by J Armitage
Aethelu finally found the keys she was looking for, opened the door and Anais followed her into the dark room. Aethelu flicked a switch and light flooded the room. The sight that greeted Anais made her take a deep intake of breath. It was obviously a painting studio with art supplies covering the floor but it was the walls that bowled Anais over, or rather what was on the walls. Originally painted white, they were now covered floor to ceiling in the most amazing paintings Anais had ever seen. Aethelu had experimented in many different styles, from the abstract paintings such as in the main house to portraits which were so lifelike that they almost looked like photographs, however they had a surreal quality to them with many other things going on in each painting. One of Arcadia, for example, had her sat in a film director’s chair looking poised, her legs crossed. She was smoking what appeared to be a rolled up $100 bill. Each strand of her hair had been painstakingly painted but it was not normal hair. Each strand was painted as ribbons, intricately braided. It was also a deep red colour and waved around the painting in perfect coils. Wild birds perched atop her head.
The painting of Andrew had his features, but made up of wire, weaved and coiled intricately into an image of his face.
Anais passed from one to the other, finding the images strangely beautiful and sometimes startling. Each one had hidden images within images like an enigma. She took a moment to take in the full length of the room. It was a double height room with a split level. A ladder led to an open plan mezzanine floor which had a glass balustrade. There was a big bathtub next to the glass and beyond that Anais could just make out a bed. On the lower level there was a tiny kitchen and a small room which Anais guessed to be a toilet. The only windows in the room were high up near the ceiling allowing for more wall space on which to hang paintings. If there was an inch of wall space free, Anais was yet to see it. She climbed the ladder to get a better view of the higher paintings. Once at the top she turned around and that’s when she noticed the biggest painting of all. She’d had her back to it the whole time as it was on the opposite wall to the mezzanine. It filled the whole end wall and was a painting of a young girl aged about six or seven. Unlike the other portraits it was not made up of many bizarre images but it still had a dreamlike quality to it. The brown haired girl was surrounded by light shining from her and she was looking towards the night sky, which was flecked with thousands of stars. Beautiful flowers surrounded her feet echoing the star-filled sky. It was by far the most striking painting there. Anais couldn’t take her eyes from it. She only sensed Aethelu was right behind her by the breath on her neck.
“Do you like it?”
“It’s Anna isn’t it?”
“It’s how I remember her. Beautiful, full of energy. My father described her as a little ball of lightning. That’s how he got the name of his elixir, The Light. It was really named for her although she never took it. If I’m going to be honest I can’t really remember exactly what she looked like now. She died before photography was invented and I took up painting many hundreds of years later. I just remember that she was beautiful like an angel and that painting is how remembering her makes me feel.”
Anais had never thought of paintings in that way before, not to look like how a person looks but painted to show how they make you feel.
Anais tingled, she could feel Aethelu’s breath on her neck. She closed her eyes.
“How would you paint me?”
Anais could still feel Aethelu breathing but she remained silent. After many long seconds Aethelu moved away. Anais heard movement behind her and then running water. She heard Aethelu climbing down the ladder and then back up again and lots of banging and scraping. When she finally opened her eyes and turned round she saw that Aethelu had set up an easel. The bath had been filled with water but Aethelu had added something to give it a gold sheen. From up here Anais could see that it was a perfectly round tub surrounded by mosaic tiles. Light danced off the surface of the water thanks to the golden bath oil and flowers floated on the top.
“Get in.”
Anais stood still for a moment contemplating what she was expected to do. Aethelu sensed her hesitation and smiled. She walked over to the bath and put her hand in.
“Look.”
Anais looked down. Aethelu’s hand was only a couple of inches under the surface but the gold oil in the bath completely enveloped it so it could not be seen. When she brought her hand out the gold clung to it so that it looked like she had been painted in gold paint.
Aethelu quickly wiped her hand on a nearby cloth, removing all traces of the gold, and then busied herself in setting up her palate.
