In Knoxville, Demon discovers Aunt June’s surprise household member: Emmy Peggot, Maggot’s cousin and Humvee’s daughter, a guarded sixth grader who clutches a Hello Kitty backpack like a weapon. The family goes to Denny’s, where Demon is overwhelmed by city life while Aunt June talks calmly about exhausting ER shifts and violent emergencies, making Demon’s excitement about street sights seem small.

At Aunt June’s apartment, the kids sleep together in a pillow “ship” while Emmy controls the rules with her dolls’ made-up ranks and grim crime trivia, including stories about a “Body Farm.” Demon realizes the city feels inescapable and lonely, and he learns Emmy’s existence is treated as an unspoken subject back home; Maggot warns Demon he can mention it to Demon’s mother but never to Stoner.

Aunt June proves generous but strict, taking the kids to activities and the zoo on her days off, even as she works punishing hours. Demon notices the strain when Aunt June comes home late and sits silently, drained, and Demon reflects on the contrast between Aunt June saving lives and other family members capable of extreme violence.

The highlight is a trip to Undersea Wonders Aquarium in Gatlinburg, where Demon is thrilled by the sea life and the Shark Tunnel. Aunt June forces Emmy to confront her fear and enter; Emmy freezes in terror on the moving walkway, so Demon pushes back through the crowd to stay with her, promises she won’t be abandoned, and holds her hand as they go through with Emmy’s eyes shut.

Afterward, Demon impulsively buys Emmy a small “moray eel” bracelet as a bravery badge. Emmy announces she loves Demon and intends to marry him, dismissing Maggot because he is her cousin. When the visit ends, Emmy demands Demon call her from home; on the drive back Demon starts thinking about his mother again. At the driveway, Mrs. Peggot nervously tells Demon he has a father who is alive, and Demon immediately understands the implication when Stoner steps out of the house.