Allie

Luanne, a new fourteen-year-old girl at the convent, suffers from convulsive episodes that none of the other girls understand, except to say that it is not Luanne’s fault. Allie’s inner voice tells her that Luanne is the “one” who will help Allie gain control over the convent.

The girls gather to watch a lightning storm on the horizon of the sea. Suddenly, Luanne falls to the ground in one of her fits. Sister Veronica, the nun suspicious of the girls’ power, refuses to let any of the other girls rush to help Luanne, until Allie meekly asks if she can try to make Luanne stop.

Allie can sense exactly what is causing Luanne’s fits. With a hand on the back of Luanne’s neck, Allie sends a precise jolt that immediately ends Luanne’s convulsion. The girls are astonished at Allie’s apparent miracle. Shortly after, other girls seek Allie’s advice and ask her to heal them. One night in the bunks, she quietly asks a specific group of ten girls to go with her to the “seashore at dawn” because the voice told her to do so.

That morning, Allie and the others go to the beach still wearing their pajamas, wading waist-deep into the water. Allie calls God “She” and asks for Her blessing and baptism for all the girls. Feeling their knees give out beneath them, all of the girls except Allie are involuntarily held beneath the surface of the water for a few moments. After they come up for air, the girls are amazed by what has happened.

Although Allie, whom the girls soon begin to call Mother Eve, warns the baptized girls not to tell others what happened, news of her miracles spreads throughout the convent. Mother Eve also begins to spread her teachings: God came to earth in the form of Mary. She is more powerful than Jesus and She has returned via the power to right injustice.

By Easter, Mother Eve’s popularity attracts the attention of the nuns. While Sister Maria Ignacia suggests God is working through the girls, Sister Veronica says that the nuns should burn them alive—which has already happened in several places throughout the American South, where the convent is located. Sister Veronica persuades the nuns to agree to her plan: lock the girls in their bunks until morning while she prays for the Lord’s guidance.

The next morning, the nuns find Sister Veronica prostrate before the crucifix in the chapel, apparently still praying. It is soon discovered, however, that Sister Veronica has died of a heart attack in this position. The crucifix before her now has branching, scar-like markings over Jesus’s body.

After Sister Veronica’s death, Mother Eve gains complete control of the convent. The girls openly flout the nuns’ rules, and Mother Eve gives fervent sermons that are filmed and uploaded to the Internet. Her teachings grow more radical, upending much of the traditional Christian doctrine the girls were taught. The chapter ends with a note that someone recognizes Mother Eve’s face while watching one of the videos, despite her attempt at concealing it from view.

Margot

After little action from the governor’s office, Margot arranges an interview on a nationally syndicated morning talk show with Jocelyn. By the time of the interview, Margot has already held a press conference at the mayor’s residence to address reports of Jocelyn’s power.

Jocelyn tells a sympathetic story, explaining that her power’s sudden development has been stressful. This allows Margot to easily segue into her pitch: a three-phase plan to establish training programs for young girls who want to learn how to control...