52 pages • 1 hour read
Shadow Jumper
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Chapters 14-20Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 14 Summary
Jack thinks that if his dad was conducting experiments on children, he’s unlikely to be interested in helping his son. Beth thinks he is overreacting and tells him he is lucky to still have a dad. Beth is very upset by Jack’s reaction. Jack considers apologizing to her but decides not to. Jack mentally refers to Beth as his friend and then is shocked to realize that he did so.
He calls his mom to apologize for running away to his aunt’s house. He tells her that he was frustrated from being cooped up. He doesn’t want to tell his mom about his discoveries in Colford because he’s worried about how she’ll react. He asks his mom if she’s seen Mrs. Roberts. She says that she saw Mrs. Roberts that morning. Mrs. Roberts asked where he was and Maeve told her that he was in Colford. He asks his mom if his dad called and she tells him that she’s going through with the divorce. Jack is upset, and she tells him she’ll talk to him in person in a few days. He scratches his leg and watches as blood stains his pants.
He apologizes to Beth. She hugs him. It’s the first time a girl has hugged him.
Jack asks Beth what her magazine is about, but she avoids the question. Beth proposes they call Bioscience Discoveries and ask about Tom. When they call, the receptionist refuses to put her through to Dr. Blackstone. Beth thinks that they should go to the lab in person.
Jack rolls up his pants leg and Beth gasps. The skin has split and pus is coming out of the gash. Beth gets out her first aid kit and applies a temporary fix to the wound.
Chapter 15 Summary
Jack does not tell Auntie Lil about his wound because he worries that she’ll make him go home. He and Beth go to the chemist to pick up supplies. Some random girls appear to be talking and laughing about Jack. Beth defends him by yelling at the girls and scaring them away. Jack argues that he can take care of himself.
Jack finds a photo in his pocket. It shows Beth sitting with her parents at the beach. Beth snatches it and demands to know where he found it. He tells her it was on the roof, and that he stuffed it in his pocket and forgot about it. Jack can’t believe how pretty and free Beth looks without makeup. Jack finds this thought unsettling.
They arrive at Bioscience Discoveries, which is surrounded by a chain link fence topped with barbed wire. They tell the security guard that they are doing a project for school and want to meet Dr. Blackstone. The guard instead sets them up with the public relations manager, Fiona, who agrees to give them a tour. As Beth and Jack walk through the site, Jack notices a large dog, which he thinks is an Alsatian.
When they meet Fiona, they are suspicious of the way she acts. Beth tells her they are on holiday and want to tour Bioscience for their school project. They add their names to the visitors’ log and take guest passes. Jack worries that they are being watched by the security camera. He asks Fiona about a poster that declares “Youth is not skin deep” and she explains that it refers to a previous campaign involving anti-aging serums. She says that it was before her time with the company and that she doesn’t know much about it. Beth asks if there was a scandal. Fiona’s manner becomes colder in response to this query. She continues the tour and shows them where advanced research is conducted. She tells the kids the company is looking for cures for heart disease. Jack asks Fiona if they conduct tests on animals and she says they do, but they keep the number of animals to a minimum. Jack stops Beth from asking about experimentation on children.
When Dr. Blackstone suddenly summons Fiona, Beth says she wants to meet him. Jack says he wants to ask Dr. Blackstone about his skin. He finally divulges his identity and reveals that he wants to know where his dad is. Fiona is angry that they lied to her. Jack shows her his skin and is hurt by her disgust. They pass a door with a No Entry sign and learn that this is for Dr. Blackstone’s private lab. Fiona asks them to leave. The security guard glowers at them, and when Jack asks if he knows Tom Phillips, the security guard says no.
Beth and Jack consider waiting around for Dr. Blackstone, but there is no shade. Beth decides she will hide and wait for him. She leaps off the bus to hide in the bushes. Jack is still on the bus and realizes that the security guard is watching him. The security guard makes a phone call and Jack is sure that it’s about him.
Chapter 16 Summary
Jack returns to Auntie Lil’s house. He calls numbers in the phone directory listed under the name Blackstone. Beth comes in, dejected that her plan did not work. Jack wants to return to the lab at night because he thinks something sketchy is going on, based on Fiona’s reaction to their questions and his skin. Beth thinks that Jack is overreacting to Fiona’s reaction. Jack is convinced that the lab holds the answers he is looking for. Beth doesn’t think Blackstone will be at the lab during the night. She expresses concern about Jack’s leg. Jack assures her that he feels better with the painkillers. He wonders why Beth is less optimistic and daring than usual. He thinks she is getting cold feet. She confesses that she’s worried about what will happen to him if he gets caught wandering around a dangerous lab at night, with the intention of accusing its director of a crime. He’s mystified by the idea that she could care about him this much. She expresses the fear that the stress of breaking and entering will exacerbate his skin condition.
