章節 94: Good to see you & Revelations
Stepping into the nicely decorated entrance hall, I gave Carlisle a smile.
"Who would have thought you would be one for the fancier things in life.'' I said jokingly, as he smiled back at me.
"What can I say? Forever is a long time, so why not live in a little comfort. And I didn't pick the place." Carlisle added with a small chuckle.
"Oh, and who picked the place then?" I asked as we walked out of the hall and into a large open living room, which was richly designed, with finery and expensive looking furniture.
What caught my eye was the young-ish looking woman standing in the middle of the living room, wearing a nice black dress with a waist belt.
"Adam, I would like for you to meet my mate…Esme." Carlisle said, sounding uncertain.
I smiled as I set my suitcase on the ground.
"Carlisle!" I said with a wide smile.
Looking at her, I couldn't help but smile inwardly as well.
'It seems things are still falling into place the way they are meant to.' I thought.
Taking a few steps forward, I outstretched my hand.
"It is very nice to finally meet you, Adam." Esme said as she softly shook my hand. "Carlisle has told me much about you," he added.
"And you, Esme." I said, giving her a shake of the hand. "I hope Carlisle hasn't been telling tall tales about me." I said with a chuckle.
"Let me show you to your room, Adam." Carlisle said, gesturing for me to follow him down a hall that was connected to the living room with a smile and a chuckle.
Grabbing my case, I followed after them as Esme and him walked down a hallway.
Making our way down the hall, I looked at the interesting pierces of art that hung on the walls of the hallway.
"Hey, this is one of my pieces." I said, surprised.
"That it is." Carlisle said.
The artwork showed the city of Rome, which I painted around 1100 AD.
The artwork was still in great shape and still held most of the vibrant colors I liked to add to most of my artwork.
Right next to the painting that was hung on the wall was a door that was cracked open.
Taking a glance through the small crack, I could see shelves of books.
"Is this your study, Carlisle?" I asked as I turned to look at him.
Carlisle and Esme both froze for the slightest of milliseconds before they smiled at me.
"No…that room belongs to, Edward." Carlisle said with a small awkward smile.
"Edward?" I asked, sounding confused, even though I knew well who he was.
They looked at each other quickly before they looked at me.
"Adam, there is something I need to tell you." Carlisle said, now sounding worried.
I raised one of my brows at them, curious at what could make Carlisle act so worried.
"Please, love, let's get him settled before we start." Esme said, turning to give Carlisle a stern look.
"Yes. Good idea." Carlisle said, clapping his hands together to disperse the slight tension that filled the air.
My room was nice, with a twin sized bed and a wall closet for my belongings.
Gently sitting my case on the bed, I unbuttoned my expensive black jacket and then hung it in the closet before I walked back to the living room.
But as I made my way there, I couldn't help but stop and push the door to Edwards' room open.
Looking inside, I saw the whole of one side of his room was full with books, filling floor to ceiling bookshelves.
The other side simply held a single person bed and a lounge chair that looked heavily used.
Closing the door, I finished making my way down the hall.
Stepping into the living room, I saw Carlisle standing by the window while Esme walked into the room holding a teacup and saucer.
"If we knew you were coming, I would have gotten something better than this." Esme said with a smile as she handed me the cup.
"This was left by the previous owners." she added.
"This is quite alright." I said, bringing the cup up to smell.
"camomile. It's one of my favorites." I said, taking a sip.
Walking to one of the leather chairs in the room, I took a seat.
"So, what is it you wanted to tell me?" I asked, setting the cup and saucer down on a side table. Wanting to get to the meat of Carlisle apparent worries.
Carlisle turned away from the window and looked at me.
"It's about Edward." Carlisle said, getting right to it.
I raised a brow.
"What about him?" I asked, not wanting him to stall.
"He is a member of my coven. The first." He said, walking away from the window to sit next to Esme on a fancy looking sofa.
"I'm the one who turned him." He continued once he had sat.
I nodded my head.
"And…you thought I would be mad about that?" I asked inquiringly.
"Not about that." Carlisle said as he fidgeted with a gold ring on his finger.
"Then what?" I asked with a chuckle.
"Edward's last name at birth was Mason. But his mother's maiden name was Grey."
