The Other Twin

27

Rory's POV -
It's lunchtime. Edward's going to tell me why he can do funky, not-quite-human shit. Maybe. If he wants to. We walk to the cafeteria and I grab a bag of crisps, a lemonade and a cupcake for my lunch. The other seven Cullens come with us as we go to a rip in the fence and into the forest. There are two fallen trees that we sit on and some very old cigarette butts.
"This is kinda YA cliche, you know that right?" I say.
"Yeah. But it's the only place that we can talk without being overheard by nosy teenagers."
"Fair point."
"I always have fair points."
"Sure you do, Addy. Sure you do."
"We're different, Rory," my boyfriend told me.
"No shit Sherlock."
"We're not human."
"What do you mean by 'not human'. As in not from Earth, or Earthly supernatural?"
"We are vampires."
"Oh. Okay. You're being serious about this. It's not some kind of prank."
"Yes. We're vampires."
"Okay. Cool, cool, cool, cool. No doubt, no doubt, no doubt."
"You seem remarkably calm about this." Do I Edward? Do I?
"Yeah, I'm planning on freaking out in my head during art." Rory. It's fine. Freak out when you have nothing better to do with your mind on art. Okay. Got it?

"Do you guys, y'know, turn into bats?"
"Oh, please don't get them started on this," Rosalie pleads.
"No. It's not fair," Adrienne starts
"We wish we did. It would be so much cooler if we could," Emmet continues.
"Myths think we're so much cooler. And have given us unrealistic expectations and wants. If we weren't told we could turn into bats, we wouldn't want to," Klaus finishes.
"This is definitely a conversation you have had before that I don't want to get into."
"Yes," the other Cullens say.
"I guess you're not allergic to garlic either."
"Actually, Klaus is. But that's just coz he's allergic to garlic, nothing vampy."
"Look. Some people are just allergic to garlic. It's weird biology. But it happens. Okay?"
"Another conversation that's been had many times before?" The Cullens nod.
"Is there anything vampiry you guys do?"
"We react to the sun. But we don't turn to ash. We just fucking sparkle," Emmet says.
"You. Guys. Sparkle. In the sun." I laugh.
"We do do at least one vampire thing," Rosalie states.
"Rose," Edward warns.
"What. He needs to know. We drink blood."
"Blood. You drink blood."
"Our family personally are backward vegetarians. We only drink animal blood. Carlisle didn't want to be a monster. But that's another story," Edward says.
"Okay. It's human blood. It's basically what humans do. Eat animals. It's fine." I say, more to myself than the others, "What else do you do?"
"We're fast. Edward's the fastest."
"We're strong. Emmett's the strongest."
"I should hope so. What's the point in all those muscles it he's not the strongest," I interupt.
"We're desirable. We smell nice. Look beautiful. Sound good. Everything about us draws our natural prey in."
"By natural prey, you mean humans."
"Yes."
"Some of us have fancy powers. Alice can see into the future-"
"So that's how you found out about the Physics test!"
"-Jasper's an empath. He can feel and manipulate others emotions. Edward can read minds. And I can connect the minds of multiple people across a large distance so that they can communicate. And it bloody hurts."
"You read minds?" I ask my boyfriend, blushing.
"Yes. But I can't read yours."
"Why?"
"I'll tell you during PE. You're happy to miss that, right?"
"Sure."

"I should probably mention our immortality," Alice points out.
"Immortality. How old are you guys?"
"I'm the oldest. I'm just over 250. I was turned at 16, though. Which also makes me the youngest. Sibling power move, am I right?"
"250. Wait, you're 16 eternally?"
"Yeah. Born 1764. Died 1780. Why?"
"I though you would be 17. That's the age you pretend to be."
"I wasn't going to be in a year on my own."
"I'm just over 100. Born 1915. Died 1933, aged 18."
"Ditto. We are actually twins."
(AN- according to Twilight Wiki, Emmett was 20 when he was turned but I'm changing it to 19 coz why not. Also, apparently Alice was 19 when she turned, but fuck that, now she's 17. Also, she was, according to Twilight Wiki, born 1901, which is the same year as Edward. Also should probably mention now that I'm not setting this in a year, so I'm not going to exactly work our there ages.)
"Also just over 100. Born 1916. Changed 1935, aged 19."
"Just over 90. Born 1927, changed 1945 aged 18. Met the Cullens in 1953."
"Just over 115. Born 1903. Changed 1920, aged 17. Met the Cullens in 1950.
"About 175. Born 1844. Changed 1863, aged 19. Met the Cullens 1950, with Alice."
"I'm 17. I've been 17 for a long time. But I don't want to scare you away."
"You won't."
"I'm old. I'm an old man, stuck forever physically and mentally 17."
"Babe, I just found out my best friend is 250 ish and 16 at the same time. I'll be fine. You'll always be 17 to me."
"Around 120. Born 1901. Changed 1918, aged 17."
I kiss him. I know that it will be a lot to process during my hour of art. But I'll process it and get over it. Because he's my boyfriend and, oh shit. I think I'm falling in love with him. After one date, a few days and him protecting me and taking care of me after my sister.
"That wasn't too bad. Was it?"

He smiles and side hugs me. I'm pretty sure he kisses the top of my head. I think I see a flash of jealousy in Russell's eyes, but I'm not sure. Emmett kisses his temple, and I see him relax. The other couples are holding each other as well. Although I can't see her, I hear Addy take a deep breath. She's surrounded by happy couples, but alone. For 250 years, she's watched her siblings find love, and been alone. I know she's somewhat content with just platonically loving her family, but the way she sometimes has to control herself, and form a tight fist with her arm says alot. She wants this too. And I hope she finds it. She's such a great person, that could have anyone she wanted, but seemingly can't find her person. I know Edward is holding off about mates, probably what he wants to talk about instead of PE. But I've read enough fanfic to know that in fiction, supernatural creatures have soulmates. And they wait to find that person. And they long for them. The other Cullens seem to have found that (if I'm Edward's mate), but she hasn't. And it hurts her. But she puts of a strong exterior and doesn't let it show, despite her family knowing her well enough to see through it.