Chapter TWO

Carlisle's POV

I, Carlisle Cullen, a nearly 300 hundred year old vampire, was nervous when it came to talking to the woman that I had known ever since she was a mere child.

Like I had told Edward and Bella previously, I've never really spoken to women – except Bella – before. I knew that I could easily talk to Bella and have a comfortable conversation with her because she was basically my daughter. But as for women that I knew nothing about, that was a different explanation. The same applies to a woman that I had known when she only 10. I bet she doesn't even remember me; her mind back then was so naïve, that she couldn't remember a strange doctor who had helped her with an injured ankle.

Sighing deeply to myself, I walked in a brisk pace toward Edward's piano when I was sure that Edward and Bella had reached the second floor of our cottage, and then I finally reached the instrument. Esme did not look up at me when she heard me approach; she didn't even flinch nor moved when I sat down beside her on the piano bench.

"Hello." I greeted her politely, fleetingly glancing at her from the corner of my eye where I happened to stare at her round shaped face for far too long. Esme had developed from her childlike form into the frame of a filled out woman. Her skin, though hard as granite and pale as snow, gleamed from the dull light coming from the back windows of the back of the home. Her caramel tendrils cascaded down her long back that was clad in a flowing dress of Bella's. I could stare at her full round, pink lips forever, and the same goes for her newly bloody crimson eyes; even though that she be one trait I should be cautious of, I couldn't be more drawn in.

Esme looked over at me when she felt my gaze on her for far too long, and I looked down at the keys in embarrassment for being caught. But, how could anyone resist staring at this tempting, divine like creature sitting mere centimeters away from me? Her presence and everything that is her, it just seemed so deliciously sinful to not look at her.

"I'm guessing you're very confused as to how you're alive right now, aren't you?" I asked her after clearing my throat momentarily in order to hide my nervous voice from her. She nodded wordlessly and then turned her head slightly in my direction, her ruby irises alight with questions and curiosity that dealt with her new life.

"How am I alive? How did you save me? What happened?" she asked. Good lord, even her voice was hypnotic. The sound of her voice was of a thousand angels singing in harmony, or chimes beginning to play a magnificent calming melody just from the slightest afternoon breeze. She looked taken aback at her new voice, as I assumed that by the way her eyebrows rose high and her eyes widened.

I chuckled and murmured, "You'll have to get used to that for a while; it can be very confusing after a bit too." She looked up at me, her lips set into a pout of confusion still. "It'd be best for me to start at the beginning." I muttered, raising my hand to scratch my neck in nervousness. She sighed but nodded, complying and showing that she would listen to what I have to say.

I cleared my throat once more, before I began.

"It was 1640 in London, England. I was the son of an Anglican pastor, and I believe my family and I were highly respected at times because that was during a time where politics and religion was at its highest peak. My father and some of his friends that worked in the church, they all led expeditions through London to rid it of werewolves, witches and vampires. None of them really cared for that they were slaughtering innocent victims that had done nothing wrong – people who had no intentions of conquering the world in evil and sin, against the Lord.

"Later on in time, my father had aged quite a bit, and thus he was too old to be able to lead said expeditions, so he placed me in charge of them. I'm a pacifist and I dislike killing innocents as much as my father had liked destroying his 'monsters'. But, I was apparently intelligent enough when I struck luck in finding an actual coven of vampires during one of the raids. And, as much as I had the luckiness of finding the coven, I also had the unluckiness.

"I had been attacked by one of the vampires within the coven, and thus left bleeding in the street. I was able to have enough strength to carry myself out from the streets and hid in a potato cellar, where I was able to escape the other hunters from their wrath; I knew that they would reject me, or murder me for what I had became. Finally, after three agonizing days of the transformation, I had become a monster.

"I was appalled – disgusted really – at what I had become. I tried everything to rid the world of me, in order to never eternally damn anyone to this monstrosity of a lifestyle. I tried attempting suicide, but I had discovered that nothing would work – drowning had failed because when you don't need air any longer, then you wouldn't suffocate yourself under water, and dropping for heights did nothing as well; I was able to survive the crushing impact and I lived without a scratch to my body. During all of this, I vowed to myself that I would never murder any life by drinking the most tempting nectar to a vampire – human's blood.

"I hid in the countryside or near the woods, far away from humans. My thirst for blood was unbearable, and that's when I had discovered our new lifestyle. A herd of deer passed me, and I snatched one away, drinking the animal's blood and it had satisfied me enough to where my thirst was dampened. The idea of drinking animal's blood was a less revolting idea than drinking human's blood, and so my new philosophy was born. Any animal that I could find would satiate my thirst.

