The Divergence

───

Lavinia stared at the ceiling.

"..."

She wanted to complain.

She really did.

Unfortunately...

The two reasons for her complaint were both asleep.

Gwendolyn lay sprawled across the bed, her head resting comfortably atop Lavinia's stomach.

Meanwhile, Valerie had wrapped herself around Lavinia's left side before calling it a night, putting one arm firmly around hers as though worried she might disappear.

Neither vampire moved.

Neither showed the slightest intention of letting go.

Lavinia sighed quietly.

"...How did this happen?"

The answer came almost immediately.

After leaving the mall the previous evening, the three of them had wandered together for another hour without encountering another vampire before deciding it was probably time to head home.

Or rather...

Gwendolyn had happily announced they should all head to her home.

Neither Lavinia nor Valerie had objected.

Gwendolyn's mother had already accepted that her daughter truly was the same person she'd always been, even if she now happened to be a vampire.

Still...

The trio had returned quietly.

They'd slipped inside without waking her.

Valerie had stretched.

Yawned.

Then casually announced...

"...I think I want a nap."

That had been all the invitation Gwendolyn needed.

Before either of them knew what was happening...

She'd grabbed both of their wrists.

"...Come on."

"My room."

The bed had been...

King-sized.

Comfortably so.

More than enough room for three people.

In theory.

In practice...

Gwendolyn had immediately pulled both vampires close until all three of them were pressed together anyway.

Lavinia had attempted one final protest.

"...You know..."

She'd laughed awkwardly.

"I was a guy yesterday."

"...This feels a little strange."

Neither vampire had reacted.

Valerie had simply wrapped an arm around Lavinia.

Gwendolyn had done the same from the other side.

"...Goodnight."

Within moments...

Both of them had fallen asleep.

As though the statement hadn't mattered in the slightest.

"..."

Lavinia looked back up at the ceiling.

"...Traitors."

She whispered the accusation toward two completely unconscious vampires.

Neither responded.

The room remained wonderfully quiet.

The only sounds came from gentle breathing.

The soft rustle of fabric whenever one of them shifted slightly.

And beyond the bedroom walls...

The distant sounds of Gwendolyn's home.

Lavinia slowly inhaled.

The scent inside the room had gradually become richer over the past several hours.

Berries and pine.

Bright citrus.

Soft caramel and roses.

The three fragrances blended together until they almost felt comforting.

She wanted to check the time.

Her phone rested somewhere on the bedside dresser.

Unfortunately...

Her left arm remained firmly trapped beneath Valerie's grip.

Her right...

Currently served as Gwendolyn's pillow.

"..."

Lavinia took another slow breath.

Then sighed.

"...Barely twenty-four hours ago..."

She smiled faintly.

"...I was just a normal person."

"Going to work."

"Paying bills."

"Wondering what to eat for dinner."

She looked down toward Gwendolyn.

"...Now..."

"I'm being confined..."

"...And imprisoned..."

"...By two vampires."

She paused.

"...While also being a vampire."

Silence.

Another smile appeared.

"..."

"I'm not really imprisoned."

She corrected herself.

"...I'm just..."

"...Very stuck."

She looked between the sleeping pair.

"...Because they're sleeping."

Trying to move them would probably wake them.

She wasn't quite heartless enough to do that.

So...

She waited.

Time drifted quietly onward.

Hours passed.

The room remained peaceful.

Then...

One ear twitched.

Gwendolyn stirred first.

Her eyelashes fluttered.

Slowly...

She pushed herself upright.

Unfortunately...

She pushed directly against Lavinia's stomach while doing so.

"...Oof."

Lavinia winced.

"Gwendolyn..."

The sleepy vampire blinked lazily.

Those crimson eyes looked almost unfocused beneath thick silver-white eyelashes.

"...Morning..."

She murmured.

Then...

Without warning...

She leaned forward again.

Instead of lying back down normally...

She buried her face directly against Lavinia's stomach.

"..."

Lavinia froze.

"..."

"...You smell..."

Gwendolyn mumbled sleepily.

"...So good..."

Lavinia immediately squirmed.

"Gwendolyn."

No response.

"...Gwendolyn."

Still nothing.

"...You're making this really weird."

She tried gently pushing the other vampire away.

