The Divergence

For several seconds, no one answered.

The Oakridge Municipal Center’s conference room was quiet enough that Violetta could hear the ventilation system circulating air above them, the faint electrical hum of the wall display, and every heartbeat gathered around the table.

Mayor Amanda Holloway sat to her right.

Chief Daniel Mercer occupied the chair across from her, his hands folded near a closed folder. 

Captain Owen Hayes sat slightly behind Violetta with his tablet resting on the table, while the other officials watched her with varying degrees of caution.

Some hid it better than others.

Violetta allowed the silence to remain for a moment before continuing.

"The people above me want integration."

Council President Marlow shifted slightly in his chair.

Violetta glanced around the table.

"So do I."

Amanda leaned forward.

"When you say the people above you, do you mean military leadership or the federal government?"

"Both."

Violetta rested one hand over the other.

"Though their reasons aren't entirely sentimental."

The city attorney, a woman named Laura Keene, looked down at the notes in front of her.

"What reasons are they giving?"

"Practical ones."

Violetta smiled faintly.

"Vampire blood can heal human injuries."

Most of the people in the room already knew that much, but the change in several heartbeats told her some had only known it in the vague way people knew facts from news reports.

"Not minor injuries alone," she continued. "We're talking about wounds that would normally require surgery, extended hospitalization, or months of rehabilitation. Depending on the amount given, vampire blood can repair severe tissue damage very quickly."

Chief Mercer’s expression remained unreadable.

"How quickly?"

"That depends on the injury and the amount consumed."

Violetta considered how much detail to offer.

"A small amount might close cuts, reduce bruising, or repair a fracture much faster than the body could naturally. More blood could do considerably more."

The Director of Emergency Management, Calvin Ross, frowned.

"Could it regrow a limb?"

"We don't know."

Ross looked surprised by the answer.

Violetta smiled.

"We've had less than a week to study ourselves. There are going to be many questions I can't answer."

Amanda tapped one finger lightly against the table.

"And sickness?"

"Possibly."

"Possibly?"

"We know it repairs injuries. We know it improves the body's condition. There are early indications it may help with some illnesses and diseases, but no responsible person should be making promises yet."

Violetta glanced toward Laura Keene.

"We don't know what it would do to cancer. We don't know how it interacts with autoimmune conditions. We don't know whether it cures infection or merely strengthens the body enough to overcome one."

She leaned back slightly.

"But if the effects are even half of what researchers suspect, vampire blood could change medicine."

No one interrupted.

Violetta could almost see the possibilities moving through their minds.

Emergency rooms with vampire donors.

Trauma patients recovering in minutes.

Soldiers surviving wounds that should have killed them.

Children spared from diseases that had once been untreatable.

It was easy to understand why governments wanted cooperation.

It was also easy to understand why they feared what that cooperation might require.

Amanda’s gaze narrowed thoughtfully.

"You said humans consume it."

"Yes."

"What does that feel like?"

Violetta’s smile became slightly more amused.

"Pleasant."

"Pleasant how?"

"The blood tastes good."

She heard Marlow shift again.

Violetta continued before anyone could seize on the wording.

"Very good, from what I've been told. Drinking it also feels good. Warmth, relief, a sense of wellbeing. The experience encourages humans to want more."

Amanda’s expression changed.

"Encourages?"

Violetta looked at her.

"Yes."

"Would vampire blood cause addiction?"

The question landed heavily across the table.

Captain Hayes stopped moving his finger over the tablet.

Chief Mercer’s eyes remained fixed on Violetta.

She could have lied.

It would have been easy to say there was no evidence.

Technically, there wasn't enough evidence to establish anything with scientific certainty.

But Amanda had not asked whether researchers had published a conclusion.

She had asked what Violetta believed.

Violetta folded her hands.

"I'd rather focus on integration than on possible scenarios."

Amanda did not look satisfied.

