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Summary: Chapter 10

That night, Cal, Quinn, Fox, and Layla go to Cal’s parents’ house for dinner. Quinn questions Cal’s mother and father about their experiences during the Seven. Quinn explains that she’s looking for a house to rent as she plans on staying in Hawkins Hollow longer than she’d originally anticipated. Mr. Hawkins tells Quinn that they own a rental property where she can stay. After dinner, Cal, Quinn, Fox, and Layla head to the rental house. Quinn asks Cal why he didn’t tell her about the rental house sooner, and Cal admits that he likes Quinn and doesn’t want to put her in danger by encouraging her to stay in Hawkins Hollow. Quinn likes the rental house and says that Layla, and hopefully Cybil, should stay there too. Before leaving the rental house, Cal and Quinn share a passionate kiss, realizing that unlike their first kiss at the Pagan Stone, this moment was entirely driven by their own attraction, not an outside force.

Summary: Chapter 11

It is the day before Valentine’s Day, and Cal buys flowers for his mother, his great-grandmother, and Quinn. As he walks out of the flower shop, he notices there are no cars in the street. Cal sees a woman standing close to him, and she speaks to him using his name. The woman says that the time is coming when all will be destroyed, and she adds that Cal needs to have faith, courage, and love to protect everyone he cares about. The woman then disappears like a ghost, and Cal goes to see Quinn. He tells Quinn and Layla about what he saw, and they discuss what the woman’s message meant. Cal invites Quinn to the Sweetheart Dance at the Bowl-a-Rama that night, adding that Layla can go with Fox. Later, Quinn and Layla meet Cal and Fox at the bowling alley, which Cal’s mother has decorated with red paper hearts, balloons, and streamers. As Cal and Quinn dance, they see the paper hearts begin to bleed and the balloons pop, releasing spiders.

Summary: Chapter 12

Everyone else at the Bowl-a-Rama continues to act as if nothing has happened, so Cal and Quinn know that others can’t see what they are seeing. Cal and Quinn go outside with Layla and Fox, who also saw the frightening visions. Cal and Fox acknowledge that these episodes (wherein they see things that aren’t real) never last long, so they all agree to go back into the bowling alley. After the dance, Cal, Quinn, Fox, and Layla go back to the rental house to hang out for a while. 

After Fox leaves and Layla goes to sleep, Cal and Quinn have sex for the first time. The next morning, Cal attends a meeting with his father, Fox, and the town mayor. The mayor says people experienced power surges during the dance, which is odd because that usually only happens during the Seven. After the meeting, Cal and Fox tell Cal’s father what they’ve been seeing. Cal then goes to talk to his great-grandmother, Estelle, and finds Quinn visiting her. Estelle says that she noticed blood at the dance as well, but no one else did. Estelle gives Cal and Quinn journals written by previous family members to see if they can find something that she has missed.

Analysis: Chapters 10–12

A central conflict for Cal arises as soon as he and Quinn begin their romance. He is invigorated by the expertise Quinn offers in solving paranormal mysteries, but as he falls for Quinn, he also wants to protect her and keep her as far from the Big Evil as possible. This is the reason Cal keeps the rental house a secret from Quinn, even though he foresees that it would help both of them to have her in town, helping him solve the mystery. This conflict between his duty to end the Seven and his desire to protect the people he loves repeats throughout the novel, often manifesting in impossible decisions for Cal. He must risk the people he loves most in the present in an attempt to protect them in the long-term.

Valentine’s Day at Hawkins Hollow illustrates the theme of the importance of normalcy in the face of evil. Celebrating the holiday in normal ways, like dancing and buying flowers, despite the increasingly frightening and dangerous occurrences all around them, speaks to the value of normal even in the midst of the paranormal. Quinn and Cal enjoy a sweet, romantic dance, and Quinn reflects that “everything feels good tonight. Sweet and shiny.” But this sense of normalcy doesn’t last very long. Soon after, blood starts to drip from the hearts and spiders rain down on the dancers. The gruesome display isn’t real, so only Cal, Quinn, Fox, Layla, and Estelle witness it. After recovering, they return to the dance, emphasizing the value of life, normalcy, and fun in the face of danger.

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