(No POV)
It was early morning in the Loud House as the others started to wake up and wait in line for the bathroom.
"Hey, whoever's in there better hurry up!" Lola shouted, banging on the bathroom door, but got no response.
With a face of utmost fury, Lola was about to kick the door down—but just then, Lori and Leni came out of their room looking happy.
"Guys, we can stop the protocol," Lori announced. "Leni and I have worked it out."
"Oh, so who's going to return their dress?" Luna asked.
"Well, we will return one of them, but we'll share the other," Lori answered, as the others gave her confused looks.
"You guys will share it?" Luan questioned.
"Yep! Lori gets it on the days that end in 'y,' and I get it the rest of the time," Leni told them, looking pleased.
The others looked at Lori, who just shrugged.
"You know what," Lynn Jr. said suddenly, "if that stops the argument, then so be it."
The others nodded their heads—just so they wouldn't have to deal with it anymore.
Looking around with a confused expression, Lori did a quick head count and noticed that two people were missing.
"Hey, where are Lucy and Lisa?" Lori asked.
"Do you think they're still asleep?" Leni wondered.
"No, Lucy wasn't in bed this morning," Lynn answered. "Maybe she's in the bathroom."
"And what about Lisa?" Lana asked. "Unless you think they're in there together?"
"Ugh, I can't take it anymore!" Lola shouted. "I have to get ready for the day! Beauty doesn't happen overnight, you know!"
Lola was about to kick down the door, but then Lana opened it, causing Lola to lose her balance and fall face-first.
"OW!" Lola complained as she glared at her twin.
"I guess the door wasn't locked," Lana said with a small chuckle.
Just as Lola was about to attack Lana, they all noticed Lucy and Lisa huddled in the bathtub looking terrible.
Their eyes were bloodshot with large bags underneath. Tear stains ran down their faces. They both looked sickly pale as they clung to each other.
The sight made all of them go silent. They looked traumatized.
Luna walked near the toilet and looked inside—only to back away as the bowl was filled with vomit.
"Lucy? Lisa?" Lori spoke out, looking concerned. "What happened?"
"L-Lori… is that y-you?" Lucy asked, shaking like a leaf.
"Yeah, it's me," Lori said as she started to hug them.
"I-Is L-Lincoln h-here?" Lucy stammered out, causing Lori to raise an eyebrow. Why would she ask about Lincoln? What does he have to do with this? Lori thought.
"No. Remember, he left yesterday. But don't worry—it's not like he'll really be gone for a week," Lori told them.
"C-Can y-you call h-him?" Lisa stuttered. Now, as they all looked at Lisa, their worry increased.
Lucy and Lisa barely showed emotion to begin with—so for them to be displaying nothing but fear, despair, and desperation… it shocked, worried, and scared all of them.
"I'll call him after you tell me what happened," Lori said, trying to understand what was going on. But then Lucy and Lisa started to cry again, fresh tears streaming down their faces as they looked pleadingly at them.
"P-Pl-please… w-we n-need to s-see him… t-to hear h-him…" Lucy begged as she and Lisa clung to Lori tightly.
Looking at this, the others were at a complete loss for what to do.
"Alright," Lori said as Luna called Lincoln—only for it to go straight to voicemail.
"It went straight to voicemail," Luna told them, as the others pulled out their phones to try calling him—but nothing worked.
"Grrr, why won't he pick up!?" Lynn growled.
"Maybe he has it on Do Not Disturb mode," Luan suggested.
"He has a flip phone. It's an old model—it doesn't have a Do Not Disturb mode," Lori told her.
"A-Actually… L-Lincoln has a n-new phone," Lucy told them, and they all looked at her.
"What?" Lori asked, eyeing the goth.
"I s-saw it w-when we w-were at the cafe," Lucy stammered. "It l-looks brand new."
"So he could have it on Do Not Disturb," Luna stated.
