The Divergence

The arrival of the police and fire department changed the scene almost immediately.

Emergency vehicles crowded the street outside the damaged building, red and blue lights reflecting from windows and the glass scattered across the pavement. 

Firefighters moved through the ruined entrance in groups while officers pushed the gathering crowd farther back and began sectioning off the surrounding streets.

Those who remained inside were steadily evacuated.

Lavinia stepped through the ruined entrance and outside for the first time since the explosion, breathing in air that wasn’t filled with nearly as much dust and smoke.

It was still there, lingering around the building and clinging to her hair and clothes, but the cool night air was considerably more pleasant.

She glanced around.

Paramedics had established several areas for the injured, and those capable of walking were being directed farther away from the building. 

Officers moved between groups of employees, asking questions and writing down statements.

The whole area was busy enough that Lavinia wasn’t particularly sure where she was supposed to go.

”Do we just stand here?” Lavinia asked as she looked toward Violetta.

”For the moment.” Violetta glanced toward the officers before smoothing a dusty section of her purple hair. ”Someone will find us.”

”Wonderful.” Lavinia sighed and looked down at her dress. ”I look like I crawled out of a chimney.”

”You still look pretty!” Gwendolyn reassured her with a cheerful smile.

Lavinia looked at the white-haired vampire. ”You’re also covered in dust.”

Gwendolyn glanced down at herself and brushed lightly at her dress. ”Then we’re both pretty.”

”That wasn’t the point.”

A quiet laugh came from Valerie beside them.

Lavinia was about to respond when she noticed someone standing several meters away.

Rebecca.

The young woman was physically fine now. There wasn’t even a mark remaining from the injuries that had nearly killed her less than half an hour earlier, and her complexion remained remarkably healthy from the vampire blood she’d consumed.

Rebecca was speaking with a paramedic, although every few seconds her green eyes wandered toward Lavinia.

Then away.

Then back again.

Lavinia raised an eyebrow.

Rebecca immediately looked somewhere else.

A few moments passed.

Another glance.

This time Gwendolyn noticed too.

She leaned toward Lavinia until their shoulders touched and lowered her voice. ”Rebecca is so cute.”

”Why are you whispering?” Lavinia asked.

”Because she keeps looking at you.”

”I noticed.”

Gwendolyn’s red eyes brightened. ”Maybe she wants something.”

”She could come ask.”

”I think she’s trying.”

Lavinia looked toward Rebecca again.

The woman seemed to be having an argument entirely within her own head.

She took one step toward them.

Stopped.

Looked away.

Then took another.

Gwendolyn covered her mouth to suppress a giggle. ”She’s really trying.”

”Stop watching her like that.” Lavinia nudged Gwendolyn with her elbow. ”You’re going to make her more nervous.”

”I’m being supportive.”

”From twenty feet away?”

”Very supportive.”

Rebecca finally seemed to win whatever internal battle she’d been fighting. She took a breath, tightened her grip around her phone, and walked toward them with hesitant steps.

Lavinia gave her an encouraging smile when she stopped nearby. ”Everything okay?”

”Yes!” Rebecca answered quickly, before visibly forcing herself to relax. ”Yes. I’m fine. I just wanted to ask you something.”

”Go ahead.”

Rebecca glanced toward Gwendolyn, who smiled innocently.

Then toward several of the other vampires.

Then back at Lavinia.

Her cheeks flushed. ”Can I get your number?”

Lavinia blinked.

Somewhere behind her, she could practically feel Valerie’s empty red eyes focusing on the back of her head.

Gwendolyn made a tiny delighted noise.

Lavinia ignored both of them and smiled at Rebecca. ”Sure.”

Rebecca’s eyes widened slightly. ”Really?”

”Why wouldn’t I?”

”I don’t know.” Rebecca looked down at her phone and hurriedly unlocked it. ”I thought you might say no.”

Lavinia gave Rebecca her number and watched her type it in, checking the digits twice before saving the contact.

”There.” Lavinia slipped her own phone away. ”Now you have it.”

Rebecca stared down at the newly created contact for a second before smiling broadly. ”Thank you.”

”You’re welcome.”

Rebecca clutched her phone against her chest before turning and hurrying toward the area where several other employees had gathered.

