The Divergence

Lavinia held a form-fitting black dress against Valerie’s body and narrowed her empty red eyes, searching for the slightest hint of refusal. 

After everything Valerie had put her through, she was fully prepared to exploit whatever weakness presented itself, especially when Valerie’s orange hair and pale complexion would make the dark fabric stand out even more dramatically.

Valerie looked down at the dress, then slowly wrapped her arms around herself. 

Her orange eyelashes fluttered as she adopted such a pitiful expression that Lavinia immediately knew something was wrong.

”If you really want to see me in something like that, I’ll wear it.” Valerie’s voice softened into exaggerated devotion as she looked up at Lavinia. ”Just for you.”

Lavinia stared at her.

Valerie batted her eyelashes again.

”Nope.”

Valerie’s expression broke. ”What?”

Lavinia rolled her eyes, put the black dress back, and walked several steps down the aisle before pulling a plain white T-shirt from one rack. 

A pair of dark blue denim overalls hanging nearby caught her attention next, and the moment Lavinia imagined Valerie wearing them, a slow smile spread across her face.

”This.” Lavinia shoved both into Valerie’s hands.

Valerie stared down at them in disbelief. ”You had the opportunity to put me in that dress, and you chose overalls?”

”I did.”

Rosaline leaned around a rack beside them, her long red hair spilling forward over one shoulder as she inspected Lavinia’s selection. ”Oh? Does Lavinia like the pure, cute type?”

Lavinia slowly turned toward her.

Rosaline’s smirk faltered.

Without saying a word, Lavinia walked back to the rack, grabbed the form-fitting black dress, and pressed it into Rosaline’s arms.

Rosaline looked down.

Then back up.

”Oh.”

”Changing room.” Lavinia caught Rosaline by one arm and Valerie by the other before half pulling both vampires along with her. ”Both of you.”

Valerie laughed as she allowed herself to be dragged. ”You’re abusing your authority!”

”I don’t have authority over you.”

”Then you’re just abusing me!”

”Correct.”

Rosaline laughed loudly enough to draw several more glances from nearby shoppers. ”I knew there was a cruel side hidden under all that gold.”

”You haven’t seen anything yet.” Lavinia deposited both vampires near the changing rooms and pointed. ”Go.”

Valerie held up the overalls with a wounded expression. ”You don’t want to reconsider?”

”No.”

”You could have had sexy Valerie.”

”I already have annoying Valerie. That’s enough.”

Rosaline nearly folded over laughing while Valerie clicked her tongue and disappeared behind one of the curtains.

Satisfied that she’d dealt with two of the worst offenders, Lavinia turned around.

Her gaze immediately locked onto Evangeline.

Evangeline had apparently been waiting for exactly that moment.

The bright-red-haired vampire raised both hands excitedly and practically bounced in place. ”I’m ready! I’m happy to be personally dressed by Lavinia!”

Her voice carried across considerably more of the store than necessary.

A woman browsing several racks away stopped moving.

Someone else coughed.

A man abruptly became extremely interested in a row of jackets.

Lavinia closed her eyes.

”Evangeline.”

”Yes?”

”You didn’t need to announce it.”

”But I’m excited.”

”I can tell.” Lavinia ran a hand through her long golden hair and sighed before grabbing several pieces of clothing from nearby displays without nearly as much thought as she’d given Valerie. 

A light cardigan, a dark high-necked shirt, and a black pleated skirt were dumped into Evangeline’s arms one after another. ”There. Wear those.”

Evangeline looked down at the clothes and smiled brightly. ”You picked something cute!”

”I picked the first things I saw.”

”That means your instincts wanted me to look cute.”

”Changing room.”

Evangeline giggled and hurried after Valerie and Rosaline.

Lavinia watched her disappear before releasing a long breath. ”There. I’ve dealt with the troublemakers. I’m not targeting anyone else.”

A soft giggle came from beside her.

Lavinia turned.

Cordelia stood with her hands loosely clasped behind her back, long blue hair falling around her body while her empty red eyes curved with amusement. ”I wouldn’t mind if you chose something for me.”

Lavinia blinked. ”Really?”

”Of course.” Cordelia smiled gently. ”You were forced to let everyone else choose things for you. It seems fair.”

Adelaide hummed from nearby and ran a hand through her green hair. ”I’m not particularly good with fashion anyway. If you want to pick something for me, I’m fine with it too.”

