13 - Chapter 3, Samuels Finds His Next Victim
Thomas had spotted her several days before. She had been with other teens at Rittenhouse Square, a park in Center City that literally took up a full city block, surrounded by high-rises and retail stores. Her tattoos made her stand out from the crowd she hung with.
Others had tattoos, but hers were outward expressions of her inner turmoil. The beautiful butterflies no longer able to soar with their broken wings; the broken chain on her wrist, an attempt at freedom from the scars she still bore within; the unicorn on her arm, unapproachable dreams; the eyes on the back of her neck, suspicion. She was clearly the one, filled with a lifetime of experience amid the shallowness of those around her.
He had waited patiently to get her alone, no easy chore as she and her girlfriend hung together like Siamese twins. But her friend was now otherwise engaged, and this was his chance.
The tattoos on his arm were of turmoil, empowerment, and rebellion—something sure to interest her. In the park, others had admired her tattoos, which she wore as jewelry, and she was clearly flattered. He would get to her through the tattoos he was certain. He wore a burning American flag on his arm, a girl’s face with a serpent for her tongue, handcuffs twisted out of shape, a Black Power fist, and a pair of breasts dotted with tears of blood. “Just a sample,” he said. “I am an artist as I said, one of many talents. I paint you and you get a tattoo that speaks to you, speaks of you.”
She focused on him for the first time. He didn’t mind, though. If she turned him down, she would never recognize him later even if he approached her again. His beard, wig, even his nose were stage makeup, albeit expertly applied. Sky-blue contacts shielded his brooding brown eyes. Under a sweater and light coat he wore padding to broaden his frame.
How can so much pain lead to so much Growth?
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