Elysium

by Sylah Sloan

“It isn’t?” He stepped back, slightly tilting his head to the side.

  I took a deep breath, thankful for the space, yet feeling a strange disconnection at the loss. “Who are you?”

  “I can be anyone you want me to be.” He held his arms open as if offering himself to me. His smile couldn’t be called anything but flirtatious, and I felt a pull towards him, which didn’t make any sense.

  “What’s your name?” I tried asking again, hoping he would just tell me and stop playing games.

  “I have been called many things.” He bowed at the waist, his eyes never leaving mine, his smile still wide.”You can call me Tallin, if it pleases you.”

  “How are you here? In my dream, I mean?”

  “You brought me here. I am your creation.” He emphasized his point by running his hand through his hair and down to rest over his heart.

  I watched, confused as to why I would be dreaming of this strange man when my thoughts had been on someone completely different.

  “You don’t like this one?” He held his arms out again, but I wasn’t sure what he was referring to.

  He looked sad, but I knew he truly wasn’t; how I discerned that, I didn’t know. He intently stared at me, like he was trying to read me. A smile covered his features and his eyes never left mine. When he shook his head shook his white-blond hair became brown, right before my eyes.

  “Still don’t like?” He brought his finger to his mouth, tapping it and looking into the fire above us. His hand dropped, and he took a step toward me. Those black bottomless eyes suddenly turned green, a color I knew so well. The man in front of me was no longer Tallin, but what I desired most—Cadeon.

  “Hello, Meadow.”

  He sounded like Cadeon, looked just like him. I shook my head, trying to tell myself this was not truly him, that this was all a dream. “You’re not Cadeon.”

  “No?” He looked down at himself, as if in disbelief, looked back at me, and stepped closer. I could smell the unique scent only Cadeon had, and my heart refused to listen to my brain. For all intents and purposes, this was Cadeon, and he was right in front of me. I looked up at him in awe, my mind becoming lost as he ran his fingers down my cheek. My heart rate sped up from his simple touch.

  It wasn’t as if Cadeon or I had actually done anything, and to be honest, it was most likely the feelings went one way, but I couldn’t help how he looked at me in that moment, as if I were the only person in the world he cared about.

  He leaned into me, and I knew he was going to kiss me. This wasn’t a dream; it was real, and what I felt for him was real. My breathing quickened, each breath sucking in more of his delicious scent. He was only an inch from my lips, his hand resting on my cheek, his heat searing my skin. I closed my eyes, waiting for the inevitable to happen. My eyes slowly opened again when time seemed to pass and his lips hadn’t met mine. His eyes were closed, his jaw tense as he breathed in deeply.

  “Cadeon?” His eyes slowly opened, and that was when I screamed. It wasn’t Cadeon’s emerald colored eyes that stared back at me, but something I remembered all too well. I stumbled back, out of his grasp, as blood red eyes looked back at me. They were the same eyes that had stared at me in my other dream, whispering he was coming for me.

  “I need you, Meadow. I need you to awaken me.”

  ****

  I shot up in bed, breathing hard, as sweat poured from my skin. I gripped the comforter and looked around. The clock on my nightstand glowed two in the morning. I ran a hand over my face and tried to clear my mind. I got up and headed into the bathroom, turning on the light and staring at my reflection. I ran the water and rinsed the sweat off my face, blindly reaching for a towel and drying off. The dream had been so real, so intense that my heart was still racing. I breathed out roughly, utterly confused as to why I had dreamt about that man twice.

  My clothes were rumpled, but I didn’t care. I needed to get out of the room. I decided to head out to the courtyard, needing the fresh air. I grabbed a sweater, slipped it on and left my room. I could hear noises from many of the closed doors I passed, and I quickly walked down the stairs. I easily remembered how to get to the courtyard, and once I was out the double doors, I breathed in the cold night air.

  My breath made white clouds in front of my face, as I walked towards a stone bench sitting under a gazebo. I sat down and pulled my knees to my chest and looked above me, the stars so crystal clear and pristine, they were like diamonds dotting the black sky.

