The Divergence

The garage roof was pleasantly warm.

Even several hours after sunset, it still held onto some of the day's heat, making it an oddly comfortable place to sit.

Chloe sat near the edge with one knee drawn against her chest while the other leg dangled over the side.

Her phone rested comfortably in one hand as she absentmindedly scrolled through the endless stream of posts, articles, videos and arguments filling every social media feed.

Her fluffy white ears twitched.

A siren wailed somewhere across Oakridge before fading into the distance.

A dog barked several streets away.

She heard tires rolling over asphalt.

A garage door opening.

Someone laughing.

A television playing through an open apartment window nearly a block away.

She sighed.

Being a werewolf meant the city never really became quiet anymore.

Below her, the garage sat open to the driveway.

Mia knelt beside a cluttered workbench, sorting through boxes filled with old tools while occasionally setting aside anything that looked useful.

Ava sat on an overturned bucket with one foot resting atop a toolbox, lazily chewing on a strip of jerky while reading through several news articles on her own phone.

The garage had slowly become something of a gathering place over the past week.

Someone was almost always there.

Sometimes talking.

Sometimes working.

Sometimes simply existing together.

It felt...

Comfortable.

Chloe looked back down at her phone.

Another article.

Another opinion piece.

Another video.

She frowned.

"...Seriously?"

Her thumb tapped the screen.

The headline belonged to Ethan Vale.

Again.

The comments beneath it numbered in the thousands.

Some agreed with him.

Some mocked him.

Others argued among themselves.

She sighed loudly enough for Mia to glance upward.

"What?"

Chloe didn't answer immediately.

Instead, she stood.

She tucked her phone into one pocket before stepping from the edge of the roof.

Gravity pulled her downward.

Unlike a vampire, who would have seemed almost unnaturally graceful, Chloe's landing carried obvious weight.

She bent her knees as her shoes struck the concrete beside the garage.

Thump.

The impact echoed through the quiet driveway before she immediately straightened.

Mia barely looked surprised anymore.

"You know..."

She casually returned another wrench to a toolbox.

"...there's a ladder."

"It's slower."

"It's also normal."

"I'm an Alpha."

Mia blinked.

"...Those things aren't related."

"They are in my head."

Ava looked up briefly.

"They're not."

"They absolutely are."

Chloe walked into the garage still holding her phone.

"I hate whoever keeps posting this stuff about vampires."

Ava raised an eyebrow.

"Ethan Vale?"

"Yeah."

She held up the screen.

"Him."

Mia stood and wandered over, wiping her hands on an old shop towel before looking at the article.

Her eyes skimmed the first several paragraphs.

Then the next.

Then the comments.

She frowned.

"...People are really blaming vampires for defending themselves?"

"They killed people," Chloe replied.

"They killed people who attacked them."

Mia looked up.

"...Exactly."

She handed the phone back.

"If somebody tries beating you to death..."

She shrugged.

"...and they die because you defended yourself..."

"I don't really know what people expected."

Chloe nodded emphatically.

"Right?"

"Like..."

Mia gestured vaguely with both hands.

"...That's just dumb."

"It is dumb."

Ava continued chewing another piece of jerky while reading her own screen.

"I think you're both worrying too much about vampires."

Chloe looked toward her.

"They're our neighbors now."

"They're another species."

"They're also not us."

Ava looked up.

"We should focus more on ourselves."

"We have enough going on."

She gestured around the garage.

"We're still figuring out how packs work."

"We're learning what we can do."

"We're dealing with our own public image."

She took another bite.

"I'd rather spend my energy on that."

Chloe crossed her arms.

"And if things go badly for vampires?"

Ava met her eyes.

"What about it?"

"What if..."

Chloe searched for the right words.

"...What if people decide they don't deserve help?"

Silence settled over the garage.

She continued.

"They're rebuilding blood clinics."

"They're trying to integrate."

"They're doing everything people keep asking them to do."

Her ears lowered slightly.

"And there are still people trying to make everyone hate them."

She looked back toward the phone in her hand.

"If they can do that to vampires..."

Her voice became quieter.

"...they can do it to wolves."

Neither Mia nor Ava interrupted.

"They'll just find another reason."

"They'll say we're dangerous."

"They'll point at every fight."

"Every accident."

"Every mistake."

She sighed.

"They won't stop just because we're different."

Mia leaned thoughtfully against the workbench.

"I hadn't really thought about it like that."

"I have."

Chloe slipped her phone back into her pocket.

"We've been lucky."

"We're easier for people to accept."

"A little."

"But if things keep getting worse for vampires..."

She looked toward Ava.

"...I don't think we're as separate as you do."

Ava quietly finished the last bite of jerky before brushing her hands together.

For several seconds she simply watched Chloe.

Then she sighed.

"...Fine."

Chloe smiled hopefully.

"I'll pay more attention."

Ava slipped her own phone into her pocket.

"If I come across anything involving vampires in Oakridge..."

She shrugged.

"...I'll let you know."

Chloe's ears immediately perked upright.

"Really?"

