"Come on Brooks you're going to make us all late!" Saint yelled from outside with the evening sun reflecting off of his red hair to make it shine. Asha stood next to him in a short white gown that lightly hung off her shoulders, a long with her bouncy curls that laid on the brown shawl she wore on her shoulders. Her eyes were wide as she slowly walked towards the black van that somehow made its way into my driveway. I had no idea who's car it was, and honestly I didn't want to talk about it since what had happened the previous hours. I slowly locked my lips as I leaned against the door way to rest my shoulder that slowly began to throb from overworking it. My black long sleeved shirt fluttering in the wind, and my hair slowly blew into my eyes as I slowly walked into the sunlight. Zaire stood against a tree with his hair pulled back lightly with his eyes closed with his face towards the sky as if he were praying. His face seemed thinner somehow, and his skin almost matched the greyish color of his hair. 

"Zaire you can sit in the back with Asha so that Brooks can have the front seat. I think it would be easier for him to be able to get in and out without having to climb over all the luggage first," Saint said with a smile as he pulled down on his deep V T shirt and rubbed his dirt covered hands on his once clean jeans. Zaire gave a huff but didn't say a word as he reached into his pocket to put a light in his mouth before taking a long huff of the cancer stick. Asha smiled as he slowly picked up a couple of the bags that laid in the yard, but looked back at me over her shoulder with a slight gleam. I looked away quickly as I slowly walked towards them with my shoulders aching, but a part of me felt the need to show her that I could take care of myself. Zaire slit his eyes so that he could look at me but didn't say anything as he bit the end of his cigarette. 

"We should be heading out soon Brooklyn," Ash said with a slight highness in her voice as she slowly stood next to Saint to hold his hand after she spoke. I hate to think that she could be scared of me, but... I shook my head not wanting to get caught up in such nonsense. "Who's car is this anyway Angel?" Zaire piped up from the tree before throwing down the bud to stomp on it and twist on it with his heel before walking over. I stared in disgust at the litter this guy had the nerve to put in my lawn, but I guess that is what happened when an uninvited guest decides to get comfortable. "You probably shouldn't be able to tell you that until Brooks goes to bed... or at least until he is too far to turn back," he said with a smile on his face that made my eyes fly open and I glared at him for a moment. He put his hands up and released a nervous laugh before slowly taking sideways steps till he was on the other side of the car. Zaire rolled his eyes before pulling out another cancer stick out of his pocket to place it loosely in his mouth, but he didn't light it. I glared at him before slowly walking by him so I could take my place in the rusty black van that looked like it could get us pulled over for suspicious activity. 

"Look kid," I stopped with my hand on the door handle when I heard that idiot's voice break my concentration to get in the car before he decided to start anything. "I'm sorry about our first impression because I can't blame you for something that you didn't even get to see. I am going to say, however, that you shouldn't hold your brother Izaya on such a high standard in your mind. Because if you do you are never going to end up anywhere other than six feet under ground just like your brother. You need to make a life for yourself and discover who you are. I am not saying it is going to be easy, or hell, it may not even be rational. One say though... You are going to be someone you want to be and not what they want you to be," he said before pulling the cancer stick out of his mouth to put it back in his pocket. I stood there with my back to him for what felt like hours, but jumped slightly when I heard the car door slam. Saint smiled at me through the tinted windows and I held my breath, but then again I have never been on a trip without my father's permission first. 

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming Saint. I swear you always did act like the road was going to go somewhere," I said with a smile. It may be interesting to go somewhere that not only my father wouldn't approve of, but a place my entire church has forbidden. A part of me was hoping to convince a few of them to convert, but another part of me knew that I was the only true Mormon in the car. Zaire declared his hatred and Saint was about as religious as Zaire just one was a lot more violent than the other. I slowly took my seat and slammed my door shut before looking at Saint who clutched the patchy stirring wheel like it was a race car. I smiled but stopped when I smelled mildew and looked in the back seat to see pieces of the "leather" seat rotting and falling off. The floor was decorated in crumbs that could be hundreds of years old, and the doors had been painted with what looked like pastels. 'Gross' I thought to myself as I sat back in my seat, being sure to turn on the air so the smell would blow back towards Zaire. Asha sat in the middle of the back with a book already in hand, and a small water bottle at her side with kittens on the lid. 