'Now that's unexpected.' I thought, as a mix of confused emotions ran through me.
"I managed to trace her family lineage back to England and to your family." Carlisle said, still sounding hesitant.
I didn't say anything for a few moments as I thought about all of this.
'what are the odds.' I couldn't help but think.
Taking another sip of the tea.
"Does he know about me?" I asked.
"No. Not yet, at least."
"He hasn't had the easiest time adapting to this life." Esme said.
"He…" Esme began but seemed unable to finish her sentence.
"He has the same issue I had when I first turned." Carlisle finished for her.
"Edward believes that being a vampire is bad because it means having to live forever while constantly battling his instinct to drink human blood. He sees himself as a monster and fears the potential harm he could cause to those around him. Additionally, having to hide his true nature from the human world makes him feel isolated and disconnected from others." Carlisle said.
"And have you tried to talk to him about it?" I asked.
"Of course I have. But it's as if my words never stick. He says he understands, but he never seems able to leave his depression."
I nodded my head slowly.
"And where is he now?" I asked.
Both Esme and Carlisle looked at each other.
"for the past few months, he has been living on his own." Carlisle said.
"Why is that?"
"He has begun to drink human blood, so he thought it would be best to be on his own for now." Carlisle said.
"He goes after the bad guys. The killers, rapists, and scum that fill this city." Carlisle said as he shook his head.
"I guess it's a way for him to feel less like the monster he thinks he is."
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I don't know how I really feel about the flow of this chapter, so please comment and let me know.
Also, please check out my Cyberpunk 2077 fanfic.
I've also picked up with chapters on that one.
章節 95: Confronting Shadows
[1 week later.]
Stepping into the movie theater, I saw the movie was already under way.
Taking off my hat, I took a seat at the back of the large theater.
The movie was 'Frankenstein's bride'.
The movie had only been out for about a week and seemed to be a hit.
I wouldn't know, because surprisingly, I wasn't much for movies anymore like I might have once been.
My guess was the over five thousand years I went without it.
Looking around, I looked for the one I had come to find.
Like a hawk, it only took me a few seconds to hone in on my query.
Seated by the main aisle, I saw the tall skinny figure of Edward Cullen.
He seemed captivated by the movie, but I knew he had more on his mind than just the movie.
I had followed him from his apartment in Brooklyn to Manhattan where we currently sit.
Stretching my back, I tried to get comfortable in the small chairs, wishing I had bought some popcorn on the way in.
The movie went on for about thirty minutes, before a woman stood from her seat, probably on her way to the washroom.
As she walked by, a tall skinny man also stood, following after her.
I smirked as I watched Edward.
All the way, Edward watched the man move, clearly reading his thoughts, knowing what his sinister plan was.
As the man walked out of the theater, Edward was hot in his tracks, following after him.
With leisure, I stood from my seat, adjusting my new suit and over coat.
Dusting off my hat, I put it on.
'Times are starting to get interesting!' I thought to myself as I followed Edward.
Walking through the ornate halls of the high end theater, I could hear as Edward struck the man.
The slightest gasp escaped the man's lungs as Edward drank from him.
Turning a corner in the wall, I saw as Edward separated from the man's neck.
Making sure to walk as softly as possible, I managed to get about five feet behind Edward, before he managed to sense my presence.
With the speed of a vampire, he turned in panic to see me standing there.
His eyes were wide as he stared into my blue eyes.
But as he stared, his eyes only grew wider and wider.
"It's good to finally meet ya kid." I said cheerily as I gave him a wide smile.
Edward didn't say anything, but instead, took on a look of concentration.
"I would stop trying to read my mind before you hurt yourself." I said with a chuckle.
"It won't work."
Reaching up, I grabbed my handkerchief from my inner jacket pocket and held it out.
"Here, you have something on your face." I said, gesturing at my lip with my free hand.
Edward stared at the handkerchief for a moment, before slowly taking it from my grip.
Wiping the blood from his mouth, he handed it back.
I shook my head.
"Keep it. I have spares." I said with a smile as I patted my chest where I actually had two others.
Confusedly, Edward shoved the handkerchief into his overcoats pocket.
During all of this, Edward had never removed his eyes from mine.
"You won't be able to read my mind. Just give it a rest, huh." I said, looking away from him and down at the dead body.
