"How to put a scientist to sleep one-O-one." The young girl quips, before dropping her oversized textbook on the floor; luckily for her, the carpet's padding is more than enough to muffle the sound.
*Yawn* She goes as she looks out at her rounded window longing, out into the night sky. "I wonder how my sisters are doing… if they even know I'm gone." For a moment Linka thinks of crying, humming or doing anything that could possibly let her vent the soft emotions she felt.
Soft emotions that hit her like wrecking balls.
With a sigh she turns and stands up on her own two feet. "Maybe I just need something to drink. Maybe then I'll be able to figure out what to do about my current problems."
And with that, she turns and opens her room's door, before quietly stepping out, into the quiet nighttime hallway… quiet, save for the piercing snoring of the Loud Boys.
Linka can't help but put on a nostalgic smile, "Even here, my siblings can't help but be as Loud as they can in their sleep." Then she chuckles at the realization that they seem to be snoring louder, "Haha, it's like they're having a nighttime contest over who can snore the loudest."
The young girl climbs down the old wooden stairs carefully; weary not to step too hard, lest she accidently fall through. After all, she's in another dimension, who knows what would happen on a surprise trip to the ER.
With another turn, she silently walks into the messy kitchen, no doubt it would be messier if the Louds didn't have a young girl to encourage them to at try to do parts of their chores.
She quietly opens the fridge door and pulls out one of the waiting bottles of water with a sigh, "It's been two days, and so far I've gotten a job and managed to get attacked by two of my new brothers." The young girl takes a seat at the adult table while she drinks the cold liquid, "Well… at least it could be worse. After all, at least these guys care about me. Way more than those Lynn clones…"
Then Linka sighs, "Just like them…" She caps off her water bottle before yawning once more, "Well, I guess it's time to hit the hay, after all, I just tried to stupid quantum mechanics… and now I have more questions than answers."
Her mind wanders for a moment, before she looks at the grey wristwatch that started this whole mess. It's timer continues to beep 00:00 while displaying, "Current Dimension- 63i'\"
And with that she steps towards the doorway that would lead her out of the kitchen and let her get up to her room… Only for a barrier to stop her.
"What the…" She whispers as she tries pushing through the invisible wall, "What's going on here?!"
"I believe I can answer that." A deep, masculine voice answers.
Immediately, Linka turns around to face the source.
"Hello Lincoln." The man politely greets, his voice filled with respect while his demeanor gives off a calm tone. He wears a jet-black suit with a white button-down under it. A dark red tie pulled tightly around his neck gives him an air of seriousness, white the black top hat with a matching stripe above the brim makes him seem like he has come for some business.
The young girl shouts in fear, "Who are you?! What's going on?!"
"Calm down young one." The man responds, before stepping closer, allowing the young girl to get a better view of his face. He has a scruffy white beard and dark brown eyes, as well as like skin, similar to the girl's. "I am here on business, and mean you no harm."
Then, he offers his hand to her.
For a moment, Linka hesitates, with thousands of thoughts racing through her young mind. Yet, she places her hand in his.
With that, the old man kneels down to her and gazes into her eyes, "My name is William, and only together can we prevent the destruction of your world."
"Wait… the destruction of my world? What's going on?!"
Without another word, William hands the young girl a carnation, before standing up and walking away. Linka desperately tries to follow, yet it seems as if the invisible barrier had moved and held her in place.
After that, the world seems to disintegrate, much to Linka's dismay. After a few short moments, the floor under her disappears, and she feels herself falling.
"Uff!" Linka groans as she pulls her head from the oversized physics textbook. She immediately scans her surroundings as well as herself, making sure that everything was still in the right place. She gazes out the window and into the morning sky, its clear blue offering some solace to the young girl.
"Phew." She goes, her relief obvious, "That was just a dream…" For a moment she thinks, as if unsure of whether or not to believe her own thoughts. "But it felt so real… Who's this William guy? And what did he mean by, 'prevent the destruction of our world'?"
Yet, Linka's just a human. So she gives a defeated sigh, before getting off the carpeted floor, closing her oversized textbook and lazily throwing it on her dresser.
