All the Little Raindrops

The Collector doesn’t typically drink, but he toasts Noelle with a shot of $6,000 bourbon and then smashes the remainder of the bottle. He pulls out the envelope containing her note, hoping that she stole a large enough piece of graphite for his plan to work. He knows that he must blend in with the other players if he’s to help her and Evan escape, and revealing his accent to Noelle was a small risk. He thinks of the story he told Noelle, which is one that his “game sponsor” shared with him when that man bragged about his own exploits.

The Collector laughs when he sees that Noelle’s note tells him to “go fuck” himself. He turns on the game and sees Evan being sexually assaulted. He considers the gifts he sent and the purpose they will serve. When the henchman returns Evan to his cage, Noelle baits the henchman, urging him to tase her. The Collector sees that she keeps her eyes on the man’s chest throughout the pain, and he notices the tie pin. Realizing what Evan and Noelle are doing, the Collector is surprised and impressed. Meanwhile, the henchman tells the teens that a new phase of the game starts tomorrow.

Noelle saw only the first three numbers of her code, but it’s better than nothing. She and Evan are worried about the new phase that the henchman warned of. With their next meal, Noelle gets a tiny pair of cuticle scissors, and Evan gets a rubber-headed hammer. Noelle thinks of the massacre story, planning how to use the scissors. Evan suggests a plan that strikes her as appalling, but they have no choice. They must try to escape before things get worse. They link fingers and wait for darkness.

After the lights go off, Evan reaches for his mallet. Noelle prays that whoever is watching keeps their eyes on Evan. He begins pounding his hand, screaming, and the lights turn on. She takes her cuticle scissors, rose petals, and graphite to the side of her cage that faces the electrical outlet. She uses the scissors to unscrew the plate and sticks the graphite into the socket, holding a rose petal close enough to catch a spark. Meanwhile, Evan fits his smashed hand through the cage bars and taps in the code to unlock his cage. He kicks off part of the wooden counter and adds it to the small fire, which spreads quickly.

Evan and Noelle hear men rushing to their room and voices shouting. Evan plugs numbers into her cage’s lock, refusing to give up and ultimately managing to get her cage open. She uses the cuticle scissors to cut a wire inside a control panel, opening the room’s door. As the voices get closer, Evan hands Noelle the rope and raises the ice pick that he took from the table. When a guard gets close, Evan buries the pick in the man’s neck; when the henchman appears, Evan plunges the pick into his eye. The man tries to strangle Evan, and Noelle chokes him with the rope. Evan and Noelle run away from the inferno. When they finally rest, they link fingers again and cry.

Evan and Noelle hide as a vehicle approaches. They hear laughing and singing in Spanish and realize that they are in Mexico. They flag down the truck, which is carrying a family. A man helps Noelle and Evan up and shares food and water with them. An old woman puts salve on Evan’s hand and wraps it.

The family drops Evan and Noelle off in the next town, cautioning them against going to the police. The teens find a motel, and Evan tells the woman at the counter that they’ve been robbed and that his father will pay double for the room if she lets him call. Although Noelle is near collapse, she showers as Evan calls his father. He gives his father the address, and Sinclair tells Evan that he’ll be there in four hours. Noelle tries to call her father, but it goes to voicemail. Afterward, she falls asleep, and Evan piles furniture in front of the door.

Noelle has a nightmare, but Evan’s fingers calm her. She knows that neither of them will feel clean or free ever again. In his eyes, she recognizes a desperation to “feel alive. To grasp control […] To freely consent to another person’s touch” (111). Noelle wants to forget what happened to her but can’t.

Evan implores her to make new memories with him, and they have sex. To Noelle, it is like survival—a way to save their souls. Every “yes” is healing. Afterward, they take a shower, helping each other wash thoroughly. When Evan’s father arrives, Evan wants Noelle to ride with him, but Sinclair sends her to a different vehicle. Neither wants to be separated, but Noelle goes with one of Sinclair’s men.

Evan sleeps, waking up outside the police station in San Diego, California. News vans and reporters wait, and Sinclair ushers Evan indoors. Evan asks about Noelle, but his father says not to worry about her. Evan calls for her, and Sinclair calls her “poison,” but Evan won’t listen. When Evan finds her, she tells him that her father died while they were missing. Noelle’s best friend, Paula, comes to take her home. Later, Evan’s father encourages him to “forget” what happened.

Three days later, Evan goes to Noelle’s house. Paula tries to turn him away, but Noelle beckons him in. He realizes that he knows “her as well as a person could know anyone, and also barely [knows] her at all” (123). Everything feels confusing. Evan carries a weapon, and Noelle hasn’t left her house; neither feels safe. They have sex again, “[f]rantic [and] confusing, yet so desperately wanted,” like in Mexico (126). They agree that they should stop having sex, as it feels like a substitute for something else, though neither is sure what. When Evan’s father arrives, Evan realizes that he tracked his phone. They yell, and Noelle asks Sinclair to leave. Paula thinks that time apart will be good for them, and Noelle agrees, saying that she must plan her father’s memorial.

The Collector reads a news article about Evan and Noelle. He refuses to love, but he is proud of Noelle and feels connected to her. He looks at a framed photo of a girl, his throat tightening when he thinks of “Celesse.” The red diamond on the woman’s necklace reminds him of his matching ring, though he rarely wears it because it is too recognizable. The Collector knows that the police investigation of the abduction will fail; in fact, he believes that the game has players who are police officers. He is certain that Noelle will not forget him.

One year later, Noelle waits for Evan at a restaurant in San Francisco. He’s been attending Stanford, but she can tell that he isn’t happy. Noelle is working and staying busy. She admits that intimacy, even handholding, is difficult. They go to Noelle’s hotel room, but they agree to “do [things] differently this time” by going slow (143). They have sex. Noelle is relieved that her body is still her own, and Evan assures her that she is “perfect.” Noelle realizes that she loves him, but she knows she must let him go.

Evan and Noelle have sex several times. Sometime during the night, they wake up with their fingers linked, and Evan remembers his old nightmare that they were still in cages. He hasn’t had that dream in months. Evan realizes that it’s as though they fought in a war together: They find comfort in the other’s understanding, but they also prompt one another’s painful memories. He loves Noelle, but he knows that trauma isn’t a strong foundation for a relationship.