The Divergence

The seven vampires naturally drifted together as they walked toward the section reserved for them.

Unlike the human and werewolf queues, theirs was... empty.

A laminated sign reading VAMPIRE REGISTRATION rested atop a folding stand beside three unoccupied counters.

Lavinia looked around.

"...We're really that uncommon."

Rosaline smiled.

"I don't mind."

"Less waiting."

Valerie nodded immediately.

"Best government service I've ever seen."

Several nearby humans glanced toward them.

One family waiting in the human line subtly shuffled a few feet farther away.

A police officer stationed near the entrance looked over before returning his attention to the room.

DMV employees tried not to stare.

They failed.

Seven vampires standing together was difficult not to notice.

Their flawless appearances alone drew attention.

Combined with their pupil-less crimson eyes, long pointed ears, flowing hair and luxurious black dresses...

They looked almost unreal.

Lavinia caught a worker looking.

When their eyes met, the woman immediately looked down at her computer.

"..."

Lavinia smiled awkwardly.

"I feel like everyone keeps pretending not to stare."

"They are," Valerie replied.

"They're just bad at pretending."

Rosaline laughed.

"They're trying."

"Points for effort."

The group settled into a loose circle while waiting for someone behind the counters.

No one seemed in much of a hurry.

Instead...

They simply talked.

Gwendolyn looked around brightly.

"So..."

"What was everyone's first day like?"

Rosaline immediately raised her hand.

"I'll go!"

Valerie grinned.

"I knew you would."

Rosaline rested both hands behind her back.

"I was in college."

Several heads turned toward her.

"I woke up in my apartment after the Divergence and spent almost an hour staring into my bathroom mirror."

She laughed.

"I thought I was dreaming."

"When I realized I wasn't..."

"I skipped every class."

Valerie nodded seriously.

"Reasonable."

"I figured."

Rosaline continued.

"Campus was complete chaos anyway."

"Nobody was paying attention to attendance."

She tilted her head.

"I tried going outside that afternoon."

"...Didn't go well."

"The sunlight felt awful."

"So I ran back inside."

Lavinia nodded.

"Same."

Rosaline smiled.

"My roommates almost fainted."

"I don't think they believed I was actually me until I started telling them embarrassing stories from freshman year."

Everyone chuckled.

"I've been living off instant noodles for months..."

Rosaline sighed dramatically.

"...And now I don't even need food."

"What a waste."

Valerie snorted.

"You poor thing."

"I know!"

Rosaline declared.

"My greatest tragedy."

The laughter spread through the little circle.

Next...

Adelaide spoke.

Unlike Rosaline, her smile was smaller.

"My experience wasn't nearly as amusing."

Her confident posture remained.

Only her eyes softened.

"My family..."

She paused.

"...didn't take it well."

The conversation quieted.

"My parents believed I was possessed."

"They insisted on calling a pastor."

Lavinia blinked.

"...Actually?"

Adelaide nodded.

"Actually."

"I spent most of yesterday proving I was still myself."

She folded her arms.

"My younger brother accepted it almost immediately."

"He said..."

A tiny smile appeared.

"...'You're still bossy, so you're obviously my sister.'"

Several of the vampires laughed.

Valerie pointed.

"Smart kid."

"He is."

Adelaide admitted.

"My parents are trying."

"They're simply frightened."

She looked at her own hands.

"I can't really blame them."

"I look nothing like I did yesterday."

For a brief moment...

Nobody joked.

Even Gwendolyn simply nodded.

"I hope things get better."

"They will."

Adelaide smiled again.

"They already are."

Celestine quietly watched the exchange before speaking.

"I envy that."

Everyone looked toward her.

She smiled gently.

"I live alone."

"I always have."

"So..."

She shrugged lightly.

"There wasn't anyone waiting for me when I woke up."

Her tone remained composed.

Almost perfectly so.

"I made breakfast."

"Forgot I wasn't hungry."

"Turned on the television."

"And listened."

"It felt..."

She searched for the right word.

"...quiet."

Valerie tilted her head.

"You seem like you handled it well."

"I tried."

Celestine answered.

"I told myself there wasn't any reason to panic."

"I was still me."

"I still had a home."

"I still had my job."

"So..."

She smiled again.

"I simply waited until sunset."

Her expression barely changed.

Only Lavinia noticed the slight hesitation before she continued.

"I was nervous."

The admission came quietly.

"I didn't know if there would be others."

"I wondered..."

"...if I'd be alone forever."

Gwendolyn immediately reached over and took one of Celestine's hands.

"You're not."

Celestine blinked.

Then smiled more genuinely than before.

"...No."

"I'm not."

Finally...

Everyone looked toward Evelyn.

The blonde vampire almost shrank beneath six pairs of crimson eyes.

"...M-me?"

Rosaline giggled.

"Yes, you."

Evelyn tucked a strand of golden hair behind one pointed ear.

"I..."

"I don't really have much to tell."

Lavinia smiled encouragingly.

