Carlisle's Diary

Preparation

Dear Diary: June 22, 2013

The day after Rogue told me, told all of us, that I was asked to testify in court against Ashley, I was still trying to figure out what was to be done and said. I obviously had to do it; there wasn't exactly an out. I had to testify. I told Rogue I would do it and the rest of the family looked on worriedly. She called Scott Kramer and told him to relay my message and consent to the prosecutor. Now we had to wait and see what would happen. We knew that Ashley was in the county jail awaiting the start of the trial. The prosecutor had over 400 pages of the indictment ready for the judge to read. She had already been found competent to stand trial. Her attorney had tried to get the grand jury to rule that she was legally insane, but the fact that she had done this in multiple states and was convicted in both, threw that notion out. Now she was going to stand trial.

Meanwhile, our Denali cousins had left. Marcus left with them as he and Tanya were now all but inseparable. I had a feeling there was going to be another wedding soon. Alice was all but jumping out of her skin with joy of that prospect. Marcus was very grateful for everything we had done for him. He'd had lengthy conversations with Alexander and they had gone on quite a few walks together prior to his leaving. So the neighborhood was a bit quieter but not by much. When you have Watchers and Wolves plus some Vampires, quiet is not something that happens often.

What made this upcoming trial bearable is the new gift that Rogue bestowed upon us: the ability to digest, taste, and enjoy food and beverage. My family and I went to the grocery store and stocked up for the first time ever. Then Esme and I went to the wine store and bought some amazing wine. We plan to go wine tasting after this trial is over. When we had the Watchers and Wolves over for dinner, everyone was able to eat and drink. We had hunted the previous week and were full that way, but it was still nice to enjoy a few glasses of wine as well as some of Esme's exceptional cooking. On this particular night she made lasagna, Greek salad, eggplant parmesan, and garlic bread. For dessert she made tiramisu and an apple pie. Everything tasted absolutely heavenly.

I have determined that my favorite things to eat are green apples, chips and salsa, lasagna, and green tea ice cream. I also love semi-sweet red wine. I never thought I'd utter those words again after being turned. Being so used to saying that my favorite type of food was a nice juicy lion or bear was normal. But having a perfectly grilled steak or filet mignon is definitely a new thing for us all. Rogue, it turns out, was a great cook and Alexander would often brag about her cooking. She made killer stuffed peppers. They were absolutely delicious when she made them for us. As soon as Esme tasted them, she immediately wanted the recipe, which Rogue jotted down for her.

Getting down to business, Rogue told me that I had an appointment with the prosecutor and she said not to worry because he was just going to prepare me for the trial so I would know what to expect. So the next day, I got up, put on a suit, and made sure I looked like the consummate professional. I got into my car and drove downtown to the office of the District Attorney (DA). My appointment was at 10 a.m. When I got there, I parked, walked into the building, which looked like a very modern office building made out of primarily glass, and after checking in with the guard and going through the metal detector, I took the elevator to the 5th floor. After that I walked into the office, said who I was, and sat down. I didn't even have to wait 5 minutes when the DA walked out and introduced himself.

"Dr. Cullen, thank you very much for coming. My name is Christopher Allen and I will be trying this case."

"Thank you Mr. Allen. Anything I could do to help." We shook hands.

"Please follow me. We have everyone set up in the big conference room."

"Everyone?" I asked as I followed him.