The Divergence

Lavinia had barely settled onto the couch when her phone vibrated against the cushion beside her.

She glanced down.

Adelaide.

A faint smile crossed her face before she answered.

"Evening."

"Good evening."

Adelaide's calm voice carried through the speaker exactly as expected.

"We're heading to the police station."

Lavinia blinked.

"...Now?"

"Marcus is there."

Lavinia immediately straightened.

"He is?"

"A man brought him there roughly an hour ago."

A brief pause followed.

"Our parents are also on their way."

Lavinia sighed quietly.

"I imagine that'll be... pleasant."

"It will be something."

Adelaide sounded entirely too calm about it.

"If you'd like to come."

"We're already leaving."

"I thought you might."

The call ended.

Lavinia slid the phone into her pocket before standing.

She walked toward the front door where the others lingered throughout the house.

"Adelaide called."

Several heads turned.

"They're going to the police station."

Almost immediately, chairs shifted.

Inside the dining room, Gwendolyn looked toward her mother.

Eleanor had been smiling ever since the conversation they'd shared earlier that evening.

Without hesitation, Gwendolyn stepped over and wrapped both arms around her.

"I'll be back before dawn."

Eleanor laughed softly as she hugged her daughter tightly.

"I know."

"You better sleep."

"I'll try."

Gwendolyn rested her cheek against her mother's shoulder for one more second.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

They separated.

The next moment, Gwendolyn was already at the front door.

She opened it.

Stepped outside.

Then gently pulled it closed behind herself.

Lavinia couldn't help smiling.

One moment sentimental.

The next moving like she'd been launched.

Together, they walked toward the waiting black SUV parked outside.

The remaining vampires followed moments later.

The doors opened.

Everyone climbed inside.

The vehicle quietly pulled away from the curb.

For a minute, only the soft hum of the engine filled the cabin.

Then Gwendolyn tilted her head.

"Why's Adelaide going to the police station?"

Celestine answered before anyone else.

"Marcus ran away."

Gwendolyn immediately stiffened.

"He what?"

Valerie raised a hand.

"Before you panic..."

Gwendolyn looked at her.

"He's already at the station."

"...Really?"

"Apparently some guy brought him there about an hour ago."

Gwendolyn let out a relieved breath.

"Oh."

Her shoulders visibly relaxed.

"I was about to have a heart attack."

Lavinia tilted her head.

"You don't have a beating one."

"I was about to emotionally have a heart attack."

"That sounds a little more medically accurate."

A few quiet laughs spread through the SUV.

The tension dissolved almost instantly.

After another minute, Lavinia glanced toward Gwendolyn.

"I'm happy things worked out with your mother."

"So am I."

Valerie smiled.

"I was starting to think she'd never stop apologizing."

Gwendolyn laughed.

"Neither was I."

Celestine smiled gently.

"She seems like a kind woman."

"She is."

Gwendolyn's voice softened.

"She was just... scared."

Nobody argued.

Fear had driven countless people during the past week.

Humans.

Vampires.

Werewolves.

Everyone.

Gwendolyn looked around the vehicle.

Then, without warning, leaned forward.

She wrapped both Lavinia and Celestine in a hug at the same time.

The two women looked mildly surprised.

"You know..."

She smiled brightly.

"You're practically family now too."

Lavinia immediately frowned.

"We are not family."

Everyone looked toward her.

"We're my harem."

Silence.

"My harem."

She pointed dramatically between them.

"My."

Another pause.

"Harem."

Valerie slowly rubbed the bridge of her nose.

Adelaide wasn't even present and Lavinia somehow managed to embarrass everyone.

Gwendolyn giggled.

Celestine blinked once before softly patting Lavinia's shoulder.

"I... don't think it would work."

Lavinia froze.

"...What?"

"I don't think we'd make a very successful harem."

Lavinia slowly lifted a hand to her chest.

Her expression became one of profound betrayal.

She looked from Celestine...

...to Valerie...

...to Gwendolyn...

Each face met hers with varying levels of amusement.

Her shoulders sagged dramatically.

"I've..."

