All The Wrong Signs

Sitting in the back of April’s Honda, I starred out the window, watching the buildings pass. It had rained and although it wasn’t heavy, it was enough that it made everything look a little surreal.

Clutching my napkin in my hand, I started to have doubts. I didn’t even know where I wanted to get a tattoo. I had always had ideas of tattoos I wanted and none of them had come close to looking like a sigil, yet it was etched in my mind that this was what I needed.

Looking forward, I could hear April and Lakyn talking, but my mind wasn’t focusing in on them. It was like I was lost in my own little bubble of existence. I knew it was the alcohol giving me this temporary buzz, but I wasn’t hating it. Sometimes I preferred my own world.

Being a twin, you were never really alone. Even apart, I swore I could feel her. When Hollie and I had first started school, we had horrible separation anxiety. My mom had wanted us placed in the same class, but the counselor swore it would be good for us to figure out who we were individually.

It had been traumatizing for me. Hollie had taken it better. While she seemed to blossom, I become withdrawn. Eventually, I came out of it, but I felt like it had broken a part of me and nothing could fill the void..

Overtime I learned how to adjust and realized that being separated strengthened our bond. It made us stronger.

Hearing April turn on her blinker, I looked up, seeing her pull into a place that looked like an old gas station. In fact, I knew it was an old gas station because the pumps were still there.

There was a big neon sign flashed open. “This looks like something straight out of a horror movie.” I said.

Lakyn laughed, “Bex bought this place real cheap. He’s fixed up the inside but hasn’t exactly made it to the outside yet.”

Opening my door, I stepped out looking up at the building. “If you say so.”

Lakyn grabbed my arm, tugging at me. “Come on, you will be fine. I promise.”

“A tattoo parlor at an old abandoned gas station. Perfect.” I mumbled, following behind Lakyn into the building.

The interior had been completely remodeled. From the inside, you couldn’t tell that you were in an abandoned gas station. A girl sat behind a glass counter reading a book. As we walked in, she placed her book adown and walked to the front, greeting us. She was dressed as if she had just been to a club. Her shirt was cropped so short you could see her under-boob, and she wore a tight black skirt with fishnets and combat boots.

“I let Bex know you were bringing friends, you know his motto. The more the more money.”

“Hey, Hey, that’s not what I said,” a guy said, laughing, walking from the back. He was dressed in a pair of blue jeans, with no shirt. His entire body was covered in tattoos, although it wasn’t a bad thing. He was kinda hot.

Walking up to us, Bex smiled. “April told me ya’ll were coming. Her tattoo is simple and shouldn’t take too long. What are ya’ll thinking?”

“I want bats flying up my collarbone,” Lakyn said before turning to me. “And she has a drawing of what she wants.

Bex held out his hand, so I handed him my now crumbled up napkin. “Yeah cool. I’ll draw this out before I tattoo it.” He looked at April. “You ready, doll?”

April turned around, giving us a look before disappearing down a hallway with Bex.

Sitting down, I looked around at all the pictures on the wall. Some were of tattoos that he could do, others were pictures of people I assumed he tattooed.

“How did ya’ll find this guy?” I asked, looking at one where a guy got a spiderweb on one half of his face.

Lakyn laughed. “Bex has lived here his whole life. He’s cool. Kinda a ladies’ man, so….”

“Aren’t all tattooist?”

“You have a point,” Lakyn said. “I tried talking to him a couple of years ago,” she admitted.

“And?” I asked giggling.

“I couldn’t take it.” Lakyn sat back. “Like I’m not a jealous person, but I couldn’t deal with the way he is with his female clients. I guess it gets him good tips, but like you have to drawl the line somewhere.”

I nodded, “I get it.”

“Our breakup was friendly, though,” she said, opening her arms. “Obviously, or we wouldn’t be here.”

“What is April getting tattooed?” I asked, looking over at her laughing when I saw she was stretched out with her eyes closed.

“Huh,” she asked. “Oh, she’s getting a paw print tattooed on her wrist.” When I made a face, she sat up. “Her dog died recently. She’d had her forever. She took it hard.”

I nodded, “I understand. The only thing I fought Collin for was our two dogs. Luna and Shadow are my babies.”

Just thinking of my animals made me remember the ugly text that Collin had sent me. The yelling and screaming he would do until he finally gave in and told me just to take them. It had been horrible. Once, he agreed to give me the dogs I had moved out giving him the house.

I made sure when I moved he didn’t get my address, afraid that he would come and try to steal them back. Even now I was worried that I had been gone too long. I had to remind myself that my car was still outside and he would assume I was home.

“Who’s next?” April said, coming out drawing me from my thoughts. I must have been half asleep because when I looked at the time, it surprised me how much time had gone by.

“You go,” I said. “Your tattoo is simple, too. April can take you to get your car so we don’t keep her out all night.”

“Good idea,” Lakyn said, standing up. “I don’t want to fight any husbands tonight and I should be sober by then.”

April came out sitting beside me, showing me her tattoo. It made me a little sad looking down at the paw print with a jasmine flower. “Her name was Jasmine,” April said. “She was a stray that just showed up. I took her in and we just bonded.”

Reaching in her purse, April pulled out two mini bottles of Malibu. “I kinda get the hookup on all the mini’s. Want one?”

I knew damn well I didn’t need anymore alcohol. I was finally starting to feel sober, but I took it anyway, not wanting to tell her no. In the back of my head, I remembered something about not getting a tattoo while drunk. Something about losing more blood, but it was too late now.

April and I talked while Lakyn got her tattoo and before I realized it, she was walking out. After she showed me her tattoo, I followed Bex to the back while April and Lakyn headed to get her car. He made small talk with me while he drew out my tattoo.

“How big do you want it?”

I shrugged. “I kinda thought about getting it here.” I pointed at the skin between my thumb and pointer. “So not too big.”

“I’m assuming black. No color?”

I nodded.

Bex nodded. “So what exactly is this?”

“A sigil,” I said. “It’s supposed to bring be a reminder that I have everything I needed in me to be happy and successful.”

“Oh Shit,” he said laughing. “You’ve been around Lakyn too long. She’s got you into her witchy shit.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “I mean, I’ve been in her shop.”

He looked up at me. “She is picky as hell about her friends, so you she must have seen something in you.”

I snorted, “yeah I show up at her shop talking about needing a change in my life.”

He shrugged, “and look at you now, about to get a tattoo.” He showed me his drawing, which was exactly how I had drawn it, but better proportioned. “First tattoo?”

I nodded, “yes.”

“Well, you chose a good spot,” Bex said. “I’ll cut you a deal. It’s small and Lakyn seems to like you, so $25.00.”

I nodded, “sounds good. Do you want it now?”

He shook his head. “Nah, let’s get this thing done.”

I leaned back in the chair, letting him take my right arm and lay it down on the armrest. Relaxing, I sat back, only looking down when he asked me to look down and see if I was happy with the placement. When I said I was, I let out a breath as he started his machine.

Closing my eyes, I sat back in my chair wishing Lakyn was back to distract me. The tattoo didn’t really hurt. It stung a little, but nothing that I couldn’t take. Bex had some music playing loud enough to hear but not be distracting. I tried to see if I recognized the songs, but to my best guess, it was 80’s heavy metal.

Somewhere in the middle of my tattoo, I started getting a weird feeling. It was almost as if I was I had just been plunged under water. I could feel the hair on my arms stand up straight.

“You ok,” Bex asked.

I opened my eyes, nodding at him. “Yeah, I’m good.”

I didn’t want to admit that it felt like a ghost had just walked through me. Bex started tattooing again and this time instead of looking away, I watched as he ran his gun over the lines he had transferred onto my skin.

The sigil memorized me. I took a deep breath. It had to be the alcohol. I had drank way too much and was now suffering the side effects. The more ink that Bex placed on my skin, the more I began to hear what sounded like whispers.

It was like someone was trying to tell me something. I looked around the room at first, thinking that Lakyn had come back and was trying to freak me out. Finding it bare of all people except for me and Bex, I shook my head. Lakyn was probably in the lobby, passed out, waiting on me.

I shouldn’t have taken that last shot. It was making me paranoid and lord knew my anxiety didn’t need any help.

Closing my eyes again, I focused on the whispering. It was growing louder, yet it was still mumbled as if I was hearing it from underwater.

The thought sent chills down my arms again. I had been drunk plenty as a teen, but I had never heard voices. I usually passed out somewhere.

Letting out a slow breath, I tried to focus on the humming of the gun, but the words kept cutting through.

Blazenthibou

Blazenthibou

Blazenthibou

BLAZENTHIBOU

“All done,” Bex said, turning to grab something off the table.

I looked down at my the freshly tattooed skin on my hand. “Blazenthibou,” I whispered.

The air seemed to spark with electricity. Both Bex and I looked up, but he didn’t seem to think anything about it. “You can settle up front. Clair will give you some care instructions, but you can always hit me up if you have any questions.”

I nodded at what he was saying but my focus was on the man that was leaned up against his doorframe looking curiously at me. I know our eyes connected, but Bex looked toward the door then back as if the man wasn’t there.

Standing up, I cautiously looked at the man wearing all black. His ice blonde hair was long, to his shoulders and his eyes were the most piercing blue I had ever seen.

As I walked closer to him, he looked down at me as if he was awaiting my orders. I wanted to ask him to move, but I couldn’t find the words, so instead I moved against one side of the door and squeezed past him.

I had about decided I was silly. He was probably waiting for Bex, but as I walked down the hall, I could hear his footsteps behind me. Fully ready to run, I would have bolted, but Lakyn stood up.

“So let me see,” she said, never once looking at the stranger standing directly behind me. So close that I could feel the heat of his body.

As I went to pay, I kept looking back at him. He was now keeping his distance, but was looking at me with confusion. I started at him, daring him to speak, but Lakyn grabbed my change, telling me to come on, that she was starving.

Walking outside, I kept looking back as the stranger followed us. “Lakyn, tell me you see him?”

She looked over her shoulder, “who girl? Are you ok? You look kinda pale.”

Drunk. I was drunk and seeing things. There was no icy haired viking god following me around. I was drunk off of my ass. Typical, my brain would choose to have a stalker.

As we pulled away I couldn’t help but stare at my drunken vision, his eyes glued to mine. Chills ran down my arms and I finally had to break contact.