Then, just as Linka's about to step out of her room, Lexx bursts through her door with, "Mornin' Linka!"
The startled girl stumbles back and falls onto the wall behind her. It takes her a short moment to snap out of her thoughts and respond, "Oh, hey Lexx, good morning to you too."
"How would you like to be the star in a play?!" Lexx asks, his excitement beaming.
"Umm… I might enjoy it?" Linka nervously responds, "Why you ask?"
Without another word, Lexx bolts into his room, before running out carrying a rather large, frilly, pink, princess dress. "The school's hosting a contest to see who can make the best play and perform it!"
Linka tilts her head.
"And well…" Lexx's voice trails off in embarrassment.
"Yeah?"
Lexx takes a breath, "You're the only girl I know who can help me! Please be the princess!" And with that he puts on the cutest puppy eyes he can muster, "Can you please do it Linka?! I need someone who knows how to play a strong, independent, teenage damsel in distress!"
"Why don't you just get…" Linka thinks for a moment, "Oh wait… That's right… I'm the only girl out of eleven children…"
"Who Linka?!" Lexx desperately asks, "You're the only girl I know enough to ask!" Then he whispers, "Or at least one who would be willing to play princess…"
For a short moment Linka considers doing it for her brother, but instead she just shakes her head and repeats, "No, I am not getting in a dress and acting in some play!"
The young boy starts to tear up, as if his dreams of making it to Broadway had been thrown into an incinerator.
Linka sighs, before squatting down to the boy's eye level, "Look, Lexx, I know you want me to be the princess for you, but I've got stuff I need to do. And you know how I don't like frilly dresses much."
With downcast eyes, the young boy nods, "Ok Linka, I'll try to find someone else."
"Huh, that was easy." Linka thinks as she stands back up and walks passed her young brother. "Lola definitely would've tried something to get my attention and force me to follow along with her plans!"
It's a shame that she doesn't hear him whisper, "Well Linka, if you won't be the princess willingly, then I'll have to make you be it."
"So how were your days kids?" Lynn Sr. asks, his voice booming with excitement, before he turns to his lone daughter, "And how was your first day on the job Linka? I heard you had some chase on the job!"
"Good one dad!" Lane cheers.
Instead of responding, Linka just continues to move her food around her plate, as if unsure of what to do next.
"Linka!"
"Wha?" She responds with surprise in her voice.
"You've barely touched your food." Her mother worriedly goes, "Is something wrong dear?"
Linka's face goes red with embarrassment, before she awkwardly rubs the back of her head, "Nope! Everything's A-OK!"
Then she looks back down at her food, a simple order of bacon and eggs. "Yeah, everything's just fine. I'm just in another dimension and now a random man is telling me that the world is apparently on the verge of disaster. And I still don't know how to get home. But other than that, everything's just peachy!"
And with that, she starts eating, though this time with manners she had learned from her sisters, much to her parent's relief.
She takes a few quick bites of her food, before saying, "Awesome! Thanks mom!" picking up her plate and walking into the nearby kitchen.
As she passes the child table, she notices her five younger siblings sitting quietly… no food fight or mess either, it seems as if they had been perfectly well behaved the whole meal!
"Weird." Linka thinks as she places her plate in the sink and walks passed once again, before walking back up to her room.
She quietly shuts her room door and leans up against it, before sliding down and curling up at its base. "Why does none of this stuff make sense? What's going on around here?"
Then she looks up at the textbook that would make most college students cringe in pain, "And while I'm doing my best to get these concepts, this stuff just doesn't seem to click with me." Then she sighs, before standing up, "Maybe I just need to relax and think. After all, I haven't stopped thinking of how I'm going to get home."
"Ok." She says aloud, "If Linka is just a girl version of me, then I should have a comic book collection!" Then he scans his room, "But where would I put it?" He snaps his fingers in realization, before jumping on his bed and looking on the shelf.
"Score!" He whispers, before grabbing the lone, dusty comic from under the doll and falling back onto his bed.
