Allie (book)

## Allie / Eve

**Allie (book)** is a main character in *The Power (book)*. At the beginning of the story, she is a 16-year-old mixed-race girl and lives with adoptive parents in Jacksonville, Alabama.

## Character Story

#### Ten Years to Go

*This section is a detailed plot of this book chapter and **contains spoilers.** Click to expand.*

We learn that Allie's adoptive parents took her in out of “Christian charity”. Her adoptive father owns number of meat-packing and meat-producing factories around the area. Her adopted mother, Mrs. Montgomery-Taylor, is a religious woman, fond of giving speeches full of fire and brimstone.

Allie has recently realized that she has the power and has been practicing how to use it. In her mind, she hears a voice — which she tells herself is the voice of her deceased mother, Annabeth MacDuff — urging her on. Today, she’s with two boys, Hunter and Kyle, in the graveyard where her mother’s tombstone is. They start to fondle her, as she sometimes lets them do. However, she’s not in the mood, and she zaps them lightly instead. They get mad at her from bringing them out there and zapping them, and they unhappily trudge off.

When Allie sneaks back into the house, Mr. Clyde Montgomery-Taylor immediately smacks her back-handed across the face, calling her a “whore” for being out with the boys. He the proceeds to rape her, as he has many times before. Allie knows that Mrs. Montgomery-Taylor knows what goes on and that she ignores it.

Within her, Allie knows today is the day to fight back. She jolts him, and he collapses, but is still alive. She then places her hand on his heart and does it again. A voice in her head then tells her to take the little crucifix hanging on the wall with her as she leaves.

#### Nine Years to Go

*This section is a detailed plot of this book chapter and **contains spoilers.** Click to expand.*

The night of Mr. Montgomery-Taylor’s death, Mrs. Montgomery-Taylor had discovered the body and then proceeded to the police station to report Allie. However, that night the calls had started pouring into police stations all over with reports about girls using their powers, and they were too overwhelmed to chase Allie down.

For the next 82 days, Allie hitchhikes north. At first she has no problem getting rides, but soon cars avoid her, seemingly out of fear of what powers she might possess. The voice in her head encourages her to keep moving forward. As the travels, Allie thinks about her bad and progressively worse caregivers, starting with someone she was instructed to refer to as Aunt Rose and ending with Mrs. Montgomery-Taylor.

In the next town she goes to, she sneaks into the aquarium and looks at the tank full of electric eels. She reads up on how they use their power to interfere with the signals in the brain, causing other fish to swim into their mouths. Allie thinks about how she’d like to learn to control her skill like that as well, and the voice in her head propels her to keep travelling forward.

Allie soon comes across the Sisters of Mercy Convent, a convent located next to the ocean. There, the women are delighted to find the crucifix in her bag. They take her in, and they offer her a warm bed and food. Soon, other girls arrive, in need of shelter and counsel. The sister there soon put up bunk bed in their previously empty rooms, start scheduling classes and starts handing out chores to be done. Meanwhile, at the convent, the displaced girls share their stories. When the girls ask Allie about herself, she lies. She tells them that her name is Eve and that her family left her because they were afraid she’d hurt her brothers.

While the girls test out their skills on one another, Allie is more subtle on it, trying to practice on people without them knowing it. She thinks about what the eels are capable of and tries to replicate those skills, giving girls small headaches or a leg cramp. They don’t know it’s her, and when a group of girls gets ready to depart the convent, they invite Allie along, but she declines.

Allie finds that she’s happy at the convent. She asks the nun with darker-colored skin, like hers, whether she could stay here forever. Sister Maria Ignacia tells her that she would have to become a nun if she wants to stay her whole life. Allie is hurt by this response, thinking about how no one ever wants her to stay.

One day, Allie overhears the nuns arguing about whether the girls’ powers. Sister Veronica believes they could only be from the Devil and wants to kick them out. As she hears this, the voice in Allie’s head tells her that the world needs a “prophet” and that if she wants to stay at the convent, then she needs to own it.

#### Eight Years to Go

*This section is a detailed plot of this book chapter and **contains spoilers.** Click to expand.*

A 14-year-old girl named Luanne has arrived at the convent three months ago who has been unwell since her powers awoke. When she gets scared or exited, she starts to convulse. Tonight, there is a lightning storm, followed by an altercation that sets off her convulsions. With tensions running high, Allie offers to try to heal her, though others are dubious that she can.

As they all watch, Allie reaches out to Luanne and uses her power to target the areas in her that she senses are blocked off. Luanne is instantly better, and Allie has performed her first miracle.

Soon, they start bringing Allie other girls in need of healing. Allie is able to be precise enough with her powers to send a “needle” of electricity to the exact spot to relieve headaches and other types of pain. Savannah, one the the girls there, comments that Allie has the power to heal, just “like we read in Scripture”.

Allie instructs the girls to go to the ocean with her at dawn one morning, saying that it’s what She (the Holy Mother) wants. As they gather in a circle in the water, Allie calls upon the Holy Mother to baptize them, and then she uses her power to bring the girls to their knees. When they return, they all talk about the miracle the experienced together. The ten girls she brought out there soon become leaders among the other five dozen girls at the convent.