I swore that there couldn't be any other women out there like her because she seemed to have so many sides to her. I stared at her secretly from the mirror as Saint drove down the road screaming some trashy cover to the song Crazy Bitch. Zaire leaned against his hand with his shirt over his nose, and his fingers picked at the small tear that was on his knees. Watching the houses of the only place I have ever known fly by made my heart flutter, but my eyes never left the blonde curls that lightly bounced. The green plains that faded into wheat that faded into endless rows of corn with very few homes scattered in-between. A small family of ducks waddled across the street, a few birds decided to poop on our car, and then Saint got a flat tire by running over a beer bottle on purpose because he wanted to watch it explode. Zaire yelled for hours about how stupid Saint was, but obviously Saint proved him wrong by pointing out how yelling wouldn't fix anything, therefore, making Zaire the stupid one. Man did that strike a nerve because Zaire kept his mouth shut the rest of the ride with a cancer stick constantly in his mouth. 

"Are we almost there Saint? We have been in the car for what feels like decades," I whined lightly with my feet on the dash, and Saint rolled his eyes clearly getting tired of everyone's constant complaining. "I'm sorry but the Bishop's Pedo-van can barely go over sixty miles per hour without breaking down at the side of the road," he said with a snarl to his voice but stopped as he realized what he just said, and all the color drained from my face as I realized what was going on. "YOU STOLE THE BISHOP'S VAN!!" Zaire jumped back almost into the storage space area, and Asha slowly looked up from her book with a frown on her face because she had been interrupted at her favorite part. "Hey no," Saint said with a defensive tone which allowed me to take a deep breath. "I stole the Bishops Pedo-van, if you are going to call me out for my crimes at least call me out for the right ones thank you," he said and I just mumbled a small prayer under my breath because I was at a loss for words. I knew that I shouldn't have trusted Saint with something as complicated as transportation, How does someone even manage to steal a pedo-van? I m-mean a van.

"We should be there in about ten more minutes. Now remember guys we aren't here to draw attention to ourselves so don't do anything to make you stand out too much," Saint said as he turned another corner slowly, and I could see the serious gleam in his eyes. A part of me was shocked that he was taking something like this seriously, but then again I had to take into account where we were going. There had been horror stories of people in our church getting shot because of even mentioning they were Latter-Day Saints, and my skin shivered at the thought. A part of me was regretting this already, but I am sure it wouldn't end too bad as long as I kept my head down. I have seen what some people are capable of as well, and it is hard to believe that people could treat people like that. Dehumanized and turned into cattle because they have a different religion than most, and the worst part is that they preach freedom of religion. "Hey don't worry about it Brooks," Saint said with a smile as I looked over at him from underneath my dark bangs. "I'll make sure that nothing bad happens to any of you guys," he finished before closing his mouth to focus on the road. 

My eyes widened as I saw the brightly colored tents that were shattered on the outside of another small town that almost looked like home. Cars were no where to be seen, and it looked as if someone had just dumped all the tents all set up in their glory for no one to see them. Saint smiled as we drove down the hill, and the view of the crowd slowly came into my eyes making my skin tighten. The tents were decorated in plastic gems that shone against the windshield, and I had to wonder how Saint could see anything. People were in colorful costumes that left little to the imagination as they danced to the loud music that blasted over the crowd. I slowly tilted my head sideways as a woman walked by us in a see through top and no pants, and I was already regretting this decision more than I could put into thoughts or words. "Doesn't this looks epic!" Saint yelled as that though crossed my mind, and I shot him a look as he put the van into park off to the side of the tents. Great, now not only did we already stand out, but also we are the only ones parked around the tents. 

