Velvet - 2022

 Richard wasn't the most popular guy at his school. He wasn't even the most popular guy at his class, but he did alright. He used to get along with most people. 

He didn't have a girlfriend, but he was fine with it. He was not too worried about getting one soon. He did like girls, he used to spend his time gawking at a beautiful blonde girl called Clara who was in his Chemistry class, and over a beautiful brunette called Angela from shop class, and at a beautiful Indian girl called Erika from biology.

 

Unfortunately, he had a bit of a gawking problem, but it was OK, he did his best for others not to notice, although it was a bit noticeable. He liked pretty girls, the only problem was that the girls he liked, didn't like him, while the girls that liked him, he didn't really like. He was never a prick about it, but he was in love with pretty girls, and who would blame him?

 

One day, for very unknown reasons, things changed a bit. A new girl came to school. She was the prettiest girl that Richard had ever seen, her skin was pale, so pale that calling her pale would be an overstatement, her hair completely black as the night, she smelled of honeysuckle and lily of the valley, and she had the most amazing eyes, the color of foxgloves. It felt like luck because most of her classes were the same as Richard’s.

  

“Do you have a pencil I can borrow?” she asked one day during Spanish class.

She sat right behind him, draped as always in several clothing items, all of them black. She seemed to like black a lot and all of them seemed to be made of velvet.

“Dunno, let me see.” As he moved things inside his backpack. “I have a pen if you like”.

“A pen will do.” she said.

 

When Richard handed over the pen, their hands touched for two seconds and Richard could have sworn that she was cold as a frozen lake. She took her hand away, looking like she was a little embarrassed for a second. Then she smiled at him.

 

‘My name is Lamia’

‘My name is Richard. You are the new girl.’

‘I am.’

 

They became friends very quickly, and Lamia was so pretty that Richard stopped gawking at the other girls and started gawking only at Lamia. She seemed to like him back, so Richard -even when he was a little sheepish- proposed they should go out.

 

They went out a couple of times, but as Richard wasn't very experienced in dating matters, they went out with Richard’s friends. Lamia was patient with him. She had to be. They were never alone.

When date number two was ending she proposed to go walk along the river that flowed right outside of town and Richard thought it was a great idea.

 

‘But, alone. Please!’ she said ‘I like your friends but I want to spend time with you, alone, you know?’

‘I don't see why not.’ He said in a voice that showed a little too much excitement.

 

So they walked to the river bank and they started walking with the moon shining and illuminating the path in front of them. Although it was a very cold night, it didn't look like her breath was steaming.

 

“Are you cold?” he asked, trying to be considerate and gallant.

“I am always cold” she said.

Lamia stopped and ran a cold finger down his cheek. “You are so warm,” she said admiringly. “It must be wonderful to have so much warmth.”

 

Richard tried to look modest. ‘It’s not something I think about much really,’ he admitted.

Lamia looked up at him, pleadingly, sweetly. ‘Would you give me some of your heat? I am so cold.’

Richard wondered if he should kiss her. ‘What? I…’

She looked disappointed. ‘Don't you like me?’ she asked.

He hoped desperately that he had not hurt her feelings.

‘Of course I like you’ he heard his voice saying. ‘You are very nice.’

‘And you are not using all of your heat, are you?’ she pointed out reasonably.

‘I suppose not…’

‘And you said you like me. I just want a little warmth. Can I have some?

Anything she wanted. Anything. Her intoxicating smell of honeysuckle and lily of the valley wrapped around him, and his eyes saw nothing but her pale skin and her dark plum-bloom lips, and her jet-black hair. He nodded. Somewhere inside him something was screaming; but whatever it was, it could wait. 

She reached up her hands to his face and pulled it gently down towards her. Then she kissed him, long and languorously. There was a moment of initial shock at the chill of her lips, and the cold of her tongue, and then he succumbed to her kiss entirely.

After some time, she pulled back.

He could feel the ice on his lips. He stumbled back and fell to the ground. He tried to blink, but his eyes felt as if they were frozen open. She looked down at him, and smiled delightedly, her skin was flush and pink, and her lips were scarlet, her breath steamed in the cold air. She licked her red lips with a warm crimson tongue. 

His world began to go dark.

‘More’ she said. And she reached out to him while he was still on the ground.

Richard didn't know he shouldn't have kissed her. Lamia was no ordinary girl. Lamia was a velvet. A creature from the underground that is forced to survive by stealing the heat from the living. They prefer the heat from credulous young men. The legend says that if one of them is able to steal enough heat from a human, she will be able to keep her warmth, forever.

The End.

(Based in a character from Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman)