CH-KIK! The toaster clicked, and from its slots came two piping hot waffles, now golden brown with the alluring scent of ooey-gooey strawberry syrup within it.
"Waffles are on!" Lori announced, plucking the toaster pastries and adding them to a pile of four others on the plate next to it. "How's the sausage coming!?"
"Two minutes left," Luna replied from her place by the toaster oven.
"And the bananas?" Lori asked, tilting her head back.
Leni stood by, a banana tilted upside down in one hand, and an utterly perplexed expression on her face. "I can't find the peely part!" She bemoaned.
Next to Leni, Luan rolled her eyes, took the banana and began peeling it from the rough bit at the bottom.
"O-M-Gosh!" Leni exclaimed, hands flying to her cheeks, "You're a totes genius, Luan!"
"Thank you, Leni," Luan dully responded.
Suddenly, the kitchen door opened, revealing Lynn standing before the rest of her sisters, drowsy and wobbly on her feet.
"What's going on?" She mumbled, rubbing a balled up fist against her eye. Her nose wriggled when the scent of cooking food hit her and she looked up. "Are you guys cooking?" She yawned.
Lori smiled warmly and went over to Lynn, "Yup!" She bent down and picked Lynn up, placing her on her hip and moving back to the waffle platter, "We wanted to have a good breakfast before we went to school, so we all got up early to start making it."
Lynn closed her eyes, taking an appreciative sniff of the waffles, waking up significantly with the jolt of hunger that hit her. "Smells good," She said. She looked around the kitchen, taking in each of her siblings. "Where's Lincoln?" She asked, noting the lack of her new and already very cherished brother.
"Mom's upstairs waking him up," Lori replied.
Lynn jolted at that, waking up fully. "Ooh, I wanna help wake him up!" She said, trying to leap out of Lori's arms with an energetic little squirm.
"Whoa, hold up for a second, Lynn," Lori said, stilling her movements by wrapping her arms around her a little tighter, "I think it's best we let Mom handle this alone. We don't wanna risk scaring Lincoln, do we?"
Lynn's expression fell and she sagged significantly in Lori's arms. "No…" She affirmed. She looked up at Lori, her eyes big and shiny, "You don't think he thinks we're scary, do you?"
"I don't think so," Leni said, stepping to Lori and Lynn's side. "You saw how much he liked spending time with us last night, remember?"
"Yeah…" Lynn agreed. She bit her lip, a troubling thought wriggling in her mind, "But remember how he cried yesterday?"
"That wasn't our fault though," Luan said, taking a spot next to her sisters as well. Her shoulders rose up a smidge, "Right?"
"I-I don't think so…" Luna spoke up next, ambling her way to the little support cluster. "I think he was just overwhelmed with the situation. He's still adjusting, after all."
"That's right," Lori said, nodding resolutely. She focused her attention on Lynn, giving her a reassuring little smile, "He's just a little bit sensitive right now, Lynn. Don't worry." She raised a finger and gave her a little tap on her nose, "I'm pretty sure he likes us; you especially if dinner last night meant anything."
Lynn blushed a little at that, but smiled as she hid her face in Lori's chest.
"Wow, way to make us look like chopped liver," Luan said, setting her hands on her hips with a little huff. "If you take a moment to remember, he seemed to like my gift the most."
"Um, Luan, isn't he always carrying my gift around?" Leni said unsurely.
"Hmph! For now!" Luan said, a cocky little smirk playing across her lips.
And the girls laughed. Meanwhile, just upstairs, their mother was nearing the bedroom door of the littlest Loud.
…
Over the course of the night, Lincoln had, unfortunately, not been spared any nightmares. In his personal dreamscape, he recalled being back in his old home, this time in the hallway, a dismally dark area with cracks in the walls and gnats fluttering through the air.
The aesthetics were not his concern however; what captured his panic fueled attention was the return of the monster. With a roar of disapproval, he had been jolted into running, sprinting down the now endless hallway as acrid black smoke chased after him and the ground grew progressively more slippery with bitter-smelling amber puddles beneath him.
The monster's shadowy hand had almost wrapped around his arm, squeezing it in its grasp and eliciting a harsh cracking sound.
Then, something happened.
Instead of the cold grip of the monster, Lincoln recalled suddenly being enveloped in warmth. Then, the roars and snarls of the monster disappeared, replaced instead by something infinitely more soothing.
A tune, a gentle little melody floated into his senses, and with it, the hallway seemed to fall away, disintegrating into a blackness that, unfortunately for the poor boy, was a thousand times more preferable.
Fortunately, the blackness didn't stay for long.
