II

NEW THREADS

Daniel sat on his bed with his hands clasped together and listened to the happy voices of The Misfits echoing down the hall. They wanted to go to a party in celebration of their new lease on life, but he wasn’t prepared for it. His plans for a quiet evening at home seemed to get tossed out the window without his saying so. He closed his eyes and tried to wish their resonant voices away, to force himself to wake-up from what he hoped was a bad dream. “I’m asleep in bed right now,” he thought to himself. “None of this is real. None of this is happening.” He opened his eyes. The voices were still there, taunting him like a cocky school bully.

“Yo!” Rico yelled down the hallway. “Quit jacking off and let’s go!”

With a sigh, Daniel stood up from his bed before making his way down the hall. The sound of the group’s eager hollering grew louder as he neared the living room and a huge feeling of dread overwhelmed him. Once he entered the room, he cleared his throat to get their attention. “Alright, I’m ready,” he said quietly. He did an awkward gesture to his outfit, a white t-shirt and dark blue jeans.

Rico turned around. “Okay, but first we need to stop and get some clothes.”

“What?”

“You don’t expect us to go out dressed like this do you?” asked Ava. She pointed to her tight jumpsuit which accentuated her hips and bosom. “I honestly don’t understand why we were wearing these to begin with. They aren’t very practical.”

Daniel gave her a timid smile. He was the one who had chosen their outfits in the game and practicality wasn’t his intention. “I’m sorry you’re uncomfortable,” he said, averting his eyes from her. “But I can’t afford to buy you all new clothes.”

Rico rushed over and grabbed Daniel by the shirt collar. “My junk is being strangled by this damn suit. You either help us get new clothes, or we’ll make you get them for us.”

Daniel stared into Rico’s threatening eyes. He nodded in fear of getting choked again. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll take you to get new clothes.”

Rico smiled and let go of Daniel’s shirt. “That’s what I thought you’d say,” he said, pulling at the collar of his suit. “You better take us somewhere nice too. I wanna look baller, not like some pussy.” He flicked Daniel on the shoulder and waved for his team to follow him out.

Daniel watched the group walk outside and sighed with uncertainty. He grabbed his car keys before joining them out in his driveway to see Rico staring quietly at his car. It was a sleek, black luxury sedan from the late 1970’s. Daniel bought the car when he was 18 with money he’d saved from several summer jobs. The car was in bad shape when he bought it, but he was good with his hands. He was slowly able to restore it himself using recycled parts from other cars. After a few years it looked brand new with some added exterior modifications thrown in, like a hood vent and red neon undercar lights which he believed gave it a cool look.

“Dude, I misjudged you,” said Rico. He looked apologetically at Daniel. “Here I was thinking you were some dipshit nerd when only someone completely awesome would drive this car.”

Daniel smiled awkwardly and walked toward the driver’s side.

“Excuse me, how are we all going to fit in here?” asked Lauren observing the car’s size.

Daniel looked around at the group. The car had a backseat, but it was small. “I guess some of you will have to sit in each other’s laps,” he said.

He got in the car and turned the engine over as The Misfits poured in. Ava, Scotty, Deandre, Lauren, and Jett crammed close together in the backseat. Jett sat on the left with Lauren in his lap. Ava sat on the right in Scotty’s lap while Deandre sat in the middle. Kitsie sat in Rico’s lap in the front seat.

Daniel hesitated to put the care in reverse. He put his hands on the steering wheel, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath in an effort to prepare himself.

“We gonna go or not?” asked Rico impatiently.

Without saying a word, Daniel put the car in reverse and turned around in his seat to look out the rear window while he backed out of the driveway. His view was obstructed by Deandre’s head, his tall body blocking the center of the window. Daniel leaned to one side to peer around him and his eyes locked in on Lauren scrunched up in Jett’s lap. She looked incredibly uncomfortable, and, for a moment, Daniel wished he had a bigger car. His regret was short lived when an impatient groan left Rico’s mouth. Lauren must have distracted him for longer than he’d realized. She soon looked toward the front seat and met Daniel’s gaze on her. He gave her an apologetic smile as he pulled out of the driveway.