"Look, can you tell us what's going on with you two?" Lori asked the traumatized girls.
"V-Very w-well, I sha—" Lisa began, but Lucy cut her off.
"L-Lisa… I-I'll do it," Lucy said. "It was my f-fault that you saw it."
Before Lisa could protest, Lucy put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a look that said she wouldn't take no for an answer. Lisa backed down.
"Okay Lucy, you win," Lisa conceded, then asked, "W-Where did you learn to do that l-look?" That look was strangely familiar.
"L-Lincoln. H-He said it works best when in serious situations like this, or if we're in big trouble," Lucy explained.
Lisa gave a short nod. It did remind her of when Lincoln used that expression—when it was serious, and it made her stop what she was doing and listen.
With a deep breath, Lucy began to tell them about the video they saw, using the same story—how she got it from one of Luan's old cameras that was in Lincoln's room. But when it came time to talk about what the video showed, Lucy started having flashbacks—of Lincoln screaming for death, of the blood filling the screen.
Lucy started to cry again as the video was still fresh in her mind. When she finished, all the others looked visibly shaken.
"Oh, come on," Lynn said, trying to shake off the cold feeling that washed over her. "It's Lincoln. He has zero pain tolerance and—"
She couldn't finish her sentence.
Because Lucy got up and slapped Lynn across the face, leaving a big red handprint.
It got real quiet, real fast.
Lucy glared at Lynn, who was holding her cheek in pain.
"Don't ever—" Lucy growled, scaring the others as they backed up, "DON'T TALK LIKE YOU'VE SEEN IT."
They tried to calm Lucy down, but it was no use as she shouted at the top of her lungs:
"I'VE SEEN LESS THAN A QUARTER OF THE FOOTAGE AND LOOK AT ME. LISA'S SEEN EVEN LESS—LOOK AT HER!"
Lucy pointed at Lisa, who was hiding behind Lori and Leni, still scared from the video… and now, a little scared of Lucy too. But she was also glaring at Lynn.
"ARE YOU SAYING THAT WE'RE MAKING THIS UP!? THAT WHAT LINCOLN WENT THROUGH WAS FAKE!?" Lucy continued yelling in Lynn's face, making her flinch back slightly, afraid. "THE PAIN HE JUST CASUALLY SHRUGGED OFF THE NEXT DAY—YOU WEREN'T THERE. YOU DIDN'T HEAR HIS SCREAMS!"
More tears streamed down her face.
"You didn't hear him begging to die."
"Okay, okay, that's enough," Lori stepped up, pulling Lucy back. "No one's saying that. And when Lincoln comes back, we can make sure he's alright, okay?" Lori tried to reason.
"B-But Lincoln won't be home for a week… a-and we can't call him," Lucy said, still crying.
"Lucy, think about it. Lincoln won't really be gone for a week," Lori assured her, rubbing soothing circles on her back. "I'll bet you that Lincoln's on his way home right now."
(Lincoln's POV)
It was early in the morning as I stepped out of the bath feeling invigorated—nothing like a nice ice bath to start the day.
After drying off and putting on a yukata—a traditional male robe from Japan—I made my way to the kitchen, only to find it empty.
"I did just set it up," I thought. "I better get some groceries."
I went back to my room to get dressed.
The suite I'm staying in is one of the resort's finest. Sliding open the door to the master bedroom, I'm greeted by a king-sized bed neatly made, flanked by dark oak nightstands. A large black fur rug lies in the center of the room, and across from the bed stands a dark oak dresser with an 85-inch TV mounted above it.
Yeah… I love this room.
As I was getting dressed, I couldn't help but wonder what my sisters were up to.
"They probably made some stupid unfair decision," I muttered to myself. "And I already know who it'll be unfair to."
I shook my head, deciding to deal with it later. I sent a quick text to Mom saying I was doing fine, then set my phone to Do Not Disturb.
Looking out the window, I took in the peaceful town below.
