Chapter 13 Summary, Analysis, and Study Notes
⚠️ 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
Clio brings a first aid kit outside to Baker and Austin. Austin confirms Baker's ankle is sprained and treats the scrape on his forehead. They exchange jokes about lawsuits, with Austin playfully asking Baker if Clio pushed him. Baker admits he fell. Austin recognizes Clio as one of the Barnes girls, mentioning his brother Jackson helped her mother move in. She asks if Jackson thought the house was haunted; Austin says no one did until after the book came out. She confronts him about sending Baker to break in on a dare and invites him to knock next time. She goes inside and locks up.
She texts her sisters about Austin but gets no reply. Unable to sleep in her own room—due to boot prints on the carpet, rumpled sheets suggesting her mother may have died there, and the mouse she saw—or her mother's room, which feels too weird given the possibility that Roy stayed there, she settles in her sisters' room. She plays city sounds to help her sleep and notices a whispering voice in the audio repeating a greeting.
The chapter shifts to her mother's account: discovering the attic entrance in Cici's closet, climbing up with a chair and books, falling and injuring herself, and realizing something lives in the attic. She heard evil laughter and knew no one would believe her.
Key Events
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Austin treats Baker's injuries and confirms the ankle is sprained
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Austin recognizes Clio as one of the Barnes girls
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Discussion about Jackson and the haunted house
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Clio confronts Austin about sending Baker to break in
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Clio invites Austin to knock next time
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Clio texts sisters, gets no reply
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Clio can't sleep in her room or mom's room
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She plays city sounds in sisters' room
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She hears a whispering voice in the audio
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Shift to mother's account of attic discovery
Character Development
Clio shows her wit and boundary-setting throughout this chapter. She jokes about suing, gives Austin a hard time about the break-in, and invites him to knock next time—a small but meaningful gesture that shows she's willing to engage with the community. Her vulnerability emerges when she can't sleep in her own room or her mother's, and she seeks comfort in her sisters' room with city sounds. The whispering voice she notices suggests she's more attuned to the supernatural than she might admit.
Austin is revealed as a neighbor kid who grew up in the area, not just a random intruder. He's shy, admits to being a bad babysitter, and shows some charm. His comment that no one thought the house was haunted until after the book came out hints at the community's reaction to the mother's published account.
Baker is a sweet kid with braces who apologizes for the break-in. His innocence contrasts with the darker events of the chapter.
The mother is revealed through her account: she discovered the attic entrance in Cici's closet, climbed up, fell and injured herself, and realized something lives in the attic. Her fear and isolation are palpable—she knew no one would believe her.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
The attic as hidden evil: The attic is a crawl space over the garage, cold and desolate even in mid-May. It represents the hidden evil in the house, something the mother discovered and that Clio is now circling around.
Skepticism vs belief: Austin's comment that no one thought the house was haunted until after the book came out highlights the tension between skepticism and belief. The community's reaction to the mother's published account is a recurring theme.
Maternal protection: The mother's account reveals she climbed into the attic to keep her daughters safe. Her fall and injury were a consequence of her attempt to confront what she suspected was there.
Isolation and quiet: Clio finds the house too quiet, even quieter than her father's place. She seeks comfort in city sounds, which ironically contain a supernatural whisper. The contrast between urban and rural comfort is a motif.
Family secrets: The mother's discovery in the attic is a family secret that Clio is only now uncovering. The chapter reveals the mother's account, which the daughters may not have known.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is pivotal for several reasons. It reveals the mother's attic discovery, establishing the supernatural presence in the house. It introduces the whispering voice that Clio hears, suggesting the haunting is active and reaching out. It also establishes Austin as a neighbor with history, adding depth to the community around the house. Clio's vulnerability in this chapter—her inability to sleep in her own room or her mother's—shows her emotional state and sets up the supernatural events to come.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Clio choose to sleep in her sisters' room instead of her own or her mother's?
Clio avoids her own room because of the boot prints on the carpet, the rumpled sheets that suggest her mother may have died there, and the mouse she saw. Her mother's room feels too weird because of the possibility that Roy stayed there. Her sisters' room is the only option other than the couch, which isn't comfortable.
2. What does the whispering voice in the city sounds suggest about the haunting?
The whispering voice—repeating a greeting—is embedded in the audio track Clio plays to help her sleep. It suggests the supernatural presence is not confined to the house but can reach Clio through technology, and it seems to be addressing her directly, as if it knows her.
3. Why does the mother believe no one would believe her about the attic?
The mother's account reveals she fell and injured herself while climbing into the attic. Her father assumed she fell because she was drunk. She had been drinking for liquid courage, but that's not why she fell. She knew the truth—that something lives in the attic—but she also knew that no one would believe her, given her history with alcohol and the extraordinary nature of her claim.