• Chapter 6 - The Beneath P 47-52  
• Chapter 7 The Truths P58-67 (teacher will have done P55-57 as intro)
• The Cop P132-142

• Chapter 2 - The Home P 13-20 
• The Deaths P90-98 (teacher will finish next part from 98-102)
• The Catching and The Escape P164 - 172

• Chapter 5 - The Other Place P 36-46 
• The Station P68-78
• The Colours P121-131

• Chapter 3 - The Witness P21-26  
• The Missing P79-89
• The Two - P151-154 
• The End P175-179 (teacher to read P180 onwards to class)

• Chapter 1 - The Town P 7-12 (teacher will have done 3-6 as intro.)  
• The Prisoner - P105-108 
• The Story P143-147

1. What was found in the fire?

1. Who do they think was the corpse?

1. What happened to the director? 

1. Why hasn’t beth’s dad spoken to aunty viv lately?

1. What is it showing when michael teller says to Beth “No one lost you more.” 

She goes off to find food and water, and tries to stab a fish in a nearby stream. Hearing something growl near her, she notices the “things” in the distance. She tries to fight them, she realises there are too many to fight, and begins to run away. She hears two voices, and turns to see two grey robed creatures with “leathery” wings that fly down to Catching. The creatures identify themselves as Fetchers.

yayya

We learn that Oscar Sholt has a crippling fear for the apocalypse as he truly believes the end of the world is nigh. Thus, he used a large amount of money for ridiculous investments and supplies just in case the end really does arrive.

2. This leads to a suspicion that Alexander Sholt may have been involved in what? 

Beth and Michael suspect that Alexander Sholt may have been involved in illegal activity to earn money, as the Sholt family were in an economical crisis back then.

3. What do we find out about Allie's friend Sarah? 

Disappeared a week before her 15th birthday, apparently 20 years 7 months 6 days (according to what Allie says). We also learn that the documents and files regarding the disappearance of Sarah were suspiciously shallow in information, and the investigations conducted by Gerry Bell, Derek’s father, was of inadequate effort.

4. Finish this sentence... They find a broken window upstairs and believe.... 

That Director Cavanagh was there because they found strands of black hair caught in the broken window frame.

5. The chapter ends with another development. What happens?

Allie reports to Michael that two more dead bodies have been found, both stabbed.

Summary: 

This chapter continues with the investigation, in an attempt to track down the missing owner of the children's house, Alexander Sholt. The chapter reveals the backstory of a character called Sarah, an old friend of Allie, which suspiciously disappeared 20 years ago. Allie also consults information about the Sholt family, where Oscar Sholt, Alexander’s grandfather, had caused an economical crisis in the family, due to his ridiculous beliefs. This reinforces Beth and Michael’s beliefs that Alexander had participated in illegal activities to achieve the title as the richest in the town. The Teller’s also realise, as they arrive at Alexander Sholt’s house, that its features completely contrasts Derek's description. At the door, they meet with Alex’s father, Charles, who has impatiently explained that Alexander had left a day ago. In doubt, Beth investigates the house in her ghost form, to find nothing but a broken window with strands of black hair in the second storey of the house. Beth and her dad immediately relate the black hair to Director Cavanagh, which they suspect to have broken into the house.  As they depart, Allie reports that there have been two more bodies found, both stabbed.

Isobel’s friend is a ghost / spirit who exists in the beneath world and throughout the story she had helped Isobel by being a friend to her. Crow was a grey girl and it was evident  that she had gone through a lot of pain. “Do you think I was always a grey girl?” She says. This quote said by her shows the readers that whatever Catching was about to experience, Crow had already gone through.

2. Her friend tells her that she too will be drained of colour and full of screams. What do you think she is warning her about?

When her friend tells her “she too will be drained of colour and full of screams.” She's warning her about the fletchers who take her for the feed, and take her colours so she becomes grey like a crow.

3. Crow has been there since the beginning and tries to help others. She says there is only one way people escape, what is it?

