The Missing Link (WIP)

>It was 10 pm in the Loud House
>On a normal weeknight, everyone would be asleep by then
>But not tonight
>Tonight was absolute madness in the house
>This chaos was the result of the absence of the only brother of a family of 10 girls
>They had no idea that Lincoln would actually follow through on his words that morning
>"I hate how you all treat me like dirt! I'm leaving for good!" was the last they heard of Lincoln that day
>They remember him packing and going out the door
>His sisters thought he was bluffing, so they didn't feel like there was anything to worry about
>They should have known that Lincoln 'Man with the Plan' Loud wouldn't break his promise
>Phrases like "Where did he go?" filled the house every few minutes
>The fact that Lincoln wanted to leave them troubled his parents
>"We're going to call the police to tell 'em that he's missing, you guys go find him!" Lynn Sr. commanded
>"Come on, we literally need to get Lincoln back right now!" Lori said, exiting the door to get to Vanzilla
>The ten sisters all loaded into Vanzilla as Lori started the van, unsure of where to go
>"Where do you guys think Lincoln would be?"
>"He could be over at Clyde's house..." Lana said with uncertainty
>Lori exited the driveway and began the drive to Clyde's home

>The drive to Clyde's was silent, with an occasional cough made by one of the siblings
>A few minutes of silence later, they made it to the front of the Mcbride's single story house
>No lights were on, letting the girls know the family was asleep
>Lori got out of Vanzilla, followed by her sisters to the front door
>She knocked hard on the door several times, stopping once she heard the rustling of someone waking up
>The door unlocked and opened to reveal Howard Mcbride, his red hair disheveled
>"We're sorry for waking you up," Lori started, "But Lincoln ran away and we literally can't find him!"
>Howard gasped
>"That's awful! We haven't seen him here today, but i'll go ask Clyde if he's seen him at school."
>"Could you ask him right now?"
>"Alright." He said, turning around to ask Clyde about Lincoln's leaving
>A moment passed until Mr. Mcbride returned to the front door
>"Clyde's telling me that he hasn't seen him at school at all today..."
>"Thank you, and again, sorry for waking you up."
>"It's alright, i'm sorry that Lincoln's missing. If we can help in any other way, you let us know."
>The girls retreated back to the van, Lori started the car and exited the driveway
>"Where else would he be at?"
>There was a pause, no shorter than a few seconds
>"I don't know, bro..." Luna said, saddened
>Everyone in the van soon admitted to not knowing where else Lincoln could be
>Lori let out a sigh
>"Looks like we have to go on a wild goose chase. It's not like he could've gotten that far on foot, right?"
>"Lincoln can't have traveled more than 30 miles, according to my calculationsh." Lisa confirmed
>"Perfect, let's go."

>The drive from that moment became a lot less silent
>The girls felt like it was their duty to help find their only brother
>But, they had to resort to grasping at straws in hopes of finding him
>"He might be at Ronnie Anne and Bobby's house?"
>"Bobby would've texted me about it by now."
>"He could be at the comic store?"
>"We've crossed it a few times already."
>"Do you think he's at the arcade?"
>"We checked there five minutes ago, Leni!"
>They searched every nook and cranny of Royal woods until 2 AM, with no clue where their brother could be
>They gave up for the night, exhausted from their efforts
>They returned home to find their parents waiting at the front door
>It was clear that their mother cried earlier, mascara running down her cheek
>Their father wore a regretful look
>"Did you find him?"
>They all shook their head
>Lynn Sr. took a deep breath and entered the house with the remaining part of their family
>"We'll go out to find him soon, you kids have a good night's rest."
>"Okay, dad!"

