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CROWN OF THORNES
𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖑𝖔𝖌𝖚𝖊

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𝐀 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐀 𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐒 was the phrase that often describes the precious princess of the Thorne family. Miracle Blair Thorne. She was sweet, caring, thoughtful, and soft. Nevertheless, she can also be cunning, savage, fierce, and sometimes, merciless, depends on her mood.

And those traits that the girl possesses were the reason that Armand Thorne, the head of the Thorne Clan, was more than welcome to take her under his wing when he came across her in the streets of Birmingham, England, despite the very thing they crave was running through her veins.

There Miracle met the entirety of one of the most feared covens in the world. The Thorne Clan.

Armand Thorne. The Protective Thorne. The leader and the founder of the Thorne Coven. The telepath of the family. He has the most dangerous reputation in the coven, which earned them more enemies than they could count. He sought the company of family after his original one was murdered in an ambush. Therefore, when he once again rebuilt another family just as strong, if not, even stronger than before with still the presence of love and care for one another, he promised himself that not one hair in his family's heads would be messed up.

Veronica Thorne. The Noble Thorne. The love of Armand's life. A therapist that Armand was seeing for his anger management issues, later on falling in love with each other. She was a victim of his precarious reputation as she was murdered by one of his enemies to get back at him, resulting in Armand to turn her into a vampire. However, the woman regretted it as soon as she could feel every pain and suffering of the people she so much as touch with her hands. With that, she started wearing gloves to protect herself from her vicious ability.

Parker Thorne. The Clever Thorne. The ladies' man. Eldest adoptive son of Armand and Veronica. With his irresistible aura, he was able to achieve all the things that he desired. And when he was turned into a vampire, his seductive magnetism became his special ability, allowing him to manipulate every woman he wanted into doing his bidding. Well, not every woman, there was one exception.

Olivia Thorne. The Merciful Thorne. With her heart as hard as stone, no one ever came around to win over the girl. Parker Thorne—whose name was still Parker Johnson at that time—revealed himself as the vampire who turned her when she was slowly dying. He was intrigued about how she was immune to his seductive aura, and they soon learned has something about her stone heart, which turned into an ability. The ability to turn something and someone she touches into stone. She used her ability only for those who deserved it and grants mercy to those who she thinks is worth kindness.

Sebastian Thorne. The Animalistic Thorne. The broken soul. The last vampire the Thorne Clan had taken under their wing when he was dying of an aneurysm. To relieve him of the pain and suffering, Veronica asked Armand to turn him. And his illness became the source of his ability. He was able to inflict the pain of an aneurysm into anyone he chooses. But with great power, comes with great hunger. He was savage, a beast that was far worse than any of his family members. There was only so much his family can do, until Miracle came.

Miracle became the anchor of the family. Their ray of sunshine in the depth of darkness. Their steel ladder in the never-ending abyss. Their dolphin in the ocean filled with sharks. She was their hope for redemption. And so far, it had been going utterly amazing.

"I wonder if there's a town called 'Spoons'...or 'Knives'. Oooh, that would've been so cool." Miracle said as they passed the welcome sign of Forks, Washington.

"Everyone would just be carrying around knives and flying it all over the place. I'd live there." Miracle added randomly.

It amazes her family how peculiar her mind works. The most random of things come out of it they have no idea how she was able to come up with those things. It has always been a mystery to them.

"If such a town does exist, I'm sure that there would only be a population of one. That's you, love." Sebastian stated beside her in the matte black Jeep Wrangler owned by the twins, or at least, the pretend twins.

Armand and Veronica are in their white Chevrolet Camaro Convertible driving smoothly in front of them while Parker and Olivia rode a burgundy-colored Honda Valkyrie Rune roaring behind them.

"You'd really leave me there?" Miracle asked, looking at her brother.

Sebastian shifted his striking golden-brown eyes towards his little sister and saw her looking at her innocently and adorably. He couldn't help but shake his head as he smiled and averted his gaze back to the road.

"I suppose this make-believe town of yours now has a population of two." Sebastian said.

Miracle smiled brightly which was utterly contagious that it made Sebastian's smile widen.

The family then pulled over in front of a huge Victorian-style mansion that Armand and Veronica had built.

They agreed to have a Victorian-style mansion with Queen Anne Architecture rather than an Italianate. The mansion has plum-colored walls with differing textures and tall windows and black steeply pitched rooves. It was three-stories tall and has wrapped-around large porches that were displayed with beautiful ornamental plants and flowers. There were two octagonal towers topped with a round pointed roof on either side, and large ornate bay windows decorated at the front of the mansion. It was like a castle.

In short, it was absolutely stunning.

Miracle knew how fond of Victorian-style houses Armand and Veronica were, and they've been wanting to have one built that is based on their own interests. The colors, the windows, the ornaments, the floors. Everything. They want the mansion to be built out of their preferences. And it turned out great.

