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The Steelers
by Aivine
We were at my house alone, having a sleepover. My parents and little brother had gone out to a movie and then were going to go to the casino -- my brother was little enough to be in the daycare center there. I wasn't expecting them to be back until at least one in the morning, and it was only eight now.
Lydia shook her head. I loved her new hair color -- we had just gotten it done. It was a redish-brown and reached just past her shoulders. It made her look more mature and it made her skin look creamier somehow, less freckled. It was so beautiful. "No, I'm not telling you. He doesn't want our relationship to be publicized."
"Oh, big word," I complimented, clapping. She just stuck her tongue out at me. "You know that I won't tell anyone else, so why can't I know?" She shook her head again.
"He doesn't want other people to know about him!" she said, as if it explained everything. I rolled my eyes. Whatever, Lydie, whatever.
After a few minutes -- I was entertaining myself by playing solitaire on my iPod -- I heard her shift positions. "Fine, I'll tell you," she sighed. I squealed happily and jumped up and down. She just rolled her eyes at me and put her hands on my shoulders to hold me down.
"Alright, you have to swear not to tell anyone else this, okay?" When I had nodded and given my word, she continued. "His name is Lucas Steeler. He's twenty. He's so amazing. You should see him! He's also really nice and outgoing, he just... doesn't like to hang around people other than me and his family, I guess. His family is really cool, too. And there's more about him, but that's all I'm going to say, okay? I'm not telling you anything else! Just be happy that I even told you his name."
I grinned. "Thank you so much, Lydie! That's so adorable! I'm sure that he's very pretty." "Pretty" was my word for what other girls would call hot, gorgeous, or cute. "I just wish that I could meet him. Do you even know where he lives?"
"Of course I know where he lives!" she exclaimed. "I hang out with him and his family all of the time."
I just shrugged and pulled the bowl of popcorn over to me. "Want to watch 'The Notebook'?" She nodded, smiling, and I started the movie as she turned off the lights. It was definitely a girls' night.
I approached them, a bit intimidated. The girl was lovely. She had waving, caramel hair that reached her waist. It looked glossy and soft and just... prefect. Her eyes were a dark hazel that seemed to be able to dig into your thoughts. She was petite and tall and all together gorgeous. I envied her instantly.
"Oh, Olivia! Come over here!" Lydia called. I walked over, smiling. She smiled back and gestured to the tall girl. "Livi, this is Isabelle. Oh, sorry, Ms. Steeler. Ms. Steeler, this is Livi." Isabelle smiled graciously and held out her hand. I shook it, greeting her. "She's... um, a friend. I've known her for awhile." I gave Lydia a questioning look and she mouthed, "Later."
I said after a minute that I had to head off to class and the other girls agreed. We went our seperate ways, Lydia and I to world history and Isabelle to art. She was teaching here now, evidently. "So she's a friend?" I asked, smirking.
"Okay, okay!" Lydia said, shrugging. "She's Isabelle Steeler, Lucas's older sister. She loves art and she's amazing at it. Since our art teacher just quit, she's come to teach art." I nodded. "I've been friends with her for awhile, since Lucas and I started dating, which was a few months ago."
I nodded. "Isabelle Steeler. When will I get to meet the rest of these Steelers?" I looked over at Lydia and she bit her lip.
"Well... remember how I said they don't like to socialize much? Well, because of that, I'm not sure if you'll ever get to meet the rest of them. I'd love for you to meet Lucas and the rest of them, but... I don't know how comfortable they'd be with that. I'll be sure to ask them if you can meet them when I go over there today after school, though!"
I just shrugged as we entered our world history class. The bell rang just as we were sitting down and the teacher called for silence as he turned on his projector. Oh, great, another slide show.
I stared at her for a moment before grinning. "Yes! I finally get to meet this mysterious and amazing Lucas." Lydia rolled her eyes and we went to our next class.
She rode with me in my car to my house after our last class. We quickly went inside and I told my brother and parents where I was going. They said to have fun and to be back by two the next afternoon, as they hated when I was out all day. I agreed and went upstairs to my room, where Lydia was already going through my closet, searching for my black velvet dress.
"You know which one I'm talking about, right...?" she was saying, her voice slightly muffled. "The black dress with the off-the-shoulder straps that goes down to your knees and looks great with stillettos... The one that has that amazing blood red rose sewn at the place where the right strap and the dress connect?" She finally immerged, having not found it, and gave me a questioning look.
"It's in the plastic dress bag on the shelf in my closet, Lydie. The black bag." My friend disappeared again, only to come back out with the dress bag and a pair of black stilletto heels. She set them both down on my bed and then proceeded to drag me into the bathroom to do my hair. My hair and makeup took about an hour and a half and then I got dressed. We then left, me in my fancy dress and shoes with my sleepover bag and Lydie still not ready, to go get her dressed and made-up.
