“You’re a comedian,” Caiden said.
“No, but I what I really want you to say is that you’ll take me for a ride on that amazing hypercycle of yours through town. Sound like a deal?” she said.
“Okay, then.” he said while laughing. “I will take you on a ride on my amazing hypercycle through town. Is that good enough?”
“Ooh, you’ll take me for a ride? Sounds a little dirty, Caide,” she joked while nudging him with her elbow.
“You made me say it,” he replied. After a moment of shared laughter came a pause. The gaze they shared was intense. Yvora was the first to break eye contact.
“Wow! I’m sorry Caide. Just, wow,” she said while fanning her face with her hand.
“That’s how I feel,” Caiden replied.
Yvora smiled before downing the last of her drink. She got up to head toward her room to change her clothes.
“Be right back,” she said.
She freshened up, changed, and was ready to go shortly after. This time, she sported a black leather corset that revealed her ample cleavage. The corset sat just above her belly button, leaving her lower stomach exposed, showing off her washboard abs. She also wore a black leather jacket, black jeans, and black knee-high, leather heels with gold buckles down the side.
“You look like you’re about to go onstage,” Caiden remarked.
“I can wear a long t-shirt instead, if you’d like,” she chuckled.
“Nah, you look good,” he replied.
“I know I do,” she said confidently.
They headed out. Yvora happily jogged over to Caiden’s hypercycle, bedazzled by its sleek, aerodynamic, and futuristic design.
“I must say, sir, you have quite the machine to ride,” she said.
“Thank you. And by the sound of your voice, was there a little hint, of say, sexual innuendo there? I dunno, maybe I’m just crazy,” Caiden teased.
“Maybe, maybe not,” she said, licking her lips and giving him a hungry stare before looking off into the night. Caiden clenched his fists as he felt a jolt of pleasure shoot down his midsection. He quickly recovered and handed her his motorcycle helmet.
“You don’t have another one?” she asked.
“No. Besides, ladies first,” he replied.
“Oh, you’re such a gentleman,” she mocked.
They hopped on the bike and Caiden revved the engine.
“Okay, tour guide, where to?” he asked.
“A nice little hangout spot, Midnight Arcade,” she replied.
“Oh, yeah. I know where that is, good choice,” he said.
“Really? I thought you never went out?”
“I don’t, but you can blame Vantz for taking me there once. It wasn’t all that bad when I went,” he replied. “Off we go.”
Yvora put on the helmet and they made their way to Midnight Arcade. The ride was a few short minutes into Central Andro.
“Whoa, man, long line,” Caiden said.
“Don’t worry about it. I got this,” she said assuredly. As they pulled up, the people in line couldn’t help but stare at the magnificence of Caiden’s hypercycle. But they were even more intrigued by the mystery passenger. “There’s a parking lot right behind the building, I’ll go talk to the bouncer at the door real quick and wait for you,” she said.
“Aye, aye, captain” he jeered as he saluted her. She gave him a punch on the shoulder in response. She truly enjoyed Caiden’s company. Taking off the helmet and handing it to Caiden, the patrons in the crowd gasped in excitement.
“Oh, man! It’s Yvora Blue!”
“Wow, she’s even prettier in person,” someone was heard saying.
Caiden found a spot and returned to the front of the establishment.
“Hey! You good?” she asked.
“I’m all yours,” he replied as she grabbed his hand and walked into the lounge.
“Whoa, that dude is one lucky bastard,” a patron from the line was heard saying.
“You hear that? You are lucky to be in my presence,” Yvora joked.
Caiden simply smiled. This was shaping out to be one of the first good nights he’d had in long time.
The Midnight Arcade was incredible; it was nothing like its name would suggest. There was sensual green and purple lighting. Real trees were swathed with white fairy lights and strategically placed throughout the establishment. There were carefully crafted walkways, designed around sculpted dirt patches on both sides. It was an extravagant work of art. The lounge also had white manna-laced silk sheets covering the cabanas with couches inside.
