The Divergence

───

The park was quieter than Lavinia had expected.

Not empty.

Simply...

Calmer.

People still wandered along the paved paths beneath the trees, children chased one another across the grass, while couples sat together on benches enjoying the cool evening air.

The sun had long since disappeared, leaving the park illuminated by elegant lamp posts whose warm light pooled gently across the pathways.

Lavinia slowed her pace.

"...This should be it."

Valerie had sent her the location only a few minutes earlier.

A fountain stood near the center of the park, surrounded by flower beds and rows of benches.

Lavinia brushed a few strands of golden hair over one shoulder before smoothing the front of her black dress with both hands.

"...Perfect."

She nodded to herself.

Then walked over and sat down on one of the benches.

Her dress settled neatly around her knees as she crossed one leg over the other.

"...Now we wait."

She rested her hands in her lap.

It didn't take long.

Someone walking their dog glanced toward her.

Then glanced again.

A pair of teenagers whispered to one another.

Another passerby slowed slightly before continuing on.

Lavinia pretended not to notice.

She'd already learned that people stared.

There wasn't much she could do about it.

"..."

Then an elderly woman walking along the path looked directly at her.

The woman stopped.

Her eyes widened.

Slowly...

She reached beneath her cardigan, pulled out a small silver cross, and clutched it tightly against her chest.

With her free hand...

She made the sign of the cross.

Lavinia stared.

"...Really?"

The elderly woman hurried away without another word.

Lavinia sighed.

"I don't think I'm a demon."

She leaned back against the bench.

"I mean..."

She looked down at herself.

"I can't prove it."

That was admittedly difficult.

She wasn't especially religious.

She also wasn't...

Not religious.

The question had simply never occupied much of her life.

Now...

She wasn't entirely sure what to think.

"If God exists..."

She looked toward the evening sky through the branches overhead.

"...And vampires exist now..."

She shrugged lightly.

"Wouldn't that mean..."

"This was supposed to happen?"

It seemed like a reasonable conclusion.

If someone believed God governed the world...

Then surely the Divergence hadn't somehow escaped His notice.

"..."

Lavinia shook her head.

"Way above my pay grade."

She wasn't about to solve theology on her first night as a vampire.

Instead...

She pulled out her phone.

"...Hmm."

She needed something to do while waiting.

A familiar icon caught her eye.

"...Actually."

A grin slowly spread across her face.

"This'll be funny."

A few moments later, she had downloaded a dating app.

The setup began.

Gender.

Female.

She selected it without hesitation.

Then came the profile picture.

Lavinia scrolled through her gallery before stopping on an old photograph.

A picture of herself.

Back when she'd still been human.

"...There you are."

She uploaded it.

"...Good enough."

The profile finished loading.

Almost immediately...

Faces began appearing.

Lavinia looked at the first profile.

Swipe.

Second.

Swipe.

Third.

Swipe.

Fourth.

Swipe.

She wasn't even reading them.

"..."

Swipe.

"..."

Swipe.

"..."

Swipe.

She smiled to herself.

"I'm helping."

Another swipe.

"If everyone gets another like..."

Swipe.

"...They'll feel a little more loved."

Another.

"...You're welcome."

She nodded proudly.

"I'm basically performing a public service."

A gust of wind swept gently through the park.

Leaves rustled overhead.

Fabric whispered softly nearby.

Then—

"...You're going to get rejected by every single one of them."

The fiery voice made Lavinia look up immediately.

A young woman stood beside the bench.

Long, vibrant orange hair flowed almost to her waist, catching the light from the nearby lamps as though each strand had been spun from copper.

Her eyelashes were every bit as impossibly full as Lavinia's.

Crimson eyes devoid of pupils looked back at her with unmistakable amusement.

Like Lavinia, she wore an elegant black dress that looked as though it belonged in another era, luxurious down to the smallest stitch.

Unlike Lavinia's calf-high boots...

Valerie's ended just above her ankles.

She casually smoothed the front of her dress before sitting beside Lavinia.

"...Unless I'm very unlucky."

She smiled.

"You should be Lavinia."

Lavinia looked at her with perfect seriousness.

"...No."

"My name's Amanda."

Valerie stared at her for exactly one second.

Then snickered.

"...No it isn't."

"It could be."

"Your voice gave you away."

Lavinia sighed dramatically.

"...I was so close."

"You weren't close at all."

"I believed in myself."

"I can tell."

They both laughed.

Valerie glanced toward Lavinia's phone.

"...What are you doing?"

Lavinia tilted the screen toward her.

Another profile.

Swipe.

Another.

Swipe.

Valerie blinked.

"..."

"...You're on a dating app?"

"Mhm."

"...You're desperate."

Lavinia immediately lifted her chin with exaggerated dignity.

"I'll have you know..."

"I'll probably get rejected by every single one of them."

Valerie looked at her.

"...Then why are you swiping?"

Lavinia answered without missing a beat.

"I'm boosting them."

"...Boosting them."

"They'll feel good."

"They'll see another person liked them."

She nodded proudly.

