Interview with the Vampire & How I Spent My Summer SOLO Finished

How many chances should one receive? One? Three strikes and you're out? Infinite?

With his last and final date approaching in which he might possibly meet his father, Simon was quite unsure whether he should even show up himself. Adrian Hawthorne had yet to make an appearance the first two times and he was diappointed that was two chances that the two could have talked, bonded, learned more about one another.

To decide whether or not he should go and what exactly his feelings were on the subject, Simon consulted his deck of Tarot cards once again. This time he would conduct The 5-Card Horsehoe Spread which intended to give the reader a quick answer to a very basic problem or concern. Just as before, he prepped the room and relaxed until he felt he was in the right headspace and shuffled through the deck until it felt right, fanned the cards out before him, and began.

The first card turned over was to focus on the current situation. Simon turned the card over to reveal the Two of Pentacles which indicated that he was trying to find or maintain balance between various areas of his life. It represented the ups and downs in life and implied that one was resourceful, adaptable, and flexible enough to get through them. As Simon read this part in his book, the word 'dedicated' also popped into his mind and it was right then and there, at the first card, that Simon found his answer on whether or not he would try once more to meet his father. He would try this next time and if stood up, he would try again. He would show up the 100th time if stood up 99 prior.

Still, with his answer found, he continued because a good reader didn't break concentration and completed full readings. The next card represented what is before you and he turned over the Seven of Wands, which represented fighting your corner and holding your own. It signified taking the high road and maintaining control - being strong willed. In his mind, that echoed 'determination.'

The next card would be the heart of the matter. For Simon, this card was the Seven of Pentacles and it indicated that he had been working very hard and it soon would start to pay off. It was a very welcomed card since he had been persevering with a situation and felt like he had been getting no where because it suggested that success was just around the corner. Maybe the third time would be the charm!

The next card represented the short term future and he pulled up the Six of Swords in reversed. The reversed cards always led him to a little bit of concern since they often pointed to an imbalance in energy. He also wasn't quite as certain of their meanings in this state. He found his answer in his book and saw that this card signifies instability which causes trouble and stormy relationships. Simon thought back to a moment back at Hogwarts with AngelFyre McCubbin and what she had said about a possible premonition she had of his father.

I am petrified for you.

The overwhelming sensation I was aware of was one of danger... for you.

I knew then... with a rock solid belief of certainty... that you will not be safe with that father of yours, Simon.

Let it be. Leave him in the past. Your mother did, and God, Simon, she must have had her reasons. If you cannot trust me in this, and I will understand why that might be, please... please... trust that your mother had her reasons. She knew him. We do not. Believe in her judgement and believe, please, in my love for you.

Do not meet him. Stay as far away from Adrian Hawthorne as you can get. I beg you.

Simon took a few moments to just let that all sink in before pulling the book to his lap once more. This card suggested there may be unfinished business, unresolved conflict, or lessons you need to understand before one can move forward. And he did. He was a boy who never knew his father and a boy who didn't remember his mother. He needed to meet Adrian Hawthorne, even if it was with cautious judgement the entire time.

With not only his decision to show up at the restaurant the third time made as well as his mindset to be and remain vigilant, Simon turned over the last card in the spread which would depict the long-term future. There he was meet with the Knight of Cups and knights are action takers and this card was an indication to take action and follow his heart.

Adrian Hawthorne, in his letters, had been correct that this meeting was predestined. A child should know their father.

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His tarot card reading told him to come.
His intuition told him to come.
His conscious told him to run.

With the first two winning out, Simon made his way back to 110 Bishopesgate and to the 40th Floor. He was early as always and as he approached the entrance, the young man that sat him both two previous times. "Ah! McKay, party of 2," the man said, welcoming him, "do follow me." McKay was the surname of a professor who was the director of The London College of Music. It was the pseudonym that was used in written correspondences with Adrian Hawthorne so that his Aunt Maggie would forward the letters to him without being suspicious. It was rather deceitful and he wasn't proud of it but as he had told AngelFyre before school let up, this was something that he felt he had to do. He would be careful. He promised her that much.

The man led him over to the same table by the same window, overlooking the same darkened view of London at night. What was different this time, is that an outline of a man stood, his gaze fixated out the window to the city buildings and streets below. It was the hair and the strong jawline that gave light to the fact that this was the man he saw on his doorstep a summer ago, the man that he had been exchanging letters with, and, most importantly, the man that was half of who he was.

Simon stood awestruck for a moment and the maitre d' returned back to the reservation desk, leaving the two alone.

Silence.

Times before, there had been the murmur of low talking that filled that restaurant or the clinking of silverware being placed down upon the table or gently tapping against the plate.

Absolute silence.

It was then that Simon Kincaid discovered that silence could be so ......loud. He was imprisoned with his thoughts who seemed to be racing so quickly that he couldn't sort them out. The thoughts were screaming at him like ten thousand phrases all trying to be heard at once and yet he couldn't grasp a single one of them to make a statement. His heart raced and he felt sick to his stomach.

"You came," Simon finally managed.

He watched as the man continued to stare out the window, showing no sign of acknowledging his presence or his words. Had he noticed his arrival? Had he heard him speak? Simon took a step closer to the window to be in the man's vision and hopefully force him into some sort of response.

