Genesis's POV

"Hey buddy, what's your poison?" The bartender asked as I took a seat at the beaten up old bar.

I frowned, pulling at a strand of hair that had come loose from my braid. "I prefer potassium chloride usually, why do you ask?"

There was an awkward pause before I looked up to see what the problem was. The young bartender stared at me with his brows furrowed and his jaw slightly open. It was then I realized what I had said. "Oh, you mean- I'll take a dry martini please."

After a moment the bartender shook his head and nodded offering me a small, confused smile.

I let my head drop onto the rough wood of the bar and sighed heavily. It had the only been a few hours since I'd been back in town and I was already regretting calling Axel to pick me up.

I'm sure I would have figured out a way to get out of police custody without him but honestly, I didn't have the energy and just chose the easiest option which was Axel.

Recently I had just been so exhausted that I couldn't find the energy to do the simplest things. Maybe it was because I hadn't really stopped since that horrible day.

It was the only way I could keep going through because if I stopped my mind would play everything on repeat and I would be stuck in the constant cycle of 'what if's' and that was a place I didn't want to be.

I was already on the edge, balancing on a razor blade. It was already becoming harder and harder to stay still. I was getting close to falling over the edge and I knew there would be no coming back from there.

There would be no redemption or savior. It would just be me and the darkness that would consume me.

I couldn't put a name to the pain that ached inside of me. I didn't know if it was grief, or anger or regret.

The pain was like the ocean. It came in waves, engulfs and overwhelms. The darkness unfolded, strangling my veins with a bitter vengeance. It cobwebbed and tangled my brain. My heart and soul were forced to play helical mind games.

I was lost in time, trying to seek the light that would offer me the relief I craved so deeply. The tears that I refused to let fall built up in my eyes like a flooding dam and I wasn't sure if I could hold them back for much longer. Ease, comfort, and peace refused me while this pain continued to abuse me. Leaving scars and bruises that weren't clear to anyone but me.

The voices laughed, playing in my head like a broken record.

Whispering while I stood, sat and lay numb. It surged with every expelled breath, always reaching higher peaks, never sufficiently soothed by my long intakes of the damp air.

"Genesis." My gun was out and in my hand before the person even finished saying my name. The weight of the weapon felt familiar in my hand and that somehow brought comfort to my damaged soul.

A glass smashed from somewhere but I didn't focus on the other patrons that surrounded us. All I could see, hear, smell was the boy in front of me. Because that was all Thorn Kingston was really. A boy.

A boy who had been raised into an execrable world. Where criminals escaped justice, the corrupt ran our countries and social media destroyed our self-esteem.

That's why people like me existed. Sure I was just as bad as the others but I didn't kill innocents. I killed the people who helped destroy our world. Who turned it into a place that people no longer wanted to raise children in or live in for a moment longer.

When you think about it I'm doing everyone a favor. I couldn't put a stop to the cruel intentions of social media. I couldn't stop the thing that reduces your self-control and increases your vulnerability to advertisers. I couldn't stop the theft of your free will and your given intellect. But I could stop people like Thorn's parents. The people that only wanted kids for their own personal gain, who tried to raise a monstrosity but were only disappointed to find that their kid was stronger against the harshness of life than they thought.

Thorn was still a boy as I was still a girl but that didn't mean we were oblivious. No, we had each seen far too much and there was no taking back those horrors.

"Genesis," Thorn said again and my hands started to shake. Fuck. 

I blinked and my eye zeroed in on Thorn. 

He looked different.

 In reality, nothing had changed. His hair was still midnight black albeit a little longer, his skin was still tanned and smooth, his lips were still full and pink. Maybe it was his eyes. They were still that deep silver that never failed to shake me to my core but now there was a depth to them I've never said before. A darkness that I saw in myself every time I looked in the mirror.

Thorn's hand settled over mine as he lowered the gun I still had pointed at him. However, I still refused to look at him instead of turning to the bartender who was staring at me as though this happened all the time. "I don't want any trouble you hear? If there is you can take it outside and preferably away from my bar. Blood is a bitch to clean." 

A simple nod from me seemed to satisfy him as he placed my martini on the bar top and walked away to serve someone else. See this is why I pick the most run-down bars I could find? This place looked a if it had seen more violence than I had and that was saying something.

Dropping back into my seat, I placed my gun on the scratched up bar and took a nice long gulp of my drink. I burnt as it went down my throat but I reveled in the burn.

Thorn settled into the seat beside me and sat silently as I ran my finger around the edge of my martini glass.

"You know I should be really pissed at you right now," Thorn said his voice sounding abnormally loud in the quiet bar.