A rhythmic thumping began to sound in his ears, interspersing with the melody and bringing a little purple glow into the darkness. Lincoln beheld the purple light, shining in front of him, falling into his cupped hands. Then, perhaps by instinct, he brought the light to his heart, and his own heartbeat seemed to synchronize with the rhythmic beat of the light.
The fear and panic he had felt was all but gone, and any that remained was banished by what came next a few minutes later.
The rhythmic beat went away, but what came next was a little spot of concentrated warmth, pressed against his forehead for a fraction of a second that put him in a state of complete calm, and like an echo in a far-off canyon, he heard someone say something.
"I—love—you."
He couldn't recall any other dreams, good or bad for the rest of the night, but he was calm, and that was what was important to him.
"Lincoln…" So, when the voice of his mother floated through his room the next morning, he didn't jolt or jump in fear as he came to. He just stretched his sleep-heavy limbs beneath the blanket, turning his head as a yawn escaped him.
Rita smiled and stepped in, flicking the light on and filling the room with far more light than the relatively small circular window on the far wall was capable of. "Good morning, little man," She chuckled, making her way to his bed and kneeling down.
Lincoln rose up from the bed, looking like a little movie vampire as he did so, much to Rita's amusement. Once he was up, he brought his fist to his eyes, rubbing the sleep out of them with a little squeak of a yawn. Once that was past, he lowered his hands and looked at Rita. "Good morning, Missus Mommy," He said amicably.
"Did you sleep well?" Rita asked.
Lincoln bit his cheek, mulling that question over, "I…I think so."
Rita chuckled, "Well, that's good to hear. You hungry?"
"Mmhmm," Lincoln mumbled instantly, blushing in embarrassment when he realized how quickly it came out of him.
Rita paid the embarrassment no mind, instead offering out a hand for the boy to take, "Well, lucky for you, your sisters woke up a little extra early to make breakfast. And they made sure to make a waffle, just for you."
Lincoln really liked the sound of that. Just the memory of one of those waffles made his stomach grumble. "T-That sounds nice," He mumbled, reaching out to take Rita's hand.
Rita gently pulled Lincoln onto the floor, leading him out of the room, "Well come along then. We don't want the food to get cold, do we?"
"Uh uh," Lincoln said, shaking his head.
Together, they made their way across the hallway, hand in hand, with Lincoln sort of plodding along in a still semi-drowsy state.
The sight of the stairs was more than enough to jolt him awake.
"Um…" Lincoln gulped, and began extending a single leg down the first step, his body already trembling as he did so.
"Lincoln?" Rita crouched down to Lincoln's level. "Are you sure you don't want me to carry you? We'll get down faster that way?"
Again, the fear of physical contact reared its foul head in Lincoln's heart, beginning the petrification process through his every muscle, chilling him to the bone and transforming his very blood into ice water.
At least, that's how it had started. Something was different about that time. Something about the combination of Rita's kind expression and something else he just couldn't seem to place just made the idea of allowing himself to be carried much less frightening.
Not to mention the fact that there was food waiting on the floor below. And his stomach was growing increasingly adamant about him getting a move on.
"O-Okay," He said at last, shocking Rita, but putting a smile on her face.
Rita brought her arms out towards Lincoln, "Alright then, let's get you downstairs."
Lincoln's heart skipped a beat, but he still walked towards Rita, closing his eyes fearfully as he did so. Behind his closed eyes, he felt Rita's arms encircle him and without so much as a grunt of effort from his mother, he was lifted off his feet and brought against her.
Perhaps by instinct, Lincoln brought his face against Rita's shoulder, keeping his eyes absolutely welded shut. Despite agreeing to let himself be carried, he couldn't quite get over the fear that was so dead-set on clinging to his mind. He just couldn't let go of the possibility of coming into some form of harm.
"It's okay, sweetheart," Rita whispered, setting a hand on Lincoln's back, being sure to avoid any of the spots she knew to have bruises. "I'll be quick about this, okay? Just breathe."
Lincoln followed her advice, taking several wheezy breaths, a few catching in his throat every time Rita descended a step.
Poor little thing, Rita thought, gently rubbing Lincoln's back and shushing him comfortingly. Don't worry, sweetheart, I'll do my best to make sure we have a good day together, okay?
As for Lincoln, the smallest fraction of his stress melted away slightly in reaction to Rita's loving little ministrations. Something about her rubbing his back and shushing him felt familiar. Why was that?
Before he could give it that much thought though, a final little bounce signaled Rita stepping off the last step.
"Alright, all done, Lincoln."
Rita's assurance snapped Lincoln out of his thoughts, and by being set down back on the ground, banished them completely. His eyes popped open, and he looked around, his shoulders unclenching from around his neck as he did so.
