Where I Lay My Head

This was the biggest leap into modern-day mankind that I had come to yet. These clothes were ridiculous.

Just the color of them would get me in big trouble back home. Women weren't allowed to wear any color dress besides quiet blue after you turn ten. Girls younger than that are sometimes allowed to wear modest pastels, but that was far from what this wardrobe could compare to.

Besides the color, the cut of the skirt was just awful. It only went four inches past my underwear, which were missing along with my other clothes. Cecil must have took them to hinder my urge to re-swaddle myself. Thankfully, this new attire included a fresh package of what was supposed to be underwear but just seemed like a belt of dainty lace to me. As a shirt he had left a basic tank top of apple green with magenta bubble-letters scrawled across the back to become the name of a radio station.

To prove I had an open mind, I put the clothes on, but my mind snapped back shut when I saw myself in the cloudy mirror stretching along the doors height. I had never shown anyone that much leg in my life and was petrified. I had seen girls wearing things far more risky than this in Mullica Hill and never thought much of it. But wearing it myself gave me a completely different perspective. I couldn't even open the door in fear or somebody seeing me in such a slovenly condition.

"Cecil," I called nervously, loud enough that my sound could penetrate the closed door and reach him. "Can I maybe, um, borrow some of your clothes?" They seemed to cover enough of his enormous body, so would act just as modest on me.

I heard a frustrated sigh coming from the living room. He knew me too well to even question why.

"No, Priss. You have to be normal, remember?"

"This isn't normal, Cec'. Trust me!" I responded anxiously.

"It is normal. Trust me! I picked them out myself."

"Well, no wonder then!" I yelped, throwing my arms into the air as if anyone was around to see.

At that, the door swung open and Cecil hastily drug me from my refuge into the hallway. I didn't struggle, I only pleaded for my dear life.

Finally, he stopped at the end of the hall. I thought maybe he had decided to let me retreat to my safe-haven but his hands remained firm on my shoulders as he turned me to face the living room. My skin drained to pale white when I noticed the five pair of unfamiliar eyes wandering places on my body I hadn't even acknowledged in quite some time.

"Addie, these are my friends." Cecil announced garishly, releasing his grip from me but blocking my only way to leave their sight.

These young men looked like they had the same general image in mind as Cecil when picking their outfits, yet even more eccentric.

They all rose meet the only lady in the room, a ritual I had grown accustomed to in Mullica. A very tall, wirey boy with a stunning mane of gold that I could have only wished for was the first to catch my eye as he graciously navigated his way around the coffee table towards me. His face was absolutely flawless, but in an incredibly feminine way. The long hair, studded leather jacket, and painfully tight blue jeans he wore didn't do much for his masculinity, I have to admit. Although, quite boldly, if you were observant you would notice that these blue jeans were tight enough to showcase his masculinity quite well. I went Cardinal in the face, wondering if I should cover my eyes or look away. I mean, he was good as nude.

He took my hands in his and smothered both of them with kisses. The fact that his existance reaked with arrogance was something I didn't expect on account of how feminine he looked. He would have been lynched in my neck of the woods.

I helplessly looked up to Cecil, who had the urge to laugh rather than to help me. I was offended by the both of them.

"Hey, babe. I'm Sebastian, but you can go'n call me Baz."

The minute he called me 'babe' I yanked myself away from him and backed into Cecil, only to be pushed forward again. Cecil normally would understand if a person was making me uncomfortable, but now he couldn't have cared less. I was pretty much on my own.

I did my best to ignore Sebastian and looked to the next boy. He wasn't nearly as feminine but had bigger hair, tapered around his head for extra volume. His eyes were intense but his smile was tranquil and goofy.

"And I'm Snake."

He didn't seem to make me nearly as irritated as Baz, probably because he took my hand to shake instead of to slobber on.

"Hi," I chimed in return. "It's great to meet you."

He nodded and gestured to the guy at his left. "This is Scotti,"

This character was also tall and thin, with hair almost the same length as the other's but a darker brown. That same shade of dark brown decorated his chin as a small fringe of hair. He was somewhat homely until he grinned, a wide grin that seemed to be genuinely warm and made me feel the most comfortable with him.

We exchanged hellos and I was introduced to the next person. He was handsome but didn't have a delicate feature on his face, which was ironic because his name was Rachel. His hair was the darkest, a shade of brown-- an understatement because it was nearly black --but shone with the perfect light and cascaded far past his shoulders, smooth at the top of his head but gradually spiralling as it reached farther down. Draped along the left side of his face was a group of chains attached to the glistening hoop piercing his nostril. I guessed that the other end of that chain was attached to an ear-ring. The strong definition of his jaw accented his wide, tannish-pink pout perfectly. He was the exact oppostive of the sort of guy my family would want me to associate with, and that made me even more attracted to him.

Lastly, I was introduced to Rob. He was polite to me but for some odd reason made me nervous, like he was trying to hide something but not well enough. Like the others, he was quite nice to look at with teased blonde curls chopping off at his shoulders and soft eyes of molten caramel.

Sebastian couldn't stand being ignored for long and filled the quiet once it had matured for half a second. "So you're Amish, ay?"

I thought of denying that accusation to prevent a conversation with him from spawning. But I dared to nod, giving him access to speak again.Damn!

"I hear Amish chicks don't shave themselves."

I didn't have to gesture to my cleanly-shaven legs; He was already staring.

"Well, obviously, I do. It's not a rule that I don't shave."

"Nice!" he yelped, and I staggered backwards at the outburst.

Is this guy on drugs?

"So are you allowed to f- um.. have sex?" he grinned wide at me, on the tips of his toes awaiting an answer.

I was so repulsed that I wouldn't reply, but he took this as an invitation to open his mouth again.

"Do you even know what sex is?"

At that question, Sebastian was officially on my bad side-- Mind you, he was the first on this list because I had never accumulated on at home. I hated being treated like a child thanks to my religion.

"Yes, you pig!" I growled and pushed my way past him.

I wasn't ever that rash with anyone, let alone a man. That would have meant a big punishment in Mullica. Then again, I had never come across such a vile man before, so all restrictions were breached. It felt fabulous.