 “Not unless you're a dead girl” Crow says that this means once you're dead, you will not be able to feel the pain of your colours drained, and not mind being grey. 

Chapter Summary:

Catching wakes up in a dark room with a single light above in the centre. A voice calls out “hello, girl” and Catching realises there is someone else in the room with her. Confused and startled, Catching demands an introduction from the person. The unknown person steps out and reveals her grey and unusual appearance, Isobel now relieved. She tries to discuss with Crow the circumstances of their situation, the fetchers and feed that took Crow’s colours and made her ‘a grey girl’. They quarrel over how to escape before the door opens and reveals the two fetchers and take Catching. 

1. If Catching was abandoned by her mother, why would she have said that she had died? 

The reason ony Catching had said that her mother had died was due to how she was sent by her mother to rehab, feeling abandoned, she felt as if though her mother had ‘died’ 

2. What did Michael suspect Nurse Flint and Director Cavanagh of doing?

Michael suspects that the fire was created by faulty wiring, Director Cavanagh realised that they had an investigation and ran away, and the fire killed Nurse Flint.

3. What do we learn about Catching and Beth when Beth returns to the hospital? 

As Beth storms back into the hospital, the audience is later told that Beth is misunderstood, as Catching keeps assuming that Michael, Beth’s father, has something to do with Beth's death. 

4. Why does Catching have this ability? 

The reason that Catching has this ability to see Beth is a heritage of her past generations and that her mum could see ghosts too. 

5. Why was the anger bubbling up inside of Beth? 

The cause of why anger bubbled up inside Beth was that Catching kept saying bad things about her father and how she was an idiot for staying behind for a sad old man, blatantly assuming Beth and her father’s lives. 

6. What has made Beth cry by the end of the chapter? Can you link it to the quote "Hang about and hold your dad's hand for the rest of his life"? 

She didn’t only think about the present anymore but also about the future and worries about it. Her only role now is to take care of her dad.

1. Beth describes Catching's gaze as being 'so deep, like there was no end to the things she'd seen.' What does this mean?

The description that Beth gives implies that her eyes are soulless, hinted by catching’s backstory being traumatic for her and giving her eyes a soulless like gaze. The phrase also implies that she has had some traumatic experiences in her life.

2. What do we discover about the fire and those involved?

We discover that Martin Flint, the nurse, had not actually died in the fire. Instead, they were stabbed with an “unusual weapon”. We also learn that both the nurse and the director had been taking money out of the company, but Beth's dad suspects it wasnt embezzlement, but instead they were selling something instead.

3. How does Beth describe her connection with Catching?

Her connection with Catching is best described as an unusual relationship between the two people. When Beth first found out that catching can see her, she was quite shocked and stunned, but more information is revealed when she opens up about the story and gets to know the two better. She even considered Catching her friend, saying “I had to admit that I liked having a connection that was mine alone. It was almost as if I had a friend.” This quote challenges the idea that catching and Beth are getting closer, with a common link to the living world, that someone else is finally acknowledging her existence other than her father.

4. Describe Beth's impression of Derek Bell. Use two quotes to support this view.

Beth first thinks that Derek Bell could be a “dastardly criminal mastermind” but after talking to her dad she thinks differently, that he is just a “weaselly and incompetent official”. “He cast another anxious glance around”, this shows that he’s scared of something, also that he makes his second-in-command, Allison Hartley, to take Dad to the Sholts’ place. This could mean he’s hiding something and doesn’t want Dad to find out.

 ACTIVITIES 

1. The police uncover two victims of a stabbing. Who were they are what do we learn about their bodies? They were Director Cavanagh and Nurse Flint and they weren’t killed near the fence as there wasn't enough blood to prove that they were killed at that place. This also means  the “nurse” who died in the fire wasn’t nurse Flint himself. 

2. Why do you think Michael sends for a team of officer's from the city? 

Because Michael wanted a police squad that didn’t report to Derek Bell. 

3. Beth mentions that the way the children were treating in the home was 'not right'. What was stopping good people from being involved? 

