A Little Problem-Chapter 1

>Kicking open your door, you revel in satisfaction with your current possession.
>Who knew you would score these vintage mint-condition Ace Savvys, for five bucks at a garage sale?
>What a steal!
>Sliding the box next to your bed, you waste no time in getting down to your usual reading attire.
>Looks like you found what you're doing for the rest of the weekend.
>Especially since almost everyone's off with their own weekend plans.
>But, just for good measure, you close and lock your door.
>'Almost everyone' doesn't actually mean there won't be any distractions.
>It's best not to take any chances.
>With that out of the way, you flop onto your bed and take the top comic of the stack into your hands.
>You savor the crisp feeling of the comic and slowly open it to the first page.
>Then...you feel a bit odd.
>Like there's something not quite right in here.
>Setting down the comic, you scan over the rest of your room.
>But there's nothing out of the ordinary.
>Huh.
>Must have been your imagination.
>Scare over, you flip back into your original reading position.
>And are met with a familiar set of black bangs looming over you.
>"Lincoln, we need to talk."

>You let out a very unmanly shout as Lucy pulls her usual routine.
>One day, you swear that your heart is going to stop.
>At least your hair can't get any whiter.
“Geez, Lucy, you need to stop sneaking up on me. I could have torn my comic.”
>”Sorry for interrupting you, but this is important.”
>You sigh as you set your book down and right yourself.
“Look, Lucy, I know that you're usually asking me for help with your poems, but I was kind of hoping for some alone time.”
>”I'm not here to get help with a poem, Lincoln.”
>Wait, what?
“Really? Why are you here then?”
>Lucy averts her stare, if you can call it that without eye contact, and drops her focus to the ground.
>”Do you remember what we did, about three weeks back?”
>Oh.
>This is about 'that'.
“Yeah, it'd be kind of hard not to.”
>”Do you remember how we've been doing that since then?”
>Uh-oh.
>You know where this is going.
“Lucy, not to be a downer, but I think that we should take a break from that for a bit. I think I'm starting to get friction burns.”
>”I didn't come here because of that. At least, not entirely.”
>...
>Now you're really confused.
“If you're not here for either of those things, then what are you after, exactly?”
>Lucy sinks her head lower, and you swear you can see her blushing.
>What is going on with her?
>Something pokes you in the leg, and you see that it's in Lucy's hand.
>”Take it.”
>Unsure of what else to do, you grab hold of the...what is this thing?
“What exactly am I looking at here?”
>”...”
“Lucy?”
>”It's a...pregnancy test.”
“Oh, that's what it is.”
>It takes a moment for the thought to work itself out in your mind.
>Then the reality sets in.
“Wait, what?!”
>”It's a device that tests for-”
“I know that, but why do you have it?!”
>”Leni bought it for me.”
>Hold on, Leni?!
>”Did you notice what the sign says?”

>You take a moment to look down to the test in your grasp.
>On a small screen, you see two lines.
>”That means it's positive.”
“Positive?!”
>”Congratulations.”
>In sheer disbelief, you drop onto your bed and let your arms fall to the wayside.
>You're pretty sure that your heart actually did stop beating when Lucy spooked you.
>Yeah, that's gotta be the reason.
>Lucy just scared you hard enough to actually kill you this time.
>Well, you're just going to wake up in a hospital bed soon enough.
>Or possibly just Hell.
>Yep, any minute now.
>Any minute...
>Lucy turns and stares at you in your malaise.
>You spend a while looking at the ceiling.
>In the process, you feel something strong pulsating throughout your body.
>That's gotta be your heartbeat.
>You've stayed still for so long that you can feel it moving your blood.
>Which means that your heart didn't stop.
>Then, of course, that means that this is real.
>And that you've gotten your little sister pregnant.
>...
>You've gotten your little sister pregnant.
>”Lincoln, are you alright?”
“I can't believe this.”
>”This must be hard for you to-”
“No, I mean that I really can't believe this! How is this even possible; you're only eight!”
>”Stranger things have happened before.”
“This isn't strange, this is horrible!”
>As the last sentence leaves your lips, you realize just what you said to her.
“Wait, hold on, I didn't mean-”
>”No, I get it. I'm aware of what this situation means.”
>Lucy turns herself away from you.
>You snap back up and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
“I didn't say that because of you, Lucy; it's just that I didn't think this could happen.”
>Lucy turns herself back to you, frowning more than usual.
“Believe me, I don't blame you for any of this.”
>You pull Lucy into a brotherly hug.
>A large portion of your mind is put at ease when she returns it.
“That said, we're still sunk.”
>”Yeah, this is bad.”

>Both of you let go and return to your respective positions.
>”So, what do we do now?”
>That's a good question.
>What exactly do you do in this situation?
>You put your hand to your chin and reflect upon the potential pitfalls of the situation.
>Then a lightbulb goes on in your head.
“Lucy, I've figured it out!”
>”What, Lincoln?”
“I've figured out that I've got no business figuring out the plan.”
>”Lincoln, this is serious.”
“You're right; this is serious. That's why we're going to have to go to someone who has a better head on their shoulders than us.”
>”Wait, we're going to tell someone?”
“There's no other way to go forward. If we just stick around here and do nothing, we're just waiting for something inevitably bad to happen.”
>”Isn't telling someone the fastest way for something bad to happen?”
“Not where we're going.”
>
>Looking around to make sure that no one else is nearby, you knock gently on the door and whisper into it.
>”Are you in there, Lisa?”
>Your efforts are rewarded as the door cracks open slightly, and you see Lisa's usual unamused expression.
>”Lincoln, I'm just about to start a very delicate experiment, so I'd much rather you come back a bit later.”
>Just before Lisa can shut the door, you stick your foot between the door and the doorway to stop it from closing.
>Probably should have gone with something a bit less painful.
“Lisa, this is very important!”
>”So is my experiment.”
“I'm serious, Lisa!”
>You see Lisa rub her temples as she extends the door open and welcomes you in.
>Throbbing foot pain aside, this went fairly painlessly.
>”Come inside. I've got to squeeze in some very time-sensitive projects today and don't want to waste time.”
>Wincing as you step, you shuffle into the room and avoid running into Lily.
>Lucy stays just outside of the door, not willing to encounter Lisa just yet.
>You sure hope this is the right thing to do.

>”Alright, let's get down to the heart of the matter. Tell me what sort of thing you did wrong this time, Lincoln.”
>Clearing your throat, you begin to sweat as you stumble through your thoughts.
“W-well, I will start off by saying that you absolutely cannot tell this to anyone.”
>”I don't do secrets well, Lincoln. They always end up biting you in your behind later.”
“This isn't something minor like stepping on Lori's phone, or gluing Lana and Lola together; this is beyond bad.”
>”Lincoln, I highly doubt whatever adolescent shenanigans you've gotten yourself into is as terrible as you're making it sound.”
“...Lisa.”
>”What, Lincoln.”
“I...I've been having sex with Lucy.”
>Lisa drops her sardonic scowl as she lets her jaw drop.
>”You did what.”
“It's true, I've been having sex with Lucy for weeks.”
>”Lincoln, what is wrong with you!?”
“We didn't mean to at first! It was initially an accident!”
>”No one just accidentally has sex with someone, Lincoln!”
“I never intended to do it! It just sort of happened, and now there's a bigger problem.”
>”What could possibly be a bigger problem than sticking your penis into your sister!”
“...Lucy's pregnant.”
>Your statement completely takes Lisa off guard.
>Her glasses fall to the ground as she hold her head in her hands.
>”PREGNANT!?”
“Lisa, please, you can't be yelling that out loud! Someone's going to hear!”
>”Oh, I'm sorry, Lincoln. Let me just adjust my volume to the appropriate level for when someone commits a crime against nature!”
“Look, I know it's bad right now-”
>”Bad? You think 'bad' covers this? You've impregnated Lucy! She's eight, Lincoln! Eight! Worse than that, you've broken one of the most important laws in human history! You could be thrown in jail for the rest of your life, Lincoln!”

