The following morning in Royal Woods, Lincoln had woken up bright and not so early. Saturdays do mean sleeping in after all.
As he opened his eyes, he felt a bit strange, suddenly his vision looked like it got enhanced. His eyesight has always been good, never needing glasses or contacts, but it still feels like an improvement. It was like a window that you could already see properly out of, but once washed it becomes crystal clear.
"Never realized how colorful my room was," Lincoln wasn't sure what to think about this, but he paid it no mind.
He stepped out of bed and grabbed his doorknob, but curiously he got stuck, unable to move his hand away.
"Ugh, did Luan put glue on my doorknob or something!?" Lincoln said, pulling his hand away but slipping backwards as a result, landing on his nightstand. He stood up, trying to dust himself off when he noticed his hand was stuck on one of his robots. "Seriously!?"
He struggled to pull his hand away without damaging his toy, during the struggle he slipped on his blanket that was partially draped to the floor. At least that freed the toy from his hand, with minimal damage.
"This is ridiculous," Lincoln said, checking his hand for whatever adhesive was on there. "Huh, I don't see anything, but how did my hand get stuck?" The boy pulled himself up, "I don't have time for this, I have to get ready, my friends are waiting for me."
Carefully Lincoln again opened his door, checking the line for the bathroom. Seemed like only Lana was waiting outside, rather impatiently. "At least it's not a long line."
Lincoln made his way beside his sister, the girl standing around and not too happy, "Ugh, stupid Lola is taking forever." The girl did notice when her older brother had stepped beside her, "Oh, finally awake Lincoln?"
"Yeah, I was really tired for some reason yesterday," Lincoln said. "Now, I kind of feel energized, I don't know why."
"I'm not surprised that you were so tired, I mean, you do go to sleep pretty late on a regular basis," Lana said.
"I have to get a lot of studying done, some of my classes are pretty advanced," Lincoln said. "Plus, my science textbook has some pretty neat stuff in it."
"Keep this up and you'll end up as nerdy as Lisa," Lana teased. "Seriously, try to dial back on this, we don't want you fainting again. Also, do you really not remember what happened?"
"Not totally, after I saw a spider, everything felt like a blur," Lincoln said.
"A spider? Wait, you didn't faint from shock, did you?" Lana asked, almost sarcastically.
"Do I look like Leni? Or dad for that matter?" Lincoln said.
"I'm just teasing big bro, anyway you said Ronnie Anne's mom looked after you, and she is a doctor. Or is it nurse, I forget," Lana said. "Point is, as long as we have nothing to worry about."
"Did I really worry everyone that much?" Lincoln asked.
"Duh, you're our only brother, of course we care, you know us Lincoln, much as we sisters like to mess with ya, the moment you're in danger, we're basically your superheroes," Lana said.
"Yeah I know, that's why I made those superhero characters to resemble you girls," Lincoln said.
"That was really nice of you to do for us, and I wasn't even much of a comic person," Lana said. "I can see why you like those comics though, the designs are pretty cool and the tv show based on those comics have really awesome fight scenes. Now we even have superheroes in real life, those comics were foretelling."
"In a way, yeah. The Avengers seem like something out of a comic book, true heroes who fight for justice. It's not just the power though, what I really like about superheroes, or at least what I liked about Ace Savvy is that he's always so motivational," Lincoln said. "Take Principal Wilbur, he said Ace got him through a lonely childhood. Not that I'm lonely but he made me feel like I could be worth something, like I had a purpose in life, and it's taking me a while to find that purpose. You're lucky, you have the talent to be a veterinarian or a plumber, right now I'm just good at video games."
"And drawing, you could make your own comic one day," Lana said.
"I wish, I don't think I'm creative enough to make my own series," Lincoln said. "That Ace Savvy comic was basically fanfiction."
"Oh come on Lincoln, how could you even say you're not creative? You're the 'Man with a Plan', that has to require a lot of creativity. Remember the Sweet Spot incident?" Lana asked, getting a shameful nod.
"One of my not so proud moments," Lincoln said.
"It's fine bro, like yeah, it was sneaky, but I probably would have done the same thing. All of us would," Lana said. "The point is that required a lot of creativity and planning, and you nearly pulled it off too! I know from experience pulling something off like that is hard, I mean trying to get you out of the house the one time I messed up your game, it was so stressful."
"You did well though, had me fooled," Lincoln said.
"Point is, I think you're special, we all do, you just gotta remember you are, and it's fine if you can't figure something out, you have time," Lana said. "I know it's weird for me to tell you this since you're older than I am but I don't want you feeling like a loser."
"Thanks Lana, you're the best," Lincoln said, pulling his sister into a hug.
