Work Text:
Hunger
Sugar sat alone in the darkness of her living room, the only source of light coming from the television. It was only meant to be a distraction from the noises coming from the basement. She could see her communicator lying beside her on the couch. Her hand twitched in anticipation.
‘Should I?’ she pondered. Vivien had said only to use them in emergencies.
Another crash erupted from the basement sending a chill through Sugar’s body. She clenched her hands together and concentrated on the television. The creaks and groans below seeped into her, working their way into her soul. As sweat dripped down from her temple, she reminded herself it was just machinery. Vivien would fix it. Her mind turned back to the beginning of the day.
* * *
“I assume we won’t be coming back home until much later. It might be a while until we find a good enough store,” Vivien said as she sat next to Sugar on the couch.
Sugar looked down at the list in her hands, marked with tasks to do today. Her brows furrowed, and in response Vivien added,
“I know it’s a lot, but we really need your help around the house. It’s going to be a long night, so we would really appreciate it.“
Sugar turned to look at Vivien, who was wearing a wide smile. Her skin was a striking azure blue, like the color of perplexing blueprints. Her eyes were clouded, but she was not blind. Sugar hated it, as she never knew where Vivien was looking. On the center of her forehead, there was a third eye. Sugar never saw it blink.
“Oh there you are Serilda, we've been waiting on you!“ Vivien exclaimed.
Sugar jumped at the mention of Serilda, not realizing the other alien was in the room. It was hard to tell with Serilda, as the girl moved silently at all times. Sugar turned to see her staring at her with wide eyes, lingering in the hallway. She raked long clawed fingers through her auburn hair, working through the tangles. She was slender and sharp as a knife. The first time Serilda opened her mouth to eat, Sugar’s heart had dropped at the sight of her shark-like teeth.
“I was just finishing up with Sugar. We’re all set to leave now! “ Vivien got up from the couch and headed to the kitchen to gather her equipment.
Sugar waited until Vivien left her line of view and set the list gingerly on the table. Silence settled between Sugar and Serilda as they waited for Vivien. Sugar avoided eye contact, but could feel disapproving alien eyes boring into her. Despite the heavy tension, Sugar refused to break it. Whenever she tried to converse with Serilda, it was if she was talking to herself.
“Alright, I’m ready to go!“ Vivien came back out with a large bag strapped over her shoulder and a watch on her wrist. “Serilda, are you ready?” Serilda didn’t answer, but moved from her spot in the hallway and towards the door. Sugar got up from the couch and watched as they got ready to leave. A dull groan croaked out from downstairs. With a barely concealed yelp she hurried.
“So...what time do you think you’ll be back?“ Sugar asked, not expecting the tremor in her voice.
Vivien typed away on her watch, setting in the coordinates for their first stop. “My calculations say it could take up to five hours.“ Sugar let out a sound of uneasiness, causing Vivien to turn around and face her.
“Hey…everything will be alright okay? Just make sure to keep your communicator on you, just in case something happens!“ The ends of Vivien’s mouth curled up into a tight smile, in an attempt to look reassuring. It looked creepy.
“Y-yeah. I know.“ Sugar paused. “Uhm… I also wanted to ask...about Hikari.“
Vivien’s smile instantly dropped. She huffed and turned towards the door, busying herself with her tech. Sugar pressed on.
“I-is she still sick? Can I check up on her?“
Vivien massaged her temple. “For the last time. Hikari can’t take any visitors right now. I don’t want to risk you getting sick. “
Sugar wasn’t convinced. It had been three weeks since she had last seen Hikari, and she was beginning to lose patience. “Please, I-I just wanna talk to her, if only for a little while.“
“No.” Vivien’s response was resolute.
“Well what’s wrong with her? You haven’t even told me- ”
“Sugar, please! When are you going to let it go? “ Vivien snarled, showing off her sharp teeth. Ending Sugar’s rant.
She didn’t have an answer to that question, and didn’t want to risk upsetting Vivien further. Sugar’s eyes began to water, and she averted her gaze to the side. She felt like a child being reprimanded by their mother. It was humiliating.
“Please,“ Vivien spoke in a gentler tone, “Just trust me. I don’t want you to go down there when Hikari is recovering. She is receiving the utmost care that I can provide.“ Vivien squeezed Sugar’s shoulder affectionately. “I should thank you for letting me use your uncles’ basement. It’s been a great space for me to conduct more research.“
Sugar bobbed her head, slapping a smile onto her face. She hated it, but always ended up bending to Vivien’s rule. No matter how much she wanted to resist.
