Max's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Max asks his sister on the morning of his eighth birthday if she'll turn into his favorite venomous snake. He wants to see the scales appear, the way her spine curves and stretches. He promises to stay inside the whole time. He knows the rules about dangerous animals and open doors. Mazie stands in the center of his bedroom, near the wide window with its view of the backyard. She tilts her head, studying him. Then she smiles and starts. Max holds his breath. Her arms pull in first, fingers fusing together. Her legs buckle and merge. The pattern spreads across her skin—cream bands and dark saddles, perfect and wild. Her face flattens, eyes shifting to the sides. In thirty seconds, she's a coiled serpent on his floor, thick as his arm and longer than he is tall. Max kneels beside her. He doesn't touch, but he's close enough to see each individual scale. This is the best gift anyone's ever given him.