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CROWN OF THORNES
𝖒.𝖇.𝖙.
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𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐅. 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐘 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐃. It messes with one's mind. Make them think about crazy things, like how to revive the dead or look for their reincarnation. Just anything that would make them feel and think that the person that they lost can still be walking in the face of the earth, no matter how stupid it sounds.
Some handle it properly, some handle it poorly, and there are some who simply escaped half the process. That third 'some' naming Miracle Blair Thorne.
"She had a mild concussion. I need to keep her overnight to observe her. But she's doing fine. Could've been worse if she wasn't pushed out of the way." Carlisle said as he stood next to the unconscious Miracle tucked in the blanket on the hospital bed.
Armand nodded as he stared at his little Thorne with his hands in his pockets and his trenchcoat behind his arms.
"Thank you." Armand told Carlisle, offering a hand towards them.
Carlisle gave a small genuine smile before accepting the handshake.
Both of them withdrew from the handshake and glanced at the brunette girl when Carlisle remembered something from when he was taking care of Miracle.
"Armand, Miracle has a bite mark on her left arm. What happened?" Carlisle asked.
Carlisle noticed the scar on Miracle's arm that was shaped like a bite mark as soon as her jacket was removed.
Armand could only stare at Miracle when the memory of how she got those scars played in his head. Unlike the rest of the Thornes, he kept his emotions to himself.
"When you're a Thorne, you're bound to have scars." Armand just replied.
The answer was vague, but it was enough to make Carlisle think that what happened to her was more than just a random ambush attack from their enemies.
Carlisle nodded before he turned around to exit the room, only to be stopped by Armand speaking again.
"Carlisle." Armand called out, making the blonde doctor turn around and face him again.
"My family will be visiting tonight. I heard that your adoptive children might have some questions about Miracle and Malcolm Thorne. I won't be there because I need to stay with Miracle. But I trust Sebastian to tell you everything you need to know." Armand said.
Carlisle furrowed his eyebrows at the man. "Malcolm Thorne? Why would they have questions about Malcolm Thorne?"
"You'll find out tonight." Armand just replied.
The two heads of their own covens stared at each other before the blonde one nodded and eventually exited the room, leaving Armand to look at his youngest adoptive daughter.
It was taking every bit of him to not lash out at the moment. Considering that he has anger issues, all he wanted to do was rip the head off of the reckless kid that almost hit Miracle with his car.
But, he's keeping himself calm for Miracle's sake, just like everything he has been doing is for Miracle's sake. Including blocking all her most painful memories.
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Nightfall came and the Thornes have arrived at the Cullens' house. Veronica was as kind as ever, Parker was still antsy, causing Olivia to always hold his hand and whisper calming things to his ear, and Sebastian was in between calm and mad.
"You have a very lovely home." Veronica said with a genuine smile as she held hands with Esme.
"Thank you." Esme replied with a smile as genuine as Veronica's.
Carlisle appeared next to Esme and offered a handshake towards Sebastian which he accepted.
"Shall we begin?" Sebastian asked.
Carlisle nodded before he and Esme led the Thornes towards the living room where everybody else is.
Edward and Jasper were the first ones to know about the mystery behind Miracle and Malcolm Thorne. Considering they were about to be informed by the Thornes themselves about what happened, they thought it'd be fitting to have the basic knowledge that the two have of the situation. And that was Malcolm suddenly dying last year and Miracle not remembering a thing about him.
"Did Miracle know Malcolm?" Rosalie asked.
Veronica was sat on the chair next to Parker and Olivia while Sebastian stood in front of all of them. Parker had his elbows on his knees as he buried his face in his palms, all while tapping his foot on the floor. Veronica and Olivia are trying their best to calm the man down.
"Yes, the moment we took Miracle in, he was already there. He was just as captivated as we are." Sebastian answered, remembering the smiles on the whole family's faces when they declared Miracle as part of their family.
"Armand is a telepath. Is he the reason why Miracle can't remember him? He erased the memories she had of him?" Alice asked.
Her sweet, yet confused voice urged Sebastian to put a small smile on his face, but with a topic as grim as this one, he doesn't have enough strength to pull off a genuine smile.
"He didn't erase them. He simply created a barrier to block them. Therefore, the memories are still there, just...hidden." Sebastian explained.
