Starters

The marshals arrive and pursue the Starters. Callie, Tyler, and Michael hide in the bushes, a spot they scoped out when they first moved in. Tyler wheezes, which signals he may have a coughing spell, so Michael covers his mouth. A marshal approaches the bushes and nearly finds them when another marshal calls out that they found one. They taser the boy, a newer resident, and the voltage is so high, he screams, and a black mark is left on his neck. Once the marshals leave with the boy, Callie, Michael, and Tyler know they must go too. They lament all they lost: their gear, their water bottles, and their memories, like Tyler’s dogbot that his mom gifted him. Tyler has a coughing fit, and Callie knows they can’t keep squatting forever.

While Michael and Tyler seek shelter in a building about 20 minutes away, Callie heads to Prime Destinations to get the money they need to survive. She meets again with Mr. Tinnenbaum and sees the CEO, only known as the Old Man, leaving his office as she arrives. Once she tells Mr. Tinnenbaum her intent, they test her abilities in sports, and she is assigned a mentor, an Ender named Doris. They must take a limo to a shooting range, since it’s an unusual skillset, and they are highly impressed by her ability with guns, something her father taught her so she could protect herself and Tyler during the war. After she impresses them with her skills, she haggles for more money and signs the contract with her fingerprint. The Enders give her a total makeover, which is a brutal process that fundamentally changes her face. When Callie finally sees herself that evening in her guest room, she realizes that anybody could be beautiful with enough money and resources.

After eating potato soup and sleeping in a comfy bed, Callie falls asleep and awakens the next morning to be taken for her surgery. She’s nervous and has a fear of needles. Terry guides her to the exchange room, where Trax, a computer geek, monitors her chip. They know her favorite meal before she tells them, and they bring her a feast of lobster, steak pizza, and caramel cheesecake. Then, she is returned to her room where she must change into the stuffy clothes her renter picked out. Doris tries to reassure Callie and defuses her questions by telling her to be happy, but Callie just wants to make it out with the money and to safety with her brother and Michael.

While Callie awaits her first rental in the exchange room, she receives a bracelet with little sports charms that launch a projection for her entertainment from Doris. Terry notes that Doris is very thoughtful and then gives Callie the anesthetics. She has a short dream about a house by a lake with Tyler and Michael. When she wakes up, thinking she hears her mother’s voice, she learns she has finished her first rental successfully. She wonders what happened to her during her rental, and they tell her she’s ready to do another, longer one: three days. Callie wants a break but figures she’ll get it over with. This one was also easy and fast except when she woke up, she had a big cut on her forearm. They treat it and tell her the next rental will be for a full month. Callie insists on seeing her brother and talks to Mr. Tinnenbaum, who agrees on the condition of sending her with a bodyguard for three hours. Callie accidentally walks into the wrong room when she goes to get changed.

When she’s ready to go, Doris tells her she won’t need to eat since she already ate that day. Doris sends her with some food for her brother, and Callie and the bodyguard, Rodney, go to visit Tyler and Michael. Michael is astounded by how good Callie looks. Tyler is standoffish with Callie at first because he’s mad that she has been gone for days, but he warms up to her and they eat food together. There’s a new girl in the hallway, Florina, who Callie is jealous of because she gives Michael an orange and flirts with him. Michael gives Callie a drawing. They almost kiss, but Rodney interrupts them. On the ride back to Prime Destinations, Callie thinks of memories with Tyler and her dad. When they arrive back at Prime Destinations, Callie’s renter insists on using her tonight, so she is prepped and ready to go. She has strange dreams about Florina and Michael in a hayloft full of oranges.

Callie awakens in a puddle of sticky pineapple liquid on the floor of Club Rune with a pounding headache. Madison, an Ender named Rhiannon in a gorgeous teenager’s body, approaches Callie with a drink and chats with her. Madison assumes it’s Callie’s first time but knows she’s a renter. Callie wants to know how she knows, and Madison shares the criteria: The teenagers who are really Enders have perfect bodies—no piercings, tattoos, scars, or blemishes. There are a mix of Enders and rich teenagers at the club, and most Enders are careful to avoid the real teenagers.

Callie worries they’ll get in trouble for underage drinking, but Madison assures her it’s fine and gets another drink. Callie is so nervous because she’s not supposed to be awake yet and doesn’t know what happened. She hears a weird voice in her head. Then, Blake, an attractive boy who she thinks is an actual teenager because of the small scar on his cheek, approaches Callie and tries to get her to dance. Madison returns, and Blake goes back to his friends. Callie hears the voice again, and it warns her not to return to Prime Destinations.

Madison teases Callie to not forget the rules about having sex, especially not with real teens. Madison gives Callie black coffee, and it makes Callie’s mouth itch. Madison gives Callie one of her Zings, a card with her contact information and portrait. Callie doesn’t have any Zings in her purse to give her. They leave.

Madison goes first in a sports car. Callie learns her renter’s car is also a sports car and is nervous about driving. The car navigates her to her renter’s house. She drives slowly and is attacked by Starters. She manages to fend them off and makes it to her renter’s, Mrs. Helena Winterhill’s, fancy mansion. She sees that it’s November and has only been a week since her rental started. She rings the bell to the mansion, and the maid answers.