The Thornes being astonishingly rich was no secret to the world. With Armand's telepathic ability, he was able to win countless times in gambling.

"Okay, you were not kidding when you said you wanted to go all out for this place." Miracle said as everyone got off their vehicles.

Armand adjusted his trenchcoat as he examined the whole mansion with his golden eyes.

"I never do anything less than perfection when it comes to my family." Armand stated with his thick English accent as he scanned the mansion.

Miracle's accent wasn't as thick as Armand's, Veronica's, or Sebastian's, but she still had a hint of a British accent in her voice, just not as noticeable and as strong as theirs.

"All of you should go inside. The interior design's just as stunning." Veronica suggested as she joined Armand's side. "Armand and I will just pay the Quileutes a visit. Set up a bargain in exchange for our lengthy and peaceful stay in this town."

"Aren't they the werewolves?" Parker asked, placing his helmet on the bike.

"Shapeshifters, honey." Olivia said.

"Same thing." Parker said as he shrugged his shoulders casually, not entirely caring about the shapeshifters' presence in this town.

"Can I come with? I'll bring my frisbee and the dogs and I can play fetch." Miracle commented.

She had never seen a werewolf before and the mention of it made her even more excited.

"They'll bite you with their large teeth." Olivia said.

"Not before I scratch their eyes out with my claws." Miracle responded.

"You don't have claws." Parker chimed in.

"I have long nails. Same thing. Stop ruining the fun." Said Miracle as she crossed her arms against her chest and playfully glared at the eldest adoptive son in the family.

"No one is hurting anyone." Armand said.

The words that came out of Armand's mouth was not an Armand thing to say, causing his adoptive children to look at him with confusion.

"Have you gone mad?" Sebastian asked.

"Yeah. You were like 'Hey, he stole my cigarette, let's smear his blood all over the place'." Miracle said, imitating his thick accent.

"I don't sound like that." Armand said. "And Ver is putting words in my mouth, don't worry."

"Makes sense." Parker simply muttered.

"If this is going to be our home, we should be responsible." Veronica said.

"Let's have a look, shall we?" Sebastian said as he placed an arm around his little sister's shoulders.

"You're really heavy." Miracle simply muttered before they went inside and looked around.

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After looking and walking around the whole mansion, Miracle settled in her own bedroom which Armand had designed himself. It had everything that Miracle ever wanted in a bedroom.

The first thing one would notice when they walk through the off-white double doors of her bedroom, was the enormous queen-sized bed that has a canopy frame with silver sheets dangling along the top railings. Cream-colored Saxony carpet covering the center of the whole room.

A rather large painting of her was hanging on the wall opposite her bed, which was all Armand's idea. Another set of the doors were at the same wall where her own walk-in closet was, next to her bathroom.

And her favorite part. Her bedroom had one of the large ornate bay windows that she saw from the outside and on the inside, it has a window seat, allowing her to relax beside the large window as she either read a book or simply watch kids fall down on their bicycles. Either way, she enjoys it.

She sat on the window seat as tiny raindrops embellished her windows. Birmingham was far different from this place. Her previous home was bright and sunny and easy to lift people's moods. This place was gloomy and dim and cold. Not that she's complaining, it was nice to have a change of scenery. She could get used to the rain.

"I see Armand has a favorite." Sebastian's voice burst the bubble of soothing tranquility in the girl's bedroom as soon as he had made his presence known to Miracle.

"I'm not Armand's favorite. I told him a while ago about what I prefer my bedroom to look like." Miracle said as she rose from the window seat and approached her brother. "What I didn't ask for is my face hanging on the wall."

Sebastian followed Miracle's gaze to see the painting of her on the wall.

"Yes, everyone has each of their faces in their own bedroom. You should see mine. I look dashing." Sebastian said, an amused grin on his face.

His gaze then fell to her neck when he suddenly noticed it to be bare.

"Where's your necklace?" He asked.

"It's right—" Miracle furrowed her eyebrows when she brought her hand up to her neck and didn't feel the cool gold chain of her necklace.

"I must've dropped it somewhere in this house or in the car." Miracle said.

"I'll help you find it." Sebastian replied.

The brunette girl simply nodded before they started searching the house inch by inch, which was much harder than they thought. After all, it is a three-story mansion.

Miracle proceeded to search for her necklace as she went out to check if it was in the jeep.

Immediately after she opened the car door, her necklace was on top of the floor mat of the jeep.

Miracle sighed in relief before she reached for the necklace and stared at it, letting herself dive into the memory she first got it.

𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟕 | 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐦, 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝

Eight-year-old Miracle Blair couldn't quite help but stare in awe at the vast space the mansion she was in had. The orphanage she ran away from was big, but that was nothing compared to this house.

