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When she and Uriel were young, Uriel had woven her a crown made of daisies.
“You see, this part is you,” she said, pointing to the white petals that resembled Gabriel’s pale blonde hair. “And this part is me,” she added, gesturing to the yellow petals that closely matched the shade of Uriel’s golden locks.
With tiny arms outstretched, she placed the flower crown atop Gabriel’s head, matching the one she’d spotted on Uriel when she’d gone out to find her earlier.
Uriel beamed at her. “It’s perfect!” She stood up, brushing the grass off her dress. “Okay, I’ll be the princess, and you’ll be the prince.”
Gabriel furrowed her brow. “Why am I the prince?”
“Because you’re more princely than I am,” she replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Now, ask me to dance.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s what princes do!”
Despite feeling a rush of embarrassment, Gabriel complied, standing up and hesitating before extending her hand. “W-would… would you like to dance with me?”
Uriel squealed, her smile widening as she clapped her hands in delight. She took Gabriel’s hand eagerly, letting her clumsily guide their movements. Gabriel didn’t know how to dance, so they were really only moving around in circles together, but Uriel smiled happily anyway.
Looking at her smile, Gabriel wondered how someone could so effortlessly capture the essence of the sun.
Gabriel never did get to find out who attacked her.
One moment, she was walking home after ensuring Uriel got home safely, and the next, she woke up, her limbs weak and her neck stinging with pain. When she raised a hand to her throat, it was wet, and pulling it back in front of her face revealed it was stained with something dark.
Even in the pale light of the moon filtering through the trees, she recognized it as blood. Her mouth tasted like metal.
Perhaps it was hypocritical for Gabriel to reprimand Uriel for never worrying about getting home before sunset, as she had never been particularly careful with her own life, even before she had been turned.
Now that Uriel lived in the city, she seemed to have grown accustomed to the bustling nightlife, continuing to sell from her flower stall even after darkness fell.
Every night, Gabriel watched her from the back corner of a store in the market square. And when she walked home Gabriel would follow from close by, keeping an eye out for any strange man hovering near her. Anyone who dared to follow Uriel became her meal for the night.
Part of her was grateful for Uriel’s insistence on staying out late. Otherwise, she would never have the chance to see her.
Gabriel had to admit that Uriel was well-suited for running a market stall. Her cheerful demeanor and radiant smile drew in customers effortlessly.
One evening, a mother with a baby and a little girl passed by the stall. The little girl, struggling to keep up with her mother, tripped and immediately burst into tears. The exhausted mother tried to console her while balancing the baby, glancing around apologetically at those giving her disapproving looks.
Uriel left her stall and knelt in front of the little girl, speaking softly and offering one of her gentle smiles. From behind her back, she produced a flower crown like those Gabriel remembered from their childhood and placed it carefully atop the child’s head. The girl’s crying ceased instantly at the sight of the flowers.
The mother attempted to refuse, likely unable to pay for it, but Uriel smiled and waved her hand dismissively, watching the little girl leave with her mother.
Gabriel observed the exchange for a long time, too distracted to notice Uriel’s gaze shifting in her direction. Cursing under her breath, she ducked behind the corner of the shop again.
When she peeked back, Uriel was no longer in view, causing Gabriel to panic, only to be startled by a familiar voice from behind her.
“Why are you avoiding me?” Uriel asked.
Caught off guard, Gabriel faltered. “I’m not avoiding you. I just…”
When she looked up, she expected Uriel to be angry, but instead, she just looked hurt. “You haven’t come to visit me even once since I moved here… I miss you.”
“I miss you too,” Gabriel murmured.
Gabriel continued to follow Uriel home, primarily feeding on the men who dared to pursue her.
She never killed them, uncertain of what to do with the bodies if she did. Instead, she ensured they never saw her face and scared them enough to deter them from following Uriel or any other woman again, lest she come to finish the job. She found satisfaction in watching them act jumpy and frightened whenever she spotted them in the market.
Now that she was well-fed, she could spend time around Uriel without being hyper-aware of her pulse and intoxicating scent. Still, she maintained as much distance as possible.
Uriel wasn’t stupid. She could tell something was off about her. Even just the subtle changes in her appearance, her unnaturally gray eyes and the visible veins beneath her translucent skin, were enough to raise suspicion. Uriel never mentioned it, likely fearing that Gabriel would distance herself again.
Uriel had noticed Gabriel following her, and one day, when they were alone, she called out for her to walk alongside her. It became a habit for them. Whenever Gabriel didn’t have to keep watch, she would catch up to Uriel and walk her home while staying by her side, bidding her goodnight at her door.
