CONTROL ➳ D. HALE [2]

01 ; tatua

1 ➳ TATUA

The neon sign lit up the window of the tattoo parlor as Scott took a seat in the chair. "It's a good thing you drew me a picture," the tattoo artist said sarcastically as he held up the simple drawing Scott had made, taking a seat next to the boy. It depicted two bands parallel to each other, one twice the size of the other.

"Hey, Scott, sure you don't want this one?" Stiles offered from where he was digging through the book of tattoo designs. He held up an image of a creature that looked like a cross between a snake, a fish, and a man. In simpler phrasing, it looked strikingly similar to the Kanima. Upon receiving disapproving stares from both McCall siblings and a confused look from the tattoo artist, Stiles added, "Too soon?"

"I think it might always be too soon," Elise said with a shudder.

"Don't like snakes or somethin'?" the artist asked Elise as he set to work preparing for Scott's tattoo.

"Or something," Elise said, earning a knowing smirk from the two teens. Jackson's parents had moved to London, taking Jackson with them. Whether it was because of their son's apparent misdiagnosed death or because of the arrangement of other frightening things taking place in Beacon Hills, Elise wasn't quite sure. She certainly couldn't blame them, though.

"Are you sure about this, man? I mean, these things are pretty permanent," Stiles insisted as he continued to flip through the design book.

"You didn't freak out this much when Elise got her tattoo," Scott pointed out. "And I'm not changing my mind." Earlier in the summer, Elise had gotten a simple floral design tattooed on her forearm as a graduation gift to herself. Also, as a way of celebrating the fact that she hadn't died during the onslaught of supernatural problems she'd been faced with. After all, what was a tattoo compared to freaky visions and battling supernatural creatures on the daily?

"I just mean... shouldn't your first tattoo have meaning? I mean, what's the significance of two bands?"

"Getting a tattoo means something," Scott said, smiling slightly at his friend's insistence. Elise could tell that her brother had another reason for getting the tattoo, but she decided not to press it. It was clear that he didn't feel like going into it at the moment.

"He's right, you know," the artist said as turned to Scott, ready to begin. "Tattooing goes back thousands of years. The Tahitian word 'tatua' means 'to leave a mark'." Stiles rolled his eyes as Scott's grin broadened. "By the way," the artist added, "You don't have any problems with needles, do you?"

Scott shook his head, but Stiles spoke up as he began to peer over the man's shoulder. "I do, though, so..." He trailed off in fear as he watched the tattooing process begin.

Elise was barely able to catch him as he passed out.

➳

"You okay?" Elise asked as the trio returned to her car, Stiles sitting in the back and Scott in the passenger seat.

"It kind of burns," Scott frowned, looking at his newly bandaged arm as Elise turned to look at him hesitant to start the car.

"I mean, you did just get a tattoo, Scott," Stiles said, speaking as if the cause for his pain was obvious. "Your skin was stabbed like a hundred-thousand times with needles."

"I don't think it's supposed to feel like this," Scott muttered through clenched teeth. He jumped in pain, exclaiming, "No! It's definitely not supposed to feel like this!" He went to remove the bandage, wincing in pain.

"No, Scott, don't! It can get infected-" Elise stopped short at her brother unraveled the bandage, revealing his tattoo. Or, at least, what was left of it. The skin around the tattoo was red and inflamed, and splotches of the bands were quickly beginning to fade.