”I know that I messed up, but I need your help! Lucy needs your help!”
>”You're darn right the two of you need help; psychiatric help!”
“Please, Lisa, you're the smartest one in the house: you of all people should be able to get us out of this!”
>”What am I supposed to do, Lincoln?! I'm a scientist, not a miracle worker! Do you think that solutions to situations like this grow on trees?!”
“I don't know, but you're smart! You can think of something to get us out of this, Lisa!”
>”How am I supposed to think after you blindsided me with information of this magnitude!?”
>Lisa grits her teeth as she rubs her temples, possibly from a massive headache you may or may not have given her.
>”Alright, the 4D Rubik's Cube will have to wait for a while longer. I won't make any promises about this, but I'll try to think of something, Lincoln.”
“You will!? Thank you Li-”
>In the midst of your statement, you feel Lisa shoving you right back outside.
>”Should you want any help, I need to be utterly and completely alone right now. So, you need to give me plenty of time to think and not be here.”
>Before you can get in another word, Lisa shuts the door and locks it behind you.
>Lucy looks up to you from her fetal position next to the door.
>”How did it go?”
“I'm not sure, but I think Lisa is going to help us.”
>”That's a relief.”
>Not sure of where exactly to continue this conversation, you walk back to your door.
>As your hand touches the knob, you stop.
>There's a slight tug on the back of your shirt.
>”Lincoln.”
>Slowly turning back, you see it's Lucy holding onto you.
>”Do you mind if I...stay with you for a little while?”
>Breathing slowly through your nostrils, you fight the urge to sigh.
“Not at all, Lucy.”
>Opening the door, you allow Lucy into your room.
>You're not going to be finishing up those Ace Savvys any time soon.

>Following behind Lucy, you see that she's already made herself comfortable on your bed.
>Locking the door again, you make your way back to your bed.
>You set yourself next to Lucy, keeping close to her.
>She turns to you as you finally match her position.
>”Thanks for letting me in, Lincoln.”
“Don't mention it. I'm your brother; it's my job to be there for you when you're down.”
>Lucy gets closer to you, if only slightly.
>”I know that you'd like to get back to reading your comic books, and that I'm trampling over your leisure time. I'm really grateful that you're giving up that time for me.”
>She gently tilts her head onto your shoulder, and places her hand on yours.
>Wow, you've never seen Lucy this way before.
>”This really does mean a lot to me.”
>Regardless of her sounding as monotone as ever, you can tell there's something different about her voice now.
>”Even though I'm not certain about what's happened, I'm glad that you're here with me.”
>Her head gently rolls off of your shoulder as it levels with yours.
>Then she moves her hand to your-
“Whoa, hold on there, Luce! I was pretty serious about those burns.”
>Lucy turns to 'face' you again.
>”We've already gone far past the point of being just siblings. I just want to feel like that again. I need it.”
“Lucy-”
>The rest of your sentence is stifled by her sudden kiss.
>In a matter of seconds, she's managed to maneuver you over her.
>She blushes beneath you as she breaks off her kiss, a thin strand of saliva connecting you both.
“W-we shouldn't. This has already gotten out of control...”
>Lucy does the one thing you weren't prepared for.
>She parts her hair from her face.
>Her eyes are so beautiful.
>”Make me feel it, Linc.”
>You feel your will falter and your erection arise.
>Oh gosh.
>
>Well here you are again, in your room and clung to by a completely nude Lucy.
>How do you keep letting this happen?

>No, seriously, how exactly did you even let things get so far away from you?
>Back when this all started, you were just going through the usual routine you had with Lucy.
>She appears out of nowhere, scares the pants off of you, and then reads you her poetry.
>That's how it's supposed to be.
>What it should have just stayed.
>But then she read you a poem that just wasn't like the others.
>It wasn't the usual gloom and dreariness that you knew her writing for.
>No, it was far too soft to be considered normal for Lucy.
>Far too cheerful.
>It was...romantic.
>At first, you thought she had wrote it for some boy she had a crush on.
>Feeling happy for her, you smiled when she finished.
>She asked you if you understood what the poem meant.
>You said yes.
>Boy, was that a mistake.
>The next thing you know, Lucy's just gone for you like a woman possessed.
>How does a guy even come back from having his sister kiss him?
>It's not like there's a guidebook for that.
>You couldn't bring yourself to stop her, though.
>When she kissed you, it just felt...right.
>It was definitely wrong, but it felt far stronger than anything you felt for Christina or Ronnie.
>And were you just going to crush what little happiness Lucy found?
>Of course not.
>But you should have found some place to stop before you went as far as you did.
>Easier said than done with all the hormones that were even making you like girls in the first place.
>Given the factors, there really was only one outcome.
>You had fucked up, would continue to fuck up, and end up fucking Lucy.
>The worst part of it all, pregnancy notwithstanding, was that you don't really regret any of it.
>Sure, you probably broke like seventy laws and booked yourself a one-way ticket to SuperHell, but it didn't really bother you.
>Not when it made Lucy happy..

>Lucy...
>Stealing a quick glance at Lucy, you can't rightly tell if she's asleep or just worn out.
>Not with her hair covering up her eyes.
>Her beautiful eye-
>NO, bad Lincoln!
>You need to stop letting your mind get away from you like that.
>That's how you even ended up in this position in the first place.
>Well, not specifically this position, but a few just like it.
>Gently pulling yourself away from Lucy, you don't feel her move.
>Either she's actually asleep, or doesn't mind letting you go now.
>Regardless of the two, you hop on out of your bed and take the opportunity to stretch out.
>Spending an hour stuck in bed with Lucy really locks up your joints.
>Among doing other things to your body.
>In the midst of your stretch, you realize that you've built up quite a bit of smell on you.
>You definitely need to shower.
>It'll do you and your tired body some good.
>As you pick up your underwear from the floor, your door creaks open.
>Turning your back to it, you see Lisa is standing in your slightly open doorway.
>”Lincoln, I've figured out what to-”
>She stops mid-sentence as her face goes beet red.
>You try to cover your shame with your underpants, albeit a bit too late.
>”Ah, my eyes! Why are you not dressed!?”
>”What's with all the yelling?”
>Lisa's attention instinctively swivels to Lucy.
>Which she immediately regrets.
>”The both of you, why?!”
>Her glasses immediately come off of her face, and she rubs her eyes intensely.
“How did you even open my door?!”
>”It wasn't closed! Oh how I wish it was!”
>Lucy pulls on your blanket to cover herself as you scramble for the rest of your clothes.
>”These aren't going back on until you two make yourselves decent!”
“We're trying!”
>”My poor retinas will never be free from this torment!”