She was telling the truth. They were back on the first floor, back in the living room. Through the front windows, a few rays of golden early morning sunlight streamed through, matched in tone by the faint chirp of birdsong outside. On the windows, a few remaining raindrops from the day before glimmered like gemstones.
The previous day hadn't necessarily been ugly, far from it. The storm had been mild enough to provide a sort of calm over the quaint little Michigan home, a helpful boon considering the inherent stress the newest resident had had to grapple with.
But today, with the world looking practically like glistening gold, Lincoln felt near tempted to run straight on outside.
GRRRMMBL! But his stomach wanted to be filled first. Best get to that beforehand.
Rita laughed and took Lincoln's hand again, "Come along, Lincoln, we don't want you getting too hungry."
Lincoln tore his gaze away from the window just as they entered the dining room.
"Good morning, Lincoln!"
And was met headstraight with a jubilant greeting from the girls of the Loud house.
Lincoln jumped a little bit in surprise, but did away with it quick enough to address them in return, a faint blush painting his cheeks, "G-Good morning, girls."
The girls approached him, keeping mindful distance to avoid crowding him.
"Good to finally have you show up, sleeping beauty," Lori teased, kneeling down to match his height. Again, like the morning before, Lincoln felt a faint spot of warmth materialize along his forehead upon seeing Lori.
Behind Lori, Leni gasped, "O-M-Gosh, we totally have to show him that movie next!"
Luna came upon Lincoln's other side. "Did you sleep well, Little one?"
And then, another spot next to Lori's began to grow warm on Lincoln's forehead, this one more in the middle. For some reason, seeing Luna made him feel just a little bit more secure, just like Lori. "I—I think so," He replied. Suddenly, he recalled the little purple light that had kept him company within the darkness. "I—I think I slept really nice actually."
Luna smiled, a feeling of loving fondness coming over her as well. "I'm really glad to hear that," She said. Especially after that little episode you seemed to have; it's good to hear you managed to salvage a good night's sleep. She recalled the night before, how she had rocked Lincoln while that event took place, singing to him her best impromptu tune, his small trembling form pressed tight against her with his head resting over her heart.
Was she responsible for him feeling better? For looking so much more rested than the day before? Surely not, could she? All she did was sing a silly song and move him back and forth in her arms a little bit, right?
Deny all she wanted, the warm fuzziness materializing within her certainly made the already bright morning seem all the brighter for Luna.
"Well, go ahead and get that sleep outta your eyes!" Luan said, eyes positively aglitter with early-bird energy. "We got breakfast to eat!"
"Yeah, Lincoln!" Lynn came forward and grabbed Lincoln's hand, pulling him away from Rita and towards the chair with his booster seat. "We gotta eat fast before Mommy makes us get ready for school!"
Lincoln tilted his head, "School?" He had heard that word several times the previous day, but he had never gotten around to asking what that word actually meant. "What's school?"
Lori followed after Lincoln and Lynn. "It's a place we go to be bored for a solid seven hours," She explained, leaning down and swooping Lincoln off his feet to place him in the booster seat, taking immense joy in the fact that Lincoln barely flinched at all when she did it.
"Lori…" Rita said disapprovingly. She leaned out and grabbed Lincoln and Lynn's plates, "Don't set a bad example now."
Lori resisted the urge to roll her eyes and corrected herself with, "It's a place we go to learn, Linc."
Lincoln tilted his head to the other side, "Learn? Learn what?"
"Lots of stuff," Leni added, "Stuff like math, history, science; when you go, you'll even learn how to read and write."
Lincoln blinked, biting his cheek, "I'm going? Is it hard?"
Leni's expression dimmed, a rarity for her, and her hands fell into her lap, "It can be pretty hard…" She shook her head when she realized she was discouraging Lincoln, "But if you try your hardest, it'll all come to you, no doubt about it."
"She's absolutely right, Lincoln." Rita stepped behind Leni, stopping to give her an affectionate pat on the shoulder, "School is a place of growth, and when you do go, I'm sure you'll do great, just like all the girls here do." She stepped around the table, placing Lincoln and Lynn's plates in front of them, "But that's a thought for another day; you yourself won't be starting school for a while yet. You'll be spending the days with either me, or your daddy for the time being."
Lincoln looked back at Rita as she walked back to a seat of her own. "I am?" He queried, reaching out to pick up his waffle.
"Sure are," Rita replied, grabbing her cup of coffee in front of her. "Today you're spending the day with me. Don't worry, we'll have some fun of our own. Sound good?"
Lincoln blushed and took a bite of his food, "Uh huh…"
"Where is Daddy anyway?" Leni asked.
