Swan Song

Painting The Roses Red

"Ok, I'm calling the knaves," said Oz, not even bothering to hide his confusion. "What the hell are you talking about? Who are we killing?"

"Well, actually, we'll just be pretending to be attacking someone," replied Lock, then went on to explain what exactly the scepter is.

"Ok, so the boogeymen are real... Still doesn't tell me why we're attacking someone."

"Because if they think the Head Hunter is after them, they'll be more willing to help me should I approach them. I'll not only draw the info about the scepter out of them, but get three powerful eves to help me. Lord knows I can't rely on Rem anymore."

"Oh?" said Oz, face contorting into a frown. "Did you confess, then?"

"No. I haven't felt like that about him in a long time. I'm just not able to put up with the bullshit of enemies and friends. All that, and I have to catch a killer with unknown powers. I wish someone would remember I'm just a kid, too." Lock hoped his brother would take the hint and stop being so dependent, hating himself in the process, but the younger boy didn't.

"You can handle anything, though. You've always been like that."

Sighing, Lock let the topic go. "Ok, can you open the bottom drawer there and pull out all the papers?" He gestured toward the small cabinet by the window, and his brother obeyed.

"Oh, wow. There are a lot of these," the younger boy said, pulling out half, then setting them on the bed, after which he returned for the rest. "Why do these matter, though?"

Picking up one pile, Lock sat down. "Well, we can't be the ones doing the attacking. They'll just use their angels to beat us down, and then we'll be thrown into The Looking Glass, accused of being the real Head Hunter - or at least in league with him, since we were present at my party. These -" he gestured toward the pile of paperwork "-were given to me by uncle Oscar along with the legit papers I'm allowed to look through. They're about the crimes dad pardoned because of bribes or the social standing of those involved. We find one bad enough to ruin a life by spreading word of it alone. We one about a man, then get him dressed up and attack Lily."

"What if her brothers catch him?" Oz asked, indicating his neck with his thumb. "Not really hard, given their angels. He could drop our names in hopes of getting off easier, or just to take us down with him."

"Good point. We'll need some form of assurance."

Taking a moment to think about his options, Lock closed his eyes and brainstormed. His brother knew better than to interrupt him when he's doing that, so he stayed silent. After a few minutes, the blond turned toward Oz.

"We'll get Crispin to help." He moved toward a certain part of his room, closer to the door, then removed one of the floorboards and pulled out a paper crane. Putting it closer to his mouth, he spoke. "To Crispin Glover. Meet me a bit after school tomorrow, by the road leading from Halloville to Wonderland, our side. Come alone. Don't tell anyone about this. Make sure you aren't seen." Once he was one, the crane came to life, then started flapping its wings. "Open the window," Lock instructed, and Oz obeyed, letting the crane leave the room.

"What do we do now?" the younger boy asked as his brother got back on the bed.

"We go through these, of course."

"You know I can't..."

"But you can keep our parents occupied. It would be real awkward if they barged in with all these out in the open."

"But how do I do that?"

It wasn't exactly a secret that Oz hated spending time with their mother and father. One was a self-righteous grump with a nasty temper and a habit of taking his anger out on the closest thing near him, and the other was spineless until alcohol got involved.