Allie/Eve tells the girls that God is both a man and a woman, but she refers to Her as a She because it’s they side of her face that they’ve “ignored for too long”. She also instructs them to refer to God as “Mother”. The girls then ask who Allie/Eve is in all of this, and she says that she is simply a “messenger of the Mother”. The girls start referring to her as “Mother Eve”.

The nuns at the convent argue about how concerned they should be about the current situation and whether it is heresy. Sister Veronica believes they should lock all the girls in their rooms and burn them to death. One of the girls overhears this and reports back to Allie. By the next morning, Sister Veronica has died of what appears to be a heart attack, and she’s found in a prayer position in the chapel. The figure on the cross in the chapel now appears to be carved with etched fern-like lines, and it it deemed to be another miracle.

More girls want to be baptized under the Holy Mother, and the girls begin to take over the convent, shooting jolts at nuns who attempt to stop them. That night, Allie/Eve addresses her congregation as the girls record her message to be spread online. She dictates that now women shall rule “over man as Mary guided her infant son, with kindness and with love”. In Jacksonville, someone watches her speech and recognizes her.

Roxy makes her way to the convent where she shows off the strength of her power by boiling the water in the ocean. At the convent, the others tell Allie/Eve about her. Allie comes down to talk to Roxy, and Allie is surprised to learn that she has a British accent. Allie also senses how powerful Roxy is and remembers how the voice inside her had told her that “a soldier will come.”

Roxy talks about how she thinks these powers are going to change everything, and she came to Allie since it looks like she wants to be a part of that change. Roxy still thinks there’s a place for men and a role for them to play, but Allie sees things a little differently. Still, Allie invites Roxy in knowing that Roxy might be one of the strongest she’s encountered.

They get to the convent just as dinner is being served, and Roxy is welcomed warmly by the girls. Mother Eve recites scripture, picking and choosing the parts that she likes. She tells the story of Ruth and explains that it’s a story about friendship and loyalty.

Later, Allie and Roxy talk. Allie says that people keep trying to give them money, but she has no bank account and implies that she’s unable to set one up. Roxy offers to help her out.

At 7 AM the next morning, a man show up named Einar, who Roxy knows from before. He has with him a new laptop as well as seven sets of passports, social security cards and drivers licenses for Allie/Eve. Einar warns not to make deposits over 100K into the account for the first six weeks without clearing it him first since there are security measures placed on the accounts initially.

As the days pass, Allie notices that the voices in head have quieted down with Roxy here, and she tells Roxy about growing up in a group home. As they talk, they both admit to having killed someone. Roxy tells Allie about how one time she had a piano teacher who molested her, and she told her father who beat the guy up and partially castrated him.

When a group of 12 officers show up to take them down, Allie uses her powers to get them to drop their guns, and Roxy uses her powers to cause them to all collapse. They record the interaction, and Allie records a message to go with the video, beckoning any women and girls of any race or religion to join them.

The humiliation of the police force at the convent causes them to be become even more militant elsewhere. Soon, a 12-year-old girl named Mez shows up one day saying that she was hassled by officers when she and her mother were walking back from the grocery store. When her mother told them to leave her alone, seven officers beat her mother up severely and took her to the police station instead of to a hosptial. Hearing the story, Allie and Roxy are both determined to go to the station and rescue Mez’s mother, Rachel Latif.

They bring everyone at the convent, and sixty of them in total head to the police station, with additional women planning to join them. There, Allie demands that they release Rachel — who is barely conscious with her head cracked open — and let her go to a hospital. Seeing that they are overpowered, the officers release Rachel to a hospital nearby.

Eventually, Allie’s organization outgrows the convent, needing a larger facility and outposts of the convent are springing up everywhere. By now, Allie truly believes she has been sent by God and that it’s her duty to deliver Her message. Meanwhile, Roxy tells Allie that it’s time to go home because she misses her family. Allie insists that Roxy can’t trust men, but Roxy disagrees.

#### Six Years to Go

*This section is a detailed plot of this book chapter and **contains spoilers.** Click to expand.*

On a web forum online, someone going by “UrbanDox” has looked at photos of “Mother Eve” with her hood on and managed to figure out that she is actually Alison Montgomery-Taylor, someone who is wanted in Alabama for murdering her adoptive father. Others argue with the poster about whether this information is accurate or not.

Meanwhile, Roxy has been using her drug trade to gain influence with Tatiana. She also stays in contact with Allie, reserving part of the money for the cause.

#### Five Years to Go

*This section is a detailed plot of this book chapter and **contains spoilers.** Click to expand.*

By now, Allie is 20 years old. In Bessapara, a boy named Christian who is a paraplegic from an childhood accident asks her for a blessing. This boy has been specifically curated for this televised event, chosen since he had mild enough nerve damage that Allie could cure it.

As the crowd watches, Allie places her hands on the boy and he is then able to move his legs. The boy cries. Allie knows that sometimes her healing lasts, but sometimes it doesn’t, but either way it makes for a moving spectacle. Afterwards, there is a plea for donations to support the Church.

