14. Hibiscus Flowers

Early on Sunday morning, Craig was happily awakened by a phone call from Carissa.

"Hey, you okay?" Carissa asked as he answered her call.

"I'm good, but the real question is, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. The girls and I will meet you at the party and we'll talk later, okay," Clarissa told him, with a cheerfulness in her voice. "I'll text you the address."

"So we're good?" asked Craig.

"Yeah we're good, if you can forgive me for last night. Let me go wake the girls and make them some breakfast." said Carissa.

"Yeah, it's okay. I'll see you later. I'm really looking forward to it," said Craig, feeling relief as he put down his phone.

Carissa woke Taylor and Kaylee up and they had a simple breakfast toaster heated waffles and microwaved sausage links. After they ate, Clarissa laid out the plan for the morning.

"Kaylee, you'll get in the shower first please, and then we'll let Taylor take one." Carissa instructed, handing Kaylee some towels. "Taylor, you come with me."

Taylor followed Carissa into her bedroom. Carissa closed the bedroom door as soon as Kaylee was in the shower. "So no more secrets, Taylor," said Carissa folding her arms. "It's just you and me here now, understand?"

"Uumm, yeah?" replied Taylor, gulping nervously as Carissa leaned on her dresser, a foot or so away.

"Obviously I know why you don't like wearing dresses," Carissa sternly announced, lifting his nightgown with her foot, about halfway up his thighs. "If I were you, I wouldn't either."

"You know?" replied Taylor, wide eyed and starting to shake. "Yes, and if you'll let me, I'll help you. Is that what you want? If so, just say the word."

"What word?" mumbled Taylor. "I'll say any word to make this right."

"You don't have to say more than that, honey. I got you," said Carissa, handing him the end of the nightgown to hold.

"This can't be easy having a brother trying to make you into something you're not. We both know that's quite a stretch. You do realize I know what's under there, and I understand how this has scared you. Spread a little for me and Carissa will take care of everything. Don't be shy, as I promise not to hurt you sweetie."

"Oh thank you, Carissa," said Taylor, feeling relieved as he widened his stance. "You have no idea how hard this has been."

"Honey, of course I do," said Carissa, kneeling and pushing up his nightgown a little more. "Don't tell anyone but I'm not a natural blonde like my Kaylee, and when I was her age I wasn't the beautiful young lady she is, either. So I really understand."

Taylor couldn't believe what he was hearing, and although he was shocked and slightly embarrassed, he was also happy that the charade was now over.

Carissa continued, "When I was your age, I had jet black hair, so I had similar issues, not wanting my legs to be seen either, once my hormones starting changing me. I was like a hairy pre-teen gorilla at your age, I remember how self-conscious I was when dark hair just seemed to appear all over my legs, almost overnight. Now be still and I'll fix you right up. It'll be our little secret. Don't tell your brother and he won't notice, but you'll be able to wear dresses without worrying about your hairy legs."

This wasn't at all what Taylor expected and he was horrified hearing a distinct buzzing sound.

A second later he felt the electric lady shaver gliding up his left calf. He began trembling as it was moving rapidly up and down his entire leg and then before he knew it, was buzzing on the other one.

Finally she dropped the nightgown back down, then grabbed his wrist and it seemed like a frozen moment in time as she buzzed the little dark hairs off each arm, and it was over before he even knew what hit him.

"See, isn't that better. Sweetie, you can use it anytime you want when you're here. Now, go take a shower in my bathroom. Use the body wash that's on the counter in there."

Carissa handed the razor to him. "Only thing now is you'll need to make sure I didn't miss anything, or everyone will be able to tell, so take a minute to go back over you legs while they're wet. When you come out and get dressed, call me and I'll come in and do your hair. I'll close the bedroom door so you have a little privacy and your underwear will be on the bed. Once I iron your new outfit, it'll be hanging on the back of the door. I think you're going to love it."

Taylor entered the bathroom with the electric razor in his hand and stripped off his nightgown.

Instantly his stomach sank, seeing his completely hairless body. He touched his legs, feeling the smoothness, and then his arms as the dark peach fuzz and hair was no more.

He tried to relax in the shower, washing and conditioning his hair and rubbing down with body wash.

Stepping out of the shower, he dried his smooth soft body, then wrapped a towel around his waist and cracked the door open.

He saw a little bra with a pair of panties laid out on the bed.

He could hear a hair dryer buzzing in the next room and almost died as he ran from the en suite bathroom to the bed, quickly stepped into the panties, and tucked himself. He was scared to death that Carissa might walk in and discover what actually was down there.

He was shaking as he slid his arms into the little matching bra and fumbled for a minute or two before finally catching it in the back to secure the little hook.

