voodoo doll // c.hood

12; mmxii

C A L U M

"A tattoo? Cal, are you drunk?" Amity joked.

"No!" I say, defensively. "What better way to show I'm not some toy soldier following orders." I reason.

"It's almost 11, is it even open?"

"Let's find out." I push on the door and it swings wide open. A bell to ring which signals our entrance. It wasn't your nicest tattoo parlour, but I didn't care. I wanted to show how I really feel and a tattoo was just the thing to symbolize the new me. There was a small, bare waiting room with red walls and a few chairs. Sketches of tattoos were scatted across the front counter, along with the necessary forms and paper work.

A kinda tall, broad-shouldered man, completely covered in tattoos appears from behind the counter. He had a bushy, dark beard which was unkempt and spoke in a brash voice, matching his personality.

"What do you kids want?" He speaks with a suspicious tone.

Ignoring his rude snap, I answer politely yet firmly. "I am interested in getting a tattoo."

"You don't look any older than 15!" He laughs. "I ain't risking gettin' sued by your parents, boy."

"I will be 18 in just a couple of months." I plead.

"Well, why don't you just come back then, when it's legal?"

"Let's just say, this can't wait."

"Calum," Amity pipes up, "are you sure about this? As cool as tattoos are, is it worth it?"

"Yes, Amity. I'm sure. I need to show that I am a free man. That I control my own life, not my parents or my friends- me!" As the words leave my mouth, it only makes this idea sound more logical.

She forcefully turns me around to face her, to meet the gaze of her eyes. "Why Calum? What is this sudden urge from?"

I think, finding myself lost deep within her eyes. The real reason, was because of her. She has guided me into the need to be free, to not be stuck underneath the thumb of other people and their expectations. To lead my own life and create my own path, to be happy with myself. Just being with her makes me feel like I am as free as a bird, I've never wanted a tattoo before, but now I want it more than ever.

"I just want to show people I'm not theirs to control, as I already said." I mumble.

"Look kid, I can't just go around permanently marking random teens. There are laws against it and I-"

"I'll give you an extra $100." I bargain.

His eyes light up, "Follow me to the chair, sir." And he leads us through to the back of the parlour. "Take a seat and I'll be back in just a moment." And he disappears out of the room.

"So..." Amity plays with my hand as she begins to talk. "What tattoo are you getting engraved onto your body?" She raises an eyebrow, taking a seat in what I presume is the artists chair.

"I had this ideas," I explain, " it is to get 'MMXII' which symbolises the year of 2012."

"Why do you want that?"

"Well, it's the year that I will finally be in control of my own life. This year, I graduate, I control my future and what lies ahead. I will finally be free and I want to remember this year."

She nods at the idea, "That's pretty deep. Plus it has meaning. So where are you thinking of getting it?"

"I haven't thought of that yet. What do you think?"

She bites her lip and her eyes drift from the top of my head, to the bottom of my feet. "I think," she hops up out of her seat and places a hand on the collar of my shirt, pulling it down toward the left to reveal a bit more of my chest. "I think you should get it right here." And she lightly strokes my left collar bone with the tip of her fingers.