Unravel Me

Even as Castle tries to reassure her that this isn’t permanent, Juliette begins to panic. Adam reaches out to her, but she vows never to touch him again. Juliette tries to flee, but Adam restrains her (not touching her skin) and begs her to talk. Castle reluctantly gives them some privacy, and they sit on opposite sides of the room.

Adam never wished to hurt Juliette and asks if she’s angry. She isn’t mad but cries, thinking, “I was an idiot for thinking things could be different” (54). They can’t be together if touching her hurts him. He reaches for her ungloved hand, and when she pulls away, Adam is shocked and hurt. He insists that he will learn how to control his powers, but Juliette insists that it’s too dangerous, even though she confesses that she does want to be with him.

Adam, in an effort to show Juliette that it is safe for them to be together, backs her against the wall. He touches Juliette, first atop her suit and then on her bare skin. They kiss, even though Juliette knows it’s a bad idea. Still, she is overcome by longing and touches him without reservation after Adam removes his shirt. They kiss and talk about how they have missed one another. Juliette loses herself in sensation until she realizes that she feels too strong. She pulls back sharply to find Adam gasping for air, unable to speak. Juliette screams.

Juliette counts everything in the room—a coping mechanism to deal with her feelings—while Adam is in the medical wing. Though Sonya and Sara tell Juliette that Adam will be okay, Juliette admonishes herself for being selfish: She knew the extent of her power, but Adam didn’t, and now she feels like “a horrible, selfish, pathetic monster” (59). She recommits to her promise to never touch Adam again, even though it is much harder to return to a life without touch now that she has known physical contact.

She remembers that Warner also touched her without getting hurt and wonders if she’ll see him again soon. She also wonders if he will still want to get revenge on her for shooting him and how he became so murderous at only 19. Warner never had friends, and his father praised him for committing acts of violence. She thinks that maybe Warner is correct in seeing her as only a weapon.

Juliette reminds herself that despite her commonalities with Warner, they are different. She doesn’t see the appeal in the power he offers and wants to fight to be better though she laments that it is hard to fight when she thinks of the things she’s done.

Juliette ruminates about loneliness while she waits for Kenji for training. She is anxious about not having gloves after hers were destroyed in the lab. Kenji asks if she’s okay, and Juliette lies and says she is. Kenji sees through her and reminds her that Adam will be okay but allows Juliette to brush him off so they can start training.

Kenji takes Juliette to a classroom she’s never seen before. Inside are many people, laughing and smiling. Castle smiles when he sees Kenji, and Juliette notes they have a father-son relationship. The other members of Omega Point also act like a family, which makes Juliette feel like an outsider.

The group will be doing an orientation for the newcomers. Juliette sits next to Brendan, who has electricity powers, and Winston, who made her suit. They’re both friendly, and they joke about Kenji’s dramatics in bringing Juliette to this room without telling her why. Winston is exhausted from running patrols and, when Juliette asks what he’s talking about, he and Brendan explain that the Reestablishment soldiers have been searching for Omega Point with increased vigor. Warner is always with them, his arm still in a sling, even though his high rank means he should delegate such tasks. Winston thinks Warner is searching for something, and Juliette doesn’t suggest that Warner is looking for her.

They’re assembled to go aboveground, and Juliette gets excited for the first time. She asks why, and Winston answers: “Grand larceny. Armed robbery. That sort of thing” (67). Juliette laughs, but Brendan warns her that Winston isn’t joking.

Disguised as civilians, Juliette and the other Omega Point members prepare to go outside. Juliette has a fake Reestablishment Registration card—the ID cards that track legal citizens, hold their electronic currency, and prove their status when soldiers ask for identification. Castle warns against losing the cards and points out that being trusted with one is a privilege. These cards are only for the select group that goes on missions outside Omega Point. Juliette is pleased because getting a card means Kenji trusts her.

This is Juliette’s first time going above ground in three years, and she is eager to see what has happened to society. She recalls the hopeful beginning of The Reestablishment’s reign, but soon after being put in power, The Reestablishment turned violent, massacring protesters.

Juliette thinks that Castle has allowed her on this mission because he wants her to see that the future is savable and to trust in Omega Point’s mission. She wants to trust in it, too, but is frightened. In her experience, one can’t trust anyone who is seeking power, and she notes how well armed the people of Omega Point are. Sixteen people, including Juliette, Castle, Kenji, Brendan, and Winston are going aboveground. Juliette nearly smiles with excitement before remembering how she almost killed Adam.

