doing for the rest of my life!"
"Well, hopefully not this," Courtney said cheerfully, then nodded soberly. "But . . . yeah."
"I just . . ." Herzer stopped and shook his head. "Never mind. Thanks for the water."
"LUNCH BREAK!" Jody yelled, banging two pieces of metal together. He waved at Herzer. "You can take a break until it's over."
"Why?" Herzer said with a shrug, picking the axe back up. "I'll keep working."
Jody looked at him with an inscrutable expression for a moment, then nodded, and headed over to the pots that had been smoking over a fire.
"It's not fair," Courtney said hotly. "You didn't start that."
"I know," Herzer said, spitting on his hands and wincing when the spittle hit his now bleeding blisters. "But I think I kind of understand it."
"What, telling you you can't eat? Because you complained about that useless jackass?" Mike asked, walking up.
"Because of how it ended up going," Herzer replied, taking his first hit at the next branch. "None of us have ever had to work for a living. We're having to learn how. How to work in groups, too. Jody's got a tough job and the only way he can do it is to be a hard-ass."
"Well he pissed a lot of people off today," Courtney said hotly, looking over at where the foreman was being harangued by Earnon. It was clear that the man couldn't believe he wasn't going to be permitted to eat.
"I know, Earnon's already got friends," Herzer nodded.
"Oh, not that," Courtney said. "I suppose a few of them don't like it because of him. But most of us are pissed off that you got caught up in it. Earnon's the problem, not you."
"Oh," Herzer said. "Uh. Thanks."
"We need to go eat," Mike said, taking Courtney by the arm. "Herzer, we can hold a little by . . ."
"If Jody finds out, he's likely to dock you two, too," Herzer said, shaking his head. "You go eat."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
By the middle of the afternoon Herzer was swaying from fatigue and hunger. He was still clearing branches and doing it at a pretty good pace, but he didn't know how much
"Well, hopefully not this," Courtney said cheerfully, then nodded soberly. "But . . . yeah."
"I just . . ." Herzer stopped and shook his head. "Never mind. Thanks for the water."
"LUNCH BREAK!" Jody yelled, banging two pieces of metal together. He waved at Herzer. "You can take a break until it's over."
"Why?" Herzer said with a shrug, picking the axe back up. "I'll keep working."
Jody looked at him with an inscrutable expression for a moment, then nodded, and headed over to the pots that had been smoking over a fire.
"It's not fair," Courtney said hotly. "You didn't start that."
"I know," Herzer said, spitting on his hands and wincing when the spittle hit his now bleeding blisters. "But I think I kind of understand it."
"What, telling you you can't eat? Because you complained about that useless jackass?" Mike asked, walking up.
"Because of how it ended up going," Herzer replied, taking his first hit at the next branch. "None of us have ever had to work for a living. We're having to learn how. How to work in groups, too. Jody's got a tough job and the only way he can do it is to be a hard-ass."
"Well he pissed a lot of people off today," Courtney said hotly, looking over at where the foreman was being harangued by Earnon. It was clear that the man couldn't believe he wasn't going to be permitted to eat.
"I know, Earnon's already got friends," Herzer nodded.
"Oh, not that," Courtney said. "I suppose a few of them don't like it because of him. But most of us are pissed off that you got caught up in it. Earnon's the problem, not you."
"Oh," Herzer said. "Uh. Thanks."
"We need to go eat," Mike said, taking Courtney by the arm. "Herzer, we can hold a little by . . ."
"If Jody finds out, he's likely to dock you two, too," Herzer said, shaking his head. "You go eat."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
By the middle of the afternoon Herzer was swaying from fatigue and hunger. He was still clearing branches and doing it at a pretty good pace, but he didn't know how much