Characters Game On Navessa Allen

Runa Lund: The Friend Who Shapes Stella's Moral Compass

Overview

Runa Lund is a minor but pivotal character in Navessa Allen’s Game On, the third book in the Into Darkness series. She is a Norwegian woman in her early forties, described with pale skin, white-blond hair, and ice-blue eyes. Seven years before the novel’s present, Runa lost both legs above the knee when Madison Clyde’s car jumped a curb and struck her. Stella, who was a passenger that night, took civil liability for the accident and has since paid for Runa’s mounting medical bills. Their relationship is built on shared trauma, dark humor, and absolute honesty—a bond forged in hospital rooms where they confess their worst secrets.

Runa lives in an ADA-accessible apartment and uses a wheelchair when her prosthetics are unavailable. She undergoes targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) surgery during the story to ease phantom pain. Her perspective offers a grounding, morally complex voice that pushes Stella toward vigilante justice while also questioning the cost of intentional harm.

Plot Role

Runa appears in two key chapters, both from Stella’s point of view:

  • Chapter 14 (12. Stella): Stella walks to the hospital in a storm after a gastritis flare. Runa has just had TMR surgery. Stella confesses that she owes Theo three million dollars after taking over Blake’s debt. Runa suggests that instead of sabotaging innocent people, Stella should help Theo target genuinely corrupt individuals—starting with Madison Clyde. This conversation shifts Stella’s strategy from reluctant compliance to active, targeted revenge.

  • Chapter 29 (27. Stella): Stella visits Runa at home after the surgery. She brings an apology cake and updates Runa on her interactions with Maddie and Theo. Runa presses Stella about her feelings for Theo, encourages her to see him again, and reiterates the value of using Theo’s operation to deliver vigilante justice to the truly guilty. This visit also reveals that Runa is in a new romantic relationship with the “hot nurse” who attached her electrodes.

Beyond these scenes, Runa is frequently mentioned by Stella as the person she checks in with after major events. Her off-page influence shapes Stella’s decisions about Theo and the hit list.

Motivations and Traits

Runa’s actions reveal a person who has adapted to trauma with resilience, sharp wit, and a pragmatic view of justice.

  • Dark humor: She jokes about beating Maddie to death with a prosthetic leg and threatens to push the emergency button when Stella teases her. This humor functions as a coping mechanism and signals that she refuses to be defined by victimhood.
  • Moral pragmatism: Runa does not oppose Stella’s blackmail situation outright; instead, she redirects it. Her suggestion to target “the worst of the worst” is a calculated compromise between Stella’s guilt and the need to pay off the debt.
  • Emotional honesty: She calls out Stella’s lies (“Li-ar”) and pushes her to admit her desires. She also confesses her own nervousness about her new relationship, showing vulnerability.
  • Vigilante streak: Runa clearly wants Maddie punished. Her “pure evil” smile when making the hit list indicates she relishes the idea of corrupt people facing consequences.
  • Protective of Stella: Despite her own pain, Runa shifts the conversation away from Stella’s guilt. She insists that Stella tell her everything, demonstrating a deep, reciprocal trust.

Character Arc

Runa’s personal arc is subtle but present. At the start of the novel, she is recovering from another surgery, still grappling with chronic pain and the limitations of her body. By chapter 29, she is home, using a wheelchair, and beginning a romantic relationship. Her emotional arc moves from physical vulnerability to emotional openness. She allows herself to be vulnerable with Stella about her new partner, which mirrors Stella’s own journey toward letting people in. Runa’s arc is less about transformation and more about stabilization—she learns to accept help, to heal on her own terms, and to find joy despite her circumstances.

Relationships

Stella: The core relationship. Runa and Stella share a trauma bond formed in the immediate aftermath of the accident. Stella describes their dynamic as one where they confess “the worst of the worst” to each other. Runa serves as a moral sounding board, calling Stella out when needed and offering tactical advice. She is one of the few people who knows the full truth about the accident and Stella’s guilt.

