Sequel: Morning Light ›
The Cullen
Questions
I did not want to face reality yet. I could feel myself bubbling to its surface. I was not ready to meet my disastrous fate of who-what- I am. I could not believe that this was happening. It was eventually time to wake up; I couldn’t hide it any longer. They all knew I was awake, just faking to be passed out still. I opened my eyes one by one. Everything surrounding me was fuzzy at first; the setting took a while to focus. Edward and the man that I now knew was my father were hovering over me. Everyone else was sitting down with deep thoughts across their faces. Everyone sighed when I decided to sit up. I guess they have been waiting for me to do this.
Alice was looking at me. I guess she was trying to see the outcome of the soon to come conversation. I knew she could not, for I was involved in the conversation. The entire conversation is basically me. She looked at our new comer with some type of disgust.
I looked at him too. I had a million questions to ask him: How could that happen? Why meet me now? What is it that you need to tell me? I knew the answer to the last question, but I needed to her it aloud. I looked at him with all the questions in my eyes.
He sighed and clapped his hands to his knees. “Well you know what I am, obviously,” he said as he raised his hands to the room.
“Can you say it out loud, please?” I whispered to him.
“Why?” he asked a bit startled.
“Just to hear it confirmed, please,” I said desperately.
“Okay. I’m a,” he looked around the room, “vampire.”
Everyone, including myself, cringed as he said this out loud even though we already knew it. Questions went through my brain again. I looked up at every single face in the room one by one, but I could not look at one: myself. I skipped over the glass windows knowing my reflection was being mirrored as I looked at Edward. He looked elated. A smile was forming across his face. He sat down beside me, taking my hand. He even kissed me. Everyone was startled by this. I guess having a vampire for a father had its privileges.
I asked my million questions to get my answers, He answered each one with patience. The Cullens were getting happy even. I could not believe it. My father wanted to get to know me. He said he would help if I ever started having blood cravings and everything else vampire related. While he stayed here, he adapted to the “vegetarian’ lifestyle of the Cullen’s. Edward and I started to have a relationship. Nothing risqué or anything, just the most perfect relationship. I guess being a vampire had its advantages. I was so glad that everything was working out.
Wrong. Nothing was working out. Edward was not happy in any sense. He body went rigid as my father confessed that he was a vampire. He looked straight ahead, without breathing, the entire time. He was not happy one bit at this new information. He did not even put as mush as a comforting hand on my shoulder during the conversation. Obviously, we did not kick it off in my hopeful perfect relationship. My father was hesitant about answering most of my questions. The only thing that was true was that while he would follow the vegetarian lifestyle while he stayed here.
My first question was hard for him to answer. “How?” I blurted out. I saw that he was taken back by my question. “How was it possible for you to impregnate my mother?”
“Well,” he started, “I don’t know. I told your mother it was impossible for her to pregnant with my child. I told her what I was, and she went hysterical. She said I did not want to claim the child. It took drastic measures to convince her. As soon as she realized I was telling the truth, she did not want me in your life. I have no idea how I got her pregnant. I thought it was her husband’s.”
My breath got stuck in my throat as he said that. “What?” I cried. She was with my “father” while she slept with this man. “You knew my mother was married!” I accused him.
“No, I did not,” he raised his hands in defense. “ I did not know until she told me after she got pregnant. I still don’t know how I got her pregnant. I did research after she told me. I found a few other cases like this but with it came horrible news.”
“What did you find out?”
“How is your mother still alive?”
“What?” I asked flabbergasted.
“In all the articles I read, the mother died while giving birth to the Halfling.”
My eyes widened in shock. He called me a Halfling, and by his research, my other should be dead. “Halfling,” I mouthed. “How?”
He gave me a look. This look meant: “Are you serious? I am a vampire. Your mother a human. You tend to be fifty/fifty each way. That’s how.” He even said this allowed.
It took me back as he spat it out. I looked at him and knew he regretted me. I let my head fall in shame.
“I’m sorry. I did not mean to say it like that. It’s just something that seemed obvious. Maybe I was wrong. You seem so much more human than vampire. Maybe the human gene became dominant in you.”
“No,” Edward answered. “She has the strength of a vampire. She could hurt me, and she has a special talent as some of us do.” Edward did not talk the rest of the time.
“Aren’t you lucky?” he laughed, facing me. “I don’t have anything special about me.”
“You think this is funny?” I asked him.
“No. I’m still just stunned by all of this.”
“You’re stunned?!” I yelled. My voice was getting pitchy and my English accent was coming out. “You’re the one stunned. You are not the one that just found out that your mother has lied to you your entire life. That your father is a vampire. That you are, in fact, a half vampire. Why should you be stun?” I lashed out.
