In this chapter, Carlos reflects on the events of the previous day. He realizes that his life has not yet "flashed before his eyes" and that he is "okay to check out" . He wonders if there is anything he can do now to protect himself and his family from the "bad gossip hounds" of the school. Carlos wonders if they have been "behaved enough" to play "fortress" , and he wonders if the "hundredth - fifth percentile" has been "treated enough to play man". He is glad that he did not make it to the final two. He is also glad that Carlos was not in the last two, because he knew that the kids were the ones who were dangerous. He says that he was glad not to be in the final, because it would have made him "fear watch yourself" and he would not have been able to "make real friends i dont get real people". He also says that if he were to die, it would be "just darkness". He wonders whether the new devices will spell a "strance" for the people. He thinks that the devices spell "a stranche d" for companies to have "long - missing relatives" sit with "hired relatives" to raise hired ones. He also thinks that they will spell "an ance" for one of his "weird stories"