We were finally ready after another hour, Lydia in a beautiful dark red flowy dress and black heels. She lent me a black clutch to put my few neccessities in before she deemed us ready. We finally left the house, just as the sun was going down.
The Steelers lived in a huge, intimidating mansion on the outskirts of town. I couldn't help but stare as we made our way up the long driveway. Lydia parked next to a black Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. I made myself move away from the beautiful car and follow Lydia to the door, where she rang a loud, gonging doorbell. A butler dressed in all black -- was I sensing a theme here? -- answered the door and led us into a sitting room. The Steelers weren't ready yet, but we were to make ourselves at home, said the man, whose name was Lawrence.
Lydie sat down on one of the couches and I sat down next to her, now feeling extremely nervous. What would the Steelers think of me? Why did they not want to meet anyone new? Was I so special or did they love Lydia so much that I was allowed to meet them?
My thoughts were interrupted by Lydia's voice. "Lucas," she breathed, her face instantly lighting up. I followed her gaze to the door, where a gorgeous young man was standing. He had very light hair paired with dark eyes, pale skin, and a thin build. He had to be at least six-foot-three, as he seemed taller than my father, who was six-two. My friend stood up and the young man wrapped her in his arms. She kissed his cheek briefly before turning back to me.
"Lucas, this is Livi, my best friend," she introduced. "Remember? I was telling you about her."
Lucas stepped forward, smiling. "Ah, so this is Olivia the Great." His voice was rich, deep. "Lydia has told me some wonderful things about you. I'm so glad to finally meet you." He took my hand and kissed it lightly. I blushed. No male had ever kissed my hand before! And I'd thought that chivalry was dead!
Lydia laughed at my embarrassed, incredulous expression. "I know, no one ever does that anymore! Isn't he charming?" She kissed his cheek again, as he had returned to her side, and grinned.
"The Steelers are seated and ready for you," Lawrence said, entering the sitting room again. "Ah, hello, Master Lucas. Would you like to lead them to the dining hall or shall I?"
Lucas offered his arms to me and Lydia and said, "I can do it, Law. You can go." Lucas smiled at us when Lawrence walked away and led us off, further into the mansion.
"I can tell that you're nervous, Olivia," Lucas stated, "but there's no need to be. My family is nice and they won't bite." He grinned, as if enjoying a private joke. "Or, at least, not hard."
Lydia added, "They're very nice, Livi. They won't judge you too much and they won't insult you or act rude. Well, Lucielle might, but it wouldn't be on purpose. She's six and can't exactly keep her mouth shut half the time."
Before I could say anything to that, we entered a large dining room where the Steelers were seated. Isabella waved slightly from her spot to the left of the head, smiling, and I smiled back. Next to Isabelle was a young girl, her hair and eyes almost black. She had to be Lucielle, as she was the youngest there. A middle-aged man sat at the head of the table, his hair the same color as Lucas's, but his eyes were a bright blue-green and his skin was tanned. He was smiling warmly. On the man's right was a woman with very dark, smooth hair and dark eyes. She was of the same build as Isabelle -- thin, tall, and lovely. The last person, who was seated next to the woman, had her hair, but the man's bright eyes. His skin was as pale as Lucas's, and he seemed just as tall.
"Ah, Miss Grand," the man at the head of the table spoke. "You may sit over there, next to Lucielle. I assume you know which one Lucielle is?" His eyes twinkled. I liked him already.
"Yes, sir," I answered, taking the spot he'd indicated. Lucas sat next to the young man with dark hair and Lydia sat next to him.
The man's smile widened slightly. "Please, Miss Grand, it's Merit, or Mr. Steeler, if you must. And may I call you Olivia?" I nodded. "Wonderful." He gestured to the woman at his right. "This is my wife, Ethel. Next to her is my son, Valentine. You already know Isabelle and Lucas, and you know that you're sitting next to Lucielle."
"It's wonderful to meet you all," I said sincerely. "Lydia's told me how great you all are." The family exchanged glances that I couldn't interpret, and the food came in.
We ate in pleasant conversation. I got to know Lucielle very well. She had a bubbly personality and a way of expressing herself that made me laugh plenty of times. Isabelle was also very sweet and often asked me if I was enjoying myself. Mr. Steeler made me laugh, as well. Mrs. Steeler didn't speak very much, but I soon discovered that her quietness wasn't rare. Valentine was quiet, but he often made expressions at certain comments that had me laughing again. The Steelers were definitely a fun family.
"Olivia, how are you faring?" I turned to look at Valentine, who hadn't once spoken to me, but had sent me small smiles every time I laughed at his faces. The way he said my name, though... It was beautiful, and made my breath catch.
