ETHAN

Everybody has their dues in life.

Father's words followed him through the air caked with tension's bone fingers when he stepped left on the pavement and entered the car with Old Joz as his driver for the week to head for the casino — another business meeting among his associates. Father tore into him with the abyss, and the distance grew within the heartbeat of the universe before he returned to his room and found solace in the silence.

One leg propped over the other, he put on his headphones and listened to the purposeful strings of a guitar and found his place within the mystery coated with lies.

Everyone will pay their due, Father reminded him while he sat among the suited associates. One way or another.

Ethan frowned when a voice dissonant from his music broke the white noise, a name on the horizon. He lifted one ear of his headset off to free the outer world, but frowned at the quiet.

"Ethan!" Mom called from downstairs. "Can you come down here?"

But what happens when they avoid paying? Ethan flipped to the next page's cliffhanger. What happens if they fight the inevitable? It dragged him into the words and longed for an answer to the dues Father referred to. "In a minute," he answered her call of his name, and he studied the noir mystery.

As with Keren, Mother never took no for an answer — not a respectful one anyway.

"ETHANIUS!"

Ethan leaped with the shout which echoed from his mother and his headset. He groaned and dragged himself out of bed. Guess I never have to wonder where Keren got his voice after all... when Dad isn't around. Hands on his knees, he abandoned the search and peeked out his door. "Yes, Miamta?"

Mom stood at the lower landing with a tip of her head and an innocent smile. "I thought you couldn't hear me through your music."

"I heard you the first time." Ethan made his way downstairs, and frowned when Mom put on her coat and picked up her carrying purse. "Where are you going?"

"Out, Chalen's going to be driving me to pick up some stuff for dinner tonight and some other things I need to do," she said with a nod at Keren, who perked up from the I-screen. "I need you to watch him for a couple hours."

"I can go grab stuff for dinner..." Ethan tipped his head at Keren when he waddled to his side with a smug grin.

Mom shook her head. "No, I need you here. I won't be too long."

Ethan frowned at her, then bowed his head. "Okay."

He stepped to the side while Mom squished Keren's cheeks with a softer twist to her lips. "Be good for your Kellzoro, I won't be long," she assured once more, and Keren swayed back and forth on the balls of his feet. Ethan blinked when Mother's smile died. "Your father should be back later tonight."

"I know."

Mother gazed at him, a distance created across pathways which buried the roll of dicey dues. "Try not to get into too much trouble," she said with a pat of his cheek, leaning forward to brush her nose against it into an air kiss. "I need to have a talk with you at some point."

You're a monster.

Ethan clenched his fists but said nothing when she gave Keren one more smile, but never gave him a due as she turned her back on him and left through the door. It rocked through the house, and he investigated Keren when he tipped his head back with a widening grin which screamed trouble.

And it's me she's worried about making trouble?

Ethan headed back to his room to grab his book, with Keren's quiet footsteps following his every move, hovering on the edge. He threw himself onto the couch and opened to the page he left on last.

"What are we going to do?"

"I'm going to read this book. You're going to behave." Ethan rolled his shoulders and propped himself on the pillow.

Keren ho-hummed in front of the I-Screen, but Ethan ignored him, drawn into the dark, into the alley. Every step which led to the hiss of a blaster. His heart pounded with the thrill, the exhilaration as he went to turn the next page. He grunted when Keren threw himself onto him with an added kicking bounce, with his hand shoving the book straight into his nose.

"Sounds boring," Keren declared.

Ethan shifted and returned to the book, broken off the rails.

Keren wriggled and squirmed with a refusal to be ignored. Ethan raised his arms when Keren flattened himself with another bounce and tried to get in the way. "What are you reading?"

Ethan moved the book to the side, but Keren followed with a not at all innocent smile. "Keren," he said and tried to force Keren out of his space. "What do you want?" In response, Keren dug his arms around him, and though Ethan tried to do everything in his power to push him off the couch and onto the floor, his little brother held on tight. "What?"

"I want to do something," Keren said.

"You could read." Ethan held out the book to him.

"No." Keren audaciously pushed the book out of the way. "They were talking about a spaceship museum at my school."

"Right..." Ethan was so close to the end.

Keren pouted and pulled the book down. "They die at the end."

"Excuse me?"

Keren brushed at the earmarked pages with a solemn nod. "Yes, they die at the end. You see, it turns out the culprit is actually his trusted companion who's been trying to help them solve the case. They turn their back... and..." He motioned with his hands.

All the build-up, all the searching and studying — it meant nothing. He threw the book on the table and brought both hands to his head while Keren beamed at him with cruel unawareness. "Are you serious?" he questioned.

"Yep. I snuck a look."

"I'm going to strangle you."

Keren went to leap off of him, but Ethan caught him first, causing Keren to scream with his melodramatic alarm. He wrestled Keren off the couch and gave a half-hearted chase around the living room, with Keren bobbing and weaving around the barely used dining table — a game of cat and mouse. Ethan went one way, and Keren sped around the other. His foot kicked the chair, and Keren took his chance to bolt back for the couch. Ethan grabbed his arm before it inched out of his reach, then drove his hands into his side as Keren squirmed and gasped out a laugh. "Ethan, stop!"

He hauled Keren off of his feet and Keren kicked out.

"Watch the table," Ethan scolded.

