XXX.Tattoo

Cara

I dropped down, pain shooting through my knees due to the impact, but I did not care. I barely even noticed.

Liza's form was cold. Freezing. I pressed my palm on her temple. She shivered under my touch. I was actually thankful that she did. It assured me that she was still alive.

My breath caught as I took her in. She was covered in soil and grass. Her clothes -the same one she had worn the other night- were dirty and torn up. Her blonde locks were a mess. She was barefoot. Dry blood covered her hands and feet.

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed, my palm covering my mouth.

How had this happened?

Who did this?

She was fine yesterday.

What shocked me most was the gory cut on her left wrist. A deep anger accompanied my astonishment. I wanted to know whoever had done this to her.

Was the work of a human or something else? Probably the latter.

I felt defensive and protective of my friend in that moment, feeling a strong urge to find whoever it was that did this and exact a painful revenge on them.

Tears wet my cheeks, running down my face in slow streams. I wiped them down with the sleeved of my sweater.

"Liza! Liza!" I shook her shoulder gently, attempting to wake her. Her only response was a loud release of air. She gasped and her body shivered again.

Running my fingers through my hair, I breath heavily, the impact of the situation sinking in. I wanted to cry, to wail. But that would not help.

The first thing I though was that I should administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

'CPR is to be administered on an unconscious person. ' My father's words echoed in my mind. I remembered the time he had taught me first aid. It had been a while but I still remembered the key points, thanks to the little song he had created. Never would I forget the tune.

Once I made sure that she had a pulse and her airways were clear, I assured that she was laying flat the ground. Putting her fist on her chest and her other hand on top of it, I interlocked my fingers and pressed down on her chest in rounds. I carried out the procedure as it was to be done but there was no change.

Bring her into the house.

Standing up, I placed both of my arms under hers and lifted her. She wasn't too heavy so I was able to pull her, using my leg power rather than the little upper body strength I had. My regular runs in the woods had really strengthened my leg muscles.

I dragged her into the house, making sure not to drag her feet on the ground too much. I was careful and cautious of my surroundings, not wanting to cause any injuries for the both of us.

I managed to get her into the living room and placed her on the couch. Had the circumstances been different I would have taken a second to congratulate myself on how strong I had gotten.

Not knowing what else to do, I ran into the kitchen, grabbed my phone from where I had dropped it on the floor and dialled my father. After a few seconds he picked up.

"Dad!" My voice cracked as tears welled up in my eyes once more. I stared at my best friend who lay limp on the sofa. My heart broke. The pain was overwhelming. "L-Liza. She got lost and now she...Liza is in trouble!"

I was able to get the important parts out as I moved back to where my friend was.

"I'll be right there." A chair dragged on the other side of the call. "Explain what happened."

"I don't know. I don't know." A whimper escaped my lips." She came through the back door. She is dirty and she unconscious."

"Call for an ambulance, right now," my father instructed. He was very reliable in such situations. He was by far the best person to have around you in an emergency." In the mean time, place her flat on her back. Check airways and administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation if necessary. I taught you how. Above all,be safe. I am on my way."

He hang up.

Liza's voice sounded softly and suddenly as I dialled 9-1-1 ,"Cara?"

The girl's eyes were lazily opened. But opened. That was something. Her pupils moved languidly as she took in her surroundings. Her thin, well-groomed eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

With a raspy voice she spoke, "what happened? Ah!" Her hand flew to her temple as she hissed," my head! Jesus!"

I rushed to her aid, examining her forehead. I noticed the darkened bruise on her forehead. The skin below it was purplish as if it the girl had incurred an injury only a few days before.

Calculations raced through my mind. I assessed the state of affairs again and again, mentally trying to find a reasonable explanation for all of it. Nothing came up.

The few dry leaves I had found on her garments indicated that she had come from the woods. But how? Her home was at least thirty miles away. Liza's residence was on the other side of the state, closer to the beach.

"What happened?" I asked her." Do you remember anything?"

She opened her mouth, trying to speak but instead coughed as if trying to clear her throat of phlegm. I hurried to the kitchen to grab her a glass of water. I brought along with it a wet cloth.

Liza received the glass with shaky hands and brought it to her mouth. She gulped down the water and placed the glass on the coffee table. "I don't remember what happened. Except for a woman."

"A woman?"

"Y-Yeah. She was the last thing I saw before...before I woke up in the woods. "

"Where?"

"When I went to take the trash can outside...the last night!" Her eyes widened as she came to a realisation. "When I took the bottle out!"

Blood froze in my veins, stopping my movements completely. She was talking about the night of our graduation day. Two days before.

"What? What is it?" She questioned, confused and worried. A lone tear rolled down her pale cheeks. She wiped it away but then noticed the blood her hands. I noticed something too.

There was a mark on her wrist. A red fading marking.

I grabbed her hand and studied it. A pain shot through my hand when I traced my fingertips over the reddened skin. I winced at the tingles shooting up my right arm.

"Oh my God!" Liza yanked my wrist towards her and saw that as her mark faded one appeared on my hand the same exact place it had been on hers.

Magic.

The pain subsided. I rubbed furiously at my skin but nothing changed. It did not fade. It was stuck...like a tattoo.

Deciding to deal with whatever was happening later, I spoke, "let's get you cleaned up....Then we will deal with this later."

The girl simply nodded, her gaze falling to the floor. There was another ache in my chest as I took in her expression. Never had I seen her like this. Around her eyes, where she usually would have a nice eyeshadow were dark circles. The pretty, expensive lipstick she usually wore was replaced by a dry cracks caused by dehydration. The blush that often covered her cheeks was now gone and in its place drying tears.

Before I could react to anything, a knock sounded at the door. The knock was followed by the sound of the knob turning and the door opening.

Heavy, hurried footsteps came our way until they stopped. And Ivan was right in front of me.

No words left my lips as he grabbed my waist and pulled me in.

"You're safe..." he breath next to my ear. It sounded like he was not telling me but confirming it to himself

His warm, soundless breath fanned my skin causing a shudder to rush through me. In his hold I forgot all that was around me. But I was reminded when the couch groaned as Liza attempted to stand.

Breaking away from Ivan's comforting hold, I turned my attention to Liza. I looked at Ivan again." She...She has been missing for two days. Something happened to her. She...She...doesn't-"

He completed the sentence when I couldn't , "remember."

"Two days!"

Ignoring my friend's exclamation, I questioned," do you know about this?"

Whatever was taking place or had taken place was not of my world but his. He held the answers.

Abruptly, Ivan took my hand and gazed upon my wrist.

"Tell me what the hell is going on!"

"Zoladie has taken her first shot. She has sworn to kill you." He said this just as my father entered the living room, walking straight into the most confusing scene of my life.