Linka's No Good Luck

Chapter 1: A Call

Linka Loud's hand trembled as she struggled to reach her phone, which had been thrown across the alljoeyway. God, everything ached, from the gash on her head to the scrape on her knee. Tears streamed freely down her face, both from the pain and from what had just occurred. She finally reached her phone and slight relief swelled in her heart.

I'll be okay. Someone's coming. Someone's going to save-

She stopped cold, her thoughts returning to earlier that day. The only reason she was even out here in the middle of the night was because of them. They had kicked her out, they had left her all alone.

All because of a goddamn superstition.

This was their fault and if she couldn't count on them then, then there was no way in hell that she could count on them now.

But if not them, then who?

Linka opened her contacts before the first one in alphabetical order caught her eye.

Bebe

Honestly, while she may have been closer to the elder Santiago than most of her brothers, Linka wasn't sure if it was such a good idea. Could Bebe really be trusted to keep her mouth shut? Especially around her boyfriend?

But then Linka recalled Ronnie D's description of her. Bebe may not have been the brightest of the bunch, but she was certainly the most reliable. She'd do anything for a friend in need.

So, she took a chance and called her.

OoOoOo

Roberta "Bebe" Santiago pursed her lips as she looked down at her phone in confusion. "That's weird," she stated, tilting her head to the side. "Why is Linka calling me?" The girl usually never did, the only Loud who ever really called her was Loki for obvious reasons.

And Bebe didn't know why, but she suddenly felt her stomach clench with dread.

Ronaldo "Ronnie D" Santiago poked his head into his sister's room. "Linka's calling you?" he asked. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. Nevertheless, she answered the call. "Hello?"

There was a sniffle. "H-Hi, Bebe," greeted none other than Linka Loud. But there was something off about her voice. It sounded like she was choked up, as if she had been crying.

Warning bells rang in Bebe's head. "Linka, chiquita, are you okay?" she asked, trying to keep calm. Maybe one of the boys had made fun of her or even pushed her a little too hard. Yes, that was probably it. The Loud boys did have a knack for being rough.

"I-I," began Linka, but she stopped short. "C-Can you just come get me?" There was an underlying tone of desperation in her voice and it did little to calm Bebe's nerves.

The Latina wanted to as why she hadn't called Loki or her parents, but stopped herseld. Linka must have been in serious trouble if she was calling at almost midnight. "Alright," Bebe reluctantly agreed. "Can you tell me where you are?"

There was a pause. "The a-alley near Sherry and Opal, I-I think," Linka replied.

Bebe felt her heart sink slightly; she knew that alley. It was one of the worse alleys in Royal Woods. What on Earth was Linka doing there alone? "I'll be right there," she assured the girl. Her lips formed a thin line. "Linka, whatever you do, don't hang up and don't go anywhere. Okay?"

Another sniffle. "O-Okay."

Bebe quickly grabbed her keys and her purse. "Ronnie, I'm going to get Linka," she announced to her brother. "I'll be back."

Ronnie D's eyes widened with concern. "Why?" he asked. "What's wrong with Linka?" It was no secret that he had a soft spot for the white-haired girl. If she was in trouble, he wanted to help her in any way he could.

"I don't know, just stay here, alright?"

Ronnie D shook his head. "No way!" he protested. "I'm coming too!"

"Ronnie-"

"She's my friend!" the boy pointed out. He tried not to feel jealous at the fact that Linka had called his sister and not him. "Why do you get to help her and I don't?"

"Ronaldo."

Ronnie D flinched. His sister's voice was sharp and her eyes hars as she looked down at him. Usually, it was the other way around. He was the stern one, the one looking over her. But it was times like these that he was reminded that she was the older one.

Bebe could be serious when she wanted to.

The Latina took a deep breath. "I promise, I'll tell you everything when I get back," she swore. "But Linka really needs help right now and we can't let Mom come home to an empty house."

Ronnie D wanted to argue further, but his sister was almost never this serious. She must have thought that something really bad happened if she was acting this way. Besides, there was no point in worrying their mother half to dearh with an empty house. "Just promise me you'll look after her," he relented.

Bebe nodded. "Of course, Ronnie," she agreed. With on reassuring smile his way, she left to look for the white-haired Loud.

OoOoOo

"Linka? Linka!"

Linka was vaguely aware of someone calling her name, but she couldn't make out whose voice it was. In fact, she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. There was a pouding in her head that would not subside and all she wanted to do was sleep.

"Linka!"

Wait, she knew that voice. Linka forced herself to sit up and squinted into the distance. As she thought, Bebe Santiago was rushing towards her. "Oh, Linka, thank goodness, I-!" But the Latina stopped short, her eyes settling on the girl's appearance. "D-Dios mio."

The front of her orange blouse was ripped, her chest bare and open for the world to see. Her skirt was hiked up and her underwear was barely intact and hanging onto her body. She was missing a flat and her hair was a mess atop her head. There was a lage, dark bruise forming on her frekled face.

The worst thing, however, was the blood that pooled around her and stained the cement.

"Linka," whispered Bebe. "What... what happened?" Not that it took a genius to guess what had happened.

Linka suddenly felt herself flush with embarrassment and shame. She must have looked like such a mess with her private parts on display for the entire world to see. And not to mention that her hair was white and got dirty to easily and...

And everything hurt.

Bebe gently knelt down to her level. "Chiquita, I know you might not want to be touched right now," she sympathized. "but I need to get you in the car. Now unless you can stand, I'm going to have to pick you up. Okay?"

Linka stared at her for a moment, then nodded, holding her arms up as if she were a baby like Leon.

Bebe obliged, swooping the only Loud sister into her arms. She had expected it to be difficult, but the girl was really light. Linka buried her hair into Bebe's long dark hair and began to sob.

Bebe gently rocked her. "Shh, chiquita," she soothed. "You're okay, I got you. Everything is going to be alright."

But she knew that was far from the truth. In fact, she had a feeling that things wouldn't be alright for a very long time.