Elysium (5 page)

She sat on the edge of my bed, her face showing signs of little sleep and worry. “Hey, princess.”

It was funny she called me that, but it made me feel at home. “Hi.” Was that my voice? It was so rough sounding, like I had been gargling rocks. “What happened?”

I didn’t remember too much, just keeling over in the hall. How long ago was that anyways?

“You’re sick. You’ll get better soon though.”

“How long have I been like this? I feel confused.”

“It’s Sunday, so a few days.”

Sunday—the day after Saturday. “I missed my birthday.” I looked at Marie, a small, completely forced smile spreading across her face.

“I know, sweetie, but it doesn’t matter now.”

I guess she was right.

“We’ll celebrate when you’re all better.”

I didn’t like the way she said it, like she didn’t believe what she was telling me. I nodded, closing my eyes as a wave of nausea overtook me. I didn’t know why I wasn’t at the hospital, if I was so sick. I was thankful I wasn’t, though.

“Do I have the flu or something?” It was the season for it, and I knew a lot of students at school had come down with it. When she didn’t answer, I opened my eyes and stared at her.

“I’m not sure, sweetie. The doctor has been by, but we just don’t know what’s wrong.” She smiled down at me as she brushed a stray hair off of my forehead. She stood and gave me one last lingering look before she left my room, the door shutting with a soft click. I closed my eyes, my body falling to sleep right away.

As the days went on it seemed I only got worse. Everything hurt in my body, my fingernails, my bones, my teeth. I was so thirsty, and water just wasn’t cutting it. I often screamed out, yelling for someone to get me something to drink, anything to quench the unyielding thirst overcoming me. I think I passed out at that point, or maybe I died. I didn’t know or care.
Anything to stop the pain was welcome.

It was on that last night, when I woke up from the most excruciating pain in my life, that I knew I wanted to die. It was a pain I had never felt before, so intense it was like my bones were breaking and reforming. Marie stood by me as I screamed out, whispering everything was okay, and they were coming. I didn’t know who she was talking about—didn’t care. Tears streamed down her face, and her eyes were swollen and red.

“What’s happening to me?” I wasn’t talking to anyone in particular, maybe Marie, maybe myself. Cramp after cramp assaulted me, the bittersweet thirst shriveling every cell in my body. I was aware of my door creaking open, of four dark robed people gathering around my bed. They reminded me of something, but I couldn’t remember. They were huge, most likely men if their sheer size was anything to go by.

They all wore cloaks, completely out of place for this era, but somehow calming and compelling. Maybe they were death coming to take me away? It was a funny thought, so funny I started to laugh uncontrollably. All at once, the four cloaked bodies removed their hoods, their features becoming clear. They were all men, young and devilishly handsome. They were a beautiful death. I wondered if they were angels getting ready to take me away.

“Will I see her again?” I turned and looked at Marie, her full attention on the men. Why could she see them? Maybe I was hallucinating. One of the men bent into my line of vision, his blond hair falling to the side and obstructing my view of Marie. His eyes were so black, so black I couldn’t even distinguish a pupil.

“Everything is going to be fine, Meadow.”

I felt myself get sleepy; his voice did something pleasant to me, made me feel like everything was perfect. I wouldn’t have fought them anyway; I was ready, if it was my time.

I nodded, my eyes never leaving his. I let them finally close, letting the warmth of his voice caress every cell in my body. I was glad death didn’t hurt. I had always been afraid it would.

The first thing registering was how uncomfortable the bed was. I turned to my side, a groan slipping out of me. I opened my eyes, a white cement wall taking up my entire view. Was this Heaven? I hadn’t pictured cement in Heaven. I rolled onto my back, dim track lighting illuminating the room and easy on the eyes. I slowly sat up, noticing the generic blue hospital gown I wore.
I’m obviously not dead unless they have cement and ugly hospital gowns in Heaven.

The room I was in looked like a hospital room, lots of machines making annoying sounds. An IV was stuck in my arm, and a bright red fluid looking suspiciously like blood flowed into my veins. I got grossed out. I followed the tubing to an IV pole, where sure enough, a half full bag of blood hung. A flat screen TV was on the wall in front of me, the volume down, as the news played. A brown leather couch sat off to the side, a coffee table in front of that with two empty coffee-stained mugs atop it. Something felt different, not the room, but something about
me
felt different.

I saw the bathroom, from across the room, the bright white tile peeking from the half closed door. I slipped out of the bed, grabbing on to the IV pole and slowly making my way over to the door. A large door was closed off to the side, hidden behind a wall, so that I hadn’t seen it from the bed. I eyed it as I made my way to the bathroom, making a mental note it was, most likely, my only way out.

I shut the door, the florescent light flickering on above me and stinging my eyes. It looked like a regular bathroom, white tile flooring and matching walls. A shower took up one full wall, a white vinyl shower curtain pushed open. Everything looked so clean, so put together and in its rightful place.

I looked at myself in the mirror, my mouth going slack at my reflection. My skin was alabaster white, so smooth and flawless. My eyes looked huge on my face, the blue so clear and bright I wondered if someone had put contacts in my eyes. I ran a hand over my hair. The strands were so silky, so shiny, nothing like it used to be. I licked my lips, my tongue rubbing up against something that set my pulse pounding. I gripped the sink and leaned in, opening my mouth wide, my eyes going bigger.

“That can’t be right.” I reached my hand up, running a finger over one of my teeth and forcibly shaking. My incisors were sharp points—fangs. “No, it can’t be. I’m not one of them.”

