A family is more than a bond created by convivence; it's a bond of blood. Blood that signals a sacrifice in body and soul. Live for them. Die for them. Siblings need to stick together to protect their members. They must do everything they can to support themselves. When one of them fails, all of them do. When one member of a family dies, it's a failure for all of them. And when there's a failure, there is a price. The price is blood.

The nest will soon pay.

Just as old times, every sibling was now in the same house, under the same roof. Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lincoln, Lucy, Lana, Lola and Lisa. All the older sisters were back, at least for now, to try and fight against the evil influences affecting the Loud House. However, the reunion wouldn't come without trouble. Lori and Leni can't get along for whatever reason, either trying to avoid each other or making depreciatory remarks when one of them was absent. Their apparent disdain for each other, however, isn't something mundane. It seems to be something darker, something eerier, something nobody was sure if they wanted to know.

But everybody knew it was a mystery that couldn't go unsolved.

You are now Lincoln Loud.

It's been three weeks. Everything is calm, but everybody's tense. Even though the family is reunited, nothing feels like home. And how can it be, when you now know of the perils you've been going through? Rescuing yet another member of your family wasn't enough. If anything, it cemented the fact that none of you were safe. From the first to the last, you were damned. Eyes shine in the dark outside, watching you. You're not sure if everybody else can see them, but you do. You can see through your window how they look at you, they look at your house. You took their Mother. They want a new one.

You are not safe.

Once you got Luna to the van, Luan managed to bring her to a hospital before any deadly blood loss happened. She survived, but she undoubtedly feels like she shouldn't. Losing a part of her body didn't concern her as much as losing her passion did. She's been having problems and doubts about a lost limb, but not being able to hold her now broken axe was more painful. More than that, she feels useless now. Luan tried to comfort her, but the last words they exchanged face-to-face before parting ways still were in Luna's heart. "You're right" You heard Luna sob to her closest sister, "I do nothing but partying and playing, I'm nothing without it". It was already so painful to hear her say that, and you can't imagine how it feels for her.

She's been slowly getting used to her lost arm. Lisa's been testing a prosthesis, but the prototype has many faults she's still working on. Even then, Luna doesn't feel quite right with using one, even if it worked perfectly. It isn't very easy to address the loss of a limb. The phantom pain, quite literally forgetting sometimes she can't do certain things anymore, still feeling that arm, like she can still move something invisible in the air; all that was still in her mind, and it was hard to come to terms with not being able to feel at least one last caress.

There are also a thousand more things going on, that although more mundane, are just as worrying: medical treatments, debt, the police making uncomfortable questions, housing once again so many people under the same roof. At least that last one was something you knew how to deal with already.

Lori and Leni came back as well, once they were told about the latest events by your parents, and of course, the truth behind them. Lori, of course, didn't know what to say at first, and took some time to be convinced and process all the information. Leni faked pretty well to not know anything, something you found kinda suspicious. Although she wasn't up to speed with Luna's kidnapping and rescue, she knew about the ghosts and possible cults behind it. What reason would she have to feign ignorance on something you already told her about?

It doesn't help the house has been tense. You don't exactly know why, but Lori and Leni aren't doing so well. They can't share rooms even, and nobody has mustered the valor to ask why. You've half-heard some things Leni said about Lori, calling her a paranoid and jealous cow. Some various insults to Leni spouted by Lori, calling her a dimwitted harlot. At first, it seemed like trouble coming from previous but ultimately banal grievances, things that they'd have to sort out by themselves. However, a little phrase you heard, not sure if said by Lori or Leni, had you on edge.

"Everything that is tormenting our family is because of you".

There are many things that still have no answers. You wanted to know everything as fast as you could, but between taking care of your school life ―which was going terribly, and you were probably going to drop out soon―, your house duties and helping out your sisters with various tasks and needs, didn't leave you with much time to ask right away. You squeezed some time to continue your investigations in some of those days, thankfully.

CHOOSE:

Luna's kidnapping and what happened during that time (Talk with Luna)

Lori's problems with Leni (Talk with Lori)

Leni's problems with Lori (Talk with Leni)

What did Lily see in her summer classes (Search for clues in the attic) (Locked until 3 actions)

Are you and your family being followed? (Call RA or Clyde for help)

CHOSEN: Talk with Luna

LUNA

"I don't remember how I got there exactly. My mind is a blur" Luna told you a week ago, trying to rub the arm she lost. "A lot happened beforehand, but I didn't see it was a trap back then. I received letters from a 'fan', telling me to come there".

