Contents
1. Serpent
Overview
In 2090 Montana, ten-year-old Alexis endures abuse and meets Nyx, an invisible, venomous echidna only she can hear, forming a secret bond. That night a mysterious woman delivers a new foster child, Charlie. Alexis claims him as family and vows to protect him, signaling newfound purpose amid a brutal world.
Summary
Alexis wakes injured in a rural Montana field, recalling a world ruined by Titans and ruled by Spartan Houses. A disembodied voice addresses her, and she discovers Nyx, a hovering, venomous, invisible echidna serpent that only Alexis can hear. Despite Nyx’s menace, Alexis, starved of kindness, asks to be friends, and Nyx reluctantly agrees.
Returning to the dilapidated trailer, Alexis hides Nyx from her intoxicated, abusive foster parents. Nyx challenges Alexis’s belief that killing is always wrong, foreshadowing moral conflict, while Alexis clings to her vow never to kill. They settle into Alexis’s cardboard box bed, and Nyx admits the bond is unusual.
Night brings insistent knocking. A white-haired, purple-eyed woman arrives and abruptly deposits a silent, yellow-eyed boy named Charlie, citing a government-Spartan foster allotment. The foster parents react with hostility and apathy, leaving the children to themselves.
In the dark, Alexis cautiously befriends Charlie, learns he is nine, and makes space for him beside her while keeping Nyx concealed. Alexis promises to protect him, and Charlie’s tentative smile shows relief. The chapter closes with Alexis, who began the day alone, now bound to Nyx and Charlie, embracing a protective role.
Who Appears
- Alexis HertTen-year-old orphan in Montana; abused, injured, can hear Nyx; befriends the serpent and vows to protect new foster brother Charlie.
- NyxInvisible, venomous echidna serpent; only Alexis can hear her; cynical yet protective, forms a reluctant friendship with Alexis.
- CharlieSilent, yellow-eyed nine-year-old foster boy delivered at night; wary but receptive as Alexis declares herself his protector.
- MotherAbusive, neglectful foster parent addicted to a homemade intoxicant; grudgingly accepts Charlie and demeans Alexis.
- FatherAbusive foster parent; recently tied Alexis up; intoxicated and largely unresponsive during Charlie’s arrival.
- Elderly woman with purple eyesStern messenger who delivers Charlie under government–Spartan authority and departs immediately.