Chapter summaries Soul Searching Lyla Sage

Chapter 8 Summary: Collins Faces Ghosts and Emotional Baggage in Sweetwater Peak

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Collins returns to her small apartment above Brady's workshop. She immediately notices a familiar ghostly glow and mutters in frustration. Changing into comfortable black jeans and a hoodie, she spots her unopened camera bag and pushes it under the bed—she isn't ready to confront the emotional weight tied to her photography career. After making a peanut butter, honey, and M&M sandwich, she texts her sister Clarke, teasing about her plans with Brady. When Brady knocks, they drive toward an abandoned church. During the ride, Collins insists the town is haunted, citing the daily movement of Brady's tack hammer as proof. Brady remains skeptical. They arrive at the overgrown church as darkness falls. Collins, holding a box of lanterns, invites Brady to "go wake the dead."

Key Events

  • Collins enters her apartment and sees the ghostly woman who appears daily.
  • She changes clothes and deliberately ignores her camera equipment, pushing the bag further under the bed.
  • Ghosts knock over a water bottle and slide her suitcase; Collins tells them to have decorum.
  • She makes a sandwich and texts Clarke, who is curious about her evening plans.
  • Brady joins her; Collins shares half her sandwich, and he accepts it.
  • On the drive to the church, Collins tries to convince Brady that Sweetwater Peak is haunted, using the tack hammer's movement as evidence.
  • They arrive at the church—a decaying, vine-covered structure—and Collins is eager to explore.

Character Development

Collins shows a conflicted relationship with her past. She lies about a dead camera battery to avoid discussing her photography, a career she seems to have abandoned. Her sharp, sarcastic tone with the ghosts reveals a weary familiarity with the supernatural. She is also protective of her emotional state, refusing to unpack her gear. Her banter with Brady suggests she is slowly letting someone new in, even as she deflects with humor. Brady is open-minded but grounded; he listens to her claims without dismissing them outright, and his gentle concern (asking if she’s warm enough) shows a thoughtful side.

Themes, Symbols, and Motifs

Unresolved past as a haunting – The ghosts in Collins’s apartment mirror her own unprocessed emotions. The camera equipment symbolizes a career (and possibly a passion) she has walked away from; being forced to see it every day is “exposure therapy” she resists. Avoidance versus confrontation – Collins physically pushes the bag away and lies about the battery, yet she willingly drives toward an actual haunted church. The dichotomy between her avoidance of personal symbols and her embrace of literal ghosts suggests she is more comfortable with external supernatural threats than with her own internal grief. Homecoming and discomfort – Returning to Sweetwater Peak brings back old abilities and old evasions. The setting—both cozy apartment and eerie church—reflects Collins’s own state: she is drawn to the weird and beautiful, but not ready to face what she left behind.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens Collins’s character arc and establishes the central tension between her supernatural abilities and her emotional avoidance. It also advances the romance plot by giving Collins and Brady a shared adventure. The church setting introduces a new location that will likely play a role in later chapters, and Collins’s unresolved feelings about photography hint at a backstory that will need to be confronted. The contrast between her flippant attitude toward ghosts and her avoidance of her own past creates compelling dramatic irony.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Collins refuse to unpack her camera equipment, and what does the bag represent?
    Collins refuses to unpack her cameras because they are tied to a previous career (and likely a painful period) she wants to leave behind. The bag represents emotional baggage—moments she once wanted to keep but now wishes to forget. By shoving it under the bed, she avoids confronting that part of her identity.

  2. How does the author use the ghosts to mirror Collins’s internal state?
    The ghosts are constant, intrusive, and force Collins to interact with her environment—much like her suppressed emotions demand attention. For example, the ghosts keep moving her camera equipment, forcing exposure to the thing she wants to ignore. Their inability (or unwillingness) to communicate verbally echoes Collins’s own refusal to articulate her feelings.

  3. What does the conversation about nicknames reveal about Collins and Clarke?
    That Collins and Clarke invented nicknames for each other (Olly and Lars) shows their close bond and shared childhood desire for belonging. The fact that the nicknames never caught on at school but persisted between them underscores their deep sisterly connection and their sense of being outsiders in Sweetwater Peak.

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