The Forgotten Child-Twilight

Chapter 16 - Part 3

The Original Naming

It's strange how our humanness comes back to haunt us. Despite the loss of my human life, I decided to stick to the name I'd always preferred for my firstborn.

Helena reluctantly agreed, wanting to name him for me. We finally settled on Christopher Carlisle Cullen. I grew to adore, if not worship, the child.

Although he had my eyes and parts of my face, Christopher retained the majority of Helena's heritage. Instead of a monster, I had a son! A living breathing heart-beating son!

However I did begin to get nervous after a year and a half and the toddler was not speaking.

"You need to understand something, my love," said Helena. "My kind doesn't find conversational speaking as simple as yours does. It's much simpler to sing a tune than it is to make these strange sounds," Helena admitted.

Helena then looked at me and confessed, "I 'talk' with Christopher all the time...almost since he was born."

I looked at Helena and raised a brow, "And... uhhh.. he talks back?" I asked her unbelievingly.

"Of course he does," she stated adamantly. "My people just communicate differently."

Helena then told me that her people, the "Minstrels," actually project a thought to another of their kind. The other person projects a thought back to respond. The way she produced instrumental music was the same way. By thought projection into another's mind.

"You can read minds?" I gasped at Helena.

"To a certain point, but what I mostly do is almost opposite," Helena admitted.

'"But, you CAN read minds?" I implored of her.

Helena grinned and said, "It's very difficult, but yes, if I really concentrated, but that would be terribly rude!"

"Will he ever learn to talk normally?" I asked with a note of fear in my voice.

Helena arched her beautiful brows and said, "Listen, if I can learn Italian, then English... he can at least learn English! Don't worry, he still understands you...he'll probably become adept enough to speak in another year or so," she finished.

Christopher did understand me, I had actually realized that for some time now but I couldn't force myself to accept it. Soon Christopher and Helena were singing in harmony as she sang him to sleep.

I remember so well the lullaby that they'd sing together... It went something like this:

Helena's Lullaby to Christopher

If the sun stopped shining' you'd be so surprised
You'd stare at the heavens with wide open eyes
And the wind would carry your light to the skies
And the sun would start shining again.

If the wind stopped blowing then the land would be dry
And your boat wouldn't sail, and your kite wouldn't fly
And the grass would see your troubles and she'd tell the wind
And the wind would start blowing again

If the grass stopped growing why you'd probably cry
And the ground would be watered by the tears from your eyes
"And like your love for me the grass would grow so high -
Yes, the grass would start growing again

So, if you stopped loving me, then the grass would stop growing
"The sun would stop shining and the wind would stop blowing"
So you see if you want to keep this old world a going,
You'd better start loving me again...

ooOoOoo

Christopher was almost three and a half years old. Although not a constant talker he was different around me. He knew I enjoyed listening to him talk, so Christopher would jabber away the minute I got home. He loved to make me happy.

I would give Christopher anything if I could, but Helena disliked drawing unwanted attention. She also claimed the sweets that I spoiled him with were bad for his teeth.

Near his fourth birthday, a neighbor had given him a puppy, which Christopher adored. Of course the poor thing went into hysterics when I came home, forcing Helena to return the dog since it couldn't tolerate my touch. I hated that I had taken his pet from him. I also hated the fact that I couldn't do bird-calls or show him the beautiful wilderness without terrifying the animals.

But what was so melancholy was his likeness to his mother. I was a hunter, I only hunted animals, but I hunted and drank their blood. Helena was correct about how her people always bred true. She had warned me years ago that her people never ate meat. Christopher inherited the same beautiful, but blunt teeth of his mother. Although both loved eggs, milk and cheese, I'd never seen either eat a piece of meat.

I never had a hunting companion, and carefully concealed this part of myself from my son. Fortunately, for me, England had little bright direct sunlight and Christopher only witnessed me sparkle on rare occasions.

ooOoOoo

The Devil Appears

A few months after Christopher's fifth birthday we decided to leave for another township. People were becoming too wary of us, particularly with myself.

Months went by as we prepared and sought out another township. I finally discovered another township for my family and myself. I spent several days there finding us a house. This house was much grander and finer than any other house we'd ever lived in. I knew Helena would be upset because she didn't want to encourage public notice. But dammit! I had more money than I knew what to do with, and I was going to start spending it and spoiling my beloved wife and son.

The day I returned home I heard Christopher chatting with a stranger outside our home. As I neared I noticed that Christopher appeared slightly uncared for. His clothes were a bit rumbled, hair uncombed, and he appeared thinner.

I then smelled a horrid smell and began to dash to my son.

I quickly picked Christopher up and he said, "Mummy's gone?"

I glanced over to the stranger. Suddenly my memories of the Volturi rushed back into my mind.

"Hello Ramero," I said to the Volturi tracker.