Shatter Me, #1
Shatter Me
by Tahereh Mafi
Contents
THIRTY-FIVE
Overview
Kenji arrives at Adam’s hidden home severely beaten and shot after Warner’s forces tortured him for information, turning Adam’s refuge into a dangerous liability. The possibility that Kenji carries tracker serum forces Adam to prepare to flee with James, while Kenji offers a mysterious safe haven whose leaders already know about Juliette. The chapter shifts the story from temporary domestic safety back into flight, suspicion, and the possibility of a larger resistance network.
Summary
With James at school and Adam in the shower, Juliette tries to eat the granola Adam left for her but feels guilty because James is required by law to eat regulated foil-pack food. The cold shower and the scarcity of warm water remind Juliette how harsh and controlled life under the Reestablishment has become.
A violent pounding on the door makes Juliette fear Warner has found them. Juliette arms herself with Adam’s guns, and when Adam emerges, he takes one too. The weakening knocks and a familiar voice reveal the visitor is Kenji, Adam’s acquaintance from the base, badly injured and begging to be let in.
Adam distrusts Kenji but brings Kenji inside and treats Kenji’s wounds in the bathroom. Juliette waits for nearly an hour with a gun in hand, realizing the weapon no longer frightens her as much as the possibility that she might be willing to use it. Adam later explains that Warner had Kenji tortured for information after Adam and Juliette escaped, and that Kenji was shot while running away.
Adam realizes Kenji may still carry tracker serum, even if it seems unreliable because Warner has not arrived yet. Because Kenji has reached Adam’s home, Adam decides the refuge is no longer safe. Adam plans to leave as soon as James returns from school and refuses to abandon his younger brother.
Kenji interrupts Adam and Juliette’s intimate moment and is stunned that Adam can touch Juliette. Adam orders Kenji to leave, but Kenji claims he knows a real safe place and can take them there. Kenji says an unknown large man carried him to Adam’s door, which deepens Adam’s suspicion and confusion.
Kenji argues that all of them are too young for the violence they have endured, but Adam remains angry because James’s safety has been compromised. Juliette challenges Kenji about the safe place, and Kenji admits its leader is interested in meeting her. Kenji’s crude flirting provokes Adam’s protective anger, and when Kenji refuses to stop, Adam elbows Kenji in the face.
Who Appears
- JulietteNarrator; arms herself, fears discovery, and confronts Kenji over his interest in her.
- AdamProtects Juliette and James, treats Kenji’s wounds, and decides the refuge is compromised.
- KenjiInjured soldier acquaintance who arrives tortured, claims to know a safe place, and tests Adam’s patience.
- JamesAdam’s younger brother, absent at school but central to Adam’s decision to flee.
- WarnerAbsent antagonist whose torture of Kenji and tracker threat endanger Adam’s hiding place.