The Bounty Hunter's Trilogy: Chosen By Fate

Chapter 10. Officially a Member

"Would you stop fidgeting?" Lucas held down my shoulder and pressed the needle back to my skin.

"I would stop if it didn't hurt so much." I was trying my hardest not to move but getting a tattoo on your chest tends to hurt. "So tell me again why you think my chest is the best place for this to be tattooed on me forever." I wanted Lucas to keep talking to distract me. The needle felt something like a hot knife that was permanently etching something into my skin.

"The knot has four sections like four chambers of your heart. Traditionally, knots are put on the arm or upper chest."

"Well how long does it take? It's been almost an hour."

"It's an intricate design. I don't want to mess it up." Lucas took more ink onto the needle and turned up the radio before going back to my chest. The weather report for today was apparently an overcast eighty-two with seventy percent humidity. I nearly zoned out when the voice changed to that of another woman.

"In recent news, we've told you that the attacks up in Canada have slowed down and now have actually ceased. But this wasn't before they spread to Alaska, making the United States become more aware of the issue. Alaska is still under attack as this morning an elderly couple was found in their car on the side of a major highway just a few miles south of where a teenage girl was found savagely beaten. She died on the way to the hospital."

Both Lucas and I were now listening to the radio. "But today, we've received several reports from Utah, Washington, Montana, Iowa, Oklahoma, and every state in between that these forms of attacks have seemingly appeared over night. Whoever... whatever was in Canada has now moved down here. It can be said irrefutably that this is a group, but identities are impossible to find.

"Tonight, folks, we'd like to speak to you about these attacks. They seem to have no connection, and at the same time they are specific targets. The paths are sporadic and end just as soon as we find them. If you have any form of information on this case, or the cause, please don't hesitate to step forward and inform the police. Stay safe, stay home, and stay out of trouble. Reporting to you live from Harrisburg, I'm Natasha Fuller."

Lucas and I both took a second to process this information before he changed the station and he went back to my chest. "I'm half done, so just be patient." I nodded and white knuckled the next hour and a half until he was finally finished. I looked in a mirror and liked what I saw. The little bit of blood was something I could ignore for now. It wasn't too big, but about the size of a sand dollar and over my heart just where I could keep it hidden under a shirt. It was solid black, just like everybody else's. "So what's your tattoo?" I asked him as he taped gauze over my tattoo.

"I don't have one. I'm just normal like the Shawdlings so I don't have a special symbol." Lucas handed me two bottles, one filled with lotion and the other filled with soap.

"What does mine mean, then?"

Lucas pulled out a book and opened it to a dog eared page. He pointed to a symbol exactly like mine in what looked like a glossary of symbols, with descriptions next to each picture. "I looked it up, and it means the four elements. Earth, air, fire, and water. They're symbolized in that quaternary knot as being united. Have you tried ability training yet?"

I shook my head. "No, Audrey still wants me to keep my abilities on the down low."

He hesitated. "Okay, is it just me or has she been acting really strange recently? And not like since Stan's been gone. I'm sure it's part of it, but she's never been one to stay out of the gym, especially when she's this stressed out."

"I think when she's ready, she'll let everybody know." I put my shirt back on and got off of the chair I'd been sitting in. The shoulder movement hurt my chest beyond what you'd believe, but once the shirt was on, it was better.