Lips Like Sugar
By Emily N. Daniel
It was two in the morning, late 1980s. Jamey could do little more than lay his head upon the car window. Since he didn't own a car, he was getting a ride home from his friend, Jarrod. They were coming back from band practice. While it had gone okay, something made him feel a bit ill at ease. He just didn't know what it was.
"Rather humid tonight, huh?" Jarrod said as he popped in a tape of one of their favorite bands, Echo and the Bunnymen.
Jamey looked over, but said nothing. Once more laying his head on the cool glass of the window, he stared out into the night. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, yet there weren't any stars either. The moon was bloodstained and gave little light. Still, this didn't keep the teenager from noticing the dark-complected woman in the car next to them as they came up to a stop sign near Jamey's block. He could see that she was singing, but the longer he watched the more he noticed that the movements of her mouth synced up to the words coming from the cassette in their car stereo. How was that even possible? They were listening to an obscure band that didn't exactly get a lot of radio play. The odds of her listening to the same song at the same moment were a million-to-one. It was more than a little odd.
As they drove on, Jamey's mind kept wondering back to the woman. No matter how many times he ran the scene over again in his head, he could not come up with a logical conclusion on how she could have known what song they were listening to. Her car window had been up as had theirs. The tape hadn't been playing loud enough. Even if she was listening to the same song, there wasn't a chance in hell that it would have been playing the same words at the same time. It didn't make any sense. Before Jamey knew it, Jarrod was pulling the car into the driveway of his house. "Well, here's your home sweet home."
Finally, not being able to take it anymore, Jamey turned to his friend and blurted out, "Did you notice that strange woman in the car next to us earlier? She was mouthing the words to that song we were listening to! There's no way she could have heard it!"
"Yeah, I know. Pretty freaky, huh?" Jarrod smirked, "Maybe she's a witch or something."
Despite Jarrod's light demeanor, this did little to ease Jamey's mind and he felt more ill at ease than before. Several long seconds passed before Jarrod rolled his eyes, reached over, and pushed the car door open for him. "Get out already. I'm tired and I want to go home myself."
"Whatever." Jamey sighed and got out. "Thanks for the ride." He watched Jarrod pull away and sighed again. His friend has obviously not been as freaked out as he had been.
"Hmmm, having a bad night, are we?" a female voice giggled. Jamey spun around and found himself face-to-face with the very woman that had freaked him out just minutes earlier. "Yes, your friend Jarrod seemed kind of irritated with you. I don't see why. If you were my friend, I would want you in my car all night." She grinned and reached out a hand, caressing his cheek. "You see, I am new to this town and I don't have any friends to help me out. My car broke down and I was hoping you could escort me home....you know….in case there are any freaks out there who would want to take advantage of a poor, vulnerable soul." She grinned slyly and took his hand. "Don't worry, Jamey. I won't bite."
It took a moment for Jamey to catch his breath. "How…how do you know my name?" he asked her in a voice that was barely his own, "How did you know my friend's name?"
"So many questions," the woman giggled once more, "You want to know how I knew your names, yet you seem to have no interest in finding out mine. That's not very good manners at all. My name is Alura Waye. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, but really we should be going. It's getting ever so late."
"But you still haven't answered my question," Jamey protested as Alura started to drag him down the sidewalk at a pace that rather exceeded the norm for the average human being.
"Jamey, there will be plenty of time to answer all your inquiries after we've reach my abode," Alura assured him, "Do you honestly believe I would have you escort me all the way without inviting you in for tea? You may not have very good manners, but mine are exceptionally exquisite if I do say so myself."
Jamey's head was beginning to spin. This was too much to take too fast. "Look, lady, I don't know what you're trying to pull. I'm just a kid and I need to be at home. You can find someone else to help you. Besides, what do you want with me? You must be at least twice my age."
Alura's eyes narrowed. "If I were you, I would watch my tongue. My age has nothing to do with this. I needed help and you were there. Case closed. Now, accompany me home. I promise to you your good health if you do."
Giving in, Jamey continued to follow her as she persisted in dragging him by the arm. Before long, his feet were beginning to ache. "How much longer?" Jamey groaned.
