American playwright Edna Ferber once described death by drowning as "a really delightful sensation after you cease to struggle," however Lynn honestly had never heard this quote, nor of Ms. Ferber, and more importantly had no intention of succumbing to something as simple as oxygen deprivation after coming so far as she struggled for air, her arm clawing at the water pulling herself up for air against the raging current, struggling as the light of the sun above her taunted her. Up there was air, but as the oxygen in her lungs began to wane and her peripherals darken she knew she probably had seconds to escape, her mind making a mental countdown as she flailed upwards.

'3…'

The seconds seemed to pass by like hours.

She thought back to that day, three years ago.

Everything had seemed so normal back then. In fact, the day had been a perfectly normal day, their dad had taken them up to Belle Isle Park, just off from Detroit by the Canadian border for a weekend, and despite the cool early March weather, not quite spring but still not quite winter, it was going to be a fun camping trip. They had made camp near the William Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse.

She remembered vividly everyone's moods and activities; Lori's annoyance at a lack of a phone signal, even being so close to the city, Leni nursing her hands after deciding to unwittingly make a dress from poison ivy, Luan spending the afternoon trying to make Lucy laugh after a little bet with Luna before they had left, Lola's distain at the realisation they would in fact notbe going to Disneyland but camping had left her in a sour mood however, Lana's reaction, to be expected, was the polar opposite to her twin's and had already gone off in search of squirrels to befriend, knowing her she had probably brought home half a family of them after the trip, Lily sleeping in their mother's arms while Lisa fiddled with a laptop she had smuggled along with her on the trip hiding in the shade behind Vanzilla.

Then there was the little extra something; herself and Luna. Both had drawn the short straws and had to put up the tents together.

"Sooooooo... little dudette," Lynn heard, looking up at Luna expectantly as she knocked in the tent pegs into the lightly frost covered ground, "How is that thing with that guy you like Francisco working out?"

Lynn stopped hammering and sighed, before a momentary instance of frustration drove her into giving the tent peg a final thrash into the ground, embedding it so firmly into the earth it would be a miracle if they ever got it back out.

"Well, as well as it can…I guess," she said, having sighed heavily, with an expression that could have made Lucy look downright cheerful, looking her rocker elder sister in the eyes, "Francisco, well…he's… he's already dating someone else... damn it! My confession went about as well as the Cleveland Brown's facing hoard of literal charging bulls."

Luna stopped straightening the tentpole in her hands before she sat down next to her sister in the shadow of the half-formed tent.

"Sorry little Dude" she said, wrapping an arm around her sister comfortingly, "If ya wanna talk about it I'm here…"

Lynn remembered the gesture well. Luna was always there for her siblings, but over the past few months she had been getting closer with her in particular after she had broken her arm a few months prior and had been going through some depression about being unable to continue her sports passions all semester.

"No…well, yeah…I guess…he's…well he's dating Vic Tompson from my year…" Lynn mumbled defiantly, slumping into her legs, this little defensive posture common for her, though it wasn't an often-seen posture. It was akin to her reaction when she lost; and she didn't like losing. She hated this feeling, she'd never had a chance to begin with anyway.

Luna pulled her into a side hug, "It's always some Vic asshole."

"Huh? What do ya mean Luna?"

"I...sorta had a crush on someone back in middle school; lost him to some asshole named Vic too back then, I think short for Victoria or something preppy like that. So, I get ya. Sorry Lynndog. As Nat King Cole said, "Only those who`ve lost at love, would know how a heart can cry," So...if ya need to unleash the Lynnsanity, let it out sis. But I do gotta ask... is this Vic girl a-?"

Lynn cut her off

"Oh, if it were that easy," she laughed, more at her own feelings of inadequacy bubbling inside than anything else, "He was kinda was out of my ballpark to begin with. I mean, just because he usually batted for the other team literally didn't mean I thought he batted for…Vic is short for Victor."

A look of understanding came over Luna's face as she sat there behind the half-finished tent

"When did you find out?" Luna asked Lynn. Lynn sighed at the question. It seemed she picked up the bad habit of her bunkmate when in these states.

"Last Friday, I...I sorta went to confess to him…we sat there after practice with some subs, but then half-way through along came Victor. Francisco introduced him to me as his boyfriend, just...Jesus Christ...before they kissed," Lynn choked, tears welling in her eyes as she punched the ground.

"I WAS SECONDS AWAY FROM LOOKING LIKE A FUCKING IDIOT LUNA! SECONDS! JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!" the nervous laughter from before was replaced by nervous rage as she teared up.

Luna handed her water bottle to Lynn as Lynn looked to see if anyone had noticed her momentary lapse and break down. The last thing she needed was the entirety of the Loud Family on her case with this.

"Sis," Luna said softly, "it's okay. I've had some issues on my end as well," Luna confessed, Lynn looked at her elder sister with sympathy.

"D-did Sam not share your feelings either?" Lynn asked, trying to fight back her tears with her sleeve, another battle she was failing.