She inhaled shakily.

"...been betrayed..."

Another slow breath.

"...by my wives."

Valerie snorted.

Lavinia stared out the window.

"So this..."

She sniffed loudly.

"...is what being single feels like."

Nobody responded.

She nodded solemnly.

"The ultimate truth."

Valerie reached over without warning.

Smack.

Her palm landed squarely on Lavinia's thigh.

"Ow!"

Lavinia nearly jumped.

"My leg!"

Valerie looked completely unbothered.

"You'll live."

"I've been assaulted."

"You'll regenerate."

"I've been emotionally assaulted."

"I considered that a bonus."

Even Celestine covered her mouth to hide a smile.

The SUV gradually slowed.

Outside, the Oakridge Police Department came into view beneath bright floodlights.

Police cruisers lined the parking lot.

Several civilian vehicles sat nearby.

The SUV rolled smoothly into an empty space.

As soon as the doors opened, the cool night air drifted inside.

Lavinia stepped onto the pavement first.

She paused.

"...They're inside."

Valerie nodded once.

"I smell them."

So did everyone else.

Every vampire carried a unique scent.

To humans they were pleasant.

To other vampires they were unmistakable.

Cream and fresh leaves.

Vanilla and chocolate.

Lilac and rain.

Black cherries and red wine.

Even beneath the countless human scents lingering around the station, the familiar fragrances stood out immediately.

"They're toward the lobby."

Lavinia closed the door behind her.

"Let's go."

The group entered the station together.

Several officers looked up as the five vampires walked inside.

Recognition flashed across a few faces.

Others simply watched with cautious curiosity.

Lavinia ignored the attention.

She followed Adelaide's scent without hesitation.

The waiting area wasn't difficult to find.

Adelaide sat beside Marcus.

One hand rested firmly on the boy's shoulder while she spoke in an even, stern voice.

"...Do you understand?"

Marcus sat with his head lowered.

"...Yeah."

"You left home."

"...Yeah."

"You wandered around the city."

"...Yeah."

"You spoke to a complete stranger."

"...Yeah..."

Adelaide sighed.

"Marcus."

"I'm sorry..."

Nearby, Evelyn sat quietly with folded hands.

Rosaline occupied another chair, posture immaculate even while waiting.

Evangeline leaned against the wall.

Cordelia stood beside her with hands folded neatly before her.

Marcus happened to glance toward the entrance.

His eyes immediately landed on Gwendolyn.

She gave him an exaggerated wink.

The corner of Marcus' mouth twitched upward into a tiny smile.

Adelaide noticed instantly.

She gently tapped two fingers beneath his chin.

"I'm not done talking to you."

Marcus looked back toward her.

She kept her voice calm.

"What you did was dangerous."

"I know..."

"If you hadn't met a good person..."

She held his gaze.

"...you might never have seen me again."

The smile disappeared from Marcus' face.

"...I know."

His voice was barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry."

Adelaide's expression softened ever so slightly.

"I know you are."

Lavinia walked over before the silence could grow any heavier.

She crouched beside them.

"Have your parents arrived yet?"

Adelaide slowly ran one hand through her long green hair.

It flowed like silk through her fingers before settling neatly across her shoulder.

"They're on their way."

Her tone remained calm.

Though the faint weariness in her eyes betrayed what she was already anticipating.

"I imagine..."

She exhaled quietly.

"...they'll have plenty to say when they get here."

The front doors opened less than three minutes later.

Adelaide did not need to look up.

She recognized her mother's perfume first.

Then her father's aftershave.

Both scents reached her before the sound of hurried footsteps crossed the lobby.

Marcus stiffened beneath her hand.

Adelaide felt it immediately.

Her fingers remained resting against his shoulder.

"Stay seated."

He nodded.

Her parents appeared around the corner a moment later.

Her mother saw Marcus first.

Then Adelaide.

Her expression changed at once.

Relief collapsed into anger so quickly it almost looked rehearsed.

"There he is."

She crossed the waiting area in a rush.

Marcus leaned closer to Adelaide without seeming to realize he'd done it.

