The Divergence

Lavinia sat at one end of the couch with one elbow resting against the armrest as she supported her head in one hand, while the other rested loosely across her lap.

The room had settled after Violetta's departure, though not into silence. 

Evangeline was speaking with Rosaline near the coffee table, evidently still determined to recount every detail of the tests performed on her. 

Celestine had taken one of the chairs closer to the window while Evelyn sat nearby with one leg tucked beneath her. 

Adelaide had been looking through the kitchen cabinets again, despite already knowing what little had been stocked inside them. 

Valerie occupied the opposite end of the couch, while Gwendolyn sat between them, leaning forward slightly as she listened to Evangeline explain how one of the researchers had spent several minutes trying to determine whether her hearing had an upper limit.

Lavinia only half listened.

She had been thinking about injuries.

More specifically, she had been wondering why some seemed to heal faster than others. Bullets had not remained lodged in them for long. 

Scratches disappeared almost as soon as they were made. Bruises never had the opportunity to form. 

Even when they had been rough with one another, the marks left behind had vanished so quickly that it was difficult to tell whether they had ever been there at all.

Their bites were different.

Not dramatically so, but enough for her to notice.

They closed more slowly.

Lavinia hummed softly.

Valerie glanced toward her.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"That didn't sound like nothing."

Lavinia looked down at the hand resting on her lap.

"I'm thinking."

Valerie's expression immediately became suspicious.

"That usually means you're about to do something."

Lavinia smiled faintly as she pulled the sleeve of her dress down toward her elbow, exposing her forearm. The skin beneath the warm light was flawless, smooth and entirely free of even the smallest blemish.

She raised her other hand before dragging her nails across her arm.

Four deep gashes opened through the skin, and blood welled instantly. Lavinia quickly pulled her sleeve over the injury before it could run onto the couch.

The scent of berries and pine spread through the room at once. It did not sharpen anyone's thirst. There was no sudden hunger, no instinctive desire to feed. Vampire blood was not food.

Still, the scent was strong enough to draw every eye toward her. Rich and familiar, it was almost intimate, as though something normally hidden within her had briefly filled the room.

Valerie leaned over and nudged her shoulder.

"Lavinia."

Gwendolyn turned so quickly that her knee bumped the edge of the coffee table. 

Adelaide appeared in the kitchen doorway, while Evangeline rose from the floor in one smooth movement and crouched beside the couch.

"What did you do?" Gwendolyn asked.

Lavinia looked at her.

"Tested something."

"You clawed your arm open."

"Yes."

"Why?"

Lavinia rolled her eyes.

"It's already healed."

"That doesn't explain why you did it."

"It explains why it wasn't a problem."

Gwendolyn frowned.

Valerie reached for Lavinia's wrist, and Lavinia let her take it while keeping the sleeve pressed over the blood.

"As a human, I think that would've stunned me."

Valerie tilted her head.

"The pain?"

"Yes."

Lavinia looked down at her covered forearm.

"It hurt. I'm surprised by how little it mattered."

Adelaide stepped closer.

"You say that like you're surprised."

"I am."

Lavinia searched for the right words before continuing.

"The pain was sharp. It was unpleasant. I felt every part of it, but there wasn't any fear attached to it."

Evangeline tilted her head.

"Because you knew it couldn't seriously hurt you."

"Maybe."

Lavinia nodded thoughtfully.

"As a human, pain like that would've meant something was very wrong. You might bleed too much. You might damage something. You might need stitches."

She looked toward Gwendolyn.

"Now, some part of me already knows it isn't dangerous."

"That still doesn't make it sensible," Gwendolyn replied.

"It made it useful."

Lavinia pulled the sleeve back.

Blood had stained the inside of the fabric where it had covered the wounds, but the gashes themselves had already disappeared. 

Her forearm was once again flawless, not even a faint line remaining where her nails had torn through it moments earlier.

"There."

She turned her arm so everyone could see.

Gwendolyn leaned closer despite herself while Adelaide gently took Lavinia's wrist and examined the skin. 

