Chapter 9 Summary

Key Characters

• Sierra: Main protagonist, exploring her grandfather's secret society.
• Uncle Neville: Provides transportation for Sierra.
• Robbie: Sierra's acquaintance, involved with shadow shapers.
• Manny: A friend who shares history with Sierra’s grandfather and the shadow shapers.
• Mr. Jean-Louis: Associated with Sierra's group of friends.
• Rutilio: Performs a comedic dance, member of the group.
• Cojones: Manny's dog, large and playful.

Important Locations

• Throop Avenue: Starting point where Uncle Neville drops Sierra off.
• Carlos's bodega: Sierra buys essentials here.
• The junk lot: Meeting place for Sierra, Robbie, and others.

Significant Concepts

• Shadow Shapers: An enigmatic group with a deep connection to spirits and art.
  • Lucera: A significant spirit who disappeared recently, affecting the murals and their magic.

Plot Summary

• Sierra reviews a file containing journal entries about a secret society her grandfather was involved in.
• The file mentions the critical role of Lucera in maintaining the spirit-connected murals.
• Sierra meets up with friends (Robbie, Manny, Mr. Jean-Louis, and Rutilio) at a junk lot.
• A humorous interaction occurs involving Rutilio’s dance and Manny's dog, Cojones.
• Sierra and her friends work on a mural; Robbie paints a skeleton in an elaborate dress.

Conversations and Themes

• Sierra seeks answers about the shadow shapers and their connection to her grandfather.
• Manny reminisces about Sierra’s grandfather's storytelling skills and deflects questions about the shadow shapers as a mere social club.
• There is an underlying tension about the true nature of the shadow shapers and Sierra's desire to uncover it.

Conclusion

• Manny leaves Sierra with vague answers about the shadow shapers, suggesting Robbie might have more information.
• Sierra resolves to get more explanations from Robbie on their walk home.