I remained stubbornly silent not even daring a look at I'm sure the disappointed expression that would sit on Thorn's face. "We all really missed you. Even Prince seems to look for you wherever he goes." At the mention of my dog, my heart constricted in my chest. Oh, so you do still work? That's nice to know I guess.

"Things haven't been the same since you left and Sapphire and Crystal di-" He cut himself off abruptly and I physically flinched at the sound of my best friends names. "Gen I did-"

As usual to hide the hurt that was becoming more of a permanent emotion in my life now I turned it into anger. Snapping my head in his direction, I glowered at Thorn. "You say it like it was a fucking accident. Just something that inconveniences you. Well sorry to ruin your little fantasy but they didn't just die, Thorn, they were both tortured and then murdered by the people I'm paid to kill so no they didn't just die, they were killed because I was too busy trying to win a chess while Caspian was playing a completely different board game altogether."

Pushing myself up I snatched my gun off the bartop and replaced it with some cash. I then spun on my heel and left the bar only to come face to face with Axel who was casually leaning against an Aston Martin. Thorn followed shortly behind and stopped to the right of me, his hands shoved in his pockets and a mournful expression on his face.

"What the fuck is this? Some kind of intervention?" I asked, glaring at Axel who shrugged.

"It could be but if we really wanted to intervene you I would have brought Mcscowly and Carrot top too, as well as the kid to guilt-trip you."

"Well aren't you just the sweetest?" I said with mock interest as my eyes quickly darted left then right looking for my easiest escape.

"Get in the car Genesis," Axel said, taking a step toward me.

I looked up at him. "I think I'm good thanks."

Thorn stepped closer to me but was careful not to touch me, his eyes dropping to the gun I still held in my hand. "Gen please..." Then a sly smirk spread on Thorn's pretty face. "I took a bullet for you, it's the least you could do."

My eyes narrowed as a surge of guilt speared through me. Fucking bastard.

Scowling I turned back to Axel. "Turns out you didn't need Alex to guilt trip me after all. It must run in their blood." I sighed as I gestured for Axel to open the door.

Again he shrugged, sending a wink over my shoulder at the guy in discussion. "I guess not. Although that brother of his can be pretty terrifying when he wants to be."

My lips twitched upwards as I flicked the safety back on my gun before shoving it down the waistband of my skinny jeans. "I see he's put my lessons to use then."

Thorn moved around me and opened the car door and while he stood there he sent me a half-hearted glare. "We'll discuss you teaching my six-year-old brother your wicked ways later."

A demeaning chuckle slipped past my lips. "It's nothing any child doesn't really need to know."

Thorn scoffed as he slid in the back beside me, slamming the door slightly harder than he should have. "I don't think a child needs to know how to blackmail, threaten and kill easily before their even able to understand what those word mean."

Both Axel and I shared a look in the rearview mirror after he had climbed into the front seat. "We did." We said simultaneously.

Thorn shook his head from beside me and I took that as an indication that the conversation was over, well for now at least.

In the seat in front of me, Axel put the car into gear and started speeding down the road towards an unknown destination. For the first time in years, nerves knotted up my stomach in a way that made me feel physically sick. I chewed on my lip as I turned to watch the blur of the outside scenery pass at a rapid pace.

I could feel a muscle twitch involuntarily at the corner of my right eye, my mouth forming a rigid grimace. With arms folded tightly across my chest  and I tapped my foot furiously, all while I stared out of the grimy window.

A hand moved to rest on my thigh causing me to snap my head towards Thorn. "Relax Gen, we're not taking you to your execution."

A snort of disbelief left me. "As if you could kill me."

"And what makes you think I can't?"

My lips twisted up into a depraved smile. "If Axel can't even manage to simply wound me then you don't stand a chance sweetheart."

His eyes went round and his nostrils flared as he turned to look at Axel. "You tried to kill her?"

Axel grinned wryly. "Yup. Tired for two years before I gave up."

Thorns stare focused back on me, disbelief sparkling in his silver eyes. "B-but you two are so close? Why-what?"

A laugh bubbled from my chest. It was a laughter that I could feel in my lungs, so hard that it took my breath away. The lack of oxygen didn't matter. All the anguish of the past few months melted like snowballs in a microwave. This laughter created a small vacation, a blessed relief from all the distress that shoved its way into my brain. For a single moment, the loss and pain did not matter. I lost the tightness in my chest. The muscles in my neck relaxed and the nerves from earles dissipated alongside it.

I had forgotten how good it felt to laugh and the best part was that I was laughing about something that wasn't really funny. Sure watching Thorn lose his cool, collected exterior was joyful but didn't deserve the laughter that was echoing around the car.

