Luke encountered Maureen Alvorson fifteen minutes later and judged that Maureen’s health had worsened. She was removing the twins’ Disney posters and stripping their beds, bundling their sheets with other laundry, signaling the twins were gone from Front Half. When Luke asked about Gerda, Maureen rebuffed him with a brisk “Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies,” masking deeper feeling that Luke sensed via low-grade telepathy.

After leaving, Luke grabbed an apple and a pack of candy cigarettes from the caff and vending machines, which reminded him of Kalisha and made him feel connected to her. He looked out at the playground and saw more children than when he had first arrived; Avery Dixon slept on a trampoline pad, exhausted after the previous night’s events.

Stevie Whipple, a newer arrival, thumped Luke’s shoulder and said the prior night had been bad, referencing “the big redhead and that little girl.” Stevie then reported that orderlies in red uniforms had come that morning and moved the punk-rock girl, Helen, to Back Half.

Shocked, Luke confirmed Helen’s name and expressed shared frustration about the Institute. He joked with Stevie about wanting jet-boots to escape and added the idea of bombing the facility before flying away, which Stevie found funny.

Maintaining his cultivated good-boy image, Luke gave Stevie three tokens when asked, telling him to indulge his snack cravings. The scene closed with Luke continuing to observe the lax environment and the toll the Institute’s operations were taking on both the children and staff.