A Pawn For Time (Daughter of the Olympians #1)

(22) I Attack the Ground

•A/N Hello my fellow readers! Happy Back to the Future Day (Oct. 21, 2015)! Anyway, to the story!•

I smiled and waved at the campers as they said goodbye. I watched them leave and didn't move until the elevator doors closed.

I stopped smiling and looked around to see if anyone was near. Not a soul in sight.

I walked towards Demeter's garden and went underneath the nearest tree. I concentrated on my destination. I felt the strong wind blow at my face. It died down quickly because I didn't travel that far, I assumed.

I observed my surroundings to make sure I was in the right place, Central Park. Once I was certain, I began to roam around. After all, I've never been to NYC until now. I decided I needed a break from all the drama and tension.

A boy about 5 years old was playing with toy dinosaurs on top a rock. His mother was sitting on a bench near him, reading a book.

I continued to walk around. Joggers and mothers with strollers passed me by. Each time they all stared at me. I guess I stood out. I was wearing a gray Journey shirt, with ripped dark jeans, combat boots, and a leather jacket. Not to mention my sunglasses. Yep, I stood out like a sore thumb on this freezing, wintery day.

I rejoined reality when I saw a guy sitting on a bench. He was cute. Okay, really cute. He was looking down at something.

I tried to walk by casually, but my clumsiness got the best of me. I tripped on my own feet, landing directly in front of the guy's feet.

"Are you okay?" He asked. His voice was heavenly. It almost made me forget that I was still on the ground. I felt his hands on my arms pulling me up.

"Yeah, I'm good," I said brushing off my clothes. I felt my cheeks burn.

He nodded and glanced away for a second. He took in a breath and asked,"Do you normally do that? I mean, trip over your own feet."

"Yeah, I just commonly feel the need to attack the ground," I said back. He laughed, and I felt my heart melt. Everything about this guy is perfect.

"I'm Malakai," He said putting out his hand,"But you can call me Kai."

"I'm Katherine," I said as I shook his hand.

"Cool," he said. Kai looked me in the eye, and I felt a fluttering in my stomach. What's wrong with me?

"Would you like to walk with me? I promise I'm not a sociopath." He said with his hands in a 'surrender' position. "We can get to know each other, if you want." The tips of his ears turned pink and he looked at the ground.

My face got red. "Of course, I'd love to. I mean, I got nothing better to do, really."

"Ok then. Let's get started, shall we?" We began to walk down the trail. During this, I pushed my sunglasses on top my head. My eyes hurt at first, but started to adjust.

"I'll start, I guess," He cleared his throat and continued, "My name is Malakai. I'm 24 years old and I'm from Canada."

I decided to just use all my past information. From before my parents ruined my life. It seems simpler just not mention anything surrounding them.

I smiled. "My name is Katerina, but people call me Katherine. I was born on February 29, 1972. So, I'm 18. I don't really know where I was born, but I was raised in New Orleans through the foster care system. I recently moved to New York."

Kai was looking at me weird. I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just I didn't think you were American. I was getting a Romanian vibe, no offense or anything. You were an orphan?"

I nodded. He looked foward then back at me. "Anyway. Hmph, what's your favorite holiday and why?"

"Personally, I like Halloween. The thought of thousands of kids taking candy from strangers puts a smile on my face. That and I love to scare people."

Kai laughed and I cracked a smile."My favorite holiday would have to be Christmas. Getting presents and hanging out with my friends while drinking hot chocolate gives me a warm feeling."

"That's sweet. Are you in New York for Christmas?"

"Yeah, I have some friends who live in the Upper East side. I'm not really close with my family."

"Huh, neither am I."

"What can I say? Dysfunctional families are common and parents are jerks." He said to me. He didn't even know the half of it.

"What's your blood type?" I continued.

Kai paused before answering. "I'm not sure."

"I'm B negative," I said. "What your favorite book."

"To Kill A Mockingbird. It gets me every time. You?"

"Tuck Everlasting."

"Favorite movie?" Kai asked as we avoided a woman with a stroller.

"Obviously, Back to the Future, or maybe Star Wars."

"If you had children, what would be their names?"

"Hmm, Adelaide for a girl and Miles for a boy," I said firmly. I always thought about names for my children, though I never actually wanted kids. I had to be prepared, though.

"I'd like Troian for a girl and Nicolai for a boy," Kai replied. "Do you have any health issues? I mean, those that you'd like to share."

I blushed slightly. "I have asthma, hemophilia, GAD, and a–uh," I paused, debating if I should tell Kai or not.

Kai grabbed my hand. "It's fine if you don't want to tell me. One question though, what's GAD?"

"Generalized anxiety disorder," I answered distastefully.

"Oh. I'm OCD."

"What's your favorite sport?" I asked.

"I like both field and ice hockey."

"I'm more of a basketball person, myself. Uh, what's your favorite animal?"

"Burmese python," Kai said without hesitation. I smirked.

"I like penguins."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Kai asked suddenly. I pursued my lips.

"No. Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No. But I would like one."

We reached a food cart, so we veered off and sat on a near by bench. I took in a large breath and let it go. I could see my breath and no doubt my nose was red.

I rubbed my hands together. "Oh, here you go." Kai handed me his jacket.

"Thanks." I smiled and slipped it on. Kai scooted closer, so our shoulders were touching.

"By any chance are you free Saturday night?"

I looked at him. My face probably said are you serious, but on the inside I was screaming with joy.

I had to keep it casual. "Yeah, actually I am. Who wants to know?"

"Well, would you like to come hang with me? I know it's on Christmas Eve. I just don't want to be lonely." Kai reached down and grabbed my hand.

I smiled and squeezed his hand. "I'd be honored."

He smiled back at me. "It's a date. I'll tell you the details later. Here's my number." He took out a small piece of paper and scribbled his number down.

"Thanks. I'm really looking forward to see you." We stood up off the bench.

"Until then," he said. He kissed my hand and walked away. I turned and started walking back.

My very first date! I'm so ecstatic. I have a smile plastered on my face. I'm not sure exactly how to maintain a relationship, but I can figure it out. This day turned out better than I expected!

•A/N Character Polaroid: Malakai played by Dan Jeannotte :)•