"Oh, he had to leave early for work this morning, he'll be back by the time we get home," Rita replied.
"Hey, Linc!" Lynn broke a banana in half and held out a half to him, "You wanna share?"
Lincoln nodded and took his own half, smiling at Lynn appreciatively. "Thank you, Lynn," He said.
Suddenly, he remembered what Rita had told him, how the girls had apparently been the ones who had made the scrumptious meal he was enjoying. Sure, it was simply waffles and pre-cooked sausages, but it still tasted great to Lincoln, and a full belly really was enough of a novelty that the fact that they had done so for him made him feel incredibly warm, inside and out. To have someone care enough for him, let alone five people care for him, was wonderful beyond belief to the child.
And because of that, his eyes began to water again.
"Lincoln?" Lynn's eyes widened and fear began to claw at her heart at the sight of Lincoln tearing up again. "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"
"N-No…" Lincoln shook his head and brought his good arm to wipe at his eyes. "I just—thank you for making me this, all of you."
The girls looked to one another, first in concern, then smiling before they looked at Lincoln again.
"It's no problem, Linc," Lori said. She laughed and spoke on with, "Maybe next time you can help us, huh?"
Lincoln sniffled, only once before lowering his arm, smiling wanly himself, "Uh huh, I'd like that."
"Then we'll be sure to invite you," Lori said. Her eyes glittered and she pointed at Lincoln's plate with her fork, "Now eat up, we got a lot to do today."
Lincoln nodded and set to his food, taking a sizeable bite of his banana, "Uh huh!"
And the children ate their little impromptu breakfast, basking in the warmth that came with it and the promise of the day ahead.
…
Lincoln looked around the hallway as he trekked through it. All around him, the girls milled about, chattering away while they got ready for school.
"Has anyone seen my sneakers?"
"Where did my hairties go?"
"We're running low on toothpaste again!"
What chaos the Loud house permeated. Despite said chaos though, Lincoln didn't find any stress being amongst all that havoc. If anything, he actually found something sort of humorous about it; like the scene in Robin Hood when the townspeople rebelled against the bad guys during the fair. All that was missing here was the silly music.
"Lynn, watch where you're spitting that toothpaste!"
"But that's half the fun!"
Lincoln giggled and kept walking. His new sisters sure were funny.
Unfortunately for him, walking down the hallway inevitably led him down to one place.
A gasp escaped him when his foot almost went over the top step of the stairs, and he stepped back in a clumsy stumble, waving his arms in a windmill before falling back into a sitting position.
He sat there for a moment, taking several wheezing breaths through the heavy weight pressing against his chest. Staring down the stairs, the small distance seemed like a sheer drop off a cliff to the small boy.
So scary… Lincoln brought his legs against his chest, staring down the way with big, quivering eyes.
"Oh, hi, Linky!" Thankfully, the cheery vibrato of Leni was enough to tear his eyes off of it, bringing them towards her instead.
"Hi, Leni," Lincoln replied.
Leni set her little seafoam green backpack by her feet and sat next to Lincoln. "Oh, I love your outfit! You look totes adorbs!"
Lincoln had to admit, he was still in the process of figuring out Leni's strange dialect, but he had an inkling that she just paid him a compliment. "T-Thank you," He said, looking down at his outfit.
Rita had helped dress him again, thankfully behind the closed door of his room. The last thing he wanted was for his sisters to see what his clothes hid.
A new sweater warmed his body, striped in alternating colors of charcoal gray and bright orange. Beneath that, he wore another pair of cottony blue cloth pants, these ones apparently made of something called a "wool blend" according to Rita. Lincoln didn't know what that meant, but he certainly felt nice and toasty because of it.
"What are you doing here?" Leni asked, looking out across the stairs with him. "Ooh, are you trying to imagine what it'd be like to be a birdie? I love doing that!"
Lincoln shook his head, "No, but that does sound fun." He looked down the stairs again, grappling with the fear clawing at his chest. "I—I was actually…"
"Oh, right…" Leni perked up with realization. "Lori told me the stairs scared you." She regarded Lincoln, a compassionate smile gracing her features, "Why's that? There's nothing to be afraid of." She stood up and took a few steps down in front of him. "It's just like walking on normal ground, just a little bumpier." She turned back to Lincoln, beaming at him from where she stood, "See? Easy-peasy."
Lincoln bit his lip, and he scooched down towards the first step, "But—But what if I fall?"
"Then I'll catch you," Leni said simply. She hunkered herself down, holding her arms out to do so. "Don't worry, you're safe."
