Blessed Thorns (Chapter One)

Chapter One

Joe was busy with the wire that he was fiddling with in his hand. The piece that he had lifted off of Lila White’s bicycle spoke this morning with his bare hands. He had only been trying to put her bike back in the rack after he had accidentally knocked it over. But now he knew for a fact now that his greatly awaited gift of strength was beginning to take effect. Joe wasn’t as excited as he hoped he would have been. The one thought that was keeping him so downhearted was Mary. That damned girl had already surpassed him in every means necessary to tick a guy off. She had skipped to the next grade when she received a 100% on her advanced state exams, she had developed her Gift five months prior to him, and The Leader had spoken to her consecutive times about her Mission. Of course, being the sweet little innocent devil that she was, Mary had never dared to brag about a single bit of her perfection. Joe had been prepared for all this discouragement from Mary’s success; she was practically trained to do anything and everything that would provoke his utmost villainous fantasies. Joe could not really complain to a distinct level of anger about Mary, not even to himself. Although he knew it was not right to think so constantly about how they worked, he also knew that he caused her pain as well. In return for her training to damage any kind bone that may possibly exist in his body his occupation was to do exactly the same to her. Revenge was all Joe had ever sought after from people who had hurt him and once he had the dazzle of equal torture he let his victims be. With Mary revenge was all they ever shared. And so Mary and Joe were quiet a satisfactory pair. They wounded and fractured and diminished all civil rights when it came to their relationship, but they did it all fairly.

Mary was more polite about her way of pummeling Joe. She didn’t have many friends, because of what she was, but she knew Joe’s strengths, and most critically she knew his weaknesses. As her cruelties to him she played with his heart and his mind. She fooled him into thinking he was everything and then would break him into a million pieces reminding him that he was nothing at all. Though Joe was not one to compliment people he had to pay tribute Mary. She had a knack for knowing exactly what would annoy him to a degree that would be unbearable. They were so bad each other and Joe, who had never quite gotten used to fearing himself, was ashamed to be aware that he was destructive to not only Mary but anyone who could be vulnerable. In his mumble of unprogressive thoughts Joe was interrupted by the devil herself.

“Hello Joey!” Mary was standing over him with her blissful grin flashing him as he eyelashes batted in an attempt to annoy him. But Joe was immune to these foolish tires, he almost thought of them as endearing traits now. Her calling him Joey was now only expected and her innocence was just her character, she could not contain who she legitimately was.  

“Hey there Mary, you had a chance to frighten me.” Mary giggled on cue and then smiled at him, contented. Joe waited for the girl to question his statement but she refused to speak a word. Only for the sake of burdening her with more intelligence, Joe held up the metal spoke in his hand. “You see Mary dear I have finally come to conquer my demons!” He bent low to the ground so that he could be level with the bottom of his locker. Joe wrapped his fingers around the perimeter of the red painted metal barrier and lightly whipped the locker door from its hinges. Passers by continued on with their own self absorbing thoughts and demanded no explanation from the boy at the locker, Mary smirked uncharacteristically.

“I’ve preoccupied them.” Mary then turned to the oblivious students to her right and laughed a yelp only hatred could hear. Joe rose from the ground and stood horrorstruck.

“Mary you’ve just become what you aren’t. The Leader said that you could only show what you were created to be behind closed doors.” Mary giggled. Now back to posing she fussed with her hair and marveled at Joe’s ignorance.

“Joey when we go to meet Mr. Lucifer this afternoon he’ll explain to your absent mind.” Mary kicked Joe down a little as her ballet flat scrapped along his weak ankles. “Goodbye for now then Joe, you know I can’t be seen with you any other time.” She bounced along back into the swirl of frantic hormones that were her high school. Joe watched as his enemy and only friend attempted to fit in by being different. Her mini skirt was sweeping across her tiny legs and her tightly fitted brand name shirt emphasized her well defined chest. The only thing that threw off this prefect dream was her natural beauty. Mary’s hair was a dense endless shade of black that contested her porcelain skin fiercely. To Joe these were the features that made her the most attractive; to any other they were her only faults. The bell rang and Joe trudged off to class. He was still thinking about his other half when Lila White knocked his books out of his hand.

“Sorry,” Lila sped by him and then turned back when she realized who it was. Joe knew that she must be thinking what everyone else thought when they saw him. She must have just begun to feel his pains, eager and nourishing. Lila levitated against the crowd to seek his stresses again. “Joseph Black, yes?” Joe nodded his head and cringed at her attention.

“You should go before you are marked late. I don’t want to be responsible for anything else.” Joe tried to direct Lila to the science hallway where he knew she must have class. Lila didn’t budge as she stared in awe at his delicate bone structure. His face, much like Mary’s, was different than any other. Joe’s hair was a yellow tinted white that was so bright it was unnoticeable, his skin was paler than his hair with impenetrable black eyes and his body was layered in dark clothes and a pair of converse sneakers. Lila seemed to be taking in his ghostly wonders.

“I will be sure to see you again though Joseph, you make me feel renewed and revolutionary. And yet, Joseph, I know that you aren’t making me feel this way at all and frankly I think it is simply my first really noticing you.” For a moment Joe let himself believe that Lila could be simply awed by him as a person and not him as a feeling but he knew that she wasn’t the one The Leader had told him to fear so he sighed. He then put on his best fake smile and nodded.

“Thank you for that Lila. Now I must really go and consult the heavens to see what would have compelled you to notice me.” Lila laughed and shrugged.

“It was the power that you lay inside me.” She looked perplexed by her own words but still tried to make him and her understand. “It was as though you had given me a gift of knowledge of the things I truly hate.” Joe shook his head in disgrace and scampered down the hallway. He refused to look back at the poor soul who would forever be tortured by his presence.