They both looked at him in surprise.“Why?”
Stefan shrugged casually as he folded his hands before him.“Because our kind usually doesn’t group together like you have. In fact, the most I’ve ever come across is five together. Usually, we’re too territorialto be grouped so tightly together. We prefer to be alone. I was curious about the amount of presence’s I sensed here. I would havecome here simply toinvestigate, and discover why there were so many in one place.”
Isabelle frowned athim;her eyes darkenedas she hesitantly met his gaze. He smiled back at her as he unfolded his hands and leaned forward. “We’re happy here,” she whispered.“It’s why we all stay.”
“I can see that, all I said was that it was unusual. I’m surprised that everyone has stayed for as long as they have.”
“Where else would they go?” Isabelle asked, her face reflecting her innocence and confusion. “David, Jack, Mike, Doug, and my dad have been friends since childhood. They were all changed around the same time, and by the same person. They’ve always been together, helping each other out. They all helped to raiseus;they’re like our older brothers. They’re our family.”
“What about yourothersiblings, are they all going to stay?”
“Aiden and Ian are going to college, and Abby and Vicky practically have their bags packed, even though they still have three years to go.”
Stefan’s brow furrowed. “Do they go to school now?”
“We all went to high school,” Ethan answered. “Willow will start school in the fall.By the time we’re thirteen we’re able to control our ability to change. Before that age it can be a little iffy, and hard to control. Especially when we get mad, or upset. Most of our wars were conducted as vampires, if we were mad enough.”
Stefan studied the amused smiles on both their faces as they exchanged glances. “And none of you ever had a problem at school?”he asked softly.
“I did once,” Isabelle admitted reluctantly. “I got really mad at this guy Ralph. He was always making rude, nasty comments to me, and we ended up getting into a fight. I changed right in front of him. Thankfully Ethan was there to help mechange his memoriesafterward;otherwise,I don’t know what would have happened. No one else has had any problemsthough.”
Stefan knew exactly what would have happened if Ethan hadn’t shown up, but it wasn’t a pleasant thought, and obviously not one that Isabelle wanted to contemplate. He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head again. He found himself fascinated by their existence, and how they had survived, and he wanted to learn more. Actually, if he was honest with himself, he wanted to learn more abouther. “Didn’t you have friends that wanted to come over, or school plays, or sportscompetitions that your parents wanted to go to?”
“Ethan and I didn’t join anything. Aiden was on the football and basketball teams, and Ian was on the swim team. Abby and Vicky are cheerleaders. Our parents go to some of the events, but they look like any other spectator when they’re there, and unfortunately can’t present themselves as their parents. Mike, Doug, David, and Jack go too.”
“Why didn’t you guys join anything?”
“Like I said, we’re the unsociable ones,” Ethan replied with a grin.
Stefan truly wanted to know why they were the unsociable ones, but he didn’t ask. “What about friends coming over?”
“Aiden, Ian, Vicky, and Abby have brought their friends over, not in large groups, but a couple here or there. We just alter their memories a little when they leave and make them think that our parents are older.”
Stefan frowned as he unfolded his hands and leaned forward. “What are you going to do in another ten years, when people begin to question whyyou’renot aging?”
“We don’t go into town very often. Most people think that wehavealreadymoved off, and now live separate lives. The few times that we do go into town, it’s always at night, and we alter the memories of the few people we meet. We usually go to Portland where no one notices anything, or California.”
Stefan sat silently, slowly digesting everything that they were saying. “So, you have no fear of people becoming curiousabout you?”
“It’s very rural here,” Isabelle answered. “My graduating class was forty two kids. All of whom went to college, and all of whom no longer live in the area. Our closest neighbor is five miles away, and not once, in the past twenty five years, have they stopped by. Hell, the football team has to travel forty five minutes to get to their closest game. Most people stick to themselves around here, and no one has bothered us yet. I don’t see why that would change.”
He slowly digested this information, slightly stunned by the fact that neither of them had any intention of leaving.“And you just stay here all the time?” he asked.
“We leave sometimes,” Isabelle replied softly. “We go to the city too, not as often as the others, but we do. Ethan and I go to California mostly. I love Napa Valley.”
He frowned at her as she hesitantly met his gaze. They had led very sheltered lives, where their younger siblings wanted to get out and explore the world, these two were content to stay here, and he was extremely curious to know why. Especially Isabelle, she was young, vibrant, and the most beautiful woman that he had ever laid eyes on. He couldn’t help but feel that she was wasting herextremely longlife away. He felt the sudden urge to tell her about all that she was missing, toshowher all that she was missing.
He groundhis teeth in self disgust and anger. He really was turning into an idiot around this girl. She was content in her life, he had no business questioning her motives, or wanting to change her. “What about your parents?” he asked to distract himself from his thoughts. “Do you find it odd to consider them your parents, when they look as young as you?”
Ethan and Isabelleexchanged a quick look;confusionwasevident on both of their faces. “No,” Ethan answered slowly. “Maybe it seems odd to you, because youwere human at one time, but we were raised like this. It’s all we’ve known since we were born. Trustme;ourparents can stillscare the crap out ofus, no matter how young they look.”
Stefan nodded. He supposed that it wouldn’t be odd to him if he was them, but he remembered his parents, and their aging. He couldn’t imagine having them with himnow;then again, he had lost them when he was too young to even think about what it would be like to have them with him now. They had been dead before he had been changed, dead long before he had reached adulthood. Stefan turned his attention away from the past, determined not to relive it.
“What age did you stop maturing at?” he inquired, curious about their development through life.
“I just stopped this year,” Ethan answered, casting a glance at Isabelle.
“I stopped last year,” Isabelle saidproudly, grinning smugly back at her brother.