Jasper then took it upon himself to ask about the photo.
"That's why she doesn't remember the photo and the message she wrote at the back?" He asked.
Sebastian stared at the honey-blonde vampire before he sighed.
"Miracle didn't write that message." Sebastian answered, making Jasper furrow his eyebrows in confusion.
"But it was labeled with the initials M.B.T." Jasper stated.
Sebastian shook his head before he proceeded to explain.
"M.B.T. doesn't stand for Miracle Blair Thorne. It stands for Malcolm Bennett Thorne." Sebastian said. "He wrote that message. It was where this whole idea started."
The room was quiet for three dreadfully long seconds before one of them decided to speak again.
"Miracle has a bite mark on her left arm. Does it have something to do with this?" Carlisle asked.
Sebastian was about to answer when Parker's voice suddenly popped the calm bubble they were in.
"I can't-I can't do this." Parker stammered as he tried to stand up from the chair but Olivia kept him in place.
"Shh. It's okay, baby. You can do it. I'm here." Olivia whispered as she hugged him tightly, trying her best to keep her husband calm.
"Yes." Sebastian answered, causing everyone to look back at the brunette vampire. "Malcolm attacked Miracle."
The Cullens were taken aback by the answer that left Sebastian's lips. Veronica lowered her head and Parker clenched his fists tight while Olivia continued to comfort him even though she herself was experiencing pain as well.
"He attacked her? How?" Edward asked.
Sebastian sighed deeply, reluctant that he would be able to tell the story without breaking himself. He looked over at his family, seeing how messed up Parker is and how worried Veronica and Olivia are before glancing back at the Cullens.
"Protecting Miracle has always been our top priority. Each of us swore to protect her mortality for as long as we could until the right time comes that she becomes immortal. We swore that we'll protect her...even from ourselves." Sebastian said.
The tension has never been this heavy. No one in the room had their foreheads smoothened. All were created as they continued to listen to Sebastian.
"Aside from me, Malcolm was bad at controlling his bloodlust. But he was desperate to keep it together for Miracle. Though, he became worse than me when he was faced with blood dripping down Miracle's arm." Sebastian said, remembering his sister's terrified face as she placed a hand over her bleeding arm.
"Malcolm was the first to hurt Miracle within the family, and we didn't take it very well, neither did he..." He added before the memory of Malcolm's last night flashed in his mind, as well as in the minds of the rest of the Thornes.
September 2007 | Birmingham, England
"Armand hides our faces for a reason. It's a strategy against our enemies! And you go on and hang a painting in your office that is now apparently bloody stolen?!" Sebastian shouted at Malcolm as they stood in the middle of the living room along with Parker and Olivia.
"How was I supposed to know that someone would have the audacity to break into my office?!" Malcolm yelled back.
With all the shouting from Sebastian and Malcolm, Miracle couldn't help but wake up and kick the blanket away before marching downstairs with her nightgown hidden underneath her robe.
"Can't a human sleep in here?" Miracle said when she had entered the living room.
"Go back to sleep, Miracle." Parker said.
Miracle rolled her eyes and further walked into the room.
"I'm not eight anymore. I'm seventeen. I can handle these things." Miracle said. "Now, what the hell are you guys shouting about at four in the bloody morning?"
"Mal's portrait was stolen," Sebastian said.
Miracle widened her eyes before she flickered her gaze from Sebastian to Malcolm who was standing with his back facing her.
"What?! Armand will kill you!" Miracle said while she approached the man and looked at him in the eyes.
"Don't you think I know that?" Malcolm replied with gritted teeth.
Armand and Veronica were out, as usual. They conduct their businesses while the sun is out to prevent themselves from getting exposed.
Malcolm turned his back on Sebastian and Miracle as he paced back and forth, running his hands in his hair and down his face in frustration.
"Hey." Miracle said as she approached him and placed a hand on his arm. "We'll figure something out."
"Just leave me alone." Malcolm said before he shook his arm to remove Miracle's hand, only for her finger to get pricked by his cuff pin, drawing a bit of blood.
Miracle hissed in pain as she looked at the small wound on her finger. Unaware of how much the four vampires surrounding her was feeling, Miracle took her finger in her mouth to sip the blood.