Vivien flipped a switch on her watch, and with a blink of an eye, had the appearance of a black woman of Sugar's age. Vivien’s azure skin was now a dark brown. Her curly white hair had turned black, and her pupiless eyes now held brown ones. Sugar’s eyes drifted up to where her third eye lay, only to see a row of bangs.
“Woah! “ All the frustration Sugar had before dissipated into awe. “How did you do that?“
Out of the corner of her eye, Sugar saw Serilda curl her lip in disgust. Vivien waved off Sugar’s inquiry, “Don’t worry yourself with it. If I told you how this device works, we’d take up half of the day!“ The laugh that followed sounded void of emotion. “Alright Serilda, now it’s your turn.“
Vivien turned to Serilda and tapped the center of her watch, displaying a holographic screen. Sugar peered over her shoulder to get a better look, but before she knew it, Serilda looked like a human. Gone were her antenna and spiky claws. It was way less intimidating to look at her now. Serilda refused to change out of her alien form normally, and was perpetually terrifying.
“Ugh.'' Serilda sneered, “Let’s get this over with.'' She walked towards the door and Vivien followed, Sugar right behind them.
“Remember,“ Vivien said, “Have the list finished before we get back. And don’t go downstairs to the basement.“ Vivien accentuated her words with a nod of her head, which Sugar returned. Anything to get them to leave.
Vivien and Serilda stepped out onto the front porch and down the steps. With a flick of a switch and a flash of light they disappeared. Sugar stared at the empty space and raised her head up to survey the cloudy skies. It was so quiet now that most of the citizens had evacuated. After Sugar had her fill of the bleak scenery , she re-entered the house.
# # #
She stared at Vivien’s list. A deep anger burned from within.
‘How dare she,‘ Sugar thought. And yet, she picked it up. The list named off useless things that any one of them could have done by themself.
‘And she wants me to do it? Ha! Yeah right.‘
Her fingers tightened on the sides of the paper, itching to rip it. But when remembering Vivien’s words, her hands stilled instantly.
“No.” she breathed. That wasn't a good idea. Sugar’s stomach grumbled, interrupting her internal battle. Maybe getting something to eat would ease her mind.
Sugar flicked on the light to the kitchen and ambled in, stomach protesting loudly. She was met with a bare fridge, save for a soylent drink.
“Ugh, well I guess this will have to do.” Sugar knew this wouldn’t sustain her, but she needed the energy. She slumped down to the floor, and she downed the bottle, savoring the taste. Sudden vibrations from the basement made her stand up immediately. If Vivien was so smart, why couldn’t she make generators that were quieter? Out of the corner of her eye, she could see something glittering. Sugar turned to look beside her, and saw the equipment Vivien had installed to keep the energy running. The long black wires were decorated with stickers.
# # #
“Are you sure about all of this?“ Sugar asked tentatively. “It doesn’t look very friendly.“ She watched pensively from the side as Serilda and Vivien lifted a heavy looking box into the kitchen.
“Sorry about crowding the area Sugar, but we need this if we want to live!“ Vivien huffed. “Right here.” She uttered to Serilda, and the box was dropped with a thunderous boom.
''Jeez.“ Hikari remarked. “What an eyesore.“ Sugar giggled, leading Vivien to give them both the stink eye.
“Just so you know,“ Vivien replied haughtily, “This ‘eyesore’ is top of the line equipment! It can generate power for this entire house! You’re lucky I was able to acquire it.“
Vivien approached Sugar and placed a hand gingerly atop her shoulder. “You have nothing to worry about. We have your best interest at heart.“ Her eyes trailed over to Hikari. “And Hikari? Keep your snide comments to yourself.“
“Aww, did I touch a nerve? Don’t worry V, they’re just jokes! I’m just trying to make Sugar feel more at home.“
Hikari linked an arm around the smaller, human woman and gave a toothy grin. Vivien rolled her eyes before Serilda tried to lift something else. “Oh Serilda, don't lift that on your own! Let me help.“
The alien rushed over to Serilda’s side, leaving Sugar and Hikari alone. Sugar kept her eyes locked on the large box and all the wires hooked up to it. It gave a steady hum, disrupting the peace of the formerly preserved kitchen.
“Hey!“ Sugar looked up to see Hikari holding a few packs of stickers. “Thinking of glamming this thing up?“
A bright smile grew on Sugar’s face. "That sounds like a great idea.“
* * *
Sugar left the kitchen, having finished her drink. Since she wasn’t going to do the chores, this gave her a lot more time on her hands. She smiled, lifting her arms up in a stretch.
“I guess I could change out of these clothes and go out to get some fresh air - ”
A shrill scream interrupted Sugar’s thoughts, and her head whipped towards the source. The basement door. That sound was different from the others. At first, she had believed it came from Vivien’s tech. But the sounds were increasingly more organic. Sugar watched the door, waiting for another sound to spill out.