“Sorry,” he retorted with shame. “I guess that is a lot compared to what I have learned.”
“Yeah, just a bit.” I noticed that I still sounded English.
He started laughing. This time I knew what he was laughing and just rolled my eyes. “I see you got my accent.’
“I suppose I do.”
“You look so much like me. It’s startling.” He reached for my arm. I pulled away. He look hurt at my reaction.
“What?” I asked, still mad.
“Nothing.” Then he blurted out, “What is your diet?”
It was my turn to gave him the “Are you serious?” look. I answered him with disgust, “ I eat normal food. Human food. I have never felt an urge to drink blood.”
He was taken back by my reaction. “I was just wondering.”
“Why? Why now?’
“Why what?” he asked, truly confused.
“Why come and meet me now?”
“Curiosity got the best of me after so many years. I wanted to know how everything worked out,” he admitted.
“ Oh just peachy keen,” I said sarcastically. I never felt this way before. I just realized that I hated a man I did not know. I didn’t even know his name. “What is your name?”
“Oh, sorry. It is William.”
“No last name?”
“To be honest, I have been a vampire so long, that I forgot my last name; but I think it was Ackart.”
“Ackart?”
“Yes.”
I was relieved when he did not say Shakespeare. A little foolish but still. I was still a little upset. He only came to see how I turned out, not to care for me. He was just curious. I guess he wanted to know if I killed my mother.
“How did your mother survive your birth? Where were you even born?”
“What?”
Carlisle answered my question. “ Lynn, I had suspicion about this myself. I did a little research myself. It seems that the baby is covered by a protective skin, mush like our own skin. When it is time to give birth to the infant, the baby eats it way out of its mother during labor.”
I put up my hand not wanting to know more. I was about to throw up. How did my mother survive that?
“Is your mother-” William started to ask.
“No!” I screeched. I knew what he was going to ask.
“Then, how did she survive?’
“I don’t know, but I think I would know if my mother was a vampire.”
“Of course.”
We all sat there in silence as we took in this news. I was starting to feel sick. I needed to lay down. I put my head on Edward’s knee only to find it hitting the arm of the couch. I looked up and saw that he was gone. I looked at the back glass door to find it open. He was gone. I looked at Alice. She had her jaw open in shock. I guess she did not see that coming.
Everyone got up and tried to chase Edward after five minutes of having it sink in that he had left. It did not work out. He was way too fast. I felt myself crumple to the ground. Alice was by my side. I did not know I still had tears left to cry with. My father was also by my side. I looked up and saw the pain I had in the eyes of the people surrounding me. Edward’s family was in pain. Did he decide to go back to Italy once and for all? I looked at Alice and saw confusion on her face.
Alice was looking at me. I guess she was trying to see the outcome of the soon to come conversation. I knew she could not, for I was involved in the conversation. The entire conversation is basically me. She looked at our new comer with some type of disgust.
I looked at him too. I had a million questions to ask him: How could that happen? Why meet me now? What is it that you need to tell me? I knew the answer to the last question, but I needed to her it aloud. I looked at him with all the questions in my eyes.
He sighed and clapped his hands to his knees. “Well you know what I am, obviously,” he said as he raised his hands to the room.
“Can you say it out loud, please?” I whispered to him.
“Why?” he asked a bit startled.
“Just to hear it confirmed, please,” I said desperately.
“Okay. I’m a,” he looked around the room, “vampire.”
Everyone, including myself, cringed as he said this out loud even though we already knew it. Questions went through my brain again. I looked up at every single face in the room one by one, but I could not look at one: myself. I skipped over the glass windows knowing my reflection was being mirrored as I looked at Edward. He looked elated. A smile was forming across his face. He sat down beside me, taking my hand. He even kissed me. Everyone was startled by this. I guess having a vampire for a father had its privileges.
I asked my million questions to get my answers, He answered each one with patience. The Cullens were getting happy even. I could not believe it. My father wanted to get to know me. He said he would help if I ever started having blood cravings and everything else vampire related. While he stayed here, he adapted to the “vegetarian’ lifestyle of the Cullen’s. Edward and I started to have a relationship. Nothing risqué or anything, just the most perfect relationship. I guess being a vampire had its advantages. I was so glad that everything was working out.
Wrong. Nothing was working out. Edward was not happy in any sense. He body went rigid as my father confessed that he was a vampire. He looked straight ahead, without breathing, the entire time. He was not happy one bit at this new information. He did not even put as mush as a comforting hand on my shoulder during the conversation. Obviously, we did not kick it off in my hopeful perfect relationship. My father was hesitant about answering most of my questions. The only thing that was true was that while he would follow the vegetarian lifestyle while he stayed here.
