Chapter 3 -Tattooed on her mind

The sky looks so peaceful. Hues of soft purple slowly fading to the bluest of night and the glimpse of stars that sparkles behind layers of feathery clouds.

So calm, so dreamy… What a beautiful sight before entering a new nightmare.

She pulled down the shade of the airplane window, closed her eyes, and tried to ease her worried mind. It's been eighteen hours since she got on the plane, yet she feels so restless just thinking about the guy who's gonna lead this mission.

Damn it. Of all agents… Why does it have to be him?

Her fingers automatically went up and massaged her temples. That guy never failed to give her a headache.

"Calm down, Z. Look on the good side. Ethan might be annoying as fuck, but he's a goddamn God tier level agent." Irritated, she looked down at her diamond-encrusted watch, only to fell gaze on her tattoo, just a little bit beneath her wrist.

A familiar pain suddenly crept onto her chest and clasped her heart. Her eyes followed the trail of this artistically made circular ambigram tattoo that twisted its design forming the letters of K and Z on it. Her eyes became misty in an instant and memories of the past came flashing in.

The sun shone brightly that day. The wind felt nice against her skin and the warmth of his hand that held hers made this day even more special.

They stopped by in front of a tattoo art shop and he looked at her with those deep brown eyes and smiled. "You said you wanted to have a tattoo, right?" He smiled. "Let's have one together."

He lead her into the shop and in a few minutes, a middle-aged man with an intricate imperial dragon etched around his right arm approached them.

"So? Who's gonna get inked today?"

"Both of us," the guy said and pressed her hand tenderly.

"Do you have a particular design in mind?"

"I want a custom-made ambigram with our initials on it. And I want our tattoos to match when I hold my girl's hand."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have arrived in Victoria City."

Her mind suddenly returned to the present after hearing the announcement of the flight attendant. She quickly got up from her seat, put on her black coat, grabbed all of her belongings, and made her exit to the aircraft.

Zea entered the airport lobby, she noticed two men dressed in black suits. Approaching them, one of them pulled out a small card scanner. With her onyx-colored card, Zea placed it on top of the device.

"Verified." the automated voice prompt confirmed.

They handed her a dainty gift bag which she gladly received and escorted her towards the van that's been waiting for her in front of the airport lobby.

Once she got in, she immediately opened it, took out a pair of elegant rose gold glasses, and wears them.

Identification initialized...

A thin laser light quickly scanned her hazel eyes and the moment her identity was verified. Files and images started to flash against its lens. 

Zea's eyes narrowed as she reviews all the necessary information for her cover.

Name: Astrid Garcia

Age: 17 years old

Grade: Senior High School, a transfer student from SVC University.

Other Information: Mother and father,  both working overseas. And is left to one guardian who lives near her house.

She read the files thoroughly and before she knew it, they were already in front of the hotel.

She entered the presidential suite where she found Ethan, seated on a velvety cushioned sofa, feet on top of the coffee table, cozily reading a magazine while two stylists were busy fixing his hair.

The door swung open and another assistant walked in. Holding a silver syringe in her hand, she carefully injected a blue serum against Ethan's neck.

"You're a bit late."

"My flight was delayed. I cannot do anything about it," she replied then lazily sat on the couch. She was about to speak but her mouth fell open the moment Ethan put down the magazine he was holding and saw his face.

They trimmed his ash brown hair and styled it into a hot mess. But what really amazed her was Ethan's face. He looked 10 years younger than his real age.

Ethan immediately smiled as soon as he noticed Zea's astonished face.

"Hey, no dirty thoughts during work."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, c'mon... I saw you drooling a few seconds ago."

"Stop being delusional. I'm just surprised that you actually look like a college freshman." Zea frowned then quickly looked away.

She hates to admit it. But his deep brown eyes that goes well with his finely chiseled handsome face, and that sexy naughty smile that can make any woman weak down there. Is something that Zea vowed to avoid.

"What's with the syringe?" Zea asked, changing the subject. "Did she injected you with an experimental drug?"

