The Truth of the Wing Tattoo

Find the key, you are the carrier, protect the serum with your life.

The Truth of the Wing Tattoo

 

 

I have one tattoo. It is on my stomach, just below my belly button and depicts a pair of purple rotting wings. My mother, Abigail, let me get it last year, on my fifteenth birthday, to remind me of my grandfather, he always said that Satan’s Angels would forever remain, as long as humans still live on this Earth. He passed away when I was ten.

 

The tattoo was a surprise to everyone, my mum just kinda said, hop in the car, you can have a tattoo. Weird behaviour for any parent. Hard to believe that my fifteenth was only a year ago. A year since my dad drowned, a year since my mother's suicide, a year since I had my life under control. I stood in front of the tattoo parlour. Mackenzie’s Ink had these weird windows where you can’t see in, but you can see out.

 

So now, I stare at my faint reflection. A girl with curly midnight hair, a pale complexion and strange eyes, sparkly- almost an oil colour- butterscotch with pools of galaxy green, stood there, I thought she couldn’t possibly be me, she's too real, she's too . . . alive.

 

“Hey Pierce! I thought the s**t corner of this dump was over there!” I turn to find Ellison Whitewood pointing east of where she stood. She flicked her brown hair out of her brown eyes and looked at me expectantly. I have been Ellison's target for bullying since the 6^th grade, but after my parents died she made it her mission to make my life harder. “Good morning Ellison” I say, trying to remain cheerful.

 

“Planning on getting another tattoo with dear old Abi? Oh, my bad, I forgot the idiot killed herself to get away from her wretch of a daughter. Did you not love her enough? Or was she just itching to leave you behind?”

 

I sigh. “Ellison, its adorable how you always want to find me, but I’m straight, and I’m alone here, I want to keep it that way, but I know there's a place called WhoresRus just down the road from here, its open all night.”

“Just like your mouth.”

“Just like your legs.” Before she can retort her little groupie, Sally runs down the street, and tugs on her arm, making her red hair fall over her face. “Elli! The cupcakes aren't rising, what do I do?” she whines out an entire story about how she turned a few frying pans blue. “They were vanilla cupcakes Sal, how did you turn them blue??” Eventually Ellison decides the situation with her precious cupcakes is more dire then me so she walks away with Sally.

 

I open the door to the Tattoo parlour and smile at Connie, the woman who took me in after my parents died. She worked here half the time so I never really got to see her but I’m grateful that she let me into her home. “Hey Con, I need two today.” lucky I got my tattoos “good pay. “Sure thing Pierce, meet me in booth 3, I just have to finish cleaning up here.” Connie had purple hair, blue eyes and tanned skin, she could have been a model if she had kept her hair blonde and she hadn't adopted me.

 

Ignoring my guilt, I headed to the booth Connie requested and waited for my two new tattoos to represent my fallen parents.

 

               �'�                    

 

By the time I have two new tattoos (a blue sunset design on my wrist to represent my mother's love for beautiful sunsets and a purple leaf on my other wrist to represent my father’s position in the WeAreEarth campaign) I have learnt almost everything about Connie's new boyfriend. I get out my phone, say goodbye to Con and text my own boyfriend, West.

 

Missing U, wanna meet up?

 

His reply came back quicker than I expected.

 

Always my diamond Ring.

 

He calls me Ring because of my name, Pierce, get it? Like a nose ring?