Chapter 1

Newborn

I barely remember my human life. I remember living in a brownstone row house in Chicago with my mother Elizabeth and my father Edward Sr. I had no other siblings. We were a middle class family, and I went to a local school. We contracted Spanish influenza when I was 17, and it came on rather quickly. My father passed first. My mother hung on longer than him, and when I contracted it, we shared a hospital room. I don't remember my illness, but I know it was a fierce virus. My mother started to fade, and became delirious. I somewhat remember her asking our doctor to save me. I didn't realize what that meant at the time. Dr. Carlisle Cullen was our doctor. He was very kind and caring. He was diligent in his efforts to ease our symptoms. My mother wasn't strong enough to fight the virus. She soon passed. I wasn't far behind her. My breathing was shallow, and I was fighting to stay alive. Dr. Cullen saved me from my death, and gave me new life. I don't remember being turned other than the searing and agonizing pain from his bite. The pain lasted several days. Dr. Cullen stayed at my side trying to comfort me.

"The pain will soon go away, my son, and you will be reborn." He whispered to me.

I didn't understand it at first, what was happening to me. I could only feel burning and pain. I surely thought I was going to die. In a way, I did. I remember waking to my new eyes. I felt stronger and more alert. Everything was clearer, and I could hear all the sounds outside the doctor's house. I didn't realize what I had become, but I had an urgent hunger. I had become a wild creature. It almost frightened me. I crouched in the corner of the room, snarling and growling at Dr. Cullen.

"You're okay, Edward. I am not your enemy. I am here to help you." He held his hands out to me, palms up. I stopped snarling and stood up. I knew he wasn't a threat to me. I looked at my body. I was shirtless, and my skin was pale white. What was wrong with me?

"What happened to me?" I asked and my voice startled me. It was lower and more melodic.

"Don't be frightened, Edward. Everything is going to be new to you. I will help you through this."

"What is wrong with me?"

"You were very sick for a while. But I helped you. You are recovered."

"I remember being sick. Where are my parents?"

"They've passed on, sorry to say."

"Oh, yeah. Now I remember." I was suddenly saddened.

"I would like you to be my son, Edward."

"You want to adopt me?"

"Well, in a way. We will have to tell everyone you are my brother."

"You are kind of young to have a son. How old are you, 25?"

"Yes, something like that."

I looked at his young face, bright pale white against his blonde hair. His eyes color was what struck me as odd. They were the color of amber.

"Edward, you may need to sit down. I have to tell you how I cured you."

I looked at him curiously, and sat in a chair adjacent to the bed I was in. He explained everything to me, starting with how he became immortal. He told me how he tried to help my mother, but she was too far gone, and the promise he made to her to help me. I knew shock and horror came to my face. I was almost angry when I finally realized what I had become. Vampire.

"Why didn't you just let me die?" I yelled at him. I started to throw things around the room in a rage. I broke a few pieces of furniture with my bare hands. "What kind of monster have you made me?" I wanted to cry but the tears did not fall from my eyes.

"I made a promise to your mother to save you."

"Save me? You have damned me to eternal life as a monster! How is that saving me?" I was screaming at him. I wanted to attack him for doing this to me.

"I know it may seem selfish of me, Edward, but I couldn't let you die. You are a gift not to be wasted. I wanted to nurture you like my own. I hope in time you will forgive me and realize what I've done is a blessing in disguise."

"So what, now we will roam the night in search of human blood, is that it?"

"What do you know about vampires?"

"Not much."

"Our nature is to seek out human blood. But I have adapted, and I can show you how. It will take getting used to."

"Adapted? What do you mean?"

"I feed on animal blood, not human blood."

"Have you ever fed on human blood?"

"A long time ago. But like you I didn't want to be that monster. I have no desire for human blood anymore."

"How long have you been a vampire?"

"A few hundred years."

I was stunned at his answer.

"I suppose there are others like us?"

"Yes, numerous. I've only encountered a few in Europe, and have made a few allies."

"Oh, I see. Do you have enemies as well?"

"Well, not quite. But there are a few that would not condone my way of living."

"Do we sleep in coffins, and roam the night?"

Dr. Cullen chuckled. "No, not quite. We do have to stay out of direct sunlight, but not in the way you are thinking. We won't spontaneous combust or anything. We can roam around interacting with humans, like we are human. But it may take getting used to for you yet. You will have to quell the desire to devour human blood."

"How long will that take?"

"I'm not sure. It was easier for me. It may take several years."

"Years! I will hunger for humans for years?"

"Unfortunately, but I will be there to help you."

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, and paused to examine my new image. I was pale white, but still handsome, for a monster. My eyes shocked me. They were dark red almost black.

"Will my eyes always be this color?"

"No. You are a newborn. If you continue to feed on human blood they will become a brighter red. But since I have adapted my eyes have become amber yellow. You're eyes will be the same when you start to feed on animal blood. It may take a few months."

I looked at my teeth, looking for fangs. "Do I get fangs too?"

"No. We don't have fangs."

"But how do we suck blood?"

"You have a misconception. Our teeth are razor sharp, but we don't grow fangs like in stories you have heard. But there is something you should know. Our bite is poisonous. If we don't kill our victims, they are poisoned by us and in turn will become one of us. It takes great restraint though."

"Is that how you changed me?"

"Yes. My venom made you like me."

"So what happens when I do bite someone?"

"It's kind of like a frenzy once you taste the blood, your voraciousness takes over, until the victim is dead. Basically."

"Oh. I guess I will have to adapt quickly then."

"You can try. It will be a challenge."

