In the twenty-eighth chapter of Untold, Kami regroups with her friends and family to figure out their next move. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Untold.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Laugh at the Night
You know, I am not really expecting a hopeful end to this novel, but that’s not because I’m a big cynic myself. Instead, this chapter feels like a brief respite, a way for these characters to take a moment to cope with the trauma of what’s just happened. What ends up being comforting about this, though, is that everyone’s behavior is so measured. Given how chaotic and terrifying everything is, it’s awesome that no one argues. No one snaps at anyone else. And Jared is unreal here, since he’s finally able to support Kami in a way that is substantial and necessary. I mean, COME ON:
“But you will do something,” Jared said. “You’ll work something out. You don’t have to know what to do right away. It’s all right not to know.”
It’s a deliberate attempt by Jared to get Kami to not fall into the desperation others have submitted to, like Lillian. I think that’s why he goes out of his way to tell Kami that he’s not mad at her for creating the link with Ash. I hesitate to say that he’s trying to manipulate her, because that sounds so malicious, but I think it’s interesting that he’s more direct and open about himself and his feelings for her than he ever has been. Would Jared have said something like this in the first third of the novel?
“I thought you wanted to break away from me, and I didn’t want to go crawling back to you, so I lied to you and insulted you. I hated you for wanting to break away, but – but you know how I feel about you. I could never hate you for long.”
See, Kami only recently found out how Jared feels towards her, and it’s his growth over the course of Untold that made this possible. His dedication towards Kami is precisely what she needs at this moment. She’s torn and upset over what she did to save everyone, and I love that this is about alleviating her guilt. I mean, we’ve got a dude throwing himself at the feet of the woman protagonist, and I kind of adore how the gender dynamic is switched up here.
And I love that they find a way to laugh. Laughing in spite of terror and trauma and fear is a cathartic experience, and so Kami and Jared find a way to laugh at the night:
Impossibly, Kami found herself smiling. it was a strange small miracle. Everything was still completely terrible, but she was able to look up at Jared and smile, as if their worlds overlapped just enough to give them this small warm place to stand together.
The small victories are all they have at this moment, but why shouldn’t they cherish that? Rusty, Angela, and Holly are all there. Tomo and her father are alive and well. But there’s still a chapter left, we don’t know where Kami’s mother is, and Ten is in Aurimere with Rob Lynburn and Lillian. Too much is left unresolved, so count me as cautiously suspicious of what’s about to happen.
Please note that the original text and the video uses the word “idiot.”
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