The narrative continues in Ella’s past timeline. Ella peers into the Carters’ house from outside. She sneaks in through the unlocked backdoor, suddenly desperate to see Brittany’s room. The Carters’ dog starts barking. Ella races back outside and heads to Anton’s apartment. She throws rocks at his window until he gets up and walks her home.

The narrative continues in Ella’s past timeline. Ella has no one to hang out with after school because Anton has detention. She wanders around until she ends up at the university—where she knows John Carter works. She eventually finds John’s office, discovering that he has a PhD and teaches sociology. In the hallway, she runs into his assistant Bettina, who mistakes her for Brittany. Ella plays along, hoping John will surface soon.

The narrative returns to Casey’s present timeline. In the bedroom, Casey encounters Eleanor sitting on the bed and holding the gun. She leads Casey at gunpoint into the living room, where she insists on tying her up. They then discover that the tree has fallen on the shed; Eleanor realizes she would have died if Casey hadn’t found her. Casey knows she’s in danger but is glad she saved Eleanor, too.

The narrative continues in Casey’s present timeline. Eleanor ties Casey to a chair using duct tape. She promises she has nothing against Casey personally. When she disappears into the other room, Casey realizes Eleanor is going to get the knife.

The narrative flashes back to Ella’s timeline. Bettina feeds Ella snacks until John appears, shocked to see her. He accuses her of breaking into his house, too. Ella insists he is her dad; John argues otherwise and drives Ella home. At the house, he leads Ella inside and talks to Desiree. Ella demands to know why Desiree has been keeping her and John apart. After John leaves, Desiree burst out laughing—explaining that she got the wrong John Carter. Her real father is an ex-convict who wants nothing to do with them. Ella closes herself in her room and cries.

The narrative returns to Casey’s present timeline. In Eleanor’s absence, Casey tries to free herself from the tape, remembering her father’s advice. He once tied her up this way to teach her how to escape. Unable to move, Casey starts to panic.

The narrative continues in Casey’s present timeline. Two hours later, Eleanor returns. She won’t reveal her plans for Casey but promises she is “going to make sure justice has been served” (193). Casey begs for mercy, but Eleanor withdraws her blade and swings it rapidly toward Casey.

The narrative flashes back to Ella’s timeline. After school the next day, Ella tells Anton about breaking into the Carters’ house and seeking out John Carter. Instead of laughing at her, Anton reassures Ella, insisting it’s better she isn’t related to Brittany because she’s smarter, braver, and prettier. Just as he takes her hand, Brittany and her friend Meredith appear and start making fun of them for dating. Brittany also ridicules Ella for thinking they had the same dad, too. Anton intervenes, grabbing a rock and smashing it repeatedly into Brittany’s face. The paramedics and police arrive, taking Anton away.

The narrative returns to Casey’s present timeline. Casey expects Eleanor to stab her in the face; instead, she cuts the tape from her feet and chest. She then heads outside, leaving Casey bound to the chair by her hands. Casey spends a while freeing herself. Her mind races through various possibilities, unsure what to do next. She retrieves Eleanor’s notebook from under the couch and studies the pictures and map again. She realizes the woman in the drawings isn’t her, and the house on the map isn’t her cabin.

The narrative flashes back to Ella’s timeline. Desiree collects Ella from school and scolds her the entire ride home. She insists Ella shouldn’t be hanging out with boys like Anton, or boys at all. Upset, Ella blames Desiree for pushing nice men away and ruining their lives. At the house, Desiree locks Ella back in the closet.

The narrative continues in Ella’s past timeline. After Desiree falls asleep, Ella picks the lock and frees herself from the closet. She covers the stairs in papers and junk. Amidst the mess, she finds a recommendation from the school counselor for therapy; Ella is upset Desiree never followed through and lights the messy steps on fire before fleeing the burning house. Outside, she decides to go after her father next.

The narrative returns to Case’s present timeline. Casey realizes that Eleanor was heading for Lee’s house, not hers, and wonders if he is her biological father. She races over to Lee’s, terrified that Eleanor has already killed him. She knows what it’s like to be Eleanor and wants to stop her before she makes an irreversible decision.