✓ | Curse Breaker ⋆ Julian Blackthorn [1]

ix. HONESTY AS ANSWER

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CHAPTER NINE: HONESTY AS ANSWER

❛do what is right, not what is easy.❜

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Mark Blackthorn passed out at the second the Fair Folk emissaries left the Los Angeles Institute.

Zoya couldn't have said she was surprised when it happened; the blonde boy had been exposed to too much pressure. All the watchful gazes were glued to him and Jules - although Zoya didn't blame him - kept on calling his name in hopes of reminding his brother where he truly was.

The tender, but persistent behavior pushed Mark to the edge; the abyss beneath him was deepening, luring him into the growing darkness. Although no one meant to pressure Mark or make him feel vulnerable, the brokenness took its toll on the boy.

Zoya noticed it in his eyes; the way his bicolored orbs cracked like a piece of glass. The liveliness of them sipped away slowly, abandoning the blonde mercilessly. It almost fooled Zoya into thinking that Mark Blackthorn didn't remember any of his previous life, but didn't want to disappoint his brother, deciding on keeping his mouth shut instead of causing Julian pain.

Her theory was only proven to be correct when Mark's heart made a slip and tricked him into calling Julian 'father'.

To say that Julian looked absolutely mortified when he heard the word leaving Mark's lips would have been an understatement. His skin paled in the time span of a second, his excitement dying instantly. His shoulders began trembling and Zoya could've sworn she saw a bitter gulp that he was desperately struggling to swallow.

Now, Julian, Emma and Zoya watched Mark as he kept on sleeping in his bed. For the first time since Zoya had laid her eyes on him, Mark appeared peaceful. His head was sunken into his soft pillow, blonde locks spilling around his youthful face as the rays of the sun would.

Gentle breeze noiselessly crawled its way into the room, swaying the transparent curtains from left to right. Particles of dust that lingered in the air, illuminated by the warm glow, were the only decoration in the room of the returned Blackthorn - seeing that Julian had cleared his brother's room a long time ago.

The brunette Blackthorn boy was the first one to speak, his eyes never once abandoning his brother's frame. "He's so thin. He hardly weighs anything at all."

Emma and Zoya exchanged a silent glance, weak smiles sent to their friend. It was so obvious that Jules was affected by Mark's return; his heart was ferociously jumping in his chest, both from excitement and fear of the unknown. His face, on the other hand, remained blank.