His mother noticed.

Her face tightened.

"Marcus."

He looked down.

"Come here."

He didn't move.

Adelaide's father stopped beside his wife.

His eyes passed over the room.

Nine vampires looked back at him.

Some were seated.

Some stood near the walls.

None appeared particularly concerned.

The effect seemed to make him angrier.

"We came to take our son home."

Adelaide's hand remained on Marcus' shoulder.

"He'll be going home."

Her mother stared at her.

"Don't speak as though you have any say in this."

Adelaide's expression did not change.

"He ran away because of what happened at home."

"He ran away because you've poisoned his mind."

Marcus looked up sharply.

"No, she didn't."

His mother pointed toward him.

"Do not interrupt me."

Adelaide's fingers pressed gently against his shoulder.

Not enough to restrain him.

Only enough to remind him she was there.

Her father looked toward the nearest officer.

"Are you going to allow this?"

The officer stood behind the front desk with one hand resting near a stack of paperwork.

"Sir, everyone needs to remain calm."

"We are calm."

His voice was already too loud for the statement to carry much weight.

Adelaide's mother turned toward the officer.

"That monster threatened me and my husband."

The lobby went quiet.

Not completely.

Phones still rang behind the desk.

A printer continued feeding paper somewhere in the administrative area.

Footsteps moved through a corridor beyond a secured door.

But every person close enough to hear had stopped pretending not to listen.

Adelaide tilted her head slightly.

Her mother pointed directly at her.

"She came into our home."

"She forced her way inside."

"She put her hands on me."

Adelaide's father nodded.

"She assaulted us."

"I moved you aside."

Adelaide's mother looked scandalized.

"You see?"

She turned toward the officers again.

"She admits it."

"Ma'am."

The officer came around the desk.

"Let's slow down."

"That monster threatened us."

Her mother repeated it more loudly.

"She threatened both of us in our own home."

Marcus' mouth tightened.

"She didn't threaten you."

His father looked at him.

"You don't understand what happened."

"I was there."

"No, you weren't."

"I heard you."

Adelaide's mother drew in a breath.

"You heard part of a conversation."

"I heard you call her a monster."

Silence followed.

Marcus' voice had not been loud.

It did not need to be.

Adelaide glanced toward him.

His eyes remained fixed on the floor.

Across the room, Lavinia wandered away from the chairs.

She moved toward a wall beside the vending machines and leaned close enough to examine several narrow cracks running through the paint.

One of them split near the baseboard.

Another stretched upward in a thin crooked line.

Lavinia followed it with her eyes.

Valerie watched her.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking."

"At what?"

"The wall."

Valerie stared for a moment.

"Obviously."

Lavinia traced the crack through the air without touching it.

"It looks like a river."

Valerie looked back toward the argument.

"Fascinating."

"I thought so."

Adelaide's mother continued speaking before the officer could regain control.

"We want him returned to us immediately."

"He is a minor."

Her husband stepped closer.

"She has no legal right to keep him."

Adelaide finally removed her hand from Marcus' shoulder.

"I haven't tried to keep him."

Her voice remained level.

"I came here because he was missing."

"You came here because you want to manipulate him."

Adelaide's mother folded her arms.

"You've been doing it ever since you became that thing."

Evangeline's expression sharpened.

Cordelia glanced toward her.

The look was enough.

Evangeline remained silent.

Evelyn looked uncomfortable enough for everyone.

Gwendolyn had stopped smiling.

Celestine appeared composed.

Internally, she was deciding whether Adelaide's mother had always been this exhausting or whether fear had somehow made her worse.

The officer lifted both hands.

"Everyone needs to stop speaking over one another."

Adelaide's father looked toward him.

"Then remove her."

"Sir."

"She's dangerous."

"She hasn't done anything here."

"That monster threatened us."

Adelaide's mother said it again.

Lavinia looked away from the crack.

This time, even she appeared mildly tired of hearing it.

Before anyone could answer, a secured door buzzed open farther down the lobby.

An officer emerged from the intake corridor.

His expression was peculiar.

Not frightened.