"Hmm," Alura's head snapped back to look at him, "Perhaps you were right in my mistake for choosing a soft youngster such as yourself. Still, I will humor you simply to cease your incessant whining." Even before the words had fully escaped past her candy red lips, the two of them were floating in the air, gliding ever closer to the heavens. "Yes, this should make the journey much less time-consuming. Have you ever flown before, my boy?"
"I'll admit, not quite like this," Jamey actually found himself gripping Alura's arm simply fearing he might fall if he didn't. Together, they soared over the neighborhood rooftops. The surprisingly cold air whipped through their hair and the street lights passed them in a blur as their speed picked up. Luckily, it was too dark and they were going too fast for anyone to notice the fact that they were flying of their own accord.
Before long, the two of them touched down on a rather worn sidewalk. Weeds grew up from the many cracks in the concrete. The grass on the ground was brown and dead. There wasn't a flower to be seen, but the property was surrounded by black trees with twisted trunks and branches that grew in so close together that one would barely know there was a house hidden beneath them. "Home sweet home," Alura sighed and her feet glided smoothly over the crumbling walk. Jamey followed, though he managed to stumble more than glide.
Despite the horrid condition of the grounds, the house was actually quite pristine in appearance. At least three stories high, it seemed too much for just one person. It began to dawn on Jamey how a person could feel so lonely in such a huge place. As they stepped inside, he took notice of the antique furniture. It was almost as if he'd stepped into another time period. Still, it was clean and he could smell hints of lavender and vanilla in the air. Having come in from the frigid night air, the interior of the house felt rather warm indeed. This proved even more so as Alura stepped up, her face meeting his. "You like?" Her sweet breath played with his thoughts and he found that he could not form words to speak. "Come with me to the kitchen. We shall have that tea now. I do hope you enjoy chamomile."
"Yeah, it's good," Jamey finally found his voice. They strolled down a long hallway lavished in rich red carpet and bathed in royal purple paint. Though there was a candlelit chandelier hanging above, it did little to alleviate the darkness. Alura paused as they reached the farthest door on the left-hand side. She grinned and opened it slowly. Jamey had to shield his eyes for a moment. The kitchen was so bright and yellow that it managed to sting the eyes. Feeling slightly disoriented, he simply let Alura lead him to a chair and sat down, hiding his head in his hands to shield himself further from the painfully blinding room. Only when he heard the tea set down in front of him did Jamey come out of hiding.
"My dear boy, look at you! You seem a bit ill at ease," Alura laughed as she took a sip from her steaming cup of tea. "It's just tea with a pretty woman, nothing to be worried about."
"No, no, I guess not," Jamey's eyes finally adjusted and he slowly picked up the porcelain tea cup before him. Putting it to his lips, he let the hot liquid spill down into his throat. It took no time at all for the far too bright room to become far too dim…..far too black….
As Jamey awoke, all he could think of was just how strange of a dream it all was. As he awoke more, he realized that he'd actually woken up to a nightmare. The room he occupied now was nothing like the room in his dream. It was not a blinding shade of yellow but a dismal shade of gray. The ground was nothing more than dirt and the air was stale, laced with the stench of decayed flesh. Thankfully, the room was not lit well enough for him to find the source of the smell.
"Finally rose from your slumber, I see," Alura glided up to Jamey, giving him no chance to escape. She twisted her arms around him, running her fingers through his hair. "You see, I need a companion, a young companion. I need someone to keep me alive, to give me the youth that at this very moment is slipping away." With that, she pressed her lips against his. It felt like she was sucking the life out of him. Once it was over Jamey found himself gasping for breath. He sucked in mouthful after mouthful of air but it didn't help to stop his spinning head. Licking his lips, he noticed they tasted strangely sweet. "Lips like sugar," she purred.
"Alura, what are you doing?!" Jamey spat out, still feeling weak.
