Summary

Chapter Twenty-Three is titled “Blame the Girl.” Amanda became obsessed with getting a note to Nigel. She wrote on a tiny scrap of paper and tossed it into his room as she was passing on the way to the bathroom. They began to communicate by knocking on the wall that separated their rooms. There was no way to knock out a message that way but Amanda was comforted knowing he was there. She came up with the idea of leaving messages for each other in the bathroom. She threw a note into Nigel's room, outlining the plan, and found on a later trip to the bathroom that he'd left her a message. Abdullah and Jamal stopped tutoring Amanda and Nigel. A soldier named Hassam took over.

An important change occurred soon after Nigel's move. Amanda had time for a quick shower each day...