Cinder's POV:

After following Iko on and off of rides for the past couple hours, I decide to take a popcorn break. I search for the closest popcorn vender and leave Iko by the ring toss booth where she is currently flirting with somebody she knows from school. Some guy named Kinney. Or was it Kyle? Either way, I want no part in witnessing that.

"OMG! I love your shirt!" compliments a teen a few inches shorter than me with short, black hair and a plate of very sugary fried dough.

"Thanks," I reply awkwardly. I'm not used to getting compliments from anyone other than Iko, and definitely not from strangers. I turn to face the back of the tall, bulky man in front of me in line, not expecting her to continue the conversation.

"Mulan is my favorite Disney movie! I love it so much!"

"It's my favorite too," I add, preparing to turn away again.

"Have you read any of the fanfiction?" She asks. Fanfiction? Did she just ask if I read fanfiction? Well, if she is a fellow lover of then she should be easy to talk to. Right?

"Yeah, I love the fics on ." I've just become the next in line to order so I tell the red haired girl behind the counter that I want a small popcorn and hand her some cash. As I'm being handed my popcorn, my new, young friend frantically waves a tall boy with dark hair over to us.

I step out of line as he reaches us and the girl nearly shouts, "Kai, this girl reads Mulan fanfiction!"

The boy, Kai, smiles and pushes his hair out of his chocolate brown eyes, "And does this girl have a name?"

"Cinder." I extend my hand for him to shake and he takes it.

"I'm Kai."

"Oh yeah! I'm Nainsi by the way!" the chatty teen informs me.

"So, you read Mulan fanfiction?" Kai asks.

"Yeah. I write it more than I read it though," I admit. I don't know why I just told him that. I only just met these two and they already know more about me than my family does. Not that that's saying much. My step mother and step sisters don't care what I do as long as it doesn't affect them.

"Really? What's your username?" Kai asks. "Maybe I- Nainsi has read some of your work."

I raise my eyebrows, but don't ask Kai about his slip up. I wonder why he doesn't want me to know he reads fanfiction too. Or maybe he just doesn't want Nainsi to know. She seems like the kind of girl to never let him forget something that could be used against him. Good thing she wasn't paying attention. Instead, Nainsi was scanning the row of striped tents across from the concession stands.

"I think I just saw some of my friends in the palm reading tent. Can I go see them for a second?" Nainsi interrupts, abruptly. "I'll be right back."

Kai nods his confirmation and she skips off to the tent with the gold moons and stars dangling from the entrance on clear strings, leaving me alone to make conversation with a very attractive stranger.