  “Aren’t you cold?”

  I was startled by the voice behind me and gasped, jumping off the bench and turning around. Sitting on the cold ground was a guy about my age, his light hair hanging across his forehead, in a surfer boy kind of way. The only light was from the full moon hanging in the sky, and I was thankful for that much. I didn’t have night vision like other vampires, which had me at a huge disadvantage. He stood and dusted his pants off.

  “Who are you?” I didn’t mean for the question to sound so accusatory, but everything was still new to me, and I was suspicious of everything.

  “Nikolai Murdock.” He walked towards me and held out his hand. “You’re Meadow Caldwell, right? The new girl?”

  I looked at it for a second and heard him laugh. “I’m not going to bite. That’s your specialty, right?”

  I heard the teasing tone in his voice and narrowed my eyes. I grabbed his hand, and with a little more force than I needed to, I squeezed as I shook. I saw the grimace on his face and smiled. “Yeah, I’m the new girl, and no, I’m not cold.” That was an outright lie. I was freezing but I wasn’t going to let him know that. “How did you know I am … well, you know.” It was still weird saying the word vampire out loud, knowing that was what I was now.

  “You’ll learn quickly here that everyone knows everything about you.”

  I really hoped it wasn’t true. He moved around me, and it was then that I noticed how tall he was, at least six foot three, maybe a little taller. Every guy I had met so far in this place was huge, and I wondered if all Arcane were built like that.

  He sat down on the stone bench I had just vacated and placed a thick book in his lap. “The stars are really clear tonight.”

  I followed his eyesight to the sky, already knowing how clear they were. “Aren’t you supposed to be in class or something?” He looked back at me and shrugged his shoulders.

  “Nah, class let out a while ago. I come out here and read until the sun comes up after classes.”

  I tried to see if he had fangs, but the only thing I could see were straight, blunt white teeth. “I’m not a vampire, if that’s what you’re trying to look for.” I blushed at how obvious I had been. I walked over and sat on the far edge of the bench. I didn’t ask what he was since I assumed it was a pretty rude question.

  “I’m a demon.”

  I looked over at him, surprised he knew what I was thinking. “Can you read minds?” He chuckled, and I admitted it was a nice sound.

  “No, but the look on your face wasn’t all that subtle.”

  “Oh.” I put a strand of my hair behind my ear and looked over at him. His eyes were trained on my movements, like he was analyzing what I was doing. He noticed me looking at him and straightened in his seat, clearing his throat in the process.

  “So, you start classes soon?”

  “Yeah, tomorrow.”

  “That’s cool. Who’d you get paired up with?”

  “Violet Fender. Know her?”

  He nodded his head and looked back at the stars. “Yeah, we’re cool.”

  We sat in silence for a little while longer, and I started to shiver. It was really cold, but Nikolai didn’t even seem phased by it.

  “Here.” I looked over at him and watched as he took his coat off.

  “I can’t take your coat. You’ll freeze out here.” He smiled and handed it over to me and shook his head.

  “It’s cool. I can’t feel the cold anyway. I wear it out of habit.”

  I thanked him and slipped it on, the
thing about ten sizes too big. It was warm and instantly thawed my frozen body. It smelled good too, like really nice cologne. We sat there again in silence before my curiosity grew. “So, how long have you been here?”

  “Since I was fifteen. My parents thought it would good for me to socially interact with kids my own age.”

  “Where did you used to live?

  “New York.”

  “Was it cool? I mean, I’ve always wanted to visit New York.”

  He shrugged like it was the least interesting thing to talk about. “It was all right. I lived there my whole life so it wasn’t all that cool. The baseball was pretty good though.” He looked over at me and winked, which surprised me when my heart did a little flutter. He was good looking, not in the dark mysterious way Cadeon was, but still good looking, nonetheless. “Do you miss it? I mean, your parents and all that?”

  He shrugged again. “I used to, but not really anymore. I’ve been here for four years so I’ve had time to get used to this place. Where are you from?”

