How It All Goes Down
White Christmas
- The Disciplinary Committee meeting made it pretty clear that almost everyone wants Lena gone, but the young lady refuses to stop going to school.
- Half the school even starts wearing the Guardian Angel t-shirts with the wings on the back.
- To show his commitment to Lena, Ethan quits the basketball team.
- They're still studying The Book of Moons. There's all sorts of confusing stuff in there. It seems to SHOUT AT US, and it's in weird Old English, to boot!
- (1) "WITHOUTE DARKNESSE THERE CAN BE NO LIGHT" (12.19.12).
- (2) "WHAT APPEARS DARKNESSE MAYE BE THE GREATEST LIGHT. WHAT APPEARS LIGHT MAYE BE THE GREATEST DARKNESSE" (12.19.15).
- Well that doesn't clear things up a bit, does it?
- Then there's a bunch of stuff about "DARKE FYRE," "THE LILUM," and how "ALL POWER IS DARKE POWER" (12.19.18).
- Ethan and Lena are just as confused as we are.
- None of this manages to convince Lena that she's not going Dark on her sixteenth birthday.
- She shuts Ethan out to be by herself. He tries to Kelt—talk to her telepathically—but she just won't answer.
- When Ethan grabs her after Trig class, Lena gives him the ol' "You're a Mortal and I'm a Caster" (12.19.49) speech. We've all heard that one, haven't we? It's not you, it's me.
- After decorating his house for Christmas, Ethan visits Marian, the closest connection to his mother, at the library.
- They talk about Dickens and Shakespeare, memories of Ethan's mom, and death.
- Ethan finds his mom's favorite cookbook. Her favorite recipe is bookmarked with a sprig of rosemary, Lena's favorite scent. Ethan concludes that his mother must be trying to tell him something through her books. Cool.
- When he goes outside, it's snowing. Gatlin hasn't seen snow in years, but Lena sure took care of that. This is her peace offering.
- After snow angels and hot chocolate, Ethan takes Lena into his dad's study. The lock magically undoes itself again, but Lena confirms that it wasn't a Cast or she'd be able to feel it.
- They discover that Ethan's dad hasn't been writing—he's just been scribbling nonsense onto paper over and over. The scribbles of a crazy person in mourning.
- Ethan freaks out and tears things up. He knocks over the lamp, throws the laptop, and rips the sheet off the secret painting.
- Finally, we see it.
- The painting is of Ethan in a Confederate uniform. Actually, it's Ethan Carter, but he looks just like our narrator.
- Hearing the destruction, Ethan's dad comes running, but Lena locks the study door.
- While Dad is trying to get in, they realize they can't turn the pages of any of the books that have fallen to the floor. When they try, the pages just turn back.
- What is going on?
- Ethan thinks his mom is speaking in code. It's time to decipher.
- Smarties that they are, they figure it out—each page number corresponds to a letter of the alphabet.
- What's the message? "[C]laim Yourself" (12.19.247).
- Ethan confronts his dad, who admits he hasn't been writing because of grief.
- Despite the problems with his dad, Ethan doesn't feel alone anymore. He knows his mom lives on in some way. The cardboard holiday town doesn't seem so deserted anymore.