"Let's see what this place has to offer," I said aloud.
⸻
A Few Hours Later
After getting groceries, I stored them in my so they'd stay fresh. The town reminded me a bit of Royal Woods—quiet, calm…
"Hey! Leave us alone!"
"I spoke too soon," I thought, hurrying toward the source of the shout.
I turned the corner and saw five teenage guys surrounding a little girl, shoving her until she fell. A younger girl ran up to her.
"Please leave us alone," she begged.
"Why should we leave you freaks alone?" one of the punks sneered, pushing her down too.
My anger flared.
"Because if you don't…" I said, stepping forward, "…then I'll make you."
They all turned to me.
"Who the hell are you?" Jackass #1 snapped. "Never seen you around before."
"I just got into town last night."
Realization crossed their faces, then they started laughing.
"Well that explains it," Jackass #2 said.
"Explains what?" I asked, irritation creeping into my voice. "How does that explain five teenagers harassing two little girls?"
"Take a closer look at them," Jackass #1 said, pointing.
The first girl wore a blue dress with a light blue bowtie. She had light brown fur, curly orange hair, slightly pointed ears, and small sharp teeth. She looked about ten.
The second girl was entirely wrapped in bandages. She had big blue eyes and a ponytail tied with a red bow. She looked about six.
The fur-covered girl pulled the bandaged girl protectively behind her, both of them trembling.
"See? They're monsters. Since you're new in town, you probably didn't know that they exist," Jackass #1 sneered.
That's when my fury hit its boiling point—not loud, explosive anger. No… the cold kind. The kind that could freeze hell.
"All I see are five jackasses picking on two little girls," I said flatly.
The girls stared at me, eyes wide with shock.
"What did you say, you little—" Jackass #3 growled as they started to surround me.
"I think you heard me. Now move aside before I make you," I warned.
"I'd love to see you try!" Jackass #4 shouted as he lunged at me from behind.
I ducked, grabbed his punching arm, twisted it behind his back, and rose.
"Let him go!" Jackass #5 yelled, charging at me. I used Jackass #4 like a battering ram, smashing him into #5's face.
With Jackass #5 knocked out cold, I tossed #4 at Jackasses #1 and #3.
Jackass #2 tried tackling me next, but I brought up my knee—his face hit it hard, breaking his nose. Before he hit the ground, I side-kicked him across the head.
Jackasses #1 and #3 got up, and #1 pulled out a stiletto switchblade.
"Look out behind you!" one of the girls cried.
"That's it, you little—" he began, but I moved just enough for the blade to miss.
Time slowed. Pure instinct kicked in.
I raised my hand, caught the blade between my pointer and middle fingers. Snap. I broke off the blade.
Then, with my back still turned, I held it by the tip—right under his throat.
Silence.
A drop of blood slid down my hand. Jackass #1 trembled in place. His pants darkened. The smell of piss hit the air.
No one moved. Even his friends were frozen in disbelief.
"I'm going to make this clear," I said, my voice colder than ice. "You get one chance. Leave. Never bother these girls or anyone again."
I paused.
"But if you don't… if you keep harassing people… I will find you. And then, you'll see what happens when I don't hold back."
"Do I make myself clear?"
They all nodded numbly. I lowered the blade. Jackass #1 dropped to his knees, and his friends dragged him away.
"Oh—wait," I called. "You forgot this."
I flicked the blade toward them. It grazed Jackass #1's cheek, leaving a small cut, and embedded itself in the wall behind him, spiderweb cracks spreading from the point of impact.
That got them running faster.
⸻
I turned to the two girls. They looked frightened as I walked over. I raised my hands slowly, causing them to flinch—until I gently patted their heads.
They opened their eyes and looked into mine, seeing only concern and kindness.
"Y-You're not going to hurt us?" the bandaged girl asked.
"No. I won't."
"Are you both okay? Are you hurt?"