"General, if we're discussing the medical distribution of a substance that might be addictive, that isn't a distant scenario."

"No."

Violetta's tone remained calm.

"It isn't."

"Then why avoid the question?"

"Because we don't know enough to answer it properly."

She held Amanda's gaze.

"Humans want more after drinking it. That much is true. Whether that desire becomes chemical dependency, psychological reliance, or simply the understandable wish to repeat an extremely pleasant experience is something researchers will have to determine."

Laura Keene spoke carefully.

"And until they do?"

"Until they do, no one should be distributing vampire blood casually."

Violetta’s eyes moved across the table.

"That doesn't diminish what it can accomplish. It means it has to be handled with care."

Amanda sat back, though the tension in her shoulders did not disappear.

Violetta allowed the discussion to settle before continuing.

"The larger point is that coexistence offers both sides something."

Marlow gave a quiet breath through his nose.

Violetta heard it.

She turned her head slightly toward him, but did not call attention to it yet.

"Vampires appear dangerous," she said. "Because we are."

She smiled, showing the smallest hint of white teeth.

Several people stiffened despite themselves.

Violetta noticed and let the smile remain.

"We can also come across as uncanny."

No one disagreed.

"Our movements are too quick. Our expressions don't always look the way people expect. Our eyes are strange. Our voices, our appearance, even the way we smile can make humans uncomfortable."

She tilted her head.

"I understand that."

Chief Mercer’s gaze remained steady.

Violetta looked at him, then at Amanda.

"But I very much want to get along with everyone in this room."

Her smile softened.

"So do the others like me."

"You're a vampire," someone murmured.

The words were quiet.

Too quiet for a human across the room to catch clearly.

Violetta heard them without difficulty.

Her eyes shifted toward Council President Marlow.

He looked back at her, his expression tightening only slightly.

"Getting along with humans is a pipedream," he added, louder now that he had been noticed.

Amanda turned toward him.

"Richard."

"No."

Marlow looked around the room.

"We're all sitting here pretending this can be handled like a new immigrant community or a political disagreement. It can't. They aren't human."

Violetta smiled.

Then she crossed her hands neatly on the table.

Marlow's heart sped up.

She did not bare her teeth.

She did not narrow her eyes.

Her voice remained light.

"What do you believe resisting integration would achieve?"

Marlow opened his mouth.

Violetta continued before he could answer.

"Or war, for that matter."

The word changed the room.

Amanda’s eyes moved toward Violetta.

Chief Mercer became very still.

Violetta looked at each person gathered around the table in turn.

"What would it accomplish?"

No one answered.

"One of Oakridge's blood clinics was attacked by armed humans."

Chief Mercer’s jaw tightened.

"The other was blown up."

Violetta’s gaze returned to Marlow.

"What do you think happens if the vampires depending on those clinics are unable to feed?"

Marlow swallowed.

Violetta did not allow him to respond.

"Humans can do monstrous things when they're starving."

Her tone remained conversational.

"They steal. They attack one another. They kill."

She paused.

"If they're hungry enough, they can even eat another human being."

Laura Keene shifted uncomfortably.

Violetta sat back.

"A vampire is not a human."

The words were soft.

"A human cannot meaningfully fight a vampire off."

The room remained silent.

"So what exactly did the people responsible for those attacks believe would happen?"

Her eyes moved toward the city map on the wall.

"Did they imagine vampires would politely wait to weaken?"

"Did they think hunger would make them less dangerous?"

"Did they expect them to lie down and die?"

Chief Mercer’s fingers pressed together.

Violetta looked back toward the table.

"The destruction of those clinics didn't merely increase the chance that affected vampires would hunt."

She leaned forward slightly.

"It forced them to."

Marlow's face had gone pale.

Violetta's voice never rose.

"And every time a vampire hunts, it becomes easier."

Amanda watched her closely.

"The first time, they might hesitate."

Violetta raised one finger.

"They may search for someone alone."

