Adult Melissa, who seemingly wants to sever ties with the past so badly that she faked her death and changed her name to escape it. Yet she’s bound herself to that past in the most intimate of ways: marrying the daughter of one of her wilderness companions. [...]

Melissa, a young woman who has survived by keeping her head down. That is, until she realizes there’s an advantage to getting on the good side of Shauna. Becoming lover and yes-woman to the most volatile Yellowjacket offers Melissa something valuable: protection. [...]

[...] But loyalty, she knows, can only get her so far. If enough people turn against Shauna, Melissa is smart enough to switch sides, and savvy enough to do it without seeming disloyal to her other teammates. Until then, she’s watching and waiting.

Akilah, who struggles with wilderness visions of her own and whether to trust the supposed psychic powers of Lottie. She sees that, for all of Lottie’s prophecies, the team is no closer to finding a way home, and morale is about as low as it can get [...]

Callie Sadecki, daughter of Shauna and Jeff. Though she’s never had to survive the perils of the Canadian wilderness, Callie takes after her mother when it comes to diving headfirst into danger. She knows her parents are in trouble, [...]

Travis Martinez, whose father and brother have been taken by the unfeeling wilderness. Now the only male in an increasingly volatile community, Travis feels isolated, traumatized, and desperate for something –anything– to believe in. This makes him especially susceptible to [...]

Jeff Sadecki, husband to Shauna and dad to Callie. Aware of how much suffering his wife endured in the wilderness, Jeff has given Shauna plenty of latitude over the years. But he’s getting tired of standing by as his “better half” slips off for secret rendezvous or [...]

Vanessa “Van” Palmer, who has survived a brutal mauling, the Lord of the Flies-style splintering of her beloved soccer team, and the wilderness’s growing hold on her. [...]

... But Van dreams of returning to civilization and building a real life with her “secret” girlfriend, Taissa. As some of her fellow Yellowjackets have stopped sharing her desire to leave, Van realizes that getting home may mean breaking free from them first.

Charlotte “Lottie” Matthews, who’s off her schizophrenia meds and utterly convinced she understands what the wilderness wants. Enough of Lottie’s prophecies have come true that many Yellowjackets begin trusting her with their survival [...]