After Dawn Broke

Preface

{AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. I really appreciate it, as I have worked hard to make this the best it can be. This preface is more of a backstory of the Cullens than anything, so major Twilight fans probably know most of this information. Therefore, this part of the story is more for people who have never read the books or seen the movies. It will help you, as the reader, to understand more about the characters. I hope it isn't too boring, and I promise my story gets better. (: The first two actual chapters are also a type of introduction into the life of Taylor Black, so they aren't really that great. Please keep reading, though, because I promise it gets better! Thank you so much!}

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As I laid lazily sprawled out on my bright blue, fluffy beanbag, I thought about happy pictures of normal people, with their normal families. Parents are always present... normal ones, but I don't know normal. Never really experienced it, except through books and movies.

My family isn't your average family, and I know their never-changing pale faces and heartbreaking stories like the back of my hand.

It all started with my adoptive great-grandfather, Carlisle Cullen. He was born a long time ago in a far away place. Seventeenth century London, England, to be exact. His father was a pastor who hunted supernatural creautres like us. As Carlisle's father became older and unfit to lead these raids to hunt these creatures, Carlisle took over them. His high levels of intelligence marked him better suited for this role, and he found a real coven of ancient vampires living among the sewers of London. In the raging chaos that ensued after he led the hunt for them, one of the ancient vampires was raged with hunger and bit Carlisle. He was left bleeding in the streets.

Carlisle knew that his father would kill him, being a hunter of vampires and all, so he hid in a potato cellar for three days while he painfully transformed into an immortal. When Carlisle realized what he had become, he tried to commit suicide in any way he could think of, but it was no use - he found himself indestructible. The only way to destroy a vampire is to rip it to pieces and set it on fire. Of course, Carlisle didn't know that yet.

Since nothing succeeded, he hid himself in a cave in the forest, far away from humanity. He didn't want to be a monster. Over time Carlisle weakened without the taste of blood, and when a herd of deer passed by, he unconsciously fed on them. He happily realized that he could survive off of animal blood as a substitute instead of human blood.

During the two centuries it took Carlisle to perfect an animal blood diet, he studied all night and became a phenomenal doctor.

Later on in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, Carlisle moved to the New World, otherwise known as America. By 1911, he was working as a doctor in Columbus. One day he was assigned to help a young girl, Esme Anne Platt, who had fallen out of a tree and broken her leg. Even though their encounter was brief, they felt a strong mutual attraction.

After all this time of being a vampire, Carlisle had successfully found ways to use his enhanced abilities to help others, but he still hadn't found what he was looking for: a companion. He wanted someone who shared his philosophy and value of human life. Carlisle became lonelier as years flew by and, though the idea was repulsive to him, he considered finding someone to change into an immortal.

During the Spanish influenza epidemic, Carlisle was working night shifts in a hospital in Chicago. He became very fond of two patients who were suffering of the influenza. Elizabeth Masen and her son, Edward Anthony Masen, Jr. Carlisle expected Edward to die first because he was much worse, but his mother, Elizabeth, hurt her chances by helping to nurse Edward from her sickbed. Before she passed, she begged Carlisle to do everything in his power to save her son. Her words and his loneliness made up Carlisle's mind to make Edward his companion. Carlisle also knew that Edward had only a slim chance of survival and was alone; his father, Edward Senior, had already died in the first wave of the influenza.