident of bad luck- a few very dark days for all of them, which were scarcely resolved only a week before the new accident cost Lincoln his sight.

Lola and Lana also take action against her by asking their parents to let Lily sleep with them, leaving the little scientist literally and emotionally alone. The moment she saw how all her little sister's belongings had been taken away, she felt something pressing against her chest, a pain many call grief, and she saw the possibility of now having so much space in her own room as was welcome if she had to pay with being an outcast of the family. Since then, the girl has learned to be more humble, so much so that she has stopped thinking only about science, the obsession that led her to perform that unfortunate experiment, and not a day goes by that she does not regret causing the accident that led to it.

Three years had already passed since their brother departure, three years without seeing him or receiving a single letter. The sisters had also changed—both physically and in their clothing. Lori was now 20 years old and wore a light blue shirt with short cufflinks and long brown trousers.

Leni, 19, wore a mint green long-sleeved top and a dark green skirt. Her hair was tied up in a bun. She attended college with Luna, who was 18. Leni often performed at a coffee shop near campus, where she served as the entertainment. Luan, 17, wore a yellow jacket, thigh-high shorts, and had her hair down, she planned to attend the same university as her older sisters and pursue a career as a stand-up comedian at the coffee shop. Lynn, 16, wore a red tracksuit consisting of pants and a sweatshirt, she had just won the sports scholarship from the same university, allowing them to all study together.

Lucy was around 11 years old, and she was wearing a calf-length dress that she wore over a black jacket. Her hair was tied up in two pigtails, revealing her medium but visible breasts and pronounced hips with a slender waist that had developed. She was the envy of her peers, as well as her friend, Haiku, who had also developed like Lucy.

Lola and Lana were only nine years old, and they didn't have much to change other than their clothes like the rest of their sisters. Lola was wearing a knee-length pink skirt and a softer pink shirt under a short-sleeved white jacket, plus she wore a more fanciful tiara, while Lana wore long pants and a white and black jacket with some oil and mud stains on it, her hair was braided and she still wore her hat as well as a bandage on her cheek.

4-year-old Lily showed she had great taste in video games and comics, just like her brother Lincoln. She wore a light purple skirt and jacket over a short-sleeved black T-shirt.

Lisa wore the same clothes as before, but in a larger size. The only change in her clothes was a lab coat, which she wore open and had her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was already 7 years old and already a little taller than before, and now she was devoted to the science of peace, and no longer saw any being inferior in intelligence, though she continued to refer to them as Homo sapiens out of habit.

One morning a message arrived that caused an uproar throughout the entire household, and that Lincoln would be returning to town with pop pop.

It's a good time, as the super long winter break will be starting soon, and the older sisters will be back home.

"Will Linky come back?" Leni asked excitedly.

“So it is, daughter,” said Rita, drying her tears as she felt the warmth of their reunion.

"Why, after nearly three years, did he decide to send us this message?" Lynn asked, annoyed.

"I'm sure he had a very good reason," said Luna, without wiping the smile from her face.

"Anyway, we will see him again in a while" Lori said as she put on some lipstick.

"Well, at least we'll be able to see him" Luan said, but she stopped talking when she realized that making that joke wasn't a good idea. "I'm sorry," she said, shyly lowering her head.

"Don't worry, I know you didn't mean any harm" Mr. Loud said as he left the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready soon, let lisa know."

This made the sisters look dissatisfied, except for Lily, who couldn't understand why, since she could remember, her sisters had avoided talking to Lisa and did so only out of obligation.

"Whose turn to go talk to her?" Lola asked.

Lucy raised her head, stopped reading her book, and said "I went last time." She then returned to her reading.

"Damn it. It's my turn now" Lynn complained as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

The girl walked to the door and saw her little sister at her desk. "hey, Come for dinner or I'll give it to Charles Jr."

The girl stopped whatever she was doing and left her room. Her sisters had distanced themselves from her over the past three years. How could you blame them? Because of her own negligence and selfish desire, she caused her brother to lose his sight permanently and was sent to live in another country.

Lisa whispered "I never wanted any of this."