"Time to get comfortable!" She declares, before undressing, leaving everything but her underwear on, with the rest of her clothing littering the floor.
And with that, she blows the dust from the cover.
Her eyes go wide with surprise when she realizes what she's holding, "Whoa! A First Edition, Mega Ulti-Meta Series, Ace Savvy Comic?!" she carefully feels the soft paper pages, as if trying to make sure that he wasn't dreaming, "Only a thousand of these were ever made! And they were only given as a prize for winning a card game tournament!"
"I can't believe I have it here!" She quietly declares, before opening the front cover and beginning to read the comic… only for a question to pop into her mind, "Wait, this is the only comic I have here… why?"
Immediately, Lexx bursts into the young girl's room. He crawls on his knees while he uses his hands and closed eyes to beg the young girl, "Please Linka! I need a princess! Please, please, please!"
"No." Linka flatly responds.
Lexx opens his eyes in disappointment, before jumping up on his feet and shouting, "Ooo! You're reading comics in your underwear again!" Then he turns around, before bolting out the girl's room, "I'm telling mom!"
"Quick Lincoln! Think fast!"
"Wait Lexx!" Linka desperately responds, causing the young boy to stop. He looks at her with begging eyes, as if hoping for what he knows would come.
So, with a sigh and a defeated tone, Linka responds, "If you don't tell mom, I'll be the princess in your play."
Lexx's young eyes fill with joy, before he runs over and embraces his older sister, "Thanks Linka! You're the best!" Then, he bolts back into his room and brings her the princess dress as well as a copy of the play itself. "Practice is tonight in the backyard! Don't be late Linka!"
And with that, the young boy runs out of his sister's room, his excitement glowing on his young face.
"Well… that explains the one comic…" Linka quietly declares, before redressing herself and hiding the comic once again, "I guess it's just another reason to try and find my way home."
"But first…" She thinks, before stepping out of her room once more, "I'm not going to stop thinking of this dream unless I get someone to interpret it for me. I just hope Lars has that book." And with that, she calmly walks over and enters the room of the two middle boys.
Lynn is nowhere in sight, probably having a blast playing a random sport, yet Lars is sitting in his coffin bed, most likely working on another story.
"Hey Lars." Linka nervously greets, "You busy right now?"
Her slightly younger brother looks up and responds, "Hello Linka. I was just writing a story about a boy getting diagnosed with an untreatable disease and his family trying to cope… though I might not write more for it because I saw someone else write them same thing."
"Ok…" Linka awkwardly goes. "Would you mind helping me with something?"
Lars thinks for a moment, before closing his notebook and answering, "Ok, sure. What do you need Linka?"
"Do you have that book on interpreting dreams?"
The Goth boy sighs and answers, "No, Loki borrowed it for his date with Bebe." Hen he shivers, "I hope nothing happens to it, those things are really hard to find."
"Oh…" Linka sadly responds, "Well, would you mind helping me out when you get it back?"
The boy nods, "Sure Linka."
And with that, Linka turns, and begins to step out of the room.
"Oh and Linka." Lars calls out, grabbing the pre-teen's attention, "You're not the only one who's been dragged into Lexx's play. That boy has more dirt on us than we have on anyone else, combined."
"So you heard…" Linka's face goes red with embarrassment.
Lars nods, "Your secret is safe with me." Then he opens up the notebook and begins writing; "Just take it as we're even if you ever find some dirt on me."
Linka nods… but not before noticing the poster behind her brother start to peel, revealing a small rainbow with the words, "My Small Horsie." Written with every color only an art major would notice. "Ok, see ya at the practice then."
And with that, she walks over to her own room, before locking the door this time, undressing and reading her single, ultra-rare comic book.
Later…
"Ok everyone!" Lexx greets, "you all know why you're here, correct?!"
Lynn immediately responds, "Yeah! Because you want us to be in your play and decided to blackmail us into doing it!"
"Yeah, why should we even bother trying to make this any good?" Loki continues for his brother, "After all, it's not like we really need to care about this play."
