Favela Pt. 12

Olivia was extremely anxious, but also very excited. Of course she'd seen it on her mother's lips in the dirty images, but this was her first time seeing the actual tube in person. Her mother brought it closer and carefully twisted off the cap. Underneath a thick stubby shaft of glistening red-violet pigment. Marcella cracked a sly smile. "Don't worry, we won't put on very much, and no one is going to notice in the dark."

Olivia nodded wearily as her mom brought the stick closer, crouching down next to her daughter who was leaning forward on the bed, their faces were pretty close. Olivia thought her mom was going to put the lipstick against her lips, but at the last second she pulled it back and started applying it deftly to her own. Olivia pouted, only able to watch while her mom made stupid looking faces and smacked her lips several times.

Smiling prettily Marcella held the lipstick off to the side and met her daughter's eyes. "I'll teach you a neat little trick, there's another way to put it on, sharing with a friend." Reaching up with her free hand Marcella cupped the back of her daughter's head and pulled their faces gently together. Their lips met, her mom kissed her lightly several times in quick succession, then gave her on final, longer, firmer kiss.

Moving back and away quickly, Marcella grabbed a small hand-mirror off her dresser and then brought it over to Olivia, holding it in front of her daughter's face so that she could take a look. Olivia blushed, the color was thin but visible, it made her face look unfamiliar. "More?" She breathed, then looking her mom in the eyes. "Can I have a little more please?" Marcella grinned broadly, then put the stick back to her own lips, layering on more lipstick.

Screwing the cap back on she tossed the tube onto the bed, then leaning in she gave Olivia another kiss on the mouth. She didn't touch her head this time, nor did she bother with the quick, light pecks. The kiss was insistent, almost rough, Olivia too found herself losing control, she was pushing back just as hard. Marcella's lips cracked until she was opening her daughter's mouth with her own. Heart pounding, Olivia expected to feel her mother's tongue at any second, but it never came.

Marcella just tilted her head to one side and then the other, smearing their open mouths together before clamping her lips back together and breaking the kiss. They parted with a little 'pop' that caused Olivia's crotch to clench almost unpleasantly. She scowled ferociously, it had been a horrific tease, one of the most agonizing she'd ever experienced. Marcella seemed to sense this, her wicked grin widening as she repositioned the mirror in front of her daughter's face.

The lipstick wasn't so subtle now, it more or less masked her natural color, the effect was so obscene and erotic she found herself blushing again. Putting down the mirror she glanced plaintively at her mom, but Marcella was already moving away, back to her closet. She took out a couple of worn beige trench coats and tossed the smaller one to her daughter. "Make sure you cover up, button it all the way up to your neck, and tie the belt in a knot. We want to make it to the bazaar alive."

Her coat hung all the way to the floor, in fact it brushed against the ground. Marcella nodded with approval, her own coat was similarly oversized. "No one will know what we're wearing underneath." She grinned, grabbing her daughter's hand and pulling her towards the door. "We've wasted enough time already, the show starts at 2100, we don't want to be late!" Suddenly slowing down, Marcella stealthily exited the room, daughter in tow. Before Olivia could blink they were outside, with the deafening concerto of crickets and frogs cheering them on.

The glaring lights of the open Bazaar seemed strange and unfriendly after the welcoming claustrophobia of the dark humid jungle. Olivia's eyes were still adjusting as Marcella pulled her along, thankfully the long walk over relatively rough terrain had helped her become accustomed to the strange ungainly shoes. Walking almost normally she followed closely behind as her mom led them both under the buzzing amber archway that demarked the red light district.

Olivia had never been to the Bazaar after dark, and she'd never been into this particular part of it. It shamed her to admit it, but she was actually afraid. Marcella seemed to notice, and glancing over she gave her daughter a reassuring smile. "It's not far." She said in a low voice. "Just ignore the junkies and whores." Even as her mouth quirked up at the corner, a small cluster of women bustled into their path.

"Hey, you're cute." One of them said, her eyes shifting back and forth between Olivia and her mom, making it unclear who she was talking to. "One token, I'll do you both. Two for one." She continued chattily, a winning smile plastered onto her pretty face. The other women crowded round, encircling them. Olivia didn't feel threatened, they didn't seem aggressive just bubbly and gregarious.