Manna was a strange glowing, white liquid that was extremely versatile. Cultivated the right way, manna could be infused with clothing, weapons, technology, food, and a vast array other everyday items. Manipulating manna was particularly difficult to do, as it required a specialist to extract the liquid. Most of the specialists came from the manna rich region of Oasis, located in the middle of the Sun Desert.
On the market, manna was extremely expensive due to its highly capable and versatile applications. Infusing manna into fabric would make it stronger and less likely to be damaged. Infusing it into body armor would reinforce said armor. Applying it to any form of combustion fuel-based vehicles, would make the vehicle more energy efficient. It was once said that manna could give off strange mystical qualities, but due to its difficulty to process and cultivate, there had not been enough studies done to confirm such a hypothesis.
In the lounge, the manna-laced sheets gave off a subtle, hypnotizing glow. The air was sweet and smelled of leaves and freshly cut grass.
“Wow! It wasn’t like this when I last came here,” Caiden said.
“Of course, not, hermit crab,” Yvora prodded humorously. “Rumor has it, the same interior designer who created Bliss Park in Club Cosmica was also heavily involved in the re-design of this place.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” he replied, looking around.
“Is that my beautiful, Yvora Blue!? Come here gimme a hug, sweetie,” a woman called from a behind the two of them.
“Sasha! Oh my god, it’s so good to see you!” Yvora replied.
Their hug was long, drawn out, and more intimate than Caiden expected. Sasha affectionately kissed Yvora on the cheek.
“Damn girl, lookin’ better than ever! Sheesh! What brings you here tonight?” Sasha asked.
Yvora pointed in Caiden’s direction and smiled. “Oh my, my, my! What a handsome date you have here, huh, Yvie?” Sasha said, impressed. She shook Caiden’s hand and peered into his eyes before snapping out of it. “Nice to meet you!”
“You too. I’m Caiden,” he replied.
“Caiden, huh? Gorgeous,” she said, emphasizing the word as she said it. “Well, listen here, you two, anything you need is on the house tonight, okay? So good to see you again, babe. And have a good time tonight! Toodles, lovelies!” Sasha waved to them as she went to greet some other patrons.
“Okay, what was that all about?” Caiden asked in a gossipy tone.
“With Sash?” she asked.
“Yes! With Sash or whatever her name is,” he chuckled.
“Oh, man. Where do I begin? We sorta had a quick fling a few years ago. We hooked up,” she said while Caiden furrowed his eyebrows.
“What? I was drunk!” she said sheepishly.
“I mean, damn, it couldn’t have been more obvious. Clearly, she still has a ‘thing’ for you. You sure you don’t wanna re-visit that?” Caiden teased.
Yvora smiled begrudgingly while punching Caiden in the arm again. “Shut up loser,” she shot back.
She grabbed his hand and guided him to one of the cabanas in the lounge. The vocals on the record being played were hazy and reverbed. The music was beautiful, filled with chord changes and melodic progression. It was the perfect mood setting music. As they sat, Yvora took her jacket off to show off her body in an attempt to seduce Caiden. He clearly got the message.
“You really got me outta my comfort zone right now. Phew! Oh, man
,” he said.
He was completely captivated by this woman. Just like the first and second time he laid eyes on her. The confidence she exuded was infectious and obvious, yet, pleasantly void of cockiness or hubris. She was clearly a woman who knew how to carry herself; a woman who seemed to know what, and who she wanted. A waitress came over with a tray of two Darkmoon shots and two, neatly rolled brown papers that looked like perfectly shaped twigs.
“Courtesy of Hostess, Sasha Silver, Ms. Blue,” the waitress said.
“Awesome, thanks a lot,” she replied. Yvora inspected the rolled papers’ contents and then held them up to her nose and inhaled. “Ah, yes, I love Greenwood!” she said excitedly.
She pulled out a lighter from her purse and lit the Greenwood joint. She let out a relaxed sigh after she inhaled the wondrous scented fumes.
“You had this stuff before?” she asked Caiden.
“Nah, heard it was good, and natural too,” he replied.
“Try it,” she said encouragingly.