"I'm spreading confidence."

"Out of kindness."

Valerie covered her mouth.

A laugh escaped anyway.

"...Lavinia."

"Hm?"

"...You're ridiculous."

Lavinia smiled innocently.

"I prefer 'community-minded.'"

Valerie laughed harder, shaking her head as she leaned back against the bench.

"...I had no idea this was the kind of vampire I was meeting."

Lavinia slipped her phone back into her pocket with a satisfied nod.

"...Neither did I."

"And honestly..."

She looked over at Valerie with an easy smile.

"...I'm having a great time so far."

Valerie leaned back against the bench and stretched her arms high above her head, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"...You know."

She looked around the park.

"Everything feels kind of normal."

Lavinia followed her gaze.

People still wandered lazily beneath the lamps.

Children chased one another around the fountain while parents watched nearby.

Conversations drifted through the cool evening air.

If someone ignored the pointed ears, crimson eyes, and occasional whispers...

It almost could have been an ordinary evening.

"I don't know."

Lavinia smiled crookedly.

"I disagree."

Valerie glanced at her.

"Oh?"

"I was sitting here before you got here."

She gestured vaguely around the park.

"People kept staring."

"I had someone recording me earlier."

She sighed.

"Then an older woman saw me..."

Lavinia paused for dramatic effect.

"...Pulled a cross out of her cardigan..."

"And started crossing herself."

Valerie blinked.

"...Seriously?"

"I don't think I've ever looked more confused."

Lavinia laughed quietly.

"I just sat there wondering whether I was supposed to be offended."

Valerie couldn't help laughing.

"Oh, that's awful."

"It was."

Lavinia folded her arms.

"I wasn't even doing anything."

Valerie smirked.

"...Well."

"You technically are a rare creature."

Lavinia let out an exaggerated groan.

"Don't remind me."

"I'm serious."

"There probably aren't many vampires walking around Oakridge tonight."

"You've got bright red eyes."

She pointed toward Lavinia's ears.

"Pointy ears."

"And enough hair to make people stop in the middle of walking."

Lavinia sighed dramatically.

"...You're supposed to be on my side."

"I am."

"I'm just saying they're not staring for no reason."

Lavinia looked away with mock annoyance.

"...Traitor."

Valerie laughed.

"I was looking around online before I came here."

"Oh?"

"There are still way more posts about werewolves than vampires."

Lavinia nodded.

"I noticed."

"From what I could tell..."

Valerie rested one arm along the back of the bench.

"Things seem mostly stable here in the United Sovereignties."

She hesitated.

"But some countries..."

"...Vampires aren't having an easy time."

Lavinia's smile faded slightly.

"...I'm not surprised."

Valerie tilted her head.

"Why?"

Lavinia thought for a moment before answering.

"For hundreds of years..."

She gestured lightly with one hand.

"Vampires have usually been portrayed as monsters."

"Blood-drinking."

"Evil."

"The thing hiding in the dark."

"So when actual vampires suddenly appear..."

She shrugged.

"People already think they know what we are."

Valerie nodded slowly.

"...That's true."

"People who always thought vampires were cool are probably excited."

Lavinia smiled.

"But everyone else?"

"They're meeting something they've spent their entire lives being told to fear."

Silence settled briefly between them.

Then Lavinia spoke again.

"...That said."

"I don't think humans are going to kill many vampires."

Valerie looked curious.

"No?"

"Not right now."

"Our abilities are basically a mystery."

"Nobody knows what we're capable of."

As she finished speaking, Valerie's attention shifted.

She looked toward a nearby walking path.

A man had slowed down just enough to stare openly at the two of them.

Valerie met his eyes.

Her expression remained perfectly neutral.

She simply...

Looked back.

The man quickly looked away and hurried off.

Only then did Valerie turn back toward Lavinia.

Her right ear gave the slightest twitch.

"...You mean the speed?"

Another tiny twitch.

"...Or the strength?"

Lavinia nodded.

"Both."

"I still haven't found the limit of my strength."

"I lifted a solid wooden table without even trying."

"I snapped a metal fork."

She smiled.

"But the speed..."

Her expression brightened.

"...That one surprised me."

Valerie leaned forward slightly.

"What happened?"

"I was trying to avoid people recording me."

"So I thought I'd move farther down the street."

She laughed softly.

"The next thing I knew..."

"I'd practically disappeared."

Valerie blinked.

"...How far?"

"I'd guess close to a hundred feet."

"I crossed it in..."

Lavinia shrugged.

"I don't even know."

"A moment."

Valerie let out a low whistle.

"...That's ridiculous."

"It is."

Lavinia nodded.

"So if humans don't even know vampires can move like that..."

"I don't think catching one will be easy."

Valerie quietly agreed.

"...Probably not."

Lavinia sighed.

"...Still."

"I wish people weren't so afraid."

Valerie smiled sympathetically.

"They'll get used to us."

"I hope so."

"I don't really enjoy having people look at me like I'm about to eat them."

Valerie reached over and gave Lavinia's shoulder a gentle pat.

"Don't let it bother you."