"Where?"

"Arkham".

You saw her fumbling on the seat in front of you, uncomfortable with the setup of the room you shared now with Lisa. The room became a studio for investigations, filled with little paper notes you wrote about things you've noticed or that Lisa and Lucy have pointed out, and printings of news you have found on the internet that might be relevant; all of them stuck in walls with duct tape or in a big corkboard. There was always one computer on, always with online news flashing on the screen. Some names repeated over and over around those snippets of information. One of those was Arkham, a little town in Massachusetts, surrounded in deep mysteries that loomed in the shadows of terror. Some people would assure it is a place of fiction, yet many occurrences keep pointing to that land at the side of the Miskatonic River.

"Didn't even know it was a place" She continued. "Of course, it ain't the first time I get letters from a creep inviting me to their cradle, but this one was particularly insistent. Very cryptic too, calling me by other names, saying I belonged there. Most of them ended up in the trash, and I still can't reach Tabby to help me get my stuff back from that town, so there's nothing I can show you yet, I guess…"

"It's OK. You're here and that's what matters to me".

"Thanks, bro" She says, smiling. "Anyways… Who are they? I'm not sure. If I go by the letters I received, the guy in the mask called himself 'Marten'. I hope the sunuvabitch is truly dead. I don't want to see that mask ever again…"

"Let's hope he is".

"I probably got drugged at the club he owned back in that town. I remember drinking something they gave me and then being imprisoned, where I was trapped in myself, losing my own memories, who I was, what I was".

"I remember you mumbling about someone else, some… Lurlene?"

"Lurlene Zann. I remember well".

Luna bites her lip with a semblance of anguish.

"That bloody cultist probably tried to brainwash me, somehow" Luna mutters, painfully. "During that trance, while I was trapped in those shadows, I lost myself. He tried to erase me and plant her inside my brain, for whatever dark purpose his sick cult wanted. For brief moments, I was that woman instead, and I could remember all her life".

"Do you still remember her?"

"It's almost like talking about her is talking about myself, sometimes" She answers. "I don't have the same grasp on her memories as I used to when I was in that horrifying hostel, but in many ways I can identify with her, feel like she felt when… When she was betrayed".

"How so?"

"I…" She stops and corrects herself almost immediately. "She, Lurlene, was in love with a man, Marius Martense. Their families however, were always in conflict, for reasons they didn't know, or at least that's what Lurlene thought. She overheard some things however, like a discussion Marius had with his father. They had a family secret. Turns out that family secret is the same mask".

You stay silent for a second. You note the mask as something to take into consideration in a little notebook you were carrying, along with other notes. You showed yourself stoic in front of your sister, even though everything she said made you scared for her, for your family, even your own life.

"What about the mask?" You proceed.

"By Lurlene's memories, I can't say much" She responds, quietly. "I know for a fact that it's been modified a bit throughout the years, and that mask is a sign of leadership in this cult. Clearly, the Martense family are the founders, something that poor Lurlene didn't see coming. Oh, poor gal…"

She even sheds a tear while talking about her, and her voice cracks a bit.

"I don't know if it's because of the foreign memories in my head or true sadness, but I can't stop feeling sorry for her. I can feel her pain, it's imprinted in my heart".

"Why is it so painful?"

"She didn't want to be a part of it, but Lurlene was forced to be a 'leader' of that cult too. 'We need you for the Black Sun to come', I remember Marius say, while wearing that demonic mask over his beautiful face…"

She looks to the ground, deeply hurt, like those memories that weren't even hers made her suffer just like that other woman from the past suffered.

"Sorry, I… It ain't me, it's…"

She covers her eyes with her forearm, trying to hide the tears running down her cheeks, dampening the carpet as they fell to the floor.

"I feel her. It's horrible how it all happened… And that sickfuck wanted to do the same to me".

You stand up for a while and walk slowly towards your sister. There's very little for you to do except to try to comfort her. You hug for a while, strongly holding her in your arms. You can't avoid noticing feeling only one arm reciprocating your affection.

