In the twentieth chapter of Untold<\/i>, THE THING FINALLY HAPPENED OH MY GOD. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to read Untold<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Chapter Twenty: My Own, My Only<\/b><\/p>\n
OH. OH MY<\/i>. THIS. THIS IS A THING THAT HAPPENED.<\/p>\n
But other things happened, too<\/i>, and they deserve to be discussed. Like, for instance:<\/p>\n
Ash\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Request<\/b><\/p>\n
I SHOULD HAVE EXPECTED THIS, GIVEN THAT I READ THIS:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The way Jared talked about having a source,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Ash said softly, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153it sound nice. Never being lonely again. Having someone to support you.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Yes, it sounds nice in theory<\/i> and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a nice idea<\/i> and it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t until the exact moment where Kami figured out what was happening that I <\/i>figured out what was happening. No, Ash wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to suggest that Kami reform the link with Jared. Oh, no, that would be easier to deal with. NOPE.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m asking you,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he murmured. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It has nothing to do with Jared. He is not the only sorcerer in Aurimere.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What\u00e2\u20ac\u201c\u00e2\u20ac\u0153 Kami began, but before she could form the question properly in her mind, he had answered.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Ash. Ash<\/i>. ARE YOU SERIOUS ABOUT THIS. IS THIS A SERIOUS QUESTION YOU ARE ASKING. But of course<\/i> it is, and of course<\/i> Ash, of all people, is going to be sincere and genuine about something like this. I had to remember that this kid is constantly seeking validation, attention, and companionship, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a bad<\/i> thing. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been dealt a difficult hand in life, and I deeply empathize with this sort of struggle. Hell, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d say that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still<\/i> seeking constant validation and attention because of what happened to me as a teenager. So I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not approaching this as a character criticism. I understand why<\/i> Ash presents this option as a rational, reasonable decision on his part and why he believes that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have no problem being a respectful sorcerer to Kami if she were his source.<\/p>\n
Now, I will agree with Kami on this:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Kami,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I know what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m asking for.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ash,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she whispered, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153you have no idea.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This is so great because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a deliberate way not<\/i> to romanticize what Kami and Jared went through. To Ash, the link sounds<\/i> appealing because he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lonely, but I think he selectively chose what to hear when Jared was explaining what the experience was like. He heard that Jared had never felt loneliness, and he immediately wanted a source. However, he missed everything else<\/i>. The pain, the darkness, the lack of privacy. Jared never elaborated on what it was like to know your link in person, either, and that<\/i> is another aspect to this that contributed to the painful experiences both Jared and Kami had once they were severed from one another. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a form of dependence that, ultimately, neither of them really feel that comfortable with. Granted, they both still desire one another \u00e2\u20ac\u201c CLEARLY IN THE CASE OF THE LATER SCENES \u00e2\u20ac\u201c but their desire isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the same as Ash\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s desire.<\/p>\n
Poor guy. I still feel really<\/i> bad about him.<\/p>\n
Jared + Kami = K I S S I N G<\/b><\/p>\n
I certainly will celebrate these two finally<\/i> getting their misunderstanding out in the open and destroying it because F I N A L L Y. This whole time, I never once guessed that Jared believed that Kami wished he were Ash<\/i>. And yet, I got so close to figuring it out<\/i>. I even commented that in a lot of ways, Ash represented how Kami wished<\/i> Jared would act towards her. AND APPARENTLY JARED BELIEVE THAT KAMI WANTED THAT, TOO.<\/p>\n
The kiss \u00e2\u20ac\u201c at least the first one \u00e2\u20ac\u201c is an explosive, erotic moment, one that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s charged by the complicated history that these two have. They are both fulfilling a desire they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had for one another that has, more or less, gone unspoken for years. (SEE WHAT I DID THERE.) And even though they recognize this, Jared still asks an important question:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Are you okay, is this all right?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said in a whispered rush.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
YES. YES<\/i>. Good job.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad you asked, though,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Asking\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sexy.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Ugh, an actual consent narrative in a book like this? YOU SPOIL US, SARAH REES BRENNAN.<\/p>\n
I admit that while I maintained a firm platonic desire for Kami\/Jared, this romantic edge to their relationship doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t bother me. It feels like the natural development for them, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s exciting<\/i>. I feel like this huge weight has been lifted off of the story, and the possibilities are ridiculous. Some of them are sad, as I am certain that Ash will take this the worst out of everyone here. Kami\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mother \u00e2\u20ac\u201c if they ever decide to speak again \u00e2\u20ac\u201c isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to be terribly happy that her daughter has developed feelings for a Lynburn. And I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure that Lillian will be disgusted more than she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ever been with Kami because\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Lillian Lynburn. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what she does: believes she is better than everyone else.<\/p>\n
But I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also hoping that this relieves a lot of the painful, awkward tension in the story. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m hoping that Angela and Holly have figured out their own issues, too, and I hope that this renewed sense of possibility invigorates the rest of the group to tackle Rob Lynburn head on. However, I must also acknowledge that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m waist-deep in a Sarah Rees Brennan book. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get too<\/i> happy. Oh, no, that would be very<\/i> bad.<\/p>\n
Please note that the original text and the video contains the word \u00e2\u20ac\u0153crazy.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Part 1<\/p>\n