Esme's Diary

Chapter 22 - Explanations

Dear Diary,

“Esme, to save you I had to change you, to one of us.”

I replayed the words over-and-over in my head. Didn’t he understand? I hadn’t wanted to be saved. I had wanted to be with my precious boys.

First things first, I needed to get away from there. I searched for an escape route, a way to freedom. There was a door across the room, but Carlisle was blocking that path. The only other way out of the room that was holding me captive was by the window to my left. I didn’t know what floor I was on – only that I certainly wasn’t on the ground floor. There were trees outside of the window – and I could only see the bushy, green leaves; not the bark that covered the bottom of a tree.

Just Jump, I said to myself. I glanced to the window again, trying to weigh how fast I needed to move to make it there. In the time it took for me to turn half an inch towards the window to make my escape, the boy was already standing in front of the it, blocking my path.

He was very fast.

I wondered how he knew that I was about to make a break for it.

I stared at him in complete amazement. How had he made it to the window before me? I had been closer to the door. Who was this boy? He had the same buttery golden eyes as Carlisle; the same pale, porcelain skin. He was sort of… beautiful.

The young boy pinched the bridge of his nose; he looked awfully frustrated – by what I didn’t know.

“My throat!” I exclaimed. And as I did, I heard the sound of my voice. I hadn’t taken any notice of it before, and the pureness of it shocked me. It was then that I felt the intense burn in my throat; I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. As I reached for my neck I noticed the white, pearlescent tone of my skin. This could not be happening to me. I had a whole new set of questions racing through my head all at once, but before I could speak, the boy spoke to me.

“Esme, all that Carlisle has told you is true,” he began, his voice almost musical. “I know you have a lot of questions for me and Carlisle. The first I will answer now. My name is Edward, and I am a long-time friend of Carlisle’s. I mean you no harm – for I, too, am a vampire.”

I turned toward Carlisle. It was an instant movement; the moment I thought about turning to face him, I was already facing him. I was able to move so fast. “Dr. Cullen,” I began, all the while the burning in my throat had its scorching-hot grips on me.

“Please Esme, call me Carlisle,” he politely interrupted.

I frowned but didn’t argue. “Carlisle, why did you take it upon yourself to save me?”

Carlisle flickered his eyes at Edward, then back to me. I might had missed the movement if I had not been watching him so closely.

“Esme, your throat must be unbearable,” he said, his tone thick with sympathy. “We can take care of that right now. And any questions you have after that, I would be more than happy to answer.”

At this, Edward nodded in agreeance once.

“It hurts,” I whimpered as I attempted to drown out the flames in my throat with my hands. Carlisle approached me then, slowly at first, like someone approaching an armed man. He held his hand out for me, but I pulled back from him.

“Esme, it’s okay. Please let me help you take care of your thirst.”

“My what?!” I exclaimed, and not for the first time that day.

“Follow me, Esme,” Carlisle said, his voice pleasant, calming. And with that he gracefully walked out of the door, holding it open for me.

As I stepped forward, I did so with such grace. I followed Carlisle out the door, through the house. Everything was so clear, so incredibly detailed. Following Carlisle through the kitchen, I took in the size of it. It was very large.