This got a bashful reaction from the girl, she liked getting hugs from her family, including her big brother, even if there are times it can be a little too mushy for her liking. But she loved her brother more than she cared about sappiness, even if that in itself is a sappy mindset. She quickly returned the hug though, feeling strange.
"Lincoln, are you stiff?" Lana asked.
Lincoln's eyes widened in embarrassment, wondering what she meant. "Stiff how!?"
"You just feel hard for some reason," Lana tried pulling away but she was stuck. "Lincoln, ease up on the hug."
Lincoln was trying to pull away, but it was difficult, "I can't let go."
"Lincoln, I know you love me, and I really appreciate that, but I need a little personal space now," Lana said.
"No I mean, I'm stuck!" Lincoln said, trying to pull away. He hoped not to do it too hard, otherwise it would tear up Lana's PJs and she would probably not be happy about being reduced to her underwear. "Ugh, why does it feel so sticky now!?"
"Sticky? Oh boy, I hope none of the pets peed on my PJs without me knowing," Lana said.
"EW! Lana!" Lincoln shouted in disgust.
"Hey we don't know for sure," Lana said.
"Look, why don't we just...uh..." Lincoln tried to think of an answer. Suddenly the bathroom door opened, revealing Lola in her bathrobe and a towel wrapped around her head.
"I'm done, so you can..." she noticed the two hugging, awkwardly looking her way. "Someone's friendly this morning, but Linky could use a little extra tending to after yesterday. Don't worry big brother, you'll get plenty of my attention later."
"I look forward to it Lola," Lincoln said as his little sister made her way to her room. Suddenly Lincoln felt relaxed enough to release Lana.
"Oh good, I'm free," Lana said, checking her PJs. "They do feel a bit sticky though."
"Sorry about that long hug," Lincoln said.
"It's no big deal, I'm sorry if something did happen to my PJs. I guess I should wash them, it has been months. Anyway bathroom's all yours if you want," Lana said.
"No, you were here first, you should go," Lincoln said.
"Probably a bad idea if I went first. I have a 'lot to unload' and I did have some really spicy food last night," Lana said.
Lincoln grimaced at the thought, "Oh...well."
"Just go on, I can wait a bit longer," Lana said.
"Alright, I'll try not to take too long," Lincoln said. He made his way inside the bathroom, starting out with brushing his teeth. Of course he had trouble letting go of his brush after he was done, much to his annoyance.
He got ready to bathe, taking his shirt off when he noticed something unusually different about himself.
"Are those my muscles? Is this what Lana felt before?" Lincoln flexed his body. "Wow, my Rip Hardcore training set is paying off! Sweet! Wonder if I could take Lynn in a fight now?"
After about ten minutes, Lincoln finished up and allowed Lana use of the bathroom. He made his way downstairs where Lori was channel surfing. Upon seeing her brother, she quickly got his attention. "Hey Lincoln, how are you feeling this morning?"
"Better than yesterday," Lincoln said.
"Make sure you call Ronnie Anne and her family, they'll want to know how you're doing," Lori said.
"I'll be sure to," Lincoln said, heading into the kitchen where he saw his father putting some dishes away.
"Oh, finally awake kiddo?" Lynn Sr asked.
"Yeah, I got a better night sleep," Lincoln said.
"Well I made your favorite breakfast burrito, should be on the counter," Lynn Sr said.
"Sweet, thanks dad," Lincoln said, grabbing his food.
"Just wash up when you're done, I have to get ready to take Junior to a soccer game," Lynn Sr said.
"Sure thing dad," Lincoln said. But just as he was about to eat his burrito, his senses came back as he moved his left hand right behind his head and caught a soccer ball that nearly left a mark on him.
That's when Lincoln's athletic sister made her way to the kitchen. "Sup bro, see your doing great this morning!"
"Lynn Loud Junior!" her father yelled. "What did I tell you about kicking the ball around the house! You nearly hit your brother too. know you have a soccer game today, and you're excited but try to keep practice outside!"
"Chill out pops, at least Stinkin got it just in time, " Lynn said, her father scowling at the insult nickname. "Speaking of which, great reflexes bro! You actually caught the ball without even looking back!"
"Uh...thanks?" Lincoln was just as amazed as his sister for his sudden reflexes. First last night with the car incident, now this, something strange was happening.
"Well I'll take the practice to the outside then. Catch you in a bit, pops," Lynn said, kicking the ball outside.
"Be careful with Vanzilla!" Lynn Sr called, groaning in annoyance. "That girl sometimes, I love that she has such a passion for what she does and that she's so ding dang talented at sports, but she needs to know when to flip the off switch."
"I don't know if she has one," Lincoln said.