Nothing happened.

"..."

She frowned.

Then applied a little more strength.

Gwendolyn's arms refused to budge.

They clung stubbornly around her waist.

"...Since when are your arms made of steel?"

Lavinia laughed despite herself.

"Gwendolyn."

"Release me."

"No."

The answer came immediately.

"...You smell nice."

Lavinia couldn't help laughing.

"...That's not a reason."

"It is."

Gwendolyn replied confidently.

Lavinia finally pushed harder.

Not enough to hurt.

Just enough.

Gwendolyn slowly slid backward across the bed with a tiny sound of protest.

"...Mmm..."

The brief struggle proved enough to disturb the third occupant.

Valerie shifted.

Her grip loosened.

A few seconds later...

Her crimson eyes slowly opened.

She watched Lavinia attempting to pry Gwendolyn away.

"..."

"...Sleeping feels weird."

She announced.

Lavinia looked over.

"...Morning to you too."

Valerie rubbed one eye.

"It was..."

She frowned thoughtfully.

"...Quiet."

"So quiet."

"And still."

She looked vaguely toward the ceiling.

"...Until I started waking up."

Gwendolyn nodded enthusiastically from where she'd finally settled.

"Exactly."

"The sounds came back first."

"The smells too."

"And everything else."

"It happened really quickly."

Lavinia tilted her head.

"...Now that you mention it..."

She'd experienced something similar herself.

Almost like returning from somewhere...

Where the world had been muted.

Valerie climbed off the bed.

Stretching lazily, she walked over to the dresser and picked up her phone.

"..."

She checked the time.

"...We've been asleep for about seven hours."

She looked toward Gwendolyn.

"...Should we meet your mom?"

"We are staying over."

From outside the bedroom...

The faint sounds of someone moving around downstairs reached all three vampires with perfect clarity.

Cupboards opening.

Footsteps.

Running water.

Gwendolyn laughed.

"...She might freak out."

Valerie grinned.

"...Fair."

"But..."

Gwendolyn smiled brightly.

"...I do want to introduce her to my friends."

The word came naturally.

Friends.

Neither Lavinia nor Valerie corrected her.

Instead...

All three climbed out of bed.

Their black socks landed almost silently upon the soft rug beneath them.

Gwendolyn smoothed her dress.

Valerie stretched once more.

Lavinia quietly fixed her slightly messy golden hair with both hands before glancing toward the bedroom door.

"...Well."

She smiled.

"...Let's go meet your mom."

The bedroom door opened quietly.

Gwendolyn stepped into the hallway first, humming softly to herself.

Valerie followed beside her, while Lavinia brought up the rear, absently running her fingers through her long golden hair one last time.

The three descended the staircase together.

Lavinia found herself looking around as they walked.

The house wasn't extravagant.

It wasn't filled with marble floors or enormous chandeliers.

Instead...

It felt lived in.

Family photographs lined one wall.

Bookshelves occupied another.

The wooden bannister had the tiny imperfections that only came from years of use.

The rooms were spacious enough that nothing felt cramped, yet everything seemed warm.

Comfortable.

Home.

Lavinia smiled.

"...I can see why you never moved out."

Gwendolyn looked back.

Then immediately burst into laughter.

"It wasn't just because of the house."

She rested one hand against the railing.

"Mom would've been lonely here all by herself."

Her smile softened.

"...And honestly..."

"I would've been lonely too."

Lavinia nodded.

"...That's fair."

Before Gwendolyn could continue, Valerie reached over and tugged lightly at the back of her dress.

"There."

Gwendolyn blinked.

"What?"

"It rode up."

Valerie smoothed the fabric neatly back into place.

"...Probably while you were wrestling Lavinia."

Gwendolyn looked down.

"...Oh."

"Thank you."

Valerie nodded once.

"You're welcome."

From downstairs, a familiar voice drifted upward.

"Gwendolyn?"

Her mother's voice was gentle.

Warm.

Though there was enough firmness behind it to carry through the house without becoming loud.

"...Are you awake?"

Gwendolyn smiled brightly.

"Mhm!"

She hurried down the last few steps.

"We're coming!"

The three entered the kitchen together.

Warm light filled the room.

Something sizzled gently on the stove.

