How It All Goes Down
Just Your Average American Holiday
- Things are pretty calm for a month. And then Lena receives an unexpected invitation from Amma: Thanksgiving dinner.
- Along with Lena, we meet Ethan's family, including the Sisters, Aunt Caroline, and Ethan's dad, who is wearing pajamas to the dinner table.
- "At least no one is trying to kill anyone" (11.27.56), Lena says. That's definitely a plus at any holiday gathering.
- There's a lot going on with the dinner conversation. We'll just hit the high points, and you can catch the rest.
- Lena's a good conversationalist. She manages to effortlessly change the subject after a minor oops moment, and she asks Ethan's dad about his writing.
- Mitchell, Ethan's dad, is quite modest. He describes the book he's working on as "The Sound and the Fury of my career" (11.27.86).
- Then time freezes. Natch.
- Amma, with the help of the Greats—her ancestors from the Otherworld—has stopped time in order to have a conversation with Lena.
- But unbeknownst to Amma, Ethan can hear the whole conversation. Ah, the beauty of telepathy.
- Here's the major bombshell: Sarafine is Lena's mother. And she's still alive.
- Time starts moving again. No one knows anything was amiss, except for Ethan.
- As a result of her conversation with Amma, Lena isn't quite enjoying Thanksgiving anymore, so Ethan takes her home.
- Picture frames rattle, bulbs short out, and rain pounds on the roof of Ravenwood as Lena confronts Macon about keeping secrets from her.
- Macon doesn't know what Sarafine's motivations are, and he tells Lena to calm down.
- As goes when people are told to calm down, Lena gets even angrier. She telepathically throws a vase at Macon. (Imagine what that looks like.) It seems like she's gaining more and more control over her powers.
- Macon tells Ethan to always stay beside Lena—he can protect her, even though Macon's not sure how.