Howling and Hissing, How Humorous SEVENTEEN

After the little ball of innocent light Alice flittered off, I was left standing in her room with a dead look on my face. I followed after her, not hearing the piano, so I found myself sitting at the piano, stroking the ivory, white keys and black half step keys. Musicians know what half-steps are. I smile and play the Middle C, and almost shiver of how in tune it was. Concert C is one of the most notoriously out of tune notes, yet on HIS piano it’s perfect. 1

Even the things he touch become perfect. A smile crosses my lips as I ease into playing Fur Elise, one of the most known piano peaces, considered easy.2

I carefully switch to a waltz, one of the dozens out there, and begin playing my own variation, and mixing it up on the fly.3

I must have been playing for at least an HOUR because I had to stop because my fingers were cramping and also there was a small, yet audible clearing of the throat and I turned to see Esme smiling at me, happily.4

“My dear, you play beautifully.”5

I blush and rub my fingers together, standing from the piano. “Thank you so much Mrs. Esme. Although Eddy clearly is the better pianist here.”6

“Nonsense! Call me Esme, and you’re just as talented as Edward, love.”7

I give her a look, smiling, yet shaking my head. “Alright, Esme…whatever you say.”8

“I would have let you play forever, but everyone says there’s going to be a storm tonight and wants to play ball.” She gives me a particularly cunning grin. “Of course you’re invited.”9

“I formally accept your invitation. What type of ball?” I inquire, smiling back.10

“Baseball.”11

“Oooh….I’d like to join…” And before she said another word. “And play…”12

“Ohh…dear…I’m not sure…if….” She looked lost, as lost as a beautiful creature as her appear as lost. “ I’m not sure if that’s the best idea.”13

I smirk. “I think it’s a very good idea. I’ll work something else with everyone else. And do you extra clothing?”14

Alice, right on cue, sprints up to me, dumps a lot of stuff in my arms and pulls me to her room, slamming the door shut and already has my shirt off before I notice.15

“ALICE, I CAN DRESS MY OWN DAM N SELF!”16

“Okay, okay, sorry. Sheesh. Hurry, hurry, hurry. Carlisle is telling his story too, so maybe you can catch the last half of it.”17

She leaves the room, in her graceful way and I look at the clothes she gives me, and strip to put them on.18

I put on everything leaving the shoes off for later, and I look in the mirror to see if I put on everything correctly. What I see shocks the hell out of me.19

Alice!!!20

She got me two sizes too small of a shirt, and now the infamous baseball style shirt hugged her abdomen tightly and the pants, oh the pants were not much better. They hugged my muscular butt, not making it look big, but rather making me feel uncomfortable. I never wore clothes so…tight and form fitting. 21

I pulled on the red knee socks and threw my hair up into a neater, high ponytail and walked out, narrowing my eyes as Alice painstakingly eyes me over and smirks.22

“Hot. Come, they’re in here.”23

I entered Carlisle’s study quietly behind Alice and leaned against the wall, listening in.24

But Carlisle wasn’t anywhere in Carlisle’s study. All I saw was Edward and Bella looking at ancient portraits. But I still listened in..25

“…he knew what he had become. He rebelled against it. He tried to destroy himself. But that’s not easily done.”26

“How?” Bella asks. And I know for certain that I wouldn’t interrupt anything. Leaving the dialogue to the two.27

“He jumped from great heights. He tried to drown himself in the ocean . . . But he was young to the new life and very strong. It is amazing that he was able to resist . . .feeding… while he was still so new. The instinct is more powerful then, it takes over everything. But he was so repelled by himself that he had the strength to try to kill himself with starvation.”28

“Is that possible?”29

“No, there are very few ways we can be killed. So he grew very hungry and eventually weak. He strayed as far as he could from the human populace, recognizing that his willpower was weakening, too. For months he wandered by night, seeking the loneliest places, loathing himself.30