"N-No, we're fine. They just started bothering us… then you showed up," the fur-covered girl said.
"What are two young girls doing out here alone?" I asked.
"We got separated from our friends in a crowd and have been trying to find them," the older girl replied.
"Well, I can't just leave you out here. Want some help finding them?"
They exchanged a glance, then looked at me.
"Why would you help us?"
"Why wouldn't I?" I replied, confused.
"We're… monsters. Most humans fear or hate us."
"You said most, not all. And clearly," I said, pointing at myself with my thumb, "I'm not like most humans."
They blinked—then giggled. I laughed too and helped them to their feet.
"I like you. You seem nice, mister—?" the mummy girl trailed off.
"My name's Lincoln Loud."
"I'm Winnie Werewolf! Awooo!" the older girl howled cheerfully.
"And I'm Tanis Mummy! Thank you, Mister Lincoln."
"Just Lincoln, please. 'Mister' makes me sound old."
"Well, the white hair might give that impression," Winnie joked.
I chuckled. "Yeah, I get that a lot. Got it from my Pop-Pop."
"Pop-Pop?"
"My grandpa."
"Do you know where your friends were heading?" I asked.
"They went to the town library—it's our meet-up spot if we get separated."
"Perfect. Let's head there."
As we walked, I noticed them glancing around nervously and staying close to me. To help them relax, we stopped by an ice cream parlor. I got them both double scoops of whatever they wanted. Their happy smiles were worth every penny.
I learned that Winnie is the daughter of the Wolfman, and Tanis calls her dad the "Mummy Daddy." That got a laugh out of me.
When we arrived at the library, they scanned the area. Winnie sniffed the air and pointed.
"They're that way!" she exclaimed, tail wagging as they dragged me along—still holding my hands since we left the ice cream shop.
That made me smile. They already felt safe with me.
We spotted three girls looking around, calling out:
"Tanis? Winnie?"
"Are you around here?"
"Awoo! We're over here!" Winnie called back.
The girls rushed over.
"There you two are!"
"Are you okay?"
"We were so worried!"
"We're fine!" Winnie said. "Some jerks were bothering us, but Lincoln helped!"
They looked at me, surprised.
"He was so cool the way he fought those meanies!" Tanis said, bouncing with excitement.
Winnie described the fight as the "coolest" she'd ever seen. Tanis called me a superhero.
Their praise made me blush, especially with Winnie's tail wagging nonstop and Tanis's eyes shining with admiration.
Then, one of the girls stepped toward me. She was the second tallest, with captivating green eyes and bright red lips, soft purple skin, and long lavender-colored hair. She wore crimson red shoes and a dark purple dress with a matching crimson belt.
"Thank you so much for helping them," the purple girl said warmly.
"It was my pleasure," I replied with a smile. "It just didn't sit right with me to ignore it."
I held out my hand. "My name's Lincoln Loud."
She rested her hand in mine. Instantly understanding what she was expecting, I gently brought her hand up and placed a soft kiss on it.
"My, such a gentleman. Allow me to introduce myself—my name is Sibella Dracula," she said, slightly expecting me to start backing away in fear.
"Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," I said with a calm smile.
Sibella looked pleasantly surprised—and happy—that I wasn't scared of her.
The next girl floated over to introduce herself. She had semi-long white hair with a large blue streak and pale blue skin. She wore a blue dress and white boots.
"My name is Phantasma Phantom, but everyone calls me Phanty for short," she said, hovering about a head above me.
The last girl to walk over was the tallest. She wore brown platform sandals and a green dress with a light green T-shirt underneath. She had a stitch above one eye, slightly green-tinged skin, and big black hair that stood up naturally but curled more toward one side, with a large white streak through it.
"My name is Elsa Frankenteen. It's nice to meet you," she said. I tilted my head slightly.
"Frankenteen?" I repeated curiously.
