Starters

Tyler Woodland is a seven-year-old Starter. He’s Callie’s younger brother and has a serious lung condition. He is very close with Callie and attached to the few memories he has of their family together. He is adept at living life on the run and mostly listens to the older figures in his life, like Callie, Michael, and Florina. He shows a stubbornness when Callie leaves him for too long but quickly warms up. He adapts to life based on what he has learned, like when he hides from the marshals even though they’re not coming after him, and he is a typical child who has grown up in horrible circumstances.

Helena Winterhill is a wealthy renter who occupies Callie’s body for most of the novel and lives in a mansion. Her granddaughter, Emma, vanished after signing up with Prime Destinations, and her primary goal throughout the novel is to stop Prime Destinations from snatching more teens and to find Emma. Like most Enders, Helena is extravagantly wealthy, but unlike many Enders, she has a greater purpose in renting than just reliving a teenage fantasy. Helena’s moral compass is skewed by the trauma she has witnessed and undergone, and as a result, she is so desperate to stop what’s happening at Prime that she is willing to kill Senator Harrison to prevent what she sees as a major tragedy for teenagers everywhere.

Although it takes Callie a long time to come around to Helena’s point of view and though Callie continually blocks her attempts at advancement toward her assassination plot, Helena shows patience and diligence and ultimately grows quite close to Callie. Her death and kindness to Callie serves as the impetus for Callie’s new mission once she and Tyler have achieved safety: to find Emma.

Blake Harrison is the teenage grandson of Senator Harrison whose body is occupied by the Old Man for most of the novel. Though it seems like Blake is a cool, easy-going, wealthy Starter who is in love with Callie throughout the novel, the real Blake doesn’t arrive on the page until the end of the book, where he is completely clueless to all that has transpired. He admits to being a book nerd and wants to try and figure things out with Callie, but beyond that, Blake is a mystery because how much of him was really the Old Man throughout the novel makes it difficult to know Blake at all beyond his physical attributes, which are attractive. Blake does come across as earnest, however, in his pursuit to be with Callie at the end.

The Old Man is one of the most cryptic figures in the novel because he intentionally disguises his identity by using a mask and voice modulator even when in person in the novel. He is a character who feels both inhuman and beyond human due to his cruel behavior and his synthesis with technology. The Old Man is the CEO of Prime Destinations and is the true antagonist of the novel. Little is known about him, but he is drawn to Callie for some reason and has few moral quandaries about using the full power of technology for profit and personal gain.

The Old Man is as cunning as he is evil, ensuring Blake has a scar on his face so he won’t be mistaken for a renter. While Blake’s romantic gestures with Callie could be considered part of the Old Man’s personality, it is not accurate to assume that the traits the Old Man showed Callie in Blake’s body, like consideration and kindness, are actual traits he possesses. Rather, everything is smoke and mirrors, and the Old Man is purposefully an elusive character who leaves everyone wondering about his identity. He relishes in the ambiguity and speculation around him and uses it to try and lure Callie in, stating, “Much of what I said to you was true. But not everything. If you want to find out which parts were real, come join me” (329). This elusiveness is one trait that defines the Old Man, even with only the few hints we see of his true nature.

Rhiannon, a 125-year-old Ender who rents the attractive Madison’s body, and who proves to be a genuine friend and good person despite engaging in Prime’s practices. Rhiannon is portrayed as a funny woman who is all surface and bubbly, which Callie likes about her. However, Rhiannon isn’t as foolish as Callie thinks, as she’s very capable of pulling together people and resources when the time calls for it. Rhiannon presents herself as superficial, but beneath the exterior, she cares about other people. She never stopped to think about the full implications of her escapades and Prime’s exploitation of the youth. When Callie has an honest and challenging conversation with her about the nature of proposed permanency option, Rhiannon realizes how horrible Prime is. She is the first Ender to return to her body at the end of the book. Even though her body isn’t perfect, it’s hers, and she is one of the few characters to undergo such a radical change and fully embrace her identity, flaws and all.

Sara is a young girl at Institution 37 who Helena believes knows something about Emma. When Callie first meets her, she sees Sara as a meek girl with a heart condition who is grateful for anything she can get, like the cashmere sweater and the Supertruffle. However, Sara is one of the most rounded characters in the novel, because despite her physical weakness and her outward meekness, she commits one of the bravest acts of self-sacrifice by offering her life as a distraction to allow for Callie’s chance at freedom to save her brother.

Sara is also quite intelligent, despite being naive about Prime Destinations. She pays attention to details, such as the clothes the workers at the institution wear, the best hiding spots in the facility, and which guards make getaways easier. Sara’s knowledge ultimately helps Callie escape. Sara is a victim of many tragedies, from having her sweater taken to being punched by Callie without initially understanding why, to her untimely death. Even though she cries and complains, Sara turns out to be a strong-willed, loving character.

Lauren, an Ender who occupies Reece’s body, is one of Helena Winterhill’s allies. She lost her grandson to Prime Destinations and is renting to try and expose their schemes. She doesn’t know all the details of Helena’s plans, but she knows Helena intends to murder someone. She doesn’t condone the violence, but she is a fierce ally to Helena and loyal to the cause. She is far more pragmatic and careful than many of the other Enders. She has a lawyer to secure their findings and approaches everything with some cautious realism.

Though Lauren is initially infuriated when Callie reveals that Helena has died, Lauren eventually respects Callie and even becomes her legal guardian. She realizes that Helena trusted Callie, and because Lauren considers Helena such a close friend, she relies on her judgment. Lauren shields Callie’s security with her family while imposing no restrictions on her life by acting as a legal guardian so that Callie’s new property (half of Helena’s estate) can’t be taken from her for being an unclaimed minor. This level of attention to practical matters and willingness to give to others in prudent, exacting ways is core to her character.