A chandelier was hanging in the ceiling above her and it would create little twinkles of light when it hits the rays of the sun.

She was seated on the living room couch as five people stood a couple of feet away from her, admiring the little girl from a safe distance considering they were still getting used to the animal blood diet they have started to enforce two days before.

"Here you go, little Miracle." Armand said as he approached her and handed her a gold necklace that he had made from one of his good friends.

Miracle looked at the necklace interestingly, grazing her thumb along the pendant.

"What is this?" Her sweet voice asked, referring to the pendant. "It looks strange."

"That is a rose thorn." Armand answered, taking the necklace off her hands again to help her clasp it around the little girl's neck.

"Think of it as a symbol of our family." Armand said as he clutched the necklace on. "You're a part of our family now."

Miracle's adorable brown eyes widened as she turned around to look into Armand's crimson red eyes.

"I have a family?" She asked.

Veronica couldn't help the genuine smile that appeared on her lips as she watched the little girl's eyes light up in excitement. Olivia and Parker shared a glance as they smiled as well. Sebastian simply tilted his head as he narrowed his eyes, wondering what it was that has the entire family, including him, enchanted by this girl. Not that he was against it or anything, he actually adores the idea of Miracle being a part of their family.

"You are now Miracle Blair Thorne." Armand said.

Miracle smiled as bright as the sun shining in the clear, beautiful sky while she held on to the thorn pendant of her necklace.

"Welcome to the family, little Thorne."

Armand's voice as he welcomed her into the family back when she was a little girl echoed in her mind as she snapped back to reality. That was when she was able to finally notice the Volvo and the Jeep that were parked in front of their house.

The two vehicles were occupied by three males and three females as they watched the head of their family approach the brunette girl.

"What a beautiful necklace you got there." Said the man, standing a couple of feet away from the girl.

The man had blonde hair slicked back neatly, and a smile that was polite and genuine. He was the type of man that looked like someone could trust easily. And in fact, they did, including Miracle.

"Thank you. My family gave it to me when I was a kid." Miracle said.

The man examined the necklace further before he responded.

"What's that? The pendant?" He asked.

Miracle looked down on her hand to see the thorn pendant dangling in the chain.

"It's a rose thorn. A symbol of my family." Miracle answered.

The blonde-haired man couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the girl as he figured out how she was related to the Thornes considering that the necklace definitely has something to do with that family.

She wasn't a vampire. She was pure human, the scent of her blood was too sweet to ignore. Perhaps she was a mate of one of the family members? But then again, they would've turned her by now unless she still doesn't want to be turned.

However, the girl has been with this family since she was a kid, according to the age that she got the necklace.

It was only then that the man realized who the girl was.

"You're Miracle." The man said.

The brunette girl furrowed his eyebrows as she wondered how the man knew her name. It was also making her a bit suspicious of him, after all, only the man did have striking gold eyes that were similar to her family's.

"Who are you?" She asked.

The blonde-haired man continued to give the girl a polite smile, the same he gives everyone in the town as well in the hospital.

"I'm—" the man was cut off by Armand's voice joining the conversation.

"Carlisle." Armand said, causing both Miracle and the man—Carlisle—to look in his direction.

There stood Armand with Veronica by his side, her gloved hand wrapped around his arm.

"Armand." Carlisle greeted back.

The door of the mansion opened and Sebastian immediately sped out and towards Miracle's side, sensing the number of vampires that were currently in proximity.

"I wasn't informed about your visit." Armand said.

Armand looked over at Miracle and Sebastian.

"Sebastian, kindly bring your sister inside." Armand told him.

Sebastian nodded once and shot the unfamiliar family a glare before placing a hand on the brunette girl's back.

"Come on." Sebastian whispered to the girl.

Miracle flickered her gaze between Sebastian, Armand, and Carlisle before she turned around and went back inside the house.

Carlisle and Armand shared intense glances as they stood before each other. The two never really became friends, nor were they enemies. Armand was rather picky about his company.

"I heard that you will be moving into this town. I figured it would be best if we establish an agreement between our families." Carlisle responded.

The rest of Carlisle's family finally climbed out of the vehicles revealing six of them with everyone having the same striking gold eyes, courtesy of the animal blood diet.

"Perhaps. We just got back from deciding a treaty with the Quileute pack. Would you like to come inside?" Veronica said, wielding her role as the noble one in the family.

"We would be honored." Carlisle answered, turning towards his family as they looked both curious and reluctant.

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The two families were gathered in the living room of the mansion with still the most politeness coming from the other family. They have been discussing about the Thornes' intention in staying in Forks.

They have established the important rule of not hurting the locals, which the Thornes had already agreed to with the Quileute pack. In fact, the Cullens' conditions were just the same as the Quileutes', therefore, the talk wasn't that long.

