Work Text:
February 13th, 2000
Silver - Age 21
Serenity - Age 21
If there's one thing twins are usually known for, it's for being absolutely inseparable, no matter what. Regardless of how hard or busy or overwhelming life gets, even after countless arguments and fights and silent treatments, twins will always find a way to each other.
Scarlette and Serenity were no different. They'd been attached at the hip since they were born. All throughout their childhood, even through the chaotic mess that was their elemental powers manifesting during their teen years, they stayed by each other's side. And they had absolutely no intentions of stopping that now. But intentions and reality can be very different.
It was February 13th. An important date to them that should've been spent with family and friends, maybe even a romantic partner. Unfortunately, the Stonemire twins didn't have much of any of that. Their mother barely remembered they existed most of the time, their father could be somewhere across the world for all they know, and they didn't have any other siblings or extended family. Neither of them kept in touch with their old friends from their childhood, nor did either of them find interest in any kind of partner. All they had was each other, but that was more than enough.
It was their birthday, and Scarlette and Serenity were going to spend it together no matter what.
However, life had other plans. Work and school were increasingly demanding and never-ending exhaustion was just as ferocious.
"𝘜𝘨𝘩. Our birthday has the worst timing ever." Serenity whines over the phone, her head buried in a college textbook that was entirely too big for just one course. "One of the few times we should be able to be together is ruined by stupid deadlines and upcoming exams."
Scarlette sighs along with her sister, disappointment coating her tone as she responds, "I know, I know. I was hoping to get today off, or at least leave early, but apparently, that's a luxury at my job. I couldn't even leave until after 10:30."
"At least we're both home now, right? Even if we're not together, I'd hate for either of us to have to stay out this late."
"Fair enough. But now what do we do?" Scarlette asks, gazing at the ceiling of her bland apartment room. "Getting to talk to you is nice and all, but it's our birthday. I wanna see you. I miss you." She admits, her voice now quiet with a hint of sadness despite her attempt to hide it.
Scarlette usually wasn't the best at expressing her emotions, much less with other people. She wasn't quiet or shy by any means, but she definitely wasn't outgoing in that sense. But of course, Serenity was different. She could share almost anything and everything with her sister without a second thought. The truth just came easy with her, and the truth was that Scarlette couldn't stand being away from her sister for so long. It wasn't dependency or obsession, just an odd longing for the warm, comforting noise that Serenity brings with her wherever she goes.
Speaking of noise, Serenity hums and taps her pen against her book as she tries to think of a solution. "Wait! I have an idea-" She suddenly cuts herself off, her next words replaced with a frustrated huff. "Nevermind. That's too boring."
"What were you going to say?"
"I mean, we could just meet up and go for a walk or something? I know that's not very exciting, but it might be relaxing, and we could catch up for a while."
"That sounds good enough for me." Scarlette says with a smile. "We can meet at our usual spot, then."
"You mean the one near the lake, right? That would be nice. Consider it planned!" Serenity beams at the thought of finally being able to put a pause on her seemingly never-ending work.
"Alright, I'll see you in a bit." The twins say their temporary goodbyes and hang up.
15 minutes pass and the two elementals are at a park relatively near their respective apartments. It had been their favorite place to hang out ever since they moved out from their parents' house, and now they go there together whenever they have time. Tonight made the get together particularly special though.
Serenity nearly tackles her twin the moment they're in a three-foot radius, almost sending them both to the ground, but Scarlette clearly doesn't mind and hugs her back just as tightly.
"Gods, I missed you so much!" Serenity beams as she finally lets go. She's practically glowing with excitement, and Scarlette's no different. The moonlight brightens and enhances their shared, pale features, illuminating their azure-colored eyes until they're a glowing pair of pure radiance.
"I missed you, too. Let's get walking, yeah? Wouldn't want to stay out too late."
"It's already after 11, I don't think staying out late is that much of a concern for us, Silver." Serenity jokes, referencing her sister's pale, blonde hair, before walking off anyway with Scarlette following close behind.
The two walk around the whole neighborhood, which doesn't actually take long considering its small size, but it feels like hours to them. They talk about everything and anything they can think of: work, school, life, miscellaneous topics that don't mean much, but are brought up nonetheless. It isn't until a strange noise from their left makes itself known that they suddenly stop.
Ever the observant one, Scarlette notices it first and ceases walking. "What was that?" She asks, gazing down the alleyway past Serenity. The noise sounded like footsteps, but there wasn't anyone to be seen.
"What was what?" Her twin turns her head as well, clearly confused.
"I think there's someone down there. I heard footsteps."
"I don't think anyone else would willingly be out this late at night. It was probably just an animal or something." Serenity shrugs it off and tries to continue walking, but Scarlette stops her with a tug on her wrist.
"No, someone is definitely there. I can feel their aura. I can't really tell what it is, though." The older twin's body starts to tense, a bad feeling seeping under her skin as she stares down the darkened alleyway.
"Oh? Well, maybe they're just out for a stroll like us? Regardless, it's probably nothing to worry about." Serenity assures, taking Scarlette's hand. "We should get going anyway. I think it's almost one and I still have classes in the morning."
Scarlette tilts to her head towards her twin, a deadpan expression replacing her uneasy features. "I still don't understand why you chose to take morning classes instead of afternoons like a normal person."
"Hey! It's not my fault!" Serenity raises her hands in defense, but Scarlette doesn't seem convinced.
Then, another step is heard. A lot more noticeable this time.
The two whip their heads towards the alley again and see the perpetrator—a vampire, if his aura is anything to go by. He definitely looks the part, too. The girls are instantly on high alert just from his appearance alone. He's tall and lanky, and his head is tilted, like a predator observing its prey before it pounces.
"So sorry to interrupt your conversation. I just saw you two talking and couldn't resist the urge to approach you." His silver eyes seem to darken as he takes a step closer.
Silver immediately pulls Serenity behind her, practically sensing the bloodlust radiating off of the man. "What do you want?" She inquiries carefully, her voice sounding a lot more steady than she actually feels. The twins are well equipped enough with their magic, but definitely not enough to fight off a desperate vampire.
The vampire in question strolls a few paces forward without a single care for the girls' increasing apprehension, his voice eerily calm, almost excited as he responds, "You two smell divine, y'know that? I could drain you dry right here... and I really want to."
The elementals take another cautious step back, trying to think of some way to get out of this predicament, but they truly don't have a lot of options. They probably can't fight him, and there's no way they're outrunning the vampire equivalent of an addict going through withdrawals, so what exactly are they supposed to do?
Unfortunately, the man doesn't give them much time to think before he dashes towards them, taking Serenity first by the throat and shoving Scarlette head first hard onto the ground.
"SERENITY!" Scarlette cries, clutching her bleeding head with her hand as the vampire drags her sister into the alleyway. She makes an attempt to get up and follow them, but the sudden concussion from the fall knocks her off balance and she painfully stumbles back to the ground. She struggles to summon her magic, hoping the wind can propel her upright, but she can barely focus enough to stay conscious. She settles for crawling as quickly as possible, pulling herself across concrete to get to her sister.
The younger twin tries to scream, but the noise is drowned out with distance and the sounds of intense struggling. She tries to fight the man off, writhing and kicking at him until he finally drops her on the alley floor. The respite is short lived however, as the vampire forces himself on top of her, completely restricting the girl's movement with his hand holding both of hers above her head. She squeezes her eyes shut and keeps her head facing away from him, figuring the least she could do is keep him from trancing her.
The bloodthirsty man leans down to her neck, taking in the scent of her blood with a shuddering breath. A slow grin spreads across his face, watching the girl struggle underneath him with sick amusement. He has no intentions of letting her go.
Not without getting his fill first.
"You don't have to worry about me trancing you, human. I think I can get what I want just from my strength alone." He taunts before grazing his sharp fangs across her skin, reveling in the way she quakes in fear.
The sound of dragging behind him temporarily distracts the vampire, but he doesn't seem the least bit annoyed. In fact, he looks even more ecstatic at the sight of Scarlette crawling across the ground, desperate to stop him.
"Get off of her." The girl says, her words slightly slurred. She uses the wall to slowly stand up, but it's clear she's unstable.
Serenity's eyes shoot open as she hears her sister's voice. "Silver!"
"Got you." The vampire uses this opportunity to take control of the younger twin, trancing her the moment she leaves her eyes open. He couldn't resist the sudden chance to take advantage while her sister was watching. All of the fight fades out of the girl's body, her eyes going blank as she involuntarily stares up at him.
He takes no time to take what he wants and sinks his teeth into the girl's neck, drinking her blood with reckless abandon. A pleasurable groan leaves his mouth, clearly satisfied with the taste of her.
"No, no, no, no. Stop!" Silver wills herself into focus and stumbles a bit closer, calling upon her magic again. With a new found strength, she sends a blast of wind just powerful enough to blow the vampire off of Serenity. He rolls and hits the wall, but he doesn't seem to feel any pain from it. Unfortunately, he now looks a bit irritated.
Scarlette pays him no mind and continues her pursuit of her sister. Serenity lies there on the ground, unmoving and barely lucid from the blood loss. The older twin almost reaches her before she's promptly shoved again, sending her entire body off balance. The vampire effortlessly grabs Serenity by the throat once more, covering the puncture wounds made from his fangs. He stands over Scarlette's near-limp form, dangling Serenity from his hand like she weighs nothing.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't drain your pathetic little sister." He provokes, agitation flaring in his expression as he squeezes the elemental's neck. Serenity winces from the pressure, but she's far too drained to move any more than that.
Scarlette struggles to form a coherent thought, much less a coherent sentence, but she takes a few seconds to speak slowly.
"You can just turn me instead."
The air goes still for a moment, then a mocking smile makes its way onto the vampire's face. "Oh? Just what makes you think I would agreed to 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?"
"You want blood right? Then just take all of mine." Scarlette pleads, pushing herself up to her elbows in an attempt to sit up. That may not be exactly how turning works—she's heavily depending on his ignorance on that fact—but she'll be damned if she lets this leech hurt her sister any more than he already has. "Take my blood and leave my sister alone."
