The Belle of Vicksburg

In order to write a book, I think the first one must establish the setting. Then one must introduce the main protagonist that drives the plot forward to the reader. Allow me then to first establish the setting for you. Then, please allow me to introduce you to the protagonist of the following story. The setting is Vicksburg, Mississippi. The city itself is one of the principal cities of Mississippi with a population of around fifty thousand. The city is located on the high bluff that overlooks a gentle bend in the Mississippi River.

The city is also the third major port on this section of the Lower Mississippi River. With New Orleans and Memphis taking first and second place. The city is also my birthplace. I was born and raised here. The city is known for two things mainly, the first is the fact that the town can boast of having four floating casino boats. These are floating palaces of pleasure and vice and supply the city with a contest source of income.

Next up as any American historian worth their salt would tell is the “The siege of Vicksburg '' The city prides itself on having endured a terrible forty four day siege and near consent bombardment by Federal Forces at the height of the American Civil War.

Another, lesser known claim to fame is the fact that the city is supposed to be the most haunted city in Mississippi. Tales of ghostly Confederate soldiers clashing with ghostly Union soldiers in pitch battles that slowly fade into nothingness are common and as an urban legend of a black horse drawn hearse that is often seen being pulled up and down the steep cobblestone paved hillside streets around Halloween. I could spend a million words telling you all these stories.

But instead I will tell you my own story, the story of my own metamorphosis from shy school boy to proper southern belle and how I became the self titled 'Belle of Vicksburg'.

Before I go on, I would like to say something about this story. Like most coming of age stories you find. I think there is something special about it, something you will not find in other stories. Like most stories you will find there are heroes and scheming villains. But the main driving force will be me, me coming to terms with my own doubts, and overcoming my own fears.

I think that Mr. William Faulkner, that famous Southern author who himself hailed from Mississippi said it best when he said, “The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.” And that is what I think this story is really about. The human heart, in  consistent conflict with itself.

-1-
It all started with a Wager

Vicksburg High School had been back in session for three weeks. More than enough time for us students to settle back down into the dull routine of going from one classroom to the other. Once more getting into the groove of jotting down notes, doing homework, and taking tests to gauge our understanding of the various subjects you were required to learn and master in order to get your diploma. I was your average student. Well not your average student per-say. Like most of our nation's high schools, you had a strict social hierarchy with people measuring their own place on this sliding scale with the amount of popularity they could command.

It kind of reminded me of a pyramid. At the top of the pyramid you had the football players and the cheerleaders. On the level below them you had the basketball players, the kids you did field and track sports. You know field hockey, softball and hardball. The band, chorus and drama clubs were lumped in with this social group. And on the level below them you had kind of what we'll call the “Middle Class' ' you had the average kids who would attend the games on Friday night and had their own little social groups.

They were kind of the “Middle Class” of the school. Each one enjoyed a certain degree of popularity. Were often invited to parties or other private social events, like birthday parties, tailgating parties, pool parties and such. And some were even friends to the football players and cheerleaders. While not moving directly in their social circle, they were always welcome to hang out with them and sit by them at lunch.

And at the bottom of the barrel, you have me. Let me tell you a little about myself. I'm short for a boy, barely breaking five feet. I'm sender with something of an hourglass frame. You know, broad in the shoulders, slim at the waist and broad in the hips. I have reddish brown hair that I've been growing out for the last eighteen months. It now reaches well beyond my shoulder blades. Besides washing and brushing it out, I've done nothing to it. My last true haircut was a year and a half ago and it left me so traumatized that I've been avoiding going down to the local barbershop ever since.

My voice is light and airy, my accent is surely southern. For eyes. I have large blue eyes. I'm often seen wearing glasses as well because I'm totally near sighted. I'm also a huge nerd. I'm pale as a sheet, because I do not tend to tan well and I also spend most of my time indoors, either playing video games, reading, or playing or plotting out new adventures in the classic tabletop adventure game 'Dungeons and Dragons' with my small group of friends. We call ourselves 'The Fellowship of the Muse'.

That or I'm down at the local library doing research and reading. I also enjoy watching anime and doing some roleplaying online. And I'm starting to develop a fondness for Manga. I also like to think of myself as something of an aspiring writer, most of the critics on Fanfiction.net, FictionPress.Net, and Devianartart.Com think what I write though is pure shit. And I tend to agree more often or not to agree with them.

