When Worlds Collide

Chapter 1

The surprised yelp immediately told me where Mary was within the house. I scrambled up the stairs and entered the room of what appeared to be a little girl's in a panic, taking in Mary standing in front of an older woman. She couldn't have been older than her mid-forties, with long, beautiful blonde hair that cascaded down her back like a sheet. Her mouth was agape in surprise, a box filled with toys laid at her feet, the contents spilled out over the floor.

Mary pointed to a plastic horse on the floor near the box, and exclaimed, "I love horsies!"

I surged forward and grabbed Mary's hand, then addressed the woman, attempting to defuse the situation with my lack luster social skills.

"I-I'm really sorry ma'am. Mary didn't mean-"

"Mom? What happened?" Another voice interrupted me- a deep, smooth voice. I looked over my shoulder to see a tall boy around my age with chestnut colored hair, his fringe stopping just above his emerald green eyes. He looked between Mary, the woman, and me with a fast flicker of his eyes. He was like a genetic opposite to me, with tan skin, broad shoulders and lean muscles, and most likely, a functioning brain. A black tank top was the only thing that covered his torso, and there was a darker spot towards his chest where sweat had dampened the dark fabric. This guy really was a sight.

The woman shook her head, eventually coming to terms with the situation, as she kneeled down in front of Mary and smiled.

"Hi there, what's your name?"

Mary gave a gummy smile back, showing her absent front teeth. "Mary."

"Well, hello there. You gave me quite the scare, didn't you?" She then looked at the boy behind me. "It's okay, Ethan. Could you go get Ally?"

I heard the boy leave, but my lips were still parted in surprise at the circumstances that resulted in me standing in some little girl's room, in some stranger's house.

"I have a daughter that I think is around your age. I know she would love to make a new friend," the woman told Mary, whose eyes widened at the prospect of making a friend. I continued to awkwardly stand there with a deer in the headlights look until the woman finally addressed me. "What's your name, young man?"

"Ivan . . . we live in, uh, the house down the street," I muttered, rubbing my forearm in discomfort. Reminding myself of the situation, I kicked myself to continue on with the right thing to say when your little sister trespasses onto someone else's property. "I apologize for Mary. . ."

The woman threw her head back and laughed, a really light, carefree laugh. "Oh don't worry about it sweetie," she waved her hand and continued, "she meant no harm."

"Mom?" A tiny voice questioned behind me. I glanced behind my shoulder once again to see Ethan, only this time he had a little blonde girl around Mary's age by his side.

"Honey, this is Mary, and she likes horses just like you!" The mother beckoned her daughter over, introducing the two girls. I slowly inched out of the room, unsure exactly what to do. It was my responsibility to watch after Mary for Mrs. Clarissa, after all. The mother in the middle of the room must have sensed my hesitation, and reassured me that she could watch the two girls as they got to know each other. I gave her Mrs. Clarissa's phone number just to be sure, and then exited the room.

"Hey," the smooth and calculated voice of Ethan sounded from behind me in the hallway, and I turned around to face him. Standing in front of him, I realized just how tall he was, and I immediately felt my mouth go dry. "Are you busy the rest of the day?"

"Um. . . well, I-" I began, before cutting myself off. I was going to make up some excuse, some nonexistent chore to use as an unfortunate reason to explain why I couldn't hangout with this guy. I paused though, Mrs. Clarissa's words echoing in my head, and the words came tumbling out of my mouth before I could regret them. "No, I'm not," I said, shaking my head.