Lincoln was stunned silent. He'd heard of the Hex Girls before—they were a famous band currently on tour. His sisters Lori, Leni, Luna, and Lucy were fans, as were many of their friends.
"Haha! You look so shocked, I'm surprised you didn't recognize us," Luna(H) laughed. "Usually, we can't go out without being in disguise, or else we get swarmed by fans." Thorn and Dusk nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, and while we like the attention, sure," Dusk added, "we also want to be able to go out without getting mobbed. That's why we almost always leave early—to get some peace."
"I can see what you mean. It must be hard being famous," Lincoln said, understanding where they were coming from.
"You wouldn't believe it," Thorn replied, smiling warmly. "You know, it's really nice being able to talk like this with someone. It's… refreshing." A small blush crossed her face—it was rare they got to talk so freely, and she found herself enjoying it.
"Everyone needs someone to talk to," Lincoln said, remembering all the times his best friend Clyde had been there for him.
Soon enough, they reached the mall. After the girls put on their disguises, they entered. The Hex Girls were so excited, they started dragging Lincoln from one store to the next. He was used to it—he figured this was just how girls acted. But for the Hex Girls, this was one of the few times they could shop freely without being bothered, and they were a bit too enthusiastic.
When they got to a clothing store, it turned into a mini fashion show. They became very passionate about having Lincoln try on different outfits while they took pictures.
"Man, they are really into this," Lincoln thought as he stepped out in his fifth outfit: a black tuxedo with an orange tie and polished black shoes. The girls had him pose again. Unknown to him, they just wanted to see him in all kinds of styles.
After trying on multiple outfits and having his picture taken in each one, Lincoln went to the changing room to put on the outfit he'd picked. Meanwhile, the girls reviewed the photos.
"OMG, look at him in this one," Dusk said, showing a picture of Lincoln wearing white pants, an orange shirt, and orange shoes.
"Ooh! Send me that one," Luna(H) said. "And check out this one." She held up a photo of Lincoln in a blue suit with a black undershirt, sporting thin rectangular reading glasses.
"He does look cute in glasses," Thorn admitted, "but I've got you both beat." She pulled up a picture of Lincoln in black swim trunks with a bright orange lining. He was shirtless, wearing an open gray hoodie that still showed off his toned abs.
"WHEN WAS THIS?!" Dusk and Luna(H) demanded, blushing as they stared at the photo.
"When you girls went to grab more clothes," Thorn admitted with a blush, "we accidentally grabbed these… but he still tried them on without much embarrassment."
"Man, for someone so young, he's got a nice physique," Luna(H) noted, her blush deepening as her bandmates nodded in agreement.
They then recalled how his arms flexed while he fixed their van, how casually he spoke to them even after realizing who they were, and that charming smile of his—all of which made their cheeks warm even more.
Just then, Thorn got a message from their manager, Gus Boggs, reminding them about rehearsal.
"Well, girls, looks like we've got to wrap this up. Rehearsal time," Thorn announced.
"Aww, really? But I want to spend more time with Lincoln," Dusk pouted.
"I do too, but we've got to practice for the upcoming show," Thorn reminded her.
"I'm sure you girls will be great," Lincoln said as he approached in his final outfit.
"Well, that's sweet of you to say, Lin—" Luna(H) began, but her voice trailed off when she looked at him. A deep blush appeared on her face.
"Ba-ba-ba," she stammered.
"Luna(H), you good?" Dusk asked, concerned. Thorn looked over too.
Luna(H) grabbed their heads and turned them toward Lincoln. When they saw him, they reacted the same way.
"Ba-ba-ba," they stammered in unison.
Lincoln was now wearing a black leather jacket with a black fur collar, an orange V-neck shirt, dark blue jeans, black shoes, and a silver chain attached to his pants.
"Huh. This outfit fits me really well. Must be some of Red's characteristics rubbing off on me," Lincoln thought. Though the outfit was closer to Red's style than his old one, it felt natural.
What he didn't realize was that people were staring—especially the girls in the store.
"W-wow… you look amazing," Luna(H) finally said. She wasn't used to seeing him in this kind of outfit, but it suited him perfectly.
"You think so?" Lincoln asked, glancing at his reflection.
"Yes… and I just have to ask: are you some kind of secret child model?" Thorn questioned, noticing that even the other customers seemed intrigued.
