Chapter 1

Caramelized
Chapter 1


Adeline opened her car door soon after parking in front of a large, festive building. Glancing at the bright sign of The Sweet Boutique above her, she grinned and thought this would be the perfect place to pick up a treat for her friend’s birthday tomorrow. Her long, thin legs supported her delicate frame and flat stomach. As the wind blew by, she brushed her silky blonde hair out of her face and held on tight to the sunglasses that sheltered her glowing green eyes. Adeline was a taller girl; standing six feet tall, she took much pride in keeping her figure as trim and athletic as possible.
She pressed the handle and walked inside, her nose instantly met with the most inviting scent she had ever smelled. A subtle grin appeared without any effort.
“Oh, wow,” she said under her breath. “That’s heavenly.”
Looking around, Adeline took note of the various paintings and pictures of candy and other sweets on the walls. Several customers sat at round tables while enjoying their treats, occasionally smiling at her as she walked by. She stood in line in front of the main counter and snuck peaks at the fresh desserts displayed in the deli case.
“Next!” the girl at the counter called out.
Adeline moved up as the customer a few spots ahead of her stepped out of line with their food. The closer she stood to the case, the more she eyed the sweet, succulent candy taunting her from behind the glass. From a young age, Adeline had always had a major sweet tooth. It became something she had to fight off to keep her figure as slender as it was in her early twenties. Though, she couldn’t help but dream of taking a small bite of a cookie or piece of chocolate that would send her taste buds into pure bliss.
“Next!”
Another customer down, another spot closer she stepped.
“And what can I get for you?” Adeline heard the cashier say to the girl in front of her.
“Oh, I’m not sure exactly, I just know I want something chocolatey!”
Curious, Adeline leaned over and watched the cashier make a few suggestions. She pointed to a rich piece of fudge with walnuts on top, a double chocolate chunk cookie, and a brownie cake pop.
“You know what?” the girl in front of her said. “I’ll take all three!”
Adeline raised one eyebrow.
‘Fatty,’ she thought. ‘Gonna go straight to those thighs.’
She looked the girl up and down, noticing how out of shape she appeared, and she guessed she had frequented this shop many times.
“Okay, next!” the cashier said.
Stepping up to the counter, Adeline received a full view of everything the shop had to offer.
“Hmm, I wish I had come up with an answer before I got here, there’s so much to choose from,” she said.
“Well, are you just stopping by for a treat? Or for an important occasion, maybe?”
Adeline raised a finger.
“It’s my friend’s birthday tomorrow, and I need to get her something special that shows I care about her.”
“What type of dessert is your friend into?” the cashier asked.
A light bulb lit up over Adeline’s head.
“That’s a good starting point,” she said. “She’s definitely a candy person.”
“Sweet or sour?”
She bit her lower lip in thought.
“Let’s go with … sweet,” she said.
“Excellent choice,” the cashier said. “Everything over here on the right case is what we have to offer.”
Adeline shifted over and knelt down to scan through the rows of candy. After a good minute of checking, she frowned.
“Hmm, I don’t really see anything that jumps out at me,” she said.
“Well, we also have bigger deals listed up here,” the cashier said, pointing to the screens overhead that displayed a full menu overhead.
As she scanned over the menu, bundles of candy, pastries, and platters of assorted goodies caught her attention.
“I don’t know if I need quite that much candy-”
Her eyes paused on a peculiar sight on the bottom right screen, almost intentionally hidden from view. She squinted, trying to read the small print underneath a scrumptious picture of candy.
“The … Caramel Balloon …,” she whispered to herself. “That sounds … interesting. I love caramel.”
“Oh, well, we don’t actually offer that anymore-”
“Of course we do,” a dominant female voice said, cutting off the cashier.
A pair of sharp heels clicked against the tile floor from the back room. Adeline turned her focus to a beautiful woman slightly taller than her emerge from the shadowed doorway with a devious smile. Though intimidating, even for Adeline, the woman seemed rather … inviting.
“You’ll have to excuse Miss Grace, here,” the woman said. “That promotion ended well before she started working here. We are able to offer it for our most … candy-loving customers.”
“But Alice-”
“Enough!” the woman said, interrupting her employee once more. “I’ll serve this young woman, why don’t you go and load another batch of double chocolate fudge?”
Adeline looked at the cashier, who glared at her with worried eyes, almost as if to warn her of something. But, before she could inquire further, the cashier ducked her head and walked away without another word. Returning back to the woman, she raised an eyebrow.
“Forgive me,” Alice said. “It’s been a while since someone has asked about the Caramel Balloon. It used to be one of our most popular products here, but we’ve sort of backed away from it the last few years.”
“Why?” Adeline asked.
Alice’s smile faded slightly.
“Well,” she said after a moment of thought. “Not many people like that type of candy enough to order it anymore. Since it’s entirely made of caramel, our customers thought it was a little … too much.”
Adeline frowned.
“That’s strange. Caramel is my favorite candy!” she said. “I might have to come back sometime to order that for myself.”
“You can place the order now if you’d like,” Alice said with a hint of desperation in her tone. “And we’ll have it ready for you in, say, five-six days. Fresh for delivery.”