"It's fine." Miracle said.
And when she looked up, that was when she saw the look on Malcolm's face as he stared at the girl's finger.
"Mal?" She called out.
It was like the rest of the world had fallen away and the only thing he could see was Miracle, and not in a good way.
Sebastian, seeing the look on Malcolm's face, suddenly pulled Miracle back too harsh to get her away from Malcolm who was currently blood-crazed.
Miracle was sent flying against the wall, crashing into the many vintage displays as she dropped to the floor harshly.
Malcolm made a move to go after Miracle and both Sebastian and Parker threw him against the opposite wall, falling rather harshly on the ground only to stand back up in a second.
Parker and Olivia held each of Malcolm's arms as they attempted to keep him in place.
"Mal. Calm yourself. It's just a little..." Sebastian trailed off when the scent of sweet blood became strong. "...blood."
Parker, Olivia, and Sebastian slowly looked at Miracle and saw her whimpering as she sat upright on the ground, a hand on top of the bloody wound on her left arm.
Her hazel-brown eyes became terrified as she looked at how her family stared at her. As if the only thing they see was the blood dripping down her arm, not the face of the person that they are so fond of.
"Shit." Miracle muttered under her breath as breathed heavily.
While the three vampires are occupied with trying not to attack the bloodied girl on the ground, Malcolm pushed Olivia and Parker away from him to remove their grasps and soon threw Sebastian against the wall before he sped towards Miracle.
"Mal, no!" Olivia shrieked.
Malcolm grabbed a hold of the horrified Miracle and sank his fangs on the girl's arm, erupting an ear-piercing scream from her throat at the feeling of Malcolm's teeth on her flesh.
Sebastian held his hand up and gave Malcolm an aneurysm, feeling the blood vessels in his brain pop over and over again which caused him to retract his teeth from Miracle and groan in pain.
His hands made their way to his head as he felt the immense headache inflicted by his adoptive brother.
Suddenly, the front door of their home swung open, and in came Veronica and Armand.
The head of the family grabbed Malcolm by the shoulder and threw him against the same wall he was thrown into earlier while Veronica went to help Miracle who felt like her whole body was burning inside out.
Parker and Sebastian sped their way towards Malcolm and held him by the arms as Olivia placed both her hands on his neck, turning his neck and throat into solid stone as he choked.
"I leave all of you alone for ten bloody seconds and this is what I come home to?!" Armand shouted with overwhelming fury.
They swore they saw Armand's golden-brown eyes turn a shade darker as he glared at the four vampires.
"Armand." Veronica called out.
He whipped his head towards his wife and his youngest adoptive daughter, seeing the bite mark on her arm as she bled and screamed in pain.
Armand sucked in a breath as his fury grew more intense before he looked back at Malcolm. He gave a quick glance towards the blonde-haired vampire holding Malcolm's neck before he spoke.
"Ollie." Armand said.
Olivia looked at his foster father and saw him nod. She sighed deeply before letting go of his neck and allowing the stone from his neck and throat to disappear.
Malcolm coughed harshly as he felt the debris of the stones inside his throat.
Armand stepped towards Malcolm and kneeled in front of him to have him at eye level.
"You said you had it under control." Armand said, his voice a whisper but still holding the deadly tone he always uses. "Look at her."
Malcolm's eyes shifted towards Miracle who proceeded to scream as more blood dripped down her arm. Veronica could only wrap a piece of cloth around the scar she got from the broken antiques but she couldn't do anything for the bite that Malcolm gave her.
Malcolm's blood-crazed expression slowly softened and turned into a regretful one as he stared at the suffering girl until he shook and lowered his head.
"What did I do?" Malcolm muttered under his breath.
Malcolm squeezed his eyes shut as more pain-filled screams erupted from Miracle's throat.
"We'll figure this out." Armand said before he stood up.
"Just kill me already." Malcolm whispered.
The vampires turned their heads towards Malcolm as astounded looks were plastered across their faces.
"Mal, stop talking." Parker told his best friend.
"Just kill me!" Malcolm shrieked as he looked up.
Miracle's panic-stricken hazel-brown eyes looked over at Miracle when he shrieked and Armand stared at his trusted right hand while he looked up at him with pleading eyes.