"I'm well, thank you," I answered, smiling. The family had a very old-fashioned vocabulary, and the more time I spent around them, the more I found myself using old-fashioned phrases and words. "And how are you?"
Valentine smiled secretively. "Just as well." Then he turned back to his food.
We finished eating not too long after and made our way into the sitting room to continue talking. The Steelers were a very talkative family, even if they didn't like to meet new people. It wasn't long into the night that Lucielle was already sitting on my lap, her arms around my neck, her eyes closed in a peaceful nap. She was the most adorable little girl I'd ever seen, and I believe I'd already fallen for her.
"Well, Lucielle has certainly taken a liking to you," Mr. Steeler said with a grin. "She seems to like you even more than she likes Ethel or even Isabelle. I would say that that is a miracle, as Lucielle seems to be attached to Isabelle."
I smiled. "It's alright. I like Lucielle, she's sweet."
Valentine looked over at me, a strange expression in his eyes that caused me to shiver. Isabelle was watching him and lightly touched his shoulder. He jumped and looked away, his eyes downcast. What was that all about?
Half an hour later, Lucas stood up, helping up Lydia. "I think it's time for the girls to go back home," he said. "It's almost midnight."
Had we really been there that long? I stood up, Lucielle still in my arms. Isabelle came over and began to take her from me, but Lucielle whined, half-asleep, and clung to me. "Just show me where to bring her and I'll put her in her bed." Isabelle glanced at Mr. Steeler, who nodded, and showed me upstairs.
When we reached the six-year-old's room, I gently laid her down in bed and tucked her in. "Sweet dreams, Lucielle," I whispered. Lucielle mumbled something in reply and gazed up at me expectantly. I sighed and kissed her forehead before leaving the room silently.
I made my way back downstairs, but ran into Valentine on the steps. "Oh, excuse me, Valentine," I said, smiling. He stopped me, though, with an arm around my waist. A shiver ran down my back and I was involuntarily filled with a powerful feeling -- lust.
"Come back tomorrow at dusk," he said. "I'd like to see you again." Then he moved his arm and was gone.
Lydia and I left and fell asleep as soon as we reached her house. That night, I had wonderful dreams, full of Lucielle calling me Mommy, and Valentine Daddy.
"Olivia!" she exclaimed. I laughed and picked her up into my arms, happy to see her. "I missed you!"
Carrying her into the house and closing the door behind me, I said, "You just saw me last night, Lucielle. You couldn't have missed me too much."
The little girl jumped out of my arms and led the way into a different sitting room than I had been in the night before. This one had a large TV that was already on, showing Project Runway. Lucielle pulled my down on the couch and sat down on my lap. "Oh, but I did! I missed you so much, Olivia, that I asked where you were when I woke up. Daddy told me that you were coming back tonight! Oh, and Daddy said that he would be downstairs in a few minutes."
Daddy? But I hadn't come to see Mr. Steeler, I'd come to see Valentine, who had asked me to come.
Valentine entered the room ten minutes later, his dark hair damp, as if he'd just gotten out of the shower. He was wearing a white button-down shirt and black dress pants. Lucielle jumped up, grinning. "Daddy!" she exclaimed, hugging his legs.
Wait, Daddy?!
Valentine must have seen my shocked and confused face because he smiled slightly. "Lucielle, can you come back in a half hour? I need to speak with Olivia." The little girl nodded and bounded out of sight.
The young man sat down on the couch next to me, his knee brushing mine. I shivered and blushed, discreetly moving my leg. "Olivia," he said, "I'm sure you already suspect this by now, but Lucielle is my daughter."
"How?" I asked unthinkingly. "You can't be more than twenty! That would mean she was born when you were fourteen! I assume that your family wouldn't allow anything like that to happen."
Valentine sighed. "This is where it gets complicated."
"As if it isn't already," I mumbled. Valentine smiled slightly.
"That is true," he allowed. "But it gets worse. You see... and Lydia already knows this... but all of the Steelers are vampires, Olivia. Blood-sucking, immortal beings. Any questions so far?"
I stared at him for a moment. Vampires? I wasn't sure if I believed him or not, so I decided to just interview him. "Garlic? Bats? Coffins? The sun? Do you even sleep at all?"
Valentine laughed. "We sleep, yes. The sun makes us feel sick and sleepy, so we sleep during the day. We don't need to sleep in coffins, however. We do not turn into bats, but they do make wonderfully loyal pets. Garlic, crosses, holy water, and wooden stakes do not affect us. Diamond stakes do, however."
"How can you have babies?"
He gave me a weird look. "Didn't your parents teach you that?" I rolled my eyes. "I know what you meant, don't worry. We can have babies just like humans do, but most of us choose not to. When two vampires mate, they can have a baby that would be a vampire, too. But that baby would stop aging as soon as they hit the age of six and would forever be a six-year-old. Most vampires believe it's just easier to turn a human so that they aren't stuck with a six-year-old forever. If a human and a vampire had a baby, though, the baby would be human and mature as normal."