The man hums, carelessly tapping his fingers along Serenity's neck as he considers the proposition. He purposefully allows the silence to stretch, forcing the older twin to wait with baited breath.
After what feels like forever, the vampire finally caves with a long sigh, "Fine, fine. I must admit, you're quite convincing for a little airhead." He taunts, but he releases Serenity and his trance on her, dropping her near-unconscious body to the hard ground.
Scarlette seethes at the derogatory term, but it's quickly replaced with relief as the man relinquishes her sister. Luckily, it looks like her guess on his obliviousness was right. Before she can even think of a response, he grabs her by the collar instead. She instinctively reaches for his hands to pry them off, but the sudden movements send sharp jolts of pain directly to her head, and the man seems to delight in her struggle and suffering.
"You've caused me a lot of trouble, airhead. You better hope your blood's as good as your sister's," he gives a condescending tilt of his head towards Serenity's sleeping form, "or else I'll have to go back on this little deal of ours and kill you both myself." The vampire gives her a sly leer, leans in, and slowly licks the side the side of Scarlette's neck, the action disturbingly sensual as he tastes her blood through her skin. Apparently her blood 𝘪𝘴 just as good because another shiver runs through the man's body when he does so.
The plain threat mixed with the revoltingly sweet motion makes Silver's skin crawl in all the wrong ways, but she won't back out now. She 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵.
The man takes a deep breath, then sinks his fangs into her neck. An immediate, aching throb follows under her skin as he drinks deeply in large gulps.
However, too stuck in his own pleasurable haze of draining her dry, the vampire doesn't notice that Scarlette does the exact same to him.
The thing about turning someone into a vampire is that it isn't a one way street—it's an exchange. Blood for blood. The maker takes the life from its progeny and the progeny takes the life of its maker to replace it. It'd be a beautiful sentiment in any other case, but for Silver? It's a vital piece of knowledge she hopes can stay unknown before it's too late.
Just as the transaction is complete, the man finally realizes that this isn't feeling the way it should. The girl should be damn-near bone dry by now, but he doesn't feel the least bit satiated. He feels quite the opposite, actually...
It's then that he acknowledges that his progeny's newly formed fangs are lodged deep into his own shoulder, half conscious, but taking his blood nonetheless.
No wonder he didn't feel anything—she was taking it from him.
"You fucking leech!" The man immediately shoves her away and to the ground, but the damage is already done. Silver's life is lost and its place is the undead life of a vampire.
Scarlette stays limp underneath him, completely exhausted from the exchange. She doesn’t regret it in the slightest, yet her maker's enraged expression instills a strong sense of fear within her. She knows he didn't—and maybe still doesn't—understand the full implications of what she offered, and based on his boiling agitation, he definitely doesn't appreciate the sentiment. She makes an attempt to speak, or at the very least, sit up, but her body might as well be made of led with how heavy it feels. She gazes up towards her sister, who is slowly, but surely stirring awake from all the noise. She can feel her own consciousness slipping away as she tries to make sure she's alright.
Serenity's eyes flutter open and immediately catch on her older twin as well as the panting vampire looming over her. There's a dull throbbing in her neck and her head is pounding, yet she tries to keep her focus on her sister.
However, her twin looks... different somehow. More pale than usual even despite their situation, and her eyes don't seem to be the same blinding blue that were before. They were brighter, even. Ironically, they looked like the color silver.
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳...
The elemental's face falls in realization as she grasps what has happened.
The vampire 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 Scarlette.
But why? It doesn't make any sense. Did he think he could get more blood that way? Why did he go after Scarlette instead of her? And why does he look so angry about it?
Too many questions make her head spin and Scarlette's seemingly comatose state along with the man's growing hostility don't help her in the slightest.
The man in question turns to Serenity, his own silver eyes dark with a newfound bloodlust, one fueled by rage, rather than hunger. "I'm glad you're finally up and at 'em, 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺. Now I don't have to worry about an annoying 𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘤𝘩 interrupting my meal."
"Wait-" She tries to protest, but it's no use. The man lunges at her, trapping her under him once again, but this time, her sister isn't conscious enough to stop him. His teeth lodge themselves into her throat once more, draining her of every drop of blood she has left until he's satiated. Serenity's body goes limp almost immediately. She can't fight back, no matter how much she wants to.
The maker releases his blood-covered fangs from the girl and leans back, straddling her hips with a long, satisfied sigh. Her form lays dead and empty beneath him, filling him with a less-than-favorable sense of triumph and gratification. He slowly bends back down, sucking up the few remaining drops of blood from the poor girl's neck, mimicking the motions from his attempt on Scarlette. The mere thought of the older twin sends a strong flash of exasperation through the man, but he doesn't act on it again. He got what he wanted. There's no use of dwelling on it now.
The man stands to his full height, taking a languid stretch like he just got up from a particularly comfortable couch, before finally walking away from this crime scene of an alleyway. He pauses to look back at the pale twins—both dead, but in different ways—and smiles. A slow, sinister smile that reaches his bright, silver eyes.
He finally leaves the scene hours before sunrise, leaving the girls to rot and rest in the cold, dark night.