"What do you normally do now?" I asked.
"Just leave them where they fall or~" I asked, looking back at Edward who still looked mildly confused.
"Uh…" he said, unable to continue.
"I'll take that as a leave them as they fall." I said cheekily, before looking around.
"We should get a move on. Last thing we want is for one of the movies to end and people find us standing over a dead body." I said, walking past Edward and down the stairs.
As I went down the steps, Edward stood still, in what I can only call shock.
Reaching the last step, I heard Edward start to follow.
Stopping, I reached into another of my pockets and pulled out a fifty dollar bill while I waited for Edward.
Stopping next to me, I could feel Edward's gaze.
Looking over at him, I raised a brow.
"What?" I asked, but before giving him time to speak, I started to move again, following the delicious smell that filled the large concession area that filled most of the bottom entrance floor.
Walking with purpose, I made my way to the register area where a teen stood.
Slapping the fifty dollar bill on the counter, I look up at the surprised cashier.
"I'll take your largest popcorn, three milk duds, 2 Red hots, 1 black licorice, and all the three musketeers you have…OH! And all of the KitKats." I said, pointing out each item as I said their name.
To the kids' credit, he managed to grab what I wanted in order and without falling behind.
As he rang everything up on the large metal register, I snapped my fingers together.
"I nearly forgot. Also add two Coca-Colas while you're at it." I said.
Grabbing all of my goodies from the counter, I shoved them in all of my pockets.
"And here is your change sir. $40.52."
I looked up at the teen's hand which was holding the change as I grabbed the two glass bottles of soda from the counter.
"It's all yours, Marlin." I said, looking down at his gold name tag.
Giving the teen a smile, I walked towards the front door, Edward still following.
Twisting off the caps of both bottles, I handed one to Edward.
"Here, have this." I said.
He looked down at it, confused, but still took it anyway.
Taking a sip of the sweet beverage, I let out a sound of satisfaction.
"ohh! That's some good shit." I said, using my free hand to dig into my pocket, pulling out a box of musketeers.
"Who are you?" Edward asked, not needing to look as he moved around a group of people walking by.
"I'm Adam. Nice to finally meet you, Edward." I said, not looking at him as I opened the small candy box with the three small bars of chocolate.
Edward came to a complete halt.
"How do you know my name?" He asked, rather aggressively as I picked up the sound of his bottle starting to crack with his pent up rage.
"Whoa, there! Don't waste a good drink." I said, snatching the full bottle from Edward cold grip, replacing it with my empty one.
"And to answer your question, I know your name because Carlisle told it to me." I said, continuing my walk east towards the docks of Manhattan.
"You know Carlisle?" Edward asked.
"Longer than you have." I said whimsically as I took a sip of the new soda.
"I'm sorry?" Edward asked questioningly.
I looked at him.
"About what?" I asked.
"What you just said." He said, as we walked to the otherwise of a road.
"that I've know Carlisle longer then you?" I asked, playing dumb.
"Yes!" Edward said, getting annoyed.
"What about it?" I asked, walking into a dark alley.
As we stepped in, I heard as Edward's anger finally bubbled to the surface, causing him to crush the glass bottle under his grip.
"Enough!" Edward said, grabbing me by the shoulder with a grip that would have broken every bone of a normal human.
"Who are you, really!" He snapped.
I stayed facing away from him, and downed my soda in one go.
Finishing it off, I tossed it to the side to crash against the alleys wall.
"You know the issue with drinking human blood?" I asked Edward.
He didn't say anything.
"It clouds your mind and judgement. makes you impulsive and quick to anger."
Then, before Edward had time to understand what was happening, I broke from his grip and circled around behind him, grabbing the caller of his shirt and jacket like a dog before I jumped upwards between the two buildings.
Grabbing onto the ledge of one of the buildings with my free hand, I used it to toss us up ten feet over the building where I dropped Edward to the building.
Landing on the hard stone of the building, I turned to look at the city around us, keeping an eye on the crouched figure of Edward from the corner of my eye.
"H-How did you do that!" Edward yelled, standing to his feet.
I looked at him with a shrug.
"don't know. Just been able to as long as I can remember." I said with a chuckle, turning back to look over the city.
