Petra’s mind drifts back to the summer she turned 12. Her father took her to Rockhound State Park to look for some special rocks for his collection. He is a geologist, and Petra is aptly named because her name is the Greek word for “rock.” Her mother says rocks are strong and that Petra will be the foundation for something great someday. At the park, her father watches in disapproval as two other rock collectors use a drill to dig into the ground for turquoise and other valuable stones. He says, “You need to feel the dirt. Sense when it will give you a gift. And only take a few of what you need” (65). Petra remembers this as one of the best days of her life.

Back in the present, she reawakens in her pod when she realizes that someone is removing her. Petra notes that this person “barely looks human” (73), with blond hair, violet eyes, and translucent skin that shows the veins underneath. The woman is called the Chancellor and her male assistant, named Crick, looks exactly like her. Petra speculates that this frightening, new race of humans has erased all signs of difference among individuals. When they examine her, they notice her eye condition but consider the defect to be unimportant because they want the survivors for their brains.