"I've tasted her blood. And it was so sweet, I don't know if I could stop. I don't know if I would stop." Malcolm said before shifting his gaze towards the brunette girl a couple of feet away from him. "And I'd rather die than hurt her any further."
"Mal." Miracle mumbled before the burning pain intensified and sent her screaming louder.
Armand clenched his jaw as he stared at Malcolm before turning his back on him and stepped away from him a bit. He removed his trenchcoat and rested it on the arm of the couch before adjusting the cuffs of his dress shirt.
"Armand, you're not actually considering this, are you?" Parker asked him.
The head of the family once again faced them and glanced at the anxious Parker while he proceeded to hold Malcolm in place.
"Malcolm's right." Armand answered.
Parker's eyes widened at the man's response.
"The hell he is!" Parker exclaimed.
Armand approached Parker with his body still tensed as everybody else's bodies were.
"Mal is a threat to Miracle. Everybody in this room knows that Malcolm would never forgive himself for hurting her. It would haunt him for eternity and as his family, we must give what's best for him." Armand explained to Parker.
"It's fine, Parker. Just grant me this last wish." Malcolm said as he looked up at Parker. "Maybe you'll finally get to replace me as the best baseball player in this family."
Parker scoffed, a smile forming on his lips filled with mixed feelings.
Armand then moved away from Parker and looked back at Malcolm.
"Ollie, get the lighter ready." Armand said without averting his eyes from Malcolm.
"Maybe we should-" Olivia said with her shaky voice until Armand cut her off.
"I know you're scared, Ollie. But get. the lighter. ready." He said.
Olivia's lower lip trembled as she flickered her gaze between each of her family members before walking away to get the lighter.
"Ver, what's happening?" Miracle asked her foster mother in between breaths.
"Shh. Save your strength." Veronica said.
"Miracle." The brunette girl heard Malcolm call out, causing her to look at him even though she was in immense pain.
"I love you, okay? I love you." Malcolm said. "I'm so sorry I did this to you."
"W-What is happening?" Miracle asked, suspecting that something bad was about to happen.
Olivia came back with a lighter in hand and that's when Miracle figured it out.
"Wait. Wait!" Miracle said as she forced herself to stand in order to run towards Malcolm only to be stopped by Veronica as she stood up as well to hold her in place.
"Let me go!" Miracle exclaimed.
Tears started to stream down the girl's face as she stared at Malcolm in horror.
"Shh. Miracle, it's okay." Malcolm told her, pain swallowing him whole while he looked at her scared expression. "Everything's gonna be okay."
Armand gulped as he watched Malcolm say his goodbyes to Miracle.
"No. No!" She exclaimed as she shook her head and tried to break free from Veronica's grasps.
Malcolm swallowed hard before closing his eyes, readying himself for what was to come.
"Armand, please!" Miracle screamed.
Armand ignored the pleas of her youngest daughter and simply stared at the man bent down on his knees with his eyes closed, ready to accept his faith.
"May I rest in a bed of rose petals." Malcolm muttered under his breath, a saying that the Thornes recite when someone kind or close to them died.
"No! Please!" Miracle struggled under Veronica's grasps as she as well watched her adoptive son's execution.
Armand raised his hand and rapidly sliced it through the man's neck, his head falling and rolling on top of the carpet.
"Aaahhh!" Miracle shrieked in pain as she broke down in Veronica's arms.
Tears never stopped running down the girl's cheeks as everyone else stared grievously at the man's head and decapitated body.
"That's how Malcolm died?" Esme asked with a shocked expression plastered across her face and the rest of the Cullens'.
"We did what we always do. Protect Miracle." Sebastian said.
"But still, taking away her memories of her adoptive brother is not good for her." Jasper stated.
Sebastian tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at the honey-blonde vampire in front of him.
"Did I not mention?" Sebastian asked.
The Cullens looked at the brunette vampire in confusion as they waited for the addition to his response.
"Malcolm wasn't just another adoptive brother of Miracle." Sebastian said. "Malcolm was Miracle's first love."
"Armand, please! I can't live without him. Please, you know how much I love him. You gave him your blessing for fuck's sake! Look at me!" Miracle shrieked.