"Probably gets it from me, we Louds do things at a hundred percent after all," Lynn Sr said. "Oh, and if you feel dizzy again, let someone know, Lori, Leni, your mom, any of your sisters."
"I'll be fine dad, I'm hanging out with some friends today, they'll keep an eye on me," Lincoln reassured.
"That reminds me, I owe your friend Stella a 'Thanks for watching over my son' meal," Lynn Sr said. "It's so relieving to know you have such caring friends."
"It's a relief to me too," Lincoln said, the boy feeling that much more eager to see those friends.
Later in the day, Lincoln had gone to Gus's Game and Grub, so far nothing strange or unusual had happened. Inside he spotted his immediate friend circle all waiting at their booth.
"There's Lincoln," Rusty said, gesturing to the boy.
"Yo Lincoln! Over here!" Girl Jordan called.
Lincoln quickly made his way over, unaware of some kids running towards him, not paying attention and nearly colliding. Within seconds however, his body moved on instinct, completely dodging the kids with a sidestep. It took Lincoln a couple of seconds to register what happened, he didn't know how or why he reacted that way, he had just gone into autopilot.
The boy sat with his friends at the booth, each of them kind of confused themselves.
"That's some really nice reflexes there Lincoln," Liam said.
"Yeah, when did you get so nimble?" Girl Jordan asked.
"I really don't know, it just...happened," Lincoln said.
"Well that was pretty cool," Rusty said. "Come on, take a seat."
Lincoln sat in the booth, right next to Stella, the girl happy to see Lincoln of course, especially after yesterday. "So, how are you feelings after yesterday?"
"Better, though I had some really bad luck this morning, I can't really explain it, but things just started going weird," Lincoln said.
"Weird how?" Zach asked.
"I can't explain it, my hands just kept sticking to things," Lincoln said.
"Maybe you spilt glue or something," Stella said.
"Either that or Luan played a prank on me, wouldn't be the first time she's done something like that," Lincoln said.
"Hey! Lincoln Lame!" Came the annoying voice of Chandler. "Heard you fainted at the zoo, scared of a little spider?"
"Buzz off man," Rusty said, coming to the defense of his friend.
"Yeah, Lincoln's had a hard day yesterday, we don't need you making it worse," Girl Jordan said.
"It's fine, just ignore him," Lincoln said. Suddenly a fake spider was thrown at him, courtesy of Chandler, the boy quickly knocking it away.
"Ha, you were afraid, wuss," Chandler taunted. "Hey Stella, when are you gonna dump the loser and come with me? Be with a real man."
"Oh, do you know a real man?" Stella rhetorically asked.
"You know you want me, you need someone to keep those boobs of yours good company," Chandler said.
Stella blushed furiously from Chandler's comment. She really did feel like telling this bully off for this kind of harassment, after all he's gotten really annoying from all his teasing of her and her friends whenever he gets the chance to, especially Lincoln. She just remembered Lori's advice, to be fine with how she is and know that she has real friends like Lincoln who respect her for who she is.
"Hey don't cross the line, pal!" Liam warned. That was one example already.
"Seriously, take a hike," Mollie warned, the others chiming in as well.
"What is going on here?" Came Gus, taking immediate note of Chandler. "You again, do I need to call your parents? At this point I have them on speed dial."
"Hey pal, I'm a paying customer, I have the freedom to act how I choose," Chandler said.
"And I have the freedom to boot you from my arcade," Gus reminded.
Chandler groaned in annoyance, "Whatever, I'm too good for this place anyway, when I grow up, I'll open my own arcade and put you out of business old man. Chandler out."
The boy left the hangout place, leaving Gus somewhat annoyed, "What an annoying kid."
"Don't mind him, he can never put you out of business Gus," Lincoln said. "We'd never pick Chandler over you."
"I know, I'm not worried at all, business is always booming thanks to good customers like you," Gus said. "By the way Lincoln, I heard you fainted yesterday, are you feeling alright?"
"Wow, news really gets around," Lincoln said. "Anyway I'm fine, my friend's mom who's a nurse checked up on me, I guess I was just dizzy, probably from malnourishment, at least that's what one of my sisters think."
"You won't be malnourished here," Gus said, snapping his fingers as some waiters showed up with a pizza. "Big pie, all the toppings, on the house."
"Oh, thanks, but you don't need to do that for me," Lincoln said. "Last time I tried for free food-"
"This isn't like last time, I can spare a pie, you kids more than make up for it in games anyway," Gus said.
"Speaking of games, does the booth have those Avengers prizes?" Rusty asked.
"Yes, they just came in today," Gus said. "You can try to win Captain America's shield, Thor's Hammer and Hawkeye's Bow."
"Sweet, that Hammer is mine, it would complete my Thor Costume for Halloween," Rusty said.
