Beautiful Creatures

Ethan has a nightmare where he tries to hold on to the hand of a girl as they fall together. Ethan wakes up and thinks about his recurring dream. He looks down at his iPod and sees a song that he does not recognize playing called “Sixteen Moons.”

Ethan goes downstairs and greets Amma, the family’s housekeeper, who helped Ethan’s father raise Ethan after Ethan’s mother died. Ethan knows that Amma is prone to superstitions, so he does not pay attention to her warning about the rain. Amma practices voodoo, and Ethan knows that she will probably give him a new charm to ward off evil spirits. Ethan looks down the hallway toward his dad’s study even though he knows he will not see him. Since Ethan’s mother died, his father sits in his study all day working on his book, only coming out at night. Ethan goes outside where his best friend, Link, waits in his car to take Ethan to school. On the way to school, Ethan sees a black hearse driving next to him and wonders if it is an omen.

During class, Ethan sits with Link. He tries to ignore their teacher Mr. Lee, who dislikes Ethan because he wrote a paper calling the Civil War “The War of Southern Aggression” (17). Link tells Ethan that there is a new girl in their grade, something that has not happened since elementary school. Later, Savannah, the most popular girl at school, tells Ethan that the new girl is Macon Ravenwood’s niece. Macon is a recluse who lives at Ravenwood Manor. No one has ever seen him, and Ethan associates him with the character of Boo Radley from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.

During basketball practice, Ethan sees the hearse in the school parking lot out of the corner of his eye. As the hearse drives by, Ethan catches a glimpse of the beautiful girl inside, who he realizes is Ravenwood’s niece.

Ethan tells Amma about the new girl even though Amma says she already knows about Lena Duchannes. The next day at school, Ethan sees that Lena sits by herself in the front row in English. Emily, one of the popular girls, walks past Lena and knocks her bag over intentionally. Ethan feels bad for Lena and sits next to her in the front row. The class discusses To Kill a Mockingbird, which Lena says is one of her favorite books. Ethan notices that Lena has the number “156” written on the back of her hand.

Even though Ethan sits with her over the next few weeks, Lena does not speak to him. Ethan realizes he wants her to think he is different than everyone else, although he does not know why. One day, Ethan hears a viola playing the song “Sixteen Moons.” Suddenly, Ethan finds himself back in his recurring dream. He comes back to consciousness in the classroom and rushes toward the music room. He asks the music teacher who was playing the viola, and the teacher tells him it was Lena. Afterward, Ethan asks Link for his car keys and leaves school in his car.

Ethan drives away from school through a storm. He swerves the car and barely misses Lena, who stands in the middle of the road. He gets out of the car and realizes that she is the girl from his dreams. Lena tells him that her uncle’s car broke down, and Ethan offers to drive her home. Ethan drives her to Ravenwood Manor, even though he feels nervous because everyone in town calls it the “Haunted Mansion.” Ethan starts to walk Lena up to the house, but Lena tells him that her uncle is shy and that she will go the rest of the way herself.

Ethan sits with Lena again in English. He feels nervous when he sees that Emily and a group of cheerleaders are sitting down around them. As the class discusses To Kill a Mockingbird, the cheerleaders taunt Lena with their comments about Boo Radley being a serial killer like Macon Ravenwood. Ethan realizes suddenly that he can hear Lena’s thoughts in his head. Lena becomes more agitated as the cheerleaders’ bullying gets worse. Ethan hears Lena mentally scream “ENOUGH,” and the windows of the classroom shatter. Everyone screams, and Lena runs out of the room.

Ethan follows Lena out of the classroom. He feels tired of watching people from Gatlin harass anyone who is different. Ethan cannot find Lena in the hallway and realizes she must have already gone home.

Ethan drives to Ravenwood and finds Lena outside. Lena wants him to leave her alone, but he refuses. He tells her that he can hear her voice in his head, which does not seem to surprise her. She cries with him, telling him that she wishes she could be normal. Lena admits she remembers Ethan from her dreams. Ethan touches her hand, and with his other hand, he reaches behind him on the ground and touches something in the dirt. Suddenly, Lena and Ethan find themselves in a flashback to the Civil War. They see the memories of a girl named Genevieve as she runs through the fields. The air is thick with smoke from the Union soldiers burning the plantations and houses.

Ethan and Lena come out of the flashback. Ethan shows Lena that he touched a locket on the ground. The locket has an inscription of the name Greenbrier, which Lena tells Ethan is the name of the plantation that used to stand where they are sitting. They see the initials “ECW & GKD” on the locket (76). Lena walks back to the house, telling Ethan that they cannot be friends. Although she does not explain, she says that she turns 16 in 151 days and that things will be different after that.

When Ethan gets home, Amma confronts him about skipping school. She received calls from the principal and every member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). The DAR is a group of women in Gatlin who act as the town’s main gossip chain. Ethan shows Amma the locket he found with Lena. When Amma sees the locket, she tells Ethan to bury it.

On Saturday, Ethan goes to take care of his great-aunts who everyone calls “the Sisters.” He wants to ask the Sisters about the locket, which he still carries in his pocket, because they know about the town’s genealogy. When the Sisters see the locket, they tell him that the initials ECW stands for Ethan Carter Wate, who was Ethan’s great-great-great-great uncle. They tell him that Ethan Carter Wate deserted the Confederate Army because his family forced him to enlist.

Later, Ethan unwraps the locket and holds it. He mentally feels Lena with him, and they both experience another flashback. Genevieve stands in front of burning Greenbrier. Suddenly, Ethan Cater Wate appears beside her in his tattered Confederate uniform. He tells her that he deserted because he did not believe in the Army’s cause. Genevieve tells him that she will marry him no matter what her father says. Genevieve’s cook, Ivy, finds them and tells them that the Union soldiers burned Greenbrier with Genevieve’s mother and sister still inside.

On the way to school, Link tells Ethan that the DAR are trying to get Lena in trouble for breaking the windows during English. When they pull into the parking lot, Ethan sees Link’s mom, Mrs. Lincoln, the head of the DAR, talking with the principal. He finds Lena and tells her what he learned about the locket. Lena realizes that the other initials must stand for Genevieve Duchannes.

At home, Ethan lies to Amma, telling her that he is going to the library to study. The library was a special place for his mom; the librarian, Marian, was her research partner and best friend. Instead, Ethan goes to Ravenwood. Lena answers the door, and Ethan tells her that he thinks they should ask her uncle about the locket. Before she can respond, Macon Ravenwood appears behind her and introduces himself. Macon is a well-dressed, handsome man, unlike how Ethan imagined. Macon invites Ethan to stay for dinner. As Ethan walks in, Macon introduces his dog, who he named Boo Radley. Ethan sees a stack of packages from the library. Macon tells him that he is friends with Marian and that he knew Ethan’s mom. At dinner, Ethan tries to show Macon the locket, but when he pulls the necklace out of his pocket, the lights in the house go out. Macon tells Ethan to get rid of the locket.

Lena lets Ethan drive her car back to his house. He pulls over and tells her she needs to explain herself. Lena refuses to confide in him because she does not think Ethan will understand. He drives himself home and leaves Lena in the car. Later, Lena knocks on his window, and he goes outside to sit on the front steps with her. Lena tells Ethan that her family are a type of people called Casters who can use magic. Even though Ethan does not understand everything she tells him, he knows he wants to remain her friend.