Contents
Chapter 23
Overview
Casey tries to build trust with Eleanor over cards, angling for her age and last name while concealing the truth about being fired from teaching. Eleanor refuses to share, keeps hold of the bloody knife, and challenges Casey’s promises. The storm cuts power, escalating isolation and danger in the cabin.
Summary
During the storm, Casey offers companionship to Eleanor by suggesting card games in her TV‑free cabin. Casey fetches her late father’s deck, noting the teen’s bloodstained backpack and resisting the urge to search it to preserve their “infinity” trust. They begin go fish as the lights intermittently flicker.
Seeking information, Casey asks Eleanor’s age and last name. Eleanor deflects, focuses on the game, and makes a cutting remark about Casey’s weight. Casey reveals she was a teacher but dodges why she stopped. Inwardly, Casey recalls being fired after a serious misstep, but she lies to Eleanor, calling it a hiatus.
Casey proposes a trade—her reason for not teaching for Eleanor’s last name—but Eleanor refuses and reclaims the knife, her fingers still caked with blood. Casey reassures her and renews the infinity promise, while Eleanor questions Casey’s ability to keep promises and warns that Casey might be the one who should worry.
As the conversation stalls and distrust lingers, the storm intensifies. The lights flicker again and finally die, plunging the cabin into darkness and amplifying the stakes of being alone with an armed, secretive teenager.
Who Appears
- CaseyEx-teacher hiding in a cabin; tries to gain Eleanor’s trust over cards, lies about being fired, and faces a power outage.
- EleanorBloodstained, burned teen; eats, rejects sharing personal details, keeps hold of a knife, and challenges Casey’s promises.