The Divergence

───

Gwendolyn gently held Lavinia's hand between both of hers.

She turned it this way and that, carefully inspecting the palm that had only moments ago been blackened by the silver picture frame.

"...It's completely healed."

She sounded genuinely impressed.

Not a single mark remained.

Only flawless warm brown skin.

Across from them, Valerie picked up the picture frame.

She leaned closer, studying the silver edging before lightly flicking it with one fingernail.

A clear metallic ring echoed through the kitchen.

She looked back at Lavinia.

"...Why were you so slow to let go?"

Lavinia gave her a flat look.

"...Because it was weird."

"Weird?"

Lavinia nodded.

"It started as a dull sting."

She rubbed the center of her palm.

"Then it became sharper."

"I didn't realize I was actually being hurt until it was already burning."

"...Huh."

Gwendolyn leaned over to inspect the frame herself.

"I think it's silver."

She pointed toward the decorative edging.

"At least..."

"The parts you touched."

Valerie tapped the frame again.

"...Wasn't silver supposed to hurt werewolves?"

She tilted her head.

"At least..."

"In all the stories."

Lavinia rolled her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure vampires were also supposed to be men in those stories."

She gestured vaguely toward the three of them.

"...Yet every vampire I've met has been female."

Valerie raised one eyebrow.

"...Maybe there are."

Gwendolyn snorted.

Lavinia slowly turned toward Valerie.

"..."

Without another word...

She reached forward.

Both hands gently grabbed Valerie's cheeks.

She squished them together slightly.

"...Are you trying to imply something?"

Valerie rapidly shook her head.

Her cheeks remained trapped between Lavinia's hands.

"Mmf mmph."

Lavinia blinked.

"...Use words."

Valerie smiled with her eyes.

"I'm just guessing."

She batted her thick orange eyelashes innocently.

Lavinia narrowed her own eyes.

Several long seconds passed.

Then...

She released her.

"...That's how it had better be."

Valerie rubbed her cheeks dramatically.

"They're still attached."

Gwendolyn suddenly spoke up.

"...I think Valerie meant..."

She smiled brightly.

"...That you weren't masculine enough."

"So you became a female vampire instead."

Silence.

Then Gwendolyn continued without missing a beat.

"...Personally though..."

"I think you're amazing exactly the way you are now."

Valerie lasted exactly two seconds.

Then doubled over laughing.

She clutched her stomach.

"I..."

Another laugh escaped.

"...I can't..."

Lavinia slowly turned toward her.

Her expression remained perfectly calm.

Almost.

She exhaled quietly.

"I knew..."

She looked directly at Valerie.

"...You were implying something."

Valerie continued laughing.

Lavinia folded her arms.

"...I feel slightly offended."

Not angry.

Not really.

Just...

Annoyed.

She hadn't particularly cared about masculinity before.

As a man...

She'd simply been another ordinary guy.

Nothing especially masculine.

Nothing especially feminine.

Now...

She looked down at herself.

Long golden hair.

Flowing black dress.

A graceful body.

Her movements.

Her voice.

Everything had changed.

If someone took a man...

Placed him into a body like hers...

How many of the traits people called masculine would actually remain obvious once the shell itself had completely changed?

She wasn't upset by the thought.

Only...

Slightly annoyed Valerie had chosen to tease her after she'd explicitly asked if she was implying something.

Valerie finally managed to breathe again.

She wiped one eye.

"I'm joking."

She smiled warmly.

"I don't actually think there are male vampires."

As she spoke...

She casually reached forward.

Their fingers intertwined.

Lavinia blinked.

"..."

Her hands had been approaching Valerie's face again.

Valerie simply held both of them.

"...Preventative measures."

She smiled smugly.

Lavinia tugged backward.

Valerie held on.

Instead of separating...

The motion pulled them both into a slow turn.

Their dresses swept gently around their legs.

One step became another.

Their joined hands naturally guided the movement.

It almost resembled a ballroom dance.

Valerie laughed.

"...See?"

"We're dancing now."

Lavinia rolled her eyes.

"...Entirely your fault."

Valerie raised one arm overhead.

With their fingers still linked, she guided Lavinia beneath it.

Lavinia instinctively turned.

Her skirt flared softly.

She completed the rotation smoothly before ending with her back lightly pressed against Valerie.