Lincoln still didn't like the idea of it, but Rita was busy doing Luan and Lynn's hair, so she wasn't here to carry him. And he didn't want to continue being a burden on everyone else by forcing them to wait every time he had to eke his way down the stairs.
So, he had no choice. He had to get over his fear, so he wouldn't be a burden.
"O-Okay…" Still, his voice quivered with that resolve, and his legs shook like jelly when he tried to stand up on them.
"Easy does it, Linky," Leni said, her brighter than the sun grin serving as a focal point for Lincoln. "Just take it one step at a time, okay?"
Taking it one step at a time was what made Lincoln so slow in the first place. He had to move past that thought; he had to go up and down the stairs like everyone else did.
He had to throw himself into the water, no questions about it.
So, in what would later in his life be seen as a foolhardy attempt at it, he more or less catapulted down the first few steps, his feet flailing wildly in his attempt to find solid ground to stand on.
And of course, he tripped and fell forward.
Luckily for Lincoln, Leni was good for her word.
"Whoops!" Leni giggled and took Lincoln against her, effortlessly spinning on her toes to face the other way. "You got a little excited there, didn't you, Linky?"
Lincoln's response was to immediately curl into a ball, the combined fears of falling, and of Leni hurting him slamming into his mind. "I'm sorry!" He yelped, bringing his good arm to cover his eyes. "I tried to go fast! I really did! I just—I just—"
Leni jolted and quickly began scuttling down the stairs. "It's okay," She said, taking a chance and giving Lincoln a little rub on his back, "I'm not mad or anything. And I saw you tried. You have nothing to feel bad for!"
"But I was trying to be like you!" Lincoln whimpered, "I wanted to stop being slow on the stairs so you guys didn't have to keep waiting for me." The words tumbled from his lips and because of his paradoxical desires to both be let go and to find comfort with Leni, he was pushing his feet against her while simultaneously trying to hide his face in the crook of her neck.
Leni reached the bottom step and set Lincoln down. "We don't mind waiting for you," Leni said, wiping her hands along her shirt, smoothing out any wrinkles Lincoln's shoes made. "We understand that the stairs can be scary."
"B-But—"
"But nothing, Lincoln," Leni interjected. She got down on the ground with him again, "Lincoln, remember what I said yesterday? I told you that we like taking care of you. That includes waiting for you to come down the stairs." She frowned and reached out to take his hand in hers, "You believed me, didn't you?"
A flash of guilt ran through Lincoln, running through his stomach like a hot knife. "I-I believed you," He said hurriedly, reaching out to Leni with his casted arm. "I just…" His arm fell and he looked to the ground. "I just wanted to be better—for all of you."
Leni smiled and giggled in response. "That's really sweet of you, Linky," She said, rubbing the top of his hand with her thumb, "But you don't have to rush anything to make us happy." She took another chance and brought her other hand to the top of Lincoln's head, like she had seen Lori do. "Personally," She said, rubbing her hands through his snowy locks when she made contact, trying to soothe the cringe that came over him. "You already make me happy, just by being you." When Lincoln relaxed and peered up at her, she laughed again, "Especially with that adorable little face of yours."
Lincoln blinked up at Leni inquisitively, "T-Thank you, Leni." He brought his hand to grip Leni's in return. "You make me happy, too," He said tremulously.
Leni beamed and gave Lincoln a final affectionate little head-scratch before pulling her hand back. "Aww, you're so sweet!" She cooed. She stood back up, gently pulling Lincoln along by his hand, "We still have a little bit of time before we leave. Do you wanna watch a quick cartoon before we go?"
"S-Sure," Lincoln replied, giving Leni a timid little smile; a smile that she returned ten-fold, making any residual feelings of shame completely disappear.
…
"Alright, everyone, time to go!" Rita stepped towards the door, now dressed in a set of navy-blue scrubs. "Let's hustle! We don't wanna be late!"
Leni led Lincoln to the front door by her hand, "We're all ready to go, Mama!"
Lori stepped up behind Leni, "Um, Leni? You forgetting something?" She held up her backpack, found by Lori at the top of the stairs a half-a-minute before.
Leni lit up, "Oh, thanks Lori!" She took the backpack, slinging it over her shoulder and completing her outfit. "I swear, I'd forget my head if it wasn't connected to me."
"I'd believe it," Lori mused with a roll of her eyes.
The girls gathered around the door with Rita, all dressed in chilly-weather attire befitting their preferred color schemes.
"Ready to go, Linky?" Leni asked, glancing down at the boy.
Lincoln bit his lip and nodded. "Uh huh," He said, bringing his fist to his chin timidly. He watched the door apprehensively, his mind shifting towards thoughts of the golden morning just outside.