"That's okay."

Evelyn nodded faintly.

"I've lived alone for several years."

"I grew up in foster care."

"Then..."

She looked down.

"I aged out."

"So..."

"I've mostly just been working."

She gave an embarrassed smile.

"There wasn't anyone to convince."

"No one waiting."

"I simply..."

"Went to sleep."

"When I woke up..."

She looked around the circle.

"...I came here."

Rosaline's smile softened.

"You were brave."

Evelyn quickly shook her head.

"I wasn't."

"I almost turned around three times."

Valerie laughed.

"You still made it."

"...I guess."

Evelyn admitted.

Lavinia found herself looking around the circle.

Rosaline had lost an ordinary college life.

Adelaide was rebuilding things with frightened family.

Celestine had faced uncertainty alone while pretending not to be afraid.

Evelyn had no family waiting at all.

Yet...

Every one of them was smiling.

Maybe not because everything was alright.

But because...

They weren't alone anymore.

"What about you?"

Adelaide asked.

Lavinia blinked.

"Me?"

She nodded.

"You've heard all of ours."

Lavinia rubbed the back of her neck.

"I..."

"I honestly spent most of my first day playing online games."

The group stared.

Valerie burst into laughter first.

"You actually admitted it."

Lavinia shrugged.

"I was waiting for sunset."

"I accidentally became so good that people thought I was cheating."

Rosaline laughed so hard she had to steady herself on Adelaide's shoulder.

"No way!"

"I got shadow banned."

Lavinia finished flatly.

That only made everyone laugh harder.

Even Evelyn covered her mouth, giggling quietly.

Celestine smiled into one hand.

Adelaide actually chuckled.

Gwendolyn proudly patted Lavinia's shoulder.

"You've lived such a dramatic vampire life."

"It's been..."

Lavinia glanced upward, pretending to calculate.

"...About two days."

Valerie immediately added,

"And she's already been accused of cheating, scared a café worker, frightened police officers, got bitten by Gwendolyn..."

"I was volunteered."

Lavinia corrected.

"...and somehow became everyone's favorite pillow."

Gwendolyn looked entirely unapologetic.

"You are very comfortable."

"I know."

Rosaline nodded immediately.

"I haven't even tried and I believe you."

The seven of them dissolved into laughter again.

Around them, the humans waiting in line continued to steal glances toward the group.

The police remained watchful.

The DMV workers quietly prepared paperwork.

But none of it seemed especially important for the moment.

The seven vampires gradually migrated toward the registration counters.

It wasn't intentional.

The moment one of the DMV workers called out that vampires could begin processing their registrations, the entire group simply moved together.

The woman behind the counter looked up.

"..."

Then she looked a little higher.

Seven pairs of crimson eyes stared back.

The poor woman visibly froze.

Her fingers stopped halfway to her keyboard.

Lavinia almost felt bad for her.

Valerie leaned toward Adelaide and whispered just loudly enough for everyone to hear,

"I think we broke her."

Rosaline covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

The worker blinked several times before taking a slow breath.

"...Right."

"Welcome."

"My name is Hannah."

"I'll... I'll be helping everyone register tonight."

She cleared her throat.

"If everyone could please..."

She looked at the group clustered together.

"...form a line."

The vampires obediently shuffled into something resembling one.

It wasn't particularly organized.

More like a loose semicircle.

Nobody wanted to stand very far away from anyone else.

Even Evelyn, who had been shy when they'd first met, naturally drifted until her shoulder lightly brushed Rosaline's.

Celestine stood beside Adelaide.

Valerie somehow ended up pressed against Lavinia's side.

Gwendolyn looked around proudly.

"I think we did it."

Lavinia looked at the formation.

"...Did what?"

"A line."

"..."

"No."

"It looks more like we're surrounding her."

The worker laughed despite herself.

"A little..."

"But it's alright."

She gestured politely.

"Who'd like to go first?"

"I will."

Adelaide stepped forward confidently.

The others watched from only a few feet away.

While Adelaide presented her phone and identification, conversation naturally continued behind her.

Rosaline inhaled softly.

"I've been wondering something."

She looked around.

"Does everyone smell themselves?"

Valerie nodded.

"Constantly."

"I just don't notice it anymore."

Lavinia agreed.

"I only realized after I left my apartment."

"I smell like berries and pine."

Gwendolyn smiled.

"You smell nice."

"You smell sweet."

Celestine tilted her head.

"I've noticed everyone's scent is different."

Rosaline pointed to herself proudly.

"I smell like cocoa."

"And cherries."

Evelyn quietly added,

"I think mine is vanilla."

"It reminds me of baking."

Adelaide smiled.

"Cream."

"And fresh leaves."

Everyone nodded.

"That fits."

Celestine looked thoughtful.

"I've been told I smell like lavender."

Lavinia smiled.

"I can definitely smell that."

The conversation drifted naturally.

Nobody seemed awkward.

Nobody worried about personal space.

If anything...