"It'll stop you from doomscrolling."

"I wasn't doomscrolling."

"You absolutely were."

"I was..."

Chloe hesitated.

"...Concern scrolling."

Mia burst into laughter.

"That's somehow worse."

"It isn't."

"It really is."

Ava stood.

"I'll keep an eye on the news."

She looked directly at Chloe.

"Happy?"

Chloe grinned.

"Very."

She stepped forward and affectionately patted Ava's shoulder.

"Thanks."

Ava gave her an unimpressed look.

"You've become clingy."

"I've become appreciative."

"They're suspiciously similar."

Before Chloe could answer...

Her hand darted downward.

She plucked a strip of jerky directly from Ava's open bag.

"...Hey."

Too late.

Chloe had already popped one end into her mouth.

"Caught you lacking."

Ava stared.

"...Did you seriously just steal my jerky?"

"Mhm."

Chloe nodded happily while chewing.

"It's very good."

"I bought that."

"You did."

"And now I'm eating it."

Mia laughed so hard she had to grab the edge of the workbench.

Ava slowly folded her arms.

"You realize I could've just given you one."

"I know."

"This was funnier."

"It wasn't."

"It was."

Chloe finished chewing before flashing an innocent smile.

"Thank you."

"I didn't offer."

"You would've eventually."

"I absolutely wouldn't have."

"You would've."

Ava sighed.

"I don't know why I argue with you."

"Because I'm adorable."

"Debatable."

Mia pointed toward Chloe.

"I think she's adorable."

"See?"

Ava looked between the two of them.

"There are two of you now."

"There've always been two of us."

"I've noticed."

Chloe laughed before walking over beside Mia.

"So."

She looked around the garage.

"What're we doing?"

Mia gestured toward the scattered tools.

"I'm trying to organize everything."

The garage belonged to Chloe's family, and over the years it had become a place where broken appliances, spare lumber, gardening supplies, old camping equipment and countless forgotten tools had accumulated.

Some shelves leaned slightly beneath the weight.

Cardboard boxes sat stacked against one wall.

A bicycle tire rested atop a crate for reasons neither of them understood.

Mia held up a rusted screwdriver.

"I've made three piles."

"Useful."

She pointed toward one corner.

"Broken."

A second pile.

"And..."

She held up the screwdriver.

"...I genuinely don't know what this is doing here."

Chloe accepted it.

She stared at it thoughtfully.

"...It's definitely a screwdriver."

"It's also bent."

"...Art?"

Mia laughed.

"I'll put it in the mystery pile."

"There isn't a mystery pile."

"There is now."

Chloe immediately set it into an empty cardboard box.

"There."

"Mystery."

Mia smiled.

"I like that system."

Ava looked over from her bucket.

"I somehow knew you'd make the organization worse."

"We're making it better."

"You've created a category called mystery."

"It's very versatile."

"It tells us nothing."

"It tells us..."

Chloe tapped the side of the box.

"...that we don't know."

Mia nodded.

"Exactly."

Ava pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I'm surrounded."

"You are," Chloe agreed cheerfully.

"And you're staying."

"I know."

The three of them settled into an easy rhythm.

Mia sorted.

Chloe carried boxes, occasionally asking completely unnecessary questions about forgotten objects before deciding they belonged in the mystery pile.

Ava eventually gave up trying to stop them and quietly began organizing the tools they actually intended to keep.

Inside the open garage, conversation drifted naturally from tools to food, from food to games, and from games to whether Chloe would ever admit she had stolen the jerky simply because it tasted better when she wasn't supposed to have it.

She continued denying it.

No one believed her.

───

The room was quiet.

Not completely.

Someone shifted slightly.

Fabric rustled.

A soft sigh escaped somewhere nearby.

Beyond the curtained windows, the world continued turning toward morning.

Lavinia could feel it.

She couldn't see the sun.

She didn't need to.

Something inside her always knew.

The strange excitement that accompanied sunset had disappeared hours ago. 

The energy she'd carried through the night had gradually faded, replaced by a growing heaviness that settled comfortably over both body and mind.

Sleep.

She wanted to sleep.

Very, very badly.

There was only one problem.

"...I can't move."

She stared blankly at the ceiling.

Or rather...

The small section of ceiling she could still see.

The rest had long since been obscured by vampires.

Somehow.

Someway.

Every single one of them had ended up in one enormous pile.

And, as always...

Lavinia was at the bottom.

"...Why is it always me?"

No one answered.

Mostly because everyone else was either asleep already or somewhere between awake and unconscious.

Lavinia let out the tiniest sigh she could manage.

The weight itself wasn't uncomfortable.

If anything...

It was oddly pleasant.

Vampires were colder than humans by roughly fifteen degrees Fahrenheit. Living among one another for the past week had subtly changed how her body interpreted temperature.

Humans no longer felt merely warm.

They felt...

Comfortably warm.

The same applied to other vampires.

Every body resting against hers carried just enough warmth to make the entire pile feel cozy.

That wasn't the issue.

The issue was geometry.

She mentally inventoried the disaster surrounding her.

