The Lantern Brothers: 001

"Something's not right." Danny Lantern mumbles.

"Yeah. It's your head." His brother, Matt, murmurs exhaustively. He shift in their tent, causing the nylon and thin poles to quiver with the movement as Matt rolls over onto his belly and buries his face in his pillow. "Go to bed."

"Matty-"

"Trick." Matt sighs, using that silly nickname Matt's always used for his younger brother. "Go to bed. The more you freak about a noise in the woods, the more it's gonna scare you. I'll tell ya' if ya' gotta worry." Matt mumbles and yawns.

"Can you hold me?"

"You're 16." Matt says as if that should mean anything.

"And I'm scared." Danny lifts one of Matt's heavy arms and tucks himself in as tight to his brother as he can as a coyote howls. Matt squeezes him in, knowing this is the only way he's going to get sleep on this stupid camping trip with their mother's husband and his kids. Danny and Matt could be back home and at the beach with their father, the parent that actually cares, but their mother had cried and begged for them both to come on this month long camping trip in Montana.

"Like I'd ever let anything happen to you." Matt grumbles. "You're a pain."

"And you're a Treat." Danny responds, feeling better now that he's closer to his brother. They've only ever had each other since the divorce. They're not exactly happy to be with their mother who ruined her marriage for a man she didn't even marry. Brett is man number five in the last six years. They both manage to get some sleep, get woken up rudely by Brett shaking their tent. Matt glares at his shadow.

"Rise and shine boys! Got plenty of trail to see." This stupid trail. Brett keeps going on and on about it. It makes Danny uncomfortable.

"Can we go home?" He begs his brother. Matt remembers Danny's words last night. The thing with his younger brother is that Danny's got this wicked intuition. He's got this kind of freaky ability to read a situation or people and just know that it was gonna go bad.

"Whatcha feeling?" Matt asks Danny.

"Nothin' good." That's all Matt needs. He pulls Danny closer.

"Okay. Here's the plan;" He starts. "You're gonna use those stupid acting skills you got and pretend to feel dizzy and trip when I sign play to you. Got it?" Danny nods at him. They both sign language because their step-mother, Susannah, is deaf and she's been sweet enough that both boys took lessons to communicate with her. They love Sue. "We're gonna roll into the brush. Lay low while Brett and Arielle pretend to care." Matt hasn't her mom since her cheating had been revealed. "Then we follow the river outta this mess and tell the rangers how we don't feel safe with them so they send us home to Dad and Sue. Hear me?" Danny nods.

"I hear ya'." Danny whispers. "I heard him and Mom whispering before we left."

"You didn't tell me then?" Matt gripes as he starts to get ready for the day, shucking on his boots and heavy canvas jacket.

"I wanted to try to find proof before I told you. But my nerves are screaming that we gotta go." Danny was also hoping that he had just been wrong. That his own mother wouldn't scheme against him and his brother, but she'd proven before that she just didn't care. Matt grabs him by the jaw, not harshly, Matt has never once hurt him on purpose, but the grip is firm enough that Danny knows Matt wants his full attention.

"I can't be a Treat without my Trick. So, you tell me when something ain't right or you hear whispers from that bitch." Matt orders in that nonchalant way of his, but Danny can always read his brother. They're Irish twins. Born within days of each other, a year apart. They've always been close. Danny's birthday is October 30th, Mischief Night, and Matt's is Halloween. A night trickery and a night of treats. Matt came up with it when he was 3.

"What if the rangers don't believe us?"

"Remember how Arielle kept having you sign shit for a week before I told her I'd tell Dad?" Danny nods. "She wanted to forge your signature for her scummy boy toy of the week. I told Dad anyway." Matt refused to let her ruin their lives further. "So there's a recorded history of her willing to sacrifice us for a man. I got you, Trick." Danny nods, throwing on his own boots.

"Okay, Treat." Danny trusts his brother more than he trusts anyone. They pack up and stick close to each other. Not unusual for them, they've always been close. Danny barely eats because the looks between Brett and his sons and his mother.

Something is absolutely, definitely, insanely...not right.

They hike all day, Danny hates hiking by the way, not that that was taken into consideration. They're on a break when Danny sneaks closer to where his mother and Brett are talking to each other. His phone, the small one that Matt tells him to always have and hide from their mother, recording.

"How much further?"

"Just another hour or two. Then you can slip away and leave them out here." Brett answers. Danny knew something wasn't right. He knew he had a bad feeling. "The boys and I will deal with them. They'll either sign the papers to hand over their trust funds or we'll just have to cash in those insurance policies. We'll never have to worry about money again after that." Their mother nods and Danny watches them start talking about other things for the next few minutes. When they move, Danny stops the recording and sneaks back to Matt.

"You good? Breakfast come back with a vengeance?" Danny stares at him and Matt knows, just knows, that Danny's bad feeling has been proven right. "You good?" Matt asks carefully. Danny signs the word play to his brother. Matt nods. The plan is on.

"Let's get a move on boys." Brett says in an all too friendly manner.