"Dearest Diary,
I can't express the worry I feel for my cousin Esme and her child. But all I can do
at the moment is hope and pray for the best. I hope deep in my heart I have made the right
decisions for her. I love her very dearly as I would my own sister. And I can't deny that I already miss her terribly. I wish her stay with me could have been
prolonged. But somehow we both knew it would not last forever. Not with that maniac on the loose. I had to hide her somewhere safe, somewhere he will never find her, or her baby. I will not even dare put anything into writing for fear that my actions are being watched, Charles is a scoundrel. But he is no fool. As for now all I can do is wait and hope the storm will pass-"
It was a cloudy Tuesday morning when Cathy heard a knock on her front door. She was seated in the large dining hall writing in her journal. The white pages ruffling every so often as she turned a page, she had just finished eating her breakfast when she heard the knock again.
Somehow she had a notion in her gut who exactly it was.
She let whoever was knocking on her door wait for a reasonable amount of time before she gathered herself from the seat and proceeded out the dining area and past the foyer.
She stood in front of the large white wooden door and squeezed the handle as she opened it.
Just as she suspected.
Charles Evenson.
Charles stood there, dressed shabbily and clearly unshaven. He walked past the threshold and walked directly inside into Cathy's home uninvited.
Before she could stop him he started screaming out Esme's name as he ascended the stairs haphazardly and headed straight for the masters bedroom.
Cathy watched him quietly as she willed herself to stay calm.
Charles stood there in the empty bedroom when Cathy walked up behind him.
"What do you think you're doing?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
He turned to face her, his nostrils flaring, his eyes bloodshot. It was evident that he had been drinking judging from the stale scent of liquor that was permeating from his breath.
"You know why I'm here." He hissed. "Where's my wife? Where's Esme?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Cathy said blankly as she toyed with the tip of her fingernails.
"Where is she!" Charles screamed, his eyes widening with rage as he grabbed Cathy painfully by the wrist.
But instead of flinching she stood her ground.
Cathy shook his grasp from her wrist as she crossed her arms over her waist.
"You pathetic snivelling drunk." She sneered. "You'll never find her, ever."
Charles blinked rapidly, as he shot her a murderous look. "If you think I'll let a woman outsmart me, you're wrong, dead wrong."
"I'm going to ask you one last time, where is she?" he asked, his voice dangerously low.
"Your threats don't work in this household Mr Evenson." Cathy said casually as she leaned against the wooden doorframe, her wavy dark locks framing her oval face. Cathy's dark eyes glimmered with satisfaction as she spoke, "You're on private property, I suggest you leave, before I call the authorities."
Charles held her steady gaze, quietly challenging her.
He knew she was nowhere near joking.
He lowered his head as he walked past her and headed down the stairs.
Cathy followed him as the sounds of her light footfall echoed down the wooden steps.
Before he could open the door she stopped him,
"One more thing, I never want to see your dirty face in my house again."
He turned to glare at her as he gripped the doorknob. "We'll see."
Cathy returned his look as she spoke, her voice even. "Get out."
Back in Ashland.
Esme's day was going unexpectedly well aside from the bought with dizziness and fatigue she experienced the previous night. The lovely afternoon pleasantly surprised her, because she had no experience in teaching whatsoever but like most new things that came her way, she took it all in stride.
The day was bright and beautiful. Not a single cloud in the horizon as the blinding sun shone freely over the vast blue sky.
Esme took it as a good omen.
Marc was kind enough to help her go through the lesson plan which surprisingly was simple enough to apply to the young students.
She was substituting for another teacher who was out sick that week, and basically all she needed to do was improve the children's literacy skills.
Even though the children were miraculously well behaved, she couldn't lie and say that she felt extremely confident. On the contrary she felt quite nervous at first but as soon as she found her rhythm, everything fell into place.
It was as if she was born to do this or at least meant to do this at some point in her life, per se. Her benevolence and sweet nature made the children fall in love with her as her time in the classroom wore on.
She was warm and exceedingly charismatic. Adding a touch of humour to her teachings as the children looked on starry eyed at her. When she would begin to read to them, the words flowed like a gentle stream from her soft lips as she made each word come to life with a distinct color and meaning. It captured their minds and captivated their young hearts. For it was not her soft voice that caused them to listen to her, but it was the meaning in the words she spoke which was filled with untainted innocence and grace. It was not her beautiful face that drew them in to her, but her smile that seemed to have melted even the coldest of hearts with a single glance.
Her mind was free from guile and her heart flowing with kindness.
She easily became their favorite teacher.
The idyllic afternoon passed lazily without a moment's thought. The skies were filled with cotton blankets of white in a still sea of translucent blue as far off birds took flight with the gentle wind.