After the event, Allie corresponds with Sister Maria Ignacia, who has been loyally holding down the fort back at the original convent. Allie has recently asked Sister Ignacia to ensure that all files on “Alison Montgomery-Taylor” disappear, and today she receives confirmation that it will happen. While it’s not specified who is handling it, Allie knows that the believer most likely to have the power and influence to accomplish something like that is Roxy.

That night, Allie and Tatiana have dinner. They talk about the war between Bessapara and Moldova which has spanned the last three years. Tatiana wants to do a large attack and achieve a decisive victory with the help of some Glitter to amp up everyone’s powers. Since Awadi-Atif has been arming the North Moldovan troops, Tatiana wants to utterly destroy them with just the power to send a message. She wants Allie/”Mother Eve”‘s blessing.

Allie considers her options carefully, knowing that it will be a tricky situation if Bessapara ends up losing. Still, Allie soon broadcasts as Mother Eve, extending her support for Bessapara in their war against the Saudis.

#### One Year

*This section is a detailed plot of this book chapter and **contains spoilers.** Click to expand.*

(Four invitation cards from President Tatiana Moskalev, dated June 15, addressed to Senator Margot Cleary, Mother Eve, Roxy and Tunde.)

In the chapel in the Bessaparan castle, Allie/”Mother Eve” meets with Jocelyn who traveled here with her mother and asked to meet with Mother Eve. Joceyln cries to Allie, who senses that her skein isn’t entirely functional. Skein deficiencies are difficult to correct and aren’t understood yet, but as Allie holds her hand, she senses what to adjust and is able to fix Joceyln’s skein. Jocelyn thanks her and leaves.

Back at the the party, Tatiana drops a bottle of brandy on the floor and demands a young man lick it up off the ground, despite the flecks of glass shattered in it. As he does, Allie is tempted to stop this spectacle, but knows it will diminish her in Tatiana’s eyes. Instead, Tatiana finally laughs and tells the man to get a broom to clean it up.

Allie approaches Roxy at the party to discuss the situation with Tatiana. Allie says that Tatiana has become unpredictable and may have outlived her usefulness. She suggests that perhaps Bessarpara needs new leadership and that perhaps Roxy should lead them instead.

#### Can’t Be More Than Seven Months Left

*This section is a detailed plot of this book chapter and **contains spoilers.** Click to expand.*

Allie is concerned that Roxy seems to have disappeared as of 8 weeks ago. Allie is in contact with Darrell, who appears to be concerned (though he’s just pretending of course, since he knows exactly what happened to Roxy). Meanwhile, Tatiana is paranoid and wonders if Roxy’s disappearance is because Roxy has sold them out. Allie doesn’t believe this, but instead notes how unstable and unpredictable Tatiana has become.

One night, Allie goes to Tatiana and uses her powers to adjust the neurons in Tatiana’s head to make her more pliable. She then tells Tatiana to sign some papers handing over more control of the country to the Church.

#### Here It Comes

*This section is a detailed plot of this book chapter and **contains spoilers.** Click to expand.*

To the South, Jocelyn is on the road in her Jeep driving down a gravel road. In the North, Roxy and Tunde are sleeping in their shelter. In the West, Allie/”Mother Eve” knows that it’s time for Tatiana to go.

Allie goes into Tatiana’s room and places her hand on Tatiana’s back, as she has done many times before. She then uses her powers to cause Tatiana to pick up a letter opener and slash her own throat, knowing there are hidden cameras in the room. Allie then screams for help. Tatiana dies.

A short while later, Roxy meets up with Allie at a train station nearby. Roxy talks to Allie about how bad things are happening and that they should find a way to stop it now that Tatiana is gone. However, Allie has a completely different idea. She thinks that they should help the war to “begin in earnest”, using Roxy’s tale of betrayal to incite the women.

As Roxy and Allie talk it’s clear Roxy wants peace and Allie wants war. Roxy pleads with Allie not to do this.

Before they part ways, Roxy tells Allie to go find her former adoptive mother who has now remarried to a man named Lyle Williams. Allie does as Roxy recommends and seeks out the former Mrs. Montgomery-Taylor. Allie learns she is now running a children’s home in Jacksonville with her husband.

Allie calls her, and Mrs. Montgomery-Taylor immediately recognizes her voice. She tells Allie that she was the one who taught Allie discipline and made her into the person she is now, and Allie realizes that Mrs. Montgomery-Taylor was the one who instructed her husband to hurt Allie.

After the call, Allie is upset. Allie understands now that her whole idea that women are good and that men are bad is flawed, since she sees that a woman was behind her pain the entire time. Instead, it’s power that creates these dynamics, but for some reason people like follow leaders and give them power. (“Look, a King will basically make you into slaves, and don’t come crying to me when that happens. That’s what kings do.” “Welcome to the human race. You people like to pretend things are simple, even at your own cost. They still wanted a King.”)

In a church, Allie/”Mother Eve” calls out to her followers to warn them that an apocalypse is near and that they should “build an ark”. She calls upon America to help Bessapara to fight the North.