In the twelfth chapter of Untold<\/i>, Kami is my favorite, and then NO OH MY GOD, HOW DOES THIS KEEP GETTING MORE<\/i> UPSETTING? Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Untold<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Chapter Twelve: A Drop of Blood, What You Hold Dear<\/b><\/p>\n
Good god, everything was undone IN A SINGLE CHAPTER. Can we talk about this?\u00c2\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
Ash\/Jared<\/b><\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m hoping that the interaction between these two in this chapter is a sign that Jared might be moving towards accepting the realities of his life. His behavior has been erratic, negative, near suicidal, and increasingly violent, but there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a very raw and quiet moment in this chapter that seems to suggest there might be hope to him. You better believe I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to cling to it<\/i>.<\/p>\n
The thing is, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t dislike<\/i> Jared as a person. I hate how he treats Kami, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still interested in his character. I think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mostly due to Kami herself, honestly. I want<\/i> her to be okay with Jared, so I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m inherently interested in Jared\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s journey because of this. So, like Ash, I recognized what a huge thing it was for Jared to say this:<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m on her side,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Jared. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on her side too, then we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re already working together.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It was a bit shocking to hear him say that he was on Kami\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s side. He doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always act like he is, but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s comfortable enough with Ash to admit they they are<\/i> on the same team. Now, if only he could say that to Kami!<\/p>\n Holly, Stop It<\/b><\/p>\n I also greatly enjoy Holly\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s character, but that doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean I feel okay about her treatment of Angela. Her behavior in this chapter is egregious at best<\/i>, and sadly, this can be a fairly common experience for folks who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve just come out. I have met actual human men who would not shower in the same locker room\/gym with men they knew to be gay. When I was outed, I experienced exactly what Angela goes through here: people shrinking away from me as if being gay was a contagious disease. Now, we all know this is absurd if you give it half a second of thought<\/i>, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unfortunately the reality for a lot of visibly queer\/out people. So I appreciate that when Ash is quick to not only sexualize Angela and Holly, but to treat Angela\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sexuality as if it his to consume, Kami steps up to be a GENUINELY GREAT ALLY. She shuts Ash down immediately, she doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make it about herself, and she even comes up with a brilliant way to make Ash understand why his behavior is disgusting. (This chapter gave me a new headcanon: Kami secretly writes fanfiction all the time.) I adore you, Kami, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m so glad an example of how to behave that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s easy to understand is just sitting there in Untold<\/i>. THANK YOU.<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fight, boys,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he remarked mildly. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plenty of Rusty to go around.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n BLESS UR HEART, RUSTY.<\/p>\n Confusion!<\/b><\/p>\n Oh gods, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s talk about this section:<\/i><\/p>\n Kami wondered if he was going to try to kiss her again. Did she want him to kiss her? Maybe she did. Maybe it was just about comfort in a time when her town and her home were falling apart.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This is one of the hardest things to decipher, I swear<\/i>. Isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it the worst? Because, ultimately, you do<\/i> like the person, but you do want to know if this is out of sadness or out of a desire not to be lonely. And it matters<\/i> why you like a person, you know? So does Kami like Ash because he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not<\/i> Jared? Because he acts like she would like Jared to act? Or because she genuinely likes him?<\/p>\n ONLY TIME WILL TELL.<\/p>\n Betrayal<\/b><\/p>\n I CAN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T.<\/p>\n In the moonlight her mother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face shone, and her mother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hands gleamed with the same darkness that had touched every door in Kami\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s town.<\/p>\n I trust you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all going to be sensible<\/i>, Rob had said. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be watching for the signs<\/i>.<\/p>\n Blood marking their homes, the sign of submission Rob had asked for. The sign that the town would cooperate with the sorcerer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s demands.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n OH, GODDAMN IT. Claire just betrayed her daughter again<\/i>. Part of me understands her desire to protect her family, but isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it possible that Rob will ask for Kami as a sacrifice??? Is Claire going to say no then, or will she defer to his power? Oh god, WHEN DID CLAIRE TALK TO EVERYONE? When did this happen? Wait, I suppose it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s possible that Claire did this independent of everyone, signing them up for submission against Lillian\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wishes. Shit, everything was undone. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re back at square one! GODDAMN IT, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL. And then, Brennan has to go and punch in the feelings with that final scene where Kami\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s father comes home, and the two of them quietly wash away all the blood that Claire smeared on their gate. This book is so haunting<\/i>, I swear.<\/p>\n