"I roamed Eastern Europe for several years, hoping that I could control my bloodlust and surround myself around humans. It was a difficult task at first, but once my bloodlust had been tamed, I was able to tolerate being around humans. During my two centuries of studying medical science and everything that dealt with the career of becoming a doctor, I had stumbled across another vampire coven when I was in Volterra, Italy. This coven consisted of three ancient vampire brothers; their names were Aro, who has the talent of reading one's mind by touch, Marcus where his talent is the power to feel one's emotions, feelings or how one person may feel towards another, and Caius who's bloodthirstiness could be considered a gift in its own right.

"They had welcomed me with more than willing arms, for they were just as educated and refined as I was. I however discovered they were like the vampire coven I had found when I was human – they drank humans' blood. I merely stayed there for an amount of time to see whether or not they drank from both sources. I fled from there when I couldn't take watching the humans suffer any longer. That and I because they tried to convert me of my ways, in order to have me join their coven after they took pity on me for being alone and without any companions.

"Afterwards, I decided to come here, to the New World – which is now called America. Since I was so medically advanced, I decided to become a doctor in order to save humans from such diseases and illnesses. As time grew on, I felt lonelier than ever in my existence. I longed to have someone by my side, whether it could just be a friend, a son or daughter, or a mate – any of these occupations of sorts towards a companion would be suitable for me. I was just tired of roaming this earth on my own.

"And, the answer to my problem was the first person to join me – Isabella. I had found her not long after she had been bitten by a previous vampire, but she was left alone without someone to guide her in this new lifestyle. I took the liberty of taking her under my wing as my daughter, and I taught her all that she knows now, so she would be able to survive as one of immortality. She was only 18 and it was the year of 1898. She was a feisty and difficult little vampire at first, but I was able to tame her into what she is now.

"Not long ago, another member of our coven came into the family. His name is Edward, and he was dying of the Spanish Influenza when we lived in Chicago. His father had already passed away, and it was only him and his mother in the hospital that I worked at. His mother asked me to save him in any way, as her last dying wish. I had promised her I would save her son, and thus I bit him and transformed him like Bella and myself. Bella and Edward were wary of each other at the start, but that soon developed into the love they have now. They of course got married just a couple of months or so ago, and they're hard to separate from each other." At this, I paused to hear both Edward and Bella laugh quietly from upstairs. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention this, but since vampires have the capability of gaining powers when they have become a vampire, Edward has gained the power of reading minds – though he couldn't seem to read Bella's mind from the beginning, until we figured out that she has a mental shield to prevent mind powers in any way of harming her.

"And so, I guess we're up to date, so to speak." I ended my speech, my tone sounding very awkward. Esme sat there in silence, probably trying to take in all of the information I had given her. Finally, she took several intakes of breath, and released them in soft sighs. "How come you bit me though? Why didn't you just leave me to die?" she asked me, momentarily mesmerizing me with her angelic voice.

I sighed and said, "I had known you ever since you were only ten years old, Esme. Don't you remember the pale, blond doctor who had helped you with your sprained ankle after you fell out of that tree? That was me. I felt so… sorrowful – so sad to see you on your death bed after you had tried to commit suicide. I couldn't just let you lie there while you were at the time of your death." I explained, promptly leaving out the reason of why I had changed her was because of also of her divine beauty, and in hopes that we could get along with each other now that she was only 20 some years old, like myself.

She nodded slightly from hearing me say this, and she again sighed. "Well, I guess I should be thanking you for this. You had saved me from killing myself in order to escape my fears, when I should've faced them head on." She mumbled; it seemed like she was holding back the urge in telling me what her fears were. I wasn't going to push her into telling me why she wanted to escape her problems; if she wanted to tell me, she'll tell me on her own time.

"You don't have to tell me your fears, Esme. I'm a patient man, and I'll wait for you to be more comfortable around us, and if you feel like it, you can tell us your fears then." I explained to her, cautiously laying a hand on her stone, small shoulder; abruptly, a jolt of electricity shot up my arm. I immediately recoiled my hand from her arm, and she too jumped back. She was standing two feet away from me, her expression shocked like mine.

"What was that?" she asked me, looking from her shoulder to my hand. "I don't know; did you feel it as well?" I asked her, slowly standing to my feet. "Um, yes…" she trailed off, tilting her head to the side. I shook my head; now wasn't the time for me to ponder on this strange, electrical shock.

"Well, I believe it's time for you to go on a hunt." I stated, clapping my hands together. In that second, once I had uttered those words, a door from upstairs burst opened, and in a flash Edward and Bella were standing in front of me, arms linked together. "Hunt?" Esme asked, her high pitched tone, confused.

"Yes; since you are a newborn, your thirst must be terrible." I informed her; she still looked confused, but moments later, her eyes widened and her hands clutched at her throat. "Don't worry, Esme; after your hunt, that thirst will go down some." Bella assured Esme, giving her an encouraging, helpful grin. She nodded, still looking confused but willing.

So, what did you think of this chapter? Was it any good?

Please tell us what you think of this chapter in a review, if you liked it at all! :D

Bye for now,

~*Lady Lily of Darkness & Kitty Curtis*~