Chapter 12
Contains spoilersOverview
In Back Half, several children regain some clarity after easing each other’s headaches and consider a desperate plan to take over the facility. Kalisha, Nick, George, Avery, Helen, and Iris test their combined psychic strength by trying to reduce Iris’s pain, but realize they are still too weak to challenge the armed caretakers. The momentary hope fades as the limits of their abilities and the threat of zap-sticks become clear. A caretaker, Corinne, interrupts to herd them to movie time, underscoring the control the Institute still holds.
Summary
Before the weekly movie, Back Half residents receive twenty minutes of free time. Jimmy Cullum retreats to his room with a headache, while Hal, Donna, and Len sit in the cafeteria with untouched desserts. Kalisha, Nick (Nicky), George, Avery, and Helen go to the lounge, where Katie Givens watches the blank TV. Iris unexpectedly joins them looking somewhat improved.
Kalisha, feeling better after the group had earlier lessened Helen’s pain, contemplates a bold idea: take over Back Half. She weighs the obstacles—at least a dozen caretakers on duty for movie night and their zap-sticks—and wonders why no one tried before. Nick admits he once considered it when he first arrived but always ended up beaten; he cautions they only have “little powers,” even after exposure to the Stasi Lights.
Avery wordlessly pleads for a plan built on their combined abilities, and Kalisha recalls the notion that they are stronger together. George tempers expectations, saying they might scare the caretakers but would lose as soon as someone got zapped. Kalisha concedes he is probably right.
Turning to something achievable, Avery proposes they collectively help Iris’s persistent headache. Kalisha, Nick, George, Helen, and Avery enter Iris Stanhope’s mindscape, visualizing a large blood-colored “sponge” of pain. Working together, they push it back slightly before resistance forces them to withdraw. Iris reports a small improvement, which briefly lifts spirits; Katie, who also suffers headaches, wishes for the same relief.
The group recognizes the core problem: collective effort helps but remains insufficient to challenge the Institute’s armed control. Helen notes her own headache is almost gone, while Nick grimly predicts it will return. The fragile progress underlines both their potential synergy and its limits.
Corinne, a caretaker known for slapping, enters with her hand near her holstered zap-stick, seemingly sensing something amiss. She orders them to movie time, and the children comply, their nascent mutiny deferred by the immediate reality of the caretakers’ power.
Who Appears
- Kalisha
resident; considers a plan to take over Back Half; helps lead a group effort to reduce Iris’s headache.
- Nick (Nicky)
resident; once fought back and was beaten; warns their powers are limited; participates in aiding Iris.
- George
resident; skeptical of a takeover due to zap-sticks; helps with Iris’s headache.
- Avery
resident; growing stronger; leads the mind-link effort to lessen Iris’s pain and advocates “stronger together.”
- Helen
resident; her headache had been eased earlier; contributes to helping Iris and notes her own pain is nearly gone.
- Iris Stanhope
resident; still suffering a severe headache; receives partial relief from the group effort.
- Katie Givens
resident; present in the lounge; complains of her own headache and watches for the TV show.
- Jimmy Cullum
resident; retreats to his room with an aching head.
- Hal
resident; sits in the cafeteria during free time.
- Donna
resident; sits in the cafeteria, distracted with a cigarette.
- Len
resident; sits in the cafeteria with Hal and Donna.
- Corinne
caretaker; enters the lounge, hand near a zap-stick; orders the children to movie time.
- Gorky Park group
eighteen residents; remain behind a locked door, “humming,” not present in the lounge.