Dressed inconspicuously, Juliette thinks about slipping away, but dismisses this as cowardly. Before the group leaves Omega Point, Castle quizzes them on their fake identities and reminds them not to do anything to draw attention to themselves. If anything goes wrong, they plan to scatter and hide. They hurry through the wasteland outside the compound with Kenji (who has the gift of invisibility) scouting ahead. It’s cold, but Juliette is happy to be outside. They’ve almost reached the compound when Kenji urges them to hurry: Soldiers are coming. Juliette knows she isn’t supposed to look around but can’t resist stealing a glance and is startled when she sees Warner.

Warner is standing close by, dressed immaculately. Juliette thinks him inhumanly beautiful and feels oddly thrilled to study him without him knowing. He looks worried, though it’s hard to tell through his impassive facade. Suddenly, a stray dog wanders over to him, slobbering on Warner’s fancy clothes. Juliette is afraid Warner will shoot the dog—she has seen him shoot people before—but instead, he scoops it up. Juliette is desperate to see what he’s going to do next, but he disappears behind a fence, and she has to return to her mission.

Though Kenji urges her forward, Juliette takes a last glance back and sees Warner smiling and feeding the dog something. She now finds Warner humanly beautiful and wishes she hadn’t: She doesn’t want to humanize him. Unsettled, she moves too quickly, causing Warner to notice her. He calls out, and Juliette instinctively responds. She freezes, and an invisible hand claps over her mouth, warning her not to scream.

Kenji’s touches Juliette, making her invisible. Warner, visibly confused, leaves, and Kenji drags Juliette back toward the mission site, scolding her for being foolish. His job is to watch over her and make sure she doesn’t have a mental health crisis. Adam is angry because he thinks Kenji is using his ability to spy on Juliette inappropriately. But Kenji takes his job seriously and wishes Juliette would, too. She isn’t the only one with a tragic past, but she has food, shelter, and clothing—which a lot of people don’t. Kenji urges her to stop crying and take control of her life. Juliette feels ashamed but knows that Kenji is right. They run to catch up with the mission.

The Omega Point crew robs an underground storage compound, which Castle detects using his psychokinetic abilities. The crew is careful and efficient but also lighthearted. They use their abilities to pull of the theft: a girl named Lily uses her photographic memory to make sure nothing is left out of place, Winston uses his stretching powers to reach across long distances, and Brendan uses his electric powers to turn off security measures. Kenji is the invisible lookout, and Castle uses his psychokinesis to move heavy objects to their drop-off point. It’s a well-established routine, and Juliette reflects on how important Kenji is to Omega Point.

Juliette asks a man named Ian what the “RNW” stamp on the boxes stands for. Ian jokes that he didn’t know she could speak, and Juliette wonders what other rumors are spreading about her. Ian tells her it stands for Reestablished Nations of the World, the global arm of The Reestablishment that monopolizes resources. Ian asks Juliette if she truly doesn’t know what happened to the world while she was in the psychiatric facility and when she hedges, he laughs and invites her to lunch back at Omega Point to give her details.

Thinking about Kenji’s words, Juliette decides to “get over” herself and stay out of Adam’s life despite her temptation to find out if he’s okay. She feels better about herself after the successful mission and, in the dining hall, goes to sit with Kenji, Brendan, Winston, and Emory, another member of the group. They are welcoming, which surprises and pleases Juliette. She feels good until Adam calls her name.

Adam looks terrible, and Juliette wishes she could hug him. He asks to speak with her alone, and she agrees. They stare at each other for a long moment until Adam breaks the silence, begging Juliette to say they can work things out. Juliette is heartbroken but holds firm. Adam grabs her in a tight hug, which at once feels good to Juliette and reminds her of her self-loathing. Even as Juliette tries to tell him no, saying she fears hurting him, Adam keeps begging and insisting she is hurting him by keeping them apart. Juliette tells Adam she is doing this because she loves him and then runs away. Her promise to stop crying and change may take longer than she thought.

Kenji finds Juliette in her training room and teases her about the “show” she put on with Adam. He tells her to run through the events when she was able to use her superhuman strength and asks what she was feeling during those moments. He concludes that her strength is triggered by intense emotions. His first time turning invisible was the result of an intense need to hide, but he couldn’t control it until he accepted the power as part of him. Juliette claims she has accepted her ability, but Kenji laughs and says she hasn’t.

Juliette asks how she is supposed to like being afraid to be near anyone, Kenji points out that having super strength would be different. He tells her to focus her anger on the brick in her hand, she crushes it to pieces almost effortlessly. Juliette is excited until Kenji, unthinking, asks what she could do to a person. This makes Juliette think that now there are even more ways she could hurt Adam, which triggers her self-hatred.

