Esch is suffering with morning sickness and cannot sleep. Alone, she reads from Mythology again, and in it is “someone [she] can recognize” (38). Skeetah brings Esch to see China and the puppies and they find that one puppy isn’t eating. Skeetah tries to bring the puppy to China but she growls and attempts to bite him. Skeetah suspects that the puppy has parvovirus. He chooses to separate the puppy from China and the rest of the litter, to “Make it easy for him till he dies” (41).

Esch and Skeetah head outside with the sick puppy and Junior is suspicious. He threatens to tell Randall that Skeet is going to do something bad to a puppy. Randall challenges Skeet, saying he can still do something about it, but Skeet has resolved to kill the puppy, because the other puppies will get sick if they don’t get rid of it. Esch goes along with him to the Pit.

Esch and Skeet head out into the woods and Skeetah shoots at a squirrel. He tells Esch that she and Manny “don’t look right together”, Esch protests, but only in her mind.