Not exactly embarrassed.

More like someone who had realized too late that the room ahead contained the worst possible audience for the person in his custody.

A man shuffled beside him in handcuffs.

His shirt was wrinkled.

One sleeve had dried blood across the cuff.

His hair was greasy and flattened on one side.

The instant he saw the vampires, he stopped walking.

His eyes widened.

Then he began shouting.

"They made me do it!"

The escorting officer closed his eyes briefly.

"Keep moving."

"They made me do it!"

Every head in the lobby turned.

The officer tugged at his arm.

"Sir."

The man planted his feet.

Lavinia turned fully away from the wall.

One finger rose to a curl of golden hair.

She twirled it slowly as she studied him.

Alcohol.

Smoke.

Blood.

Sweat.

Old cologne.

Fast food grease.

Several human scents layered across his clothes.

The stale interior of a vehicle.

Concrete dust.

Metal.

Fear.

But no vampire.

Not even faintly.

Valerie looked at him from across the room.

"What did they make you do?"

The officer escorting him grimaced.

"Sorry."

He tried to pull the man toward the corridor leading to processing rooms.

The man twisted around.

"Vampires told me to kill people!"

His voice cracked.

"They said they'd kill me if I didn't!"

The lobby fell silent again.

Lavinia stopped twirling her hair.

She glanced around.

At the officers.

At Adelaide's parents.

At the other vampires.

Then back to him.

"Who would be that bored?"

The man stared.

Lavinia looked genuinely incredulous.

"I can't even smell another vampire on you."

He recoiled as though she'd accused him of something worse.

"You stay away from me."

"I am across the room."

"You're all the same."

His eyes moved wildly over the lobby.

Then landed on Adelaide.

She remained seated beside Marcus.

Her hand had returned to his shoulder.

The man pointed with both cuffed hands.

"Humans who side with vampires should be arrested."

The officer pulled his arms down.

"That's enough."

"They should be executed!"

Marcus flinched.

Adelaide's expression went completely still.

Evangeline's smile disappeared.

The change was subtle.

The entire room noticed it.

The movement was subtle.

The entire room noticed it.

The man continued.

"If it weren't for vampires, I'd still have a normal life."

Nine pairs of empty red eyes stared at him.

No pupils.

No irises.

Nothing human in their gaze except expression.

Even that had become difficult to read.

The man looked from one face to another.

His courage wavered.

"They made me do it."

His voice came out smaller.

"They made me do the things I did."

The officer finally pulled him toward the intake corridor.

This time, the man moved.

Barely.

He kept looking over his shoulder.

Lavinia met Valerie's eyes from across the room.

Confusion was plainly visible in both their crimson gazes.

The secured door closed behind the man.

The lobby remained quiet.

Then, through the walls, his muffled voice rose again.

"They threatened me!"

Humans in the waiting area could no longer make out the words.

The vampires could.

Lavinia slowly looked toward Valerie.

Valerie lifted both eyebrows.

Lavinia mouthed silently.

What?

Valerie gave a tiny shrug.

The officer handling Adelaide and her parents exhaled through his nose.

He looked toward the secured door.

Then back toward the family.

"I think we should continue this conversation somewhere more private."

Adelaide's mother opened her mouth.

The officer raised one hand.

"A room."

His tone left little space for argument.

He pointed toward a hallway leading deeper into the station.

"All of you."

Adelaide stood.

Marcus rose beside her.

Her parents followed after a brief hesitation.

The officer looked toward the remaining vampires.

"Immediate family only."

Lavinia tilted her head.

Adelaide looked back at them.

"I'll be fine."

Gwendolyn gave Marcus a small reassuring smile.

He returned it.

Then Adelaide walked with him toward the hallway, her parents following several steps behind.

The door closed after them.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Lavinia looked back at the crack in the wall.

"It still looks like a river."

Valerie stared at her.

"That is what you took from all of this?"

Lavinia glanced toward the intake corridor where the man was still shouting beyond the walls.

"No."

She twirled the curl of gold hair around one finger again.

"But I don't know what to take from that."

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