"Those coats, you're not agentes, or missionárias, are ya?" One of the others asked, snickering. Marcella chuckled along with the group, gently slapping away their curious probing hands. Olivia felt someone softly squeezing her ass and heard a low whistle. "Wouldja Look at the moneymaker on this pequeno mel. Come with me and I'll eat that ass for free little girl." Olivia scowled, nothing riled her up more than being mistaken for a child.

"Alright, you've had your fun." Marcella's voice contained a sinister chill that killed the residual tittering cold. "My friend and I have a train to catch." The group of women went eerily silent, then melted away so quickly that Olivia wondered if they'd ever been there at all. Taking her by the hand once more Marcella gently guided her daughter towards a narrow alleyway, above it, braced between the two adjacent buildings was a curious metal sunburst.

"What's a train?" Olivia asked. "And why do we need to catch it?" Marcella only laughed bemusedly. Moments later they came to a second arch, the sun was there again only brighter this time, Olivia studied it carefully. The center was open, like a hole with two narrow lines stabbing in towards the center. Above them were a dozen or more rays, sharp pointy bisected triangles stabbing outward. Alternating they were either dull or polished.

The first sunburst had been a mottled rusty brown, this one was gleaming bronze. They hurried on down this new passage, there were low amber lights at regular intervals, just enough to scatter the shadows. They came to a third arch, it also had a sunburst although this one was the color of stainless steel, the polish was surreal, its mirror-like finish dazzled Olivia's eyes. The moment they passed underneath it the lights lining the walls around them flashed red.

Two figures dressed in combat fatigues and wearing flat black riot masks stepped out of hidden alcoves, blocking their path. The one in the lead stepped forward, reaching up she nudged her mask over her nose while her partner absently fondled the disintegrator holstered at her hip. Her eyes were a surprising cool blue, calmly she held up her hand, keeping them from coming any closer.

"We detected modern metal on both your chests. You can consent to a detail scan or turn around and go back the way you came." She waited a moment then unclasped a slender rectangular wand from her flack vest. Somehow Olivia had gotten in front of her mother, Marcella had been caught by surprise and didn't seem to know how to react. The large and rather intimidating woman stepped forward and waved the dainty wand in front of Olivia's chest.

It was such a dainty maneuver that Olivia almost burst out laughing, however the wand flashed a brilliant and sinister red. Grunting, the woman stepped back, reattached the wand to her vest and inconspicuously rolled her eyes. "Mam, I'm going to have to ask you to show me the object, please take off the coat."

Terrified, Olivia fumbled with the big stupid buttons, the situation didn't scare her but her mother's silence certainly did. Thankfully at that very moment Marcella reached around Olivia's waist and brought her hands gently to her throat where she started unbuttoning her daughter's coat. "We're together." She murmured as the security guard reached for her baton; relaxing visibly as she realized that they were only following her instructions.

Marcella stopped at the button just above her daughter's belly. Gently, sensually really, she grasped the lapels from both sides and tugged it open, exposing the shimmering black blouse. Both guards seemed suddenly less bored, the one in the front whistled quietly which brought the one in the back much closer. Marcella merely repositioned her hands and started unbuttoning her daughter's blouse.

Moments later Olivia felt the cool night air glide across her mostly naked breasts, Marcella ignored the guard and nuzzled her face into her daughter's neck and hair. With one eye peeping around the edge she watched the muscular woman's reaction. "Left breast." She mumbled, pointing with a finger. Both the guards were standing side by side now, gawking. Olivia blushed, she felt embarrassed but for some reason it was also turning her on.

"Looks like common bio-bronze." The bruiser said.

"The scanner didn't indicate any nano-circuitry, exotic isotopes, poisons or explosives. It's just a nipple ring." Her partner replied distractedly, then snorted dismissively. Olivia was still blushing, she finally looked away, unable to bear the continued scrutiny of the blue-eyed brute.