In the kitchen, a little puppy that resembled a cocker spaniel but had Charles's features was jumping up to play with Lana and Lily.

"Catch it CJ" Lana said as she tossed a small rubber ball.

"How was my brother? They told me a lot about him, since I was too young to remember him” the girl asked.

"Don't worry Lily, you'll see him soon" said Lucy, suddenly appearing next to Lily.

"Ahhhhh" The girl screamed, placing her hand over her heart with Charles.

"Really Lucy?" "You're really too old to scare people," Lori said a little annoyed.

Lucy turns to lori and replies "You're never too old to be a little afraid, Sister."

While in the upstairs rooms, Luna was preparing to be elegant, although she knew it wouldn't work because her brother wouldn't see her but that didn't mean she couldn't become pretty. She wore skinny leather pants ripped from the thighs with two belts hanging down from her protruding hips, and she wore a skull-patterned camisole.

The girl looked at herself in the mirror that used to be hers, saw her whole body and was thinking 'what's the point of him seeing me this way if he can't see me'

This was her biggest secret, Luna had felt something for her younger brother for a long time. This secret had been dragging her around for 6 years, at first she thought it was just a child's thing and that with time she would get over it, but far from that feeling only got stronger, she tried to find a replacement for this feeling in both boys and girls, but nothing could make her forget her brother The little one, that 8-year-old boy who stole her heart when she was 12. She remembered him like it was yesterday.

6 years ago in elementary school.

It was Valentine's Day and at that time Luna was in love with a boy named Jack, she didn't have her own rock style back then.

Little Luna made him a card that said everything she felt for him but that day was so sad for her. She looked for him everywhere until she found him, and what she saw left her with a lump in her throat. The boy she liked gave a card to another girl prettier than her. And to top it all off, she was also given a card, which said in its cover *to the most beautiful girl* which made her excited, and which she broke out when she opened it and read what it said. *too bad it's not you* Luna's heart breaks, laughter was present.

Luna ran into the house, and came weeping and took refuge under her sheets weeping, which caught the attention of her little brother, who was about 8 years old, and he saw her so broken that he had such an idea of ​​Valentine's Day that he knew there was only one way to make his sister happy in This special day.

Seeing his father approaching because he also heard his daughter crying, Lincoln walked over to his father.

"dad. Luna is sad, I want to cheer her up."

Mr. Lynn peeked out the door as he saw his daughter with her face on the pillow in tears. "What's on your mind, son?"

Lincoln signaled his father to come, which he did, and his son began to tell him of his plan.

"That's a great idea, son. Tell Luna" said Mr. Loud "I'll warm up Vanzilla's engine." Mr. Lynn said as he walked down the stairs.

The little boy entered his sister's room "Hi, Luna." Lincoln said hello to her.

"Go away, Lincoln" Luna replied, without lifting her face from her pillow.

Lincoln leaned against her and sat on her bed. "I just wanted to invite you to the amusement park."

Luna showed one of her eyes between her arm and the pillow. "What? Why?"

"You looked so sad" Lincoln smiled. "I don't like to see you cry, neither you nor any of you."

Luna felt a tiny bit of anger rising inside her, did she look so pathetic that she would have to go on a pity date with her 8-year-old brother? Or was he just mocking her? 'The last thing I need is pity from my brat' She thought of yelling at him and throwing everything near him, but seeing her brother's warm smile made her feel like an idiot. This little boy wanted to see her happy and she almost rejected him. Luna got up from bed wiping her tears "Yes, Linky, I would like to go with you to the amusement park."

The boy's face lit up with a smile. "Wow, come on, Dad is waiting for us in the truck." Lincoln took Luna by her hand, the girl didn't know why but this gesture made her feel warm in her heart but she decided to ignore it.

The children got into the car with their father and headed to the amusement park. Halfway through, in order to pass the time, the children began to speak.

"Thank you, Lincoln," said Luna, stroking her little brother's head.

"your welcome Luna, all for my favorite sister," said the smiling boy.

"I-Am I am your favourite?" asked the red-faced Luna, again that feeling invaded her chest and now it was accompanied by a tremor in her knees, and seeing the little bunny's smile at her brother completely forgetting the reason for the trip, she just stared at Lincoln while his words and the boy's tender image were forever etched in her memory "Thank you." she says, hugging Lincoln.