"And how long would that be?" He asked, seeming to get his emotions back under control, even if just slightly.
I didn't look at him as I spoke.
"Nearly 6 thousand years."
I could sense Edward's body go dead still.
"Your a vampire?" He asked, confused and alarmed.
I looked at him like he was stuiped.
"You can hear my hearts beat and the warmth emitting from me."
"Then what are you?" He asked, seeming ready to run at any minute.
I shrugged again.
"Depends on who you ask." I said with a chuckle.
"To some I'm the ancestor to all humans. The great progenitor. While to others, like
myself, I'm just some unlucky basted dropped head first into this world with immortality and abilities I couldn't understand."
Edward must be just like his movie self, because he connected the dots a lot quicker then anyone I had met before.
"Adam…ancestor to all humans…" he said to himself, as if I wasn't there.
Then, I saw it. The moment he understood who I was.
I turned to face him, as he slowly took a step backwards.
"No!" Edward said, his eyes ablaze with a sea of emotions.
Confusion, rage, surprise, disgust, sadness, then one that surprised me.
Hope.
"You can't be." Edward said, vulnerability seeming to wash over him.
I turned my head slightly to the side.
"Dose that scare you?" I asked, seeming to catch him off guard with the question.
I smiled as I saw the slightest twitch of his right brow.
"I thought so." I said.
"Stop it!" He shouted.
"You can't be," he repeated, voice trembling, yet there was an undercurrent of something stronger—defiance.
I stepped closer, my gaze unwavering.
"Why is that so hard to believe? You've seen more impossible things in your short life than most humans can imagine."
Edward snarled, his lips pulling back to reveal his teeth.
"Don't patronize me. You're just another monster with a fancy story. Nothing more."
A chuckle escaped my lips, not out of amusement but out of a deep-rooted understanding.
"You're not wrong. But you, Edward, should know better than anyone that not all monsters are created equal."
"Don't," he snapped, taking a step back. "Don't talk to me like you know me. You don't know anything about me or what I've been through."
I tilted my head, my expression softening just a fraction.
"I know more than you think. Carlisle talked about you, He cares about you deeply."
"Carlisle doesn't understand," Edward spat, the words thick with bitterness.
"He believes in fairytales. He thinks we can live without blood, without giving in to what we are. But we're not human anymore. We're predators."
"And what about Esme?" I countered, my voice firm but gentle.
"Does she believe in fairytales too? Or does she just believe in you?"
Edward flinched at my words, a shadow passing over his face.
"She's too kind for her own good."
I nodded slowly.
"She is. And she deserves better than to see you like this, lost and alone."
His eyes blazed with anger.
"I'm not lost. I know exactly what I'm doing."
"Do you?" I asked, the question hanging heavy between us.
"Do you really know, or are you just running from the guilt, the shame of what you've become and done?"
Edward's fists clenched, the sound of his knuckles cracking echoing in the night.
"You think you can just waltz in here and fix me? That you can make everything right with a few pretty words?"
I stood my ground, my eyes never leaving his.
"No, Edward. I don't think I can fix you. But I'm not here to fix you. I'm here to remind you of who you could be. Of what you left behind."
A bitter laugh tore from his throat.
"And what's that? A life of pretending? Of lying to ourselves that we can be something we're not?"
I took a step closer, my voice dropping to a near whisper.
"No, Edward. A life of hope. A life where you don't have to be alone. A life where you can still find redemption."
He shook his head, the defiance in his eyes wavering.
"Redemption? For monsters like us? You really are delusional."
"Maybe," I conceded. "But I've seen enough in my time to know that redemption isn't about what we are or have done. It's about what we choose to be and do moving on in life."
Edward looked away, his shoulders slumping just a fraction.
"And what if I can't choose? What if this is all I'm meant to be?"
I sighed, the weight of millennia pressing down on my own shoulders.
"That's a decision only you can make, Edward. But running from it won't make it any easier."
He looked back at me, his eyes haunted. "And what if I don't want to go back? What if I can't face them?"
"Then you'll keep running," I said simply, "and you'll never find peace."
____________________________
Please let me know what all of you think of this chapter.
I've gone over it dozens of times and still don't know if this chapter is good or not.
So please leave a comment and tell me your thoughts
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