"It's a sentimental keepsake, we both have one." Marcella responded demurely, nibbling a little on her daughter's ear. "Are you satisfied?" She finished, suggestively sliding her hands around Olivia's chest underneath her blouse and just below her breasts. The guard slipped her riot mask back down over her face, cutting off the beginnings of an amiable grin.

"We'll let you off with a warning this time." She answered gruffly. "You're lucky I'm in such a good mood. 1930 is the cut off date for personal effects. Don't forget the next time you're down here. Otherwise we might have to rough you up a bit." She said this last bit gleefully, as though she were looking forward to it. Marcella just smirked and rapidly rebuttoned her daughter's blouse.

By the time she was done the guards had already vanished back into their alcoves, the wall lights returned to their pleasant ambivalent amber. Hearts still pounding slightly, Olivia and her mother continued walking down the seemingly endless corridor. "Deus, that was close." Marcella hissed, after they'd moved well out of range. "I'm so estúpida, how could I forget something so obvious!"

Olivia just squeezed her mom's hand, her mind still reeling from the experience, struggling to determine if she felt used, sexually exploited, or just plain excited. This wasn't the first time she'd been involved in a sort of exhibitionism but it was the strangest and probably the most dangerous. But before she had a chance to ponder this further the two of them suddenly exited the narrow channel into a deceptively spacious courtyard.

All around them were tall angular windowless walls of faded ocher brick, periodically there were archways breaking up the monotony, just like the one they had wandered through. Other people, wearing long coats trickled in through these openings and headed towards the center. There in the middle of the space was a dark void surrounded by a glistening black web of metal rail that looked like it had grown from the center of the earth.

Following the light but steady stream of traffic, Olivia and Marcella approached the pit. Pausing at the edge Olivia noticed embedded in the stone at her feet, a fourth sunburst that looked to be made of solid gold. Directly in front of it was a dark staircase heading down into a mysterious subterranean space. The stairs were marble, the walls were colored tiles, the deeper they descended the lighter it became, until at last she could see everything clearly.

Almost without warning they had arrived at a curious row of low metal gates, standing beside each one was a white woman wearing a crisp white uniform, on their heads were small circular hats emblazoned with the golden sunburst. Olivia had never seen so many white people in one place, it made her feel very strange like she'd fallen into a parallel universe. "Welcome to the Metropolitano." The woman in front of them said as they pushed their way through the turnstile, she took their coats and handed them each a golden ticket in return, along with a dazzling smile. Olivia noted that she was wearing bright red lipstick the color of fresh blood.

The Metropolitano spread out before them expansively, the far walls were distant, hundreds of slender golden columns supported the ornate vaulted ceiling, everything was decadent, opulent, outrageous. Marble and mirror-finish metal. And in the middle of everything was a massive circular platform, very reminiscent of the sunburst motif Olivia had noted earlier, with dozens of recessed gleaming steel tracks intersecting in the center. These were bridged by polished wooden walkways and disappeared into dark tunnels that ringed the massive room.

The impressive view was only interrupted by several large, brightly painted carriages arranged artfully on the various sections of track, interspersed among these boxcars were numerous small round tables. A low glowing amber globe rising up from each. Their tops were made of white marble, held aloft by thin curling branches that sprung from elegant saplings of solid gold that seemed to grow out of the floor. There were two chairs at every table, made of some curvy silvery metal. It was a magical sight.

Another white woman showed them to a table of their very own, it was away from the center of the station but still close enough to feel exposed, Olivia secretly would have preferred one set against the wall or in one of the alcoves but all those were already occupied. "This is perfect!" Her mother said, interrupting her thoughts. "We should be able to see everything from here." Olivia scowled, there didn't seem to be anything worth watching, just a bunch of couples like themselves sitting quietly. Some were eating, others were sipping drinks, a few were talking or making out.

The one thing they all had in common were the ridiculous clothes they were wearing. Olivia had never seen such a variety, countless colors a rainbow of exotic materials, few of which she could identify. All of them looking very old and irreplaceable. Glancing down at her own ensemble she realized perhaps for the first time just how strange she looked, and yet here in this crazy place, she fit right in. Yet another white woman was rapidly approaching them, Marcella leaned forward to whisper in her daughter's ear.