Gwendolyn had somehow fallen asleep with her face resting against Lavinia's stomach.

How...

Lavinia had absolutely no idea.

She wasn't even certain Gwendolyn herself knew.

Valerie's legs lay comfortably across Lavinia's waist, effectively pinning the lower half of her body beneath their combined weight.

Evelyn rested peacefully with her head across Lavinia's lap, looking perfectly content.

Somewhere above all of them...

Celestine had ended up.

Lavinia couldn't actually see her.

She only knew Celestine was there because one arm hung lazily over the side of the pile.

"...How?"

Lavinia whispered to herself.

"How do you even get up there?"

No answer.

Adelaide had somehow managed an equally confusing position.

She lay on her stomach across the top portion of the pile.

Even stranger...

Her thighs supported Lavinia's head almost like an unusually soft pillow.

Lavinia blinked once.

"...This is ridiculous."

It was comfortable.

Far more comfortable than it had any right to be.

But it was still ridiculous.

Cordelia and Rosaline appeared to have abandoned all attempts at finding sensible sleeping positions entirely.

Judging by the arrangement of limbs, Lavinia strongly suspected they'd simply wandered over, looked at the existing pile...

...and dropped themselves onto it.

That seemed entirely in character.

Then there was Evangeline.

Lavinia slowly turned her eyes.

Just enough to spot her.

"...Really?"

Evangeline wasn't technically part of the pile.

She'd somehow decided Adelaide made an excellent mattress.

Curled comfortably atop Adelaide's back, she slept peacefully with one arm tucked beneath her cheek.

Adelaide, remarkably...

Didn't appear to mind.

Lavinia stared at the ceiling again.

"...We're hopeless."

She imagined trying to explain this scene to a human.

Eight vampires.

Perfectly functional beds throughout the safe house.

Enough blankets for everyone.

Enough bedrooms for everyone.

And somehow...

They had collectively chosen this.

Her eyes slowly drifted shut.

Then opened again.

"...No."

She wasn't sleeping yet.

She had important things to think about.

Like...

Why.

Why had everyone insisted on piling together?

She mentally reviewed the evening.

Someone had stretched out on the floor.

Someone else had joined them.

Another followed.

Someone declared it comfortable.

And from there...

Everything rapidly deteriorated.

Lavinia hadn't even realized she was trapped until several additional vampires had already settled into place.

She was fairly certain Rosaline had apologized.

Right before lying down anyway.

"...Traitors."

No response.

Valerie shifted slightly.

Her legs became just a little heavier across Lavinia's waist.

"...You're doing that on purpose."

Nothing.

Deep asleep.

Lavinia looked toward Gwendolyn.

Still asleep.

Face still resting comfortably against her stomach.

"...You're impossible too."

Evelyn murmured something unintelligible before nestling her head slightly more comfortably against Lavinia's lap.

"...You as well."

Another tiny sigh escaped her.

She couldn't even be annoyed.

Not really.

There was something strangely peaceful about it.

No one worried about someone accidentally crushing another person.

No one feared waking up sore.

If an arm ended up beneath someone...

It would be fine.

If someone rolled awkwardly...

It would be fine.

Minor discomforts simply didn't matter very much anymore.

They healed.

Or weren't injuries to begin with.

That freedom had quietly changed little things.

Like this.

She smiled faintly despite herself.

A week ago...

None of them would have slept like this.

Now...

It simply happened.

Almost naturally.

The heaviness behind her eyes deepened.

Outside...

The world continued drifting toward dawn.

She felt it more strongly now.

The strange instinct that accompanied every approaching sunrise settled over her like a familiar blanket.

Sleep.

Safe.

Rest.

The darkness waiting beyond consciousness no longer frightened her.

She remembered the first time.

The strange emptiness.

The sensation of simply...

Not existing.

Now...

It almost felt welcoming.

She looked around one last time.

Or as much as she could.

Gwendolyn.

Valerie.

Evelyn.

Celestine.

Adelaide.

Cordelia.

Rosaline.

Evangeline.

"...Honestly."

She sighed one final time.

"None of you know how to sleep."

If anyone heard her...

No one acknowledged it.

The room remained peaceful.

Lavinia let her head relax fully against Adelaide's thighs.

Comfortable.

Warm.

Absurd.

She imagined explaining the sleeping arrangement to General Violetta.

Or to one of the soldiers guarding the safe house.

She could practically hear herself trying.

"We all had perfectly good beds."

"Then why are you sleeping like this?"

"Excellent question."

She didn't actually know the answer.

Maybe there wasn't one.

Maybe it simply felt right.

The thought made her smile.

Her eyelids became too heavy to hold open any longer.

The room slowly disappeared.

The faint sounds beyond the safe house faded.

Even the pleasant warmth surrounding her gradually slipped away.

The darkness returned.

Not frightening.

Not lonely.

Simply familiar.

Wrapped beneath a thoroughly unreasonable pile of sleeping vampires, Lavinia finally surrendered to it, letting the distant, dreamless void quietly claim her once again.

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