The hot nurse: Referenced only through Stella’s teasing and Runa’s blushing admission. The nurse is the one who “attached [Runa’s] electrodes” and is now spending the night at her apartment. This relationship signals Runa’s willingness to trust and love again after a life-altering trauma.

Madison Clyde: The absent antagonist. Runa has never met Maddie since the accident, but her desire for justice—or revenge—is clear. She wants Maddie to face consequences and sees Theo as a tool for that purpose.

Key Decisions and Consequences

  1. Deciding to help Stella make a hit list. Runa takes Stella’s phone and suggests names of corrupt people. Consequence: Stella moves from passively obeying Theo to actively participating in a plan that could harm wealthy wrongdoers.

  2. Encouraging Stella to stay involved with Theo. Runa tells Stella she has “a perfect excuse to talk to him again.” This nudges Stella toward continuing the volatile relationship, which eventually evolves into a romantic triad.

  3. Choosing to pursue a relationship with the nurse. Runa keeps the relationship secret at first, afraid to “jinx it.” Her decision to confide in Stella strengthens their bond and shows that Runa is ready to embrace new connections.

Themes and Symbols

  • Revenge and justice: Runa embodies the tension between personal vengeance and rightful justice. Her suggestion to target guilty people frames Theo’s operation as a tool for moral retribution rather than random destruction. This connects to the broader revenge theme in the novel.

  • Class conflict: Runa is a working-class woman devastated by the negligence of wealthy heiress Madison Clyde. Her perspective highlights how the wealthy evade consequences, aligning with the class conflict theme.

  • Chronic illness representation: Runa’s recovery from TMR surgery and her ongoing phantom pain parallel Stella’s chronic gastritis. Both characters manage invisible (and visible) disabilities. Runa’s experience adds depth to the chronic illness representation in the story.

  • Family secrets and betrayal: While Runa’s own family is not explored, her role forces Stella to confront the secrets and betrayals within her own family. Maddie’s act and the subsequent cover-up are central to family secrets and betrayal.

  • Power dynamics: Runa’s dark humor and insistence on agency invert typical victim narratives. She refuses to be pitied and actively influences Stella’s scheme, demonstrating a form of power even within her physical limitations. This echoes the power dynamics and BDSM themes in the main romance.

Questions and Answers

1. Why does Runa suggest Stella target Madison Clyde instead of innocent people?

Runa argues that Maddie and others like her have already gotten away with terrible acts. Directing Theo’s scheme toward genuine wrongdoers would make Stella’s participation ethically defensible. Runa herself was a victim of Maddie’s hit-and-run, so targeting Maddie satisfies both strategic and emotional needs.

2. How does Runa react when Stella admits to sleeping with Theo?

Runa laughs and calls Stella a “filthy little slut” in an affectionate, teasing tone. She is not judgmental; she is curious and supportive. She immediately asks for details about the sex and later urges Stella to see Theo again because Stella clearly wants to.

3. What does Runa’s dark humor reveal about her character?

Her humor—jokes about beating Maddie with a prosthetic leg, accusing Stella of buying apology cakes, and referencing “electrode” nurses—shows that she refuses to be defined by her trauma. It also strengthens her bond with Stella, who shares a similar sense of humor. The dark comedy serves as a shield against pain and a tool for asserting agency.

4. Does Runa ever blame Stella for the accident?

No. In the evidence, Runa redirects when Stella starts crying with guilt. She tells Stella to “stop” and changes the subject. Runa holds Maddie responsible, not Stella, and she respects the decade-long financial and emotional support Stella has provided.

5. What role does Runa play in the novel’s ending?

Though she does not appear in the epilogue, Runa’s influence persists. Stella’s relationship with Theo and AJ is partly a result of Runa encouraging her to pursue what she wants. The moral framework for Theo’s operation—targeting the corrupt—originated in Runa’s hospital room. She functions as an off-page moral anchor even when physically absent.

For further context on how Runa’s advice shapes Stella’s decisions, see the ending explained page and the questions and answers page.