Page 52 of Bristol

A tattoo artist pops out from behind the doors. He has shoulder length straight hair, a Bob Marley beanie on, and ink covering every square inch of his body aside from a few spots on his face.

“Bristol?” He calls out, looking between me and Kendra.

“Oh, hey girl! What are you doing here?”

“Brought my girl to see the best tattoo artist I know,” she says, crossing the room to hug who I assume now is Kris.

“Bristol, this is Kris. Kris, Bristol.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say softly. I feel out of place and I am second guessing my decision to do this. I’m starting to get nervous. This isn’t me. This isn’t something I do. I don’t make decisions to get a tattoo on a whim.

I take a steadying breath, pushing down the panic that is rising quickly in my chest. The heaviness begins to take over and I think for a second I might pass out, become one with the cold, marble tile beneath our feet in this lobby.

Kendra comes to my side, her hand gripping my arm. Her fingers are cold so I focus on the sensation, drowning out everything else. “You okay?” She asks, her eyes riddled with concern as she assesses me.

I nod. “Yeah. I just, got a little dizzy for a minute,” I smile, trying to play it off.

“You sure you good to get tatted?” Kris asks, eyeing me suspiciously.

“Oh yeah. I’m good, I promise.” I try to sound convincing, and he doesn’t look like he believes me, but he lets me go to the back anyway.

“Have a seat here. What are you looking to get done today?”

“Well. So. I have this idea and it’s probably going to sound a little crazy but, it’s a whole back piece.”

Kris stares at me, waiting for me to continue I assume, so I do.

“I’m thinking a skull that covers the entirety of my back, but not just any skull. I want it to have some ripped skin above the teeth and around the nostril area. Making it look like the skin was ripped off and some was left behind, with leaves and lilies in the top right and a smoke ribbon through a nose-hole, and over the face in a few spots.”

“Motherfucker. Okay. That’s a lot. Give me a little while to get something drawn up and I’ll come back and get you when I’m done.”

I see myself to the lobby where Kendra is talking with another artist. He’s bald, tall, and his entire head is covered in a tattoo of a brain and bone outline. He’s broad, like Sebastian, but about a hundred pounds heavier. I can’t think of a name more fitting than Crusher.

I sit down in one of the chairs and watch quietly as Kendra explains the cover-up design she’s wanting him to do. He heads to the back to draw her tattoo and she takes a seat next to me. Now that I have time to think about it, I begin feeling my stomach draw up in knots. I have always wanted tattoos but that was something that kind of went on the back burner while I was stuck in captivity for so long. So many things that I wanted out of life were on the back burner, shoved to the side while I tried to survive.

I contemplate if it will hurt when the tattoo begins. Then I contemplate if I will like it, the same way I like it when Sebastian delivers a blow to my ass when I’m defiant in the bedroom. The thought sends a rush of excitement coursing through my veins. I’m so lost in my own thoughts, I don’t realize that Kris is standing in the doorway calling my name until Kendra taps me on the shoulder.

“Ready to see it?” he asks.

I nod, unable to conjure words.

He leads me to the back and there are multiple pieces of translucent paper pieced together to create the most beautiful outline of exactly what I had imagined. It’s like he reached into my brain and pulled this image directly from my thoughts, bringing it to life on paper.

“What do you think?”

“It’s perfect,” I whisper, still in awe of the image before me.

“Okay. Let’s get you started then.”

“How long will it take? Will we finish it today?” I ask, unsure of how the process works with a piece so large.

Kris laughs and shakes his head. “Oh, no. My hands nor your back can handle that. We will go until we can’t anymore. I have the day open. I actually have tomorrow open, too. We can see how you’re feeling after today’s session and possibly come back tomorrow to work on it some more.”

“Okay.”

“You’re going to have to remove your shirt and bra.”

I stare at him blankly while panic threatens to take over. I take a calming breath, trying not to lose my marbles while sitting in this tattoo parlor.

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