Chapter 2

I woke with a start. How long had I been sleeping?  I glanced at my watch hopefully.  Good.  It is only 10:56. Wait a minute… 10:56!?!?  I need to go!  I ran down to the plane that had the #17 sign on it.  Okay… I am here. I am not late.  I am still on time for going to my dad’s house.  I showed the lady my ticket.  She scanned it, not taking a glance at me. Typical.  I got onto the plane, and turned my phone to ‘airplane mode.’  Then, I put my seatbelt on, and, just as the pilot was saying, “Welcome aboard! I hope you enjoy your flight to….” I zonked.  I would find out later that this put the whole story into motion.

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The next morning, when I woke, I got up, got dressed, and started to walk over to the Military Sign-Up.  There was a long line once I got there. Lots of people are determined to help out in the war. But none are as determined as I am.  I will not only fight, but I will become a general, and I will not die, so I will come home and be given a medal, and the US will have been put into it’s right place.  And my mom will make biscotti.  When I got up to the place where you actually sign up, I heard the sound of a copy machine. That is weird- I don’t know anyone in Greece who can afford one of those.  Maybe these people are French.  Then the guy at the desk said, “Vwell, are vou going to zign up, or not?”  “Of course I am!” I replied, ticked off.  “Vwell do it then!” he said sarcastically.  I grabbed the pen he was playing with, and scribbled my name on the list:

Nico Chaconas

There. Now my name is on the list, and there is a chance I will go to war.  I hope I do.  I would fight for my country until I died.

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When I woke up, I checked my phone. No messages, no texts.  Then I heard the pilot overhead:  We will arrive in Greece in approximately 14 minutes.  Greece?  I thought, I thought this plane was going to Los Angeles!  Oh no……  If this plane is not headed to Los Angeles, and I am headed to Greece………  I thought back to the newspaper I was reading earlier:

With France: Greece, Ireland, UK, and Mexico.

With US: Italy, Brazil, and Iran.

That means I am headed right smack into enemy territory.  And I am American.