>The girls didn't rest well that night
>They felt like they were responsible for his departure
>They all knew what the reason for Lincoln leaving was
>The morning he left, Lincoln cooked breakfast for the family
>He sat down at the kiddie table to eat with his younger siblings
>Not even a minute after sitting down he someone shout "Food fight!"
>Although this was a common occurrence on the table, he was the first hit
>Right in the face
>This annoyed him, of course
>Not even 8 in the morning, yet he had to clean his face
>After changing into a new shirt and cleaning his face off with water, he returned downstairs
>Downstairs, Lynn tackled him
>"Sorry, bro, I gotta practice tackling for football!"
>She had no ill-intent, but it definitely hurt
>He stood up, put on a fake smile and gave a small laugh
>"It's fine, Lynn."
>He was unsure why, but for the past few days it felt like his sisters had been mistreating him
>It started with the 'sister fight protocol' when Lisa told him that they resolved their fighting because he was away
>Still, he couldn't fault them, they were his sisters, and they must still love him
>Right?

>The day continued with him trying to be of use to his sisters
>"Hey twerp, do you think you could find my phone?" Lori asked
>"Fine... Do you remember where you last put it?"
>He spent half an hour working to find her phone only to discover that it was in her left pocket
>Somewhat annoyed, he walked toward his room until Luna stopped him
>"Hey bro, you think you could set up my amp?"
>"Yeah, sure..." he agreed with a sigh
>While setting up her amp, he set it to ear-piercing levels
>This was not deliberate, but it was so loud that his ears rung as a result
>"Sorry that you did that, bro!"
>She wasn't even decent enough to ask if he was alright
>Feeling agitated, and with ringing ears, he opened the door out of the room triggering a bucket of ice water, courtesy of Luan, to fall on his head
>"Water you thinking, Link!?" She laughs, "Get it?"
>"Yeah, Luan, I do." the boy mumbled
>"Buoy, you don't seem like you're in a good mood. Get it?" She chuckles
>Annoyed, he gives a groan
>"Luan, please, i'm not in a good mood right now..."
>"I can sea that Link! Get it?" she giggles as she leaves
>Not even a few seconds left alone and Lincoln felt a tug at his hand
>He looked down to see Lisa
>"I would like to tesht out a procedure on you."
>He groans
>"Will it be painful?"
>"It will be alright, there's a ten percent chance that you will feel nothing!"
>"Are you doing this to hurt me?" the boy asked, disgruntled
>"Of courshe not! Think of all the shientific progressh that I could make because of this!"
>"Lisa," Lincoln said with a stern voice
>"I don't care about the experiment, or the scientific progress or any of that other junk."
>Lisa remained silent
>"You're willing to hurt me to get what you want."
>Knowing that his sister admits to wanting to hurt him was the straw that broke the camel's back
>"It's n-not like that Lincoln," she stumbled over her words, "It's ju-"
>Before she could finish, he ran downstairs, leaving her alone
>He went straight to the door, shouting that he was leaving
>Everyone in the area that heard his declaration ignored him
>Even as he left and slammed the door shut, he still felt mistreated

>That night was one of reflection for the sisters
>They spent the night talking to their roommate about their memories of Lincoln
>They remembered the times where he volunteered as a human mannequin for Leni
>They remembered the times when he sacrificed his cleanliness to play with Lana in her mud
>They remembered the times where he spent hours with Luan plotting various sketches
>They remembered the times where he put his all into training Lola for her pageants
>They remembered his constant apologies
>It seemed like he apologized for about everything, whether he was to blame or not
>Although his family found it odd, it was a trained behavior to him
>It only made sense that he would get sick of being a doormat after dealing with them for so long
>They could have avoided the whole situation by even once giving a sincere thanks
>It's not like they can do that now, though
>The sisters hoped that this whole fiasco would be over in a few days
>They worried about his well being
>They wondered if he was alright without them
>What was he doing right now?
>Was he sleeping? Lying awake on some park bench? Regretting what he did?
>Did he even miss them?
>That idea that Lincoln was so angered that he might not even feel bad scared them
>The sisters didn't want to sleep, but one-by-one they passed out leaving the house in silence