>After finally getting back into most of your clothes, you take a seat next to Lucy on your bed.
“Okay, we're dressed again.”
>Lisa puts her glasses back on and makes sure that the door is closed behind her.
>”Please, make sure that the door is actually closed if you intend on pursuing your incestual carnal endeavors.”
>Once again, Lisa rubs at her temples vigorously.
>”Aside from the fact that I now need to find a way to get that memory out of my head, my second announcement is that I have found the perfect solution to your predicament.”
“Wait, really?”
>”Yes, Lincoln. I was done with the actual solution about ten minutes after you left, but I needed longer to actually get the logistics down.”
“That's great news! So, what's the plan.”
>”Before I can actually explain the rest of the plan, we need to get past the first phase.”
“Huh?”
>”I'm not going to take the time necessary to extrapolate on the actual plan twice.”
>“Why would you need to explain it twice?”
>”That's simple, my dear siblings: we're going to get Lori's help.”
>You and Lucy both seize up at the mention of involving Lori.
“Lisa, are you nuts?!”
>”I don't think you're in a position to ask that question.”
>”Lincoln's right, Lisa; getting Lori involved is just asking for trouble.”
>”All of your doubts are well-founded, but her involvement is key to the actual implementation of my plan, due to her valid driver's license, age, and her ample posterior.”
>Posterior?
>Did you hear her right?
>”Believe me, I don't want to involve anyone else in this sordid affair more than I need to, but we need her assistance at the very least.”
>As Lisa finishes her sentence, you all hear a familiar sounding horn going off through your window.
>”Speak of the devil.”

>The three of you crowd the bedroom window, and barely catch sight of Lori as she heads out of your line of sight.
>Familiar sounds echo throughout the house as you hear the footsteps coming up the stairs.
>Taking a quick peek under the door, you can make out Lori's feet shuffling into her room.
>”Is Lori in her room?”
“Yeah.”
>”Perfect. Let's seize this opportunity and get this out of the way.”
>Lisa immediately makes for the door.
>Reflexively, you grab onto Lisa's arm before she reaches the door.
>As she snaps back from the door, Lisa gives you an agitated glare.
>”What is it now, Lincoln?”
“Do we really have to tell Lori?”
>”How many times must I tell you 'yes' before it sinks into that thick cranium of yours?”
“But who knows what she's going to do when she hears about this!”
>”Lincoln, I apologize in advance for my curt and crass statement, but whatever you're concerned about Lori doing to you is nothing compared to the things that you'll have done to you in an adult correctional facility, which I shall remind you is where you are likely to spend the REST OF YOUR LIFE.”
>You hold onto Lisa's shirt for a while longer, but you ultimately relent.
>Lisa puts her hand onto the knob and you swallow back your hesitation as she walks outside.
>She looks back to the both of you, expecting you to follow her.
>You're frozen in fear.
>If Lisa is saying that this is the only way to get out of this, then you know it's likely the best chance you've got.
>But it seems your body didn't get the memo.
>Then you feel a hand grab hold of yours.
>Lucy looks back to you, and tightens her grip on your hand.
>”You'll be fine, Lincoln.”
>While it's not much, Lucy's words help to put you a bit at ease.
>It's enough to get you to step outside of your room and to Lori's at least.
>As you stand between your sisters, you realize that you never really saw how imposing Lori's door was before.

>Lisa knocks on Lori's door, sending a shiver through your spine with each sound.
>Each second you wait for that door to open is pure torture.
>When Lori finally opens up, you can't bring yourself to actually say anything to her.
>”I literally just got back home, so whatever you need is going to have to wait until after I call Bobby.”
>”I'm afraid that's out of the question, Lori. We have an extremely time sensitive matter on our hands and the longer we wait, the less likely we'll be to resolve this without anyone getting hurt.”
>Lori gives Lisa an odd look, but Lisa doesn't back down.
>Giving you all a very exhausted sigh, she steps back and opens the door for you all to enter her room.
>Lisa leads the way, with Lucy nearly dragging you in behind her.
>Once inside, you can see that Leni is still not back home yet.
>At least you don't have to let anymore sisters in on this.
>Lori takes a seat on her bed and gives the three of you the most attention you believe she can muster.
>”Okay, what have you guys done this time?”
>”We'll get to that in a moment, Lori, but we have to take some precautions first. Lincoln, please close the door.”
>You follow Lisa's instruction and close the door.
>For fear of what Lori may do to you, you stick close to the door.
>”Now that we've gotten that out of the way, we can finally move onto the pressing matter at hand.”
>Lisa clears her throat and wipes off her lenses while she does so.
>It seems that even she's a bit unprepared for this.
>Once she's done, she takes a step closer to Lori and locks eyes with her.
>”Are you going to tell me what's wrong, or am I going to literally have to sit here until I have to go back to running around town?”

>Lisa steadies her breathing and seems finally ready to say something.
>”It appears that Lincoln and Lucy have been engaging in sexual intercourse for weeks, and as a result of their actions it seems that Lucy has gotten pregnant.”
>Lori sits in stunned silence, her face frozen in disbelief.
>Then her eyes shift towards you.
>You can see her face slowly contort into an expression that you've not yet seen before on Lori.
>Lori's been mad at you before, but you don't think there's an appropriate word for what she's feeling right now.
>”You did what!?”
>Every instinct is telling you to make like a rabbit and hop out of here.
>Lori flings herself from her bed and makes a dash right for you.
>As you're about to flee the room, you watch Lori fall as Lisa intercepts her legs.
>”Lisa, what are you doing?!”
>”Lori, I'm not going to let you harm Lincoln.”
>”How can you say that after what he's done to Lucy!?”
>Lori makes an attempt at crawling towards you, until Lucy joins Lisa in being dead weight.
>”Lori, you need to be rational about this!”
>”The heck I do!”
>She reaches at you, in an attempt to claw at your body and rend you asunder, but she falls short of her goal by a few inches.
>After struggling for a few more minutes, you see Lori finally give in as she runs out of breath.
>”Now that you've gotten that out of your system, can you please allow me to finish talking?”
>Lori tries to say something, but all that comes out of her mouth in her tired state is gibberish.
>”I'll take that as a yes. Getting back to my original point, we need you to help get Lincoln out of this proverbial jam.”
>She turns to Lisa and shoots her a look of pure disbelief.
>”Think what you will, but it is in all of our best interests to help Lincoln.”
>”Help him? Maybe into a suit for his court date!”

>Lisa puts her face into her palm as she tries to keep herself composed.
>”Of all of us, being the closest to actual adulthood, you should understand the consequences of Lincoln going to jail.”
>”Consequences?”
>”Since we were born, we've all been shaping the course that each individual sibling will have throughout our life. I've done it, you've done it, even Lily has done it! LILY!”
>Lori shrinks back slightly as Lisa crawls up her body until she's eye-level with her.
>”If we lose Lincoln, who knows what's going to happen to this family? For all we know, his absence could cause a butterfly effect that creates a terrible future for everyone of us in this home! Are you going to let your family be torn apart?”
>As imposing as Lisa's tried to make herself, Lori seems to regain her sense of confidence as Lisa's tirade subsides.
>”What if I don't decide to help?”
>”...I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this, but if you don't help I will have no choice but to ruin every relationship you will ever have by making you incapable of feeling love again.”
>All of you stare at Lisa in shock as she calmly threatens to inflict lasting trauma on a family member.
>”You're threatening me?!”
>”I'm promising you that you'll be lucky to be half as intelligent as Leni after enduring the bastard child of a frontal lobotomy and chemical castration.”
>Lori stares at Lisa in...fear?
>Yeah, that's probably fear.
>A severe kind of fear that you didn't know existed until today, but fear nonetheless.
>You're really glad that Lisa's on your side in all of this.

