◈A D R I A N◈

"Don't forget about the mock test tomorrow, class," Mrs. Madison reminded when the bell rang, signalling the end of the last period.

I jumped to my feet in an instant and swept all my stuff into the bag before zipping it up. Looking at the minute hand slowly creeping to the number twelve on the face of the clock, I panicked and pushed through a pair of sloths dawdling in my path.

Damon had pulled me aside yesterday to inform me that there will be a prep talk later this evening. His tone was serious and grave, a hundred and eighty degree turn from his usual carefree demeanour. Seeing this, I would hate to get on his bad side for being tardy on my first ever important meet-up.

As I was hurrying out of the class, Mrs. Madison caught my eyes and stopped me by placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Adrian, I really hope you can try your best tomorrow. Looking at your grades, you're barely hanging by the threads!" she admonished.

A blush sneakily stained my cheeks as half of the class stopped in motion to eavesdrop. Gossips passed behind covered mouths as girls and guys alike casted furtive glances at us.

Mrs. Madison must have noticed the sudden silence and harrumphed, "Well, go on then. Remember to study till Chapter Five."

I gave a jerky nod and slicked out of the class. Breaking into a sprint, I ignored Coach Mccallen yelling at me not to run in the hallway while occasionally dodging a few oblivious teens blocking my way.

The sky had darkened considerably before the clouds gave way to shower the town in misty drizzle when I stepped out of the compound. Pulling the thin hoodie over my head, I quickened my steps while playing hopscotch to avoid the plenty potholes dotting along the way.

The streets were fairly deserted since it was a weekday. That and nobody liked to walk on wet pavements with dirty water splashing up their legs.

Nobody but me.

Rain was the only way for me to escape solitude. Rain was my only friend when the silence became overwhelming. The way rain soaked up my clothes and weighed down on me felt like a lingering embrace.

Pathetic, aren't I?

Shaking my head to rid of depressing thoughts, I turned to the right to take the longer route to the park. The hotdog scenario still stuck to me like a stubborn chewing gum, constantly reminding me of bad decisions. I took the next left turn when the path came to a fork and was led to a clearing on the east side of the park.

The park was suspiciously empty without a single soul. Thinking that the pack must have taken shelter somewhere else, I hesitated and stood in the rain. I wasn't sure where to go since this place was the only one I knew.

"Hey! Over here!" someone called out.

I squinted my eyes to look through the veil of rain, searching for the voice. A blurry hand waved at me before crooking a finger to motion me to come over into a concrete tube. My feet carried me over before my instinct kicked in to warn me of dangerous strangers.

I let out a breath of relief when the rain gradually revealed Damon's face. He was wearing a grin on his face. Looking down at his dry clothes, he seemed to have escaped the rain before it pours.

"Am I too early?" I asked breathlessly, my head swiveling to look out at the empty deck when it usually would have a few bodies slouching on it.

Damon gave his signature smile, a slight curve of his lips with a hint of dimple on his left cheek. "Nope, you came right on time."

I furrowed my brows in confusion. Wasn't this supposed to be a pack meeting?

"Come, we're late for your appointment,"  Damon spoke and pulled me out of the tube. Water splashed beneath our shoes as he directed me to a shady store.

Steampunk was written all over the store as mechanical parts of bicycles were used to design the facade including the door made entirely out of gears.

I might have thought it was cool if it wasn't for Damon's firm grip on my wrist as he pulled me deeper into the belly of the shop.

A bald woman with mandala tattooed to her scalp turned in her seat when she heard our footsteps entering the room. Her lips curled in distaste and spat, "You're late."

Damon released my hand and approached the woman, pecking on both her cheeks and shrugged," The downpour took us by surprise but forget about that," he waved dismissively and pulled me to the front as if showcasing his favourite pet. "Here's the lead actor of the day, Adrian."

The woman gave a snort and shook her head. "He's clearly underage. You've come to the wrong place, Damon."

Damon had an incredulous look. "What are you talking about, Ari? He's part of the pack and every pack members got to have the pack tattoo," he placated.

Ari stood her stance and said, "No. He's too young. He's what? Twelve?"

"Fourteen," I mumbled but she ignored me.

"Pack members or not, this is out of my hands," she continued.

I expected Damon to be upset but was surprised to find him still smiling. He signalled me to wait in the room before pulling Ari out of the room.

I took the chance to look around and was entranced by the many Polaroids of nude skin covered in nothing but ink displayed on the wall. My fingers danced on the films as I took a closer look, examining each and every unique designs.

I quickly pulled my fingers away and my cheeks flushed crimson when I saw body parts that were meant to be covered. Like a kid caught watching porn, the twisting door knob had me jumping away from the wall.

Damon re-entered the room, followed by a disgruntled Ari. He gave an assuring smile and said, "Let's get you prepared, Adrian."

I gulped nervously and nodded, still unsure about this huge commitment. Ari pulled at my arm and brought me to lie on the reclining chair. She then pulled the tray that held the inking equipment closer and sat beside me.

"Are you sure about this?" she whispered, her words held a surprising hint of tenderness.

I looked over my shoulders and found Damon flipping through the design catalogue. Since he was so adamant about having me as part of the pack, I didn't want to disappoint him. I didn't want to lose this family.

Gritting my teeth, I nodded my head almost mechanically. Ari sighed and plugged the machine on. The drilling noise made my eyes close instinctively, not wanting to see the needle anywhere near my skin. I felt a damp cotton swabbed at my upper arm before a numbing sensation took over.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked with a stern voice.

"Inking?" Ari shot back impatiently.

Damon strode over and shook his head. "Not here," he said and pulled me up to a seating position. His hands went to my back and pulled up my shirt, exposing my back. He brought my hands to my bunched up shirt and ordered, "Hold this."

I did what was told and couldn't help feeling a sense of dread. Goosebumps started to ripple on my skin, making them even more sensitive to touch.

Running his fingers over the bumps of my spine, Damon rested his fingers on my lower back and tapped, "Do it here."

Ari widened her eyes and got up to protest, "But that's—"

"Do it," Damon interjected. He then ruffled my hair and stooped low to meet me in the eye. Smiling, he whispered in a deceptive soothing voice.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt."

✈

Author's note

So yeah. I 'planned' to have maybe 3-4 chapters of this super long flashback before we're back to present time. But things don't always go as planned, do they?

If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider to click on the little star at the bottom. Cheers!

{Song: Nothing's Gonna Hurt You, Baby by Cigarettes After Sex}