Red Spider Lily

The scent of varying flowers rooted deep into the soil, rooted deep into her senses as the smell wafted towards her nose. Veronica lifted her head, as if resurfacing atop water; but the surface was rather an enormous field of flowers. Colors scattered the area in an organized manner, as an overhead banner read "Numbra's Botanical Garden of Flowers" in bright red letters.

The sun up above was a midsummer orange, and on this midsummer afternoon Veronica had tied her hair up past a headband that caught each drop of sweat. She observed the field before her, scanning each color to identify the correct order she'd created. After confirming this, she closed her eyes and sniffed the air.

"Good," she spoke to herself. "This smells like summer."

She smiled, and walked back towards the shade. The shade was found under the roof of the botanical's lobby, where the guests would soon be arriving in about 20 minutes. 2:00 pm marked the place's opening time, and it was currently 1:38.

"Are the flowers in the main garden organized like the way I showed you?" The manager asked Veronica.

"Yes, they are."

"How does it look?"

"Perfect," Veronica smiled widely. She felt a noticeable excitement, as this was her first time working a shift on a summer day. Veronica was hired as a gardener, specifically to tend to the flowers, a few months prior in the early bloom of spring. Now that it was a month that Education classes were off, more customers her age would be coming to visit. This created her initial excitement—to show all her Nexi peers the beauty of the sight and smell of flowers in the midst of the sun's heat. The sun was especially hot in her specific district. Unlike the majority of the districts, the sun's trajectory passed over hers twice. It was only hers, Numbra District, and a few other districts that met this same fate.

2:00 pm had now struck, and visitors immediately began piling in. From small early Nexi, to tall Dexus, to even frail Oxul, all kinds of guests had come to see the bloom of summer. This brought an undeniable joy to Veronica, and every guest she greeted were fortunate to bear sight to her shining smile.

As she displayed a certain array of flowers to a crowd of intrigued guests, she chose specifically a peony flower to shine light onto. She described it as a pink enchantress, and how its gradual growth from a shelled bulb to a sprout of open beauty would stun the eyes of anyone who laid their eyes upon it.

"Those are my girlfriend's favorite," A late male Nexi said, from among the crowd.

"That's nice, they're one of my favorites too," Veronica replied; "What's your girlfriend's name?"

"Her name's CJ, and I'd love to get a peony for her. Could I take one home?"

"Yes you can, though they must be bought separately from the shop. The flowers from the garden stay in the garden."

"Got it," and the male began bolting off instantly. The rest of the crowd giggled at the wholesome encounter, and Veronica continued her speech.

Now it was nearing 8:00 pm, the closing time for the botanical. The sun had began setting, and the horizon produced a darker orange glow. The number of guests had lessened and only a few more roamed the garden area. Veronica observed her surroundings, and seeing as people were already beginning to leave, thought that it'd be a good idea to start preparing for closing. That's when unexpectedly out of no where, a male Nexi came to greet her.

"Hey!" He read the nametag on her shirt, "—Veronica!"

"Oh hi! Are you looking for the exit? We're about to close soon-"

"Actually no," he interrupted her. "I came to talk to you, specifically."

Veronica found herself surprised. The male Nexi was one around her age—a late Nexi too. He had short dark brown hair, neatly combed revealing a parting down the middle. He seemed well groomed, almost as if he was ready to go on a date. He stood slightly taller than Veronica, who tilted her head upwards to look at the boy.

"Me?" Veronica giggled. She smiled at him, "Why me?"

"This is sort of embarrassing to say, but…" He blushed. "I find you absolutely gorgeous."

Veronica felt her face warm up.

"I came here to see the summer's bloom of flowers, but instead my attention was taken by the beauty of something else," he looked deeply into Veronica's eyes. She returned the gaze, and could see the bright sunset reflecting off his pupils. She suddenly felt bashful. She wanted to say something back, but she couldn't find the words. Instead, the male spoke up:

"I just wanted to let you know that," he smirked. "I'll be on my way now, sorry to bug you, and goodnight!" He began walking towards the exit.

Veronica watched as he took each giddy step further and further away, closer and closer to the garden's exit. Each step bringing about a bittersweet feeling under her heart; a feeling she desired to fulfill.

To her surprise, this feeling would gradually be fulfilled. The male Nexi kept coming back to the garden, day after day after day after day. He'd arrive at the same time, and leave at the same time. Lucky to Veronica and her desires, she had a shift everyday that week. So she'd gladly encounter him near closing at the same time every evening, where he'd say his sweet-spoken words and say his goodbyes. But these goodbyes would be short-lived as he'd arrive once again the very next day.

Veronica found herself happier than ever. She had never looked forward to her shifts as much as she did now. Although she'd be busy tending to flowers or guests throughout her shift, she'd always catch a glimpse every now and then of the boy roaming the garden.

"Toby," the male Nexi told her. "My name's Toby."

"My name's Veronica," she smiled widely. Her giddiness had been overflowing. She couldn't hold it back, and went in for a hug. Her arms wrapped tightly around Toby, as her face pressed against his chest. As if already anticipating the same, his arms were wrapped around Veronica too. The two hugged with young love under the diminishing glow of the orange-lit sunset over the horizon.