Valerie ran one finger over the place where the injuries had been before quietly shaking her head.

"Nothing."

"Exactly."

Lavinia glanced at the blood still staining her sleeve.

"That took a second. Maybe less."

Evangeline's crimson eyes remained fixed on her arm.

"You've done this before?"

"No."

"But you knew it'd heal."

"We all know scratches heal quickly."

Lavinia looked toward Valerie.

"When we played together earlier, injuries like this disappeared almost immediately."

Valerie's mouth twitched.

"You make it sound innocent."

"It was."

Gwendolyn looked between the two of them.

"What were you doing?"

Valerie opened her mouth, but Lavinia answered first.

"Playing."

"With claws," Valerie added.

"And biting."

Evangeline's expression immediately brightened.

"I'm playing next time."

Lavinia looked at her.

"You don't even know what the game was."

"I know it involved claws and biting."

She smiled confidently.

"That's enough."

Rosaline laughed.

"You've been here less than a night."

Evangeline looked back at her.

"And?"

"They're vampires."

She turned back toward Lavinia.

"I'm definitely joining."

Lavinia nodded.

"Fine."

Valerie looked at her in disbelief.

"You didn't even hesitate."

"She'd find a way to join anyway."

"I would," Evangeline agreed without the slightest embarrassment.

Valerie leaned back into the couch with a resigned sigh.

Lavinia returned her attention to her arm. The scent of her blood still lingered throughout the sitting room, pleasant, familiar and unmistakably hers.

No one looked hungry.

Curious, certainly.

Concerned, in Gwendolyn's case.

But not hungry.

Lavinia slowly raised her forearm.

Gwendolyn noticed immediately.

"No."

Lavinia smiled.

"Lavinia."

Ignoring the protest, she opened her mouth and sank her fangs into her own forearm.

Warm blood filled her mouth as the rich taste of berries and pine spread across her tongue. 

It tasted wonderful, though not in the way human blood did. There was no pull behind it, no instinct urging her to keep drinking. 

If anything, tasting her own blood felt strangely intimate, more comforting than satisfying.

She released her arm after a second.

Two deep punctures remained in her skin, and blood immediately began to gather before slowly running down her forearm.

Lavinia held it out for everyone to see.

"See?"

Gwendolyn stared at her.

"You bit yourself."

"That was the point."

Valerie leaned closer.

"Why?"

"To compare them."

Lavinia watched the punctures carefully.

Unlike the scratches, they remained open. The edges had begun drawing together, but much more slowly, and blood continued to seep from the wounds.

Adelaide crouched beside the couch.

"It's healing."

"Yes."

"But not nearly as fast."

Evangeline leaned in until she was only a short distance from Lavinia's arm.

"The scratches would've already disappeared."

"They did," Valerie replied.

Celestine rose from her chair.

"There had to be another way to test this."

Lavinia glanced toward her.

"Such as?"

Celestine hesitated.

"...I don't know."

"Neither do I."

"That doesn't make biting yourself the obvious answer."

"It was the simplest one."

Gwendolyn folded her arms.

"It was the first one you thought of."

"...Also true."

The punctures continued closing.

Ten seconds passed.

Then fifteen.

The blood flow gradually weakened, but it hadn't stopped.

Lavinia watched with quiet satisfaction.

The difference was unmistakable.

Their fangs did more than simply pierce skin.

Valerie leaned over her arm.

"Maybe our bites have an anti-heal effect."

Lavinia looked at her before laughing.

"You're definitely a gamer."

"It fits."

"It does."

A soft footstep echoed from the hallway.

Then another.

The scent of Lavinia's blood had carried farther through the building.

Cordelia appeared first, her pale blue hair falling loosely around her shoulders as she stopped just inside the room. 

Her eyes moved from the blood on Lavinia's arm to the group gathered around the couch.

"What happened?"

Rosaline smiled.

"Lavinia's experimenting."

Cordelia gave a tiny nod.

"...Of course she is."

More footsteps followed from down the hallway as the others, curious after catching the unmistakable scent of vampire blood, began making their way toward the living room.

