For Whom He Fights Read online

  Kurt walked over and ran his hand over the rings. When he was younger and he would find tree stumps, he used to count the rings to figure out how old the tree was. But as he got older, he kind of just stopped. Maybe it was because Gary and Will would make fun of him. He had always been interested in nature. As Kurt ran his hand over the stump, a common tree snake slithered on to the stump very close to his hand.

  “Hey there, little guy,” Kurt whispered to it.

  The snake slithered its way over onto his hand, and he carefully lifted his hand to get a closer look at the snake. His mom would always scream at him for picking up the snakes he encountered. He knew it was because she was worried about him getting bitten and poisoned. But the common tree snake was not poisonous. Giving the snake a quick stroke, Kurt let it slither off and continued his walk to work.

  Chapter Three

  According to Andronaisa, the flight from San Diego to Pittsfield wasn’t that long at all. She expected the flight to take the whole day when, in fact, it only took six hours. On the flight, she tried to use the time to read or sleep, but her head was too full. Would Stephane be okay? Would Michael hurt him? What was Cheshire like? Could she really start over there? With all these thoughts running through her head, she didn’t even realize when the plane landed. Just as she exited the plane, thoughts of her mother filled her head. What would her mother think of her now? When Andronaisa was younger, she would constantly tell her mother how much she loved living in San Diego and how nothing would ever make her leave. And yet, here she was, in a whole new state. She gave a little shake of her head as she moved to the baggage claim to get her duffle and wait for Stephane’s cousin. She wondered what she would look like. Andronaisa had never heard of a girl named George. Maybe it was short for something. She eventually grabbed her bag and looked for a seat to wait.

  Andronaisa [sent 5:30:09]: Hey Stephane. I made it to Pittsfield. Waiting for your cousin.

  Stephane [sent 5:30:12]: That’s awesome, Andy! She should be there soon. I know she’s probably just getting off work. God, I miss you already and it hasn’t even been a full day yet.

  Andronaisa [sent 5:30:30]: