Morgana hobbled into the main room lugging what appeared to be an ornate Egyptian sarcophagus behind her. Chloe noticed that the hieroglyphs were glowing with a faint silvery light. Tatiana's eyes glimmered with recognition.
Morgana proudly gestured at the ancient casket. "This, Chloe Elliott, is the Midnight Coffin, the pride of my collection. It was the sarcophagus used by Nephthys in her transformation ritual."
"Who?" asked Chloe.
"Who?!" gasped Tatiana. "Who?! Chloe, you've got a lot to learn about vampire history! Nephthys, or Nebet-Het if you like your Archaic Egyptian super authentic like Momtriarch, was the first of our kind. She was an Egyptian princess from the time of legend. She wanted to escape her cruel husband, the usurper pharaoh Set, so her sister, the witch Isis, fashioned an enchanted coffin for her. Using this coffin, she transformed herself into a being of primordial Night and flew off to freedom in the form of a bat. In twenty years' time, she returned in the dead of night and offered her son Anubis the same freedom. They're supposed to still be out there somewhere in the Sahara Desert. And that's basically how the vampire race." The vampire girl turned to Morgana. "How in the name of Night did you get this?!"
"Through many arduous trials of which I am under many mystic vows to never speak of," said Morgana sternly. "Am I quite clear, Ms. von Karnstein?"
Tatiana nodded.
Morgana turned to Chloe. "The Midnight Coffin is very simple to use. You must place it under moonlight at dusk and lie in it for 24 hours. On the next dusk, you'll rise as a beautiful fledgling vampiress."
Selena nudged Tatiana. "Hey, Tats, is there any truth to the legends about vampires sleeping in coffins all day? You're usually out and about during the day."
"Sort of," said Tatiana. "Humans and the more isolationist weres have the right idea, but they exaggerate it. Each day, we have to hibernate for a single hour. Coffins are traditional, and we generally take our little naps in the day because the night's more hospitable to us. We used to just snooze all day before the Amulet of Daywalking was invented." Tatiana idly twirled hers in circles. "Ever since that, we're usually awake most of the day, too."
"How much is the Midnight Coffin?" asked Chloe. "I don't have much money."
"Oh, I don't sell it," said Morgana said. "I rent it. I get much more return for my money that way. A standard two-day rental costs twenty-two dollars."
"Uhhhh..." Chloe mumbled nervously as she rooted around in her pockets. "I've got... uh, five. Damn."
"No fears," said Tatiana. "I have the money. What with the way interest's compounded her ancestral fortune, Momtriarch gives me a VERY generous allowance." The vampire girl nonchalantly pulled the ten-dollar bills out of her pocket and handed them to Morgana. "Keep the change."
"It must be amazing living with Matriarch Carmilla," said Chloe. "Having a family, cool superpowers, and more money than you could ever need."
"Believe me," Tatiana nodded to her sister, "I wouldn't trade my von Karnstein life for fucking anything!"