>After a few minutes of everyone trying to calm down, Lisa has forced the three of you to sit down while she paces in front of you.
>”Now that we've all settled down after our little spat, I'd like to get us all up to speed on what we're going to do. Firstly, we're going to have to disguise Lori as our mother due to their close resemblance.”
>”You're going to disguise me?”
>”It's necessary for the final phase of my plan.”
>”There's literally no way that's going to work; I'm too young and my butt is nowhere near large enough for that.”
>Lisa stops in her tracks for just a moment, and casts a side glance at Lori before she resumes her pacing.
>”Secondly, we're going to need to cause a house-wide distraction while we appropriate Vanzilla.”
>”We're taking the car?”
>”Yes, Lucy, because we're not going to make it on foot to Huntington Oaks.”
>”Huntington Oaks?”
>Lisa rubs her temples in consternation at the outburst from the three of you.
>”Can you just let me finish explaining?”
>The three of you settle back into your original postures as Lisa restructures her own posture.
>”Good. Now, as I've partly explained, the final portion of my plan involves us driving to Huntington Oaks after we've successfully gotten the other two options significantly underway. Because I can already see the questions burning multiple holes in the back of your head, I'm just going to come out and tell you that the reason we're going to Huntington Oaks is so that we can take her to a women's health center.”
>You ponder exactly what that place does.
>Looking to your sisters, you see they're just as confused as you are.
>The look on Lisa's face tells you she's not amused that she has to elaborate further than she already has.
>”Places like them aid in family planning services; more specifically in our case, they offer abortion services.”

“Abortion?”
>”Now I know for a fact that every single one of you knows what an abortion is.”
>You and Lori share an uncomfortable glance with each other, and then with Lisa.
>”It's not about knowing what it is; it's about the fact that it...”
>”Terminates the progression of a fetus into a fully-formed child.”
”Don't get all scientific about it! That sort of thing isn't something to take lightly! We're Catholics!”
>”Lincoln, we are the last family to talk about our adherence to the Catholic faith. If it's not a major holiday, the family doesn't even bother to show up to Mass most of the time. I'm the only one who even goes at a semi-respectable rate, and even that's less than half of the year!”
>”But it's-”
>”A sin. That's what you're going to say, isn't it? Let me ask you a question: how many of us commit a sin every day? And if you want to talk about sin, that's even why we're talking about this in the first place! Can you sit there and tell me with a straight face that we're not already backlogged on sinful acts that we'd need a month of confessing to even make a dent in it?”
>You and Lori are both about to interject again, when Lucy stands up and catches your attention.
>”Lisa's right. There's not really any other option we have at the moment.”
“But Lucy-”
>”It's okay, Lincoln. I'm not going to make a fuss about it.”
>”Are you sure that you're alright with it?”
>”Lisa wouldn't lead us down a path meant to hurt us. Besides, it was inevitable that someone would suffer for our choices.”
>You're not sure what to even say to that.
>Between Lisa and Lucy, you don't think it's possible to say anything optimistic or reassuring.
>As you reflect on your uselessness, you are taken by surprise as you see Lisa hug Lucy.
>You barely even register the fact that Lisa's crying.

>”Even as hard as you try, we all still know when you're hurting, Lucy.”
>Lucy blushes as Lisa consoles her.
>”I don't know what you're talking about.”
>”That's literally the worst lie you've ever given us.”
>Lori clings onto the two young girls, tightening their embrace.
>”It doesn't matter how monotone you sound, we can always tell. That's what siblings do.”
>You're taken aback by it.
>Just a few minutes ago, Lori was trying to wring your neck like a wet towel.
>Now here she is being loving and kind.
>It makes you think how lucky you are to have such a close-knit family.
>Unwilling to be left out, you join in on the pile of terribly sappy display of familial love.
>You can feel your pancreas begin to fail from the sweetness of this scene.
”We'll always be here for you, Lucy.”
>Lucy can't find a way to break out of the position you've forced her into.
>All she can do is smile as you bombard her with your love.
>Nothing could break this magical moment.
>”Aaaaaw.”
>Okay, that definitely broke the moment.
>The four of you immediately turn your attention to the door.
>As the room goes quiet, you break off and head for the doorknob.
>You give it a quick pull open and watch as Luan tumbles into the room, no longer supported by the door.
>”I said that out loud, didn't I?”
>”What's she doing here?!”
>Thrown by the appearance of an unnecessary witness, Lisa turns her attention back to Lori.
>”Did you plan on telling us she was here?”
>”I told you I was in the middle of something, don't pin this on me!”
>The previous peace is destroyed in mere moments.
>During the verbal scuffle, you catch Luan trying to crawl out of the room and plant your foot firmly on her to keep her pinned.
>Why is your life such a comedy?

“Can we all focus for a moment here on the real issue, please?!”
>The outburst regains Lori and Lisa's attention for a brief moment, and they both sigh in reluctant agreement.
>In seconds, you all descend upon her and tie her to Leni's bed.
>”Guys, come on, there's no need to do this.”
>”How long were you outside that door?”
>Luan looks nervously around the room as she avoids answering Lisa's query.
>”Okay, that silence tells me everything. I'll go get the sedatives.”
>”W-wait, you're not gonna do that to me, are you?!”
>As Lisa shuffles towards the door, you watch Lori grab hold of her collar and keep her in place.
>”Lori, what do you think you're doing?”
>”We can't just destroy Luan's brain like that. At least until we get some information out of her.”
>Realizing the very real danger she's in, Luan begins wildly thrashing about the bed.
>”H-hey, there's no need for any of that, I'm on your side!”
>The four of you respond with a unified 'huh' as she gives you all a nervous smile.
>”What do you mean you're on our side?”
>”Exactly that. I am completely committed to helping this be a secret.”
>”But why?”
>”Are you gonna turn my brains into mush if I don't tell you?”
>Another unified response of 'yes' makes Luan break into an uncomfortable chuckle.
>”W-well, if you must know, I've sort of known for a week.”
>The fury of Lori comes back in full force as she angrily looms over Luan.
>”You knew about this and did nothing to stop it!?”
>”Calm down, I had a reason to not do it!”
>”There is literally no excuse for what you did!”
>”Just give me a chance to explain myself, please.”
>Surprisingly, Lori calms herself and plops onto her bed.
>”Fine, go ahead. You have five minutes.”
>”Can't I have six?”
>”Now you have four.”
>”Well, looks like I'm really on the clock now.”
>”Three.”
>Luan cracks a nervous smile as she realizes the error of her endeavor.
>”Gee, tough crowd.”

>Lori's eyes narrow as she stares down Luan.
>”Well, I was going through some of my lesser checked tapes and I happened upon Lincoln and Lucy in the attic.”
>Your eldest sister shoots a disgusted look at you and Lucy.
>”Seriously, you two?”
>”I know, right? Anyway, I was at first pretty grossed out. No one wants to watch that, you know. But I decided to keep going because maaaaaybe there may have been something funny at the end.”
>Heaving out a sigh, Lori rubs her temples in frustration.
>”Of course you did.”
>”Come on, you can't fault me for my dedication to my craft!”
>”Two and a half minutes.”
>”G-getting back to my point, I ended up keeping on and the more I saw, the further invested I was in watching.”
>”Are all of my siblings perverts?!”
>”Not like that, you putz, I meant in the tenderness of Lincoln and Lucy. It was like watching a forbidden romance movie unfold before my eyes. Before I knew it, I was eating popcorn and watching the less gross parts like there was nothing wrong.”
>Luan turns back her attention to you, giving you a warm smile.
>”You were really sweet, Lincoln.”
>”Two minutes.”
>”Okay, okay. To make a long story short, I overlooked and may have fostered a couple of situations where they had more than the usual amount of privacy.”
>”You helped them?!”
>”Hey, I've done it for you before, you hypocrite. Besides, what was I supposed to do, let them get caught?”
>Lori, while still angry, let up on her fury-riddled glare.
>Sure, Luan did abet it, but there was truth in the whole 'getting caught' part.
>”I guess I would have done the same thing if it were with Leni and some boy.”
>”See?”
>”Don't think you're off the hook, Luan. Did you even try think about the consequences?”
>”How was I supposed to know he'd be able to get anyone pregnant? Or that she could get pregnant. Although, considering how many of us are in this house it wasn't exactly an impossibility.”