”Why is everyone suddenly cooperative?” Lavinia asked suspiciously.

”Because we’re nice,” Cordelia answered.

”Some of you are.”

A quiet inhale caught Lavinia’s attention.

Evelyn had been staring toward a display farther away, her blonde hair partly concealing her face. After another moment of hesitation, she raised one hand slightly.

”I saw something I wanted Celestine to try.”

Celestine turned her head toward her. ”For me?”

Evelyn nodded. ”I think it would look really pretty on you.”

Celestine’s teal hair shifted as she glanced in the direction Evelyn had been looking. 

A faint smile appeared on her face before she reached over and lightly took Evelyn’s hand. ”I’ll wear it if you wear something I choose.”

Evelyn’s red eyes widened. ”Wait.”

”You proposed this arrangement.”

”I only said I saw something for you.”

”And now I’m expanding the arrangement.”

Evelyn hesitated visibly, but Celestine was already leading her away by the hand. 

After a few seconds, Evelyn stopped resisting and followed, although the look she sent Lavinia suggested she had only just realized she’d walked into a trap.

Lavinia giggled.

With the others scattered around the store, she finally had enough time to notice how strangely quiet the place remained.

Customers still wandered the aisles. 

Employees continued working, clothes were lifted from racks, hangers clicked together, and the occasional conversation drifted through the air, but the overall volume was noticeably lower than Lavinia would have expected from a store this busy.

It was almost as though everyone had subconsciously decided that being too loud might attract the vampires’ attention.

Considering eight vampires had just spent several minutes loudly discussing how they wanted to dress one another, Lavinia found the caution increasingly funny.

Cordelia joined her as she began wandering between the aisles.

”What do you normally like?” Lavinia asked.

Cordelia considered the question. ”I suppose it doesn’t matter much. I haven’t worn anything except my dress since becoming a vampire.”

”Neither have I until tonight.”

”Then surprise me.”

Lavinia’s gaze drifted over several outfits before settling on something dramatically removed from Cordelia’s usual appearance. 

She pulled a simple black sleeveless crop top from one rack, held it against Cordelia for a moment, then grabbed a pair of fitted black shorts.

Cordelia looked down.

Her red eyes returned to Lavinia.

”Really?”

Lavinia immediately grinned. ”You said surprise you.”

”I did.” Cordelia accepted the clothes without complaint, although she glanced down at the amount of her stomach that would obviously be left exposed. ”I suppose I can’t object now.”

”You can.”

Cordelia shook her head and smiled. ”I didn’t say I disliked them.”

The smell of taffy and honeysuckle followed her as she walked toward the changing rooms, her black gothic dress rustling softly around her legs.

That left Adelaide.

Lavinia found her several aisles over and immediately let her shoulders slump.

”Do I really have to pick clothes for you too?” Lavinia asked in a whining tone. ”I’m getting tired.”

Adelaide laughed. ”You don’t have to. Honestly, I’d probably just wear a hoodie and jeans.”

Lavinia’s expression brightened. ”Perfect. Do that.”

”That easy?”

”You saved me effort.”

Adelaide smiled and started looking through a nearby rack. ”I haven’t worn anything like that for a while anyway. If I’m not wearing my dress, I might as well choose the next best thing.”

”Finally, someone sensible.”

Adelaide gave her a knowing glance. ”You say that now.”

Lavinia giggled and left her to find something suitable.

For the first time since the fashion assault had begun, Lavinia had nothing to do.

She wandered slowly through the store, ignoring the gazes that continued following her.

There wasn’t much point becoming annoyed by them. 

She couldn’t exactly turn around and loudly demand that everyone stop looking at her, especially when she doubted she would have managed not to stare if their positions were reversed.

Vampires were already conspicuous.

Vampires wearing human clothing were apparently even more conspicuous.

Lavinia glanced down at herself.

The white sweater she wore fit closely enough to make her chest more prominent than her normal gothic dress did, while the black lower half of the outfit left most of her thighs exposed. 

Her socks made the whole thing slightly less impressive, considering she’d left her boots inside the changing room, but she still looked dramatically different from every image of herself currently circulating online.

That alone was probably enough to explain some of the attention.

People had spent almost two weeks seeing vampires in elaborate black gothic clothing.

The dresses had become part of their image nearly as much as the pointed ears and red eyes.

Seeing one in something completely different probably felt vaguely wrong.

Lavinia stopped.

A thought occurred to her.

Her lips slowly curved upward.