I pushed back from the sink, my heart beating so fast, as fear took over. I threw the door open, completely forgetting the IV stuck in my vein. The needle ripped out of my arm, and I screamed out in pain. It didn’t deter me though as I made a mad dash from what I hoped was the exit. I felt warm blood drip down my arm, but I didn’t care. I threw the door open and ran right into a hard, warm body. I looked up, moving backwards, my hands in front of me.

The man was huge, his shoulders as wide as the doorframe, his muscles packed on his body. He was gorgeous, and even with my current state of emotions, that one detail failed to go unnoticed.

“Please. I won’t harm you.”

He said the words like they were supposed to placate me. But what caught my attention, what held it, was the two sharp fangs I could see as he spoke. I looked around the room, looking for another way out. Everything tilted, and my body shook harder. I grabbed my head, trying to get the room to quit spinning. “I can’t be one of them. I can’t.”

I said it over and over again, my eyes going back to the man in front of me. He was steadily walking towards me, his hands outstretched.

“Dr. Iverson, I think you better come in here,” he called out, his eyes never leaving mine.

I couldn’t get the room to stop spinning, and soon I couldn’t stand. I felt myself fall forward, but before I met the hard ground, strong arms caught me, just as darkness enveloped me.

****

I could hear the voices before I was fully awake. I opened my eyes, everything a blur, before they finally adjusted. I felt a little disoriented, as if my head wasn’t fully attached. Two men were seated on the couch, a file open in front of them and paper scattered in every direction. As if they sensed me, they both looked up in unison, everything suddenly becoming silent. They looked at each other before standing and walking towards me.

“Hello, Meadow. I’m Dr. Mikhail Iverson, and you’ve already met Dr. Cadeon Frost. We had to give you some medication to calm you down.”

The man who spoke looked slightly older, maybe in his thirties. His hair was dark and impeccably combed to perfection. I didn’t miss the two fangs that showed as he talked either.

“Hello, Meadow, how are you feeling?”

I looked at the one who spoke, the one named Dr. Frost. I couldn’t help myself from staring.
Even in my situation, my mind couldn’t help but appreciate how handsome he was. Maybe it was the drugs they gave me.

“Hello, Cadeon.” I smiled and tried to sit up. They gave each other a confused look, before bringing their attention back to me. I felt free, and knew it was most definitely the drugs they gave me. I would never have acted this way if I wasn’t high.

“How are you feeling?”

“Perfect, and you?” I leaned against the headboard, never taking my eyes off of him. His hair was dark, slightly disheveled, looking horribly good on him. His eyes were the color of the
Caribbean, a perfect mixture of green and blue. He cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable at my attention towards him. I should have felt embarrassed, but of course I didn’t.

“I can see the medication is still in your system, so this should make things easier.”

I felt a wave of dizziness and briefly closed my eyes. I rested my hand on my forehead, waiting for it to pass.

“Here, have a glass of water.”

I cracked my eyes open and took the glass out of Dr. Frost’s hand. Our fingers briefly touched, and I swear I felt a tingle of electricity pass along my fingers. Whether he felt the same thing I don’t know, but when I looked into his eyes, he had the same stunned expression I did.

“Thank you.” I took a long drink from the glass, feeling the cool liquid slide down my parched throat. I rested my head against the headboard and closed my eyes again. When I opened them, I stared at the crook of my arm. The IV was back in, the tubing a bright red.

“We have a lot to discuss, Meadow, of course, when you’re ready.”

I let out a sigh, knowing what they were going to say. I remembered what my reflection looked like, those images penetrating my drug
-induced haze. “Just tell me what I’ve become.” I didn’t want to beat around the bush. I watched the news, knew what kind of creatures walked amongst humans. Why freak out about something that obviously couldn’t be changed? I truly believed everything happened for a reason.

“How did I become like this?” I drew my attention away from my arm and looked at them. Dr. Frost had left, and I was surprised I hadn’t heard his departure. I was a little thankful for that fact, since I couldn’t even seem to concentrate with him around.

“What do you know about the Arcanes?”

The Arcanes, mythical beings that existed, that walked amongst humans. There were so many different creatures that I really didn’t keep track of what was out there. I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess what everyone else knows.” I didn’t elaborate anymore. I wanted him to explain it to me, wanted him to tell me what was going on.

“Can you tell me exactly what you know about us?”

I didn’t miss how he used the word “us.” I tuned my attention to the silent television, the news now gone and replaced with a wildlife program. “I don’t know. I mean, there are a lot of different species. Is that even the right word to use? Species?” I looked at him, noticing a small smile spread across his lips. I felt my cheeks heat under his stare.

“I guess that’s a safe word to use.”

“Can you just get this over with? My head is starting to hurt.” I closed my eyes and heard him sigh.

“The Arcane have lived for as long as man has walked the Earth, some even before that. By your reaction, I would say it’s safe to assume you know vampires are grouped in the category of the Arcane.”

I laughed, actually laughed, even though it was so not funny.

“Along with vampires, there are werewolves, warlocks, witches, and demons. The list goes on and on, far too many to list now. Right now you are in the Manor’s clinic, a small building off of campus.”

“The Manor?”

“Forgive me. I forgot you are completely new to everything that is our kind. Arcane Manor is school for the fledglings of all otherworldly species. Dr. Frost and I oversee the health and wellness of the students and staff. The Manor is about one hour outside of Serenity Springs, high in the Rocky mountains.”

“Do a lot of people know about this place?”

“No, we have magic surrounding the school. It is safer that way. I don’t want to frighten you, but there are creatures out there, other Arcanes, which seek to destroy what they cannot turn.”

“Turn?”

“That is another subject for another time; please know you are highly protected here.”

He breathed out another sigh, and I turned to look at him. He ran a hand over his face, and I knew what he was about to say wasn’t going to be good.

“You are very special, Meadow, a rarity.”

“What are you talking about?”