Chapter 15: Guarded

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Chapter 15 begins with Wanderer waking up, sore and starving. She takes a moment to distinguish her surrounds and she realizes that she’s still in the caves, although she doesn’t know where. Jared is close by and she fears that perhaps the humans want her dead and if they see that she’s awake, she will be killed instantly, but then she spots a tray of food. She devours the food and chugs the water, but then quickly considers the question of why she hasn’t yet been killed and why she is being fed. She thanks Jared for the food, but he doesn’t answer.

Melanie stirs soon after and she and Wanderer talk about what is to happen next. Wanderer believes that she will be tortured, but Melanie’s thoughts are more occupied on the fact that she seemed to feel something when Jared hit Wanderer. Melanie then tells Wanderer that she realizes that Wanderer is actually in love with Jared as well, separately from her own feelings. Wanderer points out that although she is of a different species, her body is human, and therefore it is perfectly possible that she has formed her own feelings for Jared. Both girls’ thoughts digress to Jamie. They want to see him, but know it would be impossible to ask without stirring up more hostility from the humans.

Exhaustion takes over and Wanderer falls asleep. After she wakes up, Jared and the O’Shea brothers appear outside her “prison”. The brothers clearly want to do something about Wanderer, but Jared refuses to let them past. Their response is to attack Jared. Wanderer’s immediate reaction is to launch towards the boys.