Lavinia watched her go with an amused smile.

”She really is cute.”

Soft footsteps approached from behind her.

Lavinia’s smile faded slightly.

”Oh no.”

Valerie came around in front of her, turned, and immediately hooked both arms around Lavinia’s neck. She pulled herself close enough that their faces were only inches apart.

Lavinia stared directly into Valerie’s empty red eyes.

Valerie stared back.

Neither said anything for several seconds.

Lavinia finally raised an eyebrow. ”Yes?”

Valerie narrowed her eyes slightly. ”Are you really considering being her friend?”

From beside them, Gwendolyn tilted her head. ”If that’s all you’re asking, why are you holding Lavi like that?”

Valerie’s gaze snapped toward her.

Gwendolyn smiled sweetly.

Valerie looked back at Lavinia without answering the question.

Lavinia’s mouth twitched. ”Rebecca is quite cute. I wouldn’t mind talking to her.”

Valerie slowly nodded as if processing deeply troubling information. ”I see.”

”You see what?”

”She’s human.”

Lavinia stared at her. ”I’m aware.”

Valerie’s expression became gravely serious. ”Dangerous.”

”What is dangerous?”

”For her.” Valerie tightened her arms around Lavinia’s neck slightly. ”You saved her life, held her so caringly, fed her your blood, and now you’ve given her your number. Poor Rebecca doesn’t stand a chance.”

Lavinia flicked Valerie directly in the forehead.

Valerie recoiled dramatically. ”Ow!”

”That didn’t hurt.”

”It hurt me!”

Lavinia rolled her eyes. ”If you’re going to be jealous, at least be jealous more secretly!”

”I’m not jealous!” Valerie protested, although the grin already appearing on her face ruined whatever credibility she might have possessed. 

”I’m merely concerned because you fed Rebecca your blood so caringly and held her against your—”

Valerie broke.

A laugh escaped her, followed immediately by another, until she dropped her forehead against Lavinia’s shoulder.

”I can’t keep going.”

”I knew you couldn’t.” Lavinia shook Valerie’s hands from around her neck and stepped away. ”If you’d managed another minute, you might’ve qualified as a yandere.”

Gwendolyn’s eyes immediately brightened. ”I’d love to see that.”

Valerie straightened. ”See what?”

”Yandere Valerie.” Gwendolyn clasped her hands together. ”You’d follow Lavi everywhere and glare at anyone who came too close.”

”She already follows me everywhere,” Lavinia pointed out.

”Hey!” Valerie whipped around toward her.

A soft chuckle came from Celestine.

Everyone looked toward her.

Celestine’s expression immediately became serious as she folded her hands neatly in front of herself. ”I didn’t say anything.”

”You laughed.” Valerie pointed at her accusingly.

”I did no such thing.”

”You absolutely did.”

Celestine calmly looked away. ”I believe you imagined it.”

Lavinia smiled. ”Apparently I’m not the only one imagining things tonight.”

Valerie’s eyes narrowed. ”Don’t think I’ve forgotten about the snack basket.”

”I hoped you had.”

”I never forget betrayal.”

Evangeline crossed her arms, her bright red hair shifting over her shoulders as she glanced toward the emergency vehicles surrounding the building. ”I don’t think anything too serious is going to happen after this.”

Rosaline looked at her curiously. ”Aside from the building exploding?”

”Obviously aside from that.” Evangeline gestured toward the crowd. ”I mean afterward. Online wasn’t as chaotic as I thought it would be.”

Lavinia glanced toward her. ”You checked already?”

”Of course I checked.” Evangeline pulled out her phone and waved it lightly. ”We were literally broadcasting live when the explosion happened. I wanted to see what people were saying.”

Adelaide stepped closer. ”And?”

”It’s messy, but not as bad as a few days ago.” Evangeline looked down at the screen. 

”There are people blaming vampires somehow, people blaming vampire hunters, people saying it was staged, people arguing about whether we’re actually bulletproof even though nobody got shot, and a lot of people asking whether we’re okay.”

Rosaline smiled. ”That’s almost sweet.”

”The last part is.” Evangeline slipped the phone away. ”The rest is the internet.”

