Free Elysium by Sylah Sloan

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.