“Why not?” Caiden obliged. He lit it and inhaled. He felt the buzz hit him as he exhaled. The clarity of thought was immense.
“Awesome, right?” Yvora said.
Greenwood was a popular commodity in the city. It was comprised of a special herbal plant known for its healing properties and hallucinogenic qualities. It was usually shredded into smaller pieces that were laced with an extremely small amount of mania. It was customarily wrapped tightly and neatly into specially cut, paper-thin hollowed out tree twigs. The thin cut tree twigs were lightly dipped in liquefied manna to keep the twig wrapping from tearing or crumbling. The smoke from the Greenwood smelled like chocolate, and had a pleasant aftertaste.
“So, Caide, what do you do for a living? That sounds so weird asking you that. It’s even weirder that I haven’t ask you that already. I feel like I already know you, even though I don’t. Am I making sense?” she asked.
“Totally. It’s cool. As for what I do, well, I’m an app developer. I was in school at ACTS, but I decided to take some time away to work on some projects of my own,” he replied.
Yvora examined him for a few moments before she spoke. “I call bullshit,” she said.
“What?” he replied.
“Yeah, I call bullshit. You wanna know how I know to call bullshit?”
“Vantz fucking Marling, huh?”
“Yup,” she replied.
“Okay, you got me. So what did he tell you?” Caiden quizzed.
“Well, let’s see. From Vantz, I’ve heard that you’re quite brilliant. I also heard from Vance that you spend most of your spare time on CWR. He told me that even he’s not sure what you do, but surmised that whatever it is that you’re doin’ is probably barely legal, which he finds hilarious, by the way. You rarely ever go out or socialize. Even I can tell that, because clearly, you’re socially inept and super awkward, so I’d say, based on those bits of information, that you’re some sort of hacker,” she said.
Caiden couldn’t tell if she was joking or serious. She was clever like that. “Okay, first of all, ouch! My feelings are hurt. Yes, you’re right, and fuck, you got me figured out,” Caiden ceded while casually putting his hands up as if caught red handed.
“See? I told you!
“Since I’m nerdy and illegal then, I’d say enough about me. What about you? How did you get started? And how’d you end up on the path you’re on now?” Caiden asked.
“Good question. Well, let me think. I guess you could say I was born to create. Born to envision and realize those inner visions. Born to defy the odds. We moved around a lot from borough to borough. My mom, she was, well, she was kinda shady like you. No offense, hehe. But, no, seriously, she was kinda into the street life stuff. She ran with a small gang, got into some crazy stuff. For this reason, we always seemed to be on the move. Things really changed for the better though, after we both were almost killed by a rival gang. She would always tell me that I was her shining light. Her saving grace, I guess. After that, she got out the game and we moved here to Andromeda District. Life miraculously seemed to stabilize after that," she said.
"Whoa, whoa, wait! Huh? She just stopped like that? What about your Dad? " Caiden asked in disbelief.
"True story. As unbelievable as it might seem, my biological father was from the gang that rivaled my mom's. I met him a couple of times when I was younger, but our relationship is pretty much nonexistent. Anyway, I don't wanna dive too deep into that part of my life right now. Maybe a little later," Yvora replied.
"Okay, then, how did you get into music?" Caiden asked.
"Ah, they pretty boy asked the winning question. I have always loved singing. I would sometimes only have conversations with Mom while using my singing voice and she got so annoyed by it! It was so funny! But, eventually, my mom started to notice that I really had a good voice. So, she decided to enter me into competitions across the city. When we found out I could sing, that’s when we took life by the horns and said, ‘fuck you, we’re winning this time’. It was a long, hard journey, but now, Mom is my manager, and we are finally seeing the fruits of our precious labor. My mother always told me that dreams were meant to be conquered. And that stuck with me. And now, I always tell my fans to dream beyond fear. It’ll take you farther than you’d ever believe,” Yvora said passionately.
Her hazel eyes lit up when she recounted her early life struggles and newfound triumphs. Caiden could feel her enthusiasm. She was magnetic and captivating. He could feel his chest swelling up with a positive energy that was reinvigorating and empowering.