Sugar inched closer, barely breathing. On the door was a caution sticker, placed by Vivien, which was surrounded by cutesy stickers - courtesy of her and Hikari.
‘You’re not supposed to go down there,‘ Sugar reminded herself. It did nothing to satiate her curiosity.
Why was it that once you weren’t allowed to have something, you wanted it even more? After discovering her eyes couldn’t see through doors, Sugar began to walk away, when a resounding crash erupted from downstairs.
# # #
“Hey, could you guys come down with me to the basement? I’ve got some stuff to unload.“ Vivien called out.
She was standing in the hallway as Sugar, Serilda and Hikari rested in the living room. Hikari and Serilda both looked at each other before coming to a mutual agreement and rising from their seats. Before Hikari entered the fray, she turned around to see that Sugar was still seated on the couch. Her eyes were glued to her hands, fidgeting absentmindedly.
“Hey, Sug! Aren’t you coming? “ Hikari jerked a thumb towards the basement. Sugar slowly lifted up her head, deciding on what to say. Looking up at Hikari, she smiled sheepishly.
“Is it alright if I skip out on this one? I just...like to stay out of there.“
Now she could feel Serilda and Vivien’s unblinking eyes on her. “What? How come?“ Hikari said, taking a seat back next to her.
Sugar swallowed, growing irritated with the alien’s persistence. She knew Hikari was trying to assuage her, but this wasn’t something she was comfortable admitting.
“Sugar, please.“ Vivien’s voice rang out from the doorway of the basement. “You don’t have to be ashamed. We’re not going to judge you. You can tell us anything!“ Sugar looked at Vivien, then at Serilda who was glowering at her.
And then finally, Hikari.
“ I...I’d really rather not.“ She murmured dejectedly. “I don’t like going down there. It gives me bad memories.“
Vivien peered at the two on the couch for a while. For a second, Sugar could swear she saw something blue flash in between Vivien’s eyes - only for it to disappear just as quickly.
“Alright!" Vivien threw up her hands. “I can’t force you. Hikari, you coming?“ Vivien asked.
“Uhh, yeah in a minute! I’ll head down soon.“ Hikari gave a thumbs up. Vivien and Serilda made their descent into the basement. Sugar felt a chill pass through her, as the draft in the basement was exposed.
“What’s wrong? I can tell something is bothering you.“ Hikari prodded, taking a seat next to her.
“Oh please, don’t talk like Vivien right now, it’s making me sick.“ Sugar regretted those words as soon as they left her mouth. “Don’t tell her I said that though.“
Hikari chuckled and shook her head. “I won’t. But hey, you know you can tell me anything.“
It was true. Sugar felt a sense of comfort around Hikari that she never felt around Serilda or Vivien. It didn't come off as forced or unnatural, and she knew she could share anything with her without fear of being judged.
“Alright. I’ll tell you. But don’t go telling anyone else, alright?“
* * *
The noises had stopped. Sugar opened her eyes and looked around hesitantly, like she expected something to jump out at her. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. The TV blared on incessantly, and she heard the slow click of the clock on the wall. Nine fifty, it read. It had been ten hours since the girls had left.
‘Shouldn’t they be home by now?’ Sugar swallowed, her mouth turning dry as cotton. She gazed down at the floor, wondering what lay hidden underneath it. When she lifted her head back up, she caught sight of her uncle’s picture frame on the table. All of a sudden, this seemed ridiculous. What was she thinking? This was her house. She had every right to go down there if she wanted to.
“Yeah.” She whispered. “I can do this!“
More confident than she’d been since the aliens arrived, she grasped the basement doorknob. Her hand shook as she gripped it tightly. Regardless of her fear, Sugar knew this had to be done.
“You can do this.“ Sugar repeated, “I know you can."
The door opened, creaking loudly. Sugar’s hands groped instinctively for the light, knowing it lay on the left side of the stairwell. The light switched on, and the basement was bathed in a cold, white light. She walked down the stairs, keeping a firm hold on the stairwell.
“Huh.“ Sugar took in the scenery, taking note of all that had changed. The quiet hums of Vivien’s tech provided a soothing background noise. The previously blank wooden tables were now littered with papers and blueprints marked in a language Sugar didn’t understand. The whiteboards were covered in newspapers with titles that read, “ Strange Creatures Spotted in the Shadows “ and “ Alien Attack Shocks New York. “
“Well, it looks like Vivien’s made herself at home.” Sugar took one more look around, viewing the test tubes and beeping machines. Despite the vast changes to the basement, it was in pristine condition. There was no sign of Hikari, or the source of the clamor. So where were they?
