The Hidden Gemstone

Chapter: 11

Alex's POV:

The tattoo parlor was dim. Rays of blue light escaped the ceiling and walls, and the tubes attached to the sides of the mirrors. It wasn't crowded inside - only about two or three people were there, wincing as they had their tattoos etched on their bare skin.

I walked further inside, examining the different designs displayed. I couldn't help but feel fascinated. Blended with the serious superhuman, there was a teenage part of me that always wanted to get a tattoo. I felt that part push me toward one of the empty chairs, yearning to get the mark on my skin but I kept my feet away from it. As much as I wanted to get a tattoo, that wasn't what I was here for.

I followed Cody as he approached a young man with light brown hair. He seemed to have just finished someone's tattoo and was now putting away the machine. He was dressed in a tank top and jeans and every single part of his arms was filled with tattoos. With his dark skin, sharp jaw, and lanky figure, he seemed intimidating but it was hard to think of him that way with the big smile on his face. When he saw Cody, his eyes lit up.

"There's a face I haven't seen in a while," the man said and reached out to give Cody a hug which he returned awkwardly. I pressed my lips in a thin line, trying not to smile at his discomfort which, I had to admit, was kind of cute. "Where've you been?"

"Just busy," Cody answered, drawing away from the man. "Hey, I need a favor."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine too, thanks for asking," the man said sarcastically and Cody rolled his eyes. The man grinned. "Alright, what do ya need?"

At that, Cody bit his lip and glanced at me before saying, "Do you still have all the... stuff you collected last year?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "You gotta be more specific, Cody."

"The supernatural stuff," I said. The man looked at me with his eyebrows raised before turning back to Cody. A teasing smile curled up on his lips.

"I thought you said you didn't believe in that."

Cody shrugged. "Maybe I do."

The man shook his head before saying, "Alright, follow me."

He began walking toward one of the corners of the parlor. Cody and I exchanged a look before following him. When he reached the corner, he knelt and swiped away something - dust, probably - with his hands before hooking his finger in a hole and lifting up the floorboard.

I furrowed my eyebrows. Curious, I walked closer to it and took a peek inside. It was too dark to see anything from the human eye. I narrowed my eyes and felt the pupils widen though only to a small extent. I couldn't risk the glow that usually came out if I put too much strain on my supernatural vision.

I could make out the ladder attached to one side, leading down to as far as my eye could see. I raised an eyebrow. "How deep does that ladder go?"

The man looked up at me with an eyebrow raised. "You can see the ladder?"

My instincts shifted in surprise and I realized that technically, I shouldn't be able to see as much as I was able to. I covered up the change in my body language with a shrug. "Keen eyes."

The man shrugged and jerked his chin toward the ladder. "Who's goin' first?"

Cody volunteered silently as he knelt down and carefully led his feet to one of the steps of the ladder before continuing down. I followed next, straining my eyes again so I could see in the dark. The man came in last, shutting the trapdoor above him.

We kept going down the ladder for about five minutes before my boots scraped against the cold, stone floor. The air was cold and heavy with dust. I coughed lightly. The three of us progressed further until we reached an old, worn-out staircase. Each stair creaked as we went down it, producing a good deal of noise. I winced when it got too loud.