Chapter 1

The sun was shining on Hillwood as summer was still going strong in the month of July. The adults were enjoying the warmth, while the kids were busy attempting to get some ice cream from the Jolly Olly Ice Cream Man.

At the park, a young man was sitting on a bench, a line of sweat going down his forehead. He wiped it away and attempted to fix his short brown hair to make it look presentable at least. When he finally parted his hair to the right, he stood up and decided to walk around to at least use up the time for today.

As he left the park and walked down the sidewalk of Hillwood, a girl bumped into him as he moved around the corner of the street, knocking her down by accident.

The man looked down and noticed she had short blonde hair and was wearing a plaid skirt and a black vest, looking very high-class.

"Oh! I'm very sorry. Let me help you up." The young man said with sincerity in his voice, offering his hand to help her up, which she accepts with a smile.

"No, I should be the one that's sorry. I was busy looking for my dear sister and I must have been distracted." She responded, looking around him.

"You're looking for your sister, huh? Maybe I can help. What's her name?" he asked.

"Her name is Helga. She has pigtails and she wears a pink dress with a bow." She explained, tears almost welling up in her eyes. He attempted to calm her down.

"Whoa hey, let's take deep breaths, okay?"

The girl nodded, inhaling and taking a tissue out, dabbing the tears away from under her eyes.

"Now, let's go find your sister. I'm sure she couldn't have gone far, since she sounds younger than you. Most kids these days are scared to go far from their home, you know?" he said with a smile, gesturing her to lead the way.

"My name is Nathaniel, by the way. What's yours?"

"Olga Pataki. It's nice to meet you." She said with a smile and a sniff.

"Olga? That's a nice name."

An hour had passed as Olga and Nathaniel looked for Helga, talking to each other and getting to know one another better.

"So, do you live around here?" Olga asked.

Nathaniel thought for a moment about where he lived and gave a small shrug.

"Yeah, I would think so. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm only here for two weeks, but I grew up in Hillwood and attended school here. Of course, I was a straight-A student and was top of my class. I'm currently attending Bennington College and, as expected, I am doing very well." She said with a smile, confidence in her voice.

"Well, I'm not surprised, since you were a good student in school." He said, giving a small laugh.

"Did you attend school here too?"

"Yeah, and I even graduated. But I couldn't leave Hillwood. I think if you stay in one place long enough, you are that place." He said.

Olga smiled at the idea and nodded.

Suddenly, Olga's cellphone started ringing, making her answer it.

"Hello?" She asked.

Nathaniel looked at Olga as she spoke to the person on the phone, a smile growing on her face and her voice becoming happier.

"Okay! Thanks, daddy! I'm so glad to hear it!" She said, ending the conversation and hanging up.

"Something happen?" Nathaniel asked.

"Helga's home, safe and sound."

Olga took a breath of relief and turned around to head back home.

"Well, that's good." He said with a smile, but he grabbed Olga's hand before she walked away.

"Before you go, do you need someone to walk you home? You just never know with these streets and I know this place like the back of my hand."

Olga shook her head and smiled.

"No, it's okay. I can manage on my own." She said.

"Will I see you again? I mean, if you don't mind, we could talk again and take a walk. We could go to the park or something."

"Oh, I'm sure you will. Maybe we'll bump into each other again." Olga said, looking at him with a bright smile before slipping her hand out of his hand slowly and walking away, giving a wave before she turned a corner.

Nathaniel watched as she walked away and he smiled to himself.

"What a nice girl. Olga was her name, right?" he pondered, walking down the streets, alone once more.