"Just follow my lead guys! Come on, it'll be fun!" Lexx then pulls out a list and declares, "Ok Loki, I need you to be the king." Then he hands the eldest brother one of his crowns and the young man begrudgingly puts it on.
"Loni, you're the narrator." The second eldest just tilts his head in confusion.
"Luke, you're the dragon." The young man just nods.
"Lane, you're the comedian."
"Lynn you're the dark knight." The athlete fist pumps in agreement, "Sweet!"
"Linka is the princess."
Then he points at his Gothic brother. "Lars, you're the barkeep." Eliciting a, "Sigh." From his slightly older brother.
"Leif is the troll."
Then the young boy motions at himself, "I'm the royal knight."
"And lastly, Levi, you're the mage." Then he hands his younger brother a large tree branch."
The Loud Children start randomly blabbering off while Lexx flips through the play's script, "Ok guys… I need you to…"
A Few Short Minutes Later…
Lexx manages to arrange his family into the first scene, where the princess is supposed to be kidnapped.
"Ok." The young boy goes, before taking a sigh in preparation, "Loni, start narrating!"
"Nar-ating?" The designer rubs his head in confusion, "What's narrating?"
Immediately, Loki walks over and snatches the script from his brother, "Lexx, I'll narrate, you know how Loni is with these things." And with that, he places the crown upon his brother's head. "Loni, just sit in that chair."
"Ok Loki!" He gleefully shouts, before taking a seat next to Linka.
"Once upon-" Loki starts… only for Luke dragon and Leif troll to rush on and tackle both him and Lexx.
"Oof-" Loki groans as he hits the mud, "That was literally unexpected."
"Hey! You got mud all over my costume!"
Luke laughs, "Bro, we're just doing what we do best!"
"Sigh." Lars goes, before walking away, "If I'm unneeded I'll just go back to story writing. Maybe I can write a better play.
"No Lars don't!" Lexx desperately begs, yet to no avail. And Levi walks after him, "If you need me I'll be working with azidoazide azide."
Lynn runs in and tackles Lexx with, "Coming through! The dark knight is here!"
*Groan* Lexx goes in defeat, "Guys, please." He starts, his voice gaining a remorseful pain to it, "Please stop…"
Linka then steps over and looks him in the eyes. Her voice gains a soothing seriousness that only a mother can give, "Maybe if you told us why this play means so much to you, then we might actually take practice seriously."
And so, Lexx pulls himself from the mud and sighs, "Ok guys. I'll tell you why I made you all do this." Then he shoves his hand in his pant's pocket and pulls out his phone. He quickly scrolls through it, careful not to accidently miss what he wants to show, before turning the phone to his siblings, "I like this girl."
Linka takes the phone in her hands for a moment, and just stares into it. The young girl is blonde, with twin pigtails secured by two red bands. She has a light blue shirt as well as blue overalls.
She is the spitting image of Lana.
"What the heck… Lana?" Linka thinks, before handing the phone back to her brother.
"Aww, kid's got a girlfriend!" Luke taunts, before ruffling the boy's hair. Lane then comes on his other side, "You've really got to take an Act-ion at face value!"
"Lay off him guys." Linka says defensively, "He's got a crush."
"Yeah," Loki steps forward, "And besides, who better to help with a relationship than your ten siblings." Loki then squats down to his height, "I'll help ya out. Just literally, don't mention it."
The lone girl squats down next to him, "I'll help too." While she thinks, "I have to find out if that's Lana… maybe she'll know what's going on."
Loni puts on the biggest smile he can muster, "I'll help ya too!"
Luke, Lynn and Lane look at each other, before nodding, "We're in."
Leif playfully punches his twin's shoulder, "I'll help ya bro."
Lars and Levi glance at each other, before Levi answers, "Sure, I might be able to study human psychology better this way."
And Lars shrugs, "It's an interesting way to kill time."
"Wow…" Lexx goes, tears starting to form in his eyes, "Thanks you guys!"
"Don't mention it bro." Loki responds, "And don't cry about it."
Lexx nods, before motioning at the script, "Ok then! Let's put on the best family play we can!"