The Misfits were quiet as he drove which surprised him. He expected some sort of off-color remark from one of them about the new world they were in. Instead, they looked out of the car windows in awe of the scenery outside. They came to a stoplight and Daniel rubbed his throat. A faint bruise had formed along the underside of his jawline. He winced a tad when he touched it. He placed his hand back on the steering wheel and caught Lauren staring at him in the rearview mirror. As if caught in the act, she looked away from him and turned her attention to the side window. “Where are we going?” she asked.

Daniel cleared his throat before answering her. “The waterfront,” he muttered. He couldn’t afford to buy clothes for everyone. He was flat broke and only had one credit card to his name, but he knew a popular outlet mall on the waterfront would be his best option considering the tastes of his passengers. The light soon turned green and he drove on. Once he passed through the intersection, a sound, like tight air from a balloon, broke his train of thought.

“Hey, what’s that noise?” asked Rico, cocking his ear to the side.

A foul odor filled the inside of the car. Daniel pulled his shirt up to cover his nose and rolled down his window. The rest of the group gagged and did their best to cover their faces.

“Oh my gawd!” Deandre scrunched his face, repulsed by the smell. “What the hell is that, man?”

“Ugh, it’s horrid!” screamed Ava.

Scotty brought a hand to his mouth. “I can’t tell, but I think I’m gonna throw up!”

“I’m sorry. I think that was me,” admitted Kitsie, her cheeks turning red.

“What?” asked Deandre. “What did you do?”

“She farted,” said Daniel. He rolled the window back up. The smell had dissipated.

“That was a fart?” Deandre held his nose shut and continued in a nasal tone, “My first smell in this world and it’s an air biscuit.”

“You can stop holding your nose now. The smell is gone,” said Daniel.

“Nah, man. I’m not riskin’ it.”

Kitsie sunk down in Rico’s lap from obvious embarrassment. No one said another word until they reached downtown. Daniel parked the car and they all poured out.

“I am NOT looking forward to doing that again,” said Scotty. He stretched his arms. “Lauren? Will you trade places with Ava on the way back?”

“You just want her in your lap because you have a crush on her,” said Ava.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just that you’re kinda heavy. My legs could barely take it.”

Ava glared at him. “Well, your boney knees jamming into my ass wasn’t exactly my idea of fun either.”

“Whatever you do, don’t put Kitsie with me. I don’t want farts in my lap,” said Deandre. He stared at Kitsie with a scrunched face.

“It just came out. I couldn’t help it,” said Kitsie. “I said I was sorry.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” said Rico to end the squabble. “Let’s go.”

The group walked down the sidewalk of a small outlet mall. Palm trees lined the path, looking like black silhouettes in the evening sunset. Sounds of the ocean and the ha-ha’s of seagulls fought for relevance over the roar of traffic nearby. The screams of tourists riding a signature rollercoaster next to the mall interrupted the stew of noises, however, nothing drowned out the figurative screaming coming from Daniel’s wallet. He gripped it in his hand, desperate to keep his last bit of wealth, to provide security from losing his sanity. The Misfits walked ahead of him, eager to fulfill their fetch mission for a new wardrobe. They received weird looks from people as they passed by. An old woman gasped, repulsed by their revealing outfits. She scoffed and shuffled away in a huff at the sight of them.

“People are staring at us,” said Scotty, leaning close to Ava.

Ava gestured to their outfits. “Of course they are. Look at how we’re dressed.”

They walked by an electronic store and were spotted by an excitable young woman inside. She ran out of the store and rushed up to them. “Oh my gosh, this is the best Misfit cosplay I’ve ever seen,” she said. “You all look just like the characters!”

Scotty furrowed his brow. “What’s a cosplay?” he asked.

The woman ignored his question and panned over the group. “You have everything down to the finest detail,” she said, focusing on Rico’s scar. She looked at each one of them, eventually resting on Lauren’s shapely features and perfect complexion. “You are so utterly flawless, it’s almost unreal.”

Ava grumbled and gestured to herself and Kitsie. “And what are we? A pair of trolls?”

“I meant no offense. It’s just that the commitment to your craft is astounding,” said the woman. She pulled out her cellphone. “Can I get a picture of you all?”

“Sure!” exclaimed Scotty happily. It appeared that the woman’s excitement had rubbed off on him. With a big grin, he posed for the picture while the others gave looks of confusion. It made for quite an amusing photo.

