Kya finds another feather waiting for her in the woods, leading her to realize that the boy leaving them likely means no harm. She thinks about what it means to be a girl. Ma told her that it’s important for women to stick together, but Kya has limited knowledge about being a girl or woman beyond that.

The next afternoon, in the clearing, Kya discovers a feather, seeds, a spark plug, and a note, which she still cannot read. She decides to give the boy one of her special feathers and sleeps near the clearing so she can catch him leaving his gifts. She nearly bolts when Tate Walker approaches her, but she is so drawn to him that she stays. He thanks her and is surprised when she tells him she cannot read, intrigued by the contrast between Kya’s child-like demeanor and the early signs of her physical maturation. She is nothing like the overdone, flirtatious town girls. Before leaving, he offers to teach Kya to read.

Kya waits eagerly for Tate’s return for several days but eventually must go about her daily routines to survive. One afternoon, she watches as some white boys harass