The Marrow Thieves

Jean invites Frenchie to stay with him; Frenchie declines, choosing instead to help his group. Tree and Zheegwon are surprised to see Frenchie, thinking he would choose to stay with Jean and saying, “It’s just that you have a real family now” (177). After Frenchie declares they need a plan, his group is surprised to find Miig agreeable. Frenchie observes: “It was like he had faded, somehow” (177). Rose invites Frenchie to her tent and tells him that everyone, including Miig, is worried because Frenchie has changed. 

Frenchie wonders who he has become and whether he can go back to being the person he once was. He and Rose kiss and stay together a while. Later, they are drawn by the sound of singing, which turns out to be Miig singing a purifying ritual. Frenchie can sense Miig’s exhaustion, to which Miig replies that he’s “more tired of missing Isaac, is all” (182). Frenchie promises Miig that they will find Minerva and shut down all the schools. Miig replies, “I know you will, Francis. I know you will” (183).

The next day, Frenchie’s group helps with the chores of the main camp. Frenchie gets into a testosterone-fueled sniping conversation with Derrick, one of the Natives who “captured” Frenchie’s group and brought them to the camp. Derrick’s uncle tells Frenchie, “Don’t mind him. He’s just looking for something to rub his antlers on […] He’s just looking to prove himself” (185). Rose tries to walk with Frenchie, but he ignores her and acts as though he doesn’t care if she’s around. 

Frenchie visits Jean, who asks Frenchie what’s wrong. Frenchie thinks, “We’d found Minerva […] And I’d found my dad after all this time. It was really two miracles in one, and all I could do was feel sad and confused” (188). Frenchie asks Jean if he’d tried to find Frenchie and Mitch after he’d disappeared, finally realizing that he has been harboring resentment against Jean for leaving his family behind. Jean says, “No one knew what was coming. If I had, I never would have left that day” (189). Another Native comes to get Frenchie and Jean for social night. 

Derrick and his uncle play drums, and Frenchie notices Rose smiling at Derrick. As the drumming continues, everyone joins in with dancing. Frenchie notices Rose dancing with Derrick, and Frenchie walks away in anger.

Frenchie wakes the next day and peeks in on Rose, checking if she slept alone. Partially by fluke of being awake so early, Frenchie joins some of the older men for a hunt. Derrick’s uncle tells Frenchie, “When we heal our land, we are healed also […] We’ll get there. Maybe not soon, but eventually” (193). The hunting party takes a deer; Frenchie takes pride in returning with it despite having no part in the actual hunting. Derrick is deeply jealous. When Rose tries to congratulate Frenchie, he tells her, “Why don’t you go watch Derrick wrestle over there?” (195). Rose pulls Frenchie aside, and the two fight. Rose declares that she should just leave after they find Minerva, and Frenchie expresses indifference. 

Embarrassed, Frenchie returns to Jean’s place and mopes until Jean returns. Jean tells Frenchie a story about how Jean ran away from home at age 13. While away from home, he finds a church and prays for help. Hearing a train nearby, he believes he has an answer and leaves for the train. In running away, Jean found Frenchie’s mom in the city, and she made him feel special. Jeans concludes, “now that’s medicine. Don’t need no damn house to keep it in” (200). 

The Council’s spy, Father Carole, arrives and tells Frenchie and the others that the whites are moving Minerva to take her to the capital, which will bring her right by their camp.

Frenchie’s group and the Council’s group plan their attack, mapping out routes and choosing weapons. Jean gives Frenchie advice about not “being a hero” and getting himself killed or hurt. Miig gives Frenchie his pouch for safekeeping, saying, “I can’t lose this. It cannot go back to the schools. No matter what” (204). The group spreads out along the ground with Frenchie and Derrick up in the trees as scouts. 

At noon, the convoy arrives—only two vehicles. Frenchie’s group fires on the convoy with arrows, and the convoy driver starts shooting at the group. Derrick shoots the driver; Frenchie observes: “I recognized that face as the one I’d worn just a few weeks ago. [Derrick] wouldn’t be shooting anymore today” (207). Frenchie’s team successfully kills or incapacitates all the convoy members. As Miig struggles with the driver, Frenchie realizes the driver is not dead yet. Frenchie hears a shot and asks Miig, “Are you okay? […] Did he shoot you?” Frenchie realizes that the shot was the driver shooting Minerva.

Minerva sings as she dies. Rose is devastated. As Frenchie tries to help Rose, he says that he is “looking at Rose from the bottom of a well I couldn’t remember falling into” (211). Minerva’s final word before dying is “kiiwen,” which, while not fully explained, seems to mean “home.”