Chapter 10
Contains spoilersOverview
During a dodgeball game, Luke Ellis keeps to himself, replaying a famous chess match while weighing whether to trust Maureen Alvorson’s clandestine offer to help him escape. After Avery Dixon is hit and leaves the game, Luke quietly recruits him for an escape plan, establishing a two-channel communication method: casual spoken talk paired with telepathy.
Summary
That afternoon, Stevie Whipple organized a dodgeball game that most kids joined. Luke Ellis opted out and took the chessboard to replay Yakov Estrin versus Hans Berliner from 1965, using the familiar moves to focus while he thought about Maureen Alvorson’s note and what it meant for his escape.
As Luke considered Maureen’s past informant role, he judged that working at the Institute eroded employees’ morality, yet he believed Maureen’s desperation was genuine. He decided he had little choice but to trust her and to find a way for her to pass him information without alerting Mrs. Sigsby or Trevor Stackhouse.
On the playground, Avery Dixon was struck in the face by the dodgeball and began to cry. Stevie Whipple helped Avery up, confirmed he was uninjured, and suggested he sit out. Luke called Avery over, offering tokens for snacks and a drink as a pretext to separate him from the game.
Inside at the canteen, Luke and Avery conducted dual conversations: speaking aloud about snacks while communicating telepathically. Luke asked Avery if he wanted to help him escape, and when Avery silently asked how, Luke replied that he would explain that night. Luke envisioned using similar parallel communications with Maureen to move forward with the plan.
Who Appears
- Luke Ellis
captive and planner; decides to trust Maureen Alvorson’s help and recruits Avery Dixon telepathically for an escape plan.
- Avery Dixon
younger telepath; gets hit during dodgeball, then agrees to help Luke after a telepathic exchange.
- Stevie Whipple
fellow captive; organizes dodgeball and assists Avery after he is hit.
- Maureen Alvorson
staff member; not present in the scene but central to Luke’s thinking as a potential ally who can pass information discreetly.
- Mrs. Sigsby
Institute administrator; not present in the scene but a threat Luke must avoid alerting.
- Trevor Stackhouse
security staff; not present in the scene but named as someone whose suspicion must be avoided.
- Nicky Wilholm
former fellow captive; mentioned in Luke’s memory as the reason for replaying a chess game.