"Frankenstein is my uncle," she explained with a small chuckle. "They're twins and almost identical—most people never notice the difference."
"Huh. You learn something new every day," I thought.
"I've never seen you around before," Phanty said. "Are you new in town?"
"I am, actually," I told them. "I arrived last night and I'll be staying in town for about a week."
"A week? Are you visiting someone?" Sibella asked.
"No, I'm just here for a little vacation," I replied.
"Really?" Phanty asked with a surprised look. "This is a quiet, almost unknown town. Most people wouldn't really pick this place for a vacation."
"That's exactly why I picked it," I said. "It's a nice, quiet place where I can relax."
"Ooh! Since you're new, do you think we could show you around?" Winnie asked excitedly.
"Yeah! That would be so much fun!" Tanis chimed in with equal enthusiasm.
"That's very kind of you to offer, but I wouldn't want to impose," I said politely.
"No, please—we insist," Sibella said with a smile. "It's the least we could do after all your help."
"Yeah, and it'll give us a chance to get to know each other better," Elsa added.
"And it'd be nice to talk to someone as interesting as you," Phanty said.
I blinked. "How am I interesting?" I asked.
"Well, you're the first person to talk to us normally—without being scared or hating us," Phanty replied.
I frowned. "Do people really do that when they first meet you?" I asked, hoping I was wrong. But as they all lowered their heads and their smiles faded, I realized I was right.
"Everyone has… always done so on first impressions," Sibella said sadly. "Very few actually take the time to get to know us."
They all looked down, no doubt remembering how many people they'd tried to befriend—only to watch them run away in fear.
"Well, that's just stupid," I said bluntly. They looked up, surprised.
"Claws, fangs, scaly or spooky—you should judge a person by who they are, not by what they are." I crossed my arms. "At least, that's my way of thinking."
Slowly, their somber expressions turned into smiles. Someone was finally giving them a chance without fear or judgment.
"You know what? I think I'll take you up on that offer, if you don't mind," I said.
Their smiles brightened even more.
"That's fang-tastic!" Sibella beamed as they started leading me down the street.
Few Hours Later
(No POV)
The Grimwood girls were having a blast. They'd made a human friend who was so open with them. He didn't flinch when they got close, didn't pull back when they grabbed his hand to show him around town, and didn't show even a hint of fear when talking to them.
They were having so much fun that you could imagine how sad they felt when it was time to head back.
"Aw man, do we have to go back now?" Winnie whined.
"Yes, we do. We have a curfew," Sibella reminded her. "We have to go back to the school."
"You girls are in school during summer break?" Lincoln asked, surprised.
"Yeah, we start school a month earlier than most places," Elsa replied.
"What do you learn in a monster school?" Lincoln asked curiously.
"Well, we learn monster anatomy, math, science, potions, magic, and many more subjects you don't see in human schools," Elsa explained.
"You learn magic?" Lincoln asked, impressed.
"Yeah, but it's not that fun," Winnie said with a frown.
"Is everything okay?" Lincoln asked, sounding concerned.
"Yeah… it's just that I've been having trouble with magic," Winnie admitted, looking down. "It's my worst subject, and I can't seem to get any better."
Winnie then felt a hand on her head and looked up to see Lincoln with a soft smile as he gently ruffled her hair.
"Hey, don't worry about it," Lincoln told her in a reassuring voice. "I'm sure you'll get better."
"How do you know?" Winnie asked. While she appreciated him trying to cheer her up, she'd heard the same thing many times before and didn't want false hope.
But Lincoln's eyes seemed certain. He stood up and said,
"Because up until recently, I haven't been wrong yet."
Then Lincoln seemed to catch the scent of something on the breeze. Looking up at the clear blue sky that was slowly darkening, he scanned the area and spotted a general store. Without a word, he walked in, leaving the girls confused.
A few minutes later, Lincoln came back out with a bag full of umbrellas.
"Why did you just leave all of a sudden?" Tanis asked, confused.