“You might think I’m weird for saying this, and I know we just met a few days ago, but I can tell you’re destined for something great; something amazing. I can just feel it,” she said, sitting closer to him. She took another puff of the Greenwood.
“Come here,” she said softly, bringing his lips closer to hers before she shotgunned the Greenwood smoke into his mouth. The smoke was sweet. His heart fluttered. Even without touching him, she sent chills down his spine and he loved it.
“C’mon, let’s get outta here,” she said tenderly.
“Where to now?” Caiden asked.
“Star Hills,” she replied.
“Fine by me.”
***
The ride up to Star Hills was winding and scenic. It was one of the few places in the mega-city that had been left untouched by modern society. Yvora, enamored with the clear starry sky held Caiden’s waist tighter as they rode on the large secluded hill. The light of the silver moon added to the magical ambience and breathtaking view of the city.
“Pull over right up there,” Yvora instructed.
Caiden pulled over to an incline that was hidden from the dirt road that led to the hill. They dismounted and secured the hypercycle and walked over to the private outlook. Yvora pulled out a small, thin camping sheet and spread it on the grass for them to sit on. True to its name, the hill provided a clear view of all the stars in the sky. It helped them forget about the ills of the city and the rest of the world. They laid back and enjoyed the view.
Unable to cope with her feelings, Yvora sat up to physically control them. Caiden sat up as well, and they locked eyes once again. Stepping further outside of his comfort zone, he leaned forward and kissed her. She slowly leaned back. He’s beautiful, she thought to herself as she ran her fingers through his hair. She kissed him again, This time deeper, more intense, hungrily.
Urgency and eagerness consumed them both as their hands began to explore. With the tips of his fingers, he softly traced the curves of her body in anticipation. Every caress sent her to another world. She couldn’t wait any longer. They tore at each other's clothing.
Every solicitous connection of his caress on her skin sent her to another world. They shared with each other the bareness; the core of human impulse and ardor which brought the level of intimacy to a place Caiden has never felt before. Compunction be damned , she inadvertently mumbled in quivering pleasure.
“I think I'm
falling in love with you,” Yvora said. Caiden froze.
“Oh my god! I’m so sorry,” she said, sobering up from her rapturous daze. She blushed. She hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
Caiden had just been hit with the realization of what she said. He was astonished that a woman as wonderful as Yvora could feel anything like that for him. He tenderly stroked her cheek and rested his forehead against hers.
“I think I feel the same about you too,” he whispered.
Relieved by his reciprocation, she slid her arms around his neck. She pulled him close and smiled, knowing that nothing could ruin their one perfect moment.
***
Some time had passed, and they were laying together on the hills looking at the last of the stars as dawn slowly crept into the sky. Her head rested on his chest.
“You are something else,” she told him as she tapped her finger on his nose.
“So are you,” he replied. “Time to go?”
“Yeah, I’m kinda hungry. And a little worn out, thanks to you,” she said, playfully nudging him.
“I was thinkin’, you should stay over. Don’t want you riding home tired. Maybe I can cook up some brunch or something when we wake up?” she asked with a hint of embarrassment and a nervous smile.
“I don’t have anywhere to be. I’d like that,” he said.
By that time, they were fully clothed save for their jackets. As soon as they were ready, Caiden geared up his hypercycle and they took off into the morning sun toward her place.
***
“Whatever is your will shall come to fruition,” a familiar voice echoed from the darkness.
“Who was that?” Caiden asked.
“Your truth,” the voice replied.
“I don’t understand,” a confused Caiden called out into the darkness.
“If you let them; your eyes shall see more. If you will it, your flesh shall be strengthened. You are more than what you think you are. The power lies deep inside you,” the voice said as it faded out.
“I don’t get it. Wait! Wait! Wait! Wai—”
To his left, he saw a turquoise glowing light getting brighter and brighter. He looked down and saw that his entire left arm was the source of the light! The appearance of the powerful glow frightened him.
Neon District: ALPHA (The Neon District Trilogy, Book 1) Page 24
