Chronicles of a Vampyre (Chapter 9)

Chronicles of a Vampyre (Chapter 9)

[size=24]Chapter 9
Flash back[/size]

[size=18]Marcus sat motionless for what seemed like an eternity. Then, in an instant, his eyes opened, and he fixated his misty eyed vision into one of the candles burning... now centuries in the past I assumed. He then relaxed into his chair and began: "It was 1778. America was still at war with Britain after claiming independence. I was a literary student in Italy at the time. I was also very passionate about ancient legends and local myth. The majority of my work was always centered around them. I could not satiate my interest," He chuckled. "You might have called it an unquenchable thirst." He flashed a gleaming white smile that made my spine shiver. "Due to my intrigue, and I'm sure you know this as much as I, I became a bit of an outcast; Different from the rest of the world around me. Though I had many acquaintances, I always felt out of place. But in all honesty, I enjoyed it. I had no obligations to a social lifestyle, and would not have wished it any other way. Solitude had always been preferable, comforting in a way."
I didn't miss the emphasis on the use of past tense in his last sentence.
"What about your family?" I asked curiously. His eyes narrowed for a moment, then returned to its serene mask. "I had no immediate family... My mother and father died when I was very young. I do not remember the details. All I can recall is that since I had no other family to care for me, I was placed in an orphanage until I became an adult and started working while attending a nearby university."
I sensed a small change in his voice as he spoke of his parents, though his expression was impenetrable. "Working by day I bided the time, only to immerse myself passionately into my studies at night. It was during that period of my life, I stumbled upon books and documents containing information of folklore and original legends, the roots to all the stories I fervently enjoyed throughout my childhood. I was absolutely engulfed by it, and concentrated all my studies around them. I even went so far as traveling to known sites of where some legends began.
The last being a rumor of a certain city in Italy that possibly had been built and controlled by Vampyres. Volterra... The castle city. Supposedly it was a sanctuary for humans from the Vampyre and other mythical monsters. A place such threats had long been driven out of." He chuckled lightly. "What a ruse indeed..."
With that last sentence, the mist in his eyes cleared and he was now back in the present. I was anxious... shaking even. "...And!?" I pressed. "And..." He replied with a smile. "I believe your parents may begin to worry if you do not return home soon." I was puzzled. Lost in a different world, unaware of the time, until he pointed to an old clock indicating that it was 11:15pm. "Oh crap!" I needed to leave, but was so unwilling to. Marcus picked up on this apparently as he stood up to lead me out, saying: "No worries... I am no figment of your imagination, nor will I magically disappear. I will see you tomorrow if you so choose to endanger yourself with another evening in my presence."
With that I sighed and also stood up. He walked with me to the door and waved as I closed the truck door, started the engine, and drove away, slightly unnerved by his last words... yet already eager to come back and hear the rest of his history...[/size]