───
Lavinia woke to fingers smoothing the front of her dress.
For several seconds, she remained still, caught in the brief confusion between sleep and awareness.
The distant darkness had released her without dreams, without any sense of time passing, and the room returned all at once through soft movement, familiar scents, and the faint rustle of fabric.
Gwendolyn sat beside her, carefully brushing a few strands of gold hair away from Lavinia’s face as though they had somehow fallen into disarray.
They had not.
Lavinia’s hair still looked as though it belonged in an advertisement. Every strand remained smooth, full, and perfectly arranged despite the thoroughly unreasonable way she had slept.
She blinked up at Gwendolyn.
“What are you doing?”
Gwendolyn paused with one hand still near her cheek.
“Fixing your hair.”
“It doesn’t need fixing.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you fixing it?”
Gwendolyn gently tucked another strand behind Lavinia’s pointed ear.
“It felt like it should.”
Lavinia stared at her for another moment before glancing downward.
The pile had diminished considerably since she fell asleep. Only five vampires remained tangled together now, though Lavinia had somehow retained her familiar position near the bottom.
Valerie’s legs still crossed part of her waist, while Evelyn lay against one side of her.
Cordelia occupied the other, and Rosaline had managed to drape an arm over all three of them despite being mostly asleep.
Adelaide’s thighs were no longer beneath Lavinia’s head, which felt like an improvement, though someone had replaced them with a folded blanket at some point.
Celestine was already awake near the windows, quietly parting the blackout curtains just enough to peer outside.
The last traces of sunset had already disappeared beyond the horizon, leaving Oakridge illuminated by streetlights and the glow of the city before she let the curtains fall closed again.
Evangeline sat nearby with both knees drawn against her chest, watching the others wake with far too much energy for someone who had only recently escaped the same dreamless sleep.
Lavinia looked back toward Gwendolyn.
“You’re dressed.”
“So are you.”
“You know what I mean.”
Gwendolyn had smoothed her own dress, brushed her white hair with her hands, and arranged herself with enough care that she was clearly preparing to leave the safe house rather than merely wander into the common room.
Lavinia pushed herself upright. Valerie’s legs shifted with her, sliding from her waist before dropping heavily onto the cushions.
Valerie opened one eye.
“Rude.”
“You were using me as furniture.”
“You were comfortable.”
“That doesn’t make me furniture.”
Valerie closed her eye again.
“Debatable.”
Lavinia carefully freed one arm from beneath Evelyn, then eased herself out from the remaining tangle of bodies.
Cordelia made a soft, displeased sound when her support disappeared but settled almost immediately against Rosaline instead.
Once standing, Lavinia smoothed her dress out of habit and looked toward Gwendolyn again.
“Are you leaving?”
Gwendolyn nodded.
“I want to check on my mother.”
The words drew attention from across the room.
Violetta sat at the long table near the kitchen with several documents spread around her.
A pen moved steadily across one page while another stack waited beside her, marked with colored tabs and clipped notes.
She had apparently been awake long enough to turn one corner of the common room into a temporary office.
Without looking up, she said, “I advise against going out unless it’s necessary.”
Gwendolyn’s ears, still pointed and unmistakably vampiric, angled slightly toward her voice.
“I know.”
Violetta finished the line she was writing, placed the pen down, and finally looked over.
“I’m not forbidding it.”
“That sounds like the beginning of forbidding it,” Valerie muttered from the couch.
Violetta smiled faintly.
“I can’t lock all of you away here, nor would I want to. I’m only asking that you remain cautious and avoid getting into trouble.”
Adelaide walked into the room from the hallway while fastening one cuff of her dress.
“I’m only going to visit someone. What trouble could there possibly be?”
Violetta looked at her.
Adelaide stopped.
“What?”
“Do you want a complete list?”
“No.”
“Then perhaps don’t ask.”
Rosaline laughed softly from the pile.
Adelaide folded her arms.
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
Violetta picked up her pen again.
“The city remains tense. Some people are frightened, some are angry, and others are looking for any excuse to provoke one of you. Visit who you need to visit, speak to your families, and remind the people who care about you that you’re alive. Just don’t wander off alone or involve yourselves in anything unnecessary.”