"...Got you."

Valerie grinned.

Lavinia smiled.

"...Did you?"

She dipped her head slightly.

Then rotated her shoulders.

The movement naturally carried Valerie forward instead.

A heartbeat later...

Valerie found herself spinning away gracefully.

She ended with both arms spread theatrically.

"...I was so close."

She laughed brightly.

Her smile revealed elegant fangs still glistening faintly.

Lavinia smiled back.

"...You're not biting me that easily."

Before either could continue...

Gwendolyn approached.

Both hands covered her eyes dramatically.

Though...

Her fingers remained suspiciously spread apart.

"...Oh my."

She sighed theatrically.

"...That was so romantic."

Lavinia rolled her eyes.

She placed both hands against Gwendolyn's shoulders.

"...If it's that romantic..."

She gently pushed her toward Valerie.

"...You should be the one getting bitten."

"...Really?"

Gwendolyn asked.

"...Mhm."

Instead of continuing toward Valerie...

Gwendolyn suddenly grabbed Lavinia's wrist.

"...?"

With one smooth movement...

She rotated Lavinia's arm until the inside of her wrist faced upward.

Before Lavinia processed what was happening...

Gwendolyn leaned forward.

Her fangs sank cleanly into the soft skin.

"...!"

Lavinia froze.

Warm pressure.

Then sharp punctures.

Dark crimson blood...

So dark it almost appeared black...

Immediately welled around Gwendolyn's mouth.

She hummed happily.

Greedily drawing another mouthful.

Valerie burst into laughter.

She pointed directly at Lavinia's utterly bewildered expression.

"...Your face!"

Lavinia finally recovered.

"...Gwendolyn!"

She tried pulling her arm away.

"...You're drinking my blood!"

"I can't even replenish it!"

Gwendolyn merely hummed again.

Several seconds later...

She finally released the bite.

Her fangs slid free.

Blood immediately welled from the deeper puncture marks before slowly trailing down Lavinia's wrist.

Lavinia stared at the neat row of bite marks.

The two deeper fang punctures continued bleeding steadily.

She looked thoroughly dissatisfied.

"...I meant..."

She looked at Gwendolyn.

"...For Valerie to bite you."

"...Not..."

She lifted her wrist.

"...For you to bite me."

Almost immediately...

The scent filled the kitchen.

Rich.

Sweet.

Berries.

Pine.

It became so concentrated that even Lavinia herself could almost taste it lingering in the air.

Valerie inhaled slowly.

"...Wow."

Gwendolyn smiled dreamily.

"...I can actually taste it."

She licked one remaining drop of blood from her lips.

"...You really do taste good."

She tilted her head thoughtfully.

"...Though..."

"It didn't make me any less thirsty."

Lavinia shrugged.

"I'm not human."

"My heart isn't beating."

She looked at her own wrist.

"The government said we need human blood."

"So..."

"I guess it makes sense."

As they watched...

The bite marks slowly began closing.

The bleeding stopped first.

Then the punctures shrank.

Within moments...

Only smooth flawless skin remained.

The blood already on her wrist, however, stayed exactly where it was.

Lavinia wiped it away with the sleeve of her dress.

Gwendolyn smiled brightly.

"...Lavinia tastes wonderful."

She nodded decisively.

"I'd recommend her to everyone."

Lavinia blinked.

"...Who exactly is everyone?"

She then placed one hand against her chest dramatically.

"...I'm so relieved."

"...I've always dreamed of being delicious."

Valerie laughed so hard she had to lean against the kitchen counter to steady herself.

...

The television played quietly in the background.

Nominally...

The three vampires were watching it.

In reality...

Only one of them occasionally glanced at the screen.

Valerie lounged comfortably on one end of the couch, endlessly scrolling through online posts.

Every now and then she'd snort quietly or smile to herself before continuing downward.

Lavinia sat in the middle.

Her phone rested in both hands as she idly watched short videos, occasionally smiling whenever something amusing appeared.

Behind her...

Gwendolyn had somehow made herself comfortable with one leg tucked beneath her.

One hand lazily combed through Lavinia's long golden hair.

"...It's so smooth."

She murmured happily.

A few seconds passed.

"...Really smooth."

Lavinia didn't even look up from her phone.

"...Mhm."

