Luke sat by the ice machine reminiscing about first seeing Kalisha Benson, eating candy cigarettes as Maureen arrived with fresh linens. They exchanged whispers about recent transfers: Kalisha, Nicky, George, and Helen had all been taken to Back Half, leaving Luke as a long-timer.

Maureen warned Luke that they could not keep meeting there and claimed she had been in Back Half, suggesting increased suspicion. Luke found this odd because staff often spoke with kids in similar areas thought to be dead zones for audio surveillance.

Maureen handed Luke a “token,” then spoke in a normal tone to deflect attention. Luke returned to his room and unfolded a tightly written note hidden with the token. The note, compressed and urgent, revealed Maureen’s confession and plans.

In the note, Maureen admitted she had been informing on the children to Mrs. Sigsby or Mr. Stackhouse, including listening in spaces considered safe, and expressed deep regret for the wrongs she had done. She confirmed that she had contacted Leah Fink in Burlington, validating Luke’s earlier advice, and that the money issue was resolved.

Maureen stated her back pain was as bad as feared, and after securing her hidden money, she “cashed out,” arranging a way to send funds to her son for college without him ever knowing the source. She urged Luke to escape quickly, warning that as a “pink,” once testing stopped he might have only about three days before being moved to Back Half.

She stressed that the ice machine might be the only safe place to talk but feared they had used it too much, pleading with Luke to destroy the note and be careful. She concluded that her own life would be over soon and thanked him.

Luke recognized Maureen as a snitch and considered that Joe and Hadad might also be informants. He realized he would have hated her in June but felt older and more understanding now. He destroyed the note by flushing it, as he had done with Kalisha’s earlier message, and reflected on how distant that earlier moment felt.