Mind Games Chapter Thirteen: Leasing the Game, Confronting the Dream

⚠️ 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

Thea Fox leases her first video game Endon to Milken Entertainment, gaining a paid internship and a future design position. That night, she forgets her protective ritual and Riggs invades her dream, but she successfully forces him out for the first time. Thea develops a new game Endon: Mog’s Revenge and creates the half-elf character Tye. She negotiates her contract with brother Rem’s help, celebrates with grandmother Lucy, and balances senior year with swordplay and MMA classes. After graduating, she delays building her house to focus on work. Years pass; Thea and Riggs have psychic skirmishes but she never visits him. Eventually she moves into the mountain-green cottage with blue door she designed, feeling rooted in family legacy and ready for the next phase.

Key Events

Thea writes in her journal about leasing Endon; she feels vindication that her work has value.
She forgets to hang her protective pouch and say the words, leaving her vulnerable to Riggs.
Riggs appears in her dream forest, bruised from a prison fight. He threatens her but she pushes him out with great effort and satisfaction.
Thea sketches Tye, a half-human, half-elf warrior, planning his backstory and role as love interest for Mila.
Rem quizzes Thea on her career goals: she wants to design and develop games without moving away from home.
Thea and Rem hold a video conference with Milken’s Bradley Case and three others. Thea pitches Endon: Mog’s Revenge.
Rem negotiates terms including an internship, salary, future position, and merchandising rights.
Lucy opens champagne to celebrate; the family gathers multiple times over summer including Caleb, Selma, and baby Dylan.
During her senior year, Thea learns swordplay and MMA, submits her Game Design Document for the sequel, and visits Milken headquarters and Caleb in New York.
At graduation, her whole family attends; Lucy and Thea drive north together to see Milken.
Thea delays building her own house for a few months, then nearly two more years, while working and designing.
She occasionally helps Howard and Musk with psychic cases but never returns to the prison.
The chapter ends with Thea moving into her finished two-story cottage, lighting fires and candles.

Character Development

Thea Fox: Achieves professional success but learns that Riggs remains a threat. Her ability to push him out of her dream marks a significant increase in psychic strength and self-confidence. She clarifies her priorities: career creativity, staying rooted in Kentucky, and family ties.
Rem Fox: Acts as a strategic negotiator, demonstrating business acumen. He reveals his own dreams of travel and eventually coming home, showing he and Thea share core values.
Lucy (Grammie): Provides emotional anchor and celebration; her pride and support are constant.
Riggs: Incarcerated, beaten in a prison yard fight, yet still fixated on Thea and determined to hurt her. His power has weakened since she can now expel him from her mind.
Caleb and Selma: Support Thea from New York, offering a glimpse into a different life path that Thea ultimately rejects.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Home and Rootedness: Thea’s refusal to move away, her gradual house building, and the final move into the cottage emphasize that her identity and safety are tied to place.
Dream Versus Reality: The dream confrontation blurs the boundary; Thea uses her own created dreamscape as a battleground and proves her agency.
Legacy and Inheritance: The witch bottles, pink diamond studs, and the house built from family lands connect Thea to her parents and grandmother.
Artistic Control: From game design to building a house, Thea insists on creating her own blueprint and timeline.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 13 marks a turning point in two arcs. Professionally, Thea transitions from aspiring designer to career professional with concrete achievements. Psychically, she demonstrates she can not only block Riggs but eject him from her mind—proof that her power has grown enough to protect herself. The extensive passage of time (nearly three years) shows her steady movement toward independence while Riggs remains trapped in the past, highlighting the contrast between her forward momentum and his stagnation.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why is Thea able to push Riggs out of her dream, and what does this reveal about her development? She realizes that her dream is her world, which she controls. By asserting ownership of the mental space, she uses her will to expel him. This shows she has moved from passive dread to active defense, a crucial step in her psychic maturation.

2. How does Rem contribute to Thea’s success in this chapter? Rem acts as a business strategist: he asks about her goals, negotiates contract terms, brings up merchandising, and critiques the salary. He also handles logistics at home so Thea can focus on work. His support is practical, not just emotional.

3. What does Thea’s reluctance to move to New York indicate about her character? It underscores that her identity and sense of security come from her grandmother’s farm, the Hollow, and the natural world around it. She views New York as exciting but not home, refusing to sacrifice rootedness for career advancement.