"Haha! Me, a model?" Lincoln laughed. "No, but that's nice of you to think."
The Hex Girls blushed a little more at the sound of his laugh.
"Well, since you girls have to get going, let me pay for all of this quickly so I don't hold up any more of your time," Lincoln offered.
"We can help. I mean, we were the ones who went shopping-crazy," Dusk said.
"It's fine," Lincoln replied. "I came here today to buy new clothes—you just made it more fun." He turned to a nearby employee. "How much is all of this?"
The employee scanned the tags with a device from her hip. "All together, that'll be $2,759.89 plus tax," she revealed.
The Hex Girls flinched at the price. "Look, Lincoln, we can—" Thorn began, but Lincoln pulled out a sleek black-and-gold debit card and swiped it.
Beep.
The employee's eyes widened. "Please let us help you pack this up, sir," she said as others rushed over to assist.
"Like I said, it's fine," Lincoln told them.
"But—" Luna(H) started.
"It's fine," he assured her, pulling out his new phone—a gift from Green. According to the attached note, it had features far more advanced than any phone currently in existence and could upgrade itself.
"Hm. I have to get going. I'm meeting my little sister at a cafe her friend recommended," Lincoln said.
"Then let us at least give you a lift," Thorn insisted.
"No, it's okay. I don't want to make you girls go out of your way—"
Before he could finish, Dusk and Luna(H) each hooked an arm around his, making him blush as they gently pulled him toward the exit.
"Sorry, but we insist. It's the least we can do for the great time you gave us," Thorn said, carrying his bags.
As they left the store, Lincoln was getting stares of envy and respect from passing guys. He didn't notice any of it—he only had one thought:
"Man… even with my heightened intelligence, I still don't understand girls."
30 minutes later
(POV: Lucy)
As I sat with Haiku talking about the new book The Vampires of Melancholia, I couldn't help but think back to this morning.
(Flashback)
While my sisters and I fought over the last breakfast burrito, Mom came into the dining room with a worried look on her face.
"Honey, what's wrong?" Dad asked.
"I went to wake up Lincoln, but he's not in his room," Mom said.
We all froze and stopped fighting.
"Oh, you don't have to worry—he just went to the mall," Dad explained.
"THE MALL?!" we all shouted.
"Why would he go to the mall so early—and by himself?" Mom asked.
"Well, this morning when he came down, I saw he'd hit a major growth spurt. His clothes don't fit him anymore," Dad said.
"Called it," Lisa smirked.
"How major are we talking?" Mom asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He's taller than Jr. now. Honestly, if it weren't for the white hair, I wouldn't have recognized him."
"HE WHAT?! NO WAY HE'S TALLER THAN ME!" Lynn Jr. shouted in disbelief.
"If he went to the mall for new clothes, why didn't he take us?" Leni asked. "We totally could've helped him!"
"Yeah!" all the sisters chimed in.
"But didn't you all have plans already?" Mom reminded them.
Everyone got quiet—it was true.
"Oh! That reminds me," Dad said, turning to me. "He said to text him the address, and he'll meet you there."
I nodded, pulled out my flip phone, and sent the address Haiku gave me. When I looked at my sisters, and they looked back at me, we came to an unspoken agreement: keep an eye on Lincoln.
(Flashback over)
I sighed, catching Haiku's attention.
"Is everything okay, Lucy? You seem distracted," she said.
"Do you remember my brother, Lincoln?" I asked.
She nodded. "Of course—he's the one who helps with your poems, right? Is something wrong?"
"He's been acting different… talking different… and now, according to Dad, he looks different. It all just happened overnight, and I'm a little worried."
"Has he done anything bad? Anything that should concern you?"
"Well…" I hesitated. "Other than eating more and apparently writing songs… no."
"Then it should be fine," Haiku reassured me. "Small changes happen when we grow up."
I considered her words and realized she was right. We all change—it's natural. Maybe I was just overthinking it.
"Thanks, Haiku," I said with a rare small smile. But then I noticed she was no longer listening. Her eyes were wide, and a blush was growing on her face as she stared toward the cafe entrance.
"Ba-ba-ba," she stammered.
"Haiku? Are you okay?" I asked.
"Sorry I'm late, Lucy." I froze at the sound of my brother's voice. I turned toward him…
…And every worry I had came rushing back as I stared, shocked, at what should have been my nerdy but reliable older brother.
"L-Lincoln?"