Astrid Ellison

Astrid Ellison is a main character appearing in all the season one books.

Description

Astrid Ellison is 14 to 15 years old. She is Sam's girlfriend through most of the books. She is described as being beautiful and smart. She has "silky blonde hair and bright blue eyes, freckles, rosy cheeks, and pale, translucent skin". She was the one who pushed Sam into leading the group of kids left to live in the FAYZ.

Appearances

Gone

Astrid Ellison, also known as "Astrid The Genius" first appears in Gone. She, Sam and Quinn and eventually Edilio, go to look for her little brother, Little Pete just after the FAYZ barrier arrived. They go from Perdido Beach to Clifftop Hotel, then to the Nuclear Power Plant where they find Little Pete and back to the Town Plaza. It is also during this time that Sam reveals his power. Astrid also reveals that Little Pete has a few powers of his own. Later they realize that the FAYZ wasn't created by chance, but by Little Pete. She is tortured by Drake and she sides with Perdido Beach in The Thanksgiving Battle

Hunger

She is often the voice of reason when it comes those with the power, and most people believe her to be a "normal," due to the fact that her power is not displayed like Sam or Brianna's power. She dissects the first zeke and is the one to suggest negotiating with them.

She tries to break up the anti-freak mob that Zil put together because of Hunter, but ends up with a black eye instead. At the end of Hunger, she is still with Sam. Zil Sperry tries to hang her along with Hunter, but Orc saves them.

Lies

At the beginning of Lies, we find out about the Temporary Council and that she holds a major position in it. John lies to Mary for the first time, sending her into a breakdown that leads her to taking the Poof and trying to bring the children with her. Astrid, Dekka and Brianna save most of them, Dekka being the main reason they were saved. During the fire, she learns how hard Sam's job is.

Throughout the book Astrid and Sam begin to argue because Sam is hiding things from her. The arguments lead to Sam moving out of the house. However, it is not mentioned that the two break up.

Like everyone else in the book, she is terrified of Drake and what he means Her relationship with Sam, by the end of this book, is questionably still lingering.

Plague

At the end of Plague, her location is unknown after she is overwhelmed with guilt. Her current side is supposedly Sam's, but this is unclear because at the end of Plague she doesn't go to the lake with Sam, but is rumored to be living by herself. It is apparent that the two never made up.

Fear

In Fear, Astrid is on her own in the woods quite close to Lake Tramonto. Astrid's blonde hair is bluntly cut and she gets a tan. Her resolve of her religious beliefs become skewered and she battles the struggles. After she sees the barrier growing dark she tells herself to go the Lake Tramoto to tell them about the barrier, but she really wants to see Sam. When she gets there, she finds out that Sam is not there but is on a little job. She waits for him in his bunk and realizes that he missed her so much that he slept with her nightgown.

She then tries to read how fast the barrier is growing dark. She realizes that it is growing at a faster rate each day. She then decides to take the message for Sam to set up Sammy Suns in Perdido Beach and doesn't tell Sam. She gradually gets lost and bumps into Cigar. He tells her that she can see Little Pete and she communicates to him through Cigar.

Light

In Light, Astrid and Sam have reconciled and are in love. She makes him promise that he will stay alive and they will walk out of the FAYZ together. She stays at the lake until Gaia destroys it. In order to end all of the killing caused by Gaia and protect, she asks Petey to possess her, but he refuses because he doesn't trust her. She is kidnapped by Drake and is hurt by him but escapes by biting his nose and pushing her thumbs into his eyes. When the FAYZ falls, she is taken to a different hospital than Sam but is with Diana and Lana. Astrid gets a book and movie deal and lives with Sam and Diana in LA with the words to her boyfriend Sam.

Relationships

Sam Temple

Sam is Astrid's boyfriend. They've had their ups and downs but they've always pulled through. In Light, Astrid makes Sam promise to stay alive and that they will walk out of the FAYZ together. They argue a lot, but by Light they know they are in love and will always stay together. In the aftermath, Sam and Astrid live together in a house and ask Diana to move in with them.

Little Pete

Little Pete is Astrid's 5-year old severely autistic younger brother who at times becomes too troublesome for her. In Hunger he starts having weird dreams which come to life and eventually attack Sam and Astrid. The dreams were fueled by the Gaiaphage. In Plague, she throws him to the bugs hoping the FAYZ will disappear. When he vanishes and the FAYZ is still around, she is left heartbroken and guilty. She is happy when in Fear, Pete returns even though she can't see him since she knows he has the power to stop the FAYZ.

Orc

Astrid tutored Orc prior to the onset on the FAYZ. He remarks that she was always helpful to him and she calls him Charles on numerous occasions. He protects her from the Human Crew and also helps to protect her when she moves to Coates Academy after her brother produces the rain cloud.

When Astrid loses her faith after the 'death' of her brother it coincides with Orc finding his faith. Although she no longer believes in God she seems to respect that finding God has helped Orc become a better person. Astrid tells Orc about her hiding place that she lives in for a few months and during Light Orc tries to find it, he remembers that Astrid said that there were berries there and he doesn't mind thorns so berries would be a good food source.

Notes

In Fear, when Astrid meets Cigar en route to Perdido Beach and discovers that he can see and hear Little Pete. Cigar asks Astrid why does he (Little Pete) "say your hair screams? You're an angel with wings and shiny, shiny, and a long sword with flames..." Astrid's avatar bears remarkable similarity to the angel Uriel who is often depicted brandishing a fiery sword guarding the gates of Eden. Early in the novels Astrid was a deeply religious character who struggled with moral dilemmas. Astrid's faith is shaken to the core when she decides to sacrifice Little Pete to the Bugs. From that moment on she is guilt-ridden by her decision, and decides to give up her religious state. It is not surprising to find that Uriel, the angel closely resembling Astrid's avatar, is depicted as the Angel of Repentance.