How old is Lily?

• A. 12
• B. 13
• C. 14
• D. 15

Answer: (C)

Lily’s age shapes how she sees the world and what she’s ready to act on, which is why this detail matters. The story presents Lily as fourteen years old, a age that explains her mix of curiosity, uncertainty, and growing independence as she faces loss, asks big questions about her mother, and makes bold choices during her journey. That fourteen-year-old perspective is what drives the voice you hear in her reflections and in her actions as events unfold.

If you thought she was younger, like twelve or thirteen, you’d be picturing a less mature, more sheltered character, which doesn’t fit the way she currently handles the danger and moral questions she encounters. If you assumed she were older, like fifteen, it would push the timeline forward in a way that doesn’t align with the events and how she interacts with the other characters at this point in the story.

So, the fourteen-year-old age is the best fit because it matches the narrative voice, the stakes she faces, and the arc of her personal growth throughout the book.