Riley got back from visiting her Dad late in the afternoon; she stepped out of the car and saw a boy with dark blonde hair kicking a soccer ball against a wall or kicking it at different things in his back yard. He turned around when she closed the car door and she could see he had brown eyes; they were so serious, as if he had seen and gone through too much for anyone that age. The soccer ball he had just kicked was flying towards her, but she kicked it back with amazing reflexes.
"Thanks" he said catching the ball "no problem" she replied smiling at him and started walking up towards the house, I guess I should call it home now right, she thought "so…um, you were did you move from?" Alex asked hesitantly "San Francisco" she replied "really? I have a friend who lives over there" he said "have you ever been there?" she asked "yeah, a few times with my uncle" he replied as he felt a pang of grief. Riley could see this was a sore subject for him and changed the subject "so have you ever surfed?" she asked, she loved surfing, she surfed anytime she could even skipping school a couple of times if the waves were record high, "yeah, not very good though" he said smiling "I didn't catch your name by the way" Riley said "Rider…?" she asked as she saw the name on scribbled on the soccer ball "Rider, Alex Rider" he said her smile grew wide at the way he had just introduced himself "Riley Summers" she said extending her hand which he took. "I gotta go…um I'll see you later?" Alex said and she nodded "bye" she said waving and walked inside.
Unknown to Riley and Alex, a black 2004 Roles Royce Phantom had pulled up into the driveway while they were talking. The door opened and Alan Blunt stepped out,
Mrs. Jones was right, it would be only natural that they met, they were neighbors, they were going to go to the same school, it was unavoidable. Yet, he didn't think it would happen so quickly.
Riley walked in the door with a smile on her face, at least she would know someone from Brookland, the entire school wouldn't be a complete mystery, she thought. She walked up the stairs into her room and over to her bed, which was next to her window. She couldn't stop thinking about his eyes, there was something about them, they held a story, but what was Alex's story?
She was probably just imaging it anyway; she had just met him after all.
She looked out the window and across the yard, the houses, even with all the land they were on, still were right next to each other. She opened her window as the breeze swept through her room. She lied down on her bed and closed her eyes, if she was just imaging it then why couldn't she stop thinking about it.
"Riley?" someone said, she knew that voice, it was Alex's, but how could he be in her room, he wasn't, she looked out her window. Alex was sitting on his bed which was next to the open window "Alex, hey" she said "of all the rooms"