Contents
Chapter 38
Overview
In captivity, Ellie realizes her period is imminent and requests supplies, prompting Noelle to hint at a mysterious “plan.” Ellie tries desperately to alert neighbors but fails. Noelle arrives with pet hamsters as a coercive “gift,” forces Ellie to name them, and claims the media—and Laurel—think Ellie ran away, deepening Ellie’s despair.
Summary
On a Saturday in Noelle’s cellar, Ellie remembers her period is due and asks Noelle for towels, underwear, and toiletries. Noelle relishes control, hinting she has a “fabulous plan” once things “slot into place,” then leaves to shop. After Noelle exits, Ellie stands on a chair and pounds the window and walls for over an hour, screaming for help, injuring her hands with no response.
Noelle returns buoyant, announcing a surprise: two hamsters with a cage and supplies. The gift confuses Ellie, who never wanted hamsters. Noelle reframes captivity as benevolent, contrasting herself with imagined worse captors, and demands Ellie name the animals, threatening to flush them if she refuses.
Under pressure, Ellie names them Trudy and Amy, drawing from early childhood memories. Noelle casts this as a “circle of caring,” equating Ellie’s care of the hamsters with Noelle’s control over Ellie, and fusses about Ellie needing a hair wash, promising a tap attachment.
Seeking a lifeline, Ellie mentions missing her GCSEs. Noelle coolly says there’s “always next year,” which Ellie seizes as a fragile vision of survival and returning home.
Noelle then claims newspapers report Ellie ran away due to exam stress and attributes the idea to Laurel, saying others don’t know Ellie as Noelle does. The suggestion devastates Ellie, implying no one is pursuing Noelle. Noelle leaves, urging Ellie to focus on the hamsters. The chapter closes with Ellie overwhelmed by the cage wheel’s creak, covering her ears in despair.
Who Appears
- Ellie MackImprisoned by Noelle; attempts to alert neighbors; forced to name hamsters; crushed by news she’s seen as a runaway yet clings to hope.
- Noelle DonnellyCaptor; hints at a plan, exerts control with coercive “gifts,” manipulates Ellie with threats and claims media think Ellie ran away.