Chapter Twenty-Five: Sik Among the Dead

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Sik and Belet stand at the fence overlooking Gilgamesh's rejected plea. Sik wants to go back and persuade the legendary king to fight, but Belet dismisses the idea and declares she will go kill Nergal herself. Their argument escalates as Belet accuses Sik of breaking his promise to look after the garden, which she believes led to their current crisis. Sik reveals that Ishtar made him promise to stay with Belet, making Belet feel like just an obligation. In a fury, Belet pulls out the photograph of her supposed biological parents—the one thing she saved from Venus Street—and tears it to pieces. She confesses she always knew the photo was fake, a fabrication Ishtar created because she doubted her own parenting. Belet's grief spills out: she was the only adopted child to lose Ishtar while all others got to keep her for their full lives. Sik shares his own pain over losing Mo and urges Belet not to let anger consume her, offering his friendship. Belet rejects the comfort and runs off to find Nergal, hailing a taxi and disappearing.

Alone and desperate, Sik decides to check on his parents at Manhattan General and then try again with Gilgamesh. He enters the Canal Street subway station and helps an elderly man named Harry down the stairs. Harry speaks cryptically about going to the same place everyone goes in the end. The platform is crowded with senior citizens, and Sik overhears snippets of their conversation—moments before death. A train covered in cuneiform graffiti screeches to a halt. As passengers board, a boy says the ice wasn't thick enough, and a man notes his life insurance will cover tuition. Realizing these people are all dead, Sik asks Harry point-blank if he is dead. Harry replies, "Of course," and adds, "Aren't you?" Before Sik can react, he is pushed onto the train.

Key Events

Sik and Belet argue over Gilgamesh's refusal to fight; Belet storms off to face Nergal alone.
Belet tears up the fake photo of her biological parents and reveals she always knew it was Ishtar's invention.
Sik shares his grief over Mo and tries to comfort Belet, but she rebuffs him.
Sik heads to the Canal Street subway station and assists an old man named Harry.
Sik discovers the subway platform is filled with dead people, and the train is carrying ghosts.
Harry states he is dead and implies Sik is dead too, after which Sik is pushed aboard the ghost train.

Character Development

Sik shows vulnerability and empathy by confiding his own loss of Mo to Belet, trying to bridge the gap between them. His decision to visit his parents reveals his lingering hope for their survival. His helpfulness toward Harry, a stranger, demonstrates his fundamental kindness even under extreme stress.

Belet undergoes a significant emotional upheaval. Her anger toward Sik masks deep sorrow over Ishtar's death and the secret of her adoption. By destroying the fake photo, she releases a lie that held her identity captive. Her rejection of Sik's friendship shows she is not yet ready to accept help, choosing vengeance instead.

Harry is a mysterious figure who appears frail and confused but possesses supernatural awareness. His casual acceptance of being dead and his implication that Sik might also be dead hints at a liminal space or an afterlife dimension within the subway system.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Deception and truth: Belet's revelation that Ishtar manufactured a fake backstory for her underscores the theme of well-meaning but harmful secrets. The torn photograph symbolizes the shattering of that illusion and Belet's choice to embrace her true identity.

Grief and anger: Both Sik and Belet are trapped by their grief—Sik tries to move forward, while Belet lets anger dictate her actions. Their confrontation shows how unresolved loss can drive people apart.

Death and the afterlife: The subway platform crowded with ghosts and the train bearing cuneiform writing introduce a literal realm of the dead. Harry's question—“Aren’t you?”—suggests Sik may be closer to death than he realizes.

Friendship vs. obligation: Sik's admission that Ishtar made him stay with Belet complicates their bond. His later claim of genuine friendship, though rebuffed, plants a seed for reconciliation.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens Belet's backstory and emotional arc, shifting her from a rival to a grieving daughter. The destruction of the fake photo and her confession humanize her and explain her prickly behavior. At the same time, the strange ghost train introduces a new supernatural layer, raising the stakes for Sik. The chapter ends on a chilling cliffhanger, suggesting Sik may be trapped or even dead, which sets up the final sequence of the novel. It also isolates Sik from Belet, forcing each character onto separate, dangerous paths.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Belet tear up the photograph?
Belet destroys the photo because she has always known it was a fake—a picture of soap-opera actors that Ishtar created to give her an idealized biological family. She does so to reject the lie and to affirm that Ishtar, despite her imperfections, was her true mother.
How does Sik try to help Belet, and why does it fail?
Sik shares his own experience of losing Mo and tells Belet not to let anger consume her. He offers his sincere friendship, separate from Ishtar's request. Belet fails to accept because she is too consumed by grief and rage, and she prefers direct action (attacking Nergal) over emotional support.
What does the ghost train suggest about the story's supernatural rules?
The train, decorated in cuneiform graffiti and carrying the dead, suggests that the boundaries between the living world and the underworld are porous in this story. The fact that the dead seem unaware they are dead, and that Harry considers Sik a fellow ghost, hints that Sik may have unknowingly crossed into a realm of death, or that his connection to the magical garden has placed him in a liminal state.