"I wish I could hug you like before, lil' bro…" Luna remarks, calming down.

You say nothing about it, swallowing your own anguish. You feel like it's your fault, and there's nothing you can do to repair it.

You separate and you sit again in front of her. There were some doubts you had, but you didn't know where to start. You know you had the memories of both your sister and Lurlene available, even if they weren't completely clear, so there were many things you could ask for.

What did you ask?

INSERT QUESTION: _

(Three questions will be selected)

QUESTIONS SELECTED:

What is the Black Sun?

Do you know anything else about Marius, did he have something to do with Royal Woods?

Any idea what Lily and the rest of our family have to do with anything if all they wanted was a vessel for Lurlene?

What is the Black Sun?

"Beats me. I can't tell much from the fuzzy memories I have, whatever I heard in that hostel or whatever is on my mind with that brainwashing... I imagine it's some sort of deity, something they adore. They talked about it like it was the most important thing in the universe, like it would change their lives if it came to them..."

Do you know anything else about Marius, did he have something to do with Royal Woods?

"Marius... Oh Marius..."

Luna seems strangely familiarized with that name, like it was somebody she always knew, someone she cared about long ago. She even seems to enter a trance, and the words that come from her mouth don't seem like hers.

"That man was the sweetest thing a woman could ask for... Of course, until he went mad..."

She snaps out of that weird trance. It's her again.

"Marius was from a wealthy family in Arkham, the Martense. They had a feud over territory with Lurlene's family. A typical love story happened there, two families trying to break apart young love. Both escaped to Royal Woods when things between the families got worse, and he decided to work on a brewery the family owned here, but never kept running... That's all I can tell right now from my memories".

Any idea what Lily and the rest of our family have to do with anything if all they wanted was a vessel for Lurlene?

"I... Don't really know. I heard some things they talked about when I was there... I think. I really can't remember much..."

"Whatever you can remember works".

"Well, I remember them saying something about needing two things, a 'Mother' and a 'Child', both having a purpose for a greater good... Whatever they thought was good. Maybe the it's end of the world as we know it".

"Thanks Luna" You say, finally, after you got all the information you could.

"No problem bro. We gotta help each other, right?" She says, smiling to you.

Her smile seems almost forced. You know she's trying to be as uplifting and chill as she was before, but there's some sadness seeping out from the reflection of her eyes.

There's nothing you can do about it.

She suddenly remembered she didn't have her arm and stops trying to reach your face with it, instead caressing your cheek with her other hand.

"Don't be sad, bro, please".

There's nothing you can do about it. You failed her.

"Forget your troubles, c'mon, get happy".

You saw a tear rolling down her cheek. You couldn't hold yours either.

"You better chase all your cares away…"

You hugged her, as she held you now with her only arm.

"Shout hallelujah, c'mon, get happy…"

"I'm so sorry".

Her soft singing stops there. She smiles at you again.

"Get ready for the judgement day".

LORI

"No, I don't want to talk about that. That's it".

She crosses her arms, sitting on the bed of her current bedroom. You were at the door, blocking the exit. You needed to talk with her about her problems with Leni, but she wouldn't budge.

"Lori, please. It's not only about you. It's about our family".

"That's exactly why I don't want to talk about it. This is only Leni and me, you have nothing to do with it".

"How so? We are living together again. We need to make amends".

"We can't".

She rubbed her forehead, trying to calm down. You were getting to her nerves. Lori isn't as temperamental as before, but she still can get annoyed quickly.

"Look, Lincoln, our problems are not something we can solve that easily. It's not just us fighting over a dress. Let me be, and if you don't want trouble, stay away from Leni".

"What?"

She stood silent for a moment, feeling she might have said more than she was supposed to. She stands by her words, however, with a stern look on her face.

"You heard me. There's nothing else to discuss".

She wouldn't budge. You had to try to break her defense to get the information you wanted. You don't exactly know how, however. There are few things you know about Leni and Lori after they left home. You know they lived together for a while, but never knew why they separated later. You know Leni hasn't worked in anything since she left… And now that you think about it, neither has Lori. She always talks about how busy she is, but she never has spoken what keeps her busy. What could Lori know about Leni that you don't?