The woman thanked them and happily walked away. Rico shook his head in amazement then pulled at his crotch. “I can’t wait to get out of this jumpsuit. This thing is too tight.”

“I’m with ya, man,” said Jett. He shifted his hips and shook his leg to release some of the pressure on his groin.

A pale little girl tugged at Lauren’s hand as the group pressed on. The girl handed Lauren a brochure and skipped off to an older man standing outside of a small coffee shop. The man picked the girl up and placed a fun kiss on her cheek. She giggled and playfully pulled at his graying beard. Lauren stopped to stare at them, putting several feet of distance between her and the group. Daniel saw her lagging behind and walked back to get her attention.

“Are you coming?”

“Why is that person so small?” asked Lauren pointing to the little girl. “What’s wrong with her?”

“Nothing’s wrong with her,” said Daniel, caught off guard by her question. “That’s a child.”

“Oh…what’s a child?”

Daniel thought for a moment and remembered the mature contents of the video game. It had sex and nudity, but there was never a risk of pregnancy. Children were never shown, nor were they mentioned. It made sense to him how she’d never seen a child until now. “A child is like a little person that eventually grows into an adult, like you and me. Children are pretty common here.”

“We don’t have children where I’m from,” said Lauren. She continued staring at the little girl with a glimpse of wonder on her face.

Daniel gave her a small smile and gestured for them to keep moving. “Come on. We’re falling behind.”

Lauren nodded and followed him. “Does this place have a name?” she asked, looking at the rustling palm trees. “Where exactly are we?”

“Long Beach,” he replied. He walked quietly beside her until they caught up with the group.

“This looks like a good one,” said Rico walking into an urban clothing outlet.

Daniel sighed. “This will be fun,” he thought with sarcasm. He walked in and found Rico standing still with his arms out to his side. “What are you doing?”

“I’m waiting for my clothes.” Rico looked confused and brought his arms down. “Why isn’t anything happening?”

“In the game, I had to pick your clothes. Here, you have to pick the clothes out yourself. They won’t just appear like before,” said Daniel.

“Are you serious?”

Daniel nodded his head. “There should be dressing rooms for you to try things on. Do you need help finding something to wear?”

“Psh, hell no,” said Rico as he made his way straight toward ladies’ lingerie.

“That’s the women’s section,” said Daniel. He pointed to a sign on the other side of the store signaling the men’s section.

Rico did a 180 turn. “I knew that,” he said as he walked the other direction.

Meanwhile, Lauren, Kitsie, and Ava took off toward the women’s department and began thumbing through the selection of clothes. Lauren pulled out a shirt and held it to her body. She scrunched her face and placed it back on the rack. Daniel watched her from across the store and thought back to what the excitable woman had said about her being “utterly flawless”. It was true. She was. He fixated on her face. From her almond shaped eyes to her pouty lips, nothing about her appearance was flawed. He remembered reading an article about the intention of her character in the game. She was designed to be completely irresistible, the game designers taking aspects of some of the most noteworthy beauties in the public eye and putting them together to create their idea of a perfect woman. Was that why he found himself staring at her? Because he was following the influence of over-sexualized design? No. There was something else about her, something lurking beneath the surface that he couldn’t figure out. Still, the idea of having her, their bodies pressed together in heated passion, wasn’t immediately chased away from his thoughts.

“Oh! Look at this!” said Ava. She pulled out a pair of tattered jeans. “This is nice, yeah?”

“Those pants are full of holes,” said Kitsie. “They look used.”

“Yeah, but that’s what’s so cool about them,” said Ava. She held them up to her waist. “I think they look trendy. What do you think Lauren?”

“I’d wear them,” said Lauren.

Ava hung the tattered jeans over her left arm. She brushed a few strands of hair from her eyes and glanced at Daniel. He was at the front of the store slowly pacing the floor with his hands in his pockets.

“Look at him over there,” said Ava. She raised her brow and bit her bottom lip. “You have to admit; Daniel is pretty fine.”

“I’m not really into blonde guys,” said Kitsie pulling out a pair of black leather pants.

“Are you even into guys?” asked Ava. “What’s wrong with blonde guys?”

“They’re shapers.”