“I’ve tried to make my own caramel, many times, actually,” Adeline said. “But I can’t ever seem to get it right. I’d eat it every day if I had that much, though.”
As she giggled, she noticed Alice lower her chin and give her a deeper look with her piercing eyes.
“Well, I’d be happy to show you how we make it,” she said. “Maybe you can learn a thing or two.”
Adeline’s eyes widened.
“Really!” she said. “How would you do that?”
“Why, a tour, of course,” Alice said.
Excitement filled Adeline to the brim. She had always wanted to watch a candy maker hard at work, mastering the craft of caramelization.
“That-that would be great!” she said. “I’d love to!”
Alice’s grin stretched across her face; Adeline eagerly stepped forward.
“Wonderful,” Alice said, her voice darkening. “Then we haven’t a moment to waste.”
A click sounded from behind the counter, and Adeline watched the daunting woman push open the half door that opened to the rest of the shop. She walked through, careful not to knock anything off the shelves, and waited patiently for Alice to lead her on the tour. As she stepped into the next hall, she glanced at Grace, who stood near a small refrigerator and pulled out a tray of fudge. The girl’s worried expression remained as she made eye contact. Adeline’s mood dampened slightly, wondering why in the world the young girl seemed so concerned. She brushed the notion aside, however, and followed Alice through the back rooms of the candy shop.
Adeline’s face lit up as she watched various machines, pumps, and ovens produce the candy and pastries seen in the display cases. The fresh scents hugged her nose and pulled upon the strings of her hunger. Finally, she came to a large glass window that revealed a special room. Alice stopped near the window and turned to her.
“This, my dear,” she said. “Is our caramel room.”
Adeline peered in. Half a dozen shop workers busied about coating candy, carrying trays, and loading ingredients in assorted machines.
“Here, my candy makers weave delicious strands of caramel into anything that needs it.”
“This is so cool,” Adeline said, infatuated with the process. “But, where do you make your caramel? I don’t see anyone cooking it, just putting it on things.”
She looked over to Alice, who raised a finger and beckoned her toward another hall.
“This way, love,” she said.
Adeline walked down the corridor adjacent to the caramel room, felt a rumble in her stomach, and placed her hand on it.
“Guess I should have had breakfast,” she said with a chuckle. “I’ll have to get something for myself on my way out.”
“Oh, I think you’ll find plenty to fill up on here,” Alice said, looking over her shoulder.
Suddenly, Adeline froze in her tracks as Alice stopped in front of a dark room with an open door.
“Do you mind waiting here for just a moment?” Alice said. “I’m afraid I must put our tour on pause for a moment and run to the restroom.”
“Uh, sure,” Adeline said with an awkward smile. “I’ll just … be here, I suppose.”
“Good,” Alice said. “Be a doll and don’t wander anywhere, please.”
Heels clicked down the hall as Alice faded, and Adeline stood by as instructed. A minute passed by, and she twisted her torso and fiddled with her fingers. Waiting around with nothing to do urged her curiosity forward. Glancing into the dark room, she explored it from afar to entertain her bored mind. After a moment, something stuck out to her amidst the blackness. Adeline squinted, narrowing her eyes on a long, tube-like object reaching down from the ceiling. She studied the strange object and traced it through the metal rings on the ceiling that held it in place.
‘Hmm,’ she thought. ‘Wonder what that’s for?’
Seconds after she spoke, a whirling noise kicked on from the room, grabbing her attention all over again. A blinking green light on the left side of the shadows lured her closer. She leaned against the doorframe, poked her head in, and stared at the light. Soon after, a towering, silver vat peered back at her. Adeline raised an eyebrow and then realized several others identical in size lining the outside walls of the room.
“Woah,” she whispered.
A drip echoed throughout the room; her ears twitched at the sound. Adeline looked around in search of the drip and saw a puddle of shining, dark brown liquid on the floor.
“Is … is that … caramel?” she said.
Adeline stepped forward, her stomach rumbling again. As she moved further into the room, she noticed that the tube hanging from the ceiling had started leaking. The glaze of the liquid caramel caused her to salivate.
She looked over her shoulder, remembering that Alice had told her to stay put, but temptation screamed at her to try it. Adeline battled with herself for a moment, wriggled her fingers, and reached out to take hold of the tube against her better judgment. She held it up to her mouth and stuck her tongue in to sample the sweet, sugary nectar. Holding back a groan of ecstasy, Adeline closed her eyes and embraced the sensational taste that sent goosebumps racing across her arms.
“Goodness,” she said. “That’s so good.”
Adeline fell in love with the caramel. She slid the rubber tube deeper into her mouth, rolling her tongue across all edges of the inside.
Suddenly, a loud click shook her from her trance. Thick, leather straps flung out from the side of the tube and wrapped around her head. Adeline released a muffled squeal through the tube, clawing at the straps to no avail. Panic set in, and all of the other vats around her came to life, a dozen green lights flickering across her petite figure. No amount of squirming or wriggling broke her free from the tube in her mouth. Adeline … was stuck.