A Great and Terrible Beauty Chapter 7 Summary

  • A sound in Gemma's room wakes her up, so she shoots up in bed, but hits her head on the low ceiling, at which point Felicity puts a hand over her mouth and tells her to be quiet.
  • Even though it is risky, Gemma goes with Felicity, though she tries to sound tough and uninterested so that she's on the same level as the popular girl. 
  • They tiptoe to the great hall and meet up with Pippa, Cecily, and Elizabeth; Gemma regrets her choice and feels nervous about what they are going to ask her to do.
  • They tell her to steal the communion wine from the chapel. Cecily is shocked at this because it is a sin, and Gemma doesn't like this idea either, but is afraid of looking weak.
  • Felicity pushes Gemma inside the black chapel and locks the door—Gemma tries to push the door open but it won't budge.
  • Feeling pretty stupid now for being tricked the same way Ann was, she looks for a way out and fumes about her mistake.
  • And then out of the darkness comes a cough but she didn't make it—yikes—so Gemma books it down the aisle, but there are footsteps behind her. 
  • Spotting a door behind the organ, she makes for it, but the thing flies over her and grabs a hold, covering her mouth.
  • She bites the hand and falls to the floor, and they scuffle as Gemma tries to escape. 
  • Then a young man's voice tells her to stop and blocks the door. She threatens to scream but he calls her bluff by reminding her that she is out of bed with a strange man at night (which spells trouble in 1895 for sure).
  • Also, dude knows her name, which is majorly creepy.
  • He tells her his name is Kartik and that he followed her here from India—he was there the day her mother died and wants to know what she saw in her vision.
  • We learn that the shadow monster killed his brother and that she should block out the visions so that nothing bad happens to her.
  • Gemma is pretty doubtful she can stop them though, so Kartik hurts her arm to let her know she has to stop the visions and that he'll be watching her. Message received?
  • Before leaving, Gemma swipes the wine just as the Reverend comes out to see if anyone is there.
  • While making her way back to the school, she sees the little girl from her vision in the alley, and the little girl asks her to follow her.