Serena Chapter 8 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • An eagle arrives at the Pembertons' pad and stirs up a bunch of gossip among the workers.
  • There are a couple popular theories floating around: (1) It's for dinner; (2) it's for plucking the eyes out of any poor worker; and (3) it's a sign of the end times. We'll let you guess who suggested the third theory (ahem, McIntyre).
  • Serena and Pemberton are excited by the eagle, especially because of how powerful and regal the bird is.
  • Serena comments to her man that she wants to be like this always: no past, no future, just living in the present.
  • We learn the real reason they got an eagle: to train it. Serena figures it should take two to three days.
  • She's right, of course. After spending two days in the barn with the eagle, Serena already has it trained to follow her every command.
  • Pemberton is impressed. He's also worried about his wife, though, since she hasn't slept or eaten or left the barn in two days.
  • Serena tells him that she's not hungry, but he makes her eat anyway.
  • Then she comments that she hasn't dreamed. She thinks about how she had everything—and we mean everything—burned in her dad's house when she left. She didn't want to keep a single item from it.
  • Next, she says that all she'll ever need is Pemberton. It would be sweet if she weren't so sleep deprived and not making much sense.
  • When they have a child, she says, it'll just be a reflection of them.
  • Pemberton helps Serena bathe and get ready for bed. As he watches his wife drift off to sleep, he listens to the snow tapping on the window. It sounds like it's trying to get inside.