"Hey, you're welcome Luna, I love you" Lincoln replied to Luna, hugging her.

Suddenly the truck started smoking, which alerted the father.

"Oh My God. I wish I had someone who knew mechanics" said Mr. Loud, inspecting the engine, as he pushed the truck into a workshop.

In a workshop "Well, Mr. Loud, your car just needs an oil change, I'll have it ready in an hour" said the mechanic.

"an hour?" Mr. Loud demanded

"I'm sorry sir, but it's a very old engine and it needs a very specific oil."

"Okay. Sorry kids, but the trip is cancelled." Mr. Loud hung his head in disappointment.

Lincoln had fallen asleep in the back seat while Luna waited outside the workshop when she suddenly heard a great commotion. In front of the establishment there was a large stadium with thousands of people on top of it and a big balloon with an advertisement announcing the Mick Swagger concert. Luna was bored and her day was getting worse.

"The worst Valentine's Day ever" the girl grumbled, but that prom sounded interesting. With the money she was going to use to buy sweets and go to the games, she made a decision that would change her life. She crossed the street to go to the concert but when she arrived and saw that at the box office it was written that tickets were sold out "Damn this day is getting worse." The girl was about to leave when she saw a boy offering to resell tickets, she approached him and bought the tickets, thus gaining entry.

On that day, he discovered her profession and passion for music. At the end of the concert and leaving the stadium, she met her father, who scolded her severely for staying away, and was very surprised to see his daughter wearing the rock shirt.

On the way home, Lincoln couldn't stop seeing her.

"What's wrong Linky?" Luna asked with some embarrassment as she made her father worry.

"You look pretty" he replied again with that smile which she really liked.

"Th-Thank you." She replied again with a red flush in her cheeks at her little brother's words.

Since that day, Luna has secretly loved rock music and her brother

_back to the present_

Luna finished looking at herself in the mirror when Luan entered.

"I can't believe Lincoln is going back to Royal Woods" Luan said excitedly.

"I know, it's been a long time" said Luna to make a count. "3 years since he left, since she took him away from us." Luna clenched her fists.

"Calm down Luna. It's been 3 years. We can't be mad at her forever."

"Luan, it's her fault Lincoln went blind" said Luna.

Luan look down "I know, believe me, I hated her because she caused it too, but if we don't forgive her we can't leave this incident behind. Lincoln will come back today and the only thing he expected of us was for us to continue to be the loving family he remembered. On The least we owe it to him after not seeing each other for so many years"

Lynn heard it all from the door. "Owe him? Having not heard from him or received a letter since New Year's Day about two years ago? Count me out." Lynn took very personally the fact that Lincoln had not written any letters in all that time, although This man is blind, but he can always ask pop pop to do so, except that what hurts her the most about this is that she secretly loved Lincoln since her childhood and seeing him go caused pain in her heart that could not be healed. She left as the girl thinking 'that idiot'. Lynn went into the bathroom and started shedding a few tears while hugging herself, "Did he really...forget me?"

Downstairs Lola and Lana were doing Lily's hair.

"Stay still, Lily, I won't be able to comb your hair if you keep moving," Lola scolded Lily.

"sorry lola" Lily apologized.

"Calm down Lily, he's just our big brother" said Lana, spitting on Lily's shoes and wiping them with a rag.

“Ewww, that's disgusting Lana.” The girl in pink still didn't understand how her sister hadn't changed her dirty way of life in 3 years, but it got worse.

"You suck, your perfume is burning my nose hairs" Lana replied, at that moment the twins started another fight, Lily took the opportunity to get out of there.

Five hours ago at a Canadian airport

Pop pop looked a little older, and he was wearing a thick coat with a lumberjack hat, he got the plane tickets. In the distance he saw a figure sitting with a stick, the old man looked at him thinking 'This boy will definitely be an important person in life.'

-Back to the present-

The trumpets announcing the flights began, "Passengers of Flight 360 to Michigan, USA, please get on board."

