Inked Together

Chapter 2

Thyme was home before we got there. Right as I went to knock on their door, it swung open and they bent down to look at me. "You look like you've got a big problem kiddo. Have a seat and tell me about it," they said, gesturing at the foot stool and clearing empty cups.

"I uh… I have a huge favor to ask of you…"

"You hate em, don't you? Oh s**t, are you the guinea pig?" They burst out laughing.

"Listen, we can't all be so lucky," I choked out an echo of my mother's words.

"It can't be that serious, dude. What did Aries say?"

"I know we're close but this needs to stay between you, me and Rainne, okay? I'm not sure what would happen if anyone else found out. It feels like a big target on my back… Arms? I don't know, I just don't want to be taken in to be studied or… Or worse…" I felt all the tiny hairs on my body stand up and all of my nerves set fire. "This is a BIG problem." I took off the hoodie and their eyes turned into saucers.

"Uhh… well first let's just point out how absolutely badass they are. These are just…” they yanked my arm closer to them and began studying the snake very closely. “Beautiful. I have a feeling the story they're attached to is going to be an interesting one for sure. But are you CERTAIN they're identical?"

"Unless you can find something, yes. Rainne and I really looked them over… We thought maybe we could just add in a little star on one and a moon on the other so nobody questions me? I know it's illegal, but-"

"I'm not trying to get you killed kiddo. I'll go get my stuff set up." I was glad they were so understanding and willing to help. "I mean what else is family for, huh? I still think it's weird you don't want to tell Aries, but I imagine he's already making a huge deal of it. He's way too into that sappy s**t sometimes," they chuckled as they compared needle sizes and eventually chose one to rip open.

As they started, I could feel a light sting on the wrong arm, confirming my fears about this plan… I looked down at that spot and saw a little star starting to form where they never made contact with me. "Thyme??!!?! It's going on both sides!"

"Well shit."

Rainne wasn't due to get hers for a few weeks still. She'd been dying to know for so long, drawing on herself with pens, imagining the exact moments she'd find her matches… She dreamed of that day the way children used to dream of their weddings, but I saw the magic die out from her eyes as we struggled to find a solution for me.

“Alright, I can't go home yet but if I stay here, your parents will want to look. Let's go to the spot. Maybe we can just wait there until my party and then I can blend into the madness. Man, of course my birthday had to be on a Friday this year. I'll be stuck with my family all weekend.”

The “spot” was this little campsite set up by the neighborhood kids years before we were born. Nobody ever really used it for camping any more, but sometimes we’d go out there to think or get away from s**t. There was a shelter made of sticks that somebody had dragged a patio couch into. It always smelled like weed, cigarettes, and beer, but it was an alright place to hang out.

On our walk over there, I saw a flash of pink between the trees in the distance. “You saw that new girl at school today, right? Jay or whatever?” I asked.

“Yeah, so weird that she'd start a new school on a Friday, like just wait until Monday. Weirdo.”

“Well, I think she knows something… she's in my art class and she was drawing my tattoos… I only let you and Thyme see them.” I saw the flashes again. “s**t, I think she's out here?”

“No f*****g way, she lives by us?” Rainne started looking around frantically, making a ton of noise.

“You're going to draw attention to us! Calm down!”

“Why are we calming down, do you guys have a serial killer out here or something?” Jay’s voice came from a few feet behind me.

“Uh no, we just really don't want to be caught out here, our parents don't know where we are.” Rainne stupidly blurts out. I give her the “what the f**k” face and turn to Jay.

“Yeah, we're just headed out to the hangout spot. Do you live around here?” i***t. Obviously she does.

“Yeah, just down the street. Figured I'd check out the area, see if I could find anything cool. My mom's a doctor and got transferred to the hospital here to help train some students. She's not really home much. Father dearest basically doesn't exist.” She explains, pulling out a joint and lighting it. “Want some? Powerful medicine.”

Rainne and I exchange glances and she reaches for it. “My parents are hippies. I'm pretty familiar with this treatment.” My god, is she flirting? Or is she just awkward? Probably the second one.

“So this is it,” I said, gesturing toward the makeshift hut. “Home of our shenanigans and maybe a small family of squirrels.”

“Alright, this will do.” Jay proclaimed, plopping down onto the rickety old couch, joint still rolling. “You seem tense. I promise it's not poison. From the smell of your fort, it's pretty safe to assume you partake.” She held it out to me and I tried getting a glimpse of a tattoo, but her sleeves were too long.

I grabbed it and took a pretty long drag, maybe too long, because I immediately started coughing. “Yeah I do… but this is…”

“Deadly?” she chuckles. Man it's almost like she's trying to be creepy. Serial killers? Poison? That comment? I felt a slight chill.

“Alright, so what are we hiding from here? I like secrets.” I swear she winked at me.

“Tate doesn't like her tattoos. Her mom wants to see them. So we're pretending they don't exist,” explained Rainne, leaning back and blowing smoke rings.

I eyed her aggressively. I literally just told her that Jay was probably onto me, WTF?

“Yeah, they're dumb. Got 'em this morning. My mom's obsessed with the concept, partially because my brother and Rainne’s sibling are matches.”

“Rainne? They really are hippies, aren't they?” Jay laughed. “I mean I get it, that's why I hide mine. I like the mystery, you know?”

“Well I can't wait until I get mine. I like answers… You should come to the party later. A bunch of other kids will be there. Maybe you'll get to make some more new friends.” Typical Rainne; if there's a hole, she's gotta dig it deeper.

“Eh, I'll pass on this one, but next time, okay?” Jay flicked the roach into the leaves and stood up. “See ya Monday. 4th period art, right?” There was no denying that she winked at me again as she took off.

"Rainne, what are you doing?? She could be my match! We don't know what that means for me yet. Why are you being so friendly?!?” I whisper angrily.

“Listen girl, sometimes you have to play into it. If we're going to find out, it's good to keep her close, right?”

“I guess you've got a point, but she's creeping me out.”

I successfully made it through my party without revealing anything to my mom or Aries by acting like somebody wanted my attention every time they tried to ask. Everybody else was pretty easy to satiate because I just kept telling them I was waiting until I found a match to show anyone anything. Most of them were just Rainne’s theater friends anyway, so they were more there for her.

The next week went by pretty calmly, and other kids were getting their tattoos, so nobody really questioned me further. Plus, the theater kids were pretty good at spreading information. Other kids started hiding theirs using the same excuse, so of course that left me in a bit of a panic. It helped me hide, but the potential for my match to hide was getting to me a little.

Jay still creeped me out, but I kept her close like Rainne suggested. We hung out and smoked at the spot a few times, and even partnered up for a collaborative project in art class. I figured that might be a way to get a glimpse of her arms, but she wore a long-sleeved jumpsuit to paint in. The project wasn't over yet though, so I was still hopeful. She was cool, but in a menacing way. I wondered if I would've treated her differently if she hadn't shown me that drawing, but we were starting to become friends.