Reflection

17

"So how long of a drive will this be?" I asked after about five minutes of awkward silence.

"About five hours."

I cringed.

The driver had slid a thick pane of glass between us and him to give us privacy to talk, but no one was talking. The only noise in the car was Serenity's soft snores drifting up from the farthest seat back.

Ellie broke the silence. "There's one thing I still don't understand."

"What?" Adam asked.

"Why did Scarlett need blood so quickly? When I had left, she was fine, but when she got to the party she looked like she was dying. It usually takes longer. Besides, she had just fed the night before."

"Maybe it's because she's new," James suggested.

"No, Ellie's right," said Adam. "That is strange. Maybe it's because of how...er, different she is."

I looked at him. "Smooth." Ellie laughed.

"Speaking of," I said to Adam. "My feet are going numb."

"Already?"

I threw my hands in the air. "I guess so."

"Did anyone bring any blood?" Adam asked.

"I did!" Ellie answered, reaching into her bag.

"Hooray for Ellie and her magic bag!" James whooped.

"Holy crap," I said.

"What?" Adam asked, sounding panicked.

"I can't feel my legs." It was true. Just then the numbness spread past my waist, and I fell limp, my throat turning to ice. Adam caught me, frantically scooping me up into his lap. The driver glanced up through the rear view mirror.

"Ellie, hurry!"

"I can't find it!"

A few seconds passed, and I lost feeling in my neck and shoulders. I was spilling onto Adam like liquid, and he was struggling to keep me upright. "Ellie!"

"Found it!"

She handed it to Adam, who dropped it and cursed under his breath. James reached over and pulled me off of him so he could grab it.

My heartbeat was slowing, and the tingling was creeping up the sides of my jaw when Adam poured the warm liquid into my mouth, and my body began to warm with it. After a few seconds, I was perfectly fine again.

I sat up, looking around at everyone staring at me. Anderson glanced at me through the rear view mirror again, and Serenity had awoken to the commotion. "What's going on?" she asked, looking at us all through half-lidded eyes.

Adam whistled. "You are ridiculously needy."

"What good is being immortal and all-powerful if you need blood every fifteen seconds?" Ellie asked. James just stared.

"I don't know," I responded. "But we really need to find a way to fix that."

"Maybe you won't need it so much over time," James suggested.

"There's no warning," I said. "I wouldn't have time to run from my room to the fridge without dying."

"Well, there's always a mini-fridge," Adam suggested helpfully.