Esme was finally given the chance to live her dream. Even if it was for a short while, she wouldn't have traded it in for all the riches in the world.
Finally, for the first time in a long while, she felt, happy.
She smiled down at her round belly as she said a silent prayer of gratitude.
It was getting farther late into the afternoon as class came to an end.
Esme watched through her mirth lighted eyes that shined slightly underneath the hazy remnants of sunlight that peeked through the tall trees which hovered over the small school in a shady embrace, she watched the children burst out the open door to be reunited with their parents. Their sweet voices filling the air with laughter and joyous echoes of frivolous happiness.
There couldn't have been a more wonderful sight for her than that lovely scene which played out before her eyes.
As she straightened out the books and the papers that were strewn across the wooden desk, a little boy at the far right corner of the room caught her eye.
She was surprised to find that he was still there. The classroom had been empty for over a while now.
He was seated near the window as he fumbled with the buttons on his shirt with his little fingers.
The afternoon sun illuminated itself inside the room with gentle rays of yellow as Esme proceeded towards the boy.
Even from a distance she could vividly make out his appearance.
He was quite blonde, no older than 7 with vividly pink cheeks and a nose that was slightly turn up.
"Hello sweetheart, is there someone here to pick you up?" Esme said sweetly as she crouched down to the child's eye level.
The little boy raised his cerulean blue eyes to meet hers as he nodded.
Esme smiled at him.
"What's your name?"
He wiped his nose with his sleeve nervously as he spoke in a little voice. "C-Carl. My Name is Carl."
"Very pleased to make your handsome acquaintance Carl." Esme cooed as she shook his little hand.
Carl smiled bashfully at her.
He continued to fumble with the buttons on his shirt as he sighed in frustration.
"I think it's broken." He said sadly.
"Not in my class." Esme said defiantly. "Come here." She said softly as she motioned the child over to her.
She gently picked him up in her arms and carried him to her desk as she sat the boy down on her lap.
Turns out the button was simply entangled by a piece of lint.
She gently manuvered her way around it as her soft fingers slipped it out of it's entangled
web.
"See? It's not broken." Esme said as she smiled down at him.
The boy's face lighted with a grin, "Thank you Teacher."
"You're most welcome Carl."
Just then, a tall woman in a pink floral dress came up to the front door as she called out to the young boy.
"Mommy!" Carl called out as he hopped from Esme's lap and into his mother's arms, "Mommy, mommy, she fixed my button!" Carl said excitedly as he showed his mother.
"That's wonderful darling." His mother smiled as she gave him a light kiss on the forehead.
"You have a beautiful boy." Esme said as she gave Carl's mother a warm smile.
She smiled shyly, "Thank you very much." She whispered something to the little boy as they started to walk away. "Goodbye Teacher, see you tomorrow." Carl called out as he waved before exiting with his mother out the door.
"See you tomorrow too Carl." Esme replied softly as she waved back.
A soft chuckle escaped her lips as the boy reminded her of a certain blonde from her past.
Carlisle.
Shortly after Esme stacked all the books back into their shelves and locked up; Marc came by and escorted her home.
It was past 5 as their gait slowed down easily on the sidewalks that led to her house.
Marc was mostly quiet the whole walk through. He seemed pensive, as if something was on his mind and he couldn't decide whether to tell it or not.
After a short while, they reached her front door.
Marc was about to bid her goodbye when she stopped him.
"Wouldn't you like to come in for some tea? It's the least I can do to thank you," Esme said as she smiled at him. "Today was extremely wonderful."
"I'd love to." He said.
They entered the house as Esme closed the door behind them.
"Please make yourself comfortable." Esme said as she hung her coat and hat and proceeded to walk into the kitchen.
"Oh could you please start the fireplace for me? I'm feeling quite chilly this evening." Esme called out to Marc from the kitchen.
"Alright, no trouble at all." He replied back.
A few short minutes later their tea was ready. Marc helped Esme carry their tray back into the living room; a cheerful fire greeted her as she sat herself down on the sofa.
"Please, do sit down." Esme motioned for him to sit beside her as she carefully poured him a cup, "Here you are," She said softly as she handed him the warm porcelain china.
"Thank you." He noticed she wasn't having her own. "Aren't you going to have one as well?"
She shook her head lightly, "For tonight, I don't think so. I feel quite full." She watched as he nodded and took in a sip.
The air around them warm and comfortable. As they chatted amongst themselves, their conversation was mostly revolving around Esme's first day of teaching and the children. How he explained to her later on that he would be more than glad to help her if she needed more books or whether she needed him to help her with lesson plans.
All in all, their conversation was pleasant. Yet for some reason she couldn't quite comprehend, Esme felt that Marc was tense and uneasy. They continued their conversation for a few minutes longer when Esme could no longer bear the dense air that hung around him.