>The next morning was a Saturday, meaning that the family had an entire day to work on finding Lincoln
>Despite not being well rested, the Louds awoke, feeling somewhat prepared for what was to come that day
>While eating breakfast, the older girls and parents discussed their plan for the day
>"So we want you girls to put up signs around town and ask people if they've seen him while we go to the police department to give them some information about what's going on." Lynn Sr. said, "Afterwards we want you to look around town for him on the van."
>"Okay, dad!" The girls complied
>With that the sisters started to get to work
>They asked around town if they've seen a certain white-haired boy in an orange polo shirt
>Still, they didn't receive any valuable help
>Their lack of info especially didn't help when they started their search in Vanzilla
>His departure prompted several questions in the girls' minds
>Does he hate us that much? Is he even in Royal Woods anymore?
>Regardless, they tried to help, but it seemed worthless
>Despite the talkative atmosphere inside the van, one sister was yet to speak
>The girls noted that Lisa didn't say a word
>Although she was of few words, she would always try to help out when given the opportunity
>The girls acknowledged this, but chalked it up to her planning some scientific scheme
>The search went on for several hours, with no Lincoln and no clue where he could be
>It was the afternoon now, their parents should already be home by then
>"We're going back home for now." Lori muttered, giving a deep sigh afterward
>Silence was all that remained in the van for the next few minutes
>"He hates us."

>The girls all at once gasped and turned to scold Lisa over her sudden declaration
>"Not cool, dude! Why would you say something like that!"
>"Yeah, Lisa, why would you, like, think that!?"
>The girls took their turns criticizing her last sentence
>She remained silent for a short time after the bashing she received
>"It'sh true though! What other reason would he have to abandon us after we've abushed him for such a long period!"
>"He doesn't hate us! What, do you want us to give up now?!"
>"Of courshe not! He's my only brother and I miss him! But there's no reasonable way to explain this predicament except for the fact that he must hate ush!"
>Everyone in the van went silent, not wanting to address such pessimistic thoughts at a time like this
>Lisa, broke the silence a second time
>"Listen, I will find a way to get him back home safely, I just need to devise some sort of plan..."
>"Some sort of plan..." She repeated
>She didn't have any confidence in those words
>It seemed that she was convincing herself that she would one day see her older brother
>They spent the rest of the ride without speaking another word
>The van parked in the driveway and the sisters left Vanzilla, walking into their home
>Their father greeted them
>"Find anything?" He asked
>The girls shook their head
>Lynn. Sr sighed
>"Where's mom?" Lori asked
>"Your mother isn't taking this well, I tried to comfort her earlier but it seems that she needs her alone time for now."
>He continued, "We did give some pictures to the police so hopefully this'll all be over soon..."

>"We don't need to search now that the cops are on this, at least, so try to take it easy if you can."
>The girls looked down and sighed
>Lynn Sr. was quick in trying to console them
>"Listen, all of you sit down." he said, patting the couch
>His daughters sat around him on the couch with a few of the younger one's sitting on the floor
>"I know that what we're going through is tough. I know that we all miss Lincoln, but don't beat yourself up because you couldn't find him on your own."
>"But we're why he left..." Lynn sniffled
>The room went silent
>Their father, alarmed by what Lynn said, tried to force words out of his mouth
>But his mouth remained shut as he panicked as he tried to reply to his sporty daughter's words
>What could he even say to that?
>Lynn's words stunned the girls as well
>This reminded the sisters of what Lisa said earlier
>Her honesty cut deep, and Lynn's words only made the reality of the situation more clear
>They hurt their only brother
>He left
>And they might never see him again
>How could they have gotten away with treating him the way they did?
>There is not a chance that he could ever forgive them now
>This was all their fault
>Light sobbing attracted everyone in the room's attention
>They turned to find the twins holding each other close, tears staining their cheeks
>Leni soon after began to wail her eyes out, knocking some siblings away with her tears
>Lynn, meanwhile, was ready to cry at any moment
>She refused to show her weakness by crying in front of her family
>Everyone faced her when they heard her first sniff
>She could feel the corner of her eye giving in to her emotion
>But she refused to let this happen in front of her family
>The athlete kept a stern neutral face until she felt a hand on her shoulder
>"I-it's okay, Lynn, it's alright to cry..." Lucy spoke between sobs
>Soon enough, the bawling of ten girls and their father was all that could be heard

