Chapter 2: Searching

"We should disguise as each other! You can take my post for me and I can tell you stories about the ordinary folks' world!" Oz exclaims, beaming happily in satisfaction. "Oz!" Ada shrieks, "That's a risky plan. Plus, I don't look a thing like you." She sighs and shakes her head.

Oz looks at Ada with pleading green eyes. "It'll work if we find a wig for you," he explains, pointing to the vapid and colorful pile of hair, "plus, we can swap outfits and such." Ada groans, her uncertainties with Oz's ideas were growing stronger.

"Move your hair," Oz requests while plopping a spiky blond wig on top of Ada. She stares at the mirror and grumbles. "I still don't think this will work, Oz, and it isn't worth it. Besides, I'm in my teens and you're 25. It's easy to figure out that," she starts to rant before Oz grabs a pile of spare clothes and throws it in her direction. "Here," he grins while putting the wigs back in Miss Kate's fake wood closet and dashing out the room.

"I guess it's too late to turn back now…brother has his sights set on this," she thinks to herself while looking at the spiky wig pitifully.

The vendors of the Reveil open marketplace sing a euphony of calls that advertise their products.

"Meat! Meat! I've got fresh cuts of meat!"

"Kittens! Who wants an adorable, fuzzy kitten?"

"Pocket watches! Come get your pocket watches!"

In the midst of these chants (and the gossip of everyday consumers), Oz quietly pushes his way through the crowd to explore. His dainty frame is hidden in a frill, overly poufy lavender dress that he "borrowed" from Ada's gigantic collection of clothes. His short, spiky hair is also covered up by a long, wavy-haired, cheap wig.

"Hey," a voice calls out while grabbing Oz by the corset-covered waist, "I've never seen you in these parts, and I'm sure that I'd remember a pretty face like yours."

"Oh, thanks," Oz chimes while grimacing inside. The man that the voice belongs to has a shabby appearance, with greasy fire-red hair, red sores that glowed all over his face, and flimsy clothes. "What's your name, miss? I'm Fritz Mueller," he slimily greets, putting his arm around Oz's shoulder. He feels a shiver go down his spine, but resists the urge to flinch.

"I'm Ophelia," he gleefully chirps while giving Fritz a cheesy and obviously fake grin. "Oh…I'm new here. Since you seem to know this area well, can you please show me the way?" he asks Fritz, staring at him with puppy dog eyes. "For someone like you, of course I will," Fritz responds in an overly exaggerated tone. His small, beady turquoise eyes are fixated on "Ophelia", nor on the road or anything else. Oz notices this and looks away from Fritz's scornful face.

While Fritz raves about the famous statue of Jack Vessalius and his story, Oz silently creeps away from Fritz's sight. Fritz, being engrossed with impressing "Ophelia" with his plethora of knowledge, fails to notice that he's talking to a nonexistent audience. He only continues talking as Oz runs as fast as he can towards an empty and dense forest in the distance.

"I couldn't stand being with him for another minute, he gives me the creeps," he bitterly remarks while shuddering. He grabs "his" frilly dress and lifts up its skirts so that he can cross the muddy, smelly bog without ruining his sister's possession. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all," the young cross-dressing duke ponders, staring at the pitch-black night sky. The forest backdrop only adds to the mysterious appearance of a starless night. The sounds of owls, crickets, and crows lingers in the air and despite Oz's presence, the forest looks untouched and lost to the world.

The uncertain look on Oz's boyish face slowly transforms into a curious grin. "I bet this has quite a few neat hideaways! I'm sure that Ada won't mind waiting a bit longer," he asserts to himself while observing every little detail in the forest precariously.

In what seems like seconds to the overly curious blonde, Oz ends up on the other side of the dark forest. Right next to the passage between the shady trees and civilization is a sign that says "Reveil, 3 mi". The landscape around the trees is far from subpar; it's a sparkling lake with the moon reflected on it, surrounded by strands of wild grass, cattails, and various species of flowers that Oz has never seen before in his life. Sitting by the unspoiled lake is someone with long, straight blonde hair that is even longer than Ada's and a black coat that droops down to the floor. Slowly and cautiously, Oz tiptoes to the mysterious person of the lake.

"Sit down Oz, no need to be shy," the person coolly soothes to Oz when he is directly behind him/her. Oz instinctively sits down, careful not to ruin his sister's tight, luxurious dress. The person's attention is on the water below, so Oz can only see the long bangs that cover his/her face.

"How do you know my name?" Oz asks with a puzzled expression etched on his face.

"Let's just say that I've heard a lot about you and all the wonderful things that you've done," he/she responds while turning his/her attention to Oz. Oz scrutinizes the stranger's face, now that it is in view. It's clear that this person is a man. Although his face isn't exactly chiseled, it's definitely more handsome than cute. There's one peculiar thing that Oz notices about him though: his eyes. They are in different colors, his right eye is the color of fools' gold and his left eye is wine red. Oz is fixated on the man's bizarre eye colors; he hasn't seen anyone with gold eyes let alone red.

"Who exactly are you?" he manages to gasp before he's yet again distracted by the man's irregular features.

"I'm Vincent, just Vincent," he retorts with a sly grin.

Oz is far from satisfied with Vincent's blunt answer. "Nothing else?" he asks.

"Hmm," Vincent hums while pondering to himself, "I suppose the Dukeof Vessalius deserves to know the truth. I'm a child of misfortune, Oz. You shouldn't go near me," he clarifies, grinning malevolently.

Vincent's imitating stare is enough to convince Oz that he's not lying under his breath. His heart starts beating faster (and FASTER) than any other time in his life. His instincts scream to "run like hell" and forget about exploring for a few days, but when Oz tries to move one muscle, Vincent clutches his right arm in a grip too tight to escape from. "Why are you running away?" he unstably laughs while holding a pair of blood-stained scissors. Gradually, the scissor's blades move closer and closer to Oz's neck until he could feel their sharp ends poking him. Oz tries to struggle free, but fails miserably as Vincent's grip tightens.

"Don't worry…I'll release you soon enough. Just listen to what I have to say and you'll be fine," Vincent assuages to Oz while grinning exuberantly. Oz shuts his mouth and listens closely to what the insane man has to say, hoping that he's truthful to his word.

"I have an older brother," he confesses, "He, unlike myself, will not bring any misfortune to anyone. In fact, he's a really good and virtuous person. Sadly, he doesn't seem to think that way. A few weeks ago, he shut himself from society due to believing that he harbors the same curse that I have. If I find him, then he'll just run away again, so you should find him for me. His name is Gilbert, but he goes by the alias Raven. To see him again…it's all I want." Vincent drops his pair of scissors and releases Oz from his grasp.

Oz nods. "How will I know it's him and not someone else though?" he shakily inquires.

"You'll see…he's very easy to notice," Vincent softly chimes. "Also, before I go, Oz, remember: I will know if you look for him or not. If you don't, I'll be coming after you," he adds before disappearing from the scene completely. Oz gulps and runs back into the forest.

Vincent ends up hiding above the daunting trees and floating in the night sky, surrounded by a canvas of blue and black colors. "Go find him," he whispers, "don't let me down."