At The Park [Katelyn]

[Nathaniel Pierce]

“You mentioned your parents and friends a few moments ago, why don’t you tell me about them?”
They had not walked far part the park and it was only a few moments later when they reached the park. Nathaniel stopped when they reached the swings. He allowed Katelyn to sit down first before he took a swing next to her. He smiled already knowing what Katelyn was going to choose to speak about. A significant about of his life had been spent with her friends dancing. While he was not one hundred percent sure what she would choose to say Nathaniel was excited to get to learn more about her.

[Katelyn Taylor]

Katelyn walked with Nathaniel to the park, sitting down in one of the swings. It was a beautiful spring night in Washington, which didn't happen often with all the rain, so Katelyn was soaking it all in. Turning to him, she decided to answer his question. "Well, my parents were high school sweethearts that kept in touch through college until my dad asked my mom to marry him during their junior year," she said, swinging lightly back and forth. "Four years later, they had me. And since I was their only child, they let me do whatever I wanted as far as extracurricular activities, so I chose dance. That's how I met Kenzie and Lucy; we were in the same dance class when we first started at five-years-old. Since then...we've been inseparable." She laughed at the thought of ever being separated from her two best friends. They were her sisters as they were all only children.

[Nathaniel Pierce]

“I know the blessings that can come with being an only child, but I must admit I wish I had at least one sibling to play with as a child.” Nate sighed several decades after he was able to control his thirst for human blood he had searched for his family tree. Nathaniel found out that his parents had spent a long time trying to find him, but they had moved on. They ended up moving on with their lives and adopting a child of sorts. For the most part their lives continued on as if Nathaniel had never existed. He was thankful for that; Nate was glad that his family had been fine without him.

“I was raised much like you as a single child, but I spent much of my life in Great Britain. I was enrolled in private school when I was young. After a few years I was taken out of school and sent to a private tutor ironically named Willia…” Nathaniel had begun to swing but unfortunately the plastic seat under him snapped. He fell hard on his back in the sand under him. Nathaniel stood up at the sky for a moment before laughter bubbled from his chest and came out in a melodic laughter.

[Katelyn Taylor]

Katelyn enjoyed listening to Nathaniel recount his childhood in Great Britain. It made her smile to listen to his beautiful accent. In more than one way, it reminded her of her beloved William Shakespeare to listen to him talk; almost as if he were straight from that time period himself, but Katelyn knew that was impossible. Before Katelyn could say anything however, Nathaniel was soon flat on his back on the ground after the swing snapped beneath his weight. After looking at him, utterly stunned for a moment, Katelyn started giggling herself. It was quite amusing to see such a man just lying on the ground laughing at himself.

"Are you alright?" she asked, biting back tears from laughing so hard. It had been quite some time since Katelyn had laughed this hard and she was enjoying every moment of this. "At least it's you falling this time in stead of me," she mused. "I tend to be the clumsy one in almost any situation...even though I'm a dancer...kind of ironic if you ask me."

[Nathaniel Pierce]

Nathaniel heard Katelyn’s laughter entwining with his own and she asked if he was alright. He laid back in the sand for a moment with a broad smile on his face as he replied, “I am fine thank-you.” Nathaniel sat up and grinned at the giggling Katelyn as she claimed to be the clumsy one in most situations. Perhaps it was a sign from the lord that he was not to mention anything relevant to his human life. He had been about to say his tutor was named William Shakespeare but Nathaniel internally sighed and suppose that was coming too close to the truth.

Nate had in fact spent time under the guidance of William Shakespeare which lent to why he was so knowledgeable on the word smith. Nathaniel got to his feet with a small chuckle and began dusting the sand off of him, “I claim that I have never had a clumsy moment in my life; this just happened to be a malfunction with the playground equipment.” Nathaniel chuckled at the truth behind that statement. Before he had been changed he had actually been quite graceful which lent to his stage hand abilities, and after his change Nathaniel found it impossible to fall.

[Katelyn Taylor]

Katelyn continued to laugh as Nate got up from the ground and claimed he had never had a clumsy day in his life. Well, that's total opposite of me... she thought amusingly. Pushing off from the ground, she started to swing slowly back and forth as she looked at Nate with a shy smile. Her heart was fluttering a little as she felt the gentle breeze of the night. "If you have never had a clumsy day in your life...then I am certain that I have made up for all of your missed ones in my own life," she giggled. "You can ask my friends and they will tell you that I am quite honestly the clumsiest person you'll ever meet, but when I dance...it's a totally different story."