Anais checked to see Aethelu wasn’t looking and then as quickly as she could she threw her clothes off and jumped into the tub sloshing golden water over the sides. Aethelu was still not paying her any attention so Anais laid back in the water. Great wafts of steam floated up from the surface, and on closer inspection the flowers she had seen earlier were not real, but lifelike plastic. These too were gold. The water came up to her neck and something in the gold oil was reacting with the water creating tiny bubbles which tickled her skin and popped pleasantly on the surface. This must be what bathing in champagne feels like, mused Anais, and indeed the gold oil gave off a most wonderful aroma akin to champagne and strawberries. She felt wonderful in the hot bath whilst the air around her was still frigid, as the room had no heating that she could see. She blew a couple of breaths which she could still see in the freezing air and which mingled with the steam from the bath. Looking down, she could only see the shimmering surface of the water. It made her feel less naked somehow and more brave. She lifted a hand out of the water and like Aethelu’s hand had, it shimmered and sparkled with a thousand tiny glittering specks. She lifted her toes out and inspected them. Like her hand they also glittered in the light. She put her head back and lay in the water almost totally submerged with just her face above the surface. She was enjoying all the sensations, the heat of the water, the coldness of her face and the light which twinkled out of the corner of her eyes. She almost didn’t notice Aethelu’s face appear above her, nor did she hear what Aethelu said as her ears were under the water and filled with the sounds of a million tiny bubbles popping. She grinned and then brought her head out of the water.
“Sit still, up a bit, shoulders out of the water.”
Anais did as she was told and positioned her arms out along the rim of the bath.
“Perfect, now stay still.”
She sat there, still, for what felt like hours as Aethelu, hidden by the easel, worked away at her painting, poking her head out from behind the canvas every so often to check on her subject. In actuality Anais had only been there twenty minutes, judging by the clock on the wall by the bed, but her arms were getting pins and needles and she was beginning to ache. Aethelu kept popping her head out from behind the easel hardly seeming to notice the passing of time, so absorbed was she with her painting. Anais had to move her arms though. She brought them down to her side and rubbed them vigorously to bring feeling back into them. She was also starting to get a little chilly.
“Can we take a break?”
Aethelu put down her paints and came over to Anais. She flicked a switch and the bath came to life with jets of bubbles flowing out all around her. It was a Hot Tub! The water also began to heat up once more, which Anais was grateful for. Bubbles danced around her body as they journeyed up to the surface, where they popped merrily on the golden sheen. Aethelu disappeared down the ladder and came back moments later with a bottle of champagne and a glass. She popped the cork and handed Anais the glass.
Anais sipped the champagne and felt like she was floating away on the bubbles. Its cold crispness tasted all the more delicious against the heat of the hot tub and she could feel the crisp taste of it travel all the way down her throat. When she had finished, Aethelu topped up her glass although she poured none for herself.
The sensation of bubbles tickling her throat from the champagne matched the bubbles from the ho
t tub playing all over her body and made her feel all the more aware of her nudity. She caught Aethelu looking at her intently which made her feel slightly nervous. Checking quickly once again to see that the gold oil did indeed cover her completely she relaxed back into the sensation of bubbles and heat.
All too soon Aethelu flicked the switch that quieted the water jets and the surface smoothed out once more. Anais put her arms back into position but this time with the champagne glass in her hand which she sipped occasionally. The water was now so hot that Anais was surprised Aethelu would be able to see her at all through the steam.
Sensations drifted through her pleasantly. She felt something else too, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on, and it was a feeling of reckless abandon, of being totally alive and for the first time in her life, feeling totally beautiful and more than a little sensual.
She didn’t know if it was the champagne or the gold oil covering her that was making her feel bold but when Aethelu next peeked out from behind the canvas Anais looked directly into her eyes. Unblinking, she smiled ever so slowly. She felt empowered. Her feet that had been bobbing on the surface now found the hot tub floor and she stood, gold oil dripping down around her.
