Tattooed Away

Chapter 3

Floating.

I have experienced this before, in dreams or when I get high.  No weight, no physical presence, the pull of down and up are equal and I am caught in the middle.  I look at my hands and they are translucent.  I look around the room and see that time is still. Pete is sitting cross legged, gazing at where my face used to be, Aika is propped up with the needle poised above a nonexistent arm.

You might be thinking, why isn't she freaking out.  But honestly, this is my life.  Weird shit happens and I just attempt to go with the flow.  I was a child actress, became a pop superstar, survived a bombing, and found the love of my life.  As far as I am concerned, each one of those things is like one in a million.  So just add "getting tattooed into the spirit world" among the many improbable things happening to Ariana Grande.

"You know you can stand."  My eyes jolt over to Aika standing in the corner eating a doughnut and then they dart back to Aika frozen with her tattoo needles. And back and back and back. "Holy shit, you are going to give yourself a migraine.  I am here to help you adjust.  Try to stand up."

Okay, maybe this is a little freakier than I anticipate.  I try to ignore the double Aikas and straighten my legs, directing them to the floor.  Just like that my feet meet the ground and I am standing upright. With a small bounce I shoot back up into the air and then with a few butterfly strokes I am gliding in circles near my living room ceiling.

"Looks like I don't have to teach you how to fly! Awesome, follow me."  We walk out into my hallway and take the elevator down to the lobby.  I choose to float during our descent; it felt exactly like jumping in an elevator in the real world, but the trippy feeling was constant.  Every few seconds or so Aika would look out the corner of her eye and scoff at me.  It is a little rude but I won't let her ruin my experience.  

"Do you do this a lot?" My attempt at spirit world small talk. "Like do you just tattoo people into the fourth dimension and then act as a tour guide?"

She scoffed at me again, "I'm no tour guide and this isn't some fucking field trip.  You'll understand soon enough."

I guide myself down to standing right as the elevator doors open with a familiar bing.  What I saw when those heavy doors parted made flying seem like child's play.