One night, a herd of deer passed his hiding place. He was so wild with thirst that he attacked without a thought. His strength returned and he realized there was an alternative to being the vile monster he feared. Had he not eaten venison in his former life? Over the next months his new philosophy was born. He could exist without being a demon. He found himself again.”31

I noticed that his voice naturally fell and rose with cadence, and that he admired Carlisle by the awe in his tone.32

“He began to make better use of his time. He’d always been intelligent, eager to learn. Now he had unlimited time before him. He studied by night, planned by day. He swam to France and -”33

“He SWAM to France?”34

“People swim the Cannel all the time, Bella.” His voice had softened the slightest touch.35

“That’s true, I guess. It just sounded funny in that context. Go on.”36

I smile. Bella was right, it did indeed sound superhuman.37

“Swimming is easy for us -”38

“Everything is easy for you.”39

“I won’t interrupt again, I promise.”40

He chuckled and finished off his previous thought. “Because , technically, we don’t need to breathe.”41

My lips twitched, trying not to frown. Dear God, get on with the story…42

I tuned out of the flirting, not really interested in that stuff and rolled my eyes, occupying my time with studying the portraits hung around Carlisle’s office.43

“So, go on - Carlisle was swimming to France.”44

“Carlisle swam to France, and continued on to Europe, to the universities there. By night he studied music, science, medicine - and found his calling, his penance, in that, in saving human lives. I can’t adequately describe the struggle; it took Carlisle two centuries of torturous effort to perfect his self-control. Now he is all but immune to the scent of human blood, and he is able to do the work he loves without agony. He finds a great deal of peace there, at the hospital . . .”45

After a slight pause he continues. 46

“He was studying in Italy when he discovered the others there. They were much more civilized and educated than the wraiths of the London sewers. Solimena was greatly inspired by Carlisle’s friends. He often painted them as gods. Aro, Marcus, Caius. Nighttime patrons of the arts.”47

“What happened to them?”48

“They’re still there. As they have been for who knows how many millenia. Carlisle stayed with them only for a short time, just a few decades. He greatly admired their civility, their refinement, but they persisted in trying to cure his aversion to ‘his natural food source’, as they called it. They tried to persuade him, and he tried to persuade them, to no avail. At that point, Carlisle decided to try the New World. He dreamed of finding others like himself. He was very lonely, you see.49

“He didn’t find anyone for a long time. But, as monsters became the stuff of fairy tales, he found he could interact with unsuspecting humans as if he were one of them. He began practicing medicine. But the companionship he craved for evaded him; he couldn’t risk familiarity.50

“When the influenza epidemic hit, he was working nights in a hospital in Chicago. He’d been turning over an idea in his mind for several years, and he had almost decided to act - since he couldn’t find a companion, he would create one. He wasn’t absolutely sure how his own transformation had occurred, so he was hesitant. And he was loath to steal anyone’s life the way his had been stolen. It was in that frame of mind that he found me. There was no hope for me; I was left in a ward with the dying. He had nursed my parents, and knew I was alone. He decided to try . . .”51

Damn it, Edward. You’re not going to tell exactly what happened. I know you aren’t.52

He smiles at Bells. “And so we’ve come full circle.”53

“Have you always stayed with Carlisle, then.”54

“Almost always.”55

“Almost…?”56

I heard Bella trail as they left the office without a further glance back and I blink, in the sudden silence. 57

I remove myself from the wall and stand in front of the portraits, studying with a critical eye.58

Edward…. Almost always lived with Carlisle. Most likely he’s referring to a rebellious period. Almost like a teenager. And I smirk.59

You’re more like us than you understand Eddy dear.60

I walk out of the office several minutes later, closing the door.61

And then it hit me.62

Oh god. This is going to be good, I snicker and run towards Alice’s room where I knew she would have the supplies I needed and the skill for what I wanted to be done. Just in case I wasn’t allowed to play at the game.63

I’m glad I thought about this. Do you know how hard it is to bounce from being solemn and serious to happy and excited?64

I managed it though, and tonight is going to be a good night.65

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