Prince of Porcelain

Chapter 6: Exposed

   An unknown force held me down, one hand gripping my wrist, the other over my chapped lips. At the shock, I screamed and woke up, seeing Marcus pinning me down.
   "Today's the day, boy," he hissed. "You get to see your daddy today. Exciting, huh?" I used every ounce of strength to struggle, but then I remembered the pain. "You've gotten stronger," Marcus growled, pulling me off of the bed. "But I'm still stronger."
   His fingers then began to trace my hardened lips, and I knew if I fought back, he'd torture me, probably. My lips were oddly sensitive, so I couldn't help but let out a small whimper at Marcus' touch.
   "They're rough," he said into my ear. "I like that." My body trembled at that haunting statement.

   Marcus brought me to a large room with many metallic devices. Meeting us there, Carter and a mind-controlled Joshua stood in front of a mirror-like object shaped like a gigantic rectangle.
   The wicked man shoved me to the concrete ground, a sharp pain running through my legs. He grabbed the back of my torn shirt, pulling me near his face. "Don't make me tie you up," Marcus growled, throwing me back on the ground.
   Carter began operating one of the metal boxes, pressing starters and pulling levers. Suddenly, the mirror-like object lit up, making me fall back in shock. Is this a magic mirror? Odd, scratching noises came from a box above the illuminated object, and Marcus smiled at it.
   He then stomped on my back, leaving me pinned to the ground. "Don't move until I say so," Marcus said, not bothering to look down on me. Then, the scratching noises faded into voices. Recognizable voices.
   A scene appeared on the mirror-like object. A scene I'd relived many times before. It was my father with his courtiers, in the gathering room. My father. He can save me. He turned to the object and saw Marcus, staring at him in shock.
   "Marcus?!" my father bellowed. "What in God's name do you want?!" "I want my life back, Edward," he replied calmly. "Remember? Lillian?" My mother? "She's been dead for ten years!" my father responded. "And she never had any interest in you."
   "You know that's a lie!" Marcus screamed. So they can see each other. If I move, my father can see me. But then Marcus...I decide to take the risk.
   "FATHER!" I scream, shoving Marcus' leg off my back and standing up. "I'M HERE! HELP ME! FATHER!!" The moment I pushed Marcus' foot off me, he began trying to shove me back down and hold me back. "You will regret this today, boy," the man hissed in my ear like a venomous snake. I still struggled and then I saw my father.
   His striking blue eyes were wide with shock, and his graying, blonde hair was neatly combed against his head. He wore a crown of gold and sapphires, and my father's robes were free of wrinkles and a stunning blue. The king had very few wrinkles on his skin, but he still appeared aging. His sharp jawline looked just a little fuller than mine.
   "Victor..." my father said as I heard his courtiers muttering under their breath. "What the hell are you doing with my son?!" "Just a trade, big brother," Marcus said, holding me with my arms pinned to my chest, and my body close to his own. "You got the girl and the crown, and I get the boy."
   Brother? Is Marcus my uncle? Have I been kidnapped by my own uncle? "I will find you, Victor!" my father said to me, apparently seeing my beaten and broken state. "MARCUS! You will pay for this!"
   "Oh, I think someone else already has," my uncle hissed into my neck. Now that I knew Marcus was my uncle, I immediately began struggling harshly and screaming. "Help me! Father, please!" I heard my father yelling at guards and courtiers, probably telling them to search for me.
   "Father! I'm under--" I was cut off by Marcus' hand clamping over my mouth. "Don't want him knowing where to find you, do we?" he said. "Let him have fun playing hide and seek." I tried to pry his rough hand off my mouth, and I screamed behind it, muffled and straggled. "If you don't release my son this instant, you will--" my father said before Marcus cut him off.
   "If you find him, you can have him!" Marcus shouted, trying to hold me still. "But that may take a while! Now your son is misbehaving, so I have to punish him. Good-bye, Edward!"
   "Vic--!" my father screamed before the object went black. I was finally able to get Marcus' hand off my mouth as I screamed, "Father! NO!" Carter approached me with a disapproving look on his face. "I thought you'd behave better than that," he said, shaking his head.
   "I don't have time for this...," my uncle said as he began dragging me out of the large room, with me struggling and screaming. "Let me go!" I shout, Marcus' strength overpowering my own.
   Soon, without me even realizing, Marcus had pulled my frantic body into what must've been his... bedroom. I was so frantic and struggling so much, I hadn't realized that my body hurt miserably, aching and burning from what must've been... yesterday? After I remembered the pain, my body weakened and I almost fell limp.
   My uncle threw me onto a quite large bed that was surprisingly soft. "Don't. Move," Marcus growled, walking over to a dirty vanity stand and grabbed a long coil of rope. I backed up into the backboard of the bed, afraid of what my... newfound uncle was going to do to me.
   He came back over to me and roughly grabbed my wrists. Marcus tied the rope tightly around my injured wrists above my head, putting them on the backboard. Oddly, I felt exposed, no way to protect my body or to defend myself.
   "This will be quite painful," Marcus hissed. "And this time, I won't stop."