to her surprise, wanda wakes up in a new host whose consciousness has not returned. in her new body, wanda gains wide acceptance from the humans and is free to be in a relationship with ian while melanie goes back with jared. over the course of time following the surgery, the colony begins to grow and many of its residents become more prosperous than ever before. the novel ends with their discovery of another group of humans like theirs who have a soul named burns in their group.