>”Huh, I've never thought about that before either.”
>The poindexter beside you takes out a notepad and begins writing something down.
>”Note to self: conduct fertility study on elder siblings.”
>”Lisa, no.”
>Getting off her own bed, Lori strides back to Luan and begins to untie her from the bedpost.
>”Did you even think of trying to put a stop to this?”
>”Of course I did. I was just trying to put together a proper way to deliver it.”
>Rubbing her wrists, Luan takes a couple of glances at you all.
>”Soooo, I'm not going to get Lisa'd?”
>”As much as I'd like to, no. Just keep your mouth shut and don't get in our way.”
>Luan gives Lori a grin as she zips her lips.
>”Actually, if I may chime in here, I'd like to say something.”
>”If this is about that study-”
>”No, Lori, this is about our execution of the plan.”
>Shuffling her small feet along the carpet, Lisa stops short of being in front of Luan.
>”Luan, seeing as I've actually yet to figure out how to go about causing a diversion while we appropriate the family vehicle, would you care to help us out in that regard?”
>”Really?! You guys just leave that to me and I 'incest' you'll love my performance.”
>The room fills with a collective groan punctuated by Luan's trademark giggle.
>”Awful humor aside, welcome aboard.”
>Lisa extends her hand and Luan happily takes it in kind.
“Great, looks like everything's been worked out. Now, let's all get some rest and-”
>Before your feet can take more than two steps, you find your body hoisted by your collar.
>”Actually, why don't we all take a drive before we settle ourselves back in, hmm?”
>Uncomfortably, you smile at the aggressor holding you aloft.
“We don't want to take up any of your precious time, Lori.”
>”Oh, it's no bother, Lincoln. You, Lucy and Luan will be great to talk to.”
>You flinch as she bring her wolfish grimace closer to you.
>”It would be my pleasure.”

>Well, that could have gone better.
>Nearly two hours spent getting lectured by Lori in Vanzilla was not your ideal way to spend the day.
>Or a particularly fun thing for that matter.
>At least you didn't get it as hard as Luan.
>She looked like her eardrums were about to burst open with the shouting.
>Then Lucy got it the least of you three.
>Lori didn't seem angry with Lucy.
>She did seem fairly...disappointed?
>Nah, that doesn't seem like the right word for it.
>The long and short of it was that Lucy got the least severe of the tongue lashings.
>Probably because she was the youngest out of all of you.
>Which was kind of bogus.
>She's the one who actually started it in the first place.
>Not that you want her to get yelled at, though.
>In the middle of your thoughts, you absentmindedly tear the cover on your current issue.
“Dang it.”
>You set down the comic back into the stack and put your hands over your eyes.
>All of this is really getting to you.
>Even comics are ruined.
>Or at least in danger of degrading in quality.
>It's fine, though.
>Your peace and quiet was destroyed by the time that Lori finally let you all go.
>But you can deal with it.
>This will all end soon enough thanks to Lisa.
>Maybe then things will get back to something semi-normal.
>Something a little better than where you're at now.
>Where Lucy is now.
>She's the one who has to deal with...that.
>Right now she's probably slinking around in the vents, feeling alone.
>And here you are, just sitting in your bedroom like a lump on a log.
>What sort of person just sits and thinks about themselves when they've got someone else to worry about?
>You know what, you can do something other than sit and mope around in your undies.
>Yeah, you can march right outside and-
>”Hey, bro.”

>Well, there goes your motivation.
>”Check it out, Lincoln!”
>Luna, having barged into your room with little regard for anything but whatever she's got in her head, thrusts a CD case into your face.
>”Can you believe I actually found an original SMOOCH demo today?”
>You can see she's ecstatic about this.
>”I mean, it's obviously seen better days, but I thought you might want to be the first to rock out with your big sis and her new bit of musical treasure.”
>Luna looks at you with stars in her eyes.
>In any other instance, you'd be happy to listen to it with her, but not right now.
“That's really great, and I definitely appreciate that you thought about me, but I don't feel like listening to it right now.”
>As she takes a second to replay what you said in her brain, her smile turns to a frown quick.
>”What do you mean? You love SMOOCH, bro. That's like one of the biggest things we share.”
“Yeah, I do, but-”
>”But what, you don't wanna hang out with your sister?”
>Aw man, she's taken it too personally.
“No, that's not it. I've just got...stuff.”
>”Stuff?”
“Stuff. Important stuff. So, if you don't mind-”
>”Well, what's so important that you can't spend a few minutes with me?”
“Look, Luna, can you just let me go?”
>”Can you at least tell me what's so important?”
>You sigh in frustration.
>All you wanted to do was make sure that Lucy was alright, not get wrangled into being around Luna.
>Taking a moment, you breathe in and calm yourself.
“You know what, fine. You win, Luna.”
>As you hop back on your bed, you pat down a spot next to you.
”Just play the CD and get this over with.”
>Luna follows your lead, but sets down the case next to her.
>She turns her gaze back to you, and you see that she's got a look of worry on her face.

>”Lincoln, I know something's definitely bothering you now. I mean, besides me.”
>Oh god, not now.
“Can't you just-”
>”I don't care about playing the demo right now, bro. I want to know what's going on with you.”
“Nothing's going on, Luna, I'm just busy.”
>”Come on now, Lincoln, that's not gonna work on me. You don't want to hang out with me, fine. You don't want to listen to music, fine. But that right there-”
>Following Luna's finger, you see she's pointing straight at your box of comics.
>”-shows me something is seriously happening with you right now, little dude. You should have been having two of those in each hand when I came in here.”
>Oh no.
>She's actually trying to talk to you now.
>You let out a groan of defeat as she stares at you in worry.
>”There's something wrong here and this is all making me think it's pretty major for you to be acting like this.”
>...
>Huh.
>Giving it a little thought, maybe you can work with this.
>”Lincoln?”
“You know what, Luna, you're right. There is something bugging me.”
>”Are you gonna tell me what it is?”
>Turning to face Luna, you give your head a light shake as you collect your thoughts.
“Look, I'm having a bit of trouble and that's as far as I'm gonna go with it.”
>”Hey, you don't have to get into anything specific if you don't want to.”
>A familiar lanky arm wraps around your shoulder.
>”I'm always here to lend you an ear, bro; for as much as you need.”
>Somehow, a genuine smile finds its way to your face.
>Luna's gesture takes some of the pressure off of you, if only for a bit.
“Thanks, Luna. I guess, without saying too much, I'm making difficulties for other people.”
>”Difficulties?”
“You know, problems.”
>”Personal or legal?”
“Uh...bit of both, I guess.”
>”Ouch.”
“I mean, I'm doing my best to fix everything, but I've done a lot of bad.”
>”How bad are we talking?”
“Best case is I go to jail until I'm in my twenties.”