"Okay then, brace yourselves, everyone." Rita reached for the doorknob. Then, with a twist and a pull, she pulled the door open.
Fwoooo…
The fluttering chill of the wind was the first thing Lincoln registered. On the wind, there was a refreshing scent of rain, invigorating the family with a cool freshness that seemed filled to the brim with revitalizing energy.
Luan giggled, "I think Linky likes the smell of the rain from yesterday!"
That was an understatement. From the very second the chilly freshness brushed against Lincoln's nose; his feet began to take him forward, unknowingly pulling a snickering Leni behind him.
Once outside, the warn rays of the sun brushed over Lincoln, warming the chill of the wind off of him, leaving only the entrancing scent of autumn for him to enjoy.
The front yard of the Loud house absolutely glimmered with dew, leaving the lawn looking like a giant sunbathed emerald, with the ruby red leaves that fell from the tree the day before looking like, well, rubies.
It was beautiful, there was nothing else that could be said for it. It was like the world itself was encouraging Lincoln to venture out into it.
"It's pretty, isn't it, Little one," Luna stepped out next, her little purple backpack bouncing on her back.
Lincoln nodded wordlessly.
"Then let's go!" Lynn leapt past Lincoln, clearing the stairs in a single bound.
Oh, right, the stairs.
Lincoln thanked his lucky stars there were only a few, but that didn't save him from the fear that clung to him regardless.
"Lincoln, would you like me to carry you?" Rita asked, kneeling down to him.
Lincoln looked over to Leni, who smiled and released his hand.
"Don't worry, Linky, I don't mind," She said cheerfully.
Lincoln nodded to Leni and turned to Rita. "Yes, please," He said, holding his arms up for her to take.
Rita picked him up. "There we go," She said when Lincoln curled up against her, hiding his face in the crook of her neck. "See? There's nothing to be afraid of." When she was off the stairs and on the walkway, she continued to carry Lincoln, making her way for the family van with him gripping the shoulder of her scrubs.
Lincoln chanced a quick glance away from the perceived safety of Rita's neck. That's when he saw the van; a bulky, greenish-blue monstrosity with a few stripes decorating its hull and—to his naïve little mind, a growl that made his hair stand in fright. Seeing the monster before him, Lincoln gasped and brought his face back against Rita.
"Oh! What's wrong, sweetheart?" Rita rubbed his back, stopping just when they approached the van.
"That car is scary…" Lincoln quailed.
"What? Vanzilla? Scary?" It was by Lori's somewhat incredulous response that Lincoln was encouraged to pry himself from Rita again. Lori walked up beside him and Rita and brought a palm against Vanzilla's side. "I'll admit that he's a little temperamental, but I would never call him scary." She tilted her head at Lincoln, offering a sweet little smirk. "Don't worry, Linc; aside from a few lumpy spots in the seats, Vanzilla is just like any other car."
Lincoln gulped and Rita noticed his grip relax slightly, "You promise?"
"Cross my heart," Lori replied, demonstrating the validity of her word by performing the action with her hand across her chest.
And that was enough for Lincoln. After watching Lori take out scores of monsters in The Legend of Zelda yesterday, who was he to distrust her on such matters?
Plus, she really did make him feel safe. He had a feeling if she was the one carrying him, he'd feel just as secure as he did with Rita.
"O-Okay," He said, nodding his little head at Lori.
Lori's smirk brightened and she grabbed Vanzilla's door handle.
CH-KIK! With a click, the door slid open, revealing Vanzilla's insides to the family; a beige interior adorned with coffee-colored seats bearing a myriad of strange stains of all colors and lumps of all sizes.
It was very different from the pristine leather interior of the car Mister Reggie brought Lincoln in, but there was a certain hominess to it, one had to admit.
"See? Nothing but lumps and strange smells," Lori said.
Strange smells? Lincoln leaned forward and took a sniff.
Yup, it was smelly. However, there was hominess to that smell as well, sort of a mix between sand at the beach (Because of the sand scattered around the floors from a previous beach day), crayons (Probably imparted by some of the more colorful stains in the seats), and…pine needles? Maybe that was the air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror.
Rita clicked her tongue, "I swear, no matter how many times we clean this car, it always manages to get back to such a messy state." She stepped aside, letting the girls clamber in ahead of her, "Why do you suppose that is?"
"Maybe there are little goblins that come in here and make it messy," Luan joked. She clambered over the seat, taking a spot in the back. "Would you happen to know anything about that, Lynnie?"
"Mommy! Luan's calling me a goblin again!" Lynn pointed an angry finger at Luan right after falling in the back row next to her.
