Miracle McCloy Timeline and Summary

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• Miracle is born four and a half months premature after Sissy commits suicide by walking in front of an ambulance. Aunt Casey, Gigi, and Uncle Toole agree to frame the incident as an accident and never speak of it to her.
• Miracle grows up with Gigi and Dane and enjoys spending time in her father's basement room, helping him with his stories.
• On the night of a séance to contact Sissy, Miracle and her family learn that Dane has disappeared. Gigi tells her that Dane "melted."
• Dane's disappearance stirs up controversy surrounding Gigi, forcing them to move to Georgia to live with Granddaddy Opal.
• While their relationship is initially chilly, Miracle eventually develops a friendship with Granddaddy Opal. She begins taking dance lessons in secret against Gigi's wishes, and learns to ride and maintain a bike of her very own.
• Although she still misses Dane and still wears his bathrobe, Miracle begins to grow happy with Gigi and Granddaddy Opal and form a new life with them.
• Granddaddy Opal tells Miracle about black holes, leading her to think that Dane traveled back in time to prevent Sissy's accident and that both of them will be returning for her soon.
• On Miracle's thirteenth birthday, a tornado destroys the house and Granddaddy Opal has a heart attack. In the aftermath of these events, Miracle is sent to live with Aunt Casey and Uncle Toole back in Alabama.
• At Aunt Casey and Uncle Toole's, Miracle is largely left to her own devices—Casey is pursuing a degree in psychology, while Toole is busy having an affair.
• Gigi writes Miracle a letter telling her that she and her boyfriend, Eugene, have gotten married in Greece. She sends Miracle a book about love potions and a purple shawl.
• Miracle uses the shawl to make girls at school believe that she can cast love spells and make their crushes fall in love with them.
• Juleen Presque, a girl from Miracle's school, visits her when she's sick and gives her a copy of Emily Dickinson's poetry. She tries to explain to her that Gigi's magic isn't real, but Miracle becomes enraged at this.
• Miracle sets herself on fire.
• After waking up in the hospital, Miracle meets her new psychologist, Dr. DeAngelis, who explains to her that she's being sent to a special wing of the hospital for people with problems like hers.
• Gigi attempts to kidnap Miracle before she can be moved to the new wing.
• Miracle begins counseling with Dr. DeAngelis, while Casey frequently comes to visit her.
• At one of her sessions, Dr. DeAngelis and Casey lead Miracle to the truth about her mother's death. Confronting this reality begins to ground Miracle, but she also develops strong resentment of Aunt Casey due to her role in the charade.
• Gigi comes to visit Miracle and kidnaps her, saying she's going to take her back to Georgia to perform healing spells on her. Miracle confronts Gigi about her lies, though, and demands to be taken back to the hospital.
• Gigi dumps Miracle at a bus station, where she calls Casey and asks for a ride back to the hospital.
• Miracle is beginning to understand that she is a unique person and separate from her family, and also that she needs help in becoming more secure in her identity.