Valerie nodded sagely. ”A terrifying place.”

”You spend hours online,” Lavinia reminded her.

”Which is how I know.”

Rosaline stretched both arms over her head before looking toward the police vehicles. ”So, are we ready for yet another exciting round at the police station?”

Lavinia immediately groaned. ”Don’t remind me.”

Rosaline laughed. ”Maybe they’ll remember us.”

”That makes it worse.”

”Why?”

”Because I don’t want to become a regular!”

Gwendolyn giggled. ”Maybe they’ll give us our own room eventually.”

Lavinia looked horrified. ”Stop making it worse.”

”Reserved seating,” Valerie added.

”Valerie.”

”Free snacks?”

”Why would there be free snacks?”

Valerie shrugged. ”Customer loyalty?”

”We’re not customers!”

Violetta covered her mouth briefly as she laughed.

Lavinia turned toward her with sudden hope. ”Violetta.”

Violetta’s amusement immediately became suspicion. ”Yes?”

”Do you think we’ll actually have to sit in the police station again?”

Violetta smiled.

Lavinia’s hope diminished.

”Unfortunately, probably for a little while.” Violetta brushed a strand of purple hair away from her cheek. 

”I can speed certain things along, especially since we have no involvement beyond being present when the explosion occurred, but there is still procedure.”

Lavinia’s shoulders sagged. ”I hate procedure.”

”It shouldn’t take long,” Violetta reassured her. ”They’ll want individual statements, particularly from those of us who moved throughout the building afterward. Once that’s finished, I see no reason they’d need to keep us there.”

”How long is not long?”

”I can’t promise an exact time.”

Lavinia sighed.

Gwendolyn patted her back. ”I’ll sit with you.”

”That doesn’t make the police station disappear.”

”No, but you’ll have me.”

Lavinia glanced at her before smiling faintly. ”Fine. That helps a little.”

”I knew it.”

Several approaching heartbeats drew their attention away from the conversation.

A group of police officers had separated from those working near the perimeter and were walking toward them. 

The officers weren’t visibly panicked, although Lavinia could hear the slight increase in several of their heart rates as they approached ten vampires standing together.

That reaction had become familiar enough that she barely noticed it anymore.

One of the officers stepped slightly ahead of the others. He looked across the group before giving them a respectful nod. ”General Violetta?”

”That’s me.” Violetta stepped forward.

The officer extended his hand, and Violetta accepted it. ”Before anything else, I wanted to thank all of you for what you did inside. We’ve already spoken to several witnesses. They said you helped clear exits, moved debris, pulled people out, and assisted some of the injured.”

Violetta glanced toward the others before looking back at him. ”We were already there. Helping was the obvious thing to do.”

The officer nodded. ”Obvious or not, people are alive because you did.”

Cordelia stepped forward slightly, her long blue hair shifting behind her. ”It was the right thing to do. I don’t think any of us considered leaving people trapped when we were capable of helping.”

Gwendolyn nodded enthusiastically beside her. ”We couldn’t just leave injured people alone. That would’ve been awful.”

The officer’s gaze briefly moved toward Gwendolyn before returning to Violetta. 

”Paramedics are still trying to work out how a few people who were reportedly critically injured are walking around without so much as a scratch.”

Several red eyes shifted toward Lavinia.

Lavinia blinked.

Then she slowly looked toward Gwendolyn.

Gwendolyn immediately raised both hands. ”Don’t look at me! You did it!”

”I know I did it.” Lavinia sighed. ”I just don’t like how everyone looked at me at once.”

Valerie smiled. ”Our resident miracle worker.”

”It’s vampire blood, Valerie. Any of you could’ve done it.”

”But you did.”

The officer looked between them with obvious curiosity. ”Vampire blood?”

Violetta nodded. ”That’s something we’ll explain in our statements.”

The officer seemed tempted to ask more, but after a moment, he nodded. ”Fair enough. We do need statements from everyone who was inside when the explosion occurred. Given the circumstances, we’ll try to make this as quick as possible.”

Lavinia closed her eyes and sighed.

Rosaline immediately smiled at her. ”Another trip.”

”Please stop sounding excited about it.” Lavinia opened her eyes and looked toward the line of police vehicles waiting nearby.