The man finally diverted his gaze and glanced over to him. "Clearly," was the response given. Adrian Hawthorne's eyes fixated on him and directly connected with his and Simon felt his own self-confidence shattering within his presence. There, that agonizing silence came to met the two of them once more.

The man's gaze was assertive, dominating, and yet Simon wouldn't avert his. Was this man trying to read him? Challenge him? Whatever it was, Simon conveyed back confidence even if he didn't quite feel transpired it as genuinely as he would have liked inside. Adrian Hawthorne's 'clearly' remark was said with no readable emotion and yet the singular word itself implied thick sarcasm.

The man finally extended out one hand toward the table, gesturing for him to be seated. The man then pulled out a chair and slowly sat down. Before another word could be said (which might have taken some time to happen if t were to happen), the waitress came over and placed a menu before each of them.

Simon was a little intrigued as the man across from him looked over the menu because what would a vampire order at a restaurant? He took this opportunity, as the man's eyes were lowered to the menu, to study him. From the low lighting of the restaurant, Simon wasn't quite sure of eye color but when he had been studying him earlier by the window, concluded they were either a shade of blue or green and not brown like his own. Now, with closer look, maybe dapper was a way to describe him, with a right sort of classic tailored dark suit over a slim but strong build. He was pale, but it didn't strike him as alarmingly pale, and everything seemed just in place on the man except for his floppy brown hair.

"A bottle of the 2009 Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello." The waitress paused as she looked to him before writing that down and heading back. Simon scanned over the menu, finding that particular wine and felt he might have understood the hesitation. It was the most expensive wine on their menu, by far.

Now with the waitress gone and it just the two of them once more, silence threatened to become their best friend once more. What did one talk about with a vampire? The weather??? Probably not sports! International news? Movies? Music? Read any good books lately?

None seemed right.

And yet, where would he even start with the conversation? How did he address this man before him? It would be so much easier to continue the pseudonym and call him Professor McKay but he knew that would be awkward.

Did the man across from him know he was so cold and collected? Without even doing anything at all he made Simon feel weak and inferior. He seemed to be a man who held absolute control and yet he kept this meeting at a current standstill. No. Simon didn't ask to meet him just to physically be within the same space as him - they needed to talk; and if this man wasn't going to start the conversation than Simon, the ever-social one, would.

"Sir, I'm Simon Ezra Kincaid." In his letters he had written S.E. Kincaid because for some reason he had been hesitant to use his full name. "My mother was Arabella Elise Kincaid. I was born in London on February 14th, 2009. My mother had ceased relations with my father before learning she was expecting and it is my understanding that he, more precisely in this case, you, never knew." Once again he felt sick to his stomach but he wouldn't let that win. He would keep his own confidence even if inwardly it was wavering. He wouldn't let it show. He didn't come this far to sit with silence.

"She entered into the presence of the Lord when I was three years old. Your arrival on my doorstep last Summer was my only way of finding your existence, your identity." The man stared forward at him with that unreadable expression with each word. "And that identity is quite unique, from my understanding, but not exactly one that needs to be brought up in public spaces."

"Indeed," the man agreed. The waitress came, placing the wine down and asking if they'd like to order anything else but Simon politely rejected. Once she left, Adrian Hawthorne opened the wine and filled his glass mostly full and then poured some into the wineglass closest to Simon, filling it to the same amount which surprised him a little. Simon anticipated he would fill it half full at most. He then watched as the man took a small sort of decorative pendant from his pocket that resembled a vial and he gave it two strong shakes before opening it and pouring its contents into the glass. Upon placing the now-empty vial back into his pocket, he lifted the glass and swirled it around the way knowledgeable wine connoisseur would do and then took a drink.

Silence loomed before them, closing in closer and closer. Simon took his glass, no added ingredients, and took a sip. It was surprising velvety. If the man across from him was incapable of general civilized conversation, then he would devote his attention elsewhere. It was his turn to dedicate his attention to staring at the night lights of London from the window.

"In 2019, lightning struck near the North Pole forty-eight times. Whilst lightning happens all the time, certain parts of the world get far less of it than others, including that region. Lightning requires atmospheric instability, something that's setup when cold parched air sits atop warmer, wetter air. At very high latitudes, that hotter, damper air tends not to show up. That is why it took scientists by surprise when dozens of lightning strikes were detected within 300 nautical miles of the North Pole. Sometimes the unexpected happens and it takes time for one to grasp the full picture, to understand the lightning strike."

When he first began to speak, Simon listened to his English accent and looked to him - listening - but the more he spoke, the more confused he grew. This wasn't quite the introduction he was assume it would be. As he finished though, Simon thought he might have grasped the concept that was trying to be conveyed. Simon Kincaid was the lightning, the unexpected phenomena, and Adrian Hawthorne was still trying to grasp the reality of it striking, or him coming to be.

Nothing else was said during their time at the table with the exception of a thank you from Simon when the waitress brought the final bill. Adrian paid in cash and left it at the table before standing and Simon realized that this must meet their time had come to an end.

Simon followed as Adrian led them out of the restaurant and to the elevator. Once inside, Simon knew that there would be 43 more seconds of silence as he had done this solitary trip the previous two meetups. At the bottom, the glass door opened and they exited, both stepping out different directions. Simon knew that this was where they would part ways for now.

"Written communication should be maintained," Adrian spoke. Simon was able to give a quick head tilt of a nod in agreement before the man turned and walked away.