The seven vampires unconsciously stood closer together as they talked.

Their shoulders brushed.

Hair occasionally overlapped.

Nobody reacted.

It simply felt...

Comfortable.

Lavinia noticed it again.

When she'd first met Valerie...

It had been exactly the same.

The invisible distance people usually kept from strangers...

Didn't seem to exist between vampires.

Even Evelyn.

Despite barely speaking...

Had gradually drifted until she was almost leaning against Rosaline.

Rosaline didn't seem to notice.

Or perhaps she simply didn't mind.

Adelaide finished first.

The worker handed over a dark card embossed with silver lettering.

"Your registration is complete."

"This will serve as your government-issued identification until permanent documentation can be updated."

"It will also function as your blood clinic registration card."

Adelaide accepted it with a graceful nod.

"Thank you."

She stepped back.

Rosaline immediately peeked over her shoulder.

"Ooh."

"It looks fancy."

"It does."

Valerie agreed.

"I want mine."

One after another...

The vampires stepped forward.

Rosaline chatted with the worker so enthusiastically that even the police officer nearby smiled.

Celestine politely thanked everyone involved in processing her paperwork.

Evelyn apologized three separate times despite not actually causing any inconvenience.

Eventually...

"Lavinia?"

She stepped forward.

The worker smiled more naturally now.

The initial nervousness had faded considerably.

"Could I see some identification?"

Lavinia unlocked her phone before bringing up a photograph of her previous driver's license.

She handed it over.

The worker studied it.

Then looked up.

Then back down.

"...Quite the change."

Lavinia laughed.

"I've heard that a few times."

The woman smiled apologetically.

"For now, this is sufficient."

"We'll need additional confirmation in the future once more permanent procedures are established."

"But everyone understands the circumstances."

She typed rapidly.

"Current name?"

"Lavinia."

The worker entered it without hesitation.

"Date of birth remains unchanged."

"Former documentation will be linked internally."

"Current sex..."

She glanced up.

"...Female."

Lavinia nodded.

"Yes."

The woman didn't react beyond typing.

A small camera mounted beside the monitor rotated toward her.

"If you could look here."

Lavinia did.

Click.

The flash wasn't particularly bright.

A few moments later...

A sleek black identification card slid from a printer.

The worker picked it up before handing it over.

Silver lettering gleamed beneath the lights.

Lavinia

Vampire Registration

Below it sat her photograph.

The image almost looked painted.

Her long golden hair framed flawless pale features while crimson eyes without pupils calmly regarded the camera.

It barely resembled the driver's license she'd shown only moments before.

The worker smiled.

"This card serves two purposes."

"It functions as your current government identification."

"It also serves as your authorization for blood clinic access."

"Whenever blood centers become operational, presenting this card will verify your eligibility."

Lavinia turned it over.

Simple.

Elegant.

Official.

"...Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She slipped the card carefully into one of the hidden pockets sewn into her dress.

When she returned...

Valerie immediately leaned over.

"Can I see?"

Lavinia handed it over.

Rosaline peeked from the other side.

"So pretty."

"It's literally just a card."

Lavinia replied.

"Yes."

Rosaline nodded seriously.

"But it's your card."

"..."

"I don't think that's how that works."

Before anyone could continue...

Gwendolyn stepped forward.

She stopped dramatically.

Then slowly turned around.

She looked at the group.

"I suppose..."

She sighed deeply.

"...this is goodbye."

Valerie blinked.

"...You're walking six feet."

"I'll remember all of you."

Gwendolyn continued solemnly.

"The memories we shared."

Rosaline immediately played along.

"It won't be the same without you."

Celestine placed a hand over her heart.

"You'll always remain in our thoughts."

Even Adelaide smiled.

"We'll carry on somehow."

Evelyn looked between everyone uncertainly.

"...She's... coming back though?"

Lavinia nodded.

"In approximately two minutes."

Gwendolyn sniffed dramatically.

"Please..."

"Don't forget me."

"I never imagined our time together would end so soon."

The DMV worker stared.

"..."

Valerie waved enthusiastically.

"Safe travels!"

Rosaline pretended to wipe away tears.

"I'll miss you!"

Even one of the nearby police officers had to look away to hide a smile.

Gwendolyn finally reached the counter.

She immediately broke character.

"Hi!"

The worker laughed outright.

"I was beginning to think we'd lost you forever."

"So was I," Gwendolyn replied with complete sincerity.

Lavinia rested her face in one hand.

"I've known her for less than two days..."

"...and somehow this feels completely normal."

Valerie nodded.

"I was just thinking that."

Around them, the registration process continued smoothly.

The humans still watched.

The officers still observed.

Yet the atmosphere around the seven vampires had changed.

The tension that had followed them into the building had softened into curiosity.

They laughed easily.

Talked over one another.

Compared scents, experiences, and little discoveries about their new lives.

Despite meeting only hours... or even minutes... earlier...

They behaved less like strangers.

And more like a group of old friends who had simply taken a very long time to find one another.

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