-Go back to Loud's house-

Lucy looked out the window as it snowed. "Sigh, the cruelty of winter brings with it the ghosts of those taken in the past."

"Your way of saying you like snow" said Lynn, who was wearing a red gym jacket.

"Words are like people, they can change but their essence remains the same."

"You really made me hope" said the athlete who left the room. When she left she met Lisa. She didn't hate her, but she was a bit far from the little scientist. But Lisa had long since stopped caring what her less intelligent athletic sister thought. With Lynn she was the only one who didn't change her mind with her, she still considered her as someone with a lot of space in her brain, and what do you expect from a 16-year-old girl? Certainly a condition that completely eluded even Lisa's new way of looking at things.

The doorbell rang and everyone quickly gathered at the door to greet whom they thought was Lincoln, but when they opened it they saw Lincoln's best friend Clyde. He is wearing a white shirt with a tie under a woolen jacket with blue and white stripes • boots and yellow pants He is about as tall as Leni.

He had a pot in his hands.

"Hi Mrs. Loud" said the boy "I've brought something for the special occasion that I made myself."

Rita recalled that, in honor of Lincoln's return, she had invited Clyde to dine at the house when her son arrived. Mr. Loud didn't like the idea of ​​eating food he didn't make himself, but as it was a special occasion and the boy was Lincoln's best friend and he took so much trouble to make something, he let it slide.

"Thank you for coming, Clyde. I know your friend will give you plenty in many years." Rita picks up the pot of food.

"Only the best for my friend" said Clyde as he entered the house.

His entry made him feel nostalgic, he had not been in this house for 3 years since Lincoln left, he had only said hello and had a casual chat with some of the Loud girls for a short while when he passed their way.

Many things have changed in 3 years, when Clyde turns 13, he leaves his obsession with lori as he finds an interest in Penelope, the red-haired girl with glasses who also goes to private lessons with Clyde...

Finally, dinner was ready and the table was set.

Lana was drooling when she saw the banquet her family had prepared for her brother's arrival, she reached out to steal a wing of her father's baked chicken but Lola stopped her by hitting her hand.

"Don't you have manners? You have to wait until everyone is seated at the table and the guest of honor comes" Lola said when a piece of the cake she had hidden behind her back fell out.

Rita picked up the cake from the floor and gave it to Charles jr "Now, be patient girls, pop pop and Lincoln will be arriving any minute.

As if by magic, as soon as Rita said that, he heard the sound of a car pulling up in front of the house, the family and Clyde looked out the window, in the street in front of the house there was a taxi from which the older grandfather Albert, who now depends On a stick, he helped a young man down, though the body of Albert covered him completely from view, he need not have been a clairvoyant to know that it was Lincoln.

Albert paid the taxi driver and left.

Inside the house, everyone lined up and put up a sign that read -Welcome home, Lincoln and pop pop- It was Lily's idea that she made such an effort to make it happen that they didn't say anything to her.

Hearing a knock on the door, followed by Albert's voice, Mr. Loud opened the door.

"Surprise, welcome Lincoln and pop pop" The family and Clyde screamed with excitement.

Albert placed his hand over his heart, and his body could not bear as many surprises as before.

The girls pounced on their grandfather, hugging him.

"Well, look at yourselves, you have become beautiful young women" Albert said when he saw how his granddaughters had changed in 3 years.

"Especially me…" said Lola demonstratively.

"hey of course"

Albert hits Lola's head when he sees Lily hiding behind her mother.

Rita looked at Lily "Come on, Lily, say hi to pop pop."

Albert crouched to be at girl's height. "Hi Lily, you're all grown up."

Lily came out of her hiding place and waved shyly. Albert is touched by the little girl when he suddenly seems to remember something "wait" he goes to the door and the boy passes.

Everyone was excited because they knew he was referring to Lincoln.

When the boy entered, no one could say a word and they stared with wide eyes. 15-year-old Lincoln entered the house, the white-haired boy combed his hair to the corners of his eyes, he was wearing a red plaid flannel shirt under a black leather jacket with faux fur inside, he was wearing blue jeans, black snow boots, and a cane to guide himself.

Lincoln took a few steps until he stopped next to his grandfather and said

[i've come home]