Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Jin
After meeting Brenda and getting myself some coffee, I wander through the mall. There’s so many booths that it’s almost overwhelming. Almost every store is doing some sort of sale or event as well.
I can’t stop smiling as I move from store to store, taking it all in. My wallet is unhappy with me but I don’t care. I like spending money. It’s not like I can take it with me once I die. Why hold onto it when I can bring myself joy by buying things for myself or for people I care about?
That’s why I’m getting a job! So I’ll have even more money to spend.
I find myself a new hoodie, a winter hat, the most adorable cat charm that I immediately add to my keys, and a new phone case that’s got the red logo of a volleyball team I like to watch sometimes. I also get so many coupons for the future. Today is fucking awesome!
At the end of one of the aisles, I find a woman with bright blue hair, snake bite lip piercings, and a charming smile. Her eyes light up when she sees me for some reason.
“Hello,” she says, gesturing me over. I look at her booth, seeing a table and a bunch of tattoo equipment.
“Hi,” I say with wide eyes. “You’re a tattoo artist?”
“I am! Today I’m doing a special.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that? I love a deal.”
She chuckles and I feel my chest bloom with warmth. “I’m offering soulmate tattoos.”
My eyes widen and my heart picks up speed. “Really?”
“Mhmm.” She pulls out this giant bin filled with white balls. “I’ll give you a tattoo that will be linked to your soulmate.”
“How high is your success rate?”
“Pretty damn high,” she says proudly.
I only think about it for a moment before I’m setting my bags down on the ground. “How do we do this?”
She waves her hand over the bin. “Pick a ball.”
“It’s that easy?”
“Yep!”
I dig my hand into the bin, shuffling the balls around before finally gripping one and pulling it out. I hold it out for her. She places her hand on top of it, staring at me with wide eyes. I watch as her eyes flash with a deep green color, warmth spreading through my arm.
“Perfect,” she finally says, taking the ball and popping it open. There’s a piece of paper inside. “This will do nicely. Would you like to see it?”
I shake my head. “Show me once it’s done.”
“Oh, I like you,” she says with a chuckle. “Where do you want it?”
I think about it for a moment before taking off my jacket, then my sweater, and then finally my shirt. Layers are good but they make getting naked kinda inconvenient. I point at my right shoulder blade. “Does this work?”
“Perfect. Why don’t you lie down and I’ll get started?”
I get myself comfortable on the table, listening as the tattoo artist gets her supplies ready. I realize I don’t even know her name.
“Hey,” I say, popping my head back up. “What’s your name?”
“Tilly.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jin.”
“Pleasure,” Tilly says with a grin. “Do you want color or just black?”
“I thought this was kind of a pop up thing. Isn’t it supposed to be just black?”
“This one feels special,” she says with a shrug. “That happens sometimes. Strong pull with this one.”
“Do whatever you think is best.”
“Can I ask what you are? That’ll change what I add to the ink to make sure it doesn’t just heal over straight away.”
“I have angelic lineage,” I tell her. She nods and adds a few drops of something to the little ink cup.
I put my face down and close my eyes. It hurts when Tilly starts the tattoo but it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be. The buzzing sound of the tattoo lulls me into a bit of a trance. Time goes by but I have no idea how long. Eventually, she taps my other shoulder.
“All done, Jin.”
“Awesome,” I breathe out, carefully sitting up. My shoulder stings but I assume that’s to be expected when getting a new tattoo. I look over at Tilly who’s giving me a soft smile.
“Not to toot my own horn, but it turned out really pretty. I hope you like it.”
“I’m sure I will. A new experience, a new tattoo, and it’ll point to my soulmate? Seems like I won the lottery today.”
She grins as she hands me a little hand mirror. She holds up one herself so that I can use the two of them to see my new ink.
When my eyes land on it, my stomach sinks. Well, I guess I should have known better than to think I’d have a soulmate out there somewhere. I’m not really a normal being, right? I was birthed from the Earth itself.
On my left shoulder, I find a set of wings that appear to be consumed by flame.
The wings themselves are black and the fire around them are shades of red and orange.
They look almost exactly like my wings when I let them out of the ethereal plane.
They’re beautiful, that’s undeniable, but they’re mine.
How could that possibly be linked to my soulmate?