A second.

"They may convince themselves they'll only take enough to survive."

A third.

"They may try very hard not to hurt anyone."

She lowered her hand.

"But if hunting works, they learn that it works."

She looked directly at Marlow again.

"They become more comfortable."

Her crimson eyes caught the light above the table.

"They restrain themselves less."

Marlow’s lips parted, but no words came.

Violetta rested both palms on the table.

The quiet sound of her gloves touching the polished wood drew everyone's attention.

"I can't force any of you to do anything."

Her gaze moved from Marlow to Ross, then to Laura Keene, Chief Mercer and Amanda.

"I have no intention of walking into Oakridge and using my rank to dictate city policy."

Captain Hayes remained silent behind her.

Violetta’s voice softened.

"I'm simply asking."

She looked at each official in turn.

"Not as a Brigadier General."

The insignia on her uniform caught the light as she shifted.

"Not as a representative of the military."

She paused.

"As one person speaking to another."

Amanda’s expression grew more thoughtful.

"Keep behavior that opposes the integration of nonhumans outside of your work."

Marlow frowned.

"You're asking us to ignore our concerns."

"No."

Violetta shook her head.

"I'm asking you not to turn those concerns into sabotage."

The word was gentle, but Marlow flinched.

"Ask questions."

She looked toward Amanda.

"Demand safeguards."

Then toward Chief Mercer.

"Investigate crimes."

Then back to Marlow.

"But don't make life more dangerous for everyone because you're uncomfortable with what we are."

Marlow looked down at the table.

Violetta slowly removed her hands from its surface.

"Vampires are here."

She sat upright.

"Werewolves are here."

"No vote will undo that. No speech will undo it. No law passed in this building will return the world to what it was eight days ago."

She looked toward the map again.

"The only meaningful choice left is what happens next."

No one spoke.

Violetta glanced toward Captain Hayes.

He locked his tablet and rose.

She stood with him.

Amanda looked up.

"You're leaving?"

"I have another stop before the night ends."

Chief Mercer rose next.

Violetta adjusted one glove at the wrist.

"I'll have my office send over the information we have about likely blood shortages and areas where unrest may worsen."

Mercer nodded.

"Send it directly to me."

"I will."

Amanda stood.

"General."

Violetta turned toward her.

"We haven't agreed to anything."

"I know."

Violetta smiled.

"But you listened."

She glanced briefly toward Marlow.

"That's enough for tonight."

Amanda walked with her toward the conference room door.

Chief Mercer followed, while Captain Hayes waited half a step behind Violetta.

When the door opened, the two soldiers outside immediately straightened.

Violetta paused in the doorway and looked back at the gathered officials.

"Goodnight."

Amanda nodded.

"Goodnight, General."

Violetta left with Captain Hayes and the soldiers.

The doors closed behind them.

For several moments, no one in the conference room moved.

The ventilation system hummed above the table.

Council President Marlow stared at the city map without speaking.

Amanda returned to her chair and slowly sat down.

She pressed two fingers against her temple.

Then she sighed.

"Daniel."

Chief Mercer looked at her.

"We're going to be working closely with General Violetta over the next several days."

He gave a slow nod.

"I assumed as much."

Amanda looked around the table.

"I hope every one of you took what she said seriously."

Her gaze settled on Marlow last.

"Do not undermine her."

Marlow shifted.

"Amanda."

"Do not interfere with what we're trying to do."

Her voice hardened.

"We have two destroyed blood clinics, frightened residents, armed groups organizing in the city, and vampires who still need to feed."

She lowered her hand from her temple.

"We don't need anyone making this worse."

Marlow looked away.

Amanda opened the folder in front of her.

"Daniel, I want the clinic investigations prioritized."

"They already are."

"Prioritize them again."

Chief Mercer reached for his phone.

"I'll call the task force commander."

Amanda looked toward the others.

"The rest of you stay seated. We're not done."

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