"Oh right, we were gonna go as The Avengers," Lincoln said. "I'm Captain America, Rusty is Thor, Liam is Hawkeye, Zach is The Hulk, Stella is Black Widow and Clyde is Iron Man."
"What about me and Jordan?" Mollie asked.
"We're going as Pop Stars, remember?" Girl Jordan said.
"Oh right, never mind," Mollie said.
Lincoln noticed that Clyde was unusually quiet, the boy had barely said a word the short time Lincoln was there, whereas he is usually one of the first to greet Lincoln. "Hey Clyde, you feeling alright buddy?"
"Yeah..." Clyde said, something obviously eating at him. "Lincoln, I'm sorry I couldn't stay over in Great Lakes yesterday, I really wanted to but my dads were insistent that I come home. I tried telling them I wanted to stay with my friend but-"
"Clyde, it's fine," Lincoln reassured. "I'm not mad or disappointed that you couldn't stay, I know how protective your dads are of you. I do appreciate the effort."
"Glad to know buddy," Clyde said.
"At least Stella got to stay," Rusty said.
"Plus both Ronnie Anne and Sid were there too," Girl Jordan said. "So Linky here was lucky enough to have the company of three pretty girls yesterday."
That got a blush from the boy, "Come on Jordan, you know Stella and I are just friends, same with Ronnie Anne and Sid."
"I couldn't help but notice that Jordan and I were exempt from that friend list," Mollie teased, getting a blush from Lincoln.
"Come on, no more teasing Lincoln, we don't want him to faint again," Stella said.
"Well let's chow down, I have some prizes to win!" Rusty said. It didn't take long for the kids to finish up as they went to hit the game floor.
Rusty was already at the dunk game, trying to score baskets and pick up some tickets with Zach and Liam offering moral support. Stella went to the skeeball with Girl Jordan and Mollie, the three competing on who can score more points, of course Stella is nearly hard to beat at this game.
Finally, Lincoln and Clyde were seeing doing a dancing game, using their slick moves to hopefully earn some tickets of their own. However, Lincoln seems to be the one pulling off the higher scores with his newfound reflexes. It amazed both him and Clyde so much that he might be able to beat Ronnie Anne's highest score, that's something for Lincoln to brag about the next time he sees her. While in the middle of their, they heard some familiar voices.
"Wow, you're looking better Lincoln," Came the voice of Emma.
"And you move even better too," Came the voice of Chloe.
Lincoln turned to greet the girls, "Hi Emma, Hi Chloe."
"Chloe?" Clyde turned to see his crush and former crush. "Emma too?"
"Hey Clyde," both said, almost in a sing-song tone.
"Glad you two could make it, did Clyde invite you over?" Lincoln asked.
"Actually, we came on our own, after the zoo trip got cut short, Chloe and I wanted to hang out here to take our minds off the disappointment," Emma said.
"I heard a rumor that an animal got out and started tearing the place apart," Chloe said.
"Oh you know that was something some kids started," Emma said.
"Yeah, but imagine if it did," Chloe said.
"I'd rather not, it sounds scary," Emma said.
"Guess it would be, I mean we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt," Chloe said.
"Well even if that happened, according to Sid, the animals are pretty well behaved," Lincoln said. "She and family sometimes invite them into their apartment for dinner."
"Sid is quite the adventurous girl," Clyde said. "But that's what makes her fun."
"Speaking of which, do you two want to join our hangout time?" Lincoln asked. "We're going to the movies after this. We're gonna see the Starship Grouper spin-off."
"Sure, that sounds fun," Emma said.
"Yeah, I'm down," Chloe said.
"Great, we'll be ready in about an hour," Lincoln said.
"Oh, that should give us enough time to try for that Hawkeye Bow and Thor's Hammer," Chloe said. "Come on Emma."
The two girls dashed back to their games, leaving Lincoln a bit worried but also finding humor, "Gee, sure hope Liam and Rusty won't mind."
"Uh, Lincoln, I kind of wanted to be the one to invite them to the movies," Clyde said. "Well Chloe at least."
"Oh, guess that makes sense, but why didn't you invite them sooner? I figured the reason they were here is because you invited them," Lincoln said.
"I actually did invite Chloe to come to the movies with us the other day, but she told me that her parents have been cracking down because she's not doing too well in one of her classes," Clyde said. "I even asked Emma about it, she said that she hasn't had too many chances to hang out with Chloe because she's spending a lot of time studying. Shame too, I was hoping to invite her this week to watch Operation Dessert Storm sometime this week."
"Wow, that's a bummer, is that why you two haven't been going out together as much?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, that's part of the reason," Clyde said. "Sometimes I feel like something isn't working, Chloe usually seems so awkward when it's just us two, some days she even invites Emma over and it becomes less like a date and more like a regular hang out. I mean, I like Emma, obviously, she was one of my past crushes, but I do want to spend time with Chloe, I think we really have something together."