As the wind kicked up around her, Katelyn felt it blow through her long blonde locks. It was moments like this that she wished she could be braver, but she was not. There were so many questions burning in her mind, but she kept them to herself. However, she was brave enough to ask one. "So, what brought you to Forks? I'm sure it's not on the top of anyone's list of places to move to." She gave him another shy smile as she swung slowly back and forth in the breeze.

[Nathaniel Pierce]

Nathaniel laughed as he sat down in the sand. He watched as Katelyn began to swing and she claimed to have taken all of his clumsy moments. He had wanted to debate that because Nathaniel had understood her to be a dancer. As far as Nathaniel knew dancers were suppose to be graceful. He nodded in understanding though when Katelyn said that it was a different situation when she was dancing. Nate held his breath as the wind kicked up and brush Kate’s hair around her face, and blew her scent towards him. As he watched her swinging he could tell there were several things on her mind, but she did not know how to approach it. He patiently waited for a few moments as Katelyn seemed to decide on what she wanted to ask him, "So, what brought you to Forks? I'm sure it's not on the top of anyone's list of places to move to." Katelyn followed up her question with a shy-innocent smile.

Something hit Nathaniel at that point Katelyn was so young and innocent compared to him. She had barely entered life while he had seen centuries pass. That innocent filled question also threw into reality that her life was numbered while his was not. Nathaniel was unsure if he would ever be able to do anything to change that. Before too long had passed after her question he replied with a smile of his own. “Mostly for the reason that you have just said. It is a place that will stay the same quiet peaceful size. I have also been considering moving back to London, but I know I will be around long enough to finish classes. I also want to learn more about Washington is one of the only states that I have never been to.” He was just leaving out the extra truth that his travels were spread out over decades rather then a couple of years. Not that Katelyn would ever find out the truth behind that.

[Katelyn Taylor]

"I guess Forks isn't so bad once you get used to it," she admitted. A small sense of sadness filled Katelyn's heart when Nathaniel mentioned possibly going back to London. She could easily see herself going with him to travel the world, but pushed that thought away as one of a silly girl. She smiled slightly, embarrassed that she even thought of going with him. Who's to say that he'd want some annoying little girl tagging along? she scolded herself. He'd probably get annoyed with me before we even landed in London. Instead, she turned to the positive that he was at least staying through his classes. "What classes are you taking?" she asked. It was an innocent enough question that she figured it would not get her into too much trouble.

[Nathaniel Pierce]

Nathaniel knew that it would have been an interesting move for Katelyn to move to Forks from Seattle. She had her two best friends also living in Forks and Nate was sure that it made it easier for her to settle into a new town. Nathaniel loved to travel but he also had nothing to ever keep him in one city long. He imagined though that Forks would be a little more permanent then previous places. “What classes are you taking?” Nathaniel grinned at yet another clueless question on Katelyn’s end. It was another testament to how little Katelyn actually knew about him. It started another line of thought of what would happen in a few years when Katelyn realized that Nate had not aged a day.

With an eternal sigh her put on a grin and spoke, “I am just planning taking a few literature classes at Forks University and see if that is something I want to continue to pursue. As I have said before I am a sucker for good literature.” That was at least something that he could tell Katelyn that was the full truth. What Nathaniel could not tell Katelyn was the fact it had been a love he had for over four hundred years. That last thought cause Nate so sigh inside of his head, ‘There is so much that she can never know about me.’ That was alright with Nathaniel though, a couple of years of being her friend until she found a real human to replace him. He would slowly bow out of her life and Katelyn would go on thinking of Nate as a friend from her teenage year.

[Katelyn Taylor]

Katelyn smiled when Nate mentioned taking some literature classes. He seems like the type that would enjoy persuing something like that, she thought to herself, almost giggling out loud. Then again...I am too, but he isn't the nerdy type like me. She continued to swing back and forth with the breeze blowing lightly through her hair. "Literature...hmm," she said softly. "You know, if I could pick just one class to take for the rest of my life, it would probably be something to do with literature." A small, innocent smile crept across her lips before she mentally scolded herself. Oversharing...way oversharing stupid!