We talked for hours about his life before he was immortal, and how he was turned. He told me how he had to deal with the change on his own, and hide from his family, and the beast he became. He explained how he tried to end his life time and again, failing in his attempts. He adapted quickly and met more like him in Italy, the Volturi. He befriended Aro, Caius, and Marcus who formed a clan in Italy. They were a revered family of vampires, and very sophisticated. He stayed with them for a short while, then left to find others like him. He traveled for decades across Europe and Africa, eventually ending up in the United States. He studied the medical field and as he adapted, he got a doctorate degree in medicine. He spent most of his spare time studying in his field, advancing in the medical field. He told me I could do the same, studying would occupy my time. I was distracted by the searing pain in my chest. I was hungry.

"I see I have taken up too much time. You need to feed. I will take you out for a hunt."

I got excited at my first new venture in hunting. I had hunted with my father, but with guns, not my own bare teeth and hands. We went south of the city, near a wooded area. I waited with Carlisle for him to teach me. He pointed out a small herd of deer. We crouched down and stayed still and quiet. I watched Carlisle in action. He was sleek like a cat, and took down the first buck he grabbed. I watched him bite the neck and drain the blood so simply. I tried to mimic his moves, but I was sloppy at first. The deer blood did not appeal to me. I could taste every nut and grass the deer had consumed. I didn't have the finesse he did at first. I ended up with blood all over my face and neck. Carlisle laughed at the sight of me.

"You will get better as you practice more."

"They don't taste very good."

"You will get used to that as well. It's kind of like living a vegetarian lifestyle."

"Vegetarian vampires." I laughed at the thought of eating a carrot with my venomous teeth.

"Yes, you could call it that."

Weeks, then months passed, and I was getting used to the deer blood. We ventured farther out and into Canada a few times, to come across larger prey. We had encountered a few bear, which was more of a challenge, and I enjoyed the kill more. I was getting less messy with my kills, and more skillful.

One evening we walked to the library to find some books to study, and I noticed a homeless man, begging for change. Carlisle gave him some spare change. I wanted so much to put the poor man out of his misery. We passed a curious character, dressed in black wearing a cap low on his face. We met eyes for a second. As he passed, his thoughts came into my head. He ducked into an alley, and then came behind us.

"Carlisle he has a gun." I whispered to him softly. "He's going to rob us."

"How did you know?"

"I heard him planning in his mind."

We walked faster not wanting a conflict.

"Stop! Give me your money." He jabbed the gun in Carlilse's back. We stopped. He backed us into an alley.

"You don't want to do this, mister. Just let us go and we will forget this ever happened." Carlisle tried to reason with him.

"You don't get it! I want your money." He talked through his teeth.

"I'm not giving you my money."

Then the gun fired at Carlisle. Out of instinct I attacked the robber and knocked the gun from his hand. I looked to Carlisle who was on the ground holding his stomach.

"What did you do, you son of a bitch!" I was so furious, and I lunged at him and clamped my teeth swiftly into his neck. His blood was sweet and salty. I wanted more. It was like candy compared to the deer blood. I felt Carlisle's hand on my shoulder.

He's dead.

I stopped, and the robber's body fell at my feet. I looked at the drained body in horror. What have I done? Carlisle will be so disappointed in me.

"I'm sorry Carlisle. I thought he shot you."

He showed me a hole in his shirt there was no blood. "No harm."

I almost started to cry at the horror that went through the robbers mind as I drained his life from him.

"I'm so sorry, Carlisle. You are the last person I would want to disappoint. I failed." I bowed my head in shame.

"Edward. You were protecting me. It was only instinctual. I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes. Don't feel too bad for him."

"I could hear his thoughts, Carlisle. Every agonizing minute."

"That's most unusual. I know of others that have special abilities. Aro's is similar to yours, except he has to touch the person, and he can see their past, not just the present."

"So you're saying I have a special gift as a vampire?"

"You may have had it as a human. Your gifts are more advanced when you become a vampire."

"Do you have a gift?"

"I don't think so other than compassion for human life. Maybe that is it."

"You're a gifted doctor."

"Thanks. Well, we better dispose of the body. We can dump it in the lake. But we need to weigh it down. We'll have to tie a few rocks to him."

"Okay."

I followed his lead, and we wrapped rope around his waist with heavy rocks to weigh him down, then we tossed him out from the lakeshore about a hundred feet, and watched him sink.

I didn't want human blood after that day. The thoughts of his death haunted me. I continued to hunt animals with Carlisle. I continued to study, and practiced piano. I had studied piano when I was human. I started to compose some music as well. Many nights Carlisle would sit and listen to me play. We were great companions and became best friends. We often played chess or backgammon on nights we weren't hunting. I could tell that Carlisle was a bit lonely. He needed a female companion. We discussed it often, but he refused to change someone just to have a companion. So we continued our companionship. On days Carlisle worked at the hospital I would study and compose music.

We traveled a few times to Europe and visited many interesting countries. I even met the infamous Volturi. They were intimidating, and ancient creatures. Aro was most interesting and was curious about my ability. They were ominous looking in their dark cloaks and long dark hair, except for Caius, who had white hair. Their paper thin white skin was glowing against the black fabric. They graciously asked us to stay a few days, but Carlisle didn't think that was a good idea, considering their choice of dining. He was trying to protect me from that life. We graciously turned down their invitation and continued our trek through the country sides. We traveled for months and came back to Chicago. We continued with our routines and made a comfortable life for ourselves. My red eyes changed to a dark yellow topaz after a few months. Carlisle knew when it was time to feed again, when my eyes turned black onyx. I was learning to sustain longer and the urge for human blood was diminishing. Months turned into years, and the time seemed to roll by. We stayed constantly busy, not sleeping, and found more outlets of entertainment. But the loneliness was drawing on Carlisle. I wanted so much to help find him a mate. He deserved to be happy. He should have changed my mother as well, when he had the chance. She would have loved him.