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In Chapter 13, a man steps forward from the crowd and it is revealed to be Jared. Wanderer and Melanie are in utter disbelief at seeing him after being so convinced that they both would never see him again. Wanderer cannot break her gaze from his face, and Melanie manages to gain control. She cries out Jared’s name and moves forward to embrace him. Wanderer attempts to stop her, but Melanie is too distracted to listen.
Without a warning Jared smacks Wanderer in the face. She scolds Melanie for reaching out to him, but Mel cannot care less. She is just ecstatic that Jared is alive. Wanderer scans through the rest of the crowd and can’t find anyone who isn’t an adult. Translation: no Jamie. Every single person in the crowd possesses a face full of anger.
A tall man who is not angry makes his way through the crowd and the people let him pass, which hints that he may have some status among them. Maggie, Melanie’s aunt, tells the man that standing before them is what used to be her niece and that Jeb found it in the desert. The tall man examines Wanderer and she notices a young woman at his side. Melanie exclaims for it is her cousin, Sharon (the reason why Melanie left Jared and Jamie in the first place). Wanderer tells Melanie to settle down. All the while, the tall man is still examining her, then finally finishes with a statement about her good health, despite recent exhaustion, dehydration and malnourishment. Given this assessment and his behavior, Wanderer concludes that this tall man must be a doctor.
The doctor (who the humans refer to as Doc) instructs two humans named Kyle and Ian to help him, but Jared states that if Jeb kills “it” right now, “it” would die cleanly. In a calm voice, Doc argues that they may be able to learn more, but Jared refuses to agree. Sharon steps forward and tells Jared that he has to consider what is best for the majority, despite his feelings about Melanie.
As Wanderer begins to pass out, she calls Jamie’s name twice, then again in the form of a question. Jeb answers Wanderer, stating that Jamie is fine and that Jared brought him here. Wanderer whispers a thank you, then loses consciousness.