You need to pressure her, but how?

CHOOSE:

Question Lori about Leni's work

Ask Lori why Leni stopped living with her and Bobby

Question Lori about her own work

Drop it

CHOSEN: Ask Lori why Leni stopped living with her and Bobby

"Why did you and Leni stopped living together?"

"Don't—"

"You've never told us. It's weird to all of us, really, because you never had a problem talking with everyone about everything you did with her until the day she left your apartment".

She sighs, massaging her head. You're getting to her nerves.

"OK, you know what? I'll tell you. Maybe that way you'll understand why I don't want to talk to her again".

She stands up and gets closer to you, very confrontationally. You can see anger in her eyes, a fire that she covers in the almost motherly sweetness she shows to her younger siblings, or in that seemingly matureness she shows to mom and dad. It's not, however, showing the apathy of the teenager you knew many years ago: it's a strong hatred to someone who has wronged her.

"She got between Bobby and me. She wanted to steal him from me. And I wouldn't let her".

You stay silent, looking at her eyes as intensely as she looks at yours. She's barely blinking, with a stare that would penetrate the strongest of minds.

"I know what you think. You think it was just jealousy, don't you?"

"I—"

"That's what mom and dad say, that I get too jealous, too possessive".

She's very close to your face. You can feel her breathing; very slow but hard, furious breathing. She means it.

"But I saw her eyes. I knew her intentions. It's not about him, he's a good man. He'd never betray me. But her… That double-faced, backstabbing bitch—".

"Lori…"

"She knows very well what she's doing!" She almost screams at your face, keeping her voice down just enough to not startle the people in the rest of the house. "She knows what we think of her, that she's an airheaded buffoon. She isn't. She played with me, with Bobby, and it's still playing with us, literally right now".

That's a lot to take in. You're not sure what to reply to her, if there's even something you can say to that. Is she exaggerating? Leni may not be the clumsy girl you once knew, but that doesn't mean she's a mastermind toying with all of you… Or is she?

"She has some ulterior motives behind everything she does. She might be my sister, but I can't trust her anymore".

She backs off, finally, deciding to leave the room. She probably wants some space after this whole ordeal. She slightly pushes you out of the way, walking to the stairs, but not before giving you one last sentence.

"I'd advise you to not trust her as well".

CALL RA/CLYDE

You're sure you're being watched. You have seen shapes through your window, heard whispers in the dark. You've felt a presence you can't explain near you. However, your attention is too divided right now. Too busy trying to keep both your family and the pieces of the puzzle together. You've been thinking on calling your friends to help you, but you're not sure if they'd be up to it anymore. You have talked with them very little since the last incident, and before that it has almost strictly been for your investigation, asking help for intel. It's a bit uncomfortable to talk to them for even more help, but you need it. You need someone else to tell you if you're being watched, someone who isn't involved.

Who could be your agent, though? You're not sure if any of you would want to talk with you even. You have no idea how they feel about you. You already think Ronnie Anne thinks you're going crazy, and you haven't heard much from Clyde. It's a gamble who to talk with.

Who'll you try to call?

CHOOSE:

Ronnie Anne

Clyde

CHOSEN: RONNIE ANNE

The tone keeps beeping, no response. You're starting to think she isn't there. She might as well not be, considering the last time you talked to her was only for your intel. She probably thinks you've been completely consumed by your obsession, going crazy trying to unravel the tangle of mysteries you're not even sure if they're real. Your paranoia almost made you give up the call, but soon you'd hear the voice of your friend.

"Hello? Lincoln?"

"Ronnie Anne! Hi!" You say, overexcited.

"Hey, calm down there, man. Are you OK?"

"Uh, yes, yes. Sorry, I just thought you wouldn't answer and…"

"Chill, Linc. I was in the shower" She mentions casually. You don't know how to feel about it except a bit uncomfortable. "I was going to call you later, even. Everything OK with your family? I saw the news, I'm so sorry about your sister…"

"The news?" You ask now, estranged. You didn't know anything about the news.

"Of course! You didn't know? I'm pretty sure half the town knows about your sister's accident".

"Oh, oh… Yeah…"

You almost forgot it made it to the news. There haven't been many people around your house that cares, but you're sure what your friend says is correct. To be fair, if Mr. Grouse was still alive, he'd be the only one who'd have come to talk with you. Your family was always too busy with yourselves to care about neighbors.