Cordelia had arrived first, but she wasn't alone for long.

Rosaline rounded the corner a moment later, followed by Evelyn, then Celestine. None of them appeared alarmed. 

Instead, they wore nearly identical expressions of curiosity, each having recognized the unmistakable scent of vampire blood drifting through the complex.

Rosaline stopped beside the couch.

"...Someone's bleeding."

"Lavinia was," Valerie corrected.

"Experimenting," Lavinia added.

Cordelia looked down at the blood trailing along Lavinia's forearm before her eyes settled on the now unbroken skin.

"I see."

"No, you don't," Valerie replied.

"Lavinia scratched herself."

Rosaline blinked.

"...Why?"

"To see how fast it'd heal."

"And then she bit herself," Gwendolyn said, sounding as though she still couldn't quite believe she'd witnessed it.

Cordelia's gaze moved back to Lavinia.

"You bit yourself."

"That was the second test."

Rosaline laughed quietly.

"I leave the room for five minutes..."

Lavinia lifted her forearm.

"The scratches disappeared almost instantly."

She pointed to the blood still smeared across her arm.

"The bite didn't."

Rosaline leaned closer, studying the dried streaks of crimson.

"So vampire bites really do heal more slowly."

"It looks that way."

Valerie folded her arms.

"I think our bites have an anti-heal effect."

Lavinia looked toward her before smiling.

"You're definitely a gamer."

Valerie shrugged.

"It fits."

"It does."

Evangeline looked between the two of them.

"So... our fangs slow regeneration?"

"Maybe."

Lavinia emphasized the word.

"We only have one test."

Celestine nodded approvingly.

"That's a much better conclusion than saying we've figured it out."

Lavinia smiled.

"I do know some science."

"You clawed yourself open."

"I did."

"You then bit yourself."

"I also did that."

Celestine sighed.

"You make it very difficult to compliment you."

Laughter spread through the room.

Adelaide returned from the kitchen carrying a damp cloth while Evelyn followed with fresh paper towels.

"You've officially made enough of a mess."

Adelaide handed Lavinia the cloth.

"Clean your arm."

Lavinia accepted it without complaint.

"Yes, Mom."

"I'm not old enough to be your mother."

"You sounded like one."

Adelaide rolled her eyes.

"You're lucky you heal."

"I know."

Lavinia carefully wiped the blood from her forearm. Once the last crimson streak disappeared, nothing remained to suggest she'd injured herself only moments earlier.

No punctures.

No scratches.

Nothing.

Only flawless skin.

Evelyn gathered the bloodied paper towels while Adelaide took the stained cloth back into the kitchen.

A few moments later the lid of the trash bin closed with a muted thump.

When Adelaide returned, she settled back into her chair and looked toward Lavinia with faint amusement.

"Isn't it a little strange?"

Lavinia tilted her head.

"What is?"

"A bite might actually be more dangerous than a bullet."

Valerie looked thoughtful.

"...That does sound backwards."

Cordelia rested one hand on her lap.

"Silver bullets are still plenty dangerous."

The room grew quieter.

She looked down at her hand for a moment.

"I was only grazed."

Her fingers unconsciously brushed the place along her side where the silver had torn across her during the attack.

"That hurt enough."

She looked back up.

"The burn lingered."

Lavinia nodded.

"You healed, though."

"I did."

Cordelia folded her hands together again.

"I don't think a silver bullet would necessarily kill a vampire."

She spoke carefully.

"I don't know."

"It would almost certainly hurt much more than an ordinary bullet."

"And probably interfere with regeneration while the silver remained."

Rosaline nodded slowly.

"That seems reasonable."

Evangeline rested her chin on her knees.

"I hope we don't have to find out."

"So do I," Evelyn replied.

Silence settled comfortably over the room for several seconds.

Rosaline finally broke it.

"I hope things go more or less smoothly now that Violetta's here."

Adelaide nodded almost immediately.

"I do too."

She smiled faintly, though it carried more melancholy than amusement.

"I don't want to just... disappear."

Everyone looked toward her.

She rested both hands together in her lap.