"Maybe she's not ready for anything serious," Lincoln said. "At least you have your foot in the door, just keep trying and soon you two will reach that level."
"I hope so," Clyde said. "Still, wish she told me she was free."
"Maybe it was a last-minute thing, given how bad the zoo trip ended yesterday, maybe her parents felt some pity and decided to let her come," Lincoln said.
"What about Emma? Why did she invite her without calling me to see if I was free?" Clyde asked.
"Well she probably just wanted to spend time with her, I mean she and Chloe are best friends, they've known each other longer," Lincoln said.
"Well, you have a point, still would have liked that offer," Clyde said.
"Clyde, we talked about this, you worry way too much about things and you tend to overreact," Lincoln said. "If you really want to move up in your relationship with Chloe, then you have to be accepting of what she wants. If you do that, then she'll appreciate that you're putting her needs first, and then she'll come to appreciate what a great guy you are."
"Wow, that's some incredible wisdom there Lincoln," Clyde said. "Are you sure you're truly not a Girl Guru?"
Lincoln laughed off that old memory, "Honestly it's just what I've seen from my sisters. Lori and Luan appreciate it when Bobby and Benny put their needs first, it makes them much more appreciative. Same with Luna and Sam, they're both girls but they follow a similar relationship model."
"Well it's a good thing you know such nice couples," Clyde said. "Back when I had a crush on Lori, I did take a few notes on how to be a proper date. Thanks to my experience, I think I can think of a few good ways to make this work. It really does help being with an older girl."
"Uh..." Lincoln found that to be a very strange statement.
"Too weird?" Clyde asked, getting a nod. "Yeah, figured as much."
"Look, during the movies we'll make it so you two can sit close together, probably away from us, so it feels like you're alone," Lincoln said.
"That sounds really nice, but how are you gonna pull that off?" Clyde asked.
"Leave it to me, the Man with a Plan," Lincoln said.
"Sounds good to me," Clyde said.
After the arcade games were done, in spite of neither Rusty nor Chloe having the tickets they needed yet, the gang decided to go to the movies.
"Can't wait for this, it's gonna be amazing," Lincoln said.
"Is it really? It's not even a mainline movie, just a spin-off," Rusty said.
"Hey spin-offs are cool, it gives more story development to side characters," Lincoln said. "And allows better world building."
"Ronnie Anne said something similar once, she's pretty partial to spin-offs herself," Clyde said.
"Yeah, but spin-offs are never as good as the main series," Rusty said.
"It's all about perception," Lincoln said. "I can see the pros and cons regarding spin-offs, but it's also good to think of it as a big cinematic universe, like the old Ace Savvy movies. Some of them talk about the other heroes in that Universe, not too different than the comics."
"Oh, speaking of Ace Savvy, I hope they eventually release that new movie," Clyde said. "It's a real shame it got scrapped, so much hard work down the drain."
"Well the movie was scrapped out around the same time The Avengers made their big debut," Lincoln said. "I'd like to see the movie too, but I think most people were more interested in seeing real life superheroes than made-up ones."
"Bummer too, they were setting up an entire Cinematic Universe," Zach said. "I heard they were considering getting El Falcon on board. He's not as cool as Ace Savvy, but he's close enough."
"Eh, it'd be more entertaining if he teamed up with like The Crimson Chin or something," Rusty said.
"No way, leave that out of Ace Savvy's lore," Girl Jordan said. "Crossovers aren't always a good idea."
"Crossovers are fun though," Zach said. "It allows different possibilities to come to life."
"It depends on the crossover," Lincoln said. "Keep it simple, not overly complicated. It also depends on the crossover, sometimes they happen because the franchises are owned by the same company, like TV shows on the same channel. It's more impressive when it's from a company outside of its own, making it truly marvelous. So I think Ace Savvy teaming up with The Crimson Chin could work, though I'd personally rather he stick to his own Universe as well, for now at least."
"Or at least leave references if it's a same company crossover," Rusty said, suddenly getting hit in the face with a piece of paper. "Ugh, stupid flyer. What's a Shore Shack anyway? This place looks like it's from the West Coast."
"You're really insightful Lincoln," Girl Jordan said. "You should totally start a blog or something."
"I thought about it, back when my sisters and I were doing podcasts," Lincoln said.
"Oh yeah, whatever happened to those?" Rusty asked.
"Creative issues, we tried sharing but then it turned into a contest so..." Lincoln said.
"Hey if you need help getting another set up, I could totally help with that," Girl Jordan said.
"Same here," Mollie added.