Evangeline sprang to her feet so quickly that Rosaline flinched.
“We’re going outside?”
Adelaide glanced toward her.
“I’m going outside.”
“We’re going outside.”
“I didn’t invite you yet.”
Evangeline smiled brightly.
“You were going to.”
“I was considering it.”
“That counts.”
“It does not.”
Evangeline had already crossed the room and taken Adelaide’s hands between hers.
“I’ll be so helpful.”
“You’ll be loud.”
“I can be both.”
“That is exactly what concerns me.”
Evangeline’s enthusiasm carried so naturally that even her most excessive statements rarely sounded forced.
Every word seemed to arrive with complete sincerity, as though the idea of accompanying Adelaide was genuinely the most exciting thing she had heard all day.
Rosaline slowly sat up.
“I’ll go too.”
Evelyn raised her head from the cushions.
“So will I.”
Cordelia opened her eyes.
“If everyone else is leaving, I may as well.”
Adelaide looked toward the ceiling.
“I was supposed to be making a brief visit.”
Evangeline leaned closer.
“It can still be brief.”
“With four additional vampires.”
“Yes.”
“That is not brief.”
“It is if we don’t stay long.”
Adelaide stared at her before sighing.
“Fine.”
Evangeline clapped once, delighted.
Violetta glanced over the top of her papers.
“You’re taking Rosaline, Evelyn, Evangeline, and Cordelia?”
“It appears I am.”
“And Gwendolyn?”
Lavinia stepped closer to her.
“I’ll go with her.”
Valerie finally sat up, pushing her orange hair back from her face.
“I’m coming too.”
Celestine left the curtains and joined them.
“So am I.”
Gwendolyn looked between the three of them.
“You don’t all have to come.”
“We know,” Lavinia said.
Valerie stood and adjusted her dress.
“We’re coming anyway.”
Celestine nodded.
“It would be better than you going alone.”
Gwendolyn’s expression softened.
“Thank you.”
Violetta gathered several pages into a neat stack.
“I arranged transportation.”
Adelaide looked toward her.
“When?”
“Before you woke.”
“You already knew we would leave?”
“I knew at least one of you would.”
Two black SUVs waited outside the safe house complex, both unmarked and deliberately ordinary.
Their windows were tinted enough to provide privacy without drawing the attention of anyone familiar with official vehicles.
A soldier stood beside each driver’s door, dressed plainly rather than in uniform.
The group divided naturally.
Gwendolyn entered the first SUV with Lavinia, Valerie, and Celestine. Adelaide took the second with Rosaline, Evelyn, Evangeline, and Cordelia, though Evangeline nearly climbed into the wrong vehicle before Adelaide caught the back of her dress and redirected her.
“I was saying goodbye,” Evangeline protested.
“You were getting in.”
“I could do both.”
“You were sitting down.”
“I’m very efficient.”
Adelaide guided her toward the other SUV.
Rosaline waved through the open door.
“We’ll see you later.”
Gwendolyn smiled.
“Be careful.”
“You too.”
Evangeline leaned around Adelaide and waved with both hands.
“Have fun meeting your mother!”
Gwendolyn’s smile became awkward.
“I’ll try.”
Adelaide gave Evangeline a gentle push toward the vehicle.
“You’re making it sound like an outing.”
“It is an outing.”
“It’s a family visit.”
“That can be an outing.”
The door finally closed behind them.
Lavinia laughed quietly as she climbed into the first SUV. Gwendolyn settled beside her in the rear seat, while Valerie and Celestine took the row behind them.
The soldier driving waited until both vehicles were ready before pulling away from the complex.
The second SUV followed close behind, remaining visible in the side mirror until the road split several minutes later and the two groups went in opposite directions.
Lavinia leaned against the door, resting one shoulder near the handle as she watched the city pass outside.
Night changed Oakridge.
The city felt more welcoming beneath the glow of streetlights than it ever could beneath the sun.
Headlights drifted steadily through intersections while restaurants, cafés, convenience stores, and late-night shops welcomed the evening crowds.
Neon signs reflected across passing windows, and groups of people wandered along the sidewalks enjoying the cool night air.