A Few Days Later….
"Places everyone!" Lex orders, his pink knight armor blends almost perfectly with the curtains behind him.
Without the arguing and bickering one would expect from the Louds, the ten children take their places on set.
"Wow..." Linka thinks, "this dress is way more comfortable than I thought it would be." She pulls at her princess dress, its long fabric trails behind her, as she steps into the first scene.
"For Lexx." She whispers, before taking her seat and preparing for the for scene to play out.
"Please welcome our next act! The Loud Family in 'the knight and the dragon' by Lars Loud!"
And with that, the stage hands pull on the large ropes, causing the huge curtains to part; revealing the first scene.
With the stage set, Loki steps forward and addresses the audience with, "Welcome one and all to a tale of those who have stood tall!"
Lexx steps forward and raises his fake toy sword as Loki continues, "His name is Lexington Loud! And his tale is one to be proud!"
He flips his script paper once more, "My name is Loki, and I shall be your narrator this evening! So let us begin in one, two, three!"
He flips the page, "Our story begins on a day like this, with the cool wind blowing through the castle windows.
"Yawn," Linka declares, "Father, it seems as if everything is going to just be typical once again in this kingdom."
Loni nods, and unsurely speaks his lines, "Why of course! It's always peaceful here! Absolutely nothing-"
Before he can finish his sentence, Lynn, dressed up as a dark night, throws a mannequin on stage and runs up to them, "I have come to kidnap the princess!"
"Fear not!" Loni declares, not noticing his kingly garments getting caught on the chair. "I'll save you Princess Linka!" Then, just as he tries jump at him, his clothes causing him to trip and fall forward.
Despite not being part of the script, Lynn thinks fast and takes the chance to run up and grab Linka.
Loki dramatically extends his arm out in desperation, "No! This wasn't supposed to happen!"
"My liege! What just happened?!" Lexx shouts as he runs from stage right over to the young king.
"This wasn't supposed to happen!" He shouts in response. Yet, Lexx just plays along, "Oh no! The princess has been kidnapped!"
Then he turns and raises his sword once more, "I will go and rescue you my fair maiden!" And with that, the young boy rushes off stage.
"And so, the knight set out on his journey." Loki narrates, "The first thing he has to do was assemble his team! And who better to start with, then the comedy relief!"
Lexx steps out of stage right, and with that, Lane, dressed in a jester's outfit steps out stage left.
"Hello town jester, I am going on a magnificent quest to save the princess! I wish for you to join me in my endeavor!"
Lane responds by pulling out a pie and smashing it against him. "Yessire! I'll join ya on your quest!" And though it wasn't planned for, Lexx just wiped it off and continues as if it had not even happened.
"Splendid!" Lexx begrudgingly goes, "Only for Lane to throw some water in his face as well.
"Oh chin up! It'll be a fun adventure!" And together, they walk off.
"Yet, this is still not a well balanced team! So the newfound friends search for the one known as the Mega Magical Magician!" They find him in his hilltop home,
Miles away from the nearest town."
"Hello!" Lexx greets as he walks on stage, "We have come for the magician!"
Levi, dressed in a starry robe responds, "You have found him! State your business!"
"We wish for you to help us fight the dragon and save the princess!"
Levi thinks for a moment and responds, "I shall join you on your quest! If only to gain more materials for my magic!"
"With his allies in tow, the magnificent knight went to the dangerous tower, guarded by the most dangerous dragon ever created." Loki's voice gains a tone of seriousness as he continues, "To rescue the princess and save the world from the tyranny of the dark knight, they had to free her!"
Then, the heroic trio steps forward.
"Oh great heroes! Please save me!" Linka shouts, desperately trying to show fear as a damsel in distress, "The dark knight has taken me and has locked me in this tower!"
"We'll save you princess!" Lexx shouts, his determination beaming in his voice.
Yet, before the warriors can step forward to rescue her, a dragon, or should I say Luke in a dragon costume, steps forward with, "Roar!" then he throws fake balls of fire at them, forcing the trio to retreat.
