At half 6, Max walked through the door. He hung up his jacket and turned to look at the kids. "Have you been here all night?" He sighed. Fire nodded.
"Look at this, Max." He walked to join her. He gasped in amazment.
"You are an incredible artist, Fire. Can I use this as an official design? I love it." He beamed and walked behind the counter.
"Of course, the designs over there." She pointed to the desk where a notepad was lying, open on a page. "He doesn't know yet." She smiled to Max.
"When can I see?" Corey whined. "Come ooooooon!" He was getting bored and impatient.
"Now." She put the finishing touch to it and he ran through to the piercing room to find a mirror.
"Oh My God, Fire." He was speechless. She joined him in the room, his eyes where fixed on the mirrored image of the beautiful pair of wings stretched across his back. "I can't believe you did this freehand." He smiled. "It's gorgeous." he ran to her and picked her up in his arms, ushing her lips against his. She willingly kissed him as he pushed his tongue through her lips. He put her down on the bench without braking the kiss and began unbuttoning her shirt. She felt for the button of his jeans but then stopped and pulled away from him.
"Don't get carried away, in public here." She laughed and did her buttons back up.
"Oh yeah." He smiled and found his shirt from the other room.
It had been a few weeks sinse Fire and Corey had started dating now and Fire was the happiest she'd been in a long time. The shop was half hers, Max was teaching her more than ever, she spent all her time awake at the shop and she got to hang out with Corey. She knew Corey really liked her, at school sinse the change, girls had been all over him and he always stuck with her, it was great. Instead of a point of tourment, she was now a point of envy. Also, the fact she owned half of the shop now, she was getting alot more money, this was great. Corey was also very happy at this moment in time, he'd got a great girlfriend who he was extreemly close with, he had an amazing tattoo, which nobody else his age had, he'd learned the thrill and satisfaction of piercings, he could pierce and tattoo a little bit, he spent alot of time in the shop, but he also had time with his friends and family. The perfect situation.
"Corey?" Max called through the shop, "Corey?" Corey appeared from the other room and nodded. "I'm going to the shop, you want anything to eat?" Corey thought about it, he put his hand to his chin.
"Surprise me." He smiled and Max nodded heading out the door. "Wait," Corey called, "What about Fire," Max fell over laughing,
"You're not an observant lad are you?" He giggled. "Fire doesn't eat." He walked out the door. "Bye." Max stood and thought back. She didn't eat. All the time they'd been dating, he'd only ever seen her eat three times and they wern't big meals. Surely she'd be thinner now. He walked into the piercing room where she was threading a needle through some 20stone biker's ears. He walked behind her and put his hands arond her waist, she giggled. "Hello Fire," He was trying to feel her waist, but she had alot of layres on and it felt like she had a pillow around her. She concentrated on the piercing and finished. The guy payed and left.
"What do you want?" She smiled. He paused and hesitated.
"I want to see your waist." He answered seriously. She frowned, took off her jumper and the other jumpers and the little pillow she had tied to her stomach. She bit her lip as he examined her miniture waistline. "God, Fire." He shook his head and put his hands around her waist, he realised he could make his fingers touch. He'd never seen anybody get this skinny before. He took his hands off her in fear of braking her. He walked over to the counter and picked up a pack of digestives, he handed one to her. "Eat." He put it by her mouth. She took it and tried to eat it. She couldn't seem to figure out how to eat it, she sortof mimed putting it in her mouth in different ways before dropping it.
"I can't." She started to cry. Corey looked at her, disgusted.
"Then I can't be around you," He pecked her lips, grabbed his bag from the counter and left the shop. Fire dropped to her knees and broke down crying. Max walked into the shop with a bag and a sandwich in his hand, he dropped them both and ran to Fire. He dropped to the floor and put his arms around her.
"What happened? I just saw Corey run out of the shops, crying and now you?" He hugged her.
"He's left me untill I start eating again." She let the words out eventually. He hugged her tighter.
"Aww, hunny, he's right. This is too far, you've got to try and get back." She looked up at him and nodded in agreement. She stood up and put on her jumpers and re-applied her eyeliner. She text Corey telling him she'd try.
"Corey!" Max paniced down the phone to him. "Corey this is horrible, horrible, come to the shop NOW." He stuttered a little bit.
"Whats happened?" Corey was confused, how did Max get his number and what was going on?
"It's Fire, she's in hospital." There was a silence,
"I'll be there in two minutes." Corey put the phone down and ran as fast as he could to the shop. It didn't take long, he was the fastest runner in the school. He ran through the door and demanded to know what was going on.
"She fainted throgh lack of food, they think it's going to take a long while to get her back to normal, I don't know how I'll manage without her, plus I'll miss her." Max cried.
