Beautiful Creatures 9.12 (1) Summary

Broken Glass

• Despite hoping for some good Lena-related dreams, Ethan's sleep is dream-free.
• Ethan tells Link everything that happened between him and Lena. Well, not everything. "Even best friends have their limits" (9.12[1].14). Who knows what he left out.
• He does tell Link that he was dreaming about Lena before he met her, not caring if it makes him sound crazy. (It does.)
• Right before English class, Ethan accidentally bumps into Lena. And get this: when they touch, the ceiling light blows out and showers them with sparks. Talk about fireworks. Despite the craziness of this situation, Lena doesn't seem surprised.
• Queen Bee Emily and her drones surround Ethan and Lena. Ethan knows something big is going down: "This was a territorial dispute. [Emily] might have dumped me, but she certainly didn't want to see Old Man Ravenwood's niece anywhere near me" (9.12[1].37).
• In class that day, the topic of discussion is social conflict in a small-town setting. How apropos.
• In front of the whole class, Emily implies that Lena and her uncle are in a romantic relationship. Oh, come on, Emily.
• Lena tries to make peace when talking about To Kill a Mockingbird. "You have to give people a chance. Before you automatically skip to the hating part. Don't you think, Emily?" (9.12[1].59). Touché!
• But in response, Emily gives Lena a dose of that famous Southern hospitality: "You little freak" (9.12[1].60).
• Meanwhile, Ethan seems to be able to hear Lena's thoughts. Maybe she's communicating with him telepathically, but she definitely doesn't realize she's doing it.
• The girls continue teasing Lena, saying that her uncle lures kids into his house to eat them and that he keeps bodies in the hearse.
• As the girls' taunting gets worse, Ethan can "hear" Lena silently telling them to stop it, over and over again. He also hears a strange creaking sound that no one else seems to be able to hear… hmmm.
• Lena goes over to the pencil sharpener by the window. When the girls say that Melchizedek is an evil name, the voice in Ethan's head screams "ENOUGH!" (9.12[1].81).
• Boom.
• The window by the pencil sharpener shatters. Lena's hand is cut and bleeding, but no one else is hurt. And come to think of it, Ethan didn't see her touch the window at all.
• The gossip mill starts cranking within milliseconds: "She punched clean through the glass. I saw it with my own eyes!" (9.12[1].92) shouts someone in the class.
• Ethan dubs Lena "Hurricane Lena": "Gatlin had never seen a storm like this" (9.12[1].98).