"Marc, do forgive me if I sound rather blatant but perhaps you could tell me," Esme took a slight pause as she gathered her thoughts, "Tell me about what happened between you and Cathy?"
Marc's brows furrowed for a moment as his expression softened.
"Of course, she told me how close you two are. I think it's fair that you should know as well." He conceded.
She watched him as he licked his lips gingerly.
"You see, I met your cousin several years ago in the University when she took a summer class in French. She was quite the free spirit amongst her group of girls, and certainly the most outspoken. I suppose you've noticed that I am quite older than she, but perhaps if you were in the situation I was in, nothing quite makes sense." He said as he laughed quietly.
Esme watched his face as she fidgeted with the table napkin she was holding.
"What did happen?" She asked.
"I...I fell in love with her." He said, his eyes wincing as he said it. "Very deeply, in love with her." He whispered.
"She drove me absolutely out of my mind." He said as he chuckled softly, "But I loved her and wanted her to be my wife. She said she was happy with the way things were and...I...I decided to be content with that for a while." He pressed his palms together as he spoke, "I wanted her to be happy but yet I also wanted our life to be complete and I thought marriage was the best way to do it. Everything was alright for a while until one evening..."
He closed his eyes as the memory poured itself back into his mind.
"One evening, I had finally gathered my courage to propose, there was so much confidence in me that I went as far as to buy her a ring right away. Somehow a part of me insisted that she already had changed. Instead of it being the happiest nights of my life, it was one of the worst." He said as she shook his head, his lips tensing.
"I suppose I shouldn't have lost my anger and screamed at her the way I did. I guess I was so desperate for wanting to change her so drastically that I wasn't seeing to the things she wanted and needed. I wasn't thinking of what was truly best for her." His eyes started to moisten. He turned his head by a fraction of an inch, clearing his throat, as if to re-compose himself.
"I'm so sorry." Esme said softly, lightly touching his shoulder.
Marc gave a small shrug. "She threw the ring at me and left." He said as he laughed sadly.
"I suppose it was why her letter came off as a complete and utter surprise to me, knowing all that has happened in the past."
There was a brief silence.
"How did you get that scar?" Esme asked innocently, trying to change the subject.
He rubbed his hands gingerly.
Marc started to speak about the war and his experiences and about a certain man by the name of Dr Cullen.
Esme felt her stomach constrict and her throat go dry, "Yes? wh-what about Dr Cullen?"
Marc let out a sigh as his thoughts wandered back in time. "You see, we were helping our troops transfer to a new basecamp that morning." He said as his eyes steadied onto the fire burning in front of him.
"And since it had been raining the entire day it started taking a toll on our equipment which some of were, unfortunately stuck in the mud. The weather was so terrible; we barely got to see the wink of daylight."
His body tensed as he continued on.
"It was probably past 12 midnight. We had still been transferring crates of food and medicine, when a surprise attack had been launched leaving 50 of us wounded. The doctor who was on duty at that time had been killed by one of the grenades that hit their tent."
He shuddered slightly
"They eventually retreated when they realized we out numbered them, but the consequences were devastating. And this man, this Dr Cullen came in at the last minute, completely drenched in mud and rain. How he got there so quickly I'll never know." He said as his voice shivered.
"The thunderstorm was at its peak. You could barely see anything, everything was pitch black. And yet this man, he ran tirelessly across the fields searching if any of my men were still alive." He said as he clasped his hands tighter around the other, his pupils widening slightly.
"He ran back and forth in the middle of the storm until he gathered all the ones who had survived, you couldn't even see the man blink. His dedication was, almost inhuman."
"He was the one who fixed this," He said as he lifted his left palm that was deeply embedded with a 7 inch scar, "I know it isn't quite a picture of beauty, but if it weren't for him, that hand wouldn't be there in the first place." He said as he rubbed the scar once more.
"Most of us were wounded, the rest. . ." His voice trailed off.
"I never saw him again after that night." Marc said quietly.
Marc noticed Esme's silence. He turned to look at her.
Her face was pale as the expression of shock plastered itself onto her eyes. She had her hand on her belly.
"What is it?" Marc asked, panic in his voice,
"Marc, I think my water broke."
A/N: Yay! Here's chapter 16 for you guys! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for all your kind reviews I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! You make me excessively high on happiness ;) Please stay tuned for chapter 17! And I'm deeply sorry for the delay, please forgive me. My grandfather had to be taken to the hospital and unfortunately I caught a flu when I was visiting him ):
You guys are the best reviewers a writer could ever hope for :') LOVE YOU GUYS! and GOD BLESS!
Please keep reading and reviewing! They take me on a whole new level of high ;D