For most of the city, life still looked reassuringly ordinary.
Lavinia glanced toward Gwendolyn and gently nudged her arm.
“Have you spoken to your mother?”
Gwendolyn nodded.
“I texted her.”
“When?”
“Earlier.”
“And?”
“She calmed down some.”
Gwendolyn looked through the window.
“She said she wanted me to come home and talk.”
“That’s good.”
“I think so.”
“You sound uncertain.”
“I don’t know what she’s going to say when she sees me again.”
Lavinia studied her profile.
Gwendolyn’s expression was controlled, but her hands had clasped tightly together in her lap.
“We can stay outside,” Lavinia said. “You can speak to her alone.”
Gwendolyn looked over.
“You don’t have to.”
“We don’t mind.”
“I wouldn’t mind if you came inside.”
A small smile appeared.
“My mother probably might.”
Valerie leaned forward between the seats.
“She met us once.”
“That is exactly why she might mind.”
“She survived.”
“Barely.”
Celestine looked up from the book she had brought with her.
“She was frightened, but she remained composed.”
Gwendolyn gave her a flat look.
“You heard her heartbeat.”
“Yes.”
“It sounded like she was being chased.”
Celestine considered that.
“She remained outwardly composed.”
“That’s different.”
Valerie rested her chin on the top of the seat.
“What was she reading before all this?”
Gwendolyn blinked.
“What?”
“Your mother. Does she like books?”
“Some.”
“What kind?”
“Mostly mysteries.”
Valerie immediately glanced toward Celestine.
“There. You have something to talk about.”
Celestine lowered her book slightly.
“I don’t need a planned conversation topic.”
“You brought a book into the car.”
“I intended to read.”
“We’ve been driving for ten minutes.”
“And I’ve read twelve pages.”
Valerie looked impressed despite herself.
Lavinia turned toward them.
“What are you reading?”
Celestine held the cover up.
“A historical mystery.”
Gwendolyn glanced back.
“My mother may have read that.”
“Then Valerie’s strategy may accidentally be useful.”
Valerie smiled.
“My strategies are always useful.”
“No,” Lavinia said.
Valerie ignored her.
The conversation drifted from books to television adaptations, then to the kinds of stories each of them had preferred before the Divergence.
Valerie argued that most adaptations improved when they changed enough material to surprise existing fans. Celestine strongly disagreed.
Lavinia only occasionally contributed, mostly to irritate whichever of them sounded most certain.
Gwendolyn gradually relaxed as she listened.
By the time the SUV turned into her neighborhood, her hands were no longer clenched.
The driver slowed in front of a familiar house.
Gwendolyn stared through the window for several seconds before reaching for the door.
“We’ll be here,” Lavinia said.
Gwendolyn nodded.
“Thank you.”
She stepped out and walked toward the house alone.
Lavinia, Valerie, and Celestine followed from the vehicle, but they did not approach the front door.
They remained near the SUV, giving Gwendolyn space while still staying close enough to respond if something went wrong.
The neighborhood was quiet, though not empty.
Warm light spilled from nearby homes, and televisions flickered behind drawn curtains.
A couple walked slowly down the sidewalk talking amongst themselves before disappearing around the corner, while someone across the street paused near their front window just long enough to glance toward the unfamiliar SUV.
Curtains shifted inside another house farther down the road.
The nearly faded sensation of being watched returned.
Lavinia felt eyes settle on them from windows, porches, and passing cars. No one said anything. No one came closer. Still, the attention was unmistakable.
Valerie leaned against the side of the SUV.
“We’re popular.”
Celestine looked toward the shifting curtain across the road.
“They’re curious.”
“They’re scared.”
“Both can be true.”
Lavinia folded her arms loosely.
“At least no one is yelling.”
“Yet,” Valerie said.
Inside the house, Gwendolyn closed the door behind her.
The familiar scent of home surrounded her almost immediately.
Laundry detergent, old wood, coffee, and the faint floral cleaner her mother used on the kitchen counters.
Beneath all of it came Eleanor’s scent and the steady rhythm of her heartbeat.
Gwendolyn followed the sound.
Her mother sat at the kitchen table with both hands wrapped around a cup she did not appear to be drinking from.
