"Sakalam?" Cara's world went on a downward spiral. Did a stranger just told her that she is clueless about who she really is? What actually happened last night? Cara rubbed her temples, trying to recall the day before.
"This is it, this is the day. I can do this." Cara took a deep breath while looking at the signage as she stood in front of a worn out building.
She blew out her cheeks as she gathered her courage to open the wooden door in front of her. There were a lot of people there; most of them were minding their own business. Exactly how she likes it. She is the observant one; she despises being the one observed.
Cara is a simple woman and prefers to be unseen. She's more comfortable being one with the crowd than standing out. Most of the time she would be mistaken as a boy, since her hooded jacket conveniently hid her long brown wavy locks. Her thick glasses do not help in showcasing her gorgeous blue-gray eyes and long lashes, either.
She looked around, hoping to find that one person who can help her with the best birthday gift she thought of having.
"This place stinks" Cara muttered underneath her breath. She hates the smell of cigarette smoke in a confined space like this. She hates going in this place, as she feels that the men in here are scrutinizing her appearance. But she does not really have a choice, she does not want to do it with Theo at home, Uncle Thomas would kill them.
She tapped a tall bearded guy with a man bun who was busy chatting with other men in the shop.
"Hey, Theo! This is the day I am so ready for it." she said in a serious tone.
"Right now? Are you serious? I thought, we're going to do it on your twenty-first birthday? That's tomorrow, right?" Theo asked Cara in one go.
"Yes, but I will be on duty tonight. I want to do it now, Theo." Cara used her expressive eyes to persuade Theo.
He let out a deep sigh. Theo has no power over this woman. "Okay, but promise me that this would be the first and last, Cara."
Cara pouted her lips and mumbled. "I'm not so sure about that, I heard that the feeling can get quite addicting."
Theo nodded as he led Cara to the chairs near them. The whole shop went dead silent. Their eyes follow the two around as they listen intently; after all, it is not every day that they hear that type of conversation in the shop.
"Well, I can attest to that, I've done it so many times already." Theo answered confidently.
Theo took off the hood of Cara's jacket from her head. Her soft, wavy hair instantly fell to the side of her cheeks. He then removed her thick glasses. Cara smiled sweetly at Theo, and he awkwardly smiled back at her.
She crossed her arms and grabbed the bottom part of her jacket and took it off. She was wearing a black tank top with a low back, so that Theo could easily access it.
"You know it's my first time, Theo. I don't know if I can take the pain that well." Cara reminded Theo.
"I know, and I promise you Cara that I'll be gentle." Theo said as he sat on the black stool in front of Cara.
She tied her hair in a messy bun and sat, turning her back to Theo.
Cara bit her lower lip, not wanting to make a sound as Theo was busy with her back. She glanced at him; and saw Theo wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead.
Their eyes met. Theo cleared his throat before he spoke. "Are you okay?" He asked Cara with a genuine tone of concern.
"Yeah, it stings a bit, but nothing I can't handle." Cara replied with a smile.
"Bzzzt, bzzzt" the sound of needles vibrating as it pierces Cara's skin was music to Theo's ears.
"What the f**k bruh, is she Theo's little sis?" Brenan asked Chuck, who was standing beside him.
Brenan and Chuck are Theo's new friends. He met them in the tattoo shop and they instantly clicked together. It made Cara happy to see Theo with other friends since it has always been just the two of them since she moved in with the Willis.
Bren walked towards Theo and Cara. "Hey Cara, how are you?" His tone was casual, but Theo knew better. He stopped what he was doing and directly looked at Bren.
"Hey, hands off my little sis." He sneered at Bren with his nostrils flaring.
Bren raised both his hands and chuckled. "Chill, bro; I was just asking."
"I know you, Bren, don't even think about it." Theo was stern in his voice.
"Jeez, bruh. You sound like a strict father. Uhmp no, I take it back. You sound more like a jealous boyfriend." Bren confronted Theo as he walked away while laughing at him.
Theo gagged after hearing Bren's words. Cara saw how Theo reacted. She felt like they have trampled her ego.