"That'd be great, I have so many ideas I want to discuss," Lincoln said. "For starters, ever wonder about..."
Chloe turned her attention to Emma, speaking softly, "Lincoln's really passionate about what he likes, isn't he?"
"Yeah, it's kind of cool," Emma said.
"You know, he would make such a great boyfriend, you really should try asking him out," Chloe said.
"Oh, me?" Emma blushed a bit. "Well, I like Lincoln but I don't know if I like him that way."
"What's not to like? He's a nice guy, very respectful, especially to girls," Chloe said. "Plus you and I would be able to do double dates with me and Clyde."
"When was the last time you even went on a steady date with Clyde?" Emma asked.
"I'm working on it!" Chloe said. "I'm serious, he'd be great for you."
"Uh, I'll think about it," Emma said.
"Don't think, do it," Chloe said. "We're going to the movies; this is a good chance to sit close to him. Better hurry too, he's already close friends with Stella, Mollie and Girl Jordan, any moment one of them could ask him out, don't miss your chance."
"Uh, sure..." Emma said, still unsure about this.
The kids arrived at the ticket booth where they encountered a less than pleasant sight. Three teenagers, all freshmen in Royal Woods High School, were seen hanging out in front of the theater, that trio being Anderson, Pablo and Taylor.
"Not those three, what are they doing here?" Clyde nervously asked.
"Clyde, it's fine, just ignore them," Lincoln said.
"Aren't those the bullies that have a grudge against you for ruining their reputation on the school bus?" Emma asked.
"Yeah, they certainly haven't forgotten that, but we're here to enjoy ourselves, and I'm not going to let them ruin our fun," Lincoln said.
As they got close to the theater, Anderson was the first to spot the group, "Well, look who we have here. The school bus hero himself, Lincoln Loud, and his merry bunch of friends."
"We're not here to cause trouble, we just want to catch a movie together," Lincoln said.
"Funny, I don't remember asking what you want, punk," Anderson said, stepping up to Lincoln, glaring down at the boy.
"Hey, lay off you bully," Girl Jordan warned.
"Or what?" Taylor said, stepping over. "Gonna cry to your mommies if we don't?"
"Yeah, gonna cry to your mommies?" Pablo said.
"Dude, I just said that a second ago, come up with your own line," Taylor commented.
Lincoln tried leading his friends inside, but Anderson stood in front of his path, "Out of my way."
"Or what?" Anderson grabbed his shirt. "You think you're tough or something? You think because you have a whole group of friends that it means a thing to us? You kids are basically an army of ants stepping up to a trio of dinosaurs. Which makes me a T-Rex."
"Yeah, just like a T-Rex, all muscle, no brain," Stella said, then found her shirt being grabbed by Taylor.
"Watch it you little brat!" the older girl warned.
"Hey, let her go!" Lincoln shouted, then found himself being flung aside.
"Lincoln!" Clyde wanted to help but Pablo blocked his path.
"You ain't going nowhere, four eyes," the bully warned.
"Hey! You have four eyes too!" Clyde said, then got shoved back toward his friends.
"Hey lay off!" Rusty warned, then got shoved back himself, Taylor now tormenting Stella as Girl Jordan and Chloe tried pulling her away.
Lincoln started to lose his temper, "Look, me and my friends are going to see our movie today, we're not letting you degenerates ruin it for is!"
"Aw, tough talk for a little guy," Anderson said, cracking his knuckles. "Maybe you should take the first PUNCH!"
As he swung, Lincoln's ringing returned, and the boy found himself instinctively dodging the blow. "Huh?"
"Lucky dodge," Anderson said, readying up. "It won't happen again!" He threw another punch, but Lincoln dodged that as well. "Stay still!"
Anderson continued throwing punches, Lincoln dodging them with no trouble. It was so strange, it's like the bully was moving in slow motion, he could see pretty much every punch thrown. Anderson threw one more punch, but the fist was caught by Lincoln, as the boy instinctively punched the high school freshmen in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him, and then hit one more punch, uppercutting him into the air and to the ground.
Taylor and Pablo were speechless, beyond that all of Lincoln's friends were speechless, amazed that their friend could pull off such a feat. He took down Anderson like it was no big deal.
"Uh..." Taylor had to think of something fast. "Well…we have other things we need to do anyway, more important than being around you babies, let's go Pablo." She dragged off Anderson while the third bully continued to stand around in shock and awe. "Move your ass, Pablo!"
"Uh, right! Coming!" Pablo said, quickly following Taylor.
Lincoln still couldn't believe what happened, he took down a bully nearly twice his size with no trouble. Things have really been strange for him, between his ringing head, his developed body and now his strength and speed. Even his friends were amazed, it's like Lincoln became a master martial artist overnight, this was the opposite of his usual pacifist nature.