”Oh.”

She pulled out her phone and opened the camera.

Lavinia angled it toward herself, shifted slightly to catch the outfit properly, and took a picture. 

She inspected the result for several seconds, decided she looked good enough, then opened her messages.

Rebecca’s name wasn’t difficult to find.

Lavinia attached the photograph.

Her thumb hovered over the button.

She smiled.

Then sent it.

”I wonder if I’m being a little mean.”

A nearby shopper glanced at her before quickly looking away.

Lavinia shrugged to herself and put her phone away. It would have been a shame not to show her new friend. 

She didn’t exactly have many friends who weren’t already constantly within her immediate orbit, and Rebecca had specifically asked for her number.

There was nothing wrong with using it.

Probably.

The sound of a changing-room curtain sliding aside caught Lavinia’s attention.

She turned.

Valerie emerged first.

Lavinia immediately pressed her lips together.

The white T-shirt was loose and simple, disappearing beneath dark denim overalls that made Valerie look almost aggressively innocent compared with her usual gothic appearance. 

Her long orange hair cascaded around the straps and far past her waist, while her solid red eyes and pointed ears created a bizarre contrast with an outfit Lavinia could have imagined on an ordinary college student.

Valerie saw her expression.

Her own face immediately twisted into a pout.

”You had the opportunity to see me in something sexy.” Valerie approached with both hands on her hips. ”And you fumbled it.”

Lavinia’s shoulders began shaking.

”You could’ve had me in that black dress,” Valerie continued accusingly. ”But no. Overalls.”

Lavinia broke.

Bright peals of laughter escaped her as she bent slightly at the waist, one hand covering her mouth. ”That’s exactly why I picked them! I needed to make sure you weren’t successful in seducing me!”

Valerie’s red eyes narrowed.

Lavinia laughed harder.

”You think this is funny?”

”Yes!”

”I’m still beautiful.”

”That’s the problem!”

Valerie gritted her teeth, but before she could launch into another complaint, two more curtains opened.

Evangeline and Rosaline stepped out almost simultaneously.

Lavinia’s laughter faded.

Evangeline’s outfit suited her surprisingly well. The pale cardigan softened the intensity of her bright red hair, while a dark high-necked top underneath kept the outfit from becoming too plain. 

A black pleated skirt completed it, making Evangeline look less like an immortal predator and more like someone who might casually wander through a café after class.

Rosaline was another matter entirely.

The black dress Lavinia had originally threatened Valerie with hugged Rosaline’s figure closely, the dark fabric fitted from her chest downward before ending high on her thighs. 

A sheer black upper layer covered her torso and arms while still leaving the structure beneath visible, and against Rosaline’s dark skin and vivid red hair, the entire outfit looked almost unfairly striking.

The store stopped being quiet.

Whispers rose from several directions.

Someone audibly inhaled.

Rosaline noticed immediately.

Of course she did.

Her lips curved into a satisfied smile as she walked toward Lavinia, then leaned forward slightly. Looking up through her red lashes, Rosaline tilted her head.

”Well?”

Lavinia looked her up and down once.

Rosaline’s smile widened.

”Are you impressed?”

”Yes,” Lavinia admitted.

Rosaline straightened triumphantly. ”Good.”

Evangeline leaned over beside her and looked down at her own outfit. ”I thought you might pick something embarrassing for me as revenge, but I actually like this.”

”You sounded too excited. It ruined my motivation.”

”I still prefer my dress, though.” Evangeline smoothed the cardigan before flicking some of her red hair behind one pointed ear. ”This is nice, but my dress feels more like me.”

Rosaline nodded. ”Same.”

Lavinia glanced at her. ”Even after all your complaining?”

”I never said I disliked our dresses.” Rosaline gestured down at herself. ”They feel natural. I don’t even really miss human clothes. I just think they’re ridiculously conservative for someone like me.”

”Someone like you?”

”Someone who wants to flaunt it.”

”Of course.”

Rosaline’s eyes suddenly gleamed.

Lavinia immediately became wary.

Rosaline leaned toward her again. ”Speaking of flaunting things, I seem to remember someone claiming all of us were rather pitiful in a certain department.”

Her gaze dropped deliberately.

Lavinia knew exactly what she meant.

”Have you reconsidered?” Rosaline asked sweetly.

Lavinia waved one hand dismissively. ”Yes, yes. Whatever Rosaline says is right.”