Uriel invited her to house several times, but Gabriel always refused.
In the weeks that followed, Uriel developed a cold. Looking back, Gabriel realized she should have noticed Uriel’s illness, but even as a child, it had been hard to discern when Uriel felt unwell as she always masked her poor health with her vibrant personality.
One day, Uriel coughed up blood, and the sight nearly made Gabriel snap and bite her. She excused herself, feeling ashamed to leave just when Uriel was suffering the most. When Uriel questioned her abrupt departure, Gabriel fabricated an excuse about having developed a phobia of seeing blood, to which Uriel only responded with a narrow-eyed look.
What began as a minor cough soon escalated into something more serious, and Gabriel watched helplessly as Uriel withered away.
Uriel lay in bed, pale and fragile, her breaths shallow. Gabriel knelt beside her, taking Uriel's cold hand in hers. She barely stirred, her breathing weak.
Gabriel knew this wasn’t something she should do without Uriel’s permission, but there was no time left to ask. And a part of her wasn’t sure what she would do if Uriel’s answer was, “No.”
In a moment of desperation, she bit into her wrist hard enough for blood to pour from the wound and pressed it against Uriel’s mouth. Once she was sure Uriel had swallowed some of her blood, she leaned in and drank deeply from her neck.
Even in her weakened state, Uriel reacted, her arms coming up to clutch at Gabriel, not to push her away but to pull her closer.
The change was difficult for Uriel. An insatiable hunger gnawed at her, threatening to consume her. Gabriel remembered what that felt like.
She spent the first few days sitting by the window covered entirely by thick curtains, not opening it, only staring.
Gabriel remained by her side, trying to guide her as best as she could, but she too felt her heart aching at the thought that someone as vibrant and full of life as Uriel would never again enjoy a morning sunrise or feel the warmth of the sun on her face.
She cried the first time an animal she fed from died in her hands.
When Uriel was strong enough, Gabriel sought out people for her to feed on, those who had committed crimes awful enough that Uriel would agree to feed from them. But the first time Uriel accidentally went too far, it only deepened her distress.
One night, Gabriel apologized for what she had done to her, but to her surprise, Uriel smiled and took her hand in hers.
“I don’t blame you. I would have done the same for you.”
Gabriel slowly stepped into the water. Though it was nighttime, she knew the days were warm at this time of year, so the water shouldn’t be too cold. Still, she offered to check for Uriel, who was more sensitive to cold temperatures than she was.
Turning back, she nodded to Uriel, extending a hand to guide her as she stepped into the glade, her skirt bundled up in her other hand to avoid tripping.
Uriel jumped slightly at the sudden chill against her bare skin, but didn’t seem to find the water too cold to stay in.
Once she was steady, she tugged Gabriel farther into the pond, wanting to stand where the moon was reflected on the water's surface. Fireflies flitted above, reflecting over the surface of the water like dancing stars.
Uriel let go of Gabriel’s hand to cover her mouth in delight, giggling. Gabriel’s heart clenched at the sight. Perhaps even without access to daylight, she could still show Uriel beautiful things.
Before she could be too embarrassed to go through with it, Gabriel reached her hand out again and said, “Dance with me.” Cheeks heating up as she did so.
Uriel’s smile brightened and she curtsied playfully before taking hold of her hand. She let Gabriel guide her as she hummed a tune for them to dance to. Gabriel was still not much better at dancing than she had been when she was a child, but she tried her best to mimic what she had seen before, careful not to step on Uriel’s toes.
At Uriel's request, Gabriel twirled her, splashing water around them. During a particularly clumsy moment, they nearly fell, but Gabriel caught herself in time, holding Uriel by the waist in a semblance of a dip. Uriel’s surprise yelp turned into laughter, and in that moment, Gabriel thought she may be the only vampire who could still bask in the sun's presence.
Without thinking, Gabriel brushed her thumb across Uriel’s cheek, her heart racing in her chest. Uriel’s laughter faded, and their eyes locked. Gabriel leaned in closer and slowly pressed her lips against Uriel’s.
At first, the kiss was only a stiff press of skin against skin and Gabriel almost pulled away when Uriel froze. But before she could, Uriel melted into it, her hands tangling in Gabriel's hair as she deepened the kiss.
When they finally pulled apart, breathless and wide-eyed, Uriel let out a soft laugh and wrapped Gabriel in a tight embrace. Gabriel closed her eyes, holding onto her closely, basking in the sound of her still-beating heart.