He worked fast, the name, Nduka, running through his mind like a litany… Shortly, he was crouched behind the nearest tree to the clearing, waiting ...or the right moment to move in and strike. His head was bent, his body tense as he listened to the voices behind the thick clump of bushes to his left. His heart beat fast as adrenaline rushed through his veins. He had noted the barely discernible opening to the clearing, and had spread his wooden spears and sturdy, roughhewn rocks behind the. Upon reaching his mother and sister, Jeff hugged each of them in turn, receiving comfort from their answering embraces. Seeing how tired the young man was, Holly led her brother to her own hut, wanting him to rest before he found out about the letter that was waiting for him.Wanting to be the one to break the bad news to her son, Patty Linden waited patiently at her son's bedside, knowing he would sense her presence and awaken from his slumber. True to form, Jeff began stirring as he realized. "I don't know. I... I don't want to stay home today. I want to go somewhere, anywhere," she blurted."Marily," he said tiredly, "You're free to go anywhere you like but it isn't your day for shopping, not your day for the library, and I don't know where else you would want to go. Why don't you get to know your neighbors? We've been here for two months now and you still don't know anyone to talk to."She wanted to laugh. She knew one neighbor very, very well, more than he would ever be able to. I think I was the first person to ask her to hang out since she moved here. That day went well. We hung out for a couple hours. Just talking about our lives, but mostly hers. I found out she moved here with her grandma after her mother passed away. She also told me she didn't have any friends yet. I could tell she didn't come from money because of her clothes. They were old and way to big. But I also found out how much I liked her. We had an instant connection. I knew from that first day we.