She drained the glass of champagne and placed it on the side of the tub. Suddenly the coldness of the air hit her and the combination of champagne and rapid temperature change was beginning to make her feel light headed and dizzy. She sat back quickly in the tub and closed her eyes already regretting her shameless show. Seconds later she heard Aethelu put down her paints. Anais tried to look but her eyes were just too heavy to open.
She felt Aethelu moving a stray lock of hair that had fallen over her face, being careful not to touch her skin with her ungloved hand.
Anais waited for something to happen but she didn’t know what. She could feel the anticipation in the air.
Seconds later lips touched hers, softly kissing her. Cold lips against her heated mouth brought a more wonderful sensation than the champagne had. The same reaction that happened when Aethelu touched her finger was now building up, drawing blood into her head and a million electrical impulses into the nerves of her body running up towards the central concentration of her lips. Almost as soon as it started, it ended and the sensation stopped, leaving Anais with tingling lips. Another sensation of electricity ran through her although she knew it was nothing to do with The Light and everything to do with how she felt about Aethelu. The kiss had lasted less than a few seconds but qualified as the single most breath-taking moment of her life. Her whole body was now tingling with pleasure but the dizziness was now threatening to overcome her. She opened her eyes and tried to stand but the heat, the champagne and then the kiss had made her feel so light headed that she began to sway, before finally falling over. Aethelu caught her with a towel and carried her over to the bed. Anais felt so tired that she didn’t even open her eyes when Aethelu gently wrapped her in the towel. When Aethelu began to softly towel dry her hair, the motion finally sent Anais off to sleep.
Hours later Anais awoke. She felt amazing after her long sleep. It was dark now with the only light coming through the windows from the moon. She glanced at the clock and could just make out the time through the darkness. It was 4am.
Smiling, she remembered the events of last night, the kiss! Her lips still had a faint tingle in them after all these hours. She had never kissed, or in this case been kissed by a girl before. She’d never even thought about it, but now it was all she could think about. She looked over at Aethelu who was now sleeping fully clothed at the other side of the bed. The moonlight illuminated her face but Anais knew that even without the moon light she would be able to see her.
Aethelu looked so pale with her silver hair fanned out around porcelain skin. Her lips were red and slightly moist. Up close she could see that Aethelu used mascara to hide her colourless eyelashes. She had a serene expression in sleep which made her look even more beautiful. Anais had an overwhelming desire to kiss her but she held back. She thought about the impact of her falling for a woman but then realised it wasn’t the fact Aethelu was a woman that she should be worrying about but the fact the woman in question was 600 years old. The whole thing was surreal but oh so exciting. The whole of the last week or so had already been life changing and it seemed everything that had happened to her had brought her to this moment in time. She realised it didn’t matter that Aethelu was a girl or that she was nearly immortal. None of it mattered, the only thing that mattered was the here and now and the overwhelming fact that she wanted to kiss her again. Desperately. She moved her face to within an inch of Aethelu’s. Hesitating a moment, she brushed her lips against Aethelu’s. She waited for the electric sensation to start but it didn’t come. Aethelu, being asleep had somehow turned it off. Anais didn’t need it though. Just the act of kissing Aethelu caused enough sensation as it was without the added electricity of The Light. Her heart leapt in her chest. She was so afraid but at the same time everything felt so right. Aethelu stirred slightly but didn’t wake. Anais laid back down and closed her eyes, smiling at how everything had turned out. She had known for a while now that it would come to this, at least she had secretly hoped it. She was almost asleep herself when she felt Aethelu wrap her arm around her. They both slept together in each other’s arms for the rest of the night.
CHAPTER NINE
When Anais next awoke, light was streaming in through the studio windows. She took a few moments to remember the events of the previous night and when she did, she quickly turned to Aethelu. The bed next to her was empty. She sat up quickly and scanned the room. Aethelu was nowhere on the balcony. Anais began to worry that she had embarrassed Aethelu last night or worse, that she had dreamed the whole thing.
“So you’re finally awake, good timing.” Aethelu’s head popped up as she climbed the ladder to the living level of the studio.
Aethelu threw an apple to Anais which she expertly caught and held on to. As Aethelu pulled herself up to the mezzanine floor, Anais could see she was carrying a bag which she placed on the bed. Aethelu pulled out a couple of Danish pastries, some more fruit and a flask of coffee with two cups. She poured the coffee and handed Anais a cup before pouring one for herself.
Anais found herself smiling which was echoed in Aethelu’s expression. She was relieved that there seemed to be no embarrassment although she couldn’t think of a single thing to say. She found herself wanting to wipe away a crumb of pastry from Aethelu’s lip just as an excuse to touch her again. As she looked at Aethelu she noticed something was wrong, no not wrong, just different, but she couldn’t tell exactly what it was. She then realised that Aethelu was twinkling in the morning light. Little flashes bounced off glitter on one side of her face. It wasn’t only confined to her face though, her red jumper and jeans also glittered although strangely only on one side.
“Why are you sparkling on one side?”
Aethelu looked down at herself and laughed.
“Perhaps you should look in the mirror,” she replied.
Confused, Anais wrapped the sheet around herself, leaving the apple on the bed, and walked over to the full length mirror on the opposite wall. She barely recognised herself. The oil from the bath last night had left a golden sheen all over her skin and hair. Tiny flashes of gold glitter covered her whole body. As she had slept, the oil had smeared all over the sheet which now also shimmered with the dried oil. Patches of skin showed through the gold so she resembled a patchwork of golden blotches. Her hair had dried in a golden frizz and was now stuck out at all angles. She heard a giggle right behind her and saw Aethelu’s reflection over her right shoulder. She saw the gold had rubbed off her own lips and onto Aethelu’s when she had kissed her in the night. It was like she had claimed a small piece of Aethelu for herself. Anais was acutely aware of Aethelu’s closeness, the feel of her breath on her neck and the smell of strawberries once again. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, consumed with Aethelu’s presence. She was stood only an inch in front
of Aethelu but that space between them was too much of a gap. She would have bridged it if it hadn’t been for the electricity of The Light. She felt so alive, so totally awake and raw that she knew that contact with Aethelu’s skin would overwhelm her. Instead she turned her head and spoke.
“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you last night. It must have been the champa...”
Her sentence was left hanging as Aethelu kissed her fully on the mouth. Electric started to course through her once again but was quickly cut off by Aethelu backing up.
“I wanted to kiss you from the moment I saw you. I’m not embarrassed at all. I just wish I’d done it sooner.” Aethelu smiled “And now I wish I could do it more, I’ll have to get The Light under control.”
“I don’t know, I quite like it!” Anais smiled a soft smile and gazed at Aethelu. Beautiful, with eyes so dark with diamond flecks, which were now looking back at her intently, but full of emotion.
Eventually Aethelu broke her gaze and spoke.
“You’d better go get a shower and wash all that gold off you. It’s driving me crazy knowing that I’m so close to you but can’t touch you.”
“Me too.” Anais made her way down the ladder with the smudged sheet still wrapped around her, finally discarding it when she reached the shower room, grinning all the way.
After she had showered the gold from her body and hair she wrapped a towel around herself. Having no clean clothes to put on she pulled on the jeans she had been wearing the day before and put on a shirt she had found lying around. It was red so she assumed it must belong to Aethelu. When she climbed the ladder once again she found Aethelu working on her painting. Not wanting to disturb her Anais silently made her way back down the ladder and put the oily sheet into a small laundry basket. She found some dirty clothes which followed the sheet. Deciding to let Aethelu work in peace, she quietly tidied up the studio. It was only when she made her way back up the ladder once more to tidy up there that Aethelu noticed her.