On her way to breakfast, Juliette thinks about Kenji’s theory from the previous day: that her lethal touch is merely a raw form of her super-strength. Juliette has always thought of herself like a Venus flytrap. Kenji agrees, but while Juliette finds the comparison horrifying, Kenji finds it impressive and exciting. Juliette is angry that Kenji would find it “awesome” for her to be able to kill a living thing. At the same time, she wonders whether it is time for her to fight back against injustice and whether “it’s ever actually possible to justify killing as a means to an end” (97).

Juliette arrives at breakfast and sits with Kenji, Winston, and Brendan. She tries not to look around until Kenji, sensing why, tells her Adam isn’t there. Juliette wants to ask why, but instead asks about the patrols. Winston relays that the patrols have suddenly stopped. Cranky from lack of sleep, he grumbles about Brendan’s youth and how his electricity makes him literally able to recharge without sleep. Juliette asks how old he is, and Brendan tells her he just turned 24. She awkwardly wishes him a happy birthday, and he smiles at her broadly, flustering Juliette and making Kenji laugh. He tells Brendan to “put it out of [his] head” (100), and Brendan hastily leaves.

Juliette is urgently awoken by Sonya and Sara, who tell her that Kenji needs her. Juliette hastily dresses and rushes out the door, only to walk into Adam, who grabs her and says he can’t let go. Kenji arrives and impatiently pulls Juliette free; Adam and Juliette must go to Castle’s office immediately.

When they arrive at Castle’s office, he tells them that the supreme commander, Warner’s father, has arrived in nearby Sector 45. There are six supreme commanders, one for North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Warner’s father oversees the 555 sectors of North America; there are a total of 3,333 sectors, but three of them are capitals in secret locations. The Reestablishment’s focus on exact numbers supposedly stands for their belief in equality.

Warner’s father had secretly arrived several weeks prior, angry about how Warner allowed Juliette, Kenji, and Adam to escape. Rumors are circulating about Juliette’s powers and a rebel movement, causing unrest among the citizenry. Warner’s father is here to punish both Warner and stamp out the resistance.

Castle trusts that Juliette’s overreaction in the research rooms was due to ignorance, not malice, and asks for her help. Juliette readily agrees. Kenji asks what happened, and Castle wearily says that Warner’s father wants a meeting; Omega Point has to agree because Warner’s father has captured four of their men.

Kenji is horrified that Brendan and Winston were among those captured. They have a knapsack with Brendan’s radio and Winston’s glasses that’s smeared with blood. Juliette is aghast thinking about what might be happening to her new friends. Castle theorizes that Warner was sent out on patrol by his father, who is nervous about the rumors surrounding Omega Point. Unable to find the entrance to Omega Point, the supreme commander has taken hostages and left specific instructions. Only Adam, Kenji, and Juliette will go meet him.

Castle’s plan is for Omega Point to attack while the supreme commander is busy with the meeting. Kenji is annoyed at being bait, and Adam is outraged that Castle is even somewhat playing by the supreme commander’s rules. He asks if they have any way to gain an advantage. Castle admits that Warner’s father only wanted to meet Juliette; it was Castle’s idea that Adam and Kenji accompany her. The supreme commander has threatened to kill the Omega Point hostages if Juliette does not appear at the scheduled time. Castle believes that Adam and Kenji can help protect her, but Kenji and Adam think it more likely that the supreme commander will kill them. Still, Juliette agrees, saying she will go alone if Kenji and Adam don’t want to join her. Castle is pleased and promises that Omega Point will be at her side, but Juliette thinks that maybe she was meant to die.

As Juliette gets ready for her confrontation with Warner’s father, James calls her name. Juliette is surprised, as James has been avoiding her, and he confesses that he is mad at her for not telling him that she has killed someone before. Juliette replies that she didn’t want James to hate her, and he says he doesn’t; he has been defending her to the other kids. James asks why she killed the person, and Juliette explains that it was an accident. James apologizes for being mad, and Juliette apologies for not telling him the truth. They agree to be friends again.

James then asks if Juliette knows why Adam is sad all the time and asks if she hurt Adam accidentally, too. She says yes and that she is staying away so that she can’t hurt him anymore. James asks why Adam is still sad if Juliette is no longer hurting him, but Juliette doesn’t have an answer. James hugs her and tells her to “kick some ass” (201), and Juliette is as astonished by the bad word as she is by his hug. Juliette is touched that James believes her and feels hope that the members of Omega Point now regard her as one of them.