Here is a list and descriptions of the human residents of Jeb’s cell.
Maggie and Sharon: Maggie is Jeb’s sister and her daughter is Sharon. Both mother and daughter have a difficult time accepting Wanderer into the community and make no attempt to hide their resentment. When Wanderer is placed into a new host, they do soften up to her little bit due to the innocent beauty of Pet, but ultimately both mother and daughter do not accept the Souls into their lives. Sharon has a relationship with Doc, but at times the relationship is strained due to Doc’s friendship with Wanderer. When Wanderer joins the humans in the caves, Sharon and Doc’s relationship has only been official for a few weeks (less time than Wanderer has been on Earth).
Maggie is around the same age as Jeb, or possibly older. Her hair is dark gray and her face is wrinkled with angry lines. She was the first person to hit Wanderer after Jeb finds her in the desert.
Sharon is described as a young woman with vivid red hair. She acts as an instructor in the caves and is most comfortable with math. Melanie and Wanderer note that the invasion seemed to change Sharon’s personality, as she is now very similar to her mother and not the cousin that Melanie remembers. Jamie describes Sharon as “always testy”.
Some quotations:
“Only Sharon and Maggie were conspicuously and consistently absent” (from Wanda’s dinner “teaching sessions) -p 257
Lily: Lily is one of the humans living in Jeb’s hide-out. Despite the age difference she is in a romantic relationship with Wes. She firmly believes that age does not matter under their circumstances and she is just happy to have found love in these harsh times. When Wes is shot and killed, Lily is absolutely devastated. She is able to move on, however, and when Wanderer returns to the caves as Pet, she notes that Lily seemed happy again.
Lily is described as an athletic woman with the caramel brown skin. She is originally from Philadelphia. She is well like by everyone in the caves because she is easy-going and has a dry sense of humor. She bunks with Heidi.
When Wanderer tells the humans about the different worlds and species in the universe, Lily is most interested with the mechanics of how things work. She was especially concerned with how the Souls transported themselves across the universe and with the details of their transports.
Wes: Wes is one of the rogue humans in Jeb’s caves. He is a young, but a strong individual. He is in a relationship with Lily. Although Wes has had a crush on Lily for a while, their relationship did not fully come to fruition until after Wanderer arrives at the caves. Lily tells Wanderer that it was the way that Wes reacted to Wanderer that made her fall for him.
Wes is described as a young man who is not much older than Jamie. He has dark, “steel-wool” hair and olive-toned skin. He is originally from Eureka, Montana and was 19 when he escaped. Wes is shy and sensitive, but has proved to be someone who will stand up for what he believes is right. When the angry raiding party returns and berates Wanderer, Wes is alongside Ian protecting Wanderer.
While Wanderer, Jared, Ian, and Kyle are on a raid, the humans find themselves in a confrontation with the Seeker who shoots Wes. The shot is fatal and Wes dies instantly. He is buried beside Walter.
Brandt: one of the humans in Jeb’s cell. He is young and fit, but can be very anxious and careless. He’s only a few inches taller than Wanderer, but he is “thick and solid as a rhinoceros.” Brandt is part of the group led by Kyle and Ian who first attempt to kill Wanderer after she is brought to the caves. Although he referred to Wanderer as a “parasite”, he later finds himself in her debt as after he is shot by the Seeker, his woundis healed thanks to the Heal that Wanderer obtains.
Jared on Brandt: “He’s no good from the long trips. Starts getting panicked a few weeks in. Makes mistakes.” -p 187
Walter: one of the humans. While in the caves, Walter suffers from what Doc believes is an early stage of cancer. Doc doesn’t have to necessary tools to help quell the cancer and as a result he dies. As Walter is in so much pain, he is delusional and mistakes Wanderer for his wife Gladys; Wanderer stays by his side until his death.
Walter is described as a “pallid man with white hair”. Because of his illness, he is often weak, but he never fails to try keeping a cheerful front. When Wanderer tells the humans about the other planets and species in the universe, Walter is most interested in the Bats of the Singing World.
Walter’s wife Gladys is described as a “stocky redhead”. Unlike Walter, Gladys was captured by the Souls. Walter becomes close to Wanderer and is one of the group that tries to protect her. Walter even offers Wanderer a place to hide when Jared and the other resentful humans look for her.
Lucinda: is described as a “dark-skinned woman with thick lips and sleepy eyes.” She has “two black-haired children”, Isiah and Freedom. Freedom, her youngest child, was born in the caves and delivered by Doc. She keeps “her children as separate from [Wanda] as possible.” She is protective and proves to have a maternal instinct as she does not welcome Wanderer’s presence, nor does she approve of Wanderer eating the humans’ food.
Heath: one of the humans. Heath is best friends with Geoffrey from early childhood. He escaped from the Souls with Geoffrey and Trudy and is often seen hanging around with them in the caves. He is usually quiet, but becomes outspoken during Wanderer story-time, being especially interested in the Fire World.
Trudy and Geoffrey: a married couple in the caves. Trudy is a middle-aged woman with the long “salt and pepper” hair. Geoffrey is described as a short man with a round belly. His hair is thinning and he has “ruddy cheeks”. Trudy is the first of the minor human characters to speak kindly to Wanderer. Trudy and Geoffrey escaped together from the Souls with Heath.
Andy and Paige:, a couple in the caves. Andy and Paige are either dating or married when Wanderer arrives to the caves. Andy was one of the humans on the initial raid, leaving a worried Paige behind. When not with Andy, Paige is often seen hanging out with Sharon and Lily.
Aaron, Travis, John, Stanely, Reid: some of the mentioned human males who live in the caves
Heidi, Carol, Ruth Ann, Violetta: some of the mentioned female humans who live in the caves.