The children were intimidated and scared into being quiet by the men running the childrens home.

4. The location of the bodies is also the location of something else, what else happened here?

There was wings beating that seemed too big for a bird 

Allie, Michael, and Beth arrive at a fenced stormwater drain and find the bodies of Director Cavanagh and Nurse Flint, both murdered. Michael learns that the murders didn't take place there. Beth questions the unidentified body's identity and the possibility of the victims' ghosts appearing but dismisses the notion. A concerning call prompts Michael to bring in more police, suspecting that Derek is withholding information. Beth suggests revisiting the children from the home, but Michael doubts their cooperation, as they appear strangely unconcerned. Beth is troubled by the children's isolation and potential involvement in criminal activities, while Michael leaves Rachel to assist them and focuses on the case, with the mystery of how the locked fence provided access for the murderer remaining unsolved.

His eyes weren’t mirrors anymore, instead, it’s chips of brown stone and there is one more Feed than usual.

2. Isobel says she is turning into Crow. What does she mean? 

Isobel is losing her colours and turning grey. This phrase likely represents that Isobel Catching is slowly losing her pride. Losing colour and turning grey could also mean the loss of emotion and hope. Isobel compares turning grey to being ‘dead inside’ which shows that losing colour means losing sanity and becoming mentally paralysed, which removes all her emotions and prevents her from ‘feeling’.

3. What do we learn at the end of this chapter?

There’s two Feeds instead of one.

Summary: 

The chapter ‘The Two’ is presented in the perspective of Isobel Catching. This chapter continues to unveil Isobel’s traumatic experiences with focus on her ‘losing colour’. Isobel describes herself ‘turning grey’ like Crow, losing her emotion and hope, as a result of being assaulted by the Feeds. However, Catching regains her mental strength by reciting the names of her ancestors to endure the pain, and refuses to Crow’s suggestion to become a ‘dead girl’.

1. Michael tells Catching that he can protect her and her friend. What is her reply?

When Michael told Catching that he could protect her friend and herself, Catching replied to him hesitantly. Catching’s decision to reject Michael’s request to protect her and her friend puts Michael in a fearful position that anything could happen to both of them. When Michael asks Catching if there are any other things that she needs or would like to tell him, Catching quickly dives her head into her pillow; this indicates that she is starting to be traumatised by the conversation.

2. Catching uses her anger and sadness to tell Beth that she needs to move on. What

do you think Beth is starting to realise? Find a quote in the last paragraph on page 125 to support this.

She is starting to realise that she is one of the reasons her dad is still upset. Because she is still here, her dad is stuck in time. “I’d been focused on getting dad back to who he’d been before I died. Now I was thinking I should have been helping him go on to become a person who knew how to live in a world where I wasn’t alive.” - page 125. This quote shows how Beth is starting to realise that her dad needs to move on. On page 129 Beth expects her dad to be crying but he wasn’t. This shows the character change of her dad as we saw at the beginning of the book that he would mostly be crying most of the time. Her dad is slowly moving on but is most likely still stuck because of Beth.

3. Why does Catching only want to 'be heard'?

Beth didn’t really believe it at first but she realised that “[catching] obviously thought she could look after herself.” This meant that she was probably more used to working alone. There is also no way to provide support to catching because there is no use in changing events that have already happened.

4. I took all of Beth's energy not to cross over. Why was she fighting leaving her Dad?

Throughout the beginning of the novel, Beth’s goal with her father was for him “to reconnect with the world”, which is why she wanted the case to be interesting so he could have something to focus on instead of becoming overwhelmed with grief. As earlier stated, her fathers character in the beginning was frequently crying, which influenced her decisions when it came to staying around her father.

Catching, after Michael's departure, encouraged Beth to focus on herself and acknowledged that their past was irretrievable due to Beth's death. Catching smiled and urged Beth to leave.

Beth found Michael in the parking lot, engrossed in his phone, trying to gather information about Catching's rehabilitation facility. Beth doubted that Catching would share more, believing that Catching wanted to be "heard" and could take care of herself.