  I didn’t want to reveal too much to him since I wasn’t sure what I should and shouldn’t tell, but I thought it was safe enough to tell him the basics. “I used to live in Serenity Springs.”

  “Huh, I didn’t know there was another Arcane school so close to this one.”

  “Yeah, well.” I didn’t know what to say, so I didn’t say anything at all and hoped he wouldn’t pry. I was thankful when he just nodded and didn’t push it, but maybe my fidgeting hands gave me away. He looked like he knew I was lying, but turned his attention back to the sky.

  “I have a lot of the same classes as Violet so I’m sure I’ll see you around.” I took off his coat and handed it back to him. We said goodbye, and I headed back inside, starting to feel tired once more.

  “I’ll see ya around.”

  I looked over my shoulder, smiling and noticing how he watched me with a strange look on his face. I really needed to work on my story, in case something like this happened again.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next day I sat on my bed and watched the clock. I was nervous about starting my classes, but more anxious about who was supposed to be coming by before I left to meet Violet. Cadeon was supposed to stop by with some blood, and the idea of seeing him made my heart flutter. The only times I had seen him was when he dropped off the blood and a glass. He usually left right after that. It was very informal, and aside from the small smiles he gave me, he didn’t say anything.

  I had opted to wear one of the navy skirts, a white shirt, and a navy cardigan. I scratched at my legs, the white tights I had put on so itchy, they were almost unbearable. I got up and checked my face in the mirror, fixing my hair and smoothing out my ponytail. A knock sounded at my door, and I did one last double check in the mirror. I opened the door and there he stood—two bags of blood and a glass in his hands.

  “Evening, Meadow. May I come in?”

  My heart was beating so fast I feared he could hear it—which of course he probably could. I nodded and stepped to the side, not sure if I should close the door. After a minimal debate inside of my head, I closed it and stood back, my hands twisting together. He turned towards me, smiling as he held out the blood. I had gotten somewhat used to it, although the rust taste still bothered me.

  “Can I sit here?”

  He gestured towards the edge of the bed, and I nodded, thinking up completely inappropriate things.

  “Would you mind getting a towel? I don’t want to ruin your bedspread.”

  I quickly went into the bathroom and grabbed a towel, heading back into my room and handing it to him. Don’t get me wrong. I loved the fact that he hadn’t just handed me the bags and left, but I was confused as to why he had stayed.

  “Um, don’t take this the wrong way, but why are you still here?” I saw him set the bag down and look at me, a small smile playing at the edge of his lips. “You usually just drop the stuff off and leave.” He chuckled a little and went back to opening the bag. I walked over to the bed and sat next to him.

  “I just thought since it was your first day of classes, you might have questions. Besides, I didn’t want you spilling the blood all over your uniform.”

  I didn’t miss how his eyes flickered towards me, and I wanted desperately to believe he was noticing me and not the uniform. “I’m not nervous.” I saw the corner of his mouth lift, but he didn’t say anything. “Well, maybe a little.” He handed me the full glass, and I noticed how my hands shook as I took it.

  “You’re hands are shaking. You really must be nervous.”

  I swallowed as both of his hands came over mine, steadying the glass, as I brought it to my lips. I was about to tell him my shaking had nothing to do with my new classes, but I bit my tongue at the last minute.

  His hands were so warm against mine, and as I drank, our eyes locked. He cleared his throat and slid his hands off of mine, our fingers running against one another and causing goose bumps along my flesh. I don’t know what it was about him, but just a simple touch from him caused all rational thought to leave me.

  I finished both bags and wiped my mouth with the towel. I always felt a little sleepy after I drank the stuff, the blood making me feel content and relaxed, like I didn’t have a care in the world.

  “Have you unlocked any of your powers yet?”

  I felt embarrassed to answer that question. I didn’t have any cool powers, nor had I unlocked any mediocre ones. “Aside from the wicked fangs, I am pretty much as I was when I was a human. I can’t hear any better and can’t see any better for that matter. I’m not super fast or strong.” Cadeon watched me, not saying anything, just looking with almost sympathy. I cleared my throat and smoothed the nonexistent wrinkles out of my skirt.