"I wouldn't have to watch the table if you weren't—" Keren squirmed and laughed, and Ethan let him go when his retribution was over. "It was kind of a lame ending anyway if you ask me."

"Doesn't mean you should spoil it for everyone else," Ethan said and folded his arms. "You also skipped the good parts, that's probably why it was so—" He tapped Keren's brow. "Lame." He slumped back onto the couch and rested his arms on the back with a huff. "What were you talking about when you were trying to interrupt my reading?"

Keren slammed himself beside him. "In class they were talking about a ship museum that opened up."

"Oh?" Ethan grabbed the remote to fill his world with white noise.

"Yeah!" Keren came closer. "Can we go?"

"That depends." Ethan leaned back on the cushion. "Where did they open it?"

"It's in south side of Roxton. Downtown."

Ethan pursed his lips and folded his hands on his crossed legs. "I don't think that's a good idea, Keren. Southside of Roxton is a little..." He studied his younger brother and hoped that, for once, he'd take no for an answer. "Unsafe. I wouldn't have any problems if they opened it up north here, but—" He shrugged his shoulders and stopped on Keren's favorite speculative show to quell the incoming huffs of frustration. "Besides, I don't feel like walking through Roxton today. I just want to sit back and enjoy my peace and quiet."

Keren frowned and as expected, released a huff of irritation. "Reading? Are you going to do that until Mom comes back?" He folded his arms and squinted.

"Yes. I'm sure I have something you'd enjoy if you'd only stop spoiling my mystery thrillers to me just because you don't get what you want."

Keren flopped back down on the coach with a scowl. "You're just afraid of what Mom would do."

"I never said that."

"She wouldn't mind if she knew that I really wanted to go," Keren insisted. "Please, Ethan?"

So much for that.

"I don't know."

"I'll do all your chores for the next week."

Ethan glanced at him then raised an eyebrow. "Keren, are you trying to bribe me?"

"It's not that far in the south end," Keren said. "It'll be fine if I'm with you, won't it? We can go look at the museum and then come straight back." Ethan shook his head when Keren latched onto his shoulders. "I would really really appreciate it. I need some new models that we can build together. I'm missing a scout model, maybe they'll have it in the store or something..."

Ethan sighed and tilted his head towards him. "What chores are you thinking?"

"Any! Just can we please go?"

"I don't know..."

"Stop being a stick in the mud, Ethan. You're no fun. You didn't even have any fun at the cottage," Keren pushed. "I want to do something fun to make up for it. I'll do whatever chore you ask for an entire week." He held up his hands. "A week, Ethan."

"You had plenty of fun at the cottage Keren — you got my clothes soaked and kept me up all night." Ethan swung his elbow over the arm of the couch. "Do you even know where it is exactly? I don't want to be driving around Roxton looking for it."

"Yes! Our teacher gave us this packet to take a look for ourselves. I think they're planning a field trip, but I want to go with you!" Keren whipped it out as if he had expected his reply, and he leaned back when it smacked him in the nose. "Sorry! Here." Keren pushed it into his hands. "Take a look."

Get him talking about ships and that's it. Ethan unfolded the information docket to the map within. Keren beamed at him when he closed it, then murmured, "You're not going to take no for an answer, are you? Does it really mean that much to you?" he questioned. "Why not just ask Chalen and Mom? I'm sure they could take you if you ask." Because it's you. You can say whatever you want and she doesn't look at you like... He dug his fingertips into the arm of the couch. Molten lava tickled the base of his throat.

He frowned when Keren sidled forward. "I want to go with you."

Ethan leaned his cheek on his knuckle and tossed the docket onto the teatable. "Go get ready," he gave in to the incoming consequence of someone else's actions. "We'll go." He braced himself and escaped against the arm of the couch when Keren launched himself at him and hugged him tight.

"Thank you, Ethan. I'll make it up to you," Keren said with a small hop off the couch, swiping the infodocket as he went.

He dragged himself off the couch and left his book behind, waiting while Keren ran up the stairs back into his room. He listened to his frantic footsteps as he made his way to the entry closet, sorting through to find his jacket at the back. Off his hook and into his hands, he opened up the concealed pockets. It hissed into his hands and the chain tightened when he pushed his hands through the arms and swung it over his shoulders. He ran his thumb against the chain, then hooked the bladed weapon against his hidden belt, smoothing out his jacket while Keren's footsteps scrambled downstairs.

It locked in place on his hip, and he smiled when Keren ran around the kitchen counter with his focus on the door. "Hold on." Ethan grabbed the back of his shirt to stop his escape. "I do have a couple of caveats before we go."

"Caveats?" Keren questioned. "Oh, your chores?"

"No, not that," Ethan said while he adjusted his own coat to hide the lethal protection. "I want you at my side at all times once we're there. I don't care how you go about it, hold onto me, attach to me, as long as you stay by me. I don't want you to explore or stick your nose where it doesn't belong. You stick to me like the little weed that you are." He stood in front of the door to stop Keren's reckless abandon. "We're going to the museum, and then we leave."

"I'm not a little weed..."

"Yes or no, Keren."

"Yes. Stick by you at all times."

"Good." Ethan checked his pockets when Keren checked outside, and found the smallest twist of relief at the weapons at his sides, hidden by the cover of his jacket. "Let's go."