Chapter 1

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by LyingInSilence

by LyingInSilence

The unfamiliar streets of the town were filled with people laughing and eating whatever street fair food they could get their hands on. I personally had a Dr. Pepper in my left hand and a ketchup smothered corndog in the other. I was listening to my cousin, Amy, rant about some guy that was too hot to describe. But if that was true why was she still talking about him thirty minutes later?

When I decided to come to this small town for the summer I expected to have some time for relaxation. I had even brought half my collection of romance novels. However I had only been here two weeks and my cousin hadn't stopped the constant gossip. Today was the first time I had been away from the SeaSide bed and breakfast my aunt Eliza owned.

So far I was having a great time, even if my ears were bleeding inside from all the talk of the hottest jock in town. I was truly relieved when Amy took a bite of her own corndog and chewed. I took this chance to glance around at the merchant tents that lined the sidewalks.

"Hey Amy," I interrupted her mid-sentence and towards a tent that caught my eye. I wanted to check it out by myself, "You keep walking. I'll catch up in a few minutes."

"Alright Katy," She pointed to a group of popular looking girls and added, "I see some of my friends from school."

And just like that Amy, the dramatic almost senior, skipped off towards her friends. I tossed the trash from my lunch in one of the public trash cans and headed inside the tent.

I probably looked really out of place in here. The plastic walls were lined with possible tattoos. I felt right at home. An older guy with a long gray beard and a leather vest grunted when he noticed me looking at the sketches.

He left the smiling up to the young lady that stood behind a counter. She was probably a couple years older than me. The skin that was showing, which was most of her upper body, was covered in tattoos.

"Hello," She continued to smile, but I was transfixed by her purple streaked bleach blonde hair, "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes," I pulled my attention completely away from the sketches and went to the counter. I twisted my brown waves as I spoke, "I would like to see about getting a tattoo."

"Are you really?" Her eyes seemed to laugh as they took in my clothes. I am the first person to admit my clothes were deceiving. My lavender summer dress was covered by a white short sleeved cardigan and the flower covered headband was the preppiest thing I had ever seen.

"Yes," I sighed and reached into my tan messenger bag. I brought out my private sketchbook and opened it up to the tattoo design I had been perfecting for the past two years. Now that I was finally eighteen I didn't need my parent's permission. I didn't know if they could do the lettering exactly right, but the designs around it were pretty simple. I handed it to her.

"Seize The Day, huh?" She smiled and handed the book back to me, "This is amazing. Do you draw a lot?"

"Thanks, drawing is just a hobby," I put the book back in my bag. Now that she knew I was serious it was time to get down to business, "Could you give me an estimate of how much it would cost to get that on my upper arm?"

"Well I'm not the decider of that, I'm just the cashier, but I could give you this coupon," I took the business card she handed me, "The owner was supposed to come in today, but he had something to take care of."

"Okay so when can I come in?" I examined the card while she took out an appointment book. Sanders Tattoos. I hadn't seen that yet, but depending on what time she gave me, I had plenty of time to find it.

"Is Tuesday at two thirty okay?" She raised an eyebrow and I nodded, "Okay then, I just need your name and a contact number."

I wrote the necessary information in the space she indicated and handed the pen back to her. I glanced one more time at the intricate drawings on the tent walls as I reluctantly headed out to find Amy.