More days passed and the routine repeated. Toby came to Numbra's Botanical Garden of Flowers, where Veronica worked on a daily. Throughout her shift, Veronica would even find herself distracted by the thought of Toby. She'd occasionally watch him in the distance as he observed the same set of flowers, Lycoris Albiflora—open white flowers with petals resembling curvy feathers that curled outwards and about, revealing a peaceful yellow that sprouted from the center. Veronica took this observation into consideration, assuming they were probably his favorite.

With the gradual fulfillment of her feelings as the days seeing Toby progressed, came a gradual growth in a desire. Veronica couldn't come to ignore this desire, but she could not come to fully understand it either. It was aggressive at times, and those were during her face-to-face encounters with Toby himself.

She wanted to understand this desire, to see if she could properly correlate it with her feelings concerning Toby. One day, when Veronica finished up her shift, had her lovely encounter with Toby, and made her way back home, she decided she'd ask her uncle about the feeling.

Veronica's uncle was her guardian, and had been for nearly her whole life. When she was extremely young—an early Nexi—her parents died on impact in a brutal head-on car collision. Ever since then, her uncle had taken her into care as a sole guardian; his wife—Veronica's aunt—had divorced him by then. Therefore Veronica never grew up with a mother figure. Instead, she grew up learning about the details concerning butchering; her uncle's primary skill, and career.

Many memories Veronica could recall involve being brought to her uncle's workplace, where she'd witness the butchering first hand. Entering the late Nexi ages, she'd even been taught to do the butchering herself a few times. She'd wielded a butcher's knife, cutting up the different parts of animals that people would come to buy and eat. Though the most vivid of her memories being once brought to a slaughterhouse, having witnessed the grotesque killings of animals that would then be brought to her uncle's butcher house.

The sight of slit throats, blood spraying; the smell of iron and minerals evaporated into the air by the bloody mist. It was all something to behold to Veronica. Something that she didn't even know was supposed to traumatize someone her age. Surprising to her uncle, she found an odd interest in the mechanics behind it. The slaughtering, the butchering, and finally the eating. The entire process, almost like a cycle, was something to learn from in Veronica's eyes. It's why she'd still occasionally help her uncle with butchering every now and then whenever she'd get the chance.

But it had been a while since the smell of bloody iron filled her nostrils. Instead, her nostrils were overwhelmed by the beautiful scent of countless flowers that surrounded her every day. Through this she met Toby, whom she described to her uncle after dinner, along with the inexplicable desire she'd found herself feeling.

"So you like this Toby boy, huh?" Her uncle asked.

"Yes, I think I do. He flatters me every time I see him," Veronica blushed.

"But what's this feeling you're concerned about?"

Veronica recalled the desire. "I don't know, it's something I've never felt before. It's like I just want to… have him, all to myself. Every single part of him, belonging to me, and only me."

Veronica's uncle responded with an odd expression, seemingly trying to understand. "You see Veronica, I'm not the best one to ask when it concerns love. I haven't experienced that in a long time, and seems like hell I'm not good at either," he thought back on his ex-wife with guilt. "But if I could relate what you're describing to something I have more knowledge on, it'd be my love for butchering," he took a sip of his beer. "The feeling of having something, and all it's parts to myself, makes me think of cutting up some prime cattle into separate chunks!" He laughed. Veronica giggled in response, but in her mind she truly took this into consideration. She was desperate to understand her feelings and her desires any way she could, so even her uncle's perspective could work.

The following day, she'd be having the last shift of her stretch for the week. After this, she'd be off work for while. Veronica decided something had to happen tonight if she wanted to bring her relationship with Toby outside of her workplace.

The day went accordingly. She prepped the garden for the guests who came at 2:00 pm, and among the crowd she could see Toby as expected. As the day went by, each hour approaching the closing for the garden brought upon a nervous but excited feeling for Veronica. She felt anticipation, but she didn't know for what.

Now it was nearing 8:00 pm. The sun was setting along its usual horizon, the dim lights along the garden had turned on, and people were beginning to leave.

As Veronica inspected all her flowers, her manager approached her. "Veronica," she called.

Veronica turned around to greet her manager.

"Close the botanical for me will you? I have a date to catch," she passed the keys to Veronica.

"Oh, okay," Veronica watched, as her manager walked off with the other guests that were leaving. She looked around, and the garden was now empty. She felt somewhat alone.

As if a sudden response to her lonely feeling, a hand landed upon her right shoulder.

"You're done for the day?" It was Toby.

Her feelings were instantaneously stimulated by his sudden presence, and she felt her face brighten with a glimmering smile.

"Yes, I'm done for today. I'm done for the rest of this week actually," she stared into his eyes. Veronica felt herself completely dazed by the attractive stare he'd set onto her. She felt herself sway, slightly losing control.

"I…" She slightly whispered.

"I?" Toby asked. "You what?"

Her face flushed red, and she felt her legs jitter. Her hands subconsciously ran up his arms, onto his shoulders. She then giggled, "Nothing!"