"I had to buy some umbrellas for the rain," Lincoln answered.
The ghouls glanced up at the still-clear sky.
"But there's not a single cloud in the sky," Winnie pointed out.
"Yeah, but it will rain," Lincoln said confidently.
"You said you have a curfew," he added. When they nodded, Lincoln said, "Then let me walk you back."
"Oh, you don't have to," Sibella told him. "We can walk ourselves home."
"Sorry, but there's no way I'm letting you all walk back alone," Lincoln said. "Wouldn't want you getting separated again."
The girls tried to tell him it wasn't necessary, but Lincoln insisted. So they used the time to get to know him better.
A few minutes passed, and when they were about halfway back to the school, Winnie felt a drop hit her nose.
"Huh?" Looking up, she and the rest of the girls saw dark clouds suddenly rolling in.
They moved to cover their heads from the inevitable rain that had just begun falling—
—but they didn't feel a thing.
Looking up, they saw a large umbrella shielding them from the downpour.
They turned to see Lincoln holding it, wearing a confident smile.
"See? I was right," Lincoln said before turning his gaze to Winnie.
"So now that I was right about the rain, you can trust me when I say you'll get better. It probably just takes time."
He gave her another reassuring hair ruffle, and she looked up at him, surprised and touched.
Lincoln then started handing out umbrellas to everyone, but there weren't quite enough. So he shared one with Phantasma as they made their way to the school—a large manor-like building with a moat and surrounded by a tall stone wall and an iron gate.
"Thank you so much for walking us back—and for making this one of the best times we've ever had in town," Sibella said with a sincere smile.
"You're welcome—and thank you for showing me around. I hope to see you all again," Lincoln said, genuinely glad to have met them.
"I hope so too, cutie. You're so fun to be around," Phanty said with a teasing laugh. Lincoln fought down a blush, having learned by now that Phantasma was very affectionate and not to take her flirting too seriously.
"Well, if you ever want to visit, you can always come over. We just need to ask Miss Grimwood first," Elsa said.
"Of course—and if any of you want to visit, I'm close to the town border, just due west," Lincoln replied, pointing in the direction.
"You're going to walk in this rain?" Tanis asked.
"It's fine," Lincoln assured her.
"Are you sure?" Phantasma asked. "We could ask Miss Grimwood to drop you off. She's really nice—I doubt she'd say no."
"I'm sure," Lincoln said as he started walking away.
Just as the ghouls were about to pass through the gate, Phantasma realized something.
"Hey, you forgot the umbrel—"
But when she looked back to return the umbrella, she and the others saw an empty road. Lincoln was nowhere in sight.
With no sign of him, the ghouls headed inside.
"Hello, girls," they were greeted by Miss Grimwood—a short, middle-aged woman with black hair. She wore a pink dress, a red cloak held by skull-shaped buttons, and a red headband.
"How was your day out today?" she asked kindly.
As soon as she asked, the girls eagerly began telling her everything.
After hearing their story, Miss Grimwood was heartbroken about how Winnie and Tanis had been treated, but also deeply grateful that someone had protected them—and became their friend without judging them like so many others had.
"Um… Miss Grimwood, can we visit him tomorrow?" Tanis asked.
"You know what? I think that's a wonderful idea," Miss Grimwood said, smiling.
The girls beamed at her answer.
"I'd like to meet this young man myself, so we'll take the day off tomorrow. I want to thank him properly for making sure you were all safe."
"Now go wash up—dinner will be ready shortly, and it would be unfair to keep the others waiting."
With Lincoln
As Lincoln emerged from the shadows inside his suite, he slumped down onto his bed, a big smile still on his face.
"Man, today was a blast," Lincoln said happily, thinking back on the Grimwood girls.
"Today sure was interesting… I hope to see them again soon."
With that, Lincoln stood up to make dinner—already debating which bath he should use tonight.