"Oh..." I looked down at my hands that were folded in my lap. "Alright, you can continue with your explanation. You were at all of you being vampires -- blood-sucking, immortal beings."
Valentine nodded. "Well, you see, I was turned into a vampire at twenty by my girlfriend, who was a vampire and didn't tell me. I then, in turn, changed my best friend, Lucas. It wasn't long after that we met Ethel and Merit and adopted them as our parents. It wasn't long after that I met another vampire named Anabel and had an affair. I never loved her, and if I had, she would still be here. When vampires fall in love, they mate when they make love, and vampires mate for life. Anabel and I never mated, but I did get her pregnant. She had Lucielle, and left the baby with me, disappearing. Lucielle has always considered me her dad, but she had never found anyone that she accepted as a mom. I've met many women who I liked over the years, but I never mated with any of them because Lucielle didn't think of them as her mother. I have a feeling that, for vampires, a mother or father is forever, like a mate. Once they find them, they have to keep them. And the mother or father is usually the same as the destined mate for the other one. Do you get it?"
I nodded slowly. I was beginning to believe him. Was there any way he could actually be making all this up? And why would he? I had just met him the night before; he had no reason to want to lie to me like this, so outrageously.
Valentine took a deep breath. "Olivia, Lucielle thinks of you as her mother. She accepts you as her mom."
My heart nearly stopped. So he was saying... that Lucielle thought of me as her mom, so that made me his mate? Did he even think of me that way? I must have voiced the question aloud, because he was next answering it.
"Yes, I do think of you that way," he admitted. "I only met you last night, but it was almost one of those first-sight things. I didn't used to believe in that, but after last night..."
I hesitated before I reached over and put my hand on his knee. I looked up into his eyes and saw it there -- the truth. As soon as I saw it, I realized that I felt it, too. I had felt the first-sight thing last night. Every time he said my name, when he made me laugh, when he touched me...
Even now, with my hand on his knee, a pleasant wave was coursing through my arm.
"It seems that I think that way of you, too," I said, almost at a whisper. "What does that mean you're going to do? Are you going to change me into a vampire, too?"
Valentine sighed and scrubbed at his face with his hands. "I don't know," he finally said. "My instincts are telling me that I have to. I know they're right; I can't lose you. I would have to change you or else you would die. For the sake of myself and Lucielle, I will probably change you."
It was almost graduation, wasn't it? Only another two weeks and high school would be over. I could say that I was moving out of the house early to get used to living alone before the stress of college and then come to Valentine. I suggested it to him, and he agreed. After I graduated high school in two weeks, he would change me into a vampire.
Lydia knew all about the Steelers, of course. She was also Lucas' chosen mate and was scheduled to be changed at the same time as me. We always went to the Steelers' mansion together after school, but she never sat with me. She instead opted to go lay with Lucas in his bed until he woke up, when they would just stay in his room, doing things I did not want to think about.
The day of my graduation, the Steelers showed up for the ceremony. Luckily, it was a cloudy day. They all still seemed a bit paler than usual, their eyes a bit droopy. Lydia and I thanked them greatly, though, and I got to introduce Valentine to my parents. They hit it off right away.
The ceremony seemed to go by very fast. Everyone was looking at the Steelers, wondering who they were and why they were there. A lot of the just-graduated girls tried to flirt with Valentine, but he politely said that he was taken and put an arm around my waist. That kept them away.
I was moving out of my house the next day. My parents were a bit upset that I was moving, but they understood my reasoning. Most of my things had already been moved to my “apartment” all the way across the country the week before. I was supposed to be flying out the next evening. The Steelers had agreed that it was best if they all moved to where my supposed “apartment” was, and so they were flying out with me the next night. Once we arrived at their mansion, Lydia and I were to be changed with a ceremony and a bite.
“We’ll miss you, Livi,” my mom said, waving, as I walked away from the car. I called back that I loved them and was then inside the airport. I met up with the Steelers and Lydia at the terminal. Valentine, Lucielle, and I had gotten three seats along the edge of plane next to each other. Lucielle was to sit in between us.
Once the plane had taken off and we were in the air, almost halfway to our destination, Valentine asked me, “Are you sure you want to go through with this, Olivia?”
I turned to look at him and leaned over the sleeping Lucielle. “Of course I do, Valentine. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have come back that Saturday after the dinner. I didn’t know you at all, but I came back to your house because you asked me to. Doesn’t that tell you anything? And besides, I could never leave you or Lucielle. It would hurt me too much.”
Valentine smiled at me and kissed me lightly. “Of course. I should have known.”
Mrs. Olivia Steeler. It sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
Aivine
03.11.08
