6. Middletons

"If this is a crush, I don't know if I could take the real thing if it happened."

"No offense, but your basketball team is positively dreadful," Ryan said, smirking.

We were in the living room, the HD plasma flat screen television showing the evening news. Jasper was watching it without any interest on his face while Alice was taking everything in. Conrad, Will, Emmett, Carlisle, and Father were talking about when they were going to go hunting. Esme and Mom were giving the women a tour of our house.

I smirked back at Ryan. He was sitting next to me on the couch, looking right at me. Oh, that face...that marvelous face...

"I know, I feel bad for them," I said, shrugging. "They win on occasion, though."

"Do they really?"

I nodded, smiling. He smiled back, his brilliant white teeth showing.

"How old are you, Cecilia?" he asked, curiously.

"I'll be sixteen soon," I answered, my voice casual.

"I'm sixteen myself."

"For how long, may I ask?"

He stared down at his hands, which were balled up into fists on his knee. Ryan, I noticed, curled his lips. Did I offend him in some way? I didn't want that, surely not. After a moment or so of worrying, Ryan looked up at me. His golden eyes stared into mine. My heart beat picked up speed.

"Since 1945," Ryan said in a hushed voice. Ryan cleared his thoart and continued. "Will as well. Would you care to hear our story?" he asked, cracking a small smile.

"Only if you want me to hear it."

"Alright then, I'll tell you." Ryan crossed his legs, folding his arms. "My older brother and I use to live in New York City, in Manhatten to be exact. Our life was fantastic, just like in the old movies. I had a beautiful girlfriend, Violet. I remember that she was a brunette and had ivory skin. Will dated her older sister, Lucy, who looked the same as Violet. They were such lovely girls, inside and out. Doris Day and Marilyn Monroe had nothing on them."

"Sounds like they were vampires," I commented, noticing in the background that Jasper turned his attention to Alice. He smiled warmly at her as she watched the news, sitting on the edge of her seat. Alice was probably waiting for the weather report, wanting to see if they were right or not.

"You're correct, they were," said Ryan, calmly. "Anyway," he contiuned. "The Bailey sisters only came out when it was night, Violet and Lucy loved to go out to fancy clubs and restaurants with us Middletons. One night, they invited us over to visit. So we went to their townhouse, finding that all of the lights were off. Will and I got worried, thinking that something had happened to our girlfriends. The front door was unlocked, so, preparing ourselves for the worst, we came in." He paused for a moment, a look of concern on his face.

"What's wrong, Ryan?" I asked, itching to know what was going to happen next.

"I don't think your mother and father would approve of me telling you the rest," Ryan whispered, softly. "Besides, you wouldn't like it. I don't like it." He shuddered.

I had a strange feeling that he was right.

"The Bailey sisters changed you both...right?" I guessed, in a whispery voice.

"Yes." Ryan let out a low growl. It made me jump a little, I wasn't expecting him to do that. He saw the horror in my face.

"I'm sorry, that was not necessary at all," Ryan apologized.

"How long have you been with Tanya's family?" I asked too quickly.

A smile suddenly danced across Ryan's perfect lips. My insides melted.

"Kate, who was visiting the city, found us shortly after we got turned. Apparently, we were screaming and thrashing in pain on the street. Kate took us to Alaska so that we could become part of her coven. Will and I could not stand their diet. We managed to escape from them. We had a maddening thirst for human blood, for animal blood tasted so bland to us."

"But, you and your brother realized what you had become, of course," I said in a small voice. Ryan nodded.

"Indeed, we did. We didn't want to be monsters. So, we returned to Alaska, hoping Kate's coven would welcome us back. They did, thankfully, and after a few years we were able to control ourselves. Will and I began to travel together and we returned to Kate's family about five years ago. Since then, Will and Kate have had a relationship."