"She's going to hand you a piece of paper, just take it and say 'thank you.'." She'd hardly finished before the woman arrived, as Marcella had predicted, the girl handed them two large cards made of thick white paper. Olivia was so stunned she couldn't say anything, and the woman had already darted away. "This is an old custom." Her mom murmured. "You pick something to eat from this list." She pointed to one of the lines of ornate text. "That's what I'm having." She said, her voice overflowing with excitement.

"But what does it cost?" Olivia mumbled, flipping over the card to see if it said on the back, but that was where the drinks were listed. Her mom only giggled ridiculously like a little girl.

"There are no prices, because everything is free." She sounded surprisingly bitter. "Since the pobre never get in here only aristocratas are allowed to feast on the spoils of civilization. For the Favelos that alone is worth more than any amount of money. Although if what I've heard is true, this isn't the only menu in the Metropolitano." Nudging her daughter under the table with her leg she pointed towards the platform that dominated the center of the station.

With a loud clacking sound the bright lights that had been illuminating everything as though it were midday suddenly dimmed.

Olivia's timepatch flickered dimly in the darkness, it was 2100 hours. A spotlight flared up, it was one of the white women with the little hats, only she was wearing a bright red leotard cut so high that the sides crested her hips and a small formal blazer that ended just above her waist. As she twirled from side to side to examine the audience Olivia also noticed that her coat had absurdly long swooping tails that reached almost to the floor. Raising a golden microphone to her mouth she inhaled dramatically.

"Ladies, ladies, ladies and... gentlemen." She glanced around suspiciously, then smiled and laughed. Olivia had noticed a few males before in the courtyard outside, it hardly surprised her given all the other strange and impossible things she'd seen this evening. "Tonight we have for you a spectacle suitable to raise your spirits and whet your appetite." She grinned conspiratorially, narrowing her eyes as she tilted her head forward. "Without further preamble may I present to you the Ballet of the Borboleta!"

Several other columns of light scattered throughout the space, under each was one of the ubiquitous white women. Their neatly pressed white slacks were gone, like the woman in red they now wore (or perhaps had been wearing all along) striking high-cut leotards, white as snow. Orchestral music began to play, as a larger circle of light expanded upon a long carriage that rolled slowly from the far side of the station towards the center.

Unlike the others it was not enclosed, aside from a thin golden railing. Upon the flat surface of this car an entire albeit minimal orchestra was arranged. Even a diminutive conductor waved his wand obliviously as the car rolled and the music swelled. The acoustics of the station were phenomenal, the music seemed to fill the air, almost as though it were a physical force, like a mist or fog. One by one the women in white began to dance.

Olivia gasped as a column of red light nearby flashed in the corner of her eye. Snapping her head sideways she was just in time to catch a glimpse of the woman in red, jumping up from a low crouch before she was lost to sight behind a deep purple carriage. The other beams of light weaved and circled the room dazzlingly, as they moved Olivia began to discern an emerging pattern. With each revolution they got closer together, nearly touching then pulling away, like moths drawn to a candle flame.

Then in a starling crescendo of the music, the beams collided, suddenly there were half as many as before, but they were all twice as bright and twice as large. In each of these luminous pillars, two women now danced, their movements as captivating and flirtatious as the lights themselves. Amidst this frantic courtship the solitary red column, still narrow and focused as a laser darted. The woman in red, danced with supernatural grace and power, her movements precise yet sinister.

Olivia wanted more than anything to watch, but one of the brighter columns moved right between them, and then was enveloping their table. The two white women danced slowly around Olivia and her mother, she could see now that they were wearing shimmery tights under their leotards, just like her mom's pantyhose. They were so close she could hear their labored breathing, could almost smell their sweat.

The woman who was turned away bumped up against the edge of their table, her dancing partner pushed her backwards, pinning her against it with her thigh, leaning forward she smiled, chest heaving. "Have you made your selections?" She asked, panting, hands still performing the dance, sliding provocatively up her partner's chest. Olivia gaped, her brain unable to think. Marcella also smiling, leaned forward.