The Leaf Catcher (on hold)

First Impressions

Chapter 2

Tommy halted abruptly, successfully steering me to the bench.

"Kaiden! Look, here's my sister. The one I was talking about. Really clever and arty," he said in his disjointed rhythm.

Tommy has a slight speech impediment, often holding onto his g's for too long, having difficulty getting the sound to come out. I was so used to it that it was almost normal for me, but I became very protective over him when we had company.

People were terrible with abnormality nowadays.

I looked up sharply, ready to defy any nonsense the guy was going to give Tommy, but to my surprise, he was looking straight at me - not even paying attention to Tommy. I blushed, not only realising what my little brother had said, but also that his eyes were the deepest and bluest colour I'd ever seen, and they were staring right into mine.

He was attractive, to say the least. With naturally sun-kissed skin, a defined face and full lips, he was enough to make any girl swoon, let alone plain old me. His hair was a dark brown; short but wild, sticking up in any direction it chose to, defying the definition of 'tame'.

I felt quite ordinary in comparison, standing there haphazardly in my scruffy school uniform. I really hoped he had a nice personality.

"Hi," he said, his lips quirking up at the sides and his eyes smiling. He stood up and extended his hand and, oh boy, was he taller than me.

He had to be at least 6"2.

"I'm Kaiden," he added. "Kaiden Blake."

I smiled, hesitantly reaching out and sliding my hand into his. It was warm but strong, and I liked the feel of it.

Get a grip, Lockhart.

"I'm Meg Lockhart," I told him, stepping back. "And don't listen to anything this rascal's said. It's all lies!" Kaiden chuckled as I grinned at Tommy, tickling him. He giggled and pushed me away, sprinting off to the play area, which included an assortment of colourful structures and slides.

I smiled, turning back to Kaiden. "I haven't seen you here before," I marvelled at how casual I could sound when so much adrenaline was pumping through my veins.

"Ah, yeh, Minnie just started today." He gestured at the little girl on the bench. "We moved here from across the pond on Wednesday. My Uncle's still busy unpacking, so I decided I'd help him out," he smiled, examining me with his watchful eyes. It was like he was looking for something, but I had no idea what.

I should have felt uncomfortable, but something about him was making me feel really relaxed. His soft voice and eyes invited you to speak up; extinguishing any awkwardness or judgemental thoughts.

"Ah, I see. How's the town treating you so far?" I asked, hitching up my bag and sketchbook awkwardly. They weighed a ton with all my weekend homework; it was going to be such a chore to do.

Kaiden pushed his hands through his dark hair, effectively tousling it, and then pocketed them in his black jeans. "Ah," he chuckled without humour and looked to the sky, searching for his answer among the clouds. "It's...okay - quite a change from my last place, but I wouldn't say I'm thrilled to be here. Mind you, I don't think I really want to be anywhere right now."

He sounded sad - bitter, even - and his blue, sweater-clad forearms were taught with tension. I knew that look; I knew pain when I saw it.

Before I could answer, he looked back at me, the mask of a smile slipping onto his face. "It's okay," he repeated. "Things are looking up a little now, thanks."