Ava looked confused and furrowed her brow. “Shapers? What the hell does that mean?”

“They’re not the genuine article.”

Ava waved her words away and continued to thumb through the clothes. “I think you need new glasses.”

Kitsie shrugged her shoulders and walked toward the dressing room with the leather pants she found. Ava looked at Lauren who was busy staring at Daniel while haphazardly shifting hangers on the rack from one side to the next.

“He’s cute, isn’t he?” asked Ava with a smile. She nudged Lauren’s arm for an answer.

“He’s nice,” replied Lauren softly.

Ava nodded in agreement. “He’s totally different from the guys back home,” she said matter of fact. Daniel glanced in their direction and caught Lauren’s stare. He acknowledged her by giving a small wave causing Lauren to blush. She cleared her throat and returned her attention to the clothing rack. Ava shook her head and sighed. “I think he likes you. Maybe he’s not so different from the guys back home after all.”

Lauren lifted her head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” shrugged Ava. “It’s just that men have a habit of gravitating toward you is all.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“C’mon, Lauren. You come around with your pouty lips and sultry eyes and make all the men around you weak in the knees. Just look behind you,” said Ava pointing toward a back corner of the store. Two young men were staring in their direction with their mouths agape. “Those poor guys have been drooling over you since we walked in here.”

Lauren raised her brow. “How do you know they aren’t looking at you?”

Stepping around the clothing rack, Ava walked in front of Lauren to block the young men’s view. Both of the men groaned in disapproval. One of them even yelled “Hey, lady, move out of the way!” and motioned for her to move. Ava turned back to face Lauren and crossed her arms. Her point was made.

“Don’t worry,” sighed Ava. “I’m not mad about it. But we should probably frump up your clothes a bit, you know…make you more homely. Maybe then I’d have a chance.”

“I don’t think you give yourself enough credit.” Lauren searched the clothing rack until she found a pair of black jeans and slung them over her arm. “Now, if you’re done, I need to find a pair of shoes.”

Ava moped. “Yeah. I guess I should find something to cover up my hideous hooves.”

Lauren slapped her on the arm. “Stop it,” she said with a stern voice.

She walked to the other end of the store with Ava sulking behind her. On their way, they passed the men who were having an awfully hard time finding something to wear.

“Nothing,” said Rico. “They don’t have a single shirt my size in black. It was hard enough finding pants that didn’t make my ass look fat.”

“We can always try a different store,” said Deandre trying on a fedora.

“Here you go,” said Jett. He tossed Rico a black button up shirt.

Rico caught it and examined it closely. “It will have to do,” he sighed. He slung the shirt over his shoulder and saw Scotty appear happily in front of him.

“Hey guys, what do you think?” asked Scotty. He did a small twirl for the guys to show off the outfit he chose.

“TAKE. IT. BACK.” demanded Rico.

“What’s wrong with it?” asked Scotty in confusion. He looked down at his shirt. It was tight and almost transparent. The outline of his nipples shown through the thin white fabric.

“Is that a ladies’ shirt?” asked Jett.

“It’s unisex!” scoffed Scotty. He stomped off down the aisle with his hands to his side.

“Unisex is the only kind of sex that poor guy is ever gonna have,” said Rico. He turned to the others. “Are you guys ready?”

“I’m done,” said Deandre putting on a stone washed jean jacket over a white graphic tee. He posed in the mirror and smiled. “Damn I look good.”

Jett flipped a distressed leather cowboy hat onto his head and adjusted the brass belt buckle on his waist. “I’m ready too,” he said with a wink.

Everyone gathered at the checkout counter. Daniel did his best to ignore the price on the register and reluctantly gave the cashier his credit card. He only used his credit card for emergencies but had no other way of paying for their clothes. Once everyone was dressed and ready, they made their way back to the car and climbed into the seats in the same manner as before. Daniel finished putting on his seatbelt and put the key in the ignition when Deandre screamed.

“Kitsie!” he yelled. Everyone covered their noses. Daniel almost choked from the smell as he rolled down his window.

“I’m sorry,” said Kitsie. “I can’t help it.”

“Girl, don’t get me wrong, you’re hot and all that,” said Deandre, pinching his nose. “But someone needs to sew your ass shut.”