Ethan replied with a wink. "You have no idea how much it cost me just to get that serum. Getting one item from the black market is hard enough, let alone two."

The door opened and a second team of stylists entered the room. One of the assistants motioned Zea to have a seat in the recliner chair, which she did without hesitation."So, what sort of treatments do you have for me today?" she asked.

"We're going to cut your hair a little shorter, straighten out your wavy curls. Darken up your highlights and give you a little bit of bangs on the side. To make you look more young... like a teenager."

Ethan chuckled. "Well, that would be a pretty hard job."

Zea glared at him. "What's so hard about cutting my hair?"

"No. Making you look young."

 

Zea just rolled her eyes. Whatever...

 

Annoying her is Ethan's guilty pleasure.

She turned away from him and faced the assistant. "Is there any necessary surgery that should be done on my face? Like, prosthetics or something?"

"The only instruction is to do four sessions of laser tattoo removal on your left arm."

Zea froze upon hearing what the woman said.

"What?"

She slowly gazed at her tattoo. The only memory that was left that reminds her of that special someone. Someone who is very dear to her heart.

Her throat suddenly went dry, her breathing hitched. She immediately felt anxious just thinking of removing it.

"Can't we just cover it up with make-up?"

Ethan slammed the magazine down the coffee table and everyone went dead silent. His once happy-go-lucky demeanor quickly faded into a cold hard one.

"Leave us for a minute."

Without a word, the whole team left the room.

Zea turned her head only to met his serious gaze.

"Should I relieve you from this mission? I can replace you anytime."

An awkward silence filled the room. She can't even look him in the eyes.

"You don't need that tattoo. You're not Zea anymore. You're about to become Astrid Garcia," he said firmly.

She glanced at her tattoo once more and back into his gaze.

"You can keep your tattoo. But I won't keep you on the team. Your choice."

Zea didn't say a word. This is one of the rare times when she shouldn't cross Ethan's words.

"You waited nine long years for this mission yet you can't get rid of a single tattoo? I'm quite disappointed."

She breathed deep. She knew what he's getting at and her stance towards this mission remains the same. But a big part of her is slowly dying, just thinking about not seeing her tattoo ever again.

"Alright," with a heavy heart, Zea sat straight on the recliner chair.

Ethan quickly tapped his listening device on his ear. "She's ready."

The whole team entered the room again and quickly work on Zea. They started off with her hair while they brief her about what teenagers commonly wear these days.

The technical team arrived and discussed the new pieces of equipment and gadgets they might use in this mission.

"Sweetheart, can you rest your arm right here. Don't worry, the first session won't take long." The staff smiled and gently placed Zea's arm on the table for the tattoo removal.

Zea closed her eyes the moment she felt the tip of the device touch her skin. She bit her lips hard, struggling to hold back the tears.

"I want that tattoo gone. Flawless and traceless," Ethan said coldly.

At this point, Zea can't help but glare at him. You're so evil...

"What? Are you cursing me right now?"

Zea smirked. "No, but I'm about to."

He naughtily grinned at her. "Someday, you'll gonna thank me for doing that."

Ethan entered the other room and after a few minutes he came out carrying a silver case. He opened it and took out a black syringe filled with blue liquid inside. He walked towards her and gently turned her head.

"Hold still..." he said, then injected a quarter at Zea's neck.

All of a sudden, she felt her skin tighten, her whole body felt warm, more like burning.

"What the hell is that for?"

Ethan grabbed the mirror from the desk and tossed it to Zea. She quickly looked at herself and her mouth flew open in an instant.

"Oh God..." she whispered.

She can't believe her eyes. Her skin became youthful once more. Like how it was when she's still in high school.

"Adjust your voice, remember you're a high school student," Ethan reminded her.

After a day of preparation, the entire team left them inside the suite.

“Try to get some rest,” he said softly. His eyes were much kinder than before. “We have a lot of work to do tomorrow, so don’t be late.” She gave him a brief nod and he promptly left.

Zea stood up and stared at herself intensely at the full-length mirror.

I swear, this high school student will gonna bring this shit down...