Gabe frequently sees Claire as an old woman watching him from afar, although he does not realize it’s Claire. He wants to ask who she is but feels too shy. When he is roughhousing with his friends in the village, he notices her less, although he is sure she is usually close by, watching him. He thinks about using his power of veering to see what she wants but is too afraid. He is annoyed that she has distracted him from his boat-making task. He can’t remember anything about her history, which is strange because he knows the history of everyone else in the village. He thinks about introducing himself next time he sees her, but rain interrupts his plans and he runs back to the village.

His friends ask how the boat is coming along as Gabe changes into dry clothes in the Boy’s Lodge: “Most of his lodge-mates had lost their parents to illness or accident [..] All of the boys had a history to tell” (272-73). Gabe remembers constantly asking Jonas about his past and being frustrated with Jonas’s seemingly evasive answers. Jonas says Gabe didn’t have parents because he was a problematic child.