The sky that night seemed to carry the weight of everything that was about to unfold. The city, lit only by scattered lampposts and distant windows glowing in the dark, seemed to hold its breath. Kara walked toward the meeting point despite the tension tightening her chest — an abandoned little park where the wind stirred the dry leaves on the ground.
Alice had insisted on going with her, but Kara stayed true to her promise: this meeting would be only between her and Rose.
Still, Alice couldn't bring herself to stay away. She hid a few meters back, near an old oak tree, watching every movement, every gesture of the sister she no longer recognized.
Rose was already waiting. She stood beside the broken swing, her gaze reflecting a mixture of pain, obsession, and a strange calm. When she saw Kara approaching, her lips curved into a smile that looked more like a cut.
"You came…" Rose said, her voice low, almost a satisfied whisper.
"I knew you wouldn't run from me."
Kara took a deep breath, standing firm.
"I came because I want to understand, Rose. What do you want from me? What's behind all this?"
Rose laughed, but it wasn't joy. It was a bitter sound, as if the air itself weighed on her.
"You still don't get it, do you? Everything has always been tied to her… to Alice."
The name alone made Alice, from her hiding place, clench her fists.
"Alice was my sister, my family… but she left me. Abandoned me."
Rose raised her eyes to the sky, as though fighting to contain a wave of rage.
"She decided her world was more important. She decided I wasn't worth it. And then… when nothing was left between us, you appeared."
Kara felt her throat tighten but didn't look away.
"And what do I have to do with that?"
Rose stepped forward, her expression shifting between vulnerability and restrained fury.
"You were the reason she drifted away again. It was you, Kara. You stole from her what has always been mine: her dedication, her concern, her affection."
The words came like blades sharpened by pain. Alice felt her chest ache as she listened from afar.
"I never wanted to take anything…" Kara said, trying to stay calm.
"Alice made her choices. She left because she was hurt, not because I asked her to."
"But you became the center of her life!" Rose exploded, her voice echoing through the empty park.
"I saw it in her eyes… saw how she began protecting you, fighting for you. Something she stopped doing for me, ever since she left me to face the council alone!"
Kara stepped closer, despite the tension that made the air feel like glass.
"Rose… can't you see this pain isn't about me? It's about the two of you. What was left unresolved. I'm not your enemy. And she never told me anything about this council."
For a moment, Rose's gaze trembled, a crack forming in the wall of resentment she carried.
But it vanished quickly. She turned her face away.
"Maybe… but I can't accept it." Her voice softened into something almost melancholic.
"And that's why you're here. Because somehow, looking into your eyes makes me feel like Alice still owes me something."
Alice, hidden in the shadows, watched every word, every expression. Guilt twisted inside her, but she remained silent.
The wind grew stronger, carrying the certainty that the meeting was far from over — but something irreversible had already been spoken.
The tension between Kara and Rose hung in the air like a rope stretched to the point of snapping.
Silence suffocated the space between them. Rose stared deeply at Kara, her gaze intense, almost hypnotic, as if trying to decipher her entire being.
Kara kept breathing steadily, but her heart hammered inside her chest. Rose began approaching in slow, measured steps.
"You really… have no idea what you represent, do you?" Rose murmured, tilting her head, her red eyes gleaming.
Kara refused to back away, even as a shiver climbed her spine. Rose stopped inches from her, looking her up and down as if analyzing her essence. Her stare wasn't just threatening — it carried a strange fascination.
Alice watched from afar, body taut, ready to intervene.
Rose raised her hand, almost touching Kara's face, and whispered:
"You… are the reason for all this. The reason she abandoned me…"
Before Kara could react, Rose lunged. Her lips parted, revealing fangs that shone in the faint light. In a swift, feral motion, she sank her teeth into Kara's neck.
"Agh!" Kara's muffled cry echoed as Rose held her firmly, drinking her blood with a mixture of hunger and pleasure.
Alice didn't think — she moved. In a flash, she crossed the distance, grabbed Rose by the shoulders, and tore her away with brutal force.
"GET OFF HER, ROSE!" Alice's shout carried rage and despair.
Rose was thrown back, but landed on her feet, wiping the blood from her mouth. She smiled, wild, as if she had gotten exactly what she wanted.
"Now I understand…" she said, staring at Kara, then at Alice.
"So that's why you protect her… she has a special taste."
Alice stepped in front of Kara, panting, her eyes red with fury.
"No more games!" she growled.
Rose opened her arms as if inviting her.
"Then come… prove she's more important than your own family."
The air thickened with tension. Kara, leaning against a wall, pressed her hand to the wound on her neck, her blood hot against her skin.
Then they clashed.
Alice moved first — precise, swift, brutal. Rose dodged with predatory elegance, laughing as she moved. Their blows collided with the crack of bone against bone, strength against strength.
At one point, Rose pinned Alice, proving she was physically stronger. She shot a glance toward Kara, an intense mix of danger and desire in her eyes.
"You see, Kara?" she purred.
"That's why she protects you. That's why everything revolves around you."
Alice, using the distraction, pushed Rose off and slammed her into the ground with enough force to shake the earth.
"Never again will I let you hurt someone I love!" Alice roared.
Rose stared up at her, frustration flickering in her eyes.
"So… that's it. And yet you still insist I'm the one who hurt you."
She inhaled sharply.
"Fine. Live your life then — but every choice has its consequences."
She cast one last glance at Kara, then vanished into the shadows, leaving behind a trail of cold air.
Kara rushed into Alice's arms, trembling, weak, terrified of what could have happened.
"It's okay…" Alice whispered, caressing her cheek.
"I won't let anyone hurt you."
But Kara's body was cold, trembling violently. The blood loss was too great. Her vision blurred.
"Kara… you lost too much blood," Alice murmured.
"I… I don't have a choice."
Kara tried to speak, but no sound came.
Alice lifted her wrist to her lips, bit into her own skin, and pressed it gently to Kara's mouth.
Warmth and life rushed through Kara's veins — pain and relief at once — until her vision dimmed and she collapsed safely in Alice's arms.
Morning light filtered through the hospital curtains when Kara opened her eyes. Natalie sat at her bedside, clutching her hand.
"You're awake!" Natalie said, relieved.
"I was so worried…"
Footsteps echoed — her parents, Jimmy and Maria, burst into the room, panic in their faces.
"Kara!" Maria cried, hugging her.
"Where were you? We were terrified!"
Jimmy approached, eyes sharp.
"Your friend called us the moment she found out… Why didn't anyone tell us sooner?"
Kara tried to explain, but her voice was weak. Natalie squeezed her hand gently. When her parents finally left, the truth spilled out in the lingering weight of the room.
"Something happened…" Kara began softly.
"Rose… and Alice."
Natalie hesitated before asking, voice trembling:
"They… those two… are they…?"
Kara met her eyes.
"Yes. Alice and Rose… they're… they're vampires."
Natalie recoiled slightly, shocked — but didn't let go of Kara's hand.
"So all this time… everything that happened… was because of them?"
Kara nodded slowly.
"Yes. And… Alice saved me. She didn't let Rose hurt me more."
Silence settled — thick with fear, relief, and surprise. Natalie's expression shifted from shock to understanding as she finally grasped how deep, dangerous, and complicated everything was.
Kara closed her eyes. She was still weak, but safe. Surrounded by those she trusted — Alice, Natalie, and unexpectedly, her parents.
Outside the hospital, danger lingered in the shadows.
But inside, for a brief moment, everything felt protected…
Even though the silent war between the vampire sisters had only just begun.