Another minute passed and Katelyn stopped her swing. Looking at Nate, she could see that there was something in his eyes that she could not quite tell if it was genuine concern or if her mind was playing tricks on her again. God...he looks like he could be straight out of something Shakespeare wrote. What the hell am I doing? He probably has some girlfriend already, so it's pointless for me to even try.

[Nathaniel Pierce]

The wind blew through Katelyn’s hair again and as before Nathaniel held his breath and pretend to move his chest as if he were breathing. He listened to her talk about literature and he could feel his smile growing. Nate chuckled lightly as Katelyn said something that showed how much she truly loved literature. Any human would have missed the light flinch that seemed to follow her statement about literature, but Nate was far from human and he knew part of Kate regretted her comment. Katelyn then fell silent and stopped swinging.

Nathaniel temporarily became wrapped up in the thoughts of how Katelyn would look in his world. He gave a light smile as he realized Kate appeared to be studying him. Nathaniel grinned and instead of pointing it out and potentially embarrassing Kate he said a little bit of what he had just been thinking, “I must say that literature seems perfect for you, and I hope to be so bold as to say you act as if you just walked out of one of William’s novels.” Nate snorted inside of his head at how ridiculesly ironic that was. He had actually come from that time and here he was telling Katelyn that his former time had been where she belonged.

[Katelyn Taylor]

Katelyn blushed yet again when Nate commented that she could be right out of one of Shakespeare's novels. To be thought of that way was one of the highest respects anyone could pay to her as she loved and adored his works so much. "My mom always thought I was born in the wrong century," she giggled. "And sometimes I'd like to think she is right." Katelyn got off the swing and walked closer to Nate. She could not explain it, but something about him drew her in, like a magnet almost. It was irresistible almost, in a sense, the draw she felt for him.

Her heart began beating a little faster as she neared him. "So, England..." she continued shyly. Conversations were not something she held very well when she was nervous or around a guy that made her nervous the way Nate did. "Please tell me more about your home...I would really like to know." She looked into his eyes and smiled. That wasn't a dumb question was it? she asked mentally before shaking it off.

[Nathaniel Pierce]

‘I am going to have to be more aware of what I say around her.’ Nathaniel thought to himself. It was interesting to Nathaniel however, how quickly and often that Kate blushed. She stopped swinging and walked closer to where Nathaniel was sitting in the sand. Nate could feel that she was drawn to him; as was every human that he came across. Nathaniel was a killer he drew his prey in; not that he did not have agility and speed on his side. He also found it extremely ironic how humans were draw to his kind; though they sensed his kind was not exactly normal.

That was exactly how Katelyn was feeling she was a moth being drawn to the flames. Nate saw the irony in that normal humans dismissed more animals; the only creatures who would run at site or scent of him. He began to allow those thoughts to ebb so that Katelyn could have his undivided attention that did not put her on a meal plan. Then Katelyn began to ask about England and she asked him to tell her about his homeland. Nathaniel smiled at Kate as her innocent questions continued to show how harmless she truly was. Kate had no idea what really occurred in the world, her world was made up of friends, family, dance, school, and other fairly mundane things.

Nathaniel’s life was filled with killing, blood, and more blood; his life was fairly straight forward and that was how it would be for the rest of his life. Nathaniel had to then put on the best performance of his life for Katelyn’s benefit. He smiled brightly soon after Kate’s question had left her lips; as if he had become lost in powerful happy memories. He sighed at the appropriate moment before spinning his expert tale. “I was born in London, but my parents moved when I was three years old to a small village. One of the places that you think only exist in fairy tales. My parents were very blessed in their work and because of that most of my life I spent under private instruction.”

Nathaniel paused for a moment with a distant smile on his face as he acted to remember his life, and so he could allow Katelyn to understand his story. He took a few breaths as any human would and Nate looked back to her as he continued to weave his tale. “I loved living in England. Where I spend most of my years growing up everyone knew each other. Everyone genuinely cared for one another and always did the most they could to keep others happy. A self sacrificing town if there ever was one and that was alright because we took care of each other. It truly was a fairy tale life that I blessed with.” Nathaniel sighed and he pulled his legs towards his chest and lightly rested his arms on his knees.

