Summary

In Chapter 1, ten-year-old Melanie lives in a cell. She would prefer to be called Pandora but was assigned her name by Miss Justineau. Melanie’s world consists of her cell, a classroom, the corridor and a shower room. There are 38 cells in the corridor which has a large steel door at one end. Melanie noticed this door when it was open one day and the sergeant got angry because she noticed it. Because she listens to conversations around her, Melanie has learned about the base on which she is being kept. She thinks the purpose of the base is to clear out the hungries. These hungries can smell humans and will chase them and eat them. She believes that in the city of Beacon there are people living happily who never see hungries.

The sergeant, his people and one of the teachers come...