Elysium by Sylah Sloan Page A

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,