Elysium by Sylah Sloan

didn’t mean I knew everything about them. I had tried hard to keep myself distant from the unknown. It had proved to be a great buffer in my life. “I mean, if I walked out in the sun?”
    I could see the gears working behind his eyes and wondered what he was thinking about. Finally he sighed and spoke. “What do you know about vampires and the sun?”
    I thought it was a trick question, but as he stared at me intently, I knew he wasn’t joking. I shrugged, not sure what he was talking about. “What do you mean? Like from movies and stuff?” He nodded, his arms crossing over his chest. “Well, I don’t know. I guess that they burn in the sun, catch on fire and all that.” He didn’t say anything, just stared at me with that look adults tend to give a child. “Oh. So they, I mean, we , really burn like that?”
    “More or less, yes.”
    “Huh.” It was the only word I could muster as I thought about what he said.
    I followed him out of the door and into the cool night air. It was a little bit chilly outside, and I zipped up my coat. The outside was beautiful. Everything was perfectly landscaped, every tree and shrub trimmed and precisely placed. We took a left and followed a cobblestone path which sat between rows of Aspens. Tiny white lights were strung along the branches on each side of us, lighting our path delicately. Up ahead, I could see an enormous mansion. It was built to look like a castle, with giant towers on each side and peaked tops. The closer I got, the clearer the castle became. Every window was stained glass, a different scene etched into every pane.
    “It’s beautiful.” Mikhail looked over at me and smiled. “Is this the Manor?” It seemed like such a mundane word for such a magnificent place.
    “It is.”
    I followed him up several steps that led to the huge, dark, double wooden doors. I turned around and took note of the front yard, if you could even call it that. It was more like a football field, wide and large with a circular paved driveway. A fountain sat in the middle of the driveway—a robed woman perched high on a podium and holding a vase. I assumed the water poured from the vase, but the fountain was turned off for the season. I could see the clinic from where I stood, along with another building far behind that. I couldn’t tell what the building was, but there were no windows and only a few spotlights around it.
    “Ready?”
    I turned, nodded, and followed him in. My mouth dropped open as he pushed the doors open and I stepped into the foyer. A staircase sat on each side, meeting together at the top loft. A chandelier hung right above me, a crystal canopy casting a rainbow of light along the walls. Two large doors sat off to the side, both closed.
    “Are you coming, Meadow? I will have someone give you a tour once you’re settled in.” Mikhail gestured me to follow him up the stairs.
    My shoes clicked along the wooden floors, echoing off the high ceiling. I followed him up the stairs, turning left once we reached the landing. Rows of doors lined each side, each closed with shiny, brass numbers placed in the center of the wood. Loud music came from some of them, as well as laughing and talking. We took another turn and stopped at a closed door at the end of the hall. It was the only door down this hallway, which had elegant pictures hanging on the walls and soft lighting illuminating everything. Mikhail turned and smiled at me as he opened the door and stepped out of the way. I walked in, stunned again at what was on the other side.
    “Oh, my.” I slowly walked in until I stood in the middle of the room, turning in a full circle.
    “I take it you like it?”
    “Oh, yes.”
    “This is one of the bigger rooms in the student quarters, and all yours.”
    I walked over to the vanity, which sat in the corner. I ran my fingers over the dark wood with the gold trim, the three mirrors catching different angles of my face. The seat was dainty looking, with puffy cream colored