Tattoos

Chapter One

These dreams have been happening for weeks. At first it started out with me as a small child, but lately I've noticed that in my dreams I seem to be getting older.

The first dream that I had was of me as maybe a two year old, playing with a stuffed bear. I have a teddy bear tattoo on my right hip. I just thought that it was a meaningless dream, just like every other dream.

But then it started happening every night. A dream of me as a three year old here, me as a four year old there, but none of my tattoos would hurt as I woke up.

It only happened when I woke up the morning I had the dream of me as a seven year old riding a bike. And it's happened ever since.

Last night I had a dream of myself as a fourteen year old. A boy was there handing me a rose and blushing, asking me to be his valentine. Never have I heard such a thing as a valentine.

This morning when I awoke, the rose on my neck was red and burning. I don't understand what's happening to me! It's like I'm falling apart slowly.

I can't worry about strange dreams and hurting tattoos right now though. I have to meet my best friend for breakfast at our favorite jamocha joint.

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As I walk into the shop, the strong smell of the java beans hit my nose, making me inhale the scent deeply.

I look around the shop for my friend, and immediately see his electric blue hair sitting at our favorite table. I make my way over to our table, giving him a smile as I sit down.

He returns my smile and hands me my medium latte with a triple shot of espresso, my regular.

"Thanks Ransom! You know just how I like my jamocha," I say to him as I take a sip of my latte. This is why Ransom is my best friend. He knows everything about me and I know everything about him.

"No biggie, you know how it is. So, what's been going on in Ezra's life lately? And why is your neck so swollen?" he asks me.

I sigh and take a deep breath. "Ok Ransom, I don't really know what's been going on but recently I've been having these weird dreams. They're about my tattoos. And every time I wake up from them, the tattoo is red and stinging," I explain to him. I sound like I need to be in the looney bin. "So...what do you think?"

"Well for one, I think you're just crazy," he says chuckling at me, "but really, you probably just ate something that gave you screwed up dreams and you slept weird on your neck."

"Yeah," I say slowly, "you're probably right." I take another sip of my latte and sit quietly while Ransom goes on about his life and how he hates his job.

I don't believe a word he just said. There has to be more to these dreams.