Bella Notte by Jesse Kimmel-Freeman Page B

it just becomes
numb. Yer a tough girl though.” He smiled as he assembled the
tattoo gun and tested it. Each pulse of it seemed electrifying and
scary as Hell.
    When the needle came
down on my wrist, I managed to keep still as my mind was screaming at
me that I had some serious problems.
    I felt the hot burn
of having the bat etched into my skin with ever deepening black ink.
Each wipe he took at the bat more of the purple was replaced with
swelling and angry black lines. Eventually he finished with the
shading and minute details and the bat appeared carved into my flesh. It's
beautiful.
    “ It's perfect”
I squeaked as he switched the needle for a new one to use with the
red.
    “ Ah, little
princess gettin' all emotional over yer first ink.” He smiled
at me.
    The family crest
seemed to magically appear on my skin. It didn't seem to swell as
much as the other. The red against my pallor seemed to glow for a
minute and then settle into place. I stared at it in awe.
    “ They always
do that in the beginning and don't ya be askin' me why as I can't
tell ya.” He looked at my crest and then at his.
    He smeared some
jelly onto my wrist and then covered it with plastic cling wrap,
which he taped into place. “Now, leave that on til' ya get
home. Here are the care instructions and some goop to help it heal,”
he said as he handed me a small tin and a sheet of paper.

    “ Eh. Thanks.
How much do I owe you?” I reached my left hand into my purse
and immediately felt the intense burn of the tattoo being pushed
against. That's
nauseating.
    “ Easy there-
yer lookin' a lil' pale. Here- sit. I'll make up the receipt as it's
already been paid fer.” He nearly pushed me back into the
chair.
    “ Alright,”
I mumbled as I felt my stomach begin to settle itself.
    I stared at my newly
bandaged arm in shock and awe. I
wonder what they'll say?
    Once everything
focused and the pain dulled back to a simple pulse, I got up and
walked back to the front. Mike was waiting for me.
    His same wrist was
similarly wrapped and I could see the yellow moon, black wolf, and
green symbol mixing with his blood- it was very similar to the
bracelet image I had given him. He looked paler than earlier, but
well at least.
    “ Thanks,
guys!” I smiled at the two tattoo artists and I grabbed Mike's
arm and headed for the door.
    The hot air
assaulted every ounce of my being. The heat also seemed attracted to
the cling wrap and quickly caused my tender flesh to sear under the
now oppressive sun. The car was hot and the black leather interior
burned all skin it could come into contact with.
    “ Okay, so now
I'd be grateful for a little cloud covering. How you feeling?”
I wiped the sweat from my brow as I found the right air conditioning
setting.
    “ Damn, it's
hot! I'm okay. Wasn't that bad. Shouldn't we put the top up?”
He looked at me and my struggle with the stupid air conditioning.
    “ Left it at
home. No rain suspected this week,” I sighed as the high blast
of cold air hit me in the face.

    The drive back was
silent. I could only guess that we were both thinking about what had
happened and how our families would react.
    The heat died away
the second we reached the county line. The sky was filled with thick,
fluffy clouds that acted as a filter for the sun. Even in the lightly
filtered sky, Mike's house didn't look as foreboding as ours did. His
house always seemed to be a mishmash of pieces- but it wasn't. It was
a perfect 1870's second empire style home. The angles and windows
gave it lots of space and light. But it still seemed like it held
secrets- just like our house, like my family has from me.
    I pulled up to his
gates. Always
open, unlike ours .
I leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek when he turned his head
and I caught him square on the mouth.
    “ Eh, right.
Have a great evening. I'll see ya tomorrow.” I grinned stupidly
at him.
    “ See ya, Emma.
Make it home safe okay?” He smiled at me and hopped out of my
monster.
    I