Nate allowed a chuckle to pass and imagined as his eyes sparkled as he looked back up at Katelyn. “As one would expect most seventeen year olds expect great things on the celebration of their birth. I received the news that our little family would be leaving England for the States. We lived in New York for a year where I finished my schooling at a public institution. I turned eighteen and a few months later I graduated from high school. Less then a month later my parents were in a car accident that killed them both.” Nathaniel knew that it was pointless to try and show tears; it was impossible for him to cry. Instead he roughly cleared his throat knowing that his story had become longer than it should have been.

“I have taken a few classes here and there, but I have spent the last three years of my life traveling across the United States. I must say it has been an adventure.” Nathaniel chuckled and shook his head as if he was removing the memories to come back to the present. Nate knew that his smile would easily read as genuine and he felt it shrink into a smirk, “Thus is the life of Nathaniel Pierce.” He chuckled to himself at how silly that last thought sounded.

[Katelyn Taylor]

Listening to Nate talk about his life, Katelyn suddenly realized how sheltered she really was. It was kind of sad and pathetic in her mind that she had only ever lived in Forks and Seattle, even given the fact that Seattle was huge and had plenty to do to keep a girl occupied. The more she listened, the more she came to realize that her life was dismally pitiful compared to Nate's. He had gone places and seen things that she could not even begin to imagine doing or seeing.

"Wow..." she marvelled, looking down at her feet for a minute. "Your life sounds marvellous compared to mine, well...at least the travelling part. The part about your parents is horrible. I'm so sorry for your loss." Katelyn shuffled her feet back and forth, trying to find the words to say. She had never experienced that kind of loss before in her life, so she had no idea what to say or beging to say to someone who had lost both parents in a car accident. She decided to change the subject, thinking it was a safer bet than continuing her current track of thought. "You said you lived in New York...what was it like there?" Once the words left her mouth, she dared to look back into his eyes again; those same caramel-colored orbs that captivated her entirely.

[Nathaniel Pierce]

Nathaniel listened to Katelyn speak she almost sounded depressed. She seemed to be greatly burdened by something and Nate was at a temporary loss as to the problem. He was not given long to reflect on that when she offered her condolences about his parental loss. That was not a statement that he could only nod his head to and it come across as a normal conversation between people. Nate sighed at the thought that the truth was, his parents had been lost to him over four hundred years ago. He had looked up their history and they had turned into fairly normal lives after one looses a son, but they had stopped raising him long before three years ago. As it was Nate had lied to Katelyn and put her into the belief that his parents passed away three years ago, and he had to continue his Oscar winning performance.

“I know that they are in a far better place and they are smiling at me now.” Nathaniel was then able to put on a smile that was genuine as he recalled the faint words that his mother had spoken, “My mother taught me that you only have one life in this world,” ‘Not exactly true as you found out.’ Nate thought to himself, but he continued as if nothing had caused him to pause, “You need to love your life she would say to me. If you do not your time is not well spent, and find a way to change things for your favor. I know that she would be proud of my traveling ways. Traveling is a passion of mine, second to literature of course.” Nathaniel watched as Kate battled with herself over her next spoken words.

Nate grinned watching her as he could almost see the wheels turning in Kate’s head. Katelyn then asked a seemingly innocent and safe question, “You said you lived in New York…what was it like there?” Nathaniel smiled again in reflective thought of his “memories” of living in New York. He laughed as he thought of the easiest place to begin, “The easiest way for me to sum up is; oh what is the phrase? Culture shock.” Nate chuckled again for added effect. “A young British country side man, and a large city like New York were hardly a recipe for success. I found though that going from country to city was easier then I had made it out to be. Once I finished with the self-pitty card and accepted the city as it was, life became incredibly easy. I must say though the theatre is was kept me alive for those years in New York.”

Nathaniel sighed again at memories that were not actually his. He could feel how pulled Katelyn was towards him; especially when she looked into his eyes. Nate knew that pull that she was feeling because that same voice was yelling at him to take advantage of her. To over power Kate, to show her what the truth behind fear was, and to prove that she was far from safe by staying at this quiet park with him. Instead of becoming consumed by his thoughts Nathaniel did his best to push them aside and put on a smile for Katelyn. She deserved that in the very least as far as Nate was concerned.