Elysium (8 page)

I really hadn’t noticed a difference, but I tuned everything else out and opened up my ears, so to speak. All I could hear was the crackle and pop of the fire and the occasional rustle of Cadeon moving. I looked back at him and shook my head.

“Nothing seems different. Aside from my teeth, I feel the same. I look a little bit different, but that’s all.”

“I’m sure everything will come in time, but maybe not. You are quite different, Meadow, like nothing we have ever encountered before, and that’s saying a lot given the fact of what we are.”

My cheeks became hot at his comment, and I scolded myself for acting so silly. He was obviously trying to be helpful, very clinical in fact, and all I could think about were … other things. I was still different among the different … still a freak. I couldn’t even do what everyone else could, not like that ever bothered me before, but I felt embarrassed in front of Cadeon for my current lack of talents. I wanted to change the subject, so I just jumped right into the questions.

“Will I have to drink blood, I mean, I assume, but will I have to actually bite people?” That was the one question, above all others, that had been bouncing around in my head. I got kind of grossed out just thinking about it, actually sinking my teeth into someone’s flesh, like a piece of raw meat.

“Yes and no.”

I was afraid of that. I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry, my stomach starting to get queasy.

“Will I have to bite people?” I really didn’t think I could do it. I didn’t even eat red meat. How could I live off of blood?

“You don’t have to, drink from a living person that is. We have a supply of animal and human blood. Some of the students prefer one or the other, although human blood does have more substantial nutrients for us. Others prefer it … fresh, and in that case we have donors.”

“Donors?”

“Yes, humans, and sometimes Arcane willingly donate. It is all monitored, and no one is harmed. Most of the students will just use some of the supply already on hand. It takes a little while to bring donors to the Manor, and then have
them screened, and all that.”

I didn’t know what to say, as this was quite possibly the weirdest conversation I had ever had. “Do you … drink from a donor?” He looked uncomfortable at my question and kept moving around in his seat. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, it’s okay, sometimes I drink from donors. When it is fresh from the vein it gives you more strength. Certain nutrients are lost when the blood is frozen and then thawed.”

“Oh.” I still didn’t think I could do it. “How often will I have to, well, you know?”

“You are brand new so to speak, so pretty often. Over time though, as your strength grows, you will be able to hold off longer. For now though, you will probably have to feed once, maybe twice a day.”

I blew out a sigh of breath. I started to bite my nails, a nasty habit I was never able to drop, as I listened to him. I watched the fire for a moment, wondering if I could pull off this new life. This was certainly the test of all tests. “How often do you have to … feed?” I hated saying the word
feed
. It sounded so animalistic.

“Well, I am still relatively young, so frequently, but not as frequent as you will, about once a week, if I can hold out that long. Dr. Iverson is one of the elders at the Manor, and he can go a month at a time, although going that long does make you weak.”

“How old are you and Mikhail?”

“I’m only one hundred and sixty years old, and Dr. Iverson is nearing his five hundred and forty-ninth birthday.”

My mouth dropped open, and my eyes widened at the number he just stated. Could I have heard right? One hundred and sixty years old? And Mikhail was five hundred and forty-nine? I cleared my throat, not even knowing what to say. I looked at Cadeon with a critical eye. He didn’t look much older than I did, and I was shocked, to say the least, that he was that old. I thought of Mikhail, even more shocked that he was over five hundred years old. I couldn’t even grasp the idea of a person living that long.

“You don’t look much older than me. Are there older ones here?”

“Once we hit our prime peak, our bodies are locked into perpetual youth. My body for all intents and purposes is twenty-one.”

I was at least glad to hear the number twenty-one. It was weird to think of me finding an
old
man attractive, but I guess for an Arcane, he wasn’t old at all.

“There are Arcane in the Manor that are thousands of years old, although you would never know it.”

I brought my attention back to the present and blinked a couple of times. “Huh, that’s, uh, pretty old.” He chuckled lightly, and I felt my cheeks start to burn
again
. Maybe he had noticed me checking him out? I thought back to my statement and felt embarrassed. I admit it was a dumb statement, but I was at a loss for words from everything he had told me.

His soft laughter continued, and the sound once again went through me like a hot poker. My skin prickled, and my eyes were drawn to his. His laughter dried up as I stared at him, and I thought I saw something reflected back in his gaze. He cleared his throat and looked away. My feelings had to be on the fritz. I had never felt this strongly about someone. I felt ridiculous over the whole thing and blamed it all on this “new” me. 

“So, do I just have to finish up my junior and senior year here?”

“No, things are different here, Meadow. There are so many things you must learn, a lot of things Arcane your own age have known since birth. It will be a challenge, but if you focus you will do just fine.”

“How long do I have to stay here?” I had no money. What was I supposed to do once I left this place? Where was I supposed to go?

“I can’t answer that. There is so much you must learn. Of course, this is your home now, and you never have to leave if that suits you. Most students choose to stay here once their studies are finished.”

“Like you?” I didn’t know if that was his case, but being over one hundred years old, he must be done with school.

“I choose to be a Doctor, and because of that, my studies are endless. I want to take care of my kind, take care of all Arcane. This is my home, probably will be for a very long time. I hope that answer helps you somewhat.”

He smiled at me and stood. “Well, unfortunately I have to finish up some work at the clinic. You are more than welcome to walk freely around the Manor. You won’t start classes for a few days. Dr. Iverson feels it would be in your best interest to let you get acclimated to everything first. If you need anything or have any questions just dial the number one on your room phone, and it will direct you straight to the clinic where you can speak with Dr. Iverson or me.”

I nodded and watched him leave, and then I just sat there watching the fire eat at the wood. I sat for so long the fire had dwindled down to ash, and the room soon felt chilled.