Lavinia clicked her tongue.

"I'm not religious."

"So the cross thing didn't really bother me."

She smiled helplessly.

"It was just..."

"...A strange experience."

Valerie's smile softened.

"I know."

She looked down at her own hands for a moment.

"...None of us wanted to wake up looking like monsters."

Lavinia nodded quietly.

"We just..."

"Woke up."

Neither of them had chosen this.

It had simply happened.

Lavinia stood, smoothing the front of her immaculate black dress out of habit.

Valerie rose a moment later, lightly brushing the skirt of her own dress before looking around the park.

"...So."

"What should we—"

Both of them stopped.

A car engine.

Close.

Doors opening.

Footsteps.

Purposeful.

Their pointed ears twitched almost in unison.

Lavinia and Valerie turned toward the sound at exactly the same moment.

Two uniformed police officers were making their way across the park.

Neither had their hands on their weapons.

Neither looked relaxed.

Both wore the cautious expressions of people approaching something they had no training or experience dealing with.

They exchanged a brief glance before continuing toward the two vampires.

───

Officer Daniel Hayes wasn't entirely sure why they were there.

The dispatch hadn't exactly been specific.

"Suspicious individuals in Ashgrove Park."

The caller had sounded frightened.

Not panicked.

Just...

Uneasy.

She'd repeatedly insisted she didn't feel safe and wanted officers to check on two women sitting near the fountain.

Daniel had exchanged a glance with his partner while driving over.

It wasn't exactly uncommon.

People called the police over all kinds of things.

Arguments.

People loitering.

Someone acting strangely.

Most of the time, it turned out to be nothing.

Tonight...

Neither of them had expected vampires.

Daniel adjusted his duty belt as he and his partner walked along the paved path.

The evening was pleasant enough.

Families still occupied parts of the park.

Nothing appeared out of place.

"...There."

His partner nodded subtly.

Daniel followed her gaze.

Two women stood beside a bench.

Elegant black dresses.

Long hair.

Then...

Both of them turned.

Perfectly together.

Neither flinched.

Neither glanced around first.

They simply rotated toward the officers with such smooth, synchronized timing that it almost looked rehearsed.

Daniel slowed ever so slightly.

"..."

Red eyes.

No pupils.

Pointed ears.

Vampires.

His stomach tightened.

He'd seen photographs online.

Seeing them in person...

Was different.

They were beautiful.

Almost impossibly so.

Yet there was something faintly unsettling about them that he couldn't quite explain.

Something...

Still.

Like looking at a photograph that had somehow begun smiling.

Daniel quietly reminded himself to remain professional.

Just people.

Probably.

He approached until a comfortable distance remained between them.

"Evening."

His voice sounded steadier than he felt.

The golden-haired vampire smiled warmly.

"Good evening."

Her voice was unexpectedly pleasant.

"We were just having a chat."

She gestured lightly toward the bench.

"So don't mind us."

Daniel found himself nodding almost automatically.

"...Right."

He cleared his throat.

"We received a report about suspicious individuals in the park."

"We're just checking whether everything's alright."

The two vampires exchanged a brief glance.

Then...

Almost simultaneously...

They tilted their heads slightly.

The movement was subtle.

Natural.

Yet somehow perfectly mirrored.

Daniel wasn't sure why that unsettled him.

A second later, both shook their heads.

"No."

The golden-haired vampire smiled apologetically.

"We haven't seen anyone suspicious."

The orange-haired vampire nodded.

"I haven't seen or heard anything unusual."

Beside her, the other vampire casually glanced around the park as though checking one last time.

"...No."

She looked back at Daniel.

"Nothing comes to mind."

Daniel studied them for another moment.

Neither appeared agitated.

Neither seemed threatening.

If anything...

They looked more curious about the interaction than bothered by it.

His partner stepped forward slightly.

"Alright."

"If anything does happen..."

She offered a polite smile.

"Please give us a call."

"We will."

The golden-haired vampire answered immediately.

"Thank you."

Daniel gave a small nod.

"You both have a good evening."

"You too."

The response came almost together.

The officers turned and began walking back toward their patrol car.

Daniel resisted the urge to look over his shoulder.

Halfway across the park...

He failed.

He glanced back.

The two vampires hadn't moved.

They were still standing beside the bench.

Watching.

Not aggressively.

Not threateningly.

Simply...

Watching them leave.

The park lights reflected across their crimson eyes.

As Daniel walked, the changing angle of the light caused both pairs of eyes to catch the glow for a fleeting instant.

They shimmered.

Bright.

Reflective.

Almost like a cat's eyes in darkness.

His pulse jumped.

He quickly looked forward again.

"..."

Neither vampire had done anything wrong.

They'd been polite.

Cooperative.

Friendly, even.

And yet...

Daniel couldn't shake the strange feeling that lingered after meeting them.

It wasn't fear.

Not exactly.

Just the unmistakable awareness that humanity had shared the world with two new species for less than a day...

And nobody... not the police, not the government, not the public... had the slightest idea what they were truly capable of.

Valeria,