He removed the towel and looked down, seeing the little triple ruffled panty design easily hiding everything, but some stray dark hairs between his legs, halfway down his calves. He didn't want to, but knew what he had to do or Carissa would abs he didn't want her that close to his secret again.

He walked back into the bathroom and parted his thighs, quickly buzzing the dark hairs from between his legs. He could barely function, seeing the triangular bra patches covering his nipples as he hurried back into the bedroom.

Where is Craig, he asked himself for about the hundredth time some being awaken by Carissa. He didn't like that Craig had left him in this situation without any explanation and he couldn't wait to let his brother know that when he saw him again.

Seeing his outfit covered in white plastic hanging from the back of the bedroom door, he went over and retrieved it.

It was all he could do not to pass out the moment he opened the plastic and laid eyes on the outfit. He was livid. Craig was gone and now he was about to have to put himself into a dress.

"You okay in there?" Carissa inquired, knocking on the door. "Almost ready for me to come in and do your hair?"

"Umm, just one more minute!" Taylor panicked, taking the dress from the hanger.

"Perfect, I'll be right back," said Carissa.

There wasn't much Taylor could do other than comply, so reluctantly he did. He unzipped the back of the dress and step in. Guiding it up his body, he slipped his arms through the thin shoulder straps.

He was in the middle of a struggle to get the zipper all the way up when Carissa walked in with her hair dryer.

She quickly spun him around and before he could even react, the dress was zipped up, locking him in.

He looked down at his bare, hairless legs and uneasily wiggled his painted toe nails. He watched the loose fabric of the dress sway around his legs as Carissa shook him slightly, towel drying his head.

She positioned a small towel over his shoulders before asking him to sit on the edge of the bed and began combing and blow drying his hair. It was completely unsettling for him as she rolled under his bangs with a round brush, and then brushed his entire head.

"Next time you use any heat, you also need to remember to use a heat protectant." Carissa sprayed a small section and pinched his hair with her flat iron.

"Okay," mumbled Taylor.

Carissa then proceeded to spray each section with a heat protectant and glide the flat iron through it until finally she had done his entire head.

"I think it was for the best anyway, sweetie," said Carissa, now brushing a section back behind his bangs. "You look absolutely adorable in bangs, don't 'ya think?"

Taylor shrugged his shoulders in response, as she created a deep part down the center all the way down to the base at the back of his head. Taylor then felt her snap in a clip on one side.

On the loose section about four inches back from hairline, she began sectioning the hair into three segments with her fingers. Then she proceeded braiding oddly forward toward the face.

After Carissa had created three braid weaves, she turned the braid, now braiding toward the ear to create the beginning of an arc or kind of a "C" shape. Instead of moving directly towards the back of his head, she continued weaving down to the ear and finally securing the end with a small band.

She then removed the clip on the other side of the part and repeated the process.

"Adorable!" sighed Carissa as she now trimmed some ribbon from a spool and twisted it in. "Just one for a little flair, and you're all set Taylor."

"Do I really need any more flair?" Taylor asked, disgusted.

"Well of course you do and you're gorgeous," said Carissa, opening a shoe box and dropping two sandals at his feet. "Put these on and we're out of here. Come on, we're going to have fun today."

Taylor looked down, mentally cursing his brother, as he slid his feet into the neutral colored sandals. Between his big toe and the next sat a pastel pink decorative silk hibiscus flower, accentuating the sandals.

Taylor then followed Carissa from the room. He saw Kaylee in the hallway, looking as awkward as he felt.

"We match," Kaylee observed, sounding relieved to not be the only one in a dress.

"Ummmmm, yeah," replied Taylor, studying her and then feeling the anger build within him as he saw Kaylee was a reflection of himself.

They were dressed exactly alike. Their dresses identical, only in different color schemes. Both Taylor and Kaylee were in sleeveless, bell sun dresses of a floral print and had sewn in pastel sashes with a large hibiscus flower on the left. Taylor's was primarily pastel pink with white, and peach. Kaylee's was primarily peach with white, and pastel pink as the accent colors.

They had on identical sandals with the exception of the accent flower matching the dominant color of each of their dresses. Their matching hair cuts were styled exactly the same. As Kaylee turned, Taylor grew even sicker, seeing the back of her head and knowing his was identical.

Taylor reached up, feeling the sides of his head. The thin braids they each had were skillfully woven, with a series of multi-colored thin ribbons, and a small silk hibiscus flower centering a twisted in dainty bow at the end of each braid.

"Don't you girls just love what I've done with your hair," Carissa asked gleefully. "Careful you don't mess it up." She added, softly pulling Taylor's fingers away.

"The braids look delicate, but won't come out from just touching it, so you can relax, but please don't pull on it. Now enough admiring, let's get a move on, ladies."

Carissa hurried them out the door and Taylor quickly found himself in the back seat of the car with Kaylee.