Chapter 33 Summary, Analysis, and Key Takeaways

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Summary

Sariyah wakes up disoriented in a cramped crawl space, her first panicked thought being that she's been buried alive. The fear dissolves when she feels Deja's hand, but the reality is hardly better: she's trapped with her friend, and her phone is gone. She pounds on the door and shouts for Fitz, but Deja whispers that he's already left. Frustrated, Sariyah turns her anger on Deja, demanding to know why she came along with Malcolm's plan. Deja initially deflects, but Sariyah presses, and Deja finally admits the truth: she met Fitz over Christmas break, when he introduced himself as “Jed.” They hit it off, and Deja, miserable at home because her mother steals her money for drugs and clothes, saw him as a chance to escape. She planned to run away with him, never intending to return home after the staged disappearance. She also reveals that she never followed him on Instagram—he insisted on Facebook, where she used the alias Willow D. Nelson.

Fitz returns, and after a tense exchange, he slides a photograph under the floorboards. In the dim light, Sariyah sees a picture of Fitz with a girl who looks exactly like Deja—but it's not her. It's Crystelle, the girl Sariyah saw at the zoo with Josiah. Fitz explains that he and Crystelle were close in high school, but a cheating rumor (likely started by Jed) tore them apart. He reconnected with her in September, only to find she'd moved on with someone else. Desperate to win her back, he remembered Sariyah's ability—the one that lets her sense what people need. He admits he orchestrated everything: paying off Tim to push Sariyah along, cutting off Malcolm's texts to Deja, and using Deja as a doppelgänger to lure Sariyah into his trap. He believes Sariyah can give him exactly what he needs to win Crystelle back.

Fitz leaves to retrieve Sariyah's bag from the car, but Sariyah tries to escape, beating on the hatch and kicking at a vent. Deja tells her the openings are too small. Then Sariyah hears her father's voice from above. She screams for him, but Fitz returns and attacks Mr. Bryant, knocking him down and threatening to hurt him further if Sariyah doesn't cooperate. As Fitz leaves again, Sariyah feels a familiar compulsion—the need to know what Fitz wants. The word “ring” keeps surfacing in her mind, unwanted and persistent. She tries to block it, but the compulsion is overwhelming, and she's left rocking in the dark, unable to turn off her ability.

Key Events

Sariyah wakes up trapped in a crawl space with Deja; her phone is missing.
Deja confesses she met Fitz as “Jed” over Christmas and planned to run away with him because of problems at home.
Fitz returns and slides a photograph under the floorboards showing him with Crystelle, not Deja.
Fitz reveals his plan: he manipulated events (paying Tim, cutting off Malcolm's texts) to get Sariyah to him so she could use her ability to help him win Crystelle back.
Sariyah attempts to escape but fails; the vents are too small.
Mr. Bryant arrives, and Fitz attacks him, knocking him down and threatening to hurt him further.
Sariyah feels a compulsion to know Fitz's need, and the word “ring” repeatedly surfaces in her mind.

Character Development

Sariyah shows resilience and defiance even in a hopeless situation. She refuses to accept defeat, banging on the door and trying to escape despite the odds. Her protective instinct for her father is fierce—she screams to warn him and prays her voice will keep him fighting. But the chapter also exposes her vulnerability: her ability, which she's always seen as a gift, becomes a curse when it's forced on her. She wants to be selective about sharing herself, but the compulsion overrides her will, leaving her feeling powerless and violated.

Deja is revealed as more than a sidekick. Her desperation to escape a toxic home life makes her vulnerable to Fitz's manipulation. She's not malicious—she genuinely believed she was running toward a better life. Her confession about her mother's theft and her fear of being erased from her own life adds depth to her character, showing that her involvement was born from pain, not malice.

Fitz is fully unmasked as a manipulator and obsessive. He's not just a lovesick ex; he's calculated, willing to pay off strangers, cut off communication, and physically harm Sariyah's father to get what he wants. His cheerful tone when speaking to Mr. Bryant contrasts sharply with his violent actions, highlighting his duplicity.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Manipulation and deception are central. Fitz's entire scheme relies on lies—fake identities, hacked accounts, and a doppelgänger to lure Sariyah. The photograph of Crystelle, mistaken for Deja, symbolizes how easily appearances can deceive.

Confinement and powerlessness are literal and metaphorical. The crawl space traps Sariyah physically, but the real confinement is her inability to control her ability. She's trapped by her own gift, forced to sense Fitz's need against her will.

The burden of supernatural ability is explored through Sariyah's internal struggle. She wants to be “stingy” and “choosy” about sharing herself, but the compulsion overrides her autonomy. This raises questions about consent and the ethics of a power that operates beyond one's control.

Family dysfunction is evident in Deja's story—her mother's theft and the emotional toll it takes. It also appears in Fitz's obsession with Crystelle, which seems rooted in a need to reclaim a past that never really existed.

Compulsion versus choice is the chapter's most pressing theme. Sariyah's ability is no longer a tool she wields; it's a force that acts on her. The repeated word “ring” suggests a need she doesn't want to acknowledge, and her inability to turn it off underscores her loss of agency.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is a turning point in the novel. It reveals Fitz's motive, transforming him from a mysterious antagonist into a fully realized threat. The stakes escalate dramatically when Mr. Bryant is attacked, putting Sariyah's family in direct danger. More importantly, the chapter forces Sariyah to confront the dark side of her ability. For the first time, she experiences it as a compulsion she cannot resist, which raises the question of whether she'll ever be able to control it—or whether it controls her. The cliffhanger of the word “ring” sets up the next chapter's conflict, as Sariyah must decide whether to give Fitz what he needs or risk her father's life.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Deja agree to run away with Fitz, and how does her home life influence that decision?

Deja is desperate to escape her mother, who steals her money for drugs and other purchases. She feels erased in her own home and sees Fitz (as “Jed”) as a chance to start over. Her plan to run away was already forming before Malcolm's idea, showing that her unhappiness was long-standing.

2. How does Fitz manipulate Sariyah into coming to him, and what does this reveal about his character?

Fitz pays off Tim to push Sariyah along and cuts off Malcolm's texts to Deja, ensuring Sariyah would be the one to investigate. He also uses Deja as a doppelgänger for Crystelle to lure Sariyah into his trap. This reveals his calculating, obsessive nature—he's willing to harm others and deceive everyone to achieve his goal.

3. What does Sariyah's inability to block the compulsion suggest about her relationship with her ability?

Sariyah has always seen her ability as something she can choose to use, but in this chapter, it acts against her will. The compulsion to know Fitz's need—symbolized by the word “ring”—shows that her power has a mind of its own, or at least that she hasn't learned to control it. This raises questions about whether she can ever be selective about sharing herself, and whether the ability is a gift or a burden.