Alice wakes Bree in a panic after the dean of students summons them to his office. Bree immediately thinks of Selwyn, Tor, the creature, Deputy Norris, and magic, but Alice assumes the meeting is about possible expulsion after the off-campus Quarry party. Bree rushes across campus, still weighing whether Alice would believe what Bree saw the night before.

Dean McKinnon reprimands Bree and Alice for violating Early College rules but says the sheriff’s office issued only a warning, so he will not expel them. He gives them a first and only strike, says he will call both sets of parents, and assigns each of them a peer mentor for the rest of the semester. Bree objects to being treated like she needs a babysitter, while Alice tries to keep the meeting controlled and respectful.

After dismissing Alice, Dean McKinnon speaks to Bree alone. He says Deputy Norris reported that Bree had an attitude, and Dean McKinnon accepts that framing while warning Bree against disrespecting law enforcement. He then mentions Bree’s late mother, who was an accomplished UNC alumna, and says Bree has the potential for brilliance because of Bree’s records and her mother’s legacy.

Outside the office, Bree finds Alice crying and furious. Alice is shaken by how close they came to expulsion and fears her parents’ reaction. When Bree tries to explain that something strange is happening at the school, Alice thinks Bree is deflecting and accuses Bree of treating college like a party, choosing easy classes, and not taking their shared dream seriously.

The argument escalates as Bree feels ashamed, angry, and misunderstood, especially because Alice does not know the full weight of Bree’s grief or the strange things Bree witnessed. Alice suggests that if Bree does not want to be at Carolina, Bree should go home. Hurt, Bree retreats behind her emotional wall and lashes out, telling Alice to grow up; Alice says she no longer knows who Bree is and walks away.