A note at the beginning of the chapter states that seven weeks have passed since the family’s arrival. Sadie awakes in the middle of the night to the sound of sirens, and both she and Will wonder if there has been an emergency at the home of the Nilssons, the old couple down the street. The frail Mr. Nilsson is often seen pushing his wife up the icy hill in her wheelchair.

Sadie reflects on some of the reasons the family needs a fresh start: Will had an affair in Chicago, and Otto was being bullied at his school. Will inherited the house from his sister, Alice, who had fibromyalgia, a painful and debilitating disease, and died by suicide when she could no longer withstand the pain. Things aren’t much better here. The word “DIE” was recently found scratched into the ice on Sadie’s car window. Sadie thinks this was done by Imogen, who still resents their presence, but Will is worried it has something to do with Otto being bullied again and is reluctant to call the police.

The chapter ends with the Nilssons being seen on the icy road. Sadie has a feeling in the pit of her stomach that something is not right.