Beth decides that she will come with him on two conditions: 1) they must find a way in without breaking in and 2) Jack must tell his mom that his allergy is getting worse. Jack is pleased that Beth has agreed to accompany him. He likes having her around, and he is worried about what they will discover.
Chapter 17 Summary
Jack is hungry. He wanders in search of Auntie Lil to the spare room that Beth is using. Auntie Lil is vacuuming. He realizes, to his horror, that she has just vacuumed up Beth’s parents’ ashes, which spilled out of her rucksack. Jack tells Lil that he’ll take over the cleaning. He does not want to tell Auntie Lil that the dust is actually ashes. Auntie Lil knows he is hiding something and says she expects him to tell her.
Jack investigates the opened urns in the rucksack and realizes that they are both open and spilling. They are much lighter than they were before, and he panics that Beth will realize the difference. Jack tells Lil that they are Beth’s parents’ ashes. Lil thinks that Jack should tell Beth what happened. Jack decides that he will wait until after they break into Bioscience to tell her the truth. He scopes out Lil’s living room and picks up a paperweight, then runs to add it to Beth’s bag so that she won’t notice the difference in weight.
That night, Beth and Jack return to the bushes outside Bioscience Discoveries. They wait an hour for Blackstone to appear. Jack decides to go with Plan B. On an earlier visit, he saw an open window. He tells Beth that if the window is closed, they will leave. Beth keeps asking logistical questions about how they will scale a wall and break into a high-security facility without being caught. Jack wishes she would stop asking logistical questions.
They watch the security guard, then scale the fence and run to climb up the drainpipe. Jack presses himself against the wall to avoid being seen. At the top, they see the top pane of the window is ajar, but the opening is narrow. Jack holds Beth’s legs so she can reach the window try to open the window further. They hear a dog barking. Beth is finally able to slide herself down through the window.
Chapter 18 Summary
Jack follows Beth. She helps him land inside. He realizes that he is standing on top of a toilet. Beth shows him her foot, which is all wet from dipping into the bowl. Jack notices that his bandage is yellow with drainage from his wound, which is bad. They panic as they hear the security guard, who pauses outside the closed bathroom door. He moves on and Jack and Beth peer out the door, down the corridor, then look for an escape route. They encounter several doors but they are all locked. Suddenly, one door opens. They hear high-pitched screeching noises. Something sounds like it is in a lot of pain.
Chapter 19 Summary
The screeching is coming from a set of large metal cages. The first cage contains two rats that used to be white. They are now covered in sores. Jack recognizes that these sores are very similar to those they saw on the dog that was hit by the bus. Beth postulates that this is Blackstone’s private lab. She notices that there are several things laying around as if someone is in the middle of an experiment. She sees a set of papers that contain a report about the rats. Beth and Jack read the whole report and learn that the rats treated with anti-aging serum developed an adverse reaction to sunlight that resulted in sores, rashes, and hair loss. They have not made any headway on creating a cure for these side effects.
Jack realizes that he has the same symptoms as the rats and the dog. He wonders if his dad was experimenting on children with anti-aging serum. Beth tells him it might just be a coincidence. Jack is about to burst into tears. Beth asks him if he really thinks his dad would hurt him. He is too upset to consider the possibilities.
Suddenly, they hear someone approach. They hide behind a bench as someone enters the lab. Two men are watching the rats; one decides to kill the unhealthy ones so that they do not contaminate the others. One of the men is tall and lanky with unruly dark hair. Jack says, “Dad?”
Chapter 20 Summary
Jack realizes that the man is not his dad. The men turn and discover the kids. Beth drags Jack away and they hide in a cupboard. They listen to the men searching for them. After a few minutes, they get tired of hiding in the cupboard and decide to make a run for it. A security guard waits at the end of the corridor. He has a large dog with him. Jack and Beth take off. They come to a fork in the corridor and decide to run towards the fire exit. They start climbing the stairs and reach the top of the building. The security guard and dog follow them and when Beth and Jack exit the stairway onto the roof, Jack slams the door in the dog’s snarling face. He blocks the door and takes stock of the terrain on the roof. He and Beth decide to climb along the metal framing over a precarious glass roof to try to escape. The sun rises, and as it gets hotter, Jack panics that his skin is having an adverse reaction. He hears a popping sound and can’t tell if it’s his skin or the glass. Jack and Beth pull themselves through the small window on the other side.