"Look at that!" Ash yelled as she pointed next to my face at a small wooden stage that was in the middle of all the tents. The wood had been painted white, and fake flower petals appeared to have been glued around the edges. No stairs appeared to be in sight, and that was the most concerning thing I have seen so far. "Beautiful isn't it Saint," she said as she slowly gripped her boyfriends arm. Saint smiled as me with the relief of her touch on him, but his eyes seemed to strip every woman that walked by us with a seductive smile. My skin crawled, and I never wanted to see another naked woman after all the unholy things I dare say I have seen in this two minute period. "Yeah they are beautiful," Saint said in a small voice as he tilted his head to follow a blonde who looked over her shoulder, and slowly began to unbutton her dress. I closed my eyes and Zaire flew his door open before stretching his arms, and releasing a grunt that sounded like a howl. If we didn't stand out earlier Zaire had us covered because now everyone was staring at us with a disgusted face. 

"Thanks, we really needed our own war cry," I said under my breath, only to realize that everyone else had already gotten out of the car. Ash was holding Saint's hand tightly, but her eyes were on the gems that decorated the tents in random patterns. My heart ached for a moment, but I shook it off quickly because I knew there was no point in being melodramatic. I slowly opened the door, and felt the sun lightly touch my skin making me sigh in newly found relief as I joined my friends-and Zaire. "Look at-" I stopped for a moment as someone brushed by me, and I smelled strong vanilla on their skin as they looked back at me under their hood. They wore a long green skirt that brushed against the ground as they walked, and their feet were bare against the soft grass. Their body was covered in a black hoodie other than the small pale smile that I saw under the dark hood. My heart was captivated for a moment, but soon they turned to disappear into one of the many tents. 

It was amazing for a moment to be captivated by someone who's eyes were unable to be seen, but I could feel the cold stare down my chest. Another women with dark skin brushed past me with ribbons around her breasts, and a few strings that I was assuming were supposed to be underwear. Her lips were full and red as she ran her pink finger nails through her long curly hair, and Saint took a step back to let her walk by. She looked over her shoulder to bat her thick eyelashes at him while lightly waving her hips in a slightly seductive manner. Asha glared in disgust but bit her tongue as she realized that Saint wasn't going to reject the fine women's 'charity'. "Come on Saint we came here for a good time not for you to pick up every whore at this shit hole," Zaire chimed in while taking place next to Ash who looked relieved that someone spoke up. Saint blushed lightly while the women poked up her nose and walked away with a determined gleam in her eye. I took a breath of relief  but stopped when I looked up to see the women talking to the person that had brushed by me earlier.

"Calm down Cynthia," the voice was soft and almost angel like, but I was shocked when the hood lightly came down to revel black locks. The jaw line was sharp, but the high cheek bones gave the face a more delicate features. Their eyes were dark blue, but when they looked over at us they shone a green that put the grass to shame. I was shocked to see a male walking towards us, but I had to hide my shame at thinking his delicate walk would make him a female. His skin was pale, too pale, and made him look like paste against the people around him. His smile was warm but his eyes were serious, and that clash in character is what made him seem so appealing to be around. "My God," I stopped when I heard Zaire behind me and looked over my shoulder to see him staring at the male that approached us. "Hello my name is Aspen," he said with a smile as he held out his hand to me, and I stared at the gold bracelets that lightly shone under the black hoodie. 

"My name is Brooklyn," I slowly rose my hand to intertwine with his, and I was shocked to feel how soft his skin was compared to mine. He smiled at Zaire who lightly held out his hand, and Aspen smiled at Zaire's newly found hospitality. "You must be the man Cyn was talking about. I will have you know that we don't mind having new guests because the festival can get terribly boring over the years. I do say that you respect our dancers and performers, however, because they put in a lot of effort to be here every year. I hope you can respect our wishes and if you need anything than please come and find me. My name is Aspen Gale and I have been performing here as long as I can remember so I can be a guide when need be," his eyes glistened at the last part before his hands slid out of mine. I shook my head as a chill went up my spine, and Saint glared at the man before turning his body to lightly hide Asha who looked concerned. 'Saint?' I thought to myself as I could almost smell the hostility that seemed to ooze off of my best friend.