>”That long? What did you do, Lincoln?”
“I messed up.”
>”Really starting to worry about you now, dude.”
“What do I do in this sort of situation?”
>”Hmm.”
>Luna lets gravity take her as she falls to your bed with a pomf.
>”Can't really give you useful advice unless I know a bit more, bro.”
“We're not going to get much further are we?”
>”Probably not.”
>Feeling drained by your attempt to sidestep Luna's curiousness and find something besides being yelled at, you fall to the bed with her.
>”Pretty good position to stare at the ceiling.”
“Yeah.”
>”Good for thinking.”
“Yup.”
>”Okay, I know you don't want to divulge a large amount of information to me and that's fine, but if you give me just a little bit I might be able to help you out.”
“...”
>”It doesn't need to be much. Just, like, the general makeup of people we're talking about here. Are they old, young, mimes; stuff like that.”
“Mimes?”
>”You'd be surprised by the amount of times I've run into trouble because of mimes.”
“Wait, do you mean Luan?”
>”Lincoln, the mime discussion is one we can have another time; right now you need to get that noodle working on finding a way to throw me a bone.”
“...Luna, if I told you something and it seemed to be really bad...”
>”I'm listening, bro.”
“What I guess I'm trying to get at is, and I really cannot stress this enough to you, would you ever possibly rat out a family member for something?”
>”Huh.”
“I need to know, Luna.”
>”Did you kill anyone?”
“No.”
>”Did you kidnap anyone?”
“No.”
>”Are you pirating music?”
“Of course not!”
>”Well, I'm not gonna say anything then.”
“Thank you, Luna.”

>”So now can I get some more info?”
“What exactly would you like to know?”
>”You already told me that you might be going to jail for a long time if you get caught, so how about you tell me how many people you're hurting?”
“Besides me?”
>”Let's include you as well. Just for the sake of keeping track of everyone.”
>Thinking on her words for a moment, you hesitate to answer.
>If you get caught, you'll likely end up taking most of the blame.
>In that instance, it's just you getting put in jail.
>You'd do that too, to protect Lucy from having to go to jail.
>Of course, if things really went south, you might be getting the family ripped apart.
>Not just by you leaving, but possibly taken away by the government.
>Oh shit, you didn't even think about that being a thing until now.
>The fact that your sisters might be thrown into the harsh world of foster homes makes your chest tighten.
>Vivid images of Lola and Lana never meeting each other again, no one being around  to guide Leni through life, and Lily never seeing any of you ever again flash into your mind.
>You go into a thousand-yard stare as the horrors you didn't even consider begin to pierce your mind in earnest.
>It's not until Luna shakes you out of your stupor that you finally come back to your senses.
>As you begin to blink rapidly, feeling the air stinging at your dry eyes, Luna's extremely worried face comes back in full force.
>”Lincoln, are you okay?”
“Y-yeah, I'm fine.”
>”Dude, you started breathing really hard for a while and then just suddenly stopped. That doesn't really spell out fine to me.”
“I'm serious, Luna.”
>”Okay, if you mean it. Just don't freak me out like that.”

“I'm sorry, I just...think that it might be more people than I initially thought at the time.”
>”Geez, dude, how many people are we talking here?”
“Low as one, high as thirteen.”
>”Blimey. No wonder you got so worked up.”
“I mean, that's bad, right?”
>”That's a lot of people.”
“Now you know why I'm so insistent on you not telling anyone anything.”
>”I got it, bro. You don't have to worry about that.”
“Alright, I just had to make sure.”
>”So, you mind answering more questions?”
“Guess not.”
>”Of those thirteen, how many are directly involved?”
“Just two.”
>”That's less than I expected. You one of the two?”
“Yeah.”
>”Do you know the other one well?”
“...”
>”Bro?”
“Yeah, I've known them for a while.”
>”Anything else?”
“...They're a bit younger than I am.”
>”Okay.”
“I'm sorry if this isn't really helping.”
>”No, this is actually pretty good.”
>Luna uses her arms to prop herself back into her upright position.
>”From what I got, you and a younger friend got into some trouble, which might cause a lot more for people you care about. Am I anywhere close?”
>Hearing the reality once more causes your stomach to lurch forward.
“Yeah, that's...that's pretty much it.”
>”Still doing what's making you sweat it?”
“I...I can't really answer that.”
>”Well, you know what I think, little bro?”
“What?”
>As you stare expectantly at Luna, her hand surprises you as it tussles at your hair.
>”I think you're gonna be okay, so long as you keep whatever it is you're doing under control. Guess I do have a bit more advice.”
>The prospect of something more solid causes you to go wide-eyed.
“Really?”
>”Don't get caught.”
“That's it?”
>”It's definitely more about B'n'E, but it applies to a lot of other things that aren't exactly legal.”

“Are you saying you have experience with that?”
>”Uh, let's come back to that at a later time, alright?”
“Yeah, sure.”
>”Cool.”
>Unexpectedly, Luna grabs hold of you and pulls you into a one-armed hug.
>”If you need to talk some more, I'll be more than happy to oblige.”
>Luna's words strike a chord with you, and you can't help but return her hug.
>”Alright, I'll leave you alone with whatever you were gonna do, but you better come listen to this with me sometime.”
“I'll be looking forward to it.”
>As you let go of Luna, something awful penetrates the air as she slides off the bed.
>”What the heck?”
>Looking down, you both see the shattered remnants of the device that started this whole debacle.
>The frantic beat of your heart from earlier returns with a vengeance as Luna stares at the floor.
>”Bummer, dude. Sorry about your highlighter.”
“Highlighter?”
>”Don't worry, I'll get you a replacement.”
>The thundering roar in your chest starts to subside as you realize you're out of danger.
>Luna unceremoniously chucks the shattered plastic into the trash as she makes her way out of your room.
>Never before have you been so happy to see someone leave.
>Clutching your chest, you feel the terror slowly fade into your normal heartbeat.
>It takes a few minutes, but it does leave.
>This thing is going to be the death of you, one way or another.
>Shaking off the last shred of that feeling, you make your own way out of your door and step into the hallway.
>It's as loud as it usually is now, with everyone back.
>Walking through the hallway, you shut out everything but the view of the doorway in front of you.
>As the knob turns, you really hope she's in here and not the vents.

>Peeking your head through the door's frame, you see Lucy on her bed.
>You gingerly slip into the room, unsure if she's awake or not.
>Casting a quick side glance to Lynn's bed, you see she's still out.
>Good, that makes this less complicated.
>Making your way to the side of Lucy's bed, you see her back is turned to you.
>Standing there, you realize that you don't hear her usual snoring.
>Can't even see her face.
>Not that it'd do much good at telling you if she's awake or not.
>Pulling your hand from your side, you reach out to gently nudge Lucy.
>Before you make contact, you hesitate above her shoulder.
>Your mind starts to push ideas into your head.
>If she's sleeping, you shouldn't wake her up.
>But even if she's not, she hasn't taken the time to greet you.
>Might mean she's not in the mood to talk to anyone right now.
>Lucy might not be as expressive as everyone else, but she does have emotions.
>Should that be the case, then you really shouldn't be disturbing her either.
>Pulling your arm back, you quickly shunt your hands into your pockets and head back out the door.
>Maybe it's better if you just leave it be for now.
>As much as you want to try and help her, it's not like you'll be doing any good by bothering her.
>Slouching against the wall, you start to wonder why you let everything get so bad.
>You're supposed to keep your siblings safe, not put them in danger.
>Some brother you are.
>In the midst of your self-hatred, you feel a tap at your ankle.
>Looking down, you see Geo sidestep your foot and head into Luna and Luan's room.
>Maybe he's onto something.
>You could use a distraction, and that demo's sounding pretty good right about now.
------------------