So far most of my stories tend to be fanfictions about my favorite video game series of all times, “The Legend of Zelda.” Anyway I've told you more than enough about. Let me tell you about my very first misadventure. And how I went from a social outcast named Taylor Chris Hull to the Belle of High Southern society named Taylor Christina Hull. And it all started with a wager made over a game of Magic.

It was your average lazy Thursday afternoon, lunch was over and done with and Mrs. Brooks a woman who was so old that a rumor was going around school that she had been on the Mayflower when it landed on Plymouth rock was sound asleep in her favorite overstuffed, leather armchair. She was in the habit of falling fast asleep during fourth period study hall. Well if she not sleeping then she was reading aloud from the Bible. New King James version. She was also so old that one day, all of us were afraid that we were going to walk in and find her slumped over her desk, dead as a doornail.

But then again she was so old, and so mean, and so tough and so full of venom that maybe even the Grim Reaper himself was afraid to even get close to her. She had this habit of snarling and showing her teeth if you dared to even ask the simplest of questions.
And according to her, all of us, or the whole generation of us were all and I quote “Myspace, Sex addicts bound to burn forever in the everlasting fires of hell.” And she hoped to live long enough to see Gabrielle come down and blow his horn and all the saved on earth to collect in the sky as the unworthy are cast into a sea of fire. She was a real piece of work.

Anyway I was sitting with my friends, we had arranged our desk into something of a semicircle. You see I have a small, semi close knit group of friends I tend to hang out with. All of us are geeks, all of us had little or no social life beyond our weekly Dungeon and Dragons meetup on Saturday Nights and of course the weekly Friday Night Magic The Gathering social event at the local comic card shop in the mall.

Anyway like I normally do, I was trying to write something. I had this neat idea building in my head for a Legend of Zelda fanfiction about Link getting and it was up to Princess Zelda to save him. I had high hopes for this story. I'd hoped this would be the piece that got me 'Discovered' and would usher in a flood of positive reviews on Deviantart and jump start my career as a fanfiction write and heck maybe even launch me into the circles of internet fandom.

The rest of my friends though were all taking turns battling each other using their decks of Magic: The Gathering trading cards. Like most geeks my friends and I adore the trading card game Magic: The Gathering and often sharpen our skills by playing with each other.

Now, money was tight around our house, my dad, the sorry bag f shit he was, had divorced my mom when my older sister and I were little. Leaving my mom as sole breadwinner for the family. So I rarely had money to blow on cards. Most of my trading card money came from doing odd jobs around the neighborhood. You know, mowing people's lawns during summer, washing people's cars, giving random dogs baths, cleaning total strangers' houses. Pretty much anything and everything legal that would put a dollar in my pocket.

Anyway with money tight and my income limited, I had to be wise on how I went about collecting my cards. Now normally one would buy a starter deck and acquire additional cards through either buying booster packs or trading. But booster packs are expensive and you only get like nine or ten cards per pack. And at four dollars a pack. Man you gotta be kicking me.

So with that in mind I brought most of my cards in bulk using such sources as online auction sites, like Ebay for example. Or such major online retailers like Amazon. I also brought cards in bulk from Comic, Heroes and Gumbo. A card slash comic book shop that was located across the Mississippi River in Delta, Louisiana. Vicksburg is located right on the state line.

“Hey!” My concentration on my writing was shattered beyond repair. I looked up from my paper and noticed one of my friends, David Larry, looking square at me. His beady black eyes peered right at me. “Hey dude!” He said, slapping my desk again with his open pale. As he peered across from me. “Come on man, let's battle. I'd whopped all the others' asses. Now it's your turn to get the beat down.” He said grinning like a cat who just snatched the song bird from it's cage.

Now of all my friends, David Larry was the best one when it came to playing Magic: The Gathering, I was a charitable second rater.

“No way man.” I said returning to my writing as I drew in a deep breath, hoping to clear my mind and refocus on the thin as broth plot line I had formed in my head.
“Beside you have nothing I want anyway. And I'm not about to put tomorrow's lunch money on you.” I said in a matter of fact tone of voice as I shrugged him off. Charitable I should call David Larry a friend, only our love of Magic and Lord of the Ring's bound us together. I did not trust him, nor could I bring myself to fully open myself to him.

