Pic: Brillance Tattoo Studio in Boston.
"It looks different... and it feels completely different too," I whisper standing near the studio entrance door.
The brick wall illuminated by the sunlight coming from the window, the blue shelves, the dark wood counter, the gorgeous light green velvet couch, plants in pots everywhere... Everything looks very much the same, nothing has changed since the last time I was here... but I'm not an outsider anymore. I'm not that girl who came with Savannah sometimes and watched from the sidelines how a group of sophisticated women lived their best life in New York, I work here now and I'm one of them... At least, that's what they seem to think. I'm not as sure as they are and my mind is a whirlwind of emotions: fear, excitement, confusion... to the point I'm almost missing the boring life I was living a few weeks ago. I'm not even sure how I got here, well, actually yes: it was my goddaughter's fault.
"It's easier to do what Ruby tells you than arguing with her, Iselen. Don't waste your time fighting... you won't win," Savannah explained me while we waited sat on some armchairs of the clinic for news about Louisa and her baby. Little Diana Siena arrived to this world crying at the top of her lungs but healthy and beautiful and I had the honour of holding her in my arms first, even before Ruby did. Suddenly, the baby stopped crying and her blue eyes stared at me seriously like she understood the importance of the moment... I knew it, while holding Diana in my arms I knew I'd do whatever necessary to protect her and watch her growing up happily and if I had to kick the ass of the hunter in my mind to achieve that goal and embrace my grandma's legacy, I'd do it.
And that's why I'm here one week later despite the anxiety is making my stomach hurt, maybe I should've had something more than a coffee for breakfast... My former boss found a substitute for me way before I expected, "your job isn't complicated and you're not essential" he told me with an offensive tone of voice but never understood he was doing me a favour, and Ruby explained me she had an appointment early in the morning and would open the parlour, I could arrive later and she'd give me the alarm code and show me how the shutters worked when it was time to close. The extra hour I was able to sleep this morning felt great, honestly.
"Wow..." I whisper shocked, walking behind the counter and leaning my hand on the dark wood. "I feel powerful , this perspective changes it all... Even the parlour looks different from this point of view."
"It's because of the sisterhood..." I turn around startled to look at Thyra who's leaving her backpack on a chair of the small office behind the reception counter, where the artists can use different computers and art supplies to design their tattoos. "This building is impregnated with our magic and good energy, it makes you feel great, most clients can feel it in an abstract way and this is why they come back for more tats, but sensations are pretty intense when you're a witch..."
"I'm not a witch," I whisper and the young Jamaican girl smiles while fixing her unsettling green eyes on my face. I believe she's able to read my mind for a second...
"You are, Iselen, and a very powerful one only you haven't developed your full potential yet... Wait and see... You're going to be the hit of the city in a few months."
"Who, me?" I ask puzzled and cautiously while she gets closer and turns on the computer on the counter.
"We aren't the only coven living in NY, my friend, not to talk about hundreds of lone witches and the ones that come for a visit. But don't worry about that now, your main concern must be this book." Thyra points at the cover made of black leather of a big book. "Louisa's appointment book, she notes down everything: the name of the client, their phone, what kind of tattoo they want, if this is their first session or they're regulars..."
