As he watches, she yawns and stretches, bored with the evening's scene. He steals a glimpse of
the soft white belly flesh and side swell of her breast, through her thin black undershirt. The
girl catches him staring through a lowered gaze, shy smirk playing on her small painted mouth.
He blushes furiously but cannot remove his eyes. Glitter from her hair and make-up sparkle,
dazzling to the onlooker under the flashing lights of the crowded warehouse as she jumps from
her seat and begins to dance to the trance-inducing music that flows from the D.J.'s magic fingers
as he spins and mixes samples of high tech sound. She spins and moves to the impossible beat,
hypnotizing him, luring him to join her in the crowd. He aches to be next to her, to know her, to
feel what he knows must be an incredible hear radiating off of her onto him. He aches to understand.

He rises from his seat and seeks out the girl in the crowd. The boy follows the dancing nymph-like
creature with his longing hazel eyes, terrified of losing her for even a second. He watches as others
watch her the same as he does, watches as she throws back her head laughing oblivious. Watches as her
shoulder-length hair breaks free from elastic bonds and flies about her pale face like liquid fire.

The music goes on with a series of beeps and echoing voices. A line from Underworld's "Born Slippy"
goes through his head as his hungry gaze met her wild one; 'let your feelings slip but never your mask.'
Did these words serve as a reminder, a warning? Or were they just words in his head, meant to pester
him until he got home and put in his Trainspotting soundtrack? Just words, he decided, but he would be
weary nonetheless. For now he would dance next to her, inhaling the scent of clove smoke and the rumor
of cherry opium incense. He found himself nearing the odd gazes of those watching her, fumbling their
steps because of their own inability to stop gawking. The boy feels for them, understands, for he too
cannot bear to not bask in the light that shimmers off her and still she is oblivious.

He can endure his torture no longer. At a slow part in the seemingly endless song, he motioned to the girl
to join him in the area serving as the lobby in the warehouse, very much aware that he wore his heart upon
his sleeve. For a moment she hesitated, and he thought she would laugh in his face, but finally she nodded
her head in agreement. He felt as if his heart would break out of his chest cavity and land on the dirty floor,
a beating pulping mess lying in a puddle of blood, gore and tissue. He quickly shook the thought out of his head.

Upon entering the sectioned off area, they stood awkwardly for what could only have been a minute or two, but
it seemed like a hundred years. After an eternity, he spoke.

"I guess you're wondering why I asked you to come out here with me, which is a perfectly reasonable thing
to wonder," he muttered nervously, pushing aside wild black hair. "Well, I'm Zack. Um...what's your name?"

"Marlow. And you're right Zack. I am kind of curious as to why you asked me to come out here with you," she stated
in a very bored tone.
"Oh yeah, well hmm...let's see. How do I put this. Alright, do I couldn't help but notice that you are
alone and you're a really awesome dancer and I just felt the need to introduce myself. I'm really sorry if I
bothered you or anything."

At this Zack looked at his shuffling feet and turned to walk away, humiliated. Marlow felt a sudden pang of regret
for being so cold to this beautiful, shy boy. She was sincerely flattered, just not used to being approached.

"Wait, don't go. I'm not usually such a bitch. O.K. so that's stretching the truth a bit, but I'm glad that we've
met... I um, noticed you too."

At this statement he turned around eagerly. His temporarily dashed hope had been completely rejuvenated. His
eyes began to sparkle.

"Really? Because there is this underground club that I am going to tomorrow night and I was thinking about hitting
a Denny's or something to get a bite to eat in about ten minutes. This D.J. kind of sucks so you are welcome to join
me. That is, of course, if you want to."

After he had said this he inhaled deeply, for he had held his breath the entire time due to his excitement. He had
never dreamed in all of his eighteen years that he would ever have a shot at such a gorgeous creature. He hoped that
he hadn't frightened her away.

"Sure Zack," she said, giving him the same smirk as she had earlier in the evening. "On one condition, I drive. You
don't seem the type who can drive with liquid sunshine by your side." At this she pulled out a small watergun from the
pocket of her baggy iridescent purple cargo skirt. She smiled again when she saw the confused look on his face and
said simply, "Open your mouth and close your eyes."

Zack taste a metallic citrus flavor when Marlow squirted the alien substance on his tongue. He licked his lips to catch
what she had failed to make in his mouth. He opened his eyes slowly, afraid to find her gone. Much to his surprise she
was still there standing before him.

"My car is parked on the side of the building. I don't think we should go to Denny's though. We can go back to my apartment
and eat there. I am an excellent cook and my roommate is in Austin. He shouldn't be back until about noon."

