Betsy Woodall takes time to decide Demon’s fate. She refuses to hand him back to Social Services yet declares she won’t raise a boy. Demon spends his waiting days getting to know Mr. Dick, Betsy’s disabled brother, who was bullied as a child, hidden away by their father, and later rescued by Betsy. In Mr. Dick’s book-lined room, Demon learns fragments of his father’s teenage life in this same house and begins to see his father as a real person.

Through Jane Ellen’s nightly studies, Demon observes Betsy’s mission of educating “her girls” to excel and avoid being diminished by men. Weeks pass with chores and conversations. Mr. Dick becomes Demon’s ally, their private jokes softening the house’s strictness.

One morning, Demon finds Mr. Dick inscribing a homemade kite with lines from Shakespeare to “return the blessing” to dead authors. The ritual hints at reverence without religion, something even Betsy tolerates.

Alarmed that Demon isn’t in school, Betsy demands a plan. She canvasses her network of former girls and insists Demon stay in Virginia for legal reasons. He asks for Lee County if possible. Betsy proposes a trial placement with Winfield, the widower of her former girl Patsy, a Lee High teacher and coach. Expectations are set: support money from Betsy, but Demon must behave and pull his weight. A meeting is arranged in Kingsport’s Walmart parking lot.

Before he leaves, Betsy takes Demon to his father’s grave, quietly tending it. Back home, Demon packs and says goodbye to Mr. Dick. As storm winds rise, Mr. Dick adds a final inscription—“Never be mean… I can always be hopeful of you”—and Demon runs the kite high into the darkening sky, then places the string in Mr. Dick’s hand. Tethered to the storm by words, Mr. Dick soars in spirit while Demon braces to return to Lee County and whatever awaits with Coach Winfield.