As everyone discussed about vampire stuff, Miracle's eyes scanned the features of the vampires before her.

Carlisle Cullen, the head of the family and the leader of their coven, had a well-toned medium frame and slicked back, blonde hair and a genuine smile on his soft face that was enough to make Miracle trust him all of a sudden.

Esme Cullen had a slender figure and beautiful caramel-colored hair and a heart-shaped face accompanied by a dimpled smile that was just as polite and as genuine as Carlisle's.

Edward Cullen had a slender but muscular body, and bronze-colored hair. He has the most intense aura out of all of them and it suddenly became a beacon for Miracle's sarcastic side.

Emmett Cullen was the very tall and burly man beside Edward with black hair and an expression that was also intense, only not as intense as Edward's.

Beside him was Rosalie Hale, with her beauty as elegant as a princess's. She was astonishingly gorgeous. She had the features of a model and a goddess. Though, her cold eyes staring at them were ruining the princess-y look of the woman.

Alice Cullen had the brightest smile in the room as her pixie hair cut added to her adorable and cute exterior. She was the shortest in her family. Miracle had a feeling that this woman has a lot more enthusiasm than one can handle.

Miracle's eyes landed on the last vampire Carlisle had mentioned. Jasper Hale.

Unlike the rest of his family, Jasper was not looking at her. In fact, he was trying not to look at her. He had silky honey-blonde locks that sat on top of his head and fell just above his collar. He had a muscular build but still lean unlike Emmett's. His cheekbones were as evident as Edward's. And Miracle couldn't help but notice the way Jasper kept his jaw clenched, as if he was too tensed and uncomfortable.

It took a couple of seconds before Miracle was able to look away from the honey-blonde vampire and towards the rest of the family. That's when she noticed the way Edward looked at her, as if he was trying to decipher something that was undecipherable about her.

"Miracle's mind is under my protection." Armand stated when he read Edward's mind and figured out he was trying to read Miracle's.

"With my telepathic ability, I was able to grasp her mind and create a barrier around it. There's no use in trying to read her, Edward." Armand explained.

Edward finally let it go but not the intense glare that he was giving the girl.

While the tension in the room was thickening, Miracle could only purse her lips as she tried desperately not to utter one word about any of them. But it was not going well, so she had to resort to her usual and proven solution.

"Okay, I need to chew something." Miracle said before she stormed out of the room to get some food in her mouth.

"What's that all about?" Emmett asked.

The Thornes shared a knowing glance before Parker took it upon himself to answer their question.

"Miracle has this hysterical need to mock someone or something, and the only way she could prevent herself from doing so is filling her mouth with junk food." Parker explained.

The Cullens were both enlightened and still confused at the same time as they listened to Parker's explanation.

Soon, Miracle joined them accompanied by a bag of chips in her hand and the loud munching of her mouth just as the Cullens were about to leave.

With Miracle's eyes still fixated on the inside of the bag, she accidentally bumped into the honey-blonde vampire as he was just about to exit the house. This caused Miracle to drop the bag of chips she was holding.

Jasper bent down and swiftly caught the bag as Miracle watched him with wide eyes and heart thumping against her chest.

He then went back up and finally looked at the brunette girl, noticing how lovely her hazel-brown eyes were. He then handed the bag of chips over to Miracle and the girl slowly took it with her eyes still fixated on the vampire.

"You saved my chips." Miracle said, with chips still filling her mouth.

The sight and sound of Miracle somehow made the honey-blonde vampire smile softly as he found her quite adorable.

Jasper simply nodded politely at the brunette before he turned around and proceeded to exit the mansion.

Miracle kept her gaze on Jasper as he moved towards their car, disappearing once they had driven away.

The brunette girl felt Sebastian's presence beside her as he flickered his gaze between his sister and the empty driveway in front of her.

"I like Jasper." Miracle mumbled as she kept munching on her chips.

"Jasper?" Sebastian questioned.

"Yeah." Miracle said before averting her gaze towards Sebastian. "He saved my chips."

Miracle popped another chip in her mouth before leaving Sebastian's side and finally babbling to her whole family about the insults she had come up with, and ninety-eight percent of them were aimed towards Edward Cullen.

She thought that she would never communicate with the Cullens ever again, that she won't be given a chance to make fun of one of them at least one or two times. But little did she know, that she'll have more than enough time to call Edward names that would make him bury himself alive just to get away from her never-ending insults.

Starting with Emo Sparkle-pants.

And that's the prologue of Crown Of Thornes! This book would have more seriousness than Once In A Blue Moon because of how Miracle's character would develop later on. I hope that you guys liked this chapter! Chapter one of Act One would take a while to publish considering I'm still finishing my midterm exams this week. Anyway, thank you and I love you guys! <3