Derek is on the bus with Kylie when she makes the trip to summer camp and she believes he is one of the few on the bus who isn't a complete "freak." Derek is handsome and reminds Kylie in some ways of her ex-boyfriend, Trey. However, she soon realizes that making that comparison is dangerous because she can't decide if her attraction to him is genuine or if she's comparing him to Trey. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Derek is able to manipulate emotions. He proves this to Kylie when she sees a snake and is frightened by touching her so that she's immediately calm. Kylie is then troubled by the fact that Derek might be manipulating her emotions to make her feel something for him when she really doesn't. Derek appears to be a strong character and it seems he genuinely cares for Kylie, making it unlikely that he would change her emotions to suit his own needs. Derek is patient and seems to accept Kylie's insistence that she needs a friend more than she needs a new romance in her life. Derek keeps his distance but makes it clear that he still wants to be more to her than a friend. As the story opens, Derek is planning to learn to turn off his powers so that he can no longer sense the emotions of the animals. As the story comes to a close, he seems to accept his power as a gift and is wavering as to what he'll do with it.