"Luan, please don't tease your sister," Rita chided, leaning into the car after them. Carefully, she brought Lincoln into the car seat that was in the middle spot of the middle row. "Alright, sweetheart, just sit still for a moment while I get you in this, okay?"
"Okay," Lincoln said.
"You want me to help, Mama?" With a click from the other side, the opposite door opened and Leni came piling into the seat at Lincoln's right. "I still remember how to do it from when Lynnie rode in the car seat."
"Leni!" Lynn spoke out against Leni's claim. She sat back, her hands going over her blushing cheeks, "Don't tell Lincoln I used to ride in the car seat!"
"Lynn, we all rode in car seats at one time." Lori opened another door at the front before getting into the front passenger seat, "There was a time where the majority of the seats in here were car seats. There's nothing to be embarrassed about."
"Still…" Lynn rubbed her arm bashfully. It had only been somewhat recently that she outgrew the need to be in a car seat and the last thing she wanted her new little brother to know was that she needed one not so long ago.
"Lori's right, sweetheart," Rita clicked the last buckle into place and scooched back out of the car, letting Luna take her seat at Lincoln's left side. "Being in a car seat is a perfectly normal part of growing up. We all know you're a big girl."
Lynn bit her cheek, "Okay…"
Luna buckled her own seat belt and pulled the door shut before turning to Lincoln. "Comfy?" She asked sweetly.
"Mmhmm," Lincoln hummed in reply.
"D'awww, you look so cute in your little car seat!" Leni gushed.
"Leni, you think Linky is cute in everything," Luan laughed, poking her head from the row behind them.
"Well, he is!" Leni cooed, making Lincoln blush and turn away bashfully.
The front driver's door opened and Rita got into the driver's seat, "Okay, final check. Does everyone have everything?"
"Yes!" The girls answered.
"Don't worry, mom," Lori added, "I did a quick check through before we got out. Everyone's got everything."
"Thank you, Lori," Rita said appreciatively. She looked into the rearview mirror. "What about you, Lincoln? You got everything? Both your shoes on?" She joked.
Lincoln blinked curiously and lifted his sneakered feet to look at them. "Um…Yes?" He said, wriggling them.
The girls laughed, and Lincoln looked to them, not quite understanding what was so funny.
"It's a joke, Linky," Luan explained. She poked her head over the top of the seat again, prompting Lincoln to peer up at her, "Mama knows you have both shoes. She just wanted to say something funny to you."
Lincoln tilted his head cutely, "Oh…Okay."
Luan smirked and sat back. Alright, Leni has a point, he is cute, She thought with a little giggle.
CLICK! VRRRROOOOM!
Lincoln jolted when Vanzilla roared to life, and his hands clenched the edges of his car seat.
"Aww, don't worry, Linky," Leni brought a hand to the top of Lincoln's head, ruffling the little white tresses between her fingers, "Vanzilla is loud when he starts up, but it's nothing to be scared of."
"Yeah, it's alright, Little one," Luna said next. The car began to back up, and Luna set a hand on top of Lincoln's. "See? We're moving now. Don't you wanna see the outside? There's lots of flowers."
"Yeah, Linky! Birdies too!" Leni added.
Through the coaxing of his sisters, Lincoln did force his body to relax, and by the time the car was on the road proper, he managed to pry open his eyes.
"See, Linky?" Leni pointed towards Luna's window, "Look at the trees! Aren't they so pretty?"
They were, the whole world was pretty in fact. From the day before, the sky still retained a fair amount of rain clouds, but with the gusts and bellows, the darkest ones had passed on, leaving only a collection of silver and white amongst the startlingly azure sky.
Back on the ground, Lincoln beheld the passing trees, all bearing the crimson foliage of fall, with little birds hopping about and sending errant water droplets to the still damp ground below.
"Wow…" He whispered, craning his neck upward so he could try and see more. Curse his tiny form.
Lori giggled from her place in the front seat, "Wow, talk about seeing the beauty in the little things. I usually just space out when we drive down this road."
Lincoln couldn't see how that was possible. Everything around them was utterly spectacular to him. The trees, the birds, the sparkling little water droplets.
It was all so different to what he had before. So much livelier and prettier than those cracked concrete buildings he had to peer through broken shutters at in the old place.
"Ooh, wait 'til he sees the park!" Lynn exclaimed, popping her head over the back seat again. "Lincoln, it'll knock your socks off! There's tons of trees and stuff there, too!"
Lincoln turned his head up towards Lynn. "Birdies too?" He asked.
"Lots of birdies!" Lynn replied. "And squirrels! And doggies! And sometimes the pond has duckies!"
Lincoln had never seen a duck! And all the dogs he had seen looked terrifying back in the city he had come from. But if Lynn seemed excited to see the dogs in the park, then it was probably safe, right?
