Sometimes I like doing pieces like this where you're having a "man in the mirror" moment and reflecting or seeing a different side of yourself.
Amelie facing herself here though is like she's regretting losing her humanity but needing the power.
I don't wanna get into the details of how exactly she was turned just yet but I'm gonna use this space to talk a little about how the vampirism works in my head lol (I know movies/books have their own interpretations of what vampires are and maybe there's some universally agreed upon rules but whatever those are idk and I don't care I'm just deciding on what's what to benefit the sort of storytelling I'm trying to do with my silly OCs. I'm not a writer so if some things sound wack I'm sorry 😔)
This gonna be a LONG ONE so buckle up.
(What is a Vampire in the Lee n Lie universe?)
Pretty much the same as you're thinking in other stories. Supernatural creatures with bloodthirsty instincts and generally the same methods of defeating them apply here. (Minus SOME religious ways portrayed in some media to deter them like holy water, crosses, etc. Or something silly like garlic. Stakes and sunlight are still effective, however.) Their origin is unchanged here as well. They're either pre-existing or humans that were turned.
(How is somebody turned in the Lee n Lie universe?)
Here it won't be with a bite. It looks silly to me when some things portray people being transformed that way when typically vampires have to bite to feed?? So it's like.. if they don't finish their meal does their meal just become one of them? Weird.
Instead, the method I decided on is very particular so it needs to be done with intent to happen. Someone has to drink the blood of the vampire to become one and it has to be gradual over the course of a week for the full effects to kick in. So it couldn't happen by accident unless somehow a person steals a good portion of the vampire's blood and saves it for that duration.
But usually, it's the vampire's choice who they select and it's a very intimate process so it would be done with purpose and not by chance.
(What is the process of becoming a vampire?)
If done normally as it is meant to be completed for a whole week, the general process isn't painful. Of course everyone is different and their body could experience mild to moderate discomfort because their body might initially try to reject the process. This doesn't stop it from happening however, the rejection just makes it more excruciating the more the body tries to fight it off as if it wasn't taking well to a blood transfusion.
If someone were to stop in the middle of the process they wouldn't become a vampire as they haven't injested enough blood. So there's always time to back out (if the vampire is reasonable.)
On the opposite end, the process could be sped up drastically. It's not that it takes a whole week for someone to be turned into a vampire. It's just recommended that it be spread out through a week as the change can be shocking to a human's body and going through the transformation rapidly could potentially k!ll them!
(So then, how did Amelie turn?)
I won't reveal how or why just yet. But her process was far too quick and how she managed to survive is a rare case. However, because she didn't do the typical course of a week she has experienced severe memory loss and has forgotten crucial details about her life. She didn't lose all her memories though. She knows who she is and her life up to a certain point. But what she lost can change everything once regained. If she even does.