  “You have nothing to be ashamed of. You’re special in your own way, and who knows, maybe your powers will suddenly unlock on their own.”

  “Maybe.” I said it more for his benefit than mine, and really what did I care? This was how I had always been, so it wasn’t like I was missing anything. I looked down at my skirt, picking at invisible lint. “I just wish I could do something, anything. Maybe then I wouldn’t be such a freak.” I felt his fingers under my chin as he slowly lifted my head, until we were staring at each other. I met his eyes and saw the serious look on his face.

  “You are not a freak. There’s something so incredible about you, Meadow, something monumental waiting to be released. Give it time, okay?” The words were soft and gentle and made me want to believe everything he said.

  I nodded, noticing how he didn’t move his fingers away. We were pretty close, so close that if I would just lean in, I could brush my lips against his. I wanted to, just once, a real kiss I would feel with every cell in my body.

  I didn’t move though, because as much as I wanted to believe he was attracted to me as well, I wasn’t about to make a fool out of myself. “Well, thanks again for this.” I gave him back the empty glass and bag and smiled.

  He watched me a second before he stood. “Well, good luck with your classes tonight.” He ran a hand through his hair, slightly disheveling the strands.

  “Thanks again. You don’t have to bring by the blood anymore. I can always go to the clinic for it. I don’t want you to go out of your way.” He smiled at me, and I felt my heart skip a beat. It wasn’t even a big smile, just a little pull of his lips. It was a tiny lift, though, which did something to me. I felt so ridiculous for feeling the way I did. My emotions were so out of whack, but maybe it had everything to do with my change?

  “I want to bring it to you. I wouldn’t want you to go through the bloodlust again. It isn’t out of my way anyway.”

  “Okay then.” He lifted his hand in goodbye and headed out the door, my eyes following his every move. I lay back on the bed and breathed out heavily. I had a stupid smile on my face and turned my head to look at the clock again. It was a few minutes before six, and I quickly got up and grabbed my bag. I didn’t know what books to bring, so I just shoved the
m all in, hooking the bag over my shoulder and heading out the door.

  I reached the stairs and saw Violet standing at the bottom, Nikolai standing next to her with a NY Yankees cap on. As if they sensed me, they both looked up, Violet waving with a big smile on her face and Nikolai giving me half a smirk.

  “Hey. Are you ready for this?”

  Violet had so much excitement in her voice I couldn’t help but glare at her. “I don’t think so.”

  “Oh, it won’t be bad. You already know Nik, and he is in a lot of our classes, so it will be awesome.”

  “Hi, Nik. It is okay to call you Nik?” I said the nickname Violet had used, a little unsure if that would be too weird, seeing as we had just met.

  “That’s cool. How are you? You look nice in your uniform.”

  I picked at my skirt and muttered my thanks in embarrassment. I hated it when people noticed me. I was self-conscious of myself and never knew how to take a compliment. Violet had on almost the same uniform I had, Nik wearing navy slacks and a white polo with the dragon emblem in the upper left hand corner of his chest.

  “Ready? Class doesn’t start until seven, but I thought I would show you around.”

  “Mind if I tag along?”

  I looked at Nik, as he asked the question, shaking my head and smiling. “I don’t mind.”

  Violet led us outside, and the cold air hit me in the face like a sledgehammer. We headed off to left and walked a few minutes, until we saw a one story stone house. Candles were lit in the only two windows, the building more like a cottage than where classes were held. We walked inside, the warm air immediately surrounding me. We had only been outside for a few minutes, but with the Colorado weather, it only took seconds to freeze you.

  “This isn’t the school, is it?” I looked round the tiny room.

  “No, this is just the check in.” There was laughter in Violet’s voice as she answered me, and a big smile on Nik’s face.

  A wooden desk sat off in the corner, a fireplace to the side of that and a few black couches across from it. A woman with graying hair looked up from a stack of papers and smiled.