Arm

Melena walked briskly into the Mike’s Tattoo Parlor. She cringed as the chime above the door rang, and brushed her platinum grey suit in an action that suggested she was brushing the feel of the place off her shoulders.

Melena stopped in front of the tattoo artist, a professional looking man much to her surprise, and the figure of her best friend.“Kassidy! What are you doing?!” she nearly shrieked.

“Calm down Melena, honestly you’d think you had just walked in on me skinning a baby goat alive.” Kassidy nonchalantly replied as she turned her right arm slightly to the left to provide the artist better access. He was finishing an intricate design that stretched from her lower neck and disappeared below her pant line.

Melena just stared, unable to comprehend. “Kass, I’ve known you for nearly 20 years and you have been vehemently against tattoos. You wouldn’t talk to my sister when she got one after her baby died” she paused, “I just spoke to you last Thursday, you never mentioned anything about this.”

“When was the last time you saw me?” Kassidy asked quietly, her eyes not focusing.

“Um, about 4 months ago, at Chantell’s Birthday celebration, right?”

“Well, things have changed a bit.” Kassidy murmured. She gripped her arm, just below the shoulder joint, and with a small click she detached the entire arm and handed it to Melena. “I needed something to cover up the scars.”