"Dang Lincoln!" Zach said, breaking the silence among the friends. "Where did you learn moves like that!?"
"Was it training with Lynn?" Stella asked.
"I...don't know," Lincoln said.
Lincoln started feeling strange, he didn't know where this burst of power came from, it made him feel nervous. Between his headaches, the stickiness and now this, he had to wonder if he was transforming or something.
The boy began to panic, suddenly his ringing came back, his heartbeat accelerated, he could feel the pounding in his chest like a jackhammer. Suddenly he started backing away and running off.
"Lincoln!?" Stella said, trying to call him back. "Lincoln wait, where are you going!?"
"Lincoln come back! You're gonna miss the movie!" Rusty said, this getting him a few glares from his friends. "Uh, I mean...we're worried about you!"
"We gotta tail him, feller must be feeling a rush of adrenaline after that showdown," Liam said.
The others began to follow Lincoln, many of them worried of course, especially Stella and Clyde.
"Another reason to like Lincoln, Emma," Chloe began. "He knows how to fight, so he'll keep you safe from jerks."
"Not the time Chloe," Emma scolded, following the group of friends.
Lincoln quickly ran into an ally, taking a second to catch his breath as the world around him continued to spin, "What's wrong with me? Ever since the trip I've felt this way? What's happening to me?"
"Lincoln!" Stella called, the boy getting startled and backed into a wall, where he realized he was stuck.
"Come on, why am I..." Lincoln began to have some ideas. "I wonder..." Slowly he tried moving his hand away and placing it back on the wall, his hand sticking to the surface. "Can I...?" Not wanting to stick around, literally, and having his friends see this, he began climbing up the wall towards the roof of the building while his friends ran past.
"Lincoln!" Stella called, the girl feeling a bit distressed.
"Hey Lincoln, where are you buddy!?" Rusty called, peering around for his friend.
Lincoln continued to climb until he reached the top, amazed by what he pulled off. "Did I really just do that?" Lincoln pinched himself, making sure this wasn't some dream, that it wasn't the result of him being knocked out in the fight earlier. This was real. "I don't believe this, it's like, I developed a superpower. But how? Am I a mutant, like the ones I heard about on TV? Was this because of one of Lisa's experiments? How was I able to climb a wall like a...like a…spider..."
It was all coming back to him, it dawned on Lincoln that big coincidence the day prior, while he was at the zoo, he remembered getting bitten, then knocking a spider off his hand. It was then all the clues came together, the ringing in his head, the sense of alert, his incredible speed, the stickiness, the buff body, winning that fight.
"Did that spider have anything to do with it!?" Lincoln wondered as he looked at the hand that was bitten. "Did it give me superpowers!?"
Lincoln took a moment to think over the situation, one thing he remembered was his speed and agility, he didn't know too much about spiders, aside from brief study, especially the weekend he had the class pet tarantula over. Spiders like to leap, jumping long distances, something he wanted to try.
He ran across the roof and jumped to the other building, almost effortlessly and landing nearly perfectly, aside from creating a few cracks. "Wow, that was kind of cool."
Lincoln continued jumping, testing his distance with each attempt. It wasn't long before he was deep into Royal Woods, several buildings away from where he was. What was strange to him suddenly became fun.
"Wait, if I'm a spider, can I shoot web?" Lincoln wondered. "How would I...wait don't spiders shoot webbing out of their..." the boy's face turned blue, what seemed like a cool idea at first became a bit uncomfortable. "Uh, I'd honestly rather not test that out. I'll focus on the cooler parts of all this."
Lincoln continued leaping from building to building, jumping down the sides and crawling about, flinging himself off and moving incredibly fast, almost too fast for anyone to notice.
"This is so much fun! I can't believe I actually have these superpowers!" Lincoln said. He continued bouncing until he landed on the street, unaware of an oncoming car. His senses going off, he leapt overhead, doing a backflip in the process as the car halted to a stop afterwards. "That ruled. I hope the driver wasn't too upset."
"Loud!" Came the voice of the driver, the familiar man peaking his head out.
"Mr. Bolhofner!?" Lincoln said, surprised to see one of the Middle School teachers.
"I don't know what weird fancy gymnastics you're doing, but STAY OFF THE STREET WILL YA!" Bolhofner shouted. "It's dangerous!"
The teacher sped away in a huff, Lincoln awkwardly stepping back onto the sidewalk. "Alright, I should probably head home...oh wait, what about my friends? I promised I'd see a movie with them but..." He looked ahead to the distance. "I gotta figure these abilities out, I don't think I can focus on a movie after all this, I hope my friends understand."