"She doesn't know yet," Luna sighed, "I just, I wanna tell her how I feel y'know? How is it I can perform in front of hundreds of people, but can't tell the girl I like that maybe I want to be more than friends?"

Luna clearly wanted to remain strong for her sister, but Lynn could see it in her eyes; Luna felt herself beginning to droop into that same despair.

Then out of nowhere, something happened.

It took less than a second, something... a sudden jolting surprise to Luna, catching her completely off guard. It was enough to bring her swelling malaise to a violent halt.

Lynn grinned as she pulled her face back giving her big sis a quick peck on the cheek.

"Now, just imagine that was Sam," Lynn grinned cheekily, the tears still flowing down her face but now accenting a smile of sisterly adoration, "Seriously Lu, I've missed my chance, but you might as well give it a go, right? Stop playing defender and go on the offensive. Worst she can say is no, right? Ain't the rocker lifestyle about taking the leap?"

Luna grinned and ruffled her sister's hair, "You're right…you're absolutely bloody right Lynn... Y'know that upbeat spirit of yours is radically contagious little dudette. Glad to see those gnarly flickers of it returning."

Lynn's mood soaring back seemed to make Luna feel even better, like on parallel tract, but even brighter and more meaningful. It was exhilarating how Lynn's emotions infected her.

"Yo Lynn? I just wanna say...damn...God only knows who I'd be without you little sis," Luna cooed, hugging her sister before taking the hammer from Lynn.

"Hey, I'll take care of putting up the tents if you want Lynn. I need some time to figure out what to say to Sam anyway after that pep talk. But don't worry Lynn," Luna said reassuringly to Lynn, giving her a comforting pad on her shoulder.

"Things are gonna work out, ya just gotta rock that faith a bit. Think about it this way; you're as free as a bird now."

Lynn made a huge giggly smiled as she handed back the water bottle.

"Yeah...ya know, a run would do me some good anyway…hell! Maybe I'll find Dad and Lincoln! Seriously though, why did they drag us all the way out here for father-son bonding if we just wait back at camp? That's some ol' bullshit."

Luna and Lynn had a quick laugh, as Lynn began to get ready to run the familiar familial kin words, "I love you Lynn Loud," briefly, coasting her ears, and Lynn knew she loved Luna too.

The memory began to fade as panic once again began to set in, the light was still far away and the surface didn't seem to be getting closer, she needed to breathe she needed to breathe now…Luna's warmth in that memory seemed to radiate through her body now, she needed to see her again, that beacon of happiness who was always at their backs through thick and thin…she needed to tell her she was okay she…

"2"

She needed to breathe…she needed help…she needed to save herself before she ended up like…

"Lincoln!" She shook the body in her arms, his orange shirt slowly turning the hue of a dark red as the figure stood ominously over the two of them. "Come on! FUCK! FUCKING HELL! Come on! Little brother, stay with me! DON'T YOU LOSE NOW!" angry red tears flowed down her face as she pressed her hands against his gut trying in vain to stop the bleeding.

"You can't save him Lynn," the figure said, the sudden change in weather darkening their silhouettes as Lynn's tears began disappearing into the rain "Just leave him and go"

Lynn glared angrily at the figure, that horrid face obscured by the effects of time in her mind regardless of her efforts to sear it into her brain for all this time. "Y-yes I can! I can't fail him! H-He's my brother! Don't you get that? How could you? After what you did! Fuck you! Call a doctor Damn it!"

The figure shook their head slowly "Can't you understand why this needed to be done? If you would just listen to m-" Lynn spat at the bastard, the warm saliva colliding with their hiking boot "I see…In that case I'll just have to drag you off of-" A bolt of lightning from the storming sky smashed behind her, the sound of ringing filled her ears as the ground gave way beneath her, she quickly tried to grab for the edge as the ground fell beneath her, but then she realised…LINCOLN! She flung out her right arm and grabbed his limp body by his leg, her left scraping against the top of the ledge for leverage.

"Let him go" the figure ordered

"Fuck you! He's my brother!" She screamed defiantly

"Lynn I'm ordering you to let him go!"

She glared up at the figure her arm beginning to slip, the sparse light illuminating those eyes, those cold eyes that had once held such love for them both "P-Please…"

The figure sighed as a long dark metallic object came into view, the cold feeling of steel pressing against her wet flesh pressed down at the elbow of her arm.

"I'm going to count down from three, if you don't let go you're going to be punished…3…2…"

"DAMN YOU!" She screamed from the bottom of her soul

"1"

Lynn felt herself sinking, just like then, what was the difference between sinking and falling anyway? She wondered, what had kept her going in those moments? As gravity had taken it's course and the realisation as time seemed to slow that your brother's limp body was falling alongside yours and as you reach out your arm to him…oh right, she was falling again, she needed saving, she couldn't do it alone…she needed…she needed…

"Luna" the word escaped her mouth coming out silently as bubbles in the dim submerged light of lake Michigan, the last of the breath in her lungs leaving her mouth, salty tears instantly mixing with the murky polluted water around her as blackness closed in.

"Save me Big Sis"