Chapter Text
"But Daaad! You promised!" Lana whined. She was standing cross-armed in the living room, watching Dad get ready for work. "It's a Saturday, you're supposed to be staying home!" She pointed out.
Dad sighed, patting his daughter on the head. "I know, and I said I was sorry, sweetie!" He urged. "There was a last minute problem and I have to go in. I promise we'll go in the woods next week, okay?"
Lana sighed, looking down at the floor. "Yes, Dad..." With that, Dad left the house, leaving a saddened Lana behind. Last week, he had promised her a trip to the nearby woods to look for bugs, lizards, and other creepy crawlies! She can't believe he ditched her at the last minute! She'd go by herself, but Mom and Dad said that wasn't allowed...She really didn't want to be caught doing it. Buuut...they never said she couldn't have someone else take her! "Hmmm...But who?" She thought aloud. Lola was obviously out of the question. She's too much of a wuss to get dirty. Lily and Lisa were, of course, out. Lucy! She probably like spiders and stuff! "Luuucy!" Lana called, running up the stairs. Hopefully she was in her room, and not in some vent or somewhere hidden. She barged into Lucy and Lynn's room, where Lucy was staring at the ceiling. "Lucy! Come to the woods with me!"
Lucy didn't even turn her head when she answered. "No thank you, Lana."
Lana was actually surprised by this. "Aw, come on! There'll be spiders and stuff! You like that, right?" She asked.
"I do. But it's too bright out. Ask me when the dreaded sun sets." Lucy responded, still not having have moved.
Lana groaned. "But that's hours from now! Ah, forget it! What about you, Lynn?" Lana turned to Lynn's side of the room to find it jockless.
"She's at soccer practice." Lucy informed. "Leaving me all alone."
Lana rolled her eyes, leaving the room. Who else could she ask...? Wait, of course! She went to the hallway, banging on the door at the end. "Lincoln! Open up!"
There was a sigh from the other side. The door opened, revealing a slightly annoyed Lincoln in his underwear, comic in hand. "What is it, Lana? I'm trying to read here!"
Lana bounced in place, not deterred by her grumpy older brother. "Lincoln! Come into the woods with me!"
Lincol scratched his head. "Wasn't Dad gonna take you?"
Lana frowned, quivering her lip for dramatic effect. "He had to go to work, so he can't take me! Won't you come with me? Pleeease?" Lana asked, folding her hands and giving Lincoln big ol' puppy dog eyes.
Lincoln couldn't say no to that face. Who could? Giving a small smile, he nodded. "Okay, okay. You win, Lana. Just let me get changed."
"EEE! Thanks, Lincoln!" Lana squeed as Lincoln got his clothes on. "I'll go get my stuff!" She announced, running into her and Lola's room.
Lincoln's smile widened at the excitement of his little sister. He supposed it really had been a while since the two of them had done anything together. The trip actually didn't sound too bad. When he was done getting dressed, he went into the twins' room. "You almost ready, Lana?"
Lana came over from her side of the room with a net and a clear box for bugs. "Ready! Let's gooo!" She yelled, charging past Lincoln and down the stairs.
Lincoln couldn't help but laugh at her excitement, and gave chase. "Hey, wait up Lana!" He went out the front door, closing it behind him, and quickly caught up to Lana as she ran down the street towards a forest that lies nearby the house. "Don't go running off without me when we get in there, okay?"
Lana nodded, not even looking at Lincoln as they ran. "Yeah, yeah, I won't! Promise!" She didn't sound too sincere about it...Before long, the two reached the edge of the forest. "Oooh!
Let's see...where to go first..." Lana mumbled, looking around. Lincoln looked around too, spotting a rotting, fallen tree. "Hey, how about there? We can usually find lots of bugs under these!" He suggested, pointing the tree corpse out.
"Oooh, yeah!" Lana agreed as the two approached the tree. "One! Two! Three!" Lana counted as the siblings shoved the tree with all their might, managing to roll it over to see the bugs beneath. Worms, pill bugs, and other bugs were squirming beneath, to Lana's delight. "Oooh, look at 'em all!" She sat on the ground and started picking worms up by the handful, letting them wriggle in her hands and through her fingers. "Hehehe! Come on, Linc! They're nice and SLIMY!"
"I...uh..." Lincoln really wasn't into this sort of stuff. Not anymore at least. When he was younger he loved bugs and mud, like Lana. But he grew out of it by the time he was about seven. He looked at Lana, looking at him expectantly. "Ah, what the heck!"
Lincoln sat down next to Lana, letting the bugs and worms crawl all over him, laughing at their tiny feet dancing on his bare arms. "I forgot how much these pill bugs tickled!"
Lana let out a giggle. "Yeah, they're the best!" She looked over and saw a stream nearby. "Oooh, mud source!" She exclaimed, getting up and running to the water, leaving her box and net behind.
Lincoln got up and ran after him. "Hey, wait up!" He called, running over as Lana jumped in the shallow water, splashing around and digging her hands in the muddy bottom. "I told you to stick by me, Lana!"
Lana scoffed, pulling up two handfuls of mud. "It's fine! The stream was right here!" She suddenly lobbed a ball of mud at Lincoln. "Think fast!"
Lincoln did not think fast enough, as the mud hit him square in the face. "Ah! Dang it!" He wiped the mud away, then smirked. "If that's how you wanna play..." He grabbed some mud himself, tossing it at his sister, who laughed as it splattered her overalls.
"THIS MEANS WAR!" She cheerfully cried, as the two engaged in what was probably a half-hour long battle mud war, ending with the two covered head to toe in the stuff. "Hah...Wow...That was great! It's been so long since I had a mud war!" She said as the two sat by the bank of the stream.
"Yeah...Same here. I forgot how fun they could be!" Lincoln agreed. "This is gonna take forever to get out, though..."
"Ooh! Lincoln, look!" Lana yelled, pointing to a nearby tree. On it was a green lizard. "I gotta catch her!" She said, reaching for the net. She slowly...slowly snuck up and...GOT IT! She snatched the lizard from the trap and put it in the box. "Look, Lincoln, look! Isn't she cute?" Lana asked, practically shoving the box in Lincoln's face.
"Y-Yeah, she's...adorable." Lincoln WAS never too fond of reptiles, but he could tolerate them. "How do you know it's a she, though?"
"I have my ways..." Lana said mysteriously. And so, for the next several hours, Lincoln and Lana wandered about the woods, catching and releasing bugs, playing in mud, getting some snacks for Lana's new pet that she named "Izzy". Eventually, it grew dark, and the two made their way home. They took turns hosing each other down in the yard, getting the excess mud off. They toweled off inside, and found the T.V. free. It seemed everyone else was upstairs or not at the house. What a snatch! The two siblings curled up under a thick blanket, watching a nature documentary. After a bit, Lana started to drift off. "Thanks for playin' with me, Linc...Love you, bro..." She muttered sleepily. And moments later, she was out.
Lincoln smiled as his sister leaned against him. "Love ya too, Lana." He whispered, and was soon asleep himself.