"but she's going to be alright, yeah?" Corey re-assured. Max shook his head.
"Not necesarily. Theres a big chance she'll die." Corey started crying too.
"I can't live without her, Max." He wiped his eyes, trying not to smudge his eyeliner. "What am I going to do? This is my fault, I didn't realise soon enough, now she might die!"
"Not your fault Corey." Max shook his head.
Fire had been in hospital for a few weeks now. Every day it hurt Corey more. Gemma spent everyday in a state of panic and Max was struggleing in the shop. It was the busiest time of year and he'd never done it without Fire before. Corey was on his way to visit her. She looked worse than ever. He knelt by her bed. "Fire," he started to cry. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you, I really don't. I miss you around. Please, do me a favour and just try and eat. Please," She nodded. "You will?" She nodded again. He grabbed a sandwich from his bag and passed it to her. She examined it. She had a nibble of the edge. "More than that, Fire." She took a bite and swallowed it. Corey threw his arms around her. "I love you," He smiled. "I really love you," She took another bite. She had forgotten the satisfaction you get from curing your hunger. She took another bite, and another untill the sandwich had gone. "Do you want another?" He gestured to the canteen. She smiled.
"Only if it'll make you happy." He scuttled to the canteen and she frowned. She felt so fat now she'd eaten that. She thought about throwing it up, she almost did it, but then he returned. He passed her another sandwich and she took a bite, then another bite and then stopped. "Thanks, I'm full now." She beamed and he gave her a funny look.
"Full?" He laughed. "I'll take your word for it baby, we're really struggling in the shop, we need you out of here." She nodded.
Max got a phone call. "Hello?" It was his mobile, he never got calls on his mobile. Who was it?
"Hey Max." It was a girls voice, he faintly reconised it. It seemed like a voice he knew well.......
"FIRE!" He squeeled like a girl. "How are you? Any better? Eating yet? Hows your accomadation?" She laughed on the other end.
"I'm out fo hospital, Max." That's all she said. "I'm on my way to the shop, have you got any biscuits?" He searched around and found a pack of his favourite biscuits.
"Yes, I have!" He was beaming. "See you soon!" He cut off the phone and squeeled. This was great.
A few minutes had passed sinse the call and Fire walked through the door. She ran to Max and hugged him as hard as she could. Then Corey appeared from the other room. He ran over to her, she stopped hugging Max and he grabbed her into a kiss. How he'd missed her taste, her scent, her shape, her touch..... It was amazing to have her in his arms again. It had only been a month or so, but it felt like forever. Max smiled. "Young love." He laughed. It was past closing time so there where no customers. "Fire?" They stopped kissing and she turned to Max, still holding Corey's hand. she smiled the smile he missed. "I've got you a presant! A painfull present, but still a present!" She smiled again.
"Okay, what is it?" She laughed. Max beconed her to follow him to the piercing room and he tapped the table for her to sit.
"I know you've wanted this for a while, you never told me, bt I found your diary. Heh heh." He laughed. "I thought I'd do it with style." He bent down and from the draws under the desk, he revealed a little bad with a piece of black jewellry. It was a three quarter ring with little balls on either side. The balls had something hanging from them, they where flames. Little metal flames. "Fire, I made you the nose ring you wanted." Max had found sketches in her diary of her dream piercing. He was going to give her it. He had specially made the piece of jewellry she had designed. She felt a tear in her eye, it was amazing. He got out a needle and sterelised her nose, he pulled it down and shoved the needle through. She hissed.
"Thats the most painfull one!" She felt a tear drop, not through an emotional moment, but because that really hurt! Corey hugged her and showed her his newest piercing. He lifted his hair from his neck. Vampire bites on the left side of his neck, they where beautiful. She touched them and smiled. They where gorgeous, especially on him. "Do us one of them then please Max." He nodded and went to get a bar for it. She looked into Corey's eyes. He stared at her romantically. "You look gorgeous with your septum done, baby." She showed her teeth. She had vampire teeth. Her canines where incredibly long, sharp and pointed. He'd never really noticed before. He stepped closer and he ran his finger down her tooth. He was intreiged by the sharp tip. His eyes where focused and she watched him a moment longer before snapping away, almost in an embarresed way. She glared at him, he looked back suspitiously. "Are you alright?" He went to hold her hand but she snapped away and nodded. An awquard silence. Max reappeared and broke the silence, he was carrying a new needle and a beautiful red bar. She looked at it, it was just what she imagined. She hopped back on the bed and cleared her neck of dreads. He sterelised it and took the needle, he pushed it through her skin. She looked amazing.