Miss Barks deposits Demon at Mr. Crickson’s grimy farmhouse, where Crickson—gruff and unsanitary—warns that the other boys won’t tolerate a “biter,” a slur likely seeded by Stoner. Demon spends the day hungry and working cattle, learning fence repair and basic chores while Crickson gripes about his inexperience and hints he’ll be kept from school for farm work.

In the afternoon, Tommy Waddell and a smaller foster boy, Swap-Out, return from school. Tommy proves welcoming and helpful, guiding Demon through graining cattle and barn chores, explaining the farm’s rhythms, the Angus herd, and that extra boys often appear when taxes come due. Demon hopes to keep a low profile until his mother finishes rehab.

Star high-school athlete Sterling “Fast Forward” Ford arrives to fanfare, charming everyone, especially Crickson. After a Manwich dinner, Demon sees that Fast Forward has special privileges, his own room, and legacy status from the late Mrs. Crickson. That night Fast Forward runs “drill”: he inspects the boys, takes Tommy’s candy, forces Swap-Out to surrender lunch money, and presses Demon to hand over hospital-stashed crackers and cash, promising a farm party and declaring their Hillbilly Squadron.

Demon chooses the top bunk, wary of vermin and house grime, and commits to getting through this placement. In a reflective coda, he recalls Mr. Peg explaining how ‘hillbilly,’ like other slurs, can be reclaimed as defiant identity—an insight that frames Demon’s effort to survive humiliation with stubborn pride.