Wanderer hears voices cryptically discussing something that they seem disgusted by. When they leave, Wanderer continues until she hears Doc sobbing and quietly enters the hospital. Two stretchers are occupied but covered in blankets. Doc’s instruments are near the bodies, but “[b]righter than these [are] other silver things. Shimmering segments of silver stretch[] in twisted, tortured pieces across the table…splatters of silver liquid smeared on the table, the blankets, the walls” (410). Wanderer’s scream startles the entire room. Doc slaps her to shake her out of her panic, but she has an episode where she sees Doc with silver trickling from his fingertips, and then the room goes black.

Wanderer wakes shortly after, being carried by Ian. Ian is speaking to Jared, who does not seem to understand the situation. Ian explains that Wanderer saw the bodies of other souls. Ian tells Jared that it was horrific and that any human who saw other human remains tortured in that way would have reacted like she did. Wanderer asks to be set down and runs as Jared and Ian argue. Wanderer hides, and when Melanie tries to justify Doc’s actions, Wanderer shoves her out of her thoughts: Melanie has grown weaker in the last few months.

Wanderer thinks of all humans as monstrous. She wants to mourn the nameless souls in silence, but in a few hours, she is found by Jared and others. Jared sends the others away and tells her he’s sorry: “Look, I guess that must have been pretty…bad. We never wanted you to see that” (415). Wanderer realizes Jared would mangle millions of souls if it would keep Melanie with him. Jared leaves and intercepts Ian on his way to see Wanderer. Jared tells him Wanderer doesn’t want to see any humans, but Ian joins her anyway. She expects him to touch her or talk, but he doesn’t. He turns off the light, and they sit in silence. Wanderer continues her silent grieving for the lost souls.

Ian sits with Wanderer for three days. Wanderer does not drink or eat, and eventually, Ian stops eating and drinking too. On the third day, Ian pleads with Wanderer to eat, but she still feels angry with him and the others: Even if Ian is against ripping souls from bodies now, she knows he found it acceptable before he knew her. Ian leaves and returns with Jeb.

Jeb asks if Wanderer plans to starve herself to death, and she bitterly challenges him to kill her by handing her over to Doc. Jeb explains that Doc’s experiments are not intended to harm souls, but he is trying to separate souls from humans, and he suffers each time he fails. Jeb then asks if Wanderer truly thought they would stop trying to save the human race, which is going extinct. Jeb and Wanderer discuss the issue, and Jeb reminds her that the souls might not torture people but that they do erase them. Wanderer tells him that souls shred the host’s brain if someone attempts to extract them; it is a defense mechanism. Wanderer tells Jeb that she cannot stay in the caves with them if they continue to kill souls, so they will have to kill her. Jeb tells her he will not have any souls brought back for now. Wanderer and Jeb come to a truce, and Wanderer eats.

Jeb then tells her that something is wrong with Jamie. Jamie’s leg wound is infected, and the community has nothing to treat it with. Jeb reassures her that Jamie is young and will survive, but Wanderer is not convinced. Wanderer finds Jamie in their bedroom, feverish but pleased to see her. Jamie asks if Melanie is worried, and Wanderer says that she is. However, she then realizes that Melanie is not in her mind. Wanderer is horrified and makes a hasty excuse to leave, bringing Ian with her. When they are hidden in an unused hallway, she asks Ian to kiss her.

Ian is bewildered by Wanderer’s request. However, she insists and then finally kisses him. Ian responds. Wanderer finds herself involved in the kiss—she enjoys it. However, she is still alone in her mind. They break the kiss, and Wanderer admits that Melanie is gone. Ian questions her and asks if it wouldn’t be better if Melanie were gone. Wanderer is horrified, believing that erasing Melanie would make her a monster.

Ian reassures her and then leaves, telling her to wait for him. He brings Jared to her, and Wanderer is humiliated at the mention of an “experiment,” realizing Ian intends for her and Jared to kiss. Nevertheless, Wanderer tells Jared that she’s lost Melanie and describes her forceful anger when Jared and Wanderer kissed. Jared therefore passionately kisses Wanderer, which causes Melanie to surface; she shoves Jared away and shouts, “No.” Jared tries to kiss her again, and she bites him. 

Jared is ecstatic that Melanie is back. Melanie is confused but tries to orient herself. She wants to see Jamie and asks how long she was gone. Wanderer tells her it’s been three days. Melanie cannot remember those three days at all. Jared and Melanie joke slightly, through Wanderer. Melanie acknowledges that Wanderer is suffering, and Wanderer tells Melanie she won’t erase her. She knows that Jared and Melanie would both be much happier if Wanderer could erase herself, which breaks Wanderer’s heart.

Wanderer is in agony because Jamie is suffering. A raiding party returns with ice but no antibiotics. Wanderer feels despair: “If they dug a hole for Jamie in the empty desert, they would have to put me in it, too” (437). Melanie reacts with anger; she wants the raiding party to go out again. 

Wanderer tells the group that they need the souls’ medicine, which is superior to that of humans. She suggests that she go and ask for the medicine. The souls will never suspect her of lying, and she could get enough to last them for years. Kyle voices everyone’s suspicions—that she will bring the Seekers to them. Wanderer begs Ian to see that her plan is the only option, but even Ian says no. Wanderer pushes his hand away and goes to Jamie. 

Doc keeps watch but eventually falls asleep, at which point Jared sneaks in and tells Wanderer that they need to go immediately. She allows herself to be blindfolded so that Jared can take her out of the caves. They reach the Jeep, and Jared begins driving them to a small hospital in Tucson. He gives Wanderer a pill filled with poison to take if she’s caught so that no one else will be put into Melanie.

