Lily Tells All

Unable to run physically or mentally from the inevitable questioning, Lily slowly opened up after a bit more poking and prodding from Bazel.

"I have been having some problems at school. You know how much attention I get sometimes from members of the opposite sex, well, that resulted in some jealousy even though I turned them all down in the end. The friend that introduced me to the job was one of the girls that would constantly bully me, but one day I thought I had finally gotten through to her and she started acting a lot better. She even went so far as to make some of the girls who had been mean before apologize as well, I had thought that kindness and virtue had won out in the end just like you always said. I guess...in the end it was a lie in order to hurt me even more than just stealing my pencils or using up my erasers" explained Lily, her voice shaking ever so slightly.

"Bullying... I had known about this before so I phoned the school and threatened them to take action, I was assured that it was being handled. Alas, it seems I made a grave mistake."

Full of guilt and shame, Bazel stood up and walked in front of Lily. He knelt down and took her hands, looking at her face to face.

"I am sorry Lily, I have failed you. I do not know why you did not tell me that the bullying was continuing, but that does not matter as its still my fault in the end. I should have taken more drastic action at first, or at the very least have paid close enough attention to you so that I would have noticed that something was off" said Bazel, trying his best to not choke up before he finished.

"Bro, I know I should have told you but I thought that I could handle it on my own. I have been with you since the start, I know how hard you work day in and day out. Studying longer than anyone else, working longer hours than anyone else, all while trying to make time for a naive little sister who cant help but get herself into trouble after trouble."

At this point tears were threatening to fall from both of their faces, which Bazel hid by standing up straight and turning around. Both so as to not place more worries on his sister as well as to allow the tears he saw on Lily's face fall without embarrassment on her part.

"You are right, we have always been together since the beginning all the way back to when we both lost our parents and ended up in the same orphanage. I am glad that everything worked out this time, that you were not hurt in the end, but I want you to know that I am still a little angry. My work is important and I have worked very hard for it, you are correct. But!" said Bazel, turning around and looking at his sister with a stern look...or as stern as he could make it upon seeing the still wet eyes of Lily.

"But, I am not working so hard because I enjoy working myself half to death. While being a prosecutor is both interesting and something I am passionate about, there is no real need for me to go the extra ten miles just because of that. No, I do it not for the job itself but for the small little family we have here. So that I can continue to bask in the warmth of your smile and be able to say good morning and good night to you without fail. My job? I like it, but it is nothing when compared to you. If I had to I would quit tomorrow if it was for your sake, I would not even hesitate. So don't you dare talk like you have to sacrifice yourself for the sake of my career, my career be damned if it causes you to suffer!"

Seeing the sullen Lily looking downwards, unable to meet the stern expression of her older brother, Bazel relaxed with a sigh and ruffled her hair lovingly.

"Perhaps I spoil her too much" was such a thought that came to his mind before he dismissed it immediately.

"If you do not make such silly mistakes in the future, that is all that I ask for. Think to yourself how much it would hurt me to lose you... I am extremely selfish, you know, I want to keep everything in my grasp so much that I can work every waking hour so that my greed is satisfied."

Lily nodded while sniffling, trying her best to compose herself.

"Hey, there are no outsiders here. I know how much of a crybaby you are, if you want you can cry until the end of the day" jested Bazel.

"Who is a crybaby, hmmph, what about all the times you came running into my bed saying you were scared of the dark. You were already eight and I was just four, what a wimp" returned Lily, laughing her sadness away by hitting on her brother's dark past.

"All right, all right forget I said that. I do not need to be taken down anymore, I am in awe of the power of the little sister. Able to take down her senior with just a few sentences" said Bazel with an exaggerated tone, holding his heart and slumping back down onto the couch.

After the two absentmindedly stared at the TV in front of them, both busy with their own thoughts and ideas, Bazel was the first to speak again after several minutes of silence.

"I do not want you to go to school for the next two days, or even contact anyone for that matter. Go completely radio silent, that includes any close friends you might have who may even be worrying for you. The accident aside, what happened to you was the result of organized crime. I will take down those responsible. While investigation work is a bit out of my league, as my skill set is more for what happens after the criminals have been tracked down and arrested, let's just say that being a prosecutor comes with its own benefits."

"Why do I have to go completely silent though?" asked Lily.

"To make them complacent of course, the lead we have to these guys are your 'friend' and place of work. While the place that you work at will most likely be on high alert due to the accident that occurred where you were being held, the same is most likely not true of the highschooler accomplice that is involved with them. Organized crime is not something a kid should be playing with... The world of adults, I will allow them a look into it as they so desperately seem to wish for."

Pushing down the wrath that once again threatened to erupt, he stood up while saying:

"Now that all the serious talk is over, let us hurry and eat. I made the food piping hot, but now it is probably just barely warm. Wasting food is no good my little sister, we must not forget the times where we had nothing just because we have aplenty now."

"Of course Bro, I have not completely fallen apart yet. Hmm, now that I think about it I am dying of hunger here. I guess being kidnapped will do that for ya" said Lily, standing up and heading towards the dining room table all the while making lighthearted jokes of a rather serious matter.

Once her back was turned, however, the seemingly permanent smile on Bazel's face shifted ever so slightly as a stray thought broke free from the usual conscious Bazel as evidenced by a streak of madness flashed in his eyes for but a moment.

"It is true that I believe kindness and virtue will win out in the end, but there is another belief that I have kept to myself for all these years. Some people...some people are simply monsters. The cure for them is just a single simple word: Death."