He swung off, ready to continue his training and becoming better. This was a huge deal for him, he had to know for sure what he was capable of, and to see if he could control it.
That night Lincoln returned home, carefully making his way inside. "Finally home."
"Lincoln!" Lana called, startling the boy.
"Geez Lana, don't scare me like that," Lincoln said.
"Uh, you're talking about me scaring you!?" Lana shouted in annoyance. "Where were you!? Your friends called saying you ran off!
"I sent a text to mom and dad saying I had something to take care of," Lincoln said.
"That's not very reassuring," Lana said. "You were so vague that everyone got worried, especially when Stella and Clyde came by, worried sick about you."
"Gee, I didn't mean to cause such a big fuss," Lincoln said. "I'm home now, so that's all that matters."
"Yeah, I guess, but don't worry me like that again!" Lana said, punching Lincoln in the abs. "Ow!"
"Are you alright!" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, probably hit your belt buckle or something," Lana said. "My point still stands!"
"Alright, I got you," Lincoln said, patting her on the head. She returned that affection with a hug, Lincoln feeling a bit guilty for worrying her like this.
"Better let the sisters know, especially Lily and Lola, you know how worried they get when you're not around," Lana said. "Lucy too, even if if she hides it better."
"Sure, I got you," Lincoln then grabbed his phone. "First thing's first." He dialed his first friend, "Hey Stella, it's me."
"Where were you!?" Stella could be heard shouting over the phone.
Lincoln made his way upstairs as he continued to explain the situation, Lana herself feeling relieved, "At least he's safe. Still, to hear he beat someone up, good on him though, he's really becoming a man."
After Stella, Lincoln had called Clyde, then Liam, then Rusty, then Zach, then Girl Jordan, then Mollie, and even both Emma and Chloe, apologizing to each of them for running off like he did, and promising they could see the movie the next day.
"Yo! Stinkin!" Lynn called, the girl twirling a soccer ball on her foot. "Heard you beat someone up, great on ya bro."
"Hi Lynn, it was a weird day," Lincoln said.
"Tell me about it, you kick someone's butt then you dash off," Lynn said, kicking the ball up. "You had us worried little bro."
"I guess I panicked," Lincoln said.
"Well you stood up to a bully, and now he'll think twice before picking on you," Lynn said. "Of course he doesn't even go to your school, so you're safe."
"Oh boy, you don't think they'll cause trouble for you, Luan or Luna, do you?" Lincoln asked.
"I can take care of myself, Luna and Luan, well Luna has her group of friends, and Luan has her boyfriend, they'll all be fine," Lynn said. "Keep up the good work little bro."
"Sure, will do," Lincoln said.
Once Lynn went back in her room, Lincoln had made his way to Lisa's room, knocking a few times.
"You may enter," Lisa said.
Lincoln came inside, waving to his genius sister, "Ley Lisa."
"Lincoln, you caused quite the stir today," Lisa said, taking her eyes off her work as she turned to her brother. "Is everything alright." A rare show of emotion from Lisa, the young scientist looking genuinely concerned for her older brother.
"I'm fine," Lincoln insisted.
"Linky!" Lily ran over and hugged her brother. "You're here!"
"Hey Lily," Lincoln said, picking up his sister. While she was never that heavy to begin with, someone she felt even lighter than before, almost like picking up a teddy bear.
"Well, at least you're doing ok," Lisa said. "That's two days in a row you worried us, this isn't going to be a pattern, is it?"
"I'll try not to make it one," Lincoln said.
"See to it that you do, we don't want our family to worry, myself included," Lisa said. "Anyway, I presume you came for Lily."
"Well, that's a bonus, but I mostly came to see you, I had a quick question for you," Lincoln said.
"Alright, tell me your query," Lisa said.
"It's about spiders," Lincoln said. "Could you tell me about them? Or what happens if one bites you?"
"This is an unusual question, why all the interest in spiders?" Lisa asked. "Are you perchance bringing home another spider?"
"No, it's for science, Stella and I have a project to do together and though about doing one about spiders," Lincoln said.
"Ah, I see, well that makes sense, I'd be happy to share my knowledge with you, Lincoln," Lisa said. "I guarantee you and Stella will ace this project, though it would be no surprise, Stella is a very intelligent girl. Not to mention, you're a Straight A student, sometimes I'm surprised you need my help."
"Straight A or not, you're still way smarter than I am," Lincoln said.
"Well I can't deny that," Lisa bragged. "Sit tight, I'm about to wow you with the wonders of the Araneae, that's the scientific name for a spider by the way, take notes."
"Right, got it," Lincoln said, placing Lily down and grabbing a note pad. The boy hoped that everything he was about to learn would come in handy in the future, obviously not for school, but for his newfound abilities.