Everything was moving so fast that he didn't know what to think as he got into the seat of the shiny black '67 Mustang. Marlow
got in next to him, slamming the door. Zack watched as she began to shuffle in her backpack with one hand and held the
watergun to her mouth with the other. Finally she extracted two small bottles of Tropicana orange juice and a compact disc.
She handed him the CD and one of the bottles. He looked at the CD - The Cure's "All Mixed Up" - and smiled. The girl had taste.
Zack removed the CD from the case and slipped it into the car stereo as Marlow put the keys in the ignition and pulled out into
the empty street.

Forty-five minutes later Marlow and Zack walked up the stairs to her apartment. She unlocked the door, her hand shaking ever
so slightly. The liquid LSD had now kicked in completely.

"Well this is it, my humble abode. Make yourself at home."

Marlow glided into the kitchen as Zack paced around the large living room, examining the abstract black and white photographs
and band posters that decorated the wall. The furniture was made of alternating black and red crushed velvet. Dead and
drying flowers and herbs hung by black ribbons from the ceiling and dwelled in elaborate vases.

"I really like your apartment. These photographs are awesome. Did you take them?" Zack said loudly in the direction of
what he assumed to be the kitchen.

Marlow walked out into the living room with a tray filled with an assortment of dishes.

"Actually," she said as she set the tray down on a rot iron table placed in the middle of the living room, "those are the
works of my roommate, although, I am the subject of most. I used to hate pictures of myself, but the way he distorts the images,
its kind of hard to tell that they are me. Most of the paintings are mine though."

Marlow started to arrange the dishes on the tables. There was a bowl of sliced strawberries and blackberries, a bowl of whipped
cream, and two red, blown glass wine goblet filled with bubbly liquid. Zack closed his eyes and found that his mouth was suddenly
filled with hot saliva that tasted of metal and Marlow's probing tongue. He opened his eyes after she pulled away, his knees weak
and trembling. He had never been so affected by the kiss before.

Zack looked down and saw Marlow already sitting on the floor, dipping a strawberry in whipped cream. He watched as she focused
intently on her goal, covering every sticky, sweet plane with the creamy white fluff. She then placed the fortunate fruit halfway
between her parted lips and gingerly bit down, slicing it cleanly down the middle. She chewed slowly and swallowed.

Once again Zack was caught staring at Marlow, unable to look away. Only this time he didn't care. Zack got slowly down on his knees
next to Marlow, grazing her milky white cheek and opened his mouth partially in order to accept the half-eaten strawberry that she
offered. Marlow smiled, watching his throat muscles work as he chewed and swallowed. She brushed his disheveled black hair away from
his forehead. She kissed pale transparent eyelids that trembled under her touch.

Marlow rose, taking Zack with her, instructing him to take the bowls with him as she walked into the darkened hallway. She stopped
in front of a door, pained black, with glitter. This was obviously her bedroom. Once again Zack stopped and looked around in shock.
The room was only lit by red and blue christmas lights that strategically lined the walls. Glowing stars formed crazed constellations
on the ceiling and closet doors.

In the middle of the room was a king size wrought iron canopy bed covered in black satin sheet and candles not yet lit. Marlow pulled
a smoked silver zippo from one of her pockets and began to light the candles. Once done, she set the lighter on a night stand and sat
down on her bed. Nonchalantly, she motioned him to join her.

Zack walked slowly to her bed, not believing any of the evening's events. He had already come to the conclusion that he was on acid
and he still didn't know what to think about that. He had never taken acid before and as distorted thoughts and feelings and senses
soared millions of miles per hour, he felt his mind reeling. Also, there was this amazing girl he didn't know sitting before him and
whom he felt he would do anything for. He didn't know why, but something about the wildness she possessed inside her drove him crazy.
He wanted to devour her, to consume her utterly and completely. Just thinking about her made Zack's mouth water.

Marlow smiled, baring straight, very white teeth. She watched as the look in Zack's eyes went from hungry to ravenous. She grew impatient
waiting for him and finally grabbed his belt loops and pulled him down next to her. Marlow cupped his chin in her small white hands and
pressed her lips firmly down on his. Her tongue nudged open lips filling his mouth.

For a moment they stayed like this, wrapped in each other's embrace. He pulled slightly away from her in order to bite down gently on her
tender bottom lip. He tasted sweet metallic blood in his mouth and his eyes flew open. She looked up at him with pouting eyes, for she
too tasted her blood. But then Marlow did something that surprised him. She smiled and began kissing his neck and throat. Marlow's
tongue traced a pattern of silvery spit over Zack's neck. He ran his hands through her hair, twining it between his fingertips.

"Mmmmmm did you know you're made of velvet?" he mumbled as she began to take off his shirt, tickling his slightly protruding ribs with
her fingernails when she lifted it over his head.

"You," she said as she pushed him firmly down on the bed and stradled him, "haven't seen anything yet."

Zack's eyes fluttered closed and he began to exhale slowly as his mind and body was filled with pure bliss...