Another few moments.

Gwendolyn ran her fingers gently through the same section again.

"...It's really nice."

Lavinia smiled.

"...You've said that three times."

"I know."

Gwendolyn replied cheerfully.

"I'm reminding you."

Lavinia laughed quietly.

"...Thank you."

The television volume rose slightly as another news segment began.

"...Further developments continue following yesterday's Divergence..."

The anchorwoman spoke calmly.

"...Government officials continue gathering information regarding both vampires and werewolves."

Images flashed across the screen.

Crowds.

Government buildings.

Photographs of transformed individuals.

"...Current observations suggest that vampires overwhelmingly remain indoors throughout daylight hours before emerging after sunset."

"...Werewolves, meanwhile, appear to experience no comparable restriction."

Footage shifted to several werewolves walking openly through city streets during the afternoon.

"...Their larger numbers have also made them significantly more visible to the public."

Valerie looked up briefly.

"...The wolves could've used a few nerfs."

Lavinia smiled.

"...Feeling competitive?"

Valerie shrugged.

"A little."

Gwendolyn giggled softly while continuing to comb Lavinia's hair with her fingers.

The television continued.

"...Authorities have also confirmed several isolated incidents involving suspected aggression by both transformed individuals and humans."

Images of police tape briefly appeared.

"...At this time, investigators caution against drawing broad conclusions."

"...The overwhelming majority of reported encounters remain peaceful."

"...However, several violent incidents are currently under investigation."

The anchorwoman's expression became more serious.

"...Accurate figures remain difficult to establish."

"...Disappearances reported since the Divergence cannot presently be categorized with certainty."

"...Given the biological changes experienced by both vampires and werewolves, authorities are continuing efforts to determine precisely how many individuals remain unaccounted for."

Valerie quietly locked her phone.

"...Makes sense."

Lavinia nodded.

"Everything happened yesterday."

"They're still figuring everything out."

The report continued.

"...Current international estimates suggest the global vampire population exceeds one million individuals."

"...Werewolf numbers are presently estimated at nearly twice that figure."

"...Officials emphasize these figures remain preliminary and are subject to revision."

Gwendolyn blinked.

"...That's a lot."

"It is."

Lavinia agreed quietly.

The screen shifted again.

A government information graphic filled the television.

"...Werewolves are requested to report to their nearest Department of Motor Vehicles location for identity verification and financial assistance processing."

"...Vampires are likewise requested to report after sunset."

"...Selected DMV offices will remain open overnight to accommodate transformed vampires."

"...Following identity verification, eligible vampires will receive documentation allowing access to participating blood clinics once they begin operating."

Valerie smiled.

"...Well."

"I guess that's tonight sorted."

Lavinia nodded.

She tucked both legs comfortably against her chest, the movement happening effortlessly.

Had someone asked her to sit like this before the Divergence...

She probably would've complained about sore muscles after only a few minutes.

Now...

It simply felt natural.

"...I know where we're going tonight."

Gwendolyn finally looked away from Lavinia's hair.

"...Do you think we'll meet more vampires?"

Valerie answered before Lavinia could.

"We're in Oakridge."

She spread one hand.

"It's a huge city."

"If there are more than a million vampires around the world..."

She smiled.

"...There are definitely more than three of us living here."

"...Probably."

Lavinia agreed.

She found herself thinking about the numbers again.

More than a million vampires.

Nearly twice as many werewolves.

"..."

She smiled to herself.

Valerie noticed.

"...What?"

Lavinia laughed softly.

"I'm just wondering..."

She rested her chin atop her knees.

"...Who handled the balancing."

Valerie immediately nodded.

"Right?"

"Nearly twice as many wolves."

"They're active during the day."

"They eat normal food."

She counted on her fingers.

"...Meanwhile we..."

She pointed at herself.

"Need blood."

"Can't really go outside in daylight."

"And silver apparently burns us."

Gwendolyn smiled brightly.

"...We're prettier."

Valerie paused.

"...You know..."

She nodded thoughtfully.

"...Fair enough."

Lavinia laughed.

"...Apparently that's where all the points went."

The three vampires shared another quiet laugh as the television continued cycling through updates, the comfortable atmosphere in the living room making it surprisingly easy to forget that less than two days earlier, the entire world had changed forever.