Gwendolyn's mother stood near the counter, cooking breakfast.

She turned at the sound of footsteps.

Her expression immediately softened.

"There you are."

She smiled warmly at her daughter.

The smile lasted only a second.

Then...

Two more heads appeared from behind Gwendolyn.

Long golden hair.

Bright orange hair.

Three pairs of crimson eyes.

Three pairs of pointed ears.

She blinked.

"..."

"...Gwendolyn."

"Yes?"

"...Where..."

She looked between the three vampires.

"...Did you kidnap two other vampires from?"

Silence.

Then Gwendolyn burst into bright laughter.

"I didn't kidnap anybody!"

She pointed happily toward Lavinia and Valerie.

"I found them when I went for a walk."

Her mother frowned automatically.

"...That's dangerous..."

She stopped herself midway through the sentence.

"..."

Then sighed.

"I suppose saying that doesn't really make much sense anymore."

She set the spatula down before wiping her hands on a dish towel.

Looking toward the two unfamiliar vampires, she smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry."

"I should introduce myself first."

"My name's Eleanor."

"It's lovely to meet you both."

Lavinia smiled politely.

"I'm Lavinia."

Valerie nodded.

"And I'm Valerie."

Eleanor smiled warmly.

"...It's nice meeting you."

She looked briefly toward the stove before her expression shifted.

"Oh."

"I didn't know Gwendolyn invited anyone over."

She looked genuinely apologetic.

"I would've made enough breakfast for all of you."

Before Lavinia could answer, all three vampires spoke almost together.

"It's okay."

"No worries."

"Really."

Eleanor blinked.

Gwendolyn walked over and gently patted her mother's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Mom."

She smiled reassuringly.

"We don't actually need food."

Eleanor looked at her daughter.

"...Right."

"The blood."

Gwendolyn nodded.

"Mhm."

"The government already announced they're opening blood donation centers."

"They should be ready soon."

Eleanor let out a small breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"I'm glad."

She looked between the three young women.

"I spent half the day worrying about what you were all supposed to eat."

Valerie smiled.

"...Apparently not toast."

Gwendolyn giggled.

"...Or pancakes."

Lavinia looked toward the breakfast cooking on the stove.

"...It does smell good, though."

"It really does."

Valerie admitted.

"We can still taste things."

"We just..."

She shrugged lightly.

"...Don't need them."

Eleanor looked relieved.

"Well..."

"I'm still making breakfast."

"So if any of you decide you want some..."

She gestured toward the table.

"...You're more than welcome."

Gwendolyn immediately smiled.

"See?"

"I told you she'd say that."

Eleanor rolled her eyes fondly.

"...You know me too well."

"I should."

Gwendolyn replied with a grin.

"I've lived here my whole life."

The kitchen settled into a comfortable silence.

The smell of breakfast drifted through the room while morning sunlight filtered through the windows.

The sunlight stopped at the edges of the floor, leaving the three vampires comfortably within the shade as they naturally remained away from the bright patches of light without consciously thinking about it.

Eleanor quietly enjoyed her breakfast while the three vampires remained seated around the kitchen table.

The room felt peaceful.

Morning sunlight streamed through the windows, warming the wooden floor without ever quite reaching where the vampires sat.

Lavinia rested one elbow on the table.

"I really like your house."

Eleanor looked up from her plate.

A gentle smile appeared almost immediately.

"...Thank you."

"I'm happy to hear that."

She glanced between the three young women.

"You're all welcome to come by whenever you'd like."

Gwendolyn smiled brightly.

"See?"

"I told you."

"My mom's nice."

Eleanor laughed.

"I didn't say you could move in."

"...Yet."

Gwendolyn replied with a grin.

Valerie snorted quietly without looking up from her phone.

"...Give her another day."

Lavinia laughed.

"I'll try not to accidentally become a permanent resident."

Eleanor smiled.

"I appreciate that."

Conversation settled naturally after that.

Gwendolyn simply watched her mother eat.

There was an unmistakable warmth in her expression.

Not excitement.

Not relief.

Just...

Contentment.

Every so often, Eleanor looked back at her daughter.

Each time...

Their eyes met.

Each time...

Gwendolyn smiled.

