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It was a lovely night. The air was cool on Carmilla’s face and fireflies circled lazily in the gardens below. She set her wine glass on the terrace and focused on the rhythmic chirping of crickets.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t escape the party entirely. The sound of the pianist Loreli hired was drifting out the patio doors, and Carmilla recognized the tune as Liebesleid, more often referred to as “Love’s Sorrow.” It was one of the first songs her mother taught her how to play back when she was a little girl growing up in Terra. Her fingers tapped along to the melody, the muscles still remembering how to play the tune.
Carmilla sucked in a breath which was difficult to do in the dress that Loreli lent her. It wasn’t something Carmilla would’ve ever chosen for herself but it was every bit an outfit Loreli adored. The dress was a deep red ball gown made out of fine silk with a skirt that swept the floor whenever she moved. Even with the heels Loreli gave her, the dress was too long and Carmilla had to keep her focus if she didn’t want to trip. The corset in the back was tied too tightly, but, when Carmilla complained, Loreli had shushed her, calling it an attempt to make Carmilla’s figure look more “flattering”. The final straw was when Loreli insisted she do Carmilla’s makeup too even though Carmilla argued that the party’s theme would be a masquerade and half her face would be covered by a lacy black mask anyway.
It seemed like the only thing Loreli didn’t touch was Carmilla’s hair. Carmilla cut it short on purpose so that Loreli could never force her to sit still for an updo.
Carmilla stared up at the moon, glowing above her, and wondered what it must be like up there. Space travel was a newer concept on this planet, but it wasn’t impossible. Not to mention that Carmilla had a leg up in intergalactic travel having tried it once before to flee her home planet. If she had it her way, maybe she would’ve stayed up there. The only issue was…
She knew she wasn’t alone anymore when she heard the familiar clicks of heels coming her way. Carmilla’s hand gripped her cup again and brought it to her lips for a large gulp. “You know I hate these events,” she said tiredly.
Loreli appeared by her side with a toothy grin. Her dress was black with a single strap and slits on both sides of her skirt so that nothing restricted her movement. Carmilla noted the blood that already stained her fangs and fought the urge to grimace. Loreli rarely left her victims alive, so it was Carmilla’s job to discreetly dispose of the drained bodies the next morning. Fortunately, no one ever noticed people went missing at Loreli’s parties because Loreli made sure that every guest was too hungover or terrified to report anything.
“You don’t have to like the parties to take part in them,” Loreli chided. She followed Carmilla’s gaze before turning her back on the moon entirely as if the sight of it bored her.
“I’m serious, Loreli,” Carmilla said. “Don’t you ever feel bothered by what we’re doing?”
Loreli shrugged, picking her fangs with her tongue. “No, why should I?”
“It’s inhumane,” Carmilla pointed out.
Loreli snorted. “Darling, we are inhumane.”
“There are kinder ways to harvest blood now, El, and I want to try them,” Carmilla said. She hesitated, wanting to choose her next words carefully. “I want to be a doctor.”
She didn’t mention that she’d been sneaking out to volunteer at the local hospital for the past couple of months. Nor did she bring up the conversation she just had with Dr. Singh, who agreed to take her on as his apprentice.
Loreli didn’t react right away. She remained perfectly still as if waiting for the punchline to a joke, but when Carmilla said nothing more, her face took on an icy expression. “Why on Terra would you want to do that?”
Carmilla wanted to look away, but she also knew it was better to keep a snake in sight. “I just don’t want us to evolve into the type of monsters people expect us to be.”
Loreli shook her head, and Carmilla knew she wouldn’t understand. Loreli’s hand rested on hers and, at the simple contact, Carmilla did flinch. “An adorable sentiment, Milly, but you’re wasting my evening with all this self-righteous talk. I don’t know what’s gotten into you lately but, if you want to stay with me, it needs to stop. Now, are you going to join me or shall I leave you here to mope?”
“You go on ahead,” Carmilla answered quietly. “I’ll head back in a minute.”
Loreli’s hand stayed on Carmilla’s and Carmilla braced herself for Loreli’s fingernails to break through her skin like claws. However, her girlfriend must have decided it wasn’t worth it tonight, and she moved her hand away without saying a word.
As her footsteps faded away, Carmilla turned her attention back to the sky, wishing that vampirism came with a set of wings rather than fangs.