Long ago, when the night still loomed as an immense and unknown threat to two defenseless girls, Beth appeared like a beacon.
Alice and Rose were still children when they lost their parents to a tragedy, an epidemic that swept through their village and left nothing but silence behind. Weak and starving, they wandered aimlessly until they were found by Beth, a mysterious woman with a commanding presence, her eyes carrying a blend of compassion and ancient sorrow.
Beth took them in without hesitation. She was firm, yet gentle, treating them as though they were her own daughters. She fed them, warmed them, held them through nights of fever and nightmares. And when yellow fever struck, reducing their fragile bodies to little more than fading embers of life, Beth made the decision that would forever alter the course of their existence.
Seated at the edge of the bed where the girls struggled to breathe, Beth held their hands, silent tears sliding down her immortal face.
"Forgive me, my girls…" she murmured.
"But I will not let you go. I cannot lose you too."
And then, through an act of love as desperate as it was dark, Beth transformed them into vampires.
The years that followed were filled with relentless learning. Beth taught them how to survive, how to control their thirst, how to walk among humans without drawing suspicion. Alice was curious, quick to learn, her eyes always lit with fierce determination. Rose, more introspective, carried a quiet calm, as though she observed the world in silence, absorbing everything.
Beth shaped them, trained them, and in time judged them ready to walk on their own. On a cold night, after one final hunt together, she said her farewell.
"You are strong. Stronger than you believe," she said, looking at them the way a mother looks upon her grown daughters.
"Now… live your lives."
She vanished into the darkness, leaving Alice and Rose with nothing but memories of the woman who had not only saved them—but given them a destiny.
PRESENT
Alice stood motionless in her room, breathing deeply as she stared at her pale reflection in the mirror. The weight of Beth's memory still clung to her, every detail vivid, as if it had all happened yesterday.
Now, fate was calling her back to England.
Not as the helpless girl she once was, but as a vampire forged from pain, longing, and fury.
As she packed her bag, Ruby entered the room without knocking, as she always did. Her presence brought a lightness Alice rarely admitted she needed.
"So it's really true… you're leaving," Ruby said, crossing her arms, her tone carrying more concern than reproach.
Alice nodded, her back still turned.
"I don't have a choice. If Beth is truly there, I need to find her."
Ruby stepped closer and gently pulled her down to sit on the edge of the bed. The silence between them broke only when Ruby spoke again, her voice soft.
"Kara… she chose that fate out of love, didn't she?"
The question was almost a whisper.
Alice closed her eyes as stubborn tears slipped free.
"Yes. I didn't want it… but she said what we had was worth any sacrifice."
Ruby swallowed hard.
"I remember when you turned me. I had nothing, and you saved me. I don't regret it, not for a second. And I know Kara wouldn't either."
The memory cut like a blade, and Alice's voice faltered. Ruby pulled her into a tight embrace, stroking her hair, not only as a sister, but as someone who had known her in deeper, more intimate ways.
"You're not alone, Alice. You never were," Ruby whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek.
Alice returned the embrace, clinging to her as if drawing strength from that moment. It was comforting and painful, because Ruby represented both the past and the weight of choices that could never be undone.
And then, as Alice leaned into her, Ruby couldn't resist. She kissed her, quickly, impulsively. Their eyes met, confused, and Alice kissed her back with sudden intensity, surrendering for a few fleeting seconds.
Then Alice pulled away abruptly.
This was not the moment.
And she had not yet survived the loss of Kara.
When they finally separated, Alice offered a faint smile, but determination burned in her eyes.
"Thank you, Ruby. But we can't do this again. Not now. I'm sorry. I need to go."
Ruby didn't try to stop her. She simply held Alice's hand for a moment longer before letting go, meeting her gaze and nodding in quiet understanding.
The following night, Alice departed for England.
The cold wind cut against her skin, but her heart burned with a single purpose: to find Beth.
Her phone still held the last call with Rose, clear instructions echoing in her mind. They were not together, yet bound by the same past and by a future that seemed destined to collide with it.
As the plane sliced through the darkened sky, Alice stared out the window into the void. Her reflection showed more than a vampire—it showed a daughter carrying the memory of her creator, her mother, her origin.
And now, at last, she was returning to where it all began.
Determined.
Wounded.
Prepared for vengeance.