Where I Lay My Head

I regained compusure and parted from the man to see if this actually was my long-lost cousin. Unlike the sixteen year old boy I had known four years ago, his face was clean shaven and completely defined with a jaw structure that would have had to grown two inches since our last encounter, if this was him. Why would he shave off his beard? He had wanted one so badly, to be just like our fathers. I examined his clothing skeptically. He was wearing the aforesaid T-shirt explained, covered with a flashy denim jacket spotted with bleach, and his pants were also denim but tighter than sin.

"Addie, it's me, Cecil..." the man said.

Our eyes met, and now I was sold. They were still the same shade of grey as they were before, and still looked down at me like I was just another kid to pick on.

"Oh my goodness." was all I could say while shaking my head. He laughed, his usual obnoxious bark masked with a friendly, warm yet goofy smile that made me feel right at home although I couldn't have gotten farther away.

"I can't say you've changed at all, though..." he murmured, eyeing me up and down until his eyes hit my full chest. "Well hot damn, look! My little Priss has boobies now." he giggled and brought the coarseness of his palms together in front of his face to commend me.

I couldn't muster up anything to say besides 'You'd better not let any of the grown-ups hear you say that...' but took a good look around and realized that a twenty year old boy saying 'boobies' was the last of this town's problems. The freedom had definetely changed Cecil into an entirely different person, I could judge from what I had seen so far. I wasn't sure yet, though, if it was mostly good change that had taken effect, or bad. Either way I'd have a lot of warming up to do.

He noticed I was uncomfortable with what he had just said and understood, probably thinking back to a time when he was new to the English life and its liberalism, too. His smile fell with the raw sound of him clearing his throat.

"Okay, well, first thing's first. Lets get you into some normal clothes before anyone notices you."

I scowled and looked down to what I was wearing-- My powder blue dress that fastened at my neck and wrists, a basic white bonnet, and brown leather boots. That's normal, right?

Then I looked to the people surrounding us, all my age but of a completely different species. They were like Cecil except wilder with even bigger hair, tighter pants, less clothes and more color.

They all grimaced when I looked to them, and I knew that it was a bit too late for me to change before being noticed. Everyone was staring.