Lucille

Lucille is Becky’s mother and a steady presence in Elena’s early experiences with Becky’s family. She is introduced through practical exchanges and quiet gestures of reassurance; later, during the annual broadcast about the Creepers’ destruction of the capital, she supplies Elena with personal context about the story behind the commemoration.

Identity and Introduction

Lucille appears first as the driver taking Becky and Elena toward the Wall. When Becky urges her to go faster, Lucille refuses, saying she is already driving at the speed limit and reassuring Becky that George will not fly away or disappear. The exchange establishes a small but clear contrast between Becky’s impatience and Lucille’s measured practicality.

Reassurance and Elena

Lucille also offers Elena a notably tender response when Elena’s family history comes up. She explains that Master Longwei told her about Elena when asking whether Elena could come home with Becky, and says that why Elena’s father never registered the two of them on the other side may remain a mystery. Lucille gently squeezes Elena’s shoulder and assures her that she is safe now. The gesture and reassurance give Elena a moment of maternal comfort without pressing her to discuss her father; Elena is reluctant to speak about him and turns her attention to changing the subject.

The Annual Commemoration

At nine, a movie is interrupted by a program recalling the Creepers’ destruction of the capital sixteen years earlier. Lucille sits beside Elena and explains that Isabel told her King Albert had ordered Sir Robert away from him; otherwise, Sir Robert would have been trapped too. She adds that the yearly broadcast is a tradition meant to remind people of what happened. Her account links the public commemoration to an individual explanation of how King Albert’s order affected Sir Robert’s fate. Elena remembers having heard the story before and struggling to reconcile it with the impression that Sir Robert had left his rider defenseless, so Lucille’s explanation enters a history Elena has not found easy to understand.