Grey Thorns

Chapter 20- The damned and the blessed

Liam's Point of View°>♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

"Father, there's gotta be another way?" I say with my voice painfully strained. Jacob had no emotion in his face but his eyes looked at me frantically. "Liam..." he mouths to me. I'm trying everything for him. "No son. It must be done. You know the law." father answers coldly. "But you are a king-"

"And he is not royalty worthy! Now, drop it or I'll make sure you'll go through worse." he threatens and Jacob steps forward to me."I'll be alright, Liam. Let me go." he says slowly as if calm but I knew he wasn't. He knew he was going to die. I glance at father who was waiting impatiently so I take a step forward and he hugs me. I didn't know what or how to think. I do know respect for my father is lost, and wont return for my next century to come.

"I'll come back." he sobs in my chest and I pull my head down to his shoulder. I was practically suffocating him. "I know you will."

"Come on boy." father says harshly and he takes a step back from me as father ties his hands behind his back. "You were always the blessed one, Liam. I was born the damned. Cherish your royalty for you have a given soul. You were always the first. You know this." he says back to me as father walks him to the altar.

His death was nearly soundless as I watched bravely. Sickened at my fathers cold heart, his mind didn't seem to care. I began to wonder if I could ever become so cold through time.

Even cold enough to kill my own son. No. I may of seen a lot of death and caused most of it but I could never kill my own blood. I stare blankly at his body, the scars prominent on his back from the masses that caused his death."Son, leave." father orders. His guards stood still, respectively. I knew my mother was outside the door for she wasn't strong enough to watch. I nod and take a last look at what used to be my only brother before exiting. My mother was already weeping silently on a bench. Small eye contact was made as I closed the door behind me but I was too sickened at the fact she were able to ever feel love for him.

So I walk right passed her.

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Max's Point Of View---------------------------------------------------------------------

He walks straight passed me when I go to greet him. Looking down, body language shy. Is he mad at me? I don't recall doing anything to make him mad? I kept hoping he'd mentally tell me in class but the only thing I got was a No.

I understood guys want their space so I left him to himself during lunch, which I found him sitting by a far pine tree looking into the distance. His eyes seemed hardened like stone.

He doesn't even notice me. It gets even worse when he doesn't show up the next day. I don't know where he went.I wake up around midnight and feel an odd touch to my arm. It wasn't pain nor was it soothing so I look down and feel it. It felt raised in the area so I look closer. My skin almost had a powdery look to it.

I begin to panic and fully sit up to check my other arm and sure enough it was there too, making me worry it was the demon's trick again. The blotchy patched now started to burn and itch but I forced myself not to touch it so I run to the bathroom and run my skin under cold water but the handle suddenly turns along with the water going hot and I hiss and pull back, turning off the water and shutting the light off. Okay, I'll just ignore them, is it safe to ignore them?

Just then I hear light footsteps and open my eyes again. Perfect timing as always. But there was a glimmer to his cheeks as if wet.

I stand up and hes quick to hug me and bury his cheek to my neck leaving me completely confused. "Max, I should-"