"We can't save her so long as that dragon is in the way!" Lexx says with a defeated tone, before turning, "If you need me, I'll be sulking."
"And so, defeated, our hero goes to a local pub, in order to relax his nerves."
There was now a bar, with Lars as the tender. He quietly cleans out a mug, with Lexx sitting down and sulking over his defeat.
"What's wrong?" he asks, "It looks like you've lost someone important to you or something like that."
Lexx shakes his head, "No, I was unable to defeat the dragon."
"Interesting." Lars puts away a mug; "There's a legend of a sword capable of defeating any opponent."
"There is?" Lexx asks skeptically.
Lars nods in response, "Yes, it's guarded by a dangerous troll though. So you will need to fight it to get the weapon you seek."
"With mission in hand, the knight found his team members and brought them to the isle of lost tears."
The trio then steps on stage once more, this time with Leif opposing them, "It is there where they are met by the fierce troll."
The four battle, and eventually the trio stands victorious. "With sword in hand and victory certain, they return to the dragon's den."
Then, the three stand before Luke Dragon again. Lexx declares, "Princess! I have come to rescue you!" before pretending to slay the Luke dragon.
"With the dragon defeated, the magnificent Lexx plants his weapon into the ground." And the young boy complies by doing so.
And after planting it in the stage, it resonates for a moment, causing Linka's tower to collapse. Yet, Linka thinks quickly and jumps down the crumbling tower, causing her to land right on top her younger brother.
Immediately, she jumps up and helps Lexx back on his feet.
Loki doesn't stop narrating, "Finally, after saving the princess, the two get married." He narrates in a more upbeat tone as the next scene goes into play, the wedding between the two, "And with this the story ends! They lived happily ever after!"
THe eldest child finishes with, "The knight and princess eventually a son and his story, will come next. Someday."
And with that, the curtains fall upon the stage, leaving people clapping in joy. Heh, I suppose I'd clap too if I haven't seen this happen a thousand times before.
Later That Night…
Lexx bursts through the front door, with the biggest smile he can muster, "She loved the play! She said we could have a date!"
"Congrats bro!" Linka responds.
And with that everyone congratulates the six-year-old before heading upstairs for the night.
"Haha." Linka chuckles as she steps into her room, "What a night. The play went on better than expected." Then she starts changing into her nightclothes, "who knew playing the damsel in distress could be so enjoyable... This guys really care for me..."
Then her eyes fall upon the quantum physics book resting upon her table, before she sighs, "ok, I think I know what I have to do."
And with that, she carefully picks up the book, before stepping over to the nearby bedroom. "Levi."
"What is it sister unit?" The four-year-old asks, "You know I experiment at night."
"Levi… Can you explain what Everett's Interpretation Of Quantum Mechanics is?" Linka shows him the page in the textbook trying to explain it in the most confusing way possible, "I was trying to figure it out."
"Simple Linka, Everett's Interpretation Of Quantum Mechanics, or better known as the Many Worlds Theory, suggest that reality isn't a line, but more like a tree." Then he adjusts his glasses, "Meaning that there is a possibility that other universes exist, including one where you are a boy and have ten sisters or are a boy with ten brothers."
Her eyes look upon her inactive watch, "Would it be possible for you to make a device that can let us go to other dimensions?"
Levi sighs, "I've tried." Then he motions for the older girl to come in, and she complies. "After you told us about your dream, I became curious about the possibility, so what better way to figure out if it's true than to visit alternate universes?"
"But?"
He types away at his computer, "But for some reason, something's preventing any of my portals from sustaining themselves. Almost like there is an anomaly that the universe is trying to contain."
Linka's heart sinks.
"Though..." Levi continues, causing Linka to perk up. "I have a design for a set of goggles that have the ability to see into alternate universes."
"Really Levi?! Can you make me a set?! I'd love to test them out!"
The young boy nods, "Sure, quantum physics is an interesting subject."
Linka hugs her younger brother, "Thanks Levi!"
And with that, she returns to her room for the night.
No doubt something else will get in her way.