I got up and left the sitting room, trying to remember how to get back to my room. I felt like just crashing on the bed and vegging out in front of the TV. My stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, and I decided to make a trip to the kitchen. I hoped no one was around. I didn’t know if I was ready to meet the students that lived here.

It was fairly easy to find the kitchen, and, as I pushed open the doors, I stopped and stared at the restaurant-grade amenities. I moved around a large marbled-top island and opened the industrial sized stainless steel fridge. I ended up grabbing a small bowl of mixed fruit and a bagel, before heading towards the door. When I reached it, I heard loud voices coming closer. I looked around for another exit, but by the time I spotted the door which led out to the dining room, it was too late. Four kids looking about my age walked in, all laughing and saying crude sexual comments. They didn’t notice me at first, but within a minute they all stopped and turned in my direction.

All of them wore similar uniforms, the three guys wearing navy slacks and a white button-down shirt with some embroidered design in the corner. The girl wore a navy pleated skirt that looked two sizes two small and a navy jacket with the same emblem in the corner. I stared at them, not knowing what to say or do. The guys smirked at me, and I instantly felt uncomfortable. The girl just stared at me, clearly not liking what she saw.

“Hey.”

I looked at the guy who spoke, the tallest one with platinum blond hair. I smiled hesitantly, looking at them all before speaking. “Hi.”

“I’m Dorian Candrid, and this is Luca and Alec.”

Dorian stuck his hand out, and I tentatively shook it. The other two guys did the same, a big grin on each of their faces. The girl stood behind them, arms crossed tightly over her chest as she just stared at me.

“That one back there is Porscha.
Don’t mind her, she’s just on the rag.”

I knew I made a face at his comment, and the fact that the guys noticed and started to laugh intensified how mortified I was. The girl lightly smacked the back of Dorian’s arm, and then wrapped herself around him. It was a disgusting display of ownership, and I knew she did it for my benefit.

“So, you’re the new girl, right?”

Dorian stepped towards me, shrugging off Porscha and giving me what I could only assume was a flirtatious smile.

“Yes. I’m Meadow Caldwell.”

“That’s a pretty name.”

I felt so unbelievably uncomfortable that I started to edge closer to the door. The girl made some kind of indistinguishable noise, and when I looked at her, I could see the anger reflected towards me through her eyes.

“So, what are you? Shifter, Changeling, Tracer?”

It took me a minute to realize what he was talking about. “Oh, um, I’m a vampire.” I was so close to the door, only a couple more feet and I could escape.

“A parasite, huh?”

The girl finally spoke, and it was one of those high annoying voices that sounded like nails on chalkboard. I knew she meant for it to be degrading, but I was so new to this that I could care less what childish names she called me. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and blew a kiss at Dorian.

“Shut up, Porscha.”

She made a squeaking noise and sauntered over to the fridge. She pulled out a bottle of wine and walked back over to Dorian, who ignored her.

“Well, Meadow, the vampire, I’m sure we’ll see you around.”

I didn’t respond, gave a weak smile, and pushed the doors open. I could hear the girl complaining about me, calling me every dirty name in the book, but I was just thankful to get out of there. I didn’t know what it was, but there was something about them that made me uneasy.

I ran up the stairs and was surprised at how easily I found my room, given the fact this was my first time finding it. I shut my door behind me and just stood, staring at my new room. Items from the boxes covered the floor. I set my food down and walked over to them. I picked up the picture of our trip to the zoo, little Cecile on that iron hippo. I smiled and walked over to the vanity, setting the picture frame on top of the ivory surface. I let out a breath and sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the fruit and deciding if I really wanted to eat it. I was starving, but as I looked at the food, it just didn’t seem appetizing anymore.

I opened the container and pulled out a ripe strawberry and popped it in my mouth. It was sweet on my tongue, the juice spilling out of it and coating my taste buds. The next thing I knew, I had eaten the entire container and had inhaled the bagel in less the five minutes. I looked at the crumbs on my bed and the empty container, surprised at how I had finished the food off in record time. My stomach gave a loud growl, and I covered it with my hands. I was still so hungry, the fruit and bagel obviously not making a dent in my appetite. I decided to go back to the kitchen, knowing Dorian and his mob might still be in the kitchen, but not caring as my stomach started to cramp and twist.

It took me no time at all to go back there, and soon I stood just outside the double doors that led into the kitchen. I listened intently to see if I could hear anything on the other side. Satisfied no one was in there, I lightly pushed the doors open and peeked inside. Sure enough, the place was empty.

I walked in and headed to the fridge, pulled the door open and looked at its contents. It was packed with food, everything which would satisfy a football player’s appetite, but nothing sparking my interest. My stomach growled again, and I reached for a pack of ham, tearing it open and stuffing pieces into my mouth. I had no idea what was getting into me. I didn’t like pork, but there I stood, shoving pieces into my mouth and chewing quickly. Even after consuming all that ham, my stomach still cramped and twisted. I was about to give up and suck up the pain, when the double doors flew open and Cadeon walked in. I looked at him with wide eyes, feeling embarrassed immediately. I saw his eyes go down to the counter in front of me, a small smile playing at his lips as he took in the empty containers and ripped wrappers in front of me.

“Hungry?”

I quickly looked down, all of my evidence of how I had “pigged” out there for everyone to see. I cleared my throat and prayed the blushing stopped. I looked up, startled that Cadeon was mere feet from me, a strange look covering his features as he watched me. His hand reached out, as if he meant to touch my face, but he quickly shook his head and clenched his hand. I could see his tightly clenched jaw and wondered what had just happened. I grabbed hold of my stomach as a particularly uncomfortable cramp settled in.