Blood Solstice 2 (Sequel)

Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Carlisle

Carlisle

Carlisle leaned back into his chair, palms pressed together as he stared fondly at the walls surrounding him. He seemed to be deep in thought, so I didn't say anything right off the bat, more than comfortable with the silence between us. It was pretty damn hard to feel awkward around Carlisle, that much was obvious. There was this compelling air about him that made it virtually impossible to feel awkward, truth be told.

"Where to begin?" he wondered. "Ah!" He turned his golden eyes to me. "I have yet to tell you about how it was that I was transformed, have I?"

I shook my head. "You told me a little bit about it, yes, but I don't think I got the full details."

"Then I shall start there." He paused to clear his throat, which I still found humorous since it wasn't something he needed to do. I guessed he was doing it for dramatic effect or because it made him appear more human.

"Well, I've told you before that I was born in England and that my father Mathias was an Anglican pastor. He had been raised strictly by his parents and their teachings carried on with him when he married his wife Eleanor, my mother, who also shared similar beliefs. Because of that, I was raised to think that anyone could very well be a witch in disguise, at least until I was old enough to formulate my own opinion."

"My father was not the kindest man, I'll admit. He often took his duties as a pastor far too seriously; the point where he would obsess with hunting witches, vampires and the like. He considered himself to be a messenger of God, but many people, my mother and I included, knew much better than that. No one ever said anything, though, because he was the leader of the other pastors and doing so would make him turn against you in an instant. My mother died when I was seven years old from being sick. My father had refused to get her treatment because he deemed that doing so would make him a hypocrite because he considered doctors witches."

Carlisle sighed. "My mother's death was sudden and it tore him apart on the inside, making him even more fanatical. He thought that the devil had killed his wife and increased the searches, even going so far as to killing innocent people just because they dressed or looked differently. I was ashamed of him, but there was little I could do save for follow in his footsteps. I vowed to be just and intelligent about it when the time came, though."

"I've explained to you how I initially felt about being a vampire, attempting to end my life any way I could think of, but failing each time. When I discovered that not only could I feed from animals but that I could use my transformation to help others, I was slowly starting to like what I had become and the new life that I ended up creating for myself."

"I have seen and experienced a lot. Prior to Esme, I once had a relationship with a human woman, for example. She had darker skin and very fine hair and beautiful eyes. We met one night while I was out buying myself some new clothes and we struck a good conversation that turned into a friendship. However, despite the fact that I had wanted to be more than just friends, I was too fearful that I would hurt her by accident, so I was forced to disappear. I left her a letter apologizing with a rose inside, begging for her forgiveness and telling her that I wished things could have been more between us."

"That's sad," I murmured, giving him a sympathetic look. "What happened to her?"

"She ended up marrying someone three years later. I returned around that time, merely curious as to what had become of her. She was happily married and even had several kids, which made me feel good, because while I had left her, she had something that she would have never had if she had stayed with me. It was a depressing thought, but I pushed it aside and continued to travel around, learning new things about the world around me and myself, too."