>After a long while, the whole room calmed down
>Save for the occasional sob, the room remained quiet
>Now being able to arrange his thoughts, Lynn. Sr spoke
>"Listen, I get that we're not in a greate situation, but hang on."
>The room remained silent for a moment, so he continued
>"Be there to support each other, ya hear? The police are on the case, so Lincoln should be back home real soon."
>The girls weren't all the way comforted by this, but they seemed a bit more perked up by this
>Their father stood up from the couch
>"Get some sleep tonight, alright?" he suggested as he went to Rita and his' room
>"Okay!" The girls responded, walking upstairs to get to their rooms
>The family spent the next few days getting used to Lincoln's absence
>The girls had to find alternatives to Lincoln to indulge in their hobby
>Lola went to Leni for pageant practice
>But she wasn't as disciplined as Lincoln, causing the princess to be off her game during her pageants
>Lucy would go to Luna for help with her poems
>Yet her rhyme schemes felt forced and her phrases were too cheery for her taste
>Regardless, life went on in the Loud house
>And regardless, they still missed their brother
>They often talked about what they would do once he came back
>How they would apologize to him for what they did
>Something about the family was gone with Lincoln
>Everyone still felt obligated to make some effort to find Lincoln
>Lisa, especially, worked with the DNA samples she had left of Lincoln
>Everyday, she worked with the same hair and saliva samples to find any information on him
>But she couldn't access any databases with his information, leaving her with no real help
>So the days without Lincoln continued

>And those days became weeks
>The sisters still missed him, of course
>They asked themselves if Lincoln was okay
>They didn't want to begin to think if Lincoln was dead or not
>The drive to find him was gone, trying to keep Lincoln out of mind so they could cope easier
>Lisa, though, still worked to find Lincoln
>Her last conversation with him made her think about what she was doing
>She wanted nothing more to help her brother for once, after forcing him to deal with her expiriments
>At dinnertime, she would give updates on things she's finding out about Lincoln
>She would mention deciphering genetic code, discovering new samples in her catalog, and finding new methods to help in the effort to find her brother every few nights
>Yet she never found anything that lead to his location
>It seemed as though she was on track, until one day
>It was a Friday, about a month since Lincoln first went missing
>The middle and high school had a short day, meaning that the younger kids would come home later than the older ones
>Lisa returned home, making her way to the stairs
>She hummed while climbing the stairs, getting ready to get to work
>When she made it to her room, she panicked
>Shattered test tubes were strewn around her workspace
>The banged up computer stood a foot away from it's normal spot
>Frightened she ran to repair her laboratory, until she noticed something
>Lincoln's DNA samples were either spilled or missing because of whatever happened
>'Who could have done such a thing?' she thought
>Then she noticed a lone tennisball in the center of the madness

>The hectic nature of the Loud house was at full swing until they heard yelling coming from Lisa's room
>"LYNN! YOU FOOL!"
>Everyone paused what they were doing when they heard that
>The girls all went to the hall to see what Lisa was so angry about
>It wasn't a common sight to see Lisa angered
>But when she was, the easiest solution for the solution was to get it over with fast
>Lisa left her room, fuming, finding her sisters gathered together
>She was quick to point her finger at Lynn
>"What have you done?" Lisa spoke low
>The athlete replied without nervousness
>"I was playing tennis and knocked a few things over."
>Lisa waited a few seconds to arrange her thoughts, then spoke
>"You didn't even put the tesht tubes back up."
>"They broke already! Whatever was in them was already gone by the time I could have done that!"
>Do you know what you destroyed?"
>"Link's hair and other stuff, I know. Still, it's not like it matters since the cops ar-"
>"FINDING LINCOLN DOESN'T MATTER TO YOU?"
>Lynn became pale at her sudden shout
>She stammered, "I-it's not that, it's not like you found anything importan-"
>Lynn stopped when she saw the glare Lisa gave her
>"You threw away a month of work using samples taken across my lifetime."
>"I'm sorry..." Lynn mumbled
>"You're are despicable, Lynn." Lisa finished, leaving to her room