ONE
“I'm sticking every single needle I own into you,” he said.
Oh, this is so not going to go well.
Wren Stapleton lay face down on a table, practically naked under a thin, white sheet, waiting to turn into a porcupine.
Why did I let Barbie talk me into coming here?
“Now it's not going to hurt, I promise. So just relax,” Serge the acupuncturist said. “You’re so tense! Your shoulders feel like they’re cast in iron. We want soft shoulders, don’t we?”
Wren wasn’t sure if she was supposed to nod or answer vocally. She was afraid to move, despite Serge’s promise that this wouldn’t hurt. He was stickingneedlesinto her—she didn’t care how small they were. At least there was a hole in the table for her face, but lying face down like this was wreaking havoc with her sinuses. Or maybe it was the copious incense burning on a nearby table. The smell was supposed to make her relax but instead it made her hold back a sneeze. The last thing she wanted to do was move suddenly. What if Serge stuck a needle in the wrong place and it paralyzed her legs or something?
“Yes, we want soft shoulders,” she finally said, her voice already sounding stuffy.
“Good.” Serge sounded distracted. At least he was paying attention to what he was doing and not to what she was saying. “We’re going to start with your ears.”
“My ears? Seriously? Are my ears tense or something?”
Serge just chuckled. “Funny girl. I like ’em funny.”
And then she felt the slightest pinch at the top of her ear. It actually didn’t hurt.
“See? Not bad, is it?” He stuck several more needles in her ear and walked around the table to the other side of her head.
“I’m withholding judgment until this is over.”
“Oh, I like ’em sassy, too. I should spank you.”
Wait, what?“Um.”
“Just kidding with you. Relax. I’m a professional. I thought you had a sense of humor. That’s what Barbie told me.”
I’m going to kill Barbie and it won’t be funny at all.
“Now let’s tackle those shoulders. You’re going to be so relaxed when this is over you won’t even recognize your own body.”
“Doubtful.”
“Serenity is the goal, Wren. Breathe in and embrace serenity.”
“Hang on. I really need to sneeze.”
“Oh, good, it’s working already. Just let it out. Sneezing is a sign of relaxation.”
More like a sign that this incense is going to kill me before I get the chance to kill Barbie.
The smoke had gotten stronger, and there was a foul odor underneath that didn’t smell natural at all. Maybe it was burning the base it was sitting on? Her nose was too plugged to really tell.
Wren sneezed and then Serge stuck a series of needles in her back like he was making up for lost time. A couple of them made the muscle twinge underneath, but yeah, no pain. And her shoulders and back really did feel more relaxed.
This might be working.
Barbie wasn’t the only one of her photography subjects who raved about Serge but she was the one who finally convinced Wren to book a morning appointment for her shoulders and back. Carting around photography equipment all day was taking its toll.
Though, Wren’s shoulders were almost permanently parked up around her ears way before she ever picked up a full camera bag. She’d just ignore that little fact.
Serenity. She took another deep breath and her nose twitched at the smell.
