Summary

In [51] the salamander weighed on Jane's mind. It reminded her of her brother and their nature expeditions searching for giant phosphorescent salamanders. They had maps, fake accounts of sightings, and picture books all sashed in the barn- it was their secret. But that dream was gone for Jane because the person she "imagined it with doesn't exist anymore" and now the Salamander was calling for her "to transform, to make a decision, to become one thing or the other" (155).

In [52], the family got through dinner without talk of the gun, but Hellbender continued to text Jane. She found it difficult to compartmentalize her two lives and wondered how safe she and the family really was. That's why in [53], Jane got her daughter to check in every hour while she went to work. Instead of working, Jane texted Hellbender and tried to find out...