>”Lincoln.”
>A series of rapid taps elicits a groggy moan from you.
>”Lincoln, you need to get up right now.”
>The constant stimulation of your senses eventually rouses you from your slumber.
>As your eyes readjust to the sensation of being open, you see Lisa towering over you.
>”Good, you're awake.”
“Lisa?”
>”Come on, you need to come and be extremely quiet.”
>As you rub away the sand from your eyes, you look around and see that you're still fully clothed.
>Did you fall asleep in Luna's room?
>The thought is knocked out of your mind when Lisa grabs hold of you and tries to drag you to your feet.
>Instinctively, you follow her lead and get up on shaky legs.
>Sparing no time, Lisa leads you out the open door and into the hallway.
>Everything seems to blur into a motion of one slow movement after the other.
>The sequence comes to a halt as you find yourself outside.
>In pitch black darkness.
“What time is it?”
>”About fifteen minutes until dawn.”
>Huh?
“Why are we out here so early?”
>”Because we're doing it, Lincoln.”
“Doing what?”
>”Doing wh- getting Lucy to the clinic, you dense buffoon!”
>The reason for being outside finally sinks in to your weary mind, shocking your brain into gear.
“We're doing that now?!”
>”Yes, and keep your voice down! Do you want us to get caught?”
“But it's the weekend, how could they possibly be open?”
>”I pulled in a favor, and they're open today, so stop asking questions and just get inside the stupid automobile.”
“Wait a minute, why am I going?”
>”For emotional support. Lucy said that she needed you to come along.”
>After thinking about it for a second, you realize that it was a fairly obvious answer.

>Hold on a second.
“Lisa, where's Lucy?”
>”Look, they'll be here soon, don't worry.”
>They?
>Oh, right, Lori.
>You do need someone to legally drive you there, after all.
>Another hard tug on your arm comes as Lisa begins to pull you into Vanzilla.
>She nearly pulls out your arm, but she gets you inside.
>”If you could stop daydreaming for just once in your life, Lincoln, now would be the time.”
“Sorry, I'm just not entirely prepared for this right now.”
>”Well that's a personal problem, and I suggest you keep it that way.”
>Lisa looks away from you as she fiddles with the belt in her flustered state.
>Rather than leave her to suffer as you wait for Lori and Lucy, you reach over and snap it into place for her.
>”Thank you.”
>Doing the same for yourself and quietly closing the door, you look out the car window into the darkness around you for signs of the rest of the group.
>The bit of energy you had with the start you got a few minutes ago begins to fade, and you feel your eyes begin to drift into closing.
>A hard jab in your ribs snaps you back into reality before you fall fully asleep.
>You turn your head to face Lisa, looking at you with complete vexation.
>”There will be plenty of time to sleep when you're dead, Lincoln; keep your eyes open from now on.”
“Geeze, that one hurt, Lisa.”
>”Everyone else is just as tired as you, Lincoln. If we're going to have to deal with it, so do you.”
>Nursing the likely bruise you're going to have in a few hours, you're caught unaware as the doors open on opposite sides.
>As the lights turn on, you can see Lucy getting in, still in her pajamas.
>She seats herself between you and Lisa, not saying a word.
>In front of you, you see one of the most startling sights you've seen in years.

>While she adjusts her mirror, you lock eyes with the driver by complete accident.
>”What?”
“Oh, sorry. Just feels like I'm staring into the future is all.”
>In the rearview, you catch a small glimpse of the anger on Lori's face.
>”Listen here, Lincoln, there are two things that you need to remember while we're in here: if we get pulled over, keep your mouth shut.”
“And the second thing?”
>“Don't talk to me unless you're about to suffocate or something equally serious.”
>The venom dripping off of her words makes you struggle to choke down your fear.
>Were it not for Lisa's intervention, you'd likely be in a body cast right now.
>”Over the years, you've done a lot to get on my shit list; but with this latest disaster you managed to create, and this is by far the worst you'll ever do, you're literally going to be on there for the rest of your life.”
>Staring down from the mirror, you clutch at your side as you feel the dull pain mix in with your shame.
“That's more than understandable.”
>”I'm glad we're clear on that.”
>Lori spends no time at all starting up the vehicle and pulling out as softly as she can from the driveway.
>As the house fades into the distant view behind you, you can't help but notice how dreadful the atmosphere is around you.
>Every other time that you and your family have been in here, you've heard enough noise to make you think that you were at a train station.
>The complete lack of commotion only serves to make you more uncomfortable.
>You want to say something, anything at all.
>But what can you say?

>Wracking your brain for things to say, you blurt out the first semi-coherent thought to enter your head.
“So, why are you coming along with us, Lisa?”
>”As much as I'd rather be back home, someone has to pay for this.”
“You're paying for this?”
>”Yes, Lincoln. What, did you think we were getting this for free?”
“I didn't really think about it.”
>”Not surprising in the least, but there is always a cost being paid somewhere for goods and services.”
“So, is this sorta thing cheap?”
>”If you mean that it's not as expensive as the procedure would be in other states, then yes. Otherwise, the answer is that, for the next two years minimum, this family is not going to have a financial safety net.”
“Oh.”
>”Don't beat yourself up over it, Lincoln; the whole point of an emergency fund is to use it during an emergency.”
>No matter how low your expectations for you not having screwed up are, you seem to keep being let down.
>You get the feeling that this is going to be a constant in your life for a while.
>”Lisa?”
>Hearing Lucy chime in actually startles you and Lisa.
>Even when you can both see her, she still manages to spook you.
>The usual disaffected look on Lisa's face falls to a far softer one as Lucy turns her attention to her.
>”Yes, Lucy?”
>“Does...does it hurt?”
>”If you mean the procedure, no, it's not supposed to. Unless you mean emotionally.”
>”What if I did?”
>”I...I can't say. Humans are as unpredictable as they are predictable. I have no idea how it might affect you. That's really a matter only you could answer.”
>As Lucy goes silent once more, Lisa gets an uncomfortable look on her face.
>”I-I'm sure you'll be just fine, Lucy. Don't forget, we're all here for you.”

>Lucy remains as stoic as usual, not taking the initiative to respond to Lisa.
>Your brainiac sister casts a worried glance your way as she becomes increasingly worried she just stepped on every single eggshell.
>Wetting your mouth from its dry state, you prepare to speak to Lucy.
>Before a word can escape your lips, you feel Lucy's hand slide onto yours.
>She firmly grasps onto it, as if she were holding onto the only thing keeping her from falling off a cliff.
>The sensation of her skin is not foreign to you, but her warmth is.
>Lucy's always been the odd one out amongst the family; that's never been a very contested viewpoint.
>Her extremely pale skin always looking and feeling like she just came in out of the cold, was a part of who she was.
>You knew her for it.
>Everyone in the family knows that's what she's always been like.
>It was the reason you looked so shocked right now.
>For the first time in your life, you feel her as if she was the same as any of your other sisters.
>Her hands feel like they're not even hers.
>Lucy's warmth makes you feel sad for some reason.
>It's just not like her.
>Not like your little sister.
>Regardless of the extremely odd situation, you take the hand she's given you and return her gesture.
>For the past few weeks, you've been acting like a brother really shouldn't towards his sister.
>But there's no reason you can't try to make up for it now.
>Her grip slightly tightens on you.
>It creates a huge knot in your stomach.
>Without saying a word, you can feel every bit of torment that she's going through.
>A few moments later, she rests her head on your shoulder.
>You belt out a breathless sigh, as you take the physical and emotional weight of her on your shoulders.
>It's going to be a long drive.