Inside, a man seizes Jack. Jack hits his head and passes out.
Chapters 14-20 Analysis
Since discovering the photo of Beth without makeup on, Jack wonders about how the persona of Beth would change when she is not masked. The text gestures towards the possibility of romantic inclinations developing between the two characters, but this line of narrative is not explicitly explored.
As Beth plays nurse to Jack with her convenient first aid kit, she performs the act of caregiving that inevitably makes him feel more attached to Beth. Beth’s fear that stress will exacerbate Jack’s skin condition and her willingness to take on the role of caregiver support the theme of The Bonds of Friendship and Teamwork. As the friends experience new challenges together, their ability to compromise and work towards solutions that work for both of them increases.
As Jack contemplates his parents, the full extent of the family’s disfunction is revealed. Earlier, the narrative alludes to arguments between Tom and Maeve and Tom’s reluctance or inability to perform minimally as a parent. His behavior appears to be emotionally abusive and neglectful. He does have the scientific acumen to help Jack with his skin, and Jack is very dependent on his dad’s expertise for any kind of relief from his painful allergies. Tom prioritizes work over family as there is evidence that he is more comfortable in a lab where he can control the circumstances. His failure to keep his family informed of his whereabouts or even his employment status indicate a disconnect that takes its toll on both Jack and Maeve.
Jack’s mom has accepted this and notes that it is very difficult to be around Tom. Remarkably, she does not demonstrate resentment towards him, and understands Jack’s desire to see his dad, even though Tom constantly disappoints them both. It is important to note that Jack so rarely sees his father that he mistakes a stranger for him: “It was the taller one who caught his attention even though he had his back to Jack; lanky, long legs and a mop of unruly dark hair. Suddenly all the blood seemed to rush from Jack’s body” (149). Jack’s inability to decipher truth from imagination contributes to an intriguing sense of paranoia.
The narration, though omniscient third person, is unreliable at times because it shows Jack’s interiority to the exclusion of anyone else’s. This mirrors Jack’s emotional arc. As Jack is continually gaslit by the adults around him and he can no longer distinguish fact from fancy, he loses faith in his ability to accurately interpret his surroundings.
The passage describing Jack and Beth’s flight from the security guards offers helpful insight into Jack’s mental state:
The dim emergency lights high up on the paneled ceiling did nothing to dispel the gloom. He switched on the torch he’d brought with him. A line of grey doors stretched left and right, all of them closed. The area felt different to where they’d been that afternoon. It was cramped and narrow, the ceiling lower. The walls seemed to close in on him. It was like being in an illusion museum, where the rooms felt as if they were tilting at a weird angle (142).
The building represents faceless bureaucracy and anonymous unethical experimentation, in Jack’s mind, and his opinion is confirmed by imagery like closed doors, low ceilings, and narrow spaces. The sense of claustrophobia is exacerbated by the sense of danger and imminent threat of being caught, since Jack and Beth don’t know what the stakes are: Will they be held captive, experimented on, or even murdered? The simile of “like being in an illusion museum” (142) contributes to the sense of delusion and not being able to trust even the solid ground where they are standing. Jack literally cannot trust himself to stand on his own two feet.
Genre expectations created by other media also contribute to the sense of tension and fear. Jack’s infiltration of the lab is reminiscent of several recent YA texts that explore the need of a chosen young person to unearth the secrets lurking in a mysterious facility. Like the protagonists of Hunger Games and Divergent, Jack and Beth rely on their wit and physical strength to infiltrate a terrifying site. This scene employs many conventions of the coming-of-age tropes that generate suspense and tension. Jack and Beth must overcome their own fear in order to pursue truth and hopefully save innocent creatures. Within the labyrinthine lab, run by a mysterious and presumably evil scientist, children and animals are rumored to undergo considerable pain and fear. Only by overcoming their own pain and fear can Beth and Jack prevent this for other vulnerable figures.
Considerable suspension of disbelief is required as Beth and Jack merely scale a fence to break in; it is certainly more realistic when they are apprehended by the security guards. Indeed, the relative kindness (and if not kindness, neutrality) with which they are treated shows that Jack’s imagination created wildly different expectations for what he would encounter in the lab. The image of the fierce Alsatian in pursuit of two children acts as a red herring, generating a fear response of sinister, imminent, and disproportionate danger, when the reality is the security guard and dog are simply doing their jobs.
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