"It's weird… I came back to the city with mom after gran passed away, just to see how messed up this town is… It's been a bit crazy these past months".

"You tell me…"

There's a short silence between you two. You barely remember why you called her in the first place.

"Wanna come around?" She invites you, an invitation you weren't expecting at all.

"Huh?"

"You heard me, lame-o" She responds, snickering. "Come hang around. You need some rest, have fun. You haven't even come to school lately either and well… I miss you. Let's see each other a little, OK? Mom is working, so…"

You don't know what to say to her proposition. You're not sure if you should, you still feel like everyone is in danger. You're starting to remember why you called her too. You still need someone that can help you out to see if you're being watched.

Maybe you could go out though. You might need some time for you. And it could work as diversion. Maybe they'll follow you and leave the house alone…

You're not sure about what to do.

CHOOSE:

Go see RA

Stay at home

CHOSEN: STAY AT HOME

It's too dangerous to leave now. You know they're watching every step you make, and you don't want to give them an inch. They won't get into you, into your house, into your life.

You feel sorry for Ronnie Anne. She seemed for you to come. She might be missing you, and you kinda miss her as well. She is, after all, your friend. You'll try to be as tactful as you can with the rejection, at least so she knows it's not because of her.

"I'm sorry, Ronnie Anne, but..."

You hear her sigh from the other end of the line.

"You don't want to leave your house, right?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't feel my family is safe and..."

"You still think there's a crazy cult behind you and all, right?"

"It's how it is, I'm not imagining it".

"It's not that I don't believe you it's just... It's weird, you know? What kind of person would follow a normal family like this?"

She sighs again, a very long exhalation this time.

"You actually called me for help, right?" She says, somewhat dissapointed in this turn of events, as you notice by her tone.

"well, yes..."

"I'm still your friend, I can help. What do you need?"

"I have my suspicions of being followed, but I need proof. I can't go out safely, but you..."

"You want me to spy around for someone suspicious?"

"Yes, exactly".

"I'll try. But you owe me lame-o. I had movies here to watch and popcorn".

You chuckle a bit. She seems to have taken it well.

"OK, next time, I promise".

"I'll report soon. See ya Linc".

"Bye".

LENI

"Oh, Linc, do we really have to talk about this?"

"You know that I want this family together, Leni" You tell her, grabbing her hand, while sitting beside her at her current bed. "We need each other the most now".

"Still, it's… It's complicated".

"Why?"

She looks away from you, closing her eyes, like wanting to contain the emotions that could slip by her visage.

"Lincoln… We aren't the sisters we used to be".

"I understand if you can't be friends again, but at least you could try to not fight every time you talk?"

"You think I want that?" She exclaims. "It's not me! It's her! She's crazy!"

"What do you mean?"

She stops herself from whatever she was going to say, like she said something way too outlandish, or something she shouldn't have said.

"I mean, like… She's not… She's not exactly in her senses… She's… It's better I don't talk about it".

You are unsure if to pursue the conversation thread or not, but you need her to tell you everything she can. If you manage to get that information, you may find a way to finally unite the last two pieces of your broken family.

How will you proceed?

CHOOSE:

Let it go

Continue pressuring her

CHOSEN: Continue pressuring her

"Leni, you know you can talk with me".

"I know, I know. You need to know everything about everyone, don't you?"

That sounded very aggressive under the warmness of your older sister. You were taken aback, and she could notice that.

"C'mon, Linky, we all know why you're doing this" She says, smiling to you, but in a very uncomfortable way. Is she trying to get into you? Misdirect you? "You know it's not healthy for you, you know? You can't both try to keep us together and uncover every mystery we hide".

"That is the only way we can live in peace together. We can't keep secrets anymore".

"We can't keep secrets from you, you should say".

"What's your deal, Leni? You're never like this".

"What is YOUR deal?" She responds, tensely, separating from you. "I don't like to talk about Lori, whatever problem we have between each other is ours alone. You are obsessed with your investigations, like that will help us".

She stands up in front of you, not being able to hide a tiny sliver of contempt coming from her posture and visage.