>Looking out the window, you can see the sparseness of the road.
>Were it not for the fact that you see a car every two miles or so, you'd think you were the only people in the world right now.
>It sure feels that way.
>The outside is just barely visible, due to the clouds keeping the sun from shining as it should.
>Were it any different today, you're sure you'd hear Lucy say how great the way it looked outside was.
>But you haven't heard a single word from her since she took your hand.
>When was that?
>An hour ago?
>Half an hour maybe?
>The sensation of time is lost on you.
>Every minute on the road has felt like an eternity to you.
>Like time decided to move slower, just to drag this out even longer on you.
>You don't even feel tired anymore.
>Just drained.
>As if the life was sucked out of you, leaving you bereft of any joy.
>Normally you'd say you feel like Lucy right about now, but you couldn't bring yourself to.
>You don't have any idea how she's feeling right now.
>Lucy's always been a mystery to you, but you could always find a couple of things to look for to find out how she felt.
>Back when things were normal...
>The tempest of unsettling feelings in your heart begins to subside as you feel the car slowing down.
>Looking out the window again, you see you're in an empty lot.
>”According to the GPS, we're here.”
>Vanzilla comes to a complete stop and gives you a clear shot of the looming building connected to the lot.
>It's gray and completely devoid of any defining characteristics aside from a sign that reads 'Huntington Oaks Women's Health Center'.
>”Well, let's get this over with so we can put this chapter of our lives behind us.”

>Lori withdraws the key from the ignition, and you slowly hear the engine's roar die down.
>She turns her head back and you can see the complete exhaustion on her face.
>Just like everyone else in here.
>”Lisa, are you sure that we're at the right place?”
>”I know there's a distinct lack of other cars, but they're open.”
>Lori turns back to the dash and breathes in deeply.
>She's probably trying to still figure out how she's going to actually talk about this to the staff.
>About Lucy.
>Turning yourself to face Lucy, you gently rub her hand with your free one.
“Lucy, we're here.”
>Your attempts to garner her attention are met with silence.
>”C'mon, Lucy, we've got to go.”
>Again, you get no response.
>You're about to try again, when you feel something on your shirt.
>It's...wet.
>Lucy presses herself further into you, shifting her forehead squarely on your shoulder.
>Her head makes the feeling more apparent, with more similar sensations joining it.
>The hand clutching yours flies from your grasp as she throws her arms around you.
“Luce?”
>”Lincoln, I...”
>Whatever doubts you had about her shedding tears quickly vanish.
>She's gone into full-on bawling her eyes out.
>”I can't do it!”
>”What?!”
>Her grip around you tightens further, nearly squeezing the breath out of you.
>”I can't do this. This is too much, even for me.”
>”Lucy, I know you're having a hard time right now, but we have to do this.”
>”But this isn't right. Making someone else pay for my own mistakes is wrong.”
>A small bit of deja vu takes you out of reality for just a moment.
>”Lori, I'm out of my element here; some assistance would be nice.”

>Lori twists around her seat, greeting you all with a really odd expression.
>It's like a mixture of frustration and desperation.
>”Look, we came here to fix your problem, not do nothing. We drove here in complete secret, and left Luan to keep everyone distracted by herself. We can't just let all of this effort go to waste.”
>”But I can't kill my baby!”
>Unable to handle her sorrow, Lucy fails to support herself and clings to you weakly as her body gives out.
>You can't bear to watch this any longer.
>Taking Lucy into your arms, you gently stroke her hair as she sobs weakly into your chest.
“Maybe we rushed this a bit, Lori.”
>”Oh no, you don't get a say in any of this, Lincoln. You are literally the root of all of this! I'm not going to let you make things any worse than you already have!”
“Come on, Lori; look at her! Don't you see how hard this is for her?”
>”What else can we do? Do you have an answer for that, Lincoln? Some sort of magical plan to make all of this better? Do you?!”
>Even as she's screaming at you, you can tell Lori's almost at her own breaking point.
>None of you are sure about what to do.
>But you can't just let Lucy go through something that's going to haunt her for the rest of her life.
“I don't know right now, okay? But there's got to be something else we can do.”
>”Actually...I know what we could do.”
>Hearing Lisa in the middle of your confrontation with Lori distracts the both of you long enough for her to get her point out.
>”If we don't do this, and I strongly suggest that we do finish what we set out to do here, there's one last option.”
>At the mention of an alternative, Lucy turns to Lisa, her bangs barely covering her eyes.
>”There is?”
>”If you don't get rid of it, the only other option is to...have it.”

>”WHAT!”
>Lori's usual anger comes back in full force at the thought of it.
>”No! Actually, not just 'no': HELL NO!”
>”It's the only other option Lori.”
>”I've put up with a lot in this horrible affair, but I am not going to be an accessory to any of that!”
>Reaching back into the row, Lori grabs hold of Lucy's shoulders.
>If you weren't holding on right now, you're sure that Lucy's collapse out of fear.
>”Lucy, I don't know what thoughts are running through your head right now, but you need to understand that what is inside of you right now is not a baby; babies are meant to bring people together into a loving family, and that abomination has done nothing but threaten to tear our entire family apart! How would we even keep a secret from the rest of the family for that goddamn long, huh!?”
>Something deep inside of you finally breaks, and you harshly slap one of Lori's arms from Lucy.
“Jesus Christ, Lori, what the fuck is wrong with you?!”
>Upon hearing you snap at her, Lori looks stunned for a moment, caught in the realization of her actions.
>She lets go of Lucy and returns to her original position.
>”I'm...sorry. I didn't mean to lose my cool like that.”
>Tension diffused, Lucy falls once more onto you, slowly steadying her breath.
>”Lori unfortunately does have a point. We'd be running all sorts of risks doing this; not to mention the fact that such a child would possibly be born with multiple defects.”
>A few seconds later, Lucy barely lifts her head out of your chest as she resumes her ragged breathing.
>”Can you help me?”
>”What?”
>”You're the smartest one in the house, and you do amazing stuff all the time, so do you think you could fix them?”

>Lisa rubs at her arm as the conflicted thoughts race through her mind.
>”Lucy, do you realize what you're asking me?”
>”Yes, I do.”
>”You can't dangle a carrot in front of me like that; I could never say no to that.”
>Lifting her chin up, you force Lucy to make direct eye contact with you.
“Lucy, are you sure about this? Are you really okay with letting Lisa turn you into an experiment?”
>She hesitates for a moment, but you see a determination in her eyes that you've never seen before.
>”I'll do it. I'll do it for my...our baby.”
>Those words stir something inside you, and you can't help but let your own tears flow.
>God, what have you gotten yourselves into?
>”So, we're doing this now?”
>”It seems so.”
>”We could never keep them in the house.”
>”Let's just leave the details for later.”
>”I guess that's the smart thing to do. Excuse me for a moment.”
>Not bothering to turn back to look at any of you, Lori gets out and gently closes the door behind her.
>You see her walk about a hundred feet away from you and hear the muffled sounds of her uttering every single curse in the English language as she angrily flails about; with a couple of Spanish ones in the mix.
>After a few minutes, she returns to the car and turns the engine back on.
>”Well, guess we're heading home now.”
>As she's readjusting the mirror, Lisa produces a few bills in her hand.
>”You know, since we're not getting the procedure done, we could do something else with the fund. Maybe have a nice breakfast?”
>Before long, you hear Lori laughing to herself as she smiles for the first time today.
>”That's literally the first thing you've said today that sounds good, Lisa.”
>While the car pulls out of the lot, you can't help but smile as things seem like usual.
>Even Lucy's begun to talk.
>But one thing lingers in your mind still: the fact that this little problem just got a lot bigger.