"If I am to stay young….stay alive….then I must take someone else's youth away," she answered him in a plain, matter-of-fact tone. "But don't worry, dear Jamey. I will not steal all of it away. I will need just enough to look in my twenties again. By the time I am done, you should be in your twenties as well. Then we will be the perfect age for each other!"
Jamey could do little more than gawk at her. "What are you playing at?!" he demanded.
Alura stared down, looking troubled for the first time since they had met. "For over three hundred and fifty years I have been fighting death. It scares me. I don't want to die. Still, I don't want to be alone either. My family and friends died long ago, but I find I can keep companions. In exchange for a life of comfort and adoration, they give me enough youth to let me keep living. However, eventually they are drained of life and I must find someone new. You are that someone new. We need each other, Jamey, don't you see?"
Jamey shook his head. "No, I don't see. I have friends and family and I don't want to leave them."
"You don't need them!" she argued, "You'll have me and I will give you all the love you will ever need! As far as friends go, the one you were with tonight seemed quite happy to be rid of you!"
"THAT'S A LIE!" a voice bellowed from the darkness. Jamey and Alura turned and watched a figure step out of the shadows. It was Jarrod. "You witch! Let go of my friend!"
"Jarrod, thank goodness!" Jamey cried in relief, "How did you find me?"
"I hadn't gone far before she came and led you away," Jarrod explained, "I thought I'd better follow. I was just now able to break into the house."
Alura's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Foolish boy!" she growled, "You stay out of this!" Suddenly a lightening bolt ripped from the ceiling and struck Jarrod on the head.
"Nooooo," Jamey screamed and ran to Jarrod, who now lay unconscious on the floor. "Why are you doing this? What makes you think this is worth it? You hurt my friend…." Jamey looked up at Alura with eyes full of sadness, "….and you're hurting me."
"I…I don't mean to hurt people." Tears poured down Alura's face, "I don't like doing what I do, but what choice do I have?"
Jamey got up and took her hands in his. "You can let go."
Alura stared up at him, tears still streaming, and nodded. "You're right. It's time to accept my fate, the fate that every person must meet at some point. Come on. Let me take you and your friend home. I shall right what I have wronged."
Driving Jarrod's car, Alura turned to Jamey and smiled. "You know, I feel free, more so than I have in a long time. Do you think there is something after this life? Do you think there is something to look forward to?"
"Alura, I know there is," Jamey returned her smile. "Hmmm, how about we pop in Echo and the Bunnymen, for old time's sake?" As he put in the cassette, a familiar song played.
"Ah, our song," Alura laughed. "Don't play it too loud though. We don't want to wake Jarrod."
"Will he be okay?" asked Jamey, staring at his still-unconscious friend in the backseat.
"Yes, he will," she reassured him. "In fact, he won't remember a thing."
When they reached Jamey's house, they took Jarrod out of the car and set him down on the ground. "You remember the story, right?" Alura asked.
"Yes, I do." Jamey replied, "So this is it then? This is the end of our little story."
Alura shook her head. "For me this is the end. However, yours is just beginning. Oh, and that reminds me…" She took his head into her hands and once more pressed her lips against his, but instead of feeling drained Jamey felt rejuvenated afterwards. "That should give you another year or two," she grinned. "Goodbye, Jamey. Thank you for everything." Before his eyes, Alura began to dissolve into a foggy mist. The mist grew and floated up into the sky, filling it with clouds that became thicker and heavier until rain began to fall. Yes, it was scary to die, but Jamey knew the rain came from the tears of relief Alura now shed for her newfound freedom.
From the ground, coughing and sputtering could be heard. Jarrod was awake. Jamey kneeled down as Jarrod sat up against the car. He was shaking. "Wha….what happened?" Jarrod asked.
"You got out of the car to come inside for a minute and you were struck on the head with a lightening bolt," Jamey told him.
"But I don't remember seeing any clouds in the sky….and when did it start raining? Goodness, that lightening bolt must have hit me hard. I really don't remember any of this happening." Jarrod seemed a bit ill at ease, freaked out even.
"Come on, Jarrod. You can crash here tonight," Jamey helped his friend up off the ground and into the house. It had been a long night and it was time to end this crazy chapter in their lives.