The sky over Princeton seemed to weep alongside everyone that morning. Heavy, dark clouds carried a muted sorrow as fine rain fell over the cemetery. A silent procession followed Kara's coffin, adorned with white flowers that contrasted painfully with the suffocating grief in the air.
Alice walked a few steps behind, accompanied by Rose and Ruby, feeling out of place, crushed beneath the weight of her own guilt. The quiet, pitying gazes from the townspeople felt like judgment burning against her skin.
At the front, Natalie stood before the open coffin to say her final goodbye. Her hands trembled, but her voice, though broken, carried through the heavy air.
"Kara… you were light, hope, and strength. You always dreamed big. You believed you could change the world. You believed in people even when they had stopped believing in themselves…"
Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she didn't falter.
"…you were more than a friend. You were my sister at heart. I will never forget what you did for all of us."
Collective sobs rose around her. Jimmy and Maria, Kara's parents, approached next. Her father, eyes swollen and voice shaking, whispered:
"My daughter… ever since you were a child you dreamt of flying, of reaching higher places. And even though your life was cut short too soon… you left a mark that will never fade."
Maria, inconsolable, clutched the edge of the coffin, her sobs tearing through the quiet:
"You deserved to live. You deserved more time, my sweet girl…"
Rose tightened her arms around Ruby, trying to hide her own tears, while Alice could barely stand to look. When the coffin was finally closed, it felt as if something inside her had been sealed away forever as well.
After the burial, Jimmy and Maria approached Alice. Maria's gaze was as sharp as a blade.
"It's your fault," she murmured, her voice drenched in hatred.
"If Kara hadn't gotten involved with you,"
Jimmy added, turning his face away, "she'd still be alive."
Alice froze. The words shattered whatever pieces of her heart remained. Rose and Ruby pulled her away gently, trying to steady her.
"Don't listen to them," Ruby whispered, holding her tightly. "They're speaking from a place of pain."
"But what if they're right…?" Alice whispered, tears burning her eyes.
"Everything I touch… it falls apart."
Rose held her gaze, firm and steady.
"No. Kara made her choice. You didn't kill her."
Even so, guilt clung to Alice like a second skin. Minutes later, she slipped away, alone, dragged down by the weight of her grief.
That evening, she visited the old apartment she once shared with Kara. She hoped to find photos or anything that still held her presence. The place was almost empty… except for a small drawer in one of the rooms.
Inside, she found photos of Kara, and a folder filled with documents.
When she opened it, Alice froze.
Forms for a civil marriage.
Kara had been preparing to propose.
Alice collapsed to the floor, sobbing, her tears falling onto the papers that carried the future Kara would never get to share with her.
Later that night, she went to an abandoned warehouse. There, she slammed her fists against the concrete over and over, releasing her anguish in raw, brutal waves. Blood streamed down her hands, only to regenerate before breaking open again.
From the shadows, Rose appeared. She watched her sister unravel, then stepped forward, grabbing Alice's arm to stop her.
"That's enough, Alice…" Rose said softly, voice trembling. "Stop punishing yourself. Kara wouldn't want this."
"You don't know anything. You don't understand anything. You almost killed her once, and now you want to tell me what she wanted?" Alice snapped, fury burning in her eyes.
Rose didn't flinch.
"You're right… I know almost nothing about her. But I do know one thing: you two loved each other. And Kara, more than anything, would want you to keep going."
"Enough!" Alice roared, lunging at her.
The two clashed, a brief fight fueled entirely by Alice's pain. She struck with full force, but Rose didn't fight back. She recognized this wasn't truly her sister, but the embodiment of grief devouring her from the inside.
Eventually, Alice pinned her to the ground, punching her over and over, Rose's blood splattering against her fists.
But Rose's voice cut through the rage:
"It's okay… I understand, Alice."
Alice froze. The realization hit her all at once. She collapsed onto Rose's chest, sobbing violently.
"She… she was going to propose to me," Alice cried, words breaking. "She never even had the chance…"
Understanding dawned in Rose's eyes. She wrapped her arms around her sister tightly.
"Alice… I'm so sorry."
And that's how the night ended: Alice sobbing into Rose's chest, Rose holding her gently—two sisters bound briefly by loss, for the first time in years.
Three weeks later.
Alice was unrecognizable. Grief had hollowed her out. In her dark room, two pale bodies, a man and a woman, lay breathing weakly beside her. She used them only for feeding.
She frequented vampire clubs, trying to fill the void hollowing her chest. Whatever humanity she still had felt miles away.
Meanwhile, Natalie shut herself away in her bedroom. Curtains drawn, bed unmade, her eyes always swollen.
She stared at a photo of herself with Kara, two bright smiles from a world that no longer existed.
"I wish I had more time with you…" she whispered between sobs.
Their worlds had fallen apart.
One silent night, Alice met with Rose. The air between them was tense.
"I can't stop thinking about her…" Alice murmured, voice frail. "If the council hadn't interfered, if they hadn't manipulated everything, Kara would still be alive."
Rose exhaled, heavy with truth.
"Alice… what happened was a tragedy. I wish I could apologize to her too. I wish I could make amends. But throwing yourself into hate won't honor her memory."
"I don't want to honor her memory," Alice replied, bitterness burning her gaze.
"I want revenge. And for that… I need power."
Rose stiffened.
"Don't tell me you're considering—"
"Beth," Alice cut in, unwavering.
"I want her location."
Rose stepped back, a chill crawling up her spine.
"You must be out of your mind. You don't want to find her, you want to use her. Alice… Beth is dangerous. You know what she did to us."
Alice stepped closer, dark energy rising around her.
"You're going to tell me where she is."
"No," Rose replied, her voice trembling but resolute.
"If you walk that path… there's no coming back."
Alice gripped her sister's arm, eyes blazing.
"You? Talking about 'no return'? Don't make me laugh, Rose."
Rose hesitated. She knew Alice would find a way—with or without her. Finally, defeated, she whispered:
"England. She's there… or was, last I knew."
Alice released her, a cold smile curling on her lips.
"Thank you."
Rose made one last attempt.
"Alice, please… there's still time to stop this."
But Alice only turned away, her expression consumed by darkness.
"No. For me, it's already too late."
And she vanished into the night, leaving Rose in tears, fearing not only for her sister's fate, but for everything that might burn with her.