Chapter 1

Finally, my second year of college was done, and I planned to spend all summer doing nothing. I wanted to be completely lazy, hang about the house, maybe go to a few parties, or go to the beach. So on this particular Saturday morning, I went around garage sales and antique shops, another one of my interests, to look for something special. I saw another garage sale on the way home, so I had to pull over to check it out. As I perused through the items, I saw this amazing bracelet. I was strangely drawn to it but could not put my finger on why. It shone like it had an inner light, an energy that drew me to it.

So I asked the woman, “How much for the bracelet?”

“It is yours for free, but when you are done with it, you must pass it on.”

“Nothing is truly free, ma’am. Even if I don’t pay you for it, the universe will exact a price for it eventually, even if it is to help someone else.” Even though I thought that was kind of a strange thing to say, I thanked her and went on my way. That night I slept restlessly. I even had one of the recurring dreams I had when I was young, of being naked in school.

Just as I crawled out of bed, my younger brothers came bursting into my room like they always have. ‘I wish my parents would let me put a lock on my door. I’m an adult. I should be allowed my privacy,’ I thought to myself. ’But no! This is our house, and there will be no locked door in our house, they said.’ Then I saw my brothers’ shocked faces.

“What! What are you looking at?”

Then my brothers started laughing, which made me mad.

“Why the hell are you laughing?”

“Why the hell are you NAKED!?” Andy said and gestured toward me.

I looked down, shrieked, jumped back under the covers, and shouted for them to get out, but they wouldn’t.

“Please get out. Look, I need to pee.” I said as I pleaded with them.

“No, Nadia, I want to see you naked again. Can I?” Levi said, begging like an eight-year-old despite being sixteen. I could not hold it anymore, so I climbed out of bed and rushed past them to the bathroom. I heard them snickering as I sat there. Using a towel to cover me, I went back to my room and told my brothers to get out while I got dressed. They willingly left my room, still laughing at seeing me naked.

I slammed the door shut and wondered what the hell was going on. I found my PJs underneath my blankets on the side of my bed and put them back on. Great, my second day off of college, and my brothers have seen me naked for the first time!

I went downstairs to have some breakfast, and the looks my brothers gave me made me so embarrassed, even to look them in the face. Then they started teasing me and asking if I would be getting naked again. I gave them a look and went about getting myself some breakfast. All I could think about was why I was naked in bed. I never slept naked. After breakfast, I went back to my room because I had no plans but to be lazy and hang around the house.

I felt like going back to sleep again, so I lay on top of my covers in my PJs. As soon as I closed my eyes, it seemed as if I was transported somewhere; there I was, naked, riding a bicycle in a group of other naked people. I was so shocked that I almost fell off the bike. I looked around to see if I knew anyone, but I didn’t. Even the place was strange to me, but I continued with the flow of the other riders. Then everyone was coming to a stop, and some were putting their clothes back on. I got off the bike and stood there, watching them get dressed. They all had backpacks on, but not me, so I didn’t know what to do. For some reason, I was compelled to tell the guy in front of me that I had no idea where my clothes were. He looked at me strangely, then said, “You should have carried them with you, but you should be alright. This is the annual World Naked Bike Ride. There have been some women that have stayed naked even during the after-party and the rest of the night.”

I wanted to scream, run away and hide, but I had no control. Somehow the words “Thank you.” came out of my mouth. I looked around some more and realized I was actually in London. Double-decker buses and cars were going on the wrong side of the road, and the guy I talked to had an English accent. So I put it all together and began to panic that I was naked in a foreign country. I ran up to one girl that wasn’t getting dressed and asked her for help.

“I am sorry, this is my first time here. I am lost, I don’t know what to do now, and my clothes are gone.” The girl looked me up and down with a quizzical look.

“You sound American, but why did you get naked not knowing what we were doing?”

“Yes, I’m an American, but all I can say was that I was suddenly here,” I said, hoping she would help me. I could see she was having a hard time believing me, and I would too, but I guess she took pity on me.

“Hi, I’m Pam, your naked tour guide.” She chuckled.

“Hi, I’m Nadia.”

“Great, a bunch of us are going to the pub over there to continue the party.”

I stood there frozen, but she grabbed my hand and led me over to the pub. I struggled to get the words out.

“Can I have something to wear?”