Unwind

Though Connor would have preferred for them to remain in hiding in the woods, “there are only so many acorns and berries he can eat” (57). The trio finds a newspaper and are surprised that there is no mention of them. Risa theorizes that the authorities want them dead, not unwound. When a police car passes by, Connor’s first instinct is to run, but he doesn’t. They pretend they are trying to catch the school bus, which has stopped nearby.

As they approach the bus, Connor hears a sound—a baby’s cry. He stops and follows the sound, which tugs at him because he has seen storked babies left on his family’s doorstep before. Connor tells himself it’s not the same baby, “But to some deep, unreasoning part of his brain, they’re all the same baby” (62). He fights logic and looks for the baby. Risa and Connor take the baby, despite Risa’s misgivings, and the three of them and the baby get on the bus.

Risa is angry about what she considers to be Connor’s lapse in judgment. She believes the baby makes their situation worse. Connor tells her he picked the baby up because the authorities are looking for three people without a baby.