“Oh dude don't be such a wet blanket man. Come on, I know you have some pretty sweet, and rare cards hidden away in your card bind. Just put one or two of them up as a prize and I'll put one of my own rare cards up for a prize. Hell I'll even put my whole deck on the line if you put your deck on the line.” He said holding his deck of trading cards.

“Dude, you know how insane that sounds.” I said, shaking my head. “Plus, I'm not putting my desk on the line. That deck set me back twenty five dollars.” I paused. “Nor am I going to put any of my prize cards on the line for that sorry ass collection of cards you have.” I said as I tried again to return to writing my story.

“Okay Ash, how about this I'll level with you.” David said leaning over my desk he wore a smile that reminded of a feral cat. “How about this wager? If you win, I'll hand over my whole deck of cards. You heard me right, my whole deck of cards. If you lose, you gotta wear a skirt to school tomorrow for the whole day. And you gotta dress like a fucking girl for the weekly Friday Night Magic Tournament.”

At that very moment I placed my pencil down upon my sheet of paper and pushed them both to the side and looked David dead in the eye. I then folded my arms across my chest and leaned back into my chair. I then cocked my head sideways and raised one eyebrow as I looked him dead in the eyes, that had to be the most insane in the brain idea that Jack-Dawn fool has ever spoken to me since I've known him and that was going on eight or so years.

“Dude.” I said, shaking my head to the left and then to the right. “Did you just even hear what the bloody hell came out of that trash hole you call a mouth?” I said, shaking my head. “I don't even own a blood, freaking skirt!” Okay let me explain something about myself right quick. I have this strange little quirk, you see I've read the U.K Edition of “The Hobbit” and its epic sequel “The Lord of the Rings” I've also read the U.K Edition of all the Harry Potter Books and specials. So I kind of mix British English with my American English from time to time. Just a force of habit.

“So.” David said, smirking. “You could always just borrow one from your sister, or get one from your mom's closet. Or hell go down to the local thrift shop and buy you one. Simple as that.”

“You know how creepy and fucked up that sounded right?” I said as I rolled my eyes around.

“Okay fine dude. How about this, if you lose the game, I'll get you a skirt to wear to school. Hell you can even keep the fucking damn thing. Maybe you can wear it to Fright Night Magic and pass it off as a kilt or some shit.” He said, still smirking. “But I mean I can understand if you're chicken or something. He added as he turned his head away from me.

“What is your problem man?” I said as I titled my head to the side. If this was an anime, a huge question mark would be appearing right above my head right about now.

“Oh nothing. I just want to see you make a total Jackass of yourself in front of everybody. Plus, since you read those prissy, sissy mangas like Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew, Boys Over Flowers, Karin, and how could I ever forget Ramna ½. I'd figured since you read like a schoolgirl, you look like a schoolgirl, and you act like a schoolgirl, the very least you can do is dress like one. Hell you might get a date or something or at the very least you'll stand a better chance of losing your v-card.” He said in an off handed kind of way.

At that very moment I really wanted to jump across my desk and break every little bone in his body. David and I might have been friends, but we were only friends in the most loose definition of the word.

“Okay!” I said, bending down and reaching into my backpack. “Let's do this.” I don't know what I was thinking. But battling him would get him to shove a sock in his mouth. I was all for it. And with that being said we put our two desks together and started to shuffle our cards. Once that was done we each drew seven cards and the battle was one.

And as expected at the end of twenty minutes I'd lost the game. Well not by much, I'd reduced him from the starting forty Mana points to just one. He was barely alive. It was luck, sheer luck that had allowed him to claim his victory over me. Overall it was really too close to call. But David was grinning from one ear to the other.

“Hey dude! Dude, don't look so down. I bet with their pretty little legs, you'll look amazing.” He said as he slapped me hard on the shoulder and rushed off to his next period class. I think his next class was JROTC or some shit. Mrs. Books was still asleep that or at last the Grim Reaper had come to claim her soul. I guess it was for the best she had remained steadfast asleep through the whole exchange. No doubt she would have raised a billion dollars worth of hell if she had heard me and my friend chatting like we were.

And that is how the first chapter comes to an end.