There was something about that image. More than just black brushes of ink on a paper page to show what the writing could not. It sent chemicals through my body that made my heart race within my chest. Tara's presence almost ominous beside me as she examined the book with me, her shoulder brushing against my arm. I could feel her eyes widen at the pictures illustration then dart from side to side as every word underneath was examined with careful precision.
"What do you think?" she asked leaning closer in to the book, her nose almost touching the paper. I shrugged, acting as though it was nothing. "Think it's real?"
I laughed. "You're one of the people who paid money for 'X-Ray specs' aren't you?"
"What?"
"You know. You fell for stuff like that". Tara turned and gave me a wide smile, showing her bright white teeth and thin but red lips.
"Someone wrote an entire book about it. So at least one person believes it".
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The kitchen's lights were out but still illuminated by the lights outside. The dull glow of car headlights that cast shadows across the white walls and floor. I loved the city for this reason, that despite how busy and fast paced you can always take a moment to regain your calm consciousness. To sit down and relax, enjoy the simple feel of the couch below you or enjoy the sounds of the night-life in the streets below. In times of trail my mind becomes focused on everything around me; as though taking in the world in case it's forever changed in the coming moments.
Steam billowed out of the bathroom doorway as the shower ran consistently, the door open with orange light illuminating the thin smoke. I could feel the warm air against my cheek as it wafted down the hallway and into the kitchen, just barely warm enough to be noticed in the cold night air. It was early in the night but most of the city was quiet.
When the raining shower ceased and wet footsteps slapped against a tile floor my heart jumped some more, standing up from the couch to meet her. She stood in the hallway just out of view, the light behind her silhouetted and dark to hide her wet and uncovered skin.
"Ready?" Her voice wavered with her confidence. Every step we took towards each other too a lifetime to realise, approaching each other as we would a harsh fate. Her body steamed the air to a warmth between us, still dripping onto the soft carpet that her toes cringed upon. "How do I look?" Through the dark I could still see her wonderful smile.
"Delicious" I replied taking a step closer, running my hand across her wet neck and rubbing her cheek with my thumb. She flicked her long hair behind her, resting her hand upon mine. "I have a surprise for you".
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I stood back from the library counter, not wanting to suffer the same embarrassment that Tara was about to suffer. She leaned against the front of the librarian's desk with the leather diary between them; discussing it just beyond my ear's reach. It was hard not to notice Tara's tight jeans as she leaned across the counter, I wasn't the only one who was noticing.
"Hey!" I remarked slapping the library goer over the back of the head as he pointed Tara to his friends adjacent. I frequented the library with Tara frequently for her studies so I didn't mind giving the perv's a bit of a knock for staring at her. I looked back to the counter, Tara was smiling to me and gesturing for me to head out of the library with her. She had the diary in her hands.
"So what did you say?" We walked through the park holding one another's hand, the diary in Tara's brown leather purse which bounced from her hips with every step she took. It was a beautiful day with clouds so high in the sky they couldn't block out the Sun.
"I told her that if she didn't hand over the diary I'd kill her and burn the library down". Tara's smile stretched across her cheeks. "Nothing. Just that we found a diary that'd been put in the book shelves and we knew the guy it belonged to so we wanted to return it".
I moved us down the park's walkway till reaching a bench to rest on. "Did she take a look at it?" Tara shook her head, her blonde hair blowing from side to side while her hands ventured into her purse and retrieved the book. The Diary was old, the leather cracked and eroded, the pages faded a low yellow and the black ink written with care but also as faded as the pages which they were written on. The Diary was made with dates on every page but it's purpose wasn't cataloguing events or times. One the first page that picture had the same effect on me it did moments ago.
The picture showed a woman, her body had the same figure as Tara's but with shorter hair and a look in her eyes that showed seduction and power. Her back was to us with both hands holding a large belly at her front; she'd have been pregnant if it weren't for the hand. A simple hand which changed the entire aspect of the drawing. The fingers were manly and large but at the same time showed fear, reaching for freedom that had already slipped out of reach. The forearm that this hand was attached was deep down in the woman's throat, slowly joining the body within her belly. Though her mouth was full and her stomach wide she kept her look on Tara and I.
"Even if this book isn't legit... it'll make for an interesting read". Our eyes locked for a minute, as though we knew that we were beginning a journey as the first page was turned.
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I brought my hands down to her sides, gliding over her wet flesh and resting on her hips. My heart fluttered at the thought of were this was heading. With my lips I felt hers, out body's leaning with one anothers. The first kiss was brief and quick, a mere peck but the second we connected. Our lips magnets to each other while our tongues touched beneath them, her saliva and red lips tasted like sweets of no name.
I took a step past her, my hands holding hers as I brought us down the hall to the bedroom where lights flickered from beneath the crack in the door. Our feet were bare as we enjoyed the carpet beneath our skin, like every piece of fabric was a small massaging hand. With one hand I led Tara and the other I pushed against the bedroom door open, creaking open slowly to reveal the lit room.
All along the shelves and the cabinets beside the bed were red candles, about thirty in total. I hadn't intended to count every candle as I lit them, but it couldn't be helped. Tara gasped to move past me, her hands over her mouth in shock. The flames around us flickered and jumbled the normally consistent lighting of electric lights. Every beam bounced off of Tara's soft skin showing every small inch of her figure which was still warm from the shower.
"Surprise?" she asked in awe.
"Yeah. Surprise". I leaned in and kissed Tara again, much more passionately than before. Her lips filling my body with a warmth that spread faster than any burning fire could. Her body radiated before mine and filled the room, her hands sliding down my chest and pinched the bottom of my shirt; slowly lifting up.
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"I can't believe we're doing this!?" Tara screamed with a laugh, a coffee cup in her hands which had been pulled from the microwave. It was boiling hot and she held it with oven-mits on both hands. Precaution, especially since the cup had been in the microwave for about fifteen minutes. I was already at the bench with a small shot glass of blue liquid.
"It'll probably turn into nerve gas or something" I stated bringing the shot glass towards Tara's cup. "Hold it still, I don't want to do this again!". The kitchen was a mess with a number of containers and pots, a bit of spilled vodka and a everything smelled of vinegar. The concoction had been read over a number of times before today then a special trip to the store later and we're in the kitchen with a magical potion. It wasn't actually magical, but it had the potential to be.
Tara had studied The Diary over the past two weeks. Not just reading but writing down key points and instructions. Once she had every bit of information she needed written down she handed me the book and walked me through it. At first I scoffed at the instructions but reading into it most of them made sense, even explained medically; at least that's what Tara told me. There was no sign of a name within the crinkled pages, but they knew what they were talking about.
I brought the shot glass up to Tara's cup, holding it over the substance inside which was a bright lime colour and bubbling like lemonade.
"So what colour is it supposed to go after this?" I asked tipping my contents into Tara's.
"Red" she watched sternly like we were performing brain surgery. The bubbles ceased and the liquid turned a dark black which slowly turned purple. I reached for the cup from Tara's heat protected hands, which felt freezing cold as opposed to the heat it had been radiating moments ago. "Maybe we did it wrong?"
"Probably. There's so many ingredients I'd say we definitely mixed up the volumes of some of the stuff". I set the cup down on the kitchen counter and examined it closely, but it remained a dark purple. Tara watched the concoction with me, frustrated and concentrating as though that would make a difference to the drink.