“Thank you,” I find myself saying, passing the mirror back to Tilly. “They’re beautiful. Truly.”
Tilly tells me how to care for my new tattoo before she’s carefully covering it up with plastic.
I put my shirt back on, pay Tilly, and then head down the way, back to my wandering.
My chest hurts, but that’s okay. The feeling will pass.
Now that I know, this kinda takes some of the weight off, in a weird way.
I don’t have a soulmate so I can just learn to be content with myself.
I can do that. Of course, I can do that! Life is still as exciting as ever, even if I don’t have a soulmate. I’m still content. I’m still happy. I’m still overly excited to experience everything and anything.
Picking up my bags, I start wandering through the mall again. I want to save The Devil’s Sweet Tooth for last because I’ll use the last of my spending money there. I hope they have something fun going on.
Just like that, all thoughts of soulmates and being destined to be alone forever leave me, replaced with curiosity and warm excitement.
I stop at every single booth that litters the middle of the mall, wanting to talk to everyone, wanting to see what they’re selling.
Everyone is so happy to chat with me, to explain what it is they’re doing here.
When someone’s eyes light up, something inside me flares to life. Their excitement only serves to build my own. Naturally, I am fire, but the people around me fan those flames even brighter. It’s like they toss logs onto the fire inside my chest until fire is catching all around me as well.
The next booth I stop at is selling handmade ceramics. They’re so beautiful. I can tell they’re hand made because they’re not perfect but that only adds to their beauty.
As careful as I can be, I pick up a little mug. The handle is just a little bit too thin and there’s a weird lump on the opposite side. It’s painted with this shimmery red color that makes me smile because it reminds me of my hair.
“Hi,” someone says and I look up.
My entire body freezes as I stare into the eyes of the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.
His eyes are the prettiest shade of brown.
There are dark circles underneath and I’m suddenly hit square in the chest with concern, wondering if maybe he hasn’t been getting enough sleep.
He’s about as tall as me with thick, messy black hair.
He looks like he has perpetual bedhead he can’t quite control yet it somehow suits him so well.
He’s dressed in gray jeans and a light blue sweater that fits him just right.
When he smiles, I feel like I might actually swoon.
Wow.
“Hello,” I say back, a grin stretching across my lips. My chest is a flurry of emotions, all pinging against each other like a ping-pong ball heading down the stairs. I’m flustered and overwhelmed but so goddamn happy at the same time.
The mug in my hands is completely forgotten.
Out of the corner of my eye, I swear I see a pair of wings. Not a pair like mine, but angelic all the same. A moment later, someone is bumping against my back.
The ceramic in my hands slips and no matter how quickly I move, it’s too late. I stare down at my feet as the mug hits the ground and shatters.
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
My stomach sinks to my toes, my heart leaping up into my throat. I cannot believe I just did that! I just dropped someone’s hard work! Someone took the time to craft these beautiful items and I carelessly dropped one. Fuck, I feel so stupid.
I am reckless by nature, but that doesn’t mean I would ever be so reckless with someone else's things.
I slowly look up, ready to be told off, ready to be scolded. I’ll make this right somehow. I’ll make sure he knows how sorry I am!
A hand touches my arm and my body locks up for a second time, this time for a completely different reason. I meet this handsome stranger’s eyes, finding nothing but warmth waiting for me.
My body feels like a live wire, ready to spark with life. Why does his touch make me feel like this? Why does his touch make me want to drop to my knees before him? Gods, my head and my chest feel like a mess of indecipherable feelings.
“Hey,” he says, barely above a whisper. “Are you okay?”
I wince. “I’m fine,” I say quickly. “I am so sorry. I don’t know what happened. Please, let me pay for this mug.”
He shakes his head. “You don’t have to.”
“It’s only right. Someone took the time to make that mug and I carelessly dropped it. I broke it.”
“I’m the one who made it,” someone says to my right. I look over, finding a handsome man sitting behind the table. He’s watching our interaction with more intensity than I’d normally like. “Just buy a different one and we’re all square.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive! I’d much rather you pay for something you’ll actually take home and use.”
I turn in his direction, accidentally jostling the man that’s still holding my arm and oh my gods, he’s still holding my arm! Now that I’ve moved, he takes a step back, his face bright with the prettiest blush. I do a slight bow to the man behind the table.
“Thank you.”