Eleanor looked up as Gwendolyn entered.
Neither spoke.
Gwendolyn crossed the room and sat opposite her.
For several seconds, the only sound came from the clock mounted above the doorway.
Eleanor set the cup down.
Her eyes moved over Gwendolyn’s face, lingering on the crimson eyes, pointed ears, and flawless features that had once belonged to her daughter only in pieces.
Then she reached across the table.
Gwendolyn looked down as her mother took her hand.
Eleanor’s fingers were warm around hers.
Gwendolyn’s were cold.
“I shouldn’t have acted the way I did,” Eleanor said.
Gwendolyn looked up.
Her mother’s expression tightened.
“I’m sorry.”
The words came quietly at first, but her voice broke before she finished them.
“When you didn’t come home, I spent two days thinking something had happened to you. I kept checking the news. I called hospitals. I called the police. I didn’t know where you were.”
Gwendolyn’s fingers curled slightly around hers.
“I’m sorry too.”
Eleanor shook her head.
“You were frightened.”
“So were you.”
“I was your mother.”
“I could’ve reached out more.”
“You shouldn’t have felt like you couldn’t.”
Gwendolyn lowered her eyes.
“I didn’t know what to say.”
“You could have said anything.”
“I know.”
Eleanor held her hand tighter.
“When you texted me earlier and said you were staying in a government residence, I thought I’d feel relieved.”
“Didn’t you?”
“I did.”
Eleanor swallowed.
“But then I realized strangers knew where my daughter was while I didn’t.”
Gwendolyn looked at her mother’s hand around hers.
The heartbeat across the table remained faster than normal.
She could hear every uneven beat, every change in breathing, every quiet sign of emotion Eleanor could not completely hide.
“Are you still afraid of me?”
Eleanor’s eyes widened.
Gwendolyn continued before she could answer.
“I can hear your heart.”
Her mother went still.
“It’s beating quickly.”
“Gwendolyn...”
“I know I’m different.”
She lifted their joined hands slightly.
“I’m cold. My eyes changed. My ears changed. I have fangs, and I drink blood now.”
Her voice softened.
“But I’m not really different from who I was as a human.”
Eleanor’s eyes filled.
“I still like the same things. I still worry about you. I still say silly things when I’m nervous.”
A weak smile appeared on Gwendolyn’s face.
“I still want to be your daughter.”
Eleanor’s mouth trembled.
Then she stood so abruptly that the chair scraped across the floor.
Gwendolyn barely had time to rise before her mother pulled her into a tight embrace.
A sob escaped Eleanor.
“I’m sorry.”
Gwendolyn froze for only a moment before wrapping both arms around her.
“I’m so sorry I made you think I was afraid of you.”
“You were afraid.”
“I was afraid of what happened.”
Eleanor pressed one hand against the back of her daughter’s head.
“I was afraid of everything. The people outside, the blood, the bodies, the way all of you moved. I didn’t understand any of it.”
Gwendolyn closed her eyes.
“But I wasn’t upset with you.”
Her mother’s voice broke again.
“It was like you said. Those people went there to hurt you.”
She pulled back just enough to look at Gwendolyn’s face.
“And they were killed in turn.”
Gwendolyn’s expression tightened.
Eleanor brushed one hand over her cheek.
“It took me time to accept that.”
“You don’t have to pretend it didn’t bother you.”
“It did.”
Eleanor nodded through her tears.
“It still does.”
She gave a shaky breath.
“But I couldn’t keep looking at what happened and blame you for surviving it.”
Gwendolyn stared at her.
Eleanor’s thumb brushed beneath one crimson eye.
“You were my always smiling, silly daughter before this.”
A broken laugh slipped through the tears.
“And then, by some stroke of chance, you became a vampire.”
Gwendolyn’s lips trembled.
“That doesn’t mean you stopped being mine.”
She pulled her daughter close again.
Gwendolyn buried her face against her mother’s shoulder, holding her tightly while Eleanor cried into her hair.
Outside, Lavinia remained beside the SUV with Valerie and Celestine, enduring the watching windows and quiet street without complaint.
Inside, Eleanor held her daughter as though the worry of the past two days had finally ended.