My first question was hard for him to answer. “How?” I blurted out. I saw that he was taken back by my question. “How was it possible for you to impregnate my mother?”
“Well,” he started, “I don’t know. I told your mother it was impossible for her to pregnant with my child. I told her what I was, and she went hysterical. She said I did not want to claim the child. It took drastic measures to convince her. As soon as she realized I was telling the truth, she did not want me in your life. I have no idea how I got her pregnant. I thought it was her husband’s.”
My breath got stuck in my throat as he said that. “What?” I cried. She was with my “father” while she slept with this man. “You knew my mother was married!” I accused him.
“No, I did not,” he raised his hands in defense. “ I did not know until she told me after she got pregnant. I still don’t know how I got her pregnant. I did research after she told me. I found a few other cases like this but with it came horrible news.”
“What did you find out?”
“How is your mother still alive?”
“What?” I asked flabbergasted.
“In all the articles I read, the mother died while giving birth to the Halfling.”
My eyes widened in shock. He called me a Halfling, and by his research, my other should be dead. “Halfling,” I mouthed. “How?”
He gave me a look. This look meant: “Are you serious? I am a vampire. Your mother a human. You tend to be fifty/fifty each way. That’s how.” He even said this allowed.
It took me back as he spat it out. I looked at him and knew he regretted me. I let my head fall in shame.
“I’m sorry. I did not mean to say it like that. It’s just something that seemed obvious. Maybe I was wrong. You seem so much more human than vampire. Maybe the human gene became dominant in you.”
“No,” Edward answered. “She has the strength of a vampire. She could hurt me, and she has a special talent as some of us do.” Edward did not talk the rest of the time.
“Aren’t you lucky?” he laughed, facing me. “I don’t have anything special about me.”
“You think this is funny?” I asked him.
“No. I’m still just stunned by all of this.”
“You’re stunned?!” I yelled. My voice was getting pitchy and my English accent was coming out. “You’re the one stunned. You are not the one that just found out that your mother has lied to you your entire life. That your father is a vampire. That you are, in fact, a half vampire. Why should you be stun?” I lashed out.
“Sorry,” he retorted with shame. “I guess that is a lot compared to what I have learned.”
“Yeah, just a bit.” I noticed that I still sounded English.
He started laughing. This time I knew what he was laughing and just rolled my eyes. “I see you got my accent.’
“I suppose I do.”
“You look so much like me. It’s startling.” He reached for my arm. I pulled away. He look hurt at my reaction.
“What?” I asked, still mad.
“Nothing.” Then he blurted out, “What is your diet?”
It was my turn to gave him the “Are you serious?” look. I answered him with disgust, “ I eat normal food. Human food. I have never felt an urge to drink blood.”
He was taken back by my reaction. “I was just wondering.”
“Why? Why now?’
“Why what?” he asked, truly confused.
“Why come and meet me now?”
“Curiosity got the best of me after so many years. I wanted to know how everything worked out,” he admitted.
“ Oh just peachy keen,” I said sarcastically. I never felt this way before. I just realized that I hated a man I did not know. I didn’t even know his name. “What is your name?”
“Oh, sorry. It is William.”
“No last name?”
“To be honest, I have been a vampire so long, that I forgot my last name; but I think it was Ackart.”
“Ackart?”
“Yes.”
I was relieved when he did not say Shakespeare. A little foolish but still. I was still a little upset. He only came to see how I turned out, not to care for me. He was just curious. I guess he wanted to know if I killed my mother.
“How did your mother survive your birth? Where were you even born?”
“What?”
Carlisle answered my question. “ Lynn, I had suspicion about this myself. I did a little research myself. It seems that the baby is covered by a protective skin, mush like our own skin. When it is time to give birth to the infant, the baby eats it way out of its mother during labor.”
I put up my hand not wanting to know more. I was about to throw up. How did my mother survive that?
“Is your mother-” William started to ask.
“No!” I screeched. I knew what he was going to ask.
“Then, how did she survive?’
“I don’t know, but I think I would know if my mother was a vampire.”
“Of course.”
We all sat there in silence as we took in this news. I was starting to feel sick. I needed to lay down. I put my head on Edward’s knee only to find it hitting the arm of the couch. I looked up and saw that he was gone. I looked at the back glass door to find it open. He was gone. I looked at Alice. She had her jaw open in shock. I guess she did not see that coming.
Everyone got up and tried to chase Edward after five minutes of having it sink in that he had left. It did not work out. He was way too fast. I felt myself crumple to the ground. Alice was by my side. I did not know I still had tears left to cry with. My father was also by my side. I looked up and saw the pain I had in the eyes of the people surrounding me. Edward’s family was in pain. Did he decide to go back to Italy once and for all? I looked at Alice and saw confusion on her face.