"Am I that repulsive?" Cara seriously asked Theo.
"We're practically like siblings. How do you want me to react?" Theo asked Cara as he snickered.
"Can you stop saying that? We are not siblings; you are too ugly to be my brother." Cara tried her best to boost her ego.
Cara's lifelong crush on Theo has been kept for the longest time because of their situation. She lives with him and his father Thomas since she was twelve when her grandma died. Although she's not legally adopted, Theo treats her like his own little sister. Something she can't reciprocate.
"It's done, Cara." Theo assertively said, disturbing Cara of her daydreaming.
Cara instantly stood up to check her back. She smiled from ear to ear; it filled her heart with genuine satisfaction. Her homage for her grandma is finally complete. At the moment's spur, she embraced Theo and kissed him on his cheek.
"Thanks, Theo." She said while her arms are still around his neck. It was a pretty awkward position for them, as their faces were only a few inches apart. Cara finally realized what she did and let go of Theo.
"Silly girl, turn around. I'll cover it." He said while chuckling. He covered Cara's new tattoo with a thin layer of petroleum jelly and a bandage.
Cara quickly put on her jacket and picked up her bag. She's running late for her shift, hailing the first cab that she saw, and luckily it was empty. She arrived at her work just in time to clock in.
Cara changed into her work clothes in stealth mode. Technically, she does not work here, at Crafter Co. Theo does. Women are not allowed in this side of the company, the owner and CEO Ashton Crafter is apparently allergic to women and he often visits this part.
His allergy is known to the public since they also considered Ashton as one of the most eligible bachelor not in the country alone but in the entire world. However; in reality, most people consider his allergy as an excuse for his closeted homosexuality.
Cara has never seen Ashton personally; she wanted to take extra precautions just in case his allergy is true. She does not plan on causing the death for that poor dude. An ironic name to call a man that is one of the richest in the world.
Cara even pretended to like Ashton just to trigger any reaction from Theo. Sadly, Theo believed it and even let her take his place in the company so she can "stalk" him. Cara still can't believe how dense Theo can be that he can't see how she feels for him.
The first part of her shift was pretty much uneventful. She is part of the CCTV monitoring team. She practically sits four hours straight and stares at different monitors to see anything out of the ordinary. She then spends her one hour break eating and stretching her legs and then goes back to finish her shift to stare on monitors some more.
On her way out for her break, a few minutes before twelve; she wanted to check her phone to see if Theo remembered to greet her at exactly twelve in the evening, just like the past thirteen years of her life.
"Theo, I can't believe you slept on my birthday this time." Cara hissed as she saw her phone had no notifications. She proceeded on making a hot cup of coffee for the much needed stimulant for this gloomy and rainy night.
"Hmmm… Just what I needed." Cara savored the aroma of the free, black brewed coffee in their staff room. She was about to take her first sip when suddenly…
"Ah, fudge! It hurt!" She felt a burning pain in her new tattoo. Cara hurriedly ran to the changing room to check on her back.
"I'd kill you, Theo, if this one gets infected!" She exclaimed as she turned her back on the mirror.
Her tattoo wound was glowing around its edges, a bright light was emitting from it. Cara remembered the antique hairpin her grandmother gave her before she died. This is the reference for her tattoo, something she thought of commemorating her beloved nana.
She scoured her bag and under her pile of useless receipts is her small black draw string pouch. Cara opened it and in an instant, the pulsating light coming from the pin blinded her.
A sizzling sound made her scream, her tattoo turned red hot like an iron dipped in burning hot lava.
"Ah, Help me! Someone Help me!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, but no one came to her aid. Her antique hair pin dissolved in thin air while she was holding it. She looked down at her feet and realized she was slowly levitating.
A loud thud of thunder echoed, followed by a sharp lightning as it hit her. She cannot be wrong, it hit her while she was floating in midair; she felt a surge of electricity flowing through her. Cara could no longer scream for help. She was near her limit; she was about to faint.
She wanted to fight it, but her eyes turned too heavy for her. Cara's vision turned pitch black, and silence followed.