Tattoo of the Black Angel Vol. 1 (SAMPLE. Full book available on Amazon)

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

With my costume, jewellery, stupidly high-heeled shoes, my makeup bag, and Lynn in my ear, I left the house at five that afternoon and headed to the girls' apartment. I was invited to go to their place so that they could help me put my costume together.

It was quite a cold day as autumn had fully taken over the Welsh countryside. Walking along the roads where red, yellow, orange and brown leaves collected at the side of the paths, I deeply inhaled the scent of pine trees and tried to think of the fun night ahead. Halloween was a special time. It wasn't that I celebrated it, I don't believe in ghosts. But it was the only time when my family were at home watching scary movies. And if truth be told, it was the only time that we were all together under the same roof at the same time. My parents were away on business so much, it was pointless that they had a house. They hardly lived it in. Yet at the end of October, that was always a time when we were all together. Of course, that changed when I went to university. October was a studying month, not a holiday. If it was any other time throughout the year, I was alone in the house with my older brother who I hated with a passion. But as far as I knew, he was off gallivanting in New York as a banker or some such nonsense.

Approaching the door to their apartment, I knocked hard as I heard Halloween themed music blasting from the inside. Beth answered the door with wet hair and a face mask.

'Oh, hey come in!' She smiled. Following her up the stairs, I kicked off my shoes and was lead into their lounge. 'Just put your bag there.' She pointed to an old raggedy settee where Heather was sitting, staring at a medium-sized mirror with a pair of hair tongs.

'Hey Tara.' Heather turned awkwardly holding a clump of her hair in the tongs. 'You want me to do your hair?'

I shrugged. 'I thought I would just have it loose. My hair is black already.'

'Well then, let me do your makeup?' she suggested, turning back to the mirror.

Hearing thunderous footsteps behind me, Amanda came in with a towel wrapped around her head with black fishnet tights and a short mini-skirt. 'No, hang on Heather; I wanted to do her make-up.'

'Can't I do my own?' I asked them, but Amanda shook her head and looked at Heather.

'Why must you do this?' she shouted at her. 'I said I'd be doing her make-up. You can help Beth with her costume.'

Heather sighed, 'Fine, whatever.'

'Good,' Amanda smiled. 'But don't spend too long on her; you need to help me look pretty for Henry.' Amanda left the room and I heard Heather tut and continue with her hair. I felt a stab of anger towards Amanda and felt the familiar pang of pain in my back. Shrugging it off, I smiled as Beth came in to give me a drink of a Bacardi breezer. As I drank, I remembered that Henry wasn't going to attend the party. Something that Amanda didn't know.

A few minutes later, Amanda called me into her room, the first door on the left. She did my makeup in less than ten minutes. And giving me a mirror to look at, I tensed up as I had a flashback of seeing the tattoo on my back in the hospital bathroom. Glancing at my face for the briefest moment, I was irritated with the sloppy, almost childish appliance of the mascara. 'Wow, hey that's great,' I said with a fake smile. 'Thanks.'

Snatching the mirror from me, she smiled sweetly. 'You are very welcome, Tara.'

The clock showed half-past six, which gave us less than an hour to get ready. 'Can I use your bathroom to get changed?' I asked Heather and Beth as they had both finished their hair and make-up and were now ready to put on their costumes.