Valerie sat beside them, idly scrolling through news articles and online posts.

Every few moments...

The corners of her lips lifted.

Apparently people online remained just as entertaining as they had the previous evening.

"...Listen to this."

She chuckled.

"Someone posted that vampires can hypnotize people through Wi-Fi."

Lavinia blinked.

"...Through Wi-Fi?"

Valerie nodded solemnly.

"Mhm."

"They recommend turning the router off after sunset."

Gwendolyn covered her mouth to hide a laugh.

Eleanor simply sighed.

"...People cope with uncertainty in strange ways."

She took another bite before speaking again.

"...Yesterday was..."

She searched for the right word.

"...A very long day."

Her eyes drifted toward Gwendolyn.

"I kept asking her questions."

"Things only my daughter would know."

Gwendolyn nodded.

"You asked about my first day of school."

"Mhm."

"And the time you broke your arm climbing the fence."

"...You still bring that up."

Eleanor smiled apologetically.

"It was memorable."

"I asked about your grandmother."

"Our old dog."

"The wallpaper in your childhood bedroom."

She looked down at her plate briefly.

"I wasn't trying to be cruel."

"I just..."

Her shoulders lowered slightly.

"I needed to know."

Gwendolyn reached across the table and rested a hand over her mother's.

"I know."

Her voice remained gentle.

"I would've done the same."

Eleanor looked back up.

The worry that had lingered beneath her expression since the previous day slowly faded.

Instead...

She simply looked at her daughter.

Long silver-white hair framed Gwendolyn's face.

Crimson eyes without pupils looked back at her.

Pointed ears.

Impossible beauty.

Everything about her appearance had changed.

Yet...

When she smiled...

Eleanor recognized her immediately.

"...You're still you."

She said it almost to herself.

Gwendolyn's smile softened.

"I am."

Lavinia quietly watched the exchange.

Without realizing it...

She smiled too.

It made her unexpectedly happy.

Not every vampire had been welcomed.

She'd already experienced frightened stares herself.

The news had shown angry crowds.

She could imagine countless households where waking as a vampire would have shattered families overnight.

Parents rejecting children.

Children afraid of parents.

Doors closing.

Relationships breaking.

Instead...

Here...

A mother simply wanted her daughter back.

And she'd found her.

"...That's nice."

Lavinia murmured quietly.

Nobody questioned the comment.

The feeling spoke for itself.

A few minutes later, Eleanor finished eating.

She carried her plate toward the sink.

Lavinia stood.

"I'll stretch my legs."

She wandered leisurely around the kitchen.

The room carried the comfortable feeling of somewhere that had been lived in for years.

Small decorations.

A calendar.

Potted herbs near the window.

Photographs lined the walls.

Everything felt...

Warm.

Her eyes eventually settled upon a framed photograph resting face-down near the end of the counter.

"...Hm?"

It looked as though it'd been placed there recently.

Curious, she reached down and picked it up.

The instant it touched her palm...

A faint sting spread across her skin.

Lavinia frowned.

"...?"

The sensation rapidly intensified.

The dull sting became heat.

Then burning.

"...Ow."

Her fingers instinctively loosened.

Within another second...

The burning flared sharply through her entire palm.

She recoiled.

The picture frame slipped from her hand before she caught it awkwardly with her other one.

"What happened?"

Valerie was beside her almost instantly.

Gwendolyn arrived a heartbeat later.

"Lavinia?"

Lavinia stared down at her hand.

Dark charred marks spread across the center of her palm.

Thin trails of smoke rose briefly from the damaged skin.

The pain lingered.

Not unbearable.

But undeniably real.

"...It..."

She blinked.

"...Burned me."

Eleanor turned around immediately.

"What?"

Lavinia slowly opened and closed her fingers.

Before everyone's eyes...

The damaged flesh began repairing itself.

The blackened skin lightened.

The charred patches shrank.

Within moments...

Only flawless warm brown skin remained.

As though nothing had happened.

The faint burning sensation disappeared along with the injury.

Silence settled over the kitchen.

Lavinia looked from her healed palm...

To the picture frame still resting in her other hand.

The silver edging caught the morning light.

"..."

Then she looked back at her palm.

"...Well."

She blinked once.

"...That was unexpected."