Her eyes drifted towards a metal door embedded into the floor. It, like the rest of the room, remained immaculate. There was a large steering wheel latch on top. She braced herself against the wall as she pushed to get it open. Her eyes widened upon seeing a long stairwell leading to a dingy looking wooden door.
“Okay, now this is too far!” Sugar gritted her teeth with anger.
Was this where Hikari was being kept? As she descended further down the stairs, the light from the basement dimmed. The only illumination that remained was a single lightbulb flickering above the wooden door. Sugar stared at it, wondering if she should make the move. Whatever was making those noises had to be behind this door. When Sugar leaned in close, and pressed her ear to the wood; she could hear the faint noises of someone eating. She pulled the door open, her better judgment pleading with her to stop.
# # #
“Thanks again for the help kid, you’re a real sweetheart.“ Sugar’s uncle remarked kindly. They were making their way down the stairs of the basement and carrying some boxes he needed to unpack.
“Careful now, I don’t want cha’ hurtin’ yourself. Your momma would have a field day.” He gave a hearty laugh, which made Sugar smile in response.
She loved spending time with her uncle no matter what they were doing. Sugar marched carefully down the stairs and made sure to keep sight of where her feet landed in front of her. When they finally reached the bottom, her uncle dropped his box to the ground with a heave and Sugar copied him, relieved to lose the weight on her arms.
“Now,“ he pointed at the stack he dropped, “I can take care of this stuff myself, but I want you to drop your box on the table over there. Can you do that sweetie?” He looked for her approval and she nodded, smiling sweetly. “That’s my girl.“ His hand ruffled her hair affectionately and he got himself up from his squatting position.
“I’m gonna head back up to get a few more boxes, alright? Just holler if you need me.“ He ran back up the stairs and disappeared.
Sugar turned back around to pick up the box she had dropped and look for a place to put it on. She walked around the basement for a while, before her eyes fell on a black mass hidden in the corner.
It was a spider. A big, hairy, black one, which was currently feasting on a bug. Sugar froze in shock, her body stopping in its tracks. Hot fear prickled her skin and she had half a mind to call her uncle back down. She shot that idea down. Her scream might alert it. Besides, she couldn't take her eyes off the arachnid.
Its movements were jagged and quick, as it tore into its prey. The bug underneath it twitched every few seconds, and Sugar winced, grasping that it was still alive. Her heart churned with sympathy, choosing to turn her focus back onto the spider.
Its hair stuck out in all directions, its long limbs arching unnaturally. Sugar creeped closer, despite her instincts shouting otherwise. She could see the inside of the bug as the spider continued its meal. When the spider made eye contact with her, she jumped most of the way out of her skin. All eight of its eyes bored deep into her soul, tearing its way inside like the bug.
“Alright, I brought the rest of the boxes down. Now let’s-woah.“ Sugar’s uncle came back next to her. “Ah geez, I’m sorry kiddo. I didn’t mean to scare ya. I didn't know there were any spiders down here. Don’t worry honey,“ his hand grasped her shoulder, squeezing gently. “This kind of thing just happens in nature.“
Sugar blinked, not even realizing she was crying until the tears ran down her cheeks. Her mouth opened and closed, wanting to voice what she was feeling, but lacking the proper words. The only thing she could croak out was, “Why?“
Her uncle took a long pause before responding. “Because it’s hungry.“
* * *
Like then, Sugar felt herself transfixed from fear and her face contort into a horrified expression. There was Hikari … hunched over … she couldn’t tell who the other body was, but the tell-tale sounds of squelching and bones cracking underneath teeth were clear enough. She wanted to run, to bolt out of the door, but her legs wouldn’t move.
Like then she was unable to speak, the wetness of her cheeks the only way she knew she was crying. She opened her mouth, but couldn’t find her voice. All that came out was a strangled noise, at the back of her throat.
Hikari's head jerked around, and Sugar was met with two beaming yellow eyes. They looked crazed, like the being whom they belonged to had completely lost herself. The friend she used stickers with, and told her deepest fears to was gone. Washed away by those yellow eyes. Sugar peered down to see a limb resting in Hikari’s mouth, torn and ripped apart. Sharp jagged teeth protruding from her gaping maw.
Sugar’s breath hitched and she struggled to get another word out. Like then, she could only manage one.
“Why?“
Hikari’s mouth grew into a terrifying grin, showcasing her blood-stained teeth. Her neck tilted to the side in a way that would’ve broken a human one. She dragged her body closer to Sugar, self-inflicted bruises patterning her skin. Sugar stumbled back, bile rising. Sentience bled back into Hikari’s gaze as she whispered.
“I was hungry.“