I’d thought about this for quite some time. Everything we felt always found a way to manifest outwardly. Smiles, frowns. Laugh lines. Scowl lines. This was my way of showing my love for the family and friends I’d lost.
“To start, I want a phoenix on the back of my neck.” This would represent Cole. I hadn’t lost him—and wouldn’t!—but he still deserved a place of honor. With his help, I’d risen from the ashes of my past and forged a new future. “Then I want a pair of boxing gloves above the daggers.” They would represent Pops, my grandfather, who’d been killed by zombie toxin. As a teenager, he’d trained in the ring, and throughout the rest of his life, he’d taken hard knocks with grace and bravery.
Artist Guy got to work, and though I’d done this before and had known what to expect, it still hurt. Bad. By the time he finished, my neck and arm throbbed incessantly.
“Well? What do you think?” he asked.
I studied the boxing gloves and smiled. They looked like they were made of tattered brown leather, with a bowed string holding them together. “Perfection.”
“As if I could do anything less.”
Men and their egos.
I approached the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. Hand trembling, I lifted my hair and turned to the side while glancing over my shoulder. My breath hitched. The bird’s head was light green and came up to my hairline. The wings were a rainbow of colors, each crackling with golden flames, wrapping around both sides of my neck, stretching toward my ears. The belly was a mix of red and gold and centered on the ridges of my spine, while the tail was shaped and shaded like peacock feathers, stopping between my shoulder blades.
“It’s...it’s...” I gasped. “I don’t even have words.”
“I know,” he replied. “I’m amazing. It’s the best work you’ve ever seen. Blah, blah.”
Cole was going to flip out.
“You remember how to prevent infection?” he asked.
“Yes.” I paid him and joined Mackenzie in the lobby. Her reaction to the ink was similar to mine. Total shock and awe.
“As much as I’d love to stay and stare, we’d better go.” She gestured to the outside world. “Darkness is rolling in.”
I glanced out the window, and sure enough, the sunlight was muted. Well, crap. Night came earlier and earlier. We hardly had time for rest and relaxation anymore.
When had we ever?
But we were trying. All slayers—including our mascots, Reeve and Kat—had recently enrolled in a home-study program, leaving the classroom behind. With our schedules, we’d been missing class or, when we had shown up, falling asleep. Our grades had been slipping. Now we had a little control.
Out of habit, I searched the sky for a rabbit-shaped cloud. Anytime my sister noticed zombies stirring in their nests, preparing to brave the wild and hunt a meal, she created one just for me. Right now, there wasn’t one. Good.
Tonight I would go through one neighborhood after another, searching for Z’s, protecting homes. If all went well—and that’s how it was looking—I’d finish around 3:00 a.m. Boys’ day out would be officially over.
“Let’s go,” I said.
We piled into Mackenzie’s truck and headed to the gym, where we would begin. Along the way, I texted Cole.
U’ll B home 2nite, yeah?
His response came lightning-fast. Yeah. U got plans 4 me?
Me: If there aren’t any Z’s 2 fight, guess I’ll have 2 settle 4 getting my hands on U.
Cole: Settle away. I’ll B w8ing.
Me: BTW, I have surprise 4 U.
Cole: Naked surprise?
Me: Better.
Cole: Nothing better.
Me: Prepare to have UR mind blown!
Me: I MEAN CHANGED. CHANGED.
Cole: Hahaha. I prefer blown. & right back at ya, babe.
I stored my phone away.
“You’re practically glowing with happiness.” Mackenzie pretended to gag. “Tell me you’re still capable of killing zombies and that you’re not considering spraying them with rainbow dust.”
As if I’d waste rainbow dust on zombies. “Don’t you worry about me, love bug. You want to know why there’s no sign of life on Mars? Because I’ve been there.”
She tried to hide her grin. “If you tell me Death once had a near–Ali Bell experience, I think I’ll risk a little pirate role-playing and just go ahead and stab your eye.”
“Why would you want to eye-gouge the girl who’s counted to infinity—twice? The girl who can win a game of Connect Four in only three moves? The girl who can start a fire by rubbing two ice cubes together?”
“Definitely going to eye-gouge you,” she muttered.
I laughed. “All’s I’m saying is that I’m ready for tonight...no matter what happens.”
Chapter 2
BY THE SKIN AND THE TEETH
It was 3:04 a.m., and, as expected, there was no sign of zombies. I was now off duty, but not expected home until 7:00 a.m.
Life couldn’t get any more perfect.