Chapter 1

“We’ve gotten news of reports of an unidentified object spotted 200 miles south of the border. This is the second recent sighting of–”

I turned my TV off as I finished tying up my sneakers. It was time to get to the gym.

I only watched the news for weather reports and never paid much mind to the other stuff. I’m sure plenty of people would care about a UFO sighting, but I wasn’t one of them.

Today the weather was going to be a bit chilly, so I opened my small closet and grabbed my zip up hoodie. Because our campus was small, the walk to the gym was less than five minutes.

I worked out just about every day around 9 AM. Maybe it was boring, but I always kept to a schedule. When a lot of my friends were getting the freshman 15 and more, I remained the same weight and even managed to get visible abs. Overall, it wasn’t super important, but having a great body did increase my luck with the ladies and help me in general feel pretty confident.

Making sure I had my phone, wallet, and ID I turned out the light to my dorm room and shut the door behind me.

The dorms were somewhat empty, most noted when I walked down the almost eerily quiet halls, my sneakers squeaking. The semester hadn’t started yet, but I was sure more people would be moving in the next few days. It was a little surreal having it be the start of my senior year, so I figured I should make the best of it.

I gave a quick greeting to the RA at the front desk as I headed out the front door of the dorm, outside onto the quad. The skies were bright and blue without clouds, though there was a little breeze.

Just as I was making it to the building the gym was in, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Wow.

In front me only a few feet away stood a girl who seemed to shine brightly even without the sun out. She stood around 5’4 with brownish blond hair and tanned skin. The petite girl tilted her head and looked around a couple of times, as if she wasn’t quite sure of herself. She pulled down the edges of her sky blue chiffon dress, cut low enough to show her toned legs.

I’d met plenty of cute girls before, but something was particularly striking about her.

Shuffling forward, I cleared my throat. “Excuse me,” I started gently. “You look a little lost. Need some help getting somewhere?”

The girl turned to face me and I was caught by her large blue eyes and big lips. She looked innocent and soft.

“Oh! I …think so. I mean, I don’t really know where to go. So…help would be much obliged!” she replied, fidgeting with her pastel pink backpack straps.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “What are you looking for?”

“Um, I am looking for the dorm rooms first. It is called Adams Hall,” she said, pressing an index finger into her cheek.

“So, if you turn right from where we’re standing, go straight and stop at that building with 6 stories,” I pointed.

The girl nodded furiously. “I see. And could you perhaps illuminate me on where I can purchase reading materials?”

“Huh?” She sure did have a funny way of speaking. “You mean textbooks? You can go in here and up the stairs. All the way down the hall up there is the store.”

“I see!” she beamed. “Thank you very much for your assistance!”

“No problem–”

Without warning, the girl plunged headfirst into me for a hug. I blinked, as I felt her softness against me, though it was tempered with such tightness behind the hug that it was surprising. Before I could respond, it was over just as quickly as it began.

“I am so relieved! I did not see many people on the grounds when I arrived, so I was a bit concerned.”

“Right…school doesn’t start for a while. So, I’m guessing you’re a new student here?” I asked, trying to understand this odd girl.

“Yes,” she nodded. “I am…a transfer student. It is my second year. I still am not used to schools here yet so I apologize. I am not from here, you see.”

“Oh, so you’re from abroad then?”

“Yes, yes. I’m a way aways, but I am very excited to explore away from home,” she said with a big smile. “Oh, please excuse me and my long tirades. You’ve been very helpful, yet I have not asked for your name. I am Kira. It is nice to meet you!”

“Ah, good to meet you, Kira. I’m James.”

“James,” she hummed to herself. “Yes, this is a hardy name. I think it suits you.”

I cocked my head. “Really? It’s a pretty boring name. Pretty average if you ask me.”

“I like it,” she laughed. “Oh…I realized, was I interrupting you? You appeared to be going somewhere before you helped me.”

“ I was headed to the gym in here, but–”

“Then you should go on about your day. Thank you for stopping to help a lost sheep like myself.”

“...Well I don’t mind helping. Why don’t we exchange numbers? If there’s anything you have questions about or need help with, just shoot me a text.”

“Ah! Really? I may do so?”

“Yeah, sure it’s no prob.”

Kira looked as if she could jump up and down. We took out our phones and gave each other our numbers.

“Excellent! I’m happy to have made my first friend here! I will see you around!” she said skipping in the direction of the Adams dorms.

What a strange encounter…I could only describe it like a whirlwind. But her exuberance was infectious and cute. It made me a little more motivated to do my work out at the gym.

______

After my run on the treadmill, I grabbed some breakfast from the school’s cafeteria and returned to my room for a while.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Kira, actually. She had already texted me asking various questions about the school and what classes we were taking.

As it turned out, we were scheduled for one class together on Thursdays. Science could be pretty dry, so I was glad I had someone to talk to. My last science class I had, I was alone and stuck on a table with some classmates who were hitting on each other. It was an extra misery because of that.

But maybe if I was lucky, I could become that obnoxious couple. Kira was pretty cute after all…