Percy felt the wind in his hair, and he started whistling. He held fast to the chains, swinging his stubby legs back and forth. He kept swinging as a girl came up to the swing set, and hopped on one herself. She looked at his profile, then stared straight ahead. He looked at her profile, his green eyes analysing her. She looked back at him but he looked away again.
Her blonde curls bounced around her shoulders, and whipping around her face. His own jet black hair flapped around, and his eyes glinted even though the sky was as dark as the night with clouds.
"So… I've never seen you here before." He said, still staring straight ahead. She shrugged.
"I just stopped here for a while. My… uh brother and uh, sis-sister are in school too." She said, just nearly getting the words out.
"Oh." He paused. "How old are they?"
"Thirteen and fourteen. My b-brother is fourteen." She said, twisting one of her golden locks. Silence fell over them. Percy looked around the playground, when he spotted the man.
The man came closer, wearing a long trench coat, and his hands stuffed in the pockets. He also had a huge fedora covering his head. Percy squinted, and he thought he saw only one eye. One red eye. He looked back at the girl, about to say something.
"What's you're- where'd she go?" He looked around until he saw her with someone. It was a boy, who he guessed was her brother, and who was tall, with blonde hair. He had blue eyes, and had his hands on her shoulders. They seemed to be in deep conversation, and the girl pointed to Percy. The boy looked at him, and he got off the swing. She tugged at her collar as he came closer. The boy looked at Percy, and steered the girl away.
"Luke! Why are we going?" She asked, tugging at his hand. He bit his lip. Another girl came over. She looked like a punk, short, cropped, black hair. She was wearing ripped jeans and a black t-shirt. She bit her lip and said through gritted teeth:
"Luke, over there…" Her eyes drifted over to the man. "We… have… to… go… NOW." He looked at the man too. Percy stepped closer, and it was the first that the guy named Luke really noticed him.
"Uh… hey." He said. Percy gave him a weird look. Luke gulped. He turned to the punk girl. "Listen, Thalia, I have the same feeling as you, but right now?" He asked. Thalia shrugged. Luke smiled at him as they walked away, the girl with blonde curls on his steps.
"But I never- huh. Oh well." Percy said, going back to the swing set. The girl with blonde curls looked at him, and he realised how grey her eyes were.
"My name's Ann-" she was pulled away by Luke and around the corner. Percy stood there, wondering what had happened. He turned around to come face to face with the man. And now, he could clearly see that he only had one eye.
"Boy, your destiny is great. You must realise that." Percy gulped and stepped back. The man stepped forwards. The man grabbed Percy's shoulder, and dug his nails into it.
"Ah!" Percy screamed. He broke away and started off running. The man followed. Percy was being chased around the playground, his little sneakers digging into the wood chips. "Stay away from me!" He yelled, running around the slide. The man was right on his tail, and reaching for Percy.
"Stop that! Go away!" Percy heard the familiar voice of Mr. Johnson. The man stopped chasing Percy, and stared at the teacher. "You heard me! Go!" Mr. Johnson came over, and stood up to the man. Even though he was about a foot shorter, he was definitely very brave. The man growled, but backed off. As Mr. Johnson watched the man walk off he rested a hand on Percy's shoulder.
"You okay lad?" He asked, steering him to the school doors.
"Mr. Johnson! He had only one eye! It's true!" Percy yelled, flailing his arms around. The teacher chuckled.
"Yeah, Percy and his ADHD. Okay son, let's go to the principles office." Mr. Johnson dragged Percy along as the other third graders stared. "Looks like we'll have to alert your mom." He said, walking through the doors. Percy sat in one of the chairs, as Mr. Johnson sat at his desk, typing in a number.
"Yes? Hello Mrs. Jackson. I have your son here. No mam. Yes mam. I'm afraid so mam." He hung up the phone. "So, Percy, your mom's coming to get you soon."
"But I'm not sick!" Percy complained.
"Yes, but you are still going home." Percy pouted.
"I don't wanna." He muttered. "Smelly Gabe is a meanie." He added. Mr. Johnson rolled his eyes. A jingle of bells signalled Mrs. Jackson's arrival. She walked in and sat next to Percy.
"So, Mrs. Jackson, I have a feeling that we cannot have Percy attend this school anymore. He is a danger to students and staff alike." She sighed, and wrapped an arm around Percy's shoulders.
"Come on Percy, we are going home." She said as they got up.
"I'm sorry mam, it's just-" Mr. Johnson was cut off by the door slamming shut. Mrs. Jackson took Percy's hand.
"Come, I have ice cream!" She said, and Percy lit up.
"Is it chocolate?" He asked.
"And vanilla." Percy laughed as they walked down the street. Another school expelled from, another school to avoid. Percy still wondered about the strange blonde girl, and supposed to be "brother and sister."
"Mom?" He asked, looking around at the traffic.
"Yes, my little hero?" She replied.
"Do you know a blonde girl named Ann?" He asked.
"Uh… no, I don't think so."
"What about a boy named Luke with blue eyes and blonde hair?" He asked, looking up at his mother. "Or a girl with short black hair and blue eyes named Thalia?" He asked. Mrs. Jackson was being over whelmed with the questions.
"No, now come on, we don't want to come home late." She said, thinking something very different. She felt these people were more than meets the eye, she felt like something was very wrong with this meeting. It felt like it was never supposed to happen at all. Like something had slipped past the fates, and was not going to end well. Yes, something was very wrong.