When I finally managed to calm down Thorn's eyes were on my and a sincere smile sat on his lips. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing," He hummed, nudging his shoulder with mine. "Seriously though why did he try to kill you?" He thought for a moment. "Honestly I'm not surprised, I have to battle not to throttle you on a daily basis."

"Why? I'm fantastic." Both Thorn and Axel snorted at that, making me flip Axel the bird and shove Thorn.

"If you must know we were bored."

"You were bored?" Thorn asked ludicrously.

"Mhm. We were kind of grounded from doing anything for two years because of the incident-" 

"Wait the incident? What's that?" 

Axel and I shared another look as we both said, "We don't speak about the incident."

Thorn raised his hands in defeat but eyed us obth curiously. "Okay.." 

"Anyway because we were grounded we had to make our own entertainment." My lips twitched at the memory of Axel and I's elaborate plans to try and kill the other. They never worked,  both of us were just too good. Although there were certain times where we could have easily gutted the other but we didn't because the game was just too fun.

The expression on Thorn's face was laughable and even Axel was holding back his own grin as he looked over at Thorns face. "Wait, wait. Hold on. So you're telling me that you two tried to kill each other for two years because you were literally bored?" When we did nothing but nod Thorn threw up his hands. "Do you understand how insane that is?"

I patted his shoulder. "Please keep in mind that insanity is normal for us. After all, Axel gets off on cutting people open and listening to them scream and I get off on murder and blood. We're basically sadists."

Running a hand through his hair Thorn sighed. "I really do have shit taste in friends."

Another laugh barked from me. "Oh yeah right Mr. I've-wanted-to-kill-my-parents-since-I-was-fourteen." I mimicked, Thorn's eyes narrowed. "Do I have to mention the fact that you're a gang leader too?"

"First of all, I do not sound like that." I raised a brow. "Second I have a good reason to want to kill my parents, you two were just bored. Third and finally I may be a gang leader but unlike you, I don't like killing people. I do it because I have to."

"Potato, potahto." I shrugged, pulling the end of my braid.

Thorn simply rolled his eyes, as he leaned back in his seat. The rest of the journey was silent but it wasn't uncomfortable.

However that all took a drastic turn as Axel parked up and I finally realized where we were. "What are we doing here?" I asked, my voice barely audible in the silent vehicle.

Axel turned in his seat and aimed his sad eyes in my direction. "You need this Gen. We both do." 

I shook my head, "No. I don't...I can't"

"You can. They'd want you here and you need to be here."

I turned to Thorn who was watching me silently. "And what are you here to make sure I get out of the car? Are you gonna hold a gun to my head if I don't hm?"

"Actually he was my idea. He's better at emotion than I am so I figured he's a better option to help you through this." Axel said. I glowered at him.

Without saying a word Thorn got out of the car and walked to my side. Opening the door for me he held out a hand. "Come on baby, you can do this."

My glare shifted to Thorn. "If I get out of this car will you never call me baby again?"

"Would you prefer something else? Princess, angel, honey, snookums?"

I grimaced. "How about none of them?"

Leaning further into the car, Thorn took both of my hands and gently pulled me from the back seat. The violent wind whipped my strands of hair from my braid like a lassos across my face, snapping at my cheeks almost painfully.

My eyes drifted closed as I sucked in a deep breath. I had always thought of the wind as so free, chaotic even, yet it too had its path, even if there were infinite possible destinations. It was the freshness over my skin, which makes a fine flag of my tousled hair. In the trees it was a gusting chorus, a song so confidently sung. There were times I felt it within, that push and swirl, that stirring to show what was solidly there. 

The sound of the car door closing behind me, woke me up from my thoughts and my eyes flickered open. Thorns hair was ruffled and his cheeks were pink when he approached me again, smiling sadly. "Are you ready?"

"No," I admitted freely. Surprised by the admission Thorn laced his fingers through mine and lifted our hands so he could place a soft kiss on the back of mine.

"I'll be here with you. I won't leave you, Genesis." Emotion clogged in my throat as I looked at the sincerity of Thorns words in his eyes. Nodding I turned and faced the entrance of Crestwater Cemetery.

My body trembled but with Thorn by my side and his hand in mine I fought the fear and found the courage to move my feet forward, one after the other.

---

I know, I know. I'm so freaking late but I've just not really wanted to write recently so I'm sorry if crappy chapter is not something you enjoyed reading.  

However prepare for the whirlwind emotions I'm going to drag you through in the net chapter. I may have shed a tear or two well writing it and that's saying something so hopefully that will make up fro the shittiness of this one. 

Anyway please remember to vote and comment but you guys are great at that anyway. 

So until next time. 

-Em 

Words: 3094