Behind those icy blue eyes

Chapter 6 Pictures of happiness

       Grayson

          Grayson found himself, with Avery still beside him, in the Hawthorne Foundation. The first thing he noticed were the pictures on the walls. Gone were the black and white photographs.                   They had been almost all been of people he had seen and met over the course of his lifetime. He had made a game with himself (Not to long after learning to use a camera) to see if he could take pictures of people without them realizing it. Most of the time he won the little game, but sometimes people caught him taking pictures of them. There were times some people got angry, yet once they knew who had taken the picture, they were all too happy to have that picture taken.  Grayson used to wonder what they would say to their family when they got home. That they had their picture taken by no other than Grayson Hawthorne!                                                  By the time he was ten he was famously known for being one of the best and youngest photographer in the world!  He got random requests all the time to be the photographer for weddings, birthday parties, graduations, anniversaries, funerals, and even baby showers!  There were very few that he actually accepted. Most he gracefully declined.

         But now, all those photos were gone. They were replaced with colored ones. Familiar ones. Taking a closer look he realized they were all pictures recapping his life. He turned toward Avery.

     "Why am I here?" he asked. "Why are these photos up and not the other ones?"

     "There're up for a reason."

     "And the reason is?" Grayson was getting impatient.

      "The reason is to make you remember the good thing that have happened in your life. Look at the pictures, they are all of good times, not bad.  You're like me, we tend to forget the good times because the things we remember are the bad."

      Grayson did look. He saw his mother holding him, not long after being born. She was beaming with joy. There was another of his grandfather holding him when he was three. He vividly recalled that day: they were at the annual football game, and it was his first. The old man had held him in his arms, showing him off to anyone and everyone. Grayson remembered being so exhausted after.  Pictures of his him and his brothers playing games: Hawthorne chess, chutes and ladders- Hawthorne style, bowling, and the old favorite: hide and seek.

        There were other memories that had happened as if it had been captured on camera. Swimming in the pool, Skiing, taking photographs, riding horses with Nash, blowing up things with Xander just for the fun of it, running through the tunnels with Jameson, laughing, and much more.  The memories became almost overwhelming.

       "Why are you showing me this? Why not one of my brothers?"

       She shrugged. "I don't know."

      "Yes, you do." He gave her a look. "You had better tell me Miss Grambs." using his Heir Apparent voice.

      Now it was her turn to give him a look. "You know you can be quite the brat when you want to."

       He didn't even flinch. "I have been called worse."

      That got her to laugh, which made him uncharacteristically smile as well. "Fine." she huffed, "If one of your brothers had showed you this would you have listened?" she plowed on before he could answer. "You have trouble listening or trusting anyone. And I get it. I am the same way. We are really good at protecting ourselves, and not wanting anything. But Grayson, I am learning that it is okay to want thing and let others in. I think now it is your turn to go down the road, and see what is important to you, even if others don't like it. Look back at the times that made you anger, sad, scared, and frustrated. Then look at the times that made you laugh, smile, feel happy, and cheerful. And then decide which you would rather in your life and make your chose.  But just keep in mind that there are people who love you dearly, myself included, who want only the best for you."

        Grayson drew a ragged breath. "What if I don't want to go down that road."

       "You will be fine." she reassuringly smiled.

       "You are not coming with me then." 

      She shook her head. "This is your journey, not mine."

      Before she disappeared to the back of his mind, he took her hand and held it for a moment. Looking into her brown eyes, he whispered thank you. Then she faded away.  

        He sighed. Glancing at nearby picture, he transported back through time.