"The only thing your snooping has done is bring trouble to this house. If it wasn't because of you…!"

She stops herself there. You can see her finger pointing at you, how the stiffness of her arm grows tired, becoming a limp body. The strong stance of an angered woman vanishes back into the sweet passiveness of the Leni you knew. However, you can't see it as anything else than a cover. Under that persona of a ditzy girl, a tiny crack on the mask shows ulterior motives.

"Lincoln… I'm…"

You are not sure how to react to her now. She seems to be switching from one personality to another, it's almost like she wasn't your sister anymore.

She sits again, you don't know now if she's acting or not. You still need to get information from her, however. Now that you know what she might not be that easy to trust, you'll have to find a way to get her to give you the information you want.

What will you do now?

CHOOSE:

Ask her why she left Lori's home

Ask her what does she do for a living

Ask her about Lori's job

Leave

HER JOB

"Huh?" She seems weirded out by this change of subject.

"You left home, and I know you lived with Lori for some time, but after that… Did you work on anything?"

"Oh… Why do you ask? Does this have anything to do with…?"

"Not really, I'm just curious".

That's a clear lie. You know why you want to know. There is something she's trying to hide there. Both her and Lori have been very secretive about their lives ever since they left home.

"Oh well… I… I don't work at anything. It's hard to get a job… For someone like me…"

"Really?"

"Like… I can do some basic stuff? And you know I like to design clothes, but… I want to be useful in something, and well… I'm useless at everything…"

"You're not useless".

"Oh come on, don't act so comforting" She scoffs, blowing you off. "I know what you all think of me. You think I'm dumb, that I'm forever an airhead".

Leni closes her eyes, holding herself back. After what happened just some seconds ago, this change on her mood seems suspicious. You can't really tell if she's faking it or she's genuinely hurt by this conversation.

"Maybe you're right about it. I am just looks. But maybe those looks can be useful for other things…"

That's an odd reflection on herself. You are pretty sure now she knows what she isn't fooling around as much as anyone would think of her.

LORI'S JOB

"She doesn't have a job".

"What?" You're surprised by this. Lori didn't talk about any specifics of her supposed job, but she did talk about needing to take vacations or whatever else. It's odd that Leni says this.

"She didn't work at all when I was there, and I'm not sure if she ever searched for one. Bobby is the one that brought food to the table, using the little money his grandfather left to him before dying, getting tools and working as a contractor".

"Didn't Lori have a job at an office or something?"

Leni snickers playfully, like she knew what you were going to say.

"Lies". Leni says very stern-like. "She's paranoid, she thinks she'll disappoint our parents if she isn't an independent woman. I don't know why she thinks that, but it's how it is".

"But did she leave the house to do anything? Did she stay at her home all day?"

"No, she did leave from time to time, but she always said it was to see some friends… What kind of friends? No idea".

This could be important information, but coming from Leni, knowing how she's acting now, is debatable if it's useful information.

BOBBY

"Oh… So you want to go there" She snickers, weirdly enough.

"That's your reaction? Really?"

"Of course. It was ridiculous. I told you, Lori's crazy. She'll make up whatever thing to make sure nobody touches her precious Bobby".

"It was because of him? Did you…?"

"Linky, please!" She retorts, somewhat mockingly feigning shock. "I wouldn't do that to my sister! But of course, the paranoid, nervous wreck that she became would think so".

"You didn't do anything to make her believe it?" You inquiry, curiously.

"Of course not, silly!" She waves her hands, dismissively. "I don't care for him much. He was just a guy that lived with me. He's too devoted to Lori anyways, even if she can't do much for him…"

That last remark was fairly odd.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, I think you should ask her. I'll give you a hint: Lori can be very motherly with our little sisters, but actually being a mother… Well…"

She shrugs, very derisively. She has a lot of contempt stored in her heart for her sister.

"Maybe she thinks Bobby won't like a dud. And of course, I was there… And I was competition".

She stands up, probably deciding she didn't want to be there anymore. She walked in front of you, reaching for the doorknob, leaving to take a bit of fresh air.

"Lori isn't in her senses. She'll make up anything to make herself look like the victim. She might be my sister, but I can't trust her".

Just as she's about to leave, she makes one last retort.

"And you shouldn't trust her either".

TO BE CONTINUED