Armand ignored his daughter's pleas and looked at Olivia. Her lips quivered as she shook her head, not able to do what her foster father was asking of her.
Sebastian approached Olivia and took the lighter from her as he pulled his sister into a hug.
"It's all right. I'll do it." Sebastian said.
He caressed her back before he pulled away and stepped up towards Malcolm's body.
Sebastian looked down at the lighter and flicked it open before looking over at his youngest sibling.
"Sebastian, please. Please don't do this. I'm begging you!" Miracle exclaimed before screaming again in pain because of the burning sensation enveloping her whole body.
"He just wants to keep you safe. We all do." Sebastian told her.
Miracle sobbed harder as she shook her head in disagreement. Flashes of memories she had with Malcolm as they shared the love they have for each other was slowly eating her alive.
Sebastian then let go of the lighter and allowed the fire to engulf the entirety of Malcolm's body.
Another wave of pain-filled screams erupted from Miracle's throat as Veronica slowly let her sit on the floor, she herself also holding back her sobs.
Parker closed his eyes as he clenched his jaw, swallowing every bit of pain he was feeling towards the death of his best friend.
Olivia could only place a hand over her mouth while she watched her adoptive brother burn brightly. Sebastian joined her side and pulled her once again into a hug.
Armand stared and stood before the burning body of his former trusted right hand with his hands clenched into fists beside him.
"May you rest on a bed of rose petals." Armand recited among the sound of Miracle's heart-wrenching screams.
"Armand sucked the venom out of the bite right after. He said it wasn't Miracle's time. That she has a lot more to experience." Olivia said, her voice a bit shaky due to remembering that tragic night.
"Miracle and Malcolm planned to marry when she turns twenty-one, which would've given them a lot of time to let their love grow. But she hasn't even reached legality and her groom-to-be was already dead in front of her. The grief was slowly eating her alive. We knew it was only a matter of time before she would attempt to follow him." Sebastian explained.
Jasper swallowed hard as he leaned back on the couch, looking away from the brunette vampire as he thought about how Miracle could've handled the situation.
"I still stand by what Jasper said. You shouldn't have taken her memories. She needs to go through the grieving process in order to move on." Edward stated.
Sebastian was about to respond when Parker took it upon himself to answer.
"You don't understand!" Parker exclaimed in an anxious way. "The man she loved was executed by her own family right in front of her eyes. It traumatized her. We didn't take her memories away against her will, she asked for it!"
The Cullens looked at Parker with still shocked expressions plastered across their faces. The information seemed to be too much to handle all at once.
Parker stood up from his seat all while Olivia tried to stop him.
"She begged Armand to take the pain away. To block all the memories she has of him. She gave us an ultimatum. Either he takes away their memories or she kills herself." Parker explained.
"You didn't see her face. When we looked at her, it was like Miracle wasn't even there anymore. It was just a hollow shell. We were scared of what she might do to herself. So, Armand agreed." Sebastian said.
The pleading face of Miracle while tears dampened her cheeks flashed in Sebastian's mind. He heard the cries and the pleas of the girl as she sat on Malcolm's bedroom floor surrounded by the photographs he had taken.
"She told Armand to burn all of Malcolm's things so that she won't see them. She told us to keep our mouths shut about him. She told us to prevent anything that might break the barriers that Armand would assemble. That's what we're doing now." Olivia said.
Veronica stood up from her seat as she finally spoke.
"Don't bring up Malcolm when Miracle's around. Her mind is quite oddly strong, it could easily tear down the walls Armand had built." She said. "Hiding her memories away was her decision to make and no one else's. We respect that. You should, too."
The Cullens simply shared a glance as they register the intense information that the Thornes had dropped on them.
Jasper spaced out after that, thinking about the possible ways that he could hurt Miracle. And each and every one was supposed to discourage the honey-blonde vampire to pursue the brunette girl. But still, he didn't want to let go of her.
She had suffered a tragic loss. A loss of her first love. Yes, he might be a threat to her as well. Yes, he also wouldn't let himself live if he even so much as prick her finger. But no, he won't give up on her.
Miracle deserves to be loved now more than ever. And he wants to be the one to do that.
Malcolm was her first love. Jasper aspires to be her last.
There you have it, folks! The full story of Malcolm Thornes' death. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.