Tackle the Text: Roger That

by Hal Bennett on 01.22.2010

19 Responses

All of this back and forth, it can make a person’s head hurt. Honestly. Nia and Callie and Cornelia are screaming with excitement about the possible connections between Callie’s mom and Amanda and the money and the note and I had to get away from it all. So what do I do? Write… to you guys. Please, for the sake of all our sanity, can we come up with a connection? I know everyone’s been trying really hard and I think we’re close. You’ve made some cool connections so far and I think when vexed, go to the text. (Hey—that’s pretty good, huh?)

SarahB thought of a pretty good one—the fact that Callie’s mom left Thornhill a note in his office. Is there anything else we can see here?

I sat . . . for what seemed like a long, long time, holding the envelope on my lap and staring at the familiar writing. I wanted to open it. A few times I even started to, but then I stopped. What was I going to find when I read what was inside? Was it possible I was sitting here holding an old permission slip or late note, something no more significant than the rest of the junk I’d dug through in Thornhill’s drawer? Or what if it were something from the opposite end of the spectrum—a suicide note or a love letter that would explain why my dad hated Thornhill so much? Was I really prepared to walk back into the library having just discovered that my mom was secretly in love with Mr. Thornhill? Um, no. I folded the envelope back up and shoved it deep into my pocket.

As we know from Invisible I, Callie opens the letter later that night after walking around with it in her pocket all afternoon….

Have you ever delayed something you were too scared to know? Do you think the letter could be referring to the money or anything else Amanda-related?

19 responses

  1. Faithettie

    I do this a lot.  I become scared of knowing them for fear as to how it will impact my life and what will it do in the end of it all.  Will it have been worth knowing?  Should I just leave it alone and run away forever?

    But then, I become so frightened that it converts to burning curiousity—what am I so scared of?  What if it will end up saving the world?  As soon as it hits that stage—it does rather quickly—I learn as much about the subject as I can, anazlying every detail.

    I don’t think the letter could be referring to the money—by then Callie’s mother had left and only Callie, her father, Amanda, and the bank knew about what was going on.

    I do think, however, Amanda is connected to the letter.  What if (wild theory moment) the letter was given to Thornhill months in advance, and Amanda was brought to the school to keep an eye on Callie when Thornhill couldn’t?  Despite all the trouble she got in, it’s not impossible Thornhill was the reason Amanda had come in the first place.  And what if Amanda is the key to finding Callie’s mother?  (This would explain why she was so fascinated by keys)  So much to ponder…

    • ICUPEEKING

      I’m sure there has to be some sort of connection with the letter and the money or Amanda. I mean, it just doesn’t seem that it’s just a coincidence that once Callie’s mom leaves, Amanda shows up. I know others have said this, but Amanda could very well be Callie’s half sister or something. Or maybe Amanda is some sort of supernatural being and Callie’s mom knows Amanda’s secret. (I’ve read way to many books, lol) Just throwing things in the air :)

      • The1tigress

        a LOT because you get anxious and don’t know what to do you don’t know how it will effect you and your surroundings. I think there is definetly a link how can amanda know so much about signs and coincidentally callie’s mum be a astrnomers its to good to be true maybe amanda was given the money by callie’s mum she still cares for her daughter and maybe when amanda was talking about how she had been looking for callie and nia and hal maybe her mum knew about all that and amanda went to her for research and they also built a relationship

        • Dolphinia

          I completely forgot that Mr. Thornhill was hated by Mr. Leary…that is clicking, but not in my mind…

          • Zoey

            YES!!! I sometimes dont know if I want to know the information. (Weird theory here:) so Thornhill seems to be connected (maybe even related) to Ursula and Amanda, maybe Amanda had to travel a lot cuz she didn’t know who her mom was and lived in foster homes. Maybe her mom had fraternal twins, yet didnt know that she had Amanda, Amanda ran away after birth, was found and taken in. As Amanda grew older she longed to meet her mom. She went from foster home to foster home in search of her mum. Eventully she came to Orion and met Ursula,first friends then learned the truth: she was her mom. She didn’t want to scare Callie so she pretended to be just friends. Then some people started to figure it out. She had to run away like her ‘mom’ and is in some secret agency with Ursula. Thornhill could be her father… And Callie is in the middle of it all! Lolz I told u it was weird!

            • Mnyca1213

              i dont think their related.

              • Milana

                Speaking of letters, did Callie save the envelope with the money in it?  I write to a pen-pal, and leave notes ON the envelope just for fun.  I don’t know if Amanda has ever mentioned or used this “trick”, but we could check.

                • SarahB

                  Whatever Ursula was involved in, she told Thornhill something about it. She must’ve done, else she wouldn’t have worded her letter to him so frankly.

                  It’s interesting that she writes “for her own safety” about Callie. Because Callie knowing something about Ursula’s situation puts her in danger? Or because Ursula thought that if Callie knew what was going on, she might also want to be involved?

                  It’s also interesting that Thornhill kept the note - perhaps as proof for Callie if the time ever came, that Ursula was alive and wanted her daughter to be ok?

                  Is it possible that Thornhill arranged for Amanda to come to the school to help look after Callie? Not in a baby-sitting sense, but like… in the sense of having a friend who she could talk to, someone who Callie could relate to and be a shoulder to cry on, someone who could persuade Callie that her mom still loved her… whilst being someone who Callie would never suspect as actually knowing anything about her mom.

                  If that’s true, of course… it means Thornhill knew Amanda before she was a student at school in Orion. It also explains why he was so upset about her disappearance - if you knew someone well and they disappeared suddenly and you couldn’t contact them, wouldn’t you be worried? Wouldn’t you go ask their other friends if they knew where your friend was?

                  • vampire-girl

                    no to the first question and yes to the second. maybe the money she left has to go to someone called Roger. Roger could be holding some vital information or has been given something that they need that costs money. that is what i think sorry my answer is not that long - Nadia

                    • Anonymous94

                      I do this All The Time. Sometimes if I get an e-mail that I’m nervous to read, I’ll let it sit in my inbox for forever before I actually click on it. Usually, whatever I was nervous about wasn’t that bad at all, but, what can I say? I guess I’m a chicken. In the end, I totally agree with Faithettie that that fear turns into crazy curiousity, and rightfully so.

                      Faithettie, I also like your pondering about the envelope! I love all the premeditated thinking that goes into your “wild theory moment”!

                      • SarahB

                        Vampire-girl, Roger is Thornhill’s name, that’s why the envelope was addressed to him.

                        • SarahB

                          So, I was re-reading Invisible i, and I suddenly realised there’s another connection we’ve been missing. Right at the end of the book, Hal, Callie and Nia all find the note that Amanda left for Thornhill. It says, incase you’ve forgotten, a quote from a Sherlock Holmes novel;

                          “Danger? What danger do you forsee?”
                          Holmes shook his head gravely. ‘It would cease
                          to be a danger if we could define it,” said he.
                          - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

                          And underneath, three words: “please help us”.

                          Amanda was asking Thornhill for help. And she said “us”. It makes sense that she’s referring to herself and Ursula, of course!

                          The Sherlock Holmes story, for reference, in case anyone is interested, is “The Adventure of the Copper Beaches”.

                          • teenage.poet

                            But I must say… Another thing connection we have been missing is the postcard, the ripped postcard that Hal, Nia and Callie all received a piece of. It talked about Meg, and Callie figurd out that she may have been referring to is her old friend Meg, who she was friends with before she became an “i” girl. And the Meg in the book. And I apologise, I have a terrible memory, and I have forgotten both the name of the book and Callie’s friend Meg’s last name. Can somone elighten me?

                            Anyway, I have been wondering about how they are connected, if this Meg charater is also a “partener in crime,” or if she was maybe another person who was supposed to be drawn together with Hal, Nia and Callie, but somehow avoided the situation. Possibly rubbing of the totem on her locker before Thornhill or anyone else could see it? That maybe explains the other totem that they saw (or possibly) saw on the car. the Lizard. And there was another piece to the postcard missing, wasn’t there? Maybe Meg was the one who got that last piece, but thought nothing of it. Also, something rather large must have happened between AManda and Meg that Meg wouldn’t want to be part of the mystery, and would just let the fact that Amanda disappeared pass her by. Maybe she knows something omre, something the others don’t know, that has either ruined or jeopordized her connection with Amanda.

                            This is just a theory, but amybe we should think about it?
                                                                        - ♥ Poet

                            • RRRules

                              I completely agree with SaraB!
                              If Thornhill knew Amanda, it also explains why he never punished Amanda or gave her detention!

                              • Sarah1214

                                Oh my gosh!  I’m like, flipping out right now.  Callie, where you ever friends with Meggin “Meg” Burke, before you became an I-Girl?!  She’s my best friend now!  I could totally do some digging if it’s the same girl!  She and I are like sisters!  I mean, she’s never mentioned you, but she strongly believes in letting bygones be bygones, or forgive and forget, so it would make sense that she wouldn’t dwell on any falling-out you guys might have had.

                                I can’t believe I forgot about the postcard!  Wasn’t Meg’s last name ripped off?  What if it really is my Meg? This is sooo creepy.  I mean, until now I was only vaguely connected to this whole mystery, but this really makes it hit home!  I’m getting shivers!  Please please please let me know if this is the same girl and if it is I’ll see what I can find out from Meg about Amanda.  Maybe they had conversations that Meg just didn’t feel the need to share!

                                In other news, I am seriously sensing a triangular relationship between Thornhill, Amanda, and Ursula.  I don’t really know what it is, but I really am feeling it.  Sheesh.  This is tangled.

                                • Strawbezz

                                  Well, I got the book from the library, but if my memory serves me right… Meg is a character in the book “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’engle. Meg has to find someone which connects to how the guides have to find Amanda. So, in my opinion, it doesn’t seem to be another Meg. Amanda just likes to quote things.

                                  1) No, I do not delay things I am too scared to know. It would just eat me alive even more to know what is the result.
                                  2) Ursula did not say anything to Thornhill to look over Amanda too, if they are by some chance related. I think that Ursula knows Amanda and sent her to Callie while they still had a chance to escape from whatever they are in trouble with.

                                  • *J*

                                    Grr! So many stories to read! I only read a few, 3 newest and the last on this page(so far). But I noticed SarahB and some other members’ names were mentioned in the articles. The same ones, only occasionally different. Regular members? And “Hal”, please get a different picture. It’s scary. I just joined this thing tonight.

                                    • *J*

                                      I meant same members repeatedly.

                                      • AllieK

                                        I do sometimes delay things I’m afraid to know but I ususally try to face things as soon as possible because the worry gets worse over time and you get even more scared to find something out.
                                        I agree with Strawbezz that maybe Callie’s mom sent Amanda to Orion to help watch over Callie.  I have a feeling that Amanda gave Callie the key to Thornhill’s office because she knew she would need it, but not so that they could find surveillance tapes.  Maybe she knew Ursula and that she would contact Thronhill and ask him to protect Callie.  So she wanted Callie to search the office mainly so that she could find the letter and know that her mom was ok.  She obviously knew something about Ursula since the fortune teller seemed to know a lot about Callie’s mom and she prolly knew Amanda.

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