The New American Dream

Part Four: Amsterdam | Chapter Twenty-Six

Now that I wasn't stumbling around deliriously anymore I was finally able to enjoy this foreign city and take in the beauty of it. You could argue with me now that it's a huge city and that big cities can be very ugly. I would totally agree. All big cities are flaming dumpsters but something about Amsterdam was different from any big American city I had ever been to. I felt like there was more nature to it.

Even just the subway ride excited me, I hadn't really been able to enjoy it the first few times we had taken the subway today. Sure it was warm and humid in the underground tunnels and the subway train but it was also more or less new and exciting. I had always liked cities with underground railroads, where I lived we didn't really have that. Sure, Los Angeles had a subway system but I wasn't in L.A. that often and either way, people in L.A. usually just took their car.

As interesting as I thought riding the subway was, I was glad when we emerged at Centraal Station, the subway station that was located right in the city center.

"So what are we doing then?" Cassie asked when we had all stepped off the escalator.

The afternoon sun was relentless once again but this time it didn't bother me as much. I was from Los Angeles after all, damn it.

"We could just explore a little," I suggested.

"Oh, how about we show Allie and Nate the tattoo studio?" Jace suggested.

"So you found one?" I asked, excited and dreadful at the same time.

"Multiple. We did however sort of already decide on one. Do you want to see it?"

"Absolutely!"

"Usually they don't ask for your I.D." Kendall told me, sensing what was going through my head right in that moment. He was already eighteen and had two tattoos, his older brother also had several ones and I knew he had gone with him.

"Yeah, but that's back home, " I threw in. "You don't know what they'll do here. Europeans seem more responsible, don't they?"

"I doubt it will be a problem. With your makeup you look older and just open another button of your shirt and it shouldn't be a problem," he said with a grin.

I playfully punched his arm as we all got moving. "Keep it in your pants. But do you think they'll even take walk-ins?"

"We googled it," Nick informed me. "That's why we chose it by the way. They take walk-ins, if we're lucky we could get them done today."

My stomach started churning more again. I didn't know you could want something so much and at the same time be scared of it like that.

We walked for a while and I was surprised they even found their way around that well already. I personally was hopelessly lost, I wouldn't have been able to find my way back if I tried. All the little alleys confused me. Then again, I knew my sense of orientation equated the one of a stick, so I wasn't really surprised.

"There it is," Dan said when we were still a bit down the road from it.

"So, is everyone sure they want to do this?" Jace asked.

A feeling spread in my stomach, it felt like a bottomless pit was opening up. But I nodded anyway.

"Alright, does everyone have money with them?" Cassie asked when everyone had agreed. People checked their wallets and then we entered the shop with my heart beating up to my throat.

The walls of the shop were painted black and white, some occasional red-ish wood paneling broke through the monotony of the colors. Silver sculptures hung on the walls and LED lights from the ceilings, even with the lights it was a bit dim in the shop. The front of the shop was narrow while it opened up more towards the end, a staircase led the way down into a basement area, I could see more workspaces even from here. Right at the front, next to the wall of windows, stood a black reception desk, several computers stood on top of it, papers were scattered as well. Next to the reception stood a file cabinet.