"My brother's probably worried sick."

Her voice softened.

"He doesn't even know where I am."

"He knows you're alive," Evelyn said gently.

"I hope so."

Adelaide looked toward the darkened window.

"I'd rather not have him wondering whether I died."

Rosaline smiled reassuringly.

"I think Violetta knows what she's doing."

"I think so too."

Adelaide nodded.

"But wanting something and making it happen aren't always the same."

No one argued.

They all knew that.

Gwendolyn lowered her eyes.

"I don't want to abandon my mother either."

The room became quiet again.

"Even if things become dangerous..."

She hesitated.

"I still don't want to leave her behind."

Lavinia reached over and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"You won't."

Gwendolyn smiled weakly.

"I hope not."

Valerie leaned forward.

"You heard Violetta."

Everyone looked toward her.

"She isn't acting like someone's preparing for a war."

Rosaline nodded.

"She's trying to stop one."

"And she's not alone," Evelyn added.

"The government wants integration too."

"At least the people she's working with."

Cordelia looked toward the coffee table.

"They have good reasons."

"The healing?"

Cordelia nodded once.

"If people cooperate..."

She looked up again.

"Everyone benefits."

Evangeline smiled.

"I like that outcome better."

"So do I," Rosaline replied.

Gwendolyn exhaled quietly.

"My mother was terrified."

She looked around at the others.

"I could hear it."

No one interrupted.

"Every time one of you moved."

A faint smile appeared despite herself.

"It wasn't your fault."

"You were all trying to be careful."

She lowered her gaze.

"I just don't want her thinking I stopped being her daughter because I became..."

She gestured toward herself.

"...this."

"You didn't," Adelaide said immediately.

"You still worry about her."

Valerie nodded.

"You still love her."

Rosaline smiled.

"That sounds like a daughter to me."

Evangeline raised one hand.

"I haven't met her."

Everyone looked at her.

"But she raised Gwendolyn."

She smiled warmly.

"So I already like her."

That earned several quiet laughs.

Even Gwendolyn laughed.

"Thank you."

Lavinia pulled her sleeve back up until it covered her forearm completely before smoothing the fabric snugly around her wrist.

She leaned back into the couch once more, resting her elbow against the armrest before supporting her chin with her hand.

"It could get better."

Valerie looked toward her.

"Optimistic."

"Temporarily."

Rosaline smiled.

"I'll take temporarily."

"We just have to wait and see."

A collective groan answered her.

"I hate waiting," Adelaide muttered.

"So do I," Rosaline agreed.

Celestine folded her arms.

"I'd settle for people calming down."

"People are dumb," Valerie said.

The room burst into laughter.

Valerie looked around in confusion.

"What?"

"You all know they are."

"They certainly don't make things easy," Evelyn replied, smiling.

Lavinia waited for the laughter to fade.

Then she spoke again.

"Being afraid is one thing."

Everyone's attention returned to her.

"But starting a war..."

She slowly shook her head.

"That'd be unbelievably stupid."

Her voice remained calm.

"I don't mean a frightened group attacking someone."

She glanced toward Cordelia.

"That's already happened."

"I mean everyone deciding vampires or werewolves have to go."

She looked around the room.

"What have either of us actually done?"

No one answered.

"We've existed."

"We've tried to understand what we've become."

"We've tried not to scare people."

She looked toward Adelaide.

"We've worried about our families."

Toward Gwendolyn.

"We've worried about the people we left behind."

Then toward Evangeline.

"And we've even cooperated with the people studying us."

Evangeline nodded proudly.

"I did."

Lavinia smiled before continuing.

"I don't think any of that deserves a war."

She rested her cheek more comfortably against her hand.

"And if one started..."

Her eyes drifted toward the dark window overlooking Oakridge.

"The world afterward would be so much harder to put back together."

She was quiet for a moment.

"If anyone even managed to."

No one argued.

The room fell silent again, each of them picturing a future none of them wanted.

Outside, the city continued on beneath the night sky.

Inside, nine vampires sat together hoping humanity would choose something better.

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