Tattooed Angel

The Unexpected

     Lex and I walked down to costume shop on the corner of Elm and Main.  Since Halloween was right around the corner, we saw tons of these shops pop up all over town.  

     The air was crisp and clean.  I breathed deeply.  Autumn was by far my favourite season.  The leaves had changed from their normal deep green to that of brilliant reds, yellows and oranges.  The leaves that had already fallen made crunching sounds under our shoes as we walked.

     "So,"  I started.  "What exactly did you have in mind?"

     "You'll see."  Was all that Lex offered up.

     We paused outside of the old and weathered building.  The bricks had faded and the dark paint on and around the door had long ago begun to peel.  It had the right feel for a costume shop though.  If it had been all bright and cheery, it may have made me walk away.  I liked the fact that it was old and a bit rough around the edges.  Kind of dark and mysterious.  My kind of place.  The only sign was a small wooden one that hung on two old rusted chains above the door that read "Costumes".  That was all.  Plain and simple.

     The tiny bell above the door jangled as we made our way into the store.  Inside, the place looked like something out of a movie.  There were costumes and accessories for every genre.  From the outside it didn't look big enough to house everything.  You had your cute and fuzzy section near the front, full of puppies, kittens and fairy type costumes.  The dark and Gothic looking costumes lined the wall nearest to the cash register.  Skulls, pitchforks, brooms and every other kind off accessory that you could imagine lined the wall behind the checkout.  The middle section, and the biggest section, seemed to be a kind of mishmash of everything from Firemen to Skeletons.  The very back was were the more racy costumes were stored.  My heart began to thump in my chest.  What on earth had I gotten myself into?  Lex grabbed my hand and headed towards the back, dragging me behind her.  I stared longingly at the Skeletons and Ghosts as we passed.  I reached my hand out and ran my fingers over the fabric.

     "No!"  Lex slapped my hand away.  "No boring crap!"

     I stood watching with dismay as Lex rummaged through the costumes.  A sly smile spread across her lips.

     "Perfect!"  She grabbed the costume off the rack and pushed me towards the dressing room.

     "What is it?"  I asked, trying to catch a glimpse of what she had chosen.

     "You'll see.  Just get in there and try it on.  And, I want to see it before you take it off."  Lex opened the change room door and pushed me inside.  She handed me the costume over the top of the door.  "Remember, I want to see it!"

     "Okay, okay."  I grumbled.  I took the costume and was finally able to get a good look at it.  It was a black halter style dress that was cut very low in the front as well as the back.  The hemline came to about mid thigh.  There were these beautiful, large black angel wings that came with the dress.  I ran my fingertips along the soft, downy feathers.  They felt luxurious.  There was also a pair of super high, black stilettos.  I had never worn a pair of high heels before, let alone ones that were that high.  I was more of a running shoe kind of girl.  But those wings!  Oh my god, they were gorgeous!  They seemed as if they had been made just for me.  They called out to me, begging me to wear them.  They were huge, dark and Gothic but yet flirty and sexy all at the same time.  I quickly changed into the dress and shoes.  I wobbled a bit in the heels, but managed to keep myself upright.  I carefully put on the wings and turned around to look at my reflection in the mirror.  What I saw surprised me.  I looked pretty good.  Better than good, actually.  My black hair hung softly around my shoulders, my bangs just slightly in my eyes.  My skin was pale, but it shone under the lights of the dressing room.  The wings caressed my skin and helped the dress showcase my slender frame.  My crystal blue eyes sparkled.  I was excited!  Lex had been right.  I needed to try something out of my comfort zone.  The high heels in combination with the short dress made my legs look a lot longer than I had expected.  The low back of the dress fit perfectly with the wings.  My tattoos could be seen both above and below them.  The back dipped down to the small of my back.  Normally something like that would have sent me running, but it was just... beautiful.  As I admired the look I caught myself smiling.  The entire costume was flawless.  I loved it.

     "Okay.... you do know how to put a dress on, right?  It's not that hard London, I swear."  Her giggle floated over to me.  "Seriously though, hurry up!"

     "Yeah, I'm coming out."  I held my breath and opened the dressing room door.

     Lex's jaw dropped.  "Oh my god!  London!  You are so hot!"  She walked around me, taking it all in.  "Who knew that this little sex kitten was hiding underneath all your normal clothes?"

     I shot her a look.  "Gee, thanks Lex."

     "No!  I mean... Come on!  You know what I mean.  We have been friends since forever and this is the first time I have ever seen you all done up."  She whistled and grinned.  "Spike is going to die!"

     I felt the colour rise to my cheeks.  Spike was going to definitely going to be surprised, that was for sure.

     "It's settled.  You are getting this one for sure."  Lex pushed me back into the change room and closed the door.  "Get changed, and we are so out of here.  I feel like a bubble tea.  You want to go get bubble tea?"

     I laughed as the door closed behind me.  "Bubble tea sounds great."  I looked in the mirror one last time and smiled.  I was very surprised as to how I felt.  I was confident and empowered.  I knew in that moment that I looked good, and I wanted everyone else to know it as well.  I quickly changed back into my regular clothes.  I stepped out of the change room with the wings pressed firmly against my chest.

     Lex smiled as I emerged.  "Ready?"

     I smiled back and nodded.  Boy, was I ever!

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