Valerie burst out laughing. ”You’re trying so hard to brush her off.”

”I don’t care anymore.”

”Why did you even think we were flat?” Valerie asked, glancing between Lavinia and Rosaline. ”You can see yourself. Or check.”

Lavinia rolled her eyes. ”I wasn’t originally female. How am I supposed to know whether my boobs are big or not when I never had any to begin with?”

A couple walking past went completely silent.

Rosaline’s mouth twitched.

Valerie stared at Lavinia for a second before laughing again.

”You have eyes!” Valerie protested.

”Eyes don’t come with a measurement chart!”

A softer laugh joined theirs.

Cordelia approached from behind Lavinia, and the sight of her made Lavinia turn fully around.

The simple black crop top left Cordelia’s stomach bare, while the fitted shorts exposed far more of her legs than her normal dress ever did. 

Her long blue hair cascaded around her shoulders and waist, softening the stark simplicity of the outfit, although the faintly self-conscious way she held herself made it obvious she was very aware of how much skin was visible.

Cordelia reached Lavinia and slipped both arms around her neck.

”I’m quite conscious of my stomach being exposed.”

Lavinia automatically looked down.

Her gaze snapped back upward.

”It looks good, though.”

Cordelia smiled and gently poked Lavinia in the forehead. ”I didn’t say it looked bad.”

Taffy and honeysuckle surrounded Lavinia as Cordelia remained close.

”I suppose judging from everyone else’s comments, it’s fine,” Cordelia added.

”It’s more than fine!” Valerie said enthusiastically. ”You look amazing.”

Rosaline nodded rapidly. ”Very amazing.”

Cordelia laughed softly. ”Thank you.”

Before the conversation could go any farther, Celestine and Evelyn returned.

They were holding hands.

Evelyn was also trying desperately to hide her face.

Lavinia’s eyes widened.

Celestine had been put into a sleek black evening dress with a plunging neckline and a high slit running along one leg. 

Draped loosely around her arms and shoulders was a black faux-fur stole, its soft volume contrasting with the smooth fabric beneath it. 

Her long teal hair fell over the dark material in waves, making the entire outfit look far more elegant than anything Lavinia had expected Evelyn to choose.

Evelyn, meanwhile, looked as though she wanted the floor to open and swallow her.

She wore a soft white button-up blouse tucked into a tight black miniskirt, the darker fabric emphasizing the curve of her hips. 

Black thigh-high stockings finished the outfit, leaving a narrow strip of pale skin visible between their lace-trimmed tops and the hem of her skirt.

Her blonde hair fell around her burning face as she tried to hide behind it.

Lavinia beamed. ”You both look beautiful!”

Evelyn somehow became more embarrassed.

Celestine smiled and squeezed her hand. ”Thank you.”

”I really like the stole.” Lavinia gestured toward the fluffy black wrap around Celestine’s arms. ”You look like you’re going somewhere ridiculously expensive.”

Celestine glanced down at herself. ”Evelyn chose well.”

”I didn’t know it would look that—” Evelyn stopped, apparently unable to determine what word she wanted.

”Good?” Rosaline offered.

Evelyn hid her face.

Valerie suddenly grabbed Lavinia by both arms and shook her.

”Hey!”

”You weren’t this excited about mine!”

Lavinia looked at Valerie.

She looked down at the overalls.

Then back at Valerie.

Her lips twitched.

Valerie’s expression darkened. ”Don’t.”

Lavinia burst into laughter.

Valerie smacked her arm.

Lavinia laughed harder.

”You did this on purpose!” Valerie complained, smacking her again. ”I’m picking my own outfit!”

”But you’re adorable!”

”I don’t want adorable anymore!”

Valerie stomped toward the clothing racks, her long orange hair swaying furiously behind her.

Lavinia wiped beneath one eye despite having no tears to remove. ”She’s so cute.”

”You’re cruel,” Evangeline said while laughing.

Rosaline tapped her index finger thoughtfully against her bottom lip. ”It seems like everyone is finished changing.”

”Except Valerie again,” Cordelia pointed out.

”She’ll survive.” Rosaline looked around at everyone before her smile returned. ”We should wander around the mall like this.”

Evangeline immediately pouted. ”Then the vampire mystique will disappear.”

Rosaline stared at her. ”Evangeline, the vampire mystique disappeared about ten minutes after we entered this store.”

”It did not.”

”Do you have any idea how many pictures of us are probably already online?”