"T-That sounds fun," Lincoln said.
Lynn practically glowed with happiness from that. "Mommy!" She said, turning her attention to the front. "Can we go to the park today?"
Rita offered what she hoped was a placating smile, "Not today, sweetie, I'm sorry. We'll schedule a day later down the road though, okay?"
Lynn visibly deflated. "Aww…" She said, sinking back into her seat.
Lincoln blinked and kept his head up, trying to project his voice to Lynn, "I'll still be excited when we do go, Lynn."
"Thanks, Lincoln," Lynn replied, her voice perking up a smidge.
The rest of the trip passed by in peaceful silence, with the entire family taking in the autumnal scenery before them, with the ones who were used to it now holding a brand-new appreciation for the pastoral beauty all because of Lincoln.
They enjoyed the peacefulness of it so much, that when they pulled up to the school, the girls all felt even less desire to go. Why go to school when they had a little brother who they could explore the whole wide world with?
"Off you go, girls." However, Rita, though sympathetic, knew that she couldn't condone the neglect of academics.
The girls gathered their things, with Leni and Luna opening the doors and getting out so Luan and Lynn could follow.
"G'bye, Lincoln!" Lynn put her hand on top of Lincoln's, giving him a sort of bittersweet smile. "I can't wait to see you again!"
Lincoln blushed and curled his hand around Lynn's in return. "Thank you, Lynn."
"That goes double for me!" Luan chirped, taking a chance and grabbing Lincoln's other hand.
Lincoln jolted and turned towards Luan, his eyes going straight for her hand on top of his. He stared at their hands for a moment, then looked at Luan and offered a shy smile. "Thanks, Luan." He bit his cheek and looked down, "Maybe later you can tell me a story with Goldy blue and Teethy-Rex?"
Luan lit up and squeezed Lincoln's hand, joy practically radiating off of her. "Absolutely!" She said, "I'll think of something great, count on it!"
"Make sure you still pay attention in class, Luan," Rita smirked.
Luan giggled, "Yes, Mama." She got a little closer to Lincoln and whispered, "Don't worry, I can do both."
And with that, she leapt out, Lynn clambering after her.
"Bye-bye, Linky!" Leni came back a second later. She placed her hand on his as well, "Have fun with Mom! And try not to miss us too much, okay?"
Lincoln nodded, "Okay, Leni."
After Leni, came Luna.
"Goodbye, Little one," She said, smiling sweetly. She clasped her hands in front of her, looking down at them timidly. "I hope you have a good day."
The warmth in the middle of his forehead returned, and Lincoln sat up a little taller, "Thank you, Luna. I hope you have a good day, too."
Luna blushed and patted his hand before leaving, noticeably without any kind of jolt or jump.
Lastly, Lori.
"Well, Linc," Lori got in and moved up to the side of the car seat, "Looks like it's adios until later." She brought her hand to the top of his head, ruffling his hair and eliciting a giggle out of him, "I wish the weekend didn't pass by so darn quickly. Silly as it may be, I'm actually gonna miss you."
Lincoln peered at Lori through his pushed down bangs, smiling bashfully up at her while the other spot on his forehead grew warm, "I'll miss you, too. It won't be too long though, will it?"
Lori scoffed bemusedly in reply, "You kidding? We'll be seeing you again before you know it." She took her hand out of his hair and sat back, "Until then, have a good day yourself, 'kay? And try not to distract mom too much with that cute face of yours."
Lincoln giggled again, "Okay."
Lori smiled and began scooching her way out of the car, "Bye, Linc." I love you, She mentally added.
"Buh-Bye, Lori," Lincoln said. He regarded the five girls when she left, and he raised his good hand to wave at them. "Bye, girls," He said.
"Bye, Lincoln!" They replied, waving at him in return.
Rita chuckled, "What? I don't get a goodbye?"
"Bye, Mom!" They quickly added.
A moment later, the car door was closed, and Lincoln was looking back at the retreating school, watching his sisters disappear amongst the crowds of other children heading in.
"Don't worry, Lincoln." Rita spoke to him as they rounded a turn, putting the school out of his view. "The day will pass before you know it. Then your sisters will be back."
Lincoln believed her. It was a little strange to him though. He had only known them for scarce more than a day, yet now that they were one place and he was in another, he couldn't get the feeling that he was now a little bit emptier out of him.
Despite Leni's request, he already missed them terribly.
But…
He looked up, catching sight of his new mother in the driver's seat, tilting the steering wheel here and there as they made their way down the road.
Perhaps the day would pass by quickly, if he was to spend it with her.