Jared drives to a less conspicuous car, and Wanderer changes into clean clothes. Wanderer looks at her face, which is scarred from the injuries inflicted by the humans. She tells Jared that she cannot go into a hospital looking like she does because they will know something is wrong. She tells Jared he needs to hit her with a rock so that it will seem like the injury was caused by that.

Jared hits her with a rock, breaking the skin where Wanderer’s scar tissue is. Jared is disgusted with himself, and Wanderer is in pain. When they get closer to the hospital, Wanderer tells Jared to hide in the back while she drives. Jared warns her not to drive somewhere else, which hurts both Wanderer and Melanie, as they realize that he still doesn’t trust them. They go to a small healing facility in Tucson. When she parks, she asks for the knife. She needs a wound like Jamie’s so that she can get the same treatment he needs.

Wanderer uses the knife to stab herself deeply. She stumbles into the medical center, and a receptionist immediately helps her. She makes up an excuse about falling while hiking and cutting herself on a knife. The Healer gives her medicine to take away the pain, which immediately helps. Wanderer acts curious about the healer’s methods, so the Healer explains the different medicines as she treats Wanderer. The Healer takes care of her arm and then the injury to Wanderer’s face. Wanderer asks the Healer for more water, and when she leaves to get it, Wanderer fills her bag with healing items from the cabinet. The Healer is gone for a surprisingly long time, and Wanderer gets nervous when she hears two sets of footsteps finally walking down the hallway.

The Healer returns with the receptionist, bringing the glass of water and a mirror for Wanderer to see her healed face. Wanderer feels at ease in this place. Part of her wishes that she could be among the souls, fulfilling her Calling. The receptionist tells her to be more careful, and Wanderer walks calmly to the car. 

When they are driving again, Jared goes through the backpack. He’s impressed by what she has. They drive back toward the cavern and switch to the Jeep. Wanderer wants to put the blindfold on now, but Jared tells her that he trusts her and that there’s no need. Worried the others will kill her, she tries to tell Jared how to administer the medicine to Jamie. Wanderer insists on putting a folded T-shirt over her eyes. 

Jared drives directly to the caves so as not to waste time. He carries the blindfolded Wanderer and yells at people to get out of his way. In the bedroom, Jared puts Wanderer down. Sharon attacks Jared, but he stops her easily. Maggie attempts to intercept Wanderer, but Jeb stands in her way. Doc refuses to let Wanderer treat Jamie but relents when she tells him that Jamie will die otherwise. She then gives him the pain relief she brought, telling Doc that they will have to open the wound again to heal it. Jamie wakes up just as they are about to do so.

Doc opens the infected wound, and Wanderer uses a spray to clean it. Doc is mesmerized and impressed as Wanderer uses the alien medical supplies to heal Jamie’s wound. After Jamie is fully healed, Jared shares how Wanderer got the medicine. He also tells them how she gave herself fresh wounds so she could go into the hospital. Ian is not happy with what she’s done, but he’s relieved she’s back. He is also not pleased when Jared suggests that she go on more raids.

Jeb brings food, and they have an impromptu meal. Ian still does not want Wanderer to be used as a tool on raids, while Jared wants her to use her knowledge of the souls. Jeb says that Wanderer can choose for herself, but Ian reminds them that Wanderer does not think of herself: It is not fair to ask her to choose, because she will sacrifice herself.

Wanderer goes on missions while on a raid, bringing back supplies to the van where Kyle, Ian, and Jared are waiting. Wanderer is good at getting supplies and has a script she follows when she interacts with other souls. The only thing that bothers Wanderer is that she takes from souls but does not give back through her Calling as she did before.

While in a motel, Wanderer looks out the window and sees a young woman—with a soul inside—pushing a baby on the swings. Wanderer tells Jared that she is looking at “The only hope for survival [she’s] ever seen for a host species” (480). Jared is bewildered, but Wanderer explains that the baby does not have a soul in it. Wanderer explains that the mother loves the baby and that the souls would not force him to become a host without her permission. Wanderer speculates that things are different on this planet because it is the first with live births that her species has colonized. She wonders aloud if there will be more interspecies families.

As they are beginning to prepare to return to the cavern, everyone gets careless. They accidentally speed, and a police officer pulls them over.

The police are always Seekers. Jared considers outrunning them, but it is not possible. Instead, he eases up on the gas and asks Wanderer if she still has her poison pill. She does. Jared tells Melanie he loves her. He has a poison pill in his fingers too. 

Wanderer begs him for one chance to trick the Seekers. He agrees, and they switch seats so that Wanderer is the driver. The police park across the street, and one Seeker gets out and crosses to question Wanderer. She tells the Seeker that she stayed awake too long and was not paying attention, apologizing for speeding. Wanderer offers to sleep in the truck, but the Seeker tells her there might be humans nearby, as there has been a recent disappearance. 

The Seeker seems to believe her story and gives her a medicine called Awake to help her stay alert. At that moment, however, the truck with the other humans gets closer. Wanderer tries to project to them that they should keep driving, but they idle. Wanderer and Melanie both hope the driver is Kyle because Ian might linger. The officer waves the other car on, and they go. The officer then wishes Wanderer well and goes back to his car.

Jared is impressed with Wanderer. He believes her presence will help them all. His praise makes Melanie sad because it reminds her that Wanderer can help them more than she could have. They take the truck and car straight to the caves to unload while Jared considers the recent disappearance. He worries the community has done something since they’ve been gone, and Wanderer realizes Jeb and Doc might have been using her absence to kill souls.

While they are unloading, Jamie finds them. He’s upset and tells them that a Seeker killed Wes.