Evangeline glanced toward the surrounding humans.

Several phones disappeared suspiciously quickly.

”Oh.”

Rosaline spread her hands. ”Exactly.”

Evelyn shifted beside Celestine. ”I want to change back.”

Celestine immediately leaned closer to Evelyn’s pointed ear.

Evelyn stiffened.

”We picked each other’s clothes,” Celestine murmured. ”You can’t back out that easily.”

Evelyn stared at her.

Celestine smiled.

Evelyn slowly looked toward the others for support.

Nobody offered any.

Then Adelaide wandered back.

She wore almost exactly what she’d promised: an oversized gray hoodie and fitted blue jeans. 

The casual clothing looked remarkably natural on her, especially with her long green hair hanging freely around the hood. 

Compared with everyone else, Adelaide appeared to have escaped almost entirely unharmed.

Evelyn’s eyes locked onto her.

”Can I change into that?”

Celestine smiled proudly. ”No.”

Evelyn’s shoulders slumped.

Lavinia giggled. ”Celestine, you’re enjoying this.”

”A little.”

”Traitor,” Evelyn whispered.

Celestine squeezed her hand affectionately. ”You look beautiful.”

That only made Evelyn hide her face again.

Adelaide smiled as she approached. ”I was never particularly flashy. If I can wear it comfortably, it’s good enough for me.”

Rosaline’s gaze slowly moved over Adelaide.

Adelaide noticed.

”No.”

Rosaline blinked innocently. ”I didn’t say anything.”

”You were about to.”

”I have a few ideas.”

Adelaide looked toward Lavinia.

Lavinia met her gaze.

Adelaide immediately shook her head. ”No. I don’t want to.”

Lavinia broke into laughter alongside Cordelia and Evangeline, while Rosaline placed a hand over her chest as if mortally wounded.

”You didn’t even hear my ideas!”

”I saw what you did to yourself.”

”And I look fantastic.”

”That’s exactly why I’m saying no.”

The vampires laughed again, their voices finally blending naturally with the sounds of the store rather than dominating a room that had gone quiet around them.

Lavinia looked across the group.

Valerie was still somewhere among the racks, presumably searching for something sufficiently attractive to restore her wounded pride. 

Rosaline stood shamelessly in her black dress, clearly enjoying every stare she received. 

Evangeline kept turning this way and that to inspect her skirt. 

Cordelia was gradually relaxing in her much more revealing outfit, while Celestine seemed almost regal in hers.

Evelyn still looked like she wanted to disappear.

Adelaide looked as comfortable as if she’d worn the hoodie yesterday.

And Lavinia herself remained in the white sweater and short black outfit the others had forced upon her earlier.

For a collection of creatures that had emerged from the same impossible event and awakened wearing variations of the same gothic style, they suddenly looked somewhat ordinary.

Well.

Ordinary if one ignored the red eyes, pointed ears, impossible beauty, and the mixture of sweet scents hanging around them.

Lavinia smiled.

She didn’t think she wanted to replace her dress. It was hers in a way normal clothing simply wasn’t. 

It smelled like berries and pine, repaired itself whenever damaged, and felt as natural against her skin as her own hair.

Judging by what everyone else had said, they felt similarly.

Her phone vibrated.

She froze.

A smile slowly appeared on her face as she remembered the picture she’d sent only minutes earlier.

Rosaline noticed immediately. ”What’s that smile?”

”Nothing.”

”That was absolutely a something smile.”

Lavinia pulled her phone from her pocket.

Evangeline’s eyes widened with realization. ”Rebecca?”

Lavinia immediately angled the screen away from her. ”None of your business.”

That was enough.

Rosaline’s expression transformed.

Cordelia covered a quiet laugh.

Even Evelyn momentarily forgot her embarrassment and looked toward Lavinia with curiosity.

Lavinia stared at all of them.

”No.”

Rosaline took one step forward.

Lavinia took one step backward.

”Don’t.”

Rosaline smiled.

Lavinia’s red eyes narrowed.

”If any of you touch my phone, I’m throwing you into the fountain.”

Rosaline’s smile only widened.

From somewhere deeper in the store, Valerie called out that she’d found something better.

For one precious second, everyone’s attention shifted.

Lavinia immediately turned and fled toward Valerie.

Behind her, Rosaline burst into laughter and gave chase.

Valerie (lol)

Rosaline

Celestine 

Evelyn

Cordelia

Evangeline

Adelaide