After, they receive a call from Aunty viv, enquiring about Grandpa Jim’s birthday party. Dad decides not to go, even though Beth urges him to.

1. How does Beth feel at the beginning of this chapter? 

She was sad because she thought about herself being stuck in this form forever but she wanted to be free.

2. Why did Sarah's disappearance not get much attention? 

It’s because Gerry Bell failed to do what a detective should’ve done to Sarah’s case because she was Aboriginal. There was a quote in the text where Michael mentions if it was a white girl that was missing, everyone’s attention would be on the lookout for that missing girl, in Sarah’s case however, it is implied because she is aboriginal, no one really cares as much.

3. What was Michael's view on injustice and bad people being enabled by others? 

He took most  injustices personally, especially the ones relating to Aboriginal people. Growing up in his father’s town had taught him that one person with power could do bad things, but it took lots of people to let those bad things continue.

4. Michael breaks down about the loss of Beth in this chapter, how does he feel about her loss? 

When Michael breaks down about the loss of Beth, it is revealed that Michael still feels regret as he was unable to take care of his child. And as he sees Beth’s cousins, he feels 

regret on how he was unable to protect his child. 

5. What happened to Derek Bell?

Derek was murdered in his own house and dad told Allie to go back to the station because he thinks the murder is still around. 

1. What does Catching reveal is 100 paces to the West?

Catching reveals that the place she had been imprisoned was 100 paces to the West of the children’s home.

2. Catching gains a lightness after being heard. Why? 

Catching gains a lightness after being heard as the burdens of her traumatic experiences are relieved as she confides them to Beth and Michael.

3. What had Oscar Sholt built?

Oscar Sholt had built a bunker in fear of the apocalypse, a fantasy of his absurd beliefs of doom’s day.

Summary:

“The End”, it’s name definitely fits its purpose of wrapping everything up and filling up the holes of mystery from past chapters, under Isobel’s tips, Dad and Allie find a bunker 100 paces west from the children’s home. Here, Beth finds out that Catching wasn’t lying and that her “stories” are depicting reality in an abstract way. As dad and Allie went down the bunker, Beth sat by the rivers, but just a while later, she found a pair of glasses on the ground that told her that Catching’s story was true from the description that the feed had eyes of mirror. They found out that Sholt was the one in the fire, and estimated that he was stabbed because there is a conflict between him and Derek Bell.

She found a grey that represents fear and She recalled the time where she stood up to a school bully Billy King and erased the grey with her courage. 

2. Explain Catchings strength in this chapter?

Her strength is strong with the bloodline of her ancestors and she is using her strength to fight the Feed, all of her colours are slowly fading away and turning Grey when she is fighting against the feed.

3. Describe the feed when he is concerned. Does he appear tough?

He transforms from a monster into a nervous man who no longer has mirrors for eyes because he’s lost his glasses.

The Catching summary

In the Shadows Crow chuckles at herself as she repeats the lies she used to think about her own helplessness. Crow's way of eliminating greyness is similar to Catching's, her's requires her to recognize and combat the emotion that her grey reflects. Finding a grey that stands for dread, she remembers a moment when she confronted a bully at school and uses that courage to erase the grey. She then visualises herself and Crow together on a beach in the future, and she uses that happy thought to cover up a grey patch of sadness. Catching measures "the distance between who we are and who we're turning into" rather than clock time, so she has no idea of how long this process will take. 

The Escape summary 

Crow, who has brown complexion, black hair, and brown eyes, pushes First over and destroys Second's mask, exposing his blank face, as the Fetchers approach Catching's room. The faceless emptiness below cries for First's mask to return as Catching tears it off. The girls then bolt from the room, turning to face the Feed as it comes down the hallway with "mirror-eyes." Even when the final grey portion of Catching wants to run, she refuses and fixes her gaze on the Feed, calling the grey "shame." She informs him that although her colours belong to her, the grey humiliation belongs to him, and she is proud of herself for "surviving" him. Her final fragment of grey disappears.