Toby laughed in response, "You must be tired," and he pulled her in for a hug. With the physical contact, Veronica felt herself warm up from the inside. Her heart was beating extremely fast, to a point in which she wondered if Toby could maybe even feel it against his chest. They stood and they hugged for a while, admiring each other's company and warmth.

Veronica suddenly had an impulsive thought. "Can I show you something?"

"Sure."

Toby was led by Veronica to a familiar part of the garden, where all the Lycoris flowers were laid out. "These are your favorite, aren't they?"

Toby smiled. He then nodded, "Yes they are. I come to see these every time I come."

"I know," Veronica looked at him; "I always see you hanging around here."

Veronica then remembered that her manager had left the place early. She had an impulsive thought, "Want to take a flower home? It's on me."

"Oh! Really? From the shop?-"

"No, fresh from the garden," Veronica pointed at the patch in front of him.

"These white ones?" Toby looked.

"Yes, they're called-"

"Lycoris Albiflora. The White Spider Lilies of the Lycoris family, I know."

Veronica covered her mouth with surprise. A smirk, revealing underneath. "You know your flowers?"

"I do," Toby smiled. "In all honesty, I've started doing a lot of flower research ever since I started coming here." He giggled, "It's embarrassing to say but, I just wanted to impress you."

And with those words, he smiled widely.

Veronica watched with awe. She felt somewhat dumbfounded, as if encountering a life-changing realization—that the love of her life stood right before her eyes.

"I...I love you Toby."

His eyes widened. "I love you too Veronica."

The night sky stretched over the lovely evening, glowing in voided fashion. Veronica had gone to the tool shed to get a shovel to properly dig up a flower. On her way back, she continued to reflect on her thoughts regarding Toby. She'd confirmed with him and herself that she loved him, yet the inexplicable desire was not fulfilled. She felt it remain, roaming her insides. This desire, it gnawed at her heart, causing it to beat faster than ever before. A weird urge tugged at her stomach, lowering down to unbound boundaries. She felt the need to be close to Toby, as close as possible. The thought of Toby stimulated her senses, causing Veronica to feel herself dampen in lower parts. She inhaled and exhaled at an offset pace, as blood continued to course throughout her body. There was an odd sweat that trickled down her neck, her back, and her inner thighs.

"I…" Veronica breathed heavily. "I want him."

Veronica wanted Toby.

She wanted Toby in her.

Veronica hadn't realized, but she'd fallen deep into her desire.

This desire was lust.

Returning to Toby, who crouched over the patch of white flowers, Veronica impulsively yelled "I want you inside of me Toby."

Toby looked back with shock at the sudden remark. "H-Huh?"

Veronica pressed her face against his, her lips latching on his. "Fuck me Toby. I want you to-"

"Woah woah hold on," he backed away. He had stood up and taken a step back with concern. "Veronica, are you okay?"

She looked at him oddly. "What do you mean?"

"You just—out of no where… saying vulgar things…"

Veronica observed Toby. He seemed somewhat alarmed. "But Toby I love you. Don't you love me too?"

"I do," Toby paused. "But, maybe we shouldn't rush into something like that…" He looked at Veronica awkwardly.

Veronica stood still, staring at the uncomfortable Toby. This desire, that had been nagging at her heart for days, had finally come forth revealing itself. But the rejection met with this confrontation did not settle well with what Veronica had felt. It had twisted it out of proportion, completely neglecting the original feelings.

Veronica wanted Toby inside of her. "But how can I get that if he doesn't want it?" She asked herself.

The desire had now twisted to a point of snapping. She smiled, and looked at Toby.

"I'll just go inside him instead."

Veronica stepped forward, getting closer and closer to Toby, as she stepped further and further away from sanity.

"The feeling of having something, and all it's parts to myself, makes me think of cutting up some prime cattle into separate chunks!" Her uncle's voice echoed into her head.

She clutched her garden shovel, visualizing a butcher's knife.

She looked at Toby, visualizing cattle meat that hung from a hook.

She went in, going to work at the insides of her own personal cut.

Shrieks.

Screams.

Moans.

Pleasure and pain filled the open air of nighttime Numbra District.

Juices and fluids; all sorts of liquids spilling everywhere.

From hard and wet, to soft, squishy, and slimy textures; all kinds rounded the activity that was held upon this night.

Like the chicken's slit throats that sprayed blood everywhere in the slaughterhouse, was Toby's that painted the white Lycoris Albiflora flowers a dark seeping red. Combined with the dark red glow of the red sun—Blood Moon—that shone onto the patch, the flowers now resembled a different genus of Lycoris, colored red.

Lycoris Radiata, also known as the Red Spider Lily.

A Red Spider Lily colored red by blood and the Blood Moon.

12:00 am struck, instigating a low-toned noise that vibrated the small puddles of blood surrounding Veronica and her cut—Toby; what was left of